Hush Meadow blind flight

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>(OOC: The fissure looks a little like this, <a href='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a__Z8jVLxtY/TXxdSXocqgI/AAAAAAAAFRU/RgEmJE3TmZs/s1600/IMG_9876-2.jpg' target='_blank'>link</a> except with a lot more tall green grass and no house/fences, but the same shape/size lol

Set after Sibyl’s fight with Treena, but before she makes it back to Cedarwood Forest)</span>

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtable1.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 315px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Morning, light rain and thunderstorm, 61F

The summer rain poured freely down her body, rinsing the smears of blood and mud from her pelt. Various scrapes and cuts ran over her body, just recently scabbed over. The most prominent of which were a cut on the top of her snout and a half-scabbed bite in her side. In the meadow she was fully exposed to the falling liquid but she didn’t care. Being out in the swaying expanse of grasses that brushed against her legs as she moved through was comforting and reminded her of her home. It was a plus that she could see far out ahead, so that she would be aware of any threats, rather than running headlong into them like she had that damned night. Her knees shook with the effort of holding up her tiny body, with each step sapping away the last reserves of her energy. She had finally escaped from the battle with the vicious she-wolf, whose name she didn’t even know but she would never be able to forget the attacker’s face. As soon as she escaped the fight she ran out of the forest of willows, instinct taking her to the meadow, the first place she had stopped at on her first visit to the Lore.

The adrenaline that had fueled her fight and flight had run dry upon reaching the meadow, and it was only a sort of sleep-walking impulse that kept her moving forward. She just had to make it home, back to her pack where it would be safe. Her sides heaved as she panted for enough air, the simple act of walking tiring her exhausted body to its limits. She did not notice the rain had picked up its pace, coming down in thick drops. She did not notice the water start to soak her down to the skin. But when the distant rumble of thunder rolled across the plains it brought her numbed mind to attention. It had been in a lightning storm which the two females fought and the recent memory came rushing back to her. Her eyes widened, bronze irises bordered by white, and her body hunched over as if to defend herself. Another thunder crash rumbled, this time louder, then a flash and a bang right over the girl’s head. It was enough to send the scared wolf sprinting.

Her muscles burned as she ran across the meadow, the clotting bite wound in her side tearing back open with each stride, dripping blood leaving a haphazard trail behind her. But she couldn’t stop, she wouldn’t stop, until she was safe. Rain ran into her eyes and it would have blinded her if she had been actually looking ahead. But she wasn’t paying attention and she ran sightlessly, the scenery rushing by in a blur. So she did not understand why the ground suddenly disappeared beneath her paws and for a moment she was suspended in the air, then tumbling down. The undulating terrain of the meadow had suddenly given way to a shallow fissure, no deeper than four feet and camouflaged by the tall grasses surrounding it. The little wolf had run straight into it in her sightless sprint. She tumbled down its steeply sloped side, the world spinning, before she landed with a thud at the bottom. She landed on her side which would doubtlessly be bruised, but she was thankful she had kept consciousness. The last thing she needed right now was a concussion.

The brown wolf blinked up at the sky and trembled as she watched the thunderstorm pass overhead. As most summer storms go, it was as gone as quickly as it came. The rain was still trickling down but without its previous stormy fury. She needed to continue on, she knew that, but she found it hard to get the strength to get back to her feet. Her legs shook with any attempt to move them as the muscles were strained past their limit. She was so tired. Her lids felt heavy and her body screamed for time to rest and heal. The ditch gave no protection from the rain, but it felt at least somewhat safe. Sibyl could no longer keep her eyes open and she laid her head on the damp earth. She would just nap for a little bit, she told herself.

Steel was traveling at his usual ground eating pace. It was not especially fast, but he could maintain it for many hours with little food or water. For some reason, ever since spring had come he had been traveling northward from his wooded home in Montana. He'd been on his own for so long that he wore isolation like a well worn and comfortable robe. The only close contact that he'd ever had with any wolves was with his mother and sister. Even they had been gone for about two years. His mother had been bitter and cold and his sister shy and withdrawn, unable to handle Mother's cruel lessons. Jade had gone missing when they turned a year old, followed shortly by Mother. That had left Steel on his own with nothing but his mother's harsh lessons to go by. The first and most important one that she had pounded into their young skulls was depend on no one and form no attachments. Ever. She had driven that home when she left. And so he had not. He befriended no one. He spoke to no one. He lived on his own and for himself and he thrived that way.

Now he was in a new land and had seen no other wolves, as of yet. Just the way he liked it. The weather was still a bit cooler here and he liked that too. It fit his constant mood of stoic coldness. His large sturdy frame was covered with powerful muscles, hardened by the thousands of miles he had traveled in his young lifetime. His dark stormy blue eyes were cold with lack of any real emotion and his black and white pelt suited his mood to perfection.

Right now, he was grousing silently to himself over the slow, but constant rain that was saturating his pelt. He was now traveling through a large expanse of meadow that offered no real shelter, so he merely dealt with the rain as he dealt with everything else. He ignored it and went about his business of unending travel. About half way through the meadow, he came upon a fissure in the soggy ground. Not feeling particularly like trying to cross the muddy expanse at the bottom of the steep sides, he turned to the left in hopes of finding the end of it, or at the very least a narrower section that he could successfully jump.

It seemed as if the blasted thing went all the way across the meadow. As he was cursing his bad luck, he saw a bedraggled form of a wolf at the bottom of the pit. A quick look told him that the wolf was alive as he watched the shallow breathing. With a grunt, he moved on. They were wet, but alive and none of his business. He kept up an internal dialogue to himself why he should keep going. <b><i>Not</b> his business! They were fine. Just taking a rest.... at the bottom of a muddy pit. In the rain.</i> Then he noticed something else. Water was beginning to flow in the bottom of the fissure and it was headed straight for said wolf.

With a snarl at himself he turned around, a deep growl constant now. <i>It was not his business!</i> Yet, his feet carried him back to the wolf that he now took the time to notice was a fae. A quick memory of his timid sister gave him a pang of guilt and he called down to the she wolf in an almost irritated and demanding voice, <b>"Wake up! Wake up, now!</b> His voice was harsh and almost gravely with disuse and sounded totally foreign to his own ears.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtable1.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 315px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Sleep enveloped her completely, numbing her wounds and silencing the falling rain. At first there was no awareness, only the black emptiness that came with sleep. But behind closed eyelids shapes began to pick themselves out, familiar faces and places whirling by, both old and new. A world of dreams formed, swirled, and fell apart in the sleeping wolf’s mind. She saw her family settled in the golden plains, father, mother, brother, and as her sister came info focus the scene darkened. The snarling face of Senka transformed into the wolf she had fought just last night, and the detached sound of the whispering rain entered her mind. The sound grew louder and louder, growing into a roar, and the prairie of her dream soon began to flood. The face of her attacker filled her dreamscape but it was morphed, half wolf and half demon. Water poured in from all directions, cold and swift it swept Sibyl off her feet. She was floating in the center of a vast dark ocean, the water chilling her down to her bones. She was struggling to stay above the surface. The cold made her gasp, both in dream and reality.

“Wake up! Wake up now!”

The voice was a distant, strange echo that coiled its way into her dream. But it was just enough to pull her realization back to her own body, draining the great ocean of her dreams and setting her back onto the cold muddy ground of reality, where her muscles ached and wounds stung. She wondered who’s voice she had heard, or whether she imagined it. Slowly she opened a single golden eye and scanned the edge of the crevice looking for the source. Her searching eye rested upon a dark wolf staring down at her from the rim of the ditch.

Startled, she staggered on to her feet as fast as her worn body would allow. Her legs shook as if they were about to snap, but they seemed to be holding her up for the time being. The left side of her body was completely covered in mud from laying in it, and there was grit in her mouth from the sludge seeping into it as she rested. She eyed the wolf uneasily, ears and tail low. She looked scared and unsure, as she couldn’t tell if the male meant her any harm. He looked quite annoyed. Maybe this muddy pit was his claim? She really doubted she would be able to make a run for it if it came to that. She took a step back and opened her mouth to speak, and then hesitantly shut it. She tried again; “S-sir?” was all she managed to squeak out.

Steel continued to stare down at the slumbering wolf as his words rang out through the falling rain. The fact that she slept on in the muddy deluge filled him with an amazement that was <span class='word'>imponderable</span>. His annoyance grew in leaps and bounds and again he wondered why he had even bothered to turn around. This wolf was nothing to him. No wolf was and that was the way he liked it. He was raised to be a lone wolf and he was comfortable with that way of life. Live only for one's self. So then why was he here getting wetter by the moment staring down at the still form of the fae at the bottom of the muddy ditch? Just when he thought he would have to resort to getting down in the ditch to wake the thorn in his side up more directly, she finally came to and staggered to her feet, legs trembling.

She looked scared out of her wits with confusion and uncertaintly written all over her mud-caked self. Finally, she squeaked out one word, <i>“S-sir?” </i> Irritation filled him at her obvious fear. All he'd done was wake the fool up. What was she doing sleeping down there anyways? He shook the mood off. He might as well let her know of the coming danger and be done with this, he grumbled to himself. <b>"The rain is going to wash your ditch out any minute. You'd be wise to get to higher ground!</b> The irritation was clear in his voice for he made no attempt to hide it. However, he saw no reason for her to die unnecessarily. So he added, <b>"Quicker would be better!</b> For reasons that were beyond him at the moment, he waited to make sure that she understood the direness of her situation.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtable1.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 315px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Sibyl regarded his words for a moment. She was so distracted by her sudden awakening that she hadn’t been paying attention to the watery sludge that was starting to rise up her ankles. Wash out? She looked down, finally regarding and blinking confusedly at the rippling water that was pooling in the bottom of the trench. “Oh,” she made a worried face as she realized what a mess she was in. It seemed that while the man was annoyed, for whatever reason, he didn't want any harm to come to her. She was doubting her first assumption that he wanted the fissure to himself, after all, it was flooding.

She hesitated, wobbling to one side then the other, unsure of what action to take. She had to get out of the crevasse, that was for sure. The thick cloud of indecision brought on by sleep, or more accurately, the lack of, made it hard for her to decide. The water was picking up its pace, the heavy rain from the storm finally seeping its way along the ground, or through the soil in the walls of the ditch. It had gone half-way up her short limbs when she finally moved into action.

She pried her paws out of the muck and trudged her shaky way over to the slope closest to male. She placed a single paw on the wall and went to pull her body up for the next step, but the slick mud gave way and she slipped, her chin smacking into the slope as she fell. Unsteadily she picked herself back up and made another attempt, this time careful not to fall. It was slow going, and every foot she gained she lost a half in sliding back down. Eventually she made it onto solid, higher ground, just a few feet from the man. She flicked her eyes towards him warily. Why was he so angry at her? She hadn't even done anything. Fallen asleep in a stupid place, maybe. That was her problem, though. Her ears folded back and she shifted into her characteristic meek slouch, tail between her legs.

She was thankful that he had woken her though. If he hadn't come by just at that moment, she would have probably been still asleep at the bottom of the ditch, either to awake with lungs full of water, or perhaps to not wake at all. As irritated as the stranger was towards her, he had saved her life. She bowed her head further, metallic bronze eyes meeting stormy blue, "T-thank you, sir. That was stupid of me," she murmured.

Strangely, the fae seemed confused when she finally awoke fully and stood there with an a dazed look on her face. Finally, she seemed to fully realize just how dire her situation was and moved to get out of the ditch. The walls were slick with rain and mud, hampering her efforts, but she persisted and eventually made her way free of the potential death trap. She made her way over to him, cowering in submission to him and thanked him for saving her life. He grunted at her in answer and gave her a quick nod. He honestly had no idea what to say now that she was safe and he was a little baffled by her almost fearful expression.

He had no idea how fierce he appeared, with his deep blue eyes glaring at her and his gruff voice snapping with frustration. To be honest he was more irritated with himself, simply for caring a whit about a stranger. He never had before and wasn't sure why he had bothered now, but he was glad that she had gotten out safely. Just because he didn't to interact with others, didn't mean that he wanted harm to come to them. Not wanting to encourage too much familiarity but wanting to ease her fears a bit, he tried to soften his tone and said, <b>"You're welcome."</b>

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>OOC: Sorry this post came out funky, blegh. I don't think they should part ways yet though, if you can think of any way to keep it going?</span>

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtable1.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 315px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">The male did confuse Sibyl a little bit. In Sibyl's eyes, wolves were on either end of a spectrum, from scary to friendly. A wolf could move between the two, such as how Miss Jaysyek and Remy were a little intimidating at first but turned out to be affable. But this wolf, Sibyl had no idea where he fell on that spectrum of good and bad. He was cold and intimidating, but not necessarily aggressive. However, she was afraid for whatever reason that his frustration might snap, and that he might lash out at her. His monosyllabic grunt in response to her thanks only served to puzzle the girl further.

She turned away from him, watching him out of the corner of her eye. His expression eased just a tiny bit, and finally he gave a real reply, his voice not as frustrated. She looked back at him, confusion marking her face. Was it some attempt at alleviating her fears? Well, it was the thought that counted. But she should get going. He didn't look like the type for conversation, even if Sibyl was up for it in her current state. She mostly wanted to just go back to the Hollow and sleep.

Sibyl ducked her head towards him in a final thanks and then faced north. She took a quivering step forward, followed by a dozen painfully slow steps through the tall grass. She hadn't made it far at all before she stopped. The short walk left her tired and panting. At this rate she would never get back, she melodramatically mused. Slowly she turned her head to peek back, to see if the male was still there. She was self conscious and would be embarrassed if he was.

His attempt at being an tiny bit more civil seemed to be appreciated and she relaxed. Apparently she had caught on to the fact that he was not the greatest conversationalist and merely gave him a nod of thanks before turning away on shaky limbs. She had not gotten very far when she came to a stop, apparently breathless and weak. He gave a grunt of annoyance and told himself that it wasn't his concern. He had gone out of his way to be sure that she hadn't drowned, so he'd done his good deed for the century.

He realized that the rain had come to a stop at some point in the last few minutes and the sun was making a valiant attempt to peek out from behind the gloomy grey clouds. At least something was looking up. He blinked his blue eyes once more as he stared after the timid fae and turned to leave. He hadn't gone terribly far when he began to see signs of life creeping out to enjoy the sunshine. As he walked a brown rabbit darted out almost from under his nose and instinct kicked in. Withing three bounds, Steel had the creature beneath his feet and it's neck snapping before the powerful grasp of his jaws.

The large male was about to enjoy his impromptu snack when he realized that he wasn't all that hungry. He'd caught the thing more out of habit than hunger. Just when he decided to eat it anyways rather than waste it and image of the weak and somewhat thin fae flashed before his eyes. He cursed and almost ate the rabbit just to spite his newly awakened conscious. Apparently it had more control over his body than he did, because he was heading back to where he had left her with the animal dangling from his jaws. With blue eyes dark with the inner storm raging within himself he thought that the scared she wolf had not likely gone very far. When he finally saw her, it didn't look as if she'd moved a step from when he'd left.

Without a word he marched up to her, lay the brown rabbit at her feet and went to lay down, facing the trench that had started it all. She could eat it or not, but this was the limit of the help that he was willing to extend. Yet he waited, with an ear cocked in her direction with curiosity.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/sibtable1.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 315px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">The brown wolf stood and watched the grey clouds rolling across the sky, leaving rain in their wake. They had started to spread thin and dissipate, sun glowing through several spots in the grey color sheeting the sky. Sibyl let the feeble light warm her pelt and allowed her eyes to slip closed. She would wait for just a moment before setting off, she told herself. From somewhere behind her she heard the male’s gruff voice grumble and heard his paws swishing through the grass, away from her. She wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved or disappointed at his departure.

She had nearly dosed off on her feet, and only when she heard the whisper of paws approaching through grass did she open her eyes. Apparently as she rested the sun had succeeded in tearing through the clouds. She would have admired the brilliant blue rift dividing the grey sky, but she was distracted by the footsteps. A startled glance behind her told her that it was the man again, this time with a bloodied rabbit hanging from his maw. She was baffled why he was coming back here to eat, as she didn’t think he particularly enjoyed her company.

Like some sort of automaton, he trudged towards her and deposited the rabbit under her nose. Immediately he turned around and lay in front of the trench she had just clambered out of. Confusedly she looked between him and the rabbit, back and forth. She was absolutely baffled. She hadn’t realized how hungry she had been until she had seen the meat, and the metallic warm scent of rabbit's blood wafting up towards her made her jowls salivate. She couldn't believe it was a gift, nor could she understand what could be his reason for giving it to her. She'd never recieved a gift, nor had she ever been the object of anyone's pity. He obviously wanted her to have it, otherwise he wouldn't have returned and placed it before her. She lowered her nose and sniffed at the carcass, wondering if something was wrong with it. It smelled fine, there was nothing suspicious about it and it was very fresh. With one final glance towards the man, to make sure he hadn't changed his mind about the offering, she voraciously dug into the kill.

Having been sated by the meal Sibyl felt immensly better. She still felt tired and sore, but no longer did her limbs quiver. She would have enough energy to make it home, but she couldn't leave without thanking the wolf. He might not say anything back, but her sense of manners demanded that she expressed her gratitude. She gingerly moved towards him, nose nearly brushing the dirt, and cleared her throat so that he might notice her. "Sir? Sorry to bother you, again. But, thank you, thank you so much, sir," she said, her voice tiny but earnest. She lifted her head up a little and this time looked much more alive than she had when she first crawled out of the pit. "I don't know you, or why you did it, but that was very nice of you, sir." He looked cold, distant, but Sibyl bet that despite whatever had made him that way, there was a kind heart in there somewhere.

It seemed to take a bit before she began to eat and then it was obvious from the sounds that the meal was much needed. Steel grunted in satisfaction, still wondering why he bothered. He'd never done anything for anyone else, save one wolf. His sister. And she had disappeared two years ago, taking away the only light in his bleak existence. He still didn't know where she'd gone, but he did know why she'd left. Mother. Jade had never gotten a moment peace, love, or encouragement from their bitter matriarch. It seemed that their mother was a <span class='word'>makebate</span> and thrived off of making others, especially Jade, suffer.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the fae approached him cautiously. The fur on his shoulders raised in agitation and he had to hold back an instinctive snarl. She thanked him very graciously and again he held back a snarl, this one in the form of a snappy remark. She had done nothing to him. She hadn't even asked for his help, he'd given it. He gave her a curt nod, briefly looked at her and said, <b>"Don't worry about it."</b> Then he turned back towards the trench, grunted and rose to his feet already heading in the opposite direction that she had started out earlier.

Her meek friendly nature irritated him and called to him at the same time. Mother had trained him not to care and he didn't. Why had he helped her? Unknowing, he asked himself the very same question she might have. As he stepped away, it hit him. She reminded him of his tenderhearted sister. He gave a quick look over his shoulder. He knew it wasn't her, but the personality was a ringer for Jade. Sweet, meek, kind. With another grunt to himself, he continued away from the other wolf with a brief thought as to where Jade might be these days. She was the only thing that he had ever cared about in his life of solitude. He hoped that she was happy somewhere.