Dragonfly

Beaver dam

Days passed, and as each moment sapped a bit more from Sagacity's strength and energy, so the time also stole something from her hope that Mercy and Aponi were still alive. Though the temperature had begun to rise, she knew that it was not enough to keep him warm or fed; Sage herself was still clinging to the hope that while out on her scouting missions that she would find something to eat. She'd begun to realize the fear that she too could perish- and if her boy ever did return home, he might return to find that his mother was gone, and live on without her...Or he might go out in search of her, and find himself lost and vulnerable again. For her son, she had to keep strong- but at the same time, she had to keep searching.

The two pups weren't the only wolves from the Keep who had gone missing. Crowe and Faol had disappeared too, and this did nothing to lift Sagacity's spirits. Crowe was an idol to Mercy, and she knew that if Mercy returned he would be heartbroken to find that the guardian, too, had disappeared. He hadn't been present at the hunt- Sagacity didn't even remember the last time she'd seen him. It was for Mercy's sake that she wished the burly guardian would return, and for the sake of the pack- he'd been good at his role, adept at appearing as an imposing and stony sentry who could easily turn others around as soon as they caught sight of him. The pack needed more members like him.

And of Faol's disappearance, Sagacity could say little. He'd been a constant companion for her- and one day, he simply did not return. This proved worrisome for Sagacity, who had allowed herself to fall for him. He was a shoulder to lean on, a guardian through troubled times, a rational and considerate individual. But he too had gone off in the winter and had not returned...So Sagacity made herself cut her bonds with the man; life would have to go on without him. Life simply had to go on.

But some times, it was harder for her to accept this. And under the dim, grey skies she found herself wandering along the smoothe surface of water which was frozen solid beneath her, barely able to perceive the world around her. She was focused on a murky fog of images, faces she'd known, loved, and lost as she sought to find something- some sign of life out in the wilderness which made her feel as though she was a ghost already.

Avatars by Arla!

HEEEEYYYY! *cracks knuckles* lets see how well I can play him.


He was blazing hot. A fully grown, fluffy overcoat adorned his body as he made his way across the land, around him he could see bits of snow beginning to melt but he was no fool; there were still weeks left of winter. He was used to traveling, it kept his mind off reality and instead on the possibilities that lay ahead for him as he approached land after land of new territory, his next stop was expansive but interesting and thus he made his arrival into Relic Lore.

Coming from the North, the male made it carefully over terrains that were foreign to him but in all, this place was similar to so many he had ventured to before; full of pack wolves. He would need a home, as most loners did, and he would fair well to do so before the approach of Spring where in heat females and hormonal males wouldn't think twice about setting the loner in his place. He was much too weak to fend off an adult male, and didn't need the stress of illegitimate children from some horny wench, instead he sought to situate himself and seek out the females in his future pack; there had to be some kind of pretty face there. He hoped.

It wasn't long before he caught whiff of a female in the wind, the scent was distantly familiar but he would not jump to conclusions just yet, he had been a fool before and learned his lesson from the jaws of a steely gray male. He would know this female when he saw her, her mouth was unmistakable, similar to himself but he supposed he was more immature then he liked to admit, but that was besides the point. He'd finally found her, at least he hoped, he wouldn't know what to do if this wolf was in fact another male temperamental with breeding season upon them.

He inhaled deeply as he approached, coming onto the frozen over lake with clicking nails. The musk of female filled his nostrils as his tail stood stiff behind him, ready to display his emotion if need be. He noted her amber eyes, the much smaller stature (winter was cruel), and the undeniable sway of her hips, it was Sagacity but he couldn't believe his luck. "Hey pretty lady, do you come here often?" he half joked half flirted, his unkempt coat and wild eyes were a sight for sore eyes but he was not an overly proud wolf. He had no time for grooming when he was constantly on the move, "a little birdie told me you lost someone a while back," cue the sheepish grin, and the onslaught wagging of the tail, "did you miss me baby?"

"Hey pretty lady, do you come here often?"

Caught by surprise, Sagacity lifted her head suddenly and wheeled around, tail flinging up over her back and ears pricking forward as she glared into the distance and had to do a double take when she saw him. A wolf with a pattern not unlike her own- darker markings on his muzzle and ears- but with a completely different coat colour. And a man with looks like that wasn't one you'd forget easily, even though the tone of his voice was much different than it had been two years ago. She continued to glare at him, though surprise now claimed her grim features as he continued, and for a second, a corner of her lip pulled up. There was no doubt in her mind- it was Couth. But a second after she remembered him, and mused to herself for the slightest moment on how he'd turned out now that he'd grown into a man, she snarled.

"You little shit!" Sagacity spat and she lunged toward him, but stopped herself when she came within two feet of him. She stared at him for a moment and once again she found herself struggling with her emotions. She hated him for wandering off like a lost pup when she'd rescued him after having done just that- but she'd loved him, in a way. She'd kept him around...She'd wanted to keep him around, find a pack with him and simply live the life they were meant to live, together. Her jaw clenched and unclenched, her lips pulled back and softened, and then tightened again. She didn't know whether to be happy or angry, and the conflicting emotions were too strong for any neutral ground to be found.

She breathed in, held on to the air until it became warm, and then exhaled through clenched teeth. "I fucking hate you for leaving, you little wretch," She hissed. But the childishness of his smile and the sheepish look in his eyes said it all; he hadn't meant to leave her. "You dumbass, wandering off on me," She said, and with those words she swept forward and with a growl she pushed her muzzle into the fur of his shoulder, combing her teeth through the unkempt fur in a none-too-gentle fashion. Her ears were flattened to her skull now and her heart beat like a bird's wings against the wires of its cage. She revelled in the warmth of his skin, the softness of his messy, fluffy fur as she held him close and for a moment, she was able to forget about her woes and embrace someone with her body and her heart.

Her reaction quick, he felt his own tail rise defensively over his back and an instant feeling of emotion fell over him as he watched the woman before him morph into action. It was only when she voiced her response and ran toward him that he grew confident that the woman before him was in fact Sagacity; she was just a fiery as the day he'd met her. And she was gong to show him how much she'd missed him by kicking his ass, he supposed he deserved it, but a hello would have sufficed; he grimaced, a gut retching feeling bubbled to his throat as he watched her lunging form.

Pinning his ears to his skull, and taking a step back to brace for impact, he felt the hairs of his tail brush between his hind legs in submission before she paused long enough in her stride to think of her next move. He wasn't sure if she was happy to see him or totally pissed off, but the fact that he was still standing assured him that he wasn't totally in the wrong. Maybe she'd grown softer since the last they'd spoken, but her brash tongue still amused him,"I was hungry!" he answered, a soft chuckle in his tone in an attempt to lighten the mood. He figured that she'd know he was lying, Couth had never been good with directions, and if he could have he would found his way back to her those many years back-- he'd missed her company as much as she'd missed his, and he couldn't afford to lose her again.

He felt his stomach lurch from anticipation of her body against his own, he hadn't been this close to another wolf in so long and it felt good knowing that someone cared of his well being. "ow, careful with your teeth there lady," he joked, having no idea how she would react to his childish reaction as she roughly groomed his coat. Feeling his temperature rise again, this time from her embrace, he pulled himself back long enough to glance into her eyes as a wide smile spread the length of his face, before he broke the silence. "feels good to know you still remember me," he paused, ears pulling back, "so, is this home?" he wondered, having noted the scent along her pelt.

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2014, 08:54 AM by Couth.)

Fortunately for Couth, he'd made the right decision when he stayed still and braced for impact. Had he shied away, Sagacity would have forgotten about any happiness she'd felt when she'd seen him and would have immediately pinned him to the ground- as she had when they'd first met- so that she could deliver whatever she saw best as a punishment for running off on her. She chuffed when he made an excuse, and she didn't buy it for one minute. "You got lost." She said, almost bitterly. Couth had been a wayward wanderer and a foolish one too. The fact that he'd managed to find her- whether he'd intended to do so, or it'd just been some random crazy happenstance- was still a shock.

He didn't seem to appreciate her rough grooming too much so she tweaked one last lock of fur before she too stepped back, looking up for a moment to see the cool beige of his eyes, glinting and mischevious but fond. Her nose wrinkled and ears flicked back when he spoke. "I {I}fed{I} you for months. I wouldn't forget a freeloader like you," She said, and finally cracked a bit of a smile. She looked at him for a moment, considering what assets he would have if he joined the pack, and weighed them in his favour. He would need guidance- but perhaps not. Maybe he'd grown since she'd seen him last. Maybe he'd smartened up a bit and had begun learning his survival skills; he'd certainly grown physically, even though he was still a relatively small wolf, like herself. She nodded. "It is." She didn't go on, though, because she didn't know what to say next; if he was still a wanderer, she couldn't ask him to quit his life for her. She knew what it was like to want to rove, and just seeing him reminded her of that feeling...But she knew she couldn't leave the pack, not for a shadow from her past.

He allowed another smile to grace his lips, ears perking forward this time in an attempt to salvage his innocence, he hadn't meant to be such a wayward traveler, it seemed this just managed to play out that way for him. "Yeah, okay I got lost. Probably the worst I've ever been," he sighed, looking at her once more, "I have soooo many stories I can tell you, like once I swear I'd found you before and I realized that it was actually a dude and not a chick. That was one of the worst!" he shook his head at his misfortune with a laugh, having bared scars in the aftermath of their encounter, but it had been worth it if eventually he'd run into his long time friend. He needed her more than she'd probably ever needed him.

He felt his tail brush the ground, noticing the faint grin that broke across her own jaws; she had finally begun to come around. "You were always good to me Saga, I couldn't believe that it took me this long to finally catch up to you." he paused, giving her one last look over, before he lifted an eyebrow to flirt, "and damn you're still a beauty." he'd always considered Saga the pretty type, even with her short temper, but they hadn't gotten closer than a few nuzzles in their lifetime. From what he could tell, their relationship was more brother and sister than anything, and he wasn't sure if he would like it any other way but the idea had crossed his mind a time or two. "So, give me the grand tour, invite me in," he stood on his paws now, his ears falling backward once more, "let me stay with you. I'm sure you've made yourself alpha by now?" she was quite the leader afterall.

Loss was a tough thing; it takes a toll and leaves behind traces that could make you respond in ways you couldn't predict. Having lost Couth once already, Sagacity still wasn't entirely sure how to react to the fact that he'd returned- and he was now a man, not a youth. She'd lost Faol and Mercy, two wolves who meant an incredible amount to her- but right now, with Couth, she found herself distracted completely from her loss, having found something once again. He was different than most of the wolves- if not all of them- in her life. Couth was a joker, a trickster- he always had something to be optimistic about, and while he'd been fickle in the past, she found it hard not to forgive him. He was so true to himself- even though she could tell he was sorry he'd left, it didn't control him or change him- he was still a comedian, it seemed, and though part of her soul was reluctant to enjoy anything, she couldn't help but laugh softly. "Well you're as bad at tracking as you are at directions," She said, looking up at him with one quirked eyebrow.

But while he was a funny guy, he could still be honest and sentimental- things Sagacity had always struggled with. As always, she felt slightly uncomfortable when another wolf made some sort of an emotional confession, but with Couth this feeling was faded. He mixed humour in with his words and made it easier for Sagacity to take him seriously without feeling awkward. She reached out to nip at his cheek, an affectionate, possessive growl thrumming in her throat. "I can believe it. You've always been a dawdler." She said, with a small but wry grin.

She wasn't sure what to think when he asked to stay in the pack. He turned his ears back in an appeasing gesture and she remembered what it had been like when they'd been travelling together. He'd been a mooch. He'd joke around and be a fool, but when he honestly wanted something, he knew how to put on the right face, and while it irritated Sagacity, she knew that there wasn't anything she wouldn't have done for him...Until he'd wandered off. She knew that Hollowheart Keep was not a place for the fickle. But more importantly, she wasn't entirely sure she could let him join, and her face turned grey and cold. It was hard for her to be serious, when he asked so nicely, the way he always had, but she knew that letting another wolf in meant that there was another one to lose...And she'd already lost him once.

"You'll leave." She said in a low voice, and refused to make eye contact. Her jaw was set, and she drew in a breath and after a moment, she exhaled slowly. She looked back at him again, but didn't know what else to say. She shrugged, and shook her head. She didn't want to say no- but she knew she couldn't handle it if another wolf walked out of her life.

Ouch, kick me while I'm down why don't you," he spoke, whining as though he had actually felt physical pain from her brash truths, but Couth was not that prideful to try and correct her. He knew his sense of direction was off, as though he'd lost his predatory instinct as a child and merely walked the lands in hopes of finding something or someone who could direct him home, it was pitiful but it hadn't steered him wrong yet. In fact, he was horrible at almost everything but utilizing plants for medical needs, it was a pure passion of his and probably one of the reasons he'd survived so long without Saga to help him hunt. With berries and various other plants as a supplement he'd been able to keep himself from starvation but it had stunted his growth and Couth looked similar to his counterpart; an overgrown pup with an adult personality.

His head cocked to the side at her next words, his head shaking to the side vigorously before he spoke, "I promise that I never gave up looking for you though," he'd made plenty of pit stops but he knew that eventually they would lead him closer to her, he hadn't expected that it would take him two years, "not my fault you move too fast." it was true, she was quite the swift foot and had often times left the scattered brain male in the dust. Honestly, he hadn't known why she stuck around so long, but perhaps he had a certain charm that tugged at the soft part of her heart; buried deep within her chest.

Her next words caught him off guard, he rocked on his toes in anticipation of her acceptance and was standing dumb founded when she seemed hesitant to let him back into her life forever, "I will not. Come on Saga, don't you want me back home? You know you want to, it'll be like old times, except we're adults now and...that's besides the point." he looked down at his paws, a sense of rejection washing over him as he sought to understand why she wouldn't want him back around, "would you really let me walk back into oblivion? You know it's quite lonely without you around..." sadness washed over his features, a soft whine coming from his jaws as he waited with hope that she would change her mind.

(This post was last modified: Mar 12, 2014, 02:33 AM by Couth.)

Though she'd been on the offense moments ago, Sagacity felt herself recoil slightly in shame when she saw how her words impacted Couth. To be fair, he handled the verbal abuse much better than Sagacity might have, and better than she'd expected him to. Rather than getting angry or ambivalent and walking away, he pleaded with her, but not simply begging and hoping, but making a rational argument. She looked up at him, hardly able or willing to believe that he'd been looking for her for two years. Though she knew Couth was capable of telling a good lie, she didn't feel that he was lying to her. She looked away dismissively when he commented on her speed. She felt like saying that he'd been the first one to walk away, but she knew it would only make matters worse, so she bit her tongue. He had a way with persuasion that had always won her over, and she knew he was doing it again.

"I.." She said, unable to respond at first. Would she let him walk away? This struck a chord with her. Had she simply let Faol walk away? Had she let Mercy walk away? She hadn't wanted them to- they had, and she hadn't been able to track or find them. Remembering them, and her failure to hang onto them made her cheeks hot and a lump rise in her throat. She clenched her teeth together. "I wouldn't let you leave, no one ever lets someone they love just leave." She said, frustration and anger tainting her words. "My son," She said, and her voice faltered. "I have a son. I didn't let him leave. I lost him. And I can't find him, and I'm trying, but I can't." She said, and looked away pointedly, as the tears had begun to well up in her eyes, and when she blinked they spilled over, hot droplets of water running down her cheeks. She hated being vulnerable, and she hated the fact that he now knew she had a son, and that he'd vanished. She held her breath to stifle the sob that threatened to overtake her, and shuddered slightly. All she wanted to do was fade and disappear, for this reunion to have simply been a figment of her imagination, not reality.

He could see the indecision on her face, the wheels in her head churning as she contemplated her options; in the mean time he weighted his own options. He had no where to go, and no family to take care of him so where else could he go? Did no one truly care of him? His head lowered as he looked to his paws, feeling himself grow tense from anxiety; he didn't want to leave Sagacity.

When she spoke next his head jerked up to give her a luck of pure disbelief, he hadn't considered her becoming a mother only because she always seemed much too interested with her aspirations and goals to have a pup hanging onto her, it was strange but he wondered what her son looked like. He wondered if he was he anything like her, was he larger than her, or smaller? Was he handsome? What of his father? These questions swirled within his head as he stared at the worried state of his friend, it was apparent that she was upset with losing someone so important to her and a selfish part of him wondered if she fretted over him that much. Shaking his head to dismiss the thoughts, as they hardly mattered in this situation, he inched closer to her in an attempt to console her. "I'm sure he'll return, they always do." he tried to stay positive regardless of such a negative predicament, "I can even help you look too, I'm sure he couldn't be far"

He would do anything for Saga, she was the world to him and her happiness was what mattered most now, but then again he also hoped that somewhere along the line she'd accept him into the pack. He needed a home, he wanted this to be his new home, he couldn't understand why Saga was taking so long in saying "yes", "when did you last see him?" he wondered, shifting on his paws with new found energy as his beige colored eyes turned to stare into her own.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2014, 04:19 PM by Couth.)