Secret Woodlands Old Friends and New Beginings

Backdated to February 23, 2014. Noonish

The weather tantalized him. He knew spring was near, but with every melted patch of snow, overnight frost would consume it the next day. The only thing Miccah wanted was for spring to come. Their were memories he wanted to forget, for them to become a distant haze at the back of his mind. This ever-constant winter eluded him of that.

This day Miccah could be found where he was every day, on the borders. Nothing really could take him off of them, except his alphas of course, or if he needed a small break. Though, those were rare. He hated the idea that one day he would take a break off the borders, and tragedy would fall on them all. And all just because of a small little break. Shaking himself out of his morbid thoughts, he bent his muzzle. Strong scents of Nina and Hollow wafted through his nose as he took in the scents on the border. And of course himself. The others were there as well, strong too. Loners would definitely be aware that a pack resided, for their markers were strong.

His mind drifted to the day he had scented a lynx on their borders. And apparently he wasn't the only one. What was her name again? Aideen? Ah, yes, that was her name. A small, quirky thing she was. But clearly she knew how to handle herslef, for she had proved it when they had cornered the lynx. An amused smile in remembrance of those events coursed through his mind as he continued to leave his mark on his beloved borders.

"speech"

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2014, 02:36 PM by Miccah.)

The temperatures had let up only slightly, but the wolves of the Lore took this opportunity and made the most of it in all kinds of ways. Some hunted, some scouted, some patrolled the borders of Secret Woodlands like Coal Bielski did now. It was only a half-hearted effort for he had other things on his mind: namely, tracking down a certain large black wolf whom he had been meaning to catch up with since first discovering his scent mingled with the pack's. Coal chuckled as he pranced along the edge of the territory, mind wandering back to the day he had met @Miccah and he had made an utter fool of himself. Their parting words were that of reunion, and here they were sharing a home. What could have been more prophetic?

Coal lowered his broad copper head to the base of a tree to reconfirm the black second's whereabouts. Miccah had left this marking here only minutes ago, and could not be far ahead. Lazily, Coal remarked the spot, scratching the ground and rubbing his head against the tree with pride. This was his home now, it was his duty and honor to leave his memory behind throughout the territory and especially its borders. Coal huffed contentedly before bounding away from the spot in the direction he knew Miccah to be heading. After a while of trekking through the white powdery snow he could see the man, gliding like a shadow through the barren woods. Coal grinned and increased his already considerable pace, rushing to meet his old friend.

"Miccah!" he called, wagging his tail though the man had not yet seen him. It did not enter Coal's mind to act either submissive or otherwise, simply taking on a friendly posture and pouncing like a bunny until he was close enough to Miccah to happily rub shoulders. His brown eyes danced with excitement that he hoped his friend shared; after all, reunions were supposed to be fun, right?

His body contently weaving through the trees, it didn't take long for him to notice someone was following him. His senses had sharpened in a way because of his constant patrolling. He wanted to never be caught off guard, and for that, your instincts had to be impeccable. One ear pricked backwards, trying to catch the footfalls of the other wolf, trying to decide if they were familiar or not. His muzzle twitched, scenting the air to see who was trailing behind him. They were not being cautious, so they weren't trying to sneak up on him, according to the bouncy paw steps of the wolf. The scent of the male hit him just as a familiar voice pierced the air. Turning with a grin firmly on his muzzle, Miccah called out heartily in his baritone, "My friend!" The familiar rust-hued pelt of his old friend came into view. The man moved until he was close enough to rub shoulders in greeting, and Miccah did likewise.

Miccah felt stupid for not finding out before. The scent that had triggered his memory in previous border patrols was the scent of one Coal Bielski. He'd been trying to figure that scent out for days on end, and was happy that it had turned out to be of his old companion. "How...? What...?" Miccah was lost for words, his excitement momentarily overruling his drilled in mannerisms. His tail wagged in anticipation, eagerly awaiting his friend's story of how he had come to know about Secret Woodlands. Not that the name had done much justice, for the pack was hardly a secret.

@Miccah

Coal's tail spun in frenzied circles as they greeted each other—his paws refused to stay in one spot on the ground, instead bouncing lightly here and there. He felt warmth at Miccah's informal response to his call, glad that dominance had not come between them. Their abrupt friendship had remained solid, and it was like an anchor to Coal, another sign that the Secret Woodlands was the perfect home. That and the fact that @Aideen was comfortable and safe here, which was something that a large portion of his life had recently become dedicated to.

The large russet wolf chuckled at Miccah's bewilderment, backing off a bit to answer in an amused but excited voice. "Long time no see, friend! My-uh...my...my good friend had a connection with a wolf here in Secret Woodlands so we came here together before the worst of the winter set in." Disregarding his initial hesitation he continued. "It's hard to believe I found you here, though. Small world, huh?"

Settling in would be much easier with a friend already in place. Coal glanced around, taking in all their surroundings collectively and returning his dark gaze to the large black wolf in front of him. "Things are certainly looking up with you here. Perhaps sometime you could give my friend and I something of a tour of these parts. We are still quite a bit new around here. Maybe you've met her? She is called Aideen."

At the very mention of the beautiful red female having any sort of relationship with his old friend without his knowledge sent an irrational pang of jealousy to his heart. His expression flickered with suspicion just for a split second before returning to normal as he pushed the thought away. It was ridiculous to think that Aideen would care for Miccah more than he. Besides, he could certainly trust Miccah. More importantly, he trusted Aideen.

As Coal began to respond, Miccah's tail wagged widly. A good friend? A name popped into his head, but then he dismissed it. Of course, Aideen had mentioned 'Coal' so obviously this was the Coal Aideen had been talking about and Aideen was the 'good friend' that he was mentioning now! The pieces of the puzzle finally clicking into place, he couldn't help the grin that overtook his feautures. "Small world indeed," Miccah couldn't help but agree in his rumbling baritone. He never would have thought that when he saw Coal again they would be part of the same pack! The thought was stagering, but the large wolf couldn't help but thank the Fates in his head. They had sent him a friend, knowing he had so few and was in need of another friendly support system.

Snapping himself ou of his thoughts, Miccah listened as Coal told him how he had come to know of Secret Woodlands. He spoke of Aideen knowing someone in the pack, and she led him here. As his friend asked if he knew her, Miccah couldn't help the amusement that came to his deep blue orbs. But he also hadn't missed that brief flash of suspicion and jealousy in Coal's eyes. Eager to erase his friend's worries, Miccah opened his maw. "We have met, actually. She helped me take down a lynx that had crossed onto the territory. Feisty thing she is, but I would like to think that we are friends now. I certainly see her that way, and hope that she feels the same. How did you meet her?," he ended qith a curious look in his eyes. Sitting onto his haunches, Miccah waited for Coal's response.

Since he had first laid eyes upon the black wolf as large as himself, Coal had liked Miccah, and though they still remained very much strangers he felt utterly blessed to find himself in the same pack as the man. They shared some sort of connection, or understanding, that Coal intended to pursue to its full extent. Out here away from his birth home life was gentler with allies, and loyalty and trust was something most never found. Coal believed he had found it with Aideen, and he hoped he could also find it in his Secret Woodlands brother. 

The fact remained, however, that Coal was jealous when it came to the fiery red female Aideen, and if Miccah had anything besides purely platonic intentions with the lady he would not hesitate to rip his throat out no matter how much he would have preferred being friends. He watched carefully the man's face and tone as he replied, speaking of a lynx hunt that Coal felt he should have known about before now, as he was denning with the woman after all. A small pout invaded his expression but he could find no fault with Miccah which came as a great relief. Coal grinned at the last inquiry, eager to talk about Aideen. These days he couldn't get her out of his head. 

"We met somewhere south of here...walking along...uh..." With a start the Bielski realized that he didn't actually have much to say. How was it then that they had become so close? For a moment he stared at Miccah with his mouth slightly ajar. He felt a pang in his heart, wishing he could have shared more of Aideen's past. But then he swiftly forced the thoughts of the lady away, and decided to speak man-speak. It was so much simpler than "how-did-you-meet" stories. 

"I got attacked by a bear."

Okay...that was a start. Why did he get so flustered whenever he thought about Aideen? It was beyond frustrating to be at such a loss for words in front of Miccah. Every time he saw the man he somehow made himself look the fool. 

"Two, actually. I was assisting an acquaintance and we sent them packing." Coal grimaced as he replayed the day in his mind. He had been so stupid to risk his neck like that for no reason. Though, he thought, it wouldn't have been a problem if that second monster hadn't come. 

"I ended the battle with minimal damage." He hadn't died. That's saying something, right? "Aideen actually came and helped me mend, after which we traveled here." What agony that trip had been. Coal shuddered at the remembrance. If it weren't for Aideen...

Coal chuckled at his failed attempt at answering Miccah's question. He had to get the spotlight off of himself. Following Miccah's movements and sitting comfortably, he rumbled, "What about you? Where did you go after our first meeting? Straight here?" 

Still a little rusty with muse, but I least I got a post up :)

The man rose a brow at his friend's stumbling words. He was even more shocked when Coal told him that he was not only attacked by one bear, but two. Geez, how did he survive?! Bears were dangerous creatures, though he didn't know from experience. Thank the Fates. Miccah was glad to hear that surprisingly, his friend got away with minimal damage, and the petite woman had helped him arrive to Secret Woodlands borders. Who would've thought? Miccah thought his meeting with Coal would be a one time thing, but here they were. Hopefully, their friendship would only grow from this point on. Chuckling at his friend's story, his ears perked attentively as Coal asked him how he himself arrived at the Thickets. "Well, remember that 'old friend' I told you about?," he began. "I came straight here from the mountains, stumbling on these lands only by chance." Smiling slightly at the memory, the man stayed silent, trying to decide how to continue. Clearing his throat, Miccah continued. "I found her here. And next thing I know, I've joined the pack. But soon after I joined...she uh...dissapeared. Her name was Ashanti." Disappeared wasn't truly the correct term. A flash of pain appeared in his eyes before it swiftly dissapeared. She was gone, and he could do nothing about it. It wasn't like he could've stopped her departure anyways, for she had lost her mind. She hadn't even remembered him. Nothing. She saw him as the enemy, as a stranger.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: May 29, 2014, 04:21 PM by Miccah.)

His ploy had worked marvelously. Miccah didn't pursue questioning him further about Aideen which left Coal feeling relieved and again comfortable. He listened attentively while the man replied with his own story, offering a quick summary of what had happened since they parted ways in the mountains. Finding this pack and his friend seemed to bring Miccah happiness judging by the soft smile on his face as he spoke of it, but then he hesitated. Coal didn't interrupt, sensing that there was more to be said.

The black wolf cleared his throat and went on. Coal smiled when he realized that Miccah's quest had been fulfilled, but it quickly turned into a frown as the rest of what had happened was revealed. Ashanti, he thought. It was a name he had never heard before, and belonged to a wolf he would probably never meet.

Not missing the pain that swam in his friend's blue eyes, Coal found himself at a complete loss. He hadn't ever been good at comforting others, and it was beyond obvious that whatever sad attempts he made would only worsen things in this situation. Of course, that didn't stop him from trying.

"I truly am sorry that things haven't worked out for you. But it seems you've found your way up in this pack, and that is at least one good thing. Although not nearly as good as meeting me again. You're life definitely just got a whole lot better." Wow. That's probably the most stupid thing I've ever said. I'm really sorry you had to hear that, Miccah. I understand that was probably extremely painful to listen to. If I could wipe it from your memory, I really would. Hopefully such horrifying things would never pass through his mouth again. As if to compensate for it, Coal offered a big smile that showed so many shiny teeth he guessed Miccah would mostly likely go blind.

This is ridiculous.

speech Miccah watched as his friend took in his words, a frown forming onto his features. Coal opened his maw and at the words that spewed forth, Miccah couldn't help but blink in shock. Which probably made him look like an idiot, though he obviously wasn't the idiot in this situation. Had his friend really just say that? A flash of anger appeared in his blue orbs and the male lifted himself to his full height and his hackles bristled. Was Coal really aiming to be that stupid? This wasn't a time to make jokes and it angered him that his friend was in the right mind to be so callous. But then sense took hold of the red haze in his mind. Coal wasn't being callous, he was only trying to give him comfort. As disastrous as the attempt had been, Miccah still appreciated the gesture. So with those thoughts in mind, Miccah forced himself to calm down. His hackles lowered and the storm that had been brewing in his dark blue orbs calmed. He let a small smile form across his features and then a chuckle rumbled in his chest. He shook his head and spoke. "Thank you, my friend." It was time to get back to his duties so he opened his maw once more. "I must get back to the borders. It was nice talking to you again, my friend." Nodding his goodbye, the ebony male turned and dissapeared into the shadows of the thickets, ready to get back to his duties.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief