Ghastly Woods it puts a vault in my step

Around midday, Mostly Cloudy — Current Temperature: 38° F/3° C.

<blockquote>The Spring, the Spring - ever since Ruiko had mentioned it, Kinis had been enchanted with the idea. If the Lost Lake had not been so close to Swift River, he would have suggested it, but the Spring held very similar appeal; perhaps it was as simple as the water-aspect which so called to him. A river wolf by nature, the lake and ponds and springs and pools were just a mutation on the theme, but most importantly, they were not <i>rivers</i>. The distinction was enough. It felt like home... but not too much. Perfect.

In that sense, he knew he would not be too heartbroken if they ultimately decided against the Spring; he enjoyed what it represented, rather than the place itself. He would be happy near any (mostly non-moving) body of water.

Still, it gave him a good excuse to venture further from Swift River than he had done for a long time. The pack was doing well enough not to miss his patrolling and hunting of small-game for one day. Yes, they could spare him, for today he wanted to rediscover the thrill of life outside of the Grove, and with every step came a small spark of glee; could this be their new home? What about here? And here?

The sensation was intoxicating, and before he knew it, Kinis was fairly far north. Ghastly Woods, wasn't this? Man, he hadn't been here in a while. Though never forgetting his home-game, Kinis allowed himself a moment's rest, sitting in the comfortably cool shade of one of the larger trees.

Closing his eyes and leaning back against the thick trunk, he kept his ears alert at all times, but could hear nothing worth worrying about. He knew the woods were often considered unsightly and unpleasant to walk through, and had often held this opinion himself, but right now, the very fact that it wasn't the Grove was enough to completely re-work its appeal. Could he just stay here?</blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

<blockquote>True to her nature as of late, Volkan could be found anywhere but Swift River. So what if it made her technically the worst pack member of all time? She'd been doing her share, she thought, at least: contributing here and there to the meat cache, patrolling the borders, patrolling outside the borders... specifically, that last one more than anything. At least she'd encountered that black female, Rebecca, who was apparently banned from the River area. Volk hadn't necessarily invited her in, right? So that had to count for something, too. Somehow, though, the guilt she felt about her less than proactive involvement with the pack didn't weigh as heavily on her mind these days, especially since her last little encounter with Ruiko and Kinis.

Since that day, the mental sticky note with the words <i>explore more damn territories</i> had been lingering there on her metaphorical wall, just daring her to do it. But yeah, that was easier said than done, she thought as she picked her way in a general northward direction. Perhaps she's stumble upon one of those places Ruiko had mentioned, the Spring or the Thicket, if she went far enough. But how, she wondered as she ducked below a particularly low-hanging tree branch, was she supposed to do that if she had to basically <span class='word'>cleave</span> herself to Swift River?

Not that she didn't trust Ruiko. She was sure that those places would be fine, great even, for their blossoming little appleseed of a pack—

—Oh hey, speak of the devil, or, sort of. Kinis was right there in front of her, leaning against a nearby tree. She'd barely noticed the scenery changing around her, the trees having lost their color somewhat. This place didn't seem as green or as lively as The Wildwood, but she didn't mind it, and if there was one wolf she wouldn't mind running into, it was one who'd be involved with the pack that occupied her thoughts at that moment. Drawing nearer, unsure whether or not she should disturb him but actually, not really caring either way, she woofed softly at him, <b>"Hey."</b></blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Dec 15, 2011, 01:08 AM by Volkan.)

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<blockquote>It seemed too peaceful to even consider an interruption, but the quiet reverie was not to last. He heard the light footsteps approach, and though he remained outwardly relaxed, he tuned in on the sound, trying to distinguish its likely owner. As it happened, he rightly identified it as wolfish, but would never have guessed that wolf's identity; her voice rang out softly, and his eyes opened in alarm.

<b>"Volkan?"</b> he asked instinctively, smiling bemusedly as he stared. But the surprise was easily overcome, and he pulled himself quickly to his feet - a rather more presentable posture. <b>"Your feet itchy, too?"</b> He grinned, guessing that she felt as least similarly to him and eager to get going. Swift River probably wasn't as suffocating to her as it was for him - but then, that was presumptuous. At least Kinis had ties to it. Was it frustrating to be held in a pack she wasn't really committed to?</blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

<blockquote>As it turned out, Kinis didn't seem to mind the company, and Volk drew nearer slowly, offering a quick, casual nod in greeting. She didn't know him super well yet, and took notice of the slight awkwardness that she perceived to hang in the chilled air along with the silence, but at the same time, she felt a small twinge of excitement at getting a chance to hang out with him. After all, if they were going to be in this thing together, they'd better start getting to know one another. Besides that, he intrigued her somewhat, and if he was brother to Triell, Indru, and Ruiko, he had to be interesting.

No sooner than he spoke, before the words had even come out, her face cracked into a roguish grin. Shamelessly she nodded, standing a few wolf-lengths away from him. Of course. <b>"Worse every day now,"</b> she remarked, peering up at him from beneath an unkempt brow. And oh, did she mean that. Secretly she was glad Kinis shared her sentiment, the same one that she hadn't been able to shake ever since their conversation.

<b>"But you know,"</b> she added, crossing to the jumbled, thick trunks of the tree adjacent to him before climbing atop the roots and nosing at them idly, <b>"I never thought I'd see a Tainn brother himself so far from the den."</b> Nose still between roots, she looked up quickly to throw him a smirk. It was comforting to know that she wasn't the only wolf who wasn't spending all her time inside the pack territories. Somehow, the fact that Kinis was also taking some time for himself, and that both of them were like planets struggling against the limits of their orbit, made her feel a little less like an outsider.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Dec 17, 2011, 04:06 AM by Volkan.)

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[/siki's lateness]

<blockquote>The grin was returned, and already he felt more at ease. The unusual relationship between them - unusual for him, at least, he was used to a very distinct stranger/not-stranger line - by her easy nature. Honestly, he could see himself liking her even if they hadn't been shoved together - but they had, so here they were, and he wasn't complaining for it.

He watched her with curiosity as she moved about, snuffling at the roots, and laughed, slightly caught off-guard, by the remark. <b>"You know, it's ironic to think that me and Ruiko are probably the only two Tainns who have never been far from the Grove,"</b> he replied, a slight whimsy to his smile. True, there was that one time... but in all honesty, he had come back before long, and his travels had merely taken him in expanding circles with Relic Lore as their core. Ruiko, to his knowledge, had never gone anywhere - and that gave him more claim to Swift River than Indru ever had, if not for their oldest brother's determined sense of authority. Kinis would always respect Indru, but Ruiko was his faultless leader.

<b>"Besides,"</b> he added with a grin, <b>"it's not gonna be my den for long, right?"</b></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

<blockquote>After Volkan's idle search of the tree roots proved inconclusive, she lifted her head, Kinis' words stirring the thoughts so that they swirled haphazardly inside her head. <b>"Mm,"</b> she said, nodding to acknowledge that she was listening, feeling too out of the loop for an actual response. So Ruiko and Kinis hadn't really ever left Swift River? Why, then, had Marsh acted so aggressively toward Ruiko during their hunt a while back? Briefly she tried to recall what Ruiko had told her the first night they'd met; she remembered mistaking him for the leader of Heartleaf Creek— haha, how dumb— to which he simply replied: <i>not anymore.</i> It was one of those remarks to which she hadn't given much thought, being such a newcomer to Relic Lore... but now, as it resurfaced, something clicked, and finally the thoughts organized inside her mind. Although she heard what Kinis said next, her vision snapped to him, and she blurted out the question.

<b>"Did Ruiko... was he ever the leader of Swift River?"</b> Oops. Should she have asked? Volkan's gaze fell to the ground for a moment as she hopped down from the twisted roots, but she looked to Kinis again after a second. </blockquote>

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<blockquote>The boy watched with an almost hesitant curiosity; he so wanted to know what was going on in her head, this relative stranger, as he talked about things so integral to his own life and family. She looked so contemplative, or perhaps that was his imagination. Kinis fell even more quiet in the brief moment after his rhetorical question, sensing her distraction and the focused distance in her gaze - what was she thinking?

<b>"Oh."</b> Just how much did she know? Not that it was important, nor sensitive information, but now Kinis was intrigued as to both how she would come to such a conclusion and why it seemed of such interest to her. <b>"Yeah, for quite a while, actually. There was... a drought - I don't know how much you know,"</b> he added quickly, not wanting to patronise her, but needing to cover everything just in case. <b>"A little over a year ago, now, I guess. Indru took our family out of Relic Lore... what was left of it, anyway. Ruiko stayed, and I stayed too."</b> It was that choice which had finalised his current idolisation; Ruiko had long been the brother Kinis most looked up to, but it was that period alone which had ensured that Kinis would view Ruiko as his sole true leader.

He wanted to smile and wag his tail and pretend that was the end of the sombre bit, but that wouldn't be truthful. Still, he tried not to look too serious - this was all in the past, after all, and things were looking to improve very soon. Again he felt a strange tug as he acknowledged that he was sharing fairly family-based matters with her, though he pushed it aside. She was an ally, she deserved to know it - if she didn't already. <b>"But we survived, and others joined, and Swift River did okay. But then... Indru came back. And you can probably guess the rest."</b></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

<blockquote>For a fleeting moment she felt that familiar creeping of awkwardness, worrying that she'd asked too much. Would her honest desire to learn more about the Tainn history come across as nothing more than a random <span class='word'>solecism</span>? But Kinis answered, to her relief, and she watched as he explained. A drought? She threw him a small but sustained shrug, her expression blank. Yeah, this was definitely the first time she'd heard about that. A year ago seemed like ages to her— well, pretty much half of her life— and briefly she wondered what it must have been like for Kinis, and Triell, too, to go through that. Slowly she nodded, his words painting a clear picture of the timeline in her mind, and as her pale eyes studied him, she swore she could see a glint of that perseverance behind his quirky character.

He went on with the story, and her eyes traced the ground as he finished, leaving her with what she now knew to be the truth: that Ruiko and Indru were, in a strange way, equals. While she was already familiar with the pride of respecting Ruiko as her leader, the image of him as anything except a swarthy rogue seemed strange to her. Imagining him in Indru's place was bizarre... and yet, somehow, it fit. Indru, the jovial, friendly brother, would run the successful, established pack— and the cool, collected vagabond brother would be the one to venture off, reclaiming the title he once carried. The one that, presumably, he had lost to Indru.

<b>"...It makes sense,"</b> she contributed at last, after a moment of thought. Her previous energy had subdued itself now, and having fallen to a seat on the soft earth, her tail curled around her haunches. <b>"It sounds pretty funny now, but I actually... the first day I came to Relic Lore— like, <i>the</i> first day— I ran into Ruiko. And I asked him if he was the leader of a pack,"</b> she admitted through a laugh, as at the time, he'd been anything but a leader. <b>"Because he just seemed, you know. Like someone who didn't screw around."</b> She looked at Kinis with a pleasant smile; even if Swift River's history was full of drama, the future was bright for them now, wasn't it? </blockquote>

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<blockquote>The seriousness with which she listened subconsciously pleased Kinis, for it made sharing all the more easy; these were matters close to his heart, and to have them taken lightly would have been painful. His respect for Volkan only seemed to grow and grow. They really were all in this together. She calmed, but Kinis felt a surge of energy, the sombreness of his last sentence quickly fading as he smiled, tail wagging briefly, curious to hear what she would make of the tale she had asked for. He felt a prick of pride knowing that this was new to her; hopefully she would be more sure than ever that she could trust him, trust him not to lie or withhold anything from her.

Her story about running into Ruiko was perfect, and suited Kinis' opinion of his brother absolutely, but to hear that a complete stranger instinctively saw him in the same light as Kinis was great. He laughed with her, understanding completely. <b>"Sounds like you had him pegged from the start,"</b> he grinned, and then a question occurred to him. <b>"Just how long ago was that, anyway? It seems like you've known him for a while, but you don't talk like you've lived here long."</b></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

<blockquote><b>"I did,"</b> she confirmed, smiling both at the conversation and the memory. <b>"He actually mentioned the new pack— well, sort of. Said he was travelling with a few others, mentioned you believe it or not, and some other wolf. And said if I ever want to join him, all I had to was go find him again."</b> It felt sort of odd, she guessed, that she had actually known technically who Kinis was before ever having met him.

<b>"I came here in the Spring,"</b> she went on after a short pause, as though launching into some historic tale. It did seem like ages ago, even if it had been less than a year. The time had passed much more quickly than she'd expected. <b>"Didn't know a soul. Just... y'know, sorta wandered up here. Lucky I guess, that I met Ruiko then... but yeah, I've sorta been waiting to follow him in his own pack for as long as I've been here. Haven't really thought about it that way before..."</b> she trailed off musingly, eyes finding Kinis, knowing he shared her excitement. For him, though, the story had roots even farther back.</blockquote>

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