Ghastly Woods no middle ground

my skin has turned to porcelain

miss taima lyall

to ivory, to steel...

June 3rd; Early afternoon; Overcast; 54° F/12° C

Taima Lyall, truth be told, had adjusted quite well to the peak-cradled valley that was Nomads Pass. It had taken some time and a few near stumbles on the slope leading to and from the borders, but the young heiress had earned her place among her new family, contentedly nestled her rank beneath Naira and the two women in her charge. After enduring her share of "babysitting" with @Datura earlier in the morning, she had taken to seeking out something better to do. The youth took care in steering clear of Mapplethorpe's path whenever she could, but she had the mind to follow it along the border until she found a good place to settle down and keep watch over the land just beyond the markers her Leaders had marked. A deep breath of the crisp mountain air helped to clear her head; since the arrival of Nova and Aponi, Taima's mind had run amuck with the idea of what it actually took to lead a pack.

She cautiously peered over the stone ledge to the substantial drop to the forest floor below before edging backwards and reclining onto her stomach. The stone shelf beneath her was still cold from yet another cool night the pack endured on the heights of the Dire Mountain's range, but it barely made her flinch. Getting used to her new home, out in the open without the shelter of cedars and firs, was bittersweet. While she missed it and the security it provided, she took in the view of seemingly endless cloudy skies and the sting of cold air in her lungs in stride. Having her elbows and other hard bony parts of her lithe frame rest against the rough rock barely bothered her any more.

As if to rejuvenate her spirit and welcome the beginnings of what would be the rest of her day, she raised her head proudly, lifting her ears skyward and turned them forward to catch every note of birdsong that echoed from the forests below. It seemed like ages ago now since she had first come to the Pass but it was firmly set in her mind that she knew she belonged here now. If @Datura's affirmations were not enough to convince her otherwise, she was certain that one day, whenever she was absolutely sure that the time was right, she would make and mark her own paths here. Well... until she laid her eyes towards where she thought Grizzly Hollow was.

The small cluster of pointed trees were lost in the rest of the greenery but she could have sworn that somewhere beneath them, her family still lived and breathed, not missing her in the slightest. In attempt to hide the grimace on her face, she lowered her head and rested the side of her face against her right forepaw, turning her head as to nestle her stark black nose into her left elbow. The Lyall heiress had come a long way and it was absolutely below her to allow anyone to see her in such a distressed state.

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becuffin feel free to slap me :P
Taima does say outside the borders, and hey this could be fun.

A r l e t t e Something won't always be missing,you won't always feel emptier.. Arlette vowed to never enter that dreadful place again! Part of her brain told her it was complete nonsense, she was still not convinced it wasn't trying to keep her there, buried in it's sharp, monstrous claws forever. If her sunlight eyes were something they wanted, or had to get rid of too. Mouth bit hard at the strings of hair and burs she had not noticed before. Pulling, while trying to keep any sound from leaving her throat. Barely managing to keep quiet she ended up with a mouthful of hair and spit it out. Just when the young wolf didn't think she could look any worse! Lettie was not desperate enough to go into a pool of water, no she wished for a patch of snow. On this part of the mountain there was none, and she could see she was not at all where she had wanted to be. How crumpled the mistake made her white face, while tongue panting against the heat. It was time to continue, and her stomach growled knowing she needed nourishment. Which way should she go? If she actually wanted to see the Mountain of Dire she needed to go back down. The thought of those trees had her continuing to climb, up, and up, until she could see the other side. Fenru had said he was moving over here, perhaps he could help her know a better way. After all the trees below looked nothing like the ones she had come through. It was small happy thoughts Arlette pushed onward. It took awhile, the sun rising high, paws slightly sore from bracing against the rocks, and gravity forcing her down the mountain on an empty stomach. When the end was in sight, her pace quickened. The blood began rushing in her ears, pumping fiercely with her rough breaths. So close to the bottom, she finally let herself begin to fly down the slope, running part way across the flat land with a waving white tail. Lettie did not stop to notice the pass that was off to the right, or the wolf she might have seen if she had combed the brush. No, instead she began searching for a scent hoping she didn't puke.

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2013, 09:24 PM by Arlette.)

xD Nevermind @Naira, Taima will make sure Arlette will be taken care of, even if she's seen headed straight towards and over those markers. <3

my skin has turned to porcelain

miss taima lyall

to ivory, to steel...

If the masked girl had not looked up when she had, she would have missed the opportunity that was being presented to her on a silver platter. Upon first impression, Taima's still young mind drew a line from one point to another. White wolf. Calla. Ryvet... Mom! Mom? Her gold-ringed eyes scrutinized the stranger's outline against the dark trees of the Ghastly Woods, making it out to be too thin, feminine... She looked like Jaysyek, but something was just not quite right. Either way, it looked as though she had come down from the Mountain and, that, Taima was sure, required the Nomad girl to come down from her perch and investigate.

She rose to gather her feet underneath her, trotting effortlessly to one side in favor of a small path that would see her safely to the forest floor below. Tail lifted and ears confidently forward, Taima darted after her, barking as both of them bounded across the level terrain, not yet overshadowed by the crooked branches and twisted trunks. "Hey!" she tried to call to the ivory woman's attention. Her voice became demanding in a split second, "Hey!! Excuse me! STOP!" When it seemed she was well-within earshot, the rogue looked as though she were searching for something and the heiress let forth a booming bark, "Stop right there. D-Don't move."

Taima tried to catch her breath but once she was a respectable distance away, she straightened her posture and raised her tail in an arrogant arch over her back, the tip of her tail just short of touching the trace of a dark gray stripe along her spine. "Did you... Did you just come from the mountain? Why? Where?" As hard as she tried, she made a few attempts to see the woman's face. Her scent was unfamiliar but, my, did she look so very familiar... Too familiar for Taima's tastes, actually, and it made her ridiculously nosy in the sense that, though she knew there were many white wolves in the world (in all due respect, if she couldn't tell her black wolves apart, it made all the more sense that she would have trouble picking the white-pelted ones apart also), she had to be sure that this one was not someone from her immediate family. If they were and she had not realized it, she was not sure if she could endure her heartstrings being tugged and strained from her chest as they reattached themselves to the northern part of Cedarwood Forest.

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A r l e t t e Something won't always be missing,you won't always feel emptier.. Stomach let out another screech, and automatically white ears flattened to her skull. What could she find at the bottom of a mountain? Anything large was far out of her grasp, and chasing small things did not sound appealing either. In fact, oh she wanted a drink. Cold water would settle her stomach, and better give a chance of a meal. The girl could not get the idea of snow out of her head, and continued to scent among the dead grass. If she caught a clue of water she would take it. If she had searched longer she might have realized she would have caught the scent of mountain wolves. Back at the mountain, she had no idea how soon she would become a target. In fact, it wasn't till a higher toned bark of "Hey!" loudly across the range did Lettie spun around, darting almost to her stomach in defense. The warning was a female's, and Arlette at times thought they were a lot more cruel than males. If she had intruded on a loner's grounds this could be very bad, and get very ugly. Arlette knew she was not much a fighter, not unless it came down to it. She much rather run away. When pale, yellow eyes searched for this she-wolf Lettie felt a little jolt strike in her chest, and shoot down her limbs. The wolf carried similar markings to her dad. This...no, it could not be him. It was just established she was being chased by a female. This, this was not Trisden either. She would not yell like that Lettie was sure. Careful eyes continued to take in the details of this wolf, down to her cream paws, and pale golden eyes that were highlighted by black lines. The outline of the girl's fur made her about Lettie's size, but she guessed a little shorter, and a bit more well fed. Puzzlement was written all over her pale face, in her quick blinking eyes. No, she would not move any more, she was rooted to the spot. When the guard came closer, Arlette tried to let her face smooth out. She wasn't very good at it, and there were lines of worry about her eyes, to the edge of her lips that wanted to droop. Arlette managed to respectfully shift her eyes, her tail tucked somewhere between her hind legs, as she pushed herself more to a sit. Questions came firing at her, and she fought her nerves not to flinch at everyone. It was probably the fact she was staring at her little sister no muscles twitched any more. Oh, she what had she asked? "I..um..came from that way," and she pointed with her nose to the lower point of the mountain, that took her not quite beside the pass, just down the same point. That was hardly an explanation, and she lowered her head a little bit. "I'm just looking for food..is this your home or something cause I can keep walking." It always seemed to help if she proved she would go without a fight.

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2013, 09:24 PM by Arlette.)

my skin has turned to porcelain

miss taima lyall

to ivory, to steel...

"I..um..came from that way," the woman answered, gesturing towards the peak of Mount Dire. "I'm just looking for food..is this your home or something cause I can keep walking." Taima was quick to reply, wanting to hastily put up front the hefty and commandeering persona she had finally polished to a T, "Yeah, this is my home, but I'm sure there's a good amount of game over there." The girl then pointed with her nose in the opposite direction of where the rogue had motioned toward. "The Ghastly Woods isn't as scary as it looks," she stated in a breezy matter-of-fact manner. Had the girl known the full details of what it took to be a wolf of Nomads Pass, she might have witheld such information about the shadowy expanse of trees, but the way she saw it, if Taima encouraged her to go into the woods, then perhaps it would lessen the chances of her coming back to the mountain and/or the Pass.

She stared across her muzzle at Arlette, only half-certain that she could have sworn she looked familiar. Mom's eyes were gold and blue, she had to tell herself in her head. This lady's are both gold, more like... a sunshine-y color. The masked girl pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Mom never mentioned anything about her siblings; and, Dad only mentioned his sister, Dove, on a handful of occasions. She couldn't recall for the life of her if her Aunt Dove was white-furred or not anymore anyway. It ultimately didn't matter; before she could even stop herself, the words fell form her lips and tongue, "What's yer name? You look familiar."

A curious tilt her head temporarily softened the look on her face and eased the harsh tone in her voice, though her interrogation of sorts was not yet done, "What were you doing on the mountain?"

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A r l e t t e Something won't always be missing,you won't always feel emptier.. A nervous laugh threatened to leave her lips, but became a muffled cough of sorts. Nothing could make her go back that way, not even this girl or her whole pack, oddly enough. Arlette didn't want to act like that bothered her, show a weak link for this one to attack "Oh, I'm headed this way actually," she casually replied, pointing away from the mountain. Though Lettie still had no idea specifically where she would end up, this was not the place she wanted to be. Well, at least she was pretty sure this was not where Alexander had lived. A lump was thick in the hollow of her throat as the girl kept staring so closely at her. Bright eyes weren't that weird were they? The thought made her blink, try to look away from the girl's without success. Arlette was that home sick, looking closely how similar she was to Borden and Trisden. The young lady couldn't help wonder why was she here and not with them? This place was not quite a week away from the Hollow, and wouldn't Fenru had said they lived on the mountain? Shoulders sagged as a silent sigh escaped her just as any possible answer. Yellow eyes slipped to the ground, the white wolf couldn't picture them here. They soon snapped up with a jerk of her chin. Name? It wasn't a complicated question, but Lettie did over due it on things. "I.."she began, thinking there was no possible way for her to know who she was. "Arlette, Dieudonné," she at last spoke, the hint of a french accent in her pronunciation. The forest wolf wasn't sure she could not say Lyall, but a second passed and she stole a breath. "You..you look like a..friend I had. Trisden Lyall?" Lettie had to keep her ears forward, keep her eyes from getting to hopeful, or looking sorrowful. For a second she thought she could see more of a child in Taima, a warmness that made her want to embrace her. No, you can't do that, she thought, and felt her tail give an off beat wag. She was hit with yet another question. This one was a bit easier, no need to think about it. "I was born up there so I was trying to see what was left of my old home," she said with a bit of a side ways smile that wasn't very happy and yet was a little.

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

my skin has turned to porcelain

miss taima lyall

to ivory, to steel...

"Arlette," the woman had answered, her last name coming a couple moments after, "Dieudonné." Taima's head canted to one side. If her mother and father had ever mentioned anything of an Arlette before, it was apparent that she had already forgotten about it. The name "Arlette" did not even ring the smallest of bells. "Pretty," she merely commented, only an inkling of friendliness coming through her steely voice.

What came after the ivory stranger's introduction caught Taima off-guard. Actually, it made her jaw drop open. Trisden Lyall... Trisden... her older-sister-Trisden?! Her mouth closed with a click of her teeth and her eyes glossed over as if a speck of dirt or debris had gotten into both of them simultaneously. Perhaps her family had been searching for her after all...

No...

Taima had to cast away all instances of yearning and neediness in regards to the familiarity of the family she had known since the day she was born. Besides, she tried to reason with herself now in her head. Arlette had just said that she had been born on the mountain. There was no way Arlette was apart of the family she had left behind... Unless... Unless her parents had relocated Grizzly Hollow over the mountain - and, in that case, wouldn't she had seen them then? If they had come to the eastern realm of Relic Lore?

The Lyall took a moment to contemplate over what to say to her older sister's friend. It actually should have come to her mind first, rather than halfway down her list of answers, "You're..." she had to get the tone of her voice, the quivering of her lip under control... "You're Trisden's friend?" Her tail lowered uncertainly and, temporarily, all her guards were lowered, "I'm Trisden's sister..."

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A r l e t t e Something won't always be missing,you won't always feel emptier.. The girl softened a tiny, little bit. Much as she dared, Lettie thought. Thinking how withdrawn they all were as children, very suspicious, putting on a brave front; the bold tongues of both Trisden and Hocus. Had she been raised with them? Arlette wished she could know. She told herself why did that matter, they were all gone but Taima. "Thank you," she kindly said, quite surprised to receive the compliment from the collected yearling. It must have been hard to have her trust, her warmth. Arlette had to shut her mouth, half bite her lips not to laugh or cry out at dear Taima's reaction. Poor girl, you tell her you're sorta her sister and she'll have a heart attack. Then it became a question why was Taima here, alone? Had she left as Lettie and wanted it all back? Was she much better without family? It was hard to tell, but solemnly she held it back with closed jaws letting the girl process it all. All Lettie could do was gently nod her white crown, watching another layer shed from the young, masked lady. Of coarse Arlette knew she had to be Trisden's sister, but it brought a large smile to her face, stretching her cheeks. Lettie didn't want to offend the girl, and felt she might be walking on eggshells if she attempted to say anything."I..I had thought so you..you're a lot like her. I was part of Grizzly Hollow, we --grew up together. She was always taking a stand against trespassers..." Against the world. The white lady didn't say any more, folding her lips together, letting her ears tuck backward afraid of her reaction. Arlette hadn't mentioned what they may or may not apply. She just couldn't.

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2013, 09:33 PM by Arlette.)

my skin has turned to porcelain

miss taima lyall

to ivory, to steel...

The memory of Trisden's masked face easily came to the forefront of her mind as Arlette told her that she looked very much like her sister. While she hated the fact, a small part of her took pride in the fact; and, though she would never admit it to anyone - not even @Datura - Taima had recently taken to spending hours before he mirror-like portions of the creeks and puddles just to make sure she could see herself looking back up at her, yet still be able to remember who she was. Slightly smiling to Arlette she quietly nodded for a second time, another layer shed... Another wave of vulnerability threatening to weigh her down.

As politely and as evenly as possible, she posed another question, still half-wanting to drive the woman away while half-wanting to ask her to stay. "Have you... have you seen Trisden? Renier, Calla, Ryvet... Our-- my parents?" Her muzzle scrunched up along one side before smoothing out as she tried to remember her older brother, the one her parents often still missed apart from Arlette. "An' Hoke...Hokisss?" According to the girl's logic, if Arlette had been friends with Trisden, surely, she should have known Hocus also, if not her age mates.

Drawn closer from interest and curiosity alone, Taima smoothly walked closer to take a close look at the Dieudonné, half-certain she should have remembered seeing her but sure she had never met Arlette in her life. "If..." As much as Taima tried to stop herself, to bite her tongue and keep the question from fluttering from her very lips, she found that it had to be asked... "If you knew Trisden, then... you know about Grizzly Hollow... But if you're from the mountain, then how did you get to know them? We have only one ally, the Swift River wolves." Naturally, her pride made her chest swell, and it was very apparent on her face just how eager she was for an answer. Never in Taima's short life had she ever been denied such a thing as the truth. It just... didn't make sense from her point of view... "How could you be apart of the pack and come from the mountain?"

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(This post was last modified: Jul 28, 2013, 09:34 AM by Taima.)

A r l e t t e Something won't always be missing,you won't always feel emptier.. The white lady was glad to see she had not insulted Taima. It wasn't as if she had called her Trisden, she knew she was not. There were differences, just like with Borden. Arlette could see why she was a little quiet. Especially if, it seemedshe was making her out to be a copy of Trisden. She couldn't be even if she wanted to be. Arlette couldn't began to explain that without making it sound like rubbish. Instead she let it all continue to come to light. Piece by piece. Taima's question had not seemed tough, but they were getting to be that way. It made her see her loneliness mirrored, her search doubled. Though, Renier,Calla, and Ryvet must be the new litter along with Taima. Arlette would not forget that. About to answer, hopefully in best way possible not to think she wasn't looking for them, but there was another name added. "Hocus?" No, she assumed he would have been with Tris. She sensed that wasn't the case, and he probably was the one Lyall who was happy with the change he had made. "Sorry, if I had I would likely have stayed with them. I don't exactly have family here any more." Except for you, that would border on the "do not say out loud" category. Lettie was likely pushing that, so badly wanting to say, "Hey lets go look for them." Holding her place as the yearling stalked closer, Arlette wondered what she would see. It was the puzzle of Arlette's life, she was giving in between the spaces of quiet. She was giving in words. How she didn't have a mom and dad of the same blood. She had two last names. Had had two homes. How did she begin to explain how their lives were connected, but so far apart. "The truth?" There became a serious look to her light yellow eyes, asking if the girl really wanted it. While it didn't seem like this would crush it, Lettie couldn't be sure. It had crushed her world, momentarily, so would it bother Taima? "I was born on the mountain to the pack where your parents lived before they formed Grizzly Hollow. I was born about the same time as Trisden, and Hocus. See, my mom disappeared and my father was a close second trying to keep me safe from a lion. So your Uncle Angier, who was there, took me to the Hollow, for my dad. Jayse accepted me, and I became Trisden's little sister." Arlette had paused, feeling that hole in her chest that made her want to run until her paws bleed to reach their scents. She had succumbed to the urge once, but resisted it now. Some how staring at Taima made her feel she was almost home. "I left before you were born, because I didn't think I was a Lyall. Now I see, I was all along and that's why they didn't tell me before." She had no idea why she confided this information in Taima, because for all she knew she could freak her out. It sounded like a whopper of a tale. What else did Arlette have to lose?