Firefly Grove clearly i don't see myself upon that list

Marigold just had one more week to get through, and then this cursed month would be over with. She found herself disliking being home more and more as time went on, but the things that ailed her most always followed. The burning, the itching, the strength of her own scent, the constant pull on her thoughts, the reminder of just how detached she was from a normal life. Mar drifted, past the pack's markers and further out into the Kingsfall forest.

Dusk had just begun, the sun's colors deepening as gloom pushed it back beyond the horizon. Its magenta rays fell across the world in variegated bars, and the wavering temperature had given rise to a blanket of pale fog that soaked in and reflected pinks and golds. All of it was beautiful, and yet her steel eyes still appeared so thoroughly unimpressed as she stood amongst it.

What did beauty matter, if she only ever felt like this?

(This post was last modified: Mar 24, 2024, 01:48 AM by Marigold.)

It had been a lengthy winter, and an arduous one - which Jay counted himself fortunate to have survived. He had been gifted yet another chance he did not deserve. With such a blessing, Jadon had promised he wouldn’t waste it. He would find someplace or some way to utilize himself for a greater purpose.

The wanderer slowed though, upon reaching a segment of forest inhabited by trees that were bigger than most. He had been intent on simply passing through, to head for that pack he knew to exist in the mountains. Sanguine Cove seemed the best place to start if they would still have him. However, this place.. had an almost otherworldly feeling about it.

He couldn’t help but stop to take it all in.

As the sun faded away, its waning rays painted this still half-frozen forest in a pallet of colors that he could only describe as heavenly. A misty fog rose from the still cold and in places snow-coated ground, obscuring his vision and altering how he perceived the rays of light that danced through it.

Jadon wasn’t sure there’d ever been a time when he had felt so at peace. That he would be here at just the right time to witness this spectacle surely meant he had to be on the right path now. The wanderer promptly lowered himself down to rest on his belly, tipped his head down and closed his eyes.

This seemed as good a place as any to give thanks to the gods for their continued blessings, and for not abandoning him.

--hopefully it is alright if I nab this instead of posting another?

Mar pulled herself from her thoughts with a huff. It was irritating, having such soft spots inside of herself. She needed to work harder still to thicken her skin and sharpen her self-control. She began to move again, casting her own shadow in line with the slants of golden-hour sunlight.

It wasn't too many strides in when she began to pick up on a scent, faint but not for lack of proximity. It was because the wind was trying to pull it away from her, nearly masking the other's presence completely. Marigold froze, hackles prickling while large eyes searched rapidly for a visual. It wasn't the smartest position to have put herself in, but she'd always been ready to fight herself out of anything, from the moment she'd entered the world.

"Hello?" the word was sharp and demanding.

Jadon could feel the last rays of light dancing across him as he offered a silent prayer, and upon finishing he turned his attention to what little of the sky he could see. The wanderer sat still for a time, just listening, soaking in the environment. At least until…

Hello? The sudden speech was sharp, and not particularly welcoming.

A scent, strong, almost overpowering came to his nose then. It threatened to stir a want deep within, bringing Jay back to a simpler time. Thoughts and desires he’d once had for family and children of his own, or to feel the touch and closeness of another.

Things that he would probably never have now.

Notably, hers was mixed with the scent of pack. The woman did not reside alone in this forest. While he would’ve preferred to avoid speech, to avoid detection completely, but given the situation…

”Here. I am no threat,” Jadon breathed out, voice coarse and low. He remained still and lying on the ground. Amber eyes scanned his surroundings though, waiting to catch a glimpse of the stranger, if she should choose to show herself.

The response wasn't loud, and yet it made her jump all the same, away from where it had come. A snarl attempted to rise out of her but it died somewhere in her chest. Still, her fangs were bared into something of a scowling grimace that rippled the skin atop her muzzle. Her tail was held straight with her back, just as glaring of a warning.

He was smart not to make any sudden movements, especially toward her, and yet still not being able to see him was possibly worse for Marigold. She was at a disadvantage in ways that sent anxiety raking upward along her spine in forceful waves.

"Then fucking show yourself."

She hated the way it came out, that she was making it clear she was deeply bothered.

Then fucking show yourself. The way she spoke it was.. forceful, and the language distasteful. Full of frustration and possibly pain? Jay couldn’t quite make sense of such a reaction, considering that just a few moments ago, he’d been blissfully unaware of her presence here. What could he have done to illicit such a reaction?

He did not want to rise, didn’t want to see her. Didn’t want to do anything other than return to his thoughts and prayers.. but perhaps this was some sort of test.

Tentatively, he would rise and step forth, gently pushing aside foliage to see the stood just ahead. Were it not for her foul language mere moments ago, Jadon might’ve believed himself to be looking at an angel. The thought slipped into his mind before he could suppress it, and it had little to do with the season - gods she was beautiful.

A thought that instantly made him feel unclean, that Jay buried away in the darkest recesses of his memory.

”I was.. just resting. On my way to the mountains.” He offered by way of explanation, with hopes it would ease whatever concerns the woman may harbor towards him.

(This post was last modified: Apr 13, 2024, 05:22 AM by Jadon.)