Sacred Grove shadows creep

RE - Lenticular clouds can be seen hovering over Serpent's Pass from all over the Lore.
@Vasco ^^ Set vaguely between her talk with DEB and her fight with Eclypse.

Trudging back toward the mountain felt nearly like heading to the executioner. The forests were a welcome reprieve from the slopes, but as she headed nearer and nearer to the looming mountain, Nori felt more and more like she was making a mistake.

It wasn't far-fetched. She'd made a good many mistakes in her life - and far more to come, if her track record held. It wasn't looking good for her so far.

She was heading back up to a grieving Cove, after all. Moon's death was making waves, she knew, and Archer's still weighed heavy on her shoulders. Both losses felt like she was being crushed under a great weight - made her legs feel stiff and her head floaty.

Nori didn't want to go back up the mountain.

But she had to, didn't she? She was welcome there, somehow. Nash had been happy to see her, at least - maybe it would stay that way upon her return. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she thought they would.

A clearing came into view and from it, she could see the peaks. Clouds surrounded them, smooth and unnatural-looking, and it gave Nori pause.

If she were a religious wolf, she might've considered this a bad omen.

Vasco had no eyes for the heavens, only glancing towards the mountain side every so often in a faint hope of spotting a dark figure heading down. But they had been cautious lately; The cowards! He still wasn’t entirely sure whether he’d been successful in finishing off that yearling brat all those moons ago, but the evidence spoke to the opposite – if they’d found her dead they would surely suspect an accident, them hiding out like this had to mean she’d somehow made it back to tell of her fate. The aging Halex had been hiding out after his evil deed, wanting to make sure his plot had succeeded, and the heat was off his trail before he returned to the Backwater. Instead, he had a sour taste in his throat, the triumph long worn off and his ecstasy after the act turned to a deep longing for more. The Cove had to pay more, they had to feel the hurt and misery he had, more even! So he continued to plot, spending his energy hunting and sniffing for any sign that one of them had ventured back into the Edens, where the snake lay in wait, eager to strike. His stalking carried him north along the mountain’s foot, and then back south, when he came upon what he had sought for so long; the fresh stench of his enemies! One of them had been by recently, only a few days at the most, heading west. With an icy grin, Vasco had turned to follow the trail, already fantasizing about what horrors he might wreak, when he all but ran into a stranger. An elegant figure, pale tawny fur and golden-brown eyes, inexplicably turned to the sky instead of the world around her. Vasco paused in his step, instinctively ducking his head and lowering his tail as he peered up at the younger wolf, trying to anticipate her reaction as he stuttered: “O-oh m… M’ sorry.” Thoughts ”Speech”

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Running into someone was the furthest thing from Nori's mind, so she started a bit at the suddenness of another wolf's voice. Eyes flicked from the sky to nearer the ground at the submissive newcomer, and a sudden chill ran down her spine.

For some reason, when she met his gaze, she had abruptly been reminded of the snake that had bitten Archer.

It was an instinctive, baseless feeling, and she shook her head to rid herself of the thought. This was just some man - small and visibly much more nervous about her presence than she was about his. No threat, her mind supplied - far more helpfully than the snake comparison.

"No, you're fine," she told him, politely turning to face the stranger. There was no need to be any other way, and though it didn't really matter to her how he felt, she wasn't keen on someone being intimidated by her right now. Best not to cause any more trouble around here, she figured. She didn't have the energy for it.

She cleared her throat. "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything." It was awkward, witnessing the sudden submission, and coupled with her initial instinctive reaction, it made her skin crawl a bit. "You don't have to do... that."

Obviously, this wasn’t the wolf he’d been hunting, she just happened to be standing right in the middle of the trail, gazing at clouds. Irritation thrummed in Vasco’s veins, even as he groveled before the larger wolf, forcing a mask of submission upon his face. He was in no mood to pause his chase now, his heart pounding with blood lust, but he also wasn’t keen on starting a fight with someone other than his prey. So, not knowing this woman’s inclinations, he hung back reluctantly, waiting for her response. And as his rapid breaths wheezed on, one after the other, the stench of the Cove slowly faded from his nostrils, leaving room for him to take in the younger woman’s perfume. A flurry of different scents hit him, many of them all too familiar, eerily so. Vasco’s brows furrowed and arched at the same time, giving him an odd, almost bewildered expression. Then she spoke, her words of reassurance though there was little affect in her voice, the look in her eyes impossible to read. The older man cocked his head ever so slightly, gently lifting his ears and straightening up a little, though his posture was still clearly submissive. “Thank you,” he breathed, still a hint of nervousness in his voice. A moment’s pause, colorless eyes studying her intensely, as he deliberated with himself. Then he continued hesitantly: “I’m Marco, may I ask your name?” Meek politeness masking his true feelings; Who ARE you? Thoughts ”Speech”

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This man was... well, Nori didn't know how to describe him except for strange. Sure, she was bigger than him, but she was younger and not in the best shape. What kind of wolf would so willingly submit to a stranger, and for no apparent reason? She wasn't suspicious of him, nor did she suspect foul play or bad intentions, but she couldn't remember ever receiving a display of such blatant submission, and she wasn't a fan of it.

Where was this man's pride? Why was he so willing to throw it away?

Under normal circumstances, Nori would've tried to bolster his confidence in some way, but she didn't have it in her to do so today. She hardly even had the energy for a conversation, and she badly wanted this one to end.

But this man - Marco - had done nothing to warrant Nori being rude toward him, so she would maintain a guise of politeness for now.

"Nori," she offered when prompted. Under normal circumstances, she would've boasted her full name, but like the wolf before her, she didn't seem to have the energy for pride. Just Nori seemed an appropriate name to give. Nori, the screw-up. Nori, the asshole. Nori, the one who didn't deserve to brag about either one of her mother or father's last names.

Just Nori.

"Sorry I don't have more to give you. I've had a... rough few days, so," she said, letting the sentence trail off into nothing with a shrug. "I'm not the best conversation partner right now."

(This post was last modified: Sep 20, 2024, 07:49 PM by Nori.)

There was an important distinction between pride and arrogance, one that could make the difference between getting chased off and getting what you wanted. Vasco’s pride was not affected by the impression of strangers, he couldn’t care less what this girl thought of him, once this interaction was over, he’d likely never see her again; all he was after was information, and if it took a bit of bowing and scraping to get it, his ego would survive just fine.   The ginger girl wasn’t quite the well he had hoped though, initially answering him with just a first name and nothing else; Typical… True, he had given no more himself, but still, he had hoped she’d be less tight lipped; Most wolves enjoy talking about themselves… None of this disappointment showed on his face however, a polite smile and attentive ears was all she would see – if there was one thing Vasco Halex could do, it was put on a façade – and once again, it paid off.   It was a small admission, an excuse made out of politeness, but was a way in! Expertly hiding his mirth, Vasco folded his face into one of concern, showing true care for this stranger. “I’m sorry to hear that, Nori,” he said with appropriate gravitas, lifting himself further out of his submissive stance as he took on the role of consoling elder; “I know you probably don’t want to talk to some strange old man about it, but if there’s anything I can do…?” He let the statement linger, hoping to subtly influence her to keep talking; About anything, just talk… Even the most casual comment might reveal something! This stranger might just be what he needed to finally get at the Cove. Thoughts ”Speech”

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