Hollowheart Keep keep the streets empty for me

Timed after HK's disbandment. Read only unless there are any HK stragglers that want a quick thread.

Just as @Aponi had told her to, Nova was heading back to the Keep to inform her mother that she would be leaving. Even as much as their ma didn't seem to really... care about them -- something that Aponi had helped Nova realize-- Nova did still love @Naira and wanted to say goodbye. Appa and Sagacity too, for that matter. She imagined, or at least hoped, that they had been worried about her sudden disappearance. Her journey down the mountain, while slow, was uneventful.

It took a while for Nova to notice it. The air was still, heavy and humid as if it might rain later in the day. No breeze rustled the trees, and what she could see of the clouds, through the cobwebbed tree tops, they seemed to hang listlessly in the sky as if bored. The forest wasn't utterly silent, birds still chirruping their late morning song, but Nova had never known the ghastly woods to be so... still. It was tranquil at first, but a creeping feeling of unease was beginning to well up inside her as she closed in on the borders of Hollowheart Keep. Startlingly, there wasn't much of a border left. The territory was familiar enough that she knew she was in the right place, but the scents were muted, stale, old enough that it was evident no one had been through to freshen them recently.

The girl's heart quickened, thrumming anxiously as she continued on to the center of the territory. She began to run, occasionally tripping in her frenzy and but continuing to stumble onward. She came across not a single soul on her way to the den, and once she had arrived at the familiar rocky shelter it became clear that it had been deserted. A panicked wail left her mouth as she darted to and fro, ducking in and out of the den, sniffing all around its edges as if she believed her senses could be tricking her.

Eventually she calmed, coming to stand in the center of what had once been the pack's hub. A last resort, she tipped her head back, singing a long plaintive cry for her family. Lowering her head, she kept her wide ears upright, straining to the edges of her senses to hear a response. Nothing. She didn't want to believe it, but all evidence pointed towards the fact that the pack was gone.

Where had everyone gone? And why? Did something bad happen? Or was it just time for the Nomads to move yet again? Guilt began to gnaw at Nova. Was her absence somehow the cause of this? Or perhaps, it was what they had been waiting for, a convenient way to get rid of her by just up and leaving.

A soft susurrus rolled through the forest as the clouds finally opened, rain dousing the woods as if to wash away any evidence that the pack had ever existed.

Camio was one of the few left straggling within Hollow Heart Keeps borders, or what was left of the packs borders. It seemed he had been right. The pack had been on it's last limb. By now everyone was scattered it seemed. So when the cry of a wolf broke out he was slightly startled. It came from the pack's hub so off he went to the location. Coming across a female who carried the faint scent of the Keep like himself. Stopping what seemed to be about five feet away from the other her barked out. "It's useless. I'm one, if not the only, members left over still lingering here." His voice was a bit rough sounding and deeper than normal. Due to the lack of water he had been drinking his throat had gone rather dry. "I'm getting ready to leave this place if you'd like to follow me." Digging his claws into the ground for a moment. His head hung downwards and looked to the ground. It was sad to see this place go. The young man was taking a liking to these woods. There darkness worked for him by wrapping itself around his figure at all times. It was the one thing he found nice. Returning his gaze to the female he was only left to guess what she would say. Perhaps she would snap at him with those ivory teeth or she might end up taking his offer. Camio didn't really care either way it went. It wasn't like he had anyone left to impress anymore. Once again he could and would do what he pleased. "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

Nova stood still as the rain pelted down her back and sides, sinking through her fur and soaking her to the bone. She felt like she was waiting, as if everyone would suddenly materialize from the trees yelling "Surprise!" Oh, how she wished this were all some kind of joke. They could even make fun of her for being so gullible, she wouldn't care one bit. She was beginning to feel numb, whether from the shock or the cold she couldn't tell.

Just as she considered finally moving on, a wolf emerged from the trees. Her topaz eyes gaze scraped along the rusty hued male as she thoroughly looked him over, disappointed to find his unfamiliar face. While he said he was a member, he was a complete stranger to her and likely joined while she had been lost up in the mountains. He meant little to her, except in the manner that he possibly, probably held some answers.

"Where's Mom-..." She began to demand before catching herself about to say 'Momma' and 'Appa'. Awkwardly proportioned and dark furred, Nova looked nothing like her parents (for reasons she hadn't yet considered) and this stranger probably didn't know they were her parents. "Where's Naira? And Mapplethorpe?" Nova quickly corrected herself. "And the rest of the pack, where are they?" She snapped.

His offer wasn't tempting in the least, she knew nothing of this wolf and had no reason to trust him. "Thanks, but no thanks. My sister's got a place for me. I just wanted to say goodbye was all." She told him.

Assuming Camio would know of the death

He wasn't surprised when the girl asked where Naira and Mapplethorpe where. "Naira took the children and left. Over the mountains I believe." He paused hoping he had remembered that information right. Though Mapplethorpe was another story. "The pack disband just recently." He was struggling to find out how to say this to the girl. Obviously she had been gone, since she was an unfamiliar face and wasn't here when the pack had it's last biggest downfall. "Mapplethorpe is gone. Actually, dead. I'm assuming murder from someone outside of the pack. Obviously someone had it out for the old soul." Camio didn't perhaps sound the most caring when he said it because he wasn't worried too much about it. He held no tied to Mapplethorpe except for the fact that he had been his ex-leader. "I'm assuming you were already making plans to leave then? Ya know, before this all happened." He figured he was hitting the nail on the head, or she just so happened to be able to go to her sister who was in another pack perhaps. Part of Camio wished that he knew someone else right now who could offer him another home. Yet then again he figured it was probably for the best he didn't. For if too many people knew him they would know his true intentions and he would end up like Mapplethorpe. Murdered in their own safe haven. That wasn't how Camio wanted his life to end. "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

Nova listened intently, soaking in his every word as it was the only link she had to her family now. That her mother had gone over the mountains was maybe a good sign, as if she was lucky she might run into them on the way back to see Aponi. But his news about Mapplethorpe was like ice water to the face.

"No." She told him, shaking her head. She even giggled, something she would later regret. She'd heard him wrong, that was all. "No no no. You're kidding. He couldn't be, he's not." She told herself that she was just so worried about everything that she hadn't heard him right. Who would kill the sweet old wolf? It was just too unreal, too impossible. But she knew she hadn't. She watched his face for any crack of a smile or glint in the eye, any telltale sign that he was kidding, but the expression she found there wasn't joking at all, and the small smile that had pulled at her lips dropped away. Instead a cold, hard stare took its place, her batty ears folding back.

Dead, murder. Those words had literally left the male's mouth, and her big stupid ears hadn't mistaken her. It was even more of a slap in the face than it had been that her family was simply gone. Wolves came and went all the time, drifted in and out of her life, sometimes returning, sometimes never seen again. But no one important to her had ever died before.

The girl was afraid and heartbroken. Not only was her family gone, but one of them had been ripped right out of this world before she would even have the chance to say goodbye to him. And now she never would. Maybe if she weren't so stupid and brash she might have had the chance to say goodbye before getting herself lost in the mountains like a little idiot. She hadn't thought to tell them she had gone, originally intending to return, and in those few short weeks the unthinkable had happened.

The hurricane that was raging inside of her needed an outlet, and the hapless wolf who just had the misfortune of being in front of her that moment would bear the brunt of it. Nova completely ignored his question, instead snapping her teeth and starting a growl from deep within her barreled chest. Slobber trailed down from her jaws, and her topaz eyes seemed to be looking right through him.

(This post was last modified: Aug 19, 2014, 03:46 AM by Nova.)

Camio wasn't surprised by her words or the snapping of her jaws. Backing up just a bit he offered a click of his own jaws. "I know this must be a lot to take in right now. If you wanna pay yours, our, final respects I can lead you to him." Lowering his head slightly he avoided eye contact. As much as he loved fighting now wasn't the time for a fight. "I was gonna bury his body before I left. Respect him even though I didn't know him that long." That part was a bit of a truth and a lie. He had been thinking about burying the old man but never really settled on it. Perhaps now though that this female was here he could do it and not feel so awkward about burying him. Hoping the change of topic and his slightly submissive actions would help relax the tension that laid thick in the air between the two wolves. Not thinking much of what else to say he would just play the silent care until something to say, that wouldn't result in a fight, would come to mind. Time seemingly stood still for the moment. Watching the feral trail of slobber trail down he could almost swear that it was going slower than thought. It seemed to be the one thing that kept track of the never ending time. Maybe things were suppose to be like this. This was probably just the beginning of something big for the Zamora male. "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

Her lips flicked and her slobbery tongue lolled as she continued to snarl, her wide set eyes blinking unseeingly. As a distant echo she could hear him talking to her, an annoying buzz of a fly that she just wanted to swat. She wanted to reach out and shake the sound right out of his throat, like a feral beast.

Temporarily an observer in her own mind, captive to a vaguely out of body experience from which her actions were momentarily something separate, Nova pleaded with herself to calm down. She wasn't in a habit of being needlessly cruel, and didn't enjoy causing more suffering just for the sake of it. It wasn't his fault for any of this, if anything she had only herself to be angry at. His submissive posture placated the rage in her somewhat, enough to recognize that her anger was making him react negatively.

Nova's crinkled jowls smoothed and the rumbling ceased, and she was able to focus enough that she was actually paying attention to him once again. She didn't want to look at anyone, rather she wanted to curl up and sleep and forget that any of this had ever happened. All of it was way more than she wanted to deal with, but with Mapplethorpe still out of the ground -- his corpse -- she had to just deal with it. At least she could give him that bit of respect as her send off.

Nova's head dropped down, a sort of defeated blankness settling over her face, and she nodded. "I'd like that." She admitted softly, finally averting her gaze.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Slight use of bad language, hope ye don't mind.

When she toned down Camio was mentally thanking whatever mythical god there was out there to thank for this situation. When her voice softly broke out with "I'd like that." the male was quick to move. Putting his nose to the ground he followed the still fairly fresh trail of death. He had usually been immune to killing, murder, death, etc. but this time he wanted to hurl at the smell of it. The Zamora male didn't even wish to imagine the sight that it would be. Suddenly he was regretting this whole bury idea, but he would stick with it and see it through. Anxiety was piling up in his body. The scent getting stronger, the scene certainly getting closer, he was going to be sick. Looking back to make sure Nova was there he allowed himself to whine softly once. It was probably the first time Camio had allowed himself to be weak and whine in front of another. This was it. Camio stopped standing a good four feet away from the body of Mapplethorpe. He wanted to collapse at the scene. The dried blood made his nose cringe. Mapplethorpe's lifeless body made his legs start to shake. This was obvious the job of someone who had it strongly out for the man. Opening his mouth the young male was struggling to find the words to say. Yet somewhere along the way from his brain to his tongue he found something to say. "What fucking sick bastard does this?" Camio thought he was a shallow rebel but whoever did this would put him to shame. Not being able to stand anymore Camio slowly slid down to the ground. Laying like a sphinx would pose. "Mapplethorpe, I'm sorry." He whispered softly as if hoping that it would bring his leader back to life. He was starting to wish that this was all a very well thought out joke. Though he knew that with the smell of death this was the real thing. "I failed you sir. I'll make sure you get your justice, even if it's the last thing I do in this forsaken land." Camio barely managed to speak now without whining. He hadn't even known the male long enough to call him a friend but this scene of murder right here was wrong. It was wrong enough to possibly change Camio into doing something for someone else. That someone else just so happened to be Mapplethorpe and the rest of the past wolves of Hollowheart Keep. Looking to Nova with slightly watery eyes he just looked to her eyes then he paws. "Who would do this?" "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

The Ghastly woods wasn't known for its pleasant ambiance. It had always disgusted Nova, it's dilapidated state and the constant scent of decay that filled the lungs like molten lead. But under the usual stench of rot that characterized the place was something even more vile and stomach churning. Even without Camio she probably could have found the way, but Nova was at least thankful for the company. Nova had noticed him whine softly, and she wished to comfort him somehow but she just didn't know what to do.

Bones clattered underfoot and Nova was sure if not for the rain the air would have been lousy with flies. Her eyes had been fixed on the ground, focusing on just moving one paw in front of the other. It was only when Camio had stopped did she look up as she came to stand along side him. Her heart felt like it had frozen in her chest as her blood ran cold. Nova didn't know what she had expected, but it was worse than she could have ever imagined. Bloodstreaked and already set upon by rot and the vermin of the woods, Mapplethorpe, or the body he had once carried, was like a poor facsimile of what he had been like in life.

Like her companion, Nova wondered who would do this, and why. What had Mapplethorpe ever done to deserve this? Wordlessly she turned, trying not to stare as Mapplethorpe as she cleared away the ankle deep layer of bones before she could dig. She couldn't help but kick away a fox skull with more force than necessary, relishing the crack of it landing in pieces.

The pair had eventually dug out a suitable grave. Panting, Nova stepped back, her shoulders slumping as her gaze slid over to her deceased parent. They would have to move him. Nova looked Camio in the eye, giving her head a nod to signal that it was time.