Sex: MaleThe boy had been out on an adventure to clear his head. He contemplated going across the mountain to visit the gravesite of his deceased father but he knew he needed permission from Maksim or Kisla for such a long journey. Perhaps someday soon, after the boy let his anger slide past him, he could ask one of the esteemed leaders to let the boy go visit his father's remains. Maybe they would even let him take his sister with him. After all he had been a father to Adsila as well. When he arrived at the falls he sighed. He had only ever heard about the place he now stood in and it was good to see it for himself. He had first been thought of here, back when Rosealia had been around and cared for him... before he was born that was because as soon as he and his sister had come into the world she had abandoned them all. His mind wandered briefly to Hollowheart Keep and sadness tugged at his heart. He had promised himself and Maksim that he wouldn't let them crush his heart and spirit forever but it never hurt to remember. Some things were not easily forgotten, and they were even tougher to forgive. He looked into the water pool as a single tear-like moment came upon him. How was Mapplethorpe and Naira and Nova? Had Aponi returned or had someone found her? Was Mercy with her, if she were gone, or were they happily schmoozing Mapplethorpe? So many painful questions plagued his thoughts. How were they all doing? More importantly, why did he care if they were alright? |
Nova traced along the bank of a river, the land growing hillier as each mile vanished beneath her long legged stride, telling Nova she would soon be in the Serpent's mountains. The sound of crashing water sang in her ears, and Nova could swear she could feel it's energy humming up her paws. Taking that as a good sign she picked up her pace with a mind to see the falls with her own eyes. As she drew closer, a strangely familiar scent had worked its way into her nose, her broad snout rustling the forest floor as she tried to decipher just who it could be. There was something different about it that made it even harder to place. A note of cedar, curiously out of place among a forest of deciduous trees, wound itself through the familiar odor.
Nova continued sniffing along, getting closer and closer to the falls. She was so concentrated on remembering who it had been that she didn't even notice as she sniffed right up to the water. Oh! She had it, she knew just who this scent belonged to.
"Karpos!" Nova shouted in her eureka moment, her neck jerking immediately up from the soil. And there he was, right before her eyes. "Oh!" She squeaked as she popped up, all four paws leaving the ground as she sprung backwards, not yet having even processed her discovery before seeing the Slayer in the flesh. "I... I..." She stammered. "I didn't expect to see you here, Karpos." Nova managed to say, her round ears folding back.
For once he thought that maybe things would work out like he wanted them too... until he caught the scent of the woman on the wind. He had never really talked to Nova but she was a Keep wolf and Naira's daughter so she probably was well aware of the betrayal he had committed and she was probably going to attack him. As soon as he saw her he tensed up, an emotionless look hidden in his eyes as he stared into the water. She just went on sniffing and his mind raced with questions. What the heck was she... Karpos! She hadn't attack but instead she had exclaimed his name before looking up and forming a stutter. She hadn't expected to see him at the falls and he hadn't expected to see her. Great, they were all on the same page. He had a confused look on his face. Why wasn't she attacking him? Could it be possible that she wasn't mad like the others had been? Even Quick had been somewhat irritated to find him at Cut Rock River and s he responded with a small stutter in his voice. "I... er.. I just... I just kinda needed to explore a bit. I was getting a bit restless I guess?" He said, the confusion present in his voice as he took a few steps back cautiously. "Are you gonna skin me like the rest of them were... or how mad are you?" He couldn't resist asking such a tempting question. Aponi had gotten what she wanted... but did Nova see his banishment as a betrayal to the pack or something different? |
Restless. Nova totally knew where Karpos was coming from. She had felt the very same thing. How the Keep, its rancid, cloying stench, the cubs, her parent's demands, all weighing down on her like shackles that she just wanted to snap. Especially when the place she felt she truly belonged was up there. The Keep still didn't quite feel like home, and Nova doubted that it ever would. Her head slightly bobbed up and down, a sympathetic look in her eyes. Karpos looked scared though, scared of her, which wasn't something she had ever experienced. Who would be afraid of her? Despite her large stature, Nova considered herself about as dangerous as a newborn fawn.
Her amber eyes blinked, her broad head twisting to a tilt as her ears twitched forward with curiosity. "Why would I? Should I be? You... said something bad to my sister? Didn't you? And so that's why she left?" Nova asked, her head tilting the other direction. She didn't entirely understand what had gone on between them, other than it somehow ended up with all of her age mates leaving the pack. Her sister got offended, dragged Mercy off with her, and Karpos ended out getting thrown out as a result. And even then, she had only gotten her sister's side of things, of which Nova doubted their veracity. Nova's nose wrinkled, disdain creeping into her voice. "Aponi's stupid. Just because she says 'jump' I'm not gonna say 'how high'. I'm glad you got rid of her."The words came to a shock to Karpos. He instantly relaxed. He hadn't been afraid to fight her, just afraid of her response. She wasn't mad at all? That was a relief because he didn't want to risk another fight. She was asking for his side of the story when no one else had. "I snapped at her. She brought my mother abandoning me into a conversation saying it was my fault and that my father's death was my fault and that basically everyone leaving my life was my fault. It made me snap and I told her that no one wanted her around. She left, knowing that it was a lie and that wolves wanted her around. She left and I think she expected me to get kicked out. She even had grin on her face when she said that I'd have no problem explaining why she left." He explained as he let his left paw fall into the cool water and swirl around. He hated reliving it because he always got flak for what he said. Nova was happy her sister was gone. He mulled over the words for a minute. Nova wasn't going to split him open and she was glad Aponi was gone just like he was. He had never known that Nova had harbored a dislike for her sister. If only he had figured it out sooner. If only he had hung out with Nova instead of Aponi then maybe he'd still be within the borders of the Keep. "I wish I had figured out Aponi's antics before I said something to make her run away. Mapplethorpe threw me out and if I even go near those woods again then he'll skin me." Karpos admitted sadly. "But I should be used to it by now. I've never had one place to call home for long. Some way or another they are always taken from me." He muttered almost to himself. He turned his attention to her and what she was doing away from the borders of the Keep. "So what about you? You just trying to get away for a bit too?" He asked her out of pure curiosity. |
Nova listened as Karpos shared the side of the tale she had never heard. It hurt Nova to hear that the Slayer boy never had a place to truly call home. If only her sister hadn't gotten her feathers ruffled, he might have grown to fit in with them.
Nova stepped forward with slow, measured motion in case he didn't want her to get closer. She nudged her forehead on his shoulder, before stepping back away. "I'm sorry Karpos. I think it was brave of you. I always wanted to stand up to her, but I never could."
When he asked about what she was doing, she had to pause as she thought about how much she wanted to admit. She decided she could be honest with Karpos.
"Yeah, I... I want to go back." Nova admitted, her eyes flicking up to the rugged mountains that loomed high over the falls. She was nervous to let loose her personal dreams out into the world at large, as if speaking them made them more fragile. Karpos was the only person she had told this to so far, Nova hadn't told no one in the pack that she had been planning this. Given the spur of the moment nature of her departure no one else even knew she had left. Still, she planned on finishing up her trip and returning before anyone even noticed she had been gone. And really, who would notice? With Hemlock and Asphodel, everyone had their hands full that they might be too busy to wonder just where she was.
"I need to see Nomad's Pass again with my own eyes." She said wistfully, sighing as she looked at Karpos. She hoped he wouldn't find it silly. Nova was sure if Aponi ever heard Nova saying such things, all Nova would get would be derisive laughter. Fortunately it was unlikely Nova would ever run into her sister again. She didn't know where she was, nor did she care.
She approached him and he tensed slightly out of instinct but quickly relaxed. Her head met his shoulder softly before she backed up and apologized. She even called him brave, something no wolf had ever said to him before. Then she answered his question and he was slightly shocked. It was a dream that he understood more then he ever thought he would. There was a faint smile present as he listened to her. When she finished he thought about his words. Not before long would he answer her dreams with encouragement and dreams of his own. "You're dream is... I want to say amazing but I don't know if it is the right word. It's a dream worth carrying out." He tried to figure out the right words. It was a common dream. He hadn't been back to Pitch Pine Trail since it collapsed but it was too far to go to without Maksim and Kisla noticing. He hadn't worked up the courage to ask them about it either. The boy looked to his friend and spoke once more. "Sometimes I dream about returning to Pitch Pine Trail but I can never seem to will myself to relive what happened. Some day... I'll reform it. I'll reclaim Pitch Pine Trail just like my father claimed it originally. You could do it too... you could bring back Nomad's Pass in your own image. Just like you remember it." He tried to encourage her to actually pursue her dreams but he felt like he was just being overbearing when the scent reached his nose. There were rabbits about and he could see the tracks. "I... Are you hungry?" He asked the princess rather awkwardly. |
Nova laughed, her head shaking back and forth abashedly as if Karpos suggested she might become queen of the moon someday. "Oh, I don't know. It's a nice thought, but I don't know if I could lead a pack." It wasn't just that it seemed like a lot of work, but that Nova didn't feel like she had the personality for bossing others around. Her mom, and Mapplethorpe, had just a way about them that commanded compliance from the pack. Nova had a hard enough time asserting herself, without the issues of leading an entire pack. A dream, certainly, but nothing more concrete than that.
"But, I'm sure you could. I hope you do." It was just then that the leporine scent caught her nose. Karpos suddenly asked if she wanted to hunt, and Nova nodded back. "With a long walk ahead, I better stock up when I can." She said. Glancing about, she noticed the fresh rabbit tracks swerving through the mud and out to into the surrounding trees. Sneaky little things must have crept behind them right as they were talking!
Nova ducked her head down, black nose sniffing as she trotted into the forest. She wondered where the rabbits were going, and hoped they hadn't scurried back down into the protection of their warren yet. Hopefully her and Karpos could intercept them well before then.
The boy was surprised when Nova denied that she could ever lead. She might not be the most assertive wolf around but she sure did have the ability to lead, even if she didn't know it. He was about to chime in again when she agreed to hunting and they both took off towards the sneaky little devils. He crept around their trail and narrowed his eyes when they finally came into view. He licked his lips before taking off, hoping that Nova was beside him so she would not miss out on a meal either. The demons took off but the boy had grown in speed and stamina and he quickly closed the ground between them. The boy aimed to take down one and possibly two as he leapt and felt the thud of impact. Success. Sweet, sweet success. He felt a crunch as he landed on the rabbit itself. He swiftly killed the beast with a bite to it's neck before he looked about for Nova. He smiled as he took a bite of the rabbit. It tasted delicious and he licked his lips. "I beg to differ though Nova. I think that you have the ability to lead well. Leading isn't necessarily being loud and assertive. It's part of it but in my opinion a very small part. My dad, everyone looked up to him. He was nice and kind and only assertive and mean when he had to be. I think that you're a lot like him when it comes down to it, which is a good thing, and if you wanted to permanently return to Nomad's Pass or even if you wanted to make your own legacy, I think you could do it." He decided as he took another bite of his rabbit. |