fill my heart with fire

Random Event (Winter Solstice): The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. Darkness will be your cloak, your shield, your mother's milk. Darkness will make you strong... The trees and forests of Relic Lore provide decent protection from the winds but still allow the snows to filter through and chill it to its roots. When the sun sets and the frost makes the trees creak, what unimaginable dangers have come under the cloak of night?

December 14th; Early morning; Light snow; -11° F/-24° C

When it had been realized that with near-continual snowfall that the mountain would be impassable, Angier Lyall was not sure what the think. Was @Elettra going to remain within the stronghold of skeleton-like trees? Had Calla gone off without her? The Lyall couldn't be sure, but regardless of whether or not the Willow matriarch departed, he kept his promise and had, for the past few days, patrolled as best as he could through the territory. With his large, lumbering form he made attempts to plow through the chest-deep snow and establish one of many "highways" for the rest of the pack to use. For most of the night, his restless limbs brought him to carry on further and by morning, it struck Angier that the sun did not rise at his back to warm him...

In mid-step he had to take a moment and catch his breath. His wide, pale eyes scanned the sky through the whip-like branches and vines that hung from the bare branches of the willows around him. Surely he had been tending to this task for several hours now... right? He moved whitherward an angle that deviated from his original path. Instead of making his way around an old log, which could only be discerned by the long narrow bump that was barely level with the virgin snow, he made his way over to where the snow had accumulated over a deep depression in the mud. Out in the open, he craned his head upward, narrowing his eyes.

Where were the stars?

He spun around, the hair about his nape rising in growing apprehension. Where was the moon? Had it even set? An imagined chill that raked down his spine and along his skin made him tremble for two long seconds. A puff of moisture lifted from his open mouth. His gaze went downward and, while he couldn't bring himself to sit, began to scan through his memories for anything that his earth-and-season-oriented grandmother had once taught him several summers ago. For what seemed like several minutes, the tawny brute stood, seemingly frozen in time, likened to the magician who still stood on the darkened stage in silence when his audience had already gone home.

(This post was last modified: Dec 19, 2013, 10:47 AM by Angier.)

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

She was worried. Where irritation once lie at those who were missing from her ranks, the lack of food in the area and the winter coming upon them so quick, she was unable to take part in her route over the mountains she had intend, she was now left to her troubling thoughts, spinning around in her mind as again and again she trudged through her lands in search for prey and those lost. Two arrived and four down. These were not the best of odds. Nearly all of what was left of the medicinal supply was gone due to Tempest's horrid injuries, only for the woman to seemingly up and leave once she was capable. Her partner, the Leader at her side, had now a missing niece, likely to try and go over the mountains despite her words and, likely dead because of it. Muerda was gone without a trace and now even Narcissa's absence troubled her. She was a scout, a recruiter and a great one at that...but it was winter and she had been gone far too long for Elettra's liking during such weather. There she finds him, stilled in his placement amongst the snow, a smudge of grey and tan hued coloring set out from the stark white of their world. She huffs ever so lightly, moving into his direction somewhat lowly. Her head leveled with her spine, her tail low yet her ears perked high. She was on the prowl, or had been at least, and the grim situation, in the darkness, felt only more grim. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"The night is dark and full of terrors..." She speaks to her fellow Lead, easing up to his side and it is here where her head lifts high, her muzzle reaching out towards the sky for a sign of light; a sun, a moon, a single star... She had seen this once before and knew she would live through it, yet still the eerie manner had her guard hairs on end and her heart fluttering. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"Angier - Winter has only just begun and we are down four already." How more would go missing? How many would show up in only death? Would one of her children die throughout this? Life now was left only to question and to waiting. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">

(This post was last modified: Dec 17, 2013, 08:50 AM by Elettra.)

"The night is dark and full of terrors...

Angier gave a start; just like any other night she had come to him, materialized from the shadows as if she had been a shadow herself. He stared at her, wide-eyed and trembling, clearly spooked. She moved to his side and he released another puff of air in attempt to ease his frantically beating heart. "Angier - the sound of his name caught his attention and he stood for a time just staring at her face as she looked up in the stark black sky, "Winter has only just begun and we are down four already."

He winced, uncertain as to what he should say for some time until it came to him... She was possibly looking for consolation, support... and while she could have easily wrangled such things from Skana and Guiness, here she was. Now, if only his assumptions could only be confirmed, then he could have been a bit more confident in his words. What came tumbling from his jowls were airy pronunciations of things that he figured ought to be said. "Don't worry yourself so. They'll be back."

The Lyall licked his lips, still peering at her in the darkness, scrambling for words what he should be doing. "The last I checked, my Lady," he made certain to affably address her and put some emphasis on her title, something that he had seemingly always done. "We 'ad quite a number of scents on our borders." He tried to count them in his head: Guiness, the Consul, the Hunter, and the two Runners... Five. Eight if he included the three young Archers who now crossed territory markers on a near-daily basis.

"We will be fine," he attempted again to hearten her. "E'en if the stars don't shine, surely we could do without 'em for a night." He had failed to recall anything about how the winter solstice or other hocus pocus kept the stars at bay during the start of the cold season, but nevertheless, he had regained himself in Elettra's companionship. "Whatever terrors might appear should 'ave no impact on us." If Angier was going to try and be true to himself, he had to admit that he really had faith in what he had just said. Between him and Guiness, two large males, rogues wouldn't have a mind to mess with them. With Skoll continually attempting to mess and intentionally frighten his superiors and the Runners keeping tabs on the inside and outside lines of their territory, the wolves of Willow Ridge did have its defenses. With Skana's advice and Semananti's knack for wrestling up a meal, they, as a pack, were also both vigilant and fed.

He swallowed quietly, lowering his rump into the snow, continuing to test the waters in regards to learning just how Elettra Archer worked, "You seem worried..."

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

It was true, she could have came to Guiness or Skana of her feelings, the two wolves within the ranks which had been here far longer then Angier himself had. @Guiness had been Second and leading Guardian for so long and while no man held the power of leadership, it was he who backed up her ruling with an iron paw. @Skana was a teacher to the children, a fierce protector at home base. Her words guided her children in ways the Advisor had guided Elettra. However, it was Angier who was her Leader now she if he was going to be more then just a figurehead to this pack, she wanted to know how he felt. Perhaps a test of sorts, she wanted to know how Angier wished to handle this winter of little food, of how he felt about those missing and if he had any intention of doing anything about it. His optimism did little to slate her. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"Of course, we will survive. Just with, less." She admits, moving so that she too may settle down beside him - close, though only so much that their fur barely brushed against one another. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"A bit..." She speaks, offering a small sigh of stirred hot breath into the air before continuing. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"Tempest drained nearly all our herbs and then high-tailed it. I don't know where Muerda ran too, your niece likely went off looking for her sister despite my words of the mountains, and Narcissa..." She pauses, shifting on her weight. There is a lump in her throat at the thought of her scent waning. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"If the herds are truly gone, I suggest we make everything a food source. Foxes, coyotes, wolverine, the crows if we can catch one. We will not starve." Though she was worried of Narcissa's safety. Though she was worried that if they did take down predators as prey and did not have the herbs to help treat wounds, she knew none the less they would prevail as they had done so previously. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">

(This post was last modified: Dec 20, 2013, 02:49 AM by Elettra.)

She settled down at his side, making every fiber of his being tense momentarily with newfound thrill. These days he had been moving around so much that it had felt like eons since he had felt her beside him. An appreciative smile crept onto his pale face but as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished at the sound of her sigh. She was worried. His brow furrowed and he kept his eyes off of her to keep from seeming too concerned. Instead he allowed his gaze to flit back up to the moonless sky.

He could hear the hint of doubt in her voice, that he might not have succeeded in attempting to comfort her. Though she had no qualms about whether or not the wolves of Willow Ridge would survive, Elettra mentioned that Tempest had made use of their valuable cache of herbs and left without a word. He let out a snort, unimpressed to say the very least. When the matriarch continued to inform him that with the herds gone - something that he had feared deep down to his very core - they ought to make everything and anything a food source.

"Of course," he agreed with her, seconding that the survival tactic of foraging, scavenging, and hunting outside their normal means of sustenance would be a sure-fire way to outlast the winter. "I'll try to see if I can find somethin' new fer th' cubs t' try." He leveled his muzzle then, staring now through the willow trees straight ahead of him across the small clearing. "A diet of frozen birds an' leftover bones ne'er really hurt anyone," he lent. "Jus' takes a while to get used to 's all." The winter he had come into the realm of Relic Lore had been an ordinary one, but his determination to find his older brother - and eventually show him up - had fashioned him into the perfect scrounger. Dead things might have continually left his stomach in such a pinched, hunger pang-plagued state but it had given him energy to forge onward to the Mountain of Dire... where he had met Alexander Dieudonné for the first and last time.

For the briefest moment, he allowed the winter-chilled air to come between them but its stillness had been terribly unwelcoming. Gone were the days of the warmth of spring when he had Borden's company to keep and the dying Summer evenings in which he had begged Elettra for an audience. In the still of night the quietness brought with it the unsettling feeling of impending danger and dread. He opened his mouth, hoping to keep the frigid atmosphere at bay with a tangent of conversation... something he had been wondering now for some time but had never had the chance to feel like he had the right to voice it. His voice sounded out from his throat just above a whisper, daintily laced in both curiosity and wonderment, "Who was he? The man who sired your children?"

A shaky, ragged breath of air released from his windpipe, his ears lowering ever so slightly, assumption getting the best of him as he crossed out the possibility of Guiness being Asriel, Skoll and Morganna's father (if the Guardian had been, wouldn't he have defended his rank instead of allowing Angier to claim his place as Willow Ridge's Leader?). "Where did he go?" He rolled the tip of his tongue and pressed it hard against the roof of his mouth to keep his next question from fluttering off his lips. Why couldn't you have waited for me?

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

She would take note of his small tension just as she had taken note of the quivers which wracked his body when she appeared from the gloom of the night, out of utter darkness. His smile was caught from the corners of her gaze before he lift his head to the lifeless, distant sky. He worked like a youth. Like a boy with his first crush, like a virgin soul having yet been tainted. ....Elettra tried to ignore it. If she took it to heart she would realize why he acted this way. Took into consideration once more of everything he had said and so far, proven true. He was a Leader at her side and after this harsh winter ended, spring would be here and yet another little of Willow Ridge children would stir.... He would be hers. And more fearfully at thought for such a leap, she would be his. Certainly if she thought of it too hard, she would flutter away so she did her best to play casual. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"They will learn and they will manage." She speaks on behalf of the words Angier spoke of her children expanding their food range. They could not any longer dine on various deer if there was none nor have fish if the rivers were all frozen solid. She knew herself a good enough mother to give her children the last of the 'good food' left within the caches before having them each birds and vile coyote, but she knew if need be (which is seemed likely) they would do as they were commanded. Elettra had by no means a reason to keep them from knowing harsh reality. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"I made a call out a few weeks ago about new game. I just hope if someone comes across a coyote or badger worth taking down that they don't attempt it alone." After all, though it would be great to have the back-up food, it was not worth a serious injury to one of her pack-mates. The next question was by far something she had expected from him, a boldness which even her children had yet to voice (or perhaps they had not cared). She could have expected it, as certainly at some point in time he would have liked to know and yet still the question gave her a start, silence taking her as she took in a been breath in the chilled darkness. Where as it might not have before, without any source of light, the winds cut her to the bone. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"Kiche." She answers him delicately, though by the number of questions knew that this simple answer would not be enough. She had told him of her past, that if any reason she was distant to him, it was due to that. So why hide this? She had not been regretful of it before, so why now? @Angier questioned why not wait for him? @Phineas wondered why he affection was not noticed? Simply @Kiche had been there- they had not. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"He was a part of Grizzly Hollow when I joined, a founding member, I think..." And oh, how she hated him then. How she hated him still yet for other reasons, of course. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"He had been a part of the Ridge for some time when Spring came. I was alone in my rule and there was no other." At least, she did not know there was another. Had Phineas made his desires towards her known, it would be him standing in Angier's place instead. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"I wished children and to solidify my sole rule. Kiche was a faithful servant of mine so I chose him. He had no family name, ether, so the children were free to lengthen the Archer line." In many ways it was more political then anything else. The dominant wolf in the pack had the only rights to breeding and if she wanted to stay sole ruling Leader, she had a duty to herself and the pack in order to keep it strong. Not to mention her choice heightened her family's power and the proud name they carried. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"I don't know where he is, he left not long after you joined though I don't know if you'd remember him..." After all, he never been one to socialize with his pack-mates. He was here under Elettra's charge and this had apparently been all. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"He was a Second with the Leader position open. It seemed he did not want to Lead by me nor be a father so I told him to get out. I've not seen him since." <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">

(This post was last modified: Dec 20, 2013, 11:54 PM by Elettra.)

Look Out!

A bear has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

The name that came off her tongue was a strange one; in all actuality, he had expected either some sort of fancy name (The Misplaced Rogue-Heir of Torbine a.k.a. "the Hound," or something to that effect) or a name so familiar that it struck in him the sort of jealousy that had at one point only been present in the face of Borden's triumphs. It consisted of one syllable and sounded as though it just clicked and whispered from her jaws. Kiche. Angier was certain after a few seconds that he had never met a man with such an alias. Elettra continued to tell him that he had been affiliated with Grizzly Hollow - so, then, he must have known Borden and/or Jaysyek - and eventually found his way over to Willow Ridge... just like he had.

Angier's ears flattened briefly in thought, gazing to her as she revealed that she had wanted children and the means to continue her bloodline. She had been alone, a singular Leader at the head of a powerful pack, and what had the Lyall done in that span of time? No doubt blundering and prancing about her borders, wanting her word of allegiance to him but not wanting to be apart of her court until he was confident in his ability to stamp out his lust for traveling.

"I don't know where he is," she then stated. It made the brute's head tilt slightly to one side; the sadness that was becoming apparent on his face made his lips droop. It had started with Alexander, presumed missing or dead from the battle on the Dire Mountain's steep rock face, then Indru had gone missing... Stories of Borden's first quest surfaced by the time he had reached his two-week mark with staying and caring for Jaysyek and his nieces and nephews. Now, this Kiche had seemingly continued a tradition in the making. It made Angier's chest tighten and his eyes gloss over as though the winter chill was now too much for him to withstand out in the open. He looked away to hide the growing grimace that was tugging at his face. By this point, he had been so sure that he had wanted a family of his own, that he had wanted to be with Elettra, to be her everything. Now, he wasn't positive about anything aside from the fact that he still desired to be Elettra's significant other.

Prompted to recall whether or not he remembered the man, Angier shook his head to confirm that he had no recollection of him. The door to claiming leadership had been open to Kiche but had seemingly declined. Elettra had dismissed him and she had not seen him since. All this newfound information instilled within the second-born Lyall an impending fear, a feeling that he thought he had vanquished when Guiness had allowed him to claim superiority over him. Inwardly, he cursed at himself inside his skull, the words echoing in his ears. Idiot! Dimwit! Moron! You'll be damned if you dare think of making her yours. You'll be... Just. Like. Them.

Perhaps he shouldn't have asked.

In a hasty attempt to change the topic once more, he cleared his throat, training his eyes to remain focused on the willows head of him. "Are you okay?" he asked, misty vapor rising from his throat again as he fought to keep the sick feeling in his stomach from inching up into his chest. Are you okay after everything that you've been through? ...Have I been able to give you what you have asked of me thus far? "Could I get you something for later this evening?"

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

"The Hound" Omfg. I love him.

The Relic Lore was no more then a mass of orphans, abandoned by parents that ether willingly left them, wondered off and got lost some how, or simply died due to some tragic mishap. Already Elettra knew that Koda had gone away 'soul searching' or some shit, leaving Nina with pups and single motherhood. It had not done her well, as one of her children had died already, bringing Elettra to feel a darkness towards Koda which mimicked that she felt towards Borden. He, who left his family in search for one of his children instead of sending proper scouts out. He, who in his leave left his pack, his wife, and children behind, two which had died in his absence. Unknowingly Narime now had lost her man, who up and disappeared, not to mention the countless other motherless and fatherless children who roamed the Lore at this very moment. Elettra did not want her children to suffer. She had a strong doubt that her children were not happy where they were. They showed no signs of ill content. They had not even mentioned their father, much less wonder who he was and where he went. They had her. They had Skana and they had Guiness. Now, they even had Angier which it seemed they were accepting well enough as a man along since their mother. They would have a strong male to look up to and if things went well, her litter would learn to accept Angier as a father-figure, given the fact that he would be the blood father of their coming younger brothers and sisters. He seemed obviously upset with the news, his eyes tightening with the thin line of his lips. His head turning away from her, focusing hard elsewhere. Elettra did not bother to dig and think hard on exactly what was upsetting him so, for the situation could have popped up numerous things. When he changes the subject, she takes in a deep breath, her focus outward as his own as she lets a few moments of silence pass between them. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">"I am." She says only and after another fleeting moment the smallest of smiles graces her grey rimmed lips. Her eyes dance towards the large timbered man at her side, taking in what little features of his being she could in this darkness. No one could see them. They were alone together. So utterly alone... <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#ffffff;">

Much to Angier's relief, she said that she was fine, okay, all right... even if she did not mention a request or favor. In looking away he had missed her hint of a smile, what could have been the traces of an oeillade in the way she gazed at him through the darkness. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again; had the moon been out, the worry presented by the wetness of his eyes would have easily given him away. He inhaled sharply, sniffling before swallowing and clearing his throat again. "Do they know?" he asked, the tone of his voice seeming fragile in the early morning air as he returned back to the subject of Kiche and the legacy he had left behind. He paused, hoping Elettra would catch on that by "they," he had meant the young Archer heirs and heiresses. "They didn't get to know him at all, did they?"

He thought back to how Trisden and Hocus had practically grown up without Borden, how Jaysyek - like Elettra before - had to endure motherhood on her own. His brow furrowed further... What had happened? He didn't feel anything whereas several weeks prior to this encounter with his leading lady all he had ever thought of was securing a future with her. Behind him the tail at his back swept across the snow and pressed up against his hind leg. With his criticizing and anguish thrown aside he found a moment to recollect himself and give her time to think or answer him.

His heart felt like it was fumbling about in his chest instead of simply beating as it ought to. He angled and turned his head to face her, straining his eyesight to make her out against the darkness of the forest. Twice, his lips parted but no further words came out, all his professions of admiration and devotion to her lost in the whirlwind of being insecure in the wake of learning about Kiche's departure. He was at war with himself, siding with his mind for once against his heart, but still ever so doubtful of what he ought to say or do. Either way, he ultimately decided, he would be doomed... Forced to remain within the confines of Willow Ridge or to be forever tortured by continually measuring himself up to the family man Borden had been before him.

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)