Mountain of Dire evil eye

@Aponi
Let's say Nova's been missing from HK for a week?
Early Evening, Partly Cloudy — 63° F/17° C

Call it nostalgia, but something about the old Nomad's Pass had been calling to Nova. Every time she found herself outside of the oppressive canopy of the Ghastly Woods, she would peer up to the shining peak, knowing that her old home lay hiding between the crags. She had been so young the last time she had been there, the memories beginning to blur. Where recollection faded, fantasy took hold and Nova often daydreamed of letting the cool mountain breezes blow through her fur, feeling the rough stone under her paws. With each mundane day that passed, the longing to actually see it again grew. Her romanticized version of the Pass sounded like paradise, just waiting to be found.

She knew that @Naira and @Mapplethorpe would likely worry if she disappeared for long. She didn't plan on staying there, but it had been months since her paws traversed the alpine terrain and she lacked the experience to know just how difficult this journey would be. She spent days mulling over it, keeping this secret plan to herself. She was waiting for the "right moment", which in reality was just working up the courage to go.

Nova hadn't planned on leaving when she had, having left the Keep just for the day to hunt for rabbits. But glancing up to the glaciers glinting in the bright summer sun, Nova couldn't help herself and set off at once.

What Nova hadn't accounted for was the fact she had no idea where Nomad's Pass was anymore. There was no trail of breadcrumps to lead her, and left to her best approximation at sleuthing she tried every little gulch that looked like it might lead to a pass of some sort. The days of hiking often left her too tired to hunt, chipmunks and marmots easily evading the gangly yearling.

When Nova noticed the sun setting behind the mountain rather than over the trees, she knew she had really screwed up. She'd somehow made it to the other side! Completely disheartened, Nova plopped herself down next to a stream. She tipped her head back, singing a lonely song into the evening sky.

So since they're on her side of the mountain Aponi has been travelling for about 2 days :)

It had been the first time that Aponi had left the pack for a journey that would keep her out for more than a day or two. A kind of wanderlust had taken hold of her the last few weeks and she had been spending as much time as possible outside the borders scouting out the surrounding territories. At first this had settled the itch in her bones to push farther but it hadn't taken long before the silver yearling had all but memorized the areas that surrounded their new home. So warning Mercy where she was going she had set out early in the morning, promising repeatedly to be home soon with news of some kind. She would she swore, or at least some kind of prey to fill a cache with so the trip wouldn't be a complete waste.

Nearly two days later the sun began to set as Aponi crested the east side of the mountain, finally realizing where her paws were carrying her. She was headed back towards the place where she had been born, where in the future Mercy and herself would one day rule as their own kingdom. Following the stream up the mountain that her and her mate had followed on their way down she made quick work of it, her path etched in her mind. Fatigue began to set in as the setting sun painted the mountain purple and the blue eyes began searching for a crevice or opening in the rock where she might take shelter.

Then a lonely song filtered through the rocks, rebounding against the stone faces causing Aponi to freeze. The voice was familiar, though it took her a long moment to place it as she had not seen Nova in months, and even when belonging to Hollowheart Keep they had spent little time together. Creeping forward with hesitancy as if this might be a trick of some feral loner Aponi moved towards the sound, and finally turned the corner to lay eyes on the dark fae minutes after her song had stopped. Surely now and with pride Aponi stepped forward, her tail high as well as her muzzle, a single word falling from her mouth , "Nova."

As the last notes of her call bounced across the cliffs and finally faded away to nothing, Nova didn't expect that anyone would have heard. Sliding her fore-paws against the ground, she sunk into a laying position and rested her chin on the ground between her front legs.

She had been watching the swirling of water over the creekbed before her when she heard a voice speak her name from behind her. Nova's head jerked towards the voice, instantly rising to stand on all fours. She was startled that someone so far from home would know her name, the reason for which she discovered as soon as she set her sight on the other wolf. Her amber eyes widened and her large ears pricked upright up with surprise. Her jaw hung open for a second or two as her brain swirled with all sorts of thoughts. What luck, or perhaps misfortune, that of all people to find her would be her own sister.

As soon as she realized how Aponi might perceive the predicament Nova had gotten herself into, she felt the skin of her face grow uncomfortably hot, her neck tingling with embarrassment. Her sister's bold confidence was making her as anxious as usual. Nova's ears shriveled back against her skull and her tongue poked out the end of her mouth to lap nervously at her own nose. However, Aponi didn't know that the reason she was over here was because she had gotten lost, not yet, at least, and Nova swore to make sure she wouldn't find out.

"Aponi..." Nova responded, a slight look of confusion present in the furrowing of her wide brow. "What are you doing, here? Is... Is this where you live now?" She asked in hopes of keeping the conversation off of herself.

Her sister looked miserable, which was unsurprising considering she was at home living with mommy dearest and her newest batch of children. New and fresh and just waiting for @Naira to screw them up like she had the rest of this Aquila generation. In fact she had probably already pawned the little monsters off onto Nova to rear like she had tried to do to her older brother before he disappeared. Seeing her there with her head in the dirt like some lowly snivelling pathetic excuse for a wolf, probably wallowing in self pity, it was disgusting. Aquila's were better than that, this was their mountain, their namesake damnit and here her sister was acting like that was the worst thing in the world.

Then she got to her feet and her expression was enough to crack the stony expression on Aponi's face with a smirk. She looked ridiculous with her mouth open and her eyes all glassy, her batty ears pointing in every direction, tongue lolling. At her question the silver brows skyrocketed and the yearling allowed a moment of silence drag on so her sister could realize what a dumb question that was. Then shaking her head she cooed, "Don't be foolish, did you smell my scent here before I arrived? One day yes, I will claim the mountain as my own. Today however I am just scouting." Padding closer the silver blue eyes narrowed taking in her sister's appearance.

Still tall in a gangly awkward way it appeared as if Nova hadn't grown into her ears or paws yet and her head looked too large for her body. Plump enough though like had regularly helped herself to the caches but didn't hunt for herself and of course still reeking of decay as the Keep wolves did. Pathetic. Circling her sister like a hungry dog circles its dying prey she cooed once more, "The better question Nova is this; what are you doing here?" Aponi circled closer as she spoke, grinning with an easy confidence she had been born into.

One... Two... Three... Four... Nova counted the seconds as Aponi let her question hang unanswered, leaving Nova to reflect on the sound of her own dumb voice. When Aponi finally did answer, she realized that she actually preferred the long, awkward silence instead. There was no pack here, no other scents besides those of an isolated patch of mountain and the two warm bodies currently standing on it.

Nova had resolved to hold her ground as her sister circled in on her like a hungry puma. She didn't want to be cowed like the little cub she was months prior. Nova knew that she wouldn't hurt her or... No, she didn't know that, and wouldn't put it past her sister to try such a thing. The only thing that bound them together was blood, and it didn't really seem like Aponi had much respect for those ties. She was still annoyed that Aponi had just left, abandoned them. Not only had she taken Mercy with her, but somehow got Karpos wrapped up in the whole thing and thrown out. But unlike her sister, Nova swore she would be returning to the Keep after this little journey.

Nova's head swayed to and fro as she followed Aponi's slow spiral inward, keeping her ears folded back. Nova should have expected that it wouldn't take long for Aponi to start her investigation of just what Nova was doing this side of the mountains, the one who really was more out of place here.

Nova lifted her snout, doing a pantomime of a sniff. "Yeah, funny that. Can't smell you anywhere. Sure looks like you're taking your sweet time to be queen of the mountain then," Nova sassed, flashing the back of her molars. "I'm just getting some fresh air. What's it matter to you?"

(This post was last modified: Jul 09, 2014, 03:45 AM by Nova.)

Aponi watched as Nova's head swayed about, watching her with her ears pinned back. It would seem her sister had grown something of a backbone since she had left, she would need to test how far she could push her now. Pushing closer now the ends of their fur would brush against one another, intermingling for a second before retracting again. Chuckling at her sisters attempts to lash out she replied, "All good things take time my dear, no need to rush perfection." The words were low, said like a woman trying to seduce a man at a nightclub, but in this case were just flaunting her absolute confidence. It had always made the batty eared female squirm in the past, seeing Aponi do things flawlessly with ease, with a burning confidence that could be hard to take.

Turning around her side once more Aponi was directly behind her ear as her words were practically a whisper. "I was asking because I know how easy it would be for someone like you to get hurt out here on your own. It could almost be an accident you know?" The snarl wasn't bothered to be hidden at the end of her comment, she wouldn't hurt her sister, probably, but Nova didn't need to know this. Holding power over others was all she wanted, and she would do it in any way that she could, she enjoyed watching Nova squirm. Besides if her sister was to remain in Hollowheart Keep she would need to toughen up, the others would eat her alive if she didn't.

It was startling how much her sister reminded her of a viper, coiling inward with the utter confidence provided by the venomous words on her tongue. It was so clear to Nova that Aponi knew exactly what she was doing, though Nova still couldn't figure out what her sister was plotting. She stood captivated, a rabbit charmed by a snake and unable to move as she slithered closer. "It could almost be an accident you know?" Aponi's words seeped into her wide ears, accented by a guttural snarl that made the dark hairs of Nova's coat stand on end.

"You wouldn't!" Nova hissed, whirling about to face Aponi. She started to back up with her large head lowered, giving a low whine as she stared at Aponi, really looking at her. Nova had never known Aponi for her kindness, though she didn't think her sister could be that cruel.

"If anything happens to me, they'll come looking for me..." Nova said, her voice trailing off as she realized that it was utterly false. An empty threat. No one would come looking for her. She'd hadn't told anyone where she had gone or even that she had left. Well, she had run into Karpos and he knew, but he didn't live around the Keep and would be long gone before anyone would even notice she was missing. And then, even if the pack did somehow figure out she had gone up to the mountain, it was unlikely that they would go out looking for her. Not when they had their hands full with the cubs, and her parents were looking more and more worn out by the day. Nova wondered if they had even noticed her disappearance at all...

Sorry for the language!

As Nova stepped backwards fear painted across her face the smaller sister moved closer, fangs barred and a snarl rumbling in her throat. Snapping her jaws together once more she took a step, inch by inch the snake moved towards the fool. Then as if it had never happened the menace drained away and instead was replaced with a type of smug amusement that was fairly typical of the Aquila girl. Chuckling she shot back, "I won't, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't." Kneading her claws into the dirt below her she fought against the adrenaline that flowed freely through her veins, oh what a rush.

At Nova's next words the mood shifted violently once more, a darkness crossing Aponi's face that was much more serious than before. Narrowing her icy eyes the silver hackles flung up from her back and once more she took a step forward. "Would they really Nova? Last I saw mother was fairly plump with our replacements." The last word a was a hiss, expelled through clenched teeth. Shaking her head sharply she continued, "She wouldn't even order anyone to go looking, just like she didn't after Datura disappeared. She doesn't give a shit about you other than you can basically raise her new litter and she won't feel bad because you're family. The rest of the pack are too busy kissing her ass day in and day out as if she's the reason the sun and moon rise to even notice that you've gone." Aponi was practically shaking now, a rage that was usually pent inside glowing in her eyes, eyes that were seeing not so far away places. Her mother always leaving, her mother never having time for them, her mother keeping them at a distance and never caring for them. Fuck that bitch.

Aponi's painful honestly cut through Nova like a knife. It hurt, not because she thought Aponi was being harsh, which she did, but because even under that what Aponi said rang so true. Her sister's bluntness put into words what Nova had long since been feeling, but allowed herself to be too much of a doormat to stand up to. More than anything Nova needed a place to belong and while she felt used by them, her family still accepted her. However it was tiring, unfair, and left Nova feeling unappreciated. She was starting to wonder if she even really wanted to go back, just so she could have the "privilege" of waiting on her mother's spawn. But... What else could she do?

One would think Nova would have become accustomed to her sister's mercurial moods, but it still distressed Nova to see her sister so agitated. She hoped that Aponi's rage wouldn't be directed on her as she seriously contemplated what she was about to say next. If this backfired, it could go very badly.

"Okay, I'm lost. I was trying to find the Pass, and now I'm lost." Nova blurted in admission, quickly continuing before Aponi had the chance to get in a remark. "But I can't go back there. Please, sister, can you help me? I just... I don't know what to do now." Nova didn't have much to lose being honest, her sister would either help or she wouldn't, but Nova knew she couldn't just go back there.

To be honest this was not at all where she thought this had been going. Perhaps for the first time in her life Aponi was floored, speechless. Her sister wanted her to do what? The silence stretched on, her blue eyes widening the only acknowledgment that she had heard what Nova had said to her. When she had said she would return with something for the pack she had in no way expected it to be a new member, let alone her awkward gangly sister. Then she realized she felt something about her sister that she had never felt before, proud.

Finally Nova was going to stick up for herself, finally she would do what she wanted, not whatever mother told her she wants. Flicking her silver tail behind her Aponi nodded once but said nothing else. Then finally she decided, "I will help you, but first you must go back." The last thing she needed was Naira to finally get some maternal instinct and send her mutts out looking for Nova, blaming Aponi and the Glen wolves for her daughter going missing. Speaking sternly and clearly she laid the plan our for her sister, "You have to go back and tell mother or father that you are leaving of your own will. Then you will take the gorge through the mountain that opens up in the Ghastly Woods, when you get to the other side you will be in a forest of red trees. Keep going east until you reach a glen of magnolia trees, this is where my new pack resides, call for me first and I will get the leaders." Backing up now, Aponi nodded one final time, there was no room for questions now, she would either sink or swim. Then without another word she turned and began to make her way back down the mountain. It was as if she was never there.