Cedarwood Forest let us love winter

Midafternoon, moderate snow, 36F. All welcome!

We could just…not find him… Bishop had suggested, alluding to her twin brother. Scuttlebutt had it he was lurking somewhere in the forest – perhaps somewhere nearby, if he had his bearings correct (and the brother in question hadn’t moved on in the time since he’d last been seen). As much as his companion had no interest in meeting @Rook, the dragon couldn’t say the same. This was the man who’d brushed the girl off like a mere burr in his silver hide, clearly ignorant to what a jewel she actually was.

It left Kjell of two minds, honestly. Half of him wanted to explain to this brother exactly how wrong he was – didn’t he have a wicked sibling of his own? Abandonment was only a few steps from attempted murder, truly, and he’d be doing his friend a favor to give her brother a talking to. She was under someone else’s protection now. And that led him to the flip side of the coin; what if this man suddenly realized how valuable the companion he’d shed was? Confident as he was in his own appeal, the swarthy male had little interest in actually having to fight someone for Bishop’s friendship.

Without his mind made up, the wolf continued to travel – he had no intention of moving far from the lagoon, he’d not leave his Lyall alone overnight. It was simply a bit of exploration, and perhaps a bit of fun – while the snow had let up midday, it had begun in earnest again, blanketing the ground and leaving prey much easier to spot. The forest was a fine place to hunt, and perhaps if he were lucky, he’d bring something back from his friend.

Time was a blur. Why she may have the sun,moon, and stars to help her keep track, she found she didn't much care. They were merely her silent companions on her search.  Her obsession became finding the Attaya child. Besides looking she slept and drank. Drank and slept. Food and comfort were low items on her priority list for whatever weeks she tried to find further evidence of Cinder. With anxiety, and pain twisting her in knots she was not surprised she found her appetite waning with her hope. It was when Jayse found herself in only God knows where, she realized how close to madness she was. There was nothing still to be found, and only one thing to be done. How much she didn't want to do it. It could have been the very reason she did not stop. 

With focus on several steady breaths, images of home, her loved ones, and murmurs of getting a grip, pale paws propelled her backward. Tracing her own trail back to the lore. Back to the forest to re-collect things she'd lost. All awhile her journey she carried a script of exactly what she would say to Quil and Rowan. Like most things she kept rewriting it, feeling no words were the right ones.

Finally it was with a faint dust of snow upon her coat, and tender paws she hungrily took in the glorious scent of cedar. It was something that would always just say home, and in its own way brought warmth to her chilled bones. As long, sharp breaths swirled in silver plumes about her, the pale lady limped over to the base of a tree, taking no grace to lean her back, and head against its steady form and close her eyes. She was so close. The queen was no more, and she felt so old simply trying to catch her breath. The past week her throat  felt like she'd swallowed rocks, and her poor toes felt like clambered across sharp freezing icicles. For goodness sake's she could barely keep her teeth from rattling.  It did seem much colder here, than where she'd come, and she needed time to once more collect herself. Recall the best route back to the Hollow. Oh, she was stalling. Jayse didn't have to think, she knew exactly where she could have gone to reach the border. To even simply raise her crown and call. Why didn't she?

(This post was last modified: Nov 09, 2015, 04:18 PM by Jaysyek.)

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

@Jaysyek - Thanks for joining! :3

With his nose to the snow and his ears swiveling about, it did not take long to pick up the raspy breath of somewhere nearby. Frosty snout was lifted upwards and he inhaled deeply, but the falling flakes dampened not only his senses, but the actual scents themselves, trapped on the tiny crystals as they drifted downward. He could not tell who, or what, lurked nearby, but the unknown was not something that frightened the dragon. Friend or foe, Kjell altered his direction, the swarthy male sinking low as he stalked forward, using the trees to hide himself as he slowly picked his way through the wood.

The tremulous breathing continued, and for a moment he hoped to find himself a suffering animal. Easy prey did not over the same thrill, but it offered much needed nourishment – less effort spent fetching something for Bishop, and more energy left to make his own kill.

Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed when he came across another wolf – she was thin, alone, and did not appear to be as well as himself or his own companion. Whether or not this was simply due to the weather, he could not tell, but Kjell raised his banner above his back and removed his shadowy cloak as he trotted through the snow, gait loftier than usual to lift his paws about the chilly blanket. “‘lo,” he greeted the woman, noticing as he approached that she appeared to be a great deal older than he – but all the same, there was something perhaps a shade familiar about her appearance, like he’d met her somewhere before. Age was but a number, and her regal beauty shown through whatever distress she’d been subjected to, and Kjell drew to a halt at a respectful distance. “Y’lost, miss? Snow ain’ th’ time t’ be wanderin’ about. Sure y’don’t need me tellin’ y’tha’, hm. Where y’tryin’ t’ go?”

The sound of her own breaths blocked out the approach of another. It didn't take much to catch his dark figure from the corner of her eye. She jerked her crown toward him in sudden surprise. The idea of being caught off guard was never appealing. Instantly, she knew she didn't have the slightest idea who this wolf was. Nor if he was the friendly sort by appearance alone. It seemed as he began to speak, this wasn't something Jayse need worry about. Least he had noticed her here, taking the time to stop and see what she was doing out in the cold.


It was swallowing back the sting in her throat, her ears swiveled back, and she regarded him with a thin smile. "No, I'm not lost," she politely answered. Well, not in the sense she didn't know where she was. She knew the many different paths to here and there. She was only struggling with a particular one. But in every other sense of the word she was terribly lost. He didn't need to know that. Even if he was inclined to wonder the state of her mind under the circumstances he had found her. "I was just on my way home to the Hollow. I'm just not sure I can be a bearer of bad news." As she said this, she realized she did want to go back. She should go back.  

(This post was last modified: Nov 09, 2015, 05:25 PM by Jaysyek.)

The woman noticed him, at least, which seemed to be a step in the right direction. Her attempt at a smile was answered by a much fuller expression, the male giving a gentle sway of his flag as he tried to coax amiability over hostility. Kjell had no quarrel with any lady, much less one of a distinguished age, and as she made it clear she wasn’t lost, the dragon prince simply bobbed his head. What was he going to do, argue with the vixen about her current state of being? Clearly she would know better than he.

“Ah,” he replied, in what he hoped was an understanding tone. “Burden no one wants, but someone’s gotta shoulder anyways.”

A burden the swarthy male fortunately avoided on most days and in most tasks, having no real ties to any places or any people anymore. It was less a matter of lassitude, and more that he’d generally avoided forming meaningful bonds with anyone, until he’d met Bishop. Even then, the friendship often confused him at best, though Kjell would not be so easily parted with the woman he traveled with now. “Th’ Hollow, huh? Can’t say Ah know it. ‘m new t’ th’ forest, myself,” Kjell admit easily enough, hoping honesty would be well-received in such a situation. “Could walk with ya, a lil’ ways. If y’want? Sometimes burdens are easier if y’ain’t alone. Misery loves company, an’ all that,” he chuckled, shaking his head. His fire bright eyes did not mirror the laughter, for in truth, it wasn’t a jest, but the reality the world often hoisted upon all the lost souls that wandered.

The pale wolf quietly nodded her agreement. It was one way of putting it. She certainly didn't want to just place it on everyone else, but she certainly couldn't carry it solo any more. She didn't feel like the resilient matriarch any more.

Finding it easier to breathe, some strength seeping into her limbs again, she shifted ever so from the tree. But whether it was from finally gaining rest, or the distraction the young man provided she couldn't say.

"Just one of many places you'll find," she mused, a little curious of his own intentions in the lore. Once she would have asked, and even invited him to see Grizzly Hollow for himself if he needed a place to stay. Under the circumstances she didn't. It didn't feel like hers to offer. Under the circumstances she would be lucky to tell them all that had happened.

A light came to her eyes, and her smile managed to reach up her cheeks at his merriness and magnanimous gesture. For the time being, he convinced her she didn't need worry in accepting his company. Even if she felt it a bit odd he should volunteer. "That would nice," she admitted. Unwilling to keep postponing the lady gingerly  rose to a stand. Clearly, her paws her were still tender and tired like the rest of her, but she knew she could walk a bit further without trouble. A little pain would keep her centered on her goal any way, and this was the last leg of her journey. With a wag of her tail, she eased forward, wondering if he might change his mind by their slow pace.

The tune of the forest comforted her, and again she tried to run her lines through her head, focusing on the words, rather than the images of the past weeks. It was hardly easy, again she felt the pain swell in her chest. A small clearing of her throat, she asked, "So whose company do I have the pleasure of keeping?" 

(This post was last modified: Nov 11, 2015, 06:56 PM by Jaysyek.)

“Aye. Hope so,” Kjell agreed, relishing the notion of traveling the forest and discovering a plethora of new places. It would come after the winter, he knew well – moving long distances was dangerous for a pair of lone wolves, especially once snow blanketed the earth and left them scrounging for whatever morsels they could find, abandoning anything soporific or exciting for anything that could fill an empty belly. Adding the stress and demands of relocating was simply stupid, in his opinion. All the same, the lure of travel sang to him, and a wistful sigh escaped him as he buddied up with the older wolf.

Chasing the dream from his mind, he noted her soreness with a watchful eye, but as she said nothing, neither did he. If she wished to return home, who was he to stop her? She’d lived long enough to know what she could and could not handle, and the swarthy male was not about to question her. He levied up to her side, resting at her left flank as they walked – that she knew the way did not bother the dragon in the least.

He might have been content to accompany the white wolf in silence, but she had asked for his name. The once prince cast her a winning grin, a low chuckle tumbling from his lips. “M’name’s Kjell. Kjell Sørenson. Moved from the pack at Widow’s Peak – just needed something different,” he hummed softly, tactfully leaving Bishop out. The girl was his treasure, and did not need to be shared with utter strangers. “An’ who’re you, m’dear?”

That's all she needed was something to keep her moving forward, not dwelling too deeply on what next. He served the purpose of keeping her tied to the presence. Why she felt weak for all of it, there was little to be done. Once they arrived she  would raise her voice before she lost her resolve again, and likely he would depart to his own business.

One, two, three. One, two, three they went. So far so good. Interest sparked her gaze, as amusement in a source of both expression and sound came from him. Though curious why this was so, she nodded her understanding. She had met very few who remained where they had started,or even the spot after that and didn't find it odd he wasn't one of them. He seemed opt to do much more. This was merely a guess, a inclination that meant little. Her intuition was probably as terribly unbalanced as the rest of her these days. "You'be bound to find it here for sure, and if not you can easily keep going in either direction till you do," she mused, eyes ahead of her looking for particular markers in this neck of the wood. She spotted the one she wanted, a cedar tree, that had an old would at the base, right before the branches wove up and out.  They should soon come upon signs of the pack. 

Left ear tipped back at his question, for a few more seconds she stared at the tree, before turning her face only once to look back on him. She found it entertaining he had asked who she was. There was a half smile for it was so much more than a name.  "Jayse Lyall." I'm nothing what I once was. the white lady bitterly thought. She made one more turn, catching a recent trail of one of the Hollow. It was not any of her kin, but she halted. This spot would do. It was time to stop walking again. "Well, I think I better wait here now," she murmured, abruptly slipping to her haunches. Why did it have to be so freakin' cold already? The thought of returning to the old bear den brought some comfort. Plainly, she looked to the dark brute. " If ever I can return the favor, I hope you will let me know," she voiced sincerely grateful for his easy company.

No questions, and the stranger was rewarded with a smile. It was something soft, hidden unless she truly looked for it, but it was a genuine reflection of Kjell’s pleased state – someone who understood that not every thing and every role and every pack worked for each and every wolf. Widow’s Peak was a fine place to live when he had little ambitious for himself, but as his age increased, so did his urgency to do something with his life. There was no room for him atop the mountain, and he moved onwards.

Onwards, and upwards, he thought with a wry smile, almost missing the woman’s name.

Lyall.

He’d have to tell Bishop about the woman of the purest snow when he returned home. As it were, it seemed she’d found the place she was looking for. Jayse settled herself in, and the dragon bobbed his head with a hum of acknowledgment. Perhaps this is where her packmates would meet her – not yet ready to join a group, this is where they would part ways. “Aye, that’ll be fine. Don’t make a habit of leanin’ on others, bu’ if ‘m ever in need…” He trailed off, dark fur crinkling around bright eyes as he nodded again, slowly turned back towards the lagoon.

“Walk in th’ light~”

Exit.

One more post for @Jaysyek and we can archive/claim our LP? :3