Aurora Heights Blood on my name

Set directly after this thread. Being left vague about events in it until it progresses more.

The man waited within the den, his large form nestled against the bedding as he waited for the dark man to enter. He wondered if he would remember him, but then again Kino didn’t exactly have an everyday coloring. He didn’t think there was anyone else in the lands with the same distinct coloring as him, as all the ones that could have been were either dead or had left him. No, he was sure he would remember. After all, @Greer hadn’t struck him as stupid. Despite Greer’s apparently selective mutism, he seemed to be actually rather intelligent. He thought back on when they had fought off the coyotes, the irony of the memory not escaping him.

Greer didn't know much about healing but he knew enough to get the members of the Heights by until an actual healer made an appearance at their borders. His younger sister, along with his mother, had taught him the basics and he had kept the information stored in the back of his mind for instances like this. The scent was a familiar one, but the shadow couldn’t put a face (or a name) to it, although he had never been good with remembering names. Faces, on the other paw, were a different story. He usually stored those away for future references, but names always escaped him. He entered the den quietly, a bundle of herbs held delicately between his teeth as he recoiled against the smooth ground. The silver face that greeted him was not one he expected to see, but one he recognized nonetheless. It was enough to nearly cause him to drop his collection of herbs before he placed them on the ground. The grey male before him had once called the monadnock home, but only briefly. A few weeks, tops. But he’d been around long enough to fight off a group of coyotes with the ebony Archer, which was enough to create a lasting memory. Where go? He asked once the shock wore off, his brows pinching tight with confusion as he (temporarily) disregarded the male’s injuries.  

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2018, 04:49 AM by Greer.)

@Greer

Kino’s auds perked as he heard the thump of approaching paws over rock, gaze fixing on the entrance. A shadow swept in and he allowed a smirk at the presence of the slightly smaller male. He seemed to be in good shape as well despite having struggled with his pack, as revealed by his fiery mate. How different their situations were. Kyna and Greer had powered through while Kino and Hal had fallen out. It made him wonder how things might have turned out with the Vale if they had stayed. He shook the thought from his head.

A clear look of shock crossed Greer’s dark face upon seeing the Leigh and he waited for the other man to collect himself, a simple question escaping his jaws. He knew from experience that Greer was a man of few words. After all, this was the third and fourth word he’d ever heard escape the Archer’s jaws. So, he decided to keep it short and to the point. ”Sahalie and I left the Monadnock to form a pack south of here, in the Vale. Things happened and we left the Lore for a little while, came back to find our pack gone. Apparently Morganna took it over then moved it over the mountain. We were on our way to go see Hal’s dad’s pack then find where and why your sister moved Quaking Vale, but we got blindsided by a pack of coyotes,” he replied.

If there was one thing that the shadow leader was exceptionally good at, it was listening. While he didn’t always offer the most sound advice—or any, aside from a few strong looks and narrowed glances—he was good at hearing others out. Usually it wasn’t by choice. For some reason, wolves thought (likely due to his silent nature) that he was kind and caring; empathetic, even. So, much to Greer’s dismay, he usually got an earful.

Today, however, he did not mind lending his ear. Not when the words belonged to a familiar face. The silver male hadn’t made much of an impression on the shadow, but enough that he had wondered where the male had gone. They had fought off coyotes together—that had to mean something.

His silver gaze swept over the male’s injured shoulder, a soft, concerned frown creasing his dark features. It didn’t look too bad, but it didn’t look good either. Nothing a few herbs and some rest couldn’t fix. He’d collected some white fir bark from some of the scattered trees along the mountain in previous excursions, as it was not uncommon for the mountain wolves to return with a few bumps and bruises. He had also collected some goldenrod from the rise, and had begun to make a poultice from the roots in order to apply it to the male’s shoulder. South. The Vale. His ears twitched at the familiar name. His sister had made a temporary home in the Vale, alongside their younger brother Niles and his dying mate. Alastor spoke of going west, to find out why Morganna had chosen to move the pack, when he and Sahalie got bombarded by a … a pack?! of coyotes. His brows pinched with concern. Morganna like west, he explained rather lamely as he motioned for the injured male to show him his shoulder, his brows still pinched tight. Niles-mate die. Not want stay. A shrug followed as his expression grew more serious. Pack-coyote? Where? It was important for the Aurora wolves to know, especially with their low numbers. Greer wanted to make sure the scrawny creatures steered clear of his borders. 

Kino hadn’t expected the information that did to come out of Greer’s mouth, so bittersweet. In a way, it was everything he was looking for and everything he’d hoped he wouldn’t. Morganna was in the west, that was valuable, but he felt his heart break. Cas was dead, and he hadn’t been there to say goodbye. He’d cared about her, truly. However, not in the same way he cared for Sahalie. The frail girl had been some resemblance of another best friend to him, had helped to guide him and had been a big part of helping him grow up. Hal had shown him kindness, while Castel had shown him resilience. He couldn’t thank her enough, and now he would never be able to. How was he going to tell Hal?

However, Greer didn’t know about the bomb he had casually dropped and Kino didn’t want to let him in on the hurt he was feeling. So he did his best to remain stone faced, serious as he had before about what he’d been saying. The dark man asked him where the coyotes had been, a question he’d expected to be asked. Any smart leader would want to be privy to the information, especially because it could involve their own charges. ”Not too far from here. We were close enough to smell the borders, but they weren’t super strong. Along the Heights,” he revealed, hoping it was a good place to start.

If Greer had known that the silver male had been more than just acquaintances (packmates) he would have softened the blow instead of dropping the news of Castel’s death like a stone into water. His former packmate, however, swallowed the news discretely, leading Greer to believe that nothing was wrong. But, the shadow had always had a bluntness about him. His clipped way of speaking dripped with honest, brutal truth regardless of who he spoke to.

Instead of lingering on the subject of Quaking Vale and the move Alastor dove into his response to Greer’s question. It appeared the coyotes had lingered a safe distance from the Aurora borders, but still close enough to cause the fur on the back of his neck to bristle. Once he finished with the injured male he would scout out the area to ensure that the coyotes had moved on, otherwise he would rally up one of his subordinates to accompany him in chasing of the coyotes. A few wolves were no match for a group of the mutts, but Greer did not have the luxury of numbers, nor was he interested out in seeking out his remaining family members in the willows.

Where Hal dad? He asked, his maw canting to the side as he studied the silver male. Alastor had mentioned they had been on their way to find the male; how far was he from Aurora?