Paradise Falls abject darkness

For a time, everything seemed still. There was only the wolves, the rain, and the first signs of life that rang out from Isla's den. Like the rest, Adelard waited. Yet, in his mind, he tried to reexamine the stepping stones of the path that had brought him to this very spot.

Like everything else in the past few months, it was all a blur. All he could sort out was that he had been grieving; and, what had resurfaced was a primal, aimless creature. Isla had saved him.

The masked man continued his watch through narrowed eyes. The only movement on his part was the occasional flick of his tail. Idling between wariness and indifference, Riven's approach gave him a start. Black pupils sought the Healer's face, his heart thumping as the herbs were laid at his paws.

He was about to give a solemn nod, to thank Riven for his service when Chan's growl disturbed the silence. One blink and the Leader had separated him from his partner. Instinct had Adelard's saturated fur on end, his lips twitching when he knew not to bare his teeth. As any obedient subordinate would, he turned his head away with his ears pinned back. Behind Riven, Finley had jumped into action, reminding them of where they were.

His eyes closed to mere slits, he peered at Chan's face before settling his chest and elbows on the ground. If the Leader demanded a show of belly or a tucked tail, he could have it. There would be no challenge here. However, Adelard did take offense to being denied Riven's proximity. Displeasure aside, all he had wanted was to ensure the health and safety of his consort. Surely, there was no harm in that.

heat stroke, bring the fire
ADELARD GERAU
black smoke, I take it higher

last round, i happily encourage others to make break off threads if they would like to continue some shenanigans, but i will be archiving this on 6/6 :)

A little fussing from both now.

Neither lasted long once they latched at her side. She watched the first in a passionate awe. Both of them were currently dark smudges against her grey hairs, but she hoped that both of them might look like her. Like Valles. She knew their were variations but...these were her Valles. This would be her continuation of the line.

Her throat tightened with the unexpected emotions that burst within her chest.

Would her father ever see them? Grandsons for him. Her sister would have been an aunt. A wonderful aunt who would have imparted her whimsical rebellion within them as they deserved. Chaos was the family heirloom when it came to a Valle. She did not ever want such a fire to be snuffed out of them.

She choked a sob back and nearly bit her tongue in the process. So enamored with the things at her side and the fact that she had created life. She had not a clue of what went on in the space beyond her den! She did not know that Adelard and Chan postured or that Riven's help was perhaps left to float. Nor that Finley and (possibly) Nadine both wielded themselves for her.

No one else mattered and they would never understand that. Nor would they understand that more than just two boys had been born within this den.

Love had been born. A ferocious and chaotic one, but love nonetheless.

TW for descriptions of a panic attack. Riven’s exit ^^

All at once, the calm facade was shattered. Riven’s fur stood on end at the deep growl behind him, eyes widening and body lowering down on instinct. His tail tucked between his legs and he stumbled back a little, mind going fuzzy at the sudden aggression.

For a moment, he nearly wanted to run away.

But what good would that do? They caught you last time, the voice in his head hissed, rooting his feet to the earth and freezing him on the spot.

Teeth and drool and claws and snarling. Pain in his head and his side and his back. There was the scent of blood in the air, too, even now. Life blood, his mind supplied unhelpfully - someone was being born, not being mauled. But it didn’t matter - no logic would keep the fear at bay. It was with him always, at the back of his mind, but he hadn’t had an experience like this since he left the facility. Someone snarling, directly in front of him, blocking his view of the one wolf he knew for a fact was safe.

Had he done something wrong? The aggression wasn’t directed at him, it seemed, but what Riven had done had caused it. He just couldn’t wrap his frantic mind around what, and he was too afraid to move or speak, nearly petrified of making this worse and having teeth turned on himself or on Adelard, and they were right beside a whelping den, and…

Riven didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he began to feel lightheaded. He inhaled one gulp of air and shied back from the altercation. He wanted to step in, to perhaps defend Adelard or remind Chan they were beside newborn pups and a new mother, but the words stuck in his throat like barbs.

He needed to get away from here. Needed to put distance between himself and whatever was happening here. As soon as Adelard lowered himself and it looked as though things wouldn’t come to blows, Riven turned and slinked off back into the brush.

(This post was last modified: May 31, 2024, 04:26 AM by Riven.)

give me your heart

and i'll give you my soul

to just feel a little piece of heaven

Nadine had not expected any tensions to arise to come to blows, which had caused her immediately to launch upright, a nod to Finley as she took a place to block the den with the woman, a low growl from her maw as well. It was normally here where she would assess the situation and try to broker a peace, but she hadn’t any idea what had caused the conflict and her focus was on Isla and ensuring that her time with her newborn children remained uninterrupted.

Her eyes would flicker between Chan and Adelard. It appeared to her, at least in passing, that Riven was just as much a confused bystander as her. And it was the last thing Isla needed. She watched as Adelard laid, showing his belly and tucking his tail to submit and once again her eyes flicked to Riven and the grass that had had carried with him. She recognized the scent vaguely from her mother’s lectures, and knew it was medicinal despite not knowing what it was for.

She also watched as Riven began to slink back into the bush, a frown on her features as she’d glance to Finley. What mattered now, she supposed, was that Isla was protected from the brutish behavior outside the den.

Finley’s green eyes flickered back and forth between Adelard and Chan, trying to read even the smallest movements. She felt Nadine fall into position beside her and heard the low growl, which only bolstered her confidence. No matter what was going to happen, they would keep Isla and any new Falls children safe from this display of dominance. It wasn’t the time or place in her opinion but when it comes down to it, Chan was their leader and someone she cared about and respected so she would have his back. But, not at the expense of Isla’s comfort in this moment.

Agouti body relaxed into a more neutral posture when she saw Adelard roll to submit. That should be enough for now, and Riven disappeared from the scene entirely so hopefully whatever had caused this situation to erupt. She would remain where she stood until she was sure that things had returned to normal, though this time when she laid down she was much closer to the den. She wasn’t going to let anything ruin this. Trying to catch Chan’s eye, she tilted her head questioningly, what had happened?

It was over in seconds, at least for the only two the interaction really should have involved. The moment Adelard looked away and ducked his head, Chan's tail relaxed and he all but dismissed the other wolf from his mind. He wouldn't wait for nor expect further submission, for that had not been his goal in the matter.

Yet Finley was now guarding the den from him with a growl and had instructed another packmate to do the same as well. Riven left altogether, a vacancy that took a few more moments for Chan to register.

He hadn't expected anyone else to understand his stepping in. After all, it wasn't as though anyone had ever tried to talk to him about it, was it? Even when this friction had been out in the open since Adelard had first joined them, on the benefits of climbing atop someone who hadn't even fully reached two years of age. Still, that anyone who had been thought of as a friend for years now saw him as a threat at all was exceptionally telling about how little they truly knew him.

Chan supposed that shouldn't have been a surprise, though. His gaze didn't soften when it caught Finley's confusion, finding it hard to believe she really wanted any kind of answers from him. When had she ever, even in the situations that had most involved him? Over the years, she had only ever really come to him when she had been in crisis, and even then it was by chance. Their meeting, even his rank - he was only leader now because he'd been her only choice after she'd gone as long as she could withstanding asking at all.

And why should he have to explain this? She had opened several doors by her own volition to this moment, could have done much more than stand over a hole in the ground to protect Isla. Why couldn't she put the pieces together herself, what Isla's various situations and taciturn disposition meant, that she should have wanted for the girl what she'd want for her own children, that a day and a surge of hormones did nothing to mentally transition a child into an adult, how unnatural it was for a stranger of advanced age to latch onto someone at that delicate precipice of development... So many red flags, and yet she looked at him like that?

It didn't really matter, he supposed. While the distance was felt keenly in moments like this, it was ignorable enough in general. They didn't need him to have a personality or a history or opinions or even feelings and morals.

They needed a working body.

Chan would speak flatly, and only as needed; between Finley and Nadine, whichever was willing and accepted by Isla, she could be delivered any and all medicinal flora needed as well information about the why and what of it. He would be available for hours longer, ensuring that the window for things to go wrong was firmly closed before daring to slip away.

(This post was last modified: Jun 07, 2024, 10:34 PM by Chan.)

It was here Adelard's perception of loyalty and duty skewed. Isla had others come to her defense and, of course, her Leader to set everything right. Through squinted eyes, he looked at Chan's paws, then to Riven's limbs beyond him as the Medic left.

His heart sank.

A glimpse of Chan's face, then a movement that would set Adelard right with elbows and heels on the ground. He curved his dark tail to his limbs, then set it between his hind limbs. He turned to nose the herbs in Chan's direction, then shuffled around to face away from the group.

Yes, he felt he owed Isla Valle quite a bit. But, maybe an heir (or heiress) was all she had wanted from him. He could only assume, unable to make any more sense of his moment of weakness... or the flirtation she initiated between them a couple of months before.

As Isla's den remained silent, with no calls or requests for his presence, the Gerau took his leave. All he wanted now was to seek Riven out and hide away in his pelt.

[exit.]

heat stroke, bring the fire
ADELARD GERAU
black smoke, I take it higher