2021.06.03:Stonecreek Lightning Tree

Stonecreek Lightning Tree
A patrol finds a kin wolf pup den in trouble.
IC Date	2021.06.03
IC Time	Day
Players	Ben, Steinar, Frigg-ST
Location	Stonecreek
Prp/Tp	Patrol
Spheres	Gaian
Theme Song	None

All three of them are in the woods together not far from Stonecreek. The border is close but the path they are taking is alongside the stream. As they walk along the trees they grow wider and thicker, and so does the river. At one bend in the rushing water, they can see some erodement of the bank they are all skirting around. 

	 "When did this happen?" Frigg is noticing the change in the environment out this way. She points out a large tree that fell over and partial roots are sticking out of the ground, as if the soil were loose.

Granted, lately, Steinar has been .. busy. Preoccupied. He's working on his Fetish and as he is, he is taking care of a promise to the Spirit to be bound into it. His Chiminage. But from time to time, he pokes his head up from the spirit stuff to walk with is Pack. Like today. And upon reaching the stream, with its change in direction along with the erosion, he stops, "Odd. I can not recall this last time I was by here."

Ben was happy to walk along in the forest, his mood antsy with the Half Moon being in the sky recently. "Erosion? Was the soil too loose?" The man wonders, mooving over to look at the fallen tree - specifically the roots.

Frigg walks up closer to where the tree fell and she can see signs where maybe some lightning hit the upper trunk where its half split. Scorch marks emblazen some of the branches that look to be dowsed out as it rests at the opposite end in the water somewhat.

	 Frigg sets a hand against the base of the upside tilted tree roots that fans out like a semi circle on its side. It's taller than Ben in height, and there's plenty of ground disturbed here. 

	 Suddenly, she pauses as if she heard something and stops to listen to the wind, the water rushing by, and the leaves up in the trees. 

	 Something faint.

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Frigg rolls Perception(3) + Alertness(2) (5 dice) vs 6 for 4 successes. 4 +8 +9 +9 +9 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============-------------> <---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Ben rolls Perception + Alertness vs 6 for 4 successes. 2 5 5 +6 +7 +9 +10 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============-------------> <---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Steinar rolls Perception + Alertness vs 6 for 3 successes. 4 4 +7 +7 +10 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

	 Everyone hears the faintest *yip* sound.

Steinar glances to the trunk for a few moments, not really bothering himself too much with it. Lightningstrikes happen, although he starts by saying, "Need to keep our eyes open. A lightning strike, if that is what happened here, could start a fire. While natural, too many live here." he silences then, tilting his head a bit, "Anyone else hear that?"

Ben's eyes narrow, the man kneeling. "Wolf pup." He says, quietly. He stills, looking under the tree for any natural dens that may be in use. Or even just a hiding spot.

Frigg takes a step closer with the two garou she is with and nods to hearing it. They are all looking now where the erosion might be at its worst with the tree that fell. The embankment rise before the river leaves them at least ten feet up, where the tree tilts downward and is partially submerged with rushing water going over top of it. Shale rock, and thin debris makes up the outer edge, which should be safe. Right? Dirt starts to slide around the base of the tree up on that ledge where they are. They can hear rocks trickling below.

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Frigg rolls Stamina(4) (4 dice) vs 6 for 0 successes. 1 3 3 8 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============-------------> <---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Ben rolls Stamina vs 5 for 4 successes. 3 +5 +7 +8 +10 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============-------------> <---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Steinar rolls Stamina vs 5 for 3 successes. 4 +5 +7 +8 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

	 The trickling rocks below that they can't rightly see, but know is right beside them should signal a warning that the ground isn't stable here. It's disturbed from the uprooted tree from the lightning strike. The debris they are on, dirt, rocks, and mixed sediment suddenly collapses into a sinkhole that drops them down 10 feet in a scurry of landslide. 

	 The trunk of the tree goes down with it and rolls slightly to the left, but its HEAVY. And once that thunks, there is a bigger splash in the water as it gushes suddenly around the tree and in the hole they are in to fill with water. 

	 It's not life threatening but it would be startling to be dropped ten feet! And then have water coming in at you. 

And at the same time, something wiggles from a half buried den that just got uncovered right near where the tree just dropped. Out of the dirt, they see a tiny tiny tail! Water rushes right over on top of it.

A quick glance to the side to make sure Frigg and Steinar are on their feet - then Ben immediately dunks himself where that tail was seen. No one is drowning on his watch. Holding his breath, he tries to find the den and any survivors.

Steinar glances to Frigg, "Unless you can breathe, stay here a moment." he asks of her, before he too dives under the water to swim towards where the newly uncovered den is; where the tail was. To help Ben with saving what could be there. What they saw there. [GetOfFenris] Theron says, "arggg"

	 One little pup is scooped up out of the water by Ben and it was fast enough that it chuffs water and snorts some of it out its tiny nose. 
	 

Frigg landed on her bum but she gets up to wade in and over to where the suspected den is and offers to take the pup from Ben so he can keep looking with Steinar.

Ben surfaces with the pup, offering it over to Frigg. "Careful. Mind the teeth." He warns, before diving back down to help Steinar in the rescue.

Also? Steinar hardly moved a muscle. He stayed standing with the drop, as if it was no thing at all! Hardly worth mentioning! Wild Ravens boys are sturdy.

Steinar reaches into the hole and grabs on to what he feels there. One in each hand! He then pulls out, and pushes off with his legs, shooting for the surface.

Frigg takes the wet pup in her hands first before holding it to her chest protectively. 'Where's the mother?' She looks alarmed when Steinar comes up with two more pups just as small as the one Ben saved trying to crawl out on its own.

The pups are small. Not entirely newborns as their eyes are open, but they are tiny fluffballs of fuzz. The one Frigg is holding is chirping for its mother, shaking wet.

Ben keeps digging at the den - knowing there are more in there. <<We need to widen the hole!>> He explains over the pack link. Strong hands start tearing at the opening, trying to make it wide enough for the trapped mother and pup to get free.

	 There's a new curve in the river flow now where the group fell. Sediment and dirt slowly sifts from the ten feet up they can see now where they were /just/ standing moments ago. The fallen tree makes the water rush around it, but its still a surface area to grab onto if needed. 

Once the hole widens, Mother Wolf paws frantically at the inner hole while submerged. She's got one more pup in her mouth and she finally breaks free to swim upward in a paddle. Her head surfaces and she drags to swim for the other side of the river where the embankment is flat.

	 Mother Wolf growls at Ben!

Two pups, and one pup. And need to dig. Not enough hands. Steinar quickly moves to Frigg, pawning off the two pups to her as well, "Hold on to them as long as you can." he says, before he grabs hold of the log and .. well .. puts some thought into this. That log? It would make an excellent canoe. For pups to ride in.

Steinar loses one Magical Essence

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Steinar rolls Manipulation + Crafts vs 6 for 2 successes. 2 3 4 +8 +9 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

And with a few quick smoothings of his hand over the log, it flattens out, bends and deepens to become a canoe. Steinar looks to Frigg, "Put the cubs in here! Easiest way to get them to safety."

Surfacing again, now that the den is cleared and the mother escaped. He looks to Steinar, then to the wolf. Once the growl happens, he doesn't take his eyes off the mother. "As Steinar says, Frigg." He agrees, his voice calm. Hands are raised in front of him, palms up to show no aggression to the protective mother.

Frigg has all three pups now and she swims in shock to see the elemental gift performed right before her eyes. "Steinar, you are a genius!" Impressed, she grabs ahold of the edge of the canoe and with her arm tightly secured around the three pups, she leans forward with her weight and drops them down inside.

	 The three pups wiggle. One looks muddy still from the dirt he was rescued from. They move around on unsteady legs, and this makes the Momma Wolf turn her head to see them. She hears them. 

	 Mother Wolf drops the pups she has on a rock and leans down to lick its fur. It snuffles. Sneezing out water from its baby nose. Flurrfit.

"There are no more in the den?" Steinar looks to Ben, then looks to the mother wolf, "She does not seem to be worried anymore. She would have if there had been more in there." he looks around, "Let's get away from the bank. If it collapses more, we might get it ontop of us."

Ben nods to Steinar. "We can collapse it more, so they aren't tempted to rehome under there?" He suggests, keeping his eyes on the mother and her cub. "Excellent use for the wood, brother. Either you or I should get the pups over to their mother."

Steinar looks to Ben, then nods, "Good idea. Collapsing the tunnels. This one has to find a new den." he looks to the wolf. He grins, "How good are you with collapsing tunnels?" he wonders, then begins to push the boat, "We have to move this right away to her. The canoe will not hold the shape for many more minutes."

Ben nods. "You move the pups. I will collapse the den. No problems." He smiles, looking then to the den to determine the best place to strike. He even dunks underwater once more, to check for anything left behind.

In the meanwhile, Steinar begins to push the canoe over to the embankment where the mother wolf has her other pup. He keeps to the far end of the canoe, to then push it up on the embankment itself. He then slowly turns it to have the broadside towards the dry ground before he sort of.. tips the pups out of it, to roll on to the 'shore', as it were; where the mother wolf can get them. Reason being, he don't want them in there when the Canoe magically turns back into a trunk. That'd be bad. If the motherwolf growls at him? He growls back. In the end? It was probably not a good idea to let Steinar handle the pups. He's got the Mark of the Predator. The mother wold would definitively see him as a threat!

Frigg lets go of the canoe once Steinar is taking action with it to put up nearly on shore. She can swim but it's hard to do in blue jeans. "Saved." She hears the growl from the Mother and pushes off to get away as she protects her wet pups. "Ben? All ok over there?" She is looking around for a better place to get up on shore. Not where the embankment might kill them and collapse, and NOT near Mother Wolf.

Theres a moment of focus from Ben, the Forsetti shifting up out of site to his warform. Then there's a growl as the Might of Thor flows through him. Two anvil sized fists slam down on the den, collapsing it easily. Once done, he shifts back down - no need to cause a ruckus for the newly saved. "All fine here. Den collapsed."

Steinar pushes the canoe away, letting it float off before it will return to a normal log. He wants to make sure he is not being a threat to the wolf or the cubs, and need the mother wolf to get close to the cubs to get them. So, he begins to swim away quickly, "Good. Lets linger a bit. Make sure things are fine here. But this erosion.. something caused it."

	 Mother Wolf jolts her head up and her ears prick when her den falls down. But she's keeping her gaze on Steinar in case he's a threat to her. Her pups are back so she's herding them along to follow her back up into the brush. She'll be going to find a new place now to burrow them in. 

Frigg glides backwards in the water and silently looks up as Ben shifts to his warform. She can't look away! That large bash was impressive as well, and she turns in the water to get a better look at the den now filling in. "She won't be able to dig in again I think. It's far too wet anyway." 

	 Frigg looks to Steinar, "Lightning. It looked like lightning hit the tree and caused it to fall. Might just be one of those things and we were lucky to be here at the right time.' She dips under water to get her hair wet and suddenly grins, "Not bad for a swim today?"

Ben smirks, nodding to Steinar. "Can you speak to the spirits about here, see if there was anything untoward that happened?" He wonders, dipping his head back to slick back his hair. "She won't dig there again, not where it is. It's too dangerous." He says, tiredly.

Steinar gives a quick nod to this, watching the mother wolf wander off with her pups, "I'll track back here in a few days, make sure she has not tried to reuse the den." he says, then eyes the embankment, "Could be." he agrees, "Lightning, messing up the tree and the roots." he gets up on to the other embankment.

Frigg follows up behind Steinar when he pulls himself out of the water. She limps to favor her left foot and grabs ahold of a smaller tree to get entirely out. Leaning down, she wrings the end of her shirt out but its not really going to help much. She's drenched. "I want to make sure the pups will be ok with swallowing some water? Can you check on them too, Steinar?"

Ben moves over to help Frigg out, while he still can. Then he lays back on the shore, letting himself catch his breath. "Going to be a while before I am up to help with more lifting." He murmurs. "I can stay here to make sure the family is all right."

Steinar looks to Ben, giving a nod, "I saw what you did there, brother." he replies to him, nodding in understanding. While he does not know it himself, he knows enough of it. He looks to Frigg, "I fear if I get close to her, she will attack me. I have never .. been good with animals. They see me as predator.. or rival. Always. They will either flee or attack."

Frigg sits down next to Ben as he lays back. She plucks a few of his wet hairs away from his forehead and brushes it backward, before smiling. "You did good. Take a nap while the sun is out? There's no rush to be going anywhere." Once Ben is settled, Frigg leans down to unlace her boots as Steinar fills her in on the Mother Wolf maybe attacking. "I guess we did our best then and have to be satisfied with that. You both did good there, really."