Windsong Fjord every time that they want to count you out

@Gent
Karpos had taken to scouting out the surrounding lands to what he now was supposed to call home. The truth was he had only ever had one home, the others were prisons in his mind. Hollowheart Keep had been great until the incident but it lacked a certain relaxed feeling that he needed and Cut Rock River was fantastic, everything he could have wanted... except it wasn't Pitch Pine Trail. It wasn't the pack belonging to him by blood right and it wasn't the lands that his father had claimed as a safe haven for him. Nothing mattered to him more than his pack at that time, the one he had yet to create. He felt distant like he was not a part of the civilization that he was supposed to call family and home. Perhaps he wasn't. All he knew was Jynx had been silent with him for three months at least now and he had no idea why. He felt chopped off from the rest of the world and he did not take his isolation well.

He had thoughts, dangerous thoughts, that made it harder to sleep at night and he found himself avoiding the rest of the pack. Something was clearly bothering him but it was not like the others cared. He kept his head down and remained silent, which was strange for him. His big mouth had gotten him into so much trouble. He had started to blame himself for all that had happened. He blamed himself for his father's death and the disappearance of his sister as if he drove her away. He blamed himself for Thorpe's death because if he hadn't blown up at Aponi, then maybe he could have been there to save his mentor's life. He blamed himself for being stupid enough to follow the Aquila girl around. He had examined everything for it's level of floccinaucinihilipilification and found himself to be high on the list.

He was stupid and foolish and now he knew it.

The chocolate boy canvased the Palisade to find some place where he could hide away from the rest of the world - his little safe haven. He desperately craved it, his mind going into overdrive as he looked for it because if he found it, he might never have to return to the world of politics and scandals that he found his life to be.

Perhaps he should bow out now to stop the suffering he seemed to cause with others. Perhaps he should leave the Lore and find himself before he tried to revive his father's legacy.

(This post was last modified: Jun 06, 2015, 05:54 PM by Karpos.)

These lands were growing ever more familiar to him. Gent was coming to know the more intimate details of the lands that lay between him and his nearly-two year old entrance to the Lore, now the residence of his once-enemies turned-allies. He was learning that packs did not often remain static, that in pursuance of survival they were forced to relocate with a frequency that he would have scoffed at as a yearling. While he was determined that this would not be true for Round Stone Crest, that he would build the pack up so strong they would have nothing to fear and no one to push them from their home atop the minor mountains, Gent was also wise enough to pursue backup plans. The entirety of Snowmarch Expanse would eventually become as familiar to him as the details of his paw pads, and as few others had crept this far north, it would make it his unmarked domain.

Only these thoughts now pulled him away from home to take up the role of scouting. While the others could be trusted to the task, recounting a terrain and actually experiencing it were far apart and the former did not lend itself as kindly to strategy as the later. Still, his trips were sparse and swift as so much was still rapidly occurring at home, especially with the newborns morphing quickly into toddlers. As it was, he did not often travel as far as Windsong Fjord, and had yet to trek past it. After all, he was roughly familiar with Kingsfall and was not yet ready to approach Maksim Baranski on his own ground. As the long day wore down into muddy yellows and salmons, newly-appointed king prepared himself for the return trip home.

That was, until a shockingly familiar scent was delivered to him upon the breeze. It filled his lungs and locked his muscles, ears jumping up and eyes widening as memories instantly flooded his mind. Images came to him of the ghastly woods and the crumbling boulders that encased the main den. He saw Naira and Chulyin, Aponi and Nova, Crowe and Sagacity. Finally, and most vividly, Karpos' young yearling face pushed to the forefront of those memories. He hadn't many one-on-one encounters with the boy, but that hardly mattered. He had been a Keep wolf, and he was still here, still alive. Even more interesting, was the thick muddy smell that entangled itself with his scent. He was a River wolf. No wonder then, that Gent didn't know of his survival until now; before joining the Downs, Gent had still considered Cut Rock River his enemies and thoroughly avoided their piece of the Lore.

Gent pivoted swiftly upon his rough pads, nose twitching madly as he sought to pinpoint and pursue the scent. In no time at all, he had found the boy, now grown by a year and clear worn by his experiences. A large and apparent scar cut through his face, and his eyes were downcast as something clearly troubled him greatly. A bark echoed through the fjord, sourcing from Gent and carrying just a little more excitement than the Crest King had wanted to let out.

"Karpos? What the hell!" he asked of him with a lopsided grin as he maneuvered the terrain to get closer.

i can show you how many moves to check mate

When he heard a voice filter through the air, a familiar one at that, he quickly wiped his worries to the back of his mind. He came face to face with a man he had thought dead or disappeared along with the rest of the Keep. More importantly, Gent was happy to see him and he smelled of the Crest. “Gent! It’s good to see you.” The young swashbuckler's tone was a bit hesitant as he thought back. Didn’t Gent remember that he had been an enemy of the Keep? I suppose it didn’t matter because they were to be allies now anyway. “I see you’ve been well.” His tone would be slightly impassive as he looked at the man. He wore his scar proudly on his face as his chocolate brown fur looked pristine. Karpos Slayer was proud to say he had taken care of himself and learned how to in the process of failed attempts.

He supposed he had to with all the pack jumping that went on in his life.

He would examine Gent, who appeared to be well built and still as strong as ever. While this was slightly intimidating, Karpos knew he could hold his own in a fight if it came to that. It wouldn’t though, because he was a River wolf and Gent was a Crest wolf. It was a simple fact that if they fought, that alliance would break and war might ensue. In a way, this was diplomacy and it would test Karpos’ ability to keep the past buried. “How have you been?”

 

Something in him had been undecided on whether or not the recognition would be returned. It only broadened Gent's smile further when he saw that it was. Not only did Karpos discern him from the past, but he seemed to be genuinely happy about this little reunion. Seeing this only served to make Gent feel all the more comfortable, and the questions flooded his throat, piling onto the back of his tongue and fighting with each other to be the first one asked. They all had to be swallowed back, however, as the trivialities of the present took precedence over the mysteries of the past.

"I've been... great, actually. I'm an alpha now," he informed his distant friend, showing a little teeth as his smile grew momentarily upon relaying the news. "Recently crowned, actually," and the glow of pride was still fresh. Who could blame him? Anyone would be high on elation this long too after achieving their life's goal, and so young.

"And you're with Maksim," he observed. "Good to know we'll be allies once again. How have you been? How'd you end up with the River wolves?" He recalled that Naia had attempted to make peace with Hollow Heart Keep on Cut Rock River's behalf, but by the time she'd tracked the pack down it had been disbanded, gone without a trace. Did Karpos know of the Baranski king's change of heart, or had other circumstances brought him into his enemy's arms?

i can show you how many moves to check mate

There was a slight bit of shock when Gent informed Karpos that he was alpha. "I thought Tokino was alpha... has something happened to him?" The man was curious, remembering hearing that the leading pair had left his aunt's pack. The man observed something in him, forcing the man to crack a small smile. "Yes, I'm with the River wolves." He would confirm as he was asked about how he came to be one of them. "When Pitch Pine Trail fell apart and I went and joined Nomad's Pass, most of them went to Cut Rock River. My mother left when I was born, leaving me and my sister to die and a woman named Anastasia stepped in and raised me alongside my father. She is my mother as far as I'm concerned and she resides within the River. So does my adoptive uncle Lachesis who has been my sounding board for forever. My adoptive aunt Naia is the lead scout and my blood cousin Absyrtus now resides within the pack." He explained all of the family ties he had to the River, hoping Gent would understand. "When Mapplethorpe kicked me out, I went to my family because I knew they couldn't turn me away."

This man was a Crest wolf, should he talk about what he thought he was going to? No, he would leave out any mentions of his aunt Nari from this conversation. Who knew what it might spark? "I ran into Aponi a while back, still a bitch but I didn't think that would change... Mapplethorpe's been murdered and I've sworn I'm going to find his killer." He would speak, looking up towards the former Keep wolf. They might not have ended on good terms, but Karp still looked up to the old and now very dead wolf. Perhaps Gent could assist him in finding Mapplethorpe's killer.

The surprise was apparent in Karpos' eyes, and before his words even came Gent realized he'd made a slight mistake in mentioning his current title. The news had traveled officially to Maksim yet about Minka's mate's downfall, though Gent was sure the wolf Kjors would monopolize on the chance to whisper in his leader's ears about it. Still, for two wolves to approach them with info and not a whiff of a Crest scout? Gent absolutely did not want to mark his rise to leadership with a fraying of the rope that tied together the two packs, their only allies.

The man's face darkened, and the mirth melted into a far more serious expression as he spoke. "Yes, he was found dead. A scout will be approaching your pack soon, to tell Maksim of the news officially, as well as discuss several other things," and that would be that. While he considered himself and Karpos to be friends, no more details would be shared on the matter, and he hoped the fellow shade would not press for further information.

And it seemed he wouldn't, as Karpos forged ahead to answer Gent's question of why he was with the River wolves now. Naia was the only name he spoke which clicked with recognition in his mind, though knowing how deep the ties had been for Karpos only served to further solidify his resolve to keep these allies close. A very small part of him also became thankful that his and Sagacity's border scuffle had not resulted poorly for Karpos, but that part was swept away when Karpos pressed on to reveal that Mapplethorpe had banished him from the pack.

Suddenly, Gent felt uneasy on his paws. Learning that Karpos had been so closely connected to Maksim, and now the news that he had been forced from the pack, the blue-black king couldn't help but connect the two and assume that it had been his rash fight with Naia and Maksim that had caused Karpos to be thrown from the nest. Yet the other man tittered on, commenting on Aponi's ill nature (earning a nervous chuckle from Gent) and then dropping another bomb that rocked him completely. Mapplethorpe had been murdered?

"... Karpos...." he started, clearly no longer at ease. "All of this, I didn't know about any of it. What did, why would Mapplethorpe oust you? And when was he murdered? Karpos, what happened to the Keep?"

He couldn't avoid it any longer, and with each word his urgency had grown, the mammoth even taking a step or two forward toward his company. He was done scrambling for connections and wondering what the hell had happened, as with every small tidbit of information things had grown more and more grave. Now, he needed to know now.

i can show you how many moves to check mate

When Gent informed him that Tokino had died, being found dead instead of dying amongst family, Karpos saw images of his father’s dead body and became haunted by his past. “Those poor pups, it must be difficult for them all.” There was a hint of sympathy and a familiar look in the boy’s eyes, remembering how difficult it had been to lose his father almost a year and a half prior. He would give a simple nod when Gent informed him a scout would be visiting their borders. He felt something pit in his stomach as he looked towards Gent.

He really didn’t know what had happened that led to Karpos being with the River wolves instead of the Keep wolves? This troubled him, though gave him a chance to explain his story to the man, hoping that Gent would not look at the young man any different than he had before. “When I brought Aponi back to the pack and she was recovering, we got in an argument. It was a stupid argument but I was impulsive and I said something, something very much wrong. When I said it, Aponi said she was going to leave and never come back, and she did because she knew that they would kick me out for it. Mercy went after her, also leaving, and then Naira went after her. I told Mapplethorpe what happened and naturally he sided with his daughter.”

He harbored a grudge against Aponi for ruining his life at the Keep, but it hadn’t turned out all that bad for him afterwards, and Aponi might have matured even if she might not act like it at times.

 

His ears flicked forward at the mention of pups, and felt a pang of... something odd within his chest. Those were his children Karpos was pitying, as though they lacked for anything in this world. No, they did not know the difference between the father that had inspired their creation and the one that watched over and provided for them now. Gent had done everything within his power to ensure that, and felt a deep sense of pride concerning his success. Still, Karpos could not know these intricate details, and thus Gent forgave the slight.

"Honestly... they don't know the difference. I've taken up the role... they're like my own," he informed the other man with a sheepish smile, not fully comfortable yet with speaking the sentiment. After all, it was something he would never be caught saying aloud at home, where Minka or Kova might overhear and take some imagined offense to Tokino's memory.

As Karpos forged on, recounting the past that Gent had so misfortunately missed, he drank in every detail and tried desperately to tie it into what he knew. Aponi had been brought back, back from where? The argument of it, that didn't surprise him a bit. Through all that he and the others had tried with her, Aponi had proved to be nothing more than an absolute bitch in the best of lights, a princess who wouldn't lift a claw and yet still demanded the world to be served to her on a golden platter. Her form of entitlement had gone against everything Gent had been taught by his father, and while the man as a yearling had sought to try and use the princess for his own means, her miserable attitude had swiftly changed his mind.

To hear that Karpos, a boy who had actually worked to hold his keep, had been ousted due to her vile nature caused a sting of anger on the other Keep veteran's behalf to hit him in the chest like a mild adrenaline shot. Then he continued, saying that Naira had left to chase her brat ass down, and Gent swiftly found he had a target for all the upset, confusion, and frustration he had felt over the Keep's falling apart. If @Aponi had kept her shit together, if she hadn't been so damn selfish as to run away and disrupt the pack entirely, it would of survived. That had to be the case. @Naira wouldn't have let it disband otherwise, not the Naira he had known as a yearling.

A scowl was now prevalently engraved onto his muzzle as this all passed through his mind, but the one glaring plot hole Karpos had left quickly ushered his voice back out into the air.

"How do you know that he was murdered, then? Mapplethorpe? Did you ever go back after that?" 

@Gent

The person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger

Gent spoke again, noting that they didn’t know the difference. Karpos gave a small smile, knowing it was probably for the best that they didn’t know the pain of losing a father. He just hoped they had a better life than he had, and that their mother and Gent stayed close to them. He didn’t doubt that they would. “That’s good to hear then. Losing a parent at a young age is difficult, but since they know the difference they don’t need to know the pain.” He spoke his peace, almost an apology for the slight pity he felt earlier for them. The other man listened to Karpos’ story as he voiced everything that had happened.

The questions at the end were to be expected and Karpos simply shook his head. “I didn’t go back. I figured they wouldn’t take too kindly and with me still cementing my place as an almost yearling in the River, I didn’t think I should. I ran into Nova while scouting out a few territories near the area and she told me. Later, I ran into Aponi again and she asked me to join the hunt for the killer. I said yes, because I wanted vengeance. He might have hated me in the end, but Mapplethorpe was my teacher, taught me everything I know.” He stated with a certainty in his voice, a deep breath held for a second before he let it out.

“The trail’s gone cold.” He informed the man with a certain pang of sadness in his voice.

feel free to fade in your next post, or I can post once more and archive. c:

Gent could only nod. He now had some answers, a reason for the disbandment of the pack he'd been so proud of belonging to as well as a scapegoat for its fall. Yet the trail hadn't ended there, for something in him could not let the matter rest. He thought briefly of Tokino, of how his death had actually been an aid to Gent and had supplied the Lieris heir not only with his crown, but his children. Yet still he wanted justice for the murdered man, to help give Minka and Kova some small peace of mind. It was a similar instance that now law at his paws. Gent wanted to join the hunt. Gent wanted vengeance.

"I'll help you as much as I can," he vowed. "I can't chase for leads; my pack needs me with them. But we'll all keep our eyes and ears open for any hints that come our way."

His eyes lifted to the skies, the king determining that unfortunately, it was time for him to depart and return home. Thankfully, he would know where to find Karpos should he desire to speak with him again. On one final note he asked him,

"Is there anything you do know?" as any the more information he had on the matter the better, no matter how small the details.