Limestone Bluff going nowhere

@Bastet <3 sorry for the wait! also, Lachesis is at the base of the cliffs.

While the pale, long-legged yearling enjoyed having Capella within paw’s length he still preferred to be on his own, wandering aimlessly. It wasn’t that he had anything against the sunflower-eyed girl – he cared about her and cherished the friendship that had blossomed between them. The first time they had crossed paths had been incredibly awkward (mainly due to his actions) but had ended in the two being friends. This relationship only continued to grow with every meeting, developing into an unbreakable bond. It was similar to the one he shared with Anastasia, although nothing could rival that connection – even if she was gone.

A shiver ran down his spine at the thought, his head bowed as he continued to drag his thin legs through the forest. He had left the comfort of his den just before the sun began to climb from the horizon. The cool morning air clung to his chest as the snow continued to fall, adding to the thick layer that already covered the ground. XIX had left without uttering a word to his bright-eyed friend – he intended to return before she awoke, as he knew the longer he took the more she would worry. He had been disappearing frequently as of late; the spider-legged yearling longed to stretch his legs and get out of the den that reeked of Anastasia. He still missed her terribly, and not a day went by where she didn’t cross his mind, but the lingering scents often became too much for the troubled boy. He often screamed out in his sleep (when he did sleep) and his thoughts almost always consisted of her. She was a tall drink of iced tea on a hot summer’s day; the light at the end of the tunnel; no wolf could replace her.

Stopping suddenly Nineteen raised his head, perplexed by the sudden appearance of cliffs amongst the trees that made up Cedarwood. His frown deepened as his head tilted slightly to one side; how had he never noticed this before? Trailing along the side of the rock Lachesis continued his walk, his boney shoulders hunched over as he studied the peculiar sight. Snow dusted the ledges, creating an effect that was similar to the mountain range in the East. Suddenly, as if bitten by an unseen monster, the yearling scrambled away from the rock, his large paws digging desperately at the snow to put as much distance between himself and the bluff. A series of panicked breaths struggled to escape his chest, his pale eyes as wide as bear paws while he leaned against a nearby tree. The moments of when he realized he had lost Anastasia, accompanied by the echo of his own scream, replayed in his mind, causing the yearling's limbs to shake uncontrollably.

(This post was last modified: Feb 27, 2014, 07:54 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you

She woke with a start, exiting her den with a shake of her dark colored pelt. The snow had finally stopped, it was a blessing that everyone could appreciate, and the warmth from the sun smoothed the guard hairs along her back, easing the stress that clouded her mind; she was constantly worrying about what the next day would bring. It was strange, being on her own in a den she'd made herself but it was time that she'd left the comfort of Lachesis's before she became a burden to the spider legged youth, she knew eventually he would need his space, and she her own. She only hoped he was still doing okay, considering the news she'd heard about Anastasia departing. Her thoughts on the female were neutral, she thought the woman was pleasant enough but her time spent with the alabaster woman was minute compared to the time her and Lach spent together; she could only imagine what her departure had caused.

She wandered with the light male on her mind, casting her nose to the ground every so often with surprise to have found his pawprints and musky scent attached, it was her fate that had brought him to her and she was anxious to see how the male was fairing since their last encounter. Though she visited him less and less for medical advice, despite her slow healing wound, she began to detest the taste of herbs and figured that the last stage of healing could be done by time alone. Though she vowed to meet with the male if time allowed so that he would not think she abandoned him, she considered this potential meeting a means to fulfill that promise.

Her pace quickened the stronger Lachesis's smell became, and it didn't take long before he was within her sight, he was sitting at the base of a cliff alone...an odd place to be for the usually sensible wolf she'd met so many weeks ago. Her concern fell when she noticed that he was sitting near a tree, a spot where so many came to just sit and think, and she exhaled the breath she was holding to come quickly at his side, her tail wagging excitedly. "Hey Lachesis, it's me Bastet, I followed you're scent here, I hope you don't mind my company. I was hoping to... she paused, her brows wrinkled with concern as she noted the male's shaken state, she had missed something, he wasn't out here thinking, he was afraid of something, but what? "Lach, are you okay? You're shaking as if you've seen a ghost" she only hoped the male wasn't contemplating doing something so senseless now that Anastasia had gone--it would do little to make the situation better if he were gone as well as she.

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2014, 01:17 PM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!

Why were there mountains here? It was wrong, all wrong. The mountains were to the East… they weren’t supposed to be here. How had they gotten here? Had he gone the wrong way? His head spun, frantically searching for answers that he didn’t have. The sound of his own voice screaming Anastasia’s name filled his head, making it impossible for him to focus on a particular thought. Fear flooded his body, blocking out his surroundings as he folded his long-limbed body against the tree, ears flat against the back of his skull. Even with his eyes drawn shut all he could see was white; the white of the blizzard that had stolen Anastasia away.

His chest heaved as he attempted to regulate his breathing, his claws digging into the soft snow. It was the voice of another that tore him away from the memories that plagued him, his gaze foggy as it landed on the dark shape. Although his eyes had not yet focused it was obvious who the thickly accented voice belonged to even without her giving her name. In order to appear much calmer than he felt Lachesis rolled his shoulders, composing himself as the dark female approached. His attempt to fix his composure was of no use as Bastet voiced her concern about his shaken state. He nodded quickly in response as a soft smile rolled onto his dark lips. “Yes, I’m f-fine,” he blurted in response as she closed the distance between them, his tail giving a short wag in greeting. He mentally cursed at himself for allowing his words to stutter off his tongue, making him appear weak and prove that he was lying.

“How are your w-wounds doing?” While he was concerned about how the female was doing since her last visit to his den the question was asked in order to shift discussion away from him. He didn’t want to talk about himself, or what was going on in his head. XIX had ventured farther West in an attempt to be alone, but the presence of the dark female was welcome. They had grown close during her brief stay in his den as he tended to her wounds, ensuring that she recovered quickly. Since her acceptance into the pack and the progress on her wounds Bastet had, much to Lachesis’ disappointment, been visiting his den less frequently. He knew that she had to acquaint herself with her new pack mates and couldn’t share a den with him forever – especially when he had been sharing the den with Anastasia at the time.

stick with those who stick with you

She watched as the alabaster male collected himself, straightening up in an effort to assure her that he was fine; she concluded that his shaking had come from the cold, it was a plausible reason after all since winter's grip remained firm on them. Glancing into his eyes to find a fault in his words, she grew distracted by his next question and nodded her head to indicate that her wound was healing fine, although it still pained her that she hardly visited him anymore. "You and your medicine worked wonders on my wound, I couldn't feel better," she admitted with a smile, dipping her head before bringing it up to nuzzle him affectionately, and to show him the respect in rank he deserved. It felt great being in his presence, no matter how shaken up he'd become since Ana's disappearance.

She distanced herself eventually, giving him the space he needed and settled to her haunches, her ears pulled back to her skull as she searched his features, noting how in some instance the yearling had changed but she could not quite put her finger on it, maybe it was just the stress from winter. She knew how close he and the white female had been and wondered if she were the cause for such a change in the male's demeanor; the Lach she remembered was much more confident than the one sitting before her. She noted the stuttering in his words and found her eyebrows narrowing, head cocking to the side as she finally blurted questions that began to swirl in her head. "You want to talk about it? I'm here for you Lach, I'll be your listening ears." she hoped to coax him into speaking, it was the best way to relieve stress and what better than conversing with a friend. They were pack mates, but since meeting Lachesis, she'd considered him much more than just a medical guru, he was also an important part of the reason she was alive to date.

I'm so sorry for the delay <333

While the troubled yearling had initially wanted to be alone he was grateful for the familiar face and peculiar accent that accompanied it. He had been glad to see her wounds get better enough for her to find her own den, but he had also been sad to see her go. Bastet’s warm presence was missed as soon as she left – he couldn’t say that Anastasia had felt the same. She had been quiet during the charcoal stranger’s stay; her thoughts were occupied by the thoughts of the Pitch Pine children and challenging Astra’s rank. After seeing the tawny Kisla force the former alpha into submission Lachesis realized how easy it would have been for his blue-eyed china doll to take the position.

A pang of remorse filled his stomach at the thought, his pear-coloured eyes falling away from the dark female’s frame. Her response to his question caused a faint, lop-sided smile to appear briefly against his dark lips, the tip of his tail flicking in acknowledgement. It was the action that followed next that startled the yearling, causing his hindlegs to quiver as he struggled to keep himself composed. He was conflicted; he wanted to mirror her actions and return the gesture, but he also wanted to flee. He even recoiled from Capella’s touch, often dragging himself into the dark corners of his den. Unsure of what to do, XIX decided the best route was to do nothing – so he stood there, in all his awkward glory, until Bastet pulled away. Idiot, he thought glumly to himself as he watched her, his expression pained as he scrambled to think of something to say aloud.

Fortunately, the bi-coloured eyed female had beat him to the punch once more; her accented voice rang out, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. ‘You want to talk about it?’ He wanted to say talk about what? Everything’s fine but he knew that was a lie. He was anything but fine. “I-I,” he started lamely as he struggled to find the right words, “can’t. I don’t know h-how.” He trusted the female, despite their new friendship, but he couldn’t figure out how to say what he was feeling. It had always been Anastasia who had helped him find the right words.

stick with those who stick with you

She would do most of the talking. The look on Lach's face told her everything, he was not okay no matter how many times he tried convincing her; it began to bother her that he could not trust her. It had taken plenty of guts and bravery for her to trust her own life in his hands, why couldn't he give her the same amount? A look of sympathy on her face, round ears pulled back, she inched near him a final time to nip at the hair on his shoulder, kind eyes pleading for him to let her in, "I promise not to judge you." and she leaned back, her tail thumping once against the ground. She knew her advances were probably a bit much for the sensitive yearling, but Bastet was very bold would often times not take no for an answer, especially when the wolf in question had done everything in his power to help her. What good would it be for her to rob him of the same luxury?

Lingering this close to him she caught whiff of another scent on his pelt, another female probably the same age that he was--but she could not put a face to this smell. Lachesis was quite the ladies man, having found someone so quickly to replace Anastasia as his companion, but she found herself wondering if this woman was truly a friend or a lover. The thought caused a tinge of jealousy to bubble in her stomach, and she found herself wondering now how so many women had gotten so close to the male when she could not even break through his barrier; was she doing something wrong? Her bi-colored eyes studied him, attempted to read his thoughts and the emotions that ran through his slender body but she found that she could not, he was hiding them a little too well in this instance, and yet she could still sense that something was wrong. Could he be feeling a sliver of breeding season, was that possible for yearlings? Impossible, Lachesis was a level headed male, usually anyway, she figured that he couldn't be bothered by such feelings of breeding season, especially not with Bastet, they didn't have the type of relationship. Another tingle of jealousy bubbled in her at the thought of the wolf who could make him feel that way, she had to have been a special woman, and currently Bastet was not that special. "you're secrets will be safe with me."

The thickly accented voice of Bastet broke the silence that had settled between them, causing the boy meet her bi-coloured gaze briefly. He appreciated her words, and desperately wanted to believe they were true. XIX did care for the dark female – he had nursed her back to health and shared a den with her while she healed. Out of the professional relationship they initially had a friendship had blossomed, one that the slender yearling was very inclined to keep. He didn’t want to chase her away with his frigid exterior; he wanted to do the exact opposite and bring her in closer.

“She’s g-gone,” he blurted suddenly, unable to choke down his voice anymore. Although he had slowly begun to accept the fact that Anastasia was lost – or dead – on the mountain, he still didn’t want to. Voicing that she was actually gone made it more real, and XIX desperately wanted to believe that his blue-eyed dove would eventually come back to him. And hopefully forgive him for abandoning her on the mountain. He would never forgive himself for leaving her – he could have searched longer and scoured the mountain for his companion. But he had been selfish and left.

“The m-mountain stole her. And I-I left her.” More words spilled past his lips as he bowed his head, his pale eyes focused on the ground as he waited for a response from the dark female. He knew he didn’t make sense but he didn’t care. There was too much bubbling up inside his chest that it had become unbearable to hold anything in. He didn’t want Bastet to feel as though he didn’t trust her, because he did. While their friendship was new and they were still working out their kinks, XIX trusted her. He just did a horrible job of actually showing that he trusted her. “I should’ve stayed. The m-mountain should’ve taken m-me,” he added in an exasperated tone, his body trembling as he struggled to focus on the female beside him.

stick with those who stick with you

There is an elk carcass nearby. It looks like it froze to death. +12 Health

Oooh, food! Maybe they can notice it later on?

His response was slow to come, calculative in the amount of trust he would give her, and for once Bastet understood why the male had held back like he did; he was vulnerable in so many ways. Losing his friend had changed Lachesis, had quieted him to a reclusive figure that she hardly recognized but upon finding him she became determined to change his outlook--things didn't simply stop because of someone's disappearance. Even without Anastasia, Lach remained a prominent figure in the pack who specialized in herbs and healing the sick, that would not change because of his friends absence but she could tell that he was too broken to see that his potential remained despite her departure. It pained her even more that he blamed himself for her disappearance.

She was silent a moment, allowing him to have his moment and release what emotions he kept bottled up before she approached him slowly, her ears pulled back and her steps cautious, she knew that he would probably shy away from her warmth, he usually did, but she knew he needed another wolf to confine in. He needed someone to assure them that they would not desert him and Bastet was sure that she would remain with the River pack unless something prevented her from doing so; she owed the pack her life.

When she could see the swirling colors of his gaze she stopped in her strides, sympathy within her own mix-matched gaze before she finally spoke. "I hope that where ever Anastasia is that she is safe, and that one day, if the heavens permit, she will return to you Lachesis." she was an important figure to him, for now at least, "but you must not remain in this state Lachesis, it is not healthy for you, and as you have instructed me once, time will heal your wounds. I promise." what he needed most was time and to be surrounded by those who cared.

"Do not speak like that Lachesis, if something were to have happened to you then I would be in your shoes. I would not know what to do, sadness will be me fate for months to come." she admitted, her ears occasionally lifting and lowering as she nudged his shoulder to assure him that she meant what she spoke. He had become an important figure in her life, and not just for medicinal purposes, he meant more to her than she was able to admit. "things will turn around Lach, I promise. Just give it time and do not let these feelings overcome you. You're stronger than that, right?" she only hoped at least. As she stood so close to him she wanted to embrace him, and show him the affection he was missing but she kept her distance, this was not the time nor the circumstances; that could wait.

(This post was last modified: Apr 13, 2014, 06:06 AM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!

sounds good! :3

An uncomfortable weight settled in his stomach as his words lingered between them; he didn’t like voicing his emotions. Lachesis had tried so hard to keep everything bottled up – he never wanted to burden others with his woes – but it was becoming harder and harder with each passing day. He didn’t want the wolves he cared for, and trusted, to turn away from him because he couldn’t voice how he was feeling. It wasn’t fair. They had done so much for him, and XIX felt as though he was taking advantage of them. They were caring for him and comforting him… what had he been doing?

His thoughts dispersed as his companion stepped toward him, closing the distance between them. He wanted to shy away and press his lean body against the tree behind him, but he knew that would hurt Bastet. And that’s the last thing the healer wanted to do. He swallowed, hard, and allowed his pale gaze to linger on her dark face as she spoke, breaking the silence with her heavily accented voice. Although he wasn’t sure where the accent came from, Lachesis found it comforting; it was different, and the yearling liked different.

As the dark female said the china doll’s name Lachesis flinched, his limbs quivering as he struggled to hold on to the rest of Bastet’s words. She was hopeful, which the yearling appreciated, but his doubts were still firmly rooted in the pit of his stomach. He desperately wanted to believe that Anastasia would return from the mountain and come back to him, but he had to be realistic. “… but you must not remain in this state Lachesis…” He blinked slowly at her words as a sigh rolled off his tongue; she was right. As much as he wanted to remain a recluse – the creepy, hermit healer – it wasn’t healthy; not the way he was doing it. He shuffled closer to his friend, allowing the remaining space between them to close as he leaned his shoulder against her. “I just f-feel so guilty,” he muttered softly, his eyes glued to the ground as his body trembled once more.

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2014, 09:01 PM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you