Sacred Grove the flame we share

backdated, takes place before <a href='http://relic-lore.net/index.php?showtopic=2173' target='_blank'>this thread</a>.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. A long and hot day was finally coming to an end, shadows lengthening and the sky turning to gold as the sun began to set. It promised to be a pleasant evening, and Ice was determined to enjoy it despite the sad news that weighed heavily across the pack - Kinis, one of the younger Tainns, was gone. The realist part of Ice said he was unlikely to be found; the innocent, naive and hopeful part of him said that one day... Blinking his pale eyes at the beautiful sky, he respectfully pushed Kinis from his mind, whispering only that he hoped the evening was as pleasant where he was as it was here. Then, the large River wolf padded out from the heart of their area and began his patrol. The world was awakening all around him, and the breeze was cool and fresh, blowing through like a wind of change. Bright green buds, young leaves and early flowers had transformed the Sacred Grove into an explosion of color. It had taken some of the burdens off the Guardian's shoulders, and as the heat of the long day was dissipating and he could breathe easy again Ice relaxed. Short grass made the footing soft, and brushes draped in the fuzz of spring waved as he strode past them. Not a few birds were singing songs to the oncoming night, and Ice paused where he was, just outside Swift River's borders. Through branches with little leafage to speak of the slanted sunlight filtered down, turning his world golden and warm. The thick and ancient tree trunks cast shadows here and there, but he had paused in a patch of dappled sunlight and drank in the last rays of today. Somewhere, an eagle screeched, and a couple of heartbeats of silence followed before the smaller birds took up their singing again, and the wolf smiled. Dust motes danced in the air, and with a small laugh he closed his eyes. It felt ..good. Purifying. Absently, his mind drifted to Ava and the peculiar encounter; she was much nearer than the lost Tainn, so surely she was enjoying this fine sunset as much as he was. He could picture her slim black form sitting on a rock somewhere, fiery eyes closed and head tilted back to catch the sun. Once his pack was more stable, and once Triell had gotten over the initial shock and grief, he had to see if he could catch a whiff of her scent and track her down. He couldn't leave his pack in these dire times though - but hopefully the news of cubs this year would mitigate some of the pain at the loss of a brother. His eyes opened again and he gave a small sigh of contentment. While he was a bit concerned about Triell, he had every faith that the black male would recover - eventually. Ice mightn't have lost anyone of particular importance to him, but he figured that grief needed to run its course. If interrupted, perhaps it would haunt you forever, demanding that you finish mourning. It wasn't a particularly soothing notion, and with a theatrical shiver Ice opened his eyes again. A small brook trickled by not too far to his left, and without any scent in this area to disturb him he set his course towards it, treading paths not only River wolves used to get to it. As the minutes and yards of his travel ticked by the world darkened, the light dimming, the air growing colder, the shadows stretching out like hungry beasts. Still some light remained in the west, while in the east the sky grew darker and the stars popped out. He glanced briefly at the sky before his walk was at an end, the creek moving along placidly in front of his paws. This size and speed of water was perfect - barely even hock-deep and placid as a dead deer past its death throes. Feeling quite content and at peace, Ice lowered his head and began to lap up of the cool water. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Your writing is always so lovely, Fen <3 I'm also not 100% on what kind of injuries Ice has, so please let me know if anything needs to be corrected or changed.

Gone Tomorrow

Corinna's eyes were closed, but behind the lids she did not see black. The light of the setting sun filtered through the thin, protective membrane, an undefined mass of black, white, and red covering Corinna's vision. A contented smile was on her face, and with the exception of the sounds of the forest around her, the world was quiet. An evening like this, one where she could relax and simply be, was one she had been craving for a long time now. Choosing to slip away from Indru for a while, she had wandered off on her own, taking advantage of the rare moment when she wasn't needed by the pack for any particular reason. That was how she had ended up here, settled against the base of a thick tree trunk with her eyes closed. But she was never one to stay motionless for long, and eventually, as the rays of the sun continued to fade, she opened her green eyes to the dimming light. Waiting for them to adjust from the muted hues of the sun to the dark greens and browns of the forest, Cori breathed in deeply. Catching a familiar scent as she did so, she grinned and hoisted herself up off her haunches.

In no particular hurry, the leader of the River wolves trotted in the direction the scent had come from. It had been only a snatch on the wind, and it was not for some time later that Corinna was actually able to pick up the scent trail on the ground of the Guardian. Ears turned forward, a smile played about Cori's features. She had not had a moment to sit and properly talk to Ice; not since everything had happened. Indru's return had preoccupied her, as had Ruiko's unexpected arrival with the news that Kinis had gone missing. Ice had been there to answer Ruiko's call, but that had not been the time nor the place for the two friends to catch up. So she was eager to catch up to him now, not wanting to give up an opportunity to talk with him.

Finding him a a forgotten brook just beyond the territory's borders, Corinna gave a soft woof to let him know she was there. She did not want to leave without talking to him, but she also didn't want to disturb him if he was preoccupied. As one who rarely had a moment to herself, she did not want to steal from him his own moment of solitude. "Hey." She called softly, tail wagging at her hocks easily, a smile directed at him.

brb, blushing in the corner <3
Your post was beautiful! And I'll try to list his injuries in this post. :)

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Cold water slid down his throat, tasting blessedly like heaven - he'd been thirstier than he knew, and the brook far more perfect than anyone possibly ever could've told him. There just wasn't words for it, and so he fought to keep calm and not gulp it down so quickly as to drown himself by breathing the stuff in. Instead he kept a slow pace, savoring each mouthful and letting time trickle by. He was in no hurry to be or go anywhere, so why waste this precious moment? There was no reason at all, and he was lost in his own little world until a well-known woof grabbed him by the tail and dragged him back to reality. Surprised, Ice realized that he'd stopped drinking some time ago and had just been staring at his reflection - the wolf in the water that he couldn't reach. He wasn't certain if it still believed him a separate and mocking entity, as he had in the Heartleaf with Triell, or if he thought it just was.. well.. something else. Unless every twig and bug had a villainous twin spirit, it was just his.. well.. a shadow of him. A shadow with colors. Satisfied with that explanation, Ice turned in a semicircle. His left hock had stopped growling at him each time he put weight on it, and thus he'd stopped limping completely. He still wasn't sure why Nina had hit him, though... "Cori!" he greeted her happily, bouncing closer to close the distance between them. Behind him, his tail was waving, and as he came within range of touching her he dropped his head and ears, giving the corner of her mouth a quick lick. Then he pulled back, tilting his head a little as he gave her a good look over. Her pregnancy wasn't showing much, the only way to know was her scent, and before his mind traveled down paths that were likely to break his head Ice cut it off, returning his gaze to her face. He knew he still looked a bit worn, though it was far better than when he'd just come home - a couple of scabs remained on his face and ears, courtesy of Rhysis' teeth and claws. A few of them were too close to his left eye to be mistaken for anything but meant to blind him. Luckily, the black devil had only snagged the thin skin just below. Under the thick fur of his scruff, the deeper bite marks were still healing, itching bloodily on occasion, but less visible. Cori knew he'd fought with Rhysis - anyone with a nose knew that. The question was if Triell had told her anything yet. He decided to not let Rhysis spoil this moment. And so, Ice gave a brilliant smile, tail still wagging though at a more sedate pace. His thoughts returned to the germinal life inside her womb, despite the dangers the subject carried for himself. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you." He hadn't had the time to properly congratulate her on her pregnancy, so he took the chance now - this was what she had wanted, what she had hoped for, dreamed of... being a mother again, giving Rihael, Fenru and Kisla little siblings, the pack a future. That her love was home again, and safe, even in time to catch her at the end of her heat, had surely made her day (or year)... He decided not to think of it. He had known - thought he had known - what he was passing up on when he swore his life to Indru. This was not the time to start thinking about the consequences of his oath; he couldn't do anything about it anyway. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

When Indru came across Cori it was just in time to hear Ice offer his congratulations and Indru smiled at the words, thank you, Ice. His words were heartfelt and Indru felt his heart thrum like it always did at the reminder of Cori's pregnancy and the belly-full of cubs that were growing inside her belly, their cubs. It was a thought and a comfort Indru knew he would never tire of and it was a welcome comfort, even if only brief, with the news of Kinis still fresh in his mind.

As Indru closed the gap between himself and the other River wolves he pushed gently against Cori's side, more thankful she was perhaps aware of with the news of his brother. The oldest Tainn would always feel each disappearance of his family as a failure on his part, after all, for a time he had been the sole head of their (at the time) broken family and it was his responsibility to keep them safe. The leader placed a gentle lick on Corinna's cheek before he turned to Ice, watching him with curious eyes as he thought about what he wished to say. Thank you, he repeated again to the male, his eyes quickly drifting over his wounds, for Rhysis. He needed to know we won't sit by idly and take his betrayal. To Indru it was necessary that the destructive black male knew he had an enemy in Swift River and his only regret was that he had not been their to assist. While the Tainn was unsure of Corinna's stance on the matter, he felt pride that his pack had defended the crime against him. If Indru were to come across the black furred wolf he knew that the male would get a similar greeting.

Gone Tomorrow

The River female was pleased to see that her advances towards Ice had not been rebuked, and her own tail was wagging as the Guardian charged towards her. She accepted his lick to her cheek with a gentle nudged to the scruff of his neck. Lifting a forelimb, she pawed at him playfully, half rising up on her hind legs to bat at his shoulder. Falling back down to earth, she remained standing, head tilting to the side in curiosity as he looked at her in kind. His gray eyes traveled the length of her, landing on her stomach. She knew, even without watching him, what it was he was looking at. Looking away, somewhat sheepishly, Cori dipped her head in thanks. "Unexpected, really. But thank you," she smiled at him, tail wagging somewhat more hesitantly than it had been before. They hadn't had a chance to talk much, not since Naira and Rhysis left. That felt so long ago, but it made all the difference in the world. How close they had come...she hadn't told Indru of her thoughts of potential betrayal. Ice hadn't brought it up, and his congratulations seemed genuine. At least, genuine enough that jealousy had not driven him to leave.

Of course, not having time to talk to him, given Indru's return and Ruiko's news of Kinis disappearing, they had not had time to discuss what had transpired in that time. Corinna had no idea of what had happened that day, but she had picked up on the scent of Rhysis on Ice's coat, and her eyes had not been blind to the healing wounds. Every time she looked at his face, her eye was drawn to his upper cheek, where scabs were healing. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to inquire as to his physical well being, but was cut short by a familiar scent. "It seems we're not alone," she smirked, green eyes leaving Ice to look into the woods.

Out of the impending gloom of dusk, Indru appeared, a "thank you" on his tongue and a smile on his lips. Within moments, the distance between them had closed and Indru's pink tongue washed over her cheek and he settled close to her. Tail wagging, she leaned into him for a moment, but was caught by his second thank you that caused her to pause. Eyes narrowing, she looked at him. How did he know about Rhysis? He hadn't been there during the few short weeks of the ebony male's membership in Swift River. She had told him what had happened, but it felt odd to her. Mentally shaking it, though, Corinna nodded her head in quiet agreement. "I smelled him. I wasn't sure what happened, though." It was a statement, but her voice rose at the end, implying a question. She didn't know if Ice had gone looking for Rhysis or if they had merely happened across one another. Either way, she wanted to know the story.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Unexpected - but certainly not unwelcome - joy blossomed in his chest, spreading from his heart and rushing through his body like wildfire, like a spring flower opening itself to the sun. Somehow, being near Corinna gave his soul wings and reduced his worries to nothing, his thoughts of could have been incinerated and scattered to the wind. That the enthusiasm in his own greeting was somewhat mirrored had set off the feelings of well-being, and a low sort of woof escaped him as she pushed against him, and Ice's large body lowered itself into a play bow for a moment. After giving a happy yip he settled somewhat, but most of the shadows in his eyes had been chased away, replace by a lightness that sparkled like silver water in sunshine. A faint laugh was about to trickle out when she seemed to grow a little more hesitant, and he wondered if it had been wrong of him to broach the subject.. for a moment his own tail faltered in its happy wag, but then a determination to make things right settled and it sped up again. He leaned in, nudged her cheek gently. "It's okay," he said, quietly, but not without warmth. In hindsight, she had clearly done the right choice.. and he wanted her to know that he did not resent her, question her, or anything else that had nothing to do with joy. It was unfair, that if her presence was to make his spirit soar, that he could not do the same to her. Ice's head came around at her words, staring through the dimming woods. The scent of Indru was all around, carried by the wind, clearly approaching. As the tawny beast with fiery eyes - eyes that once had scared him out of his mind, when they first met in a cave - disentangled himself from the shadows and spoke, he dipped his head down, padding forth to give Indru's chin a lick. It was a comfort to have him back, really. No more tension, no more question, no more risks of someone else trying to invade his place. Ice withdrew a little, giving him a faint smile that faded at the second thank you. Rhysis... Well, at least half the leadership was pleased with his actions... Silver eyes fell to Corinna, trying to read her face, but he found no judgment, just... curiosity? Her words, no question, no real question, and the Guardian stood silent. What had really happened? Very good question. In the end, he decided that it had been a question, albeit not a direct one. Looking at neither of them, he began to tell the tale. "I was following Triell-" He glanced at Indru; would he remember the game that had led them to meet? "- and found him, in the Rise. Rhysis was being an ass to him, pushing into his space, though Triell refused to budge. There were some others there - a female from the Creek, Athena, a male from their pack... and towards the end, some male I don't know, but I don't think he did anything." He gave his head a small shake. "I was angry, to say the least." Mindless, beastly anger, the only sort of raw fury Ice possessed. "And attacked." He paused for a moment, briefly trying to gauge their reactions before forging on. "It was chaos, to say the least. The male from their pack didn't know the story of how it had been created, and when it dawned on him, called them cowards and ditched them. Athena got tangled up in it all, but Triell and this other male managed to pull her out, but this Creek wolf, I don't know what she was up to. She punched my hock hard enough to make me lose my balance, out of the blue. I hadn't even looked in her direction." He gave his head a small shake. Clearly Triell hadn't told them of what had happened. "Rhysis had a fairly good grip on me, but as most of the fighting had broken up, he probably decided I was a bit too much to hold onto and let go - tried to cover his loss with words of mercy and warnings, said it was my life for the life of Naira and her offspring. Said he'd snap my neck the next time." A bitter, creeping anger had entered his voice, a hardness in his eyes and shoulders. "He's trapped himself. Kill me, and the 'protection' he tried to bargain for is lost. When you have enemies, mercy is weakness. I don't understand him. But... that's what happened." Looking back on it, he knew the reason he had attacked in the first place. He'd been defending Triell. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

This is short, I'm sorry. x:

Automatically Indru head had risen as Ice had begun to lick his chin and before the male pulled away he tried to rest the weight of his muzzle on top of his lightly; a lighter version of a muzzle grab which was all the dominance this situation and meeting required. When Corinna asked Ice started to tell his tale and Indru listened with an eager curiosity, keen to know more information on the events he had picked up on by only scent and hear say alone.

It was the mention of Triell and this Rhysis' rough demeanour that made Indru's hackle rise as he mentally relived the story Ice was weaving—the wolf had done everything right in his eyes, even if it wasn't Triell he had been defending a packmate, family. Rhysis threat near the end caused a low grumble of a growl from his throat and he knew no more threats against his pack would go unpunished by him. You did everything right, the leader stated confidently as soon as Ice was done, he stretched forward to lick Ice's muzzle in thanks and nip his cheek affectionately, and Rhysis will not threaten us again. There was a steely determination in his voice and his eyes turned to catch Corinna from the corner of his gaze, he had made a promise not a venture far for a while but if Rhysis came anywhere near them Indru would not hesistate.

A week without posting. This is going to be a little rusty. =(

Gone Tomorrow

Ice was far from dimwitted, and he easily picked up on her implied question. She watched him closely, feeling Indru tense beside her as the Guardian retold the tale of what had happened. Corinna hadn't had any idea. She had seen the wounds and the smelled the scent of the self-proclaimed leader in the air, but a time had not existed so she could rightly ask. Shaking her head, the female leader couldn't hold back her disbelief. What had their previous pack members done? Neither Triell nor Ice was prone to violent attacks, and here, they were getting into trouble. And while she was thankful that Ice and Triell had stepped up, presumably to defend not only the River pack, but her, there was guilt there as well. They were not her pawns to be used, and there was a part of her that wished that she was bearing the marks of a hard fought battle.

Leaning forward, Corinna washed her tongue over the wound under Ice's eye. After a few moments, when she was satisfied that the wound was relatively cleaned, she moved her muzzle down his. Placing her's underneath his, she lifted it up, so that she could look him directly in the eyes. "Thank you, Ice." He would know it was sincere, that she was truly grateful for everything that the Guardian had done, not only at this encounter, but all the time. "One of the best Guardians we could ever ask for," she smiled at him, letting his muzzle drop so he was free to look where he wished. "I imagine Rhysis won't come near here. He knows he is not wanted. As for us...there's no need to go looking for trouble." She hoped they, both Ice, Triell, and even Indru, would understand that. Rhysis and Naira had betrayed them, but she would not let them win by diverting her pack's attention on them. They weren't worth that, not at all.

no worries. <3

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. The weight on top of his muzzle was welcome, and he closed his eyes while the touch lasted, head dipping down a fraction deeper. Then he told his tale, and he wasn't oblivious to the subtle shift in the atmosphere. His own... frustration? Indru's hackles even raised, and Corinna gazed at him with knowing. Neither of the two large males were inclined to solve situations with violence, but something about this whole Naira-Rhysis thing had really riled them up. If just the mere sight of the lanky black wolf was enough to send the placid Ice into a frenzy... He gave his head a small shake, leaning in to Indru's touch. It was good to know that neither of them were angry for what had happened, that he even thanked him; Ice felt smug, like a pleased cat, returning the lick to his chin and wagging his tail. As to whether Rhysis would threaten them again or not... He could make threats for all he wanted, but if violence came to violence again, Ice would not hold back. But to seek him out? No - he would not do that. He did not enjoy being furious, did not enjoy the war-like thrum of tension in his blood, nor the surge of adrenaline.. and not to mention the shakes it left in you afterwards! No, he'd not stick his nose into the Lost Lake and drink their poisoned water. Corinna's attentions made his eye close, simply the proximity of her tongue causing the reflex to engage. Confused and still pleased that both of them didn't think him a violent madman he gave a soft keen, tail swinging behind him at a relaxed pace. He hesitated for a moment though, when she tried to push his chin up, but eventually gave in and met her green eyes. The silver in his seemed nearly liquid, but he allowed himself to be trapped for as long as she demanded it. When she let him go, it was almost with relief that he diverted them. The spoken praise should've made him glow but he just felt like running off and hiding under a rock. In the end, he just murmured some unintelligible, tail twitching erratically. She was right about Rhysis, though. "There won't be anything left of him but bits and pieces if he comes near here," he muttered, shifting a little. But, oh, well... enough of the dark and dreary thoughts! He tilted his head, flashing them both quick glances. "Enough talk of violence, though..." Talking about Rhysis didn't make him happy, and he didn't care to be unhappy right now. Deciding that neither of them had a say in this - after all, if they wanted to keep talking of the Poisoned alpha, he could just run away and leave them to it - he felt better immediately. A little of the usual mischievous glint in his eyes came back and he bounced forth half a step, giving Cori's cheek another nudge before waving his muzzle in the direction of her belly. Nothing really showed yet, but they all knew what was in there. "Got any ideas for names yet?" he quizzed of them both, leaning back ever so slightly to give the female leader back the space he'd briefly stolen. He was genuinely curious about it, actually, not knowing why parents picked the names they did - stars knew, he had no idea what his parents had been thinking! Maybe they'd just named them after the first four things they'd seen when looking outside of the den? With their names, it seemed a likely explanation, but as far as he knew, there was no "Rihael" growing in the Grove... .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

My bad. ♥ We could start to fade/end this perhaps?

The scene soon departed from frustration and anger (directed at neither wolf present, of course) into one of camaraderie and Indru knew that was just not something Rhysis or Naira would ever understand—the loyalty and warmth that came with a pack, the trust. Ice was a loyal member of Swift River, which had proven many times, and Indru grinned lightly as he thought pack to when he had recruited him and the rather interesting events that had taken place.

Gently Corinna cleaned the subordinates wounds like she had his own and Indru relaxed with the contentment of finally being home, and beyond a few scrapes and wounds (which would heal) everyone being unharmed. Quickly the topic took a rapid turn of direction and at the mention of the cubs still blossoming and growing with Corinna's belly Indru laughed happily, shaking his head lightly. Not yet, well not for me. I find it hard to decide on names until I see the one to give it too, he explained, a smile on his face as he thought fondly on their first litter. While to pass the honour of the name of Rihael on had always been a plan of Indru's (especially after his father's death) he was not able to place it definitely upon a cub until he had seen them, and then he had felt that Hael was worthy of such a namesake. However, once he had answered Ice the leader turned to look at Corinna curiously, they had followed the pattern he mentioned previously, however if she have name ideas this year they hadn't spoken of them yet.