Dragonfly Fen what was lost is now found

There are an unusual number of foxes being sighted around Relic Lore.

April 15th; Afternoon; Light snow, some fog; 28° F/-2° C

Hunting had proven to be fruitless this far south of the Pass, but the Nomad had taken whatever he could muster up. Here and there, over the past few days of following traces of @Datura and his companion's trail, mice and all sorts of leftover morsels of corpses had moderately filled his belly. Bordering on the edge of delirium, he had nearly had enough of searching. If only the two could have stopped... for just a moment. Surely the both of them should've put their hunting skills to use if they were going to last just a while longer or go even further into this hell.

Mapplethorpe, though he had been feeling in quite a haze, suddenly perked up. Something luminescent landed on the tip of his nose and he stopped to shake it away. When it tried again to perch on the bridge of his muzzle, he hastily batted it away with a muddied paw. Shoo! he glared at the pinprick of light, blowing at it to watch it tumble through the air and flutter off again.

He sighed as he walked past a few more trees, his half-lidded eyes widening as he realized he passed a distinct curtain of aroma that told him one of the two adolescents had gone somewhere nearby. By how pungent it was, stinging at his nostrils, it seemed his targets were close. He had to seal his lips shut, afraid that Datura's name was going to slip off his tongue and through his teeth. It only made sense that if he was to recapture the missing prince of the Pass, he was to do it stealthily in all hopes that he would come back home with him out of will alone. Datura was bold, he knew, and he wanted to make sure he had given himself enough room as to convince the boy otherwise should he decide he did not want to return home.

In the last rays of what little sunlight that had filtered through the fen, the ragged male carefully prowled forward, senses still alert while his hopes began to soar. He had to be close… He just had to be.

Then, suddenly without warning, something moved through the trees at his right. His head jerked after the movement, nose twitching and hackles raised. The head of a curious fox peered out from behind the dark trunk of a tree and barked at him before disappearing again. Mapplethorpe pushed down the growl at his throat, but another fox appeared at his side. It was skinnier, younger perhaps, but nonetheless more irritating than the first. It chattered rather unintelligently at him and he found himself nipping at it, the sound of his teeth clicking before a loud snarl sent the duo darting back into the darkness.

IN QUOD ERAT IN VENIENDUM

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(This post was last modified: Apr 20, 2013, 02:51 AM by Mapplethorpe.)

i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

When @Datura had risen for the day, he told her that he was going for a walk. Just a walk... Though she had originally wanted to suggest that she enjoy the leisurely activity with him, she decided against it after slowly come to the realization that she and Datura had been walking together for the past week. If he wanted to go off on his own for a few, she was willing to see his reasons for it, voiced or unspoken. Either way, after starting off after him, Taima stayed put, simply willing him to come back for her. He had to.

After a few hours of waiting for him, she began to get restless, yearning to keep moving in case those wolves had finally caught up to them. Worries aside, she figured it was best that she make herself useful. If she was going to be Datura's mate, maybe even a queen of crags and valleys and whatever it was he had said before - she couldn't remember anymore - she was surely expected to excel in not only leading others but providing for them and looking after her family. For now, with her blood family supposedly on the other side of the mountain, Datura was her only family. And, she was ready to prove to him that he had made the right choice in selecting her.

She had not intended to wander off so far away from their resting site but the rustling of foliage and the tricky, criss-crossing paths of prey and foxes had piqued her interest. Always use your resources, Uncle Angier had always taught her. Chances are if other predators are around, their paths could help you. Taima grinned to herself as she picked up on a promising trail. It led her through a number of tall grass patches and around several trees; but, it wasn't until she had come across a smaller pool that laid a few meters away from the marsh itself, that she realized she was being watched.

All thoughts of fishing slipped her mind and she caught a glimpse of a white-tipped tail vanishing into a shadowy part of the fen. Her head tilted curiously and she glanced in the direction opposite of where the fox had run off to. She drew closer to where it had seemingly come from, only to nearly jump out of her pelt as an ear-piercing growl came to her loud and clear from the clearing in front of her. Out of mere shock she choked out the first and only word and name that came to mind, "Dat-Datura!!"

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(This post was last modified: Apr 20, 2013, 02:52 AM by Taima.)

The fox kit was quick to make itself scarce and in its departure something else had snagged the Advisor's attention. Something that sounded like "turrah!" or "tore-ahh!", borne by the squeak of a young girl's vocal chords resonated in the silence that followed his snarl. Eager ears drew upward and his gaze wildly scanned the scenery before him until he urgently moved through the trees in hopes of finding the subjects of his search. He burst through the thick foliage, his frame shakily bringing him to where a gray girl, rendered several shades darker than her original pelt color, stood in terror.

One breath told him that it was her. Her... The girl he assumed had started all this mess... leading Datura away from his home, bringing him through the unchartered wilderness, and stealing him away in the depths of the gloom that solely belonged to Dragonfly Fen. "YOU! YOU DID THIS!" he roared, the words rolling off his tongue as though he had held onto them ever since he had left @Naira's side. He stared into her masked face through the darkness, tufts of fur about his shoulders forming into haphazard spikes in an intimidating display, "Where is he?!"

Another growl rolled from him chest as he eyed the youth down, his still lanky figure a near-even match for her gangly frame. "DA-TURA A-QUI-LA," he loudly enunciated as he rounded on her, boldly daring to edge into her personal space. "Where is he... TELL ME."

IN QUOD ERAT IN VENIENDUM

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

It seemed as though her beloved had gone far enough to be out of earshot. Attentive eyes and ears swiveled to where the sound started to come closer to her. Oh.. no... nonononononono. Taima froze in awe as a less than monumental man broke into her midst. Her jowls dropped as he came toward her, all hackles and teeth in addition to a heated glare. "YOU!" he pointedly addressed her. "YOU DID THIS!" "What?!" she shot back at him, not allowing her confusion to get the best of her as she began to scowl back at him. "I haven't done ANYTHING!"

"Where is he?!" he bellowed. The girl was thunderstruck. Who was he to even think of speaking to her in such a manner? Didn't he ever think about who it was he was lashing out at? He articulated his name slowly as if she were too stupid to comprehend him. "I know!" she shouted at him, her tail whipping about at the air behind her. "Where is he... TELL ME."

"NO!" she retorted, straightening her limbs in attempt to make herself seem much more menacing than she really was. "Datura Aquila is mine!" She let out a rather shrill bark, followed by an alto-pitched growl. She rolled her shoulders, leaning forward to stare squarely back at him. "Who are you?! And what do you want with him? Ya wanna get to Datura, you'll have to go through me first."

Taima flicked her tongue out from between her teeth, the sides of her muzzle trembling as she kept her lip curled up and over her bared teeth. What'll it be then? Her narrowed eyes wordlessly questioned. She repeated again slowly, with a snap of her jaws, "Who are you?"

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(This post was last modified: Apr 21, 2013, 08:12 AM by Taima.)

Stupid, stupid girl! Did she not realize how dire her - or, rather, their - situation had become? He let an annoyed look blacken his face as he held his breath while she impressively railed against him. Him... Mapplethorpe... The sharp-witted, Second and Advisor to Rhysis and Naira Aquila. A Keeper and guard of Nomads Pass. Whoever this girl was, she had no power here; it was apparent by the look on her face, the quivering of her lips, the swift manner in which she desperately guarded the golden boy's location.

He half expected her to launch herself at him but she never did. Instead, she imitated him, questioning him in turn. It occurred to him that she was using her wit as a form of warfare, attempting to show him that she was capable of holding her ground... able to keep him away from her prince. Her teeth, still sharp, due to her young age, caught his eye but they barely fazed him, not even when she audibly snapped back. If he was going to bring Datura home, then he might as well yield just enough in hopes of maybe coaxing her along with him.

"Let me get this straight," he proffered, his tone even and low in attempt to let her know that his patience was not even close to wearing thin. "My name is Mapplethorpe... and, I've been sent here to bring Datura home. Now, I've seen many a thing on either side of this mountain and I've been to places even further than this realm, and you cannot win with me." He inhaled sharply then released it in a timely manner as to make sure she really understood that he was not to be tested any further. "So, you listen up." He made a point as to draw closer to her, his eyes never straying from hers even for a moment. Somewhere just out of his field of vision he could feel the stares of several vulpine eyes at the back of his head, but he did not dare to redirect his attention off his immature opponent. "You are both in danger and, if you do not come with me, I have no problems in leaving you here. Datura will return home; and, I will see to it that even you cannot stop me."

The last four words to leave his mouth were emphasized with a low growl and followed by a huff that came from his flaring nostrils. "So, what'll it be?"

IN QUOD ERAT IN VENIENDUM

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

Was that a challenge? If it was, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. He had laid down his cards one by one, let her know who he was and why he was here. He told her straight out that she could not and would not win with him. Watch me.... The brazen girl eyed him; noticing now all the doubt, determination, and skepticism in his gaze. What'll it be? Oh, she was about to let him know. "Well, Mapplethorpe," she scoffed, her chest puffing out with pride. "We've been able to manage very well, thank you verrrrrry much." Her scowl let up but only just slightly, and she merely pursed her lips. "But if you're gonna take him somewhere then I'm going too." As though to make her point clear, she sounded out a resolute-sounding "Hmmph," that simply said "So. There." right in his face.

Taima eyed him up and down, keenly assessing the size of him, trying to determine once and for all whether or not he really was worth trusting, believing. "I..." she heavily stressed the pronoun, "am Datura Aquila's mate. You have no choice but to take me with you. I am the forthcoming heiress of your pack, and you better listen up, mister. 'Fore ya know it, you'll be taking orders from me." She nodded once, silently affirming her precedence over him. Got it?

She corrected her posture, standing up tall to give her stance a more regal vibe, assuming above all that he would at last yield and drop all standing beliefs and speculations. From the corner of her eye, she could just notice a the hints of coarse, tan pelts through the brush. They had an audience. Good. "So, I think an oath is in order." If Taima Lyall had ever been given a real chance to play "pack," this was it. While Datura had long since replaced her make-believe Prince, it was apparent now that her imaginary friend was no longer the surely trusty Advisor before her. "Pledge your loy'lty to me, Mapplethorpe." She daintily held out her right forepaw, plainly dirty and evident of her travels, and raised her brows in high expectations of his servitude. Do it.

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(This post was last modified: Apr 23, 2013, 08:36 AM by Taima.)

The girl had a point. She and Datura had survived this long and, it went without a doubt, in his mind, that pups at their age usually began to practice hunting, tracking, and scavenging on their own. Though she sarcastically thanked him, he bit his tongue. Ultimately, he was glad he kept silent or he would have easily overlooked what she was about to say next: she was Datura's mate.

His brows, whiskers along simple lines that arched over his eyes, touched one another. The grizzled Advisor was about to question the veracity of the fact but she had already extended her paw and dictated that he swear fealty to her. Quite at the end of his rope, he let out an exasperated sigh. He had to give it to her, she had the gumption to be Datura's equal, even if he couldn't help but wonder how the two of them had met and survived one another. Her first impression left little to the imagination. This little heiress was who she was and she had made the fact very clear that he was beneath her now that she had taken up a position beside the golden prince.

Two graying ears folded back in a submissive manner as his tail lowered in a gentle curve. His nostrils twitched hesitantly, but he bowed his head and lightly grazed his tongue over the muddied digits on her paw. "My Lady," he muttered softly, his gaze lowering to the shadows underneath her lanky frame. A clipped whine came forth from his muzzle. The foxes and vixens in the sparse foliage and in the nooks between the roots of the trees might have enjoyed their bluffing contest, but Mapplethorpe was immensely grateful that @Naira had missed the gesture that declared him as the girl's Keeper.

"Please," he pleaded, his eyes flickering up to her only once as his frame slightly lowered. "We must go now. The Leader of Nomads Pass will be expecting us any day now. Datura must return home; I..." He had to take a moment to recollect his thoughts and consider what exactly were the winning words to persuade the young lady to summon her prince to her. "As a member of the Queen's council, I assure you... there is a place among her ranks especially for you."

IN QUOD ERAT IN VENIENDUM

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PPing Thorpe 'cause I can...

i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

Taima smiled satisfactorily at the old man as he inched close to her, planting on her paw a simple "kiss" that purveyed his obedience. Still looking down her nose at him, she sneered when he addressed her with a title much worthier of her. My Lady. She liked that...

Planting her paw back down into the ground with an unpleasant squelching sound, she regarded him quietly as he began to speak again, this time compliantly keeping his eyes off of hers out of respect. He reminded her that he still had to bring Datura home, that his mother, who was no doubt the Queen of the Pass, was expecting him. It was a given fact that she was possibly a surprise to discover - she had been spirited away from her homeland also - but Mapplethorpe made quick work in convincing her that she was going to be welcomed by his account. As a high-ranking member of the Pass, he was going to vouch for her. "Thank you," she cooed, waving her tail around like a victory banner. She took a quick glance around her immediate surroundings then began to test her newfound influence over him, "Rise, then, Mapplethorpe. When Datura is ready to leave, we will go."

The Lyall smugly marched past him, her head held high and skull level, as she led the Advisor over a few meters to where she and Datura had rested for the night. The few foxes who had stuck around for the show watched with wide eyes as the two wolves traversed the shadowed and damp terrain, snaking through the trees until she came upon a spot of flattened grass at the base of one of several crooked trees. Casting a rather cold glare at Mapplethorpe, she waited for him to dutifully sit at her heels before she howled for her significant other with a haunting song. @Datura... Datura, my Prince... come here.

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there is no such thing as royal blood

• DATURA AQUILA •

I believe we are what we make ourselves

The walk he had taken was meant to clear his head, but in the end he had realized such questionable, sketchy activities were never meant to do anyone any good. All this walking, thinking, retrospective nonsense gave him the willies he found. His anxiety swelled dangerously and it began to swallow up his mind. He was not Datura if he was not with someone else. He was not worth anything if he had no one to stand next to and compare himself with. He was nothing without Taima, without his family. The golden boy had been stupid, thoughtful, and now he was paying for all these dirty, analytic hypothetical he had indulged in.

He had to get back to her.

Desperately he flung himself through the reeds, splashing through the murk and soiling his coat. The prince appeared just as hopelessly lost and young and hungry as he really was. It didn't matter. He was nothing to look at if there was no one there to look at him. He could clean himself when he found her. There was no ifs to this young boy, even a boy who had already lost many of the things he held dear. No, Taima would wait for him. She had to. He was all she had. He was her mate, her protector, her knight in shining, gold plated armor. Datura had picked his bride well: she contained none of the flaky, whimsical, tree-hugging nonsense that his sister had.

And when he heard her voice rise in the distance, he knew he was right.

Though he longed to run to her and leave all his devious loneliness behind for good, he also was terribly afraid of showing breathing heavily and looking so terribly worse for wear. The pace slowed abruptly and he merely trotted along, and he shook himself from time to time, spilling water droplets from his coat. Upon his face he wore such a brilliant smile that it would be easy to overlook the pitiful state of his body.

Casually he slipped through the last curtain of reeds that stood between him and his queen. At first, however, his golden eyes seemed to miss her as they swept the scene. There was no need to look at her really, she had called for him, he knew she was here. Much more interesting, after all, was this familiar scent that the breeze had spoke of. His eyes leaped towards the newcomer, someone he had known before but not particularly well. The scents that he had so craved all these weeks were growing ever fainter, but they still wafted from this pale, harsh looking man.

Datura had to admit, he was slightly crestfallen at the fact that his own mother was not standing in this man's place. He had thought she would have come for him like she came for him at the lake. He was her son."I was wonder when you'd find me!" he drawled, the smile deepening on his young face, as he finally craned his head back to look at his ball and chain. "Ready to go home, Taima?" Oblivious was the boy to the tension in the air, the fact that these two had clearly been chatting it up in a less than friendly way. They could go home now, that was all that mattered.

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i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

The Lyall's head lifted proudly as her ears picked up on her mate's impending arrival. The rusting of grasses and the splashing of small puddles told her he was near. She smiled back at him, even if his eyes were not focused on her. "I was wonder when you'd find me!" he spoke slowly. Taima's brows lowered, partly disappointed that it wasn't the greeting she had been expecting. She turned to look down at Mapplethorpe, hackles still sky-high until Datura asked if she was ready to go home.

The fur along her shoulders and spine finally flattened along her lithe frame, and she tore her eyes from the old man. Straightening up as best as she could, she then nodded quietly, her voice naturally saccharine on her tongue, "Yes, my Prince." She partly scoffed, the edge and authority in her tone returning, "This man here says that he's here to bring us back to the Pass. I told him that we were ready." Her smile softened and her tail swayed about at the air behind her. "He says that we are expected to return soon and we will leave as soon as you were ready."

Taima's breath left her chest in an admiring sigh. Despite the mud and all the other gunk that had coated his limbs and underside of his body, she still found him exemplary. In the few hours they had spent apart, she realized her heart had grown even fonder of him. As if to prompt the man from the Pass to speak, she shot him a curt scowl before lightly nudging him with the side of her hind limb.

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