Drooping Willows history repeated

July 6th; Light rain; 55° F/13° C

Angier was in a body-gripping sort of hysteria. He was shaking and trembling, on the verge of panting but still able to manage his breathing by keeping his jaws parted. It wasn't because the rain had soaked through his thin, summer coat, or because he had thought he had seen something moving through the sheets of rain and veil-like branches of the willows. No, he was this way because of an entirely different reason; and, this had happened before - twice - but this had been the first time it had happened to him. Him! Of all the wolves in the world. Had this been bound to happen from the start like he had pondered so many times before when he had thought of having cubs with @Elettra? Had the Old Gods just decided to be so cruel as any other deity to lure his first-born son away? What had he done to deserve such a thing? His loyalty had never been questioned, all traces of wanderlust had been stamped out of him, and his devotion to Elettra couldn't even be doubted due to the times when he constantly spent hours by her side...

So, why? Why, why, why?!

Unable to contain himself any longer, he ushered @Castiel and @Greer into the pack den and instructed them to stay there after assigning both @Adelaide and @Sorya at the entrance to ensure his remaining prodigy did not go misplaced. On his way towards the borders, he alerted @Asriel and @Xetor as to what had just been realized. Upon running into Sköll, he sent the gangly shadow of a yearling to spread the word to @Rowan and @Lunas (and perhaps even @Morganna if he was able to locate her, even she seemed to be keeping to herself as of late also).

Nose to the ground and tail in the air, Angier began to retrace his steps He had just seen and counted each of his son's still downy-furred crowns the night before. One, two, three. Just like that. Now all of a sudden there was one missing - @Deacon. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. His beloved would be furious. Absolutely furious. With wide and wild yellow eyes his eyes darted from one willow to another, swiftly checking under one umbrella before moving onto the next. The boy was nearly two moons (months) old; he shouldn't have gone that far. Considering that even a once roly-poly Sköll barely made it ten yards over the borders as a cub, Deacon should not have been able to wander too far.

"Deacon!" he tried, traversing the borders now at a ground-eating lope. If his boy had made it this far, there was already a chance that the light drizzle had already washed away all traces of his most recent scent trail. He let loose an unmistakably distressed howl into the gray skies above him. "Deacon? DEACON!"

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Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

Still AW... <3 If @Elettra shows, Sköll is more than likely going to lobby for the chance to leave WR for a little bit, but any other WR wolves wanting orders from Angier are welcome.

Since learning about the Lyall prince's sudden disappearance, the second-born Archer had adopted an irritated and disgustingly conflicted sneer. One on hand he was happy it had happened; Angier's failure to recover his first-born son could result in his exile, or so Sköll thought, and in light of such circumstance, that made it easier for both him and his brother Asriel to ascend to the throne... the head of Willow Ridge. One the other hand, though, Sköll was disturbed and very much antsy to receive the lavish praise and rapture if and when he was able to bring Deacon home himself. He had just told @Lunas when he came, rushing in Angier's direction through the rain.

His dark ears perked at the anguished tone in his Leader's voice as he called to Deacon to no avail. He grimaced, pushing away the partially-formed thoughts that made him remember his own childhood when he would constantly send Angier into a panic because he, Elettra's look-alike son, had gone missing yet again. This time, though, it seemed that Deacon had bested him, wandering longer and farther than he had ever gone.

Sköll's head lowered as he came up to his step-father's side, his silvery eyes searching his superior's face with both anticipation and expectation of news. The raindrops rolled down his slick black coat and down the white of his muzzle and chin. He gave a small whine, half-hoping that he would be given something to do other than continually searching every nook and cranny of their territory. By now, he had already figured that Deacon was somewhere far away; and, he only knew this because of one simple fact: he, himself, had thought of running away. Calculating the time and just how long it would take for him to put an immeasurable distance between him and Willow Ridge had been plausible but he had never been able to go through with it for fear of deeply upsetting his mother. Deacon, it seemed, had outdone him, and now Sköll was here to offer his help in exchange for the prospects of a Scouting position.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

She was absolutely panicked. The mother had thus far with her second and third litter (after having lost her first after a series of unfortunate events) been great. Despite the horridly rough last winter, Skoll, @Asriel and @Morganna had successfully made it to a year old and beyond. There was little now that could stop them whilst they were healthy, strong and in their prime of life. Her third litter (secondly know) with Angier was less of a 'hassle' then the first. Deacon was a good, strong boy. Greer was wondrous though minded his manner and Castiel was far too sweet and kind to even think of doing something he should not. Still, they were children and got into a bit of trouble - nothing a little correcting could not fix! Elettra so far had not experienced this. Had not thought of this and could have never been prepared for this.

The moment her eyes woke and she realized one of her children was missing, she was off like a bullet. Unlike Angier, she had not spared the moment to tell her other pack mates of what had happened and she quickly sought out action. Angier's smarts got the rest of the pack the knowledge they needed in order to search for the children together as a team, whilst the pain-struck mother called out desperately for her child. Even as she moved west beyond her border, she called out to @Narimé with a home that maybe someway, somehow, despite the distance she (or perhaps another of her pack) would hear the grave news. Maybe Deacon was with them? Maybe he was safe? Pessimism shook her too the bone as she once more loped the pack territory, finding Angier and Skoll gathered.

Her eyes flashed instantly to her son, who, down to the highlights of silvers and low lights of gold in his coat, and an intense, pale stare, mimicked her exact being. "Skoll!" Her words snapped. She could not help herself. She was furious and had no one to blame for what had happened. Angier? The sitters? The guardians? Herself? "Seek our scout, @Lunas. You two go, now. Find my son - find your brother." The desperation in her tone grew with her words, her breath gasping from her as though having lost it. She sits suddenly then, leaning to the side of her mate with a quiver.

Greer wasn’t entirely sure what was going on – there were hushed voices, barely audible as they passed between wolves. The wolves of the Ridge were frantic, and the air was thick with fear. Something had happened… something was wrong. His baby blues swung ‘round, searching for his brothers, his mother… Deacon… where was Dee? His heart pounded, along with his head, as he continued searching the area for his absent brother as his father ushered both him and Cass into the den. As solitary and independent as he was, the fawn-like prince desperately wanted to join the search for his brother. Greer shied away from his brothers, but he still cared about them – they were his kind; his blood; they would always be there for him, and vice versa.

His father knew both Greer and Cass too well – he had appointed two Ridge wolves to watch the den to ensure that they did not go looking for Deacon. A growl rumbled in his chest as his frustration (and worry) increased. He should be out there helping his packmates in the search for his brother. It wasn’t fair! He paced the small enclosure, his shoulders hunched as he gripped the damp earth with each step. Where could Deacon have gone? Had he left the Ridge territory completely, or was hidden among the trees? Perhaps he had fallen somewhere and injured himself… no. He needed to remain positive. His brother would be found… he was safe. He had to be.

Xetor scrambled about as the news was delivered to him via @Angier 's worried growls. The rust legged archer quickly packed away the rabbit in his jaws, digging into the earth making a temporary cache. Once he quickly covered the furry carcass the dark wolf was off and moving again. Just like every other member of the pack Tor would search for Deacon to try to find where the boy had gone. Thoughts scrambled his mind as Xetor imagined terrible things befalling his cousin.

Coyotes dragging his body off, or maybe a bear wandered in? No no somebody would have seen and scented those creatures... Maybe Deacon simply wandered away while no one was looking? Not good not good... Xetor paused to breath deeply and settle his raging subconscious. Once he cleared his mind Tor began picking through the varying courses of action that they could take. Right now everyone's out looking for him... Is there no trail to follow? That would be the easiest way to find him... He moved towards the den to try and catch the pups scent. Apup could not simply vanish into thin air. However if there is no scent to follow we are pretty much screwed...No don't think like that. Perhaps he was carried off by something? Xetor's head yanked up to look at the skies. His probing gaze searching for eagles since that was the only real aerial predator a pup of Deacon's size should be afraid of.

There is nothing else better to do... Searching the way we already are is the best course of action. Xetor told himself as he resumed the frantic search.

(feel free to skip me if my turn comes up and I don't post within a day)

His cries went unanswered but the sound of approaching footsteps made his heart leap. When he turned around he came face-to-face with the son he had not been expecting. Sköll. His ears came down as the lad looked at him. When Elettra came around, he sought her eyes, but she immediately issued an order for the young Archer to seek out Lunas and begin a search for his brother beyond the pack territory. Angier's tail twitched in uncertainty, wondering if she would say anything more. She didn't. Instead, she sat down at his side and pressed herself into him. His tail gave an anxious wag.

The rain began to fall a bit harder, the thickest part of the storm clouds beginning to pass overhead. He tilted his head as to lean his cheek and the side of his face into her crown. They both shivered. This was not supposed to happen to them...

"Shh, shh," he made an attempt to console her, to rid her of the trembling that wracked her figure. "We'll find him... We'll find him. He couldn't have gone too far." He reached around to press his muzzle and lips to her temple, to the base of her ears, and just above her brow. The anxiety beginning to eat away at his stomach and gut but he would not dare to even let her pick up on it, at least not verbally. He thought back to Borden, to the stories he had put to memory about his nephew Prosper and what had happened when his nieces and other nephew had gone on ventures of their own away from home. A part of him wanted to scowl, to believe that he had not done enough as to prevent such a thing like this from happening.

He exhaled slowly, nuzzling his nose to hers, "What would you 'ave me do, love?" He tried to meet her eyes, his gold to her silver; as much as he longed to not become just like his brother - who had actually found himself misplaced from his pack due to his delayed return - he could not just sit idly by while their son was out in the wilderness, possibly alone and crying out for his family to come find him.

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Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

His mother was quick to arrive, her pace just as hurried as his; he turned to address her, a whine drawn back to the back of his throat. He had expected her to call to Angier or to ask what they were doing or what they had done thus far. Instead, she called to him. He answered her with a low woof, a sound that unmistakably declared at he was at her service. The way she trembled and quaked as she approached them made the prince nervous. Oh, this was bad. Terrible. Grim, even... Inwardly, he grimaced, taking note now about just how careless he had been as to consider running away all those months ago.

She ordered him to find Lunas and, just like that, he gave her a curt nod before bounding away without even a thought to look back. He knew where @Lunas was - or, at least, where he had last seen his friend and mentor. His willowy limbs moved faster, his footsteps quickening in pace as he raced through the willow trees, barking as he began to head north. Whether Lunas wanted to come along with him or forge his own path through Relic Lore in search of Deacon was up to him, but Sköll was not willing to wait. He had a goal at hand, and he was going to be the one to find his baby brother. Nothing and no one would stop him... No matter what, he was going to make Elettra proud.

(Exit.)

(This post was last modified: Jul 07, 2014, 08:02 PM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Her orders had been as clear as day. She was to guard the two children who were not missing while the others went out to find where the little rapscallion named Deacon disappeared to. She hated it. She should be out there looking for her nephew! She should be out there seeking him out to make sure he was safe. Her job was equally important but she preferred to run around, frantically searching rather then sitting down to watch two pups who were not about to disappear. She had to respect Angier's wishes though and so she would sit there, watching the pups carefully. She was waiting inside the den with a soft smile on her face. Even though she was calm, she could not hide the look of concern in her eyes.

The charcoal black female with a sooty muzzle looked over her nephews with diligence. She never let either of them out of her site because she felt she had failed once already, and she was not about to do so again. She should have found that Deacon was missing sooner then being told by Angier. She had let her guard down and she was supposed to be a guardian for Christ's sake! She was angry with herself and now her nephew's life was on the line. How the fuck was she supposed to feel abut that? She was frustrated but she did not show it, with her best effort, and she remained calm. There was no need to get the princes worked up over something that would hopefully be over soon.

No words were spoken nor were needed to be spoken as mother addressed her son. In seconds after a quick nod, Skoll was off like a bullet to do what was commanded of him by both his mother and Leader. If Skoll was going to prove himself to be the great Scout (and perhaps Leader) that he wanted to be, he would need to take action. Elettra could only assume Skoll would work his hardest, despite what ill thoughts of his younger siblings might roam his mind. After all, they were family and if anything her children had been raised to know the Archer line was very important. Sighing deeply and her body tensing to try and hold back the quivers she felt within her, her attention turned now back to Angier now that 'their' older son had taken order. She nodded ever so small and though she heard his words somewhere distance her mind kept raging with a number of 'What ifs?'.

"I..." She finally spoke, side glancing to her mate though refusing to look him face to face. Surely, she felt like crying, like lashing out in hopeless fury. Her focus however remained to the ground, her body stiff. For a moment, she did not know and as the minutes ticked by, finally, she spoke. "Go to Whisper Caverns, then straight up to Secret Woodlands. Tell them to keep a look out. Bring someone with you - Morganna, perhaps? Or @Rowan? (she took into consideration he was still looking for his own family) If Deacon got too far, he had to have been taken. After all, no child could have made it too far outside of his homeland, or even the neighboring landscapes, without having been guided. Elettra could only hope that perhaps Deacon was with Whisper Cavens, recovering after having gotten lost to where after he could promptly return home. If not, at least Elettra would have eyes, ears and noses further to the west and far north should he be spotted with someone else. With Skoll and Lunas searching high and low, Angier and whoever he chose going to the allies and the remaining pack members staying here and keeping up to date on the connecting landscapes, certainly they would find him. They had too.