Starsight

<b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">1-3-2014 // Midnight // -22° C // The wind carries unnerving sounds in the Ghastly Woods. Karpos couldn't sleep.... again the thoughts of his father and whom he may or may not have known were keeping him up. The boy heard unnerving sounds and it reminded him even more of Spectral Woods. The forest he had been born in did not often make strange noises like that of Ghastly Woods, but it had strange sights. Where he was born, you could not see the stars. But the place he was raised, there was nothing strange to it. The creepy and unsettling tones set the boy on edge as he got up. He slowly made his way out of the pack den, trying not to wake any of the hard working wolves who helped keep the pack a pack. He saw it as an adventure, find the source of the noises. This adventure had to stay on territory though, he didn't want to leave the protected pack lands in the dead of winter; he saw that as suicide. The black coated up started off, taking a careful note as to every scent he could catch. His eyes scanned around the forest as he remembered some of the words that Sir Mapplethorpe had said and what they meant. Tace. I must be Tace. Quiet.. I must be quiet if I am to catch whatever makes the evil noises. He told himself, remembering that one word that Sir Mapplethorpe had used during the hunt; that one word of the ancient language Mapplethorpe's ancestors had used was what he thought of. Sir Mapplethorpe had honestly scared the shit out of him half a dozen times, but they were for things that Karpos or someone else had done wrong. Karpos really looked up to the man who stood beside Mrs. Naira. He looked up to the father of Aponi. For that, there was no compare. Sure, his dad was the best man he knew, but his dad was dead. He had to find someone else to look up to.

More often than not, Mercy woke up during the night and found himself unable to get back to sleep. His mother, lately, had taken to doing her border patrols during the night and perhaps it was the need to find her approval which had him waking up at such ungodly hours, so that he too could contribute to the pack when the land was dim and dark and bitterly cold. He wanted to find approval within the pack, especially as he was nearing the yearling mark. His stature had increased and with their new home in the woodlands, he found that the ache of hunger was more easily satisfied- the hunting conditions had much improved since they'd left the mountain- even though that didn't say much. The mountain had been devoid of prey.

He left the den and saw the pawprints of his mother, sniffing them to gauge how long ago she'd left the area. He shrank back, though, when the wind picked up and a moaning, ghostly sound- hollow and aching- hit his ears. For a moment he thought it might be his mother, and that she was in incredible pain or mourning- and it took him some time before he convinced himself that it wasn't her- and that it wasn't a wolf at all. But it was so realistic that it set the boy's nerves on end as he continued to pad away from the communal den and out into the darkness.

He was relieved to see Karpos' footprints in the snow and he picked up a lope so that he could catch up; he knew he wasn't too far behind and it wasn't long before he thought he saw the dark figure up ahead, squinting to make sure that it was, in fact, a wolf he was seeing, and not some stump or bush playing tricks on his eyes.

He'd had few words with the other male youth, and growing up, he'd never had any male playmates. Only Aponi and Nova had been his friends, though Aponi had been terrible to both of them. Even though Karpos followed her around like a love-struck goose, he didn't begrudge the boy one bit for it- if anything, he was impressed. Karpos seemed humble and pleasant, and seemed to temper the blaze of Aponi's spite and keep her rebellious nature in check. As far as Mercy was concerned, Karpos could stay around as long as he wanted, so long as he continued to be a pacifier for the young princess.

"Hey," He called out, in a soft voice once he got within earshot. He dipped his head in greeting and moved to the male's side, slowing his stride so that they could walk together. Before he could say anything else, the moaning sound interjected. Mercy's ears flicked forward, then back. "Creepy, huh?" He asked, with a shadow of a smile on his lips.

<b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">Karpos turned only to the sound of a voice, one that was familiar, but not familiar. He saw the dark grey wolf and he couldn't help but smile. That voice, he remembered it when Mercy had wished him luck during the pack hunt. "Hey." He responded is an alert tone as he continued to peer around. Mercy thought it was creepy, and while Karpos did too, it wasn't as bad as Spectral Woods. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"It is, but nothing as bad as the place I was born. Spectral Woods, there were some noises but not a lot. There was more concern on the figures you thought you saw in the distance and the fact that you could almost never see the stars in the sky. Daylight never pierced the thick canopy of trees that lurked above me.... until we moved." He told the pup in a somewhat lengthy and unneeded explanation. Karp hid a lot in his eyes; he had realized this when he was off in the mountains with Aponi after he had first been accepted. It seemed, however, that he saw Aponi less and less. She did not show for the pack hunt. In fact, the last time he had seen her outside of sleeping was the claiming and Karpos wondered what she was doing. Every waking minute he was curious about the strange girl, future queen of the mountain. He then spoke once more. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"Its good to know I'm not the only boy here." He spoke his peace with a small chuckle. He had been the only boy pup in Pitch Pine Trail, but it had been simple, just him and his sister. He missed Adsila, but Silver had told him that her scent was mixed with Ace's and therefore they were travelling together. When the mountain was passable, he would surely try to visit her.

MERCY get your things, we're leaving when the morning birds are singing, we're sailing. Mercy was quite glad when Karpos agreed that the noise was creepy. Not that Mercy was terribly frightened of it, but the noise couldn't have been described as anything comforting. Karpos went on to talk- without gloating- about how creepy the sounds had been when he'd lived in a place called Spectral Woods- to Mercy, it sounded a lot like where they lived now, though it seemed so much darker and full of mystery. He recalled the incident where he and Nova had spotted something afar in the mist and had chased it, allowing their imaginations to get the better of them. What made the difference in this situation was the way Karpos spoke about his former home. Something about the way he trailed off and then spoke about moving from the Woodlands. But his eyes weren't sad, and his tone didn't change greatly- so Mercy took the hint and decided not to ask about Karpos' past, even though he was very interested in find out what had happened to him, and where his family was. Instead, he tried to muster up as warm a smile a he could. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Sounds like you have a habit of living in spooky places," He said. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"This place doesn't seem as bad as Spectral Woods. I'm just glad there's food here, at least," He said with a small chuff of a laugh. He looked over at Karpos as they moved, when he offered a small but touching confession. Mercy grinned back at him and casually sauntered a step closer so that his shoulder could bump against Karpos', a gesture he wouldn't have used had he been walking alongside Nova or Aponi. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"I'm glad you're here," He said, and since he didn't want to sound too sentimental, he shrugged. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"I don't like sparring with the girls," he said, and added, with a laugh- <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Especially Aponi. She's rough!"

table by mimi

<b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">Karpos listened with a laugh, yes he did. Well, he use to, the places he use to live were creepy; he loved every place he went regardless. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"I guess I do Mercy!" He told the pup with a grin. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">'cept the fen, the fen was just wet and stinky. I can't tell you how many times I had to sneak away from my father and then later my uncle." He said light heartedly. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"It's actually how I found here; I met Aponi in that Spectral Woods and she told me about here. Then Mrs. Naira and Sir Maplethorpe found her and I bolted. Later Pitch Pine Trail fell apart and I remembered her telling me about the mountain. And here I am, in another spooky place. 'Cept here there is more than my sister to talk to." He told him, again he gave away to much information on his past life. Aponi? Rough? Karpos knew of no such thing and so he tilted his head in confusion. "Aponi's never been rough around me?" He told him curiously, so Aponi was a rough Princess? It made no sense to him, but whatever. He looked at the boy beside him for answers, and then he asked the boy a question. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"I was told you weren't born here, like me and that Mrs. Naira took you in. So where were ya born?" He asked with the curious tone holding. The smile he still held on his muzzle.... until he heard that noise again and he realized what it was. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"The trees are whispering." He whispered to Mercy.

MERCY get your things, we're leaving when the morning birds are singing, we're sailing. Having spent the majority of his social time with Crowe, who- more often than not- spoke few words but was concise and to the point, Mercy found himself surprised and impressed with the amount Karpos was willing to talk. He went on at length about any topic that was given, it seemed- and Mercy was a patient and attentive listener. His expressions reflected his thoughts as Karpos mentioned Naira and Mapplethorpe, showing amusement at the way Karpos referred to them. He supposed it was proper, though- Mercy had been half-raised by the leaders, and because of this he'd only ever used such formalities in meetings...Though upon a short bit of reflection, he supposed that he too spoke to Mapplethorpe with a great deal of respect, often addressing him as 'sir,' simply because he commanded it, albeit wordlessly. He was able to glean a vague idea about Karpos' upbringing from what he volunteered- he mentioned his father and then an uncle, but that the uncle came later in his life, leading Mercy to believe that he'd been raised, at least in part, by his uncle rather than his parents. He also mentioned having a sister, which made Mercy's ears swivel forwards- where was his sister now? Was she older, or was she from the same litter? If she was the only other pup he knew, then Karpos must have come from a small pack- maybe a family-based pack. And obviously he'd been separated from them, or they'd fallen apart. For some reason- perhaps the way he'd mentioned sneaking away from his uncle, Mercy got the impression that Karpos' father was dead...And since he hadn't mentioned his mother, either, he assumed that she too was out of the picture. He wondered for a moment if Karpos usually spoke so much about his past, but again he decided against asking more questions about him- partially because he didn't want to hear bad news. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"I expect there'll be more next year, when we're yearlings," He said. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"I bet Naira and Mapplethorpe'll be having pups this Spring," He said. He'd never entertained the idea of having younger siblings himself- he didn't even consider the fact that his mother was available or inclined toward having her own children- but liked the idea of having younger siblings through his relationship with Naira. He snorted softly when Karpos confessed that Aponi had never been rough around him- this surprised Mercy. It seemed as though Aponi had Karpos fairly well trained and under her thumb, so maybe she'd never needed to school him- maybe he'd always been so compliant. He shrugged a shoulder. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Ahhh, it was just when we were kids, mostly. She and Nova don't always get along; I think Aponi wants to be boss. And she dislikes me 'cause I'm a bastard," He admitted, shamelessly, supplying part of an answer to Karpos' question. His ears tilted and he smiled faintly as he listened to the sounds from the trees. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Sagacity found me when I was a baby, somewhere near the mountain, and brought me back to the pack. So she's my mom, but Naira kind of was too." He said, albeit somewhat vaguely, distracted by the whispering winds.

table by mimi

everything that kills me makes me feel alive Karpos listened with interest to what Mercy had to say. Karpos was officially blocking out all the noises from the creepy forest and that was always a good thing. There was a term used that Karpos had never heard of. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"What's a bastard? I ain't what people call a bastard, but they call me an orphan." Karpos said in confusion. He didn't have the best upbringing when it came to knowledge. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"I guess so, I've never really talked to Nova though, I've heard about her though." He muttered to himself mostly. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"Your parents died?" He asked, for he saw no other reason that Sagacity would have taken him to the mountain pack unless there were no other parents around. As the silence around him grew, he started to hear the forest noises again and a shudder went through him. Karp's eyes narrowed off in the horizon, a small snarl from his muzzle. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;">"It sounds like somethan dark is coming, but I don't know what." He said with a small hiss of venom in his speech. The dark colored boy might just be going crazy, but he always seemed to be on edge. He didn't trust many anymore, anyone outside the pack at least. There were even a few inside the pack that he found to have a lack of trust for. These wolves, they were those he had never talked to. Aponi, Sir Mapplethorpe, Mrs. Naira and Mercy were the only wolves to have ever talked to him. The rest were distant figures that occasionally he interacted with; pack events.

MERCY get your things, we're leaving when the morning birds are singing, we're sailing. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Really? You don't know what 'bastard means'?" Mercy asked, childishly responding before considering that not everyone would have found the word civil enough to use around polite company. Having heard it and accepted that that was what he was- and not really caring about any negative connotation it might have- Mercy'd become accustomed to thinking of himself as a bastard, especially when he was brought up alongside Aponi and Nova, who were bona fied princesses. Karpos went on to explain that he was an orphan, but not a bastard. But then again, maybe he was one- since he didn't know what it meant. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Bastard more or less means mistake," He said, having found his manners again. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Sage found me with my birth mom, who was alone and dying. I can't remember if she said they'd actually talked or not before my mom died, but I think she must've been exiled from her pack for getting pregnant without having a mate. Mom said it was something along those lines, anyway. Being a bastard is being born from a non-mate relationship." He said. He wasn't aware that he referred to Sagacity both as 'mom' and 'Sage' within the same context, and didn't realize that it might've been confusing for Karpos to follow- but given that he normally referred to Sagacity as his mother anyway, it didn't feel natural for him to continuously refer to her by her name. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"I'm kind of an orphan too," he said, giving Karpos a small smile. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Doesn't matter if my dad's dead or alive- I wouldn't know him and he wouldn't know me." He said with a shrug. There'd be no way to tell- looks alone wouldn't be enough, and he wasn't about to go try and find a wolf who'd exiled a pregnant female. He gave Karpos a slightly weird look when he talked about the noise from the trees again, and Mercy looked out into the darkness for a moment before looking back at Karpos. The kid was pretty concerned with the sounds he heard, which to Mercy was a bit ridiculous, considering that it was just made by the trees. A devious grin spread across his face, and he play-bowed for just a moment. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Got that right!" He said, before he pounced at his companion, with the intention of instigating a scuffle or playfight.

table by mimi

everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Karpos gave a small frown when Mercy gave the definition of 'bastard'. Surely Mercy couldn't have been a mistake. A bee doesn't just 'slip' and fall on a bird to have a pup, if you know what he meant. Karp was calm as he listened to Mercy talk about how 'Sage' brought him back and then Mrs. Naira and Sir Mapplethorpe had taken him in. Knowing what he knew of his lineage he could be considered a bastard so he spoke up when Mercy finished speaking. "My da and my ma left their pack and had me and my sister; but after we were born my ma disappeared and so my da led us to a new pack. I guess that makes me a bastard, or a half bastard at least?" He told the pup as he tried to figure it out himself.

"At least you have the possibility of having a parents left. I'd kill to have my da back with me." He whispered as another sound moving through the woods set him on edge again. "He's the reason I'm always up." He explained to the pup with a melancholy tone. Karpos Slayer was born to be a guardian in his father's pack; somehow he ended up far away. He ended up over the mountains with a pack of mostly strangers. He ended up there because he chased after the enigma that was Aponi. These were the choices he made'. He never regretted them however. He just wondered if things would be different if his father still lived.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2014, 10:14 PM by Karpos.)

Look Out!

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health