Drooping Willows burdened with glorious purpose

"I'm sure she's on her way," Rowan had said, but Sköll was less than pleased. Words, he liked to believe, were his forte, and while he appreciated others' sentiments from time to time, he took to action with more gratitude than was absolutely warranted. Especially when he was in a position to possibly order others around. He shot the Attaya a steely glare but said nothing else as his Auntie Sorya voiced that she would very much like to hear what he had to say.

His silence was rendered into a lengthier pause as his mother stealthily appeared and openly acknowledged the other yearling with a touch of her muzzle to his. Sköll's eyes narrowed as he silently threatened Rowan, displeased with him as a whole. Soon enough, he hoped he would have the chance to set things straight between them, but now was not the time to express such a thing. Not when @Sorya, @Morganna, and ickle little @Deacon were watching.

Still envious eyes watched as @Elettra addressed his sister, but it was customary and still ever familiar. Very much unlike Rowan, who was a threat in every aspect to his mother's figurative throne, Morganna was his only sister and to see her receive their mother's greeting was simply a move in their little game of sibling rivalry. As it stood, it was now his turn to make a move and garner their mother's sole attention. He waited until he could not see or hear Rowan and Deacon in the distance before he found it 'appropriate' to speak. His muscles tensed beneath his unkempt coat, but the air in his presence still demanded their utmost attention.

"Mother Dearest," he cooed first, casting his gaze towards Elettra as he took one, stiff step towards her. "I've missed you; and I've come home to give you a bit of good news." When he momentarily smiled, his nearly-white teeth stood out on his face, eerily framed within his crimson- and black-stained lips and muzzle. "Now, I might not have brought Deacon home," he said, his words heavily hinting at his admiration for his beloved sibling, "buuuuut I've done something even better." He paused in a rather teasing manner, as though the silence in-between his announcement would give his next set of words a deeper, fuller meaning.

"You see," his voice lilted in a mockingly thoughtful and amused sing-song tone. "When you sent me out to retrieve Deacon, I didn't expect to run into Angier... and when he told me to venture further to the northeast, I thought, welllll, why the hell not? I might find something of interest to bring back home." He traced his tongue over the tips of his top eye teeth before continuing on to finally lead them to the point of his story, "So I did as I was told and lo and behold, I found him... Their Leader." His ears angled forward and his tail lifted subtly, "He was a pathetic, sorry excuse of a fellow, limping around while he ordered his pack around. I spied on him for days, nights, weeksssss... I got him to become so afraid, that he was terrified that we were going to attack them, Mother! He thought I was a shade, even Death, himself." He suppressed a rather hysterical chuckle, but the grin remained on his face as he continued, "Oh, really, you should have been there... He even instructed his pack to make themselves scarce, to find refuge in the forest and on the mountain and in the caverns. It was hilarious; I mean, they left him! All of them, one by one..."

He smiled as he boasted further, You should be proud I didn't touch a hair on his daughter's pretty little head. She was about Deacon's age, too... I could have taken her, made her our charge, but, no, I had to spare them-" he took a moment to look to both Sorya and Morganna, hoping that he still had their attention as well, "- because it wasn't them that I wanted." His silver-hued eyes went to Elettra now and his head tilted coyly, "I killed him for you, Mother. I bled him dry and left him there for the crows to find. He will never take another cub again." He nodded then, the expression on his face barely able to contain the smugness on his stark black features, "Because of me, they know of the power the wolves of Willow Ridge possesses. Have I made you proud?"

when we don't see eye to eye

Morganna Archer

i want you to remember, I'm still on your side

Skoll’s demanding tone was not lost on her, and while she did not turn to openly stare at the Attaya as her sibling did, the Archer princess did manage a sideways glance to try and judge the other wolfs reaction. The presence of others their own age was little more than a threat to the Willow heirs in her mind and it would seem her brother felt the same.

It seemed her sibling could draw quiet the crowd, and before she even had a chance to step away from him another voice grated against her ears, causing her lip to lift in irritation (although with her back to the gathering, her brother would be the only one to catch sight of it). A growl almost inched its way from her own chest as her aunt invited herself to listen to a tale that her sibling had already been specified as for mothers ears only. Before she had a chance to spit out her own clipped response however, the lady herself appeared and Morganna swiftly moved to distance herself ever so slightly from the blood stained prince to allow her mother room for a proper greeting.

Watching the retreating backs of Deacon and Rowan caused some of the tension to leave her shoulders. She knew her brother wished to speak to their mother alone and yet curiosity held her in place. She stood mesmerized, and even somewhat terrified as the words fell from his lips, so much more refined than her own. She managed to silently inch a few more steps away before bringing her rump to the ground, her brothers words weighing heavily on her mind. But it was an old woman... she wanted to interject, finding instead, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. That woman had belonged to a pack, she still reeked of them, and that was the scent her brother now wore. Her eyes drifted silently from her brothers blood stained muzzle and to her mothers face, her breathing shallow as she waited to see what @Elettra’s reaction may be.

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It seemed, in some aspects, Skoll Archer had lost his shit. His words were beyond cocky, a pride welling him that showed through the smirk over his blood-stained lips and the wild laughter which echoed from his mug. He mentioned himself as Death. Put in a note that he could have stolen one of their children in turn.... "Because of me, they know of the power the wolves of Willow Ridge possesses...." Elettra's body stiffened, her lip twitching at the words. Perhaps it was Elettra's own arrogance which allowed Elettra's tail to rise high, her eyes like needles upon her son. She was the true might behind Willow Ridge and it was her which had created him and she expected her son to remember this. She had molded every aspect of him worthy of him being proud of and she would shut it down, should he forget his place under her. After he was finished, she was silent for a few moments, shifting her attention to her black and peachy daughter just as she turned to her in wonder. Her body then falls lax, her tail falling as she comes to sit promptly before her look-a-like son.

"It worries me, Sköll, that you would take matters into your own paws before informing me. I am your mother and your Leader - you should keep nothing from me." What if the pack had caught him had they caught wind of him before they had all retreated? What if in the fight he had not only lost, but had been killed. It terrified the mother to think that not only could she have lost Deacon, but she could have lost Skoll too. "That being said, whats done is done. You did well, Skoll. From the sound of it, you were smart in how you approached the situation and it shows me you have learned well as both a spy and a warrior for this pack." After all, he had not just run into pack territory, puffing his chest and snapping his jaws at those he considered his enemy. He did exactly as a scout should do... He waited out his time, he examined and assessed the situation and only took action at the opportune moment when he was sure he held the upper paw. He had proved not only to be a good scout, but a deadly assassin. "I am proud of you, my son."

Much to Sköll's pleasure and satisfaction he was well-received; even if Elettra directly told him that it worried her that he would take such offensive action. But, you were told, Mother, he had wanted to say. Angier should have told you. But the Archer boy knew better than to let his already slippery tongue take off and ultimately land him outside of the matriarch's approval. He nodded a few times until the words he had longed to hear, fell upon his ears. Elettra Archer was proud... of him...

The figurative silvery crown atop his head, laden with diamonds and cavern crystals, sparkled and shone in the afternoon sunlight. The medals on his puffed out chest gleaming with pride... But even before the prince had a chance to bow his head once more and announce that he was going to get some rest before taking on a night vigil that very evening, the group had been joined by a foreigner, interrupted by their sudden appearance on the borders of Willow Ridge. It seemed they were mumbling something to themselves, but what exactly, the middle-born could not make out any of it.

Sköll's head smoothly turned around to spot a small earth-colored wolf nearby, simply sitting with her ears slicked back and her head held low, as if she were expecting something of them.

Oh... The Old Gods should have shown a bit of mercy. For not long after the gray-eyed yearling had set sight on her, his tail was up and his hackles were raised. He prowled towards the rogue, a booming growl offered to her in a rather unwelcoming warning. He flashed his teeth at her, his tongue flickered out from between his clenched teeth. If anyone had the mind to spare the woman from Sköll Archer's maddened state of mind, they ought to do so now... or watch and wait while the deadly royal further proved that he had what it took to keep his family and pack safe...

no one can tell you exactly what you have gotta be

Morganna Archer

you've gotta stand your ground, and fight to save your life

Hearing her mothers words of approval, the warm tinted wolf allowed her tail to thump against the ground, signaling her own approval, and right in front of her very eyes her brother morphed into something else. The muttering was what first caught the young royals attention, her ears pinned flat against her skull and the skin around her muzzle crinkled in disgust as the scent of a stranger dared to come close enough to assault her nostrils, after all that they had been through.

Her own reaction was just as violent as her siblings, tail daring to rest only slightly lower than his own. Her dark coat sat in savage spikes over her shoulders and down her spine. Thoughts of the long journey she had taken to recover the little one quickly burned away any notion of taking pity on the small wolf before her and as her brother growled, her own joined in the chorus, her steps growing closer together as she prepared to charge the loner and give her more than a reason to spread the word that the wolves of Willow Ridge were not to be trifled with.

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Although she had made it obvious she would have been stricken with worry had she known exactly what Skoll was up to (granted Angier mentioned he was scouting north to further look for Deacon, but not to seek out a Leader and kill him) what was done was done and the matter was over. Elettra was content to bring herself closer to her son, to brush her muzzle against his scruff and lick at his blood-stained lips... of course, had she not been caught off guard by the arrival of another just as much as her children had been. They were quick to react - firstly Skoll, whom was as speedy to the scene as always and then Morganna, who backed up her brother's moves with an equally dominant and aggressive manner. Elettra's own tail rose high, arching over her back in powerful display. She had nearly forgotten they had been standing at the border of their home and although the woman had hardly trespassed, their moment of privacy had surely been disrupt.

Despite the ill manner in which her son and daughter shown themselves, the other lady did not exactly skirt away. She kept the smile to her face, warm and seemingly sincere, as though she had exacted them to treat her in such a manner. Her tail curled under her, head remaining low though her ears rose high to catch the growls of warning clearly. Her words were kind, very kind, at that, and Elettra knew in those moments that had she been a more gentle, caring and forgiving soul (much like @Nina or @Narimé ) she might have heard her out. It seemed, without a doubt, she meant no harm though at the look of her, smaller and at a very great disadvantage granted she was blind, the Leader sought no use for her. "We are Archers..." The mother speaks boldly, her words meant for herself, her children and her sister, @Sorya , who remained close by. "...And you are not welcome here, Indie Svengard." A deep breath is taken then as she moves closer, sliding along side Morganna until she is able to reach Skoll, to which she touches her muzzle to the back of his ear. The blind woman had her first warning and it would be her last.

I apologize too.
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A sharp click of his teeth extended his warning as his sister came to join him, echoing his own growls with an advisory of her own. Sköll took one more step forward before tensing his muscles and lowering his head. There was something strange about how the ivory-furred woman moved, how she willingly without a missed beat in her sense of confidence, the way her eyes were an odd hue without pupils. Perhaps... Perhaps she was sick.

When he had expected his mother to say something just as harsh and condemning as he and his sister had, what came instead was a simple, yet firm, affirmation of who they were - as a gathering, as a portion of their pack, as a family. Following soon after that, came the very words he, himself, had wanted to howl out. She was not welcome... The prince's tongue darted out to wet the front of his nose as he sensed his mother draw nearer. His ears angled forward and the bridge of his brown- and red-tinted muzzle fully wrinkled upward to reveal his teeth.

He was itching to advance on the onlooker, though as hard as he tried to remain still, his tall frame quivered, the adrenaline in the air exciting him beyond all measure. That was until he felt Elettra's muzzle just touch the fur behind one of his pointy black ears. The fur all along his shoulders and spine bristled, but he knew very well that her simple nudge was not the signal he had waited for. His molars were clicking together in his head and in his ears the silence had begun to roar in anticipation for the kind of unmistakable command to attack or stand down.

As if to draw the answer from this Indie Svengard, he wordlessly snarled at her to heed his mother's words or be subject to quite a scare - the kind of intimidating, spine-chilling madness he had only recently refined.

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Re: - Spirit of Wildwood - Oct 12, 2014

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health