Whisper Caverns What a coincidence seeing you here

Thoughts are like burning stars and ideas

Whisper Caverns

They flood and stretch the universe

A gentle chuckle escaped her maw as Rook shimmied his way into the space. For a few moments, while she knew he was situating himself, all she could see of the tawny male was his tale poking out like a lizard from the foliage. It was quite an amusing sight to see, and she was very tempted to pull a little friendly trick on him. However, his tail was pulled from her sights before she could do so which was probably for the best. She took this moment to make her way in herself, pushing past the greenery and into the shallow indention in the ground. Taking a look around she blinked at the simplicity but beauty of the area. The light seemed to filter perfectly through the trees to allow beams to settle directly on them, allowing them shade but to still feel the warmth of the sun. The smell of earth and the feel of the warm dirt beneath her body was soothing and peaceful, and she could understand why he favored the area so much.

Squeezing her way in she tiptoed around, careful to not step on the yearling as she tried to find the best place to settle down. Settling on lying next to him, head to head as usual, she laid down and proceeded to tuck her forepaws beneath her chest. Her tail stuck out behind her, gently wagging before it came close to hitting him which caused her to tuck it around her hind legs. There wasn’t much room at all between the two, possibly only 2-4 inches at the maximum but it didn’t bother her. She just hoped that Rook wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. As she gave one last shift then went still, Rook began to speak. She turned her heterochromatic gaze on his and tilting her head at an angle she provided her complete attention.

His words brought a stronger thumping of her beating heart in her chest, her cheeks heating up again. It took a quite a bit to get the pale she-wolf to blush, but her companion always seemed to be to do it with ease. She completely agreed with him, as her feelings were rather the same. Even with her family, she had never quite felt the same way with them as she did with Rook. With them she had been partially herself, but also felt the need to conform to their expectations. Only two wolves in the world knew her as herself, her real self, and they would be her father and Rook. It made him special to her, and at that moment she knew that she wanted to be with him as much as possible. If he left her, it would be like losing her family all over again.

“Life has funny ways in bringing wolves together, it seems. I certainly am glad it brought us together for whatever reason it may be. Before I met you, I had been alone for a long time. I was not sure I would have anyone again, and I was not sure I did want to be in the presence of another. But, now…I do not think that I could be away from you. Somehow, you have become important to me. You know more of me than anyone, and the way you draw me from myself baffles me.” She replied, her voice quiet and thoughtful. And it was true, because even in that moment he was drawing words from her that she just couldn’t seem to keep inside. Normally, when speaking to others, she picked and chose her words in her mind and didn’t fully say what she thought. But with him, her thoughts were out in the open before she could sort them. How strange it was indeed.

His ears perked waiting for her reaction to such delicately chosen words on his part. An admission of affection towards someone who was not related to him by blood. Rook cared for Namid, he found, just as he cared for his own twin sister, his parents, the members that had made up the pack he had been born into. To consider it strange was something he did not want to consider, yet it perplexed him just the same. All this, being close to someone he had only just met, was new; and, a portion of him, a sliver of what could he could have considered as part of his very core, was fearful over the fact that this feeling, here and now, might fade in time. Though, for Borden and Jaysyek, he knew, it lasted... that was until... until... He mentally whisked that train of thought of way and righted himself, focusing on Namid and slowly unfolding his left forelimb as to reach out for her. He might have heard the story of how his mother and father had met (and even shared a cozy shelter) a thousand times before, but it had never occurred to him just how that had felt. Maybe this was what it was like... the almost-painful timidity, the bashfulness, the sensation of warmth and weightlessness that took over him, and all. "That evening, in the cedars," he began, his tone still hushed. "I wanted to ask you... If... If I ever went back home, to Renegades Reach, would you come with me if I invited you?" His eyes lowered, his gaze focusing on the dirt beneath his extended wrist. "It's not definitive, if I will, though, seeing as I haven't found what I initially set out for. I was just curious..." In that moment, his mind flickered to Beren, but he forced the thought of the man's smiling face to the back of his mind. Maybe he would return for Beren, too. "If I left the Caverns," he continued to muse, looking now as though he were trying hard to pull from deep within himself the words he truly wanted to say. "Would you come with me?"

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Thoughts are like burning stars and ideas

Whisper Caverns

They flood and stretch the universe

Namid watched his face as he thought, not in a strange way but because his expressions when he thought always intrigued her. She often liked to try and think of what he could be thinking of at that moment with each of his expressions. Some of them showed hurt or worry sometimes, other times excitement and joy. They were some of the things that made her so interested in him, because he was so open but at the same time so hard to figure out. His mind was a maze, which she was slowly learning to traverse. What she would find in the center was unknown, but she knew that it would be fine in the end. No matter what happened, she didn’t think that she leave him to deal with it on his own.

His question startled her. Would you come with me? This was something she hadn’t considered. She’d just thought that he would just stay in Relic Lore, that they all would. Travel to another place seemed foreign to her now, but…if she needed to leave she could. Traveling had been a part of her life-style for 5 whole months. 5 months she’d been alone, nearly half a year she’d spent without a word to another soul. Or, rather very little words to one besides herself or to the empty air around her. Just settling down in Whisper Caverns she had no real roots there, and leaving would make her feel guilty but she would get over it. She could do it, she knew, for him. “I would,” She stated. It was a simple reply, but it held a lot of meaning. The words were out and there was no going back, if he left she left too.

(This post was last modified: Aug 17, 2014, 11:47 PM by Namid.)

The two words that had left her lips were exactly what he had wanted to hear. It was an affirmation that she could and would support him through whatever it was he was going through or about to stumble into. "Thank you," he said, his smile becoming somber if only for a few moments. "I just... I wanted to know." Had he been able to emotionally cry, he might have, like a human soul might when it was severely depressed or troubled. "I've needed to know." Anguish made his brows come together and he looked away as his ears came back. "Namid," he uttered her name with such care, "I've needed someone like you. It... It hasn't been easy. Bishop thinks she knows but she just... doesn't. She doesn't understand as well as I hoped she would." A shake of his head signaled that he was getting off the topic. He had already discussed some matters about it all with his sister; it was Namid's turn now. He took a deep breath and heaved a sigh, "I'm here, we're here, because of my father. He's... he's sick." He sniffed, not wanting to meet her gaze for fear of seeing any sort of sympathy in her face, in those lovely mismatched eyes of hers. "I'm looking for something to make him better. He..." The yearling hesitated, unsure for a second of whether or not he was able to continue, "He forgets things... and it hurts." "My mother, she gets so upset and so scared," his voice sounded as though it the words were capable of shattering in mid-air. "I had to do something; I needed to leave. I need your help."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Thoughts are like burning stars and ideas

Whisper Caverns

They flood and stretch the universe

Her response, she thought, would make him happy. That she would see his eyes so like her own light up with excitement as they so usually did. However, it seemed that quite the opposite happened. His gaze saddened, as if her words has formed a battering ram that had broken down a wall he had kept up in front of her. This Rook was a different Rook, a different boy who was afraid and hurt. She’d known that he was in there, somewhere as it was in every mortal soul. The depth of anguish she saw in his eyes, the amount of anxiety and sorrow that was held there made her want to weep.

Before she hadn’t known what had been going on in his life, only fractions of what had happened such as he’d left his home to help his father. At first she’d thought he’d just come to Relic Lore to see his old pack land, but now she knew the truth. Her companion and his sister were there looking for a cure, a cure that would fix his father’s memory deterioration. Whether such a thing even existed was unknown to her, but he had to have some inkling, some knowledge that it did or he wouldn’t have come this far for nothing.

Looking at her broken friend, at the emotion he held so deeply inside, she threw all caution to the wind and gently laid her head over his shoulders. This was a sort of canine hug, a show of support from deep within her. It broke her to see him like this, but at the same time she felt so enthralled to know that he trusted her enough to open himself up like this. “Family holds a bond that will make one go to great lengths to save it. I could not save my own family, but Rook. I will do all I can to help you save yours, to help you mend what is broken and restore what needs to be. Whatever you need, just ask and I will do what I can.” She murmured, her voice gentle like a breeze.

He had been afraid that maybe he was introducing her too soon, too fast, to the darkness that dwelled deep within him, the cynical cloudburst he only ever dared to become and embrace whenever he was alone. Her words came anyway, comforting and soothing his ears and quelling the tempest that had begun to form in his soul; her proximity and close contact offering him a sense of security that he had been missing since he had left home. His search for a cure had just begun but it still felt as though he had been running around in circles. Even, she, herself, had not been able to save her family. Perhaps all hope was lost... Just thinking of such a thing made it feel like there were pine needles jabbing into his ribcage all along the left side of his body. "But Rook," the utterance of his name made his ears come up. He nuzzled his face against her, closing his glossed over eyes. "I will do all I can to help you save yours, to help you mend what is broken and restore what needs to be. Whatever you need, just ask and I will do what I can.” A couple of sniffles was all he was able to manage at the moment, but as soon as his mind had become clear, after several deep breaths and finding repose in the scent of her coat, he whispered. "I don't know what it is though... How can I find a cure for something I know absolutely nothing about? My pack's own Medic couldn't find anything for him. Berries, twigs, deer heart, seeds... None of it had worked." He shook his head, bowing his head as to rest his chin on the cool dirt beneath them. "I feel terrible for wanting to know whether or not it's curable; I want to know for certain that my time is being well-spent, that my mother did not relinquish her hold on me as to spare me her pain, the family's pain. I am my father's only heir, I shouldn't have been let go unless my older brother Renier was willing to remain behind."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Thoughts are like burning stars and ideas

Whisper Caverns

They flood and stretch the universe

The relaxation of his body made her coiled muscles relax as well. She found relief in his slowly clearing mood, which, while still somber, was no longer as heavy as it had been. The pale woman waited patiently for a response, all the while wondering what could be going through that beautifully brilliant head of his. Her own aching heart for the boy was, in turn and likewise, soothed by his acceptance of her approach by physical contact. Namid had been afraid that he’d pull away, that she’d ruin the moment of truth he was sharing with her that she cherished so much. It had been the final test, in her mind, of how much he did trust her and now she had no doubt of their relationship and its limits.

A stirring of his head and the loss of warmth where it had been left her feeling cold, but attentive. All signs of focus were on him as he spoke, soaking in a processing each word in her mind carefully and stowing it away. What he said had been what she’d feared, that he’d come here on blind faith. He really had no inkling of what he was looking for, which made his job all the harder. She’d had no idea of his true position, how much of a wedge he’d been in until that moment. It was as if she could feel the pressure he felt inside to do the right thing, while not knowing exactly what the right thing was. The dilemma he faced was apparent in her mind, and her thoughts raced for a solution. What she came up with made her mentally cringe, and she rolled it around on her tongue debating whether it should be said. The worst that could happen was that they would find another way, and with that in mind her opened her maw to speak her thoughts.

“I…do not know if this is a good idea or not, and it may not be. I do not have full comprehension of the situation, but perhaps…” She paused, hesitant to go on because she was afraid of offense to him or seeming ignorant. Taking a breath she continued with a nervous frame, “You do not know what you are looking for, and you came here because the herbs here are different from where you are from, yes? Perhaps the answer is here, but…in my mind the only way to find which one may be the key ingredient would be to test it. And…we cannot do that when your father is not here. My proposition…” She swallowed and fidgeted, “Is that perhaps we, or you and your sister if that is the more appropriate idea, return to Renegades Reach and retrieve your father and bring him here to Relic Lore. I apologize if it is a completely absurd idea; it was something that just floated in my mind’s eye.” She half mumbled, looking away in bashfulness. Maybe she’d just make the situation worse by suggesting it, oh how she hoped she hadn’t just made a tactical error.

Sorry for the wait and thank you for being so patient! It seems you have sparked a sub-plot and I'm super excited for Rook/Namid if and when they meet again. Shall we wrap up from here? <3

With his defenses down and his train of thought derailed and scattered, Rook simply listened when Namid finally came to counter him. She began to say that she had an inkling of an idea, without knowing whether or not it was a good one since she did not have a solid grip on the Lyall family's current state. He peeked up at her and shook his head again. "Try me," he coaxed her with a murmur, letting her know that he was all ears in regards to hearing what she had to propose. Namid took a deep breath and there it was: a confirmation that she understood his dilemma, that she quite possibly believed that the cure laid somewhere within the depths of Relic Lore because the climate and variety of terrain served a number of different herbs, that the first few steps that ought to be taken was one where they could test the plants... on his father, Borden, himself. Rook's head tilted curiously, an expression split evenly between being intrigued and utterly afraid drawing itself on his masked face. Then, he seemed to shut down - his eyes went elsewhere, staring at the veil of long, overhanging grass blades, and one of his ears swiveled to the side as the other remained facing forward. A telltale sign of him delving deep into newfound thought. After some time, he came to again, and with looking at her, he fully smiled. "You might be right," he quietly stated, trying to remember know just how possible the idea of his father traveling actually was. In all truth, it did seem plausible; for when Rook and Bishop had left, Borden did seem "all right" aside from the rare - not often - fits of sudden confusion. Rook supposed he would just have to make sure that he could actually accompany his similarly-built father over the two-week-long journey to the Lore. "Well," he mused again, giving the idea a bit more thought. This time, though, a smile inched up along the corners of his maw, "I can't possibly leave you though. Not now, and especially not when Bishop might stay behind; and, then we both face the whole trio-thing again, just like before, and I can't have you and Bishop fighting over me the whole way there." His tail rustled the loose dirt and debris behind him. "So, maybe... Maybe I'll just keep the idea in mind," shyly he bumped his nose to hers, withdrawing from her with a smirk. "For now though, I think I've had enough of keeping you cramped up in my secret hideaway. Come on," in a slow but smooth sort of movement, he crawled through the verdant curtain and into the sun, "I'll show you this neat little shortcut I found to get to the Lagoon from here." (Fade.)

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Thoughts are like burning stars and ideas

Whisper Caverns

They flood and stretch the universe

With his coaxing she had been able to expel her idea into the open air, and the way his expression turned frightened her. Then, his gaze fogged over and his facial features became far away. Anyone who didn’t know Rook would think that they had offended him, that he was deeply upset. But this face she knew well, it was one of thought. It was much similar to her own expression in times of deep thinking, and though she knew the process well she still couldn’t help but worry about what he could be thinking about. Namid felt completely comfortable with Rook in a way she hadn’t before, in a way that she’d expressed she hadn’t even felt with her own family besides her father. Just as she’d started to worry, his expression came to and he turned to look at her. Then gave her a great big smile.

A mental sigh of relief went through her body and she listened intently as usual to his words. He looked a little hopeful now, maybe even a little excited and this made her feel much the same. Her tail began to wag, and a small chuckle came from her maw, cutting slightly at the end when he’d mentioned Bishop and herself fighting over him. How right he was with that statement, and he didn’t even know it.

Pressing his nose to hers, which caused her mind to go a little fuzzy and her brow to crease in confusion because of it, he’d gotten up and said he’d lead her elsewhere. Shaking her head gently to relieve it of the feeling she got up and made to follow him, feeling the loss of his presence. Moving to his side as she’d grown accustomed to doing, she smiled with dancing heterochromatic eyes settled only on him. “Lead the way!” She encouraged happily.(Fade.)