Turtleback Lake you make the stars fall down

He was gone.. Gone. In her mind she accepted the simple fact of Camio's absence, but her heart had not and fought her every step of the way. Each day was overshadowed with a fear and anticipation, a deep longing that slowed minutes into days. Time healed some but it could not fix all. She tried to surrender herself to the admission that there was absolutely nothing she could do about it, that whatever had happened, had happened. But admitting such a thing meant that she had given up on Camio, his life, his continued existence. Her heart shuddered at the thought.

Nova needed to free her mind, and as always the solitude of nature brought her peace. The nip of cool autumn air on her nose, piles of fallen golden leaves, the toasted brown caps of mushrooms, where all small wonders that kept her focused and grounded to the present. She had left the territory that morning on a simple walk, leaving @Nalda in the pack's care with a promise to @Iopah to return by nightfall. She hadn't planned on doing much on her hike but was pleasantly surprised to come across a massive lake.

She looked out across the smooth water tinted grey by clouds above, eyeing the tree-topped mounds that perched right on top of the lake like little turtles. She set her sights on the closest one, pacing the shore a few times as she tried to decide if she could make the swim or whether it would even be worth it. From where she stood it looked quite close, surely no more than a ten minute swim, and finally curiosity won out. She stepped into the water, wincing at the cold that seeped into her fur, covering her paws, her ankles, her knees. She drew a gasp as the icy water embraced her body as she waded further in, but webbed paws continued to push against the pebbly lake-bed until they could no longer reach. Methodically she paddled, a sort of peaceful meditation overtaking her in the monotony of it, the grey clouds scuttling calmly overhead.

Things began to sour as a wind whipped up, stirring the water into peaks that slapped ruthlessly at her exposed face and shoulders. Her limbs burned and her breath could barely keep up with how much she was exerting herself just to stay above the surface. Despite how long she had been swimming -- certainly much more than her ten minute estimate -- it really didn't seem she was getting any closer to the island, but a glance back at shore showed her she had indeed swam fairly far out. The little boulder that had been sitting on the shore was now merely a grey speck.

It was then Nova realized her critical error. It was no tiny, nearby island she had set her sights on, but rather a much larger one impossibly far out. The panic began to creep in. She was too far from land! Once methodical motions grew increasingly frantic, her paws slapping at the water as she fought through the growing waves. Her dreams of the island were abandoned, and she tried to anchor her gaze to the little grey boulder on the shore but each wave threatened to throw her off course. It was like the lake itself had decided to try to shove her under, and she fought against the water that threatened to fill her nose and mouth with each labored breath. She could hardly think straight through the panic. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be, she chanted inside her head.

She felt herself lurch upwards, a sickening hesitation as the wave held her aloft, captive. As if taunting her, giving her a clear view of the shore. All she got out was a single desperate shriek before it crested, tossing her into the face of another swell. The world spun. Too much blue. Too much water. No air.

(This post was last modified: Oct 16, 2015, 02:31 AM by Nova.)

Perhaps this was what had taken him so far from home, pulling him along on some intangible string. The taste of nostalgia thickly laced the air, the sister he'd never taken the time for unwittingly surging his mind with memory upon memory. His strides had hastened, unthinking in his motivation to reach her. It didn't matter that they lacked lies, that she may not even recognize him. She was a piece of his past, a glittering peek at what had been, a reminder of the promise he'd once held within him.

It was clear, once he'd found her, that she was just as reliant on his presence as well. She could not know it yet, all of this was to be a coincidence, but as the beast tossed himself into the throws of the lake's waves he began to acknowledge that maybe fate truly did exist. Powering against the forceful gusts of water, he let out a few barks, hopefully reaching her ears to tell her that help was on its way. His strong legs were able to bring him swiftly to her, to cut through the frigid waters, to propel him under and to her.

 It wasn't until his jaws wrapped around her nape, and he was pulling them both back to the surface, that the lactic acid began to truly build within his muscles. It wasn't even close to being enough to stop him, however, and as they broke through to the air he still did not pause in his rescue, pushing now for the shore. She would owe him her company, at the very least.

Nova's lungs screamed with stale air, begging for a breath she could not afford to take. Nalda flashed through her mind, she couldn't leave her daughter behind, she couldn't die, not like this. Briefly her head surfaced, a rough voice wordlessly calling for her over the sounds of wind and waves. "Camio?" she wondered, but not for long, sucking in air as quickly as she could before the lake shoved her back down. Her legs kicked uselessly, trying to propel herself towards the surface but unable to get her bearings as she spun head over end, tossed by the current. Just at the moment she thought she could take it no longer, something sharp grabbed her by the neck. She jerked, startled, her jaws opening to draw air to scream again. Frigid water hit her esophagus before she managed to stop herself, gulping a stomach full of lake water as she was roughly tugged upward by an unknown force.

Again Nova was at the surface, gasping and coughing up water as her yellow eyes rolled wildly in their sockets rimmed by white. She twisted as she tried to free herself from whatever caught her, her forelimbs flailing as she tried to climb on top of the dark object that had appeared beside her. Unable to succeed against the tight hold on her neck, she set her sights on the shore again. The mechanical lift and fall of her forelegs did little to help move them forward, and she didn't quite understand that someone else was dragging her towards shore. As soon as her long legs made contact with the lake bed she tried to run, only managing to slip, slide, and crawl up through the constant push and pull of the surf against the beach that battered their backs. Barely on solid ground Nova collapsed, chest convulsing as she fought the remnants of water from her windpipe.

Each stroke of his legs was made with less and less power, his stamina quickly dissipating. The cold cut deep into his skin, threatening to freeze his muscles sold and seize his lungs and heart. His nares flared wide, bringing in as much air as they could manage between the spray of waves, the man unable to draw adequate breath betwixt his jaws. She fought beside him, at times against him, but the timbers king refused to release his grasp for fear of losing her to the lake's steel depths. She pushed against him, weak limbs unwittingly threatening to push him downward, and for a moment this stagnated their progress until at last she relented.

Never did worry touch his conscious mind, but as his paw pads sunk into the silty bottom and he was able to heave himself and Nova both up into the windy air the relief was palpable within his veins. Only when he was certain that the waves would not be able to reclaim their grasp upon the woman did Gent release her. He gave his mammoth form a hard shake, spraying the icy water from his pelt. It had soaked him thoroughly, and shivers began to race along his skin. Looking back, he realized that she was collapsed still within the foam and he once more latched onto her nape, pulling her completely onto dry land.

When finally they were completely within safety, he settled into the cool sand beside her. His frame was long enough to crescent around hers, and he hooked his throat over her shoulders, attempting to warm them both through shared body heat. Only then was he able to begin his wondering. What the hell had she been doing out here, alone?

@Gent

Nova sank further into the ground, limbs pressing heavy into the earth and dewclaws hooked into the damp sand as if she still needed to cling on for dear life. It was hard to believe she was now safe, having been perched on the knife's edge of death just moments ago.

Soaked to the bone and freezing cold, her lanky frame was wracked with shivers. She tried to suck in as much precious air as she could, each breath a gasp verging on hyperventilation. She couldn't stop the rampant thoughts of dying in the deep, of never seeing her pack, her daughter again. A sob tore from her throat, a long shuddering whine as her glossy yellow eyes stared blankly ahead into the distant trees. She did not see them. She was still ignorant of the other's presence, survival having taken precedent and fear dulling the edges of her senses and taking her out of the moment. She still felt like she was reeling, spinning, churning underwater and could make sense of nothing.

Suddenly a warmth appeared at her side, a comforting weight placed across her shoulders that stilled some of the frantic shaking of her body. Her breathing began to slow and it grew quiet as the desperate noises she hadn't realized she had been making ceased. At first she was confused, but then she realized who it had to be, she didn't even need to look. She would be safe now.

"Camio..." She sighed, pressing back against the warm form that had settled onto the shore beside her.

It seemed that contact and a little body heat had been exactly what she needed, and Gent did not at all mind worming closer to her, hook himself around her all the more tightly to soak up more warmth from her smaller, shivering frame. His own skin continued to crawl with chills, and agitation arose within his mind at the purely uncomfortable physical feeling that plagued him. The shadow leviathan could only hope that the wind would pull the moisture from his coat quickly in order to ease his discomfort.

He listened to her breathing, heard it calm, breaths still ragged but no longer gasping for life. It soothed him, assuring him that she was indeed just fine despite the thorough scare that had been given. It did not occur to him to speak, despite the many questions pressing against his skull. In this exact moment, he was quite content with silence. The interrogation could wait for them both to be fully recovered from this ordeal, dry and hopefully within shelter from the gusting wind. His pale eyes drifted closed, seeking peace within the audible void, but then she ruined it with a single word.

Reactively his lips drew back, snout wrinkling with a silent snarl as the name dropped was an instant trigger for the man. There had been four of them named, four possible attackers who had maimed his friend, stolen from him his leg, and were to be blamed for his eventual (assumed) death, as well as displacing the entire pack and nearly bringing them to war. Something so heinous, he could not believe Nova to be a part of. Not the youth he had known back in Hollow Heart Keep, so quiet and reserved. And so it must have been this Camio that had led committed the crime, dragging Nova along with him to choke on the wake. Or had she been kept in the dark?

"Isn't here," he concluded, as though she had uttered an unfinished statement. Would she even recognize him? He could only wonder, glacial gaze peering down upon her dark crown.

A pause hung in the air, one that seemed comfortable, too perfect, like a heavy waterdrop waiting to fall from a leaf. She needn't worry any longer, she was safe, and he was here. Camio had come for her, just when she needed him.

The unfamiliar voice that rumbled from just behind her ears was like she had been doused in icewater yet again. Black and brown tinged hair defensively bristled along her back, muscles locking tight as realization dawned. It wasn't him. She wanted to scream, how could she be so stupid! Of course Camio hadn't come in the nick of time, leaving a stranger to drag her from her death in his place. Having spoken her mistake was only the insult on top of the injury.

The icy feeling across her skin was quickly replaced by the burning heat of shame at being nestled so close to neither friend nor family. The once comforting presence at her side was suddenly unwelcome and alien, not knowing who it was if not Camio. She wormed out from the embrace, her belly scraping the ground as she retreated enough to make a full turn, saucer-like yellow eyes settling on her pitch-black rescuer. She stared at him, the look of the wild, drowning animal surfacing as she grasped for some way to make sense of the situation. His eyes were a brillaint frosty blue, bringing with them a naggling sensation that she knew them from somewhere but only drawing blanks.

"S-sss-sorry s-sir. I t-thought you w-were somebody else..." She chattered, still sopping wet and shivering. Even scared and confused, the young lady still had some shred of manners. "T-thank you, M-Mister..." She trailed off, unsure of how to address the man.

He let her go, the sudden desire to displace herself from his side not unexpected by the burly beast. His pale eyes watched her calmly, soaking up the emotions that played so clearly upon her dial. No. She did not recognize him. Something akin to disappointment sunk itself into the pit of his stomach, but he quickly forgot it as he noted just how cold she still would be without his body heat (as well as feeling shivers begin to work their way over his own skin as the wind once more began to buffet the side of him that she had left). Hoisting himself back onto his limbs, he did not approach her immediately, instead allowing her space. Gent certainly didn't intend to add to her horror, as she'd already experienced quite enough of that.

"Gent," he filled in for her, allowing a moment's pause to see if realization would sink into her features or not. "I knew you from the Keep," he then added, in case she couldn't place him after all. Now the question was, would it mean anything to her as it did him? He remembered her being something of a shadow, certainly far enough off his radar for the most part. Was she grateful for the disbandment of the pack? Or did she miss it too? Did she know where her mother was, know the manic state that Gent knew her to be in? Was she, too, intent on finding out the truth, or happy to leave it all behind her? So much he wanted to ask her, but for now he simply waited.

@Gent

Nova continued to stare as he gave his name, feeling its familiarity but not able to connect the puzzle pieces of her past until he elaborated further.

"Y-You.... You did..." She said, memories flooding back, only to pool in her thoughts with nowhere else to go. The tension slightly eased from her coiled muscles, a softer expression taking place on her features. She hunched down, pulling long limbs in close to conserve what little heat remained. "B-Before then... Too... You came with us from the m-mountain." She said, hesitantly at first. She had been so young at the time, and hadn't really spent much time with him otherwise, but his eyes could not be forgotten. By now the Keep felt like an entirely different universe, so many different directions her life had gone since then.

"The p-pack was gone s-so fast... I came back and it was... it was so empty. Camio was the only one still there," Nova said, feeling she owed an explanation but unable to succinctly give it. Her thoughts were like a roost of little birds flitting from branch to branch, too many to count and impossible to catch.

"He helped me bury Appa." Nova said, not realizing she'd used her nickname for the patriarch. The recollection of Mapplethorpe's maimed corpse causing her to shudder, shrinking towards the ground.

"We've been together since, we had a daughter together," She said, her large ears folding against her head. Tears pooled at the corners of her round yellow eyes. She still couldn't get over it. "Nobody's seen him since summer," She sobbed, the shivers that had plagued her since she had been pulled from the water transforming to hysterical tremors.

As recognition finally passed through her honey eyes, Gent could only smile softly. She referenced the Pass, and he nodded at this, recalling that day that the pack wolves had made their courageous descent through the piled snow and oncoming storm. He had been at the front, eagerly cutting through beside Chulyin to make the way easier for the others. They had been ousted from their home, and yet everything seemed to have been flowing so perfectly. It was the hardest winter of his life, but it was the period upon which he constantly was looking back, plagued by nostalgia. With Minka's passing, this occurred more and more often. It didn't matter that he had achieved leadership; things were wrong, plenty was still missing.

Then she continued, and his ears pressed forward eagerly, but like the rest, she only filled his mind with more questions than answers. Came back? Back from where? Why was it that no one had seemed to be around? Then she spoke of Camio, and his ears swept back against his skull, a sneer flashing over his lips before he forced the expression to flatline. He helped to bury Mapplethorpe? Given what he knew of the man's vicious nature, he had to wonder if perhaps he had any part in the patriarch's passing.

Then, suddenly, she was crying, and the words she uttered only served as billows to the flames of anger he felt within him. Gent's mind was utterly decided, no further statements needed either against or for Camio's defense. His sentence was decided, and the king wanted oh so badly to personally deliver it.

Drawing forth on his coriaceous pads, he wound himself around the girl, and pressed his cheek against her shoulder, allowing his body heat to soak into her.

"Shh, shhh... come on, help me warm up. How about you tell me about your daughter? I bet she's beautiful," he spoke up, hoping to distract her from the pain she was drenched in.