Riddle Heights No Second Prize

For @Skoll - RE: The rivers are running low, smaller streams are drying up.

no one can tell you exactly what you have gotta be

Morganna Archer

you've gotta stand your ground, and fight to save your life

With a huff and a heave the lithe dark yearling propelled herself up the stony slope, her nails clattering louder against the rough granite than any padded goat hooves ever would, giving away her presence to any that that weren’t already aware of the muttered curses and heavy panting that had been escaping the yearlings mouth for the better part of an hour now. Although the leaves were beginning to turn the sun still beat mercilessly against her ebony pelt, the ginger undertones shining through like embers about to be fanned to full flame if the girl didn’t manage to find water and shade soon.

Wistfully her peach hued eyes drifted higher yet to the snow capped peak of the mountain. It would no doubt offer her views in all directions and perhaps even a hint as to where her brother @Asriel had managed to get to. She was oblivious to the lands that lay just the other side of Riddle Heights, and even further beyond.

Until recently her own world had extended little further than the Sacred Grove to the North and Fireweed Rise to the South. Unlike her brothers she had little interest in traveling West to endure the other age-mates that dwelled there (it was bad enough they had begun to infiltrate her kingdom in an attempt to schmooze up to her mother), and so in search of some solitude and maybe some answers, she had instead headed East to the Heights.

Things had been relatively quiet since she had returned with Deacon and @Skoll had returned crooning of his own victories. She had begun to see her brother in a different light since then. Had he been the instrument of Asriel’s demise? And with the sudden influx of ‘long lost family’ and competition from others of their own age group, was her her ally, or her enemy?

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* fixed your div problem. <3

(This post was last modified: Oct 07, 2014, 07:38 AM by Skoll.)

In an attempt to sneak away from the prying eyes of his younger brother Deacon, Sköll traversed about the edges of Willow Ridge, the place where he knew his siblings were absolutely not allowed. For a long while, he trailed after the pack members he usually avoided - Sorya, Xetor, Titan, and that other new member he had not yet met, Enyoti or something like that - curious (as well as nosy) as to what they were up to. It seemed they were minding their own business and doing as they were told, caching various things away, hunting, scavenging, minding the ickle little princes that were his half-siblings. Nothing interesting, for sure... That as until his sister's scent trail tugged at his nose, leading off somewhere towards the east. As swiftly as he could, he loped along her path, not even hesitating when it eventually led him to the foot of the mountain.

His ghost gray eyes lifted up towards the stony crags, but was not intimidated by the sight of them. He might not have been this far to the east before, but now that he knew that his sister could have favored the location, he made a mental note to visit more often. For all he cared, she could have found a really nice lookout point to see the whole of Willow Ridge from afar or a really neat hideout in which he could seek refuge from both their step-father and other undesirable souls.

Placing one swarthy paw onto a moderately-sized boulder, he began ascending the mountainside, his sights set on a not-too-steep stretch of uneven rock shelf that made up the typical setting of Riddle Heights. Once or twice he nearly tripped over his own willowy limbs, but once he had gotten the hang of climbing over the stony ground and learned rather quickly how to trust his footing and when to try and find a better foothold, it was all uphill from there. At least, until he spied something that did no belong against the backdrop of jagged rocks and widely spaced pine trees: Morganna.

The sun had done its best in trying to sap his energy, warming his stark black coat, and for a time it seemed to have succeeded. He took a few minutes to recoup and catch his breath; and, once he had, he skulked on over to where she was. When he was just close enough to call out to her, he jibed at her, "Wouldn't have expected to see you here... Does your mother know you're out?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

no one can tell you exactly what you have gotta be

Morganna Archer

you've gotta stand your ground, and fight to save your life

It wasn’t the first time her brother had caught her with her tongue hanging from her mouth, panting in a very un-princess like fashion. She was just grateful it was him and not Aunty Sorya or Xetor... or one of the other yearlings trying to make friends. A smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes was offered in response to her siblings jibe. “Maybe if I were ‘alf my size or ‘alf a Lyall...” she responded, with a sneer before taking another glance at her surroundings. Why was everything so dry?

Finally her eyes fell on what could have only once been a stream bed, lined with smaller, flatter, smoother rocks than those that surrounded it. Indicating that her sibling should follow her if he wished to continue their conversation, she moved swiftly to the newly formed path. The stones, though dry, still managed to leave a cool feeling against her burning pads. Knowing already that no water lay to the south, the much easier downhill route was abandoned in favor of the winding path north, further uphill.

She travelled in relative silence for a few moments, working to get her breathing under control before she chose her words. Her relative scarceness would have been indication enough that she hardly felt at home beneath the willows recently, and surely if anyone could relate it would be her age mate. “It feels like they’re try’na push us out.” she finally commented, only hoping her brother was still within earshot. “I don’ trust any’o’em.”

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(This post was last modified: Oct 11, 2014, 02:34 AM by Morganna.)

He scoffed in response to her retort, but a wry smile inched up onto his face. She was the only one who could possibly quip at him in jest or sarcasm and he could easily brush it off. Her smile though was appreciated with a tickled wrinkle of his muzzle and nose; and, when she moved to continue scouting out the unfamiliarity rocky surfaces of the Heights, he caught onto her wordless invitation as if it were a second nature to him. Step by step, he followed her, taking note of where she put her paws before advancing forward. When they had reached what had once been a glistening riverbed, he stopped, letting his age-mate go on for a while before him. Though, after sometime, she, too, stopped.

Even if he had been born with lungs a little larger than hers, he also found himself winded. It would seem that their expansive territory within the willows had done nothing for them in regards to climbing, scaling slopes, and adapting to the windy cliffs of the mountain range. His ghost gray eyes surveyed Morganna as the silence between them stretched on without single sound or word. She was the first to break it, mentioning to him that in so many words that she felt threatened - by them, and he was confident that he knew exactly whom she was referring to - and that she had no trust in any of them.

"Mmm," he sounded, simply vocalizing that he agreed to what she had said. To yaff or yelp or gripe about this particular topic would only cut to the chase and Sköll was certainly interested in what else his only sister might divulge if he dragged out their conversation sentence by sentence. "We should drive them out then," he suggested. Knowing that Asriel no longer stood in his way, the second-born relished the ability to speak his mind and flaunt his newfound confidence. Had their older brother been around, Sköll might have no brought up any kind of suggestion at all, opting to keep quiet, just as he had when he was a cub... Asriel's shadow... "I don't trust them either," he revealed, the words emitting from him like the purr of a content puma. "And, maybe, we don't have to..."

His eyes narrowed in a grimace, "Is that the only reason you've been driven all the way out here?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

no one can tell you exactly what you have gotta be

Morganna Archer

you've gotta stand your ground, and fight to save your life

Her brothers response came as somewhat of a surprise. He still seemed content to wander among them, socialise with them even (or so it seemed). But perhaps he was just slightly more tolerant than she, or no doubt had some grand master plan to earn their trust before dropping something gross on their heads and running away leaving nothing but the echo of his laugh...

Her eyes narrowed momentarily at the prospect of running them out, it was a scenario that she had played out in her mind a thousand times over, but every time she was left with the same conclusion and a small shake of her head was offered in response to the suggestion. “Like it or no’, we need th’ numbers.” she allowed herself to mutter. She had come to realise months ago that if she wished to place herself over the usurpers she was going to have to work for it, but she was neither ready nor capable of doing so yet.

His last question she allowed herself to mull over for several moments before responding. “Nah, someone’s gotta fill the medical stores b’for winter an’ fer all Xetor calls ‘imself a medic, ‘e’s a bit... lazy...” she offered with a sly, sideways glance. “That an if I’m gonna put the rest o’ em in their place, I need to be strong ‘nough to do it properly...” she finally admitted. Looking further up the stream and daring to test the air, she still caught no scent of water but she wouldn’t let that deter her. Having caught her breath she set out again, determined that by the time spring finally came about, the rest of the wolves of the Ridge would be in for a surprise, pleasantly or otherwise.

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Morganna mentioned that they, the pack, needed the numbers; and, for a while, her brother supposed she was right. Though, a thought surfaced soon after that, perhaps, they didn't really need them when they had three younger brothers to make up their ranks. Deacon (a Guardian of sorts in the making), Castiel (a loyal Vigilante, perhaps), and Greer (who seemed to have picked up a trick or two from Sköll, himself) were more than enough to replace the extended family currently apart of the pack - Xetor, Sorya, and... Taima. Truthfully, he had actually considered the idea of picking off the rabble - those who weren't related to the Archers by blood - believing that the ranks ought to belong to Archers, specifically those who had been brought forth by his mate or born from Morganna's womb.

"Xetor can go fuck himself," he sneered in response, smirking shortly afterwards. After years of picking up the swear words, one by one, from Angier, himself, it amused Sköll just how delightful it sounded on his tongue and in his voice. For years, he had only imagined what they had all sounded like in his head; to speak them out loud now, without a second thought, was something to be savored. "I think he will be the second to go if I can manage to claw my way to the top and get rid Angier once and for all."

His sibling seemed to be preoccupied, lifting her head to either test the air or look for something specific. She began to meander off again, as though she had been drawn forward by an invisible contraption, a puppet string that drew her away from him. As carefully as he could, the prince sauntered after her with his tail held out to aid his sense of balance on the smooth, but uneven surfaces. "You can do it, too, you know," he cooed to the back of her brownish-black head, "If Mother could do it, certainly, you can too."

The further they went, the drier the air seemed whenever he inhaled to catch his breath. It might have occurred to him that she was searching for water if they had remained at the dried up riverbed; but, the further the princess went, the more Sköll had to wonder if she had something else in mind. "Morganna, stop," as much as he wanted to yaff at her, his impatient plea lifted from him as though he were merely a cub, begging his sister to release her slobbery hold on his delicate mouse-furred ears. "Where are you even going? What are you looking for?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

no one can tell you exactly what you have gotta be

Morganna Archer

you've gotta stand your ground, and fight to save your life

It wasn’t the first time Morganna had heard such expletives used, but it was the first time they had tumbled from her brothers mouth and she couldn’t help but offer a savage grin in response. My, my they were turning into quite the pair of rebels without Asriel around to keep them in line. His further admissions to wanting to get rid of Angier came as no surprise, but his desire to get rid of Xetor as well, allowed a little of the tension to leave her shoulders. There was still no sign of water in sight as his next suggestion took her by surprise, causing her to miss a step and pause in place, looking back over her shoulder with a questioning glance before continuing on again.

Sure, she had always seen herself leading the pack one day, but her brother seemed to be suggesting she attempt to topple her own mother from the throne. Her own intention had been to ensure that there was nobody left between her and her mother, but could she really do it? Would she ever do it?

If it hadn’t been for the extra emphasis on the word stop, she may not have even heard him. She drew in a deep breath and raised her eyes to the sky as though seeking some kind of divine intervention, a silent plea to give her strength and patience when he asked what she was looking for. “Water!” She answered with a hint of annoyance in her tone, “Scrub pine, ergot, skunkbush, anythin’ tha’ might be useful when th' snows come...”

His previous suggestion still weighed heavily on her mind, and she took their momentary pause to look her brother over, to really meet his eyes and search for any hint of deception. The pair would have been a sight to any onlooker, one dark pelt shining through with the colour of fire, and the other tinted with ice. She finally decided to break the silence that stretched between them. “I know I could... but not Ma’. One day maybe, but when she’s ready.” It was as much a silent plea as it was a promise. Anyone who wished to depose @Elettra Archer would have to get through her daughter first.

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(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2014, 10:02 PM by Morganna.)

"Water!" she pretty much wailed at him. Sköll couldn't help but scoff at her, even as she began to list off the things - plants - that the pack could use in the coming months. He couldn't argue with her over that; and, for once, he let her have that... the upper hand of their exchange. Though, when she looked back at him, met his eyes, he stared incredulously at her, slightly vexed that she was starting to lead him further and further away from the places he had memorized by heart. If she kept going and they somehow got themselves lost, there was no doubt in his mind that there would be hell to pay.

She told him then that she knew she could do it, trump her superiors and claim a lofty place beneath their mother in the pack hierarchy; she just wanted to have Elettra relinquish her reign in the fashion of bestowing the title of Leader to her instead of taking up Sköll's tactic of simply claiming it when he was ready. When the two of them had become quiet, he drew close to her, standing not far from her left flank. "Good for you then," he might have flatly jeered at her if his voice had not been so smooth and soft as it was. "If you won't do it, though, then I will."

With the issuing of his dare, he gave her a hint of a smirk then started walking towards where he thought his sister might continue her search, scanning the rocky heights and the crooked trees to as far as his lupine eyes could see. "If you were so thirsty," he started, not even looking at her. "Why didn't you just go to the Lagoon or the Marsh?" It had never occurred to him that his sister was one to take the tedious, harder way around a problem, being as sharp as she was. He clicked his tongue, "Water sustains plants and plants need water... with the autumn claiming it all, you should've just looked over there. Besides, just so you know, ergot only grows on flowering grasses and all the grasses are dying. So... Well, you're not going to find any." His whiskered eyebrows rose in further challenge, already expecting some sort of quip to slap him square in the face.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

no one can tell you exactly what you have gotta be

Morganna Archer

you've gotta stand your ground, and fight to save your life

Something in her brothers silky tone stirred a beast inside Morganna that she had been fighting to keep down since the usurpers began flooding their pack. A strange beast born of pride and jealousy that that threatened to rear its ugly head every time another adult wolf came near her to try and tell her what to do. She was an Archer Princess and only answered to the Queen, but the prospect of that title being all her own (in time) might one day prove too tempting if the beast was fed too often. Her eyes were glued to the back of her brothers silvery crown as he chose to take the lead, and knowing he was probably more intent on the task at hand than simply ‘burning off some extra steam’ as she was she allowed him point position without argument. Four eyes were always better than two anyway.

His question made perfect sense but when she had first set out on her journey she had been neither thirsty nor sapped from the sun, and yet she couldn’t help but retaliate. “And risk runnin’ into darling Yuka or Titan?” her sarcasm was no doubt grating and followed up by a very unladylike snort. “I know they’re mean’ ta be our allies, but really? I dunno how mother tolerates ‘em... Come winter we’ll need th’ huntin’ grounds. Wha’ then?” she dared to question, her own grasp on diplomacy clearly a point that needed refining. His quip about the ergot though had her raising a brow. “All the low areas ‘ave been picked clean already. I thought with all the rocks there migh’ still be some tucked away under the edge of a boulder or shelter’d by a cliff. Besides no doubt ev’ryone else looks up ‘ere an’ says ‘too ‘ard.’”

Her attention had been caught by a browning bush, even in its sorry and partially chewed state she knew she could at least cross skunkbush off her list. “We’ll ge’ it on the way back.” she declared after rubbing her flank against the bush and dragging her feet through the rocky soil that surrounded it. “Who knew climbin’ mountains is such thirsty work...” she muttered as her eyes continued to scout the ground ahead.

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She mentioned Titan and Yuka, but the prince kept his cool despite the tufts of fur that had begun to stand up on his shoulders. Her sarcasm easily nibbled away at him; all he had as a comeback was a disgruntled snort. Sköll knew better than the believe his sister would ever think of binding herself to a Thorben. They were nosy, troublesome, and, most of all, irritating in how they usually foiled his evening outings. Morganna posed a rhetorical question to him regarding the hunting grounds being shared between Willow Ridge and Whisper Caverns. The Archer boy rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Not our problem," he cooed. "At least not yet..."

He made to continue onward but stopped to look back at his littermate when she paused to inspect some weird shrub - the name of it, skunkbrush, had come to mind, but he didn't bother to comment on it. It could sit there, waiting for their return on the way back home, but Sköll was not going to hold himself responsible for remembering to go back for it.

Watching her eyes rove about the landscape, he looked her over. Not much had changed, the way he saw it; the both of them might have grown a bit larger, their eyes might have changed colors, and their vocabulary definitely went well beyond "Skull" and "Ganna" and "Mama" but the brother and sister they had been since they were cubs remained. Their rivalry was still intact; in regards to Asriel, however, that part of Sköll had been put to rest, dropped for the sake of nurturing a wave of newfound confidence. Spending time with Morganna in his absence only amplified the fact that there were now only two of them left.

Something on his face softened then and a slight tilt of his head rendered his features into that of his cub-like self from only a few months ago. "Did he... say anything to you?" he asked, his words bordering on the cryptic side. By the way he had so carefully emphasized the word "he," Sköll only hoped Morganna would work out who he was referring to. For clarity's sake, without being too straightforward, he added, "Before he left..."

Only then did it occur to him that Morganna might have come this far as to search for their missing sibling. Elettra, Angier, Skana, and the rest of the pack might put it in their heads that medicinal herbs were beneficial to the pack, but something had convinced the second-born Archer that plants were not enough to bring her so far from home.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away