Cedarwood Forest never the better magician

<blockquote>Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge." The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige."

- ♠ -

<i>November 7th; Early evening, just after sunset; Clear; Windy.</i>

<i>"How can you admire a spirit that is broken? A wraith but only a shadow of her former self?"</i> she had asked. <i>"What are you doing here, Angier?"</i>

<i>What are you doing here?</i>

The Lyall blinked and he had to stop in his tracks to bring his surroundings back into focus. <i>"What are you doing here, Angier?"</i> Vlarindara's voice echoed from the folds of his memory, unearthly and ethereal. It had taken him some time to fully comprehend where and how far he had mindlessly walked but when he did, he froze. Oh, Elettra would be beyond furious if she knew where he had gone. Jaysyek's scent, the marker she had just refurbished was perhaps only a few hours old, wafted in his direction and for just the slightest moment he considered calling for her. No. He couldn't. He <i>shouldn't</i>. He was certain the timing was absolutely inappropriate for a chat, seeing as she and Borden were probably getting the cubs settled down for the night. His inner voice teased him with the thought that there was a reason why he had somehow wandered back to the north. To the realm of towering cedar trees, a kingdom carpeted with pine needles so generously that a wolf passing through could just barely be heard over the whistling wind. He frowned, remembering how the Hollow matriarch seemed to pity him. Since their meeting, he had done nothing but brooded. Nothing in his appearance or apparent habits revealed anything about his condition getting any better. In fact, it could have easily gotten worse from his lack of appetite and bouts of depression.

He let out a sigh and cast his eyes to the trees around him, scanning the spaces between them for any visual cue that he had been discovered. An upward tilt of his head and a deep breath informed him that no one as around, at least not yet. His forepaws tensed on the frozen ground, his claws digging into the soil. It had taken him the better part of nearly two months to rid himself of everything that emotionally tied himself to Vlarindara but it was no surprise that when he thought of her the ghosts of what could have and maybe even should have been between them, every single thing that brought his heart to flutter, still made him flinch. He shuddered, moving in such a way after that might have suggested he had been ambushed from an invisible attacker near the left side of his ribcage.

Deciding to sit and put an end to the new mannerism he had developed in a matter of days, he managed to grow still by adopting a very rigid posture. For some time he tried to just <i>breathe.</i> When he recovered, he had every intention to return the way he had come. He had no business here after all, and any additional thoughts concerning the Lady Windrunner would only send him back to square one, something he had constantly dreaded these days. To be this close to the very place where Vlarindara had once taken up residence was already sending him spiraling back into the oblivion that occupied the void that use to be a lovesick heart.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Nov 09, 2012, 11:58 AM by Angier.)

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<blockquote>Though weary and exhausted by Taima's whining and determination to stay awake and out of the den, Borden Lyall still had enough tenacity to complete one more patrol around Grizzly Hollow. With a slightly upbeat pace, he made his way to the borders of his home, satisfied again and again whenever Jaysyek's markers made themselves apparent to him along the well-traveled path. The wind blew against him but it didn't bother him in he very least. Really, he was grateful... for it had brought him the hint of a foul, musky smell. A hint of what could only be a possible threat hiding underneath the muzzle-wrinkling odor of sickness and disorder.

The masked man deftly navigated through the grove until the sight of his target came into view. He steadied himself, allowing himself a second to fathom what and who had come for a very ill-timed encounter. It would only be a matter of time until one or two of the cubs back at the den would attempt to slip past Jaysyek, Trisden, Aniu, or even Sibyl's guard. Borden would not allow this <i>visitor</i> to eat up the time he permitted himself to stretch his legs and make one more round for the night. His head rose above his shoulders and his tail lifted above his back. There would be no mistaking that Borden was anyone else other than his pack's territorial leader.

He stepped forward as smoothly as his limp would allow, approaching the stranger's right side with his pale eyes fixated on the supposedly meditating rogue before him. <b>"We do not take kindly to outsiders being this close to our territory,"</b> he began, stopping short of the male by three meters or so. <b>"I advise you to take an alternate route should you be just passing through. The bears and bobcats in these parts of Relic Lore are just as protective."</b></blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

<blockquote>The annunciating of an all-too-familiar warning shattered the natural unrest around him and Angier immediately reacted submissively. He stood up and shuffled backwards away from where the voice had come from. <i>Discovered!</i> Every muscle in body ached and the gasp that he sought refuge in his chest stung his throat and lungs. He was about to stammer an apology when his mind matched the voice with the memory of his brother, the being who would always seemingly make his life a living hell.

As best as he could, he gathered himself and looked up into the fullness Borden's weathered face. He waited to see if any sign of recognition would dawn on him then proceeded to shakily straighten himself. <b>"I-It was you, wasn't it?"</b> he started over the wind. <b>"You drove her away, didn't ya, Bord'?"</b> The hurt in his voice laced every syllable as he arrived to a sort of envy-driven frenzy. The laugh, or wheezy chuckle, that left his throat was unsettling, but he smiled and shook his head as he sat back down. <b>"I-I don't know why I didn't even realize it but I should've... I should've known. Oh-ho... You're <i>good</i>!"</b>

Another peal of laughter. He dipped his head and looked away for a bit to process the bulk of his newfound realization. <b>"Why'd ya do it, huh?"</b> he queried. <b>"Oh... wait."</b> The anger in the pit of his stomach boiled as it surfaced to the forefront of his mind, and instinctively he stood back up, albeit wobbly and rather unimpressive beside his slightly smaller brother. <b>"If you couldn't have her for yourself, I couldn't have her either, right?"</b> He flashed his teeth and the fur along his spine bristled. <b>"Right?! After all these years I thought you would have changed."</b> His golden eyes stared Borden up and down, a glare distorting his face, <b>"Family man, pack leader an' all... You have everything! Why did you have to take her from me? You... I bet you never even loved her at all. It was just a TRICK! To keep her with you, away from everything that I could have given her... the love that she DESERVED!"</b></blockquote>

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<blockquote>It had been a few years since he and Angier had seen one another face-to-face but Borden should have known that his brother would have come looking for Vlarindara. After Vlarindara had dropped his name, he should have realized it. He had actually told her he was a <i>good man</i> after all and had, at the time, hoped his brother had had much kinder times than he had after unintentionally abandoning his pack and family. The way the stranger before him behaved, the way he gazed up at him. There was no mistaking the sibling he had bullied, teased, and challenged when they were cubs. In all actuality nothing he remembered about Angier had changed aside from the fact that the tawny, once-small boy had grown into his massive ears and paws, and the lankiness of his adolescent years had given way to a rather robust build that would have made him a somewhat impressive creature if it weren't for the weight and muscle he had lost from wandering. Underneath the miscellaneous scents that coated his pelt, the distinctive scent of Lyall could be picked out.

Borden's face morphed and changed as he identified his brother and as Angier regained his posture, he was taken aback. <i>"I-It was you, wasn't it?"</i> The masked leader's head tilted, the words not yet coming into comprehension until it registered that he was being accused of driving Vlarindara away from the perhaps one of the very few sanctuaries she had known. Angier laughed and Borden slowly drew away. Whatever trepidation or fear that was present only moments ago was now completely gone.

<b>"What?"</b> his brows furrowed and the frustration from not being one step ahead of the current situation was starting to build in his chest. <i> "I-I don't know why I didn't even realize it but I should've... I should've known. Oh-ho... You're good! ...why'd ya do it, huh?"</i> A frown marred his face and before he could even begin to get a grasp on what he wanted to say to set the record right between them, the younger Lyall immediately mused and pointedly blamed Borden for the distress that had very apparently been plaguing him perhaps as far back as last year.

Borden's ears fully turned forward, disgust accenting his face as he scowled. <b>"Now WAIT just a minute, Angier!"</b> he snapped. <i>"Family man, pack leader an' all... You have everything!"</i> His hackles rose as he babbled on, bringing up the assumption that he had drawn Vlarindara in by means of selfishness and deceit. A growl thundered from his throat and he gave Angier a cold, hard stare. Had this meeting taken place during the time of their childhood, Borden would have effortlessly turned this meeting into a full-blown fight. <b>"I'm going to tell you once, Angier,"</b> he stated slowly, fighting hard to keep his cool. <b>"That I had nothing to do with her disappearance. She left on her own accord. Several times actually, probably to see you no doubt."</b> He managed to take a breath, bracing himself should Angier not take kindly to his words. <b>"I didn't take her from you, she <i>followed</i> me! You were probably not even here yet; and, you can't condemn me for <i>appreciating</i> her. Jaysyek and I took her in with that yearling she had found, and she helped build the foundation for everything that I have. She kept close and I didn't press her to stay with me. Do you even know how many times she has given into her bouts of wanderlust? How many times she has left in search of your companionship? <i>NO!</i> If anything, <i>YOU</i> should have done more to close that gap between the both of you. Maybe then she wouldn't have left!"</b>

His tail whipped about behind him now, his shoulders hunched forward in exasperation. <b>"It's not my fault. It's <i>yours.</i>"</b> He took a step back and began to turn to head back over the invisible line that separated his home from the wilderness and chaos Angier had stirred up. <b>"You want her back? Start looking..."</b></blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

<blockquote><i>"I'm going to tell you once, Angier,"</i> Borden's cool tone washed over him like a chilled wave over hot sand. Angier gritted his teeth, shaking his head in disbelief. <i>"I didn't take her from you, she followed me!"</i> Everything about his brother's words stung. It made him cower and shiver. Now that he thought about it, perhaps Borden had changed... He frowned. Maybe after all these years <i>he</i> was the one who... <i>hadn't</i>. He sniveled and blinked a few times, the wind biting at his nose and eyes. <i>"...YOU should have done more to close that gap between the both of you. Maybe then she wouldn't have left!"</i>

He swallowed, the corners of his mouth drawing downward as his lips pressed into a thin line. <i>"It's not my fault. It's yours."</i> <b>"But, I tried!"</b> he cried out, his eyes returning to the Hollow patriarch. <i>"You want her back? Start looking..."</i> Borden was turning to leave and Angier immediately gathered his shaky feet beneath him to scamper in front of his brother. He lost his footing, falling onto the forest floor where Borden was just about to step. He didn't even bother to recover from his fall, time was just too precious. <i>STOP! WAIT!</i> his expression pleaded, his face staring into the pair of pale green eyes in search for an inkling of leniency. His ears, previously folded back, perked up again and he looked away as though he had forgotten what had wanted to say.

Then it dawned on him.

This was it. Angier had sunken into an all new sort of low. He quickly considered a short list of obvious reasons why Borden would not help him. With Vlarindara gone, Jaysyek was now, more than ever, at the top of his priorities. And, with Jaysyek, their cubs - how many had Vlarindara had told him exactly? - his <i>four</i> nephews <i>and nieces</i>. The images of them, Borden with his perfect family... the other pack wolves who pledged their loyalty to him. Nothing but <i>happiness. Happiness that should have been his.</i> His and Vlarindara's... He pursed his lips and drew a breath after it occurred to him that he had been holding it.

Borden would not walk away from this, from him, considering himself an almighty being in the face of Angier's ruination. <i>No. He</i> would have the last say in all this and, maybe, just maybe, Borden would feel his pain. <b>"I saw your daughter,"</b> he lied. <b>"The other day in the Glade. I jus'... I wanted you to know b-before ya go. Wouldn't want her going missing <i>either</i>."</b></blockquote>

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<blockquote>Angier's cries had fallen on deaf ears and just as Borden started to make his leave, his brother had collapsed in front of him, blocking his path. The masked man shrugged and was just about to walk around him when he met those aggrieved eyes. As Angier's ears slicked back, Borden's swiveled to the side in irritation. <b>"What?"</b> he snapped. The large brute turned away and the leader simply glared.

<b>"What, Angier?"</b> he demanded again. His patience was starting to wear thin and when it became clear that he was taking his time in answering or rather unfortunate in trying to remember what he wanted to say, Borden turned around, ready to leave.

A fleeting glimpse of an owl flying overhead caught his attention; he wished he hadn't, for the next thing Angier said caught him off-guard. <i>"I saw your daughter. The other day in the Glade. I jus'... I wanted you to know b-before ya go. Wouldn't want her going missing either."</i> Borden's limbs tensed and his ears flattened before returning to their previous position. <i>Calla, he knew, was the most cautious of her litter, and wouldn't have wandered that far.</i> His brow rose skeptically. <i>Trisden, while she was fully capable of holding her ground and looking after herself, he was not about ready to let her go. Taima, on the other hand, he was certain was out and about again where she wasn't supposed to be.</i> Between his two doppelgänger daughters, it absolutely enraged him past his boiling point. Not only had one of the girls been out in the open on their own, Angier had been <i>spying</i> on them. A snarl built up around his muzzle and he rounded on his brother with a furious, icy gaze.

<b>"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER YOU HEAR ME!"</b> he roared, his tail arching over his back and his hackles rising atop his shoulders. He tried to gauge his sibling's reaction, to see if he could pick out any sort of telltale sign that hinted that Angier fully understood his warning. It might have been a truly genuine gesture for him to suggest Borden to take care of what he truly held dear, but given the conversation that had just unfurled between them, Borden could not bring himself to trust Angier's sentiment. What rose from assumption brought him to take the next step of fiercely protecting what was his.

He snapped his jaws with a few clicks of his teeth, his barrel-like body arching as he positioned himself on Angier's other side, forming a sort of barrier between his brother and his domain. <b>"Get outta here, Angier."</b> He stared the tan-pelted man, the howling wind backing up his order with a chilling gust. <b>"<i>GET OUT!</i>"</b> Another intimidating growl left his chest. Imagining that his own brother would abduct his nieces might not have been a far reach for Angier when he truly considered the thought, and to fully comprehend and grasp what Angier could possibly be capable of now made every bit of him burn with the need to drive him back to where he had come from. </blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

<blockquote>He watched Borden's expression change, how at first his ears dropped and rose back up and how rigid his stance had become. He sneered, even as his brother bellowed and ordered that he stay away from the girl. Swallowing back a laugh, he stood back up, amused about how easy it had been to summon the Borden he had always known. The clacking of Borden's teeth and the sight of the intimidating wall the leader had become did little to unnerve Angier. In fact, he merely smirked.

<i>"Get outta here, Angier,"</i> he gruffly stated at first. Angier arched a brow, continuing to test Borden's boundaries. The second time Borden spoke, the yell barely made the younger Lyall jump. In fact, he actually <i>laughed</i>. His tail swayed about behind him, thrilled in the face of his sibling's chagrin. <b>"As you wish,"</b> he managed to reply once his peal of laughter had died. <b>"They can't be sheltered forever though."</b>

Slinking away from Borden's bristled figure, he let out another chortle, and after stealing one last glance over his shoulder, he swiftly crept back into the forest, allowing the shadows to swallow him whole. As long as Borden was left to his worry and anxiety, then the score could be considered <i>settled</i>. Even if he had seemingly emerged victorious from this encounter, this bout between them was far from over. It would not be over until he got what he came for. <i>An eye for an eye...</i></blockquote>

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