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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2018 2:48:16 GMT
True to her promise, she’d stayed in the cradle…except for one time when she went to retrieve the stones she’d gathered. These were arranged in a small clearing near the thicket where she made her den, and she’d intended to work on her ghosting again this morning.
So morning came, and immediately any and all plans were thrown right past the sky.
Her nest, the thorns and branches surrounding her, and the snowdrops beyond were huge! At first, she thought she was dreaming, but several moments passed with her laying in her nest and nothing happening. Then she thought she might have been reverted to puphood like Pepper had, but that didn’t seem quite right either. For one thing, the world was still far too huge. For another, she was beginning to notice certain…oddities about her form. Her forelegs were too short, her whiskers too long, her muzzle had all but vanished, her paws moved in ways paws shouldn’t be able to – the toes displaying dexterity she’d never dreamed of having.
Then she got a good look at herself. The bushy upright tail, the plumper form of her body, her dark fur replaced by hues of brown and white, her toes far too long for the tiny, delicate feet they were attached too…her whole body was far too tiny and delicate for itself! What was this? She was a wolf! Not a squirrel! How was she going to feed herself? How was she going to get around and continue to develop her powers? …How was she going to keep her friends from eating her?!
Fear spiked through her – more than she’d ever known before. She darted from the thicket and away from any wolf nests she knew about. She needed to get away from her own kind before they tried to make her a snack, and she needed to think about her next move. Maybe she should call Oberon? But would he even be able to help her?
No. For her own safety, she was on her own. Just until she could figure out how to preserve her safety.
((So yeah, Quartz has been turned into a squirrel for this part of the event. XD))
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3 likes
88 posts
290 points
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Boulder
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Post by Pepper on Jul 15, 2018 3:38:42 GMT
[googlefont=Roboto][googlefont=Montserrat][googlefont=Open+Sans] [attr="class","pepper"] The last couple of days Pepper had spent most of her time in the dug-out den she called home. It wasn't because she felt ill or anything of that sickly nature, simply that being turned into a pup had been tiring. She had needed a few days rest to feel rejuvenated - thus is why her appearance had been scarce within the Cradle. This morning, however, not only did the salt-pepper female feel stocked with new energy, but her body was back to normal!
The realization had hit her like a tree trunk when what had previously been a roomy burrow suddenly shifted into becoming quite cozy. There was never a time before that Pepper had been so happy to be cramped.Elongated limbs unfurled to drag the scrawny figure out from within the grasp of roots. Her dull, olive gaze took a once-over of her skeleton body. Yep, everything was back to normal. A breath of relief crossed the wolf's sharp muzzle whilst giddy steps led toward the deeper end of the Cradle. If her curse was gone then surely the others were cured too. She was elated to see Myrr outside of his stupor as well as Quartz released from song. Of course, it was also amazing to have her grown body again - adept with speed and agility. She wouldn't be a useless scrap any longer.
Yet, as the sun warmed her back with the promise of this being a brighter day, something made Pepper freeze. She had been honing her powers lately, refusing to be overwhelmed again with the sheer amount of fear that blanketed the moral realm. But there was one scent - rough, sweet, pounding - that was blood-chilling in its familiarity and intensity.
Quartz was in trouble.
Pepper could feel her heart hammering within her throat as stilt-like limbs plowed after the origin. Long strides and bounds cut the distance drastically to the source, but there was no onyx body to be seen. Frantic gaze searched the ground, the distance, and even the sky, yet no sign of the obsidian huntress presented itself. Quickly growing panicked, a pitiful and desperate howl called for her friend, "Quartz!"
tags: @quartz words: 359 notes: --- [newclass=.pepper]max-height:400px;color:#E1DFD8;text-align:justify;padding:10px;width:440px;font-family:Open Sans;font-size:10px;overflow:auto;background:#000;opacity:.5[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper b]color:#843a30;text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px;font-family:montserrat;letter-spacing:1px;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper i]color:#dc2f18; font: 11px Roboto; font-style: italic;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color: #fff; width:1px; [/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar]width: 5px; height: 5px; background: #ccc; border: 3px solid #f0f0f0;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar-corner]background: #ccc; border: 2px solid #ccc;[/newclass]
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2018 16:27:12 GMT
She’d been running – well, bounding – as fast as her tiny frame would allow. She supposed it might be fast enough – it certainly felt breakneck compared to what she could do in her old form – but the world was so much bigger and she had to put forth more effort to cover any amount of ground. She wasn’t sure how normal squirrels – or prey creatures in general – managed this! Having to run full-pelt at great distances at a moment’s notice…it made her feel sympathy for every creature she’d ever brought down, though she’d never feel shame or regret for the way she had to sustain herself. Still…the spirits of prey creatures must be immeasurably powerful. As she ran, she realized she could sense Pepper nearby. What would normally have been a joy turned to outright panic, and she searched the landscape frantically for a tree or small burrow – or anything – where she could evade her friend. She was trying to avoid being someone’s snack, thank you very much! Even worse was that it’d be a friend, and Pepper may never know of what she’d done if she managed to succeed. How would Quartz herself feel if she’d eaten another wolf, even a disguised one? Quartz shuddered and promised herself that neither one of them would be finding out. Her friend’s voice called out, and fear spiked once again. Where were the trees? She’d seen trees everywhere as a wolf, even in the cradle, but now they seemed so few and far between. Pepper was going to catch up to her soon if she didn’t find somewhere out of reach in a hurry. Where could she go?! There! It wasn’t a tree, but a large-ish bush would suffice. She veered toward it, adrenaline offering a speed boost as Pepper’s howl reached her ears. It wasn’t that far away – she just had to reach it! Pepper
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3 likes
88 posts
290 points
Played by
Boulder
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Post by Pepper on Jul 15, 2018 18:23:26 GMT
[googlefont=Roboto][googlefont=Montserrat][googlefont=Open+Sans] [attr="class","pepper"] Nothing. There was no answer and no sign of Quartz anywhere. Still, the purest scent of fear clotted Pepper's senses and choked a knot within her throat. Something must be terribly wrong. A thousand horrible scenarios played out in the female's mind - each more gruesome than the last. Yet there was no time to fall into the pit of despair that threatened the frail being. No, she had to focus. The rough musk was filtered out from all others and traced through hungry tendrils. Though Pepper couldn't see her friend, she knew the huntress was nearby.
Cautious steps picked across the beautiful terrain in a bee-line for where a certain squirrel sheltered. Everything was pointing toward this one bush that stood alone among the snowdrops. It didn't make sense, but the salt-pepper wolf had come to trust in her ability to track fear - it was her domain after all. Her sharp head cocked with confusion upon nearing the foliage. It was a normal bush and not at all big enough to harbor a wolf. Was Quartz invisible? Unable to connect with this material plane save for emotions leaking over?
That was a scary thought. One that surfaced a whine from her throat. This worrisome tone leaked into the more gentle attempt at coaxing her friend, "Quartz?"
tags: @quartz words: 217 notes: still clueless lmao [newclass=.pepper]max-height:400px;color:#E1DFD8;text-align:justify;padding:10px;width:440px;font-family:Open Sans;font-size:10px;overflow:auto;background:#000;opacity:.5[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper b]color:#843a30;text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px;font-family:montserrat;letter-spacing:1px;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper i]color:#dc2f18; font: 11px Roboto; font-style: italic;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color: #fff; width:1px; [/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar]width: 5px; height: 5px; background: #ccc; border: 3px solid #f0f0f0;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar-corner]background: #ccc; border: 2px solid #ccc;[/newclass]
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3 likes
11 posts
00 points
Played by
Red
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Post by Jordan on Jul 15, 2018 21:20:49 GMT
Floppy paws at the end of scrawny limbs aimlessly slapped against the dew rich earth. The place was a beautiful sight; small white bells dotted the ever green fields as towering oaks and ash woods stood watch. Not to mention the smells of sweet nectar and tantalizing prey set in ever present birdsong. It was perfect! Except...Jordan was lost. She had decided to see how far she could get from the constantly talking white female, just a harmless game of hide and seek. But now she was lost. Again. She was really good at that. That was why Diego always told her to stay near the den without him. "Never go anywhere", he'd say. It was also the reason he taught her the stars and how to use them to know where you were and where to go. But...that was not happening here. It also didn't help that, for some unknown reason, Jordan's rusty fur had turned green. An absurd, random, obnoxious green. It had been the start to her thinking of that game of hiding. But now she regretted it. Here she was, limping along in a new, albeit gorgeous, place with a green coat all alone. At least, until she heard the howling of another. "Hello!?"
TAG: @quartz, PepperOOC: Have a green puppy.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2018 23:33:07 GMT
By some miracle, she’d managed to make it into the bush. She wriggled around the branches, looking for the thickest climb that would hold her. She couldn’t be eaten if she couldn’t be reached. It felt cowardly to behave this way, but what choice did she have? Unfortunately, Pepper was surprisingly good at tracking her, and no amount of magic seemed able to dissuade that. Once again, something that normally wasn’t a problem was proving to be beyond deadly for the former wolf. She clung to the branch in front of her – and oh that was weird, her paws shouldn’t be able to do that – and tried desperately to think of a way out of this situation. There had to be some way to distract her friend, or to get across that she wasn’t on the menu, or…she didn’t know! She needed to think. The other she-wolf whined at her, and Quartz growled to herself. Huh…growl? And not a hiss or a chitter? It seemed the god responsible for these curses had at least granted her the mercy of letting her keep her voice. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad? While she thought of what to do, another voice called from somewhere nearby – a pup. Protective instincts stirred in her, and she had to force them down. Even a pup would be a danger to her in this form. But that was it – she couldn’t hide in here forever. The pup could surely get her, if Pepper could not. She still had her voice. Maybe if she just used it, she could find some measure of safety and an opportunity to think this situation through? “I’m here,” she called hesitantly. And hey, no singing. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. “But I’m not myself.” How much should she say? All of it? Or was that warning sufficient? Pepper
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3 likes
88 posts
290 points
Played by
Boulder
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Post by Pepper on Jul 16, 2018 1:00:09 GMT
[googlefont=Roboto][googlefont=Montserrat][googlefont=Open+Sans] [attr="class","pepper"] By this point, anxious limbs had begun circling the bush for any sign that life might be near. The sense didn't lie - Quartz had to be right here. Pepper was beginning to worry that perhaps her friend had actually turned into the shrubbery. Mentally she began to plan-out fetching some water as well as alerting the others to keep herbivores away from the area when, at last, that familiar voice chimed. It was a huge relief to hear - causing the scrawny wolf to actually let a held breath release. Still, that didn't answer why the onyx huntress was invisible. She had said she wasn't herself, but that could mean a plethora of things. Narrow maw parted to inquire further but then a young voice broke the silence. Olive eyes turned to see... a green pup. Odd. Perhaps a golden droplet from the heavens, yet that didn't seem to be right. Fear clung to the youth unlike it did to Morpheus. So a mortal then? How terrible. "Goodbye, big one. You're in danger." The female kept her voice kind and low - something that somehow didn't match the words that were spoken. Wait what? "I meant it." Pepper tried to clarify, but her tongue refused to contort how she commanded. Everything was coming out opposite! So the curses that had set upon them weren't over; they merely switched around. That explained a lot, though knowing didn't help the currently chaotic situation she was in. Another whine squeezed through the skeleton-like canine's throat. When would they get a break? "Quartz?" At least saying a simple name was manageable albeit mangled by the quiver that now took hold of each muscle. "Hinder me?"tags: @quartz Jordanwords: 279 notes: this is already fun [newclass=.pepper]max-height:400px;color:#E1DFD8;text-align:justify;padding:10px;width:440px;font-family:Open Sans;font-size:10px;overflow:auto;background:#000;opacity:.5[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper b]color:#843a30;text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px;font-family:montserrat;letter-spacing:1px;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper i]color:#dc2f18; font: 11px Roboto; font-style: italic;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color: #fff; width:1px; [/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar]width: 5px; height: 5px; background: #ccc; border: 3px solid #f0f0f0;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar-corner]background: #ccc; border: 2px solid #ccc;[/newclass]
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3 likes
11 posts
00 points
Played by
Red
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Post by Jordan on Jul 16, 2018 1:15:11 GMT
Yes! Voices! She wasn't alone after all! Lanky legs started at a mangled pace for the source of the voices when at last the sight of a speckled female came into view. Jordan had no idea to judge others on looks; in fact she was so...trusting of other that the skinny female was just as friendly as the grouchy Diego. "Hello!" The flower heads bowed, swayed or became trampled by her awkward gait as she closed the distance to- wait, what? "Huh..?" The other wolf said things that didn't make sense. More over, she was talking to a bush... "O-okay... Uhm, I'm Jordan and I'm lost and I'm green." Yep, because that wasn't so blatantly obvious. It was a shade of green that mixed in with her surroundings but a solid, bright, "Hello, I'm here!" kind of green. "Who are you? Are you friends with the star-wolf? And why are you talking to a bush?"
TAG: @quartz, PepperOOC: I can't stop laughing.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2018 19:49:34 GMT
Pepper was circling. That…wasn’t helping. Quartz pressed her new, tiny body as flat against the branches as she could manage. This entire day could go straight to…well…all pantheons seemed to exist, after all. Which bad afterlife should she choose? Pepper spoke, and the words made absolutely no sense. Quartz understood each one, of course, but goodbye? She didn’t seem to be leaving. Big one? Was she referring to Quartz herself? Normally, Quartz was a pretty average-sized wolf. And in danger? Yeah, she’d figured that out pretty much immediately, thank you. She was being really quiet, too. What was going on? And she meant it? Okay? Pepper called her name and asked…to be hindered? What? But before Quartz could question the wolf, the pup voice sounded again, calling out a greeting. The pup went on to introduce herself as Jordan and explain that she was lost and…green? The pup didn’t seem to notice any squirrel scent, so Quartz risked a peek between the leaves. And…yeah…that was definitely green fur. The curses were still in full swing, then, with all new tricks. That meant this form was definitely temporary, at least, though that was a small comfort. Pepper
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3 likes
88 posts
290 points
Played by
Boulder
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Post by Pepper on Jul 16, 2018 22:39:27 GMT
[googlefont=Roboto][googlefont=Montserrat][googlefont=Open+Sans] [attr="class","pepper"] Well it didn't seem like Quartz was going to be much help from the silence that was proffered. Yet, something did give the scrawny being some hope - a slight rustling in the bush that Pepper was currently standing beside. Was it the coal-coated huntress? Her narrow snout forced itself into the tangle of limbs only to come within inches of where the squirrel-wolf currently perched. Odd. Nostrils sucked in a sharp smell of rodent as well as the unmistakable fear-scent that was unique to her friend. Pepper drew back, toiling with this information for a few heartbeats before two and two were put together. "You're a wolf now?"Well, even if she couldn't speak the information aloud, Pepper was now aware that a horrible curse had also befallen Quartz once more. In many ways, being turned into a squirrel was worst than simply being a pup. She felt concern and worry for the fragile creature which, in turn, brought olive eyes back to the green youngster that piped up. It was a relief that her odd tongue-twist hadn't spooked the youth. And, though anxiety still put a shiver in each movement, a kind smile was gifted Jordan. Perhaps she could out-smart her own magical disease? Maybe if she spoke backwards to start with things would come out right. "I'm Salt."Nope. tags: @quartz Jordan words: 221 notes: meet salt [newclass=.pepper]max-height:400px;color:#E1DFD8;text-align:justify;padding:10px;width:440px;font-family:Open Sans;font-size:10px;overflow:auto;background:#000;opacity:.5[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper b]color:#843a30;text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px;font-family:montserrat;letter-spacing:1px;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper i]color:#dc2f18; font: 11px Roboto; font-style: italic;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color: #fff; width:1px; [/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar]width: 5px; height: 5px; background: #ccc; border: 3px solid #f0f0f0;[/newclass] [newclass=.pepper::-webkit-scrollbar-corner]background: #ccc; border: 2px solid #ccc;[/newclass]
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