The Weeping Willows

Subject: The Weeping Willows Sun Feb 02, 2014 12:35 am

The Weeping Willows
The Weeping Willows Tumblr_mhyx8vaWjx1ro3vz3o1_500

image By: mayankpatelphotography on tumblr

Located in the forest, The Weeping Willows is a small pond surrounded by ancient willow trees with long and winding branches. The clear pond is one of the sources of fresh water on the island. A stream flows into the pond then fades back into the foliage of the forest. The pond is 8ft at its deepest. The area is often used for relaxing but during the night can be a scary place. Although the only fish that take shelter in the pond are too small for eating, prey often comes here to drink. This area is located deeper into the forest.

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:25 pm

Redbeard’s gait was a brisk walk, a pace which quickened and slowed as the terrain underfoot varied. Thankfully there were already a good few pathways worn into the forest by other animals which made it easier going underfoot and allowed Red to speed up a little as he was able to pick out a clear route, his strides carrying him forwards purposely and he made good ground coverage. When the going got a little tougher though with vines and other flora obscuring the walkway and making it harder to keep going forwards at speed the dog was forced to slow down, having to push on in the direction he knew the Weeping Willows were in. He barged through the forest not consciously trying to be quiet, the dog snapped twigs underfoot and brushed against rustling leaves not really caring about the noise he was making. The midday sun filtered down through the forest canopy in places filling their surroundings with bright green and yellow light and also making it warm; not ideal weather for traveling in but the captain was grateful for the natural shade that the tree tops provided.

Unfortunately though the tree cover didn’t last forever and when they reached the clearing where the lake was it ran out altogether leaving them exposed to the merciless sun overhead. Redbeard came to a sudden stop; still partly hidden by the dense trees and foliage, and from there he glanced out at the pond. He didn’t want the group to expose themselves just yet by heading out into the clearing, not when they still had the element of surprise over whatever prey was available. He peered out towards the water to see what animals were there; he was hoping for boar but was unsure what else could be there and thankfully they were in luck. There was a small family there; a mother leading the way with her nose in the water drinking, she appeared to be pregnant, her belly swollen with the promise of piglets on the way. There were also two younger individuals, probably grown up offspring. One of them was clearly a male with large tusks protruding from its face and the other a young female meaning it was easy for Red to pick out a target. The male was to be avoided as its tusks added an unnecessary risk to the hunt and since Red wanted all the crew to be fit and healthy for their plundering later he wasn’t willing to take that risk. So it was out of the two female boars. Now, despite being a heartless old dog Red still had qualms against killing the pregnant one; it wasn’t that he took any pity only that he valued her; she’d be creating the next generation of wild boar for them to hunt and that was invaluable if they wanted to have good food in the future. So that only left one possibility; the young female boar was to be their quarry.

“I say we go for that young’un, the female.” He nodded in the direction of the boar who was presently snuffling at the water to get a drink, apparently the midday sun was effecting them all and making the woodland beasts thirsty for a nice cool drink. Red was no hunter, not really, his whole life at sea had been about stealing things and food was among those treasures that they had sought. Though not the conventional gold and silver food was still important and paying for it was overrated. The crew had always managed to find a barrel of some dried tasteless junk from somewhere and stowed it aboard the ship with the intentions of it lasting them a voyage at sea. The only hunting he had done had been since he had first arrived in the island and it was fair to say his natural instincts for hunting were minimal, reduced to nothingness by domestic life and no real training in such a thing. He was learning though and making good progress, however he still whished for a hunter pirate around to help with these sorts of things. They had fishers, but no hunters, and he felt they were missing out because of it. Regardless though he felt compelled to lead the hunt because who else was going to, the reasoning behind what he said fuelled by logic alone. “James, Alexander; head ‘round ta tha other side o’ the clearing, that way we can surround the beast and cut off its exits. We’ll all try ta separate tha pray from tha other boar then we can start chasing it.”

Word Count: 767Addressed: James, Alexander, All Mentioned: All Notes: ----

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:00 pm

What a cute little hunting party. With the red canine - a dog - being the Captain, he knew just from looking at afar from the way he spoke to their body language and all that other nonsense. He heard two other names being spoken - James and Alexander. And telling from who responded to the names being spoken, it had to be the youngest male and the grey one with embers for eyes. They were pirates, he knew. But pirates aren't necessarily the hunt and gather types, that was another thing he knew that was fact. They stole, but at the moment there was nobody to steal from. Not yet at least.

Noatak continued to assess them, scrutinize them for every little piece of information he could squeeze out of the little scene going on here for everything they had. The burgundy male with strangely appealing beige and onyx markings had a jack rabbit firmly planted in his maw, the incisors piercing the fur as the carcass hung limply from his jaws. Now was his time to make a move, he couldn't stand here like tree with eyes any longer.

Taking silent paw steps forward, he weaved in between the tree trunks and his paws swept over dry leaves that would make noise if one happened to step on them, and he managed to make a phantom sound like an elephant. Making sure to stay downwind so their scents would drift to him, he prowled over towards the group, and opened his mouth just a fraction so his small prey would drop to the ground with a muffled thump sound. Putting a charcoal paw on the rabbit carcass, he lifted his head and flashed his most charming smile while perking his ears, his multicolored eyes flashing in the sunlight. As soon as he spoke, his voice drawled out in smooth, fluent words with an appealing voice.

"Need a little help, fellas?"

Word Count: 319
Addressed: All
Mentioned: All
Side Notes: -------

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:58 pm

James followed closely behind Redbeard, his blue eyes cast down as he watched every step the red dog made, going along different terrains which would sometimes break into different paths that would soon be hidden again. Finally, when James could see the lake out in front of him will the over hanging trees, they stopped. The weeping willows was always a beautiful place. The water reflecting the greens and yellows of the looming almost sad looking trees, little alcoves of land to sit and admire the view, and of course, plenty of food. With the large amount of fresh water in this area, it is a huge hotspot for animals of prey. Even if James doesn't hunt often even he knew that there will almost always be prey here. And when there isn't, it would still be a great place to sit and relax, let the sun's rays warm you. Today though, with the approaching summer James despised the hot weather. The crew was still kinda hidden though, so James tried to stay back in the shadows as much as he could, even though the heat was still terrible it helped to have the sun off of him.

He peered his head around Redbeard to see what the male was looking at. Luckily there was a family of boars, but James groaned inwardly. He much preferred eating rather than the actual action of hunting. However, it is necessary sometimes. When James was alone he would more oftenly take from other predators, stealing some of their food for him. Just enough to last through the day. Of course he still hunted, but small things. He can't even remember what his life was like before he left his family, so he would never know if he'd hunted before he found the pirates. And boars intimidated him. It wasn't really that he was afraid of them, they looked innocent enough just happily wobbling along and drinking from the pond but they just made him uneasy. Okay maybe he was a little scared but he wouldn't admit that. “I say we go for that young’un, the female.” Red had said, pointing to the one who was not preggers but the younger female. "Alright" he said, glad that he at least didn't need to face a male.

“James, Alexander; head ‘round ta tha other side o’ the clearing, that way we can surround the beast and cut off its exits. We’ll all try ta separate tha pray from tha other boar then we can start chasing it.” James listened contently, nodding again. Red was a good leader, and James would follow his words like he should be he was interrupted. "Need a little help, fellas?" James turned around quickly, his fur bristled up in sharp brown spikes. "Who the hell are you?" he growled softly, narrowing his cold blue eyes. "I swear if ya scare our game away I'll kill ya." James took food very seriously, and he was not about to let it go even though he was slightly afraid of hunting it.

Tagged: Redbeard, Noatak, the rest of the pirates|| Word Count: 511 || Side Notes: scaredy cat James

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Mon May 05, 2014 2:11 pm

A small muffled thump sounded somewhere off to the side and Redbeard instantly looked up, his cool blue eyes wary as he glanced into the forest. There was no reason any other member of his crew would be in that general direct, they’d all followed him here hadn’t they? None of them would be lingering in the depth of the forest. So that only left two other real possibilities. Either there was another wolf out there, a wolf who he either hadn’t met before or who was affiliated with the main group or with no one at all or there was a different prey animal out there wondering through the forest unaware of their presence. The cause of the sound soon made their presence know, not prey however, but another wolf. "Need a little help, fellas?" Red almost felt inclined to grumble and growl as James did, they were just about to start a hunt and the male proved to be a distraction for all of them. Besides, as James said, they had no idea what his real intentions were and whether he was going to help or ruin their hunt. But Red tried to restrain himself, this wolf appeared interesting and worth a few moments of his time. His fur was the first thing Redbeard noticed; distinct markings suggesting a pirate way of life, and then his voice only added to the effect. Another pirate, how curious, and in Red’s eyes another potential recruit for their little group that was in need of more numbers. What was even better though was that under his black furred paw was a rabbit; the smell of blood and meat strong. For a moment Redbeard had to question whether he was a hunter, or at least whether he had some particular talent or knowledge for hunting, because such a thing could be useful to them now.

“Well one rabbit ain’t gonna feed all of us.” The male retorted with a nod towards the carcass before he added. “But if yer willing to help us hunt then join the crew.” More members was always what they needed, sure it meant more mouths to feed but it also meant strength in numbers and a wider range of skills at their disposable and that was priceless to them, in fact it was just what they needed not just for the hunt they had planned but for the raid they had organised for later, they would need all the wolves they could get to make that a success. Red saw no problem with the new male joining their numbers now, he couldn’t possibly cause that much trouble, not when he was outnumbered, so even though Red was accepting his help with ease it didn’t mean he didn’t have a backup plan in case anything did go wrong. If it turned out that his intentions were bad and he had aggression on the mind then they would be able to deal with him. “The name’s Redbeard. Ye can stay with myself ‘n’ Ayeria while James ‘n’ Alexander go round to the other side of the prey, we’re hunting that young female there.” The dog woofed, an introduction and a low-down of what was going on all in one before he concluded his little speech with an almost rhetorical question. “Got it?”

With that the male moved back into position, resuming a sort of crouching stance that kept him hidden in the foliage and out of sight before he looked around to check every one else was in position too. "We'll go on the count of three. You all in position?" He asked with his voice but a mere whisper, wanting to make sure everyone was ready before he initiated the hunt.

Word Count: 551Addressed: Noatak Mentioned: James, Alexander, Ayeria Notes: ----

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Wed Jun 18, 2014 4:23 am

The sand-colored male listened closely to what their captain was saying, he figured it would be simple enough to catch a damn pig. He rolled his shoulders and a rather satisfying pop was heard. He could totally do this.

His golden eyes trailed to the younger male again. He smirked, bumping his shoulder against the shorter brute's. "You ready to hunt short stuff?" He grinned looking down at him.

He growled when he heard a quiet thump coming from the forest. They were all there so it had to be someone, or something else. He narrowed his eyes when a strangely colored brute stepped out of the forest. He already didn't like him.

"Need a little help, fellas?"

He snorted, wanting to say 'not from you.' however, he held his tongue and let Red do the talking. He smirked at how snappy the shorter brute was. "Hmm, aren't you feisty." He murmured quiet enough for only him and the younger to hear, with a sly grin shot toward the smaller male he then looked toward Red. "So we have to circle around to the other side?" He didn't honestly care how they caught the damn thing he just wanted to eat.

Word Count: 202
Adressed: James
Mentioned: Redbeard and Noatak
Notes:

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Sun Jun 22, 2014 9:57 am

"So we have to circle around to the other side?" Red nodded and began mentally going over the plan in his head again to make sure it made perfect sense. They would surround the boar before initiating the chase, and then cut of its exits by moving in at either side of it forcing it forward in the direction they wanted it to go. When they caught up with it enough they would be able attack, and with the creature hopefully worn out by that point bringing it down shouldn’t have been too hard. It all made sense in his head, he just hoped the others would be willing to follow the plan.

He realised that he was probably overthinking things but given that they had plans for the rest of the day he didn’t want anyone getting hurt. Pirates were known to be a little reckless but there was a time and a place. If one of them was hurt now it could jeopardize their plans for raiding the shipwreck later in the day which was something he wanted to avoid at all costs for it would take everyone being on top of their game to pull that off successfully, especially if any of the wolves from the main group got involved and a fight ensued. It couldn’t be too hard to bring down a boar hassle free; surely with the right planning it could be easy.

“That’s right,” Red confirmed with a nod in Alexander’s direction, hoping by now that the plan was clear and everyone was in place. In fact now he thought about it they better be getting started instead of standing around all day debating a plan and otherwise chatting to strangers, they had work to do after all. Red cleared his throat subtly before continuing “Right let’s get going – three.” Red flicked his gaze around to the other wolves making sure everyone was ready. “Two…” He got into position himself, glaring forwards through the trees, raring to go. “One” and with that Red charged out of the undergrowth and in the direction of the boar, racing to catch up with it as it began to sprint away. That was it, the hunt was on.

Word Count: 370Addressed: (dir) Alexander (ind) All Mentioned: All Notes: ----

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Mon Jul 21, 2014 5:50 pm

James

James eyed the newer wolf suspiciously and huffed. Although Redbeard seemed to stay pretty calm about the spontaneous stranger, James didn't like them at all. Now James isn't exactly mean and grouchy all the time, but he is not one to trust easily. He narrowed his blue eyes, almost glaring in Redbeard's direction as he said the newer wolf could help. James didn't argue though. Even if he didn't like the decision he would put up with it because Red was his captain.

He nodded curtly and glanced at James when Redbeard gave the orders. "Hmm, aren't you feisty." James rolled his eyes, shrugging slightly. "You except me ta act like this fella is an old friend?" He laughed, making sure to keep his voice low. "I wouldn't risk gettin' help from this guy, and I think Red is crazy fer trusting 'em." Maybe once James was trusting. He doesn't remember much about himself or his past and it causes him to be extra jumpy and snappy. Theres a lot to the male that hints that this grouchy snakebite attitude isn't all there is, and it's not supposed to be how he acts.

Theres always been an uneasy aura with James. A certain 6th sense of slight paranoia. Jumping at loud noises and even now with the slight fear of not knowing what could happen while hunting this boar. The reluctance behavior of letting people in which is also a side affect of his bumpy and forgotten past. Little signs every once and a while of what he might of acted like if he just remembered. If he didn't have this little side package of paranoia that came with his forgetfulness it's expected he would act slightly different. Jolty and untrustful eyes replaces with slightly more kind eyes that are a little softer and less dark around the edges from stress. He's young but has had more of his fair share of hard times and stress that'd molded this awful personality. Without it he would probably still be a kid. He'd joke around and laugh, make jokes to take the edge off of what he says and trust people more easily. The only thing that would probably stay is how afraid he is. He can't help how nervous it makes him to do different things he isn't comfortable with like hunting right now or letting strangers in. This is also why if you get close to him he's less mean, because its all about trust for him. Whatever has happened that his brain chose to forget really effected him.

He gave a soft sigh and positioned himself low next to Alex, glancing at Redbeard and waiting for the signal. It was suspenseful until he finally heard Redbeard say the final number one and the wolves were out. As soon as the others burst out James followed, his heartbeat picking up as he fallowed along side Alex and gave a small bark as they did as they were told and circled around.
Words: 508
Tagged: The pirates

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Sun Jul 27, 2014 1:58 pm

"Who the hell are you?"

Noatak's multi-colored eyes calmly gravitated over to the slightly smaller male that had just snapped out, his expression not fazed in the slightest at his tone and the little smile seemed to stay on his face. He had heard from eavesdropping on their conversation before and had gathered that his name was James. Hostility was typical when it came to approaching a wolf pack, and this situation was no different. He had to play to their likes, poke around to see if he could touch at least the leader's soft spot in order to get on his good side. Because he would get nowhere all by himself. And at that moment, there was no better time than to be as direct and honest as possible.

"Call me Noatak."That was all he could say before the leader spoke up.

Well one rabbit ain’t gonna feed all of us. But if yer willing to help us hunt then join the crew. The name’s Redbeard. Ye can stay with myself ‘n’ Ayeria while James ‘n’ Alexander go round to the other side of the prey, we’re hunting that young female there. Got it? We'll go on the count of three. You all in position?

Noatak listened intently to the information that came out of the leader's mouth, his perked ear flickering to the right before returning to its original position - forward. It was an easy task for a wolf pack to handle with this many wolves including himself. It was simple, he'd done it before plenty of times to know the drill. When it came to the hostility that a couple of wolves were showing towards him, like with James and Alexander, his fur wasn't too ruffled by it. Sooner or later they'd get used to his presence. The sooner the better though.

Lifting a charcoal paw off of the rabbit that was currently on the ground in front of him, he nudged it underneath a shrub before stalking over to stand next to but slightly behind Redbeard and the one named Ayeria.

Was he in position? "Check." Sharp multi-colored eyes assessed the female boar that they were supposed to be hunting, and he lowered his head and perked his ears forward and straightened his tail outward so his body was perfectly in line with each other, from the tip of his tail to his nose.

That’s right. Right let’s get going – three. Two… One.

With a push of his hind legs, Noatak's paws began beating the ground as he exploded into a run. He set off towards the herd that were currently sprinting away. He wasn't the strongest wolf by a long shot, on the contrary - but if he was anything when it came to physical strengths, he certainly could be the fastest. The male pirate pushed harder, his strangely coated form tearing across the earth. Noatak's gaze locked onto the female boar with a fierce desire, paws beating the ground with an intense rhythm.

Word Count: 505
Addressed: James, Redbeard
Mentioned: All
Side Notes: -------

Subject: Re: The Weeping Willows Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:01 pm

Now he was running and the hunt had been initiated Redbeard felt like nothing could stop him and though he was unpractised at the fine art of bringing down prey, due to a life a sea where there had been no animals to be hunted, he still felt confidant. The sounds of others charging alongside him was a reassuring one; a bark sounded close by which Redbeard guessed was the young James joining the fray and the sound of paws thundering over the ground whizzed passed him, the newcomer who called himself Noatak was apparently quick on his feet and was able to overtake the older dog who found himself slower but stronger. Redbeard had with him a motley crew if nothing else, but a crew with diverse talents. Fast wolves and strong wolves, clever wolves and headstrong wolves and wary. It was a strange but useful combination, a combination that if they could work together would work well.

The boars they charged at, in their wild panic and distress, split up. The little family separated as each spirited off in a different direction, blindly running at the first sight of trouble as prey animals often did in hope of surviving. It wasn’t hard to focus in on the one boar that Redbeard had chosen as their target, the young female who ran away at top speed, squealing in fear. Granted the young creature was fast, but the Irish setter doubted that she would be able to keep up that pace for long. The wolves would easily catch up and if not she would run out of energy eventually and slow down allowing the canines their chance to strike.

The wolves closed in on the prey quite quickly actually and when they were close enough they could begin the attack. A creature so small wouldn’t last long with so many wolves on it’s tail; maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as what Red had been initially expecting it to be. The dog forced his legs to run a little faster so that he came alongside the boar, it was clear he was finding the quick pace challenging from the look of determination that was set into his expression. But now that he was within leaping distance he could make the first move. He jumped forward and with the strength in his back legs managed to propel himself closer to the boar so that he could bite it, sinking his teeth into the flesh of it rear leg and pulling back with the hope of seriously throwing it of balance.

When he started tasting blood he knew he was doing something right, this little assault of his was going well so far. Only he couldn’t cling on for any longer as the boar had began to kick out violently with it’s other leg, a hoof flying a little too close to the pirates face for comfort. He was forced to let go, allowing the hog to run off again but this time with a considerable limp. He held back for a moment, panting heavily and watching as the hunt continued ahead of him. When he got his breath back a little he was able to run to try and catch up with the group again, but just with the hopes of keeping up and not with the intentions of attacking the boar again. A few more bites and the beast would go down, but someone else could help with the attack first.

Word Count: 577Addressed: None Mentioned: James and Noatak Notes: ----

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