Grizzly Hollow from 007 to M, with love

For Borden and Rook to talk and sort things out; much has been assumed and taken into consideration from this in-progress thread with Ryvet. Want to join/eavesdrop? Feel free to PM. Otherwise, cue the power-shift...

July 22nd; Mid-day; Light rain; 60 ° F, 15 ° C

Since his meeting with Ryvet, much could be assumed. Firstly, this venture - for Grizzly Hollow, for a family, for their family - had been his to bear. Yes, he had the support, there was no doubt about that, but what he truly wanted was all for him to claim on his own. After speaking with his older brother, this meant that all that was left was to speak to Borden. Borden... his Leader, patriarch, and superior. He might have been able to keep a straight face in front of his sibling, but would his father pick up on the sadness and yearning that still stirred within him? Most importantly, would today be a good day?

He dared to wonder if Titan had already dropped by to check up on the aging Lyall, leaving the rest of the afternoon free of intrusion and unappreciated disruptions. Rook had timed it all just right. While Quil and Tomen had gone off on a walk and he had had enough time to check in with his mother, he made for the den in hopes that his father had already had something to eat. If he was lucky, Borden was merely whiling the time away with a nap or just relaxing in the cool drizzle of rain that had come to their part of Relic Lore.

Shaking his pelt out twice beneath a low-hanging branch, Rook stopped as he came upon the main path to the thicket where he knew his old man laid in wait for company. As it was, it was clear that he was not to be allowed near the borders - especially after what had happened when Titan had returned - and it was in everyone's best interest if Borden remained within the heart of the territory. Taking a few steps forward, he came to regard the back of the Leader's silvered head then announced himself with a low woof.

He wondered if he would be well-received; for what seemed like several seconds, he remained in place before merely deciding that intimacy would be best. They could talk as they always had, just like those days beside the creek within the Reach, side by side and discussing the secret inner workings of the world between one another. From father to son... from an aging baron to an aspiring young lord (kings and emperors might have been something in cub stories but never had it been something to put into the Lyall hierarchy)... from M, the head of MI6, to Agent 007, James Bond, himself...

With a wagging tail, he offered Borden a smile, watching and waiting for any cue that everything was fine and that it was wholly all right to approach, that the chances of risibility and good, heart-warming conversation were at an all-time high for the first time in what could only be described as ages.

B o r d e n
I know I'll never be me without the security of
your loving arms keeping me from harm

Everything as of late within the northern reaches of the Cedarwood Forest had slipped into some sort of lull or calm, which meant that something must have been up. Since seeing Titan early that morning before the drizzle had come pouring from the skies, Borden had been left alone to wonder about the world on his own. While he was in his right of mind, there was a lingering confusion that shrouded his every waking moment. It was times like these he wondered if maybe he would have liked someone's company - Jaysyek or his sons or even one of the Attaya's. Hell, even Rook's rambunctious-yet-cautious presence would have been welcome right about now. Something about having someone to talk to and keep himself ever-present really helped keep the nagging questions at bay, like: what had happened to Elettra? Where was Angier now? Had he become the man he had always dreamt of becoming? What about Renier... what had become of him or of Bishop? Of Taima?

His head had just tilted in thought when that familiar voice called out to him. Rook. Borden's eyes closed and a small, grateful smile tugged at the corners of his lips. When he opened them again he nodded to his son. His tail even swept across the ground from the space behind him and to his heels and back.

"About time you came around," he smirked, lifting his head to receive Rook's customary greeting. "I'd have expected you earlier but I figured you were busy with Tomen and all." This was said with care, his good eye carefully gauging his son's expression for any indication that he had accidentally stepped over any lines. He knew it couldn't be easy, raising a family and caring for two aging parents at once, but it was clear that he sympathized or empathized. The Leader could only hope that everything that had happened thus far was something that would strengthen and fortify him further.

"Come," he invited the youth further, patting his left forepaw on the ground once. "Sit. I wanted to have a few words with you."

table by Switch

Well, what do you want from me?

The raindrops that accumulated again in his short summer coat gathered and trailed down his guard hairs and dripped from him as he returned a smile. As far as he was concerned, the heavens could have parted and everything was all right again in the world. The Borden that had greeted him today was the Borden that he wanted to spend time with. This was the father he had constantly missed back within Renegades Reach and it could only have been a good sign that he had been waiting for him at the pack den today.

"Come, sit." The patriarch seemed to insist and Rook was glad to oblige. First, though, he pressed his forehead to Borden's then nudged his cool nose to his father's chin. It was customary, this sign and wordless understanding of respect, and no matter what, he could continue to greet his parents this way. It was one of the only things he knew of unconditional love between parent and child. Like a cub much too eager for some sort of lesson, he lowered his rump to the ground then reclined forward onto his stomach. His blue-and-gold irises peered into the familiar graying face.

"And I have a few things for you, too," he replied. "But, you... you go first, Dad." There was no way he was going to leave any room for his father to have an accidental "slip" or lose his train of thought. "I'm all ears and you're welcome to have me for however long you need me. I have all of the time in the world for you."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

B o r d e n
I know I'll never be me without the security of
your loving arms keeping me from harm

Obedient as always, Rook settled at his side, ears forward and quiet. Rook, the way he saw it, was still very much the son he had raised in the northwestern forests, a cub more than anything. There was still much to learn in this world and, somehow, Borden sorely wished that he had been one of the cubs who had been born within Grizzly Hollow as if that one factor was enough to change the boy's whole outlook on life. Perhaps things would have been different, even, if Rook had been "Prosper" that survived. If that had been the case, would he and Jaysyek had stayed within this isolated stronghold? But, then again, if they had stayed, would Rook and Bishop have come to be at all? His lips drew into a hard, thin black line. Maybe fate simply worked in the weirdest and most wonderful of ways.

"Rook," he murmured, his voice near-gravelly under his breath. "I don't mean to repeat our talk that had happened last time, this isn't the intent of this conversation, but I want you to know that life... is what you make it." He studied the younger Lyall's face, his good pupil tracing the contours of the mask that outlined the agouti pattern across the upper half of his muzzle and head. Had it not been for his two-toned eyes, Rook could have very well been Borden himself half-a-decade or so ago. The apple didn't fall far from the tree, or so they would say...

"I just want to know that you're ready, that you can stand on your feet and still know who you are... That you have as much potential as any of your brothers or your sisters. Last-born or not. Just look at all you have done so far. There is life here once more... with you and Tomen and Quil... and it was all because of you."

"Son," he hoped this would call to Rook's attention. "Your mother and I... we're... not going to be here forever. I want to know that you know that. I want to know that you'll be all right when we're gone, that Grizzly Hollow was not just for us."

table by Switch

Well, what do you want from me?

This was it. This was the talk. The actual conversation that discussed Borden and Jaysyek's disappearance - whether they were being put to rest or they had simply vanished into the night. Rook had to internally brace himself; what his father was broaching was an actual tangent of what he had initially wanted to discuss. If things had been and gone his way, he would have forever believed that his parents were immortal, eternal guardians to Grizzly Hollow. With how he naively wanted to see it all, he was partially convinced that Grizzly Hollow would not exist without the two Lyalls at the helm. Considering Borden's health, though, made Rook face the hard fact that it would not be this way for long.

A sniffle elicited itself from his nostrils and he blinked hard, not wanting to face his father until he could compose himself. "Don't say that," he whispered. "You and Mom, you'll... you're going to live a long time. You're going to see Tomen grow up, you'll see his younger siblings, Veho and I, we're... we're going to take care of you." He couldn't help it, he rounded on Borden, a wince apparent on his face. He was ready to take hold of the pack and look after his father like he had promised a year ago, not sit down and hear Borden make him face the cold hard facts that spelled out the near future. "Grizzly Hollow, everything, was for you... is for you still."

"You can't - You can't take that away from me. Everything I have done was for you. You can't think that you won't be here, not after all I've done." He was near tears already... so much for that poker face and gladness that had initially come over him. The truth was, Rook had so much to learn; all he had ever known was the comings and goings of his siblings and the deaths of lesser or prey-equivalent creatures. This spoiled little Lord had never experienced a true loss and, by default, denied its existence at the mention of it when it was presently non-existent in his life. Something as permanent as the passing of one's parent was lost on Rook's mindset.

"If we're going to go down this road then I'm going to let you know that I can stand on my own and I'm ready to shoulder whatever responsibilities you have. It's less stress on you and it's for your own peace of mind. I want to fulfill my promise if you'll allow it." His lips pursed and, for a time, he stared into Borden's cloudy pupil. "Let me do what you've raised me to do when my older brothers have stepped aside."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

B o r d e n
I know I'll never be me without the security of
your loving arms keeping me from harm

At first the immaturity overtook the younger Lyall and Borden merely shook his head. These were not the words he wanted to hear. Not even close. The patriarch kept his eye on Rook's face, looking over his eyes, his whiskered brows, his mask, and all the lookalike features that he himself had sported in his adolescent years. He had to know for himself, for the certainty of Grizzly Hollow's future, that he had at last produced a suitable heir. He needed to hear that conviction and fortitude in his voice.

It came on a breath of determination and it was all the patriarch could have hoped for. "I want to fulfill my promise if you'll allow it. Let me do what you've raised me to do when my older brothers have stepped aside."

Borden bowed his head, his muzzle dipping downward in reverence for a moment. For good measure, he lifted his head and prodding Rook's chin with his nose, placing upon it a token of his submission. His graying ears folded back and his tail grew still. When he came to relax, he slumped down with his weight primarily on his elbows. Even if Rook was sitting, with his shoulders well above his own head, he wanted to make it apparent that he was no longer in a place of power. Rook now held the higher hand, the more dominant position over him.

A soft whine sounded from him, just waiting for his last-born to confirm their standing. Grizzly Hollow, with all its joys and hardships, would all be his now... his responsibility didn't just lie within his parents, but with the whole of the family and pack. What he did with it would be his doing for better or for worse...

table by Switch

Well, what do you want from me?

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

In due time his father's blessing came without hesitance, without even a word or a sound save for the whimper that clued Rook in on his absolute surrender and compliance. To make it all official, the subordinate's "kiss" was placed upon his chin and in turn, the younger Lyall stood up. His own plume-like tail rose as he came to stand at his full height, leveling his head at last before angling down to gently take Borden's muzzle between his teeth. For a few seconds he held his father this way, never increasing the pressure as to inflict pain or even the possibility of it. Once he relinquished his grasp, he let out an instinctive growl.

The vibrating sound filled his chest, reverberating the air around them as he touched his black-lined lips to Borden's temple in respect. When he withdrew from him, he gave a stiff nod and backed away to allow his father some space. There was no need to assert his dominance further, to stand over Borden or keep hold of his muzzle; the aging ex-Leader had been relieved of his rank at long last. His mismatched eyes came upon the treetops with newfound regard, knowing now that these lands were his. He was now fully accountable for the pack's successes and failures. A tip of his head brought his muzzle skyward with a tenacious song, announcing his newly acquired rank. It was done; and, for once, it didn't matter to him who had who had heard - if they were apart of his pack or Baranski or Archer-Lyall. Rook took this chance to declare it and own up to his audacity: he, Rook Lyall, was now the Leader of Grizzly Hollow.

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.