Drooping Willows What I cannot have, I will take.

Cool, crisp night. Not uncomfortably cold.

The night air was still as the wolf swept through the willows. His fiery pelt blended well with the colorful autumn leaves outside of these trees; this was his season. With his face stoic, the man padded along, stomach full from a recent meal. Pausing briefly, the man's ears twitched. He thought he heard something, but could not identify the noise. With a tilt of his head, he continued to walk forth, curiosity pulling at him. Though he was curious, caution still remained within him. His muscles tensed as he saw something flash within the canopy of the willows. There it was again... and again!

With golden eyes narrowing, the wolf took a step back, unsure of what he was witnessing. It looked like the stars were falling! With a frown on his face, he continued to back up, snarling aloud as his rump backed into the trunk of a willow. He immediately plopped down, rear end planting itself into the leaf litter on the forest floor. What was happening?

Through his six years of existence, he had seen something happen like this before, but he curled up in the den he resided in and fell asleep. This was of no interest to him- it seemed to unnatural. It unnerved him. Still sitting, he watched the sky light up as he sheltered himself below the drooping trees.

(This post was last modified: Oct 16, 2012, 02:26 PM by Reed.)

Skana had slipped quietly from the warmth of the huddled bodies in the den, picking past them and into the chill of the night. Fallen leaves rustled a hushed song beneath the sable wolf's giant paws as she tread into the surrounding willows. Normally the old wolf preferred to doze away the darkness, yet she found sleep hard to come by this night. Rather than keeping up her pack mates with all her tossing and turning, she decided to walk off her thoughts. Foremost in her mind was Kiche, the man who had been let into Ridge lands in order to receive his penance for his wrongs. She hadn't seen the man yet, but was still worried about him possibly harming any of the pack, given his history. Had she told Elettra to do the right thing?

Skana was not looking for him, but all the same her senses were on alert. Notched ears panned to catch the various sounds of the night and her snout probed ahead, all senses looking for anything out of place. A small snarl in the distance reached her perked ears, sending Skana to high alert. Moving as fast as her old bones could take her, she galloped towards the sound prepared for the worst, but only found one of the pack. She had seen the male before but could not remember ever getting his name. He was sitting, head craned up towards the sky. Curious, her eyes flicked upward, finding fulgurant streaks lighting across the sky. "Did one of them hit you, or do you just like making a racket in the middle of the night?" she teased, the ghost of a smile turning the corner of her mouth as she looked back to him.

(This post was last modified: Dec 29, 2012, 05:39 AM by Skana.)

As he calmed, he began to grow interested in the lights falling from the sky. Though still unnerved, he watched quietly, eyes squinting as he did so. Within a few minutes, there was a voice- a teasing one at that. Turning his head, the rustic man focused his golden gaze upon an older wolf like himself. She was of a dark brown coloring; she carried the Willow Ridge scent. He never got to know her name, though. Blinking, he dipped his head, smirking sheepishly.

"Not my fault... this tree sneaked up on me." With his wise-ass answer, he gave a friendly but quiet laugh before rising to his paws. With a step forward, he spoke again. "Reed" he introduced himself, bowing his head down before the pretty woman. Sure, she was scarred, but he still thought she had good looks about her. Bringing his head back up, he brought his attention to the sky. "Do you know what the hell is happening? I've never had a clue in my six years of existence." Admitting to such confusion was not embarrassing to him in the least bit. He was curious.

"I'm Skana," She greeted, the red wolf's bow reciprocated with a dip of her muzzle. She watched him as he looked to the stars, her brows raising curiously at the question.

It had been a while since she had seen such a supernormal astral display. Skana could remember her parents explanation to her when she was a child, and similarly when her own children wondered at the starry streaks Skana told them the same. "Well, if you were a pup... I might tell you they were spirits coming back to earth to live again, after spending their time as stars." She sighed, and her great head slowly shook as she dismissed the story. She had believed it then, but now? It was just too ridiculous. She had no better explanation, but the story no longer sat right with her. She wanted to believe it, she wanted to believe that somewhere out there her mate was walking, breathing, living, rather than dissolved into a thousand little pieces by the elements. But he was gone.

A small huff left her as she she turned her head back up to the light streaked sky. There were no more tears left to shed, but she couldn't look at someone while feeling so weak. Weakness was something she shrugged off or suppressed, never to be seen by others. A moment of silence passed as she recollected herself, staring at the falling stars before she spoke again, as impassive as ever. "That's just a child's tale though. I don't know if anyone can really say what they are. How could someone even know such a thing?"

(This post was last modified: Dec 29, 2012, 05:39 AM by Skana.)

Reed noticed a sudden change in the woman's mood; he remained quiet. Looking at the ground for a moment, he awaited her to regain her self before he looked back up. "I wish I knew. It's just... so odd." He could still see the flashes of light through the drooping branches of the willows. He feared one would shoot down and strike them. Feeling his muscles tense at the thought, the man tightened his jaw before relaxing. "Sometimes it's nice to hear pup tales. Brings you away from the stress of being an adult.."

Reed never had much time for such pleasantries. Where he thrived, he was constantly hunting or seeking out water sources for his pack mates. His parents began training him immediately once he hit the physical capability of doing so. Holding in a sigh, his golden eyes shimmered softly as a spur of flashes shot by. "Are you enjoying Willow Ridge?" He changed the subject, deciding it was for the better. Still paranoid about the falling stars, Reed managed to turn his attention to the older woman, and stayed focused upon her. It was part of his personal duty as a second to get to know his pack-mates.

Skana looked away from the dazzling sky, her amber eyes finding Reed's golden ones. Her brows pulled up slightly at the question. She hadn't really taken the time to consider it herself. She nodded slowly. "There are things I'm not used to, but it's better than what I had hoped for. I don't know where I'd be, what I'd be, otherwise. A dinner for crows, perhaps." Her dark lips turned up in a wry smile, a joke and an attempt at lightening her own sullen mood. She knew she was living on borrowed time, though it didn't bother her. She had lived her life, and whenever it was time to go, she'd go. Not that she hoped that was anytime soon. It was a new life of sorts, and it was nice to have a kind of retirement from the chores of actually running a pack as a leader. As an advisor, Skana could have her say, but Elettra was the one who would have to ultimately sort out the messes. "Yes, I do think I am enjoying it here."

"Have you been here long?" She asked, leaving the question open to however he wished to interpret it. She knew very little about the man, though had noticed the curious twang to his voice. Anything he wished to reveal would be information enough to her. She wasn't a busybody, and didn't need to know every faucet of his life. But a little knowledge of her packmates couldn't hurt.

(This post was last modified: Dec 30, 2012, 02:45 AM by Skana.)

"Moderately" the man said, nodding his head to the woman before him. "A bit before the formation of Willow Ridge..." His eyes peered at his paws before he lifted them to the overhanging canopy of willows. It was like a dream. Was he really awake right now? Yes, yes he was. The stars that fell just seemed so unreal to him, and it did not cease to weird him out.

"I'm just not used to it here yet, I guess." His voice suddenly grew open and honest- his eyes flickered in the dim lighting of the shower. "Where I lived, there was barely any food to live by... water was scarce; I'd spend most of my days scouting." He released a short grunt as he thought back to his old home. "When we would find water, though, my father would teach me to fish...." he stopped speaking now, almost biting his tongue.

He must be boring the shit out of this wolf. "Enough about me" he said, ears twitching before he looked to meet her gaze "Where did you come from, Skana?"