Willow Ridge Willow Ridge Pack Thread

August 25th; Mid-Afternoon; Sunny; 64 ° F, 18 ° C.

For the past few weeks Angier had been sticking to his usual routines - checking on certain borders every so often, counting his son and daughters' heads each time he passed by the den at nightfall, monitoring and minding the scent trails of his subordinates, and spending time with @Elettra whenever he could manage to steal those few precious moments. Half the time, Niles thought to be a little rascal and spoil it all.

After being up for a good portion of the night, the grizzled patriarch had finally come to a stop in the presence of the pack den. He quivered a bit, constantly closing his eyes tight before opening them again as if doing so would help him regain his focus. It was here that he realized that he was not as young as he thought he was anymore. His elbows, knees, and heels, even seemed like they creaked a little after attempting to move quickly after his mischievous son whenever he was caught out of bounds beyond his designated "safe area." He slowly moved to settle down near the entrance of the den, somewhere off to the side of it so he was in the shade and out of the way. At first he let out a soft groan as his rump lowered to the ground, then, once he reclined forward, he merely winced. Finally, he relaxed his shoulders and paws and let his tail fall limp in the grass behind him.

He made a face that suggested he was worried, worried that he had not yet achieved the life he had wanted. In all actuality, though, he had met or surpassed Borden in a number of ways - he had fought his way up the Willow Ridge hierarchy, he'd dealt with his own rebel of a cub, even he and El had had their fair share of fights when things seemed bleak. Unbeknownst to him, his older brother was beginning to lose his memory and recollections of what once was; and, yet, all Angier could think of was how inferior he was. Was he happy? He supposed he could confirm that without a doubt; but, had he achieved what he had wanted to do in life? Perhaps. He had a mate whose love was undoubtedly requited, a land of his own, step-children, four sons, two daughters... and not even a twinge of jealousy as he had typically suffered from in his younger years.

His eyes lifted to the treetops where the umbrella-like trees gently swayed in the breeze. Without even being able to recall just how many summers he had experienced, he could only figure just how much life he had left in him. A year at most perhaps, long enough to see his second (and maybe last) litter grow up and inherit Elettra's throne. If he was lucky, he would have the fortune of meeting his grandchildren if any of his six cubs were to have the luck of finding a mate somewhere within Relic Lore like he had. He stared at the tips of his paws then rested his chin on them, taking a deep sigh as he whisked away the thoughts that had plagued him just moments before. Perhaps one day he would revisit them, but for now, he merely enjoyed the silence of the present and the prospect of whatever else would eventually come to pass.

(This post was last modified: Aug 25, 2015, 10:36 AM by Angier.)

Are you watching closely?
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-Casually wipes off all the dust-

Midnight - 2/01 - Clear 14 ° F, -10 ° C

Then you should sleep in the communal den like a normal creature.

For the better portion of a month and a half now the piebald woman could not shake the coolly uttered statement by Craw that managed to weasel its way into the forefront of her mind. Like a record cursed to spin for all eternity the words played themselves over repeatedly. Days had become restless because of it, nights dosed worst with bouts of inability to sleep, insomnia plaguing the precious twilight hours where normal creatures would slumber away in fanciful worlds of make believe dreams crafted by their intricate minds. Not for Enoki. 

Tonight was no different than the rest as obsidian limbs unconsciously brought the reclusive woman as of late to the opening of the communal den, the faint whines and exhaled breathes from those under the anesthesia of sleep tickling at her relaxed audits as a swarthy skull adorned with a pair of smoldering amber irises peered inside momentarily. Not a creature was stirring inside as the timber female removed herself to seek the cool surface of a near by boulder that jutted from the outer wall of the den, an unceremonious thump of her embodiment collapsing into an angled heap upon the compacted snow sending a cloud of loosened powder up into the night sky around her.

Honestly Enoki had no inkling as to why she was here and not there in her den, but some internal instinct had flared up suddenly within the pit of her being, driving her to seek the quietness of the others for God knows what reason. What was she to gain from watching her pack mates sleep? A gruff sigh escaped her lips as an all too awake skull propped itself upon the tops of outstretched forelimbs, illuminated amber irises gazing disinterestedly into the blue toned abyss of snowy twilight encased willows. The barren boughs swaying idly in the light midnight breeze. Perhaps luck would befall the aging woman and a soul as restless as her own would emerge from the den to feed the social interaction her subconscious craved to revel in once more. If not, simply guarding the den would have to do just fine in passing the eventide hours.

(This post was last modified: Jan 31, 2016, 09:55 PM by Enoki.)

Midnight - 2/01 - Clear 14 ° F, -10 ° C

As per usual, Skoll had been up to his nightly walks, skulking about in the dark and keeping an eye on the borders to some moderate extent (as he wasn't the Ridge's Leader anymore, he automatically expected his uncle to do such important work in his stead). A slight rumble of his stomach had him on the move but he was not about ready to leave the pack lands again before making sure all was well in the heart of his kingdom. Near-silent steps brought him to the den where he knew his mother and step-father were probably asleep. If the woman on the nearby boulder had not been there, he would have continued on his way, but as it was, he had to stop and stare. He had always known about her presence (and her absences) from the Ridge but never before had he ever seen this @Enoki, a woman rumored to be like his Nona Skana whom his mother had solely trusted. Maybe he'd take his baby brother's word for it all and try to see for himself just how "lovely" this piebald lady was.

"Strange," he mused, scrutinizing her from head to toe and eyeing the unique pattern in her pelt. There was no doubt that he would never forget her face or her coat. "You're usually not here at this hour..."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Had the female's senses been any less keen than they were; due to innumerable amount of hours spent hunting, then perhaps the near silent approach of the former patriarch, @Skoll , may have gone unnoticed. Alas there was no mistaking the faint crunch of snow beneath evenly distributed paws by a well trained ear and a sudden waft of willow bark infused musk on the light breeze that playfully grazed its winter chilled fingers through the tendrils of her color clashing pelt. A swarthy audit rotated toward the sound of his approach long before a marred muzzle could lift from its rested position to meet their maker with a bright auburn gaze.

There was no need to grasp for names once her dark amber irises settled upon the marred face boy, the ghostly gray orbs nestled neatly within a dark masked face tell tale signs enough whom she was now sharing her presence with. "Skoll, I presume?" Enoki ushered off her lips while forelimbs bent then straightened themselves back out to ease the woman into a seated position facing her evening company, ivory dipped tail coming to curl around her gathered paws. "Restlessness tends to lead me wherever it wills." It was true she hardly, if ever, graced the heart of the Archer kingdom at an hour like this, but she couldn't help the firm grip restlessness had on the rope around her neck. Leading the Ashrelle woman wherever it pleased until sleep finally did come for her, if it did.

(edit...because ack, 146 182 200 words. I swear it looked like more before...)

"Naturally," he replied. Even though he gave her a small smile, it hurt a bit too much, the scars he noticed on the bridge of her muzzle reminded him of the wolf he missed most. "And you must be Kiki," he relayed, his tone still even, "Niles doesn't say much, but he's given me your name time and time again. Even up 'til now on some nights." Skoll straightened his posture, moving to stand closer to the boulder but still facing in the direction he was meant to go until he had noticed Enoki.

Upon taking in her retort to his pondering, he shrugged with a roll of his shoulders. "Join the  club." He allowed the silence to overtake the two of them before he decided that he would be the one to continue their conversation, "How is mother these days? Niles, Ravenna?" He actually made a face then, remorse beginning to eat away at him within. He had told Hecate about all this before, but he was not about ready to spill everything to Enoki in the same manner. No, she would get the condensed, abridged version of it all. "I know Isolde's been gone for quite a while."

(This post was last modified: Feb 01, 2016, 11:57 PM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Enoki wouldn't shut up, heh.

Her assumption was made correct by a nonchalant spoken 'naturally' off ebony hued lips, even going so far; and uncharacteristically so from the rumors she had come to hear about the eldest son in passing, as to gift the piebald woman with a small smile. The same gesture of facial features was returned shortly in time on her behalf, though, as obsidian audits picked up on the uttered childhood nickname. Her brother Mordacai had given her this Kiki title and she herself had shared it with Niles in an effort to ease his attempts at pronouncing her full name knowing it to be much to hard at the time for a pup his age to master.

Apparently he had come to stick with the shortened version ever since, spreading the name like wildfire throughout the Archer kingdom. The Ashrelle female was okay with this. "He's a good pup with a good head on his shoulders from what I've come to see." Enoki answered honestly while smoldering amber orbs caught the subtle creep forward in their original path of trajectory, a minor twitch in her neck seeking to peer in the same direction, but the notion was easily dismissed. An almost playful snort would resonate on the air between the two dark tinted wolves at the nearly comedic statement Skoll muttered about joining the club. The restless club was not one she was openly trying to obtain membership of.

Silence soon came to replace the easy exchange of words before another breath of words were formed on coral tongues, Elettra's boy breaking the stillness first with words that warranted Enoki's ears to flatten against the back of her skull. The mentioning of Isolde's name sent a sharp twinge of pain and dread throughout the older woman's heart, the chill of winter holding no equality to coldness reality alone could muster. It had been at least three solid months now since the daughter born of the former queen had been deemed missing, search parties dispatched repeatedly only to have each return home empty handed. No new news to report to the pack. It was a tender subject at best. What could she give as an acceptable answer? This first official meeting with this royal son was heading downhill quick.

A burdened sigh if you will escaped compressed lungs to transform into a transparent cloud of warm breath as she mused for an answer to give. "From what I can gather by looks alone they seem to be holding up to the best of their abilities, but even I know the entirety of the situation has taken its toll on them." That was not a lie in the least and would have to sate Skoll's curiosity for now. It was then that Enoki pondered how the situation was affecting him. "How, how are you holding up?" The question was asked in a gentle, yet tentative tone, the patchy woman charting into unknown waters that could turn stormy in the blink of an eye.

In all brutal honesty, Skoll would never admit that he was concerned at the matter, not unless the moment was absolutely appropriate. No one apart from @Morganna and @Hecate, perhaps, were truly 'allowed' to see that part of him; but maybe he needed Kiki to see it. For years the rumors of his misdeeds haunted the Willows, chilled the nights that cloaked the Ridge, and seemingly silenced the moon and stars in his wake. Asriel's disappearance might not have struck him hard so many years ago and neither have Deacon's or Castiel's... but for his baby sister, the youngest of his mother's latest litter, he wasn't sure if he would be okay if she turned up dead. For once, he did not have a part of it, did not even dream of harming a hair on his half-sister's head. Many had anticipated that when he rendezvoused away from Willow Ridge that he come home with news or information on any sightings of migrating deer herds. Truthfully, he had gone away to look for her. For Isolde. And, he had come up empty-handed like his parents.

"I'm glad they're all right," he proffered, meeting her eyes for a fleeting moment before dropping his gaze to the boulder she rested upon. "I could be better." This, in fact, was the truth and when he looked at her again, he gave a wistful half-smile, "I hope she turns up." He tried not to linger on the topic though and while that rueful expression lingered on his face, he tried to move on, "Perhaps you'd like to join me on a night walk sometime? See what's out there that goes bump in the night?" Here, he hoped she wouldn't suggest that tonight be a more ideal time, he added swiftly, "Just came by to make sure @Angier, my mother, and @Morganna were all right and that @Sven is already asleep." With a tip of his head and a slight jab of his nose to the forest beyond, he gestured toward a hedge just beyond the den clearing.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

The waters seemed to remain calm and peaceful as Skoll answered on his behave in regards to the Isolde situation, a small nod of acknowledgement warranted by the patchy coated female. We all could be better. She thought briefly, keeping her expressions light, if not neutral despite the somber thought in passing. "I hope she does as well." God knows the toll it would take on Angier and Elettra should she never be found. Albeit relief was found from the sore topic as the dark haired prince offered an opportunity to stroll the night hours sometime, an amused huff escaping in response to seeing what goes bump in the night. "Another night restlessness plagues my bones then? Might as well pass the night hours with another restless soul, but i'm not afraid of the dark mind you." She spoke in a teasing manor, a twinkle of humor sparkling across her pupils. Was this boy truly the monstrous wolf others made him out to be?

A turn of her head followed his gesture toward the slumbering chambers of his kin and progeny, eyes squinting against the darkness to better view the hedge no doubt deemed the sleeping quarters for his son. Enoki's attention soon returned back to the shadow prince, nodding once more at his task for the night. "All is quite, but don't let my findings stop you from pursuing your own. I intend to go scour the meadow for a rabbit burrow while the night is still young and quite. Goodnight, Skoll." With that the magpie woman rose to all fours, a farewell bow with a gentle smile was offered before her paws began to seek out the familiar terrain of the snow blanketed meadow. Some unfortunate rabbit was bound to become her midnight snack.

Exit.

(This post was last modified: Feb 01, 2016, 06:17 PM by Enoki.)

To her own replies on the matter of the well-beings of the family, he nodded; and, when she continued on to humor him when he suggested that she might still have another sleepless night on her agenda, he half-smiled, especially at her comment that she was not afraid of the dark. @Enoki nodded back at him and spared a moment to swing his ears both towards the den and over to the hedge. All was quiet, she had said, and she was right. Though he was going to take her word for it, she invited him to scout out the entrances of each before taking his leave. She, herself, was going to check the Meadow to the south and hunt.

"Good night, Skoll," she bid him. He was quick to return the sentiment in kind, "Good night and good luck."

He watched her leave before actually sticking his head beneath the overhang of the den entrance, listening for the breathing patterns of his family and finding his assumptions correct. Immediately after, he stepped over to the place he had designated for Sven's use but decided against checking. If his son was more a nocturnal creature like him or not, he didn't mind. His little ghost was not so little anymore and was old enough now to fend for himself. Just in case though, he lightly rearranged the tangled, leafless branches to keep out the chill before taking his leave.

(Exit.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Takes place during this thread.

Sven made haste with @Attica at his side, all but running to the main den. His nerves grew all the more frayed the closer they drew, but his jaw was set with determination as he told himself repeatedly that it needed to be done, and that his Nonna was strong. They would get through this, because he was going to make damn sure they did. No more would he rely on other men to do the job he was born to.

He just didn't want to see that <i>hurt</i>.

Thankfully, she was just inside the main den. Sven wasted no time with trivialities as he peeked in, regarding his grandmother with a somber gaze.

"Nonna," he greeted, hesitating only a moment before steeling his resolution and powering on. He crept his way to her, placing a few loving licks underneath her jaw. She and his sister were the only two pack mates left that he showed such affection to.

"We found Angier. I'm so sorry."

And he truly was. Not that Angier had lost his life, but that @Elettra would have to suffer for it. Internally, he damned both the blind man and his failure of a shepherd son for their trespasses.