Fireweed Rise Heaven's On Fire

Worriedness seemed to be a near constant companion for the magpie as of late with their numbers being lower than usual for a pack of its reputation, Morgann's sudden appearance within the Ridge boundaries; although she had not sought out the former queen of these lands she too had picked up on the woman's fresh scent lingering about the communal den, missing members still lost without a trace weighing heavily on her mind on top of other, smaller details in her daily life. Today was no different as the piebald woman sat upon the tallest knoll tucked within Fireweed Rise, smoldering gaze attuned to the approaching cloud of darkness not unseen by the aging Timber wolf before.

A slow inhale brought forth the familiar scent of ash and burning vegetation, exhaling equally as slow before briefly narrowing her lids at the horizon. Trained well over the years in the art of tracking she knew the raging fire posed no immediate danger for now by the distance it appeared to be, but it was definitely something Enoki would be keeping her eyes on for a forest fire was an un-tamable nor predictable force. The last thing the pack needed was another major event to disturb the peace they were striving to achieve again. Surely @Nicolò would agree to such a conclusion and speaking of the dark Archer she pondered how he was fairing considering it had been before the meeting the duo last caught up on the happenings of one another.

Half a mind to seek the man out she rose from her spot only to pause in her steps, an ebony ear cocking sideways to listen to the sound of approaching footsteps upon the fire resembling flowers underfoot before her swarthy head adjusted to settle her amber gaze upon the face of her unexpected afternoon guest. Once again her aimless thoughts had led to her guard faltering.

He was aware when Morganna infiltrated their home. It made him angry that she thought that even after she walked away, she could just waltz back within the borders and act as if everything were as if she remained. The dark man kept his distance, not wanting to start any conflicts between the two packs, fully aware of his niece's opinion on him. Surely, the others understood why he would not want her there and he hoped that they sent her away and did not let her dwell within their home longer than was necessary. She did not deserve to come knocking on their borders for pleasantry visits, just as he would not go to them. It was almost laughable.

Nicolo needed space away from the pack and took the opportunity to go visit the area around which Sven and he had escaped a landslide. It was a better time than any to do damage patrol and to see if anything changed since the last time he had been there. His pace was easy and he was not in a rush. However, his plans to check in on the heights were delayed by a scent he had come to know all to well. Nic's dark head swiveled in the direction the scent was coming from, pale yellow eyes running over the fiery fields of the rise. He huffed softly and changed his course of direction, choosing quickly between investigating the damage of the landslide and seeing the magpie beauty. The dark Archer increased his pace slightly, only slowing down when he finally spotted his form.

Before he could alert her of his presence, she was already on her paws, turning around to face him. Eyebrows arched up before he spoke, "Were you expecting someone, Enoki?" If she was, he would be soon on his way but he couldn't deny the ting of emotion that flared within him at the thought of her meeting with someone else outside of the territory. He granted her a smile, not wanting to give her the idea that he did not want to be there. Though he truly did want to know what brought her all the way out to Fireweed Rise.

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Unaware yet to whom had crept up on her; although she had reacted to the presence before Nicolo could alert her, guard hairs began to rise from their rested position along her shoulders and the beginning of a silent snarl slightly wrinkled the skin over her muzzle until a voice too familiar to be deemed a threat filled her ears. Immediately a look of embarrassment settled on her delicate facial features realizing it was the very man she had just been thinking about and her leader that emerged from the shadows, guard hairs quickly smoothing back out as did her lips that had a slight curl to them. "Nico." She spoke his name softly at first, the low sway of her tail that picked up serving to silently apologize for her defensive display had he caught sight of it in the fading sunlight. Much to his relief the magpie hadn't been expecting anyone and instead had ventured to the Fireweed Rise to alleviate her own mind. It was here that she found the most solace since joining Willow Ridge.

Silence hung between them for a few seconds and when Enoki realized she had yet to answer his question the smoldering amber hue of her eyes sought the pale yellow of his own before shaking her head with a soft smile adorning her lips. "There's only one wolf I could possibly expect to meet me here, but I highly doubt she would have the time to make such a trip for little old me." A low chuckle was emitted as her ebony limbs brought her closer to where he stood, running the top of her muzzle smoothly against the underneath of his own in greeting before pulling back to look up at him once more. "I like to come here to think, or decompress depending what's on my mind." Her words were spoken in truth and the unspoken fact that the scent of burning vegetation on the wind caught her attention was just an added bonus, but that left a question of her own. If she came here to think, what had brought him out this way?

Part of her wondered if it was to scout the area for signs of Morganna lingering around considering the bad blood still firmly in place between them, if not more so now that he surely had to have caught scent of her within the territory without so much as knocking first. Former queen, or not, there were still rules in place one had to obey and she out of anyone should have known better. Another part of her; after learning more about him the more time they spent together, doubted the dark coated man would stoop low enough to go out of his way and seek her out knowing the chance of a feud breaking out if he did so. Regardless, though, she wasn't going to let her mind run too wild. She had come to alleviate her worries, not add to them.

A pleasant thrill went through him at the use of his nickname but he remained silent. Her defensive manner did not bother him but he was still curious. It was not long until she indulged him and he felt satisfied that she was not meeting anyone else in these fields. Nicolo watched with guarded eyes as she approached, returning her affections in turn. To her last words, pale yellow eyes looked out towards the beautiful lands she had come to visit. The man allowed his body to stay decently close to hers while he observed the area. However, it was not long before he turned his gaze back on the true beauty in the area: her. His voice was rough when he spoke, but soft, "It is quite beautiful." There was something else that she said that had caught his attention though and he could not quite let that go, as her leader and as her friend.

His eyebrows crinkled, gaze not wavering from her face. He spoke again, voice slightly stronger in the night, "Why do you feel the need to decompress? Is there something wrong?" She had been his first ally within Willow Ridge when he arrived and Nicolo wanted to do whatever he could do within his power to make her happy. If something happened, he would be sure to remedy it. He breathed out a small sigh, his yellow eyes imploring, "If there anything I can do?" He surely hoped so.

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Lips pulled back ever so slightly to widen the already existant smile upon Enoki's dark face when her ears caught his rough, but soft voiced agreement in regards to the beauty Fireweed Rise held, her head nodding once to further solidify her own agreement before taking a single step back to lower her ivory clad haunches into a seated position. Her gaze momentarily wandering away from Nico's handsome features to gaze out over the rolling knolls, admiring the beauty of the landscape before his voice filled hear ears again. Drawing her attention back to him as he questioned what was wrong firstly then added if there was something he could do to alleviate whatever it was that currently plagued the magpie's mind.

Now it was her turn to release a small sigh, easily meeting the ebony man's yellow gaze despite the difference in ranks that would normally make such a gesture deemed an act of insubordination. A single snowy shoulder lifted briefly in the form of a small shrug, giving her mind a few moments longer to gather her thoughts in line before indulging @Nicolò with her troubles along side his own. "I'm worried about Willow Ridge." Enoki started gently, her mind replaying all of the events that have come to transpire, feeding her growing concerns like a ravenous tumor. Since the time she was deemed a wolf of the Ridge she couldn't recall their body count reaching such low numbers.

Now they had but a handful of wolves to their name after Morganna's mutiny removed not only herself but others that supported her cause from their ranks. That had been a hard blow on the pack, but their numbers plummeted further with the disappearance of not only the Dark Queen's mate, but her two sons Skoll and Niles as well. Then came the addition of Skoll's newest orphaned child, a daughter by the name of Attica that was brought in by her ivory guardian and older half brother Sven whom had done marvelous in caring for the young child despite being inexperienced in the child rearing department.

An expanse of silence fell between the two wolves before finally the magpie colored woman spoke up once more to offer more details about where her mind was taking her. "Our numbers have dropped considerably and I worry they will continue to drop until the pack is nothing more than a whispered legend in these parts. Whisper Caverns is no more and how long will it be until we fall victim to a similar fate?" Smoldering amber eyes now ignited with the same passion and drive she felt deep inside her core. "I do not want us to be reduced to nothing. I have ventured beyond my normal radius in hopes of crossing paths with other wolves to try and persuade them into swearing their loyalty. I've gone out almost daily in search of our missing members to bring them home and make this pack whole again on top of attending to my regular task, but every night I return empty handed. I want to return Willow Ridge to a state of glory I know it deserves." A low rumble resonated within Enoki's chest as a sense of failure overcame her, marred muzzle tearing her gaze away from his the moment she could feel the early prickle behind her eyes begin. The Ashrelle woman was doing her damnest to keep this pack alive and yet she had no evidence, nothing to show for it except hours of accumulated travel time under her paws and many sleepless nights. Something that was useless in restoring the Archer kingdom to its former glory like she wished.

Nico wished he could keep the smile on her lips but knew that the shift of conversation would cause no such thing to happen. He watched as her features fell and the dark man's ears cupped forward in order to pick up what she would say. Enoki met his gaze once more and he was thrown off by the intensity of it. Her words struck a deep chord within him, her words echoing his very thoughts. Silence passed between but they remained eye contact. He would not interrupt her. After awhile, she continued, getting to her point. He listened to her every word and watched her closely as she spoke.

When she started going into how she was working towards bettering the pack, the dark Archer saw the spark in her eyes and she was as beautiful as ever. His heart pounded viciously in his chest, moved by her passionate words. She too was emotional and he was concerned that she was working so hard to bring others in when he was sure that others were not working as hard. He surely was not. Nico had never lost a night of sleep over looking for new recruits but he had lost a night of sleep worrying over the future of their lives. The man moved closer and nuzzled her cheek gently, trying to provide some comfort. He pressed closer, attempting to embrace her before he spoke, "Thank you for all that you've done. It is that kind of work that will make Willow Ridge strong again. And...goodness forbid it doesn't, I will stand by your side no matter what." She was so strong and she was trying to be strong all on her own, but he was hoping that she would not have to do that any longer.

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Gradually the rumble of a growl within the woman's chest began to die down to a soft hum, a few blinks now that her eyes were adverted from his soothing the soft burning sensation of forming tears that collected in the corners. Slowly a deep inhale was taken and released, the action helping Enoki to collect herself and reign her emotions back in after bombarding @Nicolò with a passion filled speech. A quondam moment of weakness in his presence. It was during this moment of collection that his gentle touch to her cheek almost went unnoticed, a couple more blinks of her eyes ensuring there were no traces of tears left before allowing her smoldering amber gaze to lock once more with that of his pale yellow she so easily became lost in.

Now it was the Archer man's turn to fill the air between them with words, rounded ears cupped forward to drink his expressed gratitude like milk and honey as his body pressed closer to hers in order to offer a form of embrace which she readily accepted. A pleasant thrill coursing down her spine at the closeness while she listened intently to the rest of what he had to say. For a brief amount of time Enoki could only stand there in silence, her tongue unable to form a proper response where her mind was prompting her to answer with something, anything at all. Finally it seemed the two parts of her connected, a warm smile finding its way onto her inky lips before speaking. "I would like to see the pack thrive again, but if fate determines that impossible at least I can rest assured I'd still have you by my side." Marred muzzle gently brushed against the man's cheek then slid smoothly along the side of his neck, another soft rumble forming in her chest, but this one reserved entirely for him rather than the subject at hand. Together, they would bring Willow Ridge back to a state of glory.

He took it as a good sign that she had yet to pull away from him. Breathing a soft sigh of relief, Nico allowed his words of comfort to slowly sink in. The dark man could feel his heart beating anxiously in his chest as he waited for a response. The Ridge was extremely lucky to have Enoki; she worked harder than anyone else that he knew in the pack and it almost made him dizzy thinking about how lost he might have been without her guidance. He pushed his nose into her scruff to inhale her scent, the response she gave rolling over his ears and resonating to his core. A small smile made its way onto his lips. It was nice to know that someone other than his dearest sister Adele cared for him. He felt as though ever since they had some into the lore it was him against everyone else.

She moved to caress his neck and Nicolo remained still, not wanting to pull away from this embrace. He knew that all good things had to come to an end though. Eventually, he pulled away, yellow eyes looking into her ambers. Breathing another sigh, he spoke, his voice mellow, "I am also worried...about Craw coming back. They are too comfortable with visiting, apparently." Nicolo would have thought that if they left, it would have been quite obvious that they could not return. Of course, they still have family in Willow Ridge but if they truly cared they should have remained within the pack so that it would not crumble. None the less, the damage was done and Nicolo knew that he would have to do everything in power to keep it alive. After all, he was almost positive that his eldest sister would never agree to keeping them out for too long. Morganna was her greatest creation.

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Enoki kept her muzzle buried against the man's scruff and allowed her lids to come to a comfortable close until eventually he pulled away, the moment she wished would last forever yet knew couldn't receding to allow more pressing matters to surface once more. She listened attentively to Nicolo's expressed worries that branched off from those already present, fur along her ivory clad shoulders immediately bristling the moment her ears picked up on the snake's name while the corner of her lips twitched in desire to snarl. Although she herself had not intercepted Morganna during her; in Enoki's opinion, disrespectful visit to Willow Ridge the news of her arrival had not gone unnoticed for her stench had lingered both within and outside their boarders. Something that irked the lawful piebald immensely. She was no longer acknowledged as a member of Willow Ridge and Elettra being her mother still didn't give the woman rights to just waltz in whenever she pleased. Out of everyone Morganna should know better.

A sigh of her own soon fell from her inky lips, head giving a small shake to the situation as a whole before locking her amber gaze onto his once more. "Let them come. I'll be more than willing to sink my teeth into their rumps and chase them out should they dare try to enter our lands without proper invitation again. Family or not, they would still be deemed intruders in my eyes and dealt with accordingly." Her tail gave a sharp couple flicks as the idea played out within her mind and managed to get herself worked up again, a rumble sounding in her chest. Alas, she knew getting worked up at just the thought of them would do none of them any good. This was the problem. The direct threat had been removed yet there were still remnants left behind that plagued those whom remained, stressing individuals such as @Nicolò and herself when peace should have been acquired.

"Enough about them, though." Another rumble sounded within Enoki's chest as she angled her head up to playfully grab onto the ebony man's ear, offering the piece of flesh a playful tug while her tail lifted behind her to wag swiftly. They both could use some stress relief and what better way than some good old fashion play time as if they were pups again? Releasing his ear she jumped back and lowered her upper body toward the ground, spreading her forelimbs apart while keeping her rump in the air and letting her tail wag madly. A serious of barks escaped her lips. All signs that she was inviting him to join her.