Bramble Falls fly away blackbird

Gone Tomorrow

Leaning into one another, they were able to find the strength to keep them going. At least that was how she felt, anyways. Corinna had felt herself growing more reserved and distance from the rest of her pack mates, ever since Indru had left and taken Torrel and Rihael with him. She had felt it happening, and done nothing to stop it, and could she be blamed for that, really? How could the touch of her pack mates replace the touch of her lover, the father of her children? She had been wrong to think that they could not. It was certainly not the same, but breathing in the scent of the sturdy Guardian beside her, Cori felt comfortable knowing that there were some things in life that were reliable and consistent. That was all the reassurance that she needed to know that no matter the decisions that they made now, they would come out of it alright in the end.

Falling silent, the she-wolf listened to her companion talk, her muscles noticeably tensing at the abrupt switch in tone in his voice as he switched topics from his own meeting of Indru to their future. The future was always terrifying, but hearing all the obstacles that stood in their way made it even more so. "There's a pack in the South besides Grizzly Hollow?" She interjected, the confusion evident in her voice. How long had it been since she had left The Heart? Months? A year? She couldn't even remember. It had been almost two years since she had last seen Jayse of the Hollow - they had both been pregnant with their first litters when they had come across each other. Borden she knew by name, but not by sight, but from her understanding of the Hollow leader, if he was worried, then there was reason for them to be as well. "We will need to be careful then, when we're hunting or scavenging. The worst thing one of us could do is eat a sick animal and get sick ourselves." Corinna didn't know firsthand what kind of sickness they were talking about, but it was clearly something more serious than an upset stomach, and it was something she wanted to avoid. The last thing that the River wolves needed was another tragedy.

With a chuckle at his apology, she nudged his muzzle pointedly with her nose. "I'm glad someone does. Too much silence and we'd never accomplish anything," Cori assured him, tilting her head upwards to try and catch his eye for a moment. "As for leaving...I don't know. I can't imagine coming back to the River one day and having it not be 'ours'. But, I don't think we can stay either. Perhaps over the mountain is the best place to go for us, just away from it all." She mused after a moment, taking the time to collect her thoughts. "But I can't justify putting Aiyana and the rest of the pack into more danger just because I am not longer satisfied here. We can't go there so long as those bastards are there." But perhaps, they could go and eliminate that final obstacle, and though she was not a fighter by nature, Corinna knew should would enjoy killing the vermin that had taken her child.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. Ever present, the water falling from the heights and disappearing into the steam and ice below. Even as the world stood still it fell, and every once in a while, the near-white male would flick his gaze towards it, trying to isolate segments of water and watch them as they fell, but it was nearly impossible to keep track of.. to gauge the speed, to see it as pieces falling and not a constant stream. He only watched for a second or two each time, before returning his attention to Corinna, and his white ears flicked forward, before settling back again. "Yes, Willow... err, Willow, Willow, Willow something. They formed this past summer." His head bobbed in a nod, even though is 'brows had drawn up in a frown. He clearly didn't spend enough time thinking about the packs around them, if he forgot their names after a few months. He'd not spoken of, or thought of, Willow Ridge since he'd taken Fenru to the Meadow.. and that felt like ages ago now. A different era, when things had been alright. His ears pressed against his head for a moment. Again, the male bobbed his head, when she spoke of the sickness. He didn't know nearly enough about it, except that the dead were frozen in twisted positions, rigid, limbs splayed as if in the grips of a spasm. Once, he'd found a recently dead raccoon, and its mouth had been covered in quickly-freezing foam. It had been gross, and unnerving, and he'd quickly left it. Something about all these animals felt wrong on a base level; scent, sight... Hopefully that would be enough to let Swift River escape, to not eat one of the sick ones, or get infected. He didn't even know how they got infected. There were too many uncertainties, and he was getting tired of it, but what could he do? A chuckle escaped him at her words, one corner of his mouth pulling up in a wolf-grin, and he tilted his head down. Green eyes were searching for his again, and he let her, though he ducked his head a little and placed his ears flat against his skull. Corinna's eyes had always captivated him, with their vibrant green, easy hold, and many emotions. He'd always felt as if they were a forest, and he could get lost in them, searching for everything they hid. "We could always find another swift river on the other side," he said lightly, then grimaced. It was no secret Ice was the River wolf who was the least fond of water. After a moment he sighed, heavily. "But that's not the point of moving, is it?" You didn't exchange one den for another which was exactly like it. The River wolves would have to change their ways, become wolves of something else.. wolves who were not the legacy of Indru. It was oddly satisfying to hear the word bastards come like that from her, and for a moment he just looked at her, before his lips peeled back to reveal a hint of teeth in a smirk. Bastards, indeed. "We'll just have to evict them, then," he said, voice both light and dark at the same time. Though, it would be easier said than done; he did not know their actual numbers, and if a pack could kill a girl who had, more or less, grown into her adult body... His voice took on a more serious note. "But we'd need help. I could go to Borden, and the Willow ones, and see if they'd be willing to remove this threat once and for all.. I'm positive the Hollow will help — the thought of someone killing his children absolutely terrified him..." .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Gone Tomorrow

Shaking her said quickly, Corinna pulled away from Ice momentarily, her eyes puzzled in confusion. No, she had never heard of any pack that had named themselves after Willows. She couldn't actually remember ever visiting the Willows, now that she thought about it. But that was fine, she had no reason to know the details. If they were there, then that was not where she wanted to be. Maybe she was just getting old, or maybe Indru's final betrayal had affected her even more than she had realized, but Corinna Donata was not in the market to make new friends. She wanted to be left alone and away from others so that she and her family could live their lives in peace. Was that so difficult to ask for? Apparently so.

But they would find a place, no matter how long it took them or where. They would find a place to call home. "River or no river, we're still a pack. At least for now. I've wondered if perhaps we might lose a few, come Spring," she mused, her voice firm and then fading slightly as she pondered. The thought that Fenru, Kisla, or Triell would leave had crossed her mind more than once. Her oldest children were coming into their second year, and that meant full maturity...of all kinds. Having just retold Ice her own story of leaving to seek out an adventure, how could she fault her children for wanting the same?

She was selfish though, as any parent would be. And given her particular experience, she could relate to Borden's anxiety over the safety of his children. "I can't blame him, Ice," she whispered, leaning into him once more. The thought of losing any member of her pack was enough to make her furious and depressed all at the same time, but especially her children. There was nothing more debilitating to a parent than that. "We should reach out to them. It happened to us...but I wouldn't wish it upon anybody else to go through what we did." There was nothing comical about the loss of a child's life, and that was exactly what had happened to Rissa. Closing her eyes to the world Cori took a deep breath, trying to stabilize herself and keep it together. "We'll go, soon. It's been a long time since I've seen Jayseyek, but I think we should talk to them. Perhaps we can eradicate those vermin for good." Before more lives are lost.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. Somehow, he found it incredibly stupid that he hadn't told her about Willow Ridge — or anyone else, except Fenru, for the matter. Of course, any wolf who ventured near the willows would realize there was a pack there, but Corinna seldom traveled.. so why hadn't he told her? Why hadn't he let her know what was going on, while she was struck down with misery at the loss of Torrel? Ice pushed his teeth together, staring darkly at the ground for a moment, trying to find a reason, but drawing blanks. Had he expected she'd just know, just because he knew? It hadn't occurred to him to share the news at the time, for whatever reason, and he just hoped that she'd not hold it against him. Ice had always been a fairly thoughtless wolf, despite caring deeply for his pack and friends. Her words were true, and yet another thing he hadn't really considered. Ice stared down the length of his muzzle, down into the pool below. He'd left, because he was uncomfortable living with his father and the elders; he was fairly sure Snow, Cone and Fir had all left the nest sometime that past year, too, to start lives of their own. He just couldn't see any of them remaining up there until they, too, were old and shriveled. Fenru and Kisla would turn two, and Triell three, though Triell's love, Volkan, had since long left the Lore with Ruiko. Would he stay, until he found someone else? Would Fenru and Kisla strike out in the world, and look for their own loves, and futures? Ice had not been ambitious when he came here. He'd been content to serve under the capable Indru, yet his restlessness had grown with age. Would it do that, to Fenru as well? Would he one day leave, because to usurp Marsh and claim his own mother would make no sense. "Maybe," he said quietly after a moment, imagining the next year, when the black shadow of Aiyana might fly out of their lives forever. Fate had been cruel to that one. Corinna's warmth was solid against his side, and he leaned back, as much for the emotional support as the heat. It had, to him, seemed that whenever Indru disappeared or times were rough, it was to him she turned. Of course, Marsh was not much of a conversationalist, more of a steadfast presence even if he'd been flighty, probably looking for Indru that spring, and after Marsh, Ice had simply been the oldest, with Triell just coming into his full maturity. "Me neither," he replied in a hushed voice, thinking of Rissa, and her skull glistening in the moonlight. He'd not wish that upon any other cub, not even Naira's. Slowly he nodded, her plan matching his own — all of fall he'd been left to his own devices, to plot and plan what he wished, with Marsh holding down the fort and Corinna nothing but a mess. He'd have to start counting on her again, now that she was waking up, and run his ideas by her, even though it chafed a little at his mind after so many months of freedom. "Soon," he agreed quietly, watching the falling water. Soon. The beginnings of a grim smile curled his mouth, and he realized that he'd been content to sit there for a while longer, in silence. ( merrso, do you want to continue, or end here and say they went home after a while? ^^ I don't mind either way. :) .ice aesir

There is this thread, {t_3744}, in which Ice claims he's on the way to GH, maybe we could just say Cori was with him, except he'd gone ahead? :) Or she can just materialize once he actually gets to GH, or something else entirely. <3

let the stars above shine in your soul

Gone Tomorrow

They would vanquish every demon who haunted them, because that was what they did. For far too long she had allowed her demons to lurk over her shoulder, dictating her every move and reducing her to nothing but a shadow of her former self. Corinna had taken the first steps towards her own salvation, but until she had put every worry to rest, there would be no saving her tortured soul. She was not vengeful, by any definition of the word, but there was an acknowledgement now that neither she nor her loyal friend would rest until those who had plagued them had been destroyed. Eradicated, really, like the vermin that they were. With a sigh, Corinna leaned into Ice, her body physically close but her mind a thousand miles away. Eventually the pair would make their way back to the River territory, though she at least would be returning with far more hope and a clearer head than she had originally left with. Inaction had been her downfall, but like the water that continued to flow defiantly in the face of a harsh winter, she would refuse to be frozen any longer. That was her promise, made for her pack, for her murdered daughter, for her remaining children, and perhaps most important, for herself.

End!