Oak Tree Bend don't cry for me

Serach wasn't entirely sure how it happened. He had been playing in the woods, romping through the snow, when the wind picked up and tugged at him mercilessly. Within minutes, the snow around him came alive, the whirlwind of snow rendering him blind. Without thinking, he found his way to the nearest tree and settled against the trunk. His paws curled up beneath him, he buried his nose in his tail to keep it warm. He whined only a few times, but the wind stole it away too quick to be heard.

When the blizzard finally subsided, Serach was buried beneath a drift of snow. He had fallen asleep and rode the storm out, but the howling of the wind was no longer as strong and he sorely missed his family. Where had they gone? Had they come looking for him and been unable to find him? Woofing, he forced himself to rise, the mound of snow atop his body weighing him down for only a moment before he was able to push free and breathe in fresh air. It stung his throat though, and while the snow was no longer flying, the wind was still just as cold. The cub shivered and plunged out into the white wasteland to find his family.

Ears perking atop his head, he was stopped in his tracks by the most sad sound he had ever heard. His eyes grew wide and he tilted his head back to listen. He recognized the voice, but not the message. Why was she so sad? The others would hear her - no doubt he'd find his mother and brother there as well. So he turned his head into the wind and pushed through the unbroken snow as quickly as his lanky frame would allow him. The anxiety that had begun to build in his stomach only grew when he heard a much more familiar voice cry back.

The snow slowed his progress, his growing body unable to push through the snow as efficiently as an adult's would, but he arrived soon enough. The scene instantly struck him as wrong - seeing his brother so clearly distressed caused the older Aesir to whimper in concern. As he drew closer, he could see why Sceral was so upset, though his young brain couldn't process what was going on. "Mom?" He whispered, voice quivering as he stepped up beside her. But there was no answer, and as he touched his nose to her cheek, some part of him realized that the cold his nose felt was not just the weather.

The whines started in earnest, high pitched and terrified. Serach pushed his head earnestly against his mother's shoulder, refusing to accept the evidence before him. "GET UP!" He demanded, his outburst more cry than actual words. But his mother was gone - she wouldn't get up ever again. Sceral's pain had manifested itself in anger, but Serach could only feel grief and regret. When had he last told her that he loved her? Not recently enough and now his chance was gone. The realization set his crying off anew, but this time rather than stand there with his head upturned, he threw himself down into the snow beside her, shoving his head into the gap between her head and her chest. Come back, he whimpered, shoulders shaking. Don't leave me.

Fenru should have been listening. He should have been properly looking as well but in attempting to maintain the paths that were carved out in and around the pack territory, the young wolf had been too busy trying to sniff out his younger brothers. He had been neglecting them lately, or so he felt. He could stay away from the pack all he wanted, being a Guardian assigned to the outermost reaches of the pack's borders, but at the very least, he owed Sceral and Serach. With Ice gone, Fenru, as their older brother, knew it was his duty to look after them. He had seemingly failed his younger full-blooded siblings - Torrel had been stolen away, Rissa had also been stolen but murdered soon after, and Aiyana had been taken in by another pack - and it was because of their absence that Fenru wholly put forward the effort of keeping an eye on Ice and Corinna's sons, his half-brothers.

For some time he was on his paler brother's trail but was diverted when he somehow stumbled into Sceral's footprints. He had been so caught up in digging about in search of the covered scent trail when a muffled call slithered through the gusts of wind. Ruiko howled to Triell and the rest of the pack and just as he had been trained, Fenru started to make his way towards the location of the call. With his chin tucked to his chest and his ears slicked back, he strode against the blizzard with his eyes half shut, anticipating his Uncles and possibly his mother and Aunt Aeylen to be assembled before him. It surprised him, really, to find that his assumption had been correct, but what he hadn't expected was the presence of his baby brothers huddled around someone who had collapsed into the snow.

Upon first impression he straightened himself out, bright orange eyes darting here and there to analyze what had just happened and why the adults were just standing about while his siblings were crying out in distress. Kisla! his conscience hollered, spurring him forward to investigate the face of the fallen woman. Gently, he placed the pads of his left paw over Serach's lanky shoulder blades but withdrew it almost instantaneously upon realizing who it was... His bottom jaw fell, tears welling up in his eyes as the winter wind bit at the black lining of his lids.

Mum.

He grit his teeth and took a step back, sniffling once while he took a second to let the information sink in. It was like Prosper dying all over again... reliving Indru's abandonment and discovering Rissa's frozen body in the snow. It was like realizing Ice had left without him, taking Merlin instead. It was even similar to the pain he had felt when he realized that he - a Tainn by name - could have been cursed just like the rest of his family before him, left alone without his agemates to rely on. But this... this was much, much worse, and it was in Sceral's pained face that he saw himself... and Fenru discovered for the first time in his life that he had been so very lucky after all.

Ice and Corinna were both gone and the pale-coated cubs before him were now considered orphans. Fenru closed his eyes and bowed his head, pulling up from the very depths of his heart what he should have known all along. Indru's desertion had taught him to step up and be a leading man by example, Rihael's departure had taught him the value of brotherly rivalry and love, Aiyana's decision to leave the family had shown him that there was always a choice and the decision made relied on him and him alone. If she could choose her own fate and stand for what she wanted, then he could too. Rissa's death had reminded him to keep working on himself as an older sibling. He was not just a brother but an appointed guardian by birth order and blood. Even Ice and Kisla's leave had wordlessly told him that history would continue to repeat itself, and that if he continued to let it all pass by, he would continue to fail in his tasks at finding who he was meant to be: brother, son, friend, mentor, pupil, nephew, guardian... They had all prepared him for a moment like this one and all he had to do was act.

Disregarding his superiors for the time being, Fenru took back the stride he had taken and nuzzled his nose and cheeks into both Sceral's and Serach's fur in turn. "Shhh," he tried, attempting to speak louder than the wind and their cries combined. "It's okay, I'm here. You're not alone." He withdrew from Serach a second time to walk around and try to stand between both of their gangly forms, waiting for either of them to acknowledge them while he desperately tried to make a connection. He had been in their place before several times over and he knew better now than to just idly stand by. All those times he crossed paths with loss, depression, and whatever he considered "betrayal," he wished he had had someone to pull him close if only to comfort him through the initial shock of it all. The lingering emotions could be dealt with later, but for the time being, he wanted them to know that their older brother was there...

"I-know-it's-not-okay," he briskly added, his own grief starting to become apparent in his voice and on his face. "And that's all right. Just know that she loved you very, very, very much. It's not your fault. It's not their fault. I-It just happened..." His jaw had started to quiver, "None of us could have known it would be like this." Please, please listen to me and don't be upset... He froze, looking from one Aesir to the other, bracing himself for whatever backlash the duo could whip up (if he remembered correctly, he also had quite a tongue at their age in the wake of being without his father). I lost my mother, too...

(This post was last modified: Feb 06, 2014, 10:38 AM by Fenru.)

Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

The past may shape us, but we define who we are

When the weather began gathering strength like a fierce beast ready to strike his patrol for intruders had came to a swift halt. This winter it simply wasn't a good sign, and he felt something wrong in the pit of his gut. The dark mam was anxious for the pack as a whole, and working his way to the heart of the territory, was thoroughly trying to make sure no one was out in this. So far he had ran into nothing, and continued to hope everyone else was tucked away. Eventually he had to stop, tuck his body into itself to protect his body from the ripping bites of cold. The odds would have it, Triell was on the opposite end of the territory waiting out the storm, wondering when it would be over, ridden with a sick feeling he should long be moving.

Soon as it seemed to wane it dusted himself off, and pushed through the fresh white. Like deep waters he had to remind himself not to panic, but to merely continue to move so he could reach the den.

He was far from it when Ruiko's voice rang above the woods. Such a cry of anguish, he knew his brother well enough to know something terrible had happened. A high whine of desperation shot from his mouth, and he struggled to move faster, damning this snow. When he reached the den, he knew there was no boys inside, that it was empty as Sceral's howl of despair reached from the cold plains. No longer could Triell feel the cold, but that growing hollowness that often wanted to consume him. In a world of white, he felt like he was watching someone else battling through the snow, hoping he was not too late.

Then there they were. Sceral,Serach,Fenru, Jessie, Ruiko, Aeylen, and Corinna. Fiery eyes took them all in, the wind shoved at his ears with the wild pounding of his heart. Where did he start? He didn't feel if he could make the last few strides. Throat like sandpaper, moisture to his gaze, numbness from head to tail like a silent shadow he moved in wanting to believe she only needed to wake. Long should she have opened her green eyes. A nose bump to Ruiko, it was barely glimpsing the lady's weathered yet beautiful face he had to swallow it all back. If he couldn't hold himself together, how would the rest of the family? Fenru's voice of reason broke from the wind, Triell listened and knew Corinna's strength, her heart, her voice would continue through her offspring. Maybe, one day they would understand that. Though they would not be the same, entirely whole without her, they would survive because that was to honor her. It was the something that helped him from falling apart. Somberly, he did his best to comfort, Fenru, Sceral and Serach by offering them two steady shoulders, a gentle brush of a muzzle to their napes. He wasn't going any where.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2014, 05:59 AM by Serach.)

are you with me through it all?

Let your heart be your compass when you're lost

Something was wrong. First she thought it was merely the weather. The way it made her hair stand up on end, chilled her bones. Or even turned her thoughts to hide herself away into a reality. Taking refuge at her chosen oak tree, she had never had to wait out such a storm, and felt time trickling slowly feeling the cold flakes collecting over her pale coat. When it all began to lighten, it was awfully quiet, a raw stillness that did not seem welcome. The lady broke from her shelter, wondering what everyone else thought of the passing blizzard, she did not have to wait long. A heavy voice that beckoned for Triell was dangerously marred by sorrow. Certain it was not Fenru's but Ruiko's it didn't prevent her from being tugged to its source.

Rapidly she forced herself to steer from the trees, and into the deep white unknowing what tragedy had forced the reserved such pain. A great part of her afraid what that meant. It had been rather pleasant in the Bend except for the absence of Kisla, and Ice. With steady beat, nose catching Jessie's scent she was able to follow the Scout's trail, and more easily reach the unsettling scene.

Another white mark, pale eyes could see the figures out of reach when Sceral's terrible cry sounded, making its way like a piercing strike from ears to her heart. In horror she began more frantically clawing her way through the drifts. Fenru? Serach? Who was hurt? Strangling breaths, she followed Triell's dark outline, soon realized Fenru was there too. Confusion upon her mask, and fear in her eyes she hung back, piecing it all together. Ruiko, and his mate. Serach beside his mother. A lowly whine stretched up her throat, and between the wind, the sight of those boys she forcefully kept blinking her eyes. All she could think was not Corinna...not...not this too. What could be worse? Shocked, she had to remember to breathe, and she mindlessly staring was wrong. Stiffly, forcing herself to move she sat beside Jessie, if finding some secure in her silver coat. Why she had every want to be beside Fenru, she held back not to prevent him from comforting his brothers.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2014, 06:05 AM by Serach.)

His howl to summon the pack was swallowed by the wind – it echoed across the trees, and if he close dhis eyes, he could only imagine the pain escaped across the mountain and to the very souls of the Tainn’s who had been taken from Relic Lore and likely haunted the Wildwood itself. He curled more tightly against her, his muzzle pressing in to her neck now, trying to keep the warmth of her body flowing. But it would do no good – her heart had stopped, and with it, a part of his own had been taken that day.

A she-wolf he did not recognize came first. His golden eyes would only regard her momentarily, unspoken thoughts kept to himself as a stoical mask fell across his façade. Next came her son, and while he had not truly met the boy one on one, he held enough respect for the youth to back away from her now. Pushing himself up, Ruiko felt the cold ensnare his chest after only moments before Corinna had been. His inhale was sharp, his eyes seeking out his mate before the boy’s shrill voice cut through – the blame was placed, and while his lip twitched to pull back and reveal fang at the disrespect, he refrained. Instead, dully, he stepped past the boy now and pressed to the side of his mate, his muzzle burying to the thick fur of her neck. The other son would come, and as the Tainn finally pulled himself back from Aeylen’s loving embrace, Fenru was on the scene, tucking the children beneath his figurative wing. Relieved, Ruiko instead cast his eyes dully upon Triell as the swarthy male approached. His ears slid back, a whine escaping his throat the moment Triell’s nose touched his. Swallowed by emotion, Ruiko could do nothing more than stand useless, his eyes searching between the gathered wolves, only to fall once more upon her still form.

A strange feeling crept silently up her back in the seconds following the issuance of her own inquiry. Aeylen's words were met with a single syllable of reassurance from Corinna─"yes"─but when Ruiko's eyes remained, carefully watchful, on the queen, the tawny woman knew then that something wasn't right. At his nudge she was on his heels, cutting the distance between herself and Corinna without hesitance. No, it wasn't right. It was all wrong. Aeylen approached at Ruiko's side with wide eyes, her brows pulled together in concern. But before she could offer a word, a touch, or shred a ray of light on what was going on here, Corinna fell to the snow; what was more, she wasn't getting up. A blustery wind swept across the queen's weary form and for the first time she saw the exhaustion that seemed to envelop her. Aeylen's breath and the words she wanted to offer, the questions she thought she wanted to ask, caught in her throat as she tried to assess the situation; she couldn't make any sense of it, and it was as if the scene was playing out before her eyes in slow motion. Corinna was tired, but between she and Ruiko, they would get her home safely. It wasn't too far─ "...I can't..." Fear washed over her then, her bright amber eyes alight with a blaze of it as they darted nervously to Ruiko and back. With each moment that passed the situation only deteriorated and she didn't know what to do. "Go." Ruiko commanded for her to get up but the sound of his voice was like a distant echo against walls of blossoming dismay that were closing in around her. "C-Corinna..." Her voice quivered, barely escaping her throat as she reached to nudge the silver woman... "Tel..tel...tell them...I love them." The world stopped turning. As Corinna's last breath sputtered out of her lungs in an icy plume, Aeylen was frozen with shock, unable to think, unable to speak, unable to move, and unable to understand. She could not, did not, tear her gaze away as the weight of what had just unfolded slowly began to manifest in her chest. Corinna was gone What came to pass in the immediate aftermath of such a grand tragedy would forever be a blur in her memory. Ruiko's heartbroken song, the arrival of the others, the sight of the body of a woman who was like blood as it was slowly dusted with thin, sweeping layers of winter snow; the reactions of her nephews. Teary-eyed, Aeylen received Ruiko when he finally stepped away from Corinna, leaning fiercely into his form as he buried his muzzle in the crook of her neck. This morning they had woken to face the world as partners, lovers; tonight, they would be ghosts, haunted. Everything her Ruiko had ever known was.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2014, 04:42 AM by Aeylen.)

The Stormwright she-wolf moved through the trees, ears flicking back and forth. During the night, a blizzard had altered the landscape once more, changing everything into almost deceitfully beautiful sculptures of white. Her paws forged a path through the unmarred snow as she searched the terrain for signs of life. Only recently had she been accepted to this pack, been allowed to live among this family, and she felt indebted to the wolves of Oak Tree Bend. Triell and the rest of them had extended their hospitality to her in a season which did not forgive kindness or weakness. It was this that drove Nayeli to venture out in the harsh weather, scouting and hunting along the borders. She was determined to get to know this new home of hers, to get some worthwhile effort out of the energy she possessed, else it go to waste. It was slow going, but there were occasional signs that she was not alone out here – a bird flitted from one branch to another, out of reach overhead. A ways onward, she came upon a set of fresh prints in the snow. Not food or stranger, but bearing the scent of a wolf of the Bend. With a quick flick of her tail, Nayeli set out to follow the new path. With luck, she could catch up with her packmate and get acquainted, and maybe even work together while the day was quiet and peaceful.... These thoughts danced through Nayeli's mind as she loped along, making better time in the already-broken snow. Clumps of ice gathered in her fur, but she paid them little mind. Soon enough the set of prints she was following joined two others, and Nayeli paused for a moment to sniff at the scents there before continuing ahead. They were familiar to her, by scent if not by name and face. Her tail swayed as she plowed ahead. Forms revealed themselves out of the snow and fog - but something made her stop in her tracks, her banner swaying to a standstill. Something about the posture, the very air around the scene before her, made her halt there rather than moving forward to join them. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Everyone looked so … broken. It took her a moment to see the form that was Corinna, the indomitable female she had been introduced to so recently. Even from where she stood, Nayeli could see that the woman's form was lifeless now. Cold shock registered in her mind, followed by numbness. A part of her wanted to approach, but she felt apart from the rest of them. Nayeli had barely known Corinna, what right had she to mourn, to console? One of the wolves howled, a mournful call no doubt beckoning the wolves of the Bend. A death knell. Nayeli stood where she was, her tail hanging motionless and her ears flat. She didn't know what to think, what to feel, so she simply watched from a respectful distance, trying to process it all. Triell had hinted that the wolves of Oak Tree Bend had already suffered a great deal. Now they were forced to suffer more still... Nayeli's emotions railed against the callous brutality of this winter. If there are such things as gods, then they are a cruel lot of beings, she thought as she watched the wolves gather around the fallen leader of Oak Tree Bend.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2014, 05:10 AM by Nayeli.)

Give me the strength of the rising sun

He had been at the far borders of the pack land when the storm hit, the quickly gathering clouds offering only a short warning, leaving no time for the black man to reach the security of the den. Instead he would have to ride out the weather on his own - luckily The Bend offered rich possibility of cover, the many rocks and trees of the spectral woods forming many a nook and cranny for a wolf to hide in.

He had fallen asleep, tucked nicely under the roots of a fallen tree, when the first howl went up, sending a fresh, icy cold down his spine. Fiery eyes flew open, to see a clear, freshly snow-covered world outside his refuge. The boy quickly uncurled, heart beating fast with the fear the distressed howl had awoken in him. Sprinting through the snow, he breathed big gulps of the freezing air, trying to ignore the sting in his throat. But he did notice it, the bite of the cold, the frost gnawing at his paws and burning his snout; A killing cold!

The brisk movement kept him warm, but it was barely, and as he closed in on his target, he heard more pained wails cut through the crisp air; The pups! His entire frame was rigid with fear, whatever had happened, it was something terrible! The ebony lad pressed himself harder, he needed to help them! If he could...

When he came upon the scene, shock froze him. The whole pack was gathered, even the youngsters, and they were all centered around one body, lying frighteningly still; CORINNA! Though the dark chap had only met the matriarch in passing, she had made quite the impression on him, and he easily recognized her proud frame; even as it was now, unnaturally frozen in the snow. Drestig bowed his head, feeling the cumulative sorrow of the pack - he was but an intruder on their compassion, but they were her family - the pain he felt was only a faint echo of theirs.

Looking around, he saw both more and less familiar faces, the females, whom he had yet to even talk to, the pups who he knew from watching more than interacting... Finally his burning orbs settled on @Triell, the young man who had accepted him into the tight knit family, who bore the responsibilities of a much older wolf on his broad shoulders; Now he stands alone... He watched the man, surrounded by his kin, attempting to comfort his nephews while holding back his own sorrow.

Then the black outsider made a resolute decision, rising from the snow, he moved closer, with slow, careful steps making sure not to disturb the mourning wolves. With dark, compassionate eyes, he nodded added Fenru and Ruiko, hoping that they would not feel his presence as an intrusion on their grief, then he moved up to Triell, making the alpha aware of his company by lightly brushing his shoulder; You will not carry this alone. Drestig would give the young leader his shoulder to lean on, he needed to be strong for his nephews and his pack, but Drest would help were he could, and if Triell ever needed to break, to mourn his sister, the older male would readily be there to listen

For now he stood in silence, joining in the sorrow, quietly hoping that the winter would claim no more lives. This was more than enough.