Oak Tree Bend Never Feared for Anything

@Darrah or @Beren maybe? (Or both)

How do I live without the ones I love?
Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned
Place and time always on my mind
I have so much to say but you're so far away

- Avenged Sevenfold, So Far Away

Thunder rumbled in the distance, the sky above the oak trees colored a sickly, purplish taupe. The approaching rain had cooled the air - which had otherwise been stuffy and warm for most of the day - now luring out those who had been kept inactive by it. One of them, a dark furred wolf with splashes of silver along his muzzle, now sat under an old oak, his ember eyes staring at the unfolding spectacle on the northern sky. Soon, the heavy rain would reach Oak Tree Bend, drenching him along with the trees, and anyone else unfortunate enough to be out in the open. He didn't really care though, his gaze was distant while it followed the streaks of lightning stretching across the dark grey horizon. While his eyes studied the sky, his mind was even farther away.

Lately, Drestig Avalon had been feeling restless, his moods wild and irrational, shifting rapidly from one day to the next; sometimes from hour to hour. And he was beginning to realize that this wasn't his usual wanderlust messing with him, the irritation within him a result of being cooped up in Oak Tree Bend for so long. This was deeper. Of course, there was an obvious reason to attribute this erratic behavior to, the thought made his teeth clench. The aging scout felt powerless, spending his days trying to aid the pack, but without feeling like he made a difference. Ever since the monsters had been slain, an eerie calm had fallen over the Bend, sorrow muting the, already quiet, pack to an insufferable stand still.

For the first months he hadn't noticed, to wrapped up in his own misery to pay any attention to the going-on's of the rest of the pack. Then, no sooner had Nayeli given birth before she disappeared again, leaving her newborns in the care of a devastated Triell; the dark second had wanted to help, but lacked the mental capacity. Only when Hotei died, did Drestig regain some semblance of dignity, pulling himself out of his slump to pick up the burden left to him by the old guardian. But now the endless days of patrolling and trying to hold together a pack that was torn by sorrow, was taking its toll on him; he felt a need for change, and not just in the form of a trip off the lands to scout. Something more.

Word count: 402

"Speech" Thoughts

Plans of what our futures hold

Foolish lies of growing old

Drestig Avalon

It seems we're so invincible

The truth is so cold

Sorry, the tag didn't notify me! :(

One thing the prince loved even more than the stars; a good storm. They came somewhat few upon the bend, which only made missing even one somewhat unforgivable. Though the pleasure remained somewhat of a hidden one after Hotei's death, Darrah didn't feel quite right obsessing over the very thing that took his uncle away. Not publicly at least. 'Not like I can help it, you just like whatcha like.' he sighed, nit-picking over the perfect location to observe the majestic weather transformation that was about to unfold. 'Must be my lucky night.'

Good thing the prince was so precise with where he spent his private events. Darrah might of just missed the rather surprising presence of Drestig had he settled down anywhere else. Could it finally be time for them to once more resume interacting with one another? "Long over-due.. But what do I say..?" the boy mumbled, feeling rather distressed with the scenario. The pair hadn't said a single word to each other in months due to their own separate tragedy's consuming their social lives, it depressed the Tainn to think too long about. "We needed each other, but is it too late now?" He couldn't help but wonder in worry over if they'd grown too distant within the time they'd spent in solitude.

Going with his better judgement, Darrah reluctantly decided upon approaching his 'uncle', perhaps even attempting to comfort him in any way he could if need be. He could only hope Drestig would do the same, and the situation wouldn't prove to be awkward. Taking small, slow paces forward, the prince cleared his throat. "Drestig... Hey.."

One king, One crown.

Darrah Tainn

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

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

@Darrah no worries, I've been busy anyways, but I'm super glad you found it <3

Gaze fixed on the approaching storm, thoughts caught in their own churning, the elder wolf didn't notice the yearling, stepping clear of the trees. The meek voice startled him, and he looked down, eyes slightly widened. Seeing Darrah made a pale, surprised smile appear on his silver-painted lips, ears flicking forwards at the boy. "Hey kid..." He said softly, voice a little hoarse; "It's good to see you." Like most of them, Darrah had been reclusive since his mother disappeared, again, no doubt feeling overwhelmed by all the pain around him. A sudden, unexpected flair of anger flashed through the ebony scout's mind; How could she?! Nayeli had abandoned her family for the second time, leaving Triell destroyed and having to tackle the loss of his brother alone. And now here was their oldest son, on his own, trying to navigate an adult world while he was still so young; Too young..!

Glancing back out at the storm, Drestig cleared his throat, then slowly got to his feet. He turned to walk down the little hill, meeting the yearling half-way. As soon as he reached him, the older, but smaller, man stretched to great his nephew with a nip at his jaw line, ember eyes warm when they looked to meet the boy's similar oranges. He looks so much like his father... The scout thought, running his eyes along the yearling's muscular build. Except for that! His gaze came to rest on the streak of white between Darrah's eyes; That's his mothers. All of a sudden there was a sour taste in his mouth, but he pushed aside the bitterness, focusing instead on the young man himself. "How are you?" He asked, knowing how cliche the question sounded, but truly wanting to know; There must be so much going on in that head.

Word count: 303

"Speech" Thoughts

Plans of what our futures hold

Foolish lies of growing old

Drestig Avalon

It seems we're so invincible

The truth is so cold

(This post was last modified: Aug 15, 2015, 06:39 PM by Drestig.)

I am too! Darrah loves his 'uncle' Drestig x3.

Warmth overcame the Tainn's body as his uncle greeted him. Drestig's nip had been the first physical contact he'd had with anyone in, well, months. For a moment, he could of almost swore he was happy. Returning the smile in a similarly peculiar manner, Darrah made himself comfortable near his uncle. 'I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I really am..'  

Drestig's question was simple, and to be a little expected. Though it still managed to send Darrah into panic. Would he be better off answering honestly, or for the sake of his uncle perhaps lying would be a decent route? Obviously the raven yearling wasn't 'okay', how could he be? "W-ell..." he stammered, angry with his lack of quick thinking. "Guess you could say I'm doin' just about as good as you are, if we're speaking truthfully." he frowned, knowing all too well how his elder must of been feeling. Suffering a loss would never /ever be an easy thing to undergo, though in certain aspects the Avalon's case seemed to be slightly more depressing to the Tainn. 'Silver was a beautiful person, Nayeli was...' he sighed, not much willing to throw himself back into a mother-based despair.

Scooting slightly closer to the male, Darrah admired the twisted clouds that were rolling in at an alarming pace. What better the atmosphere to accompany their long-awaited conversation, and he didn't even have to worry about anyone back home missing him. "Looks like it's gonna get pretty bad..." speaking nonchalantly, the prince awkwardly fidgeted around with his paws. 'I wish I could tell you how sorry I feel....'

One king, One crown.

Darrah Tainn

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

He could sense the yearling's reaction to his touch, and felt painful warmth in his own breast, he too had missed the young lad and he felt guilty for not seeking him out. Still, he smiled at Darrah, sitting back down next to him as they settled on the hill. His eyes had drifted back to the churning clouds, so he didn't see the boy's reaction to his question, not that it was hard to guess; Not exactly an easy question... And neither was the reply, that was evident. Drestig ignored the stammering, nodding in agreement to the quite cryptic response. He understood. Still not moving his eyes from the unfolding storm, he leaned a little towards the younger wolf, pleased to feel him moving closer as well enjoying a silent moment of simple closeness.

The heavy sigh falling from his companions lips did make the graying man glance sideways though,  fresh smile twisting his lips as he saw the boy fidgeting. Drestig looked back at the distant clouds, nodding lightly; "Indeed, we better watch out for the lightning." It was meant as an equally nonchalant response to the comment, yet he grimaced as he thought of trees, struck by lightning, tumbling over; Smooth..! His eyes closed for a second, ears flattening back against his skull, and he breathed in deeply through gritted teeth. Then he exhaled in a deep sigh, and his ember eyes blinked back open, focusing again on the rolling, dark clouds.

Silence stretched, broken only by the approaching rumble of thunder, and the first raindrops started falling, landing lightly in the dark scout's silver-edged fur. Soon they would need to take cover - since his mind was now on toppling trees, he couldn't help but glance up at the old oak, elevated on its hilltop, it seemed too obvious a target for the flashing lightning. The gathering storm was an impressive sight though, the clouds ever changing, in shape and color, and rolling closer with every heartbeat, their looming darkness reminding everyone of their amazing power. "But it does look magnificent." He said without any trace of the discomfort caused by his former, thoughtless statement; It was a fact, and he didn't see anything wrong with appreciating the sight as well as respecting the supremacy; There's always something stronger, I suppose...

Word count: 385

"Speech" Thoughts

Plans of what our futures hold

Foolish lies of growing old

Drestig Avalon

It seems we're so invincible

The truth is so cold

I'm the worst person ever. :(

The aura of their surroundings grew somewhat tense, and for a moment the prince wondered if traveling to a different location would make things easier on them. After all, wasn't it this sort of weather that took the life of.. 'I wonder if he was close with Hotei...' the yearling would assume yes, though there was no sure way of knowing without actually asking. He felt horrible for never really taking time out of the days he had to form a bond with his 'real' uncle, though in a way couldn't the action have gone both ways? Hotei never seemed too interested in a friendship with his nephew, either. 'I'm sure if things get too uncomfortable he'll lead the way himself...' the Tainn's ears moved closer  toward his skull as he shook thoughts of his deceased bloodline clear from his memory. 'Now's not the time for regrets..'

Darrah nodded at his company's words, and pretended not to notice the slight discomfort that came with the sentence. "Yeah, though we're not too far from the den if things get bad.." the words were meant to reassure the man, though the yearling wasn't quite so sure that they'd actually do any good. "It does, I've always thought storms were pretty beautiful..." though the Tainn would much prefer a clear night sky, there was no denying the powerful energy that rolled in with a storm. The natural occurrence seemed to effortlessly cleanse it's surroundings every time without fail, and that was definitely something to look forward to, at least that's how he saw it.

"Do you think things will ever be.... okay.. around here?"

I curse the blue skies.

Darrah Tainn

(This post was last modified: Oct 01, 2015, 06:22 AM by Darrah.)

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

Darrah seemed to take things in even stride, showing little to no reaction to the unfortunate tension building between them. A soft smile creased the older man's silver-stained lips, a quick sideways glance cast at the burlier form by his side. There really was shaping to become an impeccable man of Triell's first son, carrying equal part of both his father and mother, on the inside as well as the outside; The best of both I hope... Though Drestig kept those thoughts to himself, when it came to Nayeli he preferred to air on the side of caution, not knowing exactly what the prince felt and thought about his mother's second disappearance, and not wanting to color his mind with his personal judgment. Rather, he chose to stick to the subject at hand, feeling that this small talk might offer a better form of therapy, than any direct discussion of their losses.

Eyes once more on the heavens, Drestig nodded lightly, voice low as he agreed with the boy's statement: "True." For now a little wetness was acceptable. Should the lightning move closer, he might follow the suggestion. The storm's beauty was undeniable, and so they both agreed, strange shades of green, yellow and purple weaving through the clouds along with the flashing bands of light, creating a threatening, yet stunning mural, ever changing as the clouds continued to roll towards them. The black scout hummed in agreement, while he rarely found himself watching the sky, whenever he did, he always found it gorgeous.

The idle chatter couldn't continue forever though, and as Drestig had hoped, it eventually led Darrah to a more serious question. The older wolf's brow furrowed, eyes drifting from the clouds and across the dark tree tops, before finally settling on the boy by his side. "Honestly?" He began, voice still low and a little hoarse; "I don't know. So much has happened around here, I feel like a lot of the bad memories sort of cling to the trees, you know?" He didn't see a point in trying to lie or be encouraging, Darrah was old enough to think and act as a grown up, and he deserved the respect of being spoken to as one. "I mean, it's not like it's all bad," The older chap continued, shrugging his shoulders lightly as his gaze began moving again, continuing to drift over the surrounding land, as if remembering the stories connected to every little branch and dark leaf; "A lot of good things have happened too, to me and to the rest of this pack. Oak Tree Bend has been a good home." There was only the smallest of stress on the word, yet it was there. When it came down to it, as Drestig weighed good and bad against each other, he couldn't help but feel that the bad was starting to outweigh the rest.

With a small sigh, he turned, looking straight into the yearling's similar, blazing eyes; "At some point, I just think it gets too much. Like all the painful memories are drowning out the good times." His voice was even as he spoke, no sign of crack or hesitation. It wasn't something he was just saying in the heat of emotion, in fact he had been thinking about it for a while. With another shrug, he returned his eyes to the sky, tail flicking over the wet grass behind him; "I don't know, maybe it's just me. I just feel like we need a fresh start..."

Word count: 586

"Speech" Thoughts

Plans of what our futures hold

Foolish lies of growing old

Drestig Avalon

It seems we're so invincible

The truth is so cold