Grizzly Hollow they're loading the clip

For @Rook & @Veho only. @Kenelm for reference.
Dated 9/23 - Cloudy, light drizzle.
I am merely claiming that Nineva is pursuing Rook's scent and ran into Veho. Whether or not the two are together or not is up to you guys.

Five days it had been since Gaheris had accepted them into his fold, offering medicine to Kenelm and lessons to Nineva. Five days of exploring and playing amongst the pine needles, if not following the adults to question them endlessly about their home and their lives. Five days of avoiding the swamp monster that had rescued her from the mire so many months ago. It was something that, in her haste and adrenaline-hazed mind, she had not completely thought through, and in the face of her grand scheme falling to pieces, she refused to acknowledge the reality of her situation. Veho would recognize, know both that she was not Filae but Nineva, and that she belonged to Whisper Caverns. He would tell the others, and they would shun her for lying. They would destroy her aspirations, and she would be forced to retreat back to her father, to the wretched thicket that was not her home.

Fate would not allow her to preserve this fantasy, to continue this charade any longer, however. The girl had been seeking Gaheris fervently, questions already pooling upon her tongue. She wanted to walk with him, to listen as he explained everything they saw together through dual-toned eyes. So intent was she on following his scent, that she did not recognize the thin lacing of Veho's that accompanied it. In all actuality, even if her mind had cared to register it, she may not have even known it to be her disfavored pack mate. It was his appearance she had avoided, those thin glimpses through the trees, and the occasional calling of his name by their shared pack mates.

This was not good enough, and as she scurried between the trunks of the trees, it was directly into the last wolf she wanted to find that collided. An 'oomph' was forced from her chest as she was forced backward onto her rump by her own momentum, and an apology was quick to wriggle up her throat. Yet as her gaze lifted to peer up at whoever it was she had so rudely run into, all words died before reaching the air, leaving only a faint croaking sound to escape. Vividly, as her lowered position upon the ground greatly affected her perspective, she was reminded of her initial perception of the man, the fear that had overtaken her as she became convinced that it had been a beast birthed by the mud ready to drown her.

Unable even to bring herself back to her feet, she could only whisper "Oh, no..." as her ears swept back against her skull and she braced herself for recognition.

(This post was last modified: Oct 21, 2015, 03:40 AM by Nineva.)

The weather was growing more and more horrid as the days trudged onwards, each sunrise bringing less light for a shorter period of time. It was quite a dreary time of year, and the wolf could well understand how some individuals would take to a much darker view of the world. Veho could only continue to gather his resources to provide for the pack as best he could in the coming months. His medical stockpile continued to grow, but he’d give himself no rest – Borden would suffer if he lived into the chill of winter, and the wolf wanted to make sure he was prepared to make the man’s winter as painless as possible.

Of course, gathering plants and leaves could only last until the frosts finally arrived, so the male spent most of his waking moments out of Grizzly Hollow proper, collecting what he could carry to ferry back to his medical den. As soon as it was dropped off and organized appropriately, the medic would be off again, making as many trips as the day’s selection and the distance would allow him. He was on his way back from such a trip with a satchel made of leaves and full of lavender when an unknown force slammed into his side. Taken completely off guard, the medic stumbled several feet to the side, his prize falling from his mouth as he grunted softly. The stalks scattered across the muddy forest floor as he tried to regain himself, glancing over his shoulder to apologize for his clumsiness.

“Forgive me,” he started, “I didn’t realize anyone-- Oh!” Veho stopped himself, moonlit eyes growing wider when he realized this was a packmate he hadn’t met formerly…at least, not in the context of actual pack. He’d come across the pup in the marsh before the fall had really settled in, and, if he recalled correctly, he was not exactly in the soberest state. Something about the swamp seemed to have weaken the veil, making it easier to communicate with his Ancestors. Idly, he wondered exactly what impression he’d left, though judging by the way the cub remained on the ground, it may not have been a good one.

“None of that, Nineva,” he hummed softly, raising one brow as he took a step back, allowing the child her space. Despite the mist, she smelled of Rook and of the cedars surrounding the pack – she was clearly a part of Grizzly Hollow. There was no need to be alarmed by her presence within pack boundaries. “It was an accident, yes? I was in a bit of a hurry, myself. Trying to get the plants while they last,” he explained, nosing the stems across the ground, trying to herd them back onto the large leaf he’d used to tote them back to his medical burrow. Veho saw no blame to place – he’d been rushing about, not looking where he was going at all. How could he blame the girl for doing the same?

After a moment, the delta glanced back where the girl remained. “…are you alright? I haven’t hurt you, have I?”

VEHO MACIEO

& all I see is him and me forever and forever

A little "off" on this 'cause it's in-between Rook's roller-coaster of events. I *think* I have timeline events/knowledge down "okay," but if not, call me out on it and I will edit. Just trying to remember the time and place this thread happens.

the writing's on the wall

It had been quite some time since Rook had actually seen Cinder now and, for the past four nights, he had failed to see her in passing when he went to take up his usual walks in the night along the pack borders. The first three days, he had dismissed her absence along the well-walked trails as a need for some "time off" or some much deserved "alone" time. On the fourth day he swept over the borders twice-over and was unable to make sense of why her most current path (which was almost indiscernible by now) led towards the Marsh. Really, it was quite foolish of him to do just what he was about to do... instead of simply going off towards the wetlands and seeing for himself just what faded clues he might find in regards to what had happened to his sister-in-law. He meandered after Veho, hoping that the Medic had seen her recently.

What Rook came to stumble upon was something rather surprising: two gray-furred individuals facing one another just along his route through the forest. He had missed their exchange of apologies but what he came to hear and realize soon enough was that she had probably run into him or he had accidentally startled her or something of the sort....

"Well, hello there," he smiled to the both of them. His eyes and nose had picked up on the lavender that the healer had retrieved. "Everything all right?" He held back from giving his partner his usual greeting - a nuzzle of his face into his ruff, a bump of his nose to Veho's chin, or light nibble of his teeth to his significant other's cheek and ear - and, instead, looked from one to the other, obviously unaware of what had just happened between the gray-pelted girl and Veho. "Can I help? I hear Filae's been learning quite a bit with Titan helping her uncle heal up."

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

@Veho @Rook sorryyyryryryry

It was all so benign at first, and hope swelled within her chest as she thought, perhaps he doesn't remember me. Yet this wistful thinking swiftly deflated as the glint of recognition flashed through his eyes and she knew that she was in trouble. The usage of her name was like a blow against her skull, the girl ducking down to cringe as he spoke it. Yet still, he didn't seem to find a problem with her being here, and she had to wonder if maybe she'd been mistaken the entire time about the consequences of using her true identity.

Then Rook arrived, and was quick to use her chosen name, and the conflict made the young girl grown inwardly. Had she been thinking more clearly, she could perhaps have tried to cover up the situation by tactfully using the habit of Grizzly Hollow subordinates choosing for themselves codenames, but Nineva was not yet quite that sharp. Instead, she gulped, slowly gathering her spindly legs under her once more.

"I um... I-I-I-I um... uh..." she was unable to get out a coherent story, guilt clearly written all over her face. She had to recall the times she had lied, to attempt and summon the same train of thought, yet she could only think of her and Kenelm's performance before Rook. Even when she'd been caught by her parents, Nineva had never considered lying. She was not practiced, and now that she was alone, in the face of possibly being unraveled, possibly being ousted from the pack for her lies (or so her wild imagination told her), she could not get a grip enough to even try and cover for herself, only wait for the men to figure her out.

Before the cub had a chance to speak up, the alpha joined the pair at the medical den. Momentarily distracted from his discovery, he lifted his head and puffed out his cheeks in acknowledgement. His tail swung behind him as he dipped his crown in a brief display of submission, though the beta’s loyalty could really never be questioned, not when he’d placed his heart in Rook’s paws and bid him love. “Everything is fine,” he hummed softly, withholding the usual choice of pet names. If the affection was played down in front of the girl, he would follow the unspoken queue.

Veho could use tact, when the situation required it.

He might have suggested that @Rook help him gather some more plants – they could never get enough before the snows blanketed Relic Lore – when he realized the lord called the pup something other than her name. Tipping his head back to one side, he glanced between the pair of wolves, one ear flexed back as Nineva met them with only stutters and confusion. While still a bit concerned he might have injured the girl in some way, he was beginning to get the feeling it wasn’t actual head trauma that was causing her discomfort.

“Filae? Is that her chosen name, then?” he asked, one bushy brow lifting upwards. “Is she like Dove, then? Are you not using Nineva anymore, lass?”

VEHO MACIEO

& all I see is him and me forever and forever

the writing's on the wall

Rook's tail had been slowly waving about in the air as some sort of casual dominance display until it grew still upon comprehending Veho's discovery. Well, at least everything was fine. For the most part. He held the Medic's gaze for as long as he was allowed before Veho glanced back to the girl. His mismatched eyes followed, sweeping over her gray-furred crown and wondering why she had reacted in the way that she had. He came to stand at his partner's side; though, in not wanting to intimidate or frighten her further, he slowly sat down and trained his gaze on Veho's jawline while leaving an ear tipped towards Filae. Frankly, all Rook wanted to know was what these names had meant; for all he knew, he was aware that the cubs, neither Tomen nor Filae, had secret monikers to use outside of Grizzly Hollow.

His brow furrowed now, obviously confused. "Nineva? What...?" His eyes lifted to Veho's own quirked brow, keeping quiet for the most part to allow the cub to voice her explanation. She was not in trouble as far as Rook was concerned and the Leader hoped that he might understand what had suddenly come to unfold upon his arrival.

(This post was last modified: Dec 02, 2015, 11:45 PM by Rook.)

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Then came the questions. Lie, lie, lie! Her mind hissed, but her tongue remained dry of words and she could only stare up at them as they wondered. There was no shadow of an impending storm upon their faces, only confusion, and still she could not help but fear the worst. She did not know these wolves well enough to think that they might be forgiving. After all, a trespass was a trespass no matter your excuses. Her parents had taught her that and she held it wholly in her heart. Didn't they deserve this, then? Nineva had wanted to lie, fearful of being forced back to the thickets if the wolves of Grizzly Hollow knew the truth, yet if it hadn't been for @Kenelm, she would never have been able to pull it off. Now, without his calm and collected support, she could not spin a single string, much less a tapestry of an excuse for why things weren't adding up between the alpha and his beta.

So she at last threw herself at their mercy.

"It was my idea to lie!" she announced suddenly, the confession bursting from her throat like a startled bark. Her lips pulled back in a fearful grimace, broad enough to show her teeth as she averted her eyes from their faces, sinking lower and lower toward the ground. "I didn't want to get sent back! We weren't trying to be mean, we just needed help and I don't want to go back! Please, please don't be mad at Kenelm. It was my idea. It was my fault!"

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity