Spectral Woods like mother, like son?

For @Elliot

Roma found her paws carrying her to the woods on the east side of the mountain again. It had been a while since she had seen Oliver and she wouldn't mind running into him again. Then again, she was more than happy to just get away from the annoying new recruit of her own pack. Ren had proven to be very annoying and Roma didn't trust him half as far as she could throw him. This left the large grey and white she wolf more than happy to spend the day in the woods looking for herbs. She was aware that another male had also recently joined Fallen Tree Cove and was supposed to take on the role of Healer. Roma hoped that she could bring him some herbs to begin filling his stock in the den and perhaps he wouldn't pester her as much as Ren did.

Walking through the forest, looking for anything that might be useful, Roma tensed as she caught a familiar scent. It smelled like Oliver, but not like Oliver. Quickly, Roma realized that it must be his pack scent that she was picking up on. Was she close to his pack's border? Roma continued on her journey taking special care to keep an eye out for the borders so that she would not cross them. After all, she was still hoping an alliance could be worked out and wouldn't want to do anything to cause conflict between the two packs. If anything, she wanted to find a way to connect them. The last thing Roma wanted was to have to fight against Oliver.

He had been minding his own business, making sure he didn't slip up in front of Triell or the other wolves of Oak Tree Bend. Hell, he even spent his days following the borders, fiery eyes constantly darting between trees and his nose twitching with the hopes that maybe, just maybe, he could catch the scent of Phineas on the wind, or a wolf that followed him at least. Today was just the same. There was a light sprinkling of snow falling from the skies earlier, and so he had spent that time trying to scout out another meal--the underground hideaway of a hare. It was easy enough to dig through the dirt, though he almost lost the long-eared prey as it went to dart past him in a mad attempt at escape.

It was almost as if he were late for something ...

He was shaken from his thoughts by the scent of another, his eyes narrowing as he inhaled deeply. A female, that much he was certain. Older than him. She was clearly a member of a pack, something familiar hung in the air though; something Elliot couldn't place. The swarthy adolescent turned, catching a flash of silvery fur. He wondered how she had managed to get so close to the borders without alerting him sooner ... and then he wondered the opposite: how had he managed to stray so far from them? Without wanting to admit that he might have lost his paws to wanderlust for a moment, he stepped towards the female with a stoic gaze. "You're getting close to the borders of Oak Tree Bend, ma'am" he stated, matter of factly, "state your business."

Roma had just caught the scent of much needed yarrow when she was alerted to the presence of a stranger. She had heard the noise of his movement only moments before she saw him. As he stepped in front of her and leveled his stoic gaze on her, Roma had to resist an eye roll. Well, this one is just all business, she thought sardonically. His detached attitude instinctively made her size him up. He was smaller and younger and that made Roma confident she could hold her own in a fight against him. However, as she caught the scent of Oak Tree Bend, she quickly cleared her mind of any possibility of fighting. He was simply protecting his borders; there was no need for a fight and it was the last thing Roma wanted.

"I apologize. I have no business with Oak Tree Bend or its members. I belong to a pack in the mountain, not far from here. I come to this forest often and have met Oliver, one of your pack mates, several times on my expeditions." Roma dipped her head respectfully and even went as far as to lower her tail submissively. She didn't mind playing the part if it would put the boy at ease. He seemed so tense, that Roma wondered about his past. What could have happened to him that would age him this much? As her icy blue eyes ran the length of his dark body, she noted something in the way he carried himself. Her eyes drifted back to look at his for just a brief moment. She meant no disrespect but she was curious. As she looked into his amber gaze there was something there that was familiar. Not the color, but something in their expression....Roma's bright blue eyes narrowed into slits as she studied the boy and finally asked, "Do I know you?"

She apologised and lowered herself respectfully, yet Elliot held his ground and eyed her warily. She came from a pack in the mountains, did she? The swarthy male noted she didn't specify exactly what the name of this mountain pack was. That was information he wanted to present to Triell, if only to squirm his way further into the leader's good books. Elliot knew one thing, though: it definitely couldn't be Poison Path. But what if? The thought made him sick. If She had given new life to that dead old place ... well, it wouldn't be the first time that she had made an unwanted return.

His legs felt stiff as he stood before her. She said something about one of his pack mates, a male called Oliver. I'll send him your regards, he thought dryly. He didn't even know who this Oliver fellow was. Still, it would be best to inquire about her current home, if only for the slight chance that she could be a follower of Phineas. "This mountain pack of yours ... does it have a name? And who are your leaders? I'd like to know if I'm standing in this presence of an ally." He offered her a crooked smile that didn't quite reach his fiery eyes.

And then, she started eyeing him. Of all things! A heat crept up Elliot's neck. Was she sizing him up? Judging him for his weight? His hackles bristled instinctively--she looked him in the eye. He found the urge to raise his lip. They were on neutral ground, after all. Her words caught him off guard and he furrowed his brow. Do I know you? "No," he answered, a bit too sudden and sharp to be a casual response. "I don't recognise you. And I'm good at remembering faces."

Andromache pursed her lips, not satisfied with the boy's refusal. No, I definitely know him from somewhere, Roma's focus on trying to figure out why the hell the boy was so eerily familiar almost distracted her form answering his questions. As for all of his growling and stiff posture, Roma was hardly daunted by it. He was a boy, a brooding teen, and Roma expected as much from him. Raising her posture slightly, she prepared to answer his question. She had willfully submitted to him when their conversation began and it apparently it wasn't enough to settle his fur. She would not, however, present herself and her sister's pack while cowering in fear. If she was going to announce her pack and her name she would do so with pride. Her deep, rich voice confidently explained, "My name is Andromache Moon. I am second to a pack named Fallen Tree Cove which is lead by my sister Athena Moon." Roma's ice eyes stayed leveled on the boy, though she made sure to look just past him so that she was no longer making eye contact. She had only done so previously out of surprise by how eerily familiar he looked, and had meant no disrespect though she understood why he may have taken it that way.

Still, the large, storm colored she wolf just couldn't shake the feeling that she knew this wolf from somewhere. It wasnt the color of his fur or his eyes or really anything about how he looked. It was more about how he appeared. The rigid posture, the structure, the brooding. It all reminded her of....

A faint gasp escaped from Roma's black lips. Finally, it clicked. This boy...reminded her of her father.

Big brooding baby ...

"My name is Andromache Moon. I am second to a pack named Fallen Tree Cove which is lead by my sister Athena Moon."

Elliot felt every muscle in his body stiffen once again. His hackles raised in fury, yet his ears fell back in horror. His orange gaze was fixed on Andromache's face--his aunt's face--and his muzzle twitched and crinkled slightly. He didn't hear how she gasped, instead there was nought but the rush of blood to his head. She was here then. His mother, his abandoner, was here. Back on the mountain that she had left him to die on, scraps for hungry buzzards that waited for his passing. Her decaying throne had been reclaimed and there she sat, like nothing had changed. It sickened him.

He found himself speaking without thinking the words through, as the hate in his gut bubbled up and spewed past his charcoal lips. Like a viper striking at its prey, Elliot's tongue was coated in poison and his fangs dripped venom. "Don't expect her to stay your leader for long. If she can abandon her children, then she can abandon her sister." He sucked in a deep breath and averted his gaze to the trees, watching mist swirl and snow sprinkle from the shuddering, piny canopy. The weightlessness of it all was soothing and he felt the fire in his belly die down; the dragon in his heart coiled around its remaining, small hoard of gold and closed one eye.

His deep amber gaze fell back upon Andromache. His lifeless gaze now flickered with the hint of something dangerous. "Athena Moon knows nothing but her own desires. She doesn't give a damn about anything but herself." His mother only wanted things for herself, and if she couldn't get them? Well, she had left Magnolia Glen twice without a word, her attempts at rebuilding her relationship with him utterly fruitless. Elliot did not doubt that she left simply because it was proving too hard for her. Her son was not presenting himself on a silver platter to her.

"You should leave, Andromache Moon. I'm busy, and have information to pass to my superior." Without another word, the black coated yearling began to turn away.

Haha. I like his brooding. Its cute!

Her father. He reminded her so much of Zeus. She barely reacted to the harshness of his tone or the flash of his anger as the dark male spoke venomously of his mother, her sister. Still, it did not register and Roma did not feel inclined to defend Athena. The only feeling that flooded Roma's mind was a singular feeling of recognition. It was like seeing a ghost. The deep, dark anger that bubbled up and spilled out of his maw and out of his eyes like leaking poison. The lifeless expression he tried to hide it all behind. Andromache felt paralyzed.

Daddy...The word echoed through Roma's head, a helpless whine. Zeus was a monster! A murderer! But...

Daddy...

The word spilled out without thought or hesitation. "Wait." It was breathy and whiny and very unlike how Roma usually presented herself. She took a step forward and paused, not wanting to get too close to the border but not willing to allow her nephew to walk away. Finally, her mind snapped back to its proper function and Roma's brain quickly listed all of the reasons she couldn't let the boy leave.

Family is everything! I need to hear what Athena did to him. I need to hear his side of the story so that I can fix this! They shouldn't hate each other. And I shouldn't have to hate either one of them. I can't pick a side, I won't! I want both of them in my life and Ill be damned if I let either one of them walk away without a fight.

Finally, the resilient she wolf regained her stability. Her face was kind, but also firm as she spoke up in a tone much clearer and more confident than the one she had used moments before. "I don't know what happened between you and Athena, she never explained the whole story to me. When we met she told me that she had children, but that she had lost them and from that point on I have hoped and prayed that I would be able to meet you." A little softer, a little more pleading Roma added, "Please, whatever time you can spare to spend with me right now would be greatly appreciated. I want to know what kind of man my nephew is." Roma knew that what she really wanted to know was if her nephew was the same kind of man as her father. She couldn't let that happen. Zeus had destroyed so much and she had let him live because she was afraid to kill him. Everything that was wrong with Athena was Roma's fault! If she had killed Zeus when she had the chance then he never could have tortured Athena. Perhaps, Athena and her children would still be together if Roma had destroyed Zeus when she first learned of his darkness.

She had made the mistake of letting a monster live once before. She would not do it again. She had to save her nephew, to help him before he turned into a monster like Zeus.

(This post was last modified: Dec 23, 2014, 03:43 PM by Andromache.)