Stonewatch Timbers kryptonite

@Raela @Gent

astraeus taranath
i’ll keep you by my side with my superhuman might, kryptonite

The air in Astraeus's lungs burned, boring holes in his flesh. It had been over a month since he had walked over these lands, let alone seen Raela or Gent. He left for them. He began changing when he met Raela- the minor things. He would act a little differently, sitting closer to her; not for attraction, but for her protection for his own good. He was possessive of her, wanting to keep the little satisfaction to himself. But then another man walked in, younger and stronger than he. It was murdering his pride, only fueling Aeus's anger for Gent. In reality, he liked the swarthy man. He had respect for his decisions and actions- taking the high road when it was necessary. But, Astraeus didn't expect a third chance to be squeezed out of the Patriarch. His goal was to apologize to Raela.  

A long howl was sent up into the air, the tone a mixture of seriousness and yearning. All he wanted was to see her sunset eyes again, feel her soft fur once more. He would walk away and never come back if that was really what she wanted, but he first had to explain himself. "Raela..." He strained, just loud enough for her to hear.

(This post was last modified: Oct 06, 2015, 01:23 AM by Astraeus.)

OOC: Hnnnnng my heart. (Post is set for 10/6?)

His call was the last she expected to hear. It had only been a day since the meeting, and still she was somewhat shaken. Rae had been on her way to meet with one of the pack members; whoever she crossed paths with first really, when it jerked first her bad ear and then her whole head upright. She'd thought the man had disappeared; and in a way he really had. The mix of emotions in her chest left the woman frozen still; her eyes wide. He had left her; he had pulled away and he had left her here alone; like he promised never to do. He had missed Minka's death, he had missed everything when he should have been there to comfort her. 

With a snapping motion her body whirled, trotting briskly toward the sound with her tail held out behind her in a jagged, swaying line. She would comfort and console the others later. This had to be dealt with now. Now, these were her borders, and there was someone knocking at the door. No doubt Gent would have heard, or perhaps scented the man, given his diligent and numerous border patrols. The angst puffed up her chest and she moved with her head held high; in its newly earned position as Queen, but it was the tension that kept it there. If Astraeus Taranath wanted to rejoin, she would leave it up to Gent, but she certainly wasn't going to beg for him a second time. He had broken his promise to her, and she had been abandoned. 

Coming upon the scene hardened her features even more; and there was an  uncharacteristic coldness in the woman's sunny eyes. Her lips formed a tight line; jaw locked back with both irritation and sadness. Her ears were pricked up straight and rigid, and her whole body seemed to share this stiffness right down to the motion of her legs. At the border she stopped, slowing more and more as he came into view. Her heart raced at seeing him again, but it had already grown too hard to control her this time. He had left. He had gone. She owed him nothing, yet there was obviously something seeking in his gaze. In a flat, brittle tone the woman finally spoke up. "What?" she asked coldly, her tail still hovering tensely behind her. 

            

@Raela

astraeus taranath
i’ll keep you by my side with my superhuman might, kryptonite

"What." She scowled, her eyes darker than he remembered. She was angry but he was so involved with the realization that she came. It was a a few moments of awkward silence before he said anything. "You're angry." He breathed, steam forming in the cool air. "I left for a reason Raela, it was not an act of defiance." He said, a note of reassurance in his even voice. She was still starring daggers at him, her eyes flaming like the suns surface. "I was afraid of myself getting out of hand, this isn't the first time I've done this to someone." Flashes of his brother and Nephthys ran through his mind, threatening to remind him of her death. The picture of her still vivid in his memory. "I needed space. So yes, I left. I needed to make sure I was in the right state of mind for you and our future. You have every right to lash out at me. Do as you wish, but remember, I did it for us." He finished- where he went was irrelevant, a topic for a different time. She had a every right to banish him, warn him to never come back. All he wanted was to make sense for one second.

ITS NOT LIKE I WANTED US TO HAPPEN

The silence was harsh and even more chilled than the autumn air around them. It made her posture and her candor no less rigid, and she didn't even flinch at his first words. Her eyes were digging at him; asking him to give her a good reason for what had happened, but he was free of wounds; even healthy-looking still. The list of things she could forgive him for dwindled and dwindled the longer his jaws moved. But she waited; she was patient. “I needed space.” her muzzle began to wrinkle. He did. He just left. The way he spoke of “their future” only added to the fire. He sounded as though he fully expected to have a future after just walking out on all of them. Black lips peeled back to show her teeth in warning, and a growl sounded as he proclaimed that she ought to know he did it for them. 

Her fur bristled slowly, eyes never leaving his. The tip of her soft tail wanted to curl up over her back and declare her own set of statements, but she kept it from doing anything but twitch, despite her right to the display. “You left, and you're trying to tell me it was for us?” There was a venom in the words; the tone clearly illustrating that she didn't believe him for a second. "I begged just to keep you here with me and you just. Left." The words were getting harsher now; pressed tightly between clenched jaws, but the pain beneath them was obvious. It had hurt. It had hurt her as only her strongest of fears could. Her tongue was on a mission now, and she'd be damned if she could stop it. 

"You broke your promise and you couldn't even bother to tell me you were leaving." Her eyes were welling with tears now, though they did not fall. She paused, taking a ragged breath, and lashed out. "DON'T tell me it was for us. It was for you." Her fangs hung open as she fought to keep her voice steady. "You knew that if you left, I couldn't convince him to let you back in. You knew, just like before!" Her voice was loud now; thundering even. "I did things for us," she hissed, remembering vividly that day when he had put them on the line over petty jealousy. It all went quiet for a moment, and she breathed again, her voice coming out softer now; broken.

"How can you say you did it for us when you knew there wouldn't be an us when you returned?"

(This post was last modified: Oct 06, 2015, 03:02 AM by Raela.)

            

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

@Raela OH GOD I MIGHT START CRYING

astraeus taranath
i’ll keep you by my side with my superhuman might, kryptonite

She shot back, furious as always. When ever they fought, she would always turn his words around on him. "I wasn't myself Raela!" He said louder this time, edging on pleading and stern at the same time. "You knew I wasn't! I tried to get better, but this place-I couldn't keep my head on straight!" He was starting to get teary, his chest swelling with emotion. He was angry that she didn't believe him and he was downright miserable that she was making him have to explain this again. "I'm not good at this Rae, I'm fucking horrible at this! I am not in control of my feelings, I am drowning in my own thoughts and I couldn't think here. I needed time to evaluate- so YEAH. It was for me, I was making myself better for you." A single tear rolled down his cheekbone, scalding on his skin. His legs were shaking, his jaw trembling. She whispered a notable question, catching his attention through it all. She was right, why was he here? Oh yeah. "Because I owed you an apology, so here you are. A genuine apology, as pieced together as my fucking mind could handle." He was steaming, eyes filled with hurt. She knew this feeling more than anyone, so why didn't she see him struggling? "I am SORRY." He strained, voice cracking with a soft sob.

ITS NOT LIKE I WANTED US TO HAPPEN

Perhaps it had been intended for only Raela to know of this ghostly visit, but Astraeus' presence could not be hidden from the king. As soon as he tasted it upon the wind he was bearing down upon them, stride forced to be less than a run, yet despite his best efforts still as swift and forceful as his nature. As he drew within range of their conversation, his ears picked up emotion before words, and the stress that carried itself within Raela's voice caused his control to slacken. Hers faded so that Astraeus' could pick up, and it was not the closing proximity that caused the increase in volume. The man was starting to raise his voice at her, the words now clear within the air. Lips twisting with a silent snarl, the last few stretches of earth between them was closed by bounds.

Gent hit the scene just as that final apology trumpeted from the Taranath man's lips, hackles raised to their full height and tail curled high above his back. He placed himself at Raela's side, pressing the length of his leviathan form against hers as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, fully donning the role of her shield against all of their former packmate's turmoil. A warning had been given, and clearly a choice had been made not to heed it, and at this point Gent was all too ready to dole out the consequences. This was far worse a crime than challenging the king's crown, nor dishing out any breed of disrespect to the hierarchy. His knife had once again plunged directly into Raela's heart, the other man refusing to do what was right, insisting on instead twisting the implement with tenacity. No more. The woman was no longer just Gent's closest friend; she was his partner, his foundation, his queen, his.

"I'm going to ask you not to swear in front of the lady," he warned in tones as icy as his glacial eyes, an intended jab meant to remind all parties of Astraeus' inconsistency and dual nature. Like a flawed chameleon, always trying to change depending on the situation, on who was around, but never quite able to pick the right pattern.

"Raise your voice at her again and I'll have your throat."

His muscles were braced, ready to spring forward and chase the man from his domain. That would be the final time, however, and so he would allow this to continue only until Raela had gotten the opportunity to say all that she needed to say. At that point, it wouldn't matter what Astraeus' defenses were. The man would never be allowed to hurt Raela ever again. Gent pressed his muzzle against Raela's cheek, a low rumble meant to soothe her escaping his jaws. He saw the tears that clung stubbornly to her eyes, and as he turned his head away to once more face Astraeus that soft sound crescendoed into a warning growl.

"My queen is already grieving over her predecessor," he informed him, hoping that the duo shots of information would stun the man into silence. Hoping that it would sear his heart, would fill him with true guilt over not being present for either woman in their time of need. "and here you are, piling more and more upon her shoulders. You shouldn't have come back."

Perhaps it would have been better if they had been able to assume him dead, torn away from them rather than knowing that he had simply chose to walk away without a single utterance.

(This post was last modified: Oct 15, 2015, 01:43 AM by Gent.)

SHOOTIN' STRAGHT FIREEEE! Sorry Jen, I can hold off on this- I can edit it how you like :)

astraeus taranath
Yeah, or I might just walk off with my hands in my pockets.

Out nowhere, Gent appeared. Oh boy. Aeus thought, thinking the man had a logical return; this is why Astraeus admired him. But no, he was even more lucid than Raela. Something was wrong with the Crest, this wasn't the place he left, this was ridden with dread and wrong. The man had to bite his tongue from letting a hoarse laugh slip through. He had said the same thing only a month before, trying to barricade his feelings and then lash out uncalled for. He had realized by now that she could hear what she wanted to hear, and if he was being too much for her to "handle", he trusted her to say so.

Again, why was this batshit crazy boy here? Astraeus failed to put the pieces together, this was just stupid. "Gent, what the fuck do you think you're doing mate? I've been down this path before, if you can't recall." His eyes shot a perfect mixture of dismissiveness and bewilderment. The once wet streams on his face were dry now, his face was the vision of mockery. "It doesn't end well for us." He scoffed, his right lip curled up along with his brows. "And, as part of the discussion I would like to state my claim being- this is a private talk. And, if I am mistaken, our dear Raela has accepted my offer to speak together by responding." He glanced back at the woman being smothered uncomfortably by a man who thought knew how to show affection. "So... we can take this outside your borders, if that is what you so clearly desire?" Aeus was shooting pure poison, he knew Gent hated being down graded and being called an idiot would be like burning alive. "But, I would like to make myself clear- I do intend on speaking one on one with her- because, you know she deserves that at least." Both brows furrowed, he had made himself perfectly understood. Gent had most likely taken most of Raela's "privileges", so it was apparent that this needed to be an issue addressed. "Am I going to have to take this talk somewhere else? Or, are you not going to leave." Astraeus was well prepared to take this into international waters.

"Oh, and my sincere condolences for Lady Minka, she was a woman of respect and honor- and frankly, actually deserved it." His lips drew into a fine line, brown eyes swimming deep into the melting ice and grabbing hold of something deep.

(This post was last modified: Oct 16, 2015, 10:26 PM by Astraeus.)

ITS NOT LIKE I WANTED US TO HAPPEN

She was already slipping into a kind of despair; but anger boiled beneath it; anger at being hurt – a defensive and protective anger that was something primal and unbreakable all the same. He wasn't himself. Her eyes narrowed as the chocolate man went on; allowing him to speak, for now. He kept spouting the same things, and the woman's head began shaking. Slowly, back and forth in disbelief while her expression crumbled. She could not reconcile the fact that he had left without a word; that he had once again put them in jeopardy and still he expected her to forgive. Her eyes pinched shut and she tipped her muzzle down as she shook; a sob escaping her lungs. “I am SORRY!” He shouted, and she looked up. With a drawn out whimper she buckled again, tossing her head and beginning to back away from him. Back to the safety of home to mend her heart; though things were quite broken there as well. It was too much; it was all too damn much. 

In her grief she hadn't even noticed Gent's approach. Her head shot up; wet eyes darting to meet his glaciers and finding them much colder than usual. It was a look she had only seen directed her way on the one day with Kajika. He was angry, and just barely keeping the lid on. Her expression softened to something empty and scared as he moved comfortingly beside her. Why had it always been Gent that comforted her when her prospective mate let her down. It wasn't supposed to be this way... Her head dipped down for a moment; until the King's icy words bellowed over the border between them. It was a sentence plucked from Aeus' own mouth; as if she needed anything else to remind her of his wrongs. Quickly brilliant yellow eyes flashed back to Astraeus, only to find the same seething indignation on his face as well. A threat was tossed out to lay on the earth at the rouge's feet, and she knew better than to think that Gent would hold back. Perhaps the only reason he wasn't already sinking his teeth into the man right now was because of her presence alone.

She could feel the energy in him as the black mammoth braced her side. He was already poised to deliver the sentence, and no calmer as he offered her his touch. For now the woman was silent and still; simply watching the two of them with quiet, hitching breaths while the tears ebbed away. Gent brought Minka into the discussion and all his following words drew little reaction from the new Queen. It was Aeus she was concerned with. Her ears fell to the sides at Gent's last declaration, but still she was silent; staring intensely at the man she had thought she loved. The deserter shot straight back without a single ounce of respect for not only her friend but the Monarch of these lands. It was foolish enough not to show deference but here he was showing his teeth and practically daring Gent to act. She would not have blamed him for flattening Aeus the moment his lip twitched; but its not what she wanted; and especially not at this moment.

He was taking none of this seriously, and it drew a quiet growl from the woman that grew in volume the more he went on. She quieted upon mention; responding with hard eyes filled with pain and betrayal. No, she was not sure she did want to speak with him any more. It just hurt; and though she longed for him to stay it was becoming clear that even if he did it would not be the man that she truly wanted in her lands. That one was gone; and that hurt more than anything. If she had to accept both sides of him; it was this one that would ruin it for the rest. This one was unacceptable; and though he said he had gone away to change himself, it was now clear that that was false. Before a single thought of her's could come into verbal existence though, the muddy-colored man had more to say.

Minka. His last words snapped her tolerance in half. She was done listening to him belittle and insult her friend; especially when he was the one that had actually been there for her. A roaring growl parted her jaws as if to cut him off. It was instant and harsh and utterly fed up with him. Her fur jumped to life; practically pulling her lips up to expose her weapons as her front feet left the ground and came smashing down in a rigid stomp. She was done. Anger shielded her wounds completely and she spat venom. "GET OUT!" she screeched, snapping her teeth together. "Stop fucking insulting him! You weren't even here when she died you asshole!" Rae's chest was heaving. A sob snuck into her growl and through a crack in her voice. To the careful observer, it was clear that this still stung deep inside. "You haven't changed at all! You're fucking fighting him right now on his own goddamn territory!” It was all ridiculous to her.  “He's done more than you ever have! I'm done talking to you; GET OUT!" She cried again, roaring once more and stamping her front legs. It would be his very last warning. 

            

Astraeus' first question elicited an angry twist of the skin atop his muzzle, and it only escalated from there. Yeah, they certainly had been down this path before, and if he recalled, the man before him had left the situation with his tail between his legs and Gent had issued him a final warning not to pull the same shit again. This was different, he supposed, in the sense that this time it was not just the king's crown, but the entire pack that Aeus had shit upon with his actions and now, his audacity continued even with Raela at the Lieris' man's side. Was he giving up the charade? Or did he truly think himself such a wordsmith that he could ever smooth all of this over with her? The insult to his friend as well as himself only stacked his rage.

Doesn't end well for us. The king let out a scoff right back at the daredevil. As if his relationship with the deserter meant anything to him at all, much less that he would alter his actions for the sake of it. As if he were the one that would be damaged from this incident. Gent was baring his fangs now, coral tongue running slowly over the daggers. It took him quite a many words to get out what he wanted, to speak to Raela alone, to continue beating her down until she forgave him yet again for his traspasses, and that he was willing to fight Gent for the privilege. Oh how badly he wanted to take the Taranath up on that, but it was Raela's heat against his skin that kept him from such rash action. Our dear Raela, he had said. No, no, no. Perhaps before he would've been willing to share, if only for Raela's sake, if Astraeus had somehow proved himself worthy of such a treasure. This was no longer an option. Raela was no one else's but his and he would no longer allow another wolf to make mistakenly think otherwise.

Yet all of it was endurable until Minka's name passed through his lips. He hadn't seemed at all surprised by her death, much less injured over it, but worst of all was how casually he tossed mention of her in order to insult him. In that instant his rage consumed him, the flames of it licking down his spine and light up his eyes. He breathed in an air-rending snarl, but the sound was tempered by an unexpected outburst from the woman beside him. Momentarily distracted from his own turmoil, shocked chunks of ice stared upon her as she screamed her own anger at Astraeus. With the final repeat of get out his mind was made up. If she wanted him out, Gent wouldn't give him the chance to turn and leave on his own. Too much had built up within him, and this was his only chance to let it flood out.

All of his anger at the injustices that had faced those who he'd grown to care about, from Minka to Lugh to Danica, fueled him as he tore forward, destroying the air between them with a violent roar. His fangs sought to tear into anything they might garner a hold on, while his powerful forelimbs would aim to hook over Astraeus' shoulders and force him harshly to the ground.

(This post was last modified: Jan 18, 2016, 10:09 PM by Gent.)