Stuck in the Mud (Calida and Baely)

Calida 

Calida was on one of her regular runs through the territory, trying to better familiarize herself with the landscape. She was relatively new to Fellfang and already knew who most of the wolves in the pack were, but she wanted to make sure she knew the landscape just as much. Calida’s legs carried her over the ground like a bird’s wings would through the air; with agility, speed, and grace. But she came to a skidding halt as her legs kicked up brightly colored leaves. She held her head and darker-tipped tail high and kept her ears forward with alert. She had heard a noise; at least she thought she did….

Then all of a sudden a growl hit her ears. She slightly tilted her head and went to investigate where this huffing and growling was coming from. What she saw next amused her, it was her pack mate, Baely, who was stuck chest deep in mud. 

“Baely, is it, how did you get yourself into this predicament?” she asked as she leaned forward and tried to figure out how she was going to help this larger male out of this situation.

---

Baely

Stupid, stupid, stupid! The tawny male scolded himself. His frustration was palpable as he struggled to pull himself out of the muck. He had known there was a more marshy, and considerably more muddy, stretch of terrain, but he hadn't anticipated walking right into it. 

He growled with rage as he tugged at his right paw with all his might, only to sink further into the mud. "Great." He snarled under his breath, chest heaving with panic. What if he got trapped and died here? What a great memory. Baely: the Omega who was killed by mud. Huffing with effort, he gave another attempt at pulling himself out. The results were the same, and he let his chin fall into the muck in defeat. 

However, the sound of an approaching voice caught his interest, and the male's ears flicked forward. His gaze fell on a she-wolf, though one he was not familiar with. Baely had seen her around, but he had not spoken with her outside of patrols or the common pleasantries packmates exchanged with one another. Embarrassment made his fur grow hot, and he looked away in shame.

"I, uh, was trying to learn the territory by myself... And I ended up wondering into this swamp." She probably thinks I'm a useless idiot. 

---

Calida

“Ah, I see,” she said as she began to scan the ground around her, “don’t worry, I will get you out of there.”Calida trotted away and picked up a decent sized branch that had fallen from a nearby tree. The she wolf carried it over to Baely and muffled the words, “Grab on,” while hanging one end near his mouth. Once the male latched on, Calida started pulling and little by little began to take small steps backwards. But once he was about two feet away from the edge of the mud pool, the branch gave out and snapped. Calida dropped the half that was in her mouth and huffed in frustration, “That was the strongest branch I could find.”

Even though the large male was so close escaping, his legs were still stuck in the mud so there was no way he could climb out. Calida tilted her head and though of what to do, until she sighed and spoke up. “I am going to try to drag you out, all I need you to do while I pull is to slightly wiggle your body. Do not try to pull your front legs free or else you will pull me in with you, understand?” she barked calmly. The cream female then stretched out her neck and grabbed onto the top of Baely’s scruff. Luckily her long neck and legs allowed her to reach the wolf without stepping into the mud herself. She began to pull, careful not to bite down too hard and accidentally injure the larger and heavier male. After one final pull his front legs and top half of his body were free, and Calida slowly let go to allow the male to hoist out his back end. 

---

Baely

He followed her movements as she left his presence. The tawny male couldn’t help but feel nervous about her leaving. He knew she wouldn’t just abandon him there, but nevertheless, separating from his chance at rescue was nerve-wracking. 

Baely was relieved to see the she-wolf return, and with a stick in her jaws. Following instructions, he bit down hard on the branch, grunting to signal he was ready. He felt sorry for her, knowing that he was probably very heavy to have to haul out of the thick mud. 

As the gedge of the mud-hole got closer and closer, the Omega felt hope swell in his chest. Almost there… The a loud crack signaled the end of his escape. A bit jarred, the male let go of the branch, yelping with surprise. He twisted his neck to see that his limbs were still stuck. He was just about to ask if she could find another, when she opened her mouth to give her second plan.

”Wait—you may get stuck too,” But before he could protest any further, she was already barking out orders. He had no choice but to follow her instructions, nodding to show his understanding. He felt her teeth dig into the coarse fur of his scruff, and winced as she tugged. Much to his surprise, she had managed to pull him free.

On clumsy paws, the Omega hobbled out of the muck. He frowned as his green gaze fell on his filthy pelt. ”That’s not going to wash out so easily…” He grumbled, almost forgetting his savior’s presence. ”Oh! How rude of me—“He quickly recovered, blinking gratefully towards her.”Thank you for the help—truly. He diped his head, voice sincere. ”If it weren’t for you, I would have suffocated in mud.” He shivered at the thought.

---

Calida

Calida was breathing a bit heavier as she watched the male stagger onto the firm ground, pulling him out was no easy task for her. Her lithe body was made for running and she knew that her neck would be sore the next day, but she was not upset. He was her pack mate after all and there was no way she would have left him to go get help and risk being too late. 

“You are very welcome,” she said nonchalantly,“it was the least I could do.” Just then she looked down and noticed some mud at the ends of the long silky fur on her chest. She wiped most of it off with her paw and brought her attention back up to the male. 

“I do not think that I have introduced myself yet, my name is Calida,” she barked. 

---

Baely

Baely blinked appreciatively, nodding towards her with a polite smile. "I'm Baely." The Omega told her. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Calida." he barked, shaking a paw to expel mud from between his toes. "Though I do wish it were under more...pleasant...circumstances." He added with an awkward chuckle. "We should probably find a stream to wash off in." He suggested, nose wrinkling as the smell of the mud rose up from his pelt.

---

Calida

Calida let out a light chuckle at Baely’s comment.
“Yes, this might not be a pleasant meeting, but it is surely one we will never forget,” she barked. The she-wolf then gestured for the male to follow her and she led the way to a nearby stream where the two washed the mud off of their fur. Right after they returned to the Main Den, engaging in small talk the entire way back.