Sex: FemaleWhen she burrowed into her mound of ice the moon was in the sky. It was freezing, but she'd been desperately hunting for something to eat. Unfortunately, there was nothing, and she went to be hungry. She was running on fumes now, her journey to these unknown lands becoming a mere memory, shadowed by the events that loomed over her at this moment. Fur thick and able, she curled into a ball, letting her tail fall over her nose as she squeezed her eyes closed, pretending the moon had warmth as the sun did. But the next time her eyes opened, there was still no sun. Adelaide had slept through the day, unnoticed in her crystalline pile, and into the night. From the position of the moon, the day had only recently ended, but she struggled to relieve herself from her resting place. More snow had accumulated atop that which she had been buried beneath and all of it had frozen to some extent. Nose-first, her head found the biting air, eyes squinting at the sudden assault of cold air. Her body ached as she pulled herself free of the ice cocoon, and she could only wonder how close she'd been to death. Cold grey eyes scanned the vast span of white before her, and she knew something had to be done about this.
Hold onto faith as I dig another grave The light of the moon struck the thousands of scattered ice shards, reflecting off a pair of golden eyes in a menacing glow. There was a quiet, young beast on the prowl. There was little that would slow his stride nor his progress. Even this new layer of white. The russet, and tawny wolf wasn't running on empty fumes. Even upon an empty stomach, his large paws were fueled with stubbornness, and a new bitterness he had acquired. It wasn't under the cloak of darkness he had planned to return, here he was feeling every bite Relic Lore had to offer.
Uncertain of where he was in this bleak landscape,where little seemed to stand out, he followed what he was sure to be the direction of north. It had never lead him a stray before, and eventually he would see something familiar right? The Mountain of Dire was the landmark he kept in mind. Golden eyes kept darting to the left for the rocky mountain. Even with night vision he must be far from it. Scowling with a grumble, he drove himself harder. The ground kept raising, and he wondered how long this climb would be.
Rather damn long, he stood upon the knoll, his throat was screaming, and his lungs couldn't pull in air quick enough. There was a smug look to the young man's face, and with a raised crown he forced himself into a slow walk. There was nothing like an accomplishment to raise his spirits. Most Lyall's seemed to have a fierce drive once they had set their mind to something, and he was no different. He was here to find Taima, Calla, and Ryvet, and forget about that...insolent girl. There was no hiding the way his teeth ground against each other, thick guard hairs bristling in sharp points above his shoulders.
In the distance, a strange sight caught his attention. A piece of snow was moving.Red ears tipped back, the wolf rose his lips, a growl building in the confines of his thick, cream colored throat. Even when it became a wolf shape, Ren wasn't the trusting sort, and kept a defensive stance. Slowly his rough tones of his surprise quieted. It was with a sense of bemusement he drew closer, nostrils attempting to pick up more information. An older female long by herself. It wasn't exactly a fact. "Odd place to sleep," he murmured, with a huff.
"There is not much choice when you are without a home." She answered, her own chipper, accented tones carrying easily across the space that separated them. Her tail wagged at her back though she was still on the defensive in her posturing. "What would you recommend, boy?" A joking question was offered to him, latte brows rising over her pale eyes. It was her intention to begin the hunt for a pack today. It brought butterflies to life in her stomach, that thought. In the dead of winter, with clearly no food about, who would be so kind as to bring a stranger into a palace?
i put dohtml so i could see your post. -switch
Hold onto faith as I dig another grave The young Lyall stood, gauging her reaction with a reserved expression. First surprise, next collecting herself, and last a quiet laugh his ears barely managed to grasp. Not so bad a way to meet a stranger, he quietly mused. Usually, they tended to be a bit more unpleasant even before he spoke. He was about to wag his tail, and grin just because she might be the first friendly creature he had encountered in a time. He had long outgrown those youthful actions given out so readily by the slightest thing of light.
His red tipped ears twitched, drawn to the raises, and drops of her voice. He had never quite heard anyone speak like that. Where had she came from? He easily extinguished any curiosity from revealing itself. No longer a boy, the question remained tucked away. In silence he agreed with her reply, because while not exactly homeless, his home was much too far away for him to enjoy its comforts. Out here there was not much choice. Quick of with the lady teased him of a better place. The still face of the Lyall was no more. Brows brushed together, and corners of his mouth set in a tight line. He seemed to believe if he answered wrong, he would be counted as a fool. Renier Lyall was not. "Well for starters I would pick under a tree, or lower on the hillside." Shrugging his large shoulders, his honey colored eyes flicked down. "But you are right. Without a home, sometimes you simply crash where you must."
Lately had made bad habit of sleeping in short increments, because once settled the cold began a fight to keep his body still. Despite being young he knew winter wasn't someone to tamper with. A flick of his nose, briefly looking to her metallic colored eyes, he spoke. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to keep walking. I plan on finding drooping willows before morning." With a respectful nod of his head (as his mother had tried to encourage in him manners and politeness) he continued to cut through the snow.
She took in his words, her head tilting in quiet agreement. His voice sounded so foreign to her compared to the heavy tones of her homeland. Of course, it was only now that she realized that their accent had a bit of weight to it. The unpleasant feeling within the pit of her stomach was replaced by a more superficial discomfort, as though she stood out too much. There was naught she could do about it though, and went on speaking, "I'll keep that in mind for the future, then." There was a slight joking edge to her voice, as though, despite the legitimacy of his suggestions, she would still end up encased in snow.
He began to move on again, and she turned, taking a few steps forward, "Mind if I follow along? Perhaps there might be something for me in these drooping willows." Heavily accented words spilled forth kindly. Adelaide would have been more than happy to have company, rather than spend another day traveling alone.
Hold onto faith as I dig another grave When it came to giving advice instead of taking it Renier felt out of place in these circumstances. He knew older didn't always mean wiser, but she didn't seem a fool in ignorant bliss. Just a wolf who had happened to sleep in a snow bank. As his eyes slipped over her silver and tawny mask he had a brief wonderment what sort of words of wisdom she might have in turn. Times he acted the part of knowing it all, but he was still the boy eager to learn. Maybe, he was being silly but again he felt she must come from some where different by the simple tones of her voice. Somewhere that had different stories.
He had not the energy nor want to let his imagination take off with him. When she replied he nodded, serious again. Much more than one his age should have been. Especially because her voice and smiles were warm in this desolate season. There was another reason he didn't quite smirk back, he felt guilty. The kind that no matter how deep down he kept it, trying to hide it, damn it to non-existence, it still was like a raw wound that wouldn't leave him. Instead it would slowly bleed him dry. This was worst because even if he was home the guilt would remain.
Without waiting for answer he continued his steady stride. She asked to follow, and the young rogue paused. She seemed alright, so what was the harm? "Won't bother me. There's a pack their actually if you happen to be looking for one of them." He had met least one wolf from there, and for now assumed there still must be one. He could be wrong again, but forced the thought back. He wouldn't be sticking around to find out. He had to get to the forest, if only to see it was still there. Feeling he should try to make an effort with his stiff actions, he decided to try small talk. "I'm Renier by the way. Use to live here, but left a bit ago. I'm hoping I'll find my siblings somewhere."
Adelaide dipped her head to him as they traveled onward. "I am Adelaide Belrose." She frowned lightly at his predicament. "I do hope you find them, Renier." It was a bit sad, wanting to find your family, but not knowing where they were. Adelaide felt herself past that age. Though she loved her family, she'd spent her greater years with them. By the end of it all, she was desperate to escape from those lands. She let the silence linger for longer than she intended, a bit consumed in her thoughts. But when realizing this, she spoke up, "Parlez-vous français?" Something in her doubted it, but why not ask?
Hold onto faith as I dig another grave A thin smile was offered upon her cheeriness. He supposed a pack was just what she needed. He didn't know much of Willow Ridge to offer her information on it being right or wrong or he would have. Or maybe he would have told her about Grizzly Hollow. Even that was different. He didn't know how much, but it had been quite a deal of time that had passed since they had all left..how could it be the same?
They trekked through the snow, and the Lyall, naturally a born leader, found it didn't seem so odd to have a follower again. Ryvet after all had abandoned the post, and Taima had never much cared for it. Or until he convinced her it was her own idea. Memories like that weren't helpful, and his stoic mask came back into play. He was all serious, all work. Kindly she offered her name in turn, and he tucked it away in case they should meet again. She really did seem sincere about his search. Again he only nodded with a muffled grunt, not quite able to say thank you. It was hard not to believe he was on a fool's errand. If no one else could find Taima, then how would he? Russet ears coiled back, and golden eyes peered more closely for the odd shaped trees. He would do what his father hadn't.
Almost sure he spotted one, down hill, to the right her voice reached him. "Uh what?" He asked, believing he simply not heard her well enough to know what she had asked.
But maybe it was cruel of her to assume that he was searching because of loneliness. Of course this only made her more curious to know what, but was it any of her business? Probably not. They began to descend the hill, when he answered, and she chuckled, "I was simply wondering if you spoke French." His response had answered the question. "I do hope I'm not prying, Renier, but why are you looking for your siblings?" Her ears tipped forward as her silver eyes moved about the side of his face.
Hold onto faith as I dig another grave "Oh." So that was what that was called, and he tried to hide his bemusement. The effort made his russet ears flatten, and a faint scowl creep over his washed mask. It never really occurred to him wolves spoke in different tongues, but maybe that was why she spoke so differently to begin with. "Are you...French?" He asked, trying to soften the hard line his brows always seemed to form into. "You sound like you from a far off place," he added with a somewhat wry smile. This time some of his child like curiosity glimmering in his golden stare.
Ren was slow when he began to come down off the incline, not fond of taking a tumble even if the snow would ease any pain. Partially, because they were having a conversation; one he didn't mind too much. Since he had asked her a question, it seemed only right he would answer hers...not that the answer was any secret. He wasn't after her to hurt her, or because she had betrayed them or something. He found it hard to keep his tone indifferent when he answered. "Well, she's been a part from my family for a long time. I..I want to make sure she's alright. That she knows all this time we were looking for her." He wasn't necessarily going to make her go back. He had to see her. So many had gone missing, and Taima shouldn't be one of those ghosts. Half sliding, he said nothing more, until they reached the bottom greeted by the willows."Here we are. Maybe, this pack will be what you need. And...if you happen to meet a wolf name Taima, well I should only be in the Cedar forest north of here. It was nice to meet you Adelaide." Just like that the rogue left her behind.
{end}