Red Fern Forest think of me long enough to make a memory

Fenru & Jessie. This takes place after paint the horizon with the right shade of red, when they start descending on the other side of the mountain.. into new terrain dun dun duun :O
The forest is basically covered in snow right now so it's like any other forest. :) A healthy place.

Even a man doing something simple & reassuring

a hero can be anyone

to let him know that the world hadn't ended

The sun glittered of the snow's cold crust, fragmenting into a thousand brilliant shards. Each and every one of them stung his eyes, burning into his sensitive retina with merciless intensity. With his eyes half-lidded he walked, shaking the snow off his fur as they resumed their journey. Climbing mountains wasn't the smallest of tasks, and he could feel it in his bones, in his chest; his tongue lolled outside of his jaws, his pads worn and legs weary. Blood tinged most of their steps. It was easy to keep track of Jessie that way, when she forged ahead to scan their trail. Fresh blood in fresh paw prints. There was not much rock and vegetation to brush against up here on the mountain, and he had to trust in not losing the visual trail of her steps. The sun had risen on a cloudless, blue sky, a testament to the beauty in this world, yet he could not appreciated it with his squinted eyes and heavy heart. Was Rissa alive somewhere, down on the other side of the mountain, watching the same sky as they did? Did her heart long for them, as theirs did for her? He swallowed, worked on, step by step. Fenru was a quiet shadow by his side, smelling of sadness, preemptive grief — Ice turned every so often to lick his ears, unsure of what else to do. He would not offer false comfort.

Having been raised at a high altitude, Ice took the thin air better than them. His heart still beat in a more fleeting manner than down in the valley of Relic Lore, but his many red blood cells kept him functioning. Scaling the last of the steep path to the plateau where they could pass across the back of the Serpent he saw Jessie's shape outlined against the lands below. The lands of the rising sun.. except the was was at its position more towards the west, threatening to set on them again. Would they make it down before darkness fell? Panting lightly he nudged Fenru, making sure he'd come up on the plateau alright, before coming up to stand next to Jessie. The small wolf had led them here so far, and every once in a while Ice caught the scent from the tracks, telling him they were on the right trail. Giving her ears and appreciative lick he raised his gaze, or rather, lowered it. The land spread out like a valley, and was that a smaller range of mountains on the other horizon? A forest, much like any other forest, lay directly below, and Ice blew out air in a sigh. "I've seen this once before," he murmured, looking out across the vast landscape. "I trust your nose, Jessie, but seeing how vast it is.. and knowing how small the one we're looking for is..." His ears fell back momentarily, before he gave his head a shake. No point in giving in to despair.

They breathed for a while before Jessie began the descent down. Up here on the mountain it was still daylight, but shadow had claimed the vale; twilight held the lands below. Did that mean, that daybreak came sooner here? His gaze strayed to the horizon again, and the faint silhouette of dark crags. Maybe not.

Jessie took the lead once more, starting down and Ice gave Fenru another nudge before following on weary paws. His body knew these movements, the flex of muscle to catch the weight and not topple, but a day of climbing had left him tired again. He felt that he might fall asleep as he walked, and not know that he fell. Snorting, he gave his head a shake. Rissa was more important than his comfort. Time passed in silence as he followed the path downwards. At least Rissa's captor had had enough sense to, err, use a path and not just go willy-nilly down the slope. But it'd make sense that they knew the way, if they lived on this side of the mountain. How long had they been watching the wolves of the Lore? How long had they been waiting to strike? Darkness fell as they descended into the east, his tired mind losing itself in the fear of these unknown wolves and the simple movement. Gradually the slope lessened, trees rising as they came into a forest.

All of a sudden, Ice jerked to a halt, nose quivering, ears up and eyes fixed on a twisted shape lying atop the crust. It was dead, stiff limbs in awkward positions, as if it had died in pain; for a moment he thought the tuft of fur was Rissa, but it was far too small, a reddish hue and not the pale cream of their lost child. Growling, which changed briefly to a bark, Ice forced himself aside from Jessie's trail. Each step he took sunk him into the snow, sapping his depleted energy further, but he forced himself on until he stared at the dead fox and its crazed, open-eyed face. It had not passed easily, but not been dead longer than a day or two. "Gross," he mumbled, exhausted.

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(This post was last modified: Feb 10, 2013, 11:45 AM by Ice.)

let the stars above shine in your soul

Even though you're gone I can hear your heart

It's calling out my name like a flash in the dark

If this is just a dream, I won't give it back, I'll find a way to make it last

Much like a pull-string toy, Fenru's movements were seemingly sparked by an invisible force that tugged the boy towards Ice. Whenever he caught up, the familiar, comforting nudges were motivation enough to keep moving forward. Everything up here was new and overwhelming... If the mountain air was something to be contended with, then adding the potpourri of scents on top of the ordeal had the yearling's head spinning. The fact that he was rapidly losing all traces of hope of finding his lost sibling did not help either.

For some time he actually stopped using his nose, relying solely on the River Guard's touch as a guide in navigating the rocky slope. By now his chest was continually heaving - one deep breath in, one deep breath out, another deep breath in and another deep breath out. In a matter of hours the action had become involuntary and, though his heart pumped rapidly despite the lungfuls of air he was taking in, Fenru seemed to have adapted just enough to keep going at a steady pace. His ears kept low and his tail remained curled between his legs the whole journey upward. The bits of conversation between Ice and Jessie failed to reach him; with wide, frightful eyes he drank in the landscape. Underneath the blanket of snow, thin and crooked twigs reached out and wherever life had seemed to have scurried past bits of vivid orange and dull brown peeked through the frost.

The time to descend from the Plateau came sooner than expected, but Fenru found himself readily placing his large paws wherever Ice had directly placed his own footsteps. Down, down, down he went, his eyes trained attentively on the places where he ought to plant his each of his four feet. The silence between the trio invited all sorts of thoughts into the boy's vacant mind. All logic twisted, all facts underlined and emphasized one another, memories emerged and faded like an old silent movie on a silver screen. Every now and then his head lifted and he stopped, thinking he had heard Rissa's playful laugh in the distance.

Somewhere underneath the mental images and derailed trains of thought, he wished he had been paying attention to the more important things at hand. Things such as: how quickly they had come across the forest on the other side of the mountain, how far Jessie had gone ahead of them, or why Ice had abruptly stopped and he had somehow managed to move onward a good six steps without his shoulder fur brushing up against the Guard's flank. Fenru stopped when he noticed the coolness that seeped through his pelt where Ice should have been. He whipped his head about over his shoulder, his vivid amber eyes searching his keeper's face for the reason why he had come to a halt.

The growl that rumbled from the silvery man's chest caught him off-guard and he gave a start, his senses revving up just enough to register the foul scent in the air. Quickly, the Tainn went back to his place at Ice's side, his gaze following his superior's until it fell onto a mass of red-orange fur. Again the memories of Prosper haunted him, called back to the forefront of his mind from the mere sight of matted fur and the creature's rigid limbs splayed out in contorted positions. He gritted his teeth, forcefully closing his eyes and shaking his head violently from side to side. His bulky frame shivered.

A hundred young voices echoed in his head, mimicking his siblings' distinct tones. Kisla's and Rihael's and Prosper's and Aiyana's and Torrel's all began to speak at once in attempt to drown one another out. No, no, no, no, no, no, no... Fenru's figure folded in a sort of awkward bow, the side of his head pressed into his grungy gray wrists as he struggled to overcome an impending panic attack.

Rissa was dead, he was sure of it now, and for some reason or another it did not daunt him. Why the sight of a dead fox had him reeling, however, was obviously the opposite. He silently instructed himself to breath again and, after several seconds, he was able to stand up once more with his head held low and his tail warily level at his back. He still trembled; and, upon seeing the pathway that the Guardian had forged through the snow, he hurriedly scampered after him without even looking down at the frostbitten canine once he had caught up. Keeping his eyes focused on Ice's own metallic eyes, he whimpered. He pleaded with a bump of his nose to the Guard's lower jaw.

"Please, let's go."

fenru tainn

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(This post was last modified: Feb 10, 2013, 01:03 PM by Fenru.)

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

They continued on. Their scaling up the mountain had taken much time off of their paws, and Jessie had been struggling for quite some time to keep up with Rissa’s scent trail, fearing that, if she wasted time that she would either loss it or it would be washed away by new snow or something of the sort. So far, she had been lucky though and had been able to track the young Tainn exceptionally well, considering the time periods they were in. As she continued on ahead of the rest of their group, she found herself becoming wary. She wasn’t sure if it was her mind playing tricks on her or if the facts were straight and true, but Rissa’s scent was starting to get stronger. It brought a gut-wrenching pain to her, but she pushed it away as just her mind telling her foolish things. She definitely hoped that the girl’s scent was becoming stronger but it also meant that the one who had taken their pup was traveling slower…meaning that something had slowed them done.

Every once and awhile, Jessie would turn around to loop back towards Ice and Fenru, her ears twitching and waiting for them to catch up a little bit. Once, Ice had stopped with the young Tainn and the Swiftpaw had come back around to stand by the guardian’s side, her head tilting slightly to the side. She hadn’t really thought of taking a break much, for her mind had been so set on staying on the trail of Corinna’s young. A small lick to her head, comforted her heart, and she found herself staying close to Ice’s side for a small time, basking in his presence. Ever since she had joined Swift River, Ice had been the one she had hung around most, and sometimes, Jessie felt as thought the guard was closer than her than her own sister. The only time Jess had even seen her sister was when she had been at some pack gatherings…otherwise, she never found her sister. Their duties never ended up interacting with one another.

When Ice spoke, her gray ears twitched, her body still relaxed. His words triggered something deep within her heart and soul, and Jessie shook her head. She wouldn’t give up, she could do this. Over the time they had traveled, Jessie still hadn’t lost the trail that she might have been worried about losing for so long. It was still fresh under her nose, and determination seeped into her gaze. There were no words that could communicate what she was saying, but she was also sure that Ice would get the picture. They had come this far, and they were not ready to give up yet. After having a little more of a break then she would have liked, her blood stained paws one again stealthily moved through the slope down the mountains, her small form easily floating from one area to another. Her nose was still skimming against the ground, fresh on the trail of their lost Tainn. Before she knew it, she was much further ahead of her pack mates and she felt slightly bad, but the scent trail…it was definitely getting stronger, Jessie could sense it. That was what drove her forward, and past the horrid dead animal that Fenru and Ice would later stop by.

She soon forced herself to slow down, her nose flaring against the ground, ready to see what she would find with Rissa. Just as she was about to continue on, a short bark from Ice captured her attention. Turning on her heels, her body sped up to get back towards her Second, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. If something had happened to one of her friends, she thought for the worst, worried that one of that had gotten hurt or something. When she arrived, her nose instantly picked up the rotting, horrid scent of the dead fox. She snorted, trying to clear the scent out of her nostrils. It was so disgusting, and Ice was right next to it. Her nose wrinkled and for once, she had to call out on Ice, “Ice get away from it. It is tainted.” Jessie knew enough to when prey was ill…and this thing was obviously sick when it had died, and not the good kind either. They needed to get a move on…but even the pepper-colored girl could see and feel the exhaustion each of them were experiencing. She said nothing though, leaving the call to Ice.

Even a man doing something simple & reassuring

a hero can be anyone

to let him know that the world hadn't ended

Jessie was nowhere in sight, Fenru had stumbled past — for a moment, it was only Ice and the dead, twisted fox, it's glazed-over eyes reflecting the stars from a break in the foliage above. White, sharp teeth stood out sharply against the dark forest, and Ice's gaze kept flickering between the starry eyes and the pale fangs. Stiff and rigid limbs, frozen cold, stuck out at odd angles, and tired as he was, something about it fascinated him, just as it made him feel all sick inside. This fox was all wrong, and suddenly Fenru was beside him, shaking. The River Guardian tried to pull himself together, blinked his weary eyes and tugged his heavy head up. They weren't here to observe dead, contorted foxes. He'd never come across this before, but he didn't need someone to tell him it was wrong, though he wouldn't mind if someone told him what it was. Gently he reached out to touch his black nose to Fenru's shoulder, attempting to snap him out of it, before Jessie's voice cut through the air.

“Ice get away from it. It is tainted.”

"I know," he called back, his voice neutral. Grunting, the heavy wolf moved, sinking with each step as he returned to beneath the trees, leaving only the stars to look upon the dead fox in the center of the glade.. and Fenru, for a moment, it seemed. In the somewhat thinner snow near the tree trunks Ice paused, looking over his shoulder, waiting for the nearly grown male to catch up. Why had the sight of it affected him so? Did he look upon it, and see Rissa's features engraved in its stiff face? Ice closed his eyes for a moment, and leaned one pale shoulder against rough, frost-covered bark, white breath pumping into the air. He wanted to believe, that there was still life, hope, but the dark weight across his heart hadn't lifted once during their journey, not even when all the splendor of Relic Lore had been bathed in the orange glow of sunset. He would not turn back, without knowing her fate — even if they could not bring her back, they would bring back her story. Swift River would never forget Rissa.

The warmth of Fenru appeared beside him, a breath and a bump to his jaw, and he opened his eyes. He could've fallen asleep against the tree and not noticed, but they had something more important to deal with. Giving his tail a flick he licked Fenru's ear again, before moving off into the snow, towards the slim shape of Jessie. He was used to sinking a little with every step, though here the crust bore most of his weight and sunk him no lower than half a foot, but he was so god damn tired. To cross the mountains in a single day... and he was getting hungry... Looking over his shoulder, he could no longer see the fox, but another unease had settled in his soul. What if those things would start going over the mountain? Giving a low keen, mostly to himself, he briefly leaned his forehead against Jessie's shoulder, needing her presence, her support. Then, he returned her space to her, and kept walking doggedly.

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let the stars above shine in your soul

Even though you're gone I can hear your heart

It's calling out my name like a flash in the dark

If this is just a dream, I won't give it back, I'll find a way to make it last

Jessie called to Ice and Fenru's eyes immediately came to rest on the hunter's lithe body ahead of them. "I know," Ice's voice retorted back to her. The yearling took another glimpse at the River Guard, watching as he moved onward, underneath the shelter of the trees. Fenru hesitated only for a moment before catching up yet again; he wanted to make sure that Ice did not decide to take a second glance at the frozen corpse in the snow. He inhaled a large amount of air then released it in a puff of moisture, the wisp quickly evaporating as he walked through it.

Before him, Ice had stopped to seemingly catch his breath and the boy seized the moment to step along side him. Their closeness did not last and as the ashen male staggered forward, he sought the space at Jessie's side, fleetingly pressing his head to her shoulder. One worried glance was given to her before Fenru strode after Ice, ears still lowered and tail limp behind him.

For some time he followed the male's path to a T, eyes focused on the scenery on either side of him. This time around it had only taken a mere handful of seconds until his mind began to drown in skepticism. The more steps he took, the longer they trekked through this newfound woodland, the more he succumbed to the bitterness that was starting to gnaw him. Stemming from the grudge begotten by his father's abandonment, his anger flared up bit by bit. Eventually his hackles rose in terrible spikes about his nape and shoulders and his tail rose in slight arch.

"She's dead," he muttered under his breath, the two assuming words biting not only at the stillness of the impending nightfall but at his own ears and heavy heart. A grimace made his riled appearance complete and with a much louder tone he announced, "I'll be right back." Huffing to himself, he started his own path, branching outward to the right in a sharp angle. Stalking through the blanket of snow, he grumbled to himself, not yet wanting to grieve for the sister he had lost but wanting to mourn her all the same. He placed his nose to the ground, sampling it to no avail.

They - he, Ice, and Jessie - had come this far. How much longer could it be until they found exactly what they were looking for? And why had these abductors taken Rissa so far up the mountain? He restlessly pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth, his lips sealed tight as he ventured further into the darkness, rejuvenated by having only his own company to keep. He might have been starting to feel the hunger pangs in his gut and the ache in his limbs but he was more than ready to put this wild goose chase at an end. He had rested and waited and followed enough.

fenru tainn

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

So glad I had "time" to get this post up. Sorry it sucks. <3 <3 Don't know where the description of Rissa came from...

----

No sooner had she called out did the white guardian answer back to her. The sight up him so close to the diseased had caused her own heart beat to spike for a short time, before he slowly made his way towards her. When Ice had gotten close enough, she was once again about to head off, before his large form came to stand by her. Gently, she nudged his cheek comfortingly and supportively, basking in his presence before he pulled away. With one more glance at Fenru, glad to see he was falling into pace with them, she took off again, her head close to the ground, making sure to keep her mind on the plan. She had to find Rissa soon, there was no way that the capture could have traveled too far with the curious pup without...she stopped her thoughts on the matter in a matter of seconds. She didn't, no she couldn't think of what that monster had done to her. Calming down her thoughts, before they took her too far over the edge. Licking her nose lightly she swayed her tail behind her, before the sound of Fenru's voice made her stop right in her tracks. Tension rose within the muscles of Jessie, not allowing her head to turn, afraid she would lash out at the male. But, oddly enough, she did. Her small pepper-colored head turned back to look back at the Tainn boy, a war blazing within her emerald orbs. The three of them didn't know what was done to the younger Tainn sibling yet, and Jess did not want to think about it too hard yet. Swallowing, she watched as the large form of the boy turned away from them. Wrinkling her nose, she turned back on her path, her tracking now stuff and uneasy.

Before she knew it, she was way ahead of Ice, not bothering to look back towards him as they continued on. She quietly let the emotions swell within her, taking deep breaths, which actually benefited the tracking, and moved easily. Even as time wore on, she could feel the hungry battling within her and soon, the urge to find the scent trail of prey consumed her, and all she wanted to do was kill something and eat it. She controlled herself well enough though, for she kept reminding herself of the sick animal that they had all passed by. It made her fear for their future if things would be like that on the other side of the mountains soon. With a snort, she flattened her ears on the top of her head, as her busted paws lightly landed on unfamiliar lands. Little did she know that their journey would soon come to a close. Ice and Fenru would no longer have to worry about keeping up with her or following her, remaining unsure if she were leading them on the right path or not. She sure hoped she was, and Jessie trusted her nose more than she did her heart, which was saying something, considering her heart was what she led her life with most of the time.

She had not really been thinking, but when Jess finally did, she quickly sniffed, the scent, it was getting stronger and she was pretty sure it was layered with the metallic scent of...blood. Her heart sped up and so did her paw steps. Before she even comprehended it, the scent trail just stopped and all Jessie saw was red. Blood....so much blood just covering the snow covered ground. She was sure she stopped breathing. Pushing the snow away from the area her jaw dropped at the scene before her. Rissa's face had been torn in half, to the point where the skull was noticeable enough. One of her paws had been completely torn off, leaving her own fur completely covered in blood. She was almost sure there wasn't one spot on the dead pup that wasn't covered in blood. She did not even finish evaluating the body of their young, but simply turned away looking for the white form of her friend...but he wasn't there. Choked up, the Swiftpaw had to swallow multiple times, trying to get a hold of herself. Lifting her head to the sky, she called to her friends, her voice layered with despair and held a frantic edge to it. She needed her white Guardian. He was the only one that could control her sanity from quickly slipping. Shutting her eyes, so she wouldn't be tempted to look back at the broken, bloody body, she waited. The picture of the Tainn's face and scent of her blood fresh in her mind.

Even a man doing something simple & reassuring

a hero can be anyone

to let him know that the world hadn't ended

Exhaustion was wearing them all down, bodies and minds, until nothing but the mechanical motion of walking, and the frustration of their search, remained. He found a little solace in Jessie's quick embrace, the flash of her nose against his cheek, and step by step he fell back into the mindless rhythm, just following the trail of her petite paws. He had expected them to trudge on like that, silent and weary, each sunk into their own dark thoughts, but that was not the case. Moment by moment the mental presence of Fenru grew, the scent of his tension hanging like a cloud around Ice, but the Guardian ignored it. On occasion he flung a glance back at him, and for each time he did, it seemed the gray male had hunched up a little more, his hackles a little fluffier. Ice was too tired to care. It felt like someone had attached lead weights to his paws and his heart, and with the hunger gnawing at his gut, it was more than he could bother with. If Fenru wanted to be upset, he could damn well be it on his own. Ice had no energy to expend on soothing him.

"She's dead."

The words which flew out of Fenru's mouth abruptly stopped Ice in his tracks, much as if someone had hit him across the head. What? his wide, silver eyes seemed to say as he swung his head around to stare at Rissa's brother. How dare he lose faith, here and now..? "I'll be right back." And then he was gone, slipping away in the dark, a shadow among shadows in this foreign land. Ice's ears fell back against his head, worry nestling in the beats of his heart; would he have to bring back news of Fenru getting lost to Corinna? What if he didn't come back? "Fenru?" he called uncertainly into the night, but his voice was too small and uncertain to carry far. The boy was already gone, and Ice had no idea when, or even if, he'd see him again. Keening to himself, he turned back to follow the path of Jessie, and realized she'd set out ahead of him again. There was nothing odd in that, but he'd always had Fenru's warm presence by his side — but now he was completely alone in a forest he didn't know, where dead animals died in wrong ways and murderous wolves lurked. He was tired, and hungry, sore and cold, and he didn't like this one bit. Pressing his tail to the inside of his leg and flattening his ears he followed the huntress' steps.

He had no concept of time, no idea of how long he trudged along alone in his misery. His mind-numbing trance was broken by a howl: he knew the voice... and it held everything he did not want to hear in it. The moon-white wolf didn't stop, didn't answer, didn't curse; in complete silence he tapped into his last reserves, and jogged through the snow.

What he saw... first he saw the distressed Jessie, and beyond that the stars glittering coldly upon snow. What he smelled, was a nauseous combination of Rissa, blood, and strangers. Ice's ears flicked back and he keened, slowing to a walk as he approached cautiously; Jessie's body blocked out most of his sight, but step by step he saw more and more across her back.. a cold, dark bundle, an innocent, naive child lying upon a bed of blood, tarnished snow. Stumbling, the large male almost collided with Jessie, his eyes wide. He didn't quite fall over her, but stopped, draping his head across her back and staring at the ruined destruction of their happiest, most foolish and carefree child. "Rissa," he whispered, as if in trance, watching the tracks of wolves which crossed snow and body alike; how could they have done this? How could they have done something so horrible and unnatural, to a young girl? He wanted to look away, to not see the red blood and the white snow, the matted fur which had been a pale tan, the bone white of her skull glistening coldly in the moonlight; he wanted to look away, but couldn't. The cold held the River's Rissa in a grip, and would not yield her until the thaw came.

The notion that she would lay here on display for all to see, embalmed by the cold, disturbed him even more.

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Tyrone Wells - Sink or Swim

(This post was last modified: Feb 14, 2013, 12:43 PM by Ice.)

let the stars above shine in your soul

Even though you're gone I can hear your heart

It's calling out my name like a flash in the dark

If this is just a dream, I won't give it back, I'll find a way to make it last

Restlessness aside, determination sprung up within the yearling as he paced through the forest. He was going to find her himself; he was going to avenge her, to bring her home if he could. Fe-ennnnnn, her voice echoed in his head, the simple pronunciation of his nickname broken into two soprano notes that sounded like chimes in the wind. Fenru, I'm here. No, silly, here! The Tainn glared through the darkness, his eyes darting from one shadow to another. Over here!

Fenru froze, lifting his head as his ears rotated forward. He opened his mouth to answer the ghostly memory of her laugh but no words came. It was no use. The area of the woodland he had broken into reeked of death... old bones and rotting flesh, uneaten morsels and the stench of decay. The thick fur about his nuque stood up and he shivered. Rissa couldn't possibly be here, he had to tell himself silently. If she saw him, he was absolutely certain she would have burst through the foliage, begging and crying for him to save her... Take her far, far away from this place.

He sighed, starting along his path again but changing direction from the thickets he was about to enter where the fetor seemed to be stemming from. Blinking tiredly, he took one last look at the place before Jessie's voice rang through the trees, distraught and horrified. The ghostly Rissa danced before his jaded eyes, bowing down playfully. Let's go! she yipped. Fenru frowned, grimacing as he whisked the sight of her away with the shake of his head.

Swallowing hard he started making his way toward where he believed Jessie had run off to, still following Rissa's trail. Perhaps she has found her, his optimism flickered. He stamped it out, mentally steeling himself for whatever his superior had discovered. Two minutes, five minutes... Eight... Nine... Ten long minutes had passed before the River prince stepped to the side of a nearby tree, the scene before him all too clear even from afar. Ice draped himself over Jessie and Fenru bitterly stood his ground.

His limbs itched to close the distance between him and his broken sister and his heart yearned for both Ice and Jessie's comfort, but the aggrieved facade he had successfully fabricated allowed him to stay in his place. He did not deserve any of it. As Corinna's son, Rissa's older and remaining brother, and a forthcoming heir of his bloodline, this had partially been his fault. When Indru had gone, he should have stepped up and filled the place where his mother's mate had once been, but he didn't. In his worry and insecurity and anger, he did not do what was crucially required of him. He had deemed himself to be too young, too naive, too lost. Now in the wake of uncovering Rissa's body, he felt the desire to establish himself as an adult.

No more heavily relying on Corinna. No more moping. No more fear. No more weakness...

Even as the sight of her still ribcage and her marred face came into focus, he held still, staring as long as he needed to reconstruct her face as he remembered her. Then, with a sniff, he looked to the Guard and the Hunter, his face emotionless aside from the wordless expression that he was truly ready to leave. As much as he wished to track down his sibling's killers, something at the back of his skull told him not to, that it was reckless, careless, and irresponsible... like Indru.

A surge of warmth swelled in his chest, as the words in his head began to inwardly confirm that he was at last prepared to shoulder whatever came next. He cleared his throat, taking a single step forward as his voice lifted off his tongue, even and mature in tone, "What do we do now?"

fenru tainn

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(This post was last modified: Mar 03, 2013, 09:46 AM by Fenru.)

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There was a war going on between her brain and her heart while she waited for the two males. Her brain was telling her to go home to warn the others and keep a careful eye on Aiyana, while her heart screamed at her to kill the monsters that had murdered Rissa, a crime in the highest of ways. She knew that she could not stay here though, for if she did Jess would slowly start to go insane with the fresh scent of The River's blood in her nose. The paw steps of Ice comforted her slightly, his presence easing away the tension she was feeling deep within herself. The voice of the guardian broke her thoughts and her own tiny heart. It was confirmed, the broken body before them was indeed their pup. Even though she was a decent tracker, it was times like these that she cursed her nose, some things were better left unfound. A frown was penetrated on her face as she moved to Ice's side, pressing her pelt against his, giving comfort to him and finding some within herself at his touch. These were the kind of things Jess had feared she would find...only less bloodied. She knew it must have been harder for her other pack mates though, they were closer to the pup than she had been and to an extent, she knew what it was like to lose a sibling.

Fenru soon arrived, a mask pushed over his face. She felt for him, wanted to comfort him, but even she knew his fate was out of her paws now. His tone did not even rely the emotions he was feeling and it caused her own ears to flatten. Holding things in were never good for your mental health and if that was what Fen was doing...it probably was not the wisest of things to be done. His question left her staring, how could he be so calm at the sight of his sister? She knew she would not have been able to contain her heartbreak and sadness. Swallowing, she spoke, "We go back, tell Corinna, and watch Aiyana." Her voice was broken, numb. Her head curved to that of Ice, encouraging him to look away from the horrid sight before them. Aiyana would need their strength and they would need to protect her, "And warn the others."

where have all the feelings gone?

you're gone, but still loved

why has all the laughter ceased?

Time seemed to slow, to stop entirely. Nothing existed beyond him, Jessie, the broken child and the shadow of Fenru on the outskirts of his mind. Wide, unblinking eyes were glued to her mangled, blood-stained form, the monochrome light and the grisly spatters altering her color altogether, but he knew her, even as she'd been torn asunder, tufts of fur standing every which-way. Rissa, their little queen, the joyous daughter — he swallowed, barely feeling as Jessie shifted around him, unable to tear his eyes from her matted, battered form. The minutes ticked by, counted by his heart, and then Fenru was there, taking it in at a glance, turning his back on it. You don't mean that, Ice wanted to say, but no words made it past his teeth. He said something, and Jessie replied, but Ice didn't hear it. Her head pressed against his, and finally, he blinked his silver eyes, raising them to Fenru for a moment. Beside him, the small female seemed calmer, not as frantic, desperate, as she'd been. "I just.. need to..." His voice was broken, groping for words and meanings, and in a rather detached fashion he stepped aside from Jessie, and passed Fenru, barely noticing it.

She lay upon her side, but there was nothing peaceful about it. Her golden eye, once so full of life and joy, stared sightlessly at the starry sky, the eyelid and most of her cheek missing. Dried blood covered the bone, her lips not curled up into a smile, like they had been in life.

Rissa would never smile again, and her flesh was too cold — Ice couldn't even help her now, to meet her demise with one. Blinking away the tears, swallowing them in his throat, he lowered his nose to gently lick her pale muzzle. It tasted of death, and blood, but bit by bit the moist warmth of his tongue washed the sanguine cover away. In the moonlight she looked silver, and not cream, but he knew better. His heart knew better. Slowly he stopped, but didn't raise his head, just looked at her battered young body. "You could've been mine," he whispered, knowing that it was not the loss of Indru's child he felt — it was the loss of the young girl he could've fathered, and later had sort of adopted, when her real father had left. Furiously blinking away more of the tears he washed her forehead, her ears, whining under his breath, as if he somehow could comfort her dead spirit.

Rissa...

Life would go on. It had to. Corinna needed him. Marsh, and Triell, needed him. Aiyana needed all three of them, and Ice needed them all, too. Leaning down, he pressed his cheek against her head, leaving some of his tears to freeze upon her, comfort for the fallen.

If he didn't leave now, he'd never be able to.

A last lick to her cold forehead, and then he moved away, not looking over his shoulder, just mindlessly jogging back to Jessie, and Fenru, his vision blurred. "Let's go home," he said, in passing, not stopping, just kept going. There was nothing more they could do here. This was the past, the dead, and nature would absorb Rissa's body back into itself, until nothing but the memory of her remained in their hearts. With the smells of her murderers blazed into his memory Ice set out on the long journey home. Their task was done, but for a long time they would live in the shadow of their findings.

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Loreen - Do we even matter anymore

(This post was last modified: Feb 20, 2013, 12:29 PM by Ice.)

let the stars above shine in your soul