Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2017 9:52:47 GMT -6
[attr="class","plbase"]
[attr="class","pltxt"]There came a day when Theron knew he was finished wandering.
The tunnel from the Isles had been long and dark, crowded with what had seemed to be every wolf in the world - certainly every wolf in the Isles. Tensions had run high among the travelers, and because of that, Theron had tried to keep his group surrounded by other loners rather than risk inadvertently stepping on the toes of any pack wolf. There had been many of them - many loners, many pack wolves, and many Isles wolves who had for their own reasons chosen to abandon their home. Theron did not question it; whatever they sought to escape was still on the islands behind them. None of them smelled of disease, the few times he neared one, so at least the possibility that they were fleeing some horrendous plague seemed unlikely.
The sounds of so many paws in the tunnel, of so many voices speaking - some softly, some raised in anger or surprise or fear - had introduced another layer of discomfort within the already cramped, stuffy, fully submerged path through the ocean: an unholy, unending cacophony of noise.
There had been pups on the journey, and - he thought - at least one still-nursing mother. There had been elders and wolves bearing injuries new and old alike. There had been wolves content to travel in peace, and there had been wolves who seemed nothing if not eager for the chance to start a fight with their erstwhile companions. These last, violent ones had made Theron the most uncomfortable; if they understood how dangerous their behavior was, they did not care. A single vicious brawl between travelers could have been all it took to spark a bloodbath in the underwater tunnel.
He had been exhausted - psychologically as well as physically - by the time they reached the other side of the tunnel and stepped once more onto Anikiran soil, but Theron had allowed himself and his group only a short rest before moving on, away at last from all the others. The tunnel might have been a death trap, but at least it had funneled the hundreds of wolves within, lessening the chances of a total massacre even while it heightened the possibility of being trampled should too many wolves panic at the same time. Here in the open air, there was no such funnel, allowing every wolf far more room to move - and far more room to attack their neighbors. If the tired, agitated wolves who now spilled into Anikira became hostile now, the earth would be bathed with blood by the next sunrise. The only blessing was that now, at least, it would be easier to flee the carnage should it come down to that.
Still, Theron had not been able to fully settle in; it wasn't until he and his wolves were rested enough to move on that he began to calm down and stop imagining all the many, many ways they might find themselves battling for their lives. It didn't help that he hadn't been able to find anywhere to rest on suitably high ground. Whatever his fellows had done, Theron had found himself curled up in a lower area, difficult to defend or escape should he find himself thrown into any sudden outbreak of violence.
He had not been able to truly rest until several days later, when his group had put enough distance between themselves and the others. Until then, he slept only a little, and then he had to force himself to take a break from watching for trouble and only managed to sleep very fitfully. Once he felt less crowded, Theron's sleep cycle had sorted itself out again, and he was able to sleep peacefully enough to dream.
The lands had changed. He had known them well before he had been brought to the Isles; his time wandering the continent alone had allowed him to explore most territories that had not been claimed, and he had been familiar with the wildlife and its cycles to survive almost comfortably on his own. Now he returned to find the land almost unrecognizable, so different had it become. Formations existed where none had been before; familiar landmarks had been wiped away or alerted so that he no longer immediately recognized them. Even many of the well-worn migration trails he had once used as guidelines had shifted or been destroyed. The few they encountered that had survived were changed - wider now, marked with more than one or two distinguishable types of hoof prints.
They had passed through many lands, many territories, and although all had been almost eerily barren of wolf-scents - for now - Theron had been unwilling to linger anywhere for too long. The tunnel and the uncomfortable few days following their exit from it had marked him more deeply than he realized: He was no longer content simply to find a place to rest for a few weeks’ time before moving on again when others came to take the land away. Now he was determined to find land he and his companions could claim for themselves - a haven where the only company they would be forced to keep would be their own.
But the longer they traveled, the more this began to seem like an impossible dream to fulfill. All the lands they passed through were difficult to defend, or too verdant or too large to expect to occupy without trouble from neighboring wolves. Theron soon began seeking out high grounds, leading his group ever eastward as days became weeks. Nothing seemed suitable. Very few places were even safe enough to shelter them for the few days they rested in any one location. There must be something suited to this group of loners. Theron would not be content until he found such a place for them.
He did not stop until the dark green smudge on the horizon before him grew to become a dark, quiet forest of conifers and bamboo trees.
Even at the edge of the forest, the air was cool and still; though there were sounds of life from within, they were muted, softened almost to silence by the thick vegetation. The forest floor was dark, dappled only extremely sporadically and very dimly from where Theron stood - though surely it was brighter inside than it appeared here at the sunny edge of the forest. He didn't think the shadows came entirely from the forest itself; beyond the trees there rose what looked to be great towers of stone, as though the ground below had grown weary of lying beneath the trees and drawn itself up in protest.
Theron eyed the road ahead for a long moment before he finally turned to his companions again. He was weary after so many weeks of near-unbroken travel, and his mind struggled to process what now loomed before him.
“Shall we continue through?” he asked his companions. “Or shall we try to skirt around the forest?”
notes: This is Asa's settling thread - they have reached the territory they will soon claim. Feel free to make your first posts ghost the journey from the exit of the tunnel to the forest they've just run across, with as many or few details as you'd like. Because they will spend this thread exploring the whole of Nain, the thread has been placed in the main board. They are currently standing at the southwestern edge of the Nabooru Forest, facing northeast. If you're confused about the layout, double-check the detailed map here. Nain is located on the easternmost edge of Anikira's main island, near the sandy area.
tagged: @imani, @nuru, @tiriel
word count: 1,171
[newclass=.pltxt]position: relative; z-index: 200; opacity: 0; transition: all 1.1s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.5s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.1s ease;[/newclass][newclass=.plbase:hover .pltxt]opacity: 0.7;[/newclass][newclass=.pltxt::-webkit-scrollbar]width: 8px;[/newclass][newclass=.pltxt::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background: #CDBE70;[/newclass]
The tunnel from the Isles had been long and dark, crowded with what had seemed to be every wolf in the world - certainly every wolf in the Isles. Tensions had run high among the travelers, and because of that, Theron had tried to keep his group surrounded by other loners rather than risk inadvertently stepping on the toes of any pack wolf. There had been many of them - many loners, many pack wolves, and many Isles wolves who had for their own reasons chosen to abandon their home. Theron did not question it; whatever they sought to escape was still on the islands behind them. None of them smelled of disease, the few times he neared one, so at least the possibility that they were fleeing some horrendous plague seemed unlikely.
The sounds of so many paws in the tunnel, of so many voices speaking - some softly, some raised in anger or surprise or fear - had introduced another layer of discomfort within the already cramped, stuffy, fully submerged path through the ocean: an unholy, unending cacophony of noise.
There had been pups on the journey, and - he thought - at least one still-nursing mother. There had been elders and wolves bearing injuries new and old alike. There had been wolves content to travel in peace, and there had been wolves who seemed nothing if not eager for the chance to start a fight with their erstwhile companions. These last, violent ones had made Theron the most uncomfortable; if they understood how dangerous their behavior was, they did not care. A single vicious brawl between travelers could have been all it took to spark a bloodbath in the underwater tunnel.
He had been exhausted - psychologically as well as physically - by the time they reached the other side of the tunnel and stepped once more onto Anikiran soil, but Theron had allowed himself and his group only a short rest before moving on, away at last from all the others. The tunnel might have been a death trap, but at least it had funneled the hundreds of wolves within, lessening the chances of a total massacre even while it heightened the possibility of being trampled should too many wolves panic at the same time. Here in the open air, there was no such funnel, allowing every wolf far more room to move - and far more room to attack their neighbors. If the tired, agitated wolves who now spilled into Anikira became hostile now, the earth would be bathed with blood by the next sunrise. The only blessing was that now, at least, it would be easier to flee the carnage should it come down to that.
Still, Theron had not been able to fully settle in; it wasn't until he and his wolves were rested enough to move on that he began to calm down and stop imagining all the many, many ways they might find themselves battling for their lives. It didn't help that he hadn't been able to find anywhere to rest on suitably high ground. Whatever his fellows had done, Theron had found himself curled up in a lower area, difficult to defend or escape should he find himself thrown into any sudden outbreak of violence.
He had not been able to truly rest until several days later, when his group had put enough distance between themselves and the others. Until then, he slept only a little, and then he had to force himself to take a break from watching for trouble and only managed to sleep very fitfully. Once he felt less crowded, Theron's sleep cycle had sorted itself out again, and he was able to sleep peacefully enough to dream.
The lands had changed. He had known them well before he had been brought to the Isles; his time wandering the continent alone had allowed him to explore most territories that had not been claimed, and he had been familiar with the wildlife and its cycles to survive almost comfortably on his own. Now he returned to find the land almost unrecognizable, so different had it become. Formations existed where none had been before; familiar landmarks had been wiped away or alerted so that he no longer immediately recognized them. Even many of the well-worn migration trails he had once used as guidelines had shifted or been destroyed. The few they encountered that had survived were changed - wider now, marked with more than one or two distinguishable types of hoof prints.
They had passed through many lands, many territories, and although all had been almost eerily barren of wolf-scents - for now - Theron had been unwilling to linger anywhere for too long. The tunnel and the uncomfortable few days following their exit from it had marked him more deeply than he realized: He was no longer content simply to find a place to rest for a few weeks’ time before moving on again when others came to take the land away. Now he was determined to find land he and his companions could claim for themselves - a haven where the only company they would be forced to keep would be their own.
But the longer they traveled, the more this began to seem like an impossible dream to fulfill. All the lands they passed through were difficult to defend, or too verdant or too large to expect to occupy without trouble from neighboring wolves. Theron soon began seeking out high grounds, leading his group ever eastward as days became weeks. Nothing seemed suitable. Very few places were even safe enough to shelter them for the few days they rested in any one location. There must be something suited to this group of loners. Theron would not be content until he found such a place for them.
He did not stop until the dark green smudge on the horizon before him grew to become a dark, quiet forest of conifers and bamboo trees.
Even at the edge of the forest, the air was cool and still; though there were sounds of life from within, they were muted, softened almost to silence by the thick vegetation. The forest floor was dark, dappled only extremely sporadically and very dimly from where Theron stood - though surely it was brighter inside than it appeared here at the sunny edge of the forest. He didn't think the shadows came entirely from the forest itself; beyond the trees there rose what looked to be great towers of stone, as though the ground below had grown weary of lying beneath the trees and drawn itself up in protest.
Theron eyed the road ahead for a long moment before he finally turned to his companions again. He was weary after so many weeks of near-unbroken travel, and his mind struggled to process what now loomed before him.
“Shall we continue through?” he asked his companions. “Or shall we try to skirt around the forest?”
notes: This is Asa's settling thread - they have reached the territory they will soon claim. Feel free to make your first posts ghost the journey from the exit of the tunnel to the forest they've just run across, with as many or few details as you'd like. Because they will spend this thread exploring the whole of Nain, the thread has been placed in the main board. They are currently standing at the southwestern edge of the Nabooru Forest, facing northeast. If you're confused about the layout, double-check the detailed map here. Nain is located on the easternmost edge of Anikira's main island, near the sandy area.
tagged: @imani, @nuru, @tiriel
word count: 1,171
[newclass=.pltxt]position: relative; z-index: 200; opacity: 0; transition: all 1.1s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.5s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.1s ease;[/newclass][newclass=.plbase:hover .pltxt]opacity: 0.7;[/newclass][newclass=.pltxt::-webkit-scrollbar]width: 8px;[/newclass][newclass=.pltxt::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background: #CDBE70;[/newclass]
Valkyrie 
93 | 
