Lost Lake ten tonne skeleton

@Zera -- on opposite side of where FTC is :)

More and more Greer was seeking territories to explore – preferably ones that were far away from his pack’s territory. It was not that he did not want to spend time with his family; he was simply curious at what else the Lore contained. He was also curious as to where Deacon had gone, and whether word had reached him about the new Archer-Lyall children. Part of the reason why he had begun to venture so far was in hopes of crossing paths with his brother. How was life outside the Ridge? Was it everything D had imagined it to be? Was he enjoying his new home/pack? Questions consumed, burning a hole in his mind as the desire to share them with his brother increased.

The mountains, despite the lack of trees, had always intrigued the young boy. With his obsidian coat Greer preferred the shadows of a forest rather than the rocky terrain of mountains. He felt out of place among the stone, yet it continued to draw him in, spiking his curiosity whenever its peaks came into site. His nails clicked against the ground as he moved forward, his long legs moving his slender body effortlessly through the territory. The shadow prince was grateful for his physique; he could not imagine being large and burley, bumbling over the land with heavy, clumsy steps. He was lean and quick – built like a lethal weapon. Despite his strength being limited Greer made up for it in speed and precision. He had used his moments of complete solitude to practice the perfect ‘strike’, along with his sprints. Since he had discovered his body was growing tall rather than thick, Greer had begun to train himself without the aid of another. The Ridge was full of guardians and warriors; the prince wanted none of that. He wanted to be likened to a sniper – quiet, accurate, swift.

Maintaining his speed, the silver-eyed boy approached the body of water, his lean body keeping parallel to it as he continued south. He could smell an abundance of wolves in the area – there was a pack north of here, one that Greer did not want to encounter and potentially be accused of trespassing. The scent of the pack was not as heavy on this side of the lake, which worked favourably for the raven. 

I'm so sorry this took so long to reply! I completely forgot after my vacation >.>

Zera set off for the mountains, found herself soon extending the deep twists of the forest as the trees grew sparse and rugged. Rocks cleaved the sky as she followed the altitude, and she could count the number of living trees on her paws. They grew thin and gnarled, grasping their fortunate places in the cracks of climb as she did her footing. The dark Tainn had never attempted these foreboding heights. In fact, this is the only rule she had left to brake in her time as a pup. Zera felt that none of those rules applied to her anymore, especially since her mother's obvious pregnancy (which grew to disgust her) and her own scarce attendance as a pack member. It wasn't that she hated the Bend, but isolated herself from it. The yearling knew she needed to distance herself from those she loved too much to lose. With the aloofness of her brother and the promise of new replacement pups, Zera felt less and less like herself.

Many times, she took her yellow eyes away from the path ahead and back over her shoulder where the trees clumped warmly in the distance. She could find her trail again, she wasn't worried about getting lost here, but many times her mind orbited the mysterious, but unseen danger that her parents warned about. The air was thin, but heavy with the fresh scent of pack wolves. She could also smell the clear scent of mountain water up ahead which made her tongue instantly dry. The stone beneath her proved slick with the fog's touch and cold as ice on paws that were used to the deep carpet of the forest.

In just a few more moments, the silvering Tainn met a new landscape. She couldn't tell if this was a body of water or a mirror up ahead, but it reflected every particle of the sky, in still beauty. Zera paused in awe of the clarity of her reflection and felt herself admiring the graceful woman she'd become.

zera tainn

i am so sorry for the wait!!! never again :c @Zera <3

As beautiful as the reflective lake was, it was also eerie in its stillness. There were no blemishes along its surface; no ripples that lapped at the shoreline. It made the slender shadow wonder if the body of water was even there… how could something be so unaffected by its surroundings? His curiosity got the best of him as he neared its edge, his large paws hesitant on disturbing the water as he cautiously placed his steps. He worried that if he took the wrong step, and his lanky body disrupted the surface, that the whole thing would shatter and disappear.

The boy was not sure what he was in pursuit of – his drive for adventure fueled his steps as he coasted along the shoreline, his hazy gaze studying the serene setting. Fortunately, for the shadow prince, he seemed to be alone thus far. The thought caused a rare half smile to appear on his licorice lips, breaking his stern exterior for a brief moment. Greer enjoyed his lonely adventures and was reluctant to engage in conversation when a stranger appeared. Occasionally he did not mind others sharing their knowledge of the land with him – but only if he thought it was necessary. Otherwise, the boy was perfectly fine figuring out things on his own.

He was mindful of his position in relation to the neighbouring packs. The shadow cloaked boy was steering clear of the areas that were heavy in the scents of many wolves; while he was curious about the other packs in Relic Lore, Greer did not want to be accused of trespassing. As frustrating and irritating as encountering strangers was, the boy preferred building his pack knowledge that way than risk an ugly encounter at a border.

The scent of another broke him away from his thoughts as his steps hiccupped; brows narrowed instantly as his silver orbs searched frantically for the intruder. Perhaps interaction could be avoidable… his pace slowed as he weighed his options – escape discretely or risk confrontation. The young girl smelled of others, but not of the wolves that were nearby… he had not encountered another that came from the same area as the girl. Fate would have to take its course – Greer did not change his course, but he did not pursue the stranger. If it was meant to be, they would cross paths, otherwise the girl could be just as uninterested in him as he was in her.

Zera wondered if the lake's surface swallowed the colors out of the world around it. Beneath that mirrored surface she imagined the blood of every hue, sucked and seeped from their places in the world. The sky ascended, off white and textureless while the mountain curled and puckered its pieces in silent uniformity. This place was indeed eerie, almost too still, too quiet. She felt the surface turn on her suddenly as she stared into it, like it sought to harvest her own colors. She raised her 'brows in stark surprise and rolled her eyes, picking up the pace again. She moved out a few steps from the bank, as not to rupture the foreboding stillness. Zera wasn't about to be the one to disturb it. She felt that this place and whoever once inhabited it must have lived with calculated tenacity and sharp strictness. But somehow the mystery of it all kept her captivated enough to venture farther around the mirror's bend.

Her pace was diligent but cautious, she found it easier to move stealthily here than the forest. She made not one sound but the small wind from her lungs and the quick tap on occasional gravel. With each breath she smelled something alive and unique on the misty horizon, and her pace ventured ever faster as she saw the jet black silhouette of another yearling separate from the fog. He was willowy and lean, cut out of pure onyx stone, carved intricately with a hot blade. She picked up her ears and waited for a return of gesture. They came closer ever still, and she found it odd and slightly startling that he seemed so... distant. Zera's heart quickened and she drew up in her posture, pausing when he was in earshot. It was so quiet that she could hear his footsteps and the rustling of his fur. The only other withdrawn male her age was Darrah - and he was nothing like this. Aloof, yes, but he had a mouth full of excuses and whines to gripe about. This wolf seemed nothing of the type. He felt cold as he walked by, eyes a fixed silver, like her mother's, but entirely void of warmth. He was almost entranced, or ghastly, or estranged. Something.

She couldn't just let him by without at least a word of conformation. After all, he was headed where she was leaving. Perhaps he was hungry or in need of a place to stay. Zera was always willing to help.

She turned slowly, trying to buy some time to come up with a way to break the silence. She decided to approach casually, attempting to mirror his diligence and overall numbness. This seemed to work well enough with Darrah. The Tainn knew a lighthearted take wouldn't do here, she'd either overwhelm him or irritate him. It was always better to intellectually challenge these types. "Are you lost," she questioned, dryly - figuring she knew enough about the eastern side of the mountains to aid him along his way. "because I know a lot about where you're headed."

zera tainn

(This post was last modified: Jul 23, 2015, 05:31 PM by Zera. Edit Reason: commas! )

sorry about the delay <3

The shadow was not sure how to feel about the body of water parallel to him. He was accustom to stone, trees… creeks that cut through the land… but not lakes. As much as he was perplexed by the stillness of the water, he was also transfixed by it. His mercury gaze lingered at the edge of the water, his brows raised slightly along with his curiosity. As beneficial as the water was to drawing in potential prey, it could also attract unwanted visitors. Greer could not help but wonder if there were any packs in the Lore that made their home at the edge of a lake. As tranquil as it would be, the shadow could see the potential problems with being so out in the open – and having a potential escape route blocked off by the water.

It took every fibre in his body to restrain the sigh that wanted to fall off his tongue as the raven-coloured female took notice of his position and decided to close the distance between them. Being alone was Greer’s first preference, but he was coming to realize that it was nearly impossible to be completely alone in Relic Lore. There were a lot more packs than he had initially thought – along with plenty of loners searching for a home. If he desperately wanted to be completely alone Greer would have to leave the lands of Relic Lore and indulge in the unexplored wilderness. However, at his current state (and age) the boy was not sure how long he would survive if that was even an option. As good as he was at hunting, the smudge was still young and learning – there was so much more his family (and others) could teach him.

Observing her through narrowed brows Greer slowed his pace as she approached while she maintained a respectable distance between the two. She spoke, voice soft as she questioned his reason for lurking around the lake, along with a string of other words to explain her inquiry. The corner of his mouth twitched as he mulled over a response, not wanting too many syllables to fall off his tongue. “Greer always lost,” he responded with a nonchalant roll of his shoulders, his silver gaze pulling away from her. Instead, he looked past her, at the direction that she had come from. “Girl from there?” He asked without adjusting his gaze as the tip of tail flicked – as much as he did not want to converse with the onyx-coloured girl, he was still curious about the territories beyond Willow Ridge. Eventually he wanted to settle down elsewhere, and in order to do that he needed to gather as much information as he could about the nearby packs.