baby just one time, bet your life on mine

@Maksim, for whenever you have a moment. <3

The hunger gnawed at her – once sharp pains had given way to a faded ache, it was the first time the she-wolf had known such hunger, and yet she did not fear for herself. Her thoughts were upon two mischievous cubs upon the other side of the mountain – one with brown eyes and one with blue. She could hear her younger brother’s voice as if she had only seen him yesterday.. the glimmer of a devious smirk as he had been astounded by her lecture. "I'm a wolf! Like you! We don't get eaten. We eat!" The innocence of it all had been adorable at one point, and her response to these words had somehow become far too dark when she thought back on that day. “Trust me, kiddo, you’re not inedible.” Now, with the winter wind pressing firmly to her pelt and giving her a chill, the simple fact that she was not the biggest predator there would be looming around her family in these times stole her breath away.

The memory made her sick to her stomach now – her insides churning as the longing of food dissipated. Shaking the snow from her pelt as it continued to accumulate; a chuff escaped the she-wolf’s creamy muzzle as she trailed forward now, her bright green eyes darting to the direction of the mountain now. She had yet to truly journey back to the landscape that blocked her from her family if only because of her injury. She was healing better, and while she now loped along all four paws, every so often she would have to pull her creamy paw to her chest and give it a moments rest. The ice that built within her paw pads did not help soothe her, and as a sweep of the wind billowed the powdered snow about her once more, her eyes began to drift around the territory for a means of dry escape from the cold and miserable weather.

(This post was last modified: Jan 08, 2014, 06:02 PM by Phineas.)

sparking up my heart

i always have a moment for you and Kisla <3

Kisla Tainn was like a ghost in the territory, drifting here and there, and Maksim could never quite catch her. On the one hand, it could mean that her ankle was healing well but, on the other, it meant she may not have any desire to socialise. Regardless, the agouti male did his best to find her in his lands, urged on by the idea that he needed to see if she was doing well. She was his responsibility as well as his … friend? Besides, he had offered his shoulder to her—losing one's family was never pleasant. His ears were pricked in an attempt to hear footfalls, that distinct crunch of compacting snow and his nose quivered now and then as he inhaled, following the tawny wolf's scent. The smells of Cut Rock River clung to her pelt now, though he could still catch whiffs of oak and what he presumed to be her family's scent. She'd been with them her whole life so of course it made sense that it lingered; it had rooted itself deep within her thick winter coat.

Through the drifting snowflakes, he spied her. He offered a bark in her direction, picking up the pace so that he may draw up closer to her. Quickly closing the distance between them, Maksim offered her a small smile and a gentle nudge. “Adjusting well?” His inquiry was gentle in comparison to the whipping winter winds, his plush fur ruffled by its relentless battering of the terrain. With a quick shake to remove the powdered snow from his coat, the agouti leader grunted. This blasted weather was starting to prove itself to be irritating. “Perhaps we should find somewhere sheltered to talk …?”

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

<3

She wasn't sure of his desire to check on her, and yet as the bark ushered itself within the winter air, the she-wolf's creamy muzzle swung in his direction, not surprised when the Baranski's large form roamed closer to her. Instinctively, Kisla's body swept lower now, her tail curl tucking neatly beneath her as her eyes fell upon him, studying his chest. Instinctively, she did not dare to look at his face, and emotionally, she almost did not want to study those bright green eyes of his and reveal any emotion or concern he might have for her. She was undeserving of it.

His question paused in the air, and she huffed gently in return, mulling it over in her mind. Before she could truthfully answer him, he suggested they move locations. The cold wind whipped across her fur, skimming her long pelt upward and inciting a shiver to course down her spine. Offering him a nod, the tawny lady lifted herself slightly, moving forward to come by his side and await to where he might want to lead them as her own peridot eyes now scanned the area before them -- the woods protected them humbly and regally all at once, but even it could not keep the winter winds at bay. Her shoulder brushed his in silent agreement that she would follow him, and only then did her eyes glance up to study the side of his facade. Throughout the entirety of her own misery at being separated from her family, it had never once occurred to her just how much his own life had changed in the past few months.. or how he felt about it all. Leadership had seemed to come to him naturally -- she had witnessed this in just the simple nature he had dealt with the lone wolves that came to their border. But that did not mean he was happy.

sparking up my heart

blargh im a dumbie for leaving this so long!

It was strange; Maksim never really took the time to pause and wonder if he was happy. Most of his time was spent thinking about the happiness of those under his command—his family. This winter was undoubtedly the harshest any of them had encountered and he was trying his hardest to keep them well fed and healthy. Unfortunately, it was difficult to do the latter considering almost all prey animals had disappeared, leaving the Lore due to the bitter wind and cold. Famine had settled in swiftly and even now the agouti giant felt the empty pang in his stomach. Resorting to scavenging to survive wouldn't have been a difficult transition if it weren't for the fact there was hardly anything to pick the bones of. The weather certainly wasn't blessing him these days. If anything, it probably wanted him dead. Floods and snow storms … what next? Earthquakes? Despite it all, the Baranski was happy with where he was now, the leader of a pack—his pack—but he couldn't quite shake the feeling something was missing. What that something was, however, still had him perplexed.

A vicious wind battered the Cut Rock wolves, a williwaw of biting cold and howling whistles. It ran its tendril-like fingers through his coat, the ghostly touch embracing him, engulfing him. A sharp exhale slipped from his nose at the nipping bitterness, mimicking a puff of smoke from a fierce dragon, coiling in the wild, vicious wind. Kisla offered him quiet nod, wandering up beside the brute and gently brushing her shoulder against his. Maksim briefly pressed his nose to the Tainn woman's temple, a silent reassurance and physical greeting; she'd been through a lot, it seemed. Leaving her birth place to migrate over Serpent's Pass with her family, being separated from them and getting injured in the process. The agouti leader was unaware of her previous troubles, unaware of the villains in her life thus far. He only knew of the tip of the iceberg—just barely.

He led her, wordlessly, to a rather large collection of rock slabs nearby. This territory was a stroke of lucky, really. There was shelter everywhere, taking the form of towering trees and large boulder. “Here,” he uttered, lowering himself down into a sit beneath the overhang. The winds were not nearly as strong now, though it was a complete escape. It would have to do, though. Maksim waited for her to take her place before he spoke up. “I apologise for not seeking you out sooner. I thought you might want to talk at a later date but, well, the days just seem to be falling away.”

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

The wind cut through her – her pelt, a usual insulation from all types of weather and temperatures seemed to offer her little now, and as the cold pierced her skin, with it she could feel her spirits sink even further. Surely, her family felt the same cold bite in to their flesh – would Serach wander too far once more from home? Would Sceral and Fenru ease their mother?

She followed him without question, using the tracks he made before her to help her maneuver through the heavy snow, attempting to hold back the limp that consumed her. The pain that would cause her to flinch every so often was nothing compared to the hunger in her stomach, or the shattering of her heart.

Yet given the opportunity to put this to words, she was uncertain of how to formulate them. He lead her to a small overhang – the enclosure above sheltering them partially from the cold and the wind. Slinking in behind him, the tawny she-wolf would give the king as much space as he demanded, and in turn, pressed her form tiredly against the rock to her side. His words caused her to glance upward, though her gaze only dared to fall to the cream of his cheek. His words came as a surprise to her, and she blinked in a silent moment, composing herself. She could not even begin to discuss it without delving further than what he had truly inquired about.

“You’re busy Maksim. You have a pack to watch out for – you needn’t worry about me.” Her tone attempted to maintain a lighter note, though she could not help but wonder if he did worry for her – was considered his pack as well, or just a simple visitor? “What did you want to discuss?”

sparking up my heart

Kisla settled near Maksim, her side pressed against the cold wall of their current shelter. The River leader could only hope that this was adequate enough protection from the bitter wind for her. If he and his pack mates weren't careful this season then there might be potentially fatal consequences—every Cut Rock wolf would need to keep their wits about them and a strong head on their shoulders. There was no margin for error; it was live or die. That was an oddly frightening prospect to think about. You had a chance to fight back if another wolf was trying to kill you, but there was very little you could do to combat blistering winds and temperatures that were far below freezing if it caught you at your weakest point.

Her words caused a blink of surprise from the agouti leader, causing him to raise his brow and flick his tail. “Nonsense.” He offered her a small smile, something Maksim found did not grace his features often recently. “Of course I worry about you,” he divulged. As far as the Baranski was concerned, she was part of the pack, temporary or not. Then again, perhaps he worried more than he needed to—Kisla was a fine woman. She was somewhat introverted, yes, but she was hardly shy; it seemed the Tainn merely preferred to be in her own company. Maksim found that he couldn't really blame her. She was far from the place she considered home, though part of him found himself hoping that, some day, she might come to view Cut Rock River as home. He knew it was unlikely, though—home is where the heart is, after all, and hers seemed to be with her family.

He watched her silently for a brief moment, nodding at her last question. “Well, I wanted to firstly ask about your leg.” She seemed to be walking well enough, though the cold was probably lengthening the healing period by quite a bit—deep snow didn't really offer a friendly environment, especially when coupled with stiff muscles. “And secondly, I wanted to discuss whether or not you would be comfortable with me escorting you to your family when the snows melt.” The words tasted wrong in his mouth, as if the prospect of Kisla leaving was sour.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Ehh, ignore length and don't feel need to match.. haha. Kisla's feelings threw themselves up all over my post.

Her gaze drifted to the hint of the outside world – snow and wind was inescapable, it seemed, though the small almost-shelter offered some comfort to the honeyed Tainn. Her comfort was clearly his goal for the time being – something he reiterated by assuring he worried about her. It was a confusing statement and one she could only take as any Leader would worry for their subordinate.. a simple attempt at logic talking down the light flutter that shuttered through her. Nonsense indeed.

She made no comment to this – she would accept his words graciously and knew if she could pay the man back for his kindness, she would do it in a heartbeat. An opportune moment had yet to arise for such a thing, yet the intent would be there. Kisla Tainn did not welcome strangers to her life – Maksim had barged in on hers the moment he had surprised her during a leisurely visit to Red Fern Forest, and somehow, those green eyes of his had went from a cold stare to something more. He had interrupted her life that very moment, and only now did she realize, as they remained cocooned from the world as best they could, that he was becoming so very important to her. Very few others that were not of her blood held her heart: Marsh, Ice, Jessie and Cali.. All had disappeared from her world, spare the silver female, and the dawning realization came that she too would have to disappear from Maksim’s.

The thought made her nauseous all over again.

Sighing, she pressed her cheek closer to the icy wall enclosure, her ears cupping forward as he spoke then. Her eyes had drifted shut in those few moments of thought, and fluttering open, she offered a soft smile to his inquiry. “It heals as best it can given the weather. The cold makes it ache all the more,” she offered finally, keeping her concern that the temperature would now hinder her limb to herself.

He spoke again, this time stirring her stomach in an entirely different way. His offer left her quiet for a moment – stunned to silence, and she swallowed. “Maksim..” The name fell from her mouth as she attempted to think – unable to determine a word that could show him her gratitude. The sudden thought of company leading her to the other side.. to face her family and what await her. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me..” There was a small pause, her eyes falling to his shoulder, unwilling to look closer to his features. She wanted to play the independent she-wolf – insist he remain with his pack, for such a trip would take him from them for too long. Yet a selfishness ensued.. and only because of her growing fear at seeing them once more. “They’ll never forgive me for this.”

sparking up my heart

Heh! Mak threw up his feelings, too.
Against the Grain by City & Colour.

The day they had bumped into one another in Red Fern Forest had certainly been interesting. Both wolves were riddled with their own worries and problems and, despite the shortness of their conversation, Maksim found himself intrigued with Kisla Tainn of Oak Tree Bend. Each time he found himself in her company, that intrigue grew to be larger and his warmness towards her became a little stronger. She was stubborn and perhaps a little stand-offish, though perhaps this was due to her life not being as smooth as his own; a defence she had built up during her adolescent years. Whatever the case, Kisla was different and Maksim was fascinated.

Her gentle smile, something he had not seen before, made his own dark lips curve upward. He had seen a sly smirk from the tawny woman the first time they had met but, for some reason, this was different; this one was soft.

It was understandable that the snow and cold would make the healing of her ankle unnecessarily long. It made the joints stiff, which was often why a lot of elderly wolves passed away during these winter season. Briefly, the agouti male wondered if there was some of herb or flora that would aid in its healing. And then it struck him in the face like a slap; Lachesis, their medic in training. Why on Earth had Maksim not suggested she visit him sooner? Was he an idiot? His lips formed a thin, black line briefly before he spoke surprisingly softly. “Our healer,” he began, hoping that Kisla would consider visiting the spider-legged yearling, “may have something to aid in the healing process—to battle the cold.” The River leader looked to her ankle, reptilian gaze flicking to her face briefly. “I feel a fool for not suggesting it sooner.” Shaking his head briefly, Maksim straightened out. This wasn't about him right now—he could feel like an idiot later—so there was no need to dwell on his idiocy.

Kisla seemed stunned, momentarily, by the Baranski's proposition. Her words dripped from her tongue like honey and Maksim remained quiet as she spoke. He wasn't quite sure how to take her first statement. Did she mean taking her in as a whole? Or his idea of escorting her back to the Oak wolves? What did it matter in the end—it seemed to touch her, and that was all that the River leader could have hoped for. He simply wanted her to feel cared for, wanted … loved? He couldn't think of the word. “They're your family, Kisla. They will forgive you. You cannot be held to blame for what happened, after all—no wolf could have predicted this winter.” The mountain's current, impassable state included. “And, god forbid, if they do not … well, you can come back-” home? “-with me; back here.” As far as Maksim was concerned, she would be always welcomed in Cut Rock River.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

"You are many things, Maksim Baranski," she murmured, unable to fully conceal the grin that pressed to her lips now as her cheek remained pressed to the cool wall of snow. "But fool is not one of them." She appreciated his advice to seek out the healer -- she had not realized the River pack had one, and yet even so, she would not have sought him out any earlier. Her uncertainty of her place within the pack had not subsided over time, and still the Tainn was an outsider, looking within. It was a strange realization to know she felt the exact feeling within the ranks of her own birth pack as well, and quietly, her features sobered with this thought.

At that very moment she would have given anything to know exactly what occupied Fenru's thoughts, or what words had managed to slip past Serach's devious tongue. Was her mother exhausted? Was Triell growing even further in to his role, and would he be able to bring the pack back from it's loss of both her father and then Ice?

These were things she could not possibly know in the moment, and yet as her eyes would flash upward to fall upon the pale cheek of the Leader before her, she found it hard to also wish she was absent from his presence. With his offer, he would escort her back to Oak Tree Bend.. and Kisla Tainn then realized one of her hardest goodbyes would approach the moment he would leave her with her family, and once more return to his.

His words drew her from these musings, causing her to blink and her muzzle to give a small shake. "Oak Tree Bend.. we have had our fair share of abandonment," she hesitantly began, unable to explain it. Would they welcome her home? Or would she, just as so many of her family before, be seen as nothing more than a wanderlust Tainn that placed desire to travel ahead of their loved ones? She had left not on her own accord, but to seek food for her family. She had gained Corinna's blessings, even. But they did not know what had befallen her. Instead, the months drew on, and she was no more than a fading memory, just as Aiyana was. Rihael. Indru. Ice. "It is why we fled from Swift River. To try to take charge of our own lives once more. Clearly, it does not matter where we stand. We will always be divided.." She snorted at the end of her statement, realizing only then how much she had spoken. How little he must have cared. But what was not lost was his invitation -- and even more so, how much she wanted nothing more than to accept it, even before knowing whether she was banished from the Tainn's or not.

sparking up my heart