Sometimes you just have to ask; Open

[sapphire]

Sapphire knew how much she had wanted to leave Evian, to travel as far as she could, drop of the known map and make a path for herself. What she hadn’t expected, was how hard it would be to leave, she could still see her dad’s sad eyes as they looked across at her (One of the first notifications that it was time to leave, she and Tir where finally on even footing). Poseidon had been understanding, in fact he had barely even been surprised. He had always been nice to her, the Alpha of Evian. Every time that she had stood up to him, refused to follow his orders, made a fall of herself before him and others – he had never berated or belittled her. She missed Daya too, the mother that had adopted her. There comes a time in a wolf’s life however when home just isn’t enough for them. A selected few had seen her off, and she would hold the memory of their faces in her mind until the day she died – but she did not believe she would see them again. Not after what had happened such a short while ago, a day, maybe a little more. She hadn’t realised the human settlement had been there until the scent had struck her, curiosity had been just as quick to follow. Those humans had been frightened of her, they had caught her carted her off to a place she did not know. She wondered if there was any way home from here – but judging from the sea ride she doubted it...

Days had passed, so home sickness would not yet strike – thoughts of home where mostly behind her, it was her future she must think of now. She had no other choice in the matter – huma’s had seen to that. Although she held the point that there actions had mainly sealed a fate she had already chosen for herself. She passed meadows and forests, lush and strange in this territory so new to her gentle eyes. She saw place that had never even been described to her before – that was where the human settlement had come in, everything from then on out was unheard of by herself and anybody she had known before then. Her belly felt content with the weight of a rabbit, her moist tongue hanging from her mouth as she breathed easily in the cool air. The rain pooled down around her as through it would never stop, but with her brisk ace against it, it wasn’t cold enough to frighten her. Frighten... little did this to the fae, not with her history and the wolf she had worked so hard to be. Beside her was a stream, too fast moving for her to think of crossing. She would attempt that later – if she could find the right sort of spot to try it once the rain had died down. As much as she liked adventure, she was not so foolish as to walk into a death trap.

As for other wolves – she had expected to see more, rogues or even a pack land here or there. Having passed Ancora she had seen no other signs of wolf life, which hadn’t been a surprise when she had encountered the humans, but after that? Walking upon this strange new territory, she was yet to catch signs of lupine life - even before the rain had hit. Her white coat was soft and thick, well insulated against the weather. The day would be coming to an end soon enough, another day of travelling would be in her experience. She began to look for some sort of cover against the rain – knowing that if she stopped it would be terribly cold. She moved further along the water’s edge, the ground was becoming slippery, soggy with rain and mud. It was just when she was about to make a direction away from the water that it happened. Her paws miss-stepped and she slipped, so close to the water, where else would her body fall? She plunged into the icy water, crying out with the cold that shocked her system – the rain was one thing, but the stream something else entirely. Her first mistake was to fight against the current, wearing herself out in the struggle. Pushing, fighting not to fall back against the rush of water. She was just a wolf, and the water was an army. It drove her back until her only priority was to keep afloat. The edge was so close, but in the running water it seemed like miles and miles away. The edge was her best hope – she had to free herself from the pull of the terrible current. Her strong paws kicking out beneath her she made an agonisingly slow progress in the right direction. If she could just grab something, teeth or paws, if she could just find an advantage against the pull. A rock loomed out from the surface, she didn’t even see it, all her eyes could was the edge, just visible against the rain. It hit her hard when the current pulled her into it. She yelped, attempted to get a grip against its slippery surface.

She didn’t stand a chance, the water had a grip on her and it wasn’t about to give her up without a fight. Her right side felt numb, aching where the rock had collided with her, and her struggle was slowing. She hadn’t come all this way to give up now and drown in rushing water. She had her whole life before her, she would never stop fighting! Head above the water took all priority, letting out a pathetic howl, begging somewhat out there would hear her, ashamed that she needed a stranger’s aid.

[revan]

Revan was cold. This was a really bad idea, the black femme thought to herself. But I can't exactly stop now; after all, this is probably the last excursion I'll get for quite some time. From time to time, Revan could feel the movements of the new lives growing inside her. How many will there be? she wondered, carefully placing one paw in front of the other, ears flattened against the freezing rain. What will they look like? Me? Or Acarapi? Revan thought about the Red Male. What was he doing now? Probably having some fun with another female, she thought with a snort. I do hope none of the pups end up with that much...ahhh... appetite. That would turn out to be interesting. Shaking her head, Revan stopped in the relative shelter under a large tree to catch her breath.

Revan looked up at the cloud-covered sky, squinting her eyes against the cold bullets of rain. I'd better start back, she thought with a sigh. Oh well, at least I'll be occupied. Revan was about to turn her paws toward home, when her ears caught a cry for help. Without even thinking about it, Revan shot towards the source of the sound. Skidding to a halt just before the edge of a steep bluff that overlooked the Nytyte River, she stared in horror. A female Arctic wolf was being tossed around by the merciless current of the river. Her cries for help were becoming increasingly faint. Revan looked around frantically, her eyes falling on a dead snag. Leaping forwards, Revan seized the thick branch in her teeth and pulled. It came free, and Revan leaped down the bluff, aiming for a narrow point in the river. "Over here!" she shouted, extending the branch out as far as the could without falling in herself. "Come on!"

[sapphire]

In those long, and agonising moments Sapphire realised just how selfless she had become prior to her departure. Her thoughts where less along the lines of: Oh my god I’m gona die! As they were: At least they won’t know, at least they’ll think I had a shot of happiness...In any other situation, the foaming white on the blue waters might have been beautiful – a dangerous beauty that displayed a little something of the power of Mother Nature. As it was, the current was a test on Sapphire’s strength, her courage and her personal oath to never give up and die, like her mother had. The pull of the water was undeniable, and all the distance she had come so far, every step she had taken was being taken from her. She wanted to just get up and keep on going – but she had to get out of the water first. Her head fell beneath the water once more and she was shocked with just how deep it actually was. If only her paws could scuttle against some rocks, something, anything to grab onto and stop the tumbling through the waters. Her head pushed through the surface once more and she took in as much breath as she could – to slow, the water dragged her down and she swallowed water. When next she rose she spluttered and chocked, gasping to catch the sweet air.

How long could one wolf fight the tide? When everything was stacked against you, the pull of the water, the depth, the lack of hope – when you couldn’t even rely on your own strength to help you – how could you go on fighting? Breath was becoming all the more scarce, her paws could barely keep her afloat any longer, too much fighting, her own spirit was to be what killed her the fastest. She stopped kicking, she went down again, down and down until finally she found the bottom. She couldn’t keep on pushing, she didn’t want to. Even down here the pull of the water was crawl, tumbling her along the rocks so the breath was forced out of her, until her lungs burned and her eyes sprang open against the flurry of freezing water. She barely even noticed the cold now, deep within the bulk of blue the crashing of the waves was silent, everything was quite – and of all the ways to go it was admittedly peaceful.

She couldn’t do it! Never had death frightened her more than it did in that moment. She had to go on, she burned for air, her lungs burned like no fire she had ever known! She wanted to open her mussel and scream with the built up pressure inside of her. Without out even meaning to, her paws struggled once more. Life jolted in her eyes and she shot to the surface, taking in a breath so deep she felt she might full with air and float away... that was when she saw the wolf, standing high and looking down at her as she tumbled against the water. She barely even noticed the wolf, all her mind was capable of comprehending was two simple orders.
Breath, kick. Breath, kick. Breath, kick
Then her hero was there, a branch jotting from the side, and the rain seemed to lighten. Was it her imagination? Or did the heavens seem to open, and golden light poured down before her. She blinked, and her breath-starved body pushed past the illusion and back to reality. Her teeth chomped down upon the life rope, they locked into place and she felt like no force, living or otherwise could pull her from it. She could feel the current’s pull, but now the brute force of it was placed upon her chompers. She had been given a chance at life – she would never stop fighting, what else would she do but take it?

[revan]

Revan grunted against the weight as the other wolf clamped her jaws on the branch. Feeling herself sliding forward, Revan dug her claws into the turf. Pulling with all her strength, Revan managed to drag the bedraggled Arctic femme close to the bank. Once she was close enough, Revan dropped the branch and grabbed the other wolf by the scruff. "Come on," she grunted, voice slightly muffled by the other wolf's thick fur. The struggle seemed to last an eternity, though in reality it could not have been more than a few minutes at most, but finally the Arctic wolf was out of the water. Releasing her, Revan stumbled back a few steps and collapsed, panting with exhaustion. Well, I did want something interesting to happen before I was confined to the dens. Guess I got my wish. Getting up, the black Tundra femme stumbled over to where the Arctic wolf lay. "Hey," she panted. "Are you alright?"

This whole thing reminded Revan a bit of her own rough journey to Anikira's shores. She had nearly drowned in that fateful swim, but she had managed to make it, and had been washed up on Endyt Beach. It had taken her over a week to recover enough to make her way north. Luckily, it had been spring, the temperatures had been ambient, and prey had been plentiful and easy to catch. The dens of small animals had been easy to find, and the young that resided in those had made enough meals to get Revan back on her feet. Obviously, this was one of the worst times during the year to end up with an injury, especially for a loner. Revan decided that she would help this female, if she would let herself be helped.

[sapphire]

Sapphire couldn’t believe her luck, just moments before she had been willing to give up everything she had worked for, the wolf she had become, break every promise she had ever made. The most important promise of all... was to never be like her mother, to fight past the point of hope and that giving up just wasn’t a possibility to her. When the moment had come for her to show her true courage she had come so close to failing everything that it frightened her. She had a life rope thrown to her now, and with renewed energy she fought against the courage to ease her weight for this young hero. She felt so helpless it hurt as with agonising slowness she was pulled from the arms of the deadly water. Close to the bank now, inch by inch. The female grabbed the scruff of her neck, and as much as Sapphire wanted to safe herself her biggest concern was simply concentrating on her breathing.

Air had never tasted so sweet to fae before, and each gasp was a little touch of pleasure to her aching lungs. She felt the pull on the excess skin located at the back of her head as she was pulled the last bit of the way and dry land was beneath her paws. She collapsed immediately on the ground; or rather she was dragged there in a none-standing position. From here she first did two things, taking a moment and realise just how luck she was to be alive, and asses her rescuer. She was a young female, a tundra wolf and from the milky scent about her would soon have pups. Sapphire was a proud wolf, but not so much that she couldn’t appreciate what this female had done for her. speaking of the female, she was making her way forward from where the effort of pulling Sapphire had staggered her too. She was concerned, and it was clear she wasn’t going to dash off the first chance she had gotten. Sapphire immediately liked this wolf for that, and for the way she jumped head first to a strangers rescue.

“I will be – thanks to you”
Was Sapphire’s reply to the gentle enquiry into her health. Now of course was the time for Sapphire to attempt to stand, what she had taken into account was how wobbly the ground was beneath her paws, like she was still moving with the lull of the waves rather than to the stillness of the ground. She tilted, but managed to catch herself by moving a paw to correct the balance. Shaking her head she looked into the eyes of the heroic wolf.
“My name is Sapphire – and thank you, I owe you my life”
She lowered her head in respect to a wolf who’s name she did not even know.

[revan]

Revan sat back down and gave the other wolf a tired grin; moist grey eyes met her own emerald ones. "It's nice to meet you, Sapphire," she said . "My name's Revan." She saw Sapphire tilt sideways as she tried to stand, and automatically held out a paw to help. "Whoa, you might want to sit down for a bit until you get your balance back. Currents like that can be....disconcerting." That was an understatement. While Revan had never been in the river like that, her rough ride to Anikira had given her quite the appreciation for the power of water.

Looking up at the sky, Revan noted that it was getting dark, that the rain showed no sign of stopping. A glance at Sapphire showed that the water on the arctic female's coat was quickly freezing. "Come on," Revan said. "We'd better move. It'll be dark soon, and the temperatures will drop even further. There are some caves where we can stay for the night."

Revan had stayed in those very caves for several weeks while recovering from her stressful journey. There were several, if she remembered correctly, that were deep enough that the wind and rain wouldn't get in, and, if she and Sapphire huddled together, she might be able to warm the arctic female up before she got sick. If they had been in Kamari, Revan would have taken Sapphire to the hot springs and had her soak there while Revan got some fever-prevention herbs from the cache. But there was nothing like that here, and all the plants, medicinal or not, were dead or dormant.

Hopefully, if she got Sapphire out of the cold now, the arctic wolf's immune system would overcome any detrimental effects of her dunking in the icy river. It never occurred to Revan that helping a complete stranger would be considered strange. To her, Sapphire was simply someone who need help; help that she could provide. To not provide that help would go against everything that Revan was.


{OOC: After you post, Sea, we should probably end this thread here and continue it in the Niall Caverns.}

[sapphire]

As the abnormally kind stranger pointed out her balance problems, Sapphire shook out her soaked coat – which didn’t help the slightest as her shaking could not disperse the water as fast as it fell from the sky. The only thing keeping her warm was the adrenaline from the frightful experience just past, running through her veins.
“Ravan, that’s quite a nice, interesting name”
Sapphire commented softly, another shiver raking through her, she really hoped she didn’t get a cold. She hadn’t been on these new lands long, and already her opinion of it was how cold it was, and how the rain shrouded her view in a way that cast it in a shadowy, mysterious light. It made the lands appear dangerous, and the young wolf knew she hadn’t nearly been cautious enough.

The stranger was held in high regard to Sapphire, now that she knew her warming personality and her bravery, and as her eyes moved upwards, so did Sapphire’s. Her ears pressed against her side as she squinted up into the rain. With Revan’s next words, it was clear what the path of her thinking lied. The cold rain mixed with her fall into the icy water would do wonders to Sapphire’s health – and Revan’s own health as well. She spoke of caves of which Sapphire was yet to spot – she was new to this territory well her saviour was not.
“Dry, warm caves – sounds like heaven”
Sapphire agreed warmly, her silver eyes resting upon her new found friend, waiting for directions or for her to take the lead.

Sapphire and Revan had very similar beliefs in there views of other wolves, you didn’t leave someone drowning. She couldn’t wait to get to the dry and really shake out her wet fur, let her immune system kick in and she would be fine – much along the track of the other’s thoughts as well. She would also have to be careful to not lose sight of the other in the rain.
“After you?”
Sapphire said lightly as she took a step, ensured it landed flat, took more confidence and took place beside the other wolf – so long as she didn’t trip and land o her face, everything would be fine.