Grizzly Hollow at skyfall

Slight PP of @Jaysyek (and Borden). Let me know, Switch, if ya want it changed. @Quil, @Cinder, @Ryvet - it's nearly official!

Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together
At skyfall...
- Adele, "Skyfall"

ROOK LYALLdrowned & dreamt this moment

March 10th; Evening; Light snow showers; 16 ° F, -9 ° C

For the past few weeks Rook had been busy going back and forth from the dilapidated tree to the mud-filled bear den, taking matters into his own paws when it came to readying the place for his parents. Since his talk with the Cut Rock River Leader, things had become a little clearer, but there was no doubt in the fact that the opportunity had finally come. He had been dragging his paws down the frost-covered tree trunk of a cedar with crooked boughs when he took notice of something that was out of the norm - his parents' scents, that particular musk and perfume that could have easily complimented each other just as fresh rainfall did with the aroma of fresh blackberries. They had finally arrived.

Immediately, the youth planted his forepaws back into the snow, the excitement sending him running through their tracks and to the spot where they had finally come to rest not to far from the underground burrow. All these long months without a proper companion to keep and now the Lyalls of Grizzly Hollow had finally returned. Panting, as he went, he let out a few short howls as to alert his companions to his parents' arrival. Upon seeing them he greeted them with a few barks. Apart from the chirps of songbirds huddling together overhead and the whispers in the last of the winter winds, he was quite possibly the first to welcome back his Lord and Lady.

"You're here," he whispered, his lungs burning from the chill. Like a cub, he wormed his way around the both of them, nuzzling his sides against theirs and bending his elbows and knees as to greet his mother first with a lick to her chin. "I've missed you both so much," he murmured into Jaysyek's fur before withdrawing from her and eyeing Borden with a cautious stare. "The old den is just over there."

This was the moment of truth; everything that Rook had worked so hard for since arriving to Relic Lore had all led to this very instant, and he had done it without his sister. By now he had believed that he had become so much more than he had ever dared to anticipate, but everything ultimately depended on the state of his father's mental health and how Borden would take it all in.

"Come," he beckoned to them, walking slowly over to where he had helped Ryvet clear away most of the debris, dirt, and snow from the entrance of their old lair. "It's..." His heart could have burst in his chest; and, in that moment he had never wanted anything more than to hear and see for himself that his expedition had not been in vain. "It's all right, Dad. We're here... You're- You're home."

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2015, 02:31 AM by Rook.)

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

It had been… different having company again in between the cedar trees. The white man hadn’t really gone out of his way to meet Kade’s daughters but he kept note of their comings and goings much in the way the guardian had on him in his youth. Silently, from a distance. It was a strange feeling he had yet to come to grips with. After inhabiting this mausoleum all on his own throughout the winter it was refreshing to feel a resurgence of life, not only through the coming of spring but with the bodies that had moved to inhabit and lace this part of the woods with their warm scent.

Rook’s own increased frequency was surely a sign that soon his parents would return and so he had busied himself ‘tidying up’ and beginning to maintain a more concrete perimeter to warn others away. While he was not entirely certain about the sort of impression this may give their neighbours to the east, it was necessary. They could only hope it would not come to conflict, but if it did, they would be certain to do their best in preparation.

It was on such a round that a familiar scent teased his nostrils and pulled a smile to his lips. He may have been sceptical but this was all the sign he needed to break into a full sprint, knowing on this occasion he wouldn’t be met by a spectre that slipped away through the trees without a backwards glance. “Mom! Dad!” He shouted as he drew near, not considering the implications his sudden appearance may have on his fathers mental state. He was too excited to consider the consequences.

 

feel the earth move and then hear my heart burst again

She'd spent her morning traversing the borders and reinforcing Rook and Ryvet's markings with her own. Quil had been dutiful in helping her companion with the mismatched eyes prepare for the day she knew he'd been dreaming of for so long; aside from border patrol, she'd worked on her own time to fill the caches with what spoils she could, and added her own touches to the restoration of the old Lyall den. When she wasn't giving Rook's aspirations her full attention, she was spending time with her sister, or exploring the parts of the cedar forest that she'd long forgotten or had never seen before. It was strange that the scent of Cedarwood Forest didn't remind her of her time here as one of the original Cut Rock wolves, but that it reminded her of her father's eyes and her mother's soft, black fur. It reminded her of home, and brought her back to a place within herself that was peaceful and hopeful. And that's just what Grizzly Hollow meant to her ─ peace and hope. Every step she took on the ancient, revered dirt was proud, and in her heart she knew there was no better way to honor the memory of her beloved father than to restore the hollow that had always lived on in his own.

To this point, Quil had been anxious about the return of Rook's parents to what was now the home they would all embrace. Not only were they the greatest and closest and most respected of Kade's allies, but they were also the two souls whose approval she craved the most. She wanted to belong to Rook ─ wanted it more than almost anything ─ and she wanted to do things the right way. Quil wanted the blessings of the various members of his family; she wanted Rook to be the one to claim her; and she wanted to be accepted as such by her sister and the pack. Day by day, she did her duty to Grizzly Hollow and tried in all the ways she knew how to show Rook that she was here to stay, here for him, and that she had every intention of making good of the promises she'd made him.

She was snout-deep in a tangle of branches at the foot of an old, leaf-less cedar tree when the scents that announced the arrival of the long-awaited forebears was intercepted. Her body tensed, her rounded ears pressing forward in attention as her head shot up. Golden eyes searched the trees for any sight of Jaysyek and Borden, or Rook or Ryvet, but they weren't to be seen. The sound of her now racing heart thumped in her throat...The stories told by her father revolved in her mind, somewhere between her memories of her past and her hopes for the future and the love that was blossoming for her companion with the mismatched eyes. Today, Jaysyek and Borden would no longer be characters in story, but a part of the family she had chosen. Today she would lay her eyes on those who her father had loved and served. And she would love and serve them, too.

Quil swept through the forest with all the grace and speed she'd been endowed. In a short time, she emerged from trees, her eyes finding Rook's figure in the distance. For a moment she halted and was still, as still as ice, as she watched the way he embraced his parents, her eyes taking in every inch of them in childlike awe. Drawing in a deep breath, she didn't fight the part of herself that wanted to be near to them all, and gathering herself and her wits, she made her way closer. Swarthy yet lithe, sable and dappled with her father's silver markings, her mother's amber eyes, the eldest daughter of Kade Attaya had never felt so humbled in her life.

It's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

There was exuberance bursting through her veins, shifting her appendages in great lengths. But, it never appeared if she was holding back with Borden, she was prancing beside him eager as he. They traveled, she often playfully stole snowflakes off his muzzle, laughing with merriment from times past. They were going home together. Why there was more that would make it the utermost perfect of things, being side by side was what her heart needed the most.

As they set foot in the cedar realm, she heavily drank in their perfume, letting it settle in her lungs. This had been their kingdom they had chosen. A holder of memories.  It felt like awakening from a dream, finding it was real. If maybe they had not been gone so long. With a brightness to her dual colored gaze, she grinned to Borden. Finally, they had made it together. It was not simply being here that brought her joy. It was the life it promised. It could be what it once was.

They did not wait long to be greeted. Rook's voice called to others at first, and than directly to them in coming woofs. The lady's white banner began to wag, eager to see her youngest boy. There was a lot she wanted to tell him. Though he certainly was not a child any more, it was hard for her to place that image aside. Tenderly, she licked his dark ears, smoothing few of his wiry hairs, while looking him over approvingly. There was that sudden carefulness, as he looked to his father. It was one reason she was glad they had never any more. It seemed the worse for her youngest.  Jayse couldn't help but hold her breath. Oh Rook, she thought, everything will be just fine..

No, she could not have missed Ryvet's large, white figure careening closer. It was great to see him, here of all places! "Ryvet!" Pale muzzle faintly brushed Borden's cheek to point to their son. In her heart she yearned to see the rest of them.Could you want too much? There was another, caught in the corner of her eye. The white lady had to do a double take, for she could have sworn it was her dark guardian. Upon, softly taking a more proper look she knew it was not a male, but a young female quite similar to Kade. Could it actually be? There was familiarity to her dignified stature, and warmth.

(This post was last modified: Mar 24, 2015, 09:43 PM by Angier. Edit Reason: fixed a funky div. x: )

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Gonna start the next round since I'm aware Rachel is currently absent. <3 @Vasu and @Titan, you're welcome to hop in whenever you'd like or are able to.

The journey home had been longer than he had recalled, but nevertheless, with Jaysyek at his side and a currently collected state of mind, they had made it. What's more was that they were both smiling. It had seemed like months since he had last heard her laugh or prance about and, in making this seemingly simple decision, he had given it all back to her. Her joy, her happiness, the life that she had remembered...

Once his staggered steps had planted his paws into the familiar terrain of pine needles and discarded pine cone seed scales, he stopped to stare at one of the trees that had practically risen up in front of him. The marking that was there, where the woody trunk had had its cambium exposed, spoke to him on some sort of intuitive level. Had his shoulders been well and caused him no grief over dull aches and nerve-based pains, he might have risen up on his forelimbs to test whether or not it had been him - or a wolf of his size and stature - who had 'branded' the ancient giant.

His head tilted but it was not long until he began to move forward again, only to stop once more at the sound of barking in the distance. He shot an intrigued glance at his mate and his tail wagged once with an unspoken question. Borden was about to open his mouth when he spotted someone approach and flinched at the sound of a few welcoming(?) barks. A few steps brought him close to Jaysyek's side but what the youth said made him furrow his brows.

He had initially thought to come here and be greeted by Kade Attaya. So, who was this?

The lanky lad came over to them, a bounce in his step and a whiff of obvious excitement in his musk, and pressed himself against them. He seemed to favor Jaysyek more, if that much was true with the wary stare he had received from the youth with the same mismatched eyes as his mate. That would be dealt with soon enough. Though, before the words had even come to him, the masked yearling stepped away, beckoning all the while.

The fur at Borden's fur bristled enough at his shoulders so that the tufts of his winter coat barely brushed up against his beloved beside him. As soon as the youth had addressed him as "Dad" and told him that he was home, however, something clicked. It might have been in the way two other figures emerged from the forest (with the white-furred brute also calling him "Dad") or how triggering the sight of the den was (clearly, he had been here before). To his surprise, Jaysyek greeted him back and a brush of her nose to his cheek, brought him to focus on Ryvet. He tried to smile but he was much too busy in trying to mentally work it all out.

Ryvet, he had thought, was Vlarindara and the slighter woman not far from him had been mistaken for Ava. The boy, still lingering by the mouth of his family's den, too, he knew he was acquainted with and he was depending on the next few minutes to reveal the reason before he was fully submerged in this little meet-and-greet gathering of sorts.

The patriarch looked around, sniffing twice before convincing himself that they had come home. What had merely changed was the welcoming party who had waited for them to return. "I know this place," he finally said, casting another wary glance at the three youths before him. "But this is not the Grizzly Hollow I remember. You're all from Renegade's Reach." His eyes narrowed but the expression did not stay for long. The sudden recollection of seeing an age-mate girl beside the masked boy made his mind go uncomfortably fuzzy. Someone was missing.

"What are you all doing here? Where's Kade?" his gaze shot over to where Quil stood, trying hard to decipher with his good eye why she seemed so different and yet recognized her anyway. It struck him then that maybe the girl was Aiyana instead; he would apologize later. He turned his head to look at Rook, stepping forward now as to peer over the snow and debris that had collected on top of the den, making it a shapely little knoll. "And, you... you called me 'Dad...'" The markings on his face tugged upward in a pained wince, the moment of identification slow-coming but still too sudden, "Your sister... You're by yourself."

Well, what do you want from me?

ROOK LYALLdrowned & dreamt this moment

For some time it seemed Borden was hesitant about it all - who they were, what they were doing here, and why they were lingering in the place he knew he remembered. It made Rook's nerves fray, hearing that his father recognized them from Renegades Reach and the questions that followed. "We're here for you," Rook stated, hope reflecting in his blue-and-gold irises. "Kade isn't here." His answer seemed to have drawn the patriarch's attention back to him once he had stepped towards the den. Then came the all too obvious realization that Borden had remembered that Rook had not come into or ventured through the world alone... that Bishop was not with him.

The younger Lyall's jaw clenched as if he were being accused of doing something wrong. He shook his head in reply to his question. "Bishop isn't here either," he admitted, his wagging tail lowering to hang just behind his heels. "She left, but you still have me... and there's Ryvet and Mom and Quil..." He looked to the family members around him as he spoke, hoping to draw his father's attention to each of them and keep them at the forefront of his mind. "Cinder is around, too. She and Quil are Kade and Ava's daughters. They've come to help us, to stay with us."

He hoped that was enough to explain everything, but just in case he went ahead and added as a reminder, "You said you wanted to come home and you've made it. Not everyone's here, but it's a start." He thought to mention Vasu, the rogue he had met by chance, being somewhere nearby and Titan's expected arrival, but went against it. Three new-but-familiar faces and a number of names might have already been too much.

A small smile formed on his lips as he took a step back as to invite Borden further, to investigate the old bear den that had been empty since Taima had first abandoned it. "It's all yours," he quietly offered, his eyes settling on the positions of his father's ears before looking over to Jaysyek, "and Mom's, too. The den, the land, these trees all the way to Jasper Rocks... us... your pack. We've already laid out a few tentative markers and scavenged what we could to start out with. Whatever else you require us to do, we will do it. Just say the word."

(This post was last modified: Mar 24, 2015, 09:41 PM by Angier.)

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Titan swept through the trees admiring their length and thick trunks. He had loved this forest the first time he had gotten lost in it. That had been back when he was a little pup, and he had been rescued by Maksim of Cut Rock River. Out of all the places with trees that he had the chance to visit, the cedarwood forest had definitely been his favorite; though a close second was Heartleaf creek.

Titan had found a few of the sparsely marked area's that held Rook's scent as well as Cinder and Quil's. He recognized the pattern as that of a border, though it was obviously not as well marked as it should have been for a proper pack. There were a few others in the area though, wolves that Titan didn't recognize like Ryvet and Vasu. However, Titan was relieved for the most part as their scents intertwined with the other Lyall's he did recognize. He had made it to this place called Grizzly Hollow he was sure of that. 

The dark Thorben wasn't just admiring the trees though. Titan had been wandering the woods for hours looking for more of the tree mushrooms that he had begun testing on Borden. His first large specimen was only a quarter eaten by the elder Lyall by now, but Titan didn't know how long the rest of it would last now that he was giving larger portions of it to the grey male. He had watched Borden closely to see if the fungi would do anything to him, and all Titan could really tell was that his memory did seem to work better sometimes. At least he wasn't 100% crazy all of the time now, and he recognized wolves more often than not. However Titan could tell that the fungus wasn't a full cure for the gray man. Still, it seemed to be helping some, and he wanted to at least find more of the mushroom for his stocks, but that was proving horribly difficult. He'd only found one other large birch tree with the fungus growing on it, but the fungus was way up close to the lower branches of the tree. Titan couldn't harvest it as he was entirely too short for the task. In fact he doubted any wolf would be able to harvest that one until the tree fell. 

He had also looked through all of the younger smaller birch trees at the edges of the forest, but none of them seemed to have any fungus on them. Well, that wasn't fully true. Two or three might have smaller versions of it on them, but the birches as a whole were rather clean of fungi.

Titan quickly realized that this fungus was only growing on the white papery trees. He had not found any other kind of tree that might have held them. Things were looking down for the dark wolf even if he had found something that might have been helping the older wolf.

Now Titan was heading back to where the scents of Rook, Quil, and Cinder lay. The dark Thorben searches for a moment for Jaysyek and Borden's scent sighing warily as he realizes that they had headed off without him. Of course they wouldn't care whether he followed or not. He wasn't a friend or foe right now. Picking up his abandoned tree fungus (chaga mushroom), Titan made sure that he wouldn't accidentally leave it behind. He had promised Rook that he would help Borden, so the dark wolf picks up his pace while following the white and gray wolves scents deeper into the hollow.

He arrives quite late to the party. The Thorben's blue orbs take in the forms of the five other wolves. Quil he was semi familiar with, having been in willow ridge the same time span as she. At least he knew her name and that she had a sister named Cinder if not much else. Then there was the elder white lady whom Titan had learned was very kind while working with Borden. He only assumed that her name was Jaysyek by Borden's ramblings. Then there was Borden himself who it seemed had fallen into confusion again. Frowning at Borden's state and wishing that his tree mushroom would work more, Titan then glanced to the white male wolf who he truly did not know. The male held beautiful mis-matched eyes much like Rook's and Jaysyek's own. This immediately led the Thorben to thinking that he was somehow related to the others, though again he was not 100% sure of this.

Lastly his gaze fell to Rook as he stood beside Borden. Titan blinks back amusement as he looks at the muddy frame of his friend who had obviously been digging at something. Stepping close to Borden and dropping the mushroom next to the elder male, Titan then allowed his tail to wag ever so slightly to show his friendliness to the others.

"I guess I didn't have to find my way here alone, not with them to guide me here.."  Titan gestured to Jaysyek and Borden while giving the young Lyall a warm grin. He then glanced to the others wondering who would be friendly and who wouldn't be. Though the dark wolf hoped for them to all be friendly. Then again, he didn't mind if they were not friendly either, for he would treat Borden without their opinions on the matter anyway. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Titan Thorben, and don't worry I'm not poisoning him or otherwise harming Borden with this..."  He gestured to the mushroom before starting to gnaw off a small piece of the fungus for Borden to chew on later. Perhaps eating it more often would help more?

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

Cinder roved the damp grounds of the forest -- mostly with her sister, but there were times when Quil would steal away to be alone -- or, as Cinder would quickly realize, to be alone with Rook. Only surprised that her sensible sister had fallen so fast for the boy, Cinder had kept her opinions on the matter to herself.. in truth, she was simply confused as to how she remained so alone in the world, while Quil's life was far more invigorating. It was an innate sense of jealousy that she swallowed, and while the cedars haunted her with memories of Maksim and Cut Rock River, she spoke very little of anything in the passing days -- least of all their betrayal to Elettra.

Dutifully, the yearling marked the borders. The plan lay clear before her -- Grizzly Hollow was to arise, and while Quil took pride in the sense of being Kade Attaya's daughter, Cinder held no love for her mother or father. How could she? Maksim had been the one to raise her -- and Mace had made it perfectly clear that their parents lived, but had not been bothered to return and at least search for their daughters. Thought dead or not.. it had become clear they had only wished to escape the hell Darkwater Rapids had bestowed upon them, and had, no doubt, begun a new family elsewhere.

Cinder instead took pride aiding with a newly raised legacy -- and so it was with more confident paws that she strayed upon the group, her bright honeyed eyes glancing over the individuals before her. As thin as she was in Willow Ridge, she felt newly invigorated, and so the swarthy female trailed up to her sister, nosing her cheek in affection before she stopped, as silent as ever -- uncertain what to say in front of so many strangers who were clearly very familiar with one another. Cinder Attaya would be forever an outsider, it would seem.. but at least she had found her sister.

like a black widow, baby

 

feel the earth move and then hear my heart burst again

In a way, Quil couldn't help but to feel a bit starstruck. She missed her own parents more than she let herself feel, and she knew that Jaysyek and Borden meant the world to Rook. Watching as he interacted with them, she imagined the joy that he must have felt at being able to give them what he'd worked so hard to build ─ their home ─ and now it would be a home for them all.

Her eyes trailing over Jaysyek with awe, she knew immediately why her father must have fancied her: she looked like an angel, and the look her in mismatched eyes was soft and kind. How much Quil wanted to know her, wanted for her to be a part of her own life, wanted to draw comfort from knowing that she was someone Kade had loved very much. As her paws brought her close enough to show her interest and respect but far enough to keep from posing any interruption in the Lyalls' reunion, she waited for the right time to speak. But she didn't have to, or have to wait very long, as it was Borden to sort of break the ice in his own way. As her father's name was spoken in a moment of confusion, her heart welled and wept in the same beat, and she was acutely aware of the way Jaysyek looked her over.

Rook was quick to reorient his father (Quil was amazed at how good he was with Borden) and went on to explain and to introduce her. In the middle of it all, Quil felt the warmth of a familiar body as Cinder drew up beside her, licking her cheek with affection. The elder girl returned the gesture, nudging side of her sisters nose as her tail swayed slow and stead at her hocks. Titan joined them all as well, and Quil acknowledged him silently with a friendly nod before leaning into Cinder to murmur in her ear. "I'm glad you're here with me," she whispered. There had been so many changes in both of their lives, and Quil sometimes felt a stab of guilt, sharp between her ribs, in knowing that it was probable that her sister had come along with her as she departed Willow Ridge out of love for her and little else. She knew there had been a gaping void left inside Cinder from the day they'd left Darkwater Rapids, and she felt as if most of it continued to gape. If Quil could do nothing else for her sister, she would keep her safe and show her all the love in the world; even if Grizzly Hollow felt foreign to Cinder, hopefully Quil's love could feel like home.

Falling silent once more as Rook unveiled he and Ryvet's work ─ the restored bear den ─ to Jaysyek and Borden, she watched on from the sidelines. Surely they would love it, and hopefully it would be as meaningful to them as it was to their sons, and even to her. Every now and then her eyes would fall upon her companion's tawny fur, watching the light and life in his eyes as it shone brighter than the sun as he interacted with his family. It was something special, to share in this moment with him, and, for what may very well have been the first time in her life, she began to count her many blessings.

(This post was last modified: Apr 11, 2015, 03:53 AM by Quil.)