Stonewatch Timbers all we wanna do

to whom it may concern: i am rusty

we're not unreasonable — 

i mean no one's gunna eat your eyes

A babe lay beneath a crab-apple tree. His golden fur was streaked with mud in an attempt to conceal his identity. His face was made up with special care to hide what he considered would his greatest hindrance: the deeply etched golden triangles below his eyes. It was his mask. It was his war paint. He was a crusader. A stupid, wimpy crusader who missed his mother.

But he missed her even when he was at her side. Her gaze had become less focused, less present as she stared at some point beyond the horizon. The golden boy couldn't remember the last time her eyes had fallen on him, her only son. She sat by the water a lot in a way that was unsettling. Octavius didn't sit with her when she got that way, it made his paws itch. 

With great effort, the boy arose from the twisting roots and halfheartedly brandished his sword — his golden tail. The half-trained paladin surveyed all the land spread out before him, ripe for the taking. He had lived somewhere in the heart of this realm before, but none of it looked familiar. He had been so young. Diligently he tried to recall the names for the trees that speckled the distance like his Ma had taught him, but his confidence faltered with one or two unfamiliar species. Ma had always told him he was born a prince, that he was the son of a prince. But his father had been a faker and a deserter, and Gus was some penniless little child clinging to life with a disinherited mother. This was not what Ma had intended. Deeper in, though, he sensed his kingdom. The lands he was meant to inherit and the toppled crown of his mother's he was meant to reclaim. His small body trembled at the thought of such defiance. Could he be so bold? Dare he disturb the gentle swaying of the trees.

With great trepidation, he sensed that this land was already on the brink of something.

Sorry it took foreverrr to get this up!

Exhaustion was an understatement to Enoki as her travel weary pads trudged onward slowly through the new scenery that surrounded her patchwork pelt. The gathering of semi thick spruce and pine trucks filling her nostrils with a unique 'clean' aroma from the needle like leaves adorning their branches. An unexplored area of the lore the two toned woman could soon check off her list of new places. In all honestly she didn't know where she was going or even where she was this time. All she had done since leaving the ridge was head north. That much she knew. Willow trees turned into a grove and a grove turned into a yet to blossom bunch of berry thickets laced with the pungent odor of a pack's musky scent of warning. Do not enter! Pack territory ahead! Marking borders that the lone female did well at avoiding while trekking her way north to the place she found herself now. At the edge of a small ledge of sorts with an array of hills that could be mountains in their own rights as far as the depths of her amber gaze could see dotted with the needle clad topiary. Occasionally being broken up by the slithering flow of water from rivers and creeks alike.  

Peacefulness. This was what the aging woman felt upon setting paw in this uncharted portion. It also made the she-wolf ponder. If there was this much open land yet to be claimed why were the packs to the south of here so dangerously close to one another still? Did they not know such bountiful land ripe for the taking lay only a days travel away? No answer came to her silent question. Instead something different entirely caught her attention. In the distance something glittering caught the corner of her eye, a golden beacon of sorts glimmering in the rays of sunlight. Causing each tip of the strangers hair to shine like a well polished shield aside from bits here and there where mud caked onto the sunny colored coat. A curious held tilt and quick flick of her ears following suit. Who was this? There was only one way to find out. A loud bark erupts from Enoki's throat to alert the stranger of her presence, but no step is taken to close the gap between them. Who knew what intentions lay beneath the soiled mask.

she said i'll be your rock when the water comes —

don't waste your life on stepping stones

A harsh bark cracked the silence, and Octavius instinctively hugged the ground. He felt vaguely nauseous at the thought of seeing another of his kind with so little warning. It made him vaguely nauseous, the way strangers seemed to thrust themselves on him. He thrived on their attention, but at the same time it made him unshakably suspicious when encounters caught him unawares. He wanted to conduct himself like the prodigal son of the Cedarwood, he wanted to be able to puff his chest out and raise his tail and face any interloper head on. Often, however, he found he could not. He pressed his ears further back against his skull. I'm useless.

In an attempt to be the decorous prince of his dreams, he piped up "H.hh..hillo?" He winced at the shrillness of his voice. His tail wrapped around his ankles. Bracing himself on his ideals, the golden boy wandered down the hill a few paces towards the source of the sound. The shadowy creature he discovered was more than a bit unsettling with the scars and the gauntness of of a lone wolf. He gulped down his anxieties before they grew out of control. "Do...do I know you?" These words came out as a slow, painfully faked drawl of disinterest. "I mean, I certainly don't recognize you." This was a bold, possibly foolish move on his part. But he was young, he had no idea what he was doing. Gus simply longed to take up the mantle his father left behind. 

Taima never liked to speak of his father, but she let some hints and stories slide in here and there when she spoke of her own childhood. None of the words ever spoken of the Mountain Prince ever seemed to be good things, yet Gus found that he was still struck with a deep sense of awe. There was a legacy somewhere, hidden in the shadows of all these half stories. And somehow, in a sense, Gus longed to believe that Datura was the hero of his own narrative. That there was a reason he had left. A good reason. Sometimes (and with secret, shameful glee), Gus slipped in to his father's pelt and tried to speak the words he felt his father would say. It felt wrong, but the intimacy of the act was intensely satisfying. Only in this sense was Octavius brave, as he toed the line between right and wrong and wondered when he would falter, if he would find any of his father in himself.

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The moment her bark resonated on the air the golden boy had lowered himself until his belly hugged the earth beneath him, ears pinning to the scruff of his neck like a bullet had just gone off. This strange wolf seemed..frightened? Surprised? by her unexpected presence even though he was yet to actually lay eyes on her shadowy silhouette. A sight not so pleasant anymore with the new addition to her muzzle and dropped weight from traveling alone. Well that's not what she was aiming to do at all. Suddenly, though, a voice shrilled from the hunkered boy and the pitch alone was enough to bring her own ears flat against her skull to protect them from the higher register. A whine of detest almost on the verge of escaping her inky lips as lids quickly blackened out the world. Finally Enoki managed to make out a questioning hello while the amber optics of hers reopened and watched him slowly descend from his hill.

"Do...do I know you?" A simple shake of her head answering his question before her lips did, the ebony furred haunches of hers lowered to bring her rump into a seated position. The woman had no intention of closing the gap between them just yet, if at all. Plus her tired limbs needed a rest. "I don't recon ya' do. Unless you happened to live under the willow trees at one point." came her response, a quick inhale of her lungs revealing no trace of said trees or perfume of Elettra nor Angier on his coat. Having been a former member of the Ridge wolves Enoki would know the scent the moment it hit her nostrils. This boy was nothing but another loner like herself(even if only temporary). A young loner, but loner none the less. "Mind if I get your name? I'm Enoki Ashrelle." Thumping her ivory dipped tail lackadaisically at her side, a gentle smile began to pull back the dark lining of her lips.   

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

sorry about lateness/quality. you can do whatever you want about the hunt opportunity.
Also lol realized TECHNICALLY they were in the willows at the same time but... this was more fun xD

check the cupboard for your daddy’s gun

The Lord’s gonna come for your first born son

The she-wolf plopped down, which the golden boy noted with some surprise. He wasn't sure what to make of the gesture. Was she trying to say she was no longer a threat, or maybe that she wanted to sit and yarn for a bit, or, more simply, was she just sitting to sit? Burnished gold ears twitched several times. More unsettling than her ambiguous behavior were her words. Octavius had lived by some willows before. The sickening churning in his gut only increased. But they don't have to be the same Willows... Surely, there had to be many willow forests. No, Octavius hadn't seen a single stooped, cascading tree since leaving the Ridgelands, but that didn't mean there couldn't be. Without trying to reveal his anxiety, he inconspicuously spaced out the cautious sniffs that would bring her scent into his nostrils. She didn't smell like the Ridgeland. But that didn't mean anything either... "Don't... don't know nothin 'bout no willows..." he trailed off uncertainly, peering at her from the corners of his eyes as he turned his head slightly. 

And because he was his mother's son, because he was a Lyall and they had a strange penchant for aliases, Octavius found his tongue twisting in his mouth searching for some name to give this woman. "Oct — per— taim — ..." He shook his head. Briefly his eyes flicked towards her and away.  All wrong, he was doing this all wrong. "Sorry," the boy mumbled. "Give me a second."

And he fell silent.

His fur prickled as the sensation crashed over him. His heart rattled against his ribcage and his cheeks burned hot under his creamy fur. "I would like to be called Datura." 

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2015, 04:50 PM by Octavius. Edit Reason: fighting the formatting demons )

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could not resist, hope you don't mind me popping in!

Minka was an intelligent female most of the time, she was intelligent enough to lead a successful pack and have a strong alliance. She was an intelligent wolf, except when it came to her family. While she knew in the back of her mind that the trail she was following couldn't possibly be Noble's, the scent wasn't one she recognized she had spotted the paw prints and reason was gone. They were small enough that they couldn't be a yearlings but they were darn close and that was enough for the expectant mother to blindly follow them. This was how she found herself walking into the conversation just in time for a pup around the age of her missing daughter to introduce himself as Datura.

The fae valued her ability to assess situations she knew little of, it came in handy as an alpha who could see any variety of happenings at her borders. As it turns out, it also aids when stumbling upon a random conversation among strangers. The golden eyes flicked from one to another, observing the posturing, it was clear they didn't know each other or if they did it wasn't well. The female was seemingly comfortable with the pup, her rump on the ground but the child seemed confused, agitated even. Instantly the maternal instincts launched into overdrive, her pregnancy hormones and the recent nudging from her abdomen only fueling the need to protect this boy from whatever it was he needed protecting from.

Dropping her tail so it hung limply behind her Minka lowered her head slightly in an attempt to be as non-threatening as possible. Her gaze flicked to the other woman for just a second before settling back on the pup, "Datura was it? Do you need help, why are you out here all alone?" His pelt was covered in filth and it was obvious it had been a long time since he had enjoyed a proper meal, was this what Noble looked like? was her daughter even still alive?

click!

Apparently he knew nothing of any willows. A fact that the older woman easily let roll of her back without so much as a second thought. The Ashrelle had never crossed paths with a wolf of his coloration before under the umbrella like canopy of the weeping willows. At least none that she could withdraw from her memory bank of Ridge wolves. He said he didn't know so not knowing about the willows she believed. Members came and went all the time. Why question something that was of little importance to her in this point of time? If Enoki was looking for an aver answer to her next question, though, then the patchy woman was about to be sorely let down.  "Oct — per— taim — ..." Rotating her audits a few degrees northward to visually signal that the floor was entire the golden boy's, they listened intently to the stammering and half syllables of names, or at least she thought they were names. None that sounded remotely familiar to the dark coated gal. Did the boy even know who he was?

A small shift in the muscles of her face contorted her features into look of curious confusion at the silence that soon followed the golden one's failed attempt at spitting out his name. Thankfully patience was a virtue Enoki had earned as she waiting to hear whatever name it was he finally managed to topple off of his twisted tongue. "I would like to be called Datura." Finally a name was ushered and dark lips parted to prepare for a response, but another voice cut in seconds before her vocal chords could form the first syllable. Quickly the once calm demeanor of the piebald woman changed at this new and unexpected arrival. Lurching back onto all fours in a standing position the dark amber optics swayed from the pup to this new silhouette. A tawny female with sides swelled undoubtedly with the litter she would soon bring into the world. A matriarch at that by the smells lingering heavily on her coat. For a moment a pang of jealously surged through Enoki's veins at the miracle the new wolf was blessed with and herself had never had the chance to experience, nor probably ever will with her growing age. But, as quick as the emotion arose it was suppressed under lock and key.  

"Datura was it? Do you need help, why are you out here all alone?"  Minka had spoken with a voice laced in concern only a mother could have. Not giving Dature a chance to answer the stranger the swarthy woman filled the air with her voice instead, muscles barely relaxed in the new companies presence. Pregnant women were always unpredictable. "And who may you be?"

 

check the cupboard for your daddy’s gun

The Lord’s gonna come for your first born son

He whipped his head in the direction of a new set of foot falls.

The contrast between the wolf that would arrive and the wolf that sat before him was night and day. Where this scarred shadow was cold and reserved, visibly worn by her time as a loner, the new wolf was plump and compassionate. He tested the air with his nose, surprised to find that, although she did not smell exactly like Mom... there was something about her, something in her scent that was like being wrapped up in a hug — back when Taima used to hug him. Without reason, the youngster found that he liked her. She had an air about her that reminded him of what his mother should have been, curious, friendly, strong. All of these things had been taken from his mother by the man whose name he had stolen. He shuddered. It felt like a small kind of justice.

She asked if he needed help, and he found himself shrugging proudly. He thought he was doing okay on his own, and he didn't quite have the words to explain why there was no one else with him. How could he explain the circumstances that brought him here to a stranger? It didn't matter how nice she seemed, it was too complicated for a sentence. "I'm— "

His dark companion however, had other thoughts. Octavius shuffled his paws awkwardly at being interrupted, not sure how to handle the intrusion. Perhaps she was looking out for just herself when she aired her question, but it was something Octavius had not thought to ask when he had been given the stage. Eagerly he glanced back to the pale, matronly wolf. Oblivious was he to the tension that charged the ready muscles of the dark wolf, a jaded creature wary of wolves who were clearly powerful pack wolves. He thumped his tail vaguely against his hocks, feeling better merely because of Minka's presence.

(This post was last modified: May 06, 2015, 07:47 PM by Octavius.)

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Minka had paid little attention to the piebald woman when she had first ventured into the scene. Still out of her peripheral vision she saw her stand and could sense the tension that her body language gave off. Turning her head halfway so she could better take in her movement in case the other woman decided to pounce Minka looked on calmly. Despite what this other woman might think the alpha knew that she was a far greater threat to the expectant mother than the other way around. Smiling in a way to show that she meant no threat to either the fae lowered her tail to a position that felt unusual to her now. While it irritated her that this stranger was so quick to assume things about her she knew it was the way it needed to be as a loner, "Minka Lagina, Queen of Round Stone Crest." She had no reason to use a fake name for herself or her pack, Black Thorn Downs was no longer and their enemies had no way of knowing their new name or location.

The mother turned her attention back to the young wolf that was in their company. While his tail wagged in a manner that suggested he was comfortable his body position said otherwise. He paws seemed to shift with unease and he had shrugged off her question at needing help. Tilting her tawny cranium to the right Minka's thoughts swirled for a moment. "Should you be looking for a place to stay the Crest would be more than welcoming for you."  The expectant alpha knew that this boy couldn't possibly replace her Noble but she couldn't help but hope that someone had helped her daughter as she was trying with this boy. Perhaps she had found a safe place to stay and that is why they had seen no sign of her. She could only hope.

(This post was last modified: May 11, 2015, 01:32 AM by Minka.)

click!