Wild Cherry Orchard Black Horse & The Cherry Tree

@Iopah There was no denying her past at this point. Even if she had tried to play it off and play dumb, Enoki knew the truth and knew who Iopah was. Her last name was like a flag draped around her frame that stuck out like a sore thumb to the eyes of an Ashrelle. Before her was kin to those who fought her own kin, but despite that Enoki knew nothing of this woman before her. She knew not of what role she may have played in the onslaught that day, if at all. Hell, for all Enoki knew Iopah could have no part what so ever. "Yes, those Black Hills. You don't have to pretend, I'm sure our paths crossed." The phrase floated across her mind repetitively as the space between them became silent and the drizzling rain began to wash the remaining stains of cherries from her pelt, ridding any evidence of what had gone on just minutes before. Had their paths really crossed, though? Yes there was a feud between the packs over land and food, but Enoki was a mere pup at the time. 6 months old to be exact. There was no way that Iopah and Enoki had ever met prior to this encounter. Enoki would have been tucked away safely within the den among her brother and sisters while outside guards remained stationed to defend the pack heirs with their lives. With a small bow of her head, she broke the lingering silence that was starting to lean more on the awkward side. "I do not know you, per say, but I do know of your family." Her words had came out rougher and more curt than she meant, but at this moment she couldn't help that her emotions laced her words with bits of animosity. She went to sleep that night confused to not find her older brother Kele among them, his fluffy tail making the perfect sized pillow for her to lay her head upon. The two were basically twins of the opposite sort. If he was here today, one would see the unique coloration of the Ashrelle family. Unlike Enoki who held black as a more dominate color with white patches adorned just like her father, Kele was the opposite. His fur was almost a solid white if it wasn't for the patches of black that settled here and there, much like their mothers pelt had been. Her tail swung in a tentative manor behind her once before settling back to a deathly still, amber colored eyes taking in the newly acquired stance Iopah had taken while her mind had become busy with triggered memories. She didn't take a position of defense, but more of a 'get the hell out of dodge' type stance. A single ear swiveled to the side before standing alert again. Perhaps Enoki had this wolf all wrong. Maybe she wasn't the blood thirsty savage that old tales from home portrayed her family to be. Her family was, but not Iopah. She seemed different. "Speech" "Thoughts"

Khalliysgraphy @DA & CathleenTarawhiti @DA - Table by PuppyThief

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

@Enoki!

For all her bravado, her confident and flippant words, she was afraid.

Not of injury, for if this woman tried anything Iopah knew she would turn tail and run. Faced with Enoki and being forced to remember her parents, she didn't think anything was below her. She'd done it once before anyways. Run from her family because she didn't want to face them.

No. She feared what Enoki would accuse her kin of. The naivety that insisted her parents could do no wrong had long since died. Whatever accusations Enoki made would probably be true. Iopah had seen them do cruel things, when she grew old enough she'd even stood beside them. But what new horrors would be revealed? They were her parents. The same jaws that ripped apart interlopers had carried her home when puppy legs grew to tired to carry her. The same voice that reassured her during storms had coldly insisted they give up a young son.... She didn't want to hear anymore, she knew too much as it was.

The tone was expected and she didn't flinch at the anger in Enoki's voice. The rain ran into her gold eyes as she stared at the piebald wolf. She blinked at the short statement, clearly expecting more. The water ran down the length of her muzzle as her head lowered in relief. Hope flared falsely in her. Hopefully Enoki had only heard the Barberi name by word of mouth and had never been directly terrorized by them. It was a stroke of luck on her part.

"They did the wrong things for the right reasons just to keep us feed." She admitted. They had failed though. Pride had kept them rooted to their hard-earned tract of barren land during the famine. There was a chance Enoki had news about her family. "The famine hit us hard. I had to leave, I couldn't stay to watch more die. Do you... do you know anything about us now?"

kele would have been "adopted" as a young pup. i have a chart-thing on Io's extra profile page to keep track of their ages, also io's pack was exterminated (by humans) the night she left, i would expect the black hills to have no wolves now

OOC: Oh okay, it makes sense fully now!

The bi-colored woman listened carefully as Iopah spoke of the famine and hardship that wracked her homeland, knowing all too well the situation herself while Enoki's amber eyes glanced over the older female's frame before giving a small nod of her head to answer her question. The same famine that she spoke of had plagued her own homeland, though luckily enough not as bad as it appeared it had with the Black Hill wolves. Many of the older Ashrelle wolves fell victim to the famine, unable to meet the demand for food and died. Sympathy could faintly begin to be seen on her darkened face as Enoki sat in silence a moment longer, ignoring the pellets of rain beading down her guard hairs and falling from the minuscule lashes that lined her eyes. Her appearance softened and along with it the fiery burn of animosity from her gaze that seemed to be washed away steadily by the rain. "It has been some time since I last saw the lands of our homelands, but I can offer you a small piece of information from my memories, though it isn't pleasant." Death was all Enoki thought of when she remembered both the lands of the Black Hills and Calarosa. Strange two legged creatures began to encroach upon the area and settle, raising little ones while knocking down the once beautiful pines that stood majestically towards the heavens to make their dens. Sulfur clogged the air as metal object emitted loud thunderous booms through the hours. It was all strange to Enoki, but she had nearly fallen victim to said glittering object on her disembarked journey from the pack. "The black hills hold true to their name, black with the soot of fire. When I traveled through the lands there was nothing there but the wooden structures inhabited by strange two legged creatures that stunk of sulfur and death. No wolves call that place home anymore. Hadn't for awhile if memory serves me well." An unwelcome twist in Enoki's stomach paused her tale. Was it the memory of the stench, or had the cherries finally disagreed with her stomach?

Khalliysgraphy @DA & CathleenTarawhiti @DA - Table by PuppyThief

Enoki! sorry i totally expected io to have more to say than this...
also, she's about ready to just run away, would you mind another thread where Enoki asks about Kele?

They hold true to their name, black with the soot of fire.

Iopah inhaled roughly as Enoki's words started, but her eyes squinted in confusion. A part of her knew. Her physical body -slender legs, pounding heart and sharply turned ears- understood. In her flight from home she'd nearly died. A starved yearling, fueled by nothing but bitterness, she should have died. A part of her had always known. Her leaving had saved her life, while her family had stayed to wait for their deaths. The breath was released shakily, her body was preparing her for what it knew was coming.

Sulfur and death. No wolves call that place home.

She stumbled back, her mind rebelling against what that meant. It couldn't be. They were ruthless and unrelenting, they must be alive! Last she'd seen them they were narrow, but determined and strong. They were so much stronger than she was. If she was alive, then they must be! Her legs twisted in the long grass of the orchard and she stood panting and staring at Enoki. She wanted to shout at the Ashrelle. It took a cold-heart to say such things. It was revenge. Wanting to get back at Iopah for her family's abuse. She was making something up to exact revenge on her.

No, her mind whispered to her, Remember. There were signs of what was coming. Sulfur and death. She breathed deep, drawing the memory of that night deep into her. The rabid cry of hounds and blood on their paws and nostrils in that desperate race up the mountain. The dark embankment that neither sister could jump. Her sister screaming as Iopah took one last jump when someone caught her scruff. It had taken Kele minutes to convince her to continue on. When she closed her eyes it was not Kele's amber gaze she saw but warm gold and soothing green.

"No!" She was losing everything of them! She didn't want them to be dead and she didn't want to forget.

(This post was last modified: Sep 04, 2014, 04:06 PM by Iopah.)

@Iopah That's okay and another thread sounds good to me! Go ahead and close it out then with your reply?

"No!" the older wolf shouted as she stumbled back, causing Enoki's stomach to cease its temper tantrum which actually was quite a relief. Lifting her slender frame from the ground, she defensively backed from Iopah with ears laid back flatly against her skull, unknowing what exactly was running through the wolf's mind or any intentions she may have. If it was a fight she sought from hearing the truth, then she was in for one hell of a showdown, or if she tucked tail and ran Enoki would chase after her. There was so many questions that fleeted across her mind and this female was the only one who held the key to answering them. No way was she gonna let her get away that easily. Kele. This wolf knew of her brother and though Enoki never got to meet him, she wanted to learn what she could about him. He was an Ashrelle by blood and that alone made him important enough to her. What was he like? Did he even know where he came from? These were questions she wanted to ask Iopah, but she wondered if she was even in the correct state to answer anything Enoki asked. "Speech"

Khalliysgraphy @DA & CathleenTarawhiti @DA - Table by PuppyThief

@Enoki, I'll tag you in our new thread!

She was still frozen and watching Enoki, but her heart continued to race on. It beat against her rib cage and she imaged she could feel the tempo down to her ensnared feet. Anything the Ashrelle said would have been lost in the pounding beat, but the others lips did not move. It was the truth, or as close to the truth as she would ever come across. For several long moments she stood in the rain, too stunned to say anything further. She would have rather gone on in blissful oblivion. Iopah was not going to thank her for the truthful blow that had just been delivered to her.

A solid drop of rain struck her nose, and she looked up in mild surprise. She turned her head away slowly, as if looking for something. She'd been doing something before meeting Enoki, but with her mind still reeling she couldn't think what. Whatever it was she was too shaken to continue, all she could picture was her den under the toppled tree. "I have... I have to go." She twisted to the side and with a wet sucking noise, her legs pulled free from the grass. As she turned to go, Enoki stepped with her. Iopah frowned at her, confused and suspicious, and took another step away. When Enoki moved with her once again, Iopah spun and chose a direction at random.

She would not lead this wolf home. She plunged away, motivated by the sound of her pursuer. She didn't know what Enoki would do if she found her new home and she didn't want to find out. Guilt over her parents demise drove her north, searching for the creek from her memory. She could lose her scent in the water. At some point the sound of her pursuer faded away, but Iopah kept going, sure she would reappear if her pace slowed.

(This post was last modified: Sep 17, 2014, 07:15 PM by Iopah.)