─ 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 ─ (15/12)

[Stargazer3000]

𝐯𝐚𝐬
tagged zoe, kalland| mentioned all shifts| location tree of tales, grassland
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It surprised him, really, how quickly his mind snapped back to that second night on the trail. Vas thought he was past it, thought he had already swallowed those screams. But all it took was some chirping from a little bird - Everly - and he was back. Back in the howling winds, back in the horror of that night, back in that stewing, gnawing feeling of futility.

He hadn’t even realized that his hands were clenched in fists until Zoe offered up her flask, pulling him back to the shaded enclave. He forced a slow exhale while silently shaking his head in response to her offering - he didn’t trust himself to leave any of the potent liquid for the others if he took it now. Tension kept his muscles taut as he waited for the chirping to stop, his expression darkening slightly at the end of the little speech - no one had told him that they’d be chasing fairy tales and old stories.

The smaller of his Ursine companions was among the first to speak up in response, her voice ringing clearly in the small area. Vas idly listened to her suggestions and those of the other shifters, though his face was marked by a glower as he turned the options over in his head. Both choices had their merits - all this on the word of a dead scholar? - but in truth, he was in no mood to debate. No mood to accept that he’d staked his entire life on children’s stories. No mood to learn names and play nice.

Vas found himself agreeing with the feline shifter whose emotions flashed in her eyes like a storm on the precipice of breaking - a hunt is a good idea.

His pack sat where he’d dropped it a few feet away, his robe that had been tied to the back - abandoned in the sweltering heat of the volcanic valley - slowly soaking in the rusty dirt. Inside were the remains of his rations; hard spiced jerky, dried berries, and a small pouch of seasoning. And a nimble spear - nowhere heavy enough to be of use in battle, but perfect for quick hunting on the trail. Fishing it out, Vas turned to his companions, making a low noise to get their attention. “I’m going to hunt - come if you want to.” It was perhaps the warmest invitation he was capable of.


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‘Hunting’, it turned out, was a generous word for what Vas had been attempting for the better part of an hour. ‘Good luck fool, hope you like rodents’ would be a more accurate description.

Even with the sun sinking lower and with only one small rodent to show for his labors, Vas was determined to get a bigger meal, and slunk through the tall grasses looking for his mark. Dirt crunched softly under his boots as the Ursine inhaled deeply, attempting to follow the tart scent of his prey. With all the shifters in the area most of the rodents had scattered, but he’d been on the trail of one for a while now, his breath catching as the grass parted slightly to reveal - nothing.

Huffing his irritation, Vas stood to his full height above the gass, glancing around for his companions. Perhaps they’d had better luck. As he spotted them a voice rang out over the grassland - the canine shifter from earlier…Jonsey? Joey - and his thoughts of finding bigger prey dissipated. If he couldn’t be full, at the very least he could be clean.

[Stargazer3000]

𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡
tagged Mave | mentioned Ursine, Feline, Canine, Avian| location Tree of Tales
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When Narah was just a cub, Fang had flooded. Or, rather, the valley below Fang had flooded, and though she remembered nothing else from that early year of her life she remembered the flood. Remembered watching it break trees like twigs, watching it rip through stone walls, watching it pummel the town below. Even now, she could feel the shaking of the ground as it had leveled the jungle, foaming white waves crashing against the cliffs that the city was perched on. She thought it looked like power.

And Mave looked like the flood.

Narah eyed the space next to her female companion, the gems braided into her hair twinking in the lowering rays of the sun. Bathed in the golden light, she looked every inch the part of royalty, clothes immaculate despite the journey and even free of the red dust that seemed to linger on every available surface. Yet, despite the clear care that went into maintaining her facade, Narah hesitated only a moment before sinking to the ground next to Mave. If this all worked out, she’d soon have other robes.

Narah took the rodent offered to her with a low murmur of thanks, delicately picking at the charred remains as she cast her focus to the fire. It was easy to watch the flames jump and spit, to let her world narrow down to the bright golden light. “Better the devil you know.” The words shouldn’t have made her smile as brilliantly as they did - a bit sharp at the edges, because the last word for Narah was ‘soft’ - but for an ephemeral moment something wholly honest danced across her face.

It was gone so quickly it could have been mistaken for a shadow from the wavering flames.

“Well, it’s nice to know that intelligence is a common Feline trait,” Narah murmured in response, delicately placing a strip of rodent meat into her mouth as she eyed the other shifters. She’d made as many introductions as she could stomach until exhaustion and a pressing ache behind her eyes had made any attempt at civility futile. Some looked like they’d freshened up in the water that had been found nearby - Narah had thought to do the same, but she’d gotten close to the bank and all then all she could think of was that horrible red maw of the croka. She could still smell it; the spittle and rot flying through the air tainted with the metallic tang of blood. She’d settled for cleaning herself with a damp rag - Dignity could wait until she held a crown in her hands.

The rodent now picked to shreds beneath the sharp tips of her nails, Narah tossed the remains into the smoldering ashes, kicking up a small flurry of sparks as she delicately rubbed her hands together in a poor attempt to remove the lingering grease. She had to settle for wiping them along the side of the rock, staining her fingertips with the rusty dirt. Dignity indeed.

After a moment, then twenty, had passed, Narah at long last turned her gaze away from the fire, settling it on Mave. The flames danced in the panther’s verdant eyes as she murmured in a voice low enough to not carry, “I won’t pretend to know your reasons for being here, and I certainly won’t waste time pretending to care - it will do neither of us any good in the very likely event of our death - but I am glad you are with us.” Narah paused, letting her words settle, mildly surprised at the weight behind them that she had not anticipated, before moving her gaze away. Dehydration must be getting to her.

[Stargazer3000]

𝐟𝐚𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧
tagged Joey | mentioned| location tree of tales, grassland, river
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Among the roots of the towering Tree Faolan lurked, back pressed firmly against the knotted wood as the clearing before him filled with shifters. If the Canine was perturbed by the new arrivals - or by the information that had been presented through the chittering of the little redhead Avian - his inhuman stillness betrayed no reaction. Dark, hooded eyes drank in the scene, drifting over the gathering like smoke.

Had someone paid close attention to the fallen alpha, they might have caught the way his gaze snagged on the other gathered Canine, lingering for a beat before drifting off towards another subject. They might have caught the slightest narrowing of his eyes at awkward introdroductions, clumsy movements, and overly personal interactions. Or they might have seen something deeper, and darker coiling like a snake about to strike when Faolan’s gaze drifted past the Avians.

His stillness was broken only when the group began to splinter off into smaller factions, each shifter now granted a momentary reprieve. On silent feet, Faolan slipped away into the oncoming dusk.

The shadow sliced through the grasslands surrounding the Tree, moving on skilled feet to catch a dinner. The Canines were built for grass hunting, trained for it since their birth, and it showed in the sureness of his every movement - steady, silent, deadly. It had been days since a fresh kill, but a small, long eared rodent was brought down in no time, skinned and slung over Faolan’s shoulder by the time the sun began to dip towards the horizon.

The Canine began his return to the Tree, his pace unchanged in spite of the oncoming night and the promise of a warm dinner upon his return. Yet he came to a full halt when an opportunity presented itself in the opposite direction - as fresh for the kill as the rodent had been moments before.

Joey was loud - undeniably so - and his voice carried even more so over the open land - “Guys! I found water! I know you all desperately need it!” Faolan changed course.

As grasslands changed to unexpected trees, swaying gently in the wind, his steps remained as silent as ever, betraying no evidence of his approach until Faolan was at the very bank of the river. The lengthening shadows of the dusk cradled him as their own, the inky black of his tunic fading to nothingness as he tracked his prey. Beneath the black scarf his lip curled into a silent snarl.

Joey emerged from the water, leaving a trail of puddles in his wake as he dried and pulled on his pants.* He reached for his shirt, but before he’d grabbed it, a blade shot out of the shadows, slicing as cleanly across the back of his hand as it had through the air, before embedding itself in a nearby tree. The silver of the blade gleamed in the dying light of day as Faolan emerged like a wraith from the shadows, moving faster than the wind, another blade already drawn and pressed against the younger wolf’s neck in a promise.

“The next time you touch me will be the last time you have hands.”

Before the words even had time to dissipate, Faolan was gone, dissolved back into the growing shadows along the river's edge. The only evidence of his presence were twin trickles of blood dripping into the dirt.

*I’ve been granted permission by JDDracula to narrate this motion of their character

[JDDracula]

ᒍ O E Y
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dire wolf • twenty-two • heterosexual • Faolon • Tree of Tales/River
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The canine still had his eyes closed, basking in the water, and taking a deep breathe of fresh, relaxing air. He smiled to himself, finding peace in the silence, other than the sound of running water. He ran his fingers through his hair and took one last dip before slowly making his way back to the land, not wanting a bunch of strangers to see him in the nude, yet

As Joey approached the edge of the land, he listened closely to see if he could hear any other before getting out of the water. When he heard nothing, he quickly hopped out and headed over to his bag and clothes. He picked up the pants he had on previously, looking at them to check for any dirt, then pulling them up to his nose to smell them. He shrugged in reassurance that they didn’t smell that bad, so he quickly slipped them back on.

As he bent over to grab his shirt, he heard a crack in the branches, and before he could look up to see what it was, a sharp pain was felt in his left hand. He grabbed his hand and winced in pain, wiping the blood that slowly dripped off with his other hand. It wasn’t deep enough for stitches, but it most definitely did sting.

Everything was happening so quickly, and by time he looked up to see a familiar face, he felt the sharp edge of a knife pressed firmly against his throat. He held up his hands in innocence, hands shaking with fear. He was too stunned to speak a word. ”The next time you touch me will be the last time you have hands,” he listened to the angry male, taking in every piercing word. He nodded frantically, still unable to get any words out.

Before he knew it, Faolan was gone, and he was alone again. He took a deep sigh of relief, thankful that his life hadn’t ended right then and there. When he was able to move again, he looked back down at his hand and sighed, slowly making his way back to the river, squatting over the water and dipping his hand in it to clean it off. Joey felt a lump in his throat as he cleaned his hand. He didn’t know if it was from being so angry that he didn’t do anything about it, the fear he felt in the moment, or from the sadness of wanting for his pack to accept him so desperately. In that moment, he felt like a coward, and felt as if he could have done so much more, and was kind of glad that no one else had been around to witness what happened, as that would have caused total embarrassment and he would have resulted in him leaving the group entirely.

[Stargazer3000]

𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲
tagged Lonen, Will | mentioned Avians, Ursine, Feline, Canine| location tree of tales, river
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Everly’s travel cloak had been lovingly stitched by her grandmother, embroidered with swirling clouds that reminded her of home. As they’d traveled, Everly’s fingers had often found purchase on the edges of the heavy fabric, nervously fiddling with it until the embroidery had begun to fray. The sparrow’s desire to keep the intricate design from fully unraveling was the only reason why her hands remained by her side following her little speech - though now nerves got the better of her and she once again began to fiddle with the fraying edges.

Everly watched as her news sank in, the reactions of her new companions ranging from blank looks to irritation - it was far from the first impression that she’d wanted to make but at least it was only up from here. Or, at least that's what she was attempting to convince herself, when Lonen stepped in and introduced himself.

Immediately grateful that the attention was no longer on her, Everly quickly hopped away from where she’d been standing moments before - though not before giving the eagle’s hand a quick squeeze of gratitude. During their journey she’d come to deeply appreciate his presence, quickly viewing him as a brother she’d never had. She cherished their conversations almost as much as their joint cooking ventures - and she made a mental note to thank him again later with some kind of a baked good at dinner.

No sooner had she taken a step back than a short cry of surprise had left her lips as a dark form came bombing down from the sky above. She registered a beat too late that it was just Will coming to retrieve his clothing, and even though she clapped her hand over her mouth like it could catch the cry that had left her lips, the damage was done. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks a worrying shade of red, and once she caught the hawk making his way back over to her, now in human form and dressed, she gingerly slapped his shoulder. “Thank you for that - next time you can give your pack to Lonen,” she muttered while handing his bag back, the fond smile on her face betraying any irritation in her words. “Fun indeed.”

Everly moved in Erica’s direction, setting her pack down near the other Avian, though giving her plenty of space. She took a beat to set out her bedroll, and to extract her cook pan and utensils - she was running low on just about everything, but the Avians typically shared meals, and she didn’t want tonight to be the exception. She had just enough dried mushrooms and spices for a stew - and perhaps even enough to share.

Though she’d intended to personally introduce herself to the other shifters gathered around, it seemed that the time for that had come and gone. Most were going off to hunt, or to bathe - the comment from one of the Canine made her personally inclined to the latter - leaving a handful remaining at the tree.

Everly ran her gaze over those who remained, committing each face to memory. Besides her Avian companions, she noted two sitting side by side that she could only assume were Canine based on their clothing. One, however, bound off before she could introduce herself and the other had begun to journal. If she thought that it wouldn’t be too invasive Everly would’ve questioned what kind of paper he was using - her own journal only lasted a day. But that left…a glittering Feline, reclined on a cushion.

Everly contemplated going over to introduce herself when a sudden cry traveled up from the valley. “Guys - found water - you - need it!” Though the words were slightly broken due to distance, she caught their meaning well enough as her eyes lit up in excitement. Introductions could wait. They might even go a bit smoother if she smelled less…less like she did.

The promise of a bath filled her once again with a burst of energy, and she paused for only a moment to shout her plans over her shoulder at her companions before sprinting off towards the water. Determined to bathe before the other, larger shifts showed up, Everly dashed down from their encampment, luck and her intrinsic balance the only things keeping her from catching her foot on a root. The massive Tree quickly turned to grassland then just as quickly to a shaded oasis - Perhaps all that travel through the sulphuric pools had been worth it after all - before Everly wheeled to a stop at the edge of a wide river.

It looked very much like magic to her - the low rays of the sun setting the water into a golden hue as small bugs danced over the surface. The lazy waves and ripples lapped at the shore, mingling with the reeds and moss, the small pebbles almost melodic as they knocked against each other.

Everly paused for a beat to take it all in, before casting a glance up the shore and recognizing one of the Canine shifters from earlier. A part of her mourned the now-dead dream of a private dip, but she was on the whole far happier for the opportunity to correct her earlier introduction.

As she neared the shift, it became clear that something was off, the tension rolling off him in waves. Everly paused for only a moment before continuing on to hesitantly approach the man, deliberately kicking up rocks and making noise so her arrival wouldn’t startle him. “Hey,” she called softly, casting a glance around to make sure that they weren’t in some kind of imminent danger, “Are you okay? I -ah - ” she slipped slightly on the mossy rocks, “I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Everly and -”

Everly had drawn close enough to see his face, and moreover, to see the hand that he held submerged in the water, a steady stream of blood oozing out into the lapping river. The sparrow drew a quick, sharp inhale of breath as she immediately rushed over, dropping to her knees and gingerly pulling his hand into her own. Though she was far from an expert, she’d blown up enough experiments to need the most basic medical knowledge, and she gently inspected the severity of his cut, ignoring the water soaking her tunic. It was fortunately a very shallow slice, and didn’t seem to have severed anything truly important, but her face still screwed up in concern as she tilted her head up to catch his gaze, continuing to tenderly cradle his hand in her own.

“What happened?”

[JDDracula]

ᒍ O E Y
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dire wolf • twenty-two • heterosexual • Everly • Tree of Tales/River
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The young canine held his hand under the water, rubbing away any dirt of debris that might have got into his wound. He bit his lip in pain with every touch. Joey sat on his bottom, getting tired from squatting for so long, and closed his eyes tight as the cold liquid brushed against his hand.

The once quiet river was quickly interrupted as he heard footsteps approaching him, fearing that it might have been Faolan coming back for more. He turned quickly, flinching at the figure in front of him, preparing himself for the worst. As he looked up, he saw the warm smiley face staring down at him in confusion, and he let a small sigh of relief escape his lips. As she spoke, he nodded his headly, showing her that she was paying attention. "Of course.. Everly.. I remember," he spoke, clearly still a bit shaken up from his previous encounter.

Everly's face of confusion turned to worry when she looked down at his hand, and he was surprised when she hurried over to him to cater to his wound. He shot her a soft smile as she grabbed his hand and asked if he was okay. "Yeah.. Im okay. Ive had worse. One time when i was like 9 I-" he quickly cut himself off before he started rambling, not wanting to show any signs of softness to a group he had just met"Nevermind.." It felt nice to have someone care for him the way that Everly was caring for him in that moment.

Joey's smile slowly faded as the next words came from Everly. "What happened?' she said. What did happen? He thought to himself. He swiftly pulled his hand back from Everlys grip and covered the wound with his other hand, looking down at the ground. "I uh.. I scratched it on a log thats under the water. You should be careful when you get in there you never know whats lurking," he poked, trying to take away from his terrible lying skills, and make a joke out of the situation instead. Joey had a horrible poker face. He could never make full eye contact when he was lying.

Joey turned to look behind him, reaching back for his dirty shirt and wrapping it around his hand in hopes to stop the bleeding. "See? Easy fix.." he said as he shinned a toothty grin, holding up his terrible take of a tourniquet. He was never good at mending to wounds. He would just leave his wounds unattended hoping they would heal on their own, and majority of the time they did. This was like any other scratch hes gotten before, except this time, every time he looks at it, he will think of it as a warning for something far more darker. He had traveled with Faolan for so long, and was confused as to why the male treated him that way. Maybe he would confront him later on if he had the guts to stand up to the canine that was twice his size in body mass.

[Stargazer3000]

𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲
tagged Joey| mentioned| location river
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"I uh...I scratched it on a log that's under the water. You should be careful when you get in there, you never know what's lurking."

He was lying.

Everly knew he was lying - just like she knew that the peace hanging between the groups was as fragile as frost. So she didn't push, didn't pry, instead bobbed her head up and down in a quick nod, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. He was upset, clearly upset, and in turn Everly felt mounting concern for her new companion - but she couldn't find the words to make it better. To let him know it was okay to trust her.

So she settled for flashing a warm smile at Joey's make-shift tourniquet. In truth, his own smile was infectious, and Everly's eyes lit up playfully in response to his comment. "See? Easy fix..." She giggled softly as - for the second time that day - she gently tugged his hand towards her, fragile peace forgotten in her determination to make sure infection didn't set in.

"One time when I was nine I was trying to invent an exploding trap that we could use to keep the ravos at bay - they're just big pests, but my grandmother is a cook and they were getting into her grains and...anyway - it was my first time trying to get something to explode. Only, I was slightly too good at it and it went off before it was supposed to, and well, I had to get stiches all the way up my arm. Still have the scars," Everly offered, while unwrapping then rewrapping his hand, her brows furrowed in focus. Joey's hesitation to share earlier hadn't been lost on her, and even if she understood why he had, she was determined to show that he could trust her. So she chattered on cheerily, "I wish I could say I leaned my lesson but...it wasn't the last time I messed up. But, on the plus side, I'm now pretty good - " she paused to assess her work before beaming up at the Canine " - at an easy fix!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Everly realized just how far into the Canine's personal space she had invaded. She was close enough to feel the heat radiating off him in the dying embers of day, close enough to see the water droplets gathering at the ends of his hair, close enough to pick up on the warm flecks of light reflected in his eyes. Quickly, but gently, the sparrow released his hand and pushed herself to her feet, a light pink blush creeping up her neck as she clasped her hands behind her back and found it suddenly much more difficult to meet his eye. A fine job making connections - she'd all but accosted this poor man who was clearly dealing with something.

"So, ah...besides the logs, the water was good? Because I think I need a dip," Everly blurted, attempting to distract from her earlier rudeness.

[azhefa.]

xxxx
𝑬𝑵𝒁𝑶 𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑲𝑬
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enzo ● 27 ● male ● avian ● great horned owl ● demisex/panrom ● single, but shy

location; tree of tales
tags; others mentioned, open

because of the lengthy discussion with the council of elders, though it was more like him just pleading like a child, enzo was quite late to the party. by the time he finally made it to the tree of tales the man was close to collapse from exhaustion having pushed himself to move as quickly as he could, sometimes even forgoing sleep just to keep traveling. it wasn't like he was going to be able to sleep anyway with the reoccurring terrors that wake him throughout the night. that is if he even was able to fall asleep to begin with. one would think sleep would come easy to an owl who's up all night, but it seems he just didn't get that memo.

when enzo spots the tree he takes a moment to rest a distance away just to catch his breath so he doesn't show up to the meeting flustered and weak. after a few minutes of rest, he heads closer to the tree and the gathering beneath it. he grows more and more weary as he approaches, his heart starting to beat harder and sweat makes his hands slick. he only hopes they weren't aggressive or down right cruel. the last thing he wants is to be forced to work with others who just hate his guts for no reason. enzo grips his bag straps as he gets within earshot of the others and slows his pace until he's able to see everyone and they can see him.

it seems he has missed the introductions and general chatter that would have happened when the groups came together, but he's not too upset about it considering he wasn't sure if he was brave enough to speak up. enzo glances around at the others and picks up from their different conversations that they were deciding on wither to hunt or to enjoy the river for a bath. he takes a moment to try and get a secret sniff of himself and wrinkles his nose a bit. a bath does sound good. would smell good too.

since no one seems to be all that bothered to come chat with the newcomer, enzo turns and moves off to find his own spot to claim. all the good ones seems to be taken so he moves a bit farther away and finds a spot among the large roots to stash his bag before digging out his only bit of soap he has left and heading for the river. it seems a lot of the others had the same idea and some were swimming while others were just enjoying the water. he hesitates as he nears the shore and ultimately decides to stay as far from the others as he could for some bit of privacy before shedding his tunic and wading out in just his shorts to start his self cleaning. maybe he can do some hunting once he's finished, he would definitely enjoy some fresh meat after days of just rations.

[Ashton_99]

≺⊗𝕵𝖔𝖊𝖑 𝓚𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉⊗≻
≺⊗ Brown Bear Shifter ⊗ He/Him ⊗ Tags: Vas/Zoe ⊗ Location: Tree Of Tales Area ⊗≻

Perhaps over the duration of his self-inflicted isolation, Kalland had become more prone to passivity than he had intended. He could not very well think of any other reason as for why he allowed his words to go more or less unheeded. His younger, more temperamental self would have blown a fuse. As it were the large Ursine had no issue believing in the old legends. He knew well that legends were oft born from the dull remains of truth. The Ursine had encountered evidence of their claims already.

The shifter they had encountered had long since gone feral. It had appeared akin to a corpse reanimated. Spittle and rabid foam spewing from its crooked maw. Its aggression had been desperate and ravenous. Even without his personal philosophy, Kalland found he wouldn't have questioned the Avians, not with that night in mind. Perhaps it was in part his own projection, but Kalland thought he could see the mirror image of remembrance reflected in the demeanor of the Prince's vassal. It was due to that that he found himself moving to join the younger man on his hunt. He glanced at Zoe as he did so, not wanting to leave the smaller Ursine completely on her own. Though she was perhaps bigger than a number of the shifts from other territories, she was still small by most Ursine standards. Especially if he compared her to his sisters who both rivaled him in size and strength.

Rarely did Kalland hunt in his human form. Even the prey that lived far into the northern reaches of the Ursine territory (and by extension in Kalland's hunting grounds) held their own dangers, being more than capable of killing a non-shifted person in a panic. But this was not the treacherous north. This was the sweltering neutral territory where little grew and even less thrived. For what use they may or may not have for him, Kalland totted a heavy knife. it had a handmade thing with a bit of ilk antler for the handle and an old but cared-for blade.

The hunt and by extension his ruminating on the usefulness of a blade turned out to be a pointless exercise. Little else but scraggly rodents and insects lived in the grasses surrounding the tree. Mostly, Kalland followed Vas at a distance. Though he too was hungry, watching the younger Ursine become so quickly frustrated was its own form of entertainment. He could pinpoint the exact moment that the man gave up on his hunt. It was commendable that Vas had caught something before giving up at the very least. It was more than what Kalland had attempted. Though the land around the meeting point was not barren, it was an oasis only in that it was not a repetition of the sulfurous pits beyond. There was little to catch among the grasses for the likes of the Ursine. It was part of the reality of being an Ursine that they often needed more than what a small catch could give. It was one of the reasons that territory and hunting grounds were so important in the north.

Taking the younger man's frustration as a que, Kalland addled up beside him finally. He did not leave his gaze on the polar shifter, instead looking into the middle distance. He heard and smelt more than he saw. Something interesting seemed to be happening at the river, but by the smell of blood in the air past that belonging to the dead rodents, he had no desire to find out exactly what had occurred. Instead, Kalland glanced down at the results of their- well Vas's- poor hunt. "If we go upstream from where the others are washing off there might be something worth catching."

He nudged the rodent, "Should be more than this at least. Hopefully." Kalland's tone did not sound particularly hopeful but that was neither here nor there.

[Ashton_99]

⤆◈𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝 ℂ𝕒𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤-𝔹𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕝◈⤇
⤆◈ Ferruginous Hawk Shifter ◈ He/Him ◈ Tags: Everly/Open ◈ Location: Tree of Tales ◈⤇

Everly's amused displeasure only served to make Will grin wider. His faux relaxed gaze studied her for a moment as she handed over his pack. "I'm glad you enjoyed my thanks." He appreciated that Everly never took much of what he did to heart, "Now off with ya." He watched after the sparrow until she made it off towards Erica. Satisfied once again with the safety of his companions, Will dropped his pack near the base of the tree. As keen as he was to once again shift into his alternate form, Will staved off the urge for the time being. Whilst he sorted through his pack, he allowed his interest to be captured for a moment by the multicolored banners strung up among the widespread boughs of the tree. Portions of the iconography were familiar to the inventor. Symbols and stories from his people proclaiming the vast history and wonderous accolades of honored Avians danced in the wind among the emblematic representations of the histories of Ursine, Feline, and Canine alike.

If Will were the philosophizing sort, he might dwell upon the deeper meaning of the iconic Tree of Tales. Unfortunately, Will had never been the sort of person to ruminate on deeper meanings. At least not when it didn't suit him.

Avian society valued creative and cerebral endeavors and Will had never been an exception to that. He was a child of creation. And his brand of creation necessitated chaos. Half-drawn plans and the scattered remnants of projects mostly abandoned were an integral part of his process. There under the sweeping branches of the iconic tree, Will was left with naught. His fingers itched with the need to create. He yearned to be home in his workshop, remembering the delicate twists of metal he had been working with. His mentor, Tatiana, had been rather insistent on his joining this quest. And Will currently despised her for it. Or perhaps that was dramatic. He could never hate the woman. Few others would put up with him when he was deep in the more manic throes of invention as she did. However, he would maintain a certain level of annoyance until he saw her next. For it was because of her that he was now here without his tools and over-complex plans.

A traveling pack did not allow for much more than the basics. Clothing, food, and little else. Will had only just managed to fit the simple mending kit and the few rolls of multicolored twine to use to satiate his desire to create. While he was dissatisfied with his limited supplies, Will had little choice but to make it work. He fished a few pieces of jerky from his bag as a poor excuse for a meal whilst he went about the familiar process of starting a bracelet.

One of Will's fathers was a jeweler by trade and he had imparted those skills to varying degrees upon Will and his various siblings. The range of skill levels and passions for the craft were evident in the bracelets Will wore. While some loved jewelry making, a number of his siblings had taken to the crafts of one of their other parents while others, like Will, sought different pursuits entirely. Despite his lack of perusal in jewelry making, much of it was still familiar to Will.

For his most recent attempt, Will took red, orange, and yellow twine. He could amuse himself for at least a short while at least, making attempts at the most complicated patterns that he could imagine. With his hands moving, creating, Will found his mind no longer running at top speed, not doggedly creating jumbled paths and half-formed ideas. It was nearly pleasant, despite the impending doom.