Willow Ridge you'll be calling a trick

I will do what I please!
Anything that I want:
I will breathe, I will breathe,
I won't worry at all!

You will pay for your sins,
You'll be sorry, my dear;
All the lies, all the whys
Will all be crystal clear...
-- P!nk, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)"

February 6th; Evening, sunset; Partly cloudy, impending snowstorm...

It was a funny feeling being at home now when things were starting to get back to what was considered "normal." Angier went one way, Mother went another, his annoying half-brothers and the red-headed kid were going to be left behind (there was no way in hell anyone was going to make Skoll stick around to cub-sit them...), Aunt Sorya and the other women steered clear of him, Morganna remained scarce, and the other males of Willow Ridge - well, to be quite honest the prince could have spared a bit more energy to keep tabs on all of them - were all off on their own agenda. But, as it stood, the dark-crowned yearling could not be currently bothered to go out of his way to pester them all.

Ghost gray eyes squinted as he surveyed his surroundings as he paced around the all too familiar terrain. He stopped on his stilt-like legs, his heavy frame barely even lurching to halt as he pressed his nose to a particular tree to make sure no one had come close to it. It was here, somewhere beneath the snow and in-between the smooth roots in the chilled earth, that his beloved prizes laid in wait for the spring thaw. His beloved tailless maowse, the grotesque corpse of a fishing spider and the most recently recovered bit of groundhog hide from the first hunt he and his siblings had ever participated in. It wasn't much now, being no more than a couple inches long and stripped of all its course brown fur, but after having found out what @Morganna had done with it, he made sure to snatch it from right under her nose when the chance came.

He cleared his nostrils with a loud snort and a shrug. Good... the only one to have been in the area most recently besides him was Angier; and, Angier knew better than to snoop around - that is, if the thickheaded patriarch even figured out that his step-son had a penchant for caching a bizarre assortment of things away.

A smug smile graced his ivory-furred lips. Now that he was truly alone (and a quick sniff and look around confirmed this) on the outskirts of Ridge wolf territory, he let his stark black tail lift up in an intimidating arch. A toothy grin broadened along his muzzle. To say that Skoll Archer was restless and off-putting was an understatement. In the months since his first day as a yearling, he had grown to be... something... and this something was a tenebrific identity - a persona, a character, a beast, a monster - that was as wild and unforgiving as a summer flood or a winter storm. Something that was not meant to be trifled or reckoned with.

Since this sort of... personality shift... nothing has never been more clear in the three months before his second birthday.

His hackles rose in spike-like tufts at his nape and shoulders and for a time he lashed out at the snow with tooth, claw, and nail, absolutely tired of waiting. At last his patience had worn thin. With a growl fading from the depths of his throat, he tipped his head skyward and let loose a summons for the only being he believed worthy of his presence and his attention... @Elettra...

"MOTHER!!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, nearby songbirds fleeing in fear from their treetop perches all around him. "ELETTRAAA!"

(This post was last modified: Feb 07, 2015, 11:59 PM by Rook. Edit Reason: GREY BEING DUMB WITH ALL THE CODING. Argh! )

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

This winter had been kind to her. Far more kind then the year prior, which was filled with much heartache at both the missing members of her pack and the countless deaths - Tempest, Narcissa, Adelaide, Calla, Senka, Semananti... Even Skana and Guiness not far after winter's passing. Her allies had all lost children and she had been lucky enough not to have lost any of her own. This year there was no death toll within Willow Ridge and everyone was accounted for - even now her son, Greer, who although had wondered off for a time had at least done so within an age that was capable of protecting and hunting for himself even with the risks of youth. Granted that she would loose members with the coming of Spring (members wanting to leave to breed, for a change of scenery, perhaps her children to branch off their own) she could only hope that this mild Winter met a well Spring to come. To herself, she hoped for a larger litter as well, one to be proud about. Whilst three healthy pups was wonderful (even more so for them all to survive) the Archer line boasted large brews which she had not held, not since the four of her first (yet not ever mentioned) litter. She wanted a girl, too. One that @Morganna could love, so protect and cherish as her little sister. Her thoughts of her future as joyous ones, shaken away by the screams and demands of Skoll Archer.

"WHAT!?" Her voice snaps, roused from her day dream, her body lightly arched around one of the various willow trees, a distance from Skoll, but well enough near to hear his echoing call in the silence and still of the calm before the approaching winter storm. She growls under her breath, shifting and stretching until finally she lifts herself off the ground and barks sharply at Skoll for him to know her direction if he had not picked it up already. They were both dark beings on a pale, phantom-like background, after all. "For sure a rude demand, this better be good." She spoke bitterly as she slowly came padding into the direction of her, now within the lands, eldest son.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

The resounding "WHAT!?" that answered back to him filled him with the sort of delight that one typically felt when they landed their first first solo kill or received a little "kiss" to the forehead when being praised or greeted by their parent or guardian. Her subtle movements and eventual emergence through the trees did not go unseen. For such freshly honed senses, surely Skoll could not have missed her, especially when a few barks were offered to alert him to her impending arrival.

Perfect.

As was possibly expected of him, he turned and positioned himself in such a way as to greet her head-on, to allow her to see the whole of him, with his swarthy completely visible without being obscured by willow branches. Much like cougar, cloaked in the shades of starless, moonless night, she came forward; and, when she had come close enough to him, so that her bitter and peeved tone did not go unheard, he cooed back at her. Every syllable in his tone emphasized with satisfaction and something almost likened to the kind of mirth that usually stroked one's fur the wrong way.

"Mother," he cooed in a more soothing manner with a smile that touched the corners of his black-lidded eyes. "I was wondering... if... I could speak to you." It was as if he could have been asking - sweetly requesting - her to give him something that he sorely wished to possess.

He came close enough to almost encroach on the 'bubble' that was her personal space, near enough for them to whisper back-and-forth and far enough for him to immediately steer clear of her should the Queen wish to give him a good nip or two on the ear, nose, or shoulder. "Asriel has been gone for a while," he stated, his voice gruff, almost considered 'uncaring' to the ears. "And, I miss him." There was an inkling of truth laced up in his little confession, but it was quickly brushed aside by his next inquiry. "But, I was wondering what would happen to the future of Willow Ridge now that he has been gone for quite some time."

His pointed black ears fell back in a coy manner, his pale-eyed gaze giving away his anticipation and expectation of what could possibly be shared between them. "Should @Morganna choose to find a mate," he began, knowing just how careful he would have to be now in order to obtain the information he sought from the the Archer Matriarch, "and, she leaves... will... Willow Ridge become mine should I prove myself worthy of it?"

The whiskered brows on Skoll's face had risen by a small degree; in all truth it was a rather sound question, and it had come and gone on his silver tongue without a hint of trickery or malice. He lowered his gaze respectfully, and for a moment his brashness was set aside. An erratic flick of his plume-like tail said otherwise, though, a telltale sign and hint that Skoll Archer was - in all actuality - a bomb just waiting to be go off. This was all just a guise, a facade, a mask that only a select few could see through or work around... His mouth briefly parted to take a breath, but the brief flash of his off-white teeth was really a subtle warning that she ought to tread carefully in regards to relaying her answer.

Please, please, say yes...

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

She fought the rolling of her eyes at her son's coo, like the words of a spoilt little brat that needed quite the spanking beating. Perhaps many thought the son was worthy of such a beating for being such a royal ass, though Skoll had a way of curbing his regular mannerisms when his mother was not around and although his persona seeped through in moments like these, none had come to Elettra to inform here that her son could possibly be a true problem to the pack. That he, whispered to Morganna, had even spoken of overthrowing not only Angier, but her.

"Yes." The single-worded agreement seeps from her lips as her son makes a slow, swarthy approach into her direction, close enough to make her lip twitch in warning. As he might have expected her two, she nips towards him ear, though nearly not harm enough to do more then a pinch to his flesh. He mentions Asriel and the fact that he was no longer within the pack, this much which was very obvious. Skoll's worry of the pack's future, be it truthful or not, was unneeded. After all, Elettra had no intention of stepping down from her position come spring, to which she would be seven to Angier's recently turned eight. There first litter together would be a year old and by the time next year came about (when stepping down from her position was more likely) they would be two years old, leaving plenty enough options for an heir (male or female with their given mate) to step up into the paw prints of Angier Lyall and Elettra Archer. "I was not aware my position had an expiration date." She speaks only at first, delicately, but with darkened tone it was obvious she was not happy with Skoll's words. He had lowered his gaze, yet his trail remained wild behind him, reminding her of an angered cat, ready to strike. She takes a single step back.

 Plenty enough times she had put Skoll in his place as far as submission goes, but this was far different. "And should Morganna find a mate and wish to take him to the top here?" She pauses, searching his gaze, checking for another subtle flesh of his teeth. The hairs along her spine began to lift. "Or if someone else beats you to the punch, or defeats you in battle for the position?" It was about dominance and smarts (which surely Skoll held) but it was also about pure force as well and your members accepting you should the pack not fall to ruin or treason under a hated Leader. "I'd love for one of my own to lead in my stead, but you have to fight for it - physically and politically." Just fighting his way to the top would gain him the position he required if he could make it, though he need not fight all battles if dominance (a hard stare, a few pinning to the ground) over-road. She wonders however if he did make it, how long he might stay in the position. Would they hate her son's way of ruling? Would they overthrow him? Assassinate him? Would he be the ruin of her creation? Perhaps his little attitude, mouthing off and quickness to anger was just getting the best of her, making her mind run wild. That, or she was in denial.

You were my first love.
You were my only one;
I can't believe your lies...
- Who is Fancy, "Goodbye"

_____________

With the sort of grace only a reigning matriarch could muster up and exude, Elettra addressed him, allowed him a decent amount of time to speak his mind and lay out his proposals. She was onto him though, very much aware of what her son was lobbying for. "I was not aware my position had an expiration date," she replied, to which Skoll tilted his head in thought. He held his tongue as she continued, shooting a few questions back at him, then giving him time to answer. The very last thing he wanted to do was upset her and throw away any answer, blessing or opportunity that was bestowed upon him.

The questions, he soon realized, were rhetorical as she relayed her wishes for Willow Ridge to be led by one of her sons or Morganna. The only catch was this: if any of them had wanted to hold such a position of power, they would have to earn it, fight for it, burn for it, make oneself worthy of it...

His skull righted itself and for the shortest of moments his ears drew back in genuine apology, "I didn't mean for that to sound that way, Mother." Once his ears came back up to a more neutral and relaxed position, he gave his tail a small wag, "But, of course, such an affair should be handled by brawn and brain." His inner-self was already beaming with confidence, a scheming and possibly sinister grin plastered on his white-furred lips. "It's only... fair."

He exhaled as to let a brief pause of silence pass between them. Then, with looking back to his mother, his own silver-eyed gaze holding her own for a split-second or two before dropping to her shoulder, he tried to ask, "Will you and... and Angier-" He was stopped short when Piety happened to cross his mind, prompting him into taking a deep breath and holding it before releasing it again. How did one (politely) ask such a thing anyway? Let alone, just barely graze the topic without having to deal with every single detail of the workings of courtship and copulation... "Will I have more siblings come Summer?"

As soon as the question had been brought out into the open, he wanted to frown, to wrinkle his nose and cringe all at once at the thought. He had already had to deal with Elettra being pregnant (with Angier's three troublesome, disobedient sons) once; he wasn't sure if he could deal with it again. Maybe if he could find some sort of distraction, then it wouldn't be so bad, but first... he would need confirmation of such a thing. He offered his mother a close-lipped smile, obviously eager for an answer.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

His ears fell back then at some point, saying he was sorry for his words as he did not mean for them to sound as they had intended. A wave of his tail was even given, all to which Elettra noticed but did not fall for. Too many times Skoll had crossed the line with her and his subtle hints would not be overlooked. Soon enough, however, the subject changed. The tension which had been filled within Elettra Archer did not ease as he graced the subject of her and Angier's relationship. However, her tail twitched a bit lower, the hairs along her spine flattening. "Yes, we will." She speaks, at first her words spoken very flatly until she adds, "I'm hoping for another daughter this time... would you like that?" She allows a small smile to form over her features, as he fights a smile, trying to desperately to ease the tension within the air. She loves Skoll with all her heart, but every time she interacted with him (at least ever since he had murdered that Leader in the north) it became more and more clear he was a bad egg. "You know..." Her body shifts on her paws, balancing her weight more so. "Your father left before you and your siblings were ever born. The male Lead position was open for some time and I led alone, pregnant. He refused to step up to the plate - as a father or Leader." She delicately speaks of him, skirting around the edge of even mentioning his name. Her head turns, shifting her attention away out over the Drooping Willows, though she keeps Skoll's face within her side view. "Angier had been there from the beginning. The day you all were born... I had never seen him happier." She sighed deeply, keeping her attention away for the most part. She knew that Asriel and Morganna more or less accepted Angier, if not liked him or even considered him to be their father. Skoll, on the other paw, viewed him as a burden - a pest, needing to be rid of.... but why?

Sorry, "quick to post" and "omg wall of text." Finally have a chance to bring to light a facet of Sköll's personality that's been developing since last year, to finally bring everything that was Sköll and Angier's relationship somewhat full circle, to see the consequences that Angier's "capabilities in 'distant' fathering" has done to him, and what he has wanted to say for soooo longggg.

Even if the answer had been very obvious - the prince had indeed noticed just how happy Angier had made his mother over the past couple of years - to even question whether he was to be joined by more siblings was ridiculous. The very least Sköll could do was to comfort himself with the thought that he, not Asriel nor his younger brothers, were next in line should Elettra and Angier’s reign come to an end. He knew he was a little older than Morganna and therefore, he was the eldest successor to her throne. His upcoming siblings would even have to wait their turn over the next two years if they so wished to squabble amongst one another for a place of power.

A sliver of truth came at last when she revealed a small confession and hope for another daughter, "Another sister could be nice… one to keep @Morganna company." He fell silent after that, but it was still clear on his face that the jealousy still remained. In the darkest parts of his very core, oh, how he had ached to have been born an only child. Maybe Angier would have taken a different approach to the whole aspect of fatherhood; but, in simply thinking of the brute, Elettra moved onto another delicate topic.

”You know," her voice seemed to pull him out of the shell he was slowly withdrawing into to secretly brood and scheme. His gaze focused on her and a more curious expression had settled on his dark face. It was apparent he had been surprised, even more so as she continued to tell him about his father.

A wince began to twist and distort his muzzle and forehead. He, Asriel, Morganna, and, most of all, Elettra had been abandoned. He had refused to take his place beside her and uphold his duties as a parent.

Sköll's throat felt as though it were close to choking him, a bitterness emerging on top of all his envy and now characteristic churlishness. He had to sit down, his rump lowering into the still-frozen earth with soft thump. "Why?" he whimpered, his wrinkled muzzle falling to point downward as he stared at his paws. Hot flashes flared from the tips of his ears down along his shoulders, rolling down his forearms and into the earth at his feet. It was a good thing she had not mentioned his name; for as long as he lived, he would have cursed it, spoken it once and never again. As it stood, it was better this way, not knowing… For him, it seemed definitely better to be “fatherless,” to be a prince without the guidance of a king... one who had a large set of footprints to fill.

"Why couldn’t you've just lied to me?" he asked, desperately wanting his next set of words to cut and sting once more despite the pain in his own voice. "If Angier loves you so much, he would have done anything you asked. All my life, I thought all one had was their mother as a parent. I didn’t even know until they were born that there was a such thing as a "father." I would have called him such a thing, I wouldn’t have known any better then." Forgotten was the one private moment in which he and Angier had talked with one another about the arrival of his little brothers - the time in which he had learned that mothers had counterparts. Back then, he had believed the word to be made up just for Angier's sake. This sort of heart-to-heart talk had come to him at 5 months old, already much too mature to comprehend or openly accept such an idea.

He cast her a resentful glare, telling her upfront the very reason why he had despised the patriarch for so long, "He taught me to call him ‘Angier’ and nothing else."

Things could have been different. In fact, it could have been different now if Sköll had not already been so vindictive and unforgiving in the months that had defined his yearling months. "I was never his son. To him, I'm nothing compared to the likes of Deacon, Castiel, or Greer."

(This post was last modified: Mar 27, 2015, 09:02 PM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

SO UM. A bit of muse for this on my end too.

"I'm certain." Were the only words that came out of her mouth over the subject. Certainly there were times when @Morganna felt a bit out of place or even lonely being the only daughter in the lands. Although she could have things in common with her brothers, it did not quite match to having a sister at your side. Even Elettra, who had been the only woman in her litter later on was able to live and grow with many other younger sisters as she grew into adulthood.

Her ears fell flat, her lips forming in a tight line as those cold, distant silver eyes did their best to show every ounce of sorrow she felt for her son. It was obvious, by the anger which touched his expression, then defeat as he came to a sit, that all this had been hurting him for very long. Morganna nor Asriel had shown no signs of caring or thinking too much into what had happened with their father, dead or alive. They had their mother, which was all they seemed to have ever needed in life. Skoll, behind that calculating stare and sinister smirk, was far different... She took the beating of words he had handed her, her head turning fully back to her son and lowering, still as she listened to it all before speaking.

"Your right, Skoll." She says then, pausing long enough to let these words fill into the dark wolf's ears. Although it was hard for her to say she could fully trust her son now after the far-off ways he had acted so many times before, it did not change the fact that she cared very deeply for him, even if she feared what he could (and would) do. "He would have lied, for me. I'm the one that never want to lie to you Skoll, I couldn't. I should have explained to you three earlier what had happened. I know that now." Though, despite often others seemed to forget, she was not perfect. "I know it's different when it is your own children - your own blood, but that does not change the fact that he cares for you very much. Your an Archer, your a part of me, there is no way he couldn't."  Breathing in deeply then with a sigh, she contemplates... Nothing could fix the damage that was already there, but maybe in time him just knowing would help him be better off. "Angier's relationship with you is a delicate subject. He does not want to cross the line... He was there for you since birth but never wanted to push himself upon you guys like you were his own. I'm sure he told you to call him Angier because he did not want to force you act like something he wasnt. And I'm sure, by now, he thinks you hate him even despite how efforts. You too should talk." The last sentence cut in, any mother trying to get her son and mate to stop their bickering and move on. It was hard as hell living like this, watching your back under your own pack. It was why she had left Grizzly Hollow...