Thicket of Secrets Answers in the pouring rain

@AestynRe: The moon has turned a blood red and the forest is covered in a dense fog. Have the ghosts of Relic Lore decided to return?
Koda has been tagged as an fyi

Iopah slept fitfully, tucked into her den and shrouded in a layer of fog. The day had been unseasonably mild and, as night set, the moisture condensed to form dense rolls of fog. It bathed everything in white silence. Tiny beads of moisture clung to the tips of her pale whiskers as the wolf shifted. She had turned in only a few hours ago, just as the white mist began to form in the thickets. Her legs tensed, pressing into the sides of her small den. When her eyes blinked awake, the fog had begun to slip into her sleeping quarters.

She pushed her nose out through the entrance and managed to peer through a thinning gap in the whiteness to see the sky. The moon was red, as if with blood. Iopah wasn't superstitious, but the sight of it made her lips tighten. It looked like something had attacked the moon. The black end of her nose pulled back in and she spent several minutes blinking in the dark. Whatever had woken her wasn't through. The Barberi woman often had restless nights and she silently left her spot.

The fog was up to her elbows and she cut a path through it as if she was parting deep grass. She made her way to the border and followed a familiar scent to it's post. Tonight she was too restless to stay and visit with @Koda and only a few moments passed before she stepped over the borders with a promise to be careful. She needed to burn this worrisome energy off and went in search of a patch in the canopy to watch the moon through.

Thanks for tagging xD

extensive prodding of her swaying appendages were timed out faultlessly. Similar to that of a ticking clock; always hitting the beat flawless the lofty overgrown grasses bowed and twisted as the she-wolf subjugated more submitting earth. The moon seemed to materialize into a lost rebellion as of a blood bath. a effervesce of rolling fog consumed the property of which she did not know. an eerie and peculiar anointment bewitched the atmosphere, a night like tonight was not for the pusillanimous. swift proposals continued between her members as though she were fleeing from something. though her mind and soul were as collected and at ease as a napping babe.


squinting her eye lids attempting to scope through the ambushing fog she noted to herself the surroundings. It felt as if she had been treading this pasture for quite sometime. she recognized the scattering tree line ahead she felt reassured in her journey. “now if I can only find a nest for tonight.” her thoughts spoke loudly of her needs. travels of her four paws were now inflicted her with aches and persistent cramping. drastically slowing her velocity she let her zenith tip and bob and down with her slow movements. her silver and ash plumage hung sluggishly behind.


aestyn’s travels had proved to prevail over her youthful vigor. suddenly, her sluggishness was distracted with an unavoidable scent. ” great…. just my luck.” she mouthed barely audible. a provoked grunt slipped through her ivory cage. perhaps who ever it was would be friendly? but, on a night like this one she doubted it. she knew she wasn’t the only one who sensed the ghostly sentiment the fog and blood moon brought. surely, the sensitive spirits of another lupus would be in edge. she was ready to get this over with, she was tired and her feet longed for somewhere to lay down. in one swift motion her adjutants ceased their onward activity as her décolletage extended upward; jaw unhinged and separated to discharge a high pitched yowl. her notes soon died off as she loosened herself unto her tired haunches as the bitter breeze toyed with tall grasses that tickled her with each swaying pass.

@Aestyn

She caught brief glimpses of the moon through patches in the thinning leaf cover. Gold eyes would seize onto the inauspicious sight and her pace would slow, till the next gust of clouds pulled it away and behind. Pale feet carried the wolf along, each step sluicing through thick fog, in her search for a clearer view of the bloodied moon. Caught up in the quest and knowing her way through this dense twist of thicket, her face never left the sky.

It was a combination of guided searching and memory that lead her toward the orchard. Her eyes chased after the scattered tree line that bordered the land, following each progressively thinning patch in the canopy. Intellectually she knew that the grassy orchard was the best place to watch the sky. The thicket was dense and impenetrable, a wolf would have to climb a tree to view the sky.

Iopah never made it to the orchard, being waylaid by distraction. A sparseness in the canopy held her attention and she slowed to peer through it. Head flung back, gold eyes bright in the murky dark and ghost-white fog, she watched the moon. She had few superstitions, and none that contained a blood-moon, but the sight was unnerving. It was wrong for it to be the color of a freshly dead animal. She held her silence, lips twisted in a worried line.

A loud cry sliced into the air and the Barberi woman snapped her attention back into the dark trees. Gray hackles rose in shock then settled to bristle in irritation. There was one last glance to the bloody orb, then she pushed off with strong hind legs to plow through the mists.

A female was waiting for her, reclining in the dying grasses. Her pelt a soft blending of colors, the hues seeming to shift under the fog that enveloped them both. Iopah watched her a moment, unsure of what Aestyn wanted and whether she was even inclined to help this strange wolf. "It don't think tonight is a good night to make that kind of noise." The suggestion was combined with a nod at the sky where a blood-red moon shone down on the two women.

the involution of the ever present of murky vapors multiplied in thickness the longer she remained in her relaxed posture. the rebellious moon glowing above her casted odd hued shadows upon the land making it seem almost mythological. the dead whey grass crowning her cambering haunches; clung to her as if for a final breath she could offer them. if an invitation was not granted she would bare the burdening cold and suffer out in the over baring pasture. audials had remained content with the eerie silence until a disrupting rustling patter was disclosed nearby.


seemingly her screech of a howl was unnerved some poor soul. the commotion grew more intense as the moments passed by slowly. the blinding vapors were too thick to see too far ahead of her so heavily concentrated on what her audits were piecing together for her. before she had time to squint her eyes one last time the ruckus gridlocked. letting her nose’s tracking device pick up the slack she rose the long snout pallet as she searched for..... ”she’s right here.” her thoughts interrupted. she was most certainly being watched. unwavering with her collected spirit she flicked her perceptors a couple of times before the words of the stranger were spit out. startled that the voice’s barer was more nigh than she had originally thought. still unable to see the maid she spoke quickly with a soft ring. ”Just adding the sound effects....I thought it fit.” trying to be comical unsure of the character’s disposition.

omg, I am so sorry for bailing on this thread! @Aestyn

It hadn't been her intention, but as the other cast about, Iopah realized she hadn't been sighted yet. The fog was thick and she must have underestimated it's ability to shield her. Wisps of frosty white slipped between them. Her own pale coat was lost in the sea of white that surrounded them. This was a strange encounter and for a moment she was content to sit and bask in the unexpected surge of self-assurance. Aestyn referred to her howl as sound effects and Iopah had to smile. That gesture was lost to the thickets, but her amused laugh carried through to the other woman.

The light-hearted sound was still being sucked up by the fog when she stepped forward. This was no way to have a conversation. Iopah was rarely friendly to strangers, but she always had the decency to unpleasant be to their faces. "I'm sure the rest of the thicket didn't appreciate the effect as much as we did." She commented, mind going to the rest of her family. Certainly it would unnerve the boys, and what would Koda think of the sound? It was only a gently reminder and held no malice in it's tones. The pups were fine and if Koda came to check on things she would hush him back.

She was not concerned, but rather perplexed. What was this woman doing here? She had done nothing wrong, and yet.... There had to be something she was after. "What draws you to the thicket? Certainly it's not the scenery."

@Iopah

This meeting will have taken place before she takes a home in SMP. :]

The blood drenched moon
continued to rubricate the eerie night sky.

The translucent mist that swirled at every crevice of the kingdom proved to be thinning out ever so slightly. Aestyn’s own churned hued coat was now even easy to depict out amid the haze. A laugh was carried out from the woman as it crept into her audits causing a smile to rise unto her silk robed maw. Cambered haunches squirmed a little as she tried to reposition herself to a more suitable position. The tip top of her elegantly chiseled cranium dipped low as she nodded in utter respect before she spoke on. “You’ll simply have to forgive me. I sometimes forget not all admire such haunting nights as me.” she let a open chuckle escape her vocal clutches as she let her aqua pools drift back to the woman. She now questioned her presence as was expected.


Aestyn was not entirely sure of how to answer the question in all truth. Quickly, she quizzed herself before putting her words out in the open for the pale femme to hear. “Pure intentions have gathered me here to this thicket. I have traveled far too many moons alone and am simply seeking somewhere to perhaps call... home.” the last word she had not uttered for sometime. Perhaps this thicket would be her home someday…? But, for now she was seeking out options. Acceptance of the potential pack family was half the battle and one she had to stay optimistic for she would need to gain one undoubtedly. The dread of trying to survive another winter unaided; scared the bejesus out of her. It was a risk she was not willing to take again for surely the winter would claim her prize.

(This post was last modified: Dec 22, 2014, 04:01 PM by Aestyn.)

@Aestyn

Iopah watched the silhouette of a wolf that seemed carved from the fog itself. There was enough glow from the bloody moon to reflect off the points and lines of their form and Io slid to an easy stop before them. The woman was still and calm at the huntress' approach, offering only benign amusement and a polite nod as Iopah stood before her.

The mists had parted between them, but the whiteness had not left. It eddied underfoot and wove through the surrounding trees to create a shifting backdrop for the serene encounter. The moisture wasn't snow, but it clung to the rims of pale gray ears with the same heaviness as her head tilted to wait.

The woman was considering her words... not an actionable offense. Aestyn had done nothing that Iopah could do more than raise a brow at. She had no right to demand such an answer. And yet an answer came. Iopah was not a wordy woman, could not turn a phrase to save her life. Aestyn reply flowed like silk and the Woodlands wolf was at a loss to gauge it's truthfulness. Slight hesitation over the last word was the facet Iopah latched onto.

Deep gold lifted from the shifting mosaic of whites to regard her curiously. "But not a family?" She didn't mean the question in the 'find a mate and start her own' sense. Whether Aestyn could deduce that from the simple phrasing and candid expression was unknown. A home was just a place to lay one's head, it could be anywhere. Compared to a family, it was irrelevant. "A home means little by itself."

@Iopah

The impenetrable twilight was still barraged with the blood steeped orb as the night became deeper.

The swirling grey film hovered around
continuing to disguise the densely planted thicket.
The churned vapors that hovered were much like her candid thoughts
they lingered very close waiting their turn in line to be interacted with.
Aestyn had countered the foreign moonlight female with honesty.
However, it seemed that she was attempting to dig into her deeper by her next phrase.
Merely uttering the word “family” caused her spine to buckle.
Attempting to gather her quick wit and hide
her blundered reaction she doused her molded apex
as her multi hued orbits casted down low
studying the rallentando swarming fog.
Trying to grasp at the right words
she finally gave up after what seemed like an eternity.
She dared not plunge too deep into detailed information.
“ Family…. M’lady is something I know nothing of.”
her words dripped like sticky honey, very slow and gripping.
Aestyn had answered openly without specifics and that she was glad for.
The next words that the ashen woman spoke vexed her.
“A home means little by itself.”
Without further hesitation Aestyn released her own thought
“Forgive me for not knowing that to be true.”
and with that her silk draped zenith
made the short journey back to its normal position.
Aestyn transmitted her pooling globes directly into the woman’s own planets.
She knew that her honesty might throw the femme for a loop but, at least she could say it was nothing but the truth.

(This post was last modified: Jan 05, 2015, 03:38 PM by Aestyn.)

@Aestyn Good thread! Not many can earn her respect w/o giving their name
an exit from you and then i can wrap up and archive

The woman jerked. Iopah stirred with concern, the mists drew back at her soft movement to swirl and twist in the space between them. What had happened? Was she ill? An ear, streaked dark with moisture, flicked forward to check. As Iopah leaned in with that slight movement the fog seemed to press up against them, bloody and insistent. At Aestyn's answer she drew back sharply and the mists shivered around her with a sound like laughter.

The words were slow and decisive, dropping like something tangible into the mists . There was no way for the Woodlands wolf to overlook the error she'd made now. Unwittingly she'd pressed on a sensitive subject. She'd said far too much, asked for more than could be given. Aestyn was pulling from what she couldn't stand to discuss. Iopah remembered pulling back in the same manner, and then confronting the one who wanted to pull too much too soon from her. That day her teeth had bared to Hollow's prying and tonight this strange woman meet her gaze in the same manner.

There was a question, an expectation in Aestyn's expression. Vapors drifted like ghosts and Iopah held the gaze for a long moment. Of course there was nothing she could say. Couldn't agree to a reality her mind rebelled at and wouldn't argue with Aestyn over the statement. Gold eyes dropped in acknowledgement. Her words were a soft offering. "The thickets may not be your home, but for tonight they will be safe." This, at least, she could do.

@Iopah It was a great thread! We will definitely have to meet up again in the future. Potential friendship? ;]

Thankfulness reassured her burdened soul.

Aestyn let her vessel of a carcass liberate the tension she was holding.
She really needed to learn to not get so uncomfortable with questions
like of which was just presented itself.
The moonlit woman seemed to have gotten startled
as she drew herself back a little.
Aestyn felt as if she need to speak up again as if to aid
the now faintly awkward predicament she now found herself in.
“Pardon me, M’lady if I startled you.” she thought briefly
about blaming it on the blood lust moon
and haunting of the almost audible snarling fog
but, she knew that would be a lie.
After a brief moment; the cool ash painted fae
let her words float out above the murky miasma.
The words that were emitted held invitation in them.
She was “safe” here for tonight.
Seeping from the corners of her tightly strung jaw line
a beam of a grin graced her and the kind stranger.
Obviously, this woman held some authority here in this kingdom.
The God’s were looking out for her; so it seemed.
Smooth and rich as a fine red wine her words slipped past her caged ivories
“I will be forever grateful to you.” she paused for a fleeting second
as she felt enough mutual trust to share her calling.
” My name is Aestyn M’lady.
Add me to your bank of debtors.
I will happy to repay you for your kindness one day.”
And with that she dipped her carved cranium as the reflection
from the moon bounced of the bright whites in her pelt.
Plagued with fatigue, she backed away into the fog as she searched
for a safe haven to spend the night.
The smile that was given only moments ago stuck with her
until she found herself quickly dreaming nestled in the comforts
the thickets had to offer her.