Skyfall Glen Were almost there

For @Viorel! "Blind Date"

There was water everywhere. Everywhere! At least, in this region. She hadn't explored too far since arriving in the Backwater, having been spending time learning the scents of her new packmates, marking her own scent in the territory, learning what was now her new home.

Ozark enjoyed all the water and often followed the streams to creeks, creeks to rivers... It wasn't like the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. It wasn't like that salt in the air. But, she loved it all the same. The ocean would always be and she was young. She would see it again, she knew, yet for now she wanted to see all the things she had not before.

Her venturing today drew her into the direction of the mountains. One day, she would reach the top of them. It would be some time, however. She was no mountaineer.

The Skyfall Glen was so far the prettiest land she had thus far seen since coming here. She parted the forestry around, to be met with the lake. It's waters so clear, it reflected the sky and mountains on the other side. Her tail wages wildly and she rushes towards the white sands chalk, prancing through the shallows.

Leaving the date of this vague since technically Ozark hasn't joined until the join is archived, so assuming this is forward dated.

The Valle man had learned from his co-lead that they had been joined by a couple more members of their extended family. Modesto’s children to be exact, he didn’t think the old bat had it in her. He had kept the thoughts to himself but liked to amuse himself by imagining the children being born covered in dust rather than usual birth matter. But, it wasn’t their fault who their mother was, just as it wasn’t his fault that his mother was always chasing men rather than taking care of her kids.

They had not been with them long, and so far Viorel had not had more than a few passing greetings with them. Today he was determined to make that change. These were his cousins after all, and members of the pack, and he should at least try to get to know them a little.

Still, he had not expected Ozark to travel quite this far out when he had started following her trail. It led through the woods that always gave him the creeps before opening up into a beautiful Glen. He didn’t want to startle the teen so he stayed back near the foliage and let out a chuff of a greeting since she seemed determined to go for a swim. Bit too far into the winter season to be smart in his opinion, but he would keep his mouth shut about that.

It took the babe a bit of time to realize she had been followed. After all, her heart and mind was set to exploration and her youth showed by not paying close enough attention to her surroundings. After splashing about in the crispy clear waters, she pauses and lifts her muzzle, taking a deep breath of the winter breeze.

There. Another. Someone she knew, too. Ozark's head snapped into the direction of the man as he announced himself with a chuff. "Heya Captain!" She barks our at him. Viorel. She had seen him plenty, of course, though hadn't much spoken to him besides some passing greetings and small talk. She knew of him, from the bits her mother hissed, though Ozark imagined he wouldn't take that out on her and her sister. At least, she hoped not. It would cut their time here quite short.

"Th' place is quite th' catch, hu?" She spoke as she spun herself back around to the view our before them.

(This post was last modified: Mar 24, 2024, 04:07 AM by Ozark.)

She had been so involved with her swimming and splashing that the Valle man almost felt bad for interrupting. Still, the label of captain brought out a laugh, that sounded like the Modesto that he remembered from his childhood. Now that they were a little older and a little more removed from the situation he was able to see that his aunt would have never been happy here, not without her salty air and her ocean waves. He still didn’t agree with the things he said and how it ended, but he could accept there was no other way.

He looked around at the glen, it truly was magnificent. He could imagine it was even more beautiful in the summer, ”If only it wasn’t surrounded by the creepiest woods I’ve ever seen, it’s the only thing that keeps me from visiting this place more often.” The journey here truly gave him the heeby jeebys, like someone or something was always watching and just waiting to pounce as soon as he let his guard down.

He took a few strides forwards until his toes touched the water. It sent a cold shock up his legs and he felt better than to move any further. He would wait until spring to start swimming.

He laughed. Laughing was good. Maybe he didn't feel any distrust or grudges against the two seafarer sisters after all.

Ozark's grin is a large one, toothy and eyes bright with a youth's mischievousness. "Aye, I agree t' that. They be quite ghastly." She says with a quiver of her body, moving down her spine and out the end of her tail.

She watches then as her cousin draws near, dipping his toes into the shallows of the water. She too now chuckles. "Durin' winter when the herds 'ave gone, we mostly eat wha' the sea provides. Forces ye t' get used t' the cold o' it." She finds herself explaining, but then remembers, he too had come from the seas, but that was quite some time ago.

"Do ye remember the ocean much?"

The Valle man grinned back towards his cousin as she described the woods as ghastly. He couldn’t have put it better himself, and her mood was infectious and it made him wish the water was just a tad warmer. Her words brought back memories of chilly swims during the winter, but he didn’t remember it ever being quite this cold. It felt like the coast had always been much more temperate than their current home, though the storms had been worse.

He felt it building in his throat and turned his face in time for one of his coughing fits to take over. It took a minute until it subsided and when it did he cleared his throat and looked back towards Ozark apologetically. It felt like they were getting more and more frequent, and harder to ignore. But, rather than address it he moved on, ”I do, I was there until I was about 6 months away from my second birthday so my whole childhood was there.” He missed it from time to time.

Brightening he added, ”I told all of my children old sea tales while they were growing up, Neander and the sun, and… all of the others.” He couldn’t say Sephrina so casually, but that had been where her name had come from.

Viorel began a horrid coughing fit, once which caused Ozark's tanned ears to turn back. She didn't say anything, but the look of concern would be there when he turned back around. Normally, she would say something like 'Now wha''s all that racket fer!?', yet did her best to keep herself quiet before her leader.

"Well then," She begins, after Viorel had told her he spent about a year and a half of his life on the coast. "Ye been nigh the sea longer then me sister 'n I then." They had gone off before even reaching their first year, following those itchy paws of their father. And, by her words, it was clear she had gotten her accent from him as well, not to mention a few other rag-tag seafarers that Modesto had picked up into the ranks.

Their settlement had not been the famed Drowned River Estuary Modesto and the rest of the elder Valles had been transported from, but a place further northward. "Was born on Shipwreck Cove. Weren't but nine moons when we left. Trait o' me dad, as it we be."

The coughing fit passed quickly enough, and the father was relieved that Ozark didn’t mention it despite the worry on her muzzle. He wanted to move on quickly, and other than a few glances from packmates that showed their concern he had refused to acknowledge it. He knew as soon as he did Clover would have him choking down herbs every day and it was just a cough. A loud, wet kind of cough, that came and went as it pleased. But, just a cough.

The topic was changed quickly enough, ”Never heard of a Shipwreck Cove before, what was it like?” Was it all that different from what the Estuary had been? Did they have as many members? Then he grinned, ”I’ve been dying to ask, who is your dad? When Modesto left here she was alone, and I was surprised to hear she settled down so quickly.” Which was the nice way of saying he had always assumed that she was going to die an old bat all alone. He knew better than to say that to her daughter though, he remembered his manners from time to time. Yellow eyes scanned the surroundings, it really was beautiful here.

"Cool 'n crisp. Hard winters. Golden sands littered wit' large, sharp black rocks 'n an even bigger pirate ship where we would roost from the elements." She explained home, all the while with a grin on her features. There wasn't any sea here, as far as she were aware and it was odd such a seafaring woman to be so far from it. But the water hard. Salt stung your eyes, burned your nose, couldn't drink it. She was far used to it by now, but the pleasantries of so much fresh water around was a nice change. This lake here sure was magnificent!

"Nay, she wasn't alone." The girl corrected as she dug at the white chalk along the lake bed. "She had a plan 'n a man. Kyrios Stark, he be." Had her cousin known the man? Likely not. As far as she were aware, he never settled in one place for long, not even her mother's pack. Though Kyrios had his other qualities about him. He wasn't around so much to step on their mother's toes when it came to her ruling. Plus he always brought about with him potential members looking to settle down, food not in the area and other neat little trinkets he had found on his journey's. It was these, along with an abundance of tales, which had Ozark and her sister wanting to see the world for themselves.

"Reckon we ought t' head back?" She then asked, head lifting and ears perked as she looked to Viorel.

The salt and pepper wolf’s face became dreamy as she described the place where she had been born. Part of him did miss the sea of his childhood, not enough to ever think about going back, but it felt nostalgic, wistful. He knew he was most likely looking through his past with rose coloured glasses, but was clear that Ozark also loved her childhood. The harsh winters were not something that he missed though, wet and long, and stormy in a way that was violent.

A plan and a man. That brought out a snort, ”Having a plan does sound like Aunt Modesto.” Smart like a whip, sometimes too smart to be pleasant, and unable to hold her tongue. He should have known better than to think the woman was just going to wander away into the cold all on her own without a plan and a man as his cousin had said. At her comment he nodded once, waiting for the woman to leave the water and come to his side before beginning the journey back home. The woods felt slightly less creepy alone.

FADE

(This post was last modified: Aug 21, 2024, 01:45 AM by Viorel.)