Roamer's Rest pressures of a new place

Her head tilted curiously at his opening response. Not exactly? That was a weird response to something that was normally a yes or no answer. But, her tail gave a little wag as he mentioned he’d had a little brother named Valentine, who was quiet. Hm, a quiet sibling of the Kael boy? Who would have guessed? But, she also remembered a time when her best friend wasn’t so quiet or reserved. When he used to excitedly show her around the Lowlands and all his favorite spots. When they would lay awake and talk all night under the stars while everyone else slept. Of course, she supposed the latter still applied. But, there was distinctly less talking now.

The wagging stopped when he told her that Piety had gotten sick and had to step down. She felt a clenching in her gut, a familiar knot forming there. The same kind of knot of dread she got when she thought of her father. It felt eerily similar, and she felt her breathing hitch in her chest. Please, please, please don’t let something awful have happened. But, she allowed her breath to release when he said that she’d left and taken Valentine with her. Left was better than dead. Left made room for hope of return. But..she looked at him quietly for a moment. Why didn’t you go with them? They were the only family he had left. What had made him stay?

(This post was last modified: Nov 05, 2018, 03:11 AM by Adeltra.)

There was not a day that went by that the boy did not think of his mother and his little brother. He hoped they they had made it south. That his mother had gotten better. That his little brother was taking good care of her. He had no choice but to think positively. Any doubt and he would leave to track his mother down to ensure she was getting the treatment she needed. In order to remain in the Lore he had to keep telling himself that everything was okay. That she was doing what Piety did best: surviving.

Exactly what Cyril was trying to do. Survive. Make his mother proud regardless of the distance between them. Be the man that both she and Wraith would want him to be, even though some days he still felt like that scared cub on the tundra. Trembling and unable to move. Unsure of what to do. Where to go.

It was why he headed south. To find Adeltra. It was the only thing that made sense. He did not intend to join the willow pack—hell, he did not even know if Sven, his half-brother, would allow him to join—but he liked being in the south. It was close to the mountains. Close to her. It was also as far away from the lowlands as he could get, which was fine by him. Cyril had no intentions of returning to the tundra.

Why didn’t you go with them?

He turned to look at her, his yellow gaze softening as he studied the quiet, perplexed expression on her dark features. Well, I couldn’t leave you, he responded as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Adeltra was proud of Cyril. She was proud of how he’d grown in just a year, of the character that he was. What he’d been through was traumatic, and he was strong for it. She also worried for him. Worried about all the pressure that he put on himself. Worried about all the things that he kept internalized. He was her best friend, the one that she told everything to, one of the most important wolves in her life. She couldn’t imagine life without him in it anymore. Now, she worried about what he would do without his mother or brother around. She couldn’t gage how he was reacting, they were too early in. But, she knew she didn’t want him falling back into his hole. She’d need to visit him more often.

His words snapped her from her fretting, then threw her into another sort of fretting. A strange, foreign thumping settled in her chest and she felt her face grow hot. His eyes were so honest, so genuine, that she had to look away. Why did she look away? She felt confused. She forced her eyes back to meet his, her mouth feeling dry all of a sudden. Well, I hope I don’t disappoint, she replied with a small smile. Are you going to be okay, though? she asked, brows dipping into concern once more.

(This post was last modified: Nov 06, 2018, 05:01 AM by Adeltra.)

The corners of his mouth lifted as he watched her expression change. One moment she was all composed and stern-looking, obviously worrying too much about Cyril being on his own, and the next moment she was like a slab of butter on a hot summer’s day. But the ebony male remained calm and collected, his features smooth as she quickly averted his gaze. There was a flicker of doubt within him, wondering if he had said the wrong thing, and his own expression faltered for a moment. But he swallowed the doubt as her amber pools fell onto him once more, a soft smile tracing her delicate features. He scoffed, softly, at her remark. You could never disappoint, he hummed in amusement as he tapped his nose against the middle of her forehead.

Are you going to be okay, though?

His mouth fell into a soft line. Now that was a loaded question. He had been wondering if he was going to be okay for awhile. Not just about his mother and brother leaving, but about everything. His father. Leaving the north. Settling in the mountains. Leaving the mountains. His life had not been easy for awhile, but Cyril made it work. Having a friend like Adeltra helped, too. He did not know if he would have made it this far without her.

Yeah, he answered with a lazy, dismissive roll of his shoulders, maybe. We’ll see. Being nonchalant was better than ripping off the bandaid on his heart. I mean, you’re here, so that helps. He flashed her a crooked smile before continuing on: I’ll be staying close for awhile. Not up to traveling just yet. He wriggled his raw toes for emphasis.

He said that she could never disappoint, and though she didn’t subscribe to that it was still nice to hear. He pressed his nose to her forehead and she nipped playfully at his chin, tail swaying behind her dark frame. She missed this, the easiness of it all. It had never been strenuous to be with him, even when he was processing the initial blow of his father’s death. It was something unique between them, something she couldn't place. Perhaps, if she believed in such things, she’d akin him to a soulmate. Whether it was a platonic or romantic soulmate, well she was still too naive to figure that out.

He told her that he was going to be sticking around for a while, wiggling his toes for emphasis and she grinned. I wouldn’t let you go even if you wanted to anyways, she replied. Perhaps she’d allow him to take that how he wanted to, and perhaps she meant it in both ways.

This was what he had missed. Sure, things had been good in the Tarn for awhile. He had been working toward a role within the pack and had earned the rank of second after challenging the other yearling in the pack. But it had not been enough. Even when his mother had been the picture of health something had felt off. As though he did not quite belong. Perhaps he had always known he was going to leave the Tarn and venture south, to find Adeltra. The pair always had a way of finding each other—especially in time of crisis. As though there was an invisible rope between the two, tugging in the right direction when something was not right. It had been that way ever since they had met in the north and it would be that way until Adeltra grew tired of him because Cyril knew he could never tire of her.

Oh? He hummed as he leaned back against the tree, his chin falling to the side as he studied her. You wouldn’t let me go? His crooked smile cut deeper into his handsome features. And how would you stop me from leaving, huh? He teased as he pushed against her chest, gently, with his forepaws. Pestering her, and getting her all twitter-pated, was definitely his new favourite thing to do. Only because he was much better at masking it than she was.

He fell back with a hum, attention focusing on her. His words fell smoothly from his lips, complimented by a genuine smile that made her feel warm. She missed that smile, and it was always a treat when it reappeared. Even more so when it was because of her. She felt like she was vibrating, a sort of lightheadedness overtaking her. She wondered if she was getting sick. That had to be it, right? Maybe she’d ask Rave later what she thought. But, for the moment she didn’t want to move.

He pressed his paws to her chest, pushing lightly and her auds fell back in embarrassment. Normally she was more than equipped with sass, but for some reason her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. Her heart thudded violently in her chest, and she was sure he could feel it. How could he not? In a moment of panic, without knowing why, she lowered her head and basically head-butted her face into his chest. Stop teasing meee, she whined, trying her best to hide her face from his prying eyes that seemed to be the root of the cause of the mess she was in.

(This post was last modified: Nov 06, 2018, 07:39 AM by Adeltra.)

It was strange to see the amber-eyed girl at a loss for words and so bashful. But he knew it was because of his pestering, which only made it more enjoyable for the boy. Beneath his raw, leathery pads he could feel her heart thumping behind her ribs, causing his smile to grow even wider. For a fleeting moment he wondered if he was making her uncomfortable—if he was being a bad friend. Was he upsetting her? Had he been wrong in thinking this was playful banter? He blinked, his smile threatening to falter as his paws dropped from her chest.

Just as he began to doubt his actions she pushed her face into the fur on his chest, a soft whine paired with a simple demand spilling past her lips. He scoffed at her request and gave his head a soft shake despite her not being able to see him. He was not going to quit that easily. Not when he knew it was bothering her. He liked knowing he caused her heart to beat erratically within her chest, although he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. She might need a medic to look her over, but not until he was done pestering her. Things were typically quite serious between the two—a result of the emotional turmoil that both of them had endured in their short lives—so this was a nice change of pace.

Me? Tease you? He cooed in response as he pushed, softly, against her shoulder. I wouldn’t dare.

It was, indeed, a nice change of pace from their normal interactions. Always so serious, so wise beyond their years by unfortunate circumstance. Even with the weird feeling in her body and the teasing, she was genuinely enjoying herself. It felt a bit like it had before. Before all the bad had really started, when they were both still just kids, innocent to the tragedies of the world. It also showed her that he was healing, albeit slower than she’d anticipated. But, perhaps his pace was actually normal. Adeltra had shoved all of her grief down, compartmentalized it so that she wouldn’t have to deal with the pain. It was unhealthy, but it was how she’d survived.

He insisted that he wouldn’t dare tease her, nudging her shoulder, and she pulled her head back. She squinted at him, eyes narrowed in accusation and, in a childish motion, stuck her tongue out at him. Fine, if you’re gonna be a dirty liar, I’ll just leave, she replied, though her tone and posture made it clear that she was joking. Addy shuffled as if she were about to get up, lifting her snout in the air with a ‘hmph’. She wouldn’t actually leave, she just wanted to see what he’d do.

Aside from Jenessa, and maybe Odin, Adeltra was the only important wolf left in his life. The little Selwyn had her father to take care of her after Lenae’s departure, so Cyril did not have to worry about her falling into the wrong paws. Otherwise she would have been the only one to keep him on the Tarn. Even though he had known Cheedo for most of his life she was no Piety. He was not confident in her abilities to lead, nor did he think that the Tarn should belong to anyone but his mother. Cyril had thought, once or twice, about taking her place but he did not want to wait until he was of age. Nor did he want to restrict his freedom. Being a lone wolf he could do as he pleased, as long as he did not step on any toes and respected pack borders of course. It meant he could poke around the willows and pester Adeltra, and that was all that mattered to him.

Fine, if you’re gonna be a dirty liar, I’ll just leave.

He clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as she shuffled against the ground. He quickly draped his paws around her shoulders and pulled her in closer against his chest. No, no, he hummed in defiance as he pressed his cheek to hers. You can stay right here. For now. Until she had to return to her Ridge duties. Right now she was all his, and he was not ready to let her leave just yet.

Fade — thread complete.

(This post was last modified: Nov 09, 2018, 03:57 AM by Cyril.)