Blackberry Fields infractus

mapplethorpe

there are ghosts everywhere

March 8th; Before daybreak; Partly Cloudy, breezy; 18° F/-8° C

He should have stayed put, kept within the confines of the Pass with the cliffs looming over him every which way aside from the path that led down towards the lower lands of Relic Lore and the other side of the mountain. But his heart - oh, his aching heart, silent for half a decade until tonight - would not allow it. He bid himself to run, to right his mind again and to soothe the longing that had flared up after his queen did so much as even breathe in his direction. It was still hours before dawn but the man did not and could not stop running until he his limbs became entangled with sodden vines, still hidden beneath a thin layer of frost. One forepaw was ensnared, then the other, and Mapplethorpe came to a startling halt.

A hiss emitted from between his teeth and he closed his eyes as he let raspy breaths come from his parted jowls. He laid there on his side in the middle of what seemed like a barren field, tense as he tried to bury everything he had just advised Naira to do. As hard as he tried, for once and possibly the very first time in his life, he could not invigorate himself with half-truths and partial lies. Everything suddenly hurt, and his body ached even more after tripping head over heels into the clearing well away from his usual haunts.

"Balatro," he chided himself, at last finding the means to right himself into a more sphinx-like position in the patch of snow. "Fool... Stop... Stop it now." He gasped for air until his ears folded and he found himself uncontrollably shuddering. After all his long years, after being so certain that he would remain alone (just as his sisters had always said to tease him), all it had taken was the slightest bit of proof that showed him that Naira had indeed placed her trust in him... and him alone. It was not meant to be, he told himself in his head. If it had, he would have been born several years later and he would have easily fit in with the rest of his pack mates, deeming them to be his contemporaries.

When his shivers ceased and he trembled on his own accord of being tired from his run, he glanced to the open sky above, staring despairingly into the clouds that hid the stars. A single, low-scale note sounding from his throat as one last testimony to his newfound lamentation.

we carry them with us wherever we go

template base by GINNYSAURUS | image by DAWNTHIEVES.DE

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2013, 07:12 AM by Mapplethorpe.)

          For a canine species who were inclined to have thermal layers of fur upon their bodies, the breezy daybreak temperature on this morning was at best ideal at this time. Perhaps, a little too ideal, given the time of day and the season (and mainly, the individual who would deem such a temperature as ideal). While the temperature number would have been downright frigid for any other creature who wasn't blessed with the natural coat of a canine (or who simply despised the cold), it was oddly pleasant and much warmer in degree than normal for the D'Oliva this morning. Rising from the stuffy confines from her den in the Secret Woodland, Ecco awoke well rested. Giving a thorough shake of her dark pelt and a drawn yawn, the D'Oliva whisked away from the borders of the Woodlands. Being the first time escaping the protection of the Woodlands, there was a sense of wanderlust suddenly striking the Subordinate. For once a previous rogue begging and nearly on her deathbed to be accepted into canine society again, this sudden bout of wanderlust was slightly unusual, but one that Ecco chose not to argue nor ignore.

          A quick breakfast of fowl and a cotton tail along her way had her licking her chops as she devoured both of her caught meals in no time. There was an uncommon spring in her strides, feeling the radiance of her health and mentality begin to blossom once again. The previous Winter had been largely unkind to the D'Oliva, bringing her to flesh and bones and without a sliver of silver lining to push through to the primaveral season ahead. As fate was funny in its own manner, there was a twist in circumstances for Ecco, and so found herself nestled quite smugly amongst the Subordinate ranks of the Woodlands. Once slowly regaining her vitality back, Ecco deemed it safe enough for her circumstance to leave her new home, her new pack, the new society she was initiated into, to once again fully enjoy the outskirts of nature that nearly was the end of her. Nature might have been harsh, but in the same manner... provided much beauty and kindness to explore.

          A peculiar scent crossed her nose, her paws changing fluidly in the direction of the smell. It was masculine, foreign, with a certain flavor masked upon it. Pack wolf, not from the Woodland. The Blackberry Fields were one of Ecco's favored spots to run freely, largely contrasting from the otherwise tangle of the Woodland where it was quite compact. Ecco happened to find herself on the plain of the Fields this morning, and her nose leading the way to a new scent in the distance. Once Ecco was able to come in proximity and pin point the source of the scent, her strides slowed to a bouncy trot, then came to a gentle stop with enough comfortable distance between the two wolves. An Eastern Timber from first impression, mottled with a mixture of grays, black, brown, and tans in a medium build. His golden eyes leered to the skies, looking at nothing in particular. Ecco's own amber eyes shifted upward, staring at the silent drift of clouds. For a moment she too was captivated by the nothingness above them, and silently thought about what could have been so fascinating about the skies at this time of daybreak. An answer from a higher being? A message from an ancestor? Or perhaps a guided direction from the constellations, just before daybreak was doomed to rob them? Ecco's eyes adverted back to his form once again. There was something about him he was contemplating, perhaps even hoping. Her tail gave a sway behind her, her stance neutral. "If you're looking for a sign, I don't believe it'll be up there." Ecco then mused. While it was not necessarily a typical greeting of sort, Ecco tested to see whether or not she could initially be on the same thought frequency as him from the get-go.

mapplethorpe

there are ghosts everywhere

Every organ within in ribcage lurched and he winced from the sudden sting that came with an expression of surprise. His masked face immediately turned toward the sound of the approaching stranger, his ears slicked back and his jaws agape. He sealed his lips, looking away in abashment. Her own signature perfume wafted his way and he grimaced as he sniffled. His brows touched and he eventually shook his head. Perhaps she was right, that he was searching for an answer in the wrong place. As a wolf, simple and wild and instinctive as they come, he held no beliefs for God, gods, or any other deity that might grant him relief.

Fate, on the other hand, he chose to dismiss time and time and time again, believing that his choices, and his choices alone, made reasons as to why things went they way they had. The Nomad still trembled and, after an attempt to swallow the growing lump in his throat, he turned to gaze upon the new arrival again. His breath made him quiver, the air hastily seeking refuge in his lungs one moment the getting caught in his throat and fluttering out in an uneven fashion. A cold, damp tongue reached up from behind his teeth and dragged itself across the front of his leathery nose, "Where... Where would it be then?"

His voice faltered and it made him look upon the younger woman apprehensively. There was no doubt about it; she had the higher ground. Her stance might have been neutral and her voice even a little considerate, but she seemed mentally sound. Mapplethorpe struggled to push himself into a sitting position and when he had, he turned his face sideways to her. His bear-like ears moved slowly to their natural positions atop his crown, but his eyes, still in anguish, turned downward.

A half-smile lifted his sides of his muzzle, clearly feigned to further cover up his grief, "I don't suppose you would have the answers or bear the sign I've waited for"

we carry them with us wherever we go

template base by GINNYSAURUS | image by DAWNTHIEVES.DE

(This post was last modified: Mar 28, 2013, 07:31 AM by Mapplethorpe.)

          An inner dilemma was unfolding within him, to which Ecco granted him patience to this, as there was no knowing what thoughts or obscurities were transcribing through his psyche in the present moment; however, whatever they may had been, they appeared to be very readable upon his facial expressions. Ecco recalled those moments, too, where the mysteries of her mentality could so easily be decoded upon her own expressions, most notably in the depths of her amber gaze. The D'Oliva stood in silence, patiently, anticipating the response (if any) that would be given. It came in the form of a question, a question asking for her to clarify the troubles that were wrought deep within his soul. To this, Ecco snorted lightly to herself in amusement. Where would it be? Ecco had sought a similar question as this several months prior. As if there was a concrete, single answer out there somewhere that was the end all to the madness. It took her a long time to learn the lesson of that, and wouldn't hold back sharing her logic. "For one, it's not up there, it's not here, and it's not even going to be out there somewhere." Ecco explained, taking a brief pause. "It's in you already." It was a dissatisfying answer, but one to which Ecco's ears preened forward in anticipation to catch what response she could elicit out of him for that answer.

          Another statement to where Ecco huffed out an air of amusement. Ecco would have the answers for him? She would be the all knowing of these instances? It was almost enough to laugh, but Ecco withheld a chuckle. Oh, she might have appeared sound now, but if only there was a means to know of the tragedies beforehand, before the Woodlands and before the Lore. Ecco let his second question mull in her mind for a moment, before stepping closer to settle on her haunches before him. "I could be of some sort of assistance, but would you really trust me so readily as a stranger to?" It had only been a mere minute, not even, Ecco approached him and he already sought a form of counsel, sign, or revelation.

mapplethorpe

there are ghosts everywhere

"I could be of some sort of assistance, but would you really trust me so readily as a stranger to?"

Her voice and choice of words teased at his ears. It suddenly hurt to try and smile and he stopped completely. "At this point in time," he began, another shiver raking up his back. "Yes. I don't... I don't know how to get through this hell. I've... I-I've never had to navigate through something like attachment before." He kept his gaze trained on his forepaws until he closed his eyes, his ears lowering once more. "Everything just.... hurts."

Another shudder, another instance of quivering like he had just emerged from the depths of an icy lake, and Mapplethorpe slid forward again. He pressed his limbs close to his body, wrapping his tail around his left hind leg. He continued to grimace, to wince, and bite back his whimpers. All his life he had known about what it meant to long for something - food, water, shelter, favorable weather, and approval among other things - but another individual? The sudden onslaught of emotion that came with pining for @Naira stripped him bare, bereft of rational reasoning and respect for the natural order of things... and granted his non-traditional upbringing, he could not help but to obey the morals his mother had imprinted on him since the day he was born.

"Everything just hurts," he repeated quietly, draping a wrist over the bridge of his muzzle as he looked back to where she stood. "Please, I beg you, make it stop. I will do whatever you ask of me."

we carry them with us wherever we go

template base by GINNYSAURUS | image by DAWNTHIEVES.DE