forum More boredom.... (OxO) Closed!

Started October 07, 2020 by @StarryWolfy flash_onCrazy Procrastinator

tune

Sirus padded at her side, his tail flicking her leg in mock annoyance when she laughed at his fur. If anything she should've been a bit more worried about the burns he had sustained in their earlier encounter with the bounty hunters, as he had stored the medicine instead of using it, ignoring the dull ache across his belly.

Gwen smirked a little as she glanced down at the playful slap of his tail against her. In all the anticipation she had forgotten about his injuries at the moment, but she would likely remember that later. Either when they stopped to check the map or when he shifted back… whichever came first.

And no one would blame her for forgetting, as that was exactly what Sirus was going for. In any case, things were quiet for the next few hours as our unusual duo entered the trees, with Sirus becoming more alert, his paws barely making a sound as he walked.

As they entered the woods surrounding the tribe’s home, Gwen also started stepping more softly. She didn't want to disturb too much of the wilderness on their journey until it was time to set up camp or hunt for the night. She didn't really have much of a plan yet other than following the map and staying on guard. Between bounty hunters and wild animals, it was bound to be a dangerous time for both of them.

(Sorry for being so slow XP)
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Sirus led the way, for the most part, the shadows' whispers echoing in his ears and telling him which way to go and which path was safe, and every once in a while he nudged Gwen away from a more obvious path because of it. Eventually he deemed them far enough out from the tribe to stop and get a better idea of where they were headed, stopping at a relatively clear place and shifting back, untying his packs and letting them fall to the ground. "You have the map for your quest yes?" he asked, rising to his feet and stretching a little, his packs left to the ground for the moment, "We should plan how we are going about this before we get too far."

(It's ok)

Gwen was a little confused when Sirus nudged her down certain paths, especially when there was a clearer one in front of them, but didn't argue beyond a questioning glance. She just assumed that there was something about either his magic or his wolf form that told him when something was unsafe that she couldn't see. Grateful for the brief break, she nodded at the question and slid her travel pack off her back. “Of course I have it.” she assured him as she took the map out. “I wouldn't be very prepared if I left it behind. By the way, how is your side feeling?” she asked, referring to his burn.

Sirus was grateful for her lack of argument, each time he nudged her in a new direction, though if she ever actually questioned him he would be happy to give her an explanation. But for now he was more focused on getting a better look at the map. "That's fair, preparation is certainly a good portion of a successful quest." He hummed, about to ask for the map, before he was stopped by Gwen's second question. "It's fine" he said, lying through his teeth straight to her face, instantly feeling guilty for it. "I took care of it this morning and I adjusted my pack for it already." He shrugged as if it was reasonable for him to do it this way, his focus going back to the map. "Shall we go on and get a better look at that then?"

Gwen nodded, agreeing with his first comment. “Well, I’m certainly hoping for a successful quest.” she chuckled a little as she carefully opened the map. “Really? When did you do that?” she asked as she looked up at him and raised a brow since she hadn't seen him do any of that. She had to admit that she didn't know his habits but she wanted to make sure he was taking care of himself and was healing properly, since she felt partly responsible for him being hurt in the first place. “Yeah. We need to get a good idea of where we're supposed to be going.” she sighed and looked back at the map.

Sirus didn't answer her question, instead moving closer so he could see the map, carefully scanning it over before moving back to his bag, pulling out a packet of papers of his own, shuffling through them until he found the right one. "We'll compare that map to one of mine so we have a better idea of where we are going." He said in explanation, tucking the rest of the papers away. Getting up again and unfolding the map he had pulled out, a heavily marked up depiction of the surrounding kingdoms and certain towns, to which Sirus began making note of certain landmarks. "Looks like we will be headed up through this forest and up through those mountains" he said finally, tracing their path and looking to Gwen to see if she agreed.

Gwen furrowed her brow when he didn't answer her question. If anything, that made her more concerned about his health and why he would keep it secret. She sighed a little as she resolved to make sure that he put the medication on once they made camp, if not sooner. “That’s a good idea. It will make things much easier. I'm glad you have one of this area.” she managed to smile softly as they compared the two maps and nodded as he outlined, at least, the first part of their journey. “That looks right to me. And we're heading in the right direction.” she said glancing at their surroundings before looking back at the maps.

All along Sirus' map was a clear idea of what the area looked like, but it was also covered in scrawled little notes, random letters, and to the western side of it was a large x in red, luckily they were headed east, but it was still suspicious. As for keeping his health a secret, part of it was he simply wasn't used to people caring. The other part was an ingrained mindset of not needing or deserving the relief.
"I'll make sure we head keep headed east then" he said, letting her look at their route one last time before moving away to fold up his copy of the map. "You keep that one in your pack, I don't want it mixed up with mine." He said slipping the paper away with the others. "How long do you want to keep going for before we settle for the night?" He asked.

Gwen raised a brow in intrigue at the writing and the strange red X on the west side of the map. She so badly wanted to ask what all that meant but now was clearly not the time as she rolled up her map and put it in her pack. “Good idea. If you're up for it, I'm willing to go until near the sun sets before we set up camp for the night.” she admitted determinedly. “The more ground we put between us and the tribe, the better.” she sighed wanting to keep her new family safe from any bounty hunters that were after her.

"I can keep going well into the night most days" he hummed, picking up his pack and putting it back on. "But we can start with sunset and see how far we can get." he said, "Let me know when you need to stop for a rest," he added, then dropped to all fours as he shifted, body shimmering briefly as he dropped, the now large black-furred wolf shifter standing beside her ready to keep moving.

“I’m sure you can. I just can't see in the dark as well as you can.” Gwen reminded him with a smirk as she readjusted her pack, ready to get back on the move. She nodded at his request but a part of her was debating on how she would actually go about it. It may have been a petty idea, giving him a small taste of his own medicine with how he seemed to avoid taking care of his injury, but the former princess did want to cover as much ground as possible as well… She shook her head as she decided to think about it while they traveled and started walking a bit more confidently now that they had a better idea of where they were heading.

Sirus rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that it was less about being able to see and more about the ability to stay alert and awake. And it occurred to him that maybe he should communicate that out loud, but he didn't want to shift back again, so instead he jerked his head and started leading the way again.
And this they continued on in relative silence, with Sirus leading the way to the best of his ability, showing very little signs of pain or discomfort as they kept going.

Gwen hadn't considered how long she would be able to stay awake as a factor since she was willing to sleep in shifts for protection if it was necessary. But since he didn't say anything about that, she didn't bring it up either.
She smiled a little as they resumed their trek, enjoying the natural quiet but still listening for any signs of trouble. Occasionally, she would glance at Siris to make sure that his burn wasn't bothering him… Though she was still going to make him put more medicine on it tonight.

Sirus seemed unbothered for the most part, falling back into old habits even as the burns ached every time something brushed up against it. As for sleeping in shifts, he had already supposed that it would be wise to share those duties rather than simply using his shadow guards. As much as he trusted the shadows, there were times where they weren't 100% reliable.

Gwen let out a soft breath and just listened to the sounds of the woods around them. It seemed calm enough but after the attack, she was still a little on edge. It made sense now why everything had been so quiet on their way back to the tribe… Her thoughts briefly circled back to that time before she shook her head and tried to focus on the present. She needed to be alert for more than just bounty hunters out here.

Gwen let out a soft breath and just listened to the sounds of the woods around them. It seemed calm enough but after the attack, she was still a little on edge. It made sense now why everything had been so quiet on their way back to the tribe… Her thoughts briefly circled back to that time before she shook her head and tried to focus on the present. She needed to be alert for more than just bounty hunters out here.

That she did, for all she knew there could be thieves, too, not to mention all manner of wild animals. Creatures such as bears, various wild cats, and even other wolves. Both the feral kind and other varieties like Sirus. But fortunately for her she had probably the best guide available by her side in the form of a reclusive yet trustworthy wolf, who was constantly eyeing the trees for unnatural movement and listening not just to the sounds of the forest but also to the shadows for any warning of danger.