Ghastly Woods Nowhere to Hide

No worries! At least I don't have a problem with bad language, and there's a risk this post might contain it...

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Cessair, the skittish female, seemed to be the peace-keeping sort; he preferred that over being openly chided. Sometimes he knew he was being stupid about it, and usually accepted the rebuke, but sometimes he didn't. Now, though, he was nearly on the brink of slinking away, just leaving them be, but he wasn't certain he wanted to leave them alone - or rather, he wasn't certain he wanted to walk away. He'd rather scare both of them off, even Cessair who'd done no wrong. Call it the pride of a pack wolf, or whatever, but it was some stupid part of him that made him linger. All he did was make a half-grunt half-growl when Shadowstorm began ignoring him, because it suited him just fine. He shrugged, still tense, used to this game; Torla and Hotei had played it with him too. Was it his fault that he was skeptical of wolves that seemed a little off their rockers? He was just about to snort and say screw this when Shadowstorm's attention turned to him. It was a sudden, surprising move, for he'd thought she'd play the petty ignore game, but it seemed that she had fire enough in her to snap and challenge. For a moment he wondered if it was what she wanted. The next, his patience had deflagrated. He didn't even bother snapping back at her, but whatever restraint he'd had fell away when her deep eyes locked, challenging, on him. Everything fell away, and he felt the daze of the time Kegan and Mist had intruded settle in his mind, fogging out the sane thoughts and replacing it with a deep, hot-hearted anger. In a heartbeat every hair was on end, his stiff tail not having moved from its dominant position; his lips peeled back in an aggressive expression, a snarl ripping out of his mouth as he sprung half a step forward, head high and ears forward. It was a common part of wolf posturing, and for now, it was her last warning. His eyes, his saliva-coated teeth, spelled it out all too clearly: back off, or else. .ice aesir

(This post was last modified: Jul 17, 2012, 09:37 PM by Ice.)

let the stars above shine in your soul

(Just so you know, I do have a problem with language. I appreciate your being polite about it, and I ask that you try your best to word it differently when posting with me. Thanks.)

Cessair was somewhat relieved to learn that Shadowstorm hadn't been spying; it wasn't that she had anything to hide, just that it meant their meeting was not devised. She was still a bit uneasy, though, because Ice was obviously still on edge, and the black female's coat blended in so well with the dark forest that she was hard to see. Still, she seemed to be making an effort to be act more friendly, at least to her, so Cessair did her best to keep herself calm. The situation was delicate enough as it was. Discreetly forcing her tone to be confident, she continued trying to converse. <b>"No, I am new to this land, so this is the first time I've visited this area. If I can help it though, I'll try not to come back to this creepy forest."</b>

Something in the female's blue eyes seemed to grow dull for a moment. Cessair was about to ask if Shadowstorm was hurt, but she stopped herself. It looked like she was trying to hide it, so the brown female wasn't about to bring attention to it. Igniting any more anger or irritation would be enough to start a fight, so it was critical to avoid any topic that may be sensitive. Cessair decided following the same path of conversation would be best. <b>"How about yourself?"</b>

After the words came out, she noticed the exchange between Ice and Shadowstorm. A fight was imminent, so the little female began taking slow paces backward. <i>Why rush into a fight when you've only just met?</i> Cessair didn't see any harm in just peaceful talk to settle any offenses, but then she was more of a diplomatic type. If it suited their fancy to settle things with a more violent method, she didn't want to have any part in it. When Ice assertively issued a final warning, Cessair opened her mouth to speak. Nothing she could say at this point would help, she realized, as this disagreement was between the other two, so she closed her mouth again. Instead, she withdrew the final steps backward into a bush, where she watched and prepared to flee if it became necessary.

(I'll try)
Shadowstorm turned back to Cessair to see her retreat to the bushes, "Wait! No, don't go!" She called out and turned to Ice, "I don't want to fight!" She exclaimed even though her eyes stated that she wanted to fight, just not scare Cessair. She turned back and headed to the bushes, "I'm sorry if I scared you, please, come out." Her soft words cooing in a soft tone. "Please, don't leave." She then knew that the wolf had seen the looks exchanged by her and Ice. "Please, I'm sorry if I scared you, I'm not going to fight anyone, I don't bite, please, come out of the bushes."

<i>What have I done? I scared a perfectly innocent wolf?</i> She decided to follow the path of conversation earlier, "About you're earlier question, about how I was. I'm good, a little while back a pack leader got a bit defensive and attacked me, but I'm fine now." She said, knowing her words might scare her. <i>Why did I mention the fight with Athena?</i> She wondered. <i>I'm an idiot!</i>

<i>Please Wolf Spirits, if what mother and father say is true, and you're up there, please don't let a fight break out? Why are you punishing me like this? I don't want to live like this, fight after fight after fight.</i> “Cessair, if you want to say anything, then you can tel me. But you don't have to, just please, come out of the bushes.” She took a few steps back to give the fae more room.

(This post was last modified: Jul 26, 2012, 09:13 PM by Shadowstorm.)

~ραяαησια ιѕ α tнєσяу, ι'м ησt ραяαησι∂, ι'м ιηѕαηє~

Sorry for the wait! And Evelynne, thanks for letting us know :)

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Cessair did the smart thing and backed into the shrubbery, easily hiding her small form in the bothersome vegetation; however, it had a very strange effect on the black witch. And she just proceeded to act even more confusing. Her eyes screamed challenge and blood, but her mouth spoke peace. She even turned her back on him, to try and lure the hiding female into the open again, and Ice just stared dumbly at her. I don't bite she said and he snorted. No, not yet at least. What was wrong with her, seriously? Was she just bipolar? At least she'd submitted enough to bring his own temper down from angry to annoyed, and he was sort of glad for it. Still he stood stiffly, tail high, and just watched her in her frantic quest for acceptance by the female. One moment she'd been all rude, the next all ready to fight, and now all apology. It made no sense at all. "What's wrong with you?" he blurted out before realizing it was quite tactless to say. Abashed, he blinked, but he was not about to say sorry to some crazy loner. Instead, he ground his jaws together, teeth producing a dry noise which reverberated through his skull. It was familiar, soothing. Still he didn't take his eyes off Shadowstorm, not trusting her. "I mean - you clearly want to fight, your body screams it, so why are you trying not to now?" He could hardly call her out on being rude, but this, these dual meanings that so clearly clashed... He didn't know what to expect, what to make of it. One thing he knew, and that was the he was never going to let her near Swift River's pups. She was much too weird, reminding him of Hotei. And the other, she didn't seem confident enough. So in all honesty, he had no idea why he remained there, perched at the outskirts of a meeting that obviously didn't want to include him. Did he feel the need to protect Cessair? The witch had only been angry at him and not at her, which he thought was very unfair. Or did he just want to understand what she was, what she meant? If she was crazy? To hear it from her mouth? Sometimes he wished he could kick himself in the head, or that someone was with him to haul him away. He doubted much good could come of this meeting, and yet here he was, lingering like some idiot. Grr. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

With the unnerving sounds continuing to float in from somewhere and the possibility of a fight lingering just a few feet from her own nose, Cessair felt like she was about to slip into another flashback. It seemed that if there was one thing she could count on, it was her dreadful visions. The black mists were already beginning to eat at the edges of her vision again when they vanished without warning. Cessair sniffed the air to confirm that she was still in reality. She was, but her apprehensiveness remained. Shadowstorm was calling to her, and by the way the sound reached her ears, it seemed that she had turned away from Ice to face her.

The black wolf had changed her tone of voice, now trying to gently coax Cessair back out. She longed to trust her and do just that, but some more logical part of her demanded that she not act in <span class='word'>precipitancy</span>. It was torturous to have her mind battle itself like this; she felt like an onlooker, and that she could do nothing but wait for one side to win. Shadowstorm mentioned being in a fight earlier -- did she get it fights a lot? Ice was still obviously not at ease, so if either wolf was prone to getting in fights, violence was still likely. But why then would this female want her to come back out? Either she was truly wicked and wanted to force her to witness or take part in the fight, Cessair decided, or she wanted to stop being violent and try to develop more positive relationships.

Not usually one to assume the worst of others, the little brown wolf settled on the latter. A conclusion finally reached, the defeated side of Cessair thundered at her to stay put. It seemed to take twice the effort to do anything, but she had made up her mind and was determined to stick with the decision. She was audibly struggling with herself when words finally escaped. <b>"I want... to trust you..."</b> Finally, Cessair dragged herself out of the bushes, her ears held halfway back and her tail brushing the ground behind her. When she fully emerged, she braced herself for whatever may come.

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Shadowstorm had successfully coaxed the fae out of the bushes. A comment ticked her off, but she remained calm. Her eyes calm. No aggression shown. "I don't wish to fight, fighting is an instinct. Most wolves can't help it. They don't have the will power. For the longest time, I didn't have the will power. Whether or not you have it Ice, I cannot tell, but I am inspired, because Cessair has the will power to remove herself from a fighting situation. I've been in too many fights in my day, most, I didn't even want to be in, I don't wish to add another onto the list." Her words calm, but true.

Her eyes had completely calmed, no longer burning with anger, she was being more rash. She was a bi-polar wolf, she knew it was a confusing life. But it was her life. She'd behaved so differently all over the place. She believed that this was the first time however, that she behaved two different ways in an encounter with wolves. It frightened her a bit, they might be able to tell. She turned to Cessair, "I don't wish to fight, I truly am sorry, I have a... problem, I guess you could say, with the way I behave. I'm not always aggressive, not always rash. My attitude really changes with the way wolves act." Her eyes calmed in they're icy blue state, not longer like blue flames. She was determined not to fight. She wanted to, it was her instincts. But she didn't want to fight. This old fae had too many battle scars, her leg was injured and she was half dead.

~ραяαησια ιѕ α tнєσяу, ι'м ησt ραяαησι∂, ι'м ιηѕαηє~

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. She actually came back out. Stunned, Ice just turned to stare at her. Why on earth had she done that? And why was she whimpering about wanting to trust this half-mad old crone? He decided that they were all insane, him included, and that it was just one of these things he'd never figure out, because he just didn't understand it on a base level. It would remain a mystery forever, and he just gave his head a tired shake, listening to Shadowstorm's words without seeming to. His eyes lay somewhere along her black back, and he fought the urge to mutter I just get into crazy fights. That's what he'd told Ava anyway, but in all honesty he hadn't gotten into that many. It was just the Rhysis one, and he'd had reason for it. Rhysis didn't seem like one to stand around and bicker verbally anyway, and it had been satisfactory to feel his paw between his teeth. "So you go around fighting strangers, without even wanting to. Great," he muttered, rolling his broad shoulders to ease some tension. His scruff was still all awry, hackles half-raised, and his tail remained in its dominant position, but most of the adrenaline and immediate anger had bled out of him. In its wake, he just looked old and tired. And she apologized to Cessair again, but still not to him. Perhaps she thought she had nothing to apologize for? But then again, it was true that he'd snapped at her with very little provocation (to him, acting like that was provocation enough, but apparently it wasn't for others). She'd been rude and confusing... and he'd probably been no better. Sometimes he just wanted to strangle every wolf he met so he'd be all alone and not have to socialize anymore. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath. For a moment he groaned and raised one thick foreleg to hide his muzzle behind, and then put it down with a sigh. He'd been stupid today. He normally wasn't rude, unless something set him off, and preferred to be happy and polite, but everything - everything - had just gone wrong from the moment he caught a whiff of Shadowstorm's scent. He guessed that the only positive trait he had was the ability to sometimes catch on what he'd done, and having enough guts to admit it. "Sorry for snapping," he suddenly broke in; his baritone voice carried despite its obvious muttered qualities. "Your behavior just rubbed me the wrong way." And that was the understatement of the century. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

It was a great relief upon reemergence from the bush to find that the tense situation had cooled a bit. Cessair herself managed to calm down enough to think. The large male brought himself to apologize, and she hoped herself to pieces that he was truly sincere. As he muttered an explanation for himself, it occurred to Cessair that Shadowstorm might take it the wrong way and assume that Ice was blaming the incident on her. The black wolf admitted that she had a hard time controlling herself, and her behavior had already changed dramatically in the few minutes since they met. Hopefully it wouldn't change back to aggression.

At least Shadowstorm recognized her problem, and seemed to want to change. That's the first step to improving, after all. Cessair was glad that she had somehow inspired this wolf by retreating from the situation, for if anything, she thought she would appear cowardly, and decided to try to set further examples of not fighting. Of course it was silly, pretending to have the experience and authority to teach a wolf so much older than her, but not fighting happened to be something the little wolf was good at. Besides, her kind words and passive actions appeared to have effected a small change for the moment.

Cessair flicked her ears back into a neutral position and turned to face Ice. Her tail, however, remained low, and she made sure to avoid eye contact as she spoke to further clarify that she was not trying to invoke anger. <b>"Everyone has bad days sometimes. I'm sorry if I was the cause to any offense to you."</b> Next, she turned to Shadowstorm. <b>"I believe you; I'm sure you're not always aggressive. After all, you aren't acting aggressively now, and for that, I thank you."</b> Now, it was up to the others to resolve their conflict. Cessair could think of nothing further she could do, and thus stood waiting, equally prepared to stay and make friendly conversation, or to flee if it came to that.

(Shadowstorm will be leaving, so many threads to keep track of)

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Shadowstorm heard the apology. "I don't go around fighting random strangers for no reason. If I did that, then I wouldn't have introduced myself here, I would have just leapt into combat. I'm the one who should apologize. My paranoia got the best of me." She turned to Cessair, "I have a disease that gives me multiple personalities and they like to switch. I'm bi-polar and overreact a lot. I'm very paranoid and I apologize for my behavior to the both of you for my actions here today. To tell the truth, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for a fight. Just a heads up, never fight the female Poison Pack leader over a rabbit. It ended quite badly."

Her words, simple, true, and flexible. She wasn't tricking them, her words true, but she could easily bend them if Ice or Cessair took offense to the words. Her thoughts were once again jumbled, sorting out fact from fiction. Shadowstorm no longer wished for a fight, but a harmless, peaceful talk that Cessair had started earlier. But it was her time to leave, "I'm afraid I must be going though, the prey won't catch itself and I can't catch it well at night so I must head off. It was nice to meet you both and I'm sorry for the harm I've caused." She padded through the bush and away.(Shadowstorm exit)

~ραяαησια ιѕ α tнєσяу, ι'м ησt ραяαησι∂, ι'м ιηѕαηє~

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. It was slightly fascinating how quickly tension could rise, and how quickly it could wash away with an effort or will. Or, well, mostly wash away. Shadowstorm still set his fur on edge, her words making him want to spit something else at her, but he actually kept hold of his tongue, stilling it and listening. He wanted to tell her whatever, but remained quiet, ears twitching softly to the sound of her voice. She was addressing Cessair mostly, but nothing could prevent the River wolf from hearing and partaking of the information as well, and when she mentioned Poison Path an unbidden growl rumbled in his chest. Strangely enough.. she'd said she'd fought the female leader, but she wasn't smelling of Naira, just Athena. Ice frowned, but said nothing. Perhaps she was just wacky and had mistaken Athena for leader. The white female was, after all, quite bossy when she wanted to, and didn't hesitate to leap into the fray and try to save Rhysis' ass. Triell had dragged her off by the tail or something like that, but it was another story entirely. The confusion was clearly visible on his face, for little did he know that Rhysis and Naira had fled the land. In the end he shrugged, surprise replacing the confusion when the black female took her leave. That was.. sudden. Not unwanted, because with her padding off into the forest he felt a lot more at ease. Perhaps it was another of her mood swings. "Well, if she'd waited, we could've helped her," he muttered to his large, dirty paws. He had no desire to crash through the Ghastly Woods to find her, because the vegetation was so thick it clung to you and trapped you if you tried to stray too far off the beaten paths. The bracken swayed to another ghastly breeze and he snorted. Shadowstorm would fit right into this hell of a forest, alright. "I wish the wind would just shut up," he said in a louder voice. Shadowstorm had taken his attention off the sounds, but now that it was just him and Cessair again, it was like they suddenly struck up again, moaning through the creaking trees, carrying cackles and ghoulish, whining howls. The light down here made everything gloomy, and even Ice's pale fur was matte and nearly lackluster. He sighed, for what felt like the ten thousandth time that day. "I'm.. sorry, about all that. Some things just set me off." A second, meek apology? Well well... Absentmindedly he scraped a paw at the packed, dark dirt. He gave her a shy, sheepish smile. "So, uh.. what do we do now?" .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul