It had been a week.
She'd been delusional to think there was any chance of getting back home. At first she'd thought--she'd hoped, that she still existed in her own world, just in some strange new part of it, but that first night of tracking the stars to find her way south had lead to an unsettling realization: she didn't recognize any of the constellations. The following nights proved equally unsuccessful, though the setting and rising of the sun at least proved a very basic understanding of which direction to travel in. Still, Ida had clung to the desperate hope that the world would become more familiar the further south she went, so she'd left the snow and bubbling springs behind to travel perpendicularly to the rising sun.
The huge brute panted, hot air puffing from her open jaws and fading away into the cold mountain air as she lumbered through the woods. The trees here were like that of the springs; tall and cone shaped with spicy, dark sap she'd long since abandoned trying to chew from her matted pelt. Black soil clung to her paws along with clumps of pine needles and dried blood which oozed from the cracks in her aching paw pads, and the dull stinging which jolted up her legs with every step only burned the fire in her chest ever hotter.
On her journey she'd taken to snapping up loose pebbles and rocks, still not having found a proper quarry to feast and instead supplementing her diet with whatever small creatures were unfortunate enough to cross her path; most of the time they were too fast entirely, but the few animals she caught were either somewhat recognizable or alien entirely. She'd assumed meat would sustain her fine enough, but hunting for every meal was a nightmare, and between that and her constant walking, she was tired and crabby and just wanted to go home. It was her stubborn nature that kept her plodding on, pausing only to collapse for the night or veer from her path to catch a morsel for the road.
Evening light dappled through the leaves as Ida rasped her tongue around her jowls and was reminded of the strange, drowsy rabbit she'd managed to snatch at dawn. The thing had had antlers, and an uncharacteristic boldness that had nearly gotten her eye gouged out when snapping her jaws around its throat. She huffed irritably, the scratch on her cheek giving a weak pulse at the memory as she continued on. Slowly she could hear the faint echo of rushing water growing, and her steps quickened with its volume as she huffed and snorted and shoved her way through the sparse, coniferous undergrowth in desperation to see something that may be familiar after so long walking.
Instead, Ida stumbled out upon a rocky bluff. The trees thinned here, allowing her to step forward and leer down where further below water erupted from the cliffside and gushed into a massive, unfamiliar mountain range. The drop from there was dizzying--higher than which she had never seen or known of in her previous land. The entire landscape beneath her was foreign, dotted with mountains and pine trees and deposits of stone she could only appreciate once her temper cooled. The huge dog curled her lip and dug her claws into the earth as the hot rage boiling in her chest finally bubbled over. She was never going home.
She let out a wordless roar that split the distant rushing of the waterfall, lurching away from the bluff's edge and charging towards the nearest tree and raising a massive, heavy paw to slam into the rough wood. She'd had enough of the goddamn things--between the strange creature she'd seen take that form and the endless seas of them she'd traversed only to end exactly nowhere closer to what she wanted, she wanted her old trees back. She wanted her old world back.
She beat furiously into the bark, splintering and chipping at the trunk with every swing of her calloused, bleeding paws as she spit and cursed and reveled in the destruction her rage brought upon it. By the time her fury wavered, her limbs pulsed with aching muscles and torn flesh, and she sat heavily down and threw her head back to pant desperately for air. Her lungs burned, and with the burst of her realization spent, she was left with nothing but the truth of her predicament.
--
DICE ROLL: Constitution
Succeed: Ida uses her callous ability to harden her paws and lessen the harm she does to herself during her fit.
Fail: Ida suffers -1 to her health from the wounds sustained to her front legs and paws.
DICE ROLL: Strength
Succeed: Ida manages to splinter and knock the tree over with the force of her blows, making her commotion even louder.
Fail: The pine tree is still standing despite the damage, mocking her.
She'd been delusional to think there was any chance of getting back home. At first she'd thought--she'd hoped, that she still existed in her own world, just in some strange new part of it, but that first night of tracking the stars to find her way south had lead to an unsettling realization: she didn't recognize any of the constellations. The following nights proved equally unsuccessful, though the setting and rising of the sun at least proved a very basic understanding of which direction to travel in. Still, Ida had clung to the desperate hope that the world would become more familiar the further south she went, so she'd left the snow and bubbling springs behind to travel perpendicularly to the rising sun.
The huge brute panted, hot air puffing from her open jaws and fading away into the cold mountain air as she lumbered through the woods. The trees here were like that of the springs; tall and cone shaped with spicy, dark sap she'd long since abandoned trying to chew from her matted pelt. Black soil clung to her paws along with clumps of pine needles and dried blood which oozed from the cracks in her aching paw pads, and the dull stinging which jolted up her legs with every step only burned the fire in her chest ever hotter.
On her journey she'd taken to snapping up loose pebbles and rocks, still not having found a proper quarry to feast and instead supplementing her diet with whatever small creatures were unfortunate enough to cross her path; most of the time they were too fast entirely, but the few animals she caught were either somewhat recognizable or alien entirely. She'd assumed meat would sustain her fine enough, but hunting for every meal was a nightmare, and between that and her constant walking, she was tired and crabby and just wanted to go home. It was her stubborn nature that kept her plodding on, pausing only to collapse for the night or veer from her path to catch a morsel for the road.
Evening light dappled through the leaves as Ida rasped her tongue around her jowls and was reminded of the strange, drowsy rabbit she'd managed to snatch at dawn. The thing had had antlers, and an uncharacteristic boldness that had nearly gotten her eye gouged out when snapping her jaws around its throat. She huffed irritably, the scratch on her cheek giving a weak pulse at the memory as she continued on. Slowly she could hear the faint echo of rushing water growing, and her steps quickened with its volume as she huffed and snorted and shoved her way through the sparse, coniferous undergrowth in desperation to see something that may be familiar after so long walking.
Instead, Ida stumbled out upon a rocky bluff. The trees thinned here, allowing her to step forward and leer down where further below water erupted from the cliffside and gushed into a massive, unfamiliar mountain range. The drop from there was dizzying--higher than which she had never seen or known of in her previous land. The entire landscape beneath her was foreign, dotted with mountains and pine trees and deposits of stone she could only appreciate once her temper cooled. The huge dog curled her lip and dug her claws into the earth as the hot rage boiling in her chest finally bubbled over. She was never going home.
She let out a wordless roar that split the distant rushing of the waterfall, lurching away from the bluff's edge and charging towards the nearest tree and raising a massive, heavy paw to slam into the rough wood. She'd had enough of the goddamn things--between the strange creature she'd seen take that form and the endless seas of them she'd traversed only to end exactly nowhere closer to what she wanted, she wanted her old trees back. She wanted her old world back.
She beat furiously into the bark, splintering and chipping at the trunk with every swing of her calloused, bleeding paws as she spit and cursed and reveled in the destruction her rage brought upon it. By the time her fury wavered, her limbs pulsed with aching muscles and torn flesh, and she sat heavily down and threw her head back to pant desperately for air. Her lungs burned, and with the burst of her realization spent, she was left with nothing but the truth of her predicament.
--
DICE ROLL: Constitution
Succeed: Ida uses her callous ability to harden her paws and lessen the harm she does to herself during her fit.
Fail: Ida suffers -1 to her health from the wounds sustained to her front legs and paws.
DICE ROLL: Strength
Succeed: Ida manages to splinter and knock the tree over with the force of her blows, making her commotion even louder.
Fail: The pine tree is still standing despite the damage, mocking her.