Sierra Hills Stormclouds

Wow I'm really rusty but I'm back, and Nayeli's back too xD
 Any and all are welcome, especially those tagged and other OTB members.


Nayeli's heart was pounding against her rib cage - the tempo of it had been increasing over the last few days as she drew closer to her destination, until it felt as if her heart was trying to climb up her throat and escape. Even so, she paused only when she had to, wasting only the minimum amount of time possible on mortal afflictions like resting or eating - the closer she got, the more worry and adrenaline she felt, but she could not stop, or bear to slow her flight even a little. She needed to get back... home? It was what she'd have called that one, special chunk of the Lore, and yet now, she ached with fear as her paws beat along the familiar path. Snows melted away as she ran, decayed leaves lifting from the earth to adorn branches again - time seemed to spin backwards upon itself, but the strangeness of all this was lost upon the she-wolf. Nayeli had enough attention to spare for only one task - to get to Oak Tree Bend , no matter what. The forms of @Triell @Zera and @Darrah and the others seemed to be darting just ahead of her in the dense foliage, yet she could never quite catch up with them - only capture faint glimpses and impressions, no matter how hard she ran - since when could they outrun her so easily? Damn this foot....

At last she reached the old familiar meeting place - but as she rushed through the verge of green out into the open, the spell of summer splendor fell out of rhythm, shattering upon itself. A dusting of snow lay upon the barren ground, enough to show definitively that no one else had tread here in quite some time. There were only scattered stones where the pack's den had been, and littered about beneath the once-grand, now skeletal oak trees were dead branches - or were they bones? An anguished howl broke out from her throat, but even as she jumped forward and clawed at the snow to investigate them, the illusion was gone.

She awoke, her sides heaving, shivering against cold. This night, she'd made her camp beneath a recently fallen tree - or rather, a perfectly good enough shelter for a wolf just passing through. As she'd thrashed in her sleep, she had managed to shake snow down through the branch-roof above, showering herself with the cold white stuff. Despite the chill, she was glad to have been awoken from the dream. She had slept long enough - the first dim light of dawn was already beginning to creep in and lift the blackness of night, and she wanted to get moving. Her paw felt well enough this morning, too - better than last night, at any rate. Going back to sleep was out of the question, and she didn't dare linger. If only she could get back, at least she would know, one way or the other. She hoped all would be well, but these fever-like dreams spoke to her fears - what had become of everyone in the Bend, everyone she cared about? And, if they were all all right, as she hoped, would they welcome her back? It wouldn't be easy to explain everything that had happened - she still hardly understood it herself - but it was the best case scenario she could foresee. These questions didn't slow her paws, but rather spurred her on. She couldn't have lived with herself if she didn't try to return - and she wan't sure she could afford to take her time. It was quite possible that time was of the essence, danger could still follow behind her quite easily. If that were the case, she had little chance unless she made it back home.

---------------------

It had been several hours, and the sun was high but sickly in the sky, rapidly being crowded out by heavy clouds, when she saw what she'd been looking for - the tell tale hint of blush of the red hills spreading out before her. She pushed onward, a smile forming on her jaws even as her heart thrummed a mile a minute - and she finally allowed herself to really believe she might make it. Her paw, which had felt alright that morning, had begun to throb with a dull but insistent ache, but there was a definite surge of energy in the dark woman's steps as she loped over the cold ground, the hills drawing nearer and nearer. When the rust-red earth was underfoot, she let out the first call, wondering who, if anyone, would hear it. She didn't pause, instead pressing onward toward the Bend, letting out another howl every few minutes. And they continued to echo back to her ears without reply, sounding forlorn against the empty landscape. Surely this winter hadn't been as harsh as the last, she thought, but at the moment it felt more desolate than she could stand.

(This post was last modified: Jan 22, 2015, 01:16 AM by Nayeli. Edit Reason: Thought of a better thread title, lol )

Phyrrus hummed a melodic tune, skipping in pure bliss to be out and in the lonely wilderness that had once tempted her into finding Oak Tree Bend. She continued to sing loudly and quite off tune as she trotted through the trees. Phyrrus wanted to see as much as she could of the beautiful forest that she could now consider her home. It was weird to think of this wondrous place as her home. Phy had to work long and hard for where she was standing now, breaking through what seemed like iron doors to finally be free from evil's grasp.

Her paws left vivid and bold prints in the snow which was foolish and vacuous but she did it anyways. Her mood was in a spike of radiant energy, something bound to be dampened. In her blithe romping through the snow, a cry rang out in the cool air. Phyrrus stopped bounding and listened to the ringing howl. She was struck with awe, the call was so beautiful but painfully forlorn. The once blissful she-wolf felt like a flame being cut off from oxogen, gasping for air and slowly burning out. She speculated that the cry came from the east, about a third of a mile away. Phyrrus sprung out from the soft dustings of snow and raced off to meet the odd character.

She reached what seemed like the source of the sound. She looked around and put her long snout to the ground, sniffing tentatively. Her heart thudded like horses hooves on a dirt road, scared to make a wrong move or put herself at swords edge. It was positively exhilarating. She kept her nose to work and followed the faint trail of scent. After a few minutes, she had finally found the wolf that had cried out. Phyrrus relaxed her tense muscles, readjusting her position into a less assertive position.

"Hello there, I'm Phyrrus." She said politely, not wanting to startle or appear as a threat to the lady.

  

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

It was with an eased walk he made the perimeters of the misted blue wood. A fresh trail, that twisted from the borders caught his eye. With a silent huff, he inspected the tracks. They were neither Darrah or Zera's. Small relief he turned back to his own packed trail to see if he would happen upon them else where.

Through the dull light, he did not find other company nor traces any had been by recently. There was only hints of Spieden, who had come this way only yesterday.  Did he really need to continue? Part of him insisted he should, even if his eyes could clearly tell the landscape appeared untouched. A frown, he quickly padded the rest of the length finding nothing to his surprise. Satisfied, he began to head for the great oak tree.

Triell hardly cleared the borders when a voice cracked against the quiet, winter day. Black ears twitched upward, but it was clear how far the wolf was and he didn't feel the need to pay more attention. It was likely a  loner calling to another, so he padded on. Once more the female let out another howl, and he froze in mid-stride. There was something he knew about that voice, he was sure. Was his heart merely trying to convince his head that this was something yet again? With bated breath he shook his head. The howls did not stop. Did anyone else hear them? With no one to ask at the very moment the Tainn could not ignore them any more, he just had to know.

Paws scrambled against the snow, and a deep howl emitted from deep within his chest. I'm coming. It would take him a littler longer to reach the red hills.

(This post was last modified: Jan 22, 2015, 04:33 AM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

Now that she was almost home, her sense of anticipation had grown to almost intolerable levels. The air felt pyrophoric, and her senses were on high alert as she loped ever closer. The inexplicable fear that she would never actually reach her destination seemed to increase with every step. When the sound of movement behind her announced the presence of another, Nayeli whirled around to face the other wolf, falling into a stance as taught as a coiled spring. The dark woman lifted her head to stare at the other female as she spoke - Nayeli didn't recognize her as one of them, at least, but she didn't relax her stance yet - she wouldn't put anything past them. A pursuer, materializing now to try and stop her so close to home seemed almost like a cruel joke of fate.

The other wolf introduced herself as Phyrrus, and Nayeli gave her a curt nod in response, saying nothing yet. Slowly but deliberately, she took a few steps closer to the other woman, silver gaze narrowed and locked on the woman. Nayeli's stance was still guarded, and she stopped without drawing within striking range, far enough that neither wolf had to sacrifice that all-important bubble of personal space. Taking a long and careful sniff, Nayeli seemed to finally relax by a tiny degree. "Nayeli Stormwright-Tainn," tersely she spoke her own name, followed shortly with a question - "Your scent... are you a member of Oak Tree Bend?" There was a tone of urgency in her voice, but a sense of hope blossomed there as well.  The pack-scent was forever stamped into Nayeli's brain, and she could small the vague aromas of acorn and warm familiarity hanging about this woman, though she had never met her before. A thousand more questions piled up behind the first, but fortunately for Phyrrus, Nayeli held them back. She refused to abandon patience entirely, feeling the tiniest sense of assurance now that it seemed this was a wolf of the Bend she was speaking to.

When another call rolled echoing across the hills, Nayeli felt as if she heard it not with her ears, but but in blood and bone and soul. His voice sounded like something from her dreams, but this was not, could not, be a trick. She sagged a little, as if a weight had been lifted from her form, and then lifted her shoulders and head again, letting out another call in response. Triell -! She let out a breath with a smile that was her first in some time. Whatever happened now, she had made it home.

(This post was last modified: Jan 25, 2015, 07:18 PM by Nayeli. Edit Reason: Code troubles. )

The prince was going to head out on a short adventure today, but at last minute decided he just wasn't in the mood. This day would be well spent just relaxing around the den. "Must be the weather, I don't wanna move." he sighed, resting his head lightly against his paws. Life was boring for the poor boy, nothing seemed to happen around here anymore. Day in and day out, it was all the same. He thought this day would be equally as lame, that was until he heard an unfamiliar howl in the near distance. "Wonder what that's about." he grumbled, letting his eyes flutter shut. It was time to enjoy a decent nap. 

Not even a few minutes later it happened again.. And again.. There was a pattern to the howls and they sure didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. If anything they were getting louder.. And.. Closer? "Okay now this is ridiculous." The boy stood up, quite annoyed. From what he could hear the wolf in question didn't sound like it was in danger.. "But what do I know, right? Maybe I should go see what's going on.." He grumbled and trotted out of the den. Where was his father? Shouldn't he be investigating something like this? Or maybe he was on his way too? "Good thing I didn't go anywhere today, this aughta' be good" 

 He was just about as close as he was going to get to the howl, which in all reality was barely close enough to see who was causing the ruckus. But could it really be? Or were his eyes playing some sort of cruel joke on him? It appeared to be his mother but.. How? He took a step back in disbelief. The boy always thought he'd be filled with happiness if his mother ever decided to return home, but he couldn't even manage to give her the benefit of the doubt anymore. He was furious at the sight that laid before him. 'You have nothing to say to the mother that abandoned your family, Darrah.' he snarled.  With no intentions to go great her, he decided to sit back and watch whatever was about to happen from afar. He'd deal with the consequences later, if he had to.

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

Phyrrus watched as the lady spun around in alarm. She raised her brows slightly. This was the appropriate distance to give her, right? The radius seems out of my reach of an attack. Phyrrus thought over nervously as if she forgot how to interact with other wolves. The lady tensed extensively and prepared for the worst. Phyrrus dipped her head in leveling respect with a warm smile. Something seemed to relax her a bit, it appeared to be Phy's scent that was assuring to the she-wolf. After the woman stated her label, she asked a provoking question. 



"Yeah. I've been here about a week now." She said with a sincere grin. Phyrrus paused and sniffed Nayeli's aroma. Something is wrong, could it be? A wave of fear crashed and pulsed through her body. The scent that lingered on the females scent was shockingly familiar. "I don't mean to be blunt or rude, but where have you been lat-" Her frantic question was cut off by a rumbling howl. Nayeli's eyes lit up like flame and mouthed a name. She ignored the cry and pondered on how the information just given could be possible. 

(This post was last modified: Jan 24, 2015, 09:12 PM by Phyrrus.)

  

Another note beckoned him, aiding in his search. Soon the red hills rose up beneath his paws little by little. But, he felt like he was going in slow motion, despite the swiftness of his appendages.  Day by day his hope had dwindled, and he had started to think he would never see her again like many of the others. Fate was often cruel. It was not until his orange eyes fell upon her did he really believe it was her.

There she stood, bringing life back to the images. Whole, and healthy as he could have hoped. Giving lightness back into his heart. Thick banner began to wave, but his dark frame held back, a moment of hesitation as he stared, letting it sink in she was almost in his reach. He had yet to realize Darrah was about, or he would have wondered what kept him back. However, he did notice their latest recruit Phyrrus was by her, so she must have heard her calls too. It didn't necessarily matter. There was one thing he wanted to do. Unable to hold himself back any longer, he ended the distance between them. Burying his nose into the side of her neck, and breathing in deep. Then carefully he nuzzled the star on her crown. There were a lot of questions, but right now they could wait. She had come home and he wanted to savor this. It would be unlikely he would part from her any time soon.

(This post was last modified: Jan 25, 2015, 07:16 PM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

"Triell..." she uttered his name again as he approached, as if trying to confirm beyond any doubt that this wasn't another dream, her gaze locked intently upon his form. She feared that his eyes would be blazing with anger as he drew near, but his tail was swaying, and in that orange gaze she saw the warmth she'd been longing for. Nayeli braced herself for an instant as they met, then let herself lean against him against him. She inhaled in his scent, wanting to soak it in. "...I missed you," she whispered. Where to even begin...? "Darrah and Zera...?" she asked, her tone holding all the fears she would not voice aloud. She knew she owed Triell the whole story, the answers to the questions he must have, but this was the matter that was burning in her mind. She wouldn't be able to pull away from the subject until she knew whether they were alive and well, not enough to delve into depths like these ones, anyway. And she would owe them an explanation, too.

Her gaze flitted up at the moment, caught by a faint movement - and there she saw him. Her son. Darrah was hanging back, his visage unreadable at this distance - she'd hardly have spotted him at all, but against the grey and white and red of the landscape, he was a point of shadow that jumped out and struck an instant chord in her memory. Nayeli felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs, blinking as if to confirm that this, too, was not a trick of her eyes. She worried over what it was that made him hold back, but one thought overrode everything else, making her tail race in an overjoyed pattern behind her even more than before. He's alive. He's safe. Thank... she'd never really been one to believe in the gods, but at this moment she might have been willing to change her mind if one had presented itself and taken credit. She still needed to know where Zera might be, and she looked back at Triell, the need to know burning equally as bright as the relief and guilt in her gaze. "Oh Triell, I'm so sorry. I've been trying to get back..."  

Her words came to a halt, eyes sliding from Triell to rest on Phyrrus for a moment. The silver-grey female may be part of the Bend, but Nayeli hardly knew her. It would be Triell's decision whether to hear her out any further, to decide whether to really welcome her back or not. Quite frankly, there were details that she'd have preferred to share only with him, and possibly their children. Of course, she hoped to give the pack an explanation for her disappearance and the possible dangers that now faced them, but they didn't needed to know all the ugly details of what had transpired between that fateful day and now - especially someone that had only joined a week ago. "It's a hell of a long story," she said tiredly, hoping he might guess and understand the reasons for her current hesitation to share more.

Nayeli had changed - this level of guardedness was a new thing, and she wondered whether it would remain, whether she ought to try and fight it off. After all, it was a gift from them, was it not? Or perhaps it was simply a survival mechanism she hadn't honed properly until now. At the moment, she felt ready collapse under the mixture of relief and the weight of explaining it all. That would mean reliving events that she wasn't sure she could keep her composure through - and right now there were precious few wolves she dared display such weakness to. Triell was one of those, though even as they had embraced, she feared he wouldn't be able forgive her for her disappearance, for what she'd probably brought down upon them. Whether or not she'd meant to be away so long, in truth, if she'd told someone where she was going that day, they might have been able to help - or at least know where to begin looking for her when she hadn't come back. But she'd wanted to indulge herself in a day of unfettered freedom, and it had cost them all dearly.

(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2015, 12:42 AM by Nayeli.)

Phyrrus watched as a large male crashed through the trees. She had heard the name before, but never found a body to match it. He was the alpha of Oak Tree Bend and they hadn't even met. He exploded with movement, racing to Nayeli. Phy stumbled backwards in a frantic scuffle. Her fear was that he was going to attack her. She would have placed herself between the female and him if it wasn't for the warm embrace that took place after. The emotion seeped out of their very pores, filling the air with inseparable love and longing. She broke into a genuine smile and straightened her posture. Phyrrus had never had a lover. She was a notorious flirt but nothing ever proceeded into a relationship. Nayeli started explaining why she had been gone. Her gaze eventually drifted to the silvery she-wolf. Phyrrus graciously bowed her head with a smile.


"I understand. I'll leave you two to talk." She then turned her position to Triell. "I'm sorry I haven't met you, it's just been so busy. I hope we can talk later on." She grinned and then took off back to the territory. She had known they were being watched, but the black she-wolf also saw the young pup watching from the trees. There was no threat and things seemed to be turning upwards. Although, deep inside her twisted thoughts, fear lay trembling in the cold dark crevices. Things were happening, and Phyrrus couldn't begin to imagine why.

(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2015, 12:33 AM by Phyrrus.)