Oak Tree Bend ouch, it burns

And I don't mind falling to pieces. Greeted by a frown it was not pleasing to Triell to have it come to this. In the future he hoped it wouldn't prevent Fenru from challenging if he saw fit again. Maybe, he would think about possible outcomes, use his stamina better. Or know his opponent. This wasn't one of those "the best man won" because Triell knew Fenru was better than him. This was about Triell being accepted, holding the second spot he had sought in his youth. It was about finally being the "older and wiser" one, better prepared. It was about trying to make up for his failures. The young Tainn's eyes found the ground, but Triell still held his ground, not certain if this was a true surrender. He was coming to learn he needed to expect anything. There seemed to be a second where his nephew couldn't decide if it was worth it to try again. It was gone, and there were no more moves, no more blows. Their eyes met, and Triell's softened...to a degree. He was given submission, a cast head, a tucked tail, the young man going to his side. An appology came in a different voice, and Triell accepted it....mostly. He unlike Fenru did not look to the crowd. Though he hadn't wanted this welcome, it had kept him from telling them the news, from seeing sad, gloomy faces. Now, after this skirmish he would have to face it all. Stiff shoulders, he towered over his opponet, looking down upon him. Blood still rushing he didn't forget what he had been through, and so he reached for @Fenru's muzzle, at last holding it, giving it a much softer shake than he might have previously. With that done, Triell released him, holding back the want to nudge the boy, who really wasn't one any more. The dark Tainn was pretty sure there was nothing he could do to make this better. Instead he let his dark tail give one wag, before he turned himself, heading closer to the group. By that time he had partially dropped his head, and tail but not all the way with his new position. Again, his eyes found their way to Corinna not sure if his sister (as she would always be to him) would scold him, or just accept it had happened, sadly here. He waited for her reaction, before his eyes slowly worked their way to Ice. Up his long legs, his chest, his muzzle, and than silver eyes. Triell opened his mouth wanting to tell him, but nothing yet came out.

are you with me through it all?

Switcheroo sorta gave me permission to PP a bit, still, let me know if you want me to change anything. <3

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. A dark shadow fell across their land; the birds went silent as the black wolf passed, night and fog sweeping in at his paws, or at least so it seemed. Amber of eye and charcoal of pelt, Triell Tainn materialized like a ghost of the past just beyond their gathering, sunlight striking reds and blues on his shoulders, but Ice had no eyes for him, nor did he have eyes for Fenru's protective stance. No; those silver eyes only had time for the forest around him, staring between the trunks with such a quiet, intense yearning, his heart pounding in his throat as he waited- waited, for the sun to strike the copper of his shoulders, and reveal the thick set of his frame, to see the quiet laughter in his iron eyes and how all the grizzliness melted off him at the sight of Ice's two, healthy sons. He waited, his blood on fire, and heard nor saw the scuffle breaking out between the two Tainn males. The trees remained empty, the dark spaces between them never turning red with Marsh's fur. Bit by bit the hope that had surged in him died down, as too long passed for it to make sense. He couldn't believe that Triell would've gone ahead of Marsh, or that Marsh would've let him, and despair flowed in instead, drowning him in bitterness. Was it so, that they would get Triell back, but not Marsh? Slowly, his stance went from excited, to something lackluster; his tail drooped a few inches, ears loosing their twitching eagerness, and the light in his eyes dulled. Feeling like a traitor, he stopped looking at the sunny forest around him, and watched instead as Fenru bowed beneath Triell, and the dark man close his jaws around the boy's cream muzzle. So that was settled, in the ways of wolves, but some things still needed to be settled. Triell had come to stand before them, staring at them, and Ice suddenly moved, paws kicking off the ground as he charged the black male in silence; some part of him told him he needed to show that despite Triell's dominating act, Ice was still leader, and he'd latched onto it, eager to do something other than simply wonder where Marsh was. White met black, and Ice was still quiet, shoving Triell over and coming to stand over him, all four feet planted on the ground - and suddenly, all the emotions simply came out in a torrent. Through clenched teeth he spoke, his heart in his throat, half-words and half simply a concept he projected at the dark man: "Where is Marsh?" And for a moment, all his hope, his worry, his love and his pain, was laid bare for all to see. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Okay every one, no posting order - I'll be making a reply on July 29th or 30th when I return from my vacation to start the next "round".

Gone Tomorrow

The cries of her two cubs gradually subsided as their eyes adjusted to the rays of the light. Her own had been assaulted as well, but her recovery had been much faster. And now she stood at attention, Serach and Sceral playing in front of her while she watched for the arrival of her pack mates. They were not long in coming - Ice first and foremost. His eagerness was plain enough to see, and she couldn't help but smile at him, her tail wagging proudly over her back. Whining back at him, she licked his cheek, all the growls that had been evident at the cubs' birth now gone. Ice had done his duty and she would not deny him his just rewards.

But it seemed their meeting would have to wait. Other Bend wolves began to appear, forming up around the family. Corinna had eased her posture at Ice's approach, but had turned rigid at the familiar sight of her pack mates. It had always been her way of doing things; even Kisla and Fenru would be under a watchful eye initially. She had done no differently for them when they had first come out of the rocky Swift River den, two years ago.

Triell had been there then, though his black face emerging from the surrounding forest was very much a surprise now. Lips pulling backwards, Cori audibly gasped in surprise. The tip of her tail gave the slightest of quivers in excitement at the familiar face. But Triell's face was the only one that came out of the forest - the familiar copper red and brown of Marsh was nowhere to be seen. Nervously, she glanced at Ice, standing solid as his namesake looking from where Triell had come from.

All shock and excitement vanished, however, when Fenru's challenge was issued. Uncle and nephew squared off, and the lead female's response was immediate. Serach and Sceral had been in front of her, kept close despite their curiosity by nudges and sharp growls. Now she stepped over them, shrouding them in her shadow and in her protection. Triell and Fenru weren't close enough to injure them, but she would be taking no chances when a curious cub getting crushed by either of the large Tainn males was a very real possibility.

Fenru had barely submitted after his defeat to his uncle when the white giant beside her moved into action. Ice had not moved throughout the entirety of the challenge, but the fury in his movement was topped only by the pain in his voice. Muscles trembling with the tension of remaining so keenly alert, Corinna lowered her head, peering between her legs to look at her sons. Sadness had overcome excitement. If Marsh had not returned now, then the chances were slim to none that the Aesir boys would ever meet their pack's greatest protector.

The little prince had kept his eyes closed tightly against the world, refusing to let in the light that had burned him so. His pitiful mews were quickly calmed, however, by the reassuring licks of his mother. Her voice called for his brother, and the coolness of her shadow was soon replaced by the heat of the sun. Which was then followed by Sceral's cries of pain. Daring to crack open one eye, Serach looked behind him and sure enough, there was his brother, paws covering his face as he too was met by the hurt that was the outside.

Sceral recovered more quickly than he did though, because no sooner had he turned back around to see where mom had gone did he feel a tugging on his ear. Lips curling back, Ser's tiny tail began to wag excitedly and he growled at his brother. Pulling back to try and free himself from Sceral's grasp, he fell back on his rump, the backs of his legs and his bottom squishing the pokey green stuff under his paws. Raising a foreleg he tried to balance and bat at Sceral's face to shoo him away, but movement in his peripheral vision caused his head to spin and he fell to his stomach, balance promptly lost.

Baby blue eyes opened wide as the "movement" turned into a ginormous white creature. At ground level, Serach tilted his head back as far as he could to look at the giant's face. The sunlight was bright behind him, and he squinted, but the whine the male offered as he licked mom's chin was one that Serach recognized. Stubby tail began to wag furiously, and he sat up in a hurry, trying to scramble to his legs to waddle over to him. "Da!" His high pitched squeal announcing his presence, just in case his father-who was actually more than just a giant head!-hadn't seen him.

And then there was movement everywhere, and Serach's excitement was replaced by a peculiar feeling he hadn't felt before. But his heart began to race, and he blinked his eyes rapidly, though not from the sunlight. Instinctively he tried to nuzzle into his mother's leg, seeking her warmth, while at the same time looking for his playmate. One by one giant wolves began to appear all around them, and though they did not come close, Serach could smell them. It was a multitude of sights and sounds that he had never experienced before, and the sensation he was feeling was fear. His world had grown too big, and way too fast too soon.

It was even worse when two of the giant beasts, one black and one gray began growling at each other. Except it wasn't growling like he and Sceral did when they were playing, this was something so much worse. Dropping to the ground, he pushed himself against his brother, timidly looking over his brother's back at the fight going on before him. He had no idea what was going on, or even any idea who these wolves were, but the sight was terrifying, even to his weak eyes. And when dad jumped in, pinning the big black one to the ground, Serach whimpered shrilly, the noise only partly muffled by his brother's neck.

The world still burned but, damn it all, Sceral was a determined pup. He tried to keep a hold of his brother’s ear as his sibling fell, unsuccessful in his attempts as little paws attempted to ward him off. It took a few seconds for Sceral to realise that his brother was looking at someone. A familiar wolf came from within large brown things that jutted from the ground—what the Aesir boy would soon learn were called trees—and Sceral was more than content to join in his brother in a yell for him. “Daaa!”. He knew him, that was dad! Dad was here! Golly, he sure was big when he wasn’t just a head poking through a hole.

Sceral took a few steps forward, as if to approach his father and say ‘hi’ up close, before someone new arrived. Suddenly, the second born wasn’t so confident and he wanted nothing more than to grab hold of his brother’s ear again. More and more of them appeared from between the trees and the pup whined audibly and trembled. Fear gripped the young boy who was trying so hard to not be scared. Who were they? They seemed to know their parents, judging by the physical touch they shared, and the alarm bells softened though his shaking would not entirely cease. Something feral caused the boy to jump a little and his mother to step over the siblings protectively: a snarl.

The pup watched with wide, terror filled (yet still curious) eyes as he felt his brother push up against and behind him. Their first time outside and a dominance scuffle had occurred like a grand welcome, a welcome far too grand and far too big for such small boys. He didn’t like it. Sceral had done similar things with his brother, yes, but there was something scary about huge males snarling and snapping, plus they hardly seemed like they were having fun like the siblings had when they tussled. The second born just didn’t understand and he was very much afraid, only reassured by his brother’s presence and his mother’s legs all around. Suddenly, one of the men was on the ground whining. What what what? Sceral stole the moment to, tentatively, look around. Eyes seemed trained on the scuffle. Looking to his father, Sceral watched as the white man shot forward like a bullet from a gun.

His jaw dropped and he yelped again—“Da!”—as Ice almost effortlessly knocked the black male over. The two scary strangers who had scuffled for such a period of time to get one onto the floor had been overshadowed by his dad. That was … that was so cool! His dad must have been really strong. Still, he stuck close to his brother and would not budge until his mother made it certain it was okay to.

And I don't mind falling to pieces. Did it happen in a blur, or slow motion? Ice could be made out clearly, every thread of his pale coat, the way his muscles unknotted when he shot himself forward. When his mass hit Triell's there was only sickening black, because he had shut his eyes not wanting his brain to question why Ice was driving him into the ground now. Triell knew why, and he deserved so much worse. He tucked his thoughts,emotions away at the same time with his long limbs, if to protect what was left. Becoming a small a black ball of fur as he could become beneath the white and grey wolf who was now his leader. No sound came from his throat nor his mouth. He was surprised at himself, thinking he was staying in control. This wasn't a third fight he some how told himself. Triell wouldn't fight back, he would take it. When the question came he had probably heard it long before Ice had voiced it. He knew they were all wondering where is red companion was. Where their long proclaimed Guardian must be, if the dark wolf had returned. Triell didn't even dare look at his friend, feeling the heat in his stance, passing through his tight mouth. In this moment Triell felt he might as well have been Marsh's murderer. "He's not coming back, Ice," While there should have been weakness in those words, his deep tone remained steady, and loud enough for all to hear even though it was was tinged with sorrow. Saying it made it so final, but he couldn't lie. He couldn't pretend. The pictures came rolling in, the loud growls that had roared in the forest, a mad bark before the loud click of teeth, how his dark legs wouldn't run fast enough. Even when he had got there, the monster coming at him, the red warrior wouldn't let Triell do it alone.Wouldn't stop tearing while being ripped in return. The Tainn hid his fiery eyes, they were laced with moisture, and he needed just a second. This should have been a happy day, and now it was tainted. Gingerly he re-opened them, his voice more quiet."We killed his attacker, but he..he will always remain in the red hills now."

are you with me through it all?

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. The short wait before Triell started talking seemed like an eternity, counted by the hollow echoes of his racing pulse. Each moment stretched on so long the dual thuds seemed to last forever, ringing in his ears and in his soul; his eyes hurt, he hadn't blinked, and he was staring down at Triell's distant, black face. The lights were out. And his voice, it sounded like far-away thunder, drowned out by the roaring of his heart and the pain singing in his blood. Ice wanted to shout, he wanted to scream that Triell was wrong, he wanted to grab him by the scruff (he seemed so small and vulnerable, lying curled up underneath Ice) and shake him until Marsh showed up and.. and he did nothing, not even blinking, just staring down at Triell with the same taut expression. When Triell spoke again, a few of the words ricocheted around Ice's mind, drowning out the rest as if they'd been shouted in his ear; killed, attacker.. always remain... Ice could be terribly dense sometimes, and his mind writhed in denial, but his heart spelled out the truth for him: Marsh is dead.Half-spoken sentences pieced together the puzzle, and Ice's gaze went distant, staring straight through Triell and.. into what? Nothing. Dead. Ice's throat was choking up; dead. But how? How could he..? Marsh had always been there, steadfast, a red shadow, silent, but always there, except now he was dead and... Ice stumbled backwards, freeing Triell to get up again. His tail hung limp between his legs, lacking even the energy to curl up beneath his belly, and his ears had drooped. Dead. His heart kept beating but he wondered why it wasn't stopping, too. His stunned mind raced in some corner, trying to find words, to put a name on the gaping hole torn in his soul, but it couldn't come up with any. Looking more anxious and confused than anything Ice whined, making a semi-turn to flee; his nose snagged against Corinna, and his streaming eyes dropped, the blurred outlines of his sons there. Marsh had never even seen them. Something in him finally broke, and he sidled away to not trample his children, and fled the scene, barely seeing where he was going. Marsh was dead, and Ice had never told him how much he loved him. Never truly realized it for himself, until this endless darkness opened up in his heart. And now, it was too late. Everything was too late. Ice kept running, away. [ Ice exit. ] .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

When Fenru arrived, she gave him a polite smile and nod signaling that she had noticed his arrive, though things soon became a little…tense once an unexpected visitor arrived. Triell in all his mighty glory stood before them, his Tainn eyes being one of the things that tipped him off. Almost immediately, Jessie’s eyes shifted behind the black man searching for Marsh. A frown immediately made its way onto her face when she realized that no copper form was peeking out through the trees. Some part of her wished that the intimidating man was just lagging behind, which she highly doubted, and the other part of her kicked her in the butt reminding her that he wasn’t there. She cringed slightly, thinking of the worst before turning her head towards the two Tainns who were now facing off…in front of the children. The Swiftpaw girl had barely took the time to notice her sister who had come along side her. Softly she muttered to herself, though she was sure Cali could hear, "You’ve got to be shitting me."

She blinked a few times before settling her eyes back on the relatives, a disapproving glare sent their way. Her green eyes settled on the children for a moment, fearing that they would see badly in this and that they would be frightened. The protective stature that Corinna showed off proved that she was doing all she could to make the children feel protected. Soon the challenge was over, but Ice was immediately on his feet and barreled over to Triell. Her jaws parted open in amazement as she watched her alpha completely lose his cool. When Triell’s voice answered, she felt sadness grow within her. She had known Marsh since she had entered Swift River long ago and she had grown close to the older man. Her ears immediately flattened at the news and watched as Ice took off, away from them all. She made no move to follow him, to comfort him in every way he could. Instead she looked towards their other leader, wanting to know what to do. Were they dismissed or did she wish to continue where she had left off in calling them to meet the children?

Okay, this will be the last round for the meeting. Given the circumstances and the turn this thread took, Cori is going to herd the pups back inside - it is assumed that she would have brought them out at a later point (a day or two after this) and would have introduced them properly. For time's sake, that thread isn't going to RPed.

I will archive this thread August 4th.

Gone Tomorrow

Ice held Triell down almost effortlessly, and the lack of reaction by the black male was all the indication that Corinna needed. Her facial muscles made the transition from alertness to shock to sadness in a matter of seconds as her brother answered the question they had all wanted to know. He isn't coming back. The tension in the air thickened, if that was even possible at this point, and the collective heart of the Oak Tree Bend wolves broke once more. Marsh had been Corinna's silent shadow for as long as she could remember - ever faithful and ever watching. But his russet fur would no more brush against her own, nor his eyes look to her for direction.

Her head had drooped low, but was lifted as Ice hit her shoulder with his nose as he turned. His whine broke the silence, giving voice to the pain that they all felt, to a degree which none of them could possibly understand. Corinna answered her partner with a whimper of her own, her green eyes seeking out his gray ones. But he was gone in a moment, shifting his direction and heading away from the gathering. The leader looked after him, her whine growing louder, the tone slipping higher and higher until whine turned into a mournful howl. This one so very different than the howl that had summoned the Bend wolves to her and initiated this meeting. Once again their gathering had been marked by death, shared with the rest of the world by Corinna's mournful cry.

The she-wolf's voice subsided and once again her head fell. Shoulders slumped forward, she looked beneath her fore legs where Serach and Sceral sat looking at her. Burdened by her heavy stance, Cori took a step backwards, releasing her sons from her shelter only to nudge them to their feet with her nose. "Let's go," she instructed, herding them with her body back towards the den. What resistance they gave was silenced by sharp looks. The rest of the pack behind them, she looked back over her shoulder at them, letting her gaze settle on each one in turn. This was not what they had expected today, but the shock had been too much to bear, and there could be no happy meeting when the shadow of death hang over them so. Herding Serach and Sceral in front of her, Corinna walked back up the hill and disappeared into the den, collapsing in a heap - with only her sons and the darkness to hear her whines.

fenru tainn

blood of my blood

Uncle Triell, with upholding the customary way to declare the victor of a match, bent down to grasp his nephew's muzzle. Fenru's eyes instinctively shut as not to further provoke him by accidentally keeping eye contact. He shook his jaws much gently than the younger Tainn had expected and it was with utmost relief that Fenru let out a soft and tired sigh. Once the dominance spar had come to an end, everything seemed to move much faster than intended. It shouldn't have but from what Fenru could see from his 'bed' in the grass, the commotion without a doubt turned what should have been a joyous occasion into grievous one.

Ice came forward, and just like that Triell was on the ground. Fenru flinched as the dark Guardian's large frame came into contact with the earth; if he had had just as much energy and vitality left, perhaps he could have maneuvered in such a way only moments before. Staying in his place, he averted his gaze by turning his face and muzzle to one side while still laying in his spot, listening as Ice asked the one question that he was certain was on everyone's mind. He briefly sampled the air for his Uncle Marsh's scent but found that not even a trace of the characteristic cologne mingled with Triell's coarse coat.

All it had taken was four simple words: He's not coming back. Just like that the scene before him fell away. As the vision of a rogue wolf attack came to mind, he listened and watched from the corner of his eye as Ice departed and Corinna ushered his younger brothers back into the den. His muzzle scrunched up in disappointment and while his mother tended to the youngest members of the pack, he crawled on his belly away from Triell then slowly got to his feet once he was sure that the den and those he had left behind with it was out of sight. With adrenaline still pulsing through him, he too, ran. His family might have taken another blow and he might have been bested in his first-ever rank challenge but he was not about ready to mentally process and take into account what had just happened. Not yet...

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