Black Magic

@Nios

The grasses swayed slowly enough that it felt as though time itself was dwindling to a standstill. Midnight was becoming of the clearing. It cloaked the leaves of the trees, darkening along the wooden grooves of their trunks until it seemed to diffuse across the forest floor that lined the field where he'd found what he'd been looking for all this time. All his life. The breath in him burned in the folds of his lungs, his stoic eyes glazed with tears─not resulting from sadness or joy, but from the fact that he didn't blink. He couldn't. He wouldn't. It snaked through the rolling, gentle hills where wildflowers grew in thick bunches, their blossoms fire-bright. Moonlight rippled across the water's gentle surface like emotion did along each of his heart strings. On the surface it was silver-lined, much like the way he felt about being here in the first place, and along the jagged banks there were places the starlight didn't touch, places that appeared dark and deep...For a time the boy didn't tear his eyes away, his wide paws eventually sinking comfortably into impressions they had created in the soft dirt. It wasn't until the wind blew just right, when it rustled up the length of his spine and was cool and steady, that he resigned to observe the landmarks that had all but haunted his childhood. The shaded bend where the creek was shallow and the current was gentle; the distant copse where the birches faded into gnarled woodland. The mouth of the den where he'd nearly died. Even now the smell of this place sent shivers down his spine. The night didn't reveal the iridescent gleam that shone off the surface of the creek's coppery stones, but he could see. In his mind's eye, he always had. Time worked its miracles in strange ways, ones that weren't meant to be uncovered, but no number of hours, or days, or years, would ever erase Mirren's memories of a place that was equally enchanting and tormenting. He'd spent his short life thinking of and dreaming of and wanting to return to this place, the lost kingdom─now he wasn't sure why. Bittersweet didn't begin to touch upon the ocean of emotion he was having difficulty navigating through. At his back, his brother's quiet footsteps broke the silence he'd shared with the one place in the world he'd always longed to be. Idly, he sought out the rippling reflection of the moon in the creek, remaining still and silent as they stopped at his side. "We're here."

(This post was last modified: Sep 24, 2013, 02:48 AM by Mirren.)

Despite the time that had passed when Ruiko and Aeylen had swept their children away, Nios felt the oddity of backtracking the moment he and his brother had left Sequoia Vale. So long it felt, when their first journey had led them to that small haven, and his gleaming yellow eyes had drank in the sight at such a tender age. Now, a yearling, the swarthy boy had found nothing familiar during their travels back. None of the tall trees stirred him, nor the winding waters. Nothing awakened him, that was, until they had come upon the Springs. Home. It was such a heart wrenching feeling – the way his gut twisted with the realization that they never should have left. Nina. Kashikoi. Pakuna. Sloane. They had all represented Copper Rock Creek, and in turn, Nios knew then that he would never consider another place his true sanctuary.

His pace had slowed, allowing the tawny figure of his brother to sweep past him, almost unnoticing. He followed Mirren without question, as usual, though only out of habit. The eldest had also appeared to be the matriarch of the family, something Nios both appreciated and detested at times. For now, though, he was too swept up in the moment to truly care, and as his paws brought him to sidle up alongside his littermate once more, Mirren’s words broke the silence that was offered by the midnight moon.

He inhaled sharply, his yellow eyes taking in the familiar haunts these very lands had given him only a year ago. It was strange to think so little time had passed, and yet it felt like a lifetime to the Tainn. Silently, his eyes drifted to the golden wolf beside him, trying to read Mirren’s thoughts, though finding he could not. In reassurance, the ebony wolf tilted his muzzle up, pressing his noses to the warmth of his brother’s cheek. “Home,” he offered, his deep tone muttering the word as if it was foreign to his lips.

(This post was last modified: Aug 23, 2013, 01:09 PM by Nios.)

'cause its home, but it's gone

The quiet of the night did little to help him think with much clarity. Swells of memories and guilt and sadness and hope all churned within his chest like the gentle currents of the creek churned around each bend. He had tried unsuccessfully and with much effort to forget the good things about this place and what it was to his family, to ease the pain he'd felt as a cub in leaving it behind. For the most part, his thoughts were dormant, sprung to life only in his deepest dreams; sprung to life now. Unrest settled between the blades of the tawny boy's shoulders as his golden eyes grazed over the moonlit scene. Conscious that his own demeanor could affect his brother's, Mirren inhaled a quiet breath and let it slip away with what remained of his angst. He welcomed Nios' reassuring touch as any good brother would, realizing that as lonely as he felt returning to the lost kingdom, he wasn't alone after all. Leaning into his dark-furred companion's muzzle, the boy nudged him in return as if to say thank you. Slipping from Nios' side and the shadows cast by the treeline, Mirren made for the creek, a sliver of silver among the gently rolling hills of the meadow. He dipped his head as if to get a better look at its bed from the bank, the blades of the grasses that lined its curves grazing his chin. The scent of the water was one that he had never forgotten─earthen and crisp, like the way the rivers smelled when winter's ice had melted and filled them to the brim. It was fresh, and as the summer breeze rustled through his fur he looked over his shoulder, the ghost of a grin pulling at a single corner of his dark lips.

Nios watched his brother for a moment – the dance f moonlight upon the pelt that was so similar to their father’s. It was a strange moment – had fate been different, perhaps their father would have kept the family sturdy in Copper Rock Creek.. and perhaps, the backdrop of his birth home would not have glowed so eerily in the backdrop of Mirren’s magnificence.

Yet Ruiko and Aeylen had chosen to leave, and while Nios had never held qualms against Sequoia Vale, nor had he ever felt at home within the land. Of course, his father was harsh upon the matter, insisting the swarthy male was hardly able to claim such a notion in his tender age, and disgruntled, the Tainn had almost felt relieved when he and Mirren had dispersed from the pack to gain a life of their own. Even if that life meant visiting the shadows of the past, as they danced meticulously in the cool summer night of a den long abandoned.

Turning from his tawny companion, Nios began to trail along the creek edge, the faintest smirk evident upon his tainted lips. One paw lifted precariously to dangle in the moving waters, and a rumble escaped his jowls; one only spurned by pure pleasure. Yes, this was and always would be home. “What do we do now, Mirren?” His words were careful, as if spoken too loudly, the magic of this moment would leave him forever. Loathe to leave so soon, his bright eyes sought out his littermate’s, hoping his sibling would at least speak of remaining for a few days in the land that had greeted them in life.

'cause its home, but it's gone

His brother's question didn't hang in the air for long as he considered what should be done. They'd come this far, the last thing he wanted to do was leave. Not to mention he hadn't made a plan past getting here. The young pair had done well to sustain themselves to this point, but he knew that summer was coming to an end and soon the seasons were going to change. They needed a pack, a place to at least ride out the winter months; come spring, they could uproot again if they chose to. His eyes trailed the scenery of the creek before he made his decision. "We stay." Looking to @Nios, a half-satisfied, half-mischievous smile spoke to his relief and the pulse of excitement of finally being back where he felt they truly belonged. "─Until the seasons change, at least. It won't be long..." In the distance the tawny boy could see the hollowed rock where he used to rest his head at night, nuzzled into Aeylen's warmth and under Ruiko's watchful, stoical eyes. Then, this place seemed so much...warmer, but even abandoned and in the dark of night, Copper Rock Creek had lost none of its beauty. Straying from the creek and in the direction of the old den site, he paused to look over his shoulder. "What do you think, brother? Is it everything you thought it'd be?" As much as he'd left the Vale behind for his own reasons, Mirren knew coming home meant as much to his sibling as it did to him. Even if it sometimes felt like he'd fucked up by leaving his pack to further his own interests, if Nios was happy here, then he could be, too, and he was glad to have his swarthy counterpart by his side.

(This post was last modified: Sep 24, 2013, 02:50 AM by Mirren.)

His question did not linger long without answer – Mirren was quick to respond with a resounding decision, and while the swarthy Tainn felt his eyes shift over the tawny male, feeling slightly inferior that Mirren felt the need to lead them, he also did not argue this. Ruiko and Aeylen had groomed their eldest for leading – it had been obvious as they were growing up, and while Nios had once felt jealousy at the attention Mirren had received, he had later grown to be relieved that the responsibility was not his. Until he found his own way in life, the ebony male was more than content to play the sidekick to his brother’s desires.. especially when they coincided perfectly with his own.

As the golden youth continued regarding seasons, the swarthy wolf brushed past him, his eyes drifting to the creek. Trailing forward, he cast one glance back to his brother, casting a mischievous gleam of his eyes before bouncing within the depths. Of course, as a cub, he remembered the water to be much higher, and while it might have been lower than normal.. it was clear that Nios’ memories had only been from when he was no more than a little rugrat.

Sloshing up the creek slightly, his eyes casting upon the copper rocks at the bottom that had given their home its namesake, one lobe flickered to the voice of his littermate, the words stirring a small smirk from his muzzle. “It’s everything I remember it to be,” he corrected, his tail giving a contented swing through the air. “Think we could master fishing here?”

(This post was last modified: Sep 27, 2013, 01:28 PM by Nios.)

'cause its home, but it's gone