Willow Ridge never say goodbye

For @Niles :D Although someone can pop in and out again if they want to creep on her mourning for her sister.

It had been a full week since she had last come here. It had been hard for Ravenna, keeping herself away, though she was determined to prove that she was fully capable of moving on. She knew she would never forget her, never wanted to and no one simply 'got over' a death. However, each and every time she came here she felt herself falling into a deeper and deeper sorrow. Was this ever going to get easier? Was this emptiness, helplessness, ever going to go away? How many winters would it be before she found her mother the same way, her father, @Niles even? There was a lump in her throat and a swirling in her gut as she approved the grave-site of her little sister, a place which she rested with a pawful of others: Xetor, who had suffered a clueless fate that was horribly unresolved, Skana, whom according to Morganna had been the most wonderful 'nana' anyone would ever know and a great guide to her mother, and of course Guiness, the best guardian that Willow Ridge had ever seen since its very creation. Her throat tightens as she sits down close to the compacted mound of dirt, barely now noticeable under the willow tree. She lays the beautiful Nootka Roses down onto her where Isolde rest with a sigh, choking back her tears at the memory of her sister. ”I love you s-sooo much...” She chokes back the words, fighting away the tears as she slides down into a lay over the grave. It was probably hours before she pulled herself up off the ground, wiping at her wet cheeks and muzzle with the back of her wrist. After a silent 'ill come back' mumbled along her dark lips, the young woman went padding back into the heart of her homeland. As she did so, she brushed along a few trees and bushes, firmly marking these lands as the home of Willow Ridge wolves. It did not take her long before she was rounding the large rock formation which made up the pack's den-site. She peered within, her silver eyes aglow in the now darkness, as twilight came upon the land. She could smell the thick scent of her mother and father, who likely were slumbering within along the back wall as their typical placement. She smelt Niles too in there and though she heard him shuffling around. ”Niles?” She whispered ever delicately, not wanting to disturb her parents or any of the pack members that might be sleeping within. It had been some time since she was able to have a one-on-one with her brother and she missed him dearly. ””

His little chat with Greer was a mere memory now, having taken place so many weeks ago. The dried out raven was his near-constant companion these days and he only ever strayed from it when he thought to get a drink of water or nibble at the grass for some sort of sustenance. Grieving Isolde's death had rendered the youngest Archer-Lyall boy into a shell of who he had once been. Once too stocky, he had thinned out enough that his barrel-shaped chest showed his ribs now that his winter coat had finally shed in its entirety. Unable to sleep anymore, he laid down on his side with his head resting on the dead raven's back, its wings spread out wide as if it were in flight.

Eventually, his shoulder and elbow started to fall asleep and he propped himself up to try and get comfortable again. That was when he heard it, the enunciation of his name. Well behind him, in the innermost part of the den, their father Angier slept and he paid the old Lyall no mind as he craned his neck upward and drew his ears forward. It wasn't like Ravenna to typically call out to him (when they had been merely monthlings, all she had to do to get him to his feet and out of the den was come prancing into his midst and pull him out by his ear or tail). It pained him now to realize just how much the seasons had changed them... how much Isolde's absence had taken its toll.

Figuring it was not the time to be anything akin to wounded (like how he had presented himself to their older brother), he slowly collected himself and stood up on all four of his feet. He came to the entrance of the small cavern and tried to smile at Ravenna. It failed but at least his wagging tail did well to convey just how glad he was to see her.

"Hi-i," he whispered back, his voice hoarse from not using it after what seemed like a very long time. The cracking of his voice in the middle of the singular word had him embarrassed and he winced briefly as he looked his age-mate over, expressing solely with his eyes and whiskered brows the question that he felt he could not voice. He let out a low, wordless whine instead, something he was sure she would understand. What's wrong?

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

She could hear a stirring within, her silken dark ears perking high on her head. Ravenna takes a few steps back, offering room for Niles to come out to the entrance. As the chill of winter had withered so had Niles' thick coating. It was obvious he had not been feeding himself properly and it was ever more obvious he had spoken even less then he normally did but the rough cracking of his voice as he greeted her. His eyes showed a sense of questioning, worry. She moves to him then, sweeping her muzzle under his chin and huffs. ”Easy brother... I just wanted to spend some time with you.” She spoke then, pulling away to show the faintest of smiles, a near failed attempt which mimicked Niles' own poor try at it. Their pain was very much obvious, though what was becoming more so obvious was that they could not live in this agony forever. ”Would you like to go for a walk?”She then suggested to him, offering him a small shove at the shoulder with her snout. She turns away, taking a few paces and then looking back at him, hoping that he may join her. If anything, they could stroll around the pack boarders and simply catch up on time together or maybe if they were lucky they would find something to hunt for their parents. Ether away, Ravenna was not going to waste any moments with him like she had felt she had done with her lost sister. ””

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

These days all Niles did was worry. He worried about Elettra and what kept her going now that he and Ravenna were old enough to be self-sufficient, about Angier and the way he almost slept every day away, about Greer and wherever he had gone off to... but, mostly, he worried about Ravenna and how she was holding up and what she did whenever she was far away from him. If only he had the energy to keep up... Something was happening within Willow Ridge and he was not entirely sure he liked even just the idea of it - chaos, animosity, a hint of destruction, the possibility of nothingness...

Ravenna knew exactly what words to put him at ease and his pale pink tongue darted out to dampen the front of his nose. He even ducked his head and lapped at her chin when she had pulled away. Pulling back, he saw her trace of a smile and it was enough for him to liken it as being in the presence of the sun itself. She, too, was still grieving and he only picked it up only because he knew all the body language from experience. Her metaphorical sunshine was immediately masked by clouds and her own colorless eyes gave away the exact feelings that had pooled in his chest.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" the invitation was accompanied by a familiar nudge of her nose. The action it self was like a stoker attempting to kindle what bits of ember still glowed within him with passion and a zest for life. His sister drew away from him, not too far away but far enough for him to feel that sort of longing that urged him to be with her... and how he had missed her just as much as he had missed Isolde all this time.

One large paw slowly lifted from the dry dirt that made up the den entrance, then was planted back into the earth in a tentative step. He kept his eyes on her, though, and soon enough he was at her flank just like before when they would go off on their occasional adventures through the willows. He gave her a small nod as a signal to lead the way. Even if she walked him to the ends of the Lore, he was so certain in this moment that he would follow.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

For a moment she was hesitant, worried that he might not follow her. Niles had always been determined to keep a very close eye on their father which she could not blame him for, granted the same she had done for their mother. After Elettra had injured her hip and busted her face on the hard rocks along the Heights, Ravenna could not help but blame her own self for the incident. Mother had been physically healed since then as far as anyone knew, but knowing that she had been the one to kick start Elettra's failing senses with her age was something Ravenna could not stomach. This night however she had every intention of spending it devoted to her brother and as she slowly came to her flank, a flutter formed in her belly. She presses her black mug to her brother's neck and then turns her head back around to the land before them and with a sudden burst of energy, takes off running into the night. Her breath is heavy, her heart pounding in her chest and her legs tingling with the sensation of a good run. Though she does not for a second turn around to see if Niles had been following all this time, she knows for certain he has been. She could hear his heavy footsteps, feel the hot air of his breath on her pale pelt. She, like her brother, had grown faster then their parents could keep up with. Their size and might rivaling their litters past. The two were unstoppable forces which would be sure to enforce this land and the pack which reside within were not one to be messed with. It seemed the only ones that were able to harm those of Willow Ridge was Willow Ridge themselves. Ravenna Lyall stops short then, her hot breath twirling in the cool air. At the edges of their home ran a creek to which the silver haired woman stopped at now, the forest opening up to the full moon above. She breaths in deep, trying to steady her breath as she turns to Niles. Her pale eyes are questionable, concerned and longing for her brother. ”Have you ever thought about traveling? Seeing what the world looks like beyond this forest?” Of course, not an ounce of being in Ravenna resented this place or disliked living here. Willow Ridge was her home, her safety and sanctuary and she could not imagine ever calling any other place home. Still, the young woman had always been curious. After all, she had only gotten as far east as the foothills of the heights and as far west as the Whisper Caverns just along the meadows. ””

(This post was last modified: Jun 25, 2016, 08:17 PM by Ravenna.)