Grizzly Hollow my jostled spirit

Titan had finally made his way back to Grizzly Hollow. Many things weighed upon his mind dragging down the dark Thorben as he half limped half slunk through the shadows. His back leg was still hurting him, though it had had more than a week to heal up. At first when Titan had acquired his injuries the dark lad thought that his tendon had been snapped. However, while Titan had been hiding himself away and healing, he figured out that it was just badly bruised. In fact, the bruise wasn't the worst of his injuries now that infection had settled in to one of his cuts.

All he wanted was the comfort of his pack mates and a good meal. He hadn't been able to eat at all since his little spat with Morganna. The only things Titan had ingested were various herbs while he treated his wounds. Goldenrod had been chewed into a poultice and placed over the cuts, and a few times he had done this with Yarrow as well. However, Titan wished there were black hawthorn trees around since that probably would have helped his leg a little more, but there was nothing he could do about it for now.

Slowly, Titan padded to the borders before the musk of Jayse, Borden, and more strongly Ryvet hit his nostrils. He and the other members of the pack hadn't had the best first impression of each other. Ryvet in particular was a wolf Titan didn't want to piss off. So as he reached the border Titan paused. the dark wolf wasn't sure if the others would immediately welcome him back. Thoughts of his own mother Narime and they anger she always felt over wolves abandoning the pack scraped through Titan's mind. No, it was better for him to wait here for someone to come. Though he wasn't sure how long it would take for a patrol to come by. Howling for them was cut from the list of things he could do to get their attention since Rook had asked them not to call out to each other giving the packs location away to their enemies. So All he could do was sit and wait.

B o r d e n
we never had enough, we never had enough

Since Borden had been feeling well enough to traverse the borders without the impending fear of getting lost, he made his way through the evergreen trees with ease and a touch of confidence with his tail held high. He was careful to continually repeat to himself that he was following Rook's and Jaysyek's trail around the territory, keeping in mind of who he was and what he was doing. Even if he had to stop and mark certain trees or randomly scattered boulders, he recited to himself his now memorized mantra. My name is Borden Lyall. My mate is Jaysyek Enap. My home is Grizzly Hollow; and, I am its Leader.

His concentration was broken, however, some moments later when a scent he thought was familiar teased at his nostrils. A young man just about his son's, Rook's, age; but, where and how he had come to know this individual escaped him. His head tilted as he began to peer around the ancient tree trunks, growing curious as he let his nose lead him to where a dark-furred individual stood, seemingly toeing the invisible line between Grizzly Hollow pack lands and the Relic Lore wilderness beyond it. Here, his instincts took over, his mindset switching from fight to flight.

His name was Borden Lyall.... and it was highly probable that he was in danger.

A resounding growl sounded out from him, but by posture alone it was clear that the Lyall was more bark than bite. His ears were folded back and his tail had fallen to hang at his heels, threatening to tuck itself up against his underbelly. Despite his warning, his teeth remained hidden behind his sealed lips. He was nervous more than anything, yet something within him urged him to remain where he was, ever vigilant over the piece of ground he stood upon.

Twice, he dared to lift his upper lip to show the newcomer his clenched fangs, shaking as he regarded the youth with his seeing eye.....

The Thorben’s absence had not gone unnoticed by the pale man but he supposed he might have wandered off to visit his mother or something, given their proximity and all it was to be expected. What he hadn’t expected was his fathers scent about the borders without the company of his mother or brother. On one paw, he was relieved that the old wolf was seeming more and more himself now they had returned, on the other he was concerned about what might happen if someone wasn’t nearby and so he followed at a distance, taking care to remain out of sight and downwind. His father had been maintaining a steady pace and he found himself lulled into complacency until his father growled ahead. “Fuck.” he let slip under his breath, praising Pangur that his mother wasn’t within earshot. Valiant had been a terrible influence to be sure.

Knowing better than to go charging forward and risking startling the aging leader he merely increased his pace a little, mismatched eyes finally falling on the dark youth with a raised brow. Green, Gary, Gondola… fuck what was he supposed to be called? Throwing it all out the window with a scoff and a frown he watched his father cautiously wondering if he would recognise his son or mistake him for Alexander or Vlarindara or some other long vanished companion. Drawing himself up slightly he eyed the dark youth for just a moment “What happened to you?” he questioned bluntly before allowing his eyes to drift briefly back to his father. He only wished Rook had been here to deal with all of this. Ryvet was barely suited to such a social interaction with a wolf he wasn't even sure he liked.

Titan stood there keeping the weight off of his sore injured leg. His ears flipped back and forth picking out noises from his surroundings and categorizing them in his mind as the movements of certain animals throughout the forest. Birds flew between the trees and sang while rodents shuffled noisily through the leaf litter. The more pronounced paw steps of an approaching wolf however had the dark Thorben on alert as he looked around where the packs territory was hidden within the cedars. His blue orbs spot the unkempt pelt of the oldest Lyall as Borden makes his way closer to the border. Once the male stopped to stare down at Titan, Borden then let a growl penetrate the air.

Titan sighed. He figured that today was one of Borden's bad days and the elder male probably didn't recognize him. Fighting back minor annoyance, Titan respectfully dipped his head to the patriarch knowing that it wasn't Borden's fault that he didn't recognize him. I hope I don't get like that when I get old... he thought quietly while averting Borden's pitiful gaze. Even if the old Lyall wasn't strong enough to really be a danger to Titan he would still show him the respect he deserved.

Then another figure showed up. The pale coat reminded Titan of Jaysyek, but the scent that writhed on the breeze told him that this wolf was Ryvet. Titan sighs before allowing his head to fall just a tad bit lower when the male asked what had happened to him.

“I was attacked by Morganna Archer of Willow Ridge. Told her off and of course the alias thing didn't do shit for her cause she already knew me. So yeah...”

He answered truthfully before looked towards Borden again. “I would have been back sooner if I had known that my leg was just badly bruised instead of broken. I hid for a while healing up before sneaking back here.” The dark wolf shrugged casually though the thought of switching out the poultice on his leg did pass through his head. Titan was glad though. His leg was obviously not broken if it was healing up so quickly. It wouldn't be too much longer before he could stop with the poultices and just let the thing be open to the air. He did wonder though, if Ryvet would accept his words calmly or not. Was hiding from the enemy a good reason not to have gotten back to the pack sooner?

B o r d e n
we never had enough, we never had enough

Soon enough, Borden was joined by someone that seemed to be on his side. He regarded the white-furred man with a wary look and as he questioned the rogue, the masked Leader sealed his lips. The outsider's answer came without hesitance and it occurred to Borden then that perhaps the two lads knew each other. This possibly meant that he was the odd man out. He met Titan's gaze with another short growl and a lift of his hackles.

"Sneak," he started, addressing Titan first. "Sneak back?" The rusted cogs in his skull, it seemed, had a hard time turning, processing information and putting the tidbits together into something that made sense. His head shook as if he were an electronic toy with a broken motor and his tail had started to curl up between his legs. When he at last turned to glimpse at Ryvet with his good eye, he seemed lost.

"Where did you come from?" he asked, a scowl forming over his eyes and a portion of his muzzle. If he was going to be honest with himself, he felt utterly stupid for initially thinking that the white brute had been his mate. "What are you doing here?" His muscles tensed and for the briefest second, it seemed as though he had regained his bearings. "Nolan!" his voice rumbled as he rounded on Titan again. It might have seemed to sound threatening but, physically, it would appear that Borden had come to... almost. "You're..." "Here," was supposed to be the next word. Instead, it was followed by more confusion.

The older Lyall felt dizzy and he took a step back. Gone was the fear, the questioning about this whole ordeal, and the paranoia and in its place, a sort of dread filled him from the inside out. My name, his mind continued to chant again, is Borden Lyall and... "I was looking for someone," he eyed the two youths again, looking from Titan to Ryvet in turn and knowing that something was clearly not right, "His name is Titan. He was helping me and now he's gone missing."

He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the younger wolf went on and on. Stirring up more shit with Willow Ridge was the last thing they needed right now and his journey to visit his brother and uncle moved up a few notches on his priority list. He didn’t even flinch when his father got his name wrong, allowing one more glance over the youth to ensure there were no missing limbs before turning his attention back to the wolf at his side. At least this time he hadn’t mistaken his son for his wife or sister.

“It’s okay old man. We’ll find this Titan chap.” he replied gently with a smile. “Why don’t you and Gawain head back towards the den and see if you can track the slippery boy down? I’ll look for him over here and meet you back there soon.” He tilted his head toward Titan as if to question well what are you waiting for? before he moved to make room at his fathers side. He would take up the patrol where his father had left off and leave the one with the knowledge to deal with his fathers confusion in charge of his care.

{Ryvet Exit}

His blue orbs drifted slowly over to @Borden while the elder wolf wasn't looking to keep an eye on his movements. A cold chill swept through Titan while Borden rambled on. The older wolf stumbled over words and the information Titan gave to them. In the end the Lyall called Titan by the name of Nolan, which confused the Thorben wolf as he glanced back over to Ryvet. The white male reassured Borden quite casually in Titan's, no, Gawain's eyes telling the patriarch that they would head back to the den. Gawain sighed in relief closing his eyes for a moment trying to recall if Borden had used u the last of his fungus or not. If the male had been gnawing on it everyday then it was sure to be at least half gone by now. However the way the elder was acting told him that Borden probably wasn't remembering to chew on the fungus.

He missed the look that Ryvet tried to pass to him, instead opening his eyes and moving over the little border to step beside Borden with his head and tail lowered and a smile on his maw.

"Yes lets go back to the den I've got something for you to eat back there." Titan tried to make the mention of food or something to eat sound tempting to the older wolf. Then a tought came to his head that might explain why Borden didn't like gnawing on the hard fungus. Maybe his teeth are bad? the question popped into the dark wolf's head as he waited for an answer or movement from Borden.

B o r d e n
we never had enough, we never had enough

Ryvet's words assured him with a smile and Borden had no choice but to nod and follow along. He knew something was missing or awry in his own mind. If these two boys were his sons, he could not be sure, though it was at least clear enough that the both of them genuinely wanted to help him in his predicament. The white-furred man moved and Borden attempted to do the same; he hobbled to the side and Titan was quick to accompany him. He didn't say anything but to the small heartening sentiment that suggested that the both of them should head back to the den he gave another nod.

"Okay," he willingly agreed. "Sounds like a plan."

It was with a slow pace that he began to make his way back to the heart of Grizzly Hollow, torn over whether or not he ought to make conversation. For the time being, he held his tongue, following Gawain without question as he ought to. Perhaps Rook would come upon them soon enough; and, if not, he hoped he would be able to identify the pack den if and when. He kept his eyes focused on the forest ahead as they went, unable to really think of anything for long. Every time he attempted to restart his personal mantra, he was sidetracked by a scent on the dark-pelted youth's coat. Most notes he was able to discern triggered a number of memories, but none of which the Leader could identify as memories or dreams or something his mind had made up on a whim.

A stone throw's measure away from the old stump and Borden turned to Gawain, pulling away from him at first before turning about on his feet to face him, "I think I can manage from here, thank you."

Titan walked with Borden back towards the center of the territory. The thick trees and mossy floor calmed Titan a great degree. He hadn't realized how tense he was until they were relatively close to the large stump where the den was. Had the Thorben been this uptight ever since the scuffle? Or was it because Gawain was glad to be allowed back in so easily? Then again the healed cuts and nicks from his little scuffle with Morganna were obvious evidence of his truthfulness. So there was no real reason why they would not let him back. He allowed the ground to roll his toes loosely relaxing them. Every couple of steps he hyper-extended a leg to help stretch it out. Then when Borden slowed to a stop Titan allowed himself a moment to fully stretch his tense back and hind leg. Then he dipped his head to Borden.

"You are very welcome. It is no problem for me to help out really..." Then Titan slipped into the den quickly searching for the clump of grotesque burnt looking chaga mushroom. The thing smelled very musky, overpowering the scents of other herbs in the area. He dragged the wolf snout sized piece of fungus out before laying it on the earth before Borden.

"A quick question if I may. Do your teeth hurt while gnawing on this?" Titan asked before gnawing on the plant himself and snapping slices of it off of the main portion of the mushroom. He then pushed the mushroom to Borden and gave the elder Lyall a firm but gentle growl saying "eat" before looking back at the rest of the mushroom.

Titan had realized that the mushroom made him feel more... in balance. Or at least his body didn't experience cravings for certain minerals found in different prey items or plants. He felt more clean energy after gnawing on just tiny bits of the mushroom that he gave to Borden. However Titan couldn't be sure of this until he tested that out on himself. It was something he had been doing before the scuffle with Morganna. Now he would finally have the chance to test out his theory again.

(Feel free to PP Titan doing whatever and Borden leaving and what not so we can archive.)