Sacred Grove if i should be so bold

<blockquote>And then it happened, what should have happened all along. Ice barked something which sounded purposeful before finally coming forwards to share in the chase, finally doing his duty. Marsh drew some fire from that, slipping into the river without hesitation, eyes fixed upon the bitch who finally seemed to understand. As she turned to flee, Marsh pressed forwards faster, not wanting to give her the opportunity or encouragement to change her mind. It was with practised ease that he cleared the river and charged onto the opposite bank, the fury in his limbs now, and though he did not expect to catch her it did not mean that she could not know that he was entirely happy to.

He only pursued for a few seconds, for his speed was far from his strongest asset, and the bitch had gotten a clean head start. It did not matter; the borders were safe. Coming to a heavy stop, Marsh's snarls rose into a sharp-edged howl, a warning to never test them again - for she would regret it. If her allies were lurking in the shadows, then all the better. They would know that Swift River was not unguarded.

He was a very black-and-white creature, it was true. Sending the bitch back with a few fresh wounds may have invited an attempt at vengeance, but so be it; they had already proven their strengths, so let the rival pack test themselves against them. Indru and Corinna's family was not small. Marsh did not feel threatened by a group of wolves tied together by treason and immaturity, not in the slightest.

The howl died in his throat and he stood for a few moments, the adrenaline slowly seeping from his system. His blackened lips quivered and he breathed heavily as the pent-up aggression faded, though it would not fade completely, not for some time.

<i>Please, promise, please, promise.</i></blockquote>

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. She had seemed stunned, but his words flew like a bullet and she fled like a startled deer. His altiloquent stunt had apparently worked, or Marsh's approach had scared her witless. Whichever reason, he was thankful - halfway across the river with a heart of stone, it suddenly took flight and he felt lighter. The result was that he leaped out of the water with a great sucking sound as it let go of his body, and for a few breathless steps chased after his copper companion. He couldn't keep it up though, dropped off after a few yards; wet and miserable, elated and furious and terrified all at once, he stood on thick, trembling legs. The cool night wind froze him, jaws locking down tight to keep from chattering. Behind him, the river lay dark and wet, treacherously silent. No way that he was going in again so soon. With great force he pried his eyes off the silver surface, a ghoulish noise rising raggedly through the trees to echo Marsh's - it was something halfway between a shriek and a howl, vibrating with the violent shudders of his body. When the sound died, he fought to keep control of his jaws. He was a lot tenser now than he'd been on the other side, the muscles of his back rigid and drawn up. Marsh stood still, and Ice did too, apart from the shivers. The aftermath of fear soured his blood and his mouth; his tail hung limp by his wet leg, and a guttural sigh escaped him. Patiently he waited for Marsh to remember his river-fearing companion, feeling utterly miserable and not so much because he'd just deceived one of the wolves he cared about the most. The next exhale came like a strangled growl, his muscles still wound too tight to function properly. He convulsed with it, staggered sideways, wide-eyed; caught himself, tried to force air deep into his chest, yet the lock in his muscles kept it from being easy. After a minute or so of exercising his breathing, another shudder rippled through him, but in its wake came something more relaxed. He hated water. A faint and hesitant snort marked the return of something resembling normalcy. "I'm finding another way home," he told the Second flatly, though his words were purposefully slow enough for him to follow. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

<blockquote>While Ice's pained screech of a howl registered, Marsh tried not to think too hard on it. Perhaps he was just having an off day - not that Marsh had much sympathy for that, since it was no excuse if something were to happen to Corinna. Still, Ice had never encouraged any lack of faith. There was no harm done, this time. At the very least, Marsh was content that the black bitch had understood that she was very, very unwelcome.

For a few minutes they stood, the silence jarring, and Marsh used the opportunity to calm as much as possible. She may have gotten the message, he did not want her to try anything funny. He presumed there must have been a reason for her trespass, not that he was interested in it in the slightest; as far as he was concerned, there was going to be no valid excuse for her sneaking behaviour. Diplomacy. Pah.

Ice's voice cut through the surreal quiet, though Marsh made no indication that he was listening save for the twist of an ear in the guardian's direction. Though Marsh was not fully paying attention, he recognised the careful tone which meant he was expected to understand. Slowly he turned to look at Ice, his expression empty as compared to earlier, perhaps even a little cold.

He did not know why tonight had been strange, but Marsh had not grown into the wolf he was today by ignoring his gut feeling.

Snorting dismissively, he jerked about, his manner purposeful, and stalked back to the river, crossing through it without breaking stride. He had some uncomfortable thoughts to try and ignore. Ice could do what he liked, he didn't care.</blockquote>

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. She kept disappearing like a black wraith, and Marsh... Marsh left too, with little sympathy for Ice. Ice, who stood there feeling utterly wretched and sick, miserable to the core. He, who detested lies, was knowingly deceiving Marsh - or at least, trying to. The water changed its sound, and he knew that the wolf that lay so close to his heart was crossing it. Just the thought of that, too, made him sick. Dark, cold, rushing in, close, pressuring... He shivered in the breeze, legs and belly wet. He gave an unhappy whine, wet tail sticking close to his left hind leg. How could something like this make him feel so bad? So utterly, hopelessly awful? Wanting to do nothing but sink through the earth, Ice began his roundabout trek back to their home. He'd wanted to run after Marsh, to toss himself at the copper wolf and beg forgiveness for his odd behavior, but the river - the damn river - kept him from it. He hated it all the more for it. Minutes later he found one of the shallow crossings. Miserable and cold, the dejected wolf dragged himself home before sprawling on the damp turf. He'd stay here for a while, then he'd get up on his aching legs again... haul his miserable self off to another stand of those flowers (in case Marsh went to revisit the scene) and pick them. And off to the mountains to the black assassin who'd killed part of him tonight. If there hadn't been a promise, he would've rolled in his misery and ignored her. But, he had promised, given his word, so he had to. He could only help it was damn well worth it. Unable to sleep, Ice waited for an hour or so to pass. [ end. ] .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul