Oak Tree Bend Back to Basics

For @Darrah <3

- Midday, Freezing fog — -5° F/-21° C

He was back to the familiar routines of the bend and it felt surprisingly good! He had missed his home, even as he dreaded returning, and now that he had gotten the closure he needed, he rejoiced in being in the lands he knew so well, among the wolves he considered family. Yes, as much as he loved travelling and exploring, he enjoyed having a place to belong and spending time there. So today, after some days of long needed rest, he was taking his first patrol along the border since his return; filling his nose with the familiar scents of Triell and his other pack mates, enjoying the small changes in the borderline from what he remembered, where Triell had decided to take a different turn around a particular obstacle. The only thing to slightly spoil his joy was the missing scent, no trace of Nayeli was to be found in or near the territory, and no news had come in since her disappearance. The ebony man missed his former alphess, who had been a good friend and a strong leader, and most of all he hurt for Triell; the young leader was already so careful with his trust, having burned himself so many times, and now another had abandoned him, his mate no less. There is still hope! Drestig reminded himself, stopping to sniff at some old hare tracks in the snow - the animal had long since gone, sadly - whatever had happened to Nayeli, there was still a chance she would return. But the Avalon somehow doubted it; When did I become so cynical? He shook his head lightly and moved on. His other concern were the children, losing their mother at such a young age, and to the unknown like this, what wouldn't that do to them? He hadn't had the mind to look for them yet, but maybe now was a good time to seek them out... Surely Triell would do his best for them, but he was troubled by worry and heartache himself, and maybe the youngsters would do good of talking to someone else. Hopefully the rest of the pack had looked out for them while he was gone, surely, but he wouldn't be quelled until he had seen to them for himself. Once he was finished with this patrol, he decided, he would go look for them; I've missed them terribly too! Word count:401 Thoughts ”Speech”

AustriaAngloAlliance @DA & Dawnthieves.de

News spread fast around the pack, word of Drestig's return was music to Darrah's ears. Though he hadn't actually seen it for himself yet.. 'I knew he would come back...' the thought of having his 'uncle' back warmed his heart. He had only wished his mother would do the same, but the hope of her ever returning dwindled a while ago. 'I won't let her ruin my good mood anymore..' he scowled as he made his way back to pack grounds.

The prince had spent the past couple of days away from the pack out on the borders of spectral woods in attempt to 'find himself.', Though he wasn't 100% sure what that even meant. He found himself meditating a lot, but winter made meditating easy, complete peace and quiet except for the occasional singing of wind throughout the tree's. He was able to clear his mind of the nightmares that followed his mother abandoning him, cope with things a bit, and he genuinely felt a little less on edge. The all around experience seemed to be beneficial to him, that's all he really wanted so he couldn't complain.

Upon return, he immediately started to sniff out for Drestig. 'I can't wait to see him again, I've gotta ask him where he went!' He was sure his family member had a good excuse for leaving so he wouldn't hold anything against him.'I've grown a lot since last seeing him! Wonder if he will be impressed!' the boy grinned and positioned himself a little taller.

@Darrah - SO SORRY for the lateness, feel free to kick me :(

As if summoned by his thoughts, the fresh scent of a familiar wolf suddenly drifted towards the dark man, masked by the fog, but still easy to recognize. Grinning widely, the older male sped up, jogging swiftly  along the border towards his 'nephew'. It took a little while before he finally spotted the dark frame up ahead - just a shadow in the thick mist, but the silhouette was still easy enough to identify - and he slowed down, releasing a happy, breathy bark in greeting.   Blazing eyes wide, Drestig studied the boy as he continued to close in at a quick walk; Wow, look how big he's gotten! In his month of absence, Darrah had outgrown the aspiring scout, towering quite a bit above the older wolf; though his gangly build and shaggy-looking winter coat still showed his youth. But he was starting to develop muscles too, looking to take after his father. "Guess I can't really call you 'little man' any more eh?" He grinned at the boy, coming to a halt before him and making a show of tilting his head upwards to meet his eyes; even though the height difference was not too big.   Smiling widely, the ebony man leaned forward to nip Darrah under the jaw in affection; "It's good to see you again kid," he leaned back, sitting down on the snow and tilting his head lightly, a big smile still lighting up his face. His tail thumped happily against the wet terrain, ears perked eagerly; "Just look at you, you've grown so much!" It was quite amusing really, to see the boy now, having known him when he was so tiny; and now, he was his father's spitting image, if a little ganglier, and with the line of white between his eyes; That's from his mother... The thought made it sting in Drestig's chest, he still couldn't believe Nayeli was gone. But he pushed the thought aside and forced down the sadness, for now he was just happy to be home, and to see the boy again. Word count: 344 Thoughts ”Speech”

AustriaAngloAlliance @DA & Dawnthieves.de

There is a rabbit\'s nest nearby. +1 Health

It's okay! I take forever with posts all the time XD!!!

As the scent of his uncle grew heavier, Darrah's heart raced faster. The rumor was true after all! Hardly able to contain himself, he yipped in excitement. "Drestig!!!" his tail began wagging uncontrollably. The sight of him only made the prince more enthused. 

As he was finally approached, one thing became clear. He missed his uncle way more than he could of ever imagined. He felt like he was going to explode with the amount of glee that he was experiencing. Drestig spoke of his height, he knew he'd notice! "Hahah! Nope! Looks like I'm taller now huh?" The boy was definitely proud of his growth. "I'm taller than Zera, And almost as tall as dad! And if mom were... The thought of his mother honestly spoiled his mood a touch, why did he bring her up anyways? "If Nayeli was still around, I think I'd be taller than her too." He corrected himself, too angry at her to address her as mom anymore. "I don't think I'll get any taller though.. So dad wins that I think!" he tried desperately to forget he ever said anything about Nayeli, and hoped Drestig would catch on. 

"It's good to see you too. We all really missed you ya' know?" He spoke in a softer voice at this, in attempt to show how sincere he was. Drestig was smiling, and he was genuinely smiling back. How strange it was to feel this way again. "I know! I'm huge now! I gotta get stronger though, if we're being honest. Dad's definitely tougher than me! Don't tell him I said that though!" He planned on being the toughest one in the pack one day, and the smartest too! That way everyone would look up to him, and he could be a good leader like his dad when it came time! But all silliness aside, Darrah decided to ask the question that's been on his mind since his uncle left in the first place."So... where have you been?"

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

@Darrah :P

The boy was obviously thrilled at the reunion, and it warmed Drestig's heart to see him so elated. A warm laughter left the older wolf's maw as he was greeted with a happy outcry, and his tail copied Darrah's in its ecstatic wagging. The youngster spoke eagerly of his growth, proclaiming that he was now taller than most of his family; and Drestig nodded in agreement, grinning at the boy's excitement. But there was sorrow below his joy, and as his tongue ran off with him, you could see the mask start to crack. Drestig's smile stiffened at the hesitation after 'mom', and his brows furrowed when Darrah corrected it, pain stabbing deep in his gut; Kid... The black pup did his best to move on, clearly not wanting to dwell on the subject. A large part of Drestig wanted to comfort the lad, embrace him and speak softly, and promise everything would be alright; Even though that pain never goes away... But he could see that Darrah was not ready for that, he was still angry, his hurt buried in resentment; Later. When the wound was less fresh, and the hurt was bearable enough to talk about it. For now he was willing to follow along with the ebony youth, and pretend that nothing had slipped. So the scout forced his smile back to life, and it was made easier when burnt orange eyes met his ember's, soft words uttered through smiling lips. Drestig was deeply touched by the genuine tone of the declaration, and despite his decision to hold back on the consolation, he couldn't help but reach out, to bump his snout against the boy's; "I missed you too kid." He muttered softly. And the elated mood seemed to have been rekindled. With newfound enthusiasm, Darrah spoke of his wish to learn, and Drestig was laughing again, eyes sparkling at the youngster's eagerness. "Yeah, well size isn't everything," The older male proclaimed - referring to Darrah's earlier comment about not reaching his father's height - and he stretched out his paw to tap the boy's shoulder; "With the right training you can learn to use an opponent's height to your own advantage! I could give you a few lessons." It would be his pleasure to teach the lad a few tricks, and it would also give them an excuse to spend some more time together; Plus it'll be hella fun! Darrah's final question surprised the scout a bit; Triell didn't tell them?! With all these other things on his mind, the man had probably hadn't thought of it. Drestig's ears fell sight ways as he looked sheepishly at the boy, feeling horrible that he hadn't made sure to tell Zera and Darrah of his mission himself, before taking off. On top of the other disappearances, it was sure to have added to their dread. "ahh I'm sorry kid!" The ebony man said, head hanging in regret; "Jessie and I went on a mission across the mountain, I thought your dad would tell you." He looked up at the youngster with wide, apologetic eyes, begging for forgiveness; it might not seem like such a big offence, but Drestig felt truly bad, and he didn't want to make light of it. Word count: 542 Thoughts ”Speech”

AustriaAngloAlliance @DA & Dawnthieves.de

The prince was more than delighted to hear that Drestig was willing to give him some lessons, any sort of improvement towards bettering himself as a wolf was good news to him. He just wondered if he'd be able to keep up. With his mothers disappearance followed a wave of chaos, nobody seemed to have any time to teach Darrah how to be swift or strong. He did what he could on his own, but honestly that wasn't much. "Let's just hope he's patient I guess..." he furrowed his brow in worry that his uncle might laugh if he fails to accomplish anything from the learning experience. "But that's what lessons are for.. right? If you fall try and try again? Or something like that.. Oh boy."

"A.. Mission?" His father didn't tell him anything. In fact, nobody did. Out of all the wolves in the pack Darrah definitely saw himself as the least informed. He wondered if his sister had known. "I'm sure with everything that's been going on around here it just slipped his mind.. He probably would have told me.. Maybe it's my fault for not asking." That was his excuse for now, he didn't want to worry Drestig with his true feelings. "That would just spoil the perfect atmosphere we've created here..." It's been forever since Darrah's had a decent conversation whilst being in a fairly positive mood, he sure as hell wasn't aiming to lose it so fast. "So what kind of mission was it? Didja' have to fight any bears?" His eyes eagerly widened. 

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

@Darrah <3

It was hard to tell what was going on behind the dark boys tangerine eyes. His brows furrowed slightly, and Drestig cringed, his remorseful expression growing more intense. But when the young Tainn spoke again, he was the apologetic one; putting the blame on himself rather than getting upset. The older wolf shook his head lightly, downturned lips straightening to a thin line; Poor kid... How neglected has he been these past months? The kindhearted lad seemed so desperate to please, so eager for the attention of his elder, it wasn't hard to guess how lonely he was feeling. He was quick to deflect the tension though, asking about the scouting trip with glowing eyes. Drestig's expression softened, a new smile finding its way onto his lips; "Ha, fortunately not!" He grinned in answer, leaning back on his hocks, preparing to tell the boy everything he wanted to know; I'll take all night if I have too! As he started explaining his mission, he silently vowed to make up for all the time Darrah had been neglected, both by himself and others; I'm not gonna let you down! "We went to scout out the land to the west, visiting the packs over there. Not especially exciting, I'm afraid." The ebony man shrugged, smiling at the young prince of the Bend, head slightly tilted as if to say; Sorry I'm not more interesting. But he was not gonna dismiss the lad's curiosity, god knew he was probably all too used to that, so he leaned forwards a little, encouraging more questions with a simple: "But we did learn a thing or two." Word count: 271 Thoughts ”Speech”

AustriaAngloAlliance @DA & Dawnthieves.de

The prince frowned at the thought of Drestig not seeing a single bear while he was out "Aww really? Bears are cool though! I've seen one! Well, not a real one. There's a bear in the stars though! A guy named Oliver showed me! He said they are huge in person! Or actually... Maybe he saw a lion.. I don't remember." Darrah wondered if Drestig knew Oliver, or what happened to the wolf for that matter.

"The land in the west, huh?" Darrah hadn't really ever been far out west, what could possibly be out there that called for a whole mission? Bad wolves? Or perhaps even nice wolves that had important information to share? "But he said it wasn't really exciting.. So maybe neither? Why did he go then? And if it was truly such a mediocre mission, why didn't someone just tell me he was gonna be gone for a while? Being in a pack kind of sucks." he grunted, frustrated with the lack of communication in his family.

His ears perked back up with the words that next left Drestig's muzzle. "You learned a thing or two? L-like what? What did you learn?" the boy cocked his head to the side, making sure that whatever's next said will be well heard. "Did you meet some bad guys? Did they teach you how to fight dirty with the moose?!" The prince had heard a long while ago that moose were particularly hard to take down in combat, learning how to defeat one with ease would most certainly be satisfactory.

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

@Darrah maybe it's about time we wrapped this up? x3

Despite the boy's apparent disappointment, Drestig couldn't help but chuckle to himself as Darrah began to gush, deep orange eyes aglow. Star-bears? The Avalon thought to himself, one ear twitching at the dark lad's words. The name shook him up though, smile freezing on his lips; Oliver?! He thought back to the last time they'd seen each other, that day of Galley's 'funeral' and the sudden snowstorm. Had things finally been cleared between them? He wasn't entirely sure, but it was no doubt better than before... Thinking of the scrawny man still made Drestig feel uneasy, the last ghosts of his dark past slithering around in the back of his head, but he no longer felt that crippling anxiety; Thanks to @Silver... The scout zoned back in when he realized Darrah had grown silent, those expressive, persimmon eyes dark in thought. "Ey kid?" He began, voice strangely hoarse, but then the ebony lad looked back at him and spoke once more, again full of questions and attention alight in his every feature. Drestig found his smile smoothing back, teeth gleaming as he waited patiently for him to finish. Finally he parted his dark lips to answer his nephew, humor lining his, once again smooth, voice; "No, no bad guys, unfortunately," He winked an ember eye at Darrah, "And no moose either, though I have tackled a few of those before." A bragging smile lit his face; A story for another time perhaps... For now, he continued: "But I did learn of a few packs we haven't interacted much with before, and Jessie went to check up on your cousin Kisla in Cut Rock River, she has three children now; your," He paused for a moment, eyes narrowed as he figured out the relations; "Cousins once removed." He concluded, with a smile, raising an eyebrow at the boy in front of him. "Big and old, ha?" The addition was made in a teasing tone, one paw stretching out to playfully nudge the other's shoulder. After a moment's pause, Drestig grew somber, eyes seeking to lock with the similar colored across from him, sadness in their depths. "Though, I'm afraid I learned some bad new as well." He said, voice solemn now. He debated for a second, whether he should tell Darrah of his uncles fate, or leave it for his father to say, but as he'd gathered from the conversation so far, communication between them was not the best; Understandably. And last time I trusted Triell to tell the kids something, he didn't... Besides, looking the boy in the eyes, he knew he had to say it, he deserved to know, and was no doubt tired of being left out. The dark scout sighed and took a deep breath; "I'm afraid Ruiko is dead. I came across a she wolf who'd fought a cougar alongside him, he was wounded and didn't make it..." He went silent, waiting for the boy's reaction. As far as he knew, Ruiko had not been close with the pups, but he was still family; And Triell was crushed... The ebony man's ears began to sag, guilt that he had been the one to add to the Tainns' sorrow filling him. Word count: 534 Thoughts ”Speech”

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