Whisper Marsh (M) hold on to this lullaby

For Rook only during the first few rounds. Will make note of when this is open for others. Tagged "Mature" for triggering material with stress and death.

i remember tears streaming down your face

October 12th; Evening, nearing sunset; Sunny; 49 ° F, 10 ° C.

Where the extra energy or the will to get up had come from, Borden didn't know... couldn't know... One moment, he thought he had heard them call, those four youthful voices that laughed in the face of possible peril. Then, not long after, he had thought to have seen her through the trees. Jaysyek - a spectre in the gathering hours of night. Despite the inner creaking of his elbows and knees and the heaviness of his sleep-encumbered steps, he forced himself onto his feet. All it had taken was the lifting of his right forepaw and planting mere inches in front of where it had previously been.

He wandered southbound, encouraged onward not by the view of the setting sun but the sounds of autumn in the air. Sluggish by the time he had reached the tree line that marked the edge of Cedarwood Forest, Borden gasped for air, shakily regarding the ever-changing sky and the near-silhouette of a lone cedar tree at the edge of the Marsh.

His quivering nose regarded the ancient giant, a part of himself remembered when he raised a paw to scratch at the bark and claim it at eye level for his own keeping. The mark was a little lower than he would have liked, but the scent and the sight of it remained. It would be any trespasser's or vagrant's mistake to find shelter here - at least, not without his permission...

As slowly and carefully as he could, he laid himself down in-between the gnarled roots. Perhaps he would catch up to his mate later or, if he was able, call her to him when he had properly rested. His head sunk down in a listless manner, a headache suddenly wreaking an occasional wave of pain through his temple. For several moments he fidgeted and shrugged, trying to get comfortable in order to enjoy for himself the beauty of the mire at dusk.

Inside his chest his heart drummed on, and while his lungs worked in deep breaths to calm it down, he laid at the foot of the cedar, propped up at its trunk in the silence of the approaching evening...

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2015, 12:37 AM by Borden.)

Well, what do you want from me?

when i said, "i'll never let you go"

For hours, Rook had spied on Borden through the trees, watching and studying the old man as he slept and struggled with himself in the waking world. It seemed as if he had been waiting for something; so when Borden finally got up to walk around, the Leader of Grizzly Hollow went after him without question. He followed his father's tracks, step by step, always keeping him just within sight and several meters away. Borden's sense of smell might or might not have gone some seasons ago but just for good measure, Rook kept his distance.

Concern took up refuge in his torso, invading his chest, choking his throat, and making his heart flutter in a nervous rhythm. Along the way, Rook grazed his own paws against the trees, just with enough pressure to leave a telltale scent mark but not scrape the bark off the trunk. In some form of terrible punishment, he had had a dreadful thought of wanting to traverse this path several times over until he memorized it from start to end... wherever his remaining parent would come to a stop.

When it seemed as if Borden would not let up his seemingly aimless wandering, Rook watched as he broke through the tree line and into the open air that hung above Whisper Marsh. He had stumbled upon a tree, taken it in with some sort of consideration then marked it as he normally would. The younger Lyall's jaw clenched and his ears drew downward. He and Bishop had been here before just last summer but he had never noticed the singular cedar before.

He hung back, hiding behind the trunk of a tall evergreen and watching with sad eyes as he saw Borden settle down. Only when several seconds had passed - five minutes, perhaps - did he find the courage to slowly approach. He held his head and tail level with his spine, a nervous shake in his own step as he whimpered to announce his arrival.

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

when all those shadows almost killed your light

The glassy surface of the marsh visibly changed from a flat silver to pastel pinks and oranges, reflecting the hues of the sky. It was perhaps one of the most beautiful things he had seen as of late, the beauty of Cedarwood Forest lost the day he likened them to something like the bars of a prison or some form of claustrophobic space where the sun barely broke through the evergreen boughs above. Out here, he could breathe, and it was apparently so with the consistent rise and fall of his chest. Resting his head against the trunk of the tree, he didn't dare to close his eyes, not wanting to miss even the briefest of moments as he stared out towards the stillness of the water.

A twinge of pain dashed from both sides of his brow to the back of his head, where the base of his skull met the top of his spine. He trembled as his eyes squeezed shut, shakily righting his head after the pain had gone as quickly as it had come.

He had told himself before that he would only be gone for no more than a few moments, not long enough for anyone to go looking for him or even realize that he had gone missing. The newfound freedom and calmer sense of peace was easily lost and was gone too soon. Someone had found him and now he had savor what time he had left before he was ushered back into the thick of Grizzly Hollow.

"Just a little while longer," he requested, his gaze clinging to the moor. "I need to see this. Just for once. One last time." While he had known he had been here several times before, all the memories were just out of reach or no longer existent in his mind. The Marsh had called to him to remind him of his younger days - the hunts and the fights and the meetings in days long forgotten - but it had failed to remind him of what he no longer remembered.

He was just a simple man, wanting to bask in the sight of something he did not have the pleasure to see every day - and the man who had come to join him would, perhaps, be a simple companion to share it with. "Sit with me. Look at how even the dying reeds can't spoil such a view."

Well, what do you want from me?

i remember you said, "don't leave me here alone"

"Just a while longer," Borden requested. Rook's feet could have planted themselves into the ground if the patriarch had not continued further to invite him to stay. Like a mouse tiptoeing past a slumbering cat, he edged forward to find a spot at the older wolf's side, and when he was prompted to take in the sight of the watering hole he steeled himself from the sadness he could no longer keep at bay.

Borden might not have realized the sort of effect his words were having on him, but Rook was now going to forever remember this little pause in the hour - perhaps moreso than the countless walks along the river and the playful attempts to fish. Those, while priceless in value on its own, were several in number but this scenario that was unfolding would be the only one of it's kind. It would never be repeated ever again.

The tears burned at the corners of his eyes as he feigned nonchalance as artfully as he could manage. He sat up a little too straight, his bearish ears skyward as he wrapped his tail along his left flank and foot. "I-It is beautiful," he commented, fighting all impulses to directly stare at Borden and demand from him. Yes, the sight was really quite something to behold, but it had never occurred to Rook until now that, maybe, this was some kind of (unintentionally) offhanded remark to remind him to look elsewhere rather than certain individuals.

"Should see it long after the sun goes down," he added, a part of him beginning to miss Bishop once more. "When everything settles down and the air grows still, you can almost see all the stars on the water."

His mismatched eyes went up to regard the cloudless sky, humming idly at the idea of having such an opportunity.

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

but all that's dead and gone and passed tonight

"Really?" the patriarch questioned, slowly turning his head with a trace of a wince as he took in the profile of the younger man's face. "Well, then, maybe we will have to wait and see." There was a flicker of recognition, a fleeting two seconds where a connection could almost be made. His eyes narrowed before his expression gave way to pure curiosity rather than suspicion, "You seem familiar. Have I met you before?"

Like an old slideshow made up of a deteriorating film reel, his mind went through the names and faces he remembered. The silhouette of this particular boy was there but not his name or where he had remembered him from. "Naira's son, maybe? Hocus' friend."

His head tilted to one side but it was instantly set right again with another flash of white just behind his right ear. He set his eyes back on the water, taking a deep breath and releasing it calmly. "Been a while, nevertheless," he went on to comment, grasping now for a change of topic. His head shook as if in shock and he did his best to steady himself, leaning back again on the cedar.

"I used to take my cubs on outings like this. I wasn't much of a fisher, but it was fun trying to teach them anyway."

Well, what do you want from me?

just close your eyes, the sun is going down

"You seem familiar. Have I met you before?" Borden then asked and Rook couldn't help but to look at him now. Half of him wordlessly urged the older man to remember, knowing that such a thing couldn't be forced with or without words. The other half allowed him to smile coolly, as if heartened by such a comment. But then all the wrong assumptions came and he shook his head from one side to the other to correct him. No, he wasn't Naira's son and he wasn't just Hocus' friend.

"I'm afraid not," he sorely replied, but it was apparent then that something was not sitting quite well with his father. Though, instead of pushing and pressing for what might be ailing him, he pretended to simply be present, glad to have the conversation at all. "Been a while, nevertheless," he went on. Rook merely shared the sentiment, "Glad to share this with you. I don't get to come out this far very often. It's a nice change."

"I used to take my cubs on outings like this." Rook's heart felt as though it dropped and rolled back into his stomach and he swallowed back the sob that threatened to be voiced, the cry for Borden's attention as a father. "I wasn't much of a fisher, but it was fun trying to teach them anyway."

"Seems like fun," he remarked. "I bet they liked that. My dad used to do something similar. We'd take turns leading each other through the forest, then when we'd get to the river, we'd just have a good time. When I was younger, we'd play, just the both of us, then gradually as time went on we would just sit and talk. Almost... Almost like this. It's comforting in a way. Haven't seen him for some time now, but well, maybe the distance was meant to be."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

you'll be alright, no one can hurt you now

The memory recounted let loose a spark in Borden's mind, something that could have very well tugged and yanked at the memories that had been withheld from him. Visions and what could have been vivid recollections playing behind his eyes as he felt the stream at his wrists and ankles, felt the water being splashed in his face, and hear the boyish laughter that came from the cub at his side. His eyes closed and he relaxed as he frowned. He must have imagined it. He must have.

When he opened his eyes again, his half-lidded gaze remained fixed on  the landscape that had changed yet again from pastel into a muted blue, the color, which - once darkened - would soon serve as a backdrop to the moon and stars. "I'm sorry," he lent, the strength in his voice letting up in tone, "to hear that. Maybe you'll see him soon. Doesn't hurt to--"

His voice trailed off, his head bowed as he endured what could have been the uncomfortable grinding and clanging in his mind. His ears rang and he fought for composure as his temples throbbed, the pain reaching towards varous points of his skull. He flinched, which was a telltale sign that he wasn't exactly all right, and all too soon, he slumped downward. A ragged gasp for air could have been the only sign that he was still there... alive. The blink of his eyes allowed him to focus again on the blurred sight of the wetlands but he painfully craned his head to steal a glance to the youth at his side.

Well, what do you want from me?

come morning light...

As soon as Rook had told him of the memory, he regretted it, knowing full well that he would get nothing but a sympathetic answer. Had Borden been anybody else, it might have made him feel better, but given their current circumstances, all it did was make everything hurt even more. He studied his father now, his lip quivering over all that had been said thus far. The subtle change in his voice did not go unnoticed and Rook's ears swiveled to the sides of his head, listening as his last sentence had gone unfinished and watching as the patriarch sunk down, his elbows and arms no longer able to keep him propped up against the tree.

The Leader stood up and stepped over Borden, trying his best to keep his father's attention by holding the pads of his paws to Borden's face and making him face him straight on. Rook sniffled as he set his paw back down, nudging the older man's muzzle with his own in attempt to keep him alert.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, not wanting to seem panicked in case it triggered Borden for the worse. "Tell me so I can fix it."

His blue and gold eyes sought the attention of those pale golden irises, wanting to see that sense of recognition dawn over them without fail for once. "It's all right, you can tell me." A small cry sounded from him, cub-like and wrought with distress, "Dad?"

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

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

you and i'll be safe and sound

In what was seemingly no time at all, the other was upon him, pleading. His eyes fluttered shut but he was prompted to open them with a prod to his muzzle. There was a wave of panic, finding that he had no control over himself and that he laid there, helpless at the arrival of the day's last light. "What's wrong?" the youth seemed genuinely concerned, though that was not the main cause of his plight. A need to get away itched at his limbs but the pains in his skull immobilized him.

He might have thought himself truly lost if it weren't for the next words that were spoken and the whine that registered at long last. It was all right... because he was with someone he knew...

"Dad?" the masked man tried again. Borden whimpered back in reply, relief washing over his face. "Oh, there you are," he held Rook's gaze, his tail putting up a fight against gravity. His boy was here; and, he wasn't at all entirely sure why he had been so worried to begin with.

"There you are," he repeated, one half of his muzzle simply aglow with a smile as he looked up into that familiar face. He bumped his nose to Rook's, "What happened?" There was moment of silence where it seemed like Borden could have been ready to listen, to catch up on information he had missed out on just a few days or months ago. As the time passed on, however, the warmth on his face faded, his eyes becoming less focused the more he stared at the young Leader's face.

A sharp and sudden ache angled his head to the side. His ears drew back in pain and his breathing quickened before evening out once more. As it to mimic his son, he let out a few (confused) cries of his own...

Well, what do you want from me?