Sacred Grove the flame we share

Gone Tomorrow

The switch was rapid and noticeable, but hardly unwelcome. Where there had been tension and angst, the only proper emotional response when discussing Rhysis and Naira, there was now a much more comfortable feeling. The discussion turned from fighting and violence to talk of the upcoming River cubs, the topic automatically bringing a smile to the expecting mother's face. Nudging Ice's muzzle playfully as he pointed at her still flat stomach, Corinna laughed. Indru beat her to the answer though, admitting that he didn't name the cubs until he saw them. Even so small and covered with afterbirth, each one that Corinna brought into the world was unique. It hardly seemed fair to name them before she saw them. Nodding her head in agreement, Cori leaned against Indru's side. "I've thought of some, but sometimes I feel like I'm just making up words. I love my family, but nobody enough to want to name my cub after." She didn't come from a tight-knit family like Indru had, and while there were no ill-feelings towards her parents or siblings, the connection simply wasn't strong enough to want to keep their names around.

Grinning, Cori snapped at Indru's ear, tugging on it gently. "I'm not so sure I want an Indru the Second, either." As much as their son's looked like their father, they could never be him, and so it just wouldn't make sense for her to name them like that. "Any thoughts, Ice? Certainly open to hearing some. Better than just scrambling words up to make a name." They were her and Indru's cubs, to be sure, but they belonged to the pack just as much. She certainly wouldn't turn down suggestions on potential names.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Slanting sunbeams danced down through the trees, a last desperate push, a reach to hold on to the mortal world and color it golden forevermore - Ice's eyes briefly fluttered shut as the tension further bled out of the atmosphere, rushing out like the water from a broken dam. The sensation of peace, of everything being like a perfect stained glass picture, rushed in again, filling him up. The pale Guardian shifted slightly over the soft ground, eyes opening a fraction as he smiled. This was family. It struck him at random times, swept him up into its arms and twirled him around like a child, and each time he forgot what it was, he was amazed when he remembered - and remember he did, the sour taste of Rhysis' disappearing further and further into memory. Ice gave a happy yip for no discernible reason at all, but he couldn't keep it in; it bubbled in his chest like soda, and as he fidgeted on the ground he looked very much like the odd over-sized "pup" he'd been when Indru first met him - prancing, bouncing, grinning... Playing silly games in his head, y'know, that sort of stuff. The only thing keeping him from bowling Indru (or Cori, for that matter) over in a playful, overenthusiastic hug was the fact that his neck pained him slightly. At least, that's what he pretended. The real reason was that he was quite unsure of how fragile unborn puppies were, and the last thing he wanted was to be the cause of a pack-wide disaster. And so, he just nodded like crazy when Indru spoke his piece. Corinna seemed to have thought of some, and Ice nodded again, though a bit more thoughtful this time - then he outright laughed, tail swinging merrily behind him. "It's hard enough to tell you from Hael from afar, imagine not being able to tell by name either..!" Mock horror; his head tilted, and then he became a notch more serious. He thought for a moment, then grimaced. "You know, I've probably inherited my parents' horrible naming gene," he confessed after a moment. Snow, Fir, Ice, Cone. Who the hell had come up with those names? Mom? Dad? The priests? Anything was possible, and he snorted under his breath. "Me and my brother Snow were best off, and let's just leave it at that... But..." He faltered and bit his lip for a moment; the joy of having real family still swam about lazily in his soul and heart, but if there were wolves he missed from his past, it was his brothers and his mother. Thinking about them sometimes brought joy and wistful smiles, at other times it brought a feeling of loss and tears. Today was one of the latter times, and he blinked his silver eyes to clear them. "My mother's name was Viemina. I think it's pretty... She was - is - a great mother." He ducked his head and looked aside at the shadows. You always left things behind when you moved forward in life - some things just hurt more than others. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Going to have Indru leave now. :) Feel free to continue or, as he says below, let anyone go with him and it can fade to black.

The resemblance between himself and both his sons was not something Indru was unaware of, and as Rihael and Fenru both grew older and matured it seemed their physical resemblance only increased. As it was spoken of he grinned at their amusement, pleased that the link between he and his offspring was so clear. Viemina is a lovely name, Indru agreed as he listened with interest to both Corinna and Ice's discussions about names—for Indru, naming was not something he could do in advance and it required him to see the wolf he was bestowing a name upon first. But in the case of Hael, as he had grown it had begun to show he was even more fitting of the name.

The ease between the three River wolves was full of camaraderie, and Indru couldn't help but notice how much ice had changed since joining Swift River, from the somewhat nervous and erratic wolf he had been on their first meeting. It was clear he was a loyal member of the pack and one Indru did not regret recruiting. Yet Indru couldn't help and stir restlessly after a while due to his eagerness to keep the strength of the borders back up with his absence, for while his hunger as a lone wolf had been quick to cure and his minor wounds a work still in progress, not refreshing the borders strength could result in an issue not so easy to heal. I think I'm going to go patrol the borders again, he explained as the conversation had begun to lull and he turned to nip Cori affectionately on the muzzle before nodding to Ice. Unless, of course, any of you would like to join me. You're welcome too. Indru stepped back from the group before he peered over his shoulder at them again, to await their answer, before he continued on to complete his next duty.

Gone Tomorrow

Viemina. It echoed in Corinna's mind, and she let it roll silently off her tongue as she silently repeated the Guardian. She caught the quick duck of his head, and his quick correction of speech. With a pang, she guessed the reason for it, and it brought to her a shocking realization that perhaps her cubs would not always be here forever. Oddly enough, it wasn't something she had ever considered, even though she herself had said goodbye to her parents and left for bigger and grander things. Taking a deep breath, she covered her unease with a smile instead. "Lovely, indeed." Cori agreed with her mate. But the topic of naming was now over, Indru deciding that this momentary reprieve from pack duty had lasted too long. It was nice to see him take responsibility for the pack. He always did while he was home, but his guiding hand was always missed when he was gone.

Nodding mutely at his invitation, Corinna rose from her haunches. Shaking herself, she spared a second to stretch her forelegs, dipping into a bow in front of Ice. Nipping playfully at his chin, her tail wagged high above her back. But playtime was over, for the time being, and she came out of her bow and padded quietly after Indru. "Not going without me, you know," she joked, nudging her mate's cheek before taking a few steps ahead. The time was coming when she wouldn't be able to personally see to the pack's territory, so she had to do it now while she still could.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Change is inevitable; in his birth pack, Ice had been a clown and able to get away with it due to his age. As a loner, no one had cared if he was nuts or not - besides, he'd had to entertain himself, and it had made him into a slightly loony creature. Not to say that he wasn't a bit crazy still, but coming into a pack and not being there by virtue of birth and your mother's influence had demanded certain things of him - such as, shaping up every once in a while and doing something, like patrolling borders and scaring loners off. Ice had grown into the role and as a consequence of that he seemed more mature, using his mind a lot more than he'd done previously. He still enjoyed sunbathing on warm rocks and lying on his back, furry belly up, in a bush and wagging his paws at the stars, but if you asked him a question there wasn't just foggy blankness - there was a sharpness, like the edge of ice. Solemnly he thought that his mother of the lovely name would've been proud of her stupid little son, but it was unlikely he'd ever go back. It was unlikely she'd ever know what an individual poor Ice had grown into. The thought was saddening, but he smiled fondly to himself and thought, she'll know. Somehow, she'll know. He didn't even notice the lull in conversation, for he was someplace else, wandering over snow and tracing the bright, cold stars of his home skies. "..go patrol the borders again," Indru was saying, and Ice's eyes snapped to him, uncertain if it had been an order or a statement or what. His heart thundered up his throat until the male leader continued and the Guardian understood that he was going to take a patrol himself. He snorted under his breath and shook his head to himself, gaze drifting to Corinna's form as she stretched playfully. His own tail, much lower, wagged in response and he gave a halfhearted mock-growl, affectionately returning a nip before she scampered off after her mate. For a moment Ice remained where he was, watching them; one large, one smaller and grayer. One male, one female. Two halves of a whole. And who am I, mother? Today was too fine a day for brooding, and with a crooked grin he shook his head once more. Ice was Ice; jovial, silly, fierce. They were disappearing - he yipped, crashed forward in his usual haphazard manner, and nearly careened into Indru's hind end before bouncing sideways, acting the prancing vanguard. Ice Aesir would never grow up. [ end. <3 ] .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul