Thicket of Secrets What lies in wait

Winter was not finished with the Lore yet; the recent thaw was only a teasing glimpse of what was to come. The weather had changed, proving to be as fickle as the wind. A light snow had started mid-afternoon. It had only been a day since Iopah had found the spot on the border where Anne had come to them. The scents told the story well enough on their own. Anne had come to them, presumably to be accepted, but had been turned away. Anne's trail wandered from their border and Iopah had looked after it pensively. She could smell the desperation and starvation... and the sickness. Even after 24 hours it was enough to make her hackle rise of their own accord. Something terrible had happened to Anne on the mountain pass.

The day wore on and the snow had worsened as Iopah's worry grew. By twilight the snow was falling thick and heavy. The large flakes seemed to muffle all sound and there was an intense silence as Iopah stood at the border. Her attention was drawn to the peaks that lay out of sight. Something dangerous lurked on the mountain. Anne had caught her Madness from something. From someone. Her skin crawled with the thought that she had been up there too. She had even traveled with Anne for several hours.

The danger that the mountain presented had already spread in the form of Anne. Iopah feared there may be more. She was prepared to do whatever was needed to keep it out of the thicket. She gazed across the border, determined to meet whatever may be coming head on. Around her the snow continued to fall thickly.

Damn it's cold, the only thought the young wolf had in his head, the wind swept in off of the fields that led from the thickets. The icy gale bit into the dark wolfs skin and irritated the small scratches from his leap through the bush to bring the young buck down he and Sloane had hunted. Still he trekked down the borders as usual, marking the trees and practicing battle moves on the tree limbs. The snow that had begun to fall earlier in the day had blanketed the world crystal white once again. Hollow had always enjoyed the crystalline beauty that snow always bestowed upon his home, but there were more reasons for him to love it than just that, it always seemed to remind him of the day he and Azariah had spent sheltered in his little makeshift den.

The momory brought another, more recent and more painful one of he and Azariah along with Nina and Sloane, the poor loner they had sentenced to death. Hollows ears still burned when he thought of how he had acted, yes the pack had been the driving force behind his protectiveness, but the white hot flash of rage that had propelled him to her had been caused by Azariah being by his side, he would die before she would ever be harmed. He had acted rashly and so been reprimanded but if she would have attacked he would have surely been infected and died too.

His thoughts flowing freely he kept his pace steady until he saw the tan and grey form of Iopah staring ahead, at what he did not know, until he caught the trace of stale sickness on the breeze, and knew why she was there. His eyes darkened as he approached her, sure to keep his head and tail low. The yearling tried to keep his voice light as he spoke"Hello, Iopah, what brings you to the borders today?" Even though he was sure he knew he kept his tone as light as if there was no problem, no sickness that could doom them all, it was easier that way, better for morale. So he just greeted her as he would a friend whom he hadn't seen in a while.

There was silence as the snow fell around. It coated her back in white before she absently shook it off. Iopah scented rather than heard her fellow wolf. There was no alarm in her features. She knew this wolf. Knew him better than most in her pack. At the eventual sound of him padding closer did she flick an ear towards him in acknowledgment. It was a nonchalant movement, contrasting the worry she felt inside. His greeting sifted to her though the falling snow. He had her fooled. His tone was relaxed, the greeting almost casual.

She turned softly to met his mismatched gaze, a forced smile halfway to her muzzle. Her smile fell. Something in his expression resonated with her. Of course. he had been there that day. The smell of Anne's sickness should have been enough to raise the hackles of any wolf. She knew then there was no need to pretend everything was ok. Her smile was wry when it finally made it to her lips. "I was thinking, remembering." Waiting. The last word she kept to herself. There was nothing they could do to prevent it anyways. The sickness would become like a force of nature.

"I've met Anne before. I did not expect to come across her scent again." Anne's situation was serious when last she saw her. It had clearly gone further downhill since then. The lone wolf had been cast into a world she didn't understand, with no ability to care for herself. It had taken several minutes for the young wolf to make any sense, she had been so terrified of Iopah. With what had ended up befalling her Anne had every right to be suspicious. Iopah wondered what had been said at the border, if anything. Iopah was thankful she had a family and a home now. The Lore had become a dangerous place for a lone wolf.

(This post was last modified: Mar 03, 2013, 04:32 AM by Iopah.)

Remembering, the words almost sent him right back to that very moment, when he had set himself against death. He had been fully prepared, rationalized with it, it was an accepted truth when he stood there. So convinced he had been he hadn't noticed the more subtle things, like her unwillingness to fight. But her words.... the bone chilling syllables she spit out as she backed away mumbling. It made him shiver even now, but he kept his composure steady. The sounds of that day had almost rushed back in, even the sound of his own growl resonating above that of even his leaders in his willingness to die. It made him shiver visibly this time, for it was a very powerful emotion that was beginning to tether him to this pack. As well as to a certain golden furred she wolf, love. It was that which made it so hard to turn away the sickly female from their borders as well. Because in his heart he knew where the mind said no, love could say yes, even if he did not know her. He loved life and would not wish it ended for anyone.

He had wanted so badly to help her, and so badly to say, "yes we will help", but in the end it was too late. There had been nothing that could be done for the poor girl by the time she had stumbled to their borders. She had been too ill by that time and her fate was thereby sealed. Nina's thunderous voice even still sent chills down his spine, as she was sentenced to death. He wanted to forget but he would never be able to rid his mind of the images that terrorized it until the evil was gone from the forest forever. "She won't be the same now, I saw madness in her eyes. The sickness, it's evil, a death sentence to any who have it." He spoke strongly but still it made the black wolf shudder inwardly, if the infection ever made it inside these borders he still held it in his heart that he would give his last breath to destroy it if he had to.