And now we begin (Solo)

[Erin Hedge]

Day 42, Season of Fall, Year 511AV OOC : Is 6 weeks old at the TimeStamp “You will be fine.” “Until she freezes to death.” Her sister said crossly; another Kelvic strangely enough and she was a fox. Just like their father and unlike their other brethren who were completely animal. “I will freeze but you will not find your clothes anytime soon.” Her sisters eyes flashed and she bared her teeth, hardly threatening in her human form and Erin did not hesitate to tell her so. The argument would have carried on for much longer if her father had not sent her sister away. “It is time.” Thrusting out her hand she waited for her father to take it, just as he said humans do but he only laughed and pulled her into a hug, wincing slightly when he felt a powder touch the back of his neck. “The last of my itching powder.” “I see.” Rubbing his neck roughly he shook his head, “Be safe, Erin.” Grinning impishly she strode in the direction her father pointed out to her. It only took a few chimes for her to become immensely bored and she began to amuse herself by tossing stones at the sparse birds and rabbit. But even that did not last long and only an chime later she slumped against a tree, dropping the heavy pack on the ground. Looking around she realized she hadn’t gone too far, while her den area was not in sight she recognized the edge of the hunting grounds. Rubbing her unclothed hands together she wondered if she should put on her gloves but decided against it in favor of digging through her pack. It only took her a few seconds to find what she searched for, a small jar of fresh insects. Popping open the small jar she settled against the tree, content to watch the snow drift and munch on a few of her snacks. She knew she should still travel while it was day light, seeing as how it got colder at night but it just wasn’t going to happen. She had no urge to curl up and sleep, she also had no urge to continue on her trek. Frowning she gazed up at the sky and opened her mouth and...let out a loud shout. It was foolish but she was safe seeing as she was still in her father’s hunting grounds. And yet a crack of a branch told her otherwise. Twisting the lid onto her jar she shoved it back in the pack and dug out her newest gift from her father, finger claws. Swallowing thickly she slipped the sharp metal on each finger and flexing. “Cool.” Keeping her back to the tree she peeked her head around and seen…nothing. Frowning she inched herself around the tree, she had sworn she heard and smelt something from behind her… Heavy paws slammed into her back and sent her face first into the snow, an angry snarling at her back alerted her to the fact that it was a fox that currently held her down. Growing up as she had she was familiar with the different growls of the vulpine family and this one was defiantly starved. Pushing all her weight up from the ground she flung herself to the side, rolling the angry animal off and allowing her to--at the very least--see her opponent. Knowing its prey would not fall so easily a second time the wild fox warily tracked the Erin’s movements as she stood. Raising her armed hand in front of her chest and keeping a low crouch she waited for the fox to attack. Sure enough it did, leaping gracefully from the ground, it’s maw opened wide. Ducking Erin flung her body to the side and threw her hand in a wild swipe, catching only the fox’s tail. Hissing, it swung mid-air to face her, bumping into the tree only slightly. Crouching once more they circled each other, Erin breathing heavily her eyes darting all over the angry animals body, the fox only growled and crept forward. She knew he would jump once more so she ducked, allowing it to fall on her and impale its stomach on her claws. Snapping in rage and pain the animals teeth grazed her shoulder before it pulled away to tend to its wounds. Gasping she scrambled back to the tree. She couldn’t fight it, not on equal ground. Casting her gaze behind her and to the branches of the tree-she hoped to climb it--she quickly shed her clothes. Only managing to get one leg out of the pants before the animal attacked one more, its jaws closing around the empty leg. A startled yelp left her lips and she pulled her other leg out and scrambled back. Now clad only in her slippers she carefully kept a closer eye on the salivating fox and slipped both feet out of the small shoes. It happened quickly, one moment the fox was sure it had its dinner and the next its stomach was once more impaled with spikes. Loud snarling rang through the air and the seriously pissed being slapped the spiny ball with its paw, only to howl once more as it was poked by the spines. It’s face twisting into a vicious teeth baring growl it lifted its mouth around the ball and clamped down to—for the final time—be struck by the points of the tiny ball. Once more batting the frustrating meal the fox trudged away to find other food. It could catch birds with greater ease. Erin didn’t uncurl from her ball until she was positive that the fox would be long gone. Tentatively she poked her head out and scanned her surroundings. Not hearing or smelling anything she deemed it safe and completely released herself from her previous position and shifted once more to human. Cautiously she picked up her clothes and returned to the tree where her pack still lay, though slightly tipped over, it was obvious the fox had snuffed out her dried meats and eaten a lot of them. Better that than her. Running her hands over her light wounds she was lucky to have gotten away with nothing but scratches this time. But she just couldn’t understand; another fox in her father’s territory? Strange and dangerous, who knew what else would jump out of the wood work. Packing and stepping into her clothes she once more shouldered her heavy bundle and began her trek to Avanthal, keeping an eye out for plants to make medicines. She had never made one before but at least she knew what plants did what. From there she could wing it.

[Erin Hedge]

As bright as it was during the day-time it was amazing how dark it could be a night. The snow that once held all the light--enough to blind you--was gone and all that remained were the small spectrums of light when the moonlight struck just right. And it was the moon that guided Erin as she tripped over a fallen branch for the fifth time in two minutes. This time she did not get up, she allowed herself to sit in the snow and practically soak in the freezing temperatures. Her feet were numb and beginning to dry, which meant they would bleed if she wasn't careful. Squinting her eyes she looked for the thickest patch of brush she could find and not too far away was her perfect spot. Thorny and vicious looking it was littered with sharp dead branches, leaves turning to mulch and it was full of the few bugs that could survive the cold night. It was perfect. Dinner and safety. It seemed strange that she would need to think of things like safety. In her father’s lands it wasn’t needed, no one would dare—well, maybe some would, she thought, recalling the day’s earlier incident. “Ah well.” Settling herself cross legged on the ground she placed her backpack in front of her and pulled out her days findings, a decent clump of moss, a few pieces of dried algae & a licorice-root. It was not much, plants were scarce as it was but with fall here most things were either already eaten or not edible, much like the amanita mushroom she’d seen earlier. They were pretty noticeable against the backdrop of snow but hardly helpful. Now her only problem was she knew what the plants did but she was no potions or medicine expert, heck she wasn't even a novice. Deciding not to worry about it she pushed the plants aside and yanked some branches from her soon to be shelter. Digging a crude little circle she tossed them into her new makeshift pit before digging around for her fire-starters or whatever it was her father had called them. Floot? Filt? Eel? Her hands wrapping around one of said objects she smiled triumphantly, “Steel!” Now all that was left was the wacha-ma-call-it and she would be all set. It seem though, once she found one the other was also resting at the bottom of her bag. Holding them as she was taught she struck them a few times before blowing on the small flickers, working slowly she dropped dry leaves in for a quicker start. Painstaking minute after minute went by, her head began to feel as high up as the clouds but finally, finally it started, a small pathetic little flame that even the slightest breeze would have laughed at. But under her watchful eye she added more twigs and leaves until it was a decent sized flame, not large or particularly comforting but it was enough to send off waves of heat. Stretching her legs on either side of her small pit she pulled out her eating knife, she had not brought meat but she would maybe have to cut her slippers off. Quickly gripping one foot she was surprised when it came off with relative ease, only sticking to the small cuts where blood had dried. Nodding to herself she reached for the moss, if she recalled correctly moss was good for itching and since her foot was dry she couldn’t itch, even barely thinking about itching made her foot twitch—and it had been fine two seconds ago! Rubbing the moss in some snow near the fire to moisten it she quickly slapped it over one foot sparingly, not enough to truly help but enough to soothe--or so she hoped, reaching for her other foot—the slipper a bit more difficult this time—she spread what was left. Throwing a glare at the useless shoes she snorted huffly she didn’t care how comfortable they were, they were useless! Staring at her other two small plants she once more placed the licorice-root in her bag, it was a plant for coughing and it would come in handy later. As for the algae…munching in the last of her bugs Erin poured snow in the empty jar and slipped on her mittens, holding it above the flame she waited for the snow to melt and it did so very quickly. Patting snow in on the side to cool her warm water then she stuffed one piece of the algae into her mouth and practically dove for her water taking air-filled gulps. It was disgusting but supposedly helpful if used properly, too bad she hadn't used it properly but she didn't know that. Rubbing a handful of snow on her tongue she tossed the rest in her pack, if her feet blistered it would be make a good slave…if only she knew how to make the salve. Standing she began to strip slowly, hanging her clothes on the lowest branch she could find before shifting forms. It was easier to dry herself this way. Once she was warm enough to feel all her fingers and toes she rotated back to her human form, blinking away the sudden tiredness and laying her luggage on top of the prickly brush she had originally spotted. Tossing a few more branches on her fire, along with some dead leaves she summoned the last of her energy to shift to her small form and scuttle into the underbrush. Pawing at the ground the tired child managed to move enough snow so there was only dirt, the pack, heavy above her, weighed down but didn’t smother her but rather worked like a cave and trapped what little warmth she had. In a but a few slow blinks Erin’s eyes did not open again till the morning.

[Erin Hedge]

Day 43, Season of Fall, Year 511AV OOC : Is 6 weeks old at the TimeStamp She woke to snow melting down her tail and a cold she was slightly used to. Her haphazard den had done its job and when the fire wet out she had woken to yank her clothes over her as well. Shaking out her spines she felt the small pieces of ice frozen to them, it was actually quite painful. Huffing and rubbing her twitching nose in the dirt she contemplated staying in her hedgehog form till she at least found breakfast. It was easier to dig up things that way. As she snuffled around the small underbrush a flash of color caught her eye. A lizard! She rarely seen lizards running on her stubby legs she chased after the animal snorting happily. It scurried up the tree in a panic thinking it could escape but unfortunately for the poor creature Erin choose that moment to shift clamping her hands around the squirming reptile. As she was about to snap its neck the tail released and it was gone in the blink of an eye, scrambling into a notch in the tree. Flinging the tail away a huff of indignation left her before she lifted her clothes from the ground and slipped them on, not damp for thankfully it had snowed during the night but still cold to the touch and she wondered if she should start a fire before leaving. Deciding it was too much work she moved to her final item of clothing, her shoes. Or what was left of them. Frowning at the small, flimsy things she knew she couldn’t go barefoot but they were hardly in any condition to be of use, unless…clapping her hands of her brilliant idea she moved quickly to her bag, throwing out items in a hasty manner. Her eating knife! Holding it carefully she cut away at the bottom of her dress-shirt after which she scraped off the dried moss with some snow and then proceeded to wrap her feet in the wool cloth before stuffing her feet in her slippers. Turning to the mess she’d made in her hunt for the knife she wasted no time in cramming the supplies back in and readying herself for her next boring trek. Plus she needed to hunt for breakfast. Glancing at the ground she only seen a few more amanita, though they were missing their telltale white spots she couldn’t mistake them, reaching down she yanked out one and placed it in her pocket, she could anoint herself later seeing as she hadn’t the first time she’d seen the poisonous mushroom. Turning her gaze back to the freezing ground she scanned around for tracks, there wasn’t much, just smooth powder. Pausing she once more slid off her pack and dug around, this time more carefully until she found her steel claws. Sliding one on she used her free hand to hoist her pack onto her shoulder again, this time fully prepared. Ignoring the rumbling in her belly—she would eat later—and the mild soreness in her body she once more began her endless trek. She had only been walking perhaps two and a half chimes before she heard a wet ripping sound coming from her left and much too close for comfort. So lost in her imagination she hadn’t realized she had walked directly towards the sound. Shifting her head this way and that to find the source of the noise she suddenly wished very much that she had been paying attention. It was a pack of four wolves. Currently chewing on something that was no longer identifiable and while they probably wouldn’t eat her—they were currently already gorging themselves--they were large wolves, supremely large, as in Dire large. Taladarian large. Too large. “You have got to be kidding me.” She realized her mistake too late and the wolves who had been previously ignoring her turned in her direction, backing up quickly she was already dropping her extra weight. She didn’t bother to strip herself this time just changed, nosing around hurriedly in the clothes and darting out of a sleeve, one of her claws striking her in the back. If Erin had bothered to think she would had calmly walked the other way and most likely been overlooked but her pandemonium made the wolves wish to chase. Moving as fast as her short legs could she launch her chubby little body a few centimeters off the ground and into the nearest tree, her small claws locking in to bark. Unfortunately she hadn’t thought this through much either for the bark was slippery and painful to climb and she could hear the crashing underbrush, the wolves where close at hand. Forcing herself to go faster and search painstakingly for less icy parts she managed to reach the first low branch, she was still hungry but her sleep had restored some of her strength but after this shift she knew she could only handle one or two more until she ate, if that. Shifting quickly she jumped up to the next branch and blundered her way up the tree, wincing each time she heard a snarl. Taking a chance she peeked down and seen one scraping at the bottom of the tree while the others made holes in her dress-shirt. She waited there not daring to move as they growled and circled the tree, one had tried to climb but it was obvious their engorged size refused to allow the branches to withstand their weight. Now all she had to do was wait them out. Scanning the tree she spotted a hollow spot a branch or two down and quickly hopped down and forced her shift before scampering in. It was the only way she’d survive the cold while she waited since her human form had no clothes. Feeling much safer now she clawed at the bark, sniffing out the husks of frozen insects and the odd live one, it wouldn’t truly fill her but it would at least it would be something. Though as soon as she reached the ground she vowed to start a fire and munch on water food her father had packed for her.

[Erin Hedge]

OOC : Is 6 weeks old at the TimeStamp Traveling it seemed was just not her thing, at least not alone, without anyone to entertain her or stop her from attract things that wanted to eat her. Yep, so far it was more adventurous than she had anticipated, not a truly horrible thing, it made for an interesting trip but one right after the other was just not working for her. If the wolves had been regular wolves she highly doubted she would have come out unscathed--let alone alive. Still hearing the crunch of leaves she was not fool enough to believe that the wolves were gone, at the very least one or two remained and the little area she was crammed in wasn’t so bad. Her claws had dug away at some of the bark so it was a little more spacious and it was retaining her heat very nicely, she would probably stick to sleeping it tree hollows or making them herself seeing as it worked so much better than the night be fore’s sleep. Curling herself into a comfortable little ball she decided to take and nap and made a mental note to use the amanita before she ran into more trouble but considering the animals had gnawed on her jacket…she seriously hoped they choked on the mushroom and got hopelessly sick. She didn’t wake for a chime or so and when she peeked out she was amazed to see that one wolf still laid at the base of the tree. Irritably she turned around and scratched and bit at the tree for more bugs. That thing had to leave eventually! Didn’t it?! A few more seconds in the cramped space made up her mind easily and she crept out to the branch before flinging herself into the open space, mid-air she curled her body into a compact ball and braced herself for impact. Her spine bounced her across the frozen tundra and she rolled helplessly for a few moments but didn’t dare unravel. She may be foolish but she had no desire to be eaten. But it was not a mouth that closed around her frame but flesh, flesh like a humans. In fact it smelt quite human though wolf was everywhere. Poking her head from her bodies tight curl she let out a squeak of surprise. A human man with long scraggly hair held her tensely in his palm. “Come out little shifter.” Fearlessly she did as asked she had never met another Kelvic save for her family which did not count at all. “Change yourself.” Blinking slowly she shook her spikey head and opened and closed her mouth a few times. She couldn’t change! She was still hungry, she didn’t have enough strength. Setting her on the ground the unclothed man moved towards her pack, only now did she notice her clothes were folded and he had a minuscule fire started. Digging shamelessly through her bag he pulled out a few strips of meat, sniffing them delicately before laying them in front of her. “Eat.” Snatching the meat she dragged it towards the tiny flame and munched happily, ignoring the fact that the man stared at her in complete silence hardly even blinking. Once she finished she still felt wary but full and her wariness was more from over sleeping rather than lack of sleep. Closing her eyes she was tempted to sleep but the man’s demanding voice reminded her to shift. Snorting in annoyance she did so and grabbed another piece of meat to chew on. Deciding to be the one to start the conversation she took an inventory of the holes on her clothes, not enough to freeze her but enough for a strong breeze to make it nippy. Slipping her finger through one hole she vowed revenge on the canine species. “Who ar—“ He cut her off with a wave of his hand, “Do not mistake me, child. I am not your friend, I am warning you. You are in wolf’s territory and I am simply hunting with my bond mate. You should not be alone here.” “I’m going to Avanthal. And you can’t tell me to not to.” The man smiled softly before helping himself to the last piece of dried mouse meat and they sat in silence for a few moments before he handed her, her clothes. Pinching his hand as she pulled them away she licked the last bit of salt and meat flavor from her fingers and slipped into her clothes. “Salt is good and your friends bit my jacket!” “You’re lucky they did not do more….give me your feet.” “You were lucky they did not do more.” She mocked, forcing her voice as low as it could go—which was not much--before flopping to the ground and shoving her left foot in his face with an impish grin, ignoring her rudeness he pulled a piece of fur from behind where he and pushed her foot away while reached for her slippers. Shoving a little in each her handed them to her and stood brushing the snow from his legs. “I wish you luck for the next time I may just eat you. Take care of my fur.” The man was gone as suddenly as he came and all that stood in front of her was a wolf. Nodding to her the large creature turned to leave but not before she gave his tail a small yank—her revenge was now completed, sort of. Snarling slightly the wolf shook its large head and bounded away. The child would not last long if she was so foolish. For many more moments she sat there pondering the meeting, it was strange and random and probably the last of her luck. Still her feet were warm, her belly was full and she had discovered a new way to sleep. All in all a terrifyingly bad day…that had gained her no ground whatsoever. Groaning she dragged her bag closer to her she checked that he hadn’t done more than eat a piece of her meat; everything was there—even her finger claw…but her razor was strangely missing. Why her razor? Making a face she pulled it shut and kicked snow over the flame. It didn’t matter anymore; it was time for her to travel again. Only problem was she did not know which way to go, she had already gone off course before the wolves had spotted her and now she didn’t even remember which direction she’d come in. Erin stared at the sky, she wouldn’t be able to tell which way to go from there but as she stared she noted it was darkening considerably fast. All these holdups were beginning to be a pain. Glancing at the ground she noted footprints, she wasn’t sure why it seemed important but it was. “Foot…print. Footprint? Footprint!” Crouching lower she looked around for her own footprints. She would follow them back to the point where she had veered off course and then get back on track. She had lost time, that much was evident, but at least she wouldn't get stranded. By the time she found where her feet had suddenly had the urge to go left at a light snow had begun and marred her from truly knowing if she was going the right way, but boredom made her press forward in the opposite direction of her feet, hopefully back on course. The snow no longer held its shine, it was no longer a rainbow prism, which meant it was nearly night. But technically she hadn’t gained much ground besides when she left her first campsite. Seeing as she had more troubles in the day she figured it couldn't be much worse during the night. Swinging her pack around so it hung in front of her she reached around till she found her claws and placed them on her right hand. Humming softly Erin continued until the only thing she could see was the moon in the sky and the faint shine of her claw. Looking around she found a short, fat little tree surrounded by a small obviously dead piece of brush, it would make decent timber if it wasn’t as wet as her clothes. Reaching her uncovered hand she ran it along the branch but they were wet. She would not be able to light a fire tonight. Anger flushed through her before fading and she kicked the tree roughly only to fall back in the pain that rain up her foot. Letting her backpack fall from her shoulders she decided the brush would not go to waste and pushed her backpack under. Walking around the tree she pushed her left hand against different parts, looking for a weak spot, she managed to find on one and used her claws to dig and push at it. It gave way after about half a chime and she pulled her eating knife from her bag to carve it a little bigger. Once it was a decent size, though filled with scraps of bark she began to disrobe, her hand sliding into her pocket and touching a firm softness. The amanita! It had stayed in her pocket! Grinning she placed it in the hole and continued, carefully packing away her weapons and laying her clothes out to dry and placing a branch across them so they did not blow away. Once more changing into her animal form she began her climb the short distance to her self-made hold. Although this time it was much easier without hungry animals at her heels and she took her time feeling out the icy patches and the damp patches, pushing and pulling her small body up the tree. The bark scratched against her stomach and lodged little splinters in her fur but she ignored them, as annoying as they were her body would push them out itself or she would remove them in the morning. When she finally arrived in the little haven she was a tad out of breath but she still had a bit more work. Like eating and taking care of the mushroom. Nosing her way towards the vegetable and small tongue darted out and rapidly licked at the stem and top and lastly munching on pieces, her body immediately got to work, her mouth creating a frothy foam. Feeling a bit of the spittle drip off her chin she tilted her head back and began to carefully lick her spines, twisting her body every-which-way, stopping every once in a while to munch on more of the plant. She hoped enough of the poison would stay on her protective back and at the very least make a predator sorry it had even thought of eating her. By the time she finished her eyes drooped and her breathing was coming in slow deep puffs, not balling herself as tightly as usual she kicked what was left of the mushroom out and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

[Erin Hedge]

Day 44, Season of Fall, Year 511AV OOC : Is 6 weeks old at the TimeStamp Erin’s day had started out rather uneventful. She had rolled out of her makeshift tree knot and woken to freezing snow melting down and between her spines; her clothes were particularly wet from the night time snow, though the branches below them had—thankfully—dried during the night. Changing and staying in her human form she busied herself clearing snow until she had a decent sized circle to both start her fire and sit without getting wet. The fire was easy enough to start since there was no breeze, as if the very wind itself was frozen. Not a very large fire due to her meager amount of fire wood but if she figured it would dry her clothes and she could still wear her jacket, it was only damp in the out layers. Brushing the fresh white powder off each piece of clothing she was happy she remembered to put her slippers in her bag or else they too would have been wet. Reaching in her bag for the empty jar she filled it with snow and held it over the fire, once melted she used it to rinse out her mouth and scrubbed herself a little bit hovering over the fire to keep her naked form warm. As soon as she finished she wrapped herself in her jacket and slipped her feet into her shoes and proceeded to lean some branches against the stump of a tree she hand slept in, she would use them to hang her clothes. By the time she finished all her morning preparations her stomach was growling slightly and she dug through her bag to find out what other things her father had left her. A few pieces of dried banana, some snails soaking in a small bag and the last few dried mouse strips, as well as a bit of salt. Putting away everything save for the strips of mouse meat she once more filled her empty insect jar with snow and held it out the flame, using her mitten to keep the glass from burning her. Once her hand began to feel warm even with her protection she place it on the ground and dropped a few pieces of meat in and some salt, letting it sit for a few moments she then held it over the fire until it was too hot, let it cool and repeated the process until she had a meaty broth. As she ate her breakfast she wonder how much longer she would have to walk, her father had told her they lived about five days from the city but with her hold ups and the long amount of backtracking she figured an extra day or so. Hopefully sooner. Finishing up her food she melted a bit more snow to clean out the jar and patted her clothes to see how dry they were. They weren’t dry but they were not longer wet, just cool and damp. It wouldn’t be in her best interest to wear them, though her leggings were dryer. Tying her dress-shirt to her pack by the sleeves she slipped on her leggings and tightened her coat, she would have to wait till it was at least completely dry. Checking the flame she figured it would go out in a few more moments and she slid her arms through her backpack straps, jar still in hand and began walking straight, this time vowing not to go off course again. Her pace was slower though and she knew it was from being battered around so much the last two days, while she had only gotten slightly scratched—most of which had already scabbed—her body was bruised all along her back and from what she could feel the backs of her legs and along her arms. She blamed the fox, which was the one that had actually taken swipes at her! Finally giving up she slid her pack around to rest on her stomach, she couldn’t walk with it bouncing along her bruises. By midafternoon she was quite proud of herself, she traveled a steady pace, not too fast but not lazy and she had managed to have to encounter with anything strange or deadly. She figured she had wandered into wolf area when she had gone off course and now she was in…something else’s territory, something that was not yet aware of her presence and would—hopefully—stay that way. Praising herself a little too loudly it was then she noticed a small dilemma, ice. A large chunk of frozen water but off her path, it wasn’t huge but it would take at least a chime to walk around and another to walk past. She had already lost time the last couple days… “It snowed last night, it should be frozen!” She confident words washed away any nervousness and she strode onto the ice only to jump back as a small crack was created, she weight too much. Without thinking her suddenly formed plan through, she began taking off her clothes and shoving them haphazardly into the sack--along with the jar she still held—she closed it tightly. When she finished she placed her bag on the ice and kicked it as hard as she could. The large brown sack slid a few feet away, stopping at a small bump. Content with her progress she shifted to her smaller and considerably lighter form, thoroughly pleased with herself when the ice did not crack. Scampering and sliding across the ice every time she got close to her pack she shifted and kicked and swiftly shifted back. It was a slow process but much fun, not only did she not lose time but she got to skate! As she reached the edge she found she didn’t had the strength to change back, all the energy she had was lost in her skating and changing. Yawning, sneezing and huffing she picked open her bag with her nose and claws and crawled in, curling herself up inside her clothes and rapidly falling asleep.