[META ORP] Journey to the Mountains

[Ruriska]

And so their beautiful(?) songs carried them out of the Swamp and into the unknown.

...

They had been travelling for many days, the terrain growing increasingly rocky, the path leading them ever upwards and slowing their progress. Now the mountains loomed above, heralding the journey’s end. But anxiety lay coiled in Swarm’s gut. What dangers awaited them?

Swarm had been on high alert but there had been no major incidents during the trek. A mountain lion had been spotted in the distance once but it would hardly attempt to tackle a herd so big and had quickly disappeared. The occasional argument had been dealt with swiftly (in one case someone had been singing a bit too much) and their pace had dropped to help those struggling with the altitude.

Food had become an issue. They couldn’t leave Swarm’s presence long enough to hunt properly, so they had foraged as they went, grateful for those few who had been clever enough to bring supplies. 

On the sixth day, still travel-worn and sore despite a deep sleep, Swarm rose with the dawn after a very cold night and stepped out from the sheltering pines to watch the snow spiralling in playful flurries.

Her breath puffed out in plumes of white.

They were close to their destination. They would just need to push a little further.

After watching the snow for a time, Swarm turned back to wake the others. The sentries joined her in rousing the group and slowly but surely, with some grumbling and many yawns, they returned to the very familiar routine of walking.

“We’re getting close,” she assured the group.

The snow swirled and danced, ushering them forward.

[Baneful]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]

King travelled fairly easily, it was something he'd always done, in spite of his obligation to stay at the fairy tribe nonetheless inclined to go on very long walks when he felt slighted or upset in some day. Walking for a whole week was something he dealt with, partaking of the supplies he'd brought with him via Stalker and not at all inclined to share them with anyone else. He sung songs to entertain himself as he went and enjoyed some of the songs the others had to offer - though some were silly and not at all to his interest.  His favourite sort were the sort with audience participation and he joined in eagerly. For the most part he was enjoying the journey and enjoyed even more as they walked into the snow. It was summer and yet it was like walking into winter. Winter was something he felt deep and bone-deep kinship with.

His only concern was Stalker, who wasn't quite as used to incredibly long treks as he might well have been.

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright]

Rep's journey was a lot less pleasant. Walking he could do - grudingly- but tolerating annoying Achas and singing kin was something he tolerated a lot less well. More than once he'd been on the verge of physically attacking others, but had resisted solely because he didn't feel like getting left out in the wilderness alone.

He'd informed Unquenched the really good surprises in the mountains was where you got eaten or fell to your death from some rocky crag.

He'd taken no small amount of stability from Stay as they went, and had opted to curl up with him in the evenings.

"Oh thank Motherfather." he growled at the declaration they were almost there. "Not sure how much more I can fuckin take."

[Owlsomniac]

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/images/amorpheous/dontmakeasound_uncert.png[/imgleft] The moment they left the Swamp, Hush had sensed it. There had been no pain or unbearable longing as she’d heard it described by others, yet there was a distinct sense of something shifting. Or, perhaps it was merely that something truly incredible was happening.

The flats of the plains had stretched out before them, offering them endless blue skies during the day, and nights filled with so many stars she’d only felt a small shiver of unease as the nights had settled in – it was so bright! Having the other kin near her ensured she slept easily enough, at least. Once, she thought she’d spied a herd of Kiokote off in the distance, but they were too far away to tell for sure.

Soon enough, though, the flats turned to hills, and then the hills to shrubby lands dotted with trees, until eventually the nights became cold enough that Hush was glad she had her thick, fluffy, tail, and so many other fluffy kin to curl up next to.

Still half dreaming about the warmth of those hills, Hush wakes to a sensation she’s not unfamiliar with – one she’s certainly never before connected to Summer; snow. She shivers, and lifts her head, reluctant to leave the warm cocoon she and the others have made for themselves, or the warmth of the especially cozy Kiokote she seems to have snuggled up to in the night.

“Morning,” she says quietly, smiling a little at the other doe, and then moves to stand despite how much she’d rather remain sleeping.

Limbs stiff from walking so far and sleeping in the cold protest loudly as Hush stands and gingerly stretches. Humping her back like an owlcat before bowing down to stretch her legs, she gives her tail a wiggle to shake off the snow and huffs out a breath as a shiver races through her.

“Brr…!” It’s cold, and she’s thankful they won’t have much further to go, according to Swarm.

@HannahBug (Hush says hello...!)

[AMItotic]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]Until Next Time had been so caught up in the vim and pomp of the traveling crowd, it took her longer than a moment to realize that she was, in fact, being spoken to. Her eyes blinked softly at the dark buck, his bright companion, and she chewed on his question like it was grass. "I...hunted a cricket, once," she admitted, her voicy airy and a little distant. "Do you think there will be crickets, where we're heading?"

Her pace faltered at the edge of the swamp, apprehensive and a little cautious, hooves fumbling at the threshold. But...weren't they going to have to worry about the Ache? Of course, that had always been the concern, but it was one thing to hum about it idly in the back of her mind and another to have her hooves on dry ground, where the scenery began to change, fretting that the pain might take her. At the behest of the wasp-like doe at their lead, Until pawed at the ground, taking but one step onto even dryer ground, and found that nothing was there to pull at her heartstrings, to call her home.

She stared at her hooves, surprised and pleased. "Oh--this is wondrous and strange indeed." She fell in line with the others, her ears forward and chipper, her head bobbing along to the music. This was really happening! The future was becoming now!

--

Six days later, the future was now, and Until Next Time was...slightly less optimistic about the outcome. Her hooves and legs and belly ached, and they'd discovered early on that she was only marginally useful at foraging enough for herself and others. But how was she to know which plants were safe and which were dangerous, when all the plants were changing?? And the cold settled in her limbs and made it so hard to want to move, to eat, to do anything but sleep and dream. To be a sturdy Totoma with a coat for the cold...

...Ah, but it was not meant to be. Until Next Time stirred from her tightly bundled rest, blinking bleary eyes up at their guide. She said nothing, but tried not to look too relieved that they were almost where they were going. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

@blue  @Beejoux

[Corn]

"Five more minutes," the usually boisterous acha whined, and snuggled a little bit closer to the kin next to him.

The walking, he could handle - he'd walked longer from one oasis to the next in the desert - but the air was so cold! And the higher they went, the more it felt like he couldn't catch his breath. It was normal for him to go for more than a day without sleep down in the swamp, and back out in the desert as well, but up here in the mountains, he grew tired much more quickly. It was so... inconvenient!

Eventually, he was goaded into walking again. As the group moved on, he had noticeably less bounce in his step, and his tail hung a little lower, and he shivered just a little. Ohhh, he wasn't built for this place!

[Blinded By Silence]

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft]As Pestilence's eyes fluttered open, he somehow still found himself disappointed to see white. The first few times he had woken, he had risen, surprised and panicked, unable to remember where he was. But now that they reached the mountains, the cold hard stones reminded him easily. He fluffed out his fur and nuzzled closer to Guardian, waiting. She still breathed, her heart still beat. He sighed, relieved, and began to nudge her awake.

"We're moving again," He said to her quietly with a gentle kiss to her forehead.

- - - - -

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright]Watch had been awake long before the others. He wasn't sure if it was the cold or his old age, but it seemed that he slept very little these days. And so he had sat back on his haunches, huddled beneath his crane pelt for what little warmth it provided, watching the sun rise from the side of a mountain. It was breathtaking, seeing the sun he had always seen, the sun his children were named after, bath the rocky lowlands and grassy plains below them in beautiful golds and roses.

As he watched, he hummed a light tune as quietly as he could. Despite the hunger, the cold, and the obvious danger they were all in, he was still buzzing with excitement. Already he had seen new plants and heard new animal songs, many of which the helpful Totoma of the expedition had aided in identifying. They passed the time by singing and telling stories. It was truly a grand adventure.

As more and more kin began to rise, he lifted himself from the rock he had perched on and shook the snow from his pelt.

"Another day, another journey," He smiled to Swarm as she roused her followers.

@Lirilei @Ruriska

[Mima]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright]Compared to the others, Sleeping Terror was not that much more worse for wear than she had been when they’d left. The walking was a nuisance, of course, but the cold meant little to her. Her bones already hurt down in the swamp- it was not much different up here.

Certainly, as one may have guessed by her name, she was neither an early nor easy riser- but she tolerated it. Best behavior, she repeated to herself. If she was kicked out now, she’d have to walk all the way home alone and aching, something she did not want in the slightest. But her patience was beginning to wear extraordinarily thin.

She was too old, stuck in her ways. And so she merely growled at the one who woke her today, glaring as she rose to her hooves.

The news they were getting close was welcome. At least it would shut up the whimpering Acha, she figured.

Quietly, she hummed a lullaby to herself as she walked- paradoxically trying to calm herself down while waking up.

[Lirilei]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] The traveling was hard, she wouldn't lie. Though she was used to traveling long and far, it was the cold that got to her, the thinner air but the hard travel was like second nature to her, and in a way she relished it. It helped her regain more of the strength she'd lost during her recovery though that limp was definitely not going away. Still it didn't hinder her.

Settled close to Pestilence, she'd slept deeply, too tired to stay up long each night when the group came to a stop so they could rest, doing like others and finding what could be found to eat as they went. His warmth was inviting and there was a low sigh from her as she was woken, a stretch and she eased to her hooves, shaking herself out some and warm her body a bit.

The snow didn't bother her near as much as it did her mate, though she made sure to stick close to the dark buck, realizing quickly she'd end up blending in with their surroundings if she didn't. The last thing Guardian wanted was to get separated and lost in the snow, or somehow left behind.

Swarms words hit her ears, and she looked ahead, unable to see anything particularly standout about the way ahead, but she was sure the mare could sense something she couldn't. "She says we're getting close...that's a good thing, I think."

@Blinded By Silence @Ruriska

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Eagles didn’t suffer from the Ache, and Fish smiled mightily as the steaming corpse of a mountain hare fell from the sky. It was the second one that morning. They’d be lucky to get a third- her great bird was loyal and reliable, but could only be asked so much. And beside, she’d seen her friend’s outline spiralling on thermals high, high above them; there was such joy in her flight, it would be a while before Wavebreaker was back down to earth. The snow was invigorating to both of them; Fish appreciated seeing her breath as she marched along. Even the snow clumping in her fur was familiar and as such delightful; she knew she’d be tired of it before long, but she was relishing the mountain memories flooding back to her in the moment.

She still had some of the little fish left. Those she was saving for the ones who’d need it most. The hairless Zikwa, the dainty Acha. You needed body fat and muscle to thrive up here, and while she didn’t doubt their limber strength, their sleek bodies were a general concern. “Pass it up and down the line,” she called. “I’ve got fresh meat for anyone who needs it.”

[blue]

Neither doe seemed suited to the trek -- to hunting or to ventunring out far distances, to hunting or feeding hungry bellies. With Nighteyes at his side, over the six days Badgerlock would probably spend a considerable amount of time making sure that there was food to go around, the pair of them ranging out far enough to find creatures that hadn't scattered but near enough to keep the crowd (and Swarm, who kept the Ache at bay) within his sights, so that he didn't get lost and struggle to find his way back to the swamp on his own.

When he could, though, Badgerlock stuck close to the pair of them. Mostly he was quiet, serious. He was a stern kind of buck, not harsh but  closed off, difficult to read and to get through to. Tired as they all were, it was probably worse on the journey. He was quiet more than he spoke, but happy to listen to people chatter.

The first signs of snow, though, made him smile, sudden and surprised out of him, as a single flake landed on his nose. He shook it off, turning that smile on both Merry and Until next time, with a flash of delight that made him seem...younger. He wasn't so old a buck, really. He just carried himself that way.

"It's been such a long time since I saw snow...."

@Beejoux @AMItotic

[Prolixity]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright] Eats Flowers had vague memories of traveling being long and slow and boring, but the problem of the Ache made foraging difficult as well. He ranged as far as he could around the edges of the group to find food for himself and others, and didn't complain. What point was there in complaining? The problem would still be there afterward.

As it grew colder, he was concerned about the achas with their thinner hides, and made a point of curling up next to them at night. As for himself, he was finding the cold invigorating. He didn't have problems with heat, as such, but cold was comfortable. As he got up from his night nest, he blew out a plume of white steam and watched it curl though the air. "Almost there," he said aloud, encouraged.

[Anhelisk]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Territory wasn't what Pride Parade would call the lands her pride wandered. It was less a matter of belonging to the land, or the land belonging to them, and more the fact that the Totoma doe held little regard for the land she lived on, past what was available for them to hunt, and for herself to graze on.

She'd seen the first stirrings of a group much earlier in the day, separated from them by a ridge and her lions' own contentment-- they'd had a good kill only a couple days back, and were still heavy and full from the feast. Still, it was... unusual to see kin of any kind... and she couldn't help but give in to her curiosity.

[imgright]https://i.imgur.com/nr9vrZl.png[/imgright]"Line up, you lot," she barked to her companions, standing before them and waiting for them to come into file. "We've got a parade to catch." Their attention and obedience assured, she began the march towards the line of travelers.

[Tiarana]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... ow_tia.gif[/imgright]Murkcrow rose stiffly. He thought he was in good shape, but the long days of walking had proved he wasn't, because he ached in ways he didn't even know he could ache. He had grown more reticent as the adventure wore on, having run out of things to talk about and wanting to conserve his energy for the journey.

Snow... He smiled grimly. Now the real test would begin. His pelt-pack was considerably lighter than it had been when he started out, which was great, because he was going to need the fur soon. He was trying to hold out as long as he could, but the cold was starting to bite.

[Ruriska]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... y_ruri.gif[/imgleft]


Journey had proven himself a tireless marcher and today he rose just the same as he had every day, with a contented smile and an eagerness to continue. The colder days and nights were of some concern but after a long day of walking, he hardly noticed the bite before he fell into a deep sleep. So far he had spent the trip quietly watching over those who were struggling, giving them stretching tips to help ease the tension each morning.

He was completing his morning ritual now, stretching out his back and legs, head tipped up towards the looming mountains. The air cold in his lungs and the gentle snow melting on his back felt right. They were so close. His destiny was near.

[Matope]

.....