Out Gathering (what is found we shall see) OPEN RP

It was a nice evening. A perfect time to look for new herbs and spices. Shinebright always loved to go out on her own, but after the year of storms she was more carefull.

Suddenly she heard a loud scream of a Branchhorn. She wasn't much of a hunter, but at times she enjoyed the rush a hunt could give. She walked toward the sound and saw the Branchhorn on the ground. A clean kill! Merle came out of the bushed acompanied by her Wolf Blackfrost, claiming yhe prey.

"Good hunting, my friends! A nice clean kill you made."

"You are too kind! Let me make a delicious meal for you! I just gathered some herbs that will go nicely with Branchhorn." Merle was always kind to share the meat.
She knew exactly how to prepare it, she needed a hot stone from the fire.

"How is Blackfrost today? I have some herbs that will be good for him, ease his pain a bit!" Before she found her treeshapingpowers she had learned of the divers use of herbs. Some were great with food, some were good for healing.

Oakpaw had barely pulled a chunk of the meat from the haunch before his head lifted, staring off into the nearby woods. His body grew stiff, tail and ears perked up in alert. It was as if though he had smelled something on the wind, a faint trace of a scent that he had not smelled in a very long time.
Abandoning the kill, he set off at a gallop towards the edge of the woods, head and tail low as he ran towards the thing yet unseen. It would not have been odd, if it had not been for the fact Oakpaw was nearing his last years as well and preferred to sleep the day away rather than hunt.
It was when he was nearing the edge of the woods did he come to a halt, standing square as he raised his head back and howled, the long, deep call of a wolf calling to a packmate. Out from the depths of the forest came the returning howl, deep and resonant and joyful. Oakpaw howled again in joyful greeting as a figure stepped out of the woods. From its dress, it could only be..human?

Shinebright sought in her pouch, she had many new herbs today and whitebark would surely help against the pain. A good tea for Blackfrost would make a difference for him. The taste was good, so he wouldn't refuse!
She helped skinning the prey, when Oakpaw joined and left as soon as he started to eat. He felt a presence as did she.
The answer to who it was came in a howl! She stopped doing what ever she did..even forgetting it. She knew that howl, but her memory had always been bad. She knew it, so she stood up and followed Merle.

Vaun grinned and laughed as Oakpaw lumbered towards him, the wolf just as large but older than he had remembered. Gone were the playful days of his puppy years, but one would not know that as the two jumped and hugged at each other, Vaun burying his face in the wolfs fur and inhaling deeply. It had been five years since he had last seen a wolf, and the domesticated dogs of the humans simply could not compare. Sinking to the forest floor, he simply held Oakpaw as he took in a simple fact- he was home.
He would have sat there like that had it not been for the sound of footsteps, heavy and running towards him, that caught his ears. Pulling his face out of Oakpaws fur he looked up, and there was nothing that could make him forget the face and the hair of the elf woman running towards him, eyes wet with could only be unshed tears. He pushed the wolf away and stood, running towards her to meet her halfway.

“If you are, then so must I be..” He had buried his face into her hair much like he had Oakpaws fur, inhaling her scent, arms wrapped around her real, physically near body. No one smelled like Merle, and the comforting scent of another elf after so long in the company of humans was a relief. It had only been four and one years, a blink of an eye to an elf, but it had seemed like much, much longer. Merle had changed, and not just her clothes. It was her hair, the way she carried herself, so much more he would have to see and get used to.
Not to say he himself hadn’t changed. He bore the clothing and (unfortunately) the smell of humans and their animals, the leather and fabric he wore made by human hands. Only his bow, new but well worn, had any elven craftsmanship to it. the dark red ringlets in his hair had seemed to bleed down as he had aged, and his skin, usually pale, had noticeably tanned. He took her face between both of his hands, kissing at her forehead and cheeks, nuzzling her like any wolf would

Shimebright caught up with Merle....
She stepped back to enjoy the sight! Vaun had returned! This was wonderfull. She gave the couple time to reconnect again. Tears ran down her face. One had returned after so long! Maybe more would find their way home....

This was turning into a beautiful day indeed!

He would have been perfectly content to just hold her, even with the does’ blood coating his cheeks. He was aware, though vaguely, of Shinebright's presence. **Yes, you tend to smell like them when you live with them and like them.** He ran his thumbs over both of her cheeks, wiping away any stray tears that might have fallen. **I’ve missed you as well, Merle. Four and one years I’ve missed you.** He looked up as she pulled her face away, his own eyes a bit misty but mostly dry. In them she could, perhaps, see how the years would have caused some of the innocence that she had known in him to fade away, reflected back into her own. He stared at them, wondering at the gut wrenching feeling that they elicited in him, how they made him catch his breath like they had never done before.
It was when he heard that name, the secret name not even Taeza knew did his breath catch in his throat, eyes widening. He couldn’t have said how he knew what to respond with, but he knew. **...Surl?**

Shinebright saw it all happen. It had been wonderfull to see them re-unite, but it was glorious to see Recognition happen!
She was so happy for them, she could feel the joy they shared at that moment.

She knew she had to leave, but it was as if her legs refused on her.
She pinched her legs and stepped out of the shadows. "Ahum, I am sorry... well, actually I am not for seeing what happend. I am so happy for you both!" Her face reflected why she was called Shinebright, not just by the color of her hair. She couldn't help but hug them and send them both how she felt. "Vaun, you have no idea how good it is to see you again, but we will have plenty of time to talk, so I will leave you for now!"
She hugged them again and started to walk to their new Holt, she had started to create after the year of the Storm.

"I almost forgot about the doe....I love to help! And I would like to hear of your travels! You say you lived among the Humans? Well, food must have been... euh... not quite like you were used to. Oh, much has changed the last turns of the seasons, land has been given back to us, so we could make a new Holt for the ones who don't want to live in the Towers or in the Ocean. My treeshapingskills have improved much because of it. Oh and I must not forget to make a nice broth for Blackfrost, maybe Oakpaw could use some too!"
Shinebright stopped and blushed. "Now I am rambling...hahaha, it is just such joy to see you again!"
She helped with the doe, meanwhile thinking what herbs would go best with it. On the way to the Holt she had seen some berries and greens to add to the meat. Hmmm, it made her even more hungry.

Vaun had to will himself to look away from Merle towards Shinebright, his eyes still wide under the impact of the recognition. **Oh...Shinebright..forgive me, I, ah..** He could feel the blush creeping across his face, though he wasn't sure exactly what he was blushing about, or for. Perhaps it was having the intimacy of the moment so publicly captured or that it was captured at all. Here, with Merle, Shinebright looking on all smiles and excitement. He returned the smile with a bit of a laugh, hoping his face wasn't as red as his hair.  **Thank you, Shinebright. I..yes, living with the humans was an..interesting, experience. I was fed only when I helped to provide the meals as well."
He followed them back towards where they had left the doe, one of his hands wrapped around one of Merle's. At his side Oakpaw walked along, tail still wagging as he bumped happily into his long gone elf companion. **I knew that the storms were bad, though I don't remember much about them, to be honest.** He stopped then, a look of slight panic and concern on his face. **The others! Raven, the other tower elves! Lord Tidas? My mother, Taeza! Are they still...?**

Shinebright felt a sadness come over her. Many had lost their lives, they had looked for them, searched through sending, but most were found dead or still missing.
That Vaun had returned would give hope to many of the tribes. She hadn't thought of the questions the ones who could return would ask....

OOC: Brief pause in RP (I hope) Let's try and get some more players. I will delete this and respond with Merle when we resume. ^_^

Ok. Hope we have more players soon
I will try to complete my story and some drawings I have in my head.