Oak Tree Bend My Ghosts are Gaining on Me

Directly after this thread (I'm keeping it vague for now since I don't know exactly what Triell will tell him, but he plans to ask about new members, so I think he'll have Ollie's name at this point)
@Oliver <3 - Evening, Light snow — 7° F/-14° C

His mind was scattered, no single thought standing out clear, priorities turned on their head. His heart was pounding, his lunges wheezing for air, but no amount of gasping seemed to fill them properly. With every leap, he felt something tightening more around his rib cage; like gigantic jaws biting down around him, slowly crushing his bones. It couldn't be true, there had to be a mistake, a coincidence, surely! ..? Yet he knew it was true, his nose couldn't betray him, and neither could his memories! It was late in the day, the sun having already set and darkness starting to coat the landscape. The air was biting cold, threatening the resolve of anyone who was still out in it, urging them to change their minds, wait for tomorrow. But he couldn't! A light snow was falling, obscuring the prints of any wolf travelling through the forest, making it hard to track anyone. But still he tried, his nose high in the air, his blazing eyes searching the night; Where are you? Where are you?! Maybe it was just a prank! A cruel joke played on him by... by..? No..! There was no way out of this, no way this would turn out well. His past had finally come back to haunt him. Word Count: 214 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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"There." Oliver took a step back, admiring his work. It had taken quite a bit of time, but he had finally finished a respectable medicine den, with many varieties of herbs. It pleased him to see that everything had it's place, and was within that place, ready to be used. Small niches were carved out to store the different kinds of plants, and it was all according to the potency of effects. And it all surrounded a space just for recovering patients, lined with soft furs of hares and woodchucks. Oliver was certain his little accomplishment was nothing compared to a more experienced healer's den, but he was still proud of it all the same. His tail wagged in excitement. It would be great to show Triell. Eyes shifting to his surroundings, Oliver noticed it was getting dark- much quicker than he expected.Time for bed! He though cheerfully. The arnica is too close to the ergot. The black rabbit fur is too lopsided- you might've covered a rock. The pups are growing, so all the dangerous medicines should be further away from the entrance, and you should really do something about the badger stink. Arg! At Galley's behest, Oliver nearly tripped over himself to correct his mistakes, ashamed at his carelessness. How could he ever think to show this to- A new scent caught him unawares, thrusting the small man into a intense bout of nostalgia. But it surely couldn't be- there was a slim chance it would ever- his ragged ears twitched towards the sound of someone running, running hard. Suddenly frightened, Oliver descended into the den to hide, peering out into the darkness at whoever was chasing figures through the dark. "Speech" My tangled mind You're still with me.

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He had the scent. He followed it. But he still didn't believe, couldn't truly fathom, that a remnant of his darkest history had come to confront him; Not here! Oak Tree Bend had become his home, the only one he'd ever had, and it was almost sacred to him; a place to live and thrive, and be part of a community, a family... But he should have known, should have realized that this couldn't last, he didn't deserve it! So he let his paws lead him onwards, taking him to a small clearing, a little ways away from the big oak. Here he found hollow, a good ways lesser that the communal den, but not exactly small. And within it... Within it was a slender body of black and white, curled up tightly. Under other circumstances, the Avalon might have been put off by the many odors of the plants all around the boy in his hole, but his attention was only on the other wolf, all of his senses full of him, despite his small size. Drestig's blazing eyes were wide, his pupils narrow despite the darkness, his ears were pointed straight forward, mouth hanging open as he gasped for air. Several silent, heavy moments went by while he stared, tail sticking straight out behind him, hackles slightly raised, though not really in aggression, but rather; Surprise... Disbelief! Because surely it couldn't, but it was. "It is you!" The larger man breathed, voice somewhere halfway between accusatory and contended. Behind his ebony chest, the former prince's heart was beating wildly, his pulse rushing in his ears. His body was frozen in place, eyes attempting to lock with the boy's, simultaneously needing to confirm that he was real, and afraid of what he might see. Because if Oliver was here, surely it could be for one reason only; He's come to get me! And it didn't matter that he was younger, smaller, weaker, it didn't matter that Drestig could probably easily stop any attack he might throw at him. Because he wouldn't, he couldn't! This was Oliver; Ollie..! And whatever the wanion he had come to pay, the Avalon deserved every bit of it. Word Count: 364 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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Suddenly, there he was. A big black shadow in the frame of the entrance, bright eyes shining like eerie candlelight. Oliver shied away from his stance, alarmed. Was he going to attack him? Did he even remember him? Remember what he did? The small man didn't move for a long time, partially scared into a frozen state- partially at war within. Kill him... was the soft whisper, tainted with anger and hatred. I...I.. Kill him. It came stronger this time, washing over Oliver in waves. Why would I want to- He took me away from you! He killed me over a piece of meat! Kill him! I- I'm not strong enough. I- I'll end up the same, if not worse! I don't care how you do it! Poison him, drown him, bash him over the head with a rock! Just KILL HIM! He was torn between apathy, and emotion, loyalty and forgiveness. What should he do? What should be a fitting end? Galley... Eventually, his limbs moved on automatic. Making his way to move the arnica, his lips moved on their own."You seem to be doing well for yourself..." It was a neutral greeting, yet in his tone, Oliver's deepest contempt bubbled up, nearly touching the surface of his face. He fought to keep himself distanced, to keep from doing- saying something he might regret. Drestig- Drestig! didn't deserve it. Or did he? The event was so very buried in his mind- his pain and anguish- he couldn't quite remember what happened. All he remembered is that Galley was gone. And Drestig had stood over his body. "Speech" My tangled mind You're still with me

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His brain was moving so slowly, every thought seeping to the surface as through mud; Ollie... Here... For me... He had long resigned to never seeing any of his old comrades again, put that part of his life behind him; buried it so deep that it had been almost forgotten. But now here he stood, one of his boys; NO! A voice suddenly snapped in the dark man's mind, making his head jerk up in surprise, eyes zeroing in on the lad in his hollow, an almost fearful expression on his face; No, not mine... Galley's! He shivered, a freezing feeling creeping through his body; like his stomach had turned to ice. The light snow turned to rain on his back, the thick scent of blood filling his nose, and the taste his mouth. - He was standing on a cliff side, heavy rain was pouring down, drenching his coat, collecting at his paws. The crimson tainted it, changed it from something rinsing and pure to a mirror of the ugly truth. He was gasping for air, the stench of what he had done filling his lounges with every breath, making him cough. His pupils were dilated, leaving only the tiniest sliver of orange in his eyes as he stared straight ahead. Before him lay the body, lifeless, covered in blood that seemed to stick, no matter how much the rain tried to clean it away. He couldn't look at it, couldn't face what he had done; but he couldn't look to the side either, because there they stood, all of them, silent and wide eyed, terrified by the harsh reality that had become of this game of a life they had been living. - A noise. A voice! He shook his head, dragging himself back to reality. There was no blood, and no rain, but there was one, wide eyed boy, and he was speaking now; "...doing well for yourself..." Drestig stared back, for a long moment not able to drive any meaning from the words. Then he blinked a few times, closing his gaping mouth and attempting to wet his lips with a lick of his tongue; his mouth was stone dry. "I..." He breathed, helplessly, face blank. What could he say? "Ollie I... it..." His head was starting to throb, eyes stinging from his strain to see the boy in the darkness. He waved his ears, tail sweeping low behind him, shoulders falling. His stance was wide and shaky, like he could keel over at any moment; "Come out..." It was a plea, not an order, piped in a voice that was a parody of his usual, secure tenor; Please..! Word Count: 443 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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What was he doing here? As Oliver flipped over the black rabbit fur, he tried to think calmly. Why was Drestig here? Even if....Even if he...he...he wouldn't pursue me just because... he's not- He wasn't. You don't know what the bastard's like now. Oliver tried to keep Galley's voice to the back of his mind- it hurt to try and fight him, and even now he could hear a dull chant calling for him to lash out in revenge. He tossed the rock to the side, resisting the urge to launch it a the black wolf- frozen as he was. As he moved, Oliver hated it- he felt like a puppet, trapped in his own mind, trying desperately to keep it his. Galley tore and fought against him, fought to make his darkest desire come true-to get revenge. No! I can't remember- I don't know if he deserves that! You...you were the one to- the one to- To teach you, to comfort you when you had nightmares, to protect you when the others decided to 'have some fun'! I gave everything I had, every scrap of knowledge! What had he given you? Tell me, Oliver! What has anyone given you, least of all Drestig that makes them worthy ofmy respect?! Weak, tired, his own voice argued back with what pieces of strength it had. Triell gave me a home. Come out... The soft strained plea almost went through the holes in his ears, but drew Oliver's focus back to Drestig. His stance, it was....distressed? Almost as if he was going to keel over. More curious than anything, puppet-Oliver moved to obey, despite his inward protests. Then it hit him- Drestig held the same smell that the small man carried on his coat. Drestig was- Is Triell so worthy of your respect now? With shaking legs himself, Oliver spoke:"Here we are, once again in the same pack. I hope you know that Nayeli and Ruiko seem to be missing." Have any thing to do with that, bastard? Stop! "Speech" My tangled mind You're still with me

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His mind was blank. No thoughts passing through it while he simply stood there, waiting, hoping for the shadow in his hole to comply with his plea. No, actually that wasn't quite true, his mind wasn't blank; one image was filling it, glowing in his memory like it was happening right before his very eyes. - Blood, so much blood. Interspersed with it were scattered tufts of fur; Was it still connected to a body? Somewhere, below all the red? How could all that blood come out of one wolf?! Somewhere in his mind, a voice reminded him that it couldn't; Some of it is mine! - Only when the boy moved did Drestig's eyes shift back to reality, fear flashing through them for a moment; What's he doing? Is he attacking me?! But he was only doing as he was asked, coming out into the snow to stand opposite the older man. That's Ollie... Always doing as he was told. He looked like himself too, lanky and skinny with ruffled pelt, still more of a yearling in appearance even with the added wisdom of more years in his deep, dark eyes. And then he spoke again, and for the first time Drestig really listened, feeling a strange mix of nostalgia and pain as he recognized the voice. The words though, left a deep furrow between the dark mans brows, his eyes, for the first time, finally sought to meet Olivers; What does he mean..? It was very strange to hear those names falling from the younger wolves lips. Deep within the Avalon anger was flaring, part of him feeling deeply offended that he, who could not possibly have known them, not truly, would, not only speak their names, but talk of their disappearance in such a casual way. But it was only a small part of him, and he pushed it aside; he had no right to be angry at Oliver. Still, he was beginning to come down off his shock, and so, as he thought more clearly, was noticing what Ollie was doing; Blame! Really, who could fault him, for wanting to hurt the wolf who killed his mentor, his friend. But still, Drestig was feeling his hackles tinkle, using his pack, his family, against him? That was not okay! Slowly, carefully, the older male moved his paws bellow him, taking half a step back and regaining his balance, leaning back a little on his hunches. "Triell told me..." He answered, uncertainly, no challenge in his voice, and yet... He put enough weight on the name to let the boy know he wasn't gonna get much pull this way; Two can play at this game! Then his eyes shifted, gazing into the dark lair Oliver had come out of, sadness filling his features; "So... You joined The Bend. And, you're a healer now?" He could smell the herbs; Where did he learn that? Galley hadn't known of any herbs, at least as far as Drestig had ever heard of; He wasn't smart enough... The black man sighed, looking back to his former comrade, he didn't know where he was goind with his questions, what he wanted out of this; he just felt a need to keep talking. Word Count: 539 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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Oliver's paws jumped when Drestig moved, hackles raised. It was too much, apparently, to talk of missing persons. The mere show of weight in the other's reply was enough to tell Oliver that Drestig had presence in this pack, even if he had been gone recently. So the bastard has a family- ain't that so precious... Galley's sarcastic observation brought shivers on. We can use this. Yes this'll do nicely... Wait- What will work nicely...? Oliver was almost afraid to ask. Ollie, sometimes you can be so dull. If you can't kill him with strength, you'll just have to use wits. Hit him again- let's strike another nerve! Why...what do you- His attention was drawn away from whatever plan Galley had in the works, and towards his enemy who had spoken. He nearly didn't catch it. "Y-yeah. I'm not a healer yet, I just thought I'd impress Tri-" The words stopped- What right had he to refer to Triell that way? His opponent obviously has good standing the guy. "His Highness with what I made. I haven't been here long-" a ragged ear flicked in nervousness- he was so small compared to Drestig! What if this passive conversation turned violent? "But I intend to show that I'm worth the time." Galley practically snagged the sad expression on the elder wolf's face with glee. Let's see how guilty this bastard is! Wait! What do you-! Suddenly, Oliver's mouth was not his own. Even as he watched on in fear, the small man's posture changed to a more confident stance and his faced changed from slightly fearful to a neutral smile that screamed of covered anger. What happened to you after I died, bastard? "What happened to you after we all....parted ways?" "Speech" My tangled mind You're still with me

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Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

He felt tired, so tired, like he had been standing forever, his head throbbing harder every second. The conversation, if you can call it that, was taking as much of a toll on his psyche as the anxiety was on his physical capabilities. Looking at Oliver with unfocussed eyes, the Avalon felt his breath rattle slightly as he sucked in air, breathing out and back in again too quickly; even though they'd stood still for a while now, he felt like he had just sprinted a mile. But his mind still felt reasonably clear, and when the small wolf spoke again, Drestig managed to tune into his words, A tiny, sad smile spreading on his lips. The way he spoke... it was so familiar. The voice, the tone, the formulation; Ollie... He had cared for this boy once, wanting him to do well - there relationship hadn't been nearly as close as Galley and his, certainly not a tight friendship, but care, definitely - he still did, though it felt strange now, after so long without a thought. Oliver's last comments made Drestig's smile grow a little, turning warmer, though his eyes were still sad; "And I'm sure you will..." He said in a low voice, as much to himself as to affirm the younger male. A painful nostalgia was beginning to grip the aging man, and at the same time as he longed to reminisce, he felt a strong fear that giving in to these reemerging memories of his past would tear him apart; After all this time... Everything had changed, and yet nothing. here he stood again, before the ivory painted boy, like he had years ago, on that night... I can't give in! The subtle change in Oliver's posture brought Drestig's attention back to him, eyes narrowing. Though the change was small, it did a mighty difference, the fearful demeanor so characteristic for the small boy replaced by an air of confidence and strength, making him appear much larger than he was. The cold smile send a shiver down the bigger wolf's spine, his own posture naturally changing in response to the other's, shoulders lifting in dominance, weight distributing defensively. Then Oliver spoke again, and his voice was just as different as his bearing, every aspect of it that had just made his older friend so wistful now changed to make him sound like... GALLEY! The change itself was disturbing enough to throw the ebony man off, but his words; Parted ways, PARTED WAYS! They resounded in his head, bounding off the inside of his skull, the throbbing intensifying, making him wince, squeezing his eyes shut for a second. - Blood, rain, gore! The bitter taste, the horrid smell! Eyes, accusing eyes, distraught, deep brown eyes - He shook his head, fiery eyes blinking rapidly to try and chase away the images in his head. He had to focus now, especially now, he couldn't break down and leave himself vulnerable; You have to stay in control! But he was losing it, and the fight to remain calm enough to stick to his stance and keep focus on Oliver's movements took all the strength he had; so he simply stared, frozen, not answering the question. Word Count: 537 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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