Drooping Willows Forget about James Bond

For Skoll / Quil / Elettra / WR?? Skoll will post second, hang tight! Thankies. <3

I don't believe in fairy tales
But I believe in you and me...

Take me to wonderland.

I want the love, the money, and the perfect ending
You want the same as I, I, so stop pretending.
-- Natalia Kills, "Wonderland"

If this had been a fairy tale, Willow Ridge was an estate. A turreted castle with flags of brown and beige. A grand place fit for a Queen, such as Elettra herself. My aunt, a princess by blood and name, wife to my Uncle Angier. But, as much as I have learned, peering through those wrought irons gates every full moon, I have found that this place was a prison. It was a dark and lethal playground for Elettra's children and, definitely, not a place for Lady @Quil Attaya... where my "cousins" are prone to mock and tease and goad her at every hour of each day.

I was... I am also a man of wealth and means. If I had wanted to I could have stolen her away that night when I had met her again by the willows. I could have cared less then, so why is it that I care so much about it now?

All you had to do was pack up your things, leave a note for the Lady Kisla and the Lord Maksim to find, put on your best shirt, coat, and slacks... and leave. They would understand, wouldn't they? The Lady Narime had understood; it made no sense to expect them not to.

I didn't leave a note though. I didn't even wear a coat, I set off in my shoes and not my boots with spare change in my pocket and a handful of aromatic evergreens for a bouquet. Now that I realize it, it was foolish to come here, toeing the invisible line between the now open gate and the world beyond the estate. All I mean to do was to hold an audience with a ward of my aunt's, to test the waters for myself and find out if I still had it in me to take her away. It was as simple as that.

The guard dogs, sleek-coated dobermans with docked tails, bark from their pens in the back and lights start to switch on on the second floor where I know my beloved paces the marble-floored halls or waits alone her room. I am not a prince. I am not here to save her; and, she has never needed anyone in shining armor. She, a noble also by name, would have use for someone with a white horse - and a carriage, perhaps - and this... this is the very reason why I persevere... Once upon a time, our parents, were allies and I have come to reforge that bond in more ways than one once and for all. She will be Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle once more if not a beauty more enchanting and powerful than the three women combined.

Someone shouts for the dogs to 'shut up' and I inhale deep, filling my lungs with the winter chill and clearing my head. This is no beginning for what could be a "Happily Ever After." This is a secret mission, and, I, a Quartermaster by trade, am possibly armed with everything to complete this assignment. If Lyalls have been known for their partiality for risks over the past decade, especially when it comes to being with the ones they loved, then this would be my time to show my true colors. This was it. It was now or never.

____________________

February 7th; Just after sunset; Light snow; -13 ° F, -25 ° C

After the fog had lifted, it seemed it was now the snow's turn to have its way with the world. The further Rook traveled from the Cedarwood and into the east, the more his dark coat began to turn white with the accumulation of snow flurries in his fur. He probably shouldn't have left so late in the day, but with the way he saw it, it had been for the best. The last thing he wanted to do was to immediately draw the attention of other wolves in plain sight when he finally came upon the edges of Willow Ridge.

For a time, he paced along the markers where he knew @Elettra, Angier, and their guards had recently been. In his head, the words that had spent all this time unspoken and unthought of until now had begun to pile upon one another. The confessions, the affirmations, the pleas and the propositions... all of it was just begging to be said. Now that he was here, with a crown of white upon his head and a 'blanket' of frost as a capelet over his back, he had made up his mind that he was going to say everything once and for all. There was no one to stop him now - Borden was miles away, Ryvet was elsewhere, Bishop was out of the picture, and Beren and Titan were now memories of yesterday and promises of what was to come once he got this out of the way.

He walked around in a circle, tracing his footprints three times over until his steps had become an established walkway in the snow. He stopped abruptly and his ears perked up at the sound of something in the distance, making the thumping of his heart in his chest sound and feel as though it was much louder than it actually was. A ragged breath escaped his parted lips, the moisture weaving its way upward in the spaces between the snowflakes. This had to be a sign, a cue. Swallowing hard, he finally lifted his head in a summoning song, the tune announcing that he, a friend by name, had come to see Quil... even if just for the briefest of moments.

(This post was last modified: Feb 08, 2015, 09:11 PM by Rook.)

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Once the sun had seemingly come to rest on the horizon, completely hidden from view behind a thick cover of snow clouds, Skoll Archer rose from his resting place with a yawn and a stretch. His long hind legs unfolded into two slender black lines in the snow before his weight shifted forward and his lanky forearms reached out into the space just beyond the tip of his nose. Winter, he knew by now, was supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation; according to Angier and Mother Dearest it was quite the opposite. With the pack ranks being so full - with a number of scents and names going faceless across the young Archer's memory - it was plausible for the young royal to continue to nap during the daylight hours and conduct his vigils in the dead of night. It was a good thing, too, for no sooner than he had risen, a hopeful call rang out. Judging by pitch and volume, he supposed the brute would be waiting, respectfully, at the borders.

The prince was on his way, his steps swiftly gliding across the snow as he raced to close the distance between him and this... stranger. Where the willows had thinned out and the spaces between them had grown wide enough to allow for three wolves to walk side-by-side without touching the umbrella-like vines, the other wolf had come into view. Skoll's nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. He knew this bloke; and, this particular male had come knocking on his door before. This... This was Quil's fellow.

His ink-black tail rose up and he stalked forward with his ivory fangs bared. "You must be stupid or have a death wish to come back here," he addressed the masked yearling, whose frame had seemed to have bulked up since the last time they had met. He positioned himself in a way to wordlessly show that he was ready to keep the other from coming any closer by any means possible. His lip twitched and his pointed ears faced frontward. "She isn't here," he lied, his tongue slithering out briefly from between this eye teeth like a snake's, "and, she doesn't like you."

A growl issued from his chest and the fur along his back rose in warning, "So I'm gonna give you to the count of three to get lost. One... Two..."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

If Piety had said she wasn't looking for him she would be lying, and she was no liar. His handsome features were etched clearly in the back of her mind. His scent seemingly laced everywhere yet he was nowhere. So strange how he could be everywhere and nowhere at once. Sometimes it had her concerned. Had she done something wrong? Although this night she had sworn she found him. Had him right in her paws. Following the strongest scent she soon came upon him. The woman admired from afar though. There wasn't only Skoll, there was someone else too. A stranger for that fact. He smelt nothing of Willow Ridge, meaning Piety didn't have any direct business with him.

Hearing a bushel of words had her ears perked alert trying to strain for something. All her ears picked up was something about "She" and "One..two..". Obviously this was serious manners but curiosity got the best of her, like usual. Prowling forward she walked up to Skoll. Putting on her own little "tough face" (if just for the sake of seeming strong around this stranger and Skoll) Piety eyed the man on the borders of her home. "What's going on here? Are we having trouble?" Her brown eyes glanced to look at Skoll. He was clearly frustrated by this other male's presence. Just the thought of Skoll being frustrated or upset, made Piety frustrated and upset.

"From my understanding it appears you don't belong here.." Her nose took in the scent on the stranger's pelt. He smelt of a pack, not one she knew but there was more than enough on his scent to give it away. "I really hate to be rude, but isn't this a peculiar time for someone to just come knocking at our borders?" Looking over the masked stranger she knew she wouldn't stand a chance against him. Thankfully the beast, no, knight next to her would likely defend her.

Piety's tail flicked behind her in a rather anxious manner. She hated acting like this, the whole big tough wolf thing, and knew she would likely have to pray, pray, and pray until she knew she would be better. For the moment though she reminded herself, this is what is good for the pack. Keeping strangers away from the borders...even if she is a bit rude about it.

# C W T

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Just like he had before, the dark prince insulted Rook, calling him stupid or downright reckless. The Lyall flashed his own set of teeth but, after gaining the information that Quil was no longer with Willow Ridge, he had brace himself. He grimaced; just as he had promised to Titan, to Beren, to Namid, and Ryvet, he had vowed to come back for her. Now, he believed that she had gone off without him and that she had no longer fancied him even after all that they had shared during those precious autumn months. Had he been too late?

Rook couldn't help but to shake his head, even after the Willow Ridge boy threatened and told him to make himself scarce. "One..." the count started. "Two..." Skoll would not even get to start to say the word "three" though; for, not too long after the duo had met, someone else had come into their midst. She aligned herself with the darker yearling and Rook had to take a step back, wanting nothing more than to express that he meant no trouble. He would give them their space if they so wished it, but he would not leave without his Quil... Titan, he knew, would follow when he was ready.

He was about ready to open his mouth to explain himself when the white-furred woman opened her mouth, forcing Rook to fully look at her. His jaw dropped, but before he could even utter the name Arlette with a curl of his tongue and a click of his teeth, the girl took control of the situation, "What's going on here? Are we having trouble?"

The Lyall's ears flattened and he lowered his head in a respectful manner. "N-no, not at all," he stuttered, realizing now that this girl was not his older sibling. She looked him over and he clenched his jaw. "I really hate to be rude, but isn't this a peculiar time for someone to just come knocking at our borders?" Rook was at a loss of what to do. Perhaps the other brute had been right to call him foolish and impulsive.

A flick of her tail told him that she was just as anxious but he tried his best to recover himself. His lips drew into a straight line and he looked over the both of them. "Please," he pleaded. "Tell me where she has gone or at least let me speak to my family. My uncle, my aunt, Titan... I've traveled all this way to see them. I need their help."

The whole of his stocky frame lowered into the snow and he whined and whimpered, throwing himself at the mercy of the young royal and his subordinate, "Please... I... beg you."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

make a stand show your hand, calling a high command

Morganna Archer

Don't think just demand, I'm like a bird of prey

Skoll wasn’t the only one who had taken to prowling the later hours (perhaps it was a teenage phase they all went through at some stage or other?). She hadn’t intended to pay the call any heed but curiosity almost always got the best of her, and she wanted to know who would be calling for another member of her pack at this hour of night.

For once the rolls were reversed and it was Morganna that hung back in the darkness, an inky shadow concealed by willow trees and underbrush. Debating momentarily about offering a chuff under her breath to alert her brother to her presence she quickly changed her mind when the pale stranger joined him. She struggled to push down the desire to wedge herself between them (barely), if only to avoid soiling herself by pressing up against something so common.

She held back, observing the caller. There was something… familiar about the brute and for a moment she thought he might even be willing to take her brother on but she was quickly disappointed, and then it all came out. His Uncle. Another Lyall. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Relaxing her guard a little she crinkled her nose as if she had stumbled across a bad smell. Certainly this would fizzle out without much of a reason for the princess to stay, but still she held her place. There was little else to hold her attention tonight. She decided she may as well make herself comfortable.

template base by GREY | image by KYDNT

(This post was last modified: Feb 09, 2015, 01:30 PM by Morganna.)

If anything Renier would prefer to be asleep at this hour. To escape in form of dreams and darkness would have been a nice break from reality. Sleep did not come. The Lyall set out doing what he always did when he could not sleep. Walking the borders.

Usually, all was well and quiet. With so many others on patrol there was hardly anything of interest. Who really dared to infiltrate the Ridge? This particular night there rose a voice. A young voice that he had not heard in ages. A voice that had changed from a boy's to a man's. Rook. The rogue's heart squirmed. What was he doing? Why was he asking for this Quil? A twitch of his ears he tried not to take offense. His brother probably didn't know he was here, and he had practically abandoned him...them. His family.  

The want to see his mismatched brother overrode any guilt, and he arched his neck, deciphering where the yearling Lyall was. Apparent on the other end of the willows, he began trotting. He didn't want to go too fast, and yet he didn't want him to vanish.

The closer the russet stroked wolf became, there were lots of scents on the air. Morganna's jumped at him first. It was her brother's and a new recruit that accompanied it, made his jaw harden. Their voices broke against the softness of night. It was only Rook's plea did Renier hear clearly. A scowl was quick to sharpen his silver mask.

"No, Rook," he coolly stated, calmly revealing himself to the gathering. He came to stand by himself from the side. He wasn't about to appear with the trio, but this was his home to protect as well. There was no missing the scent of Cut Rock Creek upon his brother. Head and tail raised, his golden eyes set firmly upon him. He wanted to growl at him to get up, that he should never bow so low. He did not. "Whatever it is you need you can tell me."

(This post was last modified: Feb 09, 2015, 03:17 PM by Renier.)

 

let me remind you what you're waiting for

Snow was falling from the sky like dust, catching on the silvered tips of her dark fur the way that pollen caught on the petals of flowers. Each flake remained just long enough to catch a flake or two of its own before either falling away, melting into her, or freezing in place depending on which way the wind blew against her. Whatever ice caught her golden eyes was blinked away, and she pressed forward through the rolling hills of her home that had been all she'd come to know and in many ways lost to her, all the same.

For weeks on end she'd followed a strict schedule ─ patrolling the borders and hunting what she could to present to Elettra, then divvying up what time she had left between @CINDER and the very thing she'd promised him she would do. It hadn't been a pretty path, but Quil had tucked her chin and held her head as high as she could along the way. It wasn't easy, picking between getting in good (or better) with her pack and spending her energy and time in search of any and anything that could benefit Borden on a daily basis; most of the time, she came up empty handed either way. It was fact that she felt undeniably loyal to the Archer matriarch, who had been a pillar of strength and a comfort, and now that Cinder was around, she had what she needed. But it was always in the back of her mind...what she wanted, the future, those promises...him. She could have invested more of herself to the pack, to Angier and Elettra, but the truth was that there was a bigger picture and it honestly didn't involve Willow Ridge at all. Time had tested her faith that he'd resurface, and often she wondered if she should have been the one to seek him out. Sometimes it felt as though @Rook and their memories had been just a dream, but...she knew better than that.

So when the moment she'd been waiting for finally did come ─ in the form of a voice as distant and intensely familiar as it could ever be ─ she was stuck somewhere between surprise and vindication on the outskirts of the territory as the falling snow melted on the tip of her nose.

Her strides were swift and long, her lithe form like a shadow against the eerie blue of the snow banks as she darted through the willow trees. In due time she caught a hint of his scent in the wind, strong and fleeting and inviting and...dangerous. Off in the distance, Quil laid her eyes upon Rook for the first time in ages, as he stood face-to-face with the one personality she hoped wouldn't be around to intercept his call. But Skoll wasn't the only one who'd shown up to greet the Lyall; Morganna was also on the scene, adjacent to a white-furred wolf and a tawny one Quil had never seen before. She couldn't shake the sense of urgency that made her heart pound like a drum. Skoll's ruthless words echoed through the air as she closed in on the gathering, followed by Rook's plea, and all of the words from all parties fell on her shoulders like the weight of the world.

"I'm here," she called to him, her companion, her counterpart. Despite what the unstable at best energy felt like as she walked into what could be a nasty reunion for everyone, her voice was as calm as the quiet of the night surrounding them all. Her tone conveyed what was on her mind: Rook was not alone, he didn't have to beg here, especially not to Skoll, and that, although she was among her own ─ her pack ─ she had his back. She always would.

Coming up from behind Skoll himself, she strode right past the maleficent prince, his sister the princess, and the stranger she'd not yet come to know, her eyes searching Rook's face with reassurance and a bit of awe. But being between Rook and Skoll was worse than being between a rock and a hard place ─ it was like being between an avalanche and a wildfire...

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2015, 06:23 AM by Quil.)

I really shouldn't be posting to this with all the people already in it. However I miss Titan/Rook/Skoll action. I'll probably pull him out after two posts for you guys. Please skip me if it comes to my turn and I haven't posted in a day.

Titan had been just outside the borders searching for a scent trail of prey. He didn't care just what kind of prey his nose hoped to find; the dark male just wished that he could come across something.

But it wasn't the smell of prey that his nose came across. Instead the earthy smell of Cut Rock River and Rook  flashed across his senses. Pausing at the trail and pawprints he had found, Titan wondered as to why Rook smelled of a rival pack. He didn't wonder for too long though, trusting that Rook was doing what he needed to do in order to get what he wanted much like Titan had done in Willow Ridge... The dark silver misted Thorben then turned to follow the tracks which were headed directly for the border. His fur was ruffled up against the chill breeze as snow flakes further whitened his dark coat.

Titan's stride increased as many smells began to berate his senses. Had everyone come to greet Rook at the border? Titan wondered as he picked out the scents of Skoll, Quil (whom he only knew by name), Morganna, Renier, and some other she wolf whom he didn't know at all yet. Deciding quickly how he was going to react to the little get together, Titan slowed his pace as he fast approached the group.

With a friendly but slow wag of his tail, Titan showed his peers that he was not worried about the situation. He confidently came forward to stand at a right angle to Rook and Quil then surveyed the looks on everyone. Skoll's agitation in particular caught his attention, and this made Titan aware of the fact that the regal Archer prince did not like Rook.

"My friends... Do we really need to have such a friendly welcoming party for a single wolf?" He asked half jokingly but cast a rather serious glance towards Morganna, Quil, the strange but alluring white she wolf, and Renier in particular. He spared Skoll from the look only because Titan knew that Skoll wouldn't care and would do what he wanted anyway, so why even try?

Now he was a little less confident about the situation. Titan didn't want to favor Rook over the others as they were his pack for now, and he was a loyal wolf by nature. Flashing Rook an apologetic look and a half smile in greeting, Titan then moved closer to Skoll to stand beside him. If Skoll wanted Rook out he would certainly help, but hopefully Titan could persuade the others to let him walk him out. He knew that Skoll and Morganna in particular would probably just chase him out if gods forbid they didn't like something he was going to say, and Titan didn't want to see his best friend dead.

As it was he didn't want to add to the number of willow wolves here to freak out Rook. If Titan saw that things were calmer and less prone to aggression he would certainly let the others deal with it. He still had prey to look for.

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

Skipping Skoll in the second round because he's not doing much and he has something else to say once Rook's said something. I want to say no post order between my posts since there was a big turn-out, but I believe @Piety has dibs on a post after Skoll (since I skipped her and the thread started out with Rook > Skoll > Piety). Thanks. <3

In all actuality, Rook truly shouldn't have needed to beg. His morality, however, told him otherwise... and look what good it had done. It had delivered him into the presence of his older brother Renier. "No, Rook," the elder Lyall had stated, continuing to relay that what business he had ought to be dealt with between them and not their uncle. As if emboldened from within, the Cut Rock River wolf slowly rose up, not to his full height but just enough to straighten his legs and take one more step back. Should Quil arrive, he wanted to put as much space between him and the Willow Ridge wolves as he could.

As expected, she arrived. Her simple call of "I'm here," was enough to bring him back into focus. He coaxed with a nod of his head that she should come to stand behind him before looking at Skoll head-on with a glare. If he had been unpleasant before and was being very despicable now, who was to say he wasn't even more dreadful in his absence? As much as he wanted to look over Quil, to assure himself that she had come to no harm, he resisted the impulse and looked to his brother instead.

"Dad is sick," he stated, loud enough everyone else to hear, to mostly remind them of his task. "He needs our help." Rook dared to stand up tall now, to prove to his sibling that he was no longer the cub that the Lyall's of Renegades Reach had left behind. "Quil has promised to help me, won't you do the same?"

The emotions that glinted back in his mismatched eyes threatened to harden should his offer be refused, but determination kept Borden's youngest son in his place, ever hopeful and optimistic. His eyes flickered to Titan for the briefest of moments before he addressed the gathering at hand, aware now that Skoll and his white-furred partner were not alone; the collective scent of Willow Ridge might have mingled with their coats, but the distinct smell that classified an Archer woman was concentrated somewhere nearby.

"I'm here for those who have an oath to fulfill to the wolves of Grizzly Hollow. They will all be permitted to leave or I will make sure that I am the one to have the final say."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.