Oak Tree Bend Incertus

@Anneliese

Not long had passed before the two agreed upon finally setting out for their walk. After all, it was obvious that neither of them were anywhere near ready to wrap up the day, and he definitely always had plenty of time to spare. Their final location remained quite unclear, though Darrah was sure they'd enjoy their time together no matter where they ended up. There was a specific matter he wanted so badly to press on, though he wasn't sure how to go about asking without appearing too pushy. Anneliese carried with her important information. The type that could mold the Tainn's future toward his favor if used properly. At least they wouldn't need worry over a steady conversation.

"Hey.. Anna?" he called gently. "You said something earlier.. I was wondering if it'd be okay to go a little more in depth with it..?" He didn't see much of a reason not to, though who was he to say the situation hadn't turned sour on the poor woman. "You mentioned something about aspiring to lead your unit... well... what happened with that?" of course the prince also wished to learn of the 'great men' in her previous pack, though the fear driven curiosity of how he could fail at achieving his dream out-weighed that topic for the moment. Surely he'd hear of both anyway, they still had lots of time. 'Hope I wasn't too blunt. I can't believe I almost didn't want to talk to her! I'm learning so much!' growing eager to obtain even more knowledge, Darrah left room for his acquaintance to speak.

One king, One crown.

Darrah Tainn

(This post was last modified: Aug 13, 2015, 12:07 AM by Darrah.)

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

As they ventured, Anneliese's eyes remained forever turned upward, far above the dwindling fog that curled at their paws. They watched the wind have it's way with the thick canopy above, shifting it this way and that and allowing mottled sunlight to dapple the ochre limbs that held the sky together. Birds flittered and tittered amongst it all, changing perches on a whim and playing indecipherable games with one another. The life and color of it all attracted Anneliese's heart, and she found that she was slowly falling love with the landscape of her new home.

The spell was not broken when Darrah spoke, rather her observation of it was merely pressed back into the recess of her mind as her beryl eyes lowered to make contact with his dial. That soft little smile had never left her muzzle, but it widened slightly now as she was happy that he was choosing to pick up a conversation once more.  To his first question, she nodded readily, but his second did not earn an affirmative action from her. Instead, she averted her gaze and set about thinking for a moment how exactly to word her answer.

It wasn't that she wished to avoid the topic; misfortune struck all creatures throughout their lives, and what had happened was now in the past and thus not to be dwelled upon nor mourned. She truly did miss her birth pack, however, and yearned for a career that was at all similar to what had been her desire back then. Unfortunately, she had yet to cross any kingdom that could hold a candle to Vindictus.

"Well," she began, contemplating also how much backstory to give to him. After all, she didn't know if he'd be able to relate to any of it, or understand properly without expansion, and surely the biggest question was, would digressing bore or interest him? Anna decided to test the waters with a simpler answer. "It was my highest aspiration, and being the best in my class I had a good chance at it. But I had only served six months when the pack finally collapsed from the disease that had been ravaging our royals, and with them died the opportunity."

No traces of sadness nor bitterness laced her voice as she spoke of this, though at the end of it she did whisper under breath, "pacem ad regem," in faint remembrance of her religious upbringing.

PLOT WITH ME!

Whilst waiting to hear something along the lines of how the woman had soiled her own dream, it was a shock to Darrah as Anneliese spoke of a tale far from the expected. Feeling horrible for even bringing up the topic, the Tainn tried desperately to grasp for words to say. "M-my apologies.." his voice shook as he broke his gaze away from the cream wolf. "What a horrible thing... to have to remember.." he sighed, bowing his head in respects. The woman had whispered something quite foreign to the prince after finishing up her story, though he found it best to not dawdle on it.

Things had grown apparently silent for quite after his apology, in fact, so apparent that it was really rather uncomfortable to the prince. He wanted to change the subject to something else, though couldn't distinguish if that'd be a rude thing to do. "But.. you made it without catching the disease, right?" Obviously the only good thing coming from the event, for it brought the heir a friend to accompany himself with. The boy couldn't come even close in relation to her twisted scenario, though dealing with the loss of someone important was nothing new to him anymore. Perhaps they could bond more over the feeling, at least that's sort of what he'd hoped in a way.

'I lost a mom who I'd not been close to since birth, she lost her whole damn pack... Anna...'

One king, One crown.

Darrah Tainn

(This post was last modified: Aug 23, 2015, 10:49 PM by Darrah.)

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

Darrah was truly, sincerely apologetic, and while unnecessary his compassion earned a smile from the gold gilded woman. She could see that he was struggling with what he had been told, and while Anneliese wanted to extend words to quell this distress, it was clear that something else was waiting on the back of his tongue. Patiently, she watched him until he spoke again, a question intended to shift the nature of their conversation.

Anneliese had to wonder, did Darrah think like Drestig and Jessie, allowing his emotions to consume him even if it rendered him utterly blind? The chances were good, for this pack only seemed to birth and harbor melancholy. However he was still young, and Anna thought it worthwhile to try and steer him toward what, to her, was the smarter path. This conversation of there's would be a good cynosure for such teachings.

"Yes, and luckily so did my parents and siblings. It had started with the queen, and worked its way down the ranks through her. Therefor, by the time it would have reached our echelon, the pack was already dispersed. Still, I lost the royals I loved and had been raised to serve with every fiber of my being. I lost my mentor, who had shown me my purpose in life and what it meant to be a paladin, to be honorable and just. I lost my peers with whom I had spent the best days of my life, who I had sworn to die beside rather than allow to fall. All without being able to do a single thing to stop it."

She allowed herself to reflect, to remember herself in your younger years as the fall was occurring. They had all seen it coming, even though they fought it the best they could. But when their best medics had succumbed to the disease, it was clear there would be no winning. It gave the girl time to process and steel her emotions, which she supposed was a very important difference.

"I grieved by turning the upheaval of my life into an opportunity," she informed Darrah. Through all of her words, not once had they been tinted by darkness nor anguish. They were all mere facts, and she spoke of them as such. "I've been raised to hold loyalty above all else, but I was born to travel. I was finally free to pursue my wanderlust, and with time I came to Relic Lore. Horrible things happen in this world to kings and peasants, villains and innocent newborns, all the time. No one and nothing is safe, but no matter what life goes on. When this things occur, we have a choice. We can depart from the natural streams of our lives, and lose ourselves. In doing this, we render ourselves useless. But we can also chose to accept life as it is, and continue to see the beauty of it through all of the flaws, just as we love each other. We can remember what we've lost, we can work to justify the wrong done, but also we must embrace what is to come, and simply make the best of it all."

PLOT WITH ME!

I AM SORRY DX

Anneliese still had immediate family alive after such horrible events, and hearing that warmed the prince's heart a touch. Though in no way did it make the plague any more merciful. He could only imagine losing those around him that weren't necessarily of his blood, but still profoundly important. In fact, these days that's all he had to hold on to. Losing Drestig, or even now the stark white woman before him, well that would just b unforgivable. He admired her strength, and could only hope that on day he'd be able to overcome his pathetic self-loathing demeanor and replace it with something similar.

Listening to the rest of her tale, Darrah couldn't help but feel guilty. His whole reasoning for being so eager to hear her out was to insure himself the throne without failure, though from what was described, well, he might as well already consider it a lost cause. "Useless.... have I lost myself..?" he whispered, lowing his head in frustration. After Nayeli departed, neglecting her duties as pack leader and abandoning her two children, the yearling's world turned upside down. He'd torn himself away from the pack, secluded himself into a deep depression. The Tainn had found himself associating everything around him with the words 'ugly' and 'useless'. He truly hated the world. Was there even a way to come back from such views?

Remaining silent for an uncomfortable amount of time, Darrah once again found himself able to look at his company. He simply couldn't accept that someone else could be alpha one day, something had to change. But how? "Anneliese... I think I need help..."

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.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

i'msorry

Her ears swiveled to face her company as something fell from his mouth, but she was unable to discern the words exactly. Her beryl eyes rested upon him for a heavy moment, intending for the boy to speak up, but as the silence pressed on, she forced her gaze elsewhere, wishing not to rudely stare. Perhaps her story had made him uncomfortable, she considered, though he had asked. Too verbose, she scolded herself mildly. Always too much, when will you learn to speak more concisely? It left an ache in her heart, as she considered that perhaps even with her new friend she might not be able to act completely as herself. It seemed these days that she only stepped on toes, upsetting and isolating those around her.

As Darrah's voice finally re-entered the air, however, her self-pitying thoughts immediately fell away. There was a desperation within his voice that clawed at her heart, and she cursed herself internally for doubting her company. Concern tinged her voice as she replied to him, reflecting as well within her vivid sights.

"Help with what, Darrah?" she asked, voice tender with its support. She knew by now that she wanted to dearly help this boy in his ambitions, to lead him away from the dark clouds that had overtaken his pack mates' lives. There was better than this, better that was deserved by them all. While Anneliese felt doubtful that she could sway the adults, Darrah seemed far more open to the light.

PLOT WITH ME!