Thicket of Secrets Decisions, Decisions

The forest in which Cessair now found herself was oddly familiar. It was thick, dark, and overgrown, much like the Ghastly Woods she had visited farther east. The trees were different here, though; they didn't reach down to rake through her fur, but they still intertwined into a sunlight-blocking net. Cessair wasn't sure if it was because she was no longer plagued by terrifying visions, or if there was just something more mysteriously calming about this forest than creepy, but at least it wasn't frightening her like the Ghastly Woods.

She weaved her way between the labyrinth of growth until she came upon a small stream. It was shallow and only slightly lower than the land around it, lending it a rather out-of-place appearance. The gentle current produced a <span class='word'>demulcent</span> sound as the water idly turned the pebbles at its bottom. Cessair sat and dipped her nose into the water. She tried to take a drink, but there wasn't enough room to scoop up water without also licking the bottom of the stream, so she simply lifted her head and licked up the water that had collected on her nose. Now was as good a time as any other to think about the decision at hand, she figured. It was no longer a question of whether she would join a pack, but she still had to decide which.

Cessair had learned of at least three packs in Relic Lore so far. In Copper Rock Creek, she would have a friend who may also be able to teach her more about healing herbs. She would also have a friend already if she chose Swift River, and she would be near flowing water all the time. Then there was the pack that Shadowstorm mentioned last time they met that her brother had joined, but that was all she knew about that one so far. A bird started singing in the distance, and Cessair sighed. So far, it looked like she would just have to pick a pack to join at random and hope it would be right for her. She would stick by her new pack, of course, whether it was the right choice or not. Frustrated at having gotten nowhere nearer to a decision, Cessair dipped her nose back into the stream for another drink.

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> Shade continued across the thicket floor. This thicket was full of mysteries, secrets, and wolves whom could or could not be trusted. It put him on edge a bit just thinking about his encounters here. He was certain there was another wolf, which put him more on edge. Not to mention, this wolf smelled to be a female loner. Loners could not be trusted, they were dangerous, although he'd met a few loners in his days that were kind. one being his sister, and second being his loving mate, now of Willow Ridge, Rosealia. <b style="color:#8e989d">"May I ask whom has made there way into the thicket of mysteries, secrets and mistrust?" He called out. He could not see through the dense vegetation. His voice was demulcent as he looked in the direction that he thought to contain a wolf. He wondered whom she was. He continued towards the scent to reach a small clearing. <b style="color:#8e989d">"Forgive my manners, I am Shade Slayer, Subordinate of Willow Ridge." He said calmly to see a smaller, grey, brown and greed fae in front of him. Her copper eyes looked frustrated. As he waited for the fae's response, he wondered what a delicate fae would be doing in a place like this? This was not the place for someone who looked as kind as her. He tilted his head a bit as if asking why she was here. It reminded him of his sister, Shadowstorm. The last he saw of the fae, she was heading out to go back to her place of rest. She was in the pack Copper Rock Creek, but not yet an official member. Staying there until her leg was healed. But the sister of him was planning to join the pack, he wished her luck on her travels.

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Upon hearing the approach of another wolf, Cessair scented the air and tried to see through the thick growth. Just when she had determined that it was a male from a pack, the wolf addressed her. <i>"May I ask whom has made there way into the thicket of mysteries, secrets and mistrust?"</i> That was quite the title for this forest -- foreboding, but not as worrisome as if it were something along the lines of "Ghastly Woods." The little girl started to grow worried about this wolf she was about to meet since he included the word "mistrust," but all her fears were dispelled when she heard the brown wolf's name.

<b>"Shade! Aren't you Shadowstorm's brother?"</b> Cessair sniffed again. She could definitely smell an unfamiliar pack, as well as a hint of similarity in his scent and what she thought to be his sister's. This had to be the black wolf's long-lost brother! It was amazing to know that the two siblings were finally together. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but could it be a harbinger of her own reunion. The warmth of Rowan's pelt against hers brought her to <span class='word'>ataraxia</span> as she imagined the day, which seemed closer now than ever, that she and her brother would cease to be separated. A chilling breeze blew across her back as it so liked to do lately, melting away the pleasing fantasy and shoving Cessair back into reality.

Cessair decided that she needed to stop being unreasonable. Shadowstorm said that it had been years before she finally learned of her brother's whereabouts, and Cessair had only been missing her brother for a comparatively short time. Plus, there was the possibility that Rowan had drowned long ago. She pushed her own brother out of her mind for the moment and regarded the wolf before her with interest. After hearing Shadowstorm's side of the story, it would be neat to hear Shade's account -- if he was willing to tell her, who was to him still a complete stranger.

(This post was last modified: Sep 03, 2012, 04:35 PM by Cessair.)

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> Shade looked at the wolf in a state of confusion as she spoke of his sister. He didn't understand, how did this wolf know of him? Was she a friend of his long lost sister, or a poser to make him drop him guard. <b style="color:#8e989d">"Might I ask who you are? How do you know of my sister?" He demanded, this was not the time for talk, no, not talk by any means. His face was in an emotionless. ataraxia. He refused to let his guard down as long as this wolf was around, she didn't even give her name to him after he gave his. That was no manners what so ever. But if this wolf knew Shadowstorm, was a friend at that. Still, the knifes, snakes of emotions relied in trust. A shielded heart, cannot be broken. Shade stood tall, proud of his pack, he would not show weakness to a lone wolf, friend or not, his muscles stayed stiffened, his eyes showing nothing but pride. He had no reasons for his actions other then one thing, instinct. This was his way of shielding his mental self from others. It never failed. He awaited a response. (Sorry it is so short!)

table by bryony

It took little more than a moment for Cessair to sober up from her giddy excitement. Shade made it obvious that he didn't share her enthusiasm. <i>"Might I ask who you are? How do you know of my sister?"</i> Her excitement had gotten the best of her, Cessair realized, and she neglected the common courtesy of supplying her name. Head and tail drooping in apology (though she couldn't keep her tail still because she was still excited), the little girl furnished the requested information.

<b>"Oh! I'm sorry. My name's Cessair. I met Shadowstorm off to the east a few weeks ago. Then I saw her again more recently and we became friends. She had told me that she was going to go meet up with her long-lost... Well -- you. I'm really sorry, and I didn't mean to be rude, but I was just so excited to get to meet you now, too!"</b> Cessair kept her head ducked, but she let her tail wag more freely. She was friends with Shadowstorm, so she wanted to make sure she was at least friendly to Shade. If he was willing to accept her apology and give her a bit of trust, Cessair would love to earn his friendship. Determining to slow down and think before acting, the little wolf put herself on her best behavior.
(Sorry, mine is short too...)

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> "Oh! I'm sorry. My name's Cessair. I met Shadowstorm off to the east a few weeks ago. Then I saw her again more recently and we became friends. She had told me that she was going to go meet up with her long-lost... Well -- you. I'm really sorry, and I didn't mean to be rude, but I was just so excited to get to meet you now, too!" The explanation took him a while to process, during that time, his stare, blank, emotionless. This was a thicket of lies, he would not ease up, it was nature. <b style="color:#8e989d">"Hello Cessair. I've known so many whom have lied to me. If you don't mind my asking, just to clarify you know here. What pack is Shadowstorm staying with and why is she staying there?" He said, his eyes giving nothing away, his head shrieking inside. It was pure torture to not be able to trust anything anyone said.

table by bryony

When Shade called this place the thickets of mysteries, secrets and mistrust, he must have been reflecting his own thoughts. Still, Cessair knew that she had no plans to harm this wolf in any way, nor was she in any way at fault for happening to know who he was. The little girl would do her best to earn Shade's trust and if he required more information to give it, information he would get. <b>"Shadowstorm is staying with Copper Rock Creek pack while her broken leg heals. She also mentioned to me that the pack leader said she could become a member of Copper Rock Creek if she proved her worth."</b>

Cessair thought she remembered her last meeting with Shadowstorm well. The black wolf was on her way south after Nina had fixed up her leg. Because she had been travelling, Cessair thought her injured leg must already have been back to normal function, but she hoped that if it was still weak, the rest of her journey hadn't resulted in its growing worse. From all that she had seen of Shadowstorm though, Cessair knew the lady was resilient and strong. Of course she would be all right.

The sun must have emerged from behind a cloud at that moment, because the forest grew visibly brighter with what light filtered through the thick canopy of leaves overhead. To Cessair, it was calming, peaceful. She hoped it would have the same effect on Shade. There really wasn't anything wrong with Cessair, and the only thing she did to spark mistrust was forget to mention her name in her excitement. Every wolf was different, though, which was a fact Cessair knew well, so she couldn't blame the brown-and-gold male for suspecting her. She wanted his friendship, or at least his acknowledging that she was indeed trustworthy, but if he really insisted on doubting her, she would oblige him and keep her nose out of his business. It would hurt to leave a wolf with him thinking of her as a bad character, but an injured pride wouldn't be as bad as pestering him. <b>"Upon my word I mean no one any harm at all,"</b> Cessair said, without really thinking through what she wanted to say. <b>"I know it's hard to trust simple words, so if you really don't think you can trust me, then I will leave. Maybe Shadowstorm herself will tell you about me then, but I really don't want to be a bother to you."</b>

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> "Shadowstorm is staying with Copper Rock Creek pack while her broken leg heals. She also mentioned to me that the pack leader said she could become a member of Copper Rock Creek if she proved her worth. Upon my word I mean no one any harm at all, I know it's hard to trust simple words, so if you really don't think you can trust me, then I will leave. Maybe Shadowstorm herself will tell you about me then, but I really don't want to be a bother to you." Shade knew then, that this fae, Cessair was is? Well, she definitely knew Shadow. <b style="color:#8e989d">"No, it's fine, I just don't know who to trust with the truth now a days. But I can see, that you do know Shadowstorm like you say." He said. A flashback of his past occurred. Shade was born to an unknown line of Lone Wolves. The Slayer wolves. His father ruthless, crueld and mean. When he started training Shade and his sister Shadowstorm how to survive the cold world. He used his first lesson: Packs are weak, bottomfeeding losers that couldn't take care of themselves, so they hung together and shared food. He told Shade never to join a pack. Shade was an idealistic child. He had reason and said that wolves would be stronger in numbers. His father attacked him, leaving no permenant scars, but the emotional trama to get it stuck into his head. This went on for a year or so, his mother kept begging his father to stop, claiming they were children, they didn't know better. It got worse as it happened. His father started to beat her too. It was gruesome to watch. He was out on a final hunting assignment. Returned early with two hares for the family. He came to the sight of his parents fighting a group of two or three lone wolves. Out of fright, he ran for his life. Hoping his sister made it out alive too, he began to search for her. He searched everywhere far and wide for a long 4 years. He finally came and arrived here, in Relic Lore.

table by bryony

The little brown wolf was pleased to finally have gained some sort of acceptance from Shade. She knew from the beginning that she had been telling the truth, and it would have hurt if he chose to accuse her of otherwise. If that was how his past had taught him to be about strangers, though, then Cessair couldn't judge him. After all, she had her own fair share of predisposition and faults. Now her next order of business was to see if she couldn't improve their status of acquaintances to friends.

As she opened her mouth to make a point of conversation, Cessair realized that her company looked somewhat spaced out. Shadowstorm had had a flashback while talking to Cessair -- maybe flashbacks were the sort of thing that run in a family? Cessair took the benefit of the doubt and assumed that Shade was experiencing a flashback. Instantly her nose started tasting the air for the familiar scent of lavender. When she didn't immediately find any, and seeing as Shade was still distant, Cessair paced off a short way to probe a little deeper into the Thicket of Secrets for her quarry. It took only a minute to deduce that there was no lavender around to rouse Shade, so Cessair was forced to try a different method. <b>"Shade? Hello? Are you still with me?"</b>

What could it be that Shade was now experiencing? Did every wolf have a flashback-causing past? Cessair found herself growing quite curious, and almost determined to ask him what happened when he came to. She hoped he would be willing to tell her, of course, but considering his recent mistrust for her, she didn't expect him to feel like pouring out every detail of his life to her. Maybe someday, if they ever became friends, but certainly not now. Curiosity couldn't always be satisfied, Cessair knew, so she resolved to simply wait calmly for Shade to return to the present.

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> "Shade? Hello? Are you still with me?" Shade zoned back in, slightly confused at what had just happened. <b style="color:#8e989d">"S-s-sorry." He stuttered as he adjusted to the realty of things. <b style="color:#8e989d">"Thanks, does Shadowstorm zone out, or get odd flashbacks of the past we share? Did she ever tell you the story?" He asked, Shadow tended to tell her friends one story too many when it came down to things. If she told her, it wouldn't surprise Shade at all. A slightly confused gleam in his eye. What had happened to him. Was it obviously he was away from reality? Or did Cessair have a keen eye? It did remind hi of his history, but he didn't zone out, he looked at her, though his thoughts else where. Shade was born to an unknown line of Lone Wolves. The Slayer wolves. His father ruthless, crueld and mean. When he started training Shade and his sister Shadowstorm how to survive the cold world. He used his first lesson: Packs are weak, bottomfeeding losers that couldn't take care of themselves, so they hung together and shared food. He told Shade never to join a pack. Shade was an idealistic child. He had reason and said that wolves would be stronger in numbers. His father attacked him, leaving no permenant scars, but the emotional trama to get it stuck into his head. This went on for a year or so, his mother kept begging his father to stop, claiming they were children, they didn't know better. It got worse as it happened. His father started to beat her too. It was gruesome to watch. He was out on a final hunting assignment. Returned early with two hares for the family. He came to the sight of his parents fighting a group of two or three lone wolves. Out of fright, he ran for his life. Hoping his sister made it out alive too, he began to search for her. He searched everywhere far and wide for a long 4 years. He finally came and arrived here, in Relic Lore.

table by bryony