Riddle Heights some days i can't even trust myself

first round or two is just going to be me and siki, i think. Slight powerplay... if only because I couldn't bear to write another "climbing up the mountain" post and not lose my muse. Tell me if you want it changed, Siki<3 Haven't written anything in over five months.. here goes nothing. Please bear with me since this is my first post as Datass.

Later afternoon found two young wolves some distance up the mountains that walled in their home by the lake. The wind was wild here, feral and crazed and impartial — it scared him. He did not like what he could not control. The rain that swept through ruined his splendid coat and stung his eyes. Twigs and thorns stabbed at this pads and their feminine softness, and Datura was always very careful with his paws. His gait was ginger, tentative, so unlike his headstrong golden stare. Everything about Datura was golden. His smile. his boyish charm... his sense of entitlement most of all.

"Go on," he whispered, pouring poison in her ear, "I dare you."

Datura didn't dare walk any closer to the ledge where the sky and wind spilled over the lip of the world and tumbled downwards forever. He took several dainty steps backwards. Not in a scared way — no, he made it look as if he were merely making way for his sweet sister. The wind was like a swollen river with a powerful current that pulled on the golden boy's fur. It made him sick. Nature made him sick...

Perhaps that was why he had dragged Bella up here.

Her slack-jawed wonder could have been considered endearing — if you were into that sort of thing — but wasn't it just a little... simple? Or did she really see something that he could not? Did she have something that he did not? Datura did not handle jealousy well. Within moments he would lose control of himself and lash out like a monster.

Datura did not want to have to be a monster.

"Come on, come up with me to the Heights. It'll be fun. We can play a game!" Just a peek over the edge. What harm could that do her? Maybe if he scared her out of her stupid stargazing, maybe then... maybe then he could love her right. Because he did love Belladonna — truly, he did. Everyone loved Bella. But when he looked at her sometimes, all he could see were those far-gazing eyes and suddenly he felt sick to his stomach with contempt and a great confusion that made his head ache. The golden boy wanted so much to shield her from the world and protect her... and yet somehow she repulsed him. The contradictions spun around in his head and made him angry... There was a tension building up in him — a a dangerous tension that cried out to be unleashed.

And so here he stood.

"I double wolf dare you."

(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2013, 11:58 PM by Datura.)

The taunts were in her ears, her eyes full of weakness for them. I dare you, he said, and Belladonna was helpless. She could not let him down, could not be a failure in front of him. Datura was larger and stronger and bolder, and in some ways she revered him. Though they had different mothers, and no father, they were brother and sister still. He was her Datura. I dare you, he said.

He stepped back, though she barely noticed, instead gaping in awe at the sky beyond, the way the air sighed and growled as it cut over the rocky precipice they stood upon, the rain lashing against the hard ground and her fur. She could feel it tug, and common sense said to go back, not to let it call to her. It pulled harder. She was not so heavy as Datura, not so strong, and she feared that it might pick her up and throw her from the edge. She loved it, but it was not a careless love. She loved it like it was her foul-tempered bull. Admired and adored, but respected - feared. Belladonna was not ignorant of the powers that swept over that ledge, that caught in her fur and urged her on. In many ways, she was even more aware of it than her brother.

I double wolf dare you, he said.

She took a sharp breath, ears falling flat against her head as she realised the weight of it, heart pounding as her world narrowed to that ledge, that neverending fall. He dared me. Raising her eyes to the sky, she let her mind fall into it, the grey expanse full of those angry clouds she loved, the wind roaring in her ears, and she let go.

In that instant, she knew she was safe. This was not her den, this was not the lake, and she was not sitting under the shelter of a tree, but this was her world all the same. She had watched these storms from below, and had been one with them. Now, now she was closer, closer to the ferocity, but she knew these clouds. She knew the voices on the wind, and the rain in her fur. Every drop was a friend. I dare you, said Datura. It's all right, said the wind.

It only took a few steps to reach the edge, and then suddenly the ground was gone and she could barely see the trees below but for the rain and wind and mist. Her dusty fur swept in all directions, and her balance shifted from squarely-planted foot to squarely-planted foot as it shifted, but the wind never took her. Her eyes were full of awe now, fascination and adrenaline but most of all love. She was alive. Stood here, at the top of the world, surrounded by the sky's power, she was alive.

"Datura," she called, reverent, eager to share this wonder with him, "You have to see this."

(This post was last modified: Jul 09, 2015, 12:01 PM by Belladonna. Edit Reason: tidying up borked html )

Keeping her distance...

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c58/becuffin/hold.jpg) bottom no-repeat; background-color: #301e4e;"> The pharisaical mother kept her distance from the pups as they scaled the heights. She was but a silent guardian, unknown to the pair, shadowing their every move, if only to catch a glimpse of the children she hadn’t seen in what felt like an age. No stranger would ever draw close, because she was there to protect them. As she should have been all along. She observed from her perch, little more than a gargoyle amongst the boulders, all bones and matted fur as the wind whipped about her. She watched with keen eyes as the pair made their way along the narrow path. Her eyes narrowed at the sky in concern as the clouds began to gather, but it wasn’t her place to interfere... yet. Small voices carried to her on the wind, the taunting dares of her oldest son, so similar in appearance to his uncle at that age, spurring her precious daughter on. Her muscles tightened involuntarily as she watched her daughter edge towards the cliff, worry lining her face, but she had to show some control. They were old enough now to begin exploring, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. The wind picked up and masked her concerned whine as the tawny puppy drew closer and closer. She was sure footed, as any raised on a mountain should be and it put her mothers mind at ease... The clear wonder in the child’s tone at the views to be seen was enough to make her heart break a little more. She should be there with them, showing them the world and teaching them of all its wonders... but that was no longer her place. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen...

code by bryony

His heart began to knock on his ribs. He watched his sister take a step forward, then another — knock, knock. He wondered whether or not this was a good idea — knock, knock. Something was the in the back of his mind, pounding behind a door, demanding to be let in. It looked... he swallowed nervously, it actually looked pretty dangerous now that he though about it — knock, knock. All at once, Belladonna was there, standing at the edge. And then the door burst open.

Panic struck him light a bolt of lightning. He wanted her to call her back to him. It wasn't safe out there, standing exposed to all of nature's wrath. Shame welled up behind his eyes. I'm a terrible brother. He was supposed to be her guardian, he was supposed to guide her and protect her... Absorbed in his self, he hesitated, tempted to deny his error... how could he admit to her, admit out loud that he was wrong?. Weakly he opened his mouth and began,"Bella I do— "

" — Datura. You have to see this."

She was enjoying herself? The sudden shift of emotion was jarring, and Datura nearly lost his balance and let the wind carry him away. She was enjoying herself out there, on the brink of the world, and she wanted him to come out there and join her in cheating death. The wonder in her voice, because he could not understand it, disgusted him. Why couldn't she be normal? The hints of frustration wrinkled his muzzle. His capacity for shame in his sister was far greater for his shame in himself. Staring out at his sister, Datura was overwhelmed with the urge to drag her away from that cliff and hide her away, to beat this stupidity out of her, to beat this strangeness and love of something as terrible as nature out of her. So violent was this temptation that he forgot himself, and unafraid he stepped up beside her.

"This is lame, Bella, stop it," he drawled, only a trace of pleading in his voice. This was her last chance. If she loved him she would stop being so stupid and come back home with him, and then he could teach her how to be normal... If not... well, Datura would be forced to act.

(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2013, 11:59 PM by Datura.)

The joy swirled about her, almost tangible - on her face, through her fur, on her tongue. She was alive, she was at home, and most of all she wanted to share the wonder with her brother. If he could only see it, breath it, then he would understand.

Bella was not ignorant; she knew that her beloved Datura did not share her passions. Nobody else did, so it was no surprise, but she didn't care about them half so much as she did Datura. If only one wolf in the whole world could be helped to understand, maybe even to feel it too, then she wanted it to be him.

When she felt his body beside her, she filled with a momentary joy. He had come, he would experience it, and then maybe he would know! But even as she turned to look at him, beaming, the smile fell from her face at his expression. This is lame, he said, and it cut her hopes in two and almost took her heart as well. No, no, no, it's not like that at all, she wanted to scream, but her ears had gone flat from the weight of his disapproval. "But... but you dared me. Double wolf..." She didn't understand. And look, just look at it. Hurt and confused by the abrupt shift in his mood, she stared back out at where her heart lived and felt it surge, just for a moment, despite it all.

The wind howled in her ears, a friend, a friend, a friend, and she took a deep breath and meekly met his gaze again. "Can't you see it?"

(This post was last modified: Jul 09, 2015, 12:04 PM by Belladonna. Edit Reason: tidying up borked html )

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c58/becuffin/hold.jpg) bottom no-repeat; background-color: #301e4e;"> Her heart had calmed and her breathing had recommenced. She allowed herself a moment to simply be. To listen to the wind and feel the rock beneath her paws, but ever vigilant eyes stayed trained on the young pair below and her ears swiveled and nostrils twitched, seeking any indication of danger to come. She knew that look on her daughters face, the way she moved so naturally, so connected... and her heart skipped a beat. She could smell the rain, not far off now, and only hoped that the small cub would realise what it meant and come away from the potentially slippery rock face before it was too late. Bella would be lonely with nobody who knew the signs like she did instinctively. Naira was disappointed with herself. She should have been there for her. It almost seemed as if her son transformed before her eyes, it seemed Datura had every intention of dragging his sister away from the sharp drop. Subtle shifts, in the way that he moved set her mind on edge and her muscles tensed, waiting. She hoped beyond hope they were wise enough to not fight so close to something so dangerous, but they were only children. She was torn between approaching, and letting them be, but she was far closer than they may suspect so she waited. Ready.

code by bryony

@Belladonna
They fought this silent, heartbreaking war every day as they looked into each other’s eyes and pleaded wordlessly for the other one to understand them, to be more like them. Choose my way, choose me, Datura begged from the depths of his heart every night as the sun sank underneath the mountains. The sky and his heart were red with passions that could be shared with no one else.  Not even the soul he loved the most in this world.

And in her own way, his sister did the same. He was aware of her subtle array on the chess board, her gentle tactics that offered a path different than his own.  But their dangerous game was always locked in a stalemate. No one would surrender.

Choose me.

Suppressing his longing had grown harder over the past few months. It was hard to leave everything up to wishful thinking and casual persuasion. He was not tactful like his sister. He was a man of action, a man of force.

“Don’t make things up," he lied blatantly, "I didn’t double wolf dare you to do something so stupid." He was always retracting his statements like this: suddenly, aggressively. His tone was growing more bland as regained the upper-hand.  But inside he was seething with his own bitterness. So short-sighted, the golden boy’s eyes clung desperately to the back of his sister’s head. Why did she seek this distance? What did she see out there that she couldn’t see in him?

“See what Bell?” He didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of a real answer, but cautiously he turned his own eyes out towards the world. What was out there? There was the mountain and its gradual fade into the foothills and a carpet of trees beyond that. But it was inert, lifeless. It was the backdrop of his narrative, worth mentioning only for context. There was nothing else to it. He didn’t dare squint any harder for fear that she would notice his attempt. For fear he would see it all and would have to choose her side.

Choose mine. Choose me.

Sure of foot, and with her faith in the forces which circled this peak, Bella never truly feared falling from the edge, but as she watched him try to shut her down, watched the look in his eyes go cold and, she felt as though she might tumble and never get up again.

"I'm not making it up..." she whispered under her breath, the tiny defiance carried away by the rushing winds before they could make it to her brother's ears. It was a good thing; he hated it when she resisted him. She hated it when he resisted her, but Datura was bigger and knew the direct key to Bella's heart, knew how to twist it cruelly. She didn't hadn't figured his out.

That was a lie. Belladonna just didn't have the strength to neuter herself for her brother's sake, though it would have made him happy.

Stupid, childish, dreamer, these were adjectives she had gotten used to, had begun to very slowly internalise. The very parts of her which prompted them rebelled against the labels, and when she was alone - or with Ash, or with Athena - she rejoiced in them, shared them, bared them for all to see. But Datura didn't want to see them, wanted to rip them out. It broke her heart that she couldn't be the sister he wanted, the sister he deserved, and instead she was this wide-eyed wonderer who was building a wall between them. She couldn't help it, selfish as it was. She just couldn't help it.

"S-s-s-see," she choked out, throat tightening, and for a moment he did shift his gaze and she hoped for a daring second that his eyes might light up with recognition, but it did not happen. Unable to believe that he could stand here on top of the world as it roared around them and feel nothing at all, she followed his line of sight, and tried to break down what she saw. Maybe if she could put it into words, she could share the secret with him and he would understand.

The mountain fell away harshly in front of them, the drop devastating, unsurvivable. She followed the slope down, watching as the rocky shapes sat immovable, the wind less than a gnat to such eternal constructs, the same wind which she had seen sweep a mountain goat from its footholds onto those same rocky shapes, final, brutal. It was the danger of living in such a place, ever present, but Bella knew how to respect those forces and in turn they had never tugged at her feet, never threatened to break her. Further down, as the trees began, she could see the leaves caught by the gale, the uppermost branches straining, but deeper it would be as still as the moon, blustering rage a mere coating of the pure calm inside. She had sheltered amongst those trees during storms, hearing the fury but never feeling it, protected by the very mountain which roared all around her. Then further still, as the mountain evened out into the plains and forests below, where the wind was an almost tangible, visible thing as it raced over the land, playing with the tops of the trees. But the wind died out the further you looked, until the plains in the distance was a picture of stillness, the ferocity reserved for those with such a splendid view as Bella and Datura. Here was where life was created, amongst the rains and storms, where the rivers were born and the mountain stood proud as a landmark for miles around, grand and permanent.If you could survive here, you could thrive anywhere.

By the time, she looked back at her brother, her reservations had been entirely forgotten, swept away by the beauty she had been trying to decipher. It was nothing she could put into words, nothing she wanted to, and she grinned, unable to help herself.

"All of it!" she declared, for it was true. It was not stupid, it was vigour, it was the power which coursed through her veins. It would take a great deal more time and effort to rip that from her. Bella secretly thought that she would win, in the end. She had patience where he had nothing, and she would win. They had all the time in the world.

@Belladonna
Their gaze traveled over the same lands, ventured through the same rivers all the way until the world was swallowed up in the hazy horizon. But Belladonna's eyes romped where her brother merely wandered joylessly. There was no beauty for him. He could not find a shred of reverence in himself for either the safety nor the dangers of their home and their place in the circle of life. He found reverence for the wolves in his life, the connections between himself and his pack. To him, those were tangible. Those were all that mattered. And the connection between himself and Belladonna, his only real family mattered the most.

But she didn't care, she didn't care at all.

Her eyes always wandered past him back into the world. Even now her eyes, her heart was lost to the wilderness. His face grew hard. He needed her. She was all he had. How was he to be a golden boy if he just had some broken, parentless childhood? Because he knew things were strange. This was not how things were supposed to be. Belladonna had Ash and Athena but they did not care for him. Ava took care of him. Why should they have different parents if they were flesh and blood? Every muscle in his body tensed and he begged himself to stop but he could not. He wanted so badly to reach out for her but knew that it was wrong. It went against everything in his being. She went against everything in his being. But she was not the monster.

He was.

He spat in her face. "Shut up Bella. No one cares. Literally no one," a mean smile plastered on his lips, he leaned forward. They were both very close to the edge, but Bella was closer. He took a step. He was scared and excited. "You're just full of this... this... crazy talk!" The golden boy had not the words to name his frustration. One paw stamped forcefully against the ground. "It's like a disease! You can't live this way."

"You love this so much?" now his voice was the whisper of a snake in the grass. A single bubble of laughter erupted.

"Then fly."

Almost whimsically, he dug his snout into the crook of her armpit and lifted so as to throw her off balance towards the edge. 

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity