Whisper Marsh glimpse of a ghost

I wrote this for Arlette, but feel free to throw in whoever. <3
<blockquote>The morning was warm, even though the sun had just come up. Rihael had set off the moment he awoke, careful to tiptoe away from the sleeping mass that was Fen and Kisla. It was all because of a dream that he just couldn't shake. Today, he set off toward Whisper Marsh to see if somehow, it could be real.

His travels took more time than he would've liked, but Hael reached the glade by mid-morning. It appeared to him just as he remembered, wish an almost overwhelming sense of solitude hanging in the balance of the water and the reeds and the blue sky above. He could hear frogs, birds, insects. Alone this time around, with no Marsh to watch over him, he simply stood, taking it all in. But his fiery gaze moved to one spot, the empty gap between distant cattails across the water. He seemed to be alone here, yet... the dream, it had been so real.

Silently he crossed to where the still water began and the soft grass beneath his paws ended. The water was warmer than it had been those months ago, but he stepped in anyway, briefly glancing at his forearms as the green water enveloped his paws. Then he stared toward the spot in the reeds again, as if at any moment, <i>she</i>, whoever she had been, would cross his vision. She had never seen him, yet he had called out to her. Had she even been real?

He couldn't help the disappointment he felt, staring at that spot, waiting for something he knew wouldn't happen. Yet... he had to see if someone was really out there. He couldn't know until he tried. At a loss, Rihael stood knee-deep in the peaceful waters, frogs chirping all around him in the otherwise silent morning.</blockquote>

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the suns going to shine, and sometimes the clouds will rain.

The hunt for Trisden and Hocus was starting to dwindle. For Arlette there was always hope she would find them, or they would simply come home. She did not quite understand why they had left. She had never understood what had happened with Theodore,Trisden, and the snake to know that was the culprit. She thought it was because of Borden, and Hocus had pursued Trisden as he always did to look after her. She wished they would have told her, taken her with even. It was miserable without them, and everyone seemed to look at her like she was a ghost waiting to disappear too. It was probably this thought that made her leave at dawn to be alone. Good things had happened in the Hollow too, but today she did not feel like smiling nor playing. She wanted time alone to think, and search for her siblings.

Well in her heart they would always be that to her, like Jaysyek and Borden would be her mother. Hearing about the past on the mountain had shocked her, leaving her more wounded, and bemused about this life. Even more the white and gray wolf, the one she'd hunted with, the one that had the same eyes was her real. How was she suppose to wrap her head around that too? It did not seem fair how drastically, and suddenly her life changed. Couldn't she just figure out who she was?

A sigh fled from her lips, and she plodded along the unbeaten trails of the forest in the direction of the Marsh. It sounded like a good idea, nice and peaceful this time of day. She had not run into strangers there --or well Ruiko had been a nice stranger. She was kinda caught if she should just find a decent hiding spot. She refused to do that, because she did not want to upset her family further....what was left of it. Morning seemed more like a hopeful time to be alone she decided, and moved herself along.

Blinking her eyes, she tried her best to pay attention, be aware of her surroundings. A sturdy shake of her head, it helped to a point, and she moved her paws faster while her ears were pricked in listen to the Marsh, as very slowly it came into view. It appeared empty on first glance, when she peeked her head through the tall grasses, peering at the swampy grounds. When her eyes shifted from one point to the other, it did not look so empty any more. There was a boy, who resembled the one from Swift River she had meant long ago. Something was different, and she was frozen in time, staring at him. What should she do?

They are almost yearlings, weeeird.
<blockquote>Hael exhaled, still staring at the spot through the cattails. <i>Just a dream,</i> he admitted to himself at last, though he couldn't draw his attention away from the spot. Like a stage across which she could come strolling at any moment, framed by tall reeds and backdropped by emerald trees, he waited for her to make her entrance. She wouldn't, he knew. But what if, in the minute he gave up and turned away, she chose to appear? Rihael couldn't place the wonder he felt, the captivation... but it haunted him—

Just then, his head snapped toward a soft rustling in the grasses off to his right, and he took a startled step backward, nearly tripping over his paws under the swampy waters. There, parting the soft green grasses, was a face. White, with eyes that matched the bright world around her. Briefly his heart fluttered in his chest at the realization that he had been right, that she had appeared to him! But... no, this wasn't the same wolf. Unless her fur had changed colors. Hael hadn't heard of anything like that happening to a wolf, so he presumed this girl must at least be real. Perhaps she knew the girl he'd seen that day, the girl from his dream? <i>Nah,</i> he told himself, before realizing that he was still staring.

A crooked, sloppy grin had slowly spread across his dark-masked features. "You startled me," he called to her, the green, murky waters carrying his recently deepening voice with a slight echo. His words seemed to cut the silence that had suspended him in the moment in which he'd glimpsed her, and suddenly the drone of the frogs around him returned to his consciousness as he watched her, waiting with a smile for what she might say.</blockquote>

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the suns going to shine, and sometimes the clouds will rain.

He appeared as shocked as she was. Almost falling over, which made her feel bad. Before she knew what she was doing she was striding toward him, ready to help him balance. She'd remembered making Fenru fall into a snow bank losing his prize, and somehow if these two were related having another fall from grace seemed like a curse drawn upon her. Once she reached him, he righted himself, his vivid orange eyes the first thing she was drawn too. She shyly, and most quickly cast her gaze downward, her white ears flattening to her head. Since she could not help him she was lost what to do. She did realize one thing, she'd been right in thinking it was not Fenru. This wolf though very, very similar had slightly different markings. Finding some courage, she held tight letting her eyes look up to see a wry grin. If she was not confused she might have offered it back. For now she merely stared curiously. When he spoke it confirmed she was not imagining things. His voice was very different, and a tone she often heard in adult males.

"Sorry 'bout that. I...I didn't know you were here, and you kinda scared me." There suddenly was a half smile on her lips, her paws shifting to stand closer together in this awkward moment. She silently swallowed, wanting to look away from him. Yet she couldn't do it. She was allured by his striking eyes, and the fact he was not angry. In this moment he did not seem to be.

It was with that thought, she shifted herself a step backward. She had entered in his personal space, ready to rescue him, and thought it was the right thing to move back. "I..didn't make you drop something..did I?" She inquired, half wincing in case she had. He would probably think it was a strange question, but to her it was perfectly acceptable. She had not left on bad turns with Fenru, but this wolf she wanted to try to give a better impression she wasn't a clumsy wolf.

<blockquote>Hael stood as she came closer, his inky brows lifting a little when she even entered the murky swamp water to approach him. Amused that she'd get a white coat like that dirty just to come closer, he laughed a little, though he could see the apology already on her face. In a flare of bright morning sunlight, he had to squint a little to see her as she came nearer. Finally she stopped, and shifted a little, her words the apology she'd been expecting. Hael could only chuckle in response, his tail wagging at the surface of the green water.

"No, no, it's okay," he laughed. Dropped something? "Nah, nothing like that. Just startled me, is all." Briefly, as he spoke, his mind was tugging at the possibility that she actually <i>was</i> the wolf from his dream. In the brightness, he wasn't sure he could tell. He didn't remember the female he'd seen having such a white, pristine coat. Was it her? Or... no. Well, maybe he should ask?

"I actually got startled 'cause I was... looking for someone. I thought you could be her," Hael admitted, a little hesitantly. He wasn't sure how else to ask it, yet he knew he'd kick himself later if he just left without finding out. "Have you been here before? To this place?" He didn't even know what this place was called; Marsh had been dubiously silent on that matter. So he looked around, as though that would tell him where they now stood, waiting for her answer without trying to seem too anxious about it.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Apr 28, 2012, 01:57 AM by Rihael.)

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the suns going to shine, and sometimes the clouds will rain.

The chuckle brought her ears up, and a spark of interest to her pale mask. There was always something about easy going creatures, ones whose smiles and laugh were in no short supply allured her. He was much more easy going compared to his sibling, she would keep assuming until she worked up the courage to ask or mention it. Upon her worries his tail kept wagging and he assured her -still laughing and all good-natured about the whole thing.

"Oh good," she said with a breath escaping her lips. Her white head tipped, and she cleared her throat quite quietly. Slowly she'd drop her chin, blinking as she met his intense eyes. "I..um think I might have met your brother Fenru?" She pauses, certain that was his name, but hoping it hasn't become distorted in her mind. "I accidently bumped into him, and he lost his bird in a snow bank." Her ears fold back, in the position they often occupy. Somehow she suddenly thinks this might humor the wolf more. She seals her lips tight, if that might take what she said back. Fenru would like her less if she was telling these stories.

An ear flicked forward, genuinely interested when he continued to explain why he'd been scared. Her pale brows perched together. looking for someone....her. There was only one other she knew who could resemble her. If it was not his relative...than was he really talking about Tris? She had been about as pale as she had. More creamier with her dark colors starting in...but somewhat white. How would he know her or she him? Her brows were a bit more of a scowl, instead of being that of bemusement and anxiety. The latter would replace it again with hope he wouldn't notice. Where else had she gone? More secrets she did not know. It kinda hurt...and she was feeling the pain return. How she was nobody's really. "I..erg..maybe my sister..Trisden?" She said, each word having to be pulled from her mouth she wasn't sure if it sounded right.

<blockquote>What happened next surprised him, and his ears perked at the mention of none other than his brother's name. Fen had met this girl, too? Hael grinned, nodding his recognition of the name. He knew he and his brother looked alike, and their scent was probably pretty distinct. The girl's own scent, he noticed was one he'd encountered before, but a long time ago. For the moment, he couldn't place it, but he made a mental note to ask where she was from.

Her expression seemed to shift, though, and she seemed troubled. Hael matched the knit of her brows, mirroring her concern, whatever it was about. The name she mentioned... he wasn't sure, and he shook his head with a slight shrug, indicating that the name had unfortunately had no effect on him. For a moment, he looked back at the spot in the trees, <i>her</i> spot, as it was now etched into his mind. <i>Trisden.</i>

"I... dunno, actually," he admitted, anticipating somehow that his words might not be what she wanted to hear. "She was my, well, your age, though... her coat was different than yours, darker," he remembered, recalling the image of her crossing his vision again. The other girl's coat had been darker, maybe dirtier looking, while this female's fur was soft-looking, pristine. Anyway, he did find it interesting that <i>this</i> girl had met Fen. "And yeah, Fen's my brother. I guess we look alike. I'm Rihael, from Swift River."

In the seconds after he spoke, he took a moment to let his orange eyes study her face. It was strange, though interesting, to see a female his age other than Kisla. She looked and smelled so foreign to him that he essentially couldn't stop himself from watching her, though not without a somewhat goofy smile.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: May 07, 2012, 05:36 AM by Rihael.)

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the suns going to shine, and sometimes the clouds will rain.

They were brothers, and Fenru it had been. This helped her perk back up a bit, a half smile, and her ears coaxing forward to his friendly disposition. The name did not ring a bell in his book, and she had to frown. She had no clue who else it could be. She only had one sister, and she had not met any girl her age beside that. Everyone was quite older, and she was lost for what else to say. Did he really know he was looking for? And why? If he didn't know her, why look? She couldn't fathom it, and the questions were endless in her mind.

He began to speak, explaining further, and she cocked her head, her pale mask most thoughtful as she drank in this new information. It wasn't much different, and she was hopeful in helping him. This time she insisted it could only be one wolf."I only have on sister, Trisden, and she use to be a little darker than me. But she now has a multicolored coat, kinda like yours but a bit ligher. She and my...brother Hocus...left home though so I'm afraid you probably can't find her. I..haven't..." She let her eyes fall, her neck droop in rhythm with her ears. She had no idea where they were, and didn't know what else to tell him. She felt all the worse how nice he was, and how badly she wanted to smile back at his impish smile. She could not. She felt lost, and unable to help anyone including herself. Where was her place in this world?

She was not about to be rude. Collecting his name, and putting it into collection with the rest of Swift River knowledge. She nodded her head most timidly, and found her pale yellow eyes lifting up. "I'm Arlette, from Grizzly Hollow. You do look a like, but I bet I could tell you apart," she added, trying to assure him they were both unique.