Mountain of Dire and all the things you left behind

@Zia

There was some normalcy with Drestig and Jessie among their ranks again. The winter didn't seem so foreboding with their strength, and loyalty so the leader of the Bend felt his load lighten. Maybe, he could go scout again for what he had lost without extreme guilt hovering over him like a death trap.

They just had to get through winter, he chanted internally. Good would follow the bad. After all Darrah and Zera were thriving, making small hunts of their own. They were growing into fine adults, even if it was bittersweet to watch. And Sceral and Serach remained, becoming a great part of their parents legacy. Would they become leaders as their parents? Find a mate like Kisla? It was just a fact life had to continue. He didn't know how his would.

Needing to be alone he found @Drestig, and easily told him of his want to search, west of their woods. Surely, his friend could see Triell needed to get away after the news of his brother's death. After assurance the scout would tell his children, with haste the Tainn struck out from the woods for the first time in weeks.

Triell really had no idea where he was going. As he had told Drestig he kept to the west just in case. The place he longed for was more of a state mind than piece of earth. He wanted Swift River, but the old one. He wanted the Bend original too. In grief his paws crunched forcefully in the snow. The idea he was never going to see Ruiko fiercely struck him, making him feel more alone.

It was with his misery for company he wandered to the strong reaches of the mountain. Orange eyes narrowed, glaring at its might, if all this madness was its doing. A crinkle of his nose, he leapt at the stone. Slowly, climbing up the cold crags almost wanting, daring it to take him too.

The silence he sought was disturbed by a little voice telling him if Jessie and Drestig had returned, why couldn't others? Triell would parish the thought to end. Ruiko was never coming back. It seemed maddening to hold onto such ideas. Didn't they all evanesce?

(This post was last modified: Dec 31, 2014, 05:18 AM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

Zia had come to accept the fact that Nayeli was never coming back. No one seemed to know if she had simply got up and left, was lost, or had become the victim of a terrible accident. She also knew that another male by the name of Ruiko, who she had not had the opportunity to meet, was gone as well. This winter, Oak Tree Bend was not off to a very good start at all. She had kept to herself mostly, allowing the other members of the pack their space, to cope with the recent losses. To her, it seemed like the best thing to do. She still was not very familiar with them, and wouldn't want to come off as pushy by trying to get close. Triell though, was a different story. He was her friend...and a close one at that. She too, gave him space, but over time the urge to comfort him with her own presence won out. After all, he was not the only wolf who had suffered from the pain of loss. While she rather enjoyed her home in the deep protection of the woods, Zia also loved to get away every now and then. A little bit of exploring outside of her comfort zone never hurt. She headed west, towards the mountain. Why, she did not know. For some reason, her paws seemed to have a mind of their own today, and this was where they were taking her. With a slender, lean frame, many wouldn't think a wolf such as Zia was ideally built for climbing mountains. But her willowy body allowed her to slip around tight corners and through tough cracks, whereas a bulkier wolf would have struggled. Besides, she had braved these slopes once before, so she had experience on her side. Icy blue eyes were fixated on the craggy peaks as she climbed higher, wondering what secrets they held. Wondering if this mountain would ever give back those that it had taken. She even wondered if she would ever live on the other side one day. Her thoughts were interrupted when she spotted a familiar dark form, like a blot of ink against the snow. Triell. What was he doing way out here? It didn't seem like him to be out here alone, amidst these unforgiving peaks. Almost as if sensing the dark cloud that hung over him, the platinum furred female hurried her pace to catch up, to see if everything was alright. Stopping just ten feet behind him, she called out softly to her dark friend, brows knitted together. "Triell...w-what are you doing?" She asked hesitantly, her voice tinted with concern.

Table by Pann, Image by Jolee

The efforts of his climb had long made his paws sting with cold and pain. He was ascending higher, releasing a lot of his emotional and physical energy. Even with breathing ragged, he kept screening for a scent he might know. The landscape seemed all one rock covered with snow, and endless miles to search. It was not in defeat, but concluding a break was in order, he stood still, dragging in the thin, cold air. It only made his throat sting more, and his head pound

Then, he heard his name, if the wind had spoken it. Triell. Long hair bristled along his spine, with the eerie feeling that fell upon him. Warily, he sharply turned his head, letting his fierce gaze quickly cut across the white and grey. He still believed in ghosts after all. It was her voice, the worry in it that helped him find her silver form. Zia. Facing her, he wondered if the inside of himself was reflecting outside by the way she stood so far. The tension in his bones resided, and he silently stared for a moment longer than he should have. He was trying to keep face, and find a logical reason for his current location.

Mouth opened in attempt to say something, but he mutely looked at his paws. He hadn't shared his torment openly, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to start now. It wasn't easy when he thought he would only burden his pack mates, his friends further. There was no denying."I just had to come look here, he finally admitted, ears twisting back as if it was a shame. It was useless, wasn't it? Would she think less of him?

(This post was last modified: Jan 13, 2015, 07:36 PM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?