The Wildwood [TfT] Cat's eye gem

Tit for Tat, This or That

Woah, it looks like a cougar lost an eye! On a second inspection, though, it's actually a stone. How peculiar. Don't you think you should show your friends?

The young wolf hummed quietly to herself as she meandered  through the trees, soft brown eyes glowing as moonlight broke through the forest occasionally. She had come out this way to escape White Fir Notch for a little bit. She loved her packmates and she wouldn’t hesitate to defend them, but recently with the arrival of @Raela and @Gent ’s puppies , Sylva had started to feel some conflicting feelings. She couldn’t deny that there was a little bit of jealousy at the bond the new family shared with each other.  The pups were so lucky to have such a great mother and father...but what did that leave for Sylva? Her gaze drifted up toward the leafy canopy as she thought over her own past with her family.

A small sigh escaped the ebony wolf, there wasn’t much to her family, her father was dead, her best friend was dead, and her mother simply...gone. Sylva couldn’t figure it out, what had she done that had driven her to the length to simply leave? Did she blame her for her mate’s death? Was it something the yearling might do again that might drive Gent and Raela away from her? That...that was her biggest fear as another sigh escaped, sometimes, it seemed that being young was hard.

Usually, Sylva would rush straight toward Raela or Gent and ask them anytimes she didn’t understand something, but right now she didn’t want to take away from their happiness with the cubs, so she decided that it must be best to try and figure out these feelings alone...until something gleamed in a stray bit of moonlight.

She stepped curiously toward the object, unsure what it was until a startled squeak escaped her IT’S AN EYE! She screamed mentally, about to bolt from the gruesome scene until one thought crossed her mind, it...it was shiny...too shiny to be an eye at least, she glanced around curiously before scooting closer to the object..something seemed so otherworldly about it and she wanted it.

ThoughtDialogue

(This post was last modified: Jun 05, 2016, 02:11 PM by Sylva.)

<3

While he had swore that once the storms had passed he would stay in White Fir Notch for some time, Merys found himself South of the borders again. For some reason, his experiences with @Moonshadow nor @Urokh could not deter him from venturing from home, especially after such a positive one had found him in that northern glen. It had never been in his nature to stay in one corner of the forest anyway, and besides, there was only so many caches one could fill before it got excessive. Ever since Raela and Gent’s pups had arrived, he had been set on ensuring no one could say he wasn’t contributing. He had the caches memorized backwards and forwards; Raela had become an eating machine whilst feeding the young ones. Spring gave @Jynx and him a healthy advantage for keeping their caches full, and so when he knew that they were more than stocked, Merys left on his way for more venturing.
 
Part of Merys wondered if he would ever run into the dark-pelted female from the glen, but his pessimistic side encouraged him to let go of that possibility. While her scent was still heavy in his memory, part of him wondered if she would be best remembered in that one fleeting day. Besides.. he had some figuring out still left to do regarding the nightshade that had been left behind. Maybe it had been a warning for him to not look for her.. he rolled his eyes outwardly at the thought of that. Too many unknown factors; he pushed her out of his thoughts from then on.
 
The evening crept past and the moon came overhead gallantly, making it easy to stride confidently through the red-ferned forest. When a familiar scent drifted into his nostrils, curiosity pulled him towards her. What was Sylva doing out here so late? The yearling was a bit far from home, a strange thing for the up-and-coming healer who was usually found doting around Raela and her babes. She came into view in a clearing, but her inquisitive posture gave Merys pause before he spoke. He saw the twinkle, and odd sight for the middle of a forest with no water around. It caught his attention, drawing his eyes, and a strange part of him felt immediately possessive over it. The yearling had found something interesting, and he wanted to know what it was. “What are you doing out here, Sylva?” He spoke suddenly,  his voice gruff, banking on her skittish nature; a stern and disapproving tone to it. He stood tall, tail placed strategically higher than hers, ensuring his stature exuded conviction. She was the next thing the Notch had to a child, and he was not above using the influence his position gave him to remind her of that.

founding member | 2016

An ear flicked as a voice spoke up and Sylva stared down at the thing in shock before speaking “Y-you know my name..how?” she questioned it, though after a few moments her nose twitched slightly as a familiar scent drifted by and she glanced behind her to find the dark furred male, Merys. “Oh..it was you...h-hey.” She paused, glancing between her packmate and the stone, her cheeks burned a little as she realized that it had been him who had spoken, and not the eye stone as she had come to calling it.

As her brown gaze flicked between the two of them, she found herself feeling a little protective of the thing, she -had- found it after all and judging by Merys’s approach, it seemed that he had interest in it too. She knew immediately that the stone wouldn’t be worth fighting with her packmate mate over, nor would she even consider such a thing, but...she wanted that stone too..maybe..maybe she could out wit her friend?

“H-hey Merys..I came out here to get away from the pack for a bit…” it wasn’t a lie after all, she [i[had[/i] come here in order to escape the stress she had been feeling, her muzzle twitched slightly as she gestured around them both “This place is special to me and it guided me to..this…” She paused for a moment, indicating toward the eye stone “I..I think it can help the pack, there's some kinda calming effect about it..something I think would be great to have in the herb den incase someone is injured and needs calming..

ThoughtDialogue

Sylva spoke to the sparkling article as if it had been the one speaking to her, and Merys rolled his eyes dramatically. This yearling was foolish. He had appreciated their brief moment together, and even the time she had tolerated him throwing her into the river for catfish, but she was still unequivocally the strangest wolf he had met to date. He wondered if Raela’s pups would end up influenced by her uniqueness. He sincerely hoped not; one Sylva was enough for any pack. She turned to him soon-after, realizing it was him, and he held his stance. She seemed embarrassed by her mistake, thankfully. At least she knew when she looked foolish. Acceptance was the first step, they said. 
 
Her gaze flicked between the sparkling item and himself, and he was not surprised to see that she had become attached to it immediately as well, already dealing with inner turmoil. She admitted needing space from the pack, and in another moment he would have empathized with her; he knew all too well what it was like needing time away from the Lieris’ home.. though he had to admit it was getting much easier to feel attached to the area. Loyalty was beginning to set in, even if time was the only thing threading them together. He held his gaze at her, refusing to soften until he could know what it was she found. She stuttered on about wanting to take it back to the herb den, but he hardly heard any of it. He was considering which would be the best approach here. Pure dominance? Guilt? Trickery? When she stopped speaking, his focus came back to the conversation. His mind had been made up.
 
“I don’t think you should be sneaking off in the middle of the night when Raela needs your help looking after the pups, Sylva,” he said, maintaining his disapproving tone. He took a couple steps closer, keeping his head high, eying the stone next to her. It was exquisite, and the closer he got the more beautiful it became. He fought the urge to become fixated on it, mostly due to the fact that there was still someone in his way of having it. He looked back to the small, dark female, hoping he wouldn’t have to be too gruff with her to get her to move away. His tail curled a bit, encouraging his body language to make him seem more intimidating. He liked Sylva, he did, and he was tasked with protecting her as well, but that did not stop him from seizing the opportunity to remind her that she had a rank below his. She would be of age soon enough, and then she could fight her own battles if she wished. “As for this Sylva, I think it’s best if you let me look after it,” he encouraged her without a soothing tone, a warning lay on the outskirts of his words. 

founding member | 2016

{ooc} @Merys *whistles innocently*/ooc]

The ebony yearling listened carefully to Merys’s response, though she had found a few flaws in it almost immediately. Her eyebrow raised a little as she cocked her head to the side, unaware that he had been trying to guilt her, though in order for that to have worked, she would have needed to understand that he had been subtly trying to hint that she had been in the wrong about coming out here..subtly and Sylva were not close friends.

“ Um...It’s not sneaking off? I walked right out of the herb den...like I do on a regular basis at night? I come here almost daily.” She explained ash her hazel gaze drifted back toward it, she had been thinking about it a lot recently and she was starting to wonder exactly what the feeling meant. The way the light reflected in the moonlight right now had sent her heart skipping a beat as she eyed both of his eyes, Her attention wandered momentarily to the rock and she blinked for a moment, a stray beam of moonlight lit it ablaze in a bluish glow, highly resembling Merys’s gaze. What was that feeling? Need? Greed? Longing?

The wolf was snapped out of her momentary daydreams by the brown wolf’s second sentence. Why should it be left with him? She pondered as her heart had an odd fluttering sensation for just a brief moment by this...unusual confrontation. “Oh um….” she paused as she tried to sort out her thoughts Maybe it would be alright to give to him…. “I havn’t done anything wrong, i want that clear, as for it..I mean...I don’t see anything wrong if you think trying to be subtle and ominous about it, then maybe you do need it more then me….”[/i]

ThoughtDialogue

The yearling wasn’t picking up on his not-so-subtle cues; unsurprisingly, but much to Merys’ annoyance. Any wolf, despite the pack, should be more aware of his body language at her age. Ignoring it was a sign of insubordination. It seemed as though she had stumbled across some more stupidity bravery since the last time they had had a real opportunity to converse. The brassy way she spoke began to bristle the five-year-old’s hackles, and his mood darkened. He never liked being deeply involved with pack mates, for reasons similar to this. He didn’t enjoy flexing his rank, but he also did not appreciate her audacious attitude. He liked being in the middle of the pack, and he preferred others around him to understand that clearly.
 
His usual mild demeanor faded; comity and civility lending themselves a backseat. He had hoped his words would give her a scape-goat that she could easily take her leave for, but she ignored that, too. His possessiveness for the object was being amplified beyond its origin with the dark female’s actions; his patience at a marked low this evening. His craving to take what he wanted was misplaced, abnormal for the male, but he felt no guilt for his actions. She was just being an annoying little brat, and he was being an over-zealous brute. Nevertheless, that was the part he would play, slipping into it effortlessly, years of self-driven behaviour behind him.
 
“Enough, Sylva,” he snarled sharply, cutting her off. His posture heightened to as large as he could reach with his brutish frame, tail high and hackles bristling. Her petty stabs were typically tolerable – even funny at times – but not now. He expected a sign of submission from her and for her mouth to shut. He just wanted this over with and for her to go away. He wanted to grab the alluring stone at her feet and to run and hide it for no one to find; though Merys imagined Sylva’s blabber-mouth wouldn’t be kept shut for long. “Enough of your immature rambling. Act appropriately and get out of my way,” he snapped, condescending and unapologetic. He had no problem teaching a yearling superiority; his tolerance for her being his pack mate the only thing guiding his ugly and yielded uncharismatic behaviour.

founding member | 2016

@Merys
Sorry for the wit, had a lot of trouble to get this right.))

Sylva reeled backwards a few paces from Merys’s harsh tone and her eyes drifted toward the rock as her tail sagged behind her. Did he have to put it so bluntly and unfiltered? SOme thoughts of confusion added to the already maelstrom of thoughts swirling through the young girl’s head as she listened to him, it wasn’t like Merys to be so harsh and well..dominating, usually the packmates got along fairly well...but something was off about him now her gaze widened as she realized exactly what it was.

The stone…. it had to be the stone, usually Sylva prided herself on being able to hear the subtle language of nature, but it had to be the stone, whispering dark thoughts into her companion’s ears and forcing him to act this way. There wasn’t any other logical explanation, for now..there wasn’t much she could do to get him away from it’s clutches and she backed up slowly before quiesly speaking “F-fine.” and the Yearling trudged off through the forest. She had to find a way to understand this. In the past she would have quickly accepted that the rock was manipulating the large and brown male, but maybe it was other forces at work.

ThoughtDialogue

@Sylva finally began to yield, much to Merys' appreciation. He wasn't enjoying this encounter, and was thankful that she was acting appropriately so that it could come to an end. God, why had it come to this? He held his stance until she stuttered through her final words and turned into the forest. Only once her tail had disappeared behind a pine did he allow his hackles to settle and a full breath release from his lungs. He exhaled heavily as he watched the woods a little longer, ensuring she was certainly gone. The rustle of her movement quieted eventually, and Merys was finally able to pad forward over to the stone.

It was even more beautiful when he was alone with it, making the entire show even more worth it. It was bright and sharply coloured, almost resembling.. he snorted at himself at the thought. Well, it genuinely looked like a feline's eye if you turned your head the right way. The golden background and black line splitting its centre. Pride filled his thoughts, though it was still coupled with confusion. Why had he wanted this little thing so badly? Moreover, why had he wanted Sylva not to have it? The bright stone, despite the time of night, seemingly had an automagical essence about it, causing Merys to feel possessive about its uniqueness. Nonetheless, he had won his prize. 

Won. Like it had been much of a struggle. Right.

He pressed his nose against the stone, though it had no scent to it -- completely foreign to its earthy surroundings. How did it even get here? And what was Merys even going to do with it now that he had it? Was he just starting a 'strange things that happen to me' collection? Nightshade and cat's eye gems. Stay tuned, folks.

founding member | 2016