Bramble Falls Shooting the Moon

The foothills were quiet in the obscurity of the black and blue night, untouched by the gusts that persisted, unchallenged as they danced amid the mountain’s peaks. Navigating through the barbarous range had been tricky—through ice, wind, rock, and water, down an unmarked path riddled with horrors not unlike those that would exist in a nightmare, waiting to lure the unsuspecting into their darkness.

A veil of ice laced the iron and rust colored outermost layer of the female’s coat as she left the ridge behind her without a second glance. The feel of the soft, cold soil beneath her frozen, muddied paws was a transition that she welcomed as she made her way deeper into the forest that would provide refuge and a place to recover from a long day. Sounds of the runoff as it snaked through the vegetation was like a lullaby, playing gently in the back of her mind, which was focused on following a series of pools and waterfalls as they led some way to what she hoped would be level ground.

Ears that had been pinned protectively to the wolf’s wide head turn precisely in nearly every direction, surveying the novelty and mystery of the wood as it was bathed in silver moonlight. Just past a ridge of firs, the streams converged, revealing a glimpse of only one of the treasures held by the forest, which appeared more ancient in its depths. Aeylen Onida stepped boldly, silently, to the edge of water before taking a moment to survey the shadows. Only a fool would embrace the comfort of such a timeless scene; <i>comfort</i>, though it was genuinely what she needed, had been cruel to her.

The smooth current soothed the female’s aching, tattered forelimbs, the river warmer than the splinters of ice slowly melting from her body. A patch of dying grasses on the far bank would be a fitting makeshift den, and she wasted no time in raking it to makeshift perfection with her paws; there would be no further venture until she'd recooperated. As she settled, closing her weary, amber eyes, the female considered the fact that although she had survived the mountain, she may not survive what could be waiting for her in the night, as she lay wearily in the temperate mists that were her only protection.

(This post was last modified: Dec 07, 2011, 12:45 AM by Aeylen.)

The battered form of the male moved with a certain stiffness, but that did not affect the pride within his stride. The injuries caused by the dark she-wolf of the Hollow pack were not so deep that they would not heal swiftly; it seemed in his offering to her she had made sure to not inflict too much damage. The image of her tears was still burned to his memory, but there was nothing more he could do for her. That thought alone was enough for him to put it to rest, and rather than worry for the female who followed Jaysyek, Ruiko would instead put focus toward his own followers and family; Kinis and Volkan.

They were in need of a home, and once more the large Tainn found himself amidst the cruel shadows of the Wildwood trees, though the roar of the Falls was in the background. They danced across the all-too-familiar foliage, memories of his puphood emerging from every crevice. He, Indru and Niija had torn across these very forests growing up with reckless abandon, always to be met with the strict tongues and teeth of their parents in retribution for wandering so far from the den. Still, after more than a year had passed since the flames had consumed his old home, Ruiko swore he could still smell the scent of burning wood and fur.

This was no home for them; not any longer. The ash and disheveled and fallen trees were proof of that, yet he longed for it. To restore the wildwoods to their former glory. Prowling across the soft and frozen ground, the moon danced light upon his thick and golden pelt with an eerie glow, as if he too was no more than a ghost that would roam this place now.

Stirring, Ruiko’s eyes fell upon another figure curled peacefully to the dying grass of oncoming winter. Holding back a frown, curious to how her presence had missed him initially, the male canted his muzzle to the side, wondering if his own presence had been noted yet or not. “Evening.”

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2011, 03:36 PM by Ruiko.)

The night passed slowly as tawny female attempted to settle, rolling, flopping, and sighing in frustration as the winter night offered little rest. Here and there she'd open an eye, looking up through the canopy to the sheets of clouds that would obscure the moon and its light every now and then. It was no surprise that although her body was wrought with fatigue, she'd be lucky to get any sleep at all. Nevertheless, the wolf did not move from her palette, determined not to move and hoping that perhaps, before she knew it, her dreams would take her. Intermittently, the female’s golden eyes stared into the darkness.

A sound in the distance was quick to snap her back to a heightened state of consciousness – a rustle somewhere in the shadows. Though her heart skipped a beat before beginning to race, she was careful not to make a move, with the exception of the darting and focus of her eyes which scanned the peripheral forest in a paranoid effort. The river’s trickling in the back of her mind garbled her efforts as she attempted to listen, but there would be no sound to accompany the passerby as he made his way through the frozen foliage. Slowly, the wolf rolled from her side, ears and head perking up as a faint breeze drove the male’s scent past her. She was not alone.

<b>“Evening,”</b> a voice echoed; her insides jolted at the sound, and her body froze in place. The female’s eyes searched for the speaker, coming to fall first upon his reflection in the swirling, bubbling waters. A ridge of fur from the superior aspect of her head to the tip of her tail erected as her sparkling, golden eyes locked to his. There was something in his gaze that held her attention, more chilling than the gusts of the mountains or the cold rock of the foothills. Her eyes did not leave his as she rose slowly to her feet, resisting the urge to shake the grasses that dirtied her thick coat.<b> “Hello,”</b> she nearly whispered, the words seeming to escape from her throat without her permission as her eyes half-blinked.

(This post was last modified: Dec 07, 2011, 02:43 AM by Aeylen.)

His eyes roved the buff red of her pelt, noting the creamy hints amongst ebony and pale ivory. Ruiko was not so cold-hearted to note that she was a delightful creature, and the regal male felt a familiar stir as he gazed upon her. The gentle nature in which she rose caused the male to incline his muzzle down lightly, allowing her to see he did not disturb her with ill intent. She rose to her paws, a slender figure draped in moonlight as she returned his greeting with a whispered one of her own.

Ruiko canted his muzzle slightly, his bright eyes lingering upon her own for only a brief moment. “I apologize if I disturbed your sleep,” he murmured to her, his voice lower due to the late night haunting hour. She seemed new to these lands – he had scouted Relic Lore once more for weeks now and her scent was fresh within the depths of the Wildwood. “Ruiko Tainn,” he introduced, curious to why such a delicate creature was alone in a wood that had previously offered him despair and loss.

The nervous motion of her blinking was soon replaced by a calm stillness that crept throughout the entirety of her body, and the female's tail swayed slowly behind her, tickling the curves of her hocks. The dark mask of his face was a fitting background for his smoldering eyes, which she could nearly feel as they swept over her form, the warmth of them contrasting the chill in the air. Watching his lips as the male introduced himself, she was careful not to let her own eyes wander, despite the urgent temptation.

<b>"<i>Ruiko Tainn</i>,"</b> she repeated softly, warm eyes moving from the aspects of his face to his broad chest, and down to his toes before meeting his gaze. It was a fitting name - strong and dark. The shewolf tilted her head curiously, a shy, one-sided grin emerging from the look of confusion that surely preceeded it. <b>"Aeylen Onida, it's my pleasure,"</b> was her polite reply. <b>"Don't apologize...I heard you coming,"</b> she teased lightheartedly. Though it was true, she oddly felt as though she were lying to the stranger; quite honestly, she'd heard something, but he was exactly the last thing she'd expected, emerging from the shadows, seeming to light them like a dawning sun emerging on a dark horizon.

Taking a cautious step closer to him, she stretched her thick neck just a bit, sniffing the air between them without redirecting her attention from the eyes that held her own.

His name slid from her tongue, as if the she-wolf repeated his calling to restore to her memory. Her gaze lingered upon him and the Tainn male felt himself bristle slightly – not because he felt threatened but because he was refraining from doing the exact same thing, except in a more sinful manner. The grin that lit up her features stirred his wolfish brows to lift slightly from the stoical mask he retained, the light cant of her muzzle revealing a coyish side to the stranger that he desired to know further.

“I’ve never been known for my stealth,” he returned, a grin of his own beginning to preen at the corners of his dark lips. Dipping his muzzle down a notch, his gaze continued to study her. “The pleasure is mine, Aeylen,” he returned, mirroring her name as she had done his. There was a small pause as the male gave a brief flick of his tail, his eyes drifting back to where she had slept before. “Are you new to Relic Lore?”

A glint of warmth filled the female's soft, almond-shaped eyes as she couldn't help but to note his gestures and the casual way he stood before her so gently, despite his darkness - the darkness that outlined the male's indecipherable, golden eyes; the darkness that hung about him like morning fog in the belly of the mountains as they greeted the summer sun. The cold air, pulled inside of her with each quiet, deep breath, was chilling in comparison with the warmth of his gaze.

<b>"Yes," </b>she replied after a moment,<b> "I suppose I am. I am merely passing through, really." </b> The shewolf's eyes followed the male's as he glanced at her mess of a bed. Certainly embarassing, however she would be on the move quickly - no sleep tonight - soon leaving it behind like many other things in her life.

She caught the words before they could escape her mouth, tempted to make small talk but without the energy to make any rational end of her inclination. The beams of moonlight that managed to penetrate the tree tops fell upon his coat here and there, illuminating the spectrum of its shades. A gaze into his shadowy mask felt to her much like the dreams she'd been waiting for as familiar sleepless nights haunted her.

It was late, and Ruiko certainly had no business being here when his duty (for now) rested with Swift River. Yet he stood there under the cold winter moon with an enticing stranger who seemed to hold him in place – the honey of her eyes complimented the buff red of her pelt and for the first time since he had courted the ebony Ranger, Ruiko Tainn felt the pull of attraction.

“Heading anywhere in particular?” The question was to gain more insight to the stranger’s life, curious as to where she was going and with what purpose. Perhaps she had a lover in another valley. A family. A pack. All of these were great possibilities, and as his gaze strayed from the haphazard area she had claimed for a bed, Ruiko assumed that as she was in such a rush as to press forward, she must have had another waiting for her at her destination.

What had been warm inside of her faded painfully into ice as she listened to the male's words. <i>Anywhere in particular? </i>Hardly, and at the same time she knew she was going anywhere and everywhere ahead of her, toward each setting sun on every horizon. Wherever the destination may be, the only thing that had kept her alive to this point was a fierce internal fight for anything warm, anything light, and good, and nothing like the philosophical death that was further behind her with every <i>painstaking</i> step she'd taken forward.

The female's ears flickered westward, perhaps listening for a song of hope amidst the winter quiet and the biting winds that ripped at the eldest of the trees; her amber eyes searched the darkness for the safest, quickest path. It was hard to swallow the lump that brooded in her soring throat as she felt his presence near, so close. In what was a fleeting moment, she thought of the stranger, his eyes, his ways...Turning her back to the hope that lured her, her attention fell to rest once again upon his figure and her piercing eyes delved deep into his. A chill bristled the wolf’s tawny coat, and her cold voice was unwavering as she spoke in the gentlest of tones.<b> ”No.” </b>She could sense his curiosity, but was at a loss for words, ones to satisfy him. For the moment she was<i> lost for thought.</i>

It was an uncertainty, what she thought she may have seen, peering inside of him as she synchronously studied the tones of his eyes. In the back of her mind she wondered what he may have seen inside of her, had he chosen to look as close; she could be sure that the things she’d chosen to repress—to forbid—would be out of the brute’s view. This, however, was not as troubling to her as was the fact that a temptation to show him, to let him see, tickled at her mind.

<b>“It’s colder by the minute,”</b> she whispered, still unsure of what to share as the cold began to wear her down.<b> “Perhaps you’d walk with me?” </b>The question was poised with great consideration—the scents that laced his thick coat told of a pack, somewhere he most likely should be instead of here, in these icy, forsaken foothills. The wasting of time was no one’s luxury during times as these when the winter loomed.

The life of a nomad had always been frowned upon by him; as a loyal wolf to the Hidden Tree pack and to Swift River, Ruiko Tainn’s patience with the passing rogue had always been short, and usually without much consideration to the reasons as to why they traveled alone. It was unnatural in the ways of a wolf, and yet a week would not pass that the large tawny wolf would come across a new face, yet another traveler.

What was it she sought? With no destination in mind, he found himself deeply curious as to what means she wandered for. Was she looking for the perfect pack? The perfect land? The perfect mate? Her soft eyes looked to him, as if she too seemed to be curious about the wolf who stood before her.

At her request, the Tainn male gave a nod of his muzzle, the bright of his eyes falling upon the slender curve of her figure. Moving forward now, the male took to her side, following a path he had followed many times by the Falls. Ruiko was no stranger to instant attraction; he had felt so much more when he was younger than now at the age of four. Still, none had managed to curl themselves around his heart the way Ranger had, yet his trust to her had been crushed, much like his belief in the possibility of love.. But that did not spurn his sudden desire for the girl away like he would have imagined.. Instead, he found himself braving a proposition that suddenly pleased him. “Then stay.”