Whisper Caverns Down the rabbit hole

A gentleman he was indeed, though nobody said that he didn't enjoyed himself a little bit at the same time. The two were not mutually exclusive things to occur. So the male have let his eyes wander a little bit, when given a chance, from time to time. Realizing just for how long he'd been on the road... He did all of this as it would have to be something really wrong with a male like him, to not try enjoy himself a little around a strong, independent and good looking woman like her. How strong and how independent he was yet to discover, but having been trained to replace his father - his eyes were quick to inform him how unwise it would be to try mess up with her. Especially for a loner that lacked the opportunities to train like the pack folk did. Like he used to do too.

The dark male have unknowingly reciprocated the smirk she had given him as the male listened in to what she had to say. That's right, Blackmoore was definitely not one of those males that only listened (or appear to) when it served their goal further down the line. Or the tail so to speak. No, the male was above that, being genuinely interested in Ravenna had to say. So he'd listened in to the words of the silvery woman next to him, as she'd spoke about scouting missions as the way to see the world. Instead of being a loner that is... Well, the catch was that his current status wasn't exactly by choice, but the male have tried to understand her outlook on the matter. Every pack is different after all. And just like people, they differ. His home... just didn't worked out to him in the end, that's all. The bit about the waterfall however, have made him smile as he'd turned to look at her again. "I have been born near one. 'Queens Tears', that's how this waterfall was called." Blackmoore spoke thoughtfully with his baritone. "According to an old folk tale, an alphess of uncanny beauty have climbed the ridge to mourn her beloved one - slain by a pretender. She cried a river, denying his mate's killer access to herself." The male have turned back to the waterfall before adding. "I have always found the story quite sad." His muzzle risen to look up towards the point where water begins it's descent. It's fall. "It's just a legend however."


The woman beside him then have questioned wouldn't it be best for him to find a place before the winter. A sound argument indeed, and truth to be told, he had been looking. "Oh, I'm thinking of that of course. I just don't want to fall in somewhere I won't fit." The male responded, turning his gaze back to the amazon and giving her a faint smile. "But since you've asked, would you mind telling me about the pack of yours? I could come back south if the north failed me. You never know."

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2018, 10:36 PM by Blackmoore.)

Soon after saying that she had never seen a waterfall until she had come to this one, curious of the home which her pack's allies once lived, Blackmoore spoke up that he had seen a waterfall before and not only this but had been born near one called Queen's Tears. He would not leave her with just this information but go on to explain the back story of the name and Ravenna listened with much interest. Ravenna, after her sister had died and her brother had ran off with their aging, blind father, had grown up on these stories. While Elettra's hip was healing from her fall and while the pair was strolling the outskirts of Drooping Willows, the mother would often tell her daughter (Ravenna) stories of their history, stories of Torbine where the first Archer was 'created' and stories of the Gods of Old. Ravenna enjoyed them and imagined herself, one day, to be a bit of a historian as her mother had been once she grew old and tired, perhaps unable to search for herbs as she once had. She knew her uses and knew her placement within the ranks. Ravenna, although it may have seemed boring, was a very organized and conditioned wolf. Predictable, even.

"Oh, I wouldn't say just a legend." She spoke, turning her attention to Blackmoore with a turning of her head into his direction to look him over fully. "After all, my family grew up on such legends. Some say we were even born from them." She finished, thinking back on the story of how Romanov was said to have been created, the first Archer known. It was one of, if not the best, legend after all, given the fact that it was the creation of her bloodline. Of course there was others, much of which Ravenna would have had more a chance at knowing should she have lived in Torbine, born amongst the Mystics, the scholars and the priests and priestesses. Ravenna would have loved to visit the place, as her sister Morganna had, though the likeliness of this was slim to none. She had purpose and place within Willow Ridge. It was home.

And, just as she thought of it, it seemed of cue that Blackmoore would ask about her home. "Well, there is a forest in the southern reaches called Drooping Willows. A very spare and open forestry of mostly willow trees and smaller vegetation. Our pack is called Willow Ridge, we've a spot claimed more to the eastern portion not far off from the foothills of the mountains. We've been there for quite a long time...Over five years, actually." She spoke and, upon speaking of her home, made herself realize that perhaps she should be heading back soon...

There was no denying that Ravenna have just quite surprised the male with her words. It have quite sounded like the aftermentioned legends have meant quite a lot to her personally - which was quite unexpected. It wasn't that the dark male did not understand her in this regard, but more that Northcrest family had none of their own really. Well, there was 'one' but it didn't seemed old enough to classify as a 'legend'. Thus for him, most of the legends that Blackmoore had encountered back home were more of a statements of pedigree than anything else. And usually used as excuse for preferential treatment by those who have been wielding those most often. Perhaps that was the reason behind Blackmoore's attitude towards most of them, that they're 'just legends'. "Well, I wasn't born from any of those. In fact, when I had been born, the oldest sages of my pack had been the ones that have witnessed the raise and beginning of my family. Meaning the story had not ascended to a legend.. yet. Thus most of those I've heard were... How to put it..." He mused thoughtfully for a second, as he was looking for words that would not be misunderstood by her. "Smeared in my face? You see, the legend behind the Queens Tears waterfall I have remembered because nobody claimed to be a descendant of the alpha pair mentioned in there. Nobody have used it to leverage themselves above anyone with it either." He'd spoke to her with an apologetic smile, as he continued. "Hence my attitude. How about the legends of yours? As a wayfarer I know that customs can differ, so what about those?" He was genuinely curious, as he already knew that different places had different traditions. Hence the question.

The next item on the docked was her description of the lands surrounding the Willow Ridge. "Sounds like an pretty easy place to find" The male smiled as he replied. "And five years? Sounds like a little more time and the place might grow in some of its own legends then." He chuckled, only realizing after a second that Ravenna could misinterpret this perhaps. So the male have hurried up with a correction. "Oh, I meant it in a positive way of course! Just like with the waterfall I told you about!" Still, a subtle signs of worry have crept upon his muzzle as he finished.

Oh my, he was such a goof.

Blackmoore explained himself, saying that back at his birth home, wolves would use these legendary stories as a way to get to the top, to assert themselves and to in the process smear it in others faces who held 'lesser blood'. Ravenna was unsure how the stories of Romanov's creation had been handed down over the years to others. Surely it had brought the line of Archer in to the highlight and seeing as the Archers ruled all of Torbine with an iron fist she knew that it could not have come about peacefully and happily. Either way it was something Ravenna did not worry about. Her placement was in Willow Ridge.

Then shortly he mentioned with how long her pack had been around that soon enough the pack of Willow Ridge would create some legends of themselves. Ravenna smiled as he explained himself, saying it would be the 'good kind of legends' like the woman making the waterfall and yet that story was both beautiful and sad. She nodded, her smile still showing as she thought back to her parents. Certainly they had become legendary themselves in a manner. "Perhaps..." She spoke. "Maybe one day I will tell you about a few stories my mother shared with me about our family." Pulling her eyes away from him and back to the waterfall within the Whisper Cavern's previously territory, she thought back to her own home. "But I should really be going. Willow Ridge is quite a ways from here and I'd hate to have my Leaders worrying." Turning back to Blackmoore, her smile returned again. She moved in as though to give him a touch to his cheek in farewell but hesitated there. Instead, she dipped her muzzle and after a moment to guage his reaction, turned and started making her way back home.

{Fade}

She have listened in patiently, didn't giving the male any audio nor visual cue about what she had been thinking in response to his words. To his claim why he's not exactly living them but just sees them as more 'embellished' stories rather than anything else. Blackmoore felt a little bit confused about that, at least until Ravenna smiled up a little bit later. Hopefully it did meant that he didn't done as bad as he was afraid initially, but then her words have managed to shatter his moment of alleviation. The male have tried to smile up himself, as she have suggested that may be she would tell him some, but some other time. Leading him onto suspicion about what she have may say next...

And it turned out he wasn't mistaken. Blackmoore didn't really knew did she really had to go for the reasons she claimed, or were his words the cause of it all. "Of course, I understand." He replied, fashioning a faint smile as he did so. He wasn't going to question her wishes obviously, just the sudden change have caused him to wonder about the real cause for it. Yet Ravenna managed to surprise him yet again, as she have turned back to him while getting up onto her paws. He smiled up a little more, seeing her hesitate like that and go for a courteous nod instead.

But as she finished it, Blackmoore would do what she couldn't. Smiling apologetically afterwards he'd would say "I was nice meeting you today. I hope our paths will cross again." Hopefully it will only cause her to smile before going back to her wolfpack.

The time will show.

{Fade}