A new pup (attn: Nynaeve)

[JainFarstrider]

Thelsier was hungry, which worried him. He was afraid of the things that happened when he got desperate. It had been several weeks since he had been ran out of the last town, yet he still felt like he was being followed. He always felt the presence of people that he could not see. Sometimes he would see things, images that were not from the depths of his own mind. He tried to ignore them, but sometimes found himself trying to talk back to the nothing, which made others and himself believe that he was mad. He did not altogether mind the looks that people gave him, the whispers as he passed, or the open stares. He had never felt comfortable in the cities, and didn’t think he had much in common with other men. What bothered him, is when he offered money to buy food from the inn, they denied him service, and only allowed him to stay if they didn’t have the numbers to throw him out of the town. He found himself having to steal what he needed, not having much skill in hunting, even though he felt as if he could smell animals in the woods.

 

It had started almost a year ago, when he had tried to make his way back to Illian, beaten and bloodied. He was delirious, thinking he had seen a wolf try and lead him somewhere. He tried to tell his dad what had happened, but when he was seen talking to people that he thought were there, he was turned out of his father’s house. Spending a few days at an inn located in the south of Illian, starting to attract stares whenever he went to the common room, it wasn’t long before he was asked to leave. Having this happen to him over the next weeks at a handful of Inns sometimes being asked, sometimes forced, to leave, he decided to leave the city behind him. The months since had been spent going from town to town, staying off the roads, buying food where he was allowed, stealing it where he wasn’t. The feeling that he was surrounded by men he couldn’t see increased as he got farther from Illian. He enjoyed the time he spent in between towns, away from the stares of people. He had tried hunting several times, but when he found himself wanting to sink his teeth into the throat of the deer he was tracking, he felt more comfortable with simply stealing food from the towns. The stray images in his mind, the unknown presences that he felt, and the sometimes animalistic urges he felt, scared him. He did not know why these things were happening to him. Was it some kind of sickness, or was his mental state slowly deteriorating. Sometimes he felt as if there were two parts to him, one that he had known since his birth, and another animalistic and growing in strength. Sometimes he felt that this other part of him would gain control and he would no longer be Thelsier. Worry that this might be the case kept him up at night, causing him to be greatly fatigued. As his tiredness increased so did his worry and paranoia. He had grown bitter and distrusting. Fearing that he had little time, called for drastic action, he had feared the Aes Sedai from Tar Valon, but he no longer had a choice, they might be the ones that can cure him of this affliction.

 

Still several days away from Tar Valon Thelsier lie curled up by a dying fire, the dying light not hindering his vision, but only draining it of color. He had not eaten in almost a week, and sleep had not graced him in longer than he could remember. He felt the presence of beings in the forest around him, but ignored the thought. He was trying to ignore the pains of his hunger when a light breeze coming from the west brought the scent of rabbit into his small camp. Standing he sniffed the air, discerning the direction his prey was from the camp, licking his chops he began to stalk off in the direction the smell, his paws making little noise on the soft grass.

 

[Nynaeve]

~ Midnight, you can't do this to me ~  Winifred pouted.

 

~ You'll get wrinkles... ~ Midnight tilted his head, seeming amused.

 

Winifred stuck her tongue out at her wolf and leaned back on the grass. She's been monitoring the young man for a few days now. She was a firm believer of finding the opportune moment to stumble across a wanderer, but when things seemed to drag as much, it became rather apparent that such appropriate moment did not exist, and that taking the risk was worth it. And so she was preparing to approach the boy, just when Midnight ideally let her know that he had some business elsewhere.

 

Winifred wrinkled her brow. Midnight was usually invested in being about at the instant she made her presence known to a wanderer. He liked to come and say boo. Which never amounted to anything good, granted, but shock therapy was sometimes just as effective as the patient and soothing sort. It all depended on the patient.

 

Smiling, Winifred set up and gave Midnight a suggestive grin.

 

~ Don't tell me you have a lady waiting about ~

 

Midnight looked away.

 

~ Aw, isn't that adorable. When do I get to meet her? ~

 

Midnight growled and scurried off without replying. Winifred sighed. There went her intimidation card. And she'd most likely have to apologize later and bribe him with a rabbit or two. There was no point in waiting any longer. Winifred got up and went hunting. Shortly after, she returned with her plunders. She hid them away for later use, but kept one dead rabbit with her.

 

She made her way swiftly to where she knew the young man was. She could smell his scent a mile away. She could sense the hunger. Winifred dropped down from a tree and landed in front of him. Throwing the rabbit in his general direction, she turned. "Twigs. We need twigs!".

 

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

[JainFarstrider]

A woman fell out of the tree, landing in front of Thelsier. He growled at her in surprise, crouching low on his haunches, ready to attack if he needed. She threw a dead rabbit in his direction, he dove for it catching it in his teeth. He stood, removing the rabbit from his mouth. The presence of food stayed his hunger for the moment, allowing Thelsier to regain control of his actions.

 

“Twigs. We need twigs!" She said to him sternly.

 

Confused by her sudden presence, he did not question her order. Moving into the woods where he had found the fallen tree that was the source of his current firewood. He broke off several of the smaller branches, and shouldered a pile of larger logs to reignite the fire. He returned to the camp, throwing the dry wood onto the fire, it caught flame immediately. He set down the smaller branches next to the fire, and sat down on the rock he had vacated early, staring across the fire at the stranger. He did not speak, waiting for her to explain why she had just jumped out in front of him. Then, noticing the color of her eyes, his jaw dropped in astonishment. She might be the one that he needed answers from, so many questions filled his head, he did not know which to ask first. Instead, he just sat there in shock staring at the new comer.

 

[Nynaeve]

Winifred grinned as the young man followed her suggestion immediately. Most wanderers would have just stared at her in awe, but not him. She approved. He did quickly drift into the staring bit after it, though. Oh well, something is something. "I must be extra appealing today to attract such a gaze." She gave her hair a swift pat with the palm of her hand and winked at the boy, as she sat down next to the fire. Getting out her dagger, she started skinning the rabbit. There was no need to talk quite yet and she figured it was best to give him time for her sudden appearance to sink in.

 

After she finished, she put the rabbit on a spit and hung it over the fire, using a few stones as support. Winifred raised her head to find that the young man was still staring at her. He no doubt noticed the shade of her eyes by now. And the fact that he didn't try to run a way was usually a good indication that he didn't consider her to be a threat. Of course, most men didn't. It was always enjoyable to prove them wrong.

 

But not in this case. The more innocent she seemed, the better. "My name is Winifred. You most be curious as to who I am? What I'm doing here? How did I stumble upon you? Well, I didn't. Truth be told, I've been tracking you down. Now, don't get nervous, I'm looking for you for a very specific reason. To show you that you're not alone."

 

Winifred grabbed a twig and started poking the fire with it. "Go on." The boy quirked an eyebrow. "Ask away. I can tell that you have a lot on your mind. I can smell your curiosity and your anxiousness. But first start with your name."

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

[JainFarstrider]

"I must be extra appealing today to attract such a gaze." She said patting her hair and giving him a wink. Without another word, she set to skinning the rabbit. Thelsier stifled a chuckle in his throat, what did she expect jumping out of the tree the way she did, people didn’t do such things where Thelsier had been. He doubted there was a place that such things were commonplace.

 

Having cleaned the rabbit of it’s fur, she threaded a small branch through the animal. Placing the wood across two stones, she started to cook the rabbit. Thelsier restrained himself from licking his lips. Suppressing his hunger, he tried to consider the situation. The woman puzzled him, she shared his eye color, but did not express any signs that her sanity was deteriorating. Perhaps she had found a way to repress it, Thelsier decided to move cautiously having a feeling that this woman was more than she appeared, much more. 

 

"My name is Winifred. You most be curious as to who I am? What I'm doing here? How did I stumble upon you? Well, I didn't. Truth be told, I've been tracking you down. Now, don't get nervous, I'm looking for you for a very specific reason. To show you that you're not alone."

 

Thelsier responded with a nod, a small smile curved his lips. There was an unfamiliar feeling welling within him, Hope, warming him more than the fire blazing in front of him. The woman in front of him, Winifred, stirred the fire with a brance.

 

"Go on." She said, confusing Thelsier, "Ask away. I can tell that you have a lot on your mind. I can smell your curiosity and your anxiousness. But first start with your name."

 

“Smell my…”, He mumbled almost inaudibly. Staring into the fire, he sat for a moment gathering his thoughts. “Thelsier Rhunan,” He said quietly, “from Illian”.

 

Looking up at her, he started with the first question that came to him. “Who are you?,” He said in a firm voice, “No, what are you.” He thought a moment, then added quietly. “What is wrong with us?” Dropping his gaze back towards the fire, watching the flames dance as he thought.

 

[Nynaeve]

"Who are you? No, what  are you? What is wrong with us?"

 

Winifred laughed. "Well, there are quite a few things that are wrong with me, Thelsier, but I don't think our relationship has reached that level of trust quite yet." She winked and went on. "There is nothing wrong with you. What you are going through is normal. For our kind, at least. We were given an amazing gift, Thelsier. We can communicate with wolves. Of course, this makes us different. Something different is perceived as a bad thing, which attracts fear that ultimately transforms into hate. So, in order to protect ourselves, we've created our own community in a safe place where we live together and watch each others back in the darkness."

 

Winifred turned the spit a bit, so the other side of the rabbit would get cooked properly. "I'm the head tracker. When wanderers, such as yourself, go through the howling you have the tendency of wondering into the wild, usually chased away by your own people. Family, friends, acquaintances. Most times they just don't understand the sudden change. They reject the change along with the person. It's a sad reality, but almost all of us went through that at some point or other."

 

Winifred leaned back on her elbows to relax a bit. "If you want, we can start our journey tomorrow. I'll take you to Stedding. You'll be safe among your people. The Wolfkin."

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

[JainFarstrider]

Elyan nodded as she explained, the notion sounded wild and far fetched, but after the experiences of the past year he was ready to accept anything.

 

“I was chased out of Illian by a mob, and have been run out of several towns.” Elyan said staring into the fire. “Though what you say makes sense, I have felt the presence of what I thought was other people when in the middle of the forest. Occasionally I see images of open plains. I suspect this is some form of the communication with the wolves that you spoke of.” Watching the flames lick at the red logs, he sat for a moment in thought.

 

Then looking back at Winifred he continued, “If this Stedding you mentioned is safe, if it is somewhere that I can be accepted, then I will gladly follow you there. There is nothing for me with the rest of men.” He said gazing up at the stars. “I’ve rarely spent nights outside the city before this, Howling.” Looking back at Winifred, “Can you tell me more about this connection? How exactly it works?”

 

[Nynaeve]

"Well, it's different for every individual. We all have the connection, but we each deal with it differently and perceive it in our own way. It's a little hard to explain. I came to terms with this relatively at ease. I was spooked at first, when I didn't know what was happening to me. But once things were made clear to me, not seeing golden eyes looking back at me in the mirror would have given me a fright." Winifred chuckled. She did love the eye part. She liked to call it a perk.

 

"Then, there are others. My friend Lorelai, for instance, who took a little more time to adjust to the changes. Each of us comes with his or hers own baggage and history. Some find this connection to be a punishment. A curse. An illness. But as time passes, they manage to see the big picture. Dwelling on lost relationships is what holds most Wolfkin back. There is no point in letting it consume you. It's all about letting go. Not forgetting, mind. Good memories are always best kept. But the bad ones won't be missed."

 

Winifred used her dagger to start cutting thin slices off the rabbit's flesh. "As for the connection itself, we are able to communicate with the wolves. It's not done by words. It's transmission of information through images. At least at first. Once you get experienced enough, it unconsciously translates to words in your mind. Or at least, that's how it feels sometimes." Winifred smiled, sprinkled a bit of spices on the slices she carved and handed one to Thelsier, as she started to nibble on one herself.

 

"Oh, this is gooooooooooood."

 

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

[JainFarstrider]

Thelsier took the slice of rabbit from Winifred, but did not taste it. He sat thinking about the images he had seen that were not from his own mind, now knowing that they came from wolves as they roamed the nearby forest. Excitement filled him at this thought, he could not understand how anyone could think of this gift as anything but a blessing.

 

He thought about the one wolf that he had seen often over the past weeks, before he believed that the animal was in his head. Now he wondered if it had tried to communicate with him before, maybe taking offense that he ignored it even if his rudeness was spawned from ignorance.

“There is one wolf,” He said tentatively, “That I have seen often in my thoughts and in the forest, I had thought that maybe it was figments of my mind. Now I am not so sure, I worry that I might have offended him or her, I believe it is a she-wolf, by not responding to her attempts at communication. Can you teach me the appropriate greeting for use with wolves that one is not acquainted with?”

 

[Taymist]

Winifred grinned at the question before she thoughtfully sucked some of the juices from the meat off her fingers, deciding how best to answer the lad.

 

"There is no appropriate greeting, though politeness is always wise to begin with. You must understand that the wolves view us as pups. We are but children in their eyes with much to learn. The wolf would not be offended at all, she was trying to help. It's the wolves who let the Trackers, such as myself, know where a Wanderer is so that we can come find you." The woman paused, selecting another piece of rabbit. No matter the situation, food was always a good common ground, comforting as it was. "Eat up. Food is not always so plentiful that you can afford not to enjoy what's put before you," she said chidingly, but with a twinkle in her eyes that showed she was not being mean.

 

Looking the lad over, she was relieved to see that he appeared unharmed, with no obvious injuries. There were no telltale signs of madness either, something not uncommon in those too far gone in the Howling to cope with the changes overtaking them. The Sages would be pleased. Winifred's golden eyes reflected the fire's flames as she continued, "Sooner or later, you may have a wolf companion. Many of us do but not all. Time will tell. It may be that this wolf has left her own pack or has some affinity for you. Or perhaps not. The wolves also give us names, in their own terms and that too will come to you in time. The experience is different for each of us. If you have any other questions, best get them out now so we can rest. We have a fair journey to start in the morning."

[JainFarstrider]

Thelsier nodded as she explained how wolves would see him. At her suggestion he finally started picking at the cooked rabbit, his stomach reminding him of his hunger.

 

He could feel the woman’s golden eyes on him as he ate, but did not move to meet her stare. He was trying to organize his thoughts of what he had just learned about the things that were happening to him. He was nervous about this new world that he knew nothing about, and he did feel like the young pup that the wolves must think of him as. Still, he could not hold down his excitement, this was the kind of thing people wrote stories about and he was in the middle of it. But what made him most anxious is the though of finally finding people that would accept him for who he was and not be afraid of him.

 

"Sooner or later, you may have a wolf companion. Many of us do but not all. Time will tell. It may be that this wolf has left her own pack or has some affinity for you. Or perhaps not. The wolves also give us names, in their own terms and that too will come to you in time. The experience is different for each of us. If you have any other questions, best get them out now so we can rest. We have a fair journey to start in the morning."

 

Thelsier nodded, “I do have many questions, but if we are to get any rest tonight, best that they are left for another time.” He said smiling.

 

Finished with his meal, he wiped his hands off on a small cloth produced from his pocket, and leaned up against the fallen tree that lay near the edge of the clearing, folding his arms over his chest, looking across the fire at Winifred, he bid her a good night and closed his eyes.

 

OOC: I apologize for the delay, i was swamped unexpectedly in piles of work.

[Nynaeve]

IC:

Winifred lay awake. Most of her nights away from the stedding turned out being sleepless ones. The only time she would let herself be snatched away by sleep was when Midnight stood guard. The wolfkin and the wolves were the only ones she'd trust her life with. Midnight guarded her sleep fiercly. They had a very unique relationship that couldn't quite be defined, but trust was a big part of it.

 

That night, though, Midnight was to stay away since Winifred couldn't predict how Thelsier would react to its presence. They will meet the next day, no doubt. Probably before she would even call Midnight back. He loved to lurk about and surprise her when she wasn't expecting it. Wretched wolf. Though she couldn't help but smile.

 

Watching the flames die away, the whole night seemed to be sucked into a hole in the sky as the sun started to rise. Winifred enjoyed the red and pink shades of dawn. Dawn. That's how Midnight has come to call her. He alternated with nick names before that but that seemed to be the one he ended up choosing for her. Winifred didn't complain. He could have done much worse.

 

Noticing Thelsier stirring, Winifred sat up and greeted him with a warm grin. "Cup of tea?". Thelsier rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Fantastic, I have some herbs in my bag over there and there should be a pile of twigs I collected yesterday. Thanks for offering, love!". Winifred leaned back, excited to be heading back home.

 

 

 

OOC: So, do you want us to continue RPing the travling bit or should I put up an arrival post on the Stedding board? whatever you prefer for your character is fine with me :D (aka, if he needs to ask more)   Let me know!  ;)

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

 

 

 

[JainFarstrider]

Thelsier chuckled at flashed a smile at the woman saying joyfully, "No problem, it's my pleasure,: as he gathered the twigs and struck his flint to light them. Picking up his pot he headed to the nearby stream to fill it with water while quietly thinking to himself.

 

It had been only a couple hours that he had known the woman and already he had warmed enough to joke around with her. He was normally shy to newly met people, it must have been the way she wasn't afraid of him, not staring at him like some rabid animal come to gobble up children. Her manner was more of an old friend greating someone after years spent apart. It was very refreshing and lifted his spirits when he thought they could not be lower. He found himself humming softly in smooth baritone on the way back to camp. Which he kept up while the water boiled and he let the leaves steep.

 

Before long he had to cups of steaming liquid, offering one to Winifred with a bow, "Your tea, my Lady," Then sitting to enjoy his own.