your cover's blown

RE:Oak Tree Bend, your main water sources have frozen.

I will always belong in the service of a Queen

In his morning patrol to his displeasure, the stream was frozen solid. It had happened before, with how bloody cold this winter had been. Usually it melted off later, there was a weak spot for a water hole, or the water simply found a way. As his topaz colored eyes traced its frosty surface he met it with chagrin. There layers of ice gripping it. Why must this happen too? The thought growled behind his stoney mask. Wasn't anything enough? Not Rissa, not Marsh, not Corinna? Sharp crinkles wrecking havoc across in his muzzle with a whip of his tail he padded away from its bends, forcing his thoughts to keep up. Off in the trees they may catch him, eventually he gave a tired grunt. The stiffness of his shoulder from old injury seemed to be nagging him as well. Knowing it was best to finish his route around the territory, he simply ignored it. It wouldn't do to leave the borders after the long night. Heaven only knew what else could be wrong. Though he was aware everyone made an effort to retain them, it was his responsibility no matter what. Continuing to check them was a pattern of his life he needed at the moment. Embracing the cold he went on with the day.

Rings circled the bright sun that finally showed face,the Tainn carved a path back along the outline of red rocks, slinking around the curves of their water source. There was that glim of hope that with a clear day, the sun would melt it and he could find something else to pour anxiety into his gut. Black paws found the edge of the bank, he didn't notice a change. Instead of pausing to make a logical next move, he simply raised his forelegs and then jerked them down against the ice, again and again willing it to break.

(This post was last modified: Mar 09, 2014, 09:20 PM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

Ever since she was quite young, and had first begun her training back at home, Nayeli had made it a habit to start the day early. Though not all lessons had stuck, that one had - she liked to shake off the darkness of night as soon as possible. She liked to leave the nightmares behind and face the day, to make the most of it.

On this particular morning, she arose while the shadows were still deep and began what was becoming her normal routine. Explore the borders and routes of the Bend, learn what she could about this place she now called her home. Home. the thought still stirred up images of a faraway isle, covered in great stands of fir and pine, blanketed in silver mist, and brightened by her brothers' antics and laughter. Could she really be at home here, amid these twisted oaks, where the sound of the sea and her kin was only a memory?

She had toyed with the idea of joining a pack once or twice before along her travels. Every time she eventually gone on, pulled away by some trace or hope of finding them. But the current she felt tugging her to keep looking grew ever weaker, as the trail grew cold and her memories faded. She never dreamed of her brothers faces anymore, just the fire and the waves. Part of her wanted to leave the search behind for good, unless she found irrefutable evidence. She was tired, tired of drifting and searching, pulled along by currents out of her own control.

Perhaps that was why it felt different this time, why she felt drawn to this pack... because she was weary. But maybe it was more than that, she thought, looking at the oak trees that were so ubiquitous here. In the winter they looked dead, defeated - but their roots were deep. They had weathered many storms, and would survive more to come. Maybe there really was something different about this place.

A sharp, percussive sound broke her train of thoughts, and she shook her head clear, saving them for another time. Loping onward, the lady searched for the source. Her ears lead her to the frozen stream. Curious, she scouted up the bank until she spotted the form of Triell Tainn himself, drumming upon the ice. "Morning," she called, a simple greeting to announce her presence. "How does the day find you, sir?" she asked, trying out the term.

I will always belong in the service of a Queen

The ice remained unscathed, its perfect face taunting the sole leader of the Bend. It only fueled him onward. A sharp grind of his jaws, he began putting more ump, more weight into his efforts. He liked to think his movement wasn't wasted, that he would find weakness somewhere. It wasn't long when a familiar voice pulled him from his frustration. It was probably a good thing she had not uttered the phrase Good Morning, or he would have asked what was so good about it. Gobbling a couple breaths, since the task was just wearing him out, he let out a rough sigh. Dark ears giving an amused twitch at the word sir. "Tired, and pissed. It seems mother nature wants to make us fight for water as well." His skull jerked to the ice he stood upon, huffing from all his "hard work" of nothing.

He was never fond of remaining in a bad mood. There was nothing that liked to suck life worse than falling into the vicious cycle of anger, and depression. Triell had no time to return to such a path so he made an attempt to catch himself. Tried to ease what felt like boiling blood in his veins. After all he wasn't unhappy with Nayeli. In fact, as fiery eyes swept upward, looking over her lean form he wondered how she was doing. In the harsh conditions they found themselves in he didn't expect anyone not to be underweight, but he had hoped see her a bit more healthy. See a true spark to her silver eyes. The anger that had been twisting in his chest temporarily quieted. "How is the Bend treating you?" Sincerely he asked, the lines of his dark face softening slightly. From time to time he had wondered of her search; if she was continuing, even if not in distance, in thought. He felt guilty they hadn't spoken a great amount since her acceptance. He really wanted to hear more of her homeland, but maybe because a swimmer himself it sounded like a paradise. Since Corinna's death he had went into survival mode, trying to keep from drowning. He was trying to hide that... not to pull anyone further under.

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2014, 03:07 AM by Triell.)

Watching for a moment, she realized what he was trying to do - break through the surface of the frozen stream. And, for a moment, she thought he might succeed. The ice held, though, not only refusing to give up the water it guarded, but also proving it was strong enough to support the weight of the paws pressing upon it, despite the size and strength of the Bend leader.

Nayeli's ears pressed back against her skull as she spoke, echoing Triell's sentiments. Every water source she had seen during her explorations today had been locked in ice, and the Stormwright lady had turned elsewhere to stay hydrated. She had hoped that her new packmates, who ought to know the territory better than she did, might know of some hidden spring or other source of water that the winter had yet to subdue into frozen stillness. It seemed that in this case, at least, her optimism was misplaced. "Damn," she grumbled good-naturedly. "Eating snow is getting a bit tiresome." Still, at least they had the option - she wondered if the sources of water in the Lore ever failed during other seasons. It was hardly a comforting thought. Nayeli gazed at the unscathed surface of the ice, a thought forming.

Triell's mood seemed to lighten a bit then, though, as he spoke again. "How is the Bend treating you?" he asked, and some of the hard edge seemed to have gone from his voice. Changing her train of thought, she paused a moment before answering, trying to find an honest answer for him. "I suppose I'm settling in... everyone has been quite welcoming, considering." She left the considering what unspoken. Corinna's absence still felt tangible amid the wolves that had known her, and Nayeli had felt it only right to give them their space to grieve and cope. The newcomer she-wolf had been spending most of her time exploring the borders and learning the ropes as best she could on her own. She was glad to see Triell today, glad to see that on the surface at least, like the ice, the Bend's leader seemed to remain strong. "Sometimes it's hard to tell if I'm putting down roots or just treading water, though,"

Shrugging off her pensive state, she offered him a smile and remembered what she'd been thinking before. "Perhaps if we both try at the same time...." she mused, her gaze focusing on the ice once more. One wolf might not be able to break the ice - and if Triell couldn't do it, despite his power, there was no doubt she would be unable to do it alone either. But if they worked together, perhaps through syngergy, the force of two wolves might be enough to crack the ice. If it wasn't, at least they could say they'd tried.

A fight broke out between two male mountain goats. Hunt Opportunity

lol, the SoW just loves us. I think I'll ignore it for now and notice it later.

I will always belong in the service of a Queen

Triell knew it could be worse. They could be in summer, and in miserable drought again. Like the time he was a pup, and Indru had taken them away form the Lore to find water. The one and only time Triell had left these lands. They were already struggling with food, eating snow was hardly thirst quenching. He glared at the ice, he realized this stream had been the only thing he did not like about the Bend. He missed the swift flow of the river, it had never frozen. Life at Swift River seemed to be an old memory.

A smile half cracked at her chosen word for their predicament. "No kidding," he rumbled in agreement, placing a note when Spring should finally come to find a second source of water. Heaven help them if the summer was going to screw with them too.

Upon her reply, cruelly his mind recalled the day the wind screamed, throwing snow, threatening to bury them all, and then had suddenly silenced the woods with deafening quiet. All their faces, all the cries of anguish on repeat. It still seemed surreal, like a terrible nightmare he might awake from. There really was no waking up. The brute swallowed, blinking off handily. He missed Corinna, but he felt far worse because of Sceral, and Serach. They should have had more time with her. They should have had Ice. Unable to speak straight away he merely nodded in understanding. When she spoke of treading water, it snapped his head upward. Fiery eyes tried to reach her silver pair wondering what he would see. Suddenly he felt she had seen through him.

Luckily before he might continue to stand like an idiot,gawking off, a smile swept upon her features, and sparked one of his in turn. He was clearly in need of help, and happy to have some company for the task. "Worth a shot." If not, and the silly thing didn't melt, maybe they would take a trip to the creek. They needed something to strengthen their spirits. Triell waited for her to choose a place to start, maybe she had a better eye for a weak spot. "So, I bet you didn't have this problem where you lived?"

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2014, 03:28 AM by Triell.)

Nayeli regarded him for a moment. She thought that she spied a hint of the loss he must still feel, leaking through the facade of normalcy. Perhaps it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. Either way, she didn't comment upon it. Of course Nayeli became concerned for her friends (not that she had many of those around here yet) when they seemed 'off', and that concern went doubly so for this wolf, who had offered her a place in his home, his family - who was now her leader. But, in her mind, undue worry was better reserved for the times when true and pressing problems actually arose. If the Bend leader needed someone to talk to, she was sure he would find an ear. If that ear happened to be hers, it would not be because she'd pried into matters of private grief with questions. The hollow and hastily-offered sympathies of the wolves she'd met along her journey still echoed too raucously in her memories for that. No one should have to talk if they didn't want to.

Instead she let her paws leader her down onto the ice, letting the task at hand take precedence in her thoughts again. Silver eyes searched over the smooth surface, seeking the imperfections, the weaknesses. Her ears flicked toward him as he mentioned her home, bringing a rather nostalgic smile to her jaws. "You would lose that bet," she answered. "The winters back... there could be quite vicious, or so my grandfather told me." she had almost said back home, but it wasn'tv her home anymore, and hadn't been for a long time. Sometimes the great waters around the isle would freeze entirely. It was the only safe time to come and go from the island." She thought of the grizzled old wolf who had counted many more summers than she, and not for the first time wondered what had become of him.

She recalled a day, now tinted with the patina of time, when the elder Stormwright had lead a certain young lass out onto the grey-green of the sea ice. The little ditty he had taught her that day surfaced from the depths of her memories - "thick and blue, tried and true; thin and crispy, way too risky." The rhyme served to help identify which ice was the safest to walk upon, but the reverse should be true as well. After a moment she sped a place where the ice looked lighter, and had a sheen to it as if it had thawed and refrozen more recently than the rest. Perhaps it would be thin enough to shatter through....

Looking back to Triell, she shrugged and shuffled her paws, indicating she was ready to give it a try. "On three?" she asked, hoping that if the ice did in fact break, they wouldn't be in for an icy swim.

I will always belong in the service of a Queen

The wound would heal at least to some degree, with some time. If Triell let it. Time was something he felt there was too little of and often too much. One instance he could feel the day would not end. In another he was overwhelmed merely by thinking about what he hadn't done. Things like practice spars, stories, and taking boys on border patrol. Then wondering when to look for Kisla, and how on earth he would find her. If she was simply some where on the other side, or further out of reach. The worst.... How would tell her the dreadful news of her mother?

It was then he longed to speak to Ruiko, who had been a guiding example. Did he have some wisdom? Did he see a silver lining as Ice may have? How could Triell dump all that on him? It seemed wrong to voice his anxities and doubts to his brother. Maybe, he was not leader of this pack, but he was sure they were both worried of the same things. He didn't even know if Ruiko could assure him things would get better. Ever since Corinna had fallen, for the first time he started to see his tawny brother as fragile. Was it any wonder the dark Tainn was stubborn about keeping face, holding it all together?

Nayeli was different. He didn't feel the need to necessarily assure her, or completely hold onto his frustration. Why she was respectful of their loss, it hadn't impacted her the same. He could be himself, not worried about doing something that would trigger it all. In this case it was his to speak of or not. That may seem small, but right now was exactly what he needed.

Orange eyes curiously fell upon her, then downward trying to see what she might be noticing. Dark brows creased in surprise. "Frick, I thought this winter was terrible. Must be up north? Or am I being an ass and assuming wrong again?" The leader wore a half toothy smirk. Maybe, he shouldn't be asking her of her old home, and quickly straightened. She implied she found a place, and he attempted to carefully walk over. His front paw slipped, and shoulder bumped into hers. "Sorry," he mumbled. One more final try, carefully he adjusted his large paws beside hers. On three, he shoved forcefully down, feeling the cold shards begin to crack beneath his fur lined toes.

(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2014, 03:53 AM by Triell.)

Out of the corner of her eye, Nayeli noticed a curious glint in Triell's gaze as the dark wolf spoke, smirking at her. Thinking and talking of home made her feel a bit bittersweet, but it was a good feeling, too. Surely he didn't really find it all that interesting, though? Usually this was a topic others seemed to try and politely avoid. And yet, the conversation had brought a smile back to her jaws, and it felt for a moment as if the coldness of winter had been temporarily held at bay. Perhaps it helped the brooding Tainn to hear of faraway places, and Nayeli was happy to talk to him once more, as he stepped next to her on the ice.

Then Triell slipped, just as he reached her. The treacherous surface beneath her paws left Nayeli slipping, struggling to keep her balance. Keep it she did, though just barely. Once she was sure she wasn't about to lose her footing on the ice, she let out a breath which turned to fog in the cold air. Shrugging off the tiny surge of adrenaline, she turned to answer Triell. "It's a bit to the North... though the winter never seemed so ruthless for so long. The sea can be cruel, but it's fickle too." Placing her paws firmly back upon the patch of glistening ice, she nodded to Triell and began to count under her breath. "One, two, three-

She bent lower, then reared up as she counted and brought her front paws back down upon the ice as hard as she could on the last beat. The force reverberated through her limbs, jarring her slightly. Was it enough? She began to grin as she saw the cracks spreading out from where Triell had struck to meet the thin, spiderweb-like lines at her paws, and her tail swayed into motion, surprised at the apparent effectiveness of the strategy. Then her ear twitched. At first the sound was susurrant, like an echo or a whisper, on the edge of her awareness. Quickly it grew sharper, and suddenly everything made sense. It had been enough, perhaps too much - with a sudden urgency, she began to scramble backwards, away from the spreading cracks. "Oh crap. I think we might get what we wished for," she gasped, the alarm rising in her voice. How deep is this stream, she wondered in the back of her mind, as she felt the icewater beginning to rinse her paws. Nayeli's gaze flickered to Triell, hoping the larger wolf was making for safer ground.

I will always belong in the service of a Queen

The dark male winced, watching her in what he could imagine was the start of a fall. As soon as he would reach out with his large muzzle she found grace, and he offered her a pulled back eared apology. And yet he had a hard time turning his sight back to the ice. There didn't seem that straight forward, unemotional tone when she began to speak. Did it help to remember where she had come from? To think of it before things had changed? He hoped so, but was merely testing the waters.

Allured, he tried to picture the icy shores, and the uncertain waters that surrounded it. No, he hadn't outgrown the want to hear of far off places, stories untold. When he was young he often needed to escape reality, and would often be gazing off imagining something that wait for him beyond the river. How long he thought he would make his own stories, and see beyond this realm. A different life. Maybe, he had. He had never seen Oak Tree Bend until last year, and a lot had happened between the change of seasons. He was different, but he still was much the same Triell as he had always been. Looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. "I've never seen the sea. Seems strange trying to picture all that water. There is a lagoon though...far on the other side mountain." That was probably the last place had taken a swim. The lake it had been too cold, he had been too sore, and he still wasn't very fond of the Mountain of Dire. Thoughts of the lake were displaced.

In the back of his head it seemed like it had gotten a little too quiet. There were the sounds of their dropping limbs hanging about. All of sudden he could hear the cracking turn into something that made him think of large snapping jaws. Urgently, he shoved back, shuffling awkwardly from the broken ice only unto more splintering pieces. Nayeli's voice registered, but the instant cold and wet feeling in his toes had him worried. He rather they both didn't go for a swim, but was met with a pair of silver eyes. "Nayeli.." He began, only to quickly withdraw his emerged elbow, trying to dart toward her. The action didn't have his chosen outcome. The weakened ice he had been upon crumbled, and the dark wolf was greeted by blackness, and the chilling water. Gasping, demanding of his senses to work, long limbs pounded the water, trying to swim. All he was hitting was rock. A bit of an erratic chuckle slipped from his lips, he was standing chest high in the stream, and freezing his ass off. Hey they had water now.