Drooping Willows Radium Girl

For Taima and @Octavius.

July 29th; Mid-Morning; Overcast; 70° F/21° C

Since coming home, Angier had not had time to rest. Something in his gut told him that something was up... out of place... off. The foreign, and yet familiar, scent often came to him in whiffs on the edges of the territory borders and went away the deeper he ventured into the pack lands, towards the den and Infirmary. Opting to find out once and for all what and where the strange aroma was stemming from, he followed his nose, practically nudging every tree root, flower, tuft of grass, small stone, and stick as he went along.

The Leader had just caught onto a fresher scent trail when he had such a startling aha! moment that he had to stop in his tracks. His head came up and he cast his pale yellow-eyed gaze around. He knew who this girl - young lady, now - was. A part of him was ashamed that he had not recognized her sooner. Taima... His niece. A small whine left his muzzle and he immediately struck out to try and meet her.

"Taima?" he tried, hoping his tone of voice was not too demanding or forceful. He just wanted to talk to her; especially after whatever Elettra had told him. "Taima?" His nose twitched then, picking up the unmistakable scent of youth. Angier swallowed, hoping now that he had not disturbed her. His sons had just arrived at the point of being weaned and realized now that his niece's child (singular as he came to notice that there were no other distinct scents apart from the lad's) might have been a bit younger. The last thing he wanted to do was to barge in on her while she was bonding with her own son.

In one more attempt he let out a deep bark, hoping to summon from the shelter of the willow trees, the member of his family he had once considered stealing away...

(This post was last modified: Jul 29, 2014, 11:18 PM by Angier.)

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Taima had just been spending the morning grooming Octavius' snarled up fur, picking from it the bits of forest debris, dried seed pods, dried leaves, and pieces of bramble. She had lavishing him with praise about how very nice it was for him to sit properly and patiently wait for her to finish smoothing out his ears when a voice she recognized called out to her. The fur at her nape bristled and she slowly stood up before whispering to her son to stay put. Her Uncle Angier had finally found them. His distinguished scent, she discovered, had only just started to become apparent through the trees; since then, it was only a matter of hours or days before he found them. Why Taima had not looked for him or requested a moment of his time was beyond her, but she had a feeling that guilt and shame was a major part of it. There had been many a day when she, as a young cub, turned her nose up in disgust at the tawny male, purposefully disobeyed him to get him in trouble with her father, and mock him while he tried to teach her some valuable life skills. Now, here he was, the head of a pack, the mate to a stern and forbidding matriarch, a father to five sons - her cousins.

She peeked out from behind the veil of willow tree branches before casting her gaze back to Octavius. "Shh, stay," she chuffed to him before prowling forward. "I'll be right back." Trusting that Octavius would remain where he was, just like all the times before when she had needed to hunt, quench her thirst, or stretch her legs, Taima's eager ears came up as Angier called for her once more.

"I'm here," she called back. "Uncle?" She sampled the air and was drawn forward to the right. After ducking under a few trees and slipping in-between the spaces where the bough of individual trees didn't quite touch, she found him. He hadn't changed a bit. A small whine came from her snout as she braced herself, lowering her body and tucking her tail, "Hi."

The voice that answered with an "I'm here." was one that sounded a bit more mature than he had originally expected. Had that much time already passed? "Uncle?" He whipped around and angled his ears, letting out a short bark to lead her to him. His tail lightly wagged, and soon he was face-to-face with his brother's daughter. Taima... his niece, the child Borden had tried to retrieve before leaving Relic Lore altogether to be with the rest of his family. Obviously, his brother had failed, and now here she was, obviously in one piece, but still probably well-missed by her parents and siblings.

"Hi," she almost whispered, respectfully lowering herself. It took all he had to keep himself from wincing; the Taima he had remembered was the one who strutted in his face, snubbed his words, and ignored him at every turn. Now the younger Lyall was offering a universal display of respect and, for once, he was uncertain of how to react. The familiar side of him, the one who was the girl's usually submissive uncle, longed to see her unbend her elbows and knees and stand tall, just as her father often expected of her; the Leader of Willow Ridge, Elettra's consort and mate, on the other hand, while he appreciated the gesture wanted to scold her for being so young and so reckless as to find herself alone, without her family, as a new mother.

He gave his tail a small and brief wag, "Hi... So, I heard you've met yer... aunt." A twisted expression flickered over his face; it was rather odd to think of Elettra that way after having only known her before as just a Leader and mother. "How'd that go?"

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She could see his tail wag from the corner of her eye; at least he hadn't been as cross as the two women who had met her on the borders. "So, I heard you've met yer... aunt," he lent. Taima's own face sported the same expression Angier had made. "How'd that go?" Taima nuzzled her nose to her right wrist, her ears flicking at the thought of how that encounter had gone. "It was fine," she murmured. She didn't turn us away so... That ought to have said something, she inwardly thought. "But she did say that I pretty much couldn't... belong unless you allowed us."

She stared at the ground, propped up on her elbows and heels as she laid before the Willow Ridge Leader, sphinx-like aside from her lowered head and slicked back ears. "I thought they'd still be there," she whispered. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. So, when I picked up your scent, I thought, well, I thought... maybe I would ask if I could stay." Her eyes lifted up to his face, meeting his similarly colored irises before hastily looking away. "Just until... Octavius is old enough," she clarified. "Then we'll be on our way. I... I-I just..." She hesitated, her words beginning to falter, "I didn't realize how long it had been since I've been home, how much had happened since I... left. I thought having my own family would solve a few things, fill in those gaps where Grizzly Hollow had once been, but all it did was make me want my family - you, Mom and Dad, my siblings - more."

"I thought having my own family would solve a few things, fill in those gaps where Grizzly Hollow had once been," she had said once Angier was convinced that Taima had not been too discouraged or intimidated by Elettra when they had met, "but all it did was make me want my family - you, Mom and Dad, my siblings - more." Angier's ears fell back and a, singular thought emerged from the depths of his mind - What would Borden do if he stood where Angier was standing now? Taima was a Lyall, not his daughter but his niece, and, even if he had not seen her for a little over a year he still found a connection to her. Just like the rest of his brother's children, Taima held a special place within him. She was family, and no Lyall ever turned their back on another member of their family (after what had followed after Borden's exile, Angier was sure that no other would make the same mistake that their parents had done).

As Taima remained on the forest floor, the Willow Ridge Leader came forward, stepping to her side and nuzzling the tip of his muzzle, his nose and lips, to her brow. "Life's tough," he whispered, his voice a low thundering sound in his throat. "But, don't you worry." He nudged his nose along the side of her own snout, a touch that demanded her utmost attention. "Yer father's pack might not be there anymore, but you 'ave us now," he reminded her. "An' yer welcome ta stay fer as long as you need us. No matter how long that may be. As long as I'm here, yer always welcome." Really, it was only fair and right; if he had looked after Renier and Ryvet as they trekked to the wilderness that was Renegades Reach, he owed Taima just the same. He would protect her, look after her, and provide her with the means to feel safe under his watch.

A small smile made itself apparent on his face and as he stepped away from his niece, he wagged his tail, wanting her to follow the conversation onto a much lighter note. "Get up," he encouraged. "Let me see ya."

(This post was last modified: Aug 15, 2014, 08:59 PM by Angier.)

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Her eyes fluttered closed, the tears glossing her irises behind her lids and lashes as though something had stung at her. Figuratively, something had, and she wished she had prepared herself for the revelation that her uncle had still cared for her. Despite all the cheek and brashness she had given him when she had been younger, he still loved her. Yes, he was her father's age-mate brother, but she still should have at least understood that her family had not yet abandoned her as she had initially believed.

As much as she wanted to slink away, to excuse herself so that she could find solace in her son's downy fur while he curled up against her to nap, she kept rooted in place. "Life's tough," Angier's voice came in her ear. Her ears quivered atop her head as she felt him press his lips to her temple. He told her not to worry, that she was welcome to stay with him and his pack, his new family, for as long as she needed them. Her ribcage felt like it was trying to keep her lungs from filling up with fresh air, to still her beating heart as though the words were too much to bear.

She had no words to answer him with and as she let a dry sob shake her shoulders, she sniffed, whining in a low, pained note. Of course, her uncle would have cared. She attempted to search her mind for the evidence that had told her otherwise and Mapplethorpe came to mind. A shake of her head and Angier stepped away from her. "Get up. Let me see ya."

Taima wished he hadn't asked such a thing. Surely her spindly legs could not bear her now, not after all he had told her, assured her. She had to try though, if she was to prove herself worthy of being his subordinate, worthy of deeming herself as his niece, then she would do as he requested. Shifting her weight and heaving herself up on her forelimbs first before her hind legs, she stood up tall before slumping her shoulders downward and lowering her head, making sure to keep the angles of her ears low as well. She dared to hold his gaze for no more than two seconds before looking elsewhere, particularly at his paws.

As Borden's daughter, one might have expected more, but after all that Taima had gone through, the demons that still plagued her from her journey did well to keep her posture as inferior as possible. She had so much to lose and could not risk so much as a raised tail or disrespectful gaze. She pressed her tongue to the ridges at the top of her mouth, hoping that he approved of what he saw - a shell of her former self, perhaps, but it was a start in beginning to rebuild herself from the remains of the poor choices she had pursued over the past year.

Angier stared. She was certainly skinny - too thin and bony to his liking - and plainly malnourished by the condition of her coat and the lack of moisture that should have given her nose a healthy luster. It was a shame; though, he was glad that she (and her son) had come when they had. Any more time spent beyond the sanctuary of an accommodating pack and Octavius, her son, might as well have been dead. His smile grew, despite the fact that her bearings quickly had her keeping her respectful display. Again, with her ears, eyes, and tail. He silently mused to himself as she kept quiet, waiting for him to pass his judgement over her.

His right paw lifted and once it was on the ground, he was close to Taima again, sweeping his chin over her neck and spine. For good measure, he lifted his paw again, caressing her side with a firm but gentle motion. The willows might have permeated her pelt but now she bore the scent of her pack, her family. He held still, wondering if she might flinch or cringe away from him, "Yer one of us, Taima. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Ya hear?" His tail, which had ceased in its wagging, rose up to a more domineering position as asserted himself as her superior. "If you need somethin', you let me know. Don't even hesitate. All right?"

He fully smiled at her now, all marks of seriousness gone from his face. "Is... Octavius nearby?" he asked, curiosity and yearning now obvious in his tone. "May I see 'im?"

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If the Leader before her had been anyone else, she might have jerked away at Angier's touch. It both surprised and startled her though when he verbally affirmed what he had done by saying that she was one of them. Just because the older Lyall had lent his touch, the pure and distinct scent of his musk from the pads of his paws, she was now a wolf of Willow Ridge. As much as she wanted to meet his eyes, to see what emotions she would find there as a result of such an act as to mark her as his own.

Taima's tail slowly waved, likened to a banner in the gentlest of breezes. "Thank you." Her eyes stole a glimpse at his paws now that they were all on the ground and as he asked if her son was nearby, she nodded. Lifting her head just enough so that it was still held in a neutral position, she pointed with a tip of her muzzle and a tilt of her head. "He's resting over here," she disclosed. "He's shy, but I think he'll warm up to you in no time. He's a good kid -" An amused smile inched onto her maw as she was fleetingly brought to the memories of her siblings and the days of her own adolescence, "- like his Uncle Ryvet and Granduncle... Just this way. A few trees over."

Careful paws navigated over the willow branches that draped and laid in tangles on the forest floor, eager to introduce him to the one soul who continued to love her for her, the singular reason she had to keep moving forward...

(Fade.)