Spectral Woods Pull me back together (again)

For @Triell, @Asphodel and @Hemlock please (and of course @Nayeli if she would like! prefer to keep this as simple as possible). Since Render is on absence I'm not sure if she'll jump in which is why I've pp'd her being here (pretty sure Naira would notice if she misplaced a kid on the way - yeah she's a terrible mother but she's not -that- bad)...

What does it matter how many lovers you have

• NAIRA •

if none of them gives you the universe?

She had no idea where she was going, or if she would even find the wolf she sought, but like anything else misplaced, she could only hope that retracing her steps to date would be enough to turn up what was lost. She had started out in the Sacred Grove, passing by the Lost Lake and down, down, down into that terrifying blood stained forest. Her aching hips and the tiny legs of her children dragged her journey out. What may have taken a healthy adult five or six days to traverse had dragged out into weeks... just how many she couldn’t quite be sure.

Unable to hunt she had resorted to scavenging, and what little she found went straight into the shrinking stomachs of her children. There were packs far closer no doubt (though any sign or scent of them she was yet to find), and all she had to go on was the last lingering scent she had found in his coat on that far off spring day... Water, and the woody scent of oak. The south was too wet, and the north was too dry. So she kept on heading east, taking shelter where she could curled tightly around all she had left in the world. Two tawny bundles of bone and fur, barely sleeping for fear of what may come upon them in the dark.

When she first began to scent the strange pack she thought she must have been dreaming, perhaps delusional from the lack of sleep and food, the ache in her bones and the weariness off her mind, but when she crossed a scent... His scent, she did not hesitate to howl her plea into the foreign woods. Moving on shaky limbs she stepped over her children protectively and waited, eyes and ears trained on the forest that surrounded them, waiting, hoping, praying that her dark friend would be the one to find them.

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(This post was last modified: Aug 18, 2014, 05:56 AM by Naira.)

I'll be the bright, and black, that's making you run

There didn't seem to be anything different about this day. The sun had risen, and swiftly began to beat the world with its heat and light. Triell went about his day as if it were like any other. He had no way of knowing what had happened in the west. No way of knowing he would see her again.

The pleading cry pierced more than his ears. It was struck like a sharpened bolt, instantly wrecking havoc to his head, to his heart. His mind drifted back to late nights with two very different endings. Ones he wouldn't forget. What had been the last words spoken? She rather been wanted than needed. He hadn't believed her. He had wanted her, but she had never been his. He had always been convinced it was because she had not needed him. What could he give her that they could not? Then there had always been his silent vow to never leave Corinna nor her children on their own.

Now...what was wrong? Where was her men? Surely, she had her pack? Naira didn't howl with desperation for nothing. Without thinking of what his actions could lead to, he began charging to her voice expecting the very worst. Even his imagination could not construct this devastation. If it was not for his nose, he would not believe his orange eyes. It was Naira, but she was far from the picture he had carried. This was not the same lady he had met upon the river. Nor the ruler of the mountain. This creature looked broken, and more feral. She was not alone, beneath her he could see she was protecting what could only be her children. There was many words that hung on his tongue. What happened? Who did this? Where was their father? Why? All the dark man could do was give a low whine, approaching her with caution. Would she know him? Once the initial shock of it wore off, the Tainn knew if he was not her friend she would not have stood at his doorstep. Collecting his head, in all seriousness he tried to meet her honey stare. "Naira, it's not..Rhysis..is it?"

Triell Tainn

(This post was last modified: Sep 10, 2014, 02:40 AM by Triell.)

Back! Sorry about the absence.

Life had been simple enough ever since the beginning. Asphodel had been born with a rooted understanding of who she was and who she would one day become. She was a princess, with a strong heart, mind, and body. She had protectors. She would never be hungry or cold. Even when her mother and father failed to be there when she was lonely, Hemlock was there to comfort her. She had put her trust in everything that seemed solid and taken it for granted. And then one day, it crumbled.

The princess of nowhere was now only confused and scared, always hungry and cold. After daddy had gone away she didn't know who to turn to. Hemlock didn't seem able to offer any answers, and mother...she was obviously in pain in so many ways and Asphodel didn't want to make it worse. The once proud alphess of the Keep had disintegrated into something no wolf wanted to be. Sometimes, when her mother was at her worst, Asphodel found it hard to look at her. It made her heart ache, and fear pump through her veins. Not long ago it had been her dream to grow up just like Naira. Now she was frightened of becoming like that.

Asphodel couldn't tell how long they had been walking. The sun and moon had come and gone so many times that the journey was just a blur. A blur of hunger, of cold, of fear and pain. Her little paws, not meant for such relentless use, ached so badly that every other step was a limp. Every time she stumbled or bumped into a stone or stick her paw pads bled yet again. Coupled with the intense pain of starvation that had settled in her stomach, every movement was agony for the young wolf. But she didn't complain about what she was feeling; surely Mama and Hemlock were experiencing the same hurts. She could endure a bit longer. It would end soon. It had to.

Suddenly they stopped. Mama howled, pleading for help. Asphodel stared at her curiously, uncertain. Why had they stopped? Who was she calling to? She tried to scent the air but even her nose hurt and was mostly useless. "Mama? What did you do that for? Is somebody going to come help us?" A sudden thought struck her, and excited her. "Is Daddy coming? Is this where he went?" Asphodel's eyes lit up for the first time in many days, and her tail wagged a few times. There was hope after all.

Just then a big black stranger arrived, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Asphodel shrank back against her brother, suddenly finding comfort in her mother's protectiveness. Who was this man? Why does he know Mama?

Hurt, hurt, hurt.

The lands they had crossed had been more than foreign to the little prince. His heart had ached at the start, small whimpers hoping to summon the rest of his family back... His father, uncle and the swift silver scout his mother seemed to search for as they travelled. Eventually though, the whimpers had died in his throat and he needed to channel all his energy into sticking to his sisters side like a burr and putting one tiny worn out paw in front of the other. His eyes didn’t see the way the trees around them changed, or how the ground went from feeling so hard under foot to soft. His eyes, slowly changing to gold now, squinted without him even realising it against the brighter light out here.

When they finally stopped he drew close to his sister, expecting them to be told to hide away yet again while their mother went in search of something dry and brittle, and rancid. The sound of her howl cut through the silence like a knife and after such a long journey keeping quiet and never talking more than was necessary it made the small child flinch. He had never heard his mother call like that before.

Inching further towards her back legs, he didn’t see the stranger approach, but he could hear the heavy footfalls. The boy’s tiny heart leapt into his throat as he tried to beckon his sister further back, away from the stranger, so mother could protect them easier.

Things would be much less scary if his father was here.

What does it matter how many lovers you have

• NAIRA •

if none of them gives you the universe?

She was almost certain that she must look as wild as the day he had found her in the orchard, though perhaps she was not quite as thin, and still carried a little more of her wits. It could have been any wolf charging towards her and so she only tensed herself for long enough to his scent. It was a combination of relief and desire to please that sent her chest to the ground, her back half still sheltering her brood as her head tipped exposing her creamy throat and a desperate whine of her own sounded out in response. She inched forwards in a half crawl, her hips screaming out with the effort of it so loudly she almost didn’t hear his question.

Rhysis.

Perhaps it was? After all he had been intent on little more than destroying her for how long now? She had felt the eyes among the trees burning into her own pelt with such hatred it had caused her to flee, clueless as to the fate of her mate... “I don’t... It’s so... They’re gone.” she finally whispered, her whole world finally crashing down around her with two simple words. Gathering her front paws back beneath herself, she gently eased her way up, her ears laying back against her head in uncharacteristic submission as she tested her luck and tried to plant a kiss against her dear friends chin. “I- We have nowhere else to go... You know I’ll earn my keep...” she pleaded “Can you find room for us... here?”

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I'll be the bright, and black, that's making you run

Whatever

Triell Tainn

Reconagition seemed to come to her in turn. The dark wolf wasn't sure. The way she instantly submitted to him left a bad taste in his mouth. It was like an odd dream he was trying to make sense of. Shouldn't she be wondering where Ice, where Corinna was? Yet, if it was by scent she had found him she would have realized theirs were gone. The reasons for his disgust were unclear because he didn't know who had done this. It was the groan of her hips mostly made his ears twist, his eyes half widen. How far had she come this time? He had no idea. Her children they only seemed more worried by his presence. There was little for them to be holding on to expect her.

Forcefully relaxing the ridges upon his face best he could, he had to strain to hear her faint voice. He was very close to asking how, but when he glimpsed the children he decided against it. Slowly he nodded his head. "I see."Though was that a lie? Before he could piece any further sentence together he was caught off guard by the wet flick to the underside of his jaw. It was a subordinate action, and he tried not to think there was more behind it. There was wasn't there. Now she was asking if they could stay here. This was not how he expected it to be. She would live in her kingdom and he in his. There wasn't a world where they would be together, because it just hadn't meant to be.

There was a long swallow, hesitation. He had children to care for, his children. Sceral and Serach were not pups any more, but he had a hard time seeing them as any different. If he wasn't heartless enough to turn out loners in the dire winter, he surely wasn't to cast her aside. Eyes blinking they slipped back to her solemnly. "There is, long as you understand I have my own two children. " His intent wasn't to sound cruel, but it did hold a double meaning. He had a "life" and couldn't be her save all. He would do this, even if he might catch some hell. Though surely Nayeli had to know the stretches of his heart, who knew what the rest of the Bend would think. Motioning with his head to the trees, he attempted to lighten his tone."Come on, I'm sure we can find some leftover deer for you three." Hopefully the word food would let the children see this was their new home, and he wasn't a menacing shadow. Briefly, he held the fallen Queen's stare because he would need some answers.