Tomorrow Comes Today

“It’s no problem at all, really.” Neoma brushed aside the thanks as humbly as she could, watching the other asses her new den site carefully though the irate feeling of being overly nice for far too long was beginning to become too much for her.

Then K’arnae surprised her with the subtle bow and sweep of her tail. Now Neoma knew she wasn’t acting as if she was the lowest of the pack. In fact, she was almost acting as an equal to the beige wolf. Which, if either leader had noticed her doing so, would be furious. The thought nearly made Neoma laugh. It was true that she had made a grave mistake upon the first meeting with the leaders of Mongolia Glen, she had thus far made sure to avoid them or have as little contact as possible if they were in the same close vicinity, such as earlier with the greeting of the pups. The swarthy female had left as soon as it had become necessarily polite to do so. There was no desire to draw her alpha’s eyes at all, though there could be a light of surprise in their eyes. Perhaps they thought she’d be gone by now, having used their pack and gone by spring’s warming sun.

Drawing herself from her thoughts, Neoma blinked when something stirred in her. The other reminded her of Anouke, just a bit. Silent and a preference to speak with few words when he did make a sound. And she voiced this. ”You remind me a great deal of a friend of mine, a wolf by the name of Anouke...Both of you are a wolf of few words.”

Table by PuppyThief
STOCK: vivstock @ DA, BrokenWing3dStock @ DA & Dawnthieves.de

@Neoma

In silence, she rested within the recess between the trees that would become her home, keeping her head low to the earth as she inhaled its fragrance. Where the magnolia bud had fallen, she gently pawed at the earth to test the thickness of ground beneath the roots, noting its clumped quality and pleasantly moist composition; not drenched but malleable enough to carve then retain its form when dry. Indeed, it was fertile and nourished by the roots of the trees rather than made bare by too great of a strain by the mighty limbs. It was ideal, truly, but it would take time to make the cradle of nature a home.

As she was not one to dismiss another without cause, she left the female to her own devices as K’arnae continued her inspection. Her ears danced freely to the distant an approaching calls of the spring birds, but fanned to the side then drew forward when the seemingly kind female spoke. But her head would not lift. Not til an image of a male of his likeness surfaced from the quiet corners of her mind.

“Is this male of the Thicket over the mountain?” she inquired softly as if expecting the she-wolf to know of area she addressed. As wolves were known to travel great distances, it was not farfetched to assume this one had reached as far a plane as she. “Large in build…” she continued, she tone lacking the passion of such an intimate recollection. “Dark pelt like the earth… yet a face like the night… flesh torn from his ear… bristled tail…” Again she pawed at the spot beneath the roots, marveling in silence as it gave way so easily. Yes. This spot was ideal.

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2014, 01:03 PM by K'arnae.)

Neoma couldn’t stop the smirk from crossing her face when K’arnae begun to describe her equal, the one who knew what the swarthy female spoke of and shared many ideals with her. Allowing any and all kindness left in her face and voice drop, Neoma drew her head up a little higher with her tail flicking slightly behind her. Her yellow eyes shone proudly and a sense of a truly caring packmate was replaced knowing who she truly was but she tempered herself. Yes, there was still a sense of caring towards the wolf but it was somewhat lessened now she knew Anouke knew the girl. No harmful words had been spat out from her so it was simple to tell they were at least on neutral terms. Yet it would not do to scare this wolf off. Not yet.

“Yes, that would be Anouke. I trust he was good to you?” Neoma told her plainly, watching her paw at the spot where K’arnae seemed content to have her den. ”Was he in good health when you left him?” To K’arnae, it might sound like a friend asking over another but that wasn’t the case, truthfully. It wasn’t over concern for the dark male, it was in part a test to see if Anouke had completed her order yet or was still yet to carry it out.

Though it had been some time since their last meeting, she had no idea what had happened and so, Neoma wouldn’t know definitely until they meet again properly-and how she knew she would have to fix that. A scouting mission would have to be done soon and now she had a general direction to head in. Over the mountains and towards a thicket. But K’arnae wouldn’t need to know that, not yet. Hopefully, Anouke had managed to persaude K’arnae to join in their endeavour, though Neoma was still to properly judge her.

Table by PuppyThief
STOCK: vivstock @ DA, BrokenWing3dStock @ DA & Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2014, 01:04 PM by Neoma.)

@Neoma

Before this moment, she hadn’t been given a name to accompany the face of the silent male, and in truth she would have been content to keep their relationship in that manner. A silent understanding unmarred by necessary words. Was a mental image not enough that a name needed to be presented? There was a time when wolves regarded each other by scent, and was still maintained… as well as she knew to be the case of her own mountain pack. Names were only administered to keep similar bloodlines from melding unintentionally. But in the wild, when meeting wolves they knew not to be of the same blood, it was unnecessary and discarded.

Perhaps she wished for an instance that would no longer be…

Nevertheless, she was strangely appreciative of his known calling. As her looked away from the earth and toward her counterpart, her tail flicked amiably at the innocent thought; then fell still when she regarded the she-wolf a second time. Were it not for her altered posture, she simply would have taken the change in her voice as accommodating the mood the large dame had sought to project; calm and steady, lacking the wasteful energy better used for tasks. But there was more to this image that set the female’s hackles to stand on end.

Had she missed something?

Her interested now shifted she set aside her project and shuffled closer to this dark female, her head perched higher and tail twitching mildly with intrigue. K’arnae had a mind to inquire if they were equals within the pack, or at least of a similar rank. But the other’s posture suggested otherwise… something higher. But then why would such an act be needed if the truth would inevitably be revealed? It was puzzling…

“…he was helpful to me,” she woman answered honestly but was disinclined to delve deeper given the change of atmosphere.

“Peace, K’arnae.” Neoma told her calmly when she saw the other’s hackles raise up, lowering her head slightly as a small smile crossed her face. “I wish no quarrels between the two of us, especially if you have meet Anouke and gotten along with him. Any friend of Anoukes’ is a friend of mine.” Even though she had no idea what kind of relationship K’arnae had with Anouke, a flare of jealousy flashed in her breast at the thought that perhaps the dark male prefered the lightly colored dame over the swarthy fae. After all, K’arnae seemed more like Anouke in personality and that wasn’t delving any deeper into whether K’arnae practiced the same beliefs as they did. But if she did...

All that was make her heart ache just a little. Neoma managed to keep the scowl off her face at the ache, it feeling so closely similar to the feeling she had around Ace that it confused her. But Neoma managed to keep a neutral facade about her as she looked over K’arnae. She couldn’t afford a fight with the new appointed pack mate, not really. Especially if she wanted to keep on the good side of their leaders and the potential scout had no idea what K’arnae would do if pressed as to why she and Neoma had gotten into a fight. Would she lie or tell the truth?

There was a good chance Neoma would be kicked from the pack, to say the least, if she spoke the truth.

Table by PuppyThief
STOCK: vivstock @ DA, BrokenWing3dStock @ DA & Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: May 11, 2014, 03:08 AM by Neoma.)

@Neoma

In truth, she would have done away with the matter had the dark male not been mentioned again. Yet the seeming precedence he held over this once cheery creature… the very mention of him that invoked such a change… it was difficult not to wonder the significance of the silent male she had met.

Her eyes narrowed gradually as the darker female renounced her proud posture, and slipped easily into a lowered position, however subtle by the dip of her head. Surely one that would let slide their pep for true neutrality would find it difficult to regain such a composure in a matter of seconds. Unless of course such an act was practiced… Then there was the smile, so accommodating rather than bothered that she might have offended the newly inducted female. Sincerity was lacking as her voice as it continued its light play upon her ears. Whatever this was, she was quickly growing to dislike it.

“And what makes this male not of this pack so important?” her jaws opened and closed with an audible snap, her temper flaring by the flick of her tail and the very real thought that she had been deceived by the other’s projection. Had her perception waned so much in the wild that she had been made a fool by ignorance? Or was it her trust of the truth in others that led her astray; that the face they brought to her was indeed their true selves? Such a thought churned her stomach as it roused a sickening bile to rest at the back of her tongue. And she would dare wonder then if the male she had met, this Anouke of the Thicket, was the same as this female; a figment of what she had sought in companionship, but was truly no more than a farce.

Neoma bristled somewhat at K’arnae, narrowing her eyes. Yet she took a few steps back with the snap of K’arnae’s jaws and the flick of the tail. She dare not fight K’arnae, not even injured as it was too easy to underestimate an injured opponent. They could still put up a great fight and given that K’arnae was also angry, that would add to her adrenaline.

”He is important because he is a friend of mine, as I spoke of earlier.” Her voice was short and curt, her eyes hard. ”A part of another pack he might be, can I not still care for him? Still care to call him friend? Yes, we might be of different packs now but if we were to meet again, unless under extreme circumstances that called for the opposite, I would welcome him happily.” Her voice was filled with the truth and sincerity, her eyes mirroring the same.

”I am sorry for any deception on my part and I see that I have obviously hit a mark with you K’arnae. I did not wish for that to happen. For that, I give an apology.” The swarthy fae implored to the other, sounding rather sincere. ”You may think less of me for it, caring for a wolf who is not a part of the pack but please do not think any less of Anouke. He is a good man and I trust him.”

Table by PuppyThief
STOCK: vivstock @ DA, BrokenWing3dStock @ DA & Dawnthieves.de

@Neoma

It was a sore spot with the female when her trust was broken, though she had no other to blame but herself. This instance was not different, though it angered her still; how willingly she had accepted this act by the dame, even going so far as to share a compliment in sincerity. But what had she been applauding? The act itself or indeed her suggestions? Or were her suggestions just part of the ‘homely’ air she hoped to, and successfully portrayed? She did not like being deceived. And no apology would mend that wound so easily.

“I do not think less of wolves that care for others outside of their pack,” she snapped in turn. After all, was it not the way of things for budding families to part from their origins to begin a life anew? Even then the connections were strong if not maintained. Letting her bristled stature smooth somewhat, the she-wolf turned her back in a dismissive gesture before dropping down to her rear. Her posture remained guarded as she slumped into her loosened folds.

“…I think less of those that would seek to lie rather than announce themselves as they are.” Her tail brushed the ground with a flustered sweep. “Deception is for those who have something to hide… and those that hide cannot be trusted. If a wolf cannot be trusted… how can you rely upon them, especially when the need is dire?” Still brandishing her back, the woman turned slightly to look over her shoulder at the female. A scowl marred her once impassive face. As far as she was concerned, Neoma could care for any one she chose, regardless of where their affiliations lied. But what she would not stand for was being lied to so plainly;

It only made the mountain wolf feel more of a fool for so easily being drawn in.

Neoma bowed her head in agreement, inwardly cursing herself. It seems somewhere between meeting Anouke and joining this pack, she had lost her touch to properly deceive other wolves and how to read them. She should have kept up the ‘happy go lucky’ act for a while longer, instead of pulling out of the farce when she had. Yet she had no one to blame for it expect herself. And the dark wolf hated herself because she had become so poor at what she once prided herself in.

This wolf should know the power Neoma could hold over her, what she could promise the fair wolf in return for her services. And if K’arnae had spoken with Anouke, there was a fair chance he had seen something in her, as Neoma should have known the moment the other was spotted.

But as she opened her mouth the speak back, something settled over Neoma and she could barely stop the shudder that ran down her spine. ”Perhaps wolves do it because they do not trust others and wish to seek out others like them, without revealing their true nature at first.” Her voice was low, her yellow eyes flicking over to rest on the den spot K’arnae had deemed fit for living. ”Sometimes, the pain of someone breaking your trust or heart can make a bond stronger. It shows all that we have flaws, like everyone else. It shows we are not perfect and if everyone spoke the truth, what would the world be? A happy place where nothing bad happens? And yet, even during the happiest of times, darkness prevails. Darkness will always strike the hardest even if the world was always happy and bright and kind.” The words were rolling off her tongue now, sincerity lacing them and she didn’t want them to stop. This is what she lived for.

”Yet would you rather a world like that, where no evil roamed and only good stood straight? Would you rather it be that everyone is kind and caring, with full bellies and happy families? Without the reality of the dark to remind them of the true harshness the world possesses and to have them not grieve? That is a world most would wish to have but it cannot be, for it is a fantasy and a happy ending and they never last very long.” Neoma didn’t care if K’arnae agreed with her or not. All she wanted to do was speak the words that were now jumbled in her mind and clawing to be free. ”I know I’d rather the prospect of life followed by death, of blood on my tongue over the thought forever life and the taste of clean water running down my throat. That is real and something to strive for, a life to prove yourself in. Not a life where everything is given to you and you didn't even have to lift a nail. Would you rather that K’arnae? That everything was given to you and not worked for?” The words were a challenge of the mind, not of the body and she hoped the other would pick up on that.

Table by PuppyThief
STOCK: vivstock @ DA, BrokenWing3dStock @ DA & Dawnthieves.de

@Neoma

…and how easily did feeling the part of a fool give way to defense, again rousing the umber hairs of her ridge to stand on end. The woman was not so without restraint that she did not listen to the other, nor was her mind too closed that it would not receive let along consider what was spoken. But there was a mistake perhaps played on both their parts; a stumble that came from one not fully knowing the other nor the motivations or experiences that led through the life.

However, she could not remain silent in the face of misconception.

“Do not speak to me as if you understand how I perceive this world,” the woman growled softly as she pushed herself to stand. Too fueled by the adrenaline of a growing rage to keep her pain, she turned rather swiftly to face the dark wolf. Each thought, another pull that brought her closer to the deceptive visage. “I have seen nothing good that came from one’s deception toward another… only chaos in what was mean to be sustainable and peaceful. Lies in all forms will always be present, as will the truth, however one’s deep deception can be done without… lest its presence is to only further darken this world.” Her bi-colored eyes narrowed as she halted before Neoma and drew her head to its fullest height. “…and do not speak as though darkness is wholly created outside of our doing… and your farce is a means to protect yourself from it. Yes… it will prevail, it is unyielding and will surface when we least expect it. I stare into it now and yet I do not fear what it may do to me, but the harm that is may inflict upon others.

“I am not ignorant enough to want the world to be a complete place of happiness and joy… but I know enough that deep lies and false faces will not chase away the darkness that creeps in. Nor will it grant me a life where blood is not shed. There is no life without harshness and it comes in many forms, Neoma. But nothing is as harsh as the darkness we make for ourselves, and that which we place upon others. You would be kind to yourself to remember this before you show your false face again.”