Mountain of Dire paint the horizon with the right shade of red

The anger within her was quickly vanishing…she was just too tired to stay mad for too long, her shoulder bushing gently against Ice’s as they stood before Fenru. Finally, common sense seemed to kick in and he lowered himself in front of both of them. There was no point in fighting, and Fenru seemed to finally understand that. The brief exchange between the two left Jessie’s heart feeling a tad bit warmer and the tension in her shoulders soon turned into relaxation when Fenru settled down. Her own head dipped down low towards Ice, a sign that she was going to obey his order to them. The next day would be a long one and they would all need to be in the best shape that they could be in.

She quietly walked over to Fenru, laying down near his large body, trying to find some warmth in the bitter coldness of winter. The exhaustion of all the traveling that they were doing was finally catching up on her body, and her eyes closed. Her breath soon evened out, and before she knew it, she was asleep, her mind silently searching for all the answers they could use to find Rissa. Her heart was longing for the small pup, telling her that they were going to find her, safely, but her mind and gut were also telling her, that finding the young Tainn was going to prove to be impossible, and that the young, jumpy lump of fur was lost to them.

I'm half the man I thought I would be

FENRU TAINN

but you can't have what's left of me

A few more boyish whines elicited from him, lapping up every measure of comfort Ice provided him. The simple utterance that everything was okay made the yearling shiver. His large ears folded back, soothed by the Guardian's touch. "Rest now," he instructed and the boy obediently laid his head down between his paws, "and we'll push on soon." He did not close his eyes however until Ice had settled down. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his eyelids to sink downward and he stared at the valley below for sometime after he felt Jessie nestle herself into his side. Sandwiched between the two adults, he felt himself grow drowsy in a matter of seconds.

As much as he wanted to stay awake, no matter how hard he tried to keep his eyes open just a little longer, he found he could not. On several occasions during the night, he awoke with a start, his body giving a jolt right before he opened his eyes. Each time, except for the last occurrence, he managed to go back to sleep after huddling just a bit closer into Ice's side. By the first rays of daybreak, the last time he was startled awake, he let out a shiver, not wanting to fall back into the nightmares he had resurfaced from. Warily he shifted to see if Jessie was awake, then turned his head just enough to see the side of Ice's head.

Wake up, he pleaded in his head, trying to resist the urge to even make a sound. Several seconds passed but he kept to himself, the quietness of the hour allowing himself to rethink what had to be done, what needed to be done. It wasn't even long until he fell asleep again however, comforted once more for the time being by the steady rhythms that was formed by the breaths of his pack mates. Another shudder raked up his spine but he did not wake, a string of whimpers sounding from him as he dreamt of carrying his newborn sister Rissa through a maze of tall, black hedges... running from a large, ravenous wolf whose pelt was a dark as the night. In the waking world his paws twitched underneath him and his brows knit together as he frantically tried to outrun the tormentor of his dream, the blood of his youngest sister dripping from his own mouth. He felt Rissa grow limp in his jowls, but despite her body growing cold against his tongue, he would not and could not allow her to fall back into the demon's grip.

I AM RISSA'S REVENGE

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Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

Even a man doing something simple & reassuring

a hero can be anyone

to let him know that the world hadn't ended

Together they sank into the warms of sleep, of warmth and slow, heavy breathing. For a while Fenru was cold against his flank, until the snow and space between them melted. Tan and silver hairs mingled, shared the same space and warmth, and on the other side of the yearling Jessie settled down, cradled against the much larger boy. Smiling tightly to himself despite the sorrows, Ice closed his silver eyes, and drifted off into sleep. Disconnecting his thoughts he sought for the depths in which he could rest untouched, but time and time again that night he jerked awake when Fenru twitched in his sleep and accidentally poked him. And each time, Ice just lifted his head, peered into the heavy darkness, and decided that they were still safe, and slept on.

Daybreak came, the sounds slowly changing as birds sang in the beautiful morning. A cold and clear sky greeted his eyes as he cracked them open, light spreading from the peak of Dire as the sun clawed its way into the winter heaven. Beside him Fenru was twitching in his sleep, and Ice studied him in silence for a moment. Tension had drawn his brows together and his paws were twitching in the powdery snow. Across his back, Ice looked for signs of Jessie awakening, before returning his attention to Fenru. Was it harmful to wake those who dreamed of bad things? Slowly the pale Guardian leaned over to give his flank a careful nudge, hoping to break his dream, before slowly shifting into a stand. Yawning and stretching out his cramped muscles he let a few more moments of silence pass, just watching the frost glimmer in the early light. They had slept warm, packed together, insulated by the snow — had Rissa been alone and afraid, under the cold, distant stars? He had long ago abandoned his faith, for they never showed him where to go anymore. They simply watched, sitting safe and sound in their heaven, watched as the foolish mortals capered and wept.

He had no love for them anymore.

"Wake up," he barked gently at his companions, before disappearing into a bush to, very self-consciously, scent mark a tree. Not that anyone needed to know they'd been here. But. Shaking his head he returned to where they had slept, waiting for them to get up and settled. They had a long day, and a long climb ahead of them.

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Note to self: The Piano Guys - Michael meets Mozart

let the stars above shine in your soul

Through the night the young girl slept soundly. She wasn’t quite sure, but everyone once and awhile she was sure she was jerked awake by some movement before sleep quickly enveloped her again. She wasn’t sure if she had, or if she had just been in dream after dream, but it was odd what had happened. And that was why when the large command from Ice came, Jessie jumped out of her pelt, her emerald eyes wide and fangs exposed, the fur along her spine quickly standing on end. When she came to her senses, she was relieved to see Ice and Fenru, they weren’t threats to her…they were family. The trio had to go find Rissa, right now before something even worse might have happened to her. It was time to put her tracking skills back into action.

She stretched her body out, yawning largely while Ice took care of his business. She then shook her pelt, letting the snow that clung to her pelt fly out, not really caring if it got on the males that were with her. When they were situated and she was given the go, she quietly led them towards the mountains, ready for her tracking to take place. When they got to the base of the mountain, she made sure Ice was behind her before starting to scale up the mountain, getting bits of Rissa’s scent here or there. Not before long, her pads started to bleed and her breath hitched every now and then, causing her to take a short break. She wouldn’t do any good finding their lost pup if she collapsed again, which she was sure would bring up a bunch of shit with Ice. She wouldn’t let them down a second time though, and it was why she worked hard as their hours of traveling up the mountain went on.

I'm half the man I thought I would be

FENRU TAINN

but you can't have what's left of me

Ice's nudge came just in time, a hushed "Wake up" further jolting him from his slumber. The yearling sniffed, unable to bring himself to rise until the silvery Guard returned with a shake of his head. Right before he was made aware of where he was, who was with him, what time of day it was, he watched behind his eyelids as he saw himself die, his pursuer able to successfully recover his victim once the boy had laid motionless in the dark. The hedges had enclosed around him and a suffocating darkness had left him one last glimpse of a pair of blazing orange eyes. Before Fenru could even take a step forward, to relieve himself and get a move on with what time this morning had granted them, he had to check if his heart still beat...

A weak thump pulsed in his rib cage and his brows lifted worriedly as his ears swiveled slightly atop his head. He took a deep breath, waiting no more than a split second until the drumming sounded -

LUB-DUB...lubdub-lubdub-lub-dub...

He sighed in relief and without further ado, he hastily chose a spot not too far away from Ice's mark. When he returned, he caught Jessie's gaze, his jowls parting in a rather large yawn before following the adults further toward their goal. Though not a man of superstition, raised solely on truths and realities, Fenru could not help but to believe his nightmare had set him up... for failure. He fiercely doubted his heart would burst from running, let alone being chased by some bloodthirsty phantom, but the higher they climbed, he started to feel the strain. As Jessie's breath began to catch in her chest and the faintest hint of blood could be scented in her tracks, Fenru, though not far from true adulthood, found he was much worse. For every eight steps she and Ice managed, the boy could only push himself forward by two large, slow steps.

The air was too thin and by the way he panting suggested he could have been almost likened to a fish out of water. Perhaps one day the yearling would find himself in a state better-suited for long treks such as this one, but for now the young Tainn had resorted to taking breaths as deep as his lungs would allow, wishing with all his might that he would be able to keep up with them if he vowed to push himself further in his patrols and his spontaneous sprints around Swift River. He was a good distance away from Ice when Fenru eventually looked up from where he was sitting, his sizable figure hunched over with his ears flipped back. He let out three raspy barks. "I'll be... I'll be right there," the woofing imparted. He blinked worriedly, starting to panic from realizing how hard his heart was hammering against his ribcage.

Shhhhh, he tried to soothe himself but to little avail. Shhbreathe. Almost there.

When he was able to stand up, albeit a little shaky, he staggered until another small number of steps forced him to stand still again, his eyes never leaving Jessie's figure not too far from him.

I AM RISSA'S REVENGE

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(This post was last modified: Feb 09, 2013, 11:10 AM by Fenru.)

Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

Even a man doing something simple & reassuring

a hero can be anyone

to let him know that the world hadn't ended

They woke, in such different fashions that Ice nearly laughed at him. Jessie flew to her feet with murder on her face, and Fenru just laid there, staring at the snow. Well. At least they were both awake, and soon enough all three of them were on the move again. Jessie led the way, having the most experience in tracking, though for as long as he could Ice screened the sides of her trail. Hare. Hare. Mountain goat. Hare. Hare. Hare. Cougar. Hare. Old and new the tracks covered the slopes, and then the steep passes took over. The white Guardian returned to his place behind Jessie, his body clumsy at first but slowly remembering how to move. Spread the digits, yes, lean forward now, heave, grasp; bit by bit he woke up, moving with more ease as their path took them ever upwards. Raised at a high altitude it took him longer to start suffer the effects of the thin air, but in time he was panting too, his pink tongue lolling out between his jaws as his heart beat powerfully in his chest. Up and up they went, his body too warm for his thick coat despite the snow all around them. The sun watched them, and the sun watched as Jessie's paws broke and bled, as she paused, as Ice split a pad or two, and Fenru slowly lagged behind. The snowfall from yesterday had not reached here, and as Jessie took another breather he kept staring at the faded tracks they followed, one set so painfully familiar. Where was she now?

Fenru's barks broke his reverie and he turned his head to look at the River son. When had he fallen so far behind? Determination blazed in his auburn eyes but his body was failing him, and Ice was breathing heavily too where he stood still. Lifting one front paw gingerly the other plunged deeper through the crust, and he sighed to himself before licking his split pad gently. "Rest a while," he said, tiredly, quietly. Fenru was no use crawling up the slopes, and Ice remembered too vividly the way Jessie had just fallen over a month or so ago in the Grove. And he himself would not object to the chance to rest his weary legs and aching paws. Slowly the white Guardian sunk down where he was, white belly fur mingling with the snow. The further they climbed, the more dangerous they became. Scowling to shade his eyes from the sun Ice peered up ahead, and then down, where Relic Lore spread out below them. It was beautiful and vast, but he could not relax and enjoy it, merely gauged the distance they had gone and the time it had taken. Then he looked up ahead again; maybe another hour's climb, before they'd be on the flatter back of the range, and then.. where? Down the other side?

Drawing his legs up beneath him as best he could, Ice closed his eyes. Sunlight, mostly devoid of warmth, played across his back, and slowly the snow leeched the heat out of him and his tongue went back to between his jaws. How long he rested he wasn't sure — ten minutes? Twenty? But their breathing had calmed from the gasps to the more rapid pace of thin air, and slowly he uncurled himself, before standing up. The climb seemed so.. long, and steep, or was that just hopelessness weighing him down? "Ready to keep going?" he asked them quietly, eying the distance they had to go.

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Merrso. Unless you guys want something to happen on the mountain, maybe Jessie could play us across it and down on the slope on the other side? :3

let the stars above shine in your soul

When she turned, she hadn’t expected to see Fenru so far below the two of them. Her ears immediately flattened worried for the young Tainns safety and briefly wondering if it was such a good idea to bring the boy with them. He still would have been a great help back near the den…he could have been looking after Corinna. It came as a relief to her ears when Ice suggested a break, readily accepting it, she slide forward so that her paws were buried deep within the snow to allow numbness in her paws. Hopefully, Fen would catch up with them soon though…she had no clue how hard it was for the young boy. This was only the second or third time she had ever climbed the mountains and it was definitely not in her game plan to fall or collapse of exhaustion. Which hopefully wouldn’t happen, if she took enough rest breaks.

When her Second’s voice reached her ears once again, she almost sighed in sadness. She just wanted to close her eyes and rest some, but the heat from the sun would not allow her to do so as it blazed teasingly in her emerald eyes. Jessie unwillingly got up from her position and inhaled deeply, once again on the scent trail of Rissa…they would all have to hurry up though…because if they didn’t the Swiftpaw might have lost the trail. It might have even meant scouting ahead, and breaks would be less frequent then they were before. She turned her head towards Ice, a serious note lacing her tone, "We need to travel fast." It was also an invitation for him to stay around Fenru and help him through the way. Hopefully, she would be able to make the trip to.

Without waiting for much of an answer, she started to scale up the mountain, her nose poking into little areas here and there to see if there was anything that would give her a stronger trail…a piece of fur, some fresh blood, anything… And then it came, what she had been looking for. Her pupils immediately got smaller as she sniffed the old musty scent of blood. She wasn’t sure if it was Rissa’s or the one who she was traveling with, but it was something…the two scents seemed to be getting discombobulated in her head as time went on. She didn’t think to check on her companions once and she continued on, taking a few breathing rests for every time span she needed. There was a small part of her brain that was urging her towards the freshest scent feeling as if by the second they were getting closer and closer to the culprit who took their daughter from them.

After about an hour passed she had made it to the top of the mountain and she looked down, her emerald eyes blazing with determination as she looked across the other side. It didn’t take too long for the others to catch up with her, and by that time she had barely caught her breath. After a small time of just breathing and leaning on each other for support, she set them off again, paying attention to her surroundings carefully with her face in the ground as she inhaled the scent of the capture and the captive. They slowly made their way down the slope, a much easier task then it had been to scale up the mountains. She then lifted her head as she padded on, glad that her companions were with her. She had never been in the mountains before, and now that she had made it to the high altitude, she was amazed by the beauty of it. She knew she couldn’t dwell long though…they were on a mission.

I'm half the man I thought I would be

FENRU TAINN

but you can't have what's left of me

Moments of standing still seemed to do the trick and in a matter of minutes Fenru found himself moving forward again towards the spot where Ice and Jessie both laid in wait. Hours of being exposed to the sun on the bare snow also had him squinting, and in any short period of time when he was regaining energy for his next move, he kept his eyes closed until he had to press onward again. Time was running out, he could sense it. Though his sense of smell was not as sharp up here in the mountain air, his nightmare still had him believing that they, this impulsively organized search team, would not find Rissa alive. By now he could have sworn that his sister's scent could barely be picked up anymore. The thought only made him move slower and slower, and by the time he had reached Ice along the bare, stony ledges his ears were slicked back and his head had angled downward.

Hope that once blazed as brilliantly as the Northern Star had now dimmed and, one by one, his worries were starting to resurface. They were kept all at bay however as the trio eventually caught up to one another. As Jessie surged ahead here and there, Fenru kept his place behind Ice, still alert but not as aggressive or as lively as he had been during their trek up the mountainside. For some time the mountain seemed to level out and, on more than one occasion, the Tainn held back to take in the view below. As an optimist one might have been confident that the boy was pin-pointing any interesting landmarks to investigate in case Rissa was held captive within its depths, when in all actuality, Fenru was considering any and all the places to check for his sister's lifeless body.

His breath ensnared in his airway and lungs, he exhaled slowly before hesitantly following the adults down the other side of the mountain, soft, low whines emitting from him as his own paws began to bleed. As Jessie continued onward, he tried to mimic her posture and stance in order to rejuvenate his spirits but he discovered that he could not. He winced as he kept his head low and his tail curled about his heels. Something about this place was not right as if it was not enough that somewhere in this newfound wilderness Rissa's young body was waiting to be uncovered. Once back on semi-even ground, he moved himself along with a mottled shoulder pressed up against Ice's silvery flank. What uncertainties he could not fight he cultivated reassurance from knowing that the River Guard was there beside him and that, somewhere just up ahead, Jessie the Hunter and expert Tracker would make sure their expedition would not be in vain.

I AM RISSA'S REVENGE

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(This post was last modified: Feb 09, 2013, 11:54 AM by Fenru.)

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