Blackberry Fields and watch me burn

Ranger knew she was forgiven when she saw his head nod, a forgiving movement. She wasn't used to seeking forgiveness, but she did not want him to think her stupid or presumptuous. It had been rash to voice her thoughts aloud like that, without even knowing him or his situation, and she had paid for it by her own chastisement. When he asked about her, though, she frowned. She also was unused to speaking of her personal history or thoughts to others, but if he had shared his story, she might as well share hers.

<b>"I was thrown from my pack,"</b> she stated simply, knowing immediately what he must be thinking. Was she a troublemaker? Was she disobedient? But Ranger was none of those things, truly. In a pack that dealt fairly and treated everybody as equal as possible, she would have fit in perfectly. <b>"I had been groomed by my father from birth to hate and despise my older brother. He liked other males, and to my father that was a cardinal sin. My passage into adulthood, and subsequently my rank as delta, was marked by a tragedy. I had forced my brother out of the pack, sent him running for his life. It was only after he was gone that I realized how horribly wrong I was."</b>

The simplicity of her tone when she answered his question did little to match the reality of her situation. It was almost stated with a flair of nonchalance – something that Ruiko couldn’t quite grasp from her first spoken words, for the idea of not being with his family was enough to take the oxygen from his lungs. It was painful.

The dark girl proceeded to explain the reasons. Her words only drew a blink from the tawny male, and his golden eyes remained steadfast upon her. It was a very personal matter, which was something that left the large Tainn slightly uncomfortable from drawing out of her. “And is that why you’re here? You’re looking for your brother?” It was a question that avoided discussion on her feelings about the matter, more or less, and was something that perhaps he could help her out with in regards to whether or not he had met the male. Ruiko kept mostly to himself, but it was nearly impossible to not stumble upon another every now and then.

(This post was last modified: Sep 02, 2010, 05:48 PM by Ruiko.)

Ranger hadn't exactly finished her story, but she knew Ruiko was smart enough to put two and two together. After she had realized what she had done was wrong, she began to go against her father's wishes. So after a year of being the Delta, she was chased off for trying to protect the few other boys who had, in her father's eyes, contracted the "sickness" somehow. Ranger knew now that wolves were born to want to mate with one gender or another, and it was not something you could help.

Ruiko looked uncomfortable. Her personal story was perhaps too personal for him. They both had reasons to keep their feelings and intimate stories to themselves, and here they were, sharing with each other. They were strangers, not <span class='word'>kith</span> or kin, and it wasn't easy to let at least some walls come down. <b>"Yes and no,"</b> she answered, her eyes cast down to the dirt between them. <b>"I am here to find a new life, and to do penance for my sins from that life. But I also hope that I can find him eventually and apologize for what I did to him."</b> She was perfectly aware that a simple apology would not be enough to erase her wrongs, but she hoped that it would put the siblings on the road to recovery.

Unable to fully grasp the concept of purposefully harming a sibling, the large wolf simply allowed his eyes to gleam off the top of her head, mildly contemplating what life could have been like had he not been fortunate enough to have such loving and accepting parents. Yet abstract concepts were not amongst his talents, and the Tainn wolf found his gaze upon her dark features once more as she spoke.

While he was curious to what this penance could possibly be, the tawny River wolf made no lead to bring the question to face. Instead, Ruiko gave a mild nod of consideration and understanding, though he soon found himself at a loss of what to say. “I’m not sure what kind of new life you’ll find here.” There was a small pause as he sensed the bitterness in his voice. “I can’t say it’s done much good for me and my family.”

Ranger had often fantasized about having parents who loved and respected you for who you were. She had never had that, especially since her mother had died in childbirth, bringing her into the world. She had never had the chance to feel guilty about that, especially since her father had said her mother was weak for dying, that she was too strong of a child for her mother. Ranger now felt horrible about believing him, mostly because she knew her mother was not weak at all, she had become sick during her pregnancy and had died as a result of it. Quest had told her that many times in their early childhood, though not in a malicious way. Whatever Ranger wished for, though, she had been dealt a certain hand and had played it to the best of her ability.

Now that she was away from that horrid pack of hers, she could begin to heal, to see things in a new light. She was jealous of Ruiko's family life, even as he spoke a bit bitterly of the land. <b>"It has to be better from where I came from,"</b> she replied, her eyes inching up toward his. She felt comfortable around him; he was an easy wolf to talk to and although she was usually a reserved wolf, something about Ruiko made her trust him easily. They were both guarded, though today it seemed something in the air had told them to loosen up. Ranger remembered Ruiko saying something about a tragedy, but didn't want to push it today. Maybe she'd learn of this tragedy in days or weeks to come, if she ever saw Ruiko again.

Her gaze lifted, though the tawny River wolf did not match his eyes to hers. He knew she was studying his reaction to her words, and all he could do was lift his shoulders in a shrug. “I couldn’t say,” he amended, not knowing what trials she had truly been through; her tale of her father and his bias ways seemed only to be the tip of the iceberg.

His eyes swept over the she-wolf for a second, once more studying the soft bits of silver fur that streaked across her large but defined frame. Still he made no questions regarding the scars that adorned her body – the assumption could be made that her father was a vile creature, and either he had done such things to her.. or had somehow forced them upon her in another fashion. She was a broken warrior and it intrigued him.. and while he felt the sudden desire to bring her home to the River, he knew such a thing was random and foolish. They knew genuinely nothing of one another. Instead, his bright eyes drifted from her to the path he had come, once more remembering the tiny mouths that needed to be fed at home. “It’s been a pleasure, Ranger. But I must be on my way now.” There was hesitation in his departure, and the tawny wolf stalled long enough to see if she had anything else to say.

She felt like her emotions were <span class='word'>kenspeckle</span>, right there on her sleeve to be viewed by the world. But like Ruiko, she suppressed them. Ranger wasn't one to act on rash impulses especially when dealing with near strangers. Ruiko said he had to leave and she nodded. She should get going and find a den to call hers for the night. Life as a lone wolf wasn't easy, but it was what she wanted, for now at least. <b>"Likewise,"</b> she replied softly, nodding. It had been nice to meet him, and she had to leave, as well. <b>"Maybe I'll see you around."</b> she said hopefully, with a ghost of a grin on her blackberry-stained lips. And with that, they went their separate ways.