Hush Meadow a half-finished book

RE: The sky is dark with storm clouds.

July 23rd; Early Afternoon; Partly Cloudy; 68° F/20° C Rook had been back at "home" for roughly three days now. His quest for the elusive lavender plants - hiccup, hidcote, hyssop, or otherwise - had been in vain. As was protocol, the first thing he did was to check in with his sister, to make certain that she could rest assured now that he was safely within pack borders. He even let her do a thorough look over him, to make sure that he was physically okay and had not particularly been "too close" with any other feminine personality. He allowed her to do her thing, possibly scent-mark him in her own way (if she absolutely felt the need to), but then he was off with an excuse of wanting to meditate on his own. His paws found the edges of the meadow easily enough, and as he lifted his blue- and gold-colored irises to the skies he found that the cloud-covered skies still remained. He drank in a sliver of sunlight that filtered through before it was swallowed up by the upcoming storm. He eased himself into a sitting position, his gaze coming down to rest on the gently rolling slopes of tall grass before him. In the wake of the rainclouds moving to the east, the lush grass blades rippled and waved, much like the waves and tides of an ocean before the arrival of a distant hurricane. The wind briefly roared in his ears and single raindrop fell from the sky to splatter on the edge of his block-like nose. He moved his tail but was not yet convinced that he should move back into the tree line towards the boundaries that were set by his pack mates. His lungs filled with cool air and when he released it, he wondered what reason God had this time when it came to washing the world of its wickedness and sin... Surely it couldn't have been because of him... As far as he was concerned, he kept to himself when he had talked to Mataki and arrived back to his sister's side in due time, just as it had been expected of him...

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Grey thread for meeee!

A storm was on the prowl in the heavens above. Nios could feel it before he even glanced up to the rolling clouds to confirm his suspicion – the dampness that cloaked the air clung to his pelt, and the humid air gave promise that thunder and lightning might even present itself on this day. @Narimé had been kind enough to let him remain in her pack, even after he admitted he was unsure of how long he would remain – unlike the alpha, @Minka , at Black Thorn Downs, she had not considered it to be a hindrance to her pack and had welcomed him warmly. Little did he know of the tension that festered between the two packs.

A rabbit was clenched in his jaws as he moved through the grass – a present either for the pack cache, or perhaps even the one youngster the pack had. He had not met her or the mother yet – in truth, he had only become acquainted with Narime, but that did not mean he would not play his role as dutiful loyalist.. if only temporarily.

His paws swung through the thick grass, and blinking as a droplet of water hit his muzzle, he cast his bright amber eyes upward once more, grunting softly to himself. Only then did he catch something in the peripheral of his vision, and jerking his muzzle to the left, he noticed a younger wolf resting in the grass. Dropping his prize, Nios lifted his muzzle up slightly, testing the scent that came from the other – pack. With a lazy grin, he gave a nod to the sky, wondering if he had caught the attention of his comrade yet. “Are you going to just sit there in the storm?”

'cause its home, but it's gone

<3!!

More raindrops had begun to fall, but Rook didn't mind. The wind could blow and the top coat of his fur could have been drenched, but he wouldn't have budged the tiniest bit. He had no need or want to - his genes had granted him a nice thick coat (regardless of season) and he was still bone-dry and warm beneath it - until he noticed a dark-coated figure emerged in the distance, coming up from the billowing green like a favonian wind-borne ship. Titan, he had assumed. He gave the slightest smile before averting his eyes; he knew better than to stare or watch, especially if he had no interest in the hare he carried in his jowls. His dark ears drew forward and he briefly closed his eyes, hoping the prince would walk on past him. “Are you going to just sit there in the storm?” Rook's eyes fluttered open. The voice he had heard did not belong to the young royal he had expected. His brows rose and, cautiously, he turned his head to peer into the face of a golden-eyed man who stood just a bit taller than he did. The Lyall blinked, dumbfounded and embarrassed for a moment before he found his words, "I was considering it." A number of questions sprang to mind, but after having scented the signature scent of Whisper Caverns from the potpourri of smells from the brute's coat, Rook decided not to ask. Obviously, there was no need to pry about who he was, where he was taking the rabbit, or what business he had with the pack. He was pack. Though, the youth had no inkling about how the stranger was related to the wolves of Whisper Caverns. He assumed that he was Titan's older brother for the time being. "The rain never bothered me much," he divulged, turning his gaze back to the vast expanse of meadow. His brow furrowed for a moment as he fought the urge to ask why, "Could I help you out with something?" His damp tail waved about at the prospect, "Since, well, doing anything is probably better than sitting out here... praying and such. I mean, I could do that some other time; I wouldn't want Lady Narimé to think I'm incompetent."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

The other seemed almost confused by his presence -- his own bright eyes studied the male before him in return, noting the bi-colored eyes with mild interest. The rain continued to fall from the sky, as if warning the young male that not only would it not relent any time soon, it was likely to become heavier at any moment. The wind swept past him, ruffling his already untidy pelt, and while he would have questioned the stranger of his desire to just simply lay about in a storm, instead the other broke the silence.

The questioned fell between them for a moment as Nios considered the offer. He wasn't particularly up to much, but he also wasn't too keen on openly admitting that to a wolf he wasn't familair with. His stocky shoulders lifted in a small shrug, his eyes shifting from his comrade to the rabbit placed at his paws. "I was on my way to take this to either the cache or the pack pup." It felt strange to say pup as singular -- he had only been aware of multiple pups in the year, but clearly the winter had taken its toll. Silently, he as curious to whom she belonged -- Narime had told him before her mate had left, so had she bred with someone else, or was he also a man who just abandoned his children as well?

"She'd probably appreciate the caches to be filled," he decided finally, his eyes drifting back to study the wolf. "I'm Nios, by the way."

'cause its home, but it's gone

"Oh," Rook sounded, remembering now about the cub he had been told about when he had first stumbled near the pack's borders as a wandering rogue. He took in a lungful of air before releasing it quietly; he probably should have been doing something to help take care of the pack's youngest member. For the longest time, he had been "the baby" of the family, and it was still a bit strange for him to even consider that now was time for him to be 'someone older' and care for others who were younger than himself. His parents, as far as they had come and as "old" as they now were in his eyes, he knew, had decided a long while ago that he and his sister were to be the last of their generation, which often translated to Rook being doted upon and often pushed to his limits by his older brother and sisters. With his thoughts brought back to the present with the suggestion of a task and an introduction, Rook nodded to acknowledge what the black-pelted man had said. The caches had to be filled, and he knew that he was more than capable of doing so. Getting up and giving his agouti pelt a good shake, he stepped a bit closer to Nios, seeing now for himself the differences between him and his royal friend, Prince Titan. One notable difference, aside from their eyes and voices being visually and audibly distinct, was that Nios was a bit shorter in length and where bits of silver had accented Titan's face, Nios barely had any markings at all. Well, maybe the rain had saturated his fur a bit, but, currently, that didn't really matter. All Rook had to be sure of was that he made sure to look twice before opening his mouth. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself, anger a higher-ranking superior, or be shamed by royalty. "I'm Rook," he offered, trying hard to not fold under the other's seemingly inquisitive stare. "I'm... new." He fought the urge to grit his teeth in nervousness. "How long have you been apart of Whisper Caverns?"

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

As he visibly studied the other, he felt a strange stir of nostalgia for Sequoia Vale. It was rare he missed the land itself, having always dreamed of Copper Rock Creek from the moment their parents had taken them from it.. but he had recalled the excitement that had filtered throughout the pack at the prospect of another litter come spring.. until Aeylen had miscarried. The disappointment that had clung to them all was only half as sorrowful as the look upon his parents’ faces when they had broken the news.

Not father himself, nor planning to be for a while.. he still could not imagine how that had felt. Perhaps, if it hadn’t of happened, he would have been teaching a yearling that was his own blood, rather than the boy in front of him.

As the other got up, the ebony wolf gave a wry grin at the introduction. “I’m new too,” he offered before turning then, his tail sweeping the air as he made through the gentle trickling of a raindrop that would touch him every so often. The wind whipped at his face, and casting a stolen glance over his shoulder to see if the other was following he chuffed softly. “Do you hunt much?” It wasn’t a question meant to put his newfound companion on the spot.. rather, if he could gauge what skills the other had, it could determine exactly what it was they would seek to hunt.

Yet as the wind billowed past him once more with harsher intentions, Nios mused quietly if a hunt would be such a good idea when the clouds above were about to open up on them.

'cause its home, but it's gone

His companion grinned at him, but the man's expression did not have Rook smiling back. Instead, it instilled within him a sense that he had unknowingly done something out-of-line or somehow let him down. His simple tail wag, however, was just enough to signal to the yearling that he meant well. Had Nios not broken the silence between them when he had, the young Lyall might have thought to excuse himself to... well... to hunt rabbits or patrol the borders or something... anything to get away from him. As it stood, there were a few characteristics that Nios harbored that strictly reminded Rook of Aiyana and her near-intolerance of him and his sister. Rook wasn't sure he liked it at all; he would have preferred if it had been Titan who found him sitting there, praying alone in the rain. Rook watched as Nios began to head back into the trees, but before he could even wonder if he was supposed to follow or not, the man beckoned to him. Bumbling steps had the Lyall trailing behind the older male's footsteps in no time, and when Rook had had a mind to think again - this time thinking that Nios would continue their conversation about families or what Rook had been doing out alone or if whether or not the other had been apart of the Caverns pack for long - he was taken aback. It truly and figuratively had Rook under a glaring spotlight and he wasn't sure if he ought to start tap-dancing, telling a joke, or doing a magic trick or what... "Not very often," he answered, focusing his gaze on his superior's swarthy shoulder. "I'm capable of snatching up rabbits, but I've tried a bit of fishing. I'm not very good at it though." In his head he scolded himself; he probably shouldn't have admitted such a thing. So much for being honest and very much incapable of lying... At this point, Rook had put himself up to making a good impression on Nios. In an attempt to cover himself and not wanting to look or sound stupid by asking whether or not Nio hunted often (surely, he did, since he currently had a freshly-caught hare in his possession), he added, "Do you fish?"

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

The others discomfort level went completely unnoticed by the Tainn -- after all, he himself was youthful and uncertain of his life here at Whisper Caverns. He had found it a strange place to claim -- the caverns themselves held little desire to further explore for the swarthy crow, and instead his paws itched to skirt back to Northern Eden and to his true home: Copper Rock Creek.

But idling his time away on a dream would do no one any good, and instead, he spent his time attempting to repay Narime for her kindness at taking him in -- especially with the understanding that his time here was likely temporary. He had at one point hoped to seek out Mirren once more, but his brother seemed to be avoiding him.. that, and he hadn't even bothered to come tell him that he had taken a mate. Instead, he had heard it accidentally from her own lips. Despite this, Mirren would continue to insist on the importance Nios played in his life -- and then he would only continue to disappoint the ebony brother each time it failed to be proven.

His ear flickered to the voice of the other, the discussion of their hunting tactics continuing. Nios gave a light nod, withholding the furrow of his brow as he contemplated what to do -- should they seek a small deer? Or simply stick with small game? "I was born on a creek, but I never did learn how to fish," he mused, feeling his lips twitch with sardonic amusement. He would need to remedy that one day. "Guess I should learn how."

The storm clouds above continued to roll, and as another gust of wind swept past him, ruffling the male's guard hairs, he cast his companion a blink. "There was a small herd of deer just past here the other day -- they might not have gotten far. Want to see if we can pick out one of the smaller ones?" Two wolves against one deer might not have been a good choice.. but if they could get one sickly enough, they could indeed pull it off.

'cause its home, but it's gone

Deer... The rhythm of hoofbeats against the hard earth and the clacking of buck antlers filled his head. Had it not been for the question that followed soon after, Rook might have been lost for moment in remembering that time when he and his family, as a whole, had hunted together. That had been several months ago though, probably when he and Bishop were just starting to hone their tracking skills, and he had already forgotten the taste of fresh venison. "Uhh, sure," he obliged, still following after Nios all while he had his focus on the soft mud underfoot. He stepped in a small puddle in the flattened grass, withdrawing his paw instantly from the freezing cold water that he had failed to see. A shake of his head and he looked back up to Nios, "But, wouldn't the deer smell us coming in this sort of weather?" In his limited experience, the only reason he believed his parents preferred drier conditions, was this - rather than the more tactical reason of looking out for Borden's sake in his advancing age and for their children's safety (slippery grass and slick areas, even on the day after the storm, were still deemed as hazardous). He sniffed audibly, the scent of 'wet dog' inhabiting the air about them; Rook supposed he could have used the downpour to help with the state of his fur. He absolutely hated when Bishop made attempts to groom him - like their mother typically did. He loathed it. He then thought back to the part where Nios had mentioned 'the two of them,' and asked, "Could we... actually take one down though?"

The yearling posed a good question, and flashing his companion another small grin as the younger male lifted his paw to shake himself of the water, he gave a nod. “I imagine they would,” he offered, though it did not really slow his pace down. The tawny male might have been content to sit and await the storm clouds above to open and do nothing, but he was of the opposing opinion.. a failed hunt was better than doing nothing, as long as they took the precautionary measures to stay safe.

That, and the Tainn blood that pumped through the ebony male refused to simply let him sit still.

Again, the hunt was questioned, and the swarthy male did slow his pace now, casting his yellow eyes on the boy. He held the same view – especially given both of their inexperience due to age, and while he had once before been willing to at least assess the situation, he certainly wasn’t willing to make his pack mate nervous. Despite this part of empathy on his end, it did not show through on his features – his features were emotionless as always, a trait he had inherited from his steadfast father. “We could do something else if you’d like,” he offered, his words spoken more slowly, as if carefully selecting them so he could avoid insulting the tawny wolf. It was becoming quite apparent that perhaps his presence wasn’t even welcome, and as he regarded the other with a sweep of his gaze, he waited to see if perhaps the two should part ways instead.

In that moment, a droplet of rain fell on his nose, breaking his gaze from the Cavern wolf before him and toward the sky.

'cause its home, but it's gone