Drooping Willows Home is Where the Heart Is...

Tempest had woken early and gone hunting. She had brought several rabbits and a couple of voles to add the the caches. She certainly meant to prove her claim of being a huntress to Elettra and Koda. She also had plans to go fishing later in the day, but she felt as if she had completed enough of her duties for the moment to take some time to seek out Guiness. Though they'd seen each other since she had become a Willow wolf, they had not had the opportunity to truly reunite. She would say 'talk', but she knew that her Rock was often as silent as the cold grey stones that littered the ground beneath the snow.

That never bothered her though and he would on occasion voice his thoughts out loud. She merely craved to be around the bear-like brute once more and feel safe and protected. Sure, she was exactly those things now that she was in a pack, but there would never be a replacement for the comfort that her brother could bring to her. He was and had ever been her safe haven.

She knew that he'd be on border patrol and she knew the basic direction that he had departed the den this morning. What she didn't know was which direction that he would head once he reached the perimeter of their lands, so she would be unable to cut across and hopefully intercept him. So she resigned herself to following his trail exactly with a good-natured shoulder shrug. His path became clear once she reached the borders and her step quickened to catch up to him.

It took some time because even at a steady walk, he had a considerable lead on her, but eventually his trail became quite fresh and she paused to give him a soft woof to announce her presence, before she continued on. His burly form soon came into view and she couldn't keep the look of love and adoration off of her face at the sight of him.

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2013, 03:31 PM by Tempest.)

The Calm in the Storm

His time in Willow Ridge had stretched on, and after awhile the large guardian had once again started craving for attention of his sister. To see her and be able to protect her would have been good enough for him. Finally, after what would have seemed like forever, his sister had been accepted into their pack. Her hunting prowess would prove useful, especially while Narime was injured. He hoped that the yearling was recovering well enough, for as the winter became colder and prey became scarce, they would all need the best wolves, that could hunt, on their side.

The male’s tail was neutral as he ran his daily border patrol on the borders. It was something he did everyday, even if the borders didn’t need it, considering how well marked they were. It was his role in the pack and it gave him a reason to get up every morning to do something. He hadn’t had much time to spend time with his sister though, which he had been longing for since she had been accepted, some quality time with her. Ever since he had met the highly thought of Nina, since she always happened to be mentioned when he was around, he had been trying to process his own thoughts. She was mates with Koda…meaning that Elettra didn’t have a true mate. The information just didn’t seep into his own mind correctly.

His own thoughts were interrupted when a familiar, short call reached through the trees. His pace slowed down and his head turned backwards to see the form of his smaller sister coming towards him. Her red fur seemed to be even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. He truly had missed her and seeing her now just proved that to him. His form instantly turned so that he was touching noses with her, affection and love in his depths.

Pillar of Strength

She had seen Guiness at the gathering where so much had been revealed. That had also been the time of her joining and he had been a comfort to her then, a familiar shadow of protectiveness following her movements silently. But she hadn't had any real time with him and when he came into view, already turned towards her, she felt her heart lift. Happy as she was to have found Sloane, no wolf would ever replace Guiness in the tall girl's heart. He was her Rock.

When she neared, they touched noses briefly, but she soon realized that was simply not enough. She buried her russet and cream muzzle in his thick scruff, comforted by the feel of his bulk beneath his own ruddy coat. She had missed him! Sometimes she would do most of the talking and sometimes they needed no talking at all. This was one of those moments. Words would come soon enough, but they spoke volumes to each other as they reunited even after only a relatively short separation.

She backed away a step and gave him a huge smile. "Hello, Brother. I've missed you!" She head-butted his shoulder playfully, feeling happier than she had in a while. She gave him a once over and decided that pack life certainly agreed with the big lug. He looked burlier than ever and his coat was thick and shiny. Having a purpose, aside from shadowing her, seemed to suit him. "Do you want some company?" Even knowing that he would never turn her away, she still felt compelled to ask, albeit with a cheeky grin.

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2013, 03:32 PM by Tempest.)

The Calm in the Storm

Even though they had happily touched noses, Tempest, as usual, did not see it fit enough for the contact they shared. Soon, her own muzzle was deep in the scruff of his own fur, and the silent male curled his head around his sister’s neck as a protective gesture. When she pulled away, his auburn ears twitched at the sound of her voice, a low snort that caused white spectacles to flow in the air around him, his own amber eyes flowing the white things as they quickly disappeared into the air. Swallowing to keep his throat moist, his tail wagged briefly as more of his sister’s words escaped her mouth. All he did was nod towards her, happy that she had decided to stay with him awhile longer. Considering both of them were large, it was hard to hunt, especially during the winter, and considering Narime’s recent injuries, prey would be a good thing to find.

Considering the borders were already heavily marked, Guiness found it much easier to find some prey and possibly catch something. With a flick of his right ear, was what would tell his sister what he wanted to do, and of course, as always, they would have a mutual agreement over hunting together, it was one of their favorite things to do together. Over the time they had spend together, Tempest had learned her brother’s silent language well and in time Guiness had begun to understand the ways others communicated when they were silent. It didn’t mean that the man was foolish, he was actually quite smart, though others would usually doubt him because of his silent front. When it came to dangerous situations, Guiness was usually on the front line of things, knowing how to take care of the situation. Apparently…it ran in the Thorben line.

Pillar of Strength

She laughed to herself at Guiness' near reluctance to demonstrate affection. It wasn't that he didn't feel it for she knew that he loved and cared for her, but his lack of words and serious nature made it come across that way. In the end, he humored her and wrapped his burly neck about her protectively. He also appeared, at least to her experienced eyes, pleased to have her company for a bit. She had merely wanted to walk with him and perhaps talk a bit to see how he was faring since they had spent little time together of late. Yet, she wasn't surprised in the least when he indicated that they hunt.

With a smile and an internal laugh at her Rock's predictability she nodded her head in agreement. A hunt then. Not as relaxing, but often fun and definitely rewarding.... well, when successful! Without a word, she set to scouting for potential prey of any size. With winter still hitting hard and Narime' out of action for a bit anything would be a bonus. Although she was quite a large fae, her form was nowhere near the thick mass of Guinesss' so it made sense for her to use her superior speed, such as it was, to get them started.

As her paws crunched lightly on the pristine snow, her keen eyes and sensitive nose work over-time searching for the tiniest hint of prey. Nearly growling out loud, she wished for the end of winter. She despised hunting when half the creatures left and half of those left bedded down for the cold season. It made hunting so much harder and it kept her from her love of fishing. Just when she was about to give up, she scented some rabbits. Ughhh! Rabbits... again. She swore that her thick plume of would one day be replaced by a fluffy white cotton tail if she ate too many more of the scrawny vermin.

Food was food though and she smelled at least three or four of the little critters. There might be a warren nearby. She wasn't sure what the best method might be here. Neither of them were overly fast, so they would have to rely on patience and stealth to creep close enough to have a chance. And attack from different positions. If they ran from one sibling, they might just run into the waiting jaws of the other!

With a flick of her tail to get his attention, she directed Guiness to the far side of their target area with a slight tip of her head. She knew that he'd smell the rabbits and clue into her silent plan. Words would only hurry the creatures into the safety of their burrows.

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2013, 03:33 PM by Tempest.)

The Calm in the Storm

His tail wagged easily behind him as she agreed to his request. Though he was a fairly large male, he wasn’t complete inept at hunting, he could be quite decent if he put his mind to it. He had not doubted that his sister would disagree with her, as they only disagreed on a few things, but none that ever conflicted with their activities. Guiness quickly started his way after her as soon as she started towards looking for some prey. For several long hours the two went on, not finding any scent trails or prey. Just as he knew that his sister would give up soon, the scent of rabbit flooded over both of their nostrils at around the same time. His outlook instantly brightened up. Mmmm…rabbits. My favorite. The prey that the duo liked was one of the things that the Thorbens just did not agree on. While Tempest preferred fish, Gui preferred rabbits…or perhaps even a mouse here or there.

As soon as they came upon the rabbits, Guiness became extra silent, making sure his paw steps were much softer. His body was already making its way to the other side of the area, in his peripheral seeing that Tem was telling him to do the same. Great minds think alike, eh sister? He contained a small snort that was tempted to come out of his mouth. His large form moved stealthily in the dense willows, his fur easily blending into the tree bark by his side. Sneaking forward, he watched the small critters as they searched for any sign of vegetation to fend off their hunger. Balancing himself quickly, he leapt, his paws wrapping around a rabbit. Quickly, his fangs ripped into its throat and took its life from it. Hopefully the others had fled towards Tempest.

Pillar of Strength

As usual, she and Guiness were on the same page. She had seen him move in the direction that she'd indicated in perfect time. They'd had plenty of time to learn to work as a team. A bit large and slow for the smaller faster game and no great speed for the larger prey. The sibling's had managed by developing their stealth a patience, which allowed them to get closer or wait out game to increase their chances of success. Time crept by as the Thorbens each crept closer to the warren on their respective sides. The smell of the long-eared hoppers grew stronger, but still Tempest would come out last unless she was much closer.

When she had just about deemed herself close enough, the few rabbits in her view erupted into action. Ironically, the fled in her direction and in a split second Tempest realized that Guiness must have made his move and her instinctive drive for survival kicked in. This spurred her into action. One of the little beasts ran straight for her, dark eyes wide with terror at the beast behind it. Unfortunately, it's panic didn't allow it to register that there was a wolf in front of it. With barely a shift in position, the red fae's head lunged to the left and quickly dispatched her first target with a snap of her jaws on it's back. Feeling the rush of adrenaline, she left the first rabbit to breath is last breath and pounced towards another that had swiftly changed course. Her large paws missed the torso, but one landed on the rabbits hind leg, snapping the delicate bones like twigs.

Tempest was chuffed that she had missed her target, but she had injured it and therefor slowed the little beast considerably. With her last burst of speed, she caught up to the injured rabbit as it hopped away erratically on on hind leg. This time her air was true and she put the crippled rabbit out of it's misery by snapping it's neck deftly. Huffing loudly, her warm breath made a cloud of steam before her as her tail wagged with her success in taking out two of the swift animals. She licked the blood from her maw and looked around for Guiness to see how he'd fared.

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2013, 03:34 PM by Tempest.)

The Calm in the Storm

After his small success he did not find any small critters scrambling towards him. He had to quell his aggravation at the fact that he was too large to be able to chase after the quick things. Lashing his tail in aggravation, he picked up the plump rabbit in his jaws and strode towards his sister, the muscles in his shoulders pronounced and standing out considering how much work he had been doing recently. With a soft snort he was glad to see that his sibling had come out with more prey than he had, causing a joyous smile to form upon his ebony lips. Now that Narime had left with their brother, the pack was short one huntress and Tempest had been exactly what the Willow pack had needed and now she was here with the rest of them.

Wagging his tail, he nuzzled her cheek in appreciation and pride. She had successfully caught more prey than him, even though that was a usual for them. Mentioning with his head back towards the pack den, he picked up his kill and one of the other Thorben’s own to carry back to the pack. Twitching his ears he moved fluidly next to her as they quickly made their way through the willows with their moss hanging down from the trees and barely brushing against their faces. With a content sigh the siblings walked through their new territory, Guiness completely happy that they had found their new home and glad that Tempest had stuck with him through their travels. Through everything, he knew that they would always stick together. With a twitch of his ears, he looked back towards his sister, wondering if she had anything to say.

(This post was last modified: Apr 16, 2013, 09:22 PM by Guiness.)

Pillar of Strength

She smiled as Guiness nuzzled her cheek. Even without words she noted the pride in his gaze for her success. She was grateful to her Rock that he was content that she was a better hunter than him. It made sense given his massive bulk. Even catching one of the small swift creatures could be a challenge for him, but when it came to protection, there was none better. She had always felt safe with him around, when they were on their own and now in the Willows where they had made their new home. One look at his considerable bulk and others would hesitate. Add to that his intimidating silence and he was an excellent deterrent for any mischief. Unless one had no sense of self preservation.

She walked by him in companionable silence, accustomed to his ways even if she did occasionally wish he would talk more. She suspected that half the time he didn't speak at all for fear of opening her floodgates of conversation. Sometimes she could carry on and he would patently bear the torrent of words. The corner of her mouth quirked at the thought and she was tempted to start talking incessantly just to get a rise out of him. The rabbit in her mouth and her love for him kept her from it though. This had been a nice interlude and she didn't want to ruin it by aggravating him. Occasionally there matching pelts would brush together as they journeyed back to the cache and the contact was reassuring.

When they finally got back to drop their small bounty in the cache, Tempest licked her lips for a moment, cleaning them of the blood that remained. Then she nuzzled her brother affectionately and said. "I'm glad that I ran into you today, Guiness. It's been too long since we spent any time together. Perhaps we can do so again soon!" She licked his cheek and waited a few moments to see what his thoughts might be. Then with a relaxed and happy smile, Tempest turned back toward the western border and the Lagoon, wondering if the fish might be out and about yet.

The Calm in the Storm

OOOMMMMMGGGGG! I'm so terrible. I haven't RPed with him in what feels like FOREVER!

He walked in a comfortable silence with his sister, her fur brushing against his own a high reassure on his end. For once, his loud sister seemed to be taking a different path on her own state of mind and deciding not to speak to him, probably something that he would be thankful for later on. It was odd though. Now that they were in a pack, they no longer had to do every single thing together any longer. They had their own roles that they had to finish along with the other jobs that needed others to help with. So when Tempest and Guiness finally made it to the caches, with a sigh, he dropped his own kills and looked towards Tempest attentively when she spoke to him. Nodding his head slightly, he wagged his tail behind him as he watched his sister take her leave.

Looking towards the sky, he kept in mind what would be to come in the future. Many events would unfold that he would have no control over and all he would be able to do is look onto Elettra and do what he was told unto do so. So with that in mind, he turned on his heel and started towards where he knew that he would need to be: back by the borders, marking them. His red form swept over the lands of Willow Ridge eagerly, ready to please his alpha as much as he could. Time was something neither he or anyone else could control…and little did he know that time was exactly what the Willow queen wished for.

Pillar of Strength