Silent Moon Plateau Do I divide, and fall apart?

@Phineas Enter over dramatic Celandine

She stumbled over the territory she should have known, blind to the unevenness in the soil, and the debris littering the ground. Like a cub learning to walk, she felt her paws scrape against rocks, her elbows buckle at the slightest incline. It slowed her pace considerably, but Celandine was hardly aware of her gracelessness. At some point, Phineas' aroma pierced the air, which only expanded upon the emptiness growing within her. Before her meeting with Aponi, his scent had brought comfort, but now? 

Instinct took her then, pulling the youth toward a place that she was desperate to avoid. Her stomach twisted with every step, tighter and tighter until she felt like she might implode. Every cell in her body seemed to vibrate at once, begging the princess to halt, and she would have, if she had any control. It would seem that her body moved all of it's own volition. Joints bent by themselves, pale paws found purchase without her consent, and Celandine could do nothing. What a strange feeling when one is taken over by their own subconscious.

As the moving husk that was her body edged closer to certain confrontation, the youngest Argyris felt her eyes swell. Tears threatened to fall, but they were pushed away. She could not spare the man a single tear. He was her own father, and he had plotted against her. No! She couldn't think like that. He had raised them, nurtured them, loved them, and she had loved him too. What could Aponi's daughter—since she could consider the creature nothing more—be able to accomplish that the true heir could not? It didn't make any sense, regardless of how many times she went over. Their beast could not hold any true claim. It would be base-born, even though it's true father was a king. It wouldn't really be able to hold her crown, would it? 

Then there was the matter of the silver wolf herself. Maybe she had seduced the great leader in an effort to claim the throne herself. It was entirely possible, and with Celandine being so young, she could do nothing to stop it. Gods be damned, what was the future queen youth supposed to do? It wasn't like she could have one of the subordinates off the pathetic mewling creature.. or could she? 

She knew the instant that she regained control, but it was already too late to turn away. Locking onto his form with a blank stare, she asked the only question she could. "Why? Her tone was not laced with anger, or despair. In fact, it wasn't laced with much of anything. The words were empty, just like her insides.

(This post was last modified: Jun 04, 2015, 12:48 AM by Celandine.)

It was as if he could sense her presence before he turned to fully look at her. One ear flickered to her voice -- the tone stirring his heart to thump heavily at his chest. He had just finished tleling Takis of the news -- and the boy had left.. gone to clear his head. Phineas had watched him go across the borders of the Plateau, and could only hope that Takis would return back over them within hours.. that the news had not pushed his only surviving son from him forever.

Celandine's reaction was the one he dreaded most, but he could not shy from it forever. The regal turned then, attempting to brace himself for her fury as he pushed himself up -- the stature a king should hold, no matter who looked upon him with such mistrust and contempt. "It was a mistake," he returned, knowing the silver bullet that would nurse his next brood would completely ruffle at the words. And yet it was the truth.

His bright eyes swept over Celandine in that moment.. her eyes infuriated -- it was almost as if Borlla looked upon him now, in that very moment. He briefly wondered what had happened to his wanderlust ex-mate.. and while he found himself not caring for her well-being, he wondered that if she had remained here.. would they have remained together, and all of this have been impossible?

But this was not Borlla's fault. It rested entirely with him, and while he desired nothing more than to move forward and soothe his daughter, he stood still.. afraid she would flee. "Who told you?" She would have found out no matter what -- he had simply wnated to be the one to tell her what had happened.

(This post was last modified: Jun 10, 2015, 12:38 PM by Phineas.)

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

"It was a mistake," A mistake? A mistake that had quite possibly taken the crown from atop her head and smashed it into pieces at her paws. A mistake that enabled a usurper to assume that they now held some claim to the thrown. A mistake that had sent her spiraling down into some forgotten hell saved for her exclusively. A mistake? No, this was not a mistake it was.. mutiny.. disgrace.. a disaster. For a split second, the pale youth found herself missing Evy. Though she had never cared for her dark sister, at least she posed a much smaller threat than this creature. Oh gods, wishing Evy would return? Celandine was certainly losing her mind. 

"What does your mistake make them, father?" In all honesty, the youth knew that she would be unsatisfied with whatever he gave. It wouldn't matter whether Aponi was now his mate, or whether the children currently growing within her would call themselves princes, and princesses. In Celandine's eyes, they would always be beneath her. She was the last legitimate daughter of @Phineas, but if they should choose to overthrow her, who would stop them? The subordinates? To them, the creatures would likely be seen as holding their own claims. She would find no support within them. Maybe Mahle, but that wouldn't be enough. "And Aesire's?" She was the alpha female, after all, so while they were at it, she might as well lump them in with the other usurpers. 

"Who told you?" Oh, that was rich. "I must be the last to know then." Which made it hurt all the more. Everyone else apparently had more of a right to know than her. Ah, the beauty of being the fallen future queen. "The carrier of your children." The words came out harsh, emphasizing the fact that they would belong to him, and only him. They would be nothing to her. He could have his precious new heirs. Maybe he would find them more capable of leading once he finally perished.  

(This post was last modified: Jun 10, 2015, 02:48 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

She stood before him, completely and utterly enraged in every sense. Her words were venomous, her eyes as fiery as his own. He cringed within, knowing her anger stemmed from a place of hurt. But he was not one to cower, and as the girl continued her rampage, he lifted himself higher, his tail arcing high above him like a proud banner-- he might have made a mistake, but it was his to make, and as long as he was King upon the Plateau, he would not take the attitude of anyone.. including his child. A curl of his lip gave reminder to her place among the ranks -- and should she further him, he would not be above forcing submission upon her.

"Quiet yourself, Celandine," he rumbled then, a frown etching itself upon his features. He waited a moment.. studying her pale features. She was a stark contrast to both of her sisters. Hypatia was a gentle creature -- humbled by her life, while Evy had been bold.. but never entitled. Perhaps, he mused quietly, this would have Celandine earn her place, rather then thinking she owned it.

"Did you know your mother fell from this mountain once?" he shot her a questioning look, gauging her reaction, but not waiting for a response. "She was very bruised.. sore.. I thought she might even die," he shared with the girl, his figure relaxing now as he sat to his haunches. "And yet here we stand. Without her, and upon the very mountain we had once avoided. The Plateau has risen under the Argyris name and it will continue to thrive with it -- Aesire or her treacherous children have no claim here. This land was claimed as a new start for you and your siblings -- it will remain as such."

(This post was last modified: Jul 09, 2015, 12:26 PM by Phineas.)

Her father stood taller then, his tail raising high into the air. He even managed the beginnings of a snarl. She cursed her body for responding, as it lowered her slightly. She hated her own plume-like tail, as it pointed towards the ground. He had never corrected her in such a way. It made her feel small. "Quiet yourself, Celandine," And so, she did. @Phineas was a proud creature, it was one of his most admirable qualities in her eyes. He also exuded power in such a way, that she dared not test him. 

"Did you know your mother fell from this mountain once?" Her heart sunk then, falling into the depths of her stomach, and remaining there. Phineas never spoke of Borlla, and truth be told, she didn't want him to start, but Celandine let him speak his piece. Whatever his reason, it must have been important. He settled in, so she took her cue, and mimicked his posture. By the end of the story, she was left feeling.. nothing at all. She did not cry for the fiery woman who had carried her, nor the loss that her father had suffered more than once. She felt no stronger in her claim, nor surer in her role. Everything inside of her head was still so messed up, but what was done, was done. Her father couldn't take it back, or send Aponi, and her creature away. He was too good for that.

"I wish she would have died when she fell." Her bright eyes shifted to the ground beneath her paws as she spoke, her tone holding just a hint of pain. It was not meant to rouse the man, or push him further, but it something she felt needed to be said. Whether Borlla fell before, or after she was born did not matter. Either would have been fine. Living in the ignorant bliss that her mother died loving them might have done the princess some good. Of course, not being born at all might have been more ideal. Once again, she found that it was already done, and so it could not be taken back.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

Celandine’s words were bitter – reminding him that a child still stood before him, and one who felt resentful at the moment. He spoke nothing, his eyes casting a critical glare of disappointment upon her. Borlla was not a wolf who was welcome in his life any longer, though he could not speak for his children. Still, he would not wish death upon her – and for all they knew, that’s what had separated her from her children.. perhaps, something had killed her and they simply had not discovered where or what.

“You need to earn your rank,” he spoke then, a frown still storming upon his features. “You and your siblings need training if you wish to one day rule the Plateau.. or any pack.” He watched for her reaction, expecting another childish tantrum. Yet this was a harsh lesson – and perhaps, one day when she was closer of age, he would have to remind her the dangers of breeding season.. and that one stolen moment could leave you with a mistake for life. It wasn’t even that he resented having another litter bore from a woman who was not his mate.. no, it was that it was Aponi.. and her hunger for power was obvious.

“I have recently accepted a wolf to our fold with his promise that he will swear his loyalty to the Argyris family. To me.” He paused then, recalling the swarthy male, and wondering if his forelimb had healed. “His name is Nios. Seek him out – tell him to teach you to spar. I do not want you to receive lessons from Aesire or Ace.”