Drooping Willows bates motel

January 26th; Mid-Afternoon; Cloudy; 22 ° F, -5 ° C.

When it comes to being a Lyall, there were personality markers that defines one's very essence. One, there is a deep sense of loyalty to family and friends; two, there is a generous amount of empathy that welled within them that was easily replenished and willingly spent; three, there is an undying need to perform one's duties (whether it was minding prey, scouting about, or even taking care of the younglings and the elderly). For Niles Archer Lyall, these traits rang true. There was no doubt about it, but being still a monthling on the cusp of his approaching adolescent years, he had no idea how to act upon these emerging desires and needs. What perhaps had him the most caught up was what his father Angier had mentioned about being a lord and a prince and why his father so often denied he was a king.

As he stepped through the creaking trees in the midst of a chilled afternoon, the boy pondered these things, sticking to the well-traveled trenches that were his older siblings' boundaries at the edge of Willow Ridge. He was nearly as tall as his father and Skoll now and had already outgrown the regulations that kept him bound to the pack dens. He might have not been able to really survive out there on his own without someone he knew to propose hunting tactics or how to pinpoint the location of a wolf bird, but he was certain he could at least stand his ground on the boundaries of his family's lands.

A crow called overhead and he stopped to looked up into the skeletal umbrellas that were the willows. His tail flicked and an ear quirked to one side. He wondered what that meant, only to find that his heart felt like sinking into his stomach. Surely, Isolde would have known.

NILES ARCHER LYALL

keep me safe

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

awkward greer post b/c i shouldn't write posts when im exhausted :)))

The shadow prince had grown comfortable in his isolation. Despite this, he couldn’t help but feel… empty, or… incomplete. Not in the sense that he desired companionship, but that he missed the presence of his brothers; his littermates. Despite the efforts of his brothers to engage the silent prince in play, they were respectful of his wishes to linger in the shadows and be on his own. He loved them, in all their boisterous glory, and he missed them. Deacon had pursued a new future for himself much earlier than Greer had. Many moons ago Greer had encountered a female—whose name failed him—that led the pack that Deacon had made a home in. Whether or not his brother was still part of that pack, he did not know, and he cursed at himself for not visiting to find out.

Then there was Castiel, who had disappeared from Willow Ridge and never found his way back. Greer hoped for the best—he refused to think that any harm came to his brother—and that he would cross paths with both Cas and D in the future.

The air was chilled as he maneuvered through the trees, sleeping over the invisible border that divided the pack’s territory from the rest of the willows. As much as he missed his brothers, lingering only made it worse—he needed the fresh air and endless adventure possibilities to clear his thoughts.

However, the adventures would have to wait today.

The scent that struck him reminded him of Deacon, or Castiel, but reeked with youthfulness. Disappointment struck him instantly at the realization, but it was swiftly whisked away by a flick of his tail. The shadow prince had been a dedicated big brother when his mother’s most recent litter had been born, Greer’s sibling duties had been slacking as they grew older. His excursions had become more frequent and his words were seldom; he was highly unqualified for ‘big brother activities’. His nose wrinkled at the thought as he approached Niles, his slender body moving with an eerie grace. Offering nothing but a small woof in greeting, he watched the smaller shadow with a curious, searching gaze.

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

It wasn't long until Niles was joined by another. Upon first impression, the younger wolf gave a start, mistaking the other Archer-Lyall for the older brother they usually avoided - Skoll. He kept his lanky limbs slightly splayed in the snow as he regarded Greer with a repentant whine and a tousled tail that waved about in the air. Had he been just a few months younger than he had been before this very moment, he might have made a beeline for his sibling's side and chest, lapping his tongue at that stark black chin; but the colder months, it seemed, had placed some distance between them. Not only was Niles no longer small and roly-poly, but more "adult" stuff had taken over and now there were conventions in places where there were none before. Like here.

The small bark was more than what the youth had anticipated and, really, when Niles considered it, it was all he had needed. "You're..." he began, the word cracking in the middle. Perhaps if he hadn't hesitated, it might have been pronounced smoothly. "You're still here." His whiskered eyebrows drew up and he took one step forward to try and communicate that he wanted his brother's presence. He didn't need to be close enough as to be within one another's personal space, but he simply needed to know that it was "all right" to approach, to know that he was welcome and wanted.

A small whine fled his lips and his tail slowly fell limp at his heels. "Greer?" in saying the other's name, he hoped he would keep his attention, "Are we safe?"

NILES ARCHER LYALL

keep me safe

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Niiiiiles :'((( precious beb

A lump formed in his throat as Niles acknowledged his presence. The little prince’s voice cracked as he Greer approached: ’you’re still here’.  He nodded slowly, his mercury gaze soft as he observed his little brother. It appeared someone was glad that he had not left the willows just yet. With a low whine the shadow accepted his brother’s request, and motioned for him to come closer. The boy was the spitting image of their older brother, but his personality was nothing like the newly crowned king’s—which Greer was thankful for. He was wary of Skoll’s plans for Willow Ridge, but if their mother was not worried then the shadow prince wouldn’t be either. Or, he just wouldn’t voice his worries…

With his stone-coloured gaze focused on the young Archer, his eyebrows raised as Niles spoke his name, captivating his attention once more. The next set of words that rolled off the boy’s tongue hit the yearling hard. His ears immediately flattened against the back of his skull and he couldn’t keep his eyes focused on Niles. They fell to the ground below them as he chewed on his lower lip, searching for some sort of answer to give to the little Archer.

“Greer … Greer think so,” he answered in a low voice as he lowered his hindquarters to the cold ground. “Greer keep Niles safe. Always.” Despite wanting to leave the willows behind and start a new adventure elsewhere, the shadow assassin would always keep an eye on his little brother, ensuring his safety. He would do anything for his family—especially his younger siblings, who he connected more with. 

“Greer…" the older prince uttered, "Greer think so.” With his own ears folding back at last, Niles drew even closer. He wouldn't sit just yet though, his limbs felt too itchy and restless to settle down just yet. At least, that was until Greer bestowed upon the younger boy an assurance that, perhaps, only older brothers could give. He would always keep Niles safe. Always.

Despite the gentle wave his tail had taken up, Nile finally reclined forward in front of his sibling, his own pale irises fixated upon his darker brother's face. In all honesty, he was curious what he might find etched on that ebony face, what might come from within that skull and off those ink-lined lips. Skoll and @Morganna, or so it seemed, wanted nothing to do with him (or, he had thought, on one occasion, he didn't seem important to either of them). The other brothers he had only ever heard of - Asriel, Castiel, Deacon - were long gone, maybe never to return home. To Elettra's youngest boy, these men were nothing but names, men whose names might find their legacies extended elsewhere beyond Relic Lore and beyond the distant kingdom of Torbine.

Several questions seemed to play on the boy's lips, forming words without them being spoken. For a time, he simply blinked, sealing his lips shut as he thought, knowing from experience and other encounters with the family that well-chosen words were everything. He focused now on Greer's nails - or where they ought to have been being buried in the snow. Then, a thought, more prominent than any other, struck him and he peered into the shadow's face once more. This sort of closeness in spirit and in proximity, he hoped, was enough for whispering. It was mostly common knowledge now that the youngest heir of Willow Ridge spoke to no one but those whom he trusted most. Greer, obviously, was one of those individuals. "Can you keep a secret?"

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

It was quite apparent that the shadow prince didn’t like being around anybody. He was constantly on his own, exploring the neighbouring territories and searching for somewhere else to call home. He avoided company at almost all costs; even make long, unnecessary details in order to distance himself from strangers. However, the selective mute was not opposed to interacting with those the same age as him—or younger. Family, obviously, was the other exception. Niles was both of these exceptions, which was why the shadow was so fond of the little prince.

He wondered how his little brother was handling all the changes being made in Willow Ridge and if he had any thoughts on Skoll’s rise to the throne. While he was young, it did not mean that he was oblivious to what was happening among the willows. Change weighed heavily in the air, paired with uncertainty and … something else … something Greer couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Now that he was sitting here, with his little bother before him, the prince was questioning whether leaving was a good idea or not. Of course, he still wanted to pursue a home elsewhere—whether temporary or not—but he felt as though he should protect Niles from what was coming (whatever that was). With that, a fleeting thought crossed his mind: what if he took Niles with him? This was Niles’ home more than it was Greer’s… it was highly unlikely that his little brother would leave to join him on his expedition to nowhere in particular. The option wasn’t completely off the table—he still needed to ask. However, it probably wasn’t the right time to ask.

Niles’ voice broke he silence once more, stealing the assassin away from his thoughts. His mercury gaze softened instantly as he studied his brother, his expression heavy with emotion. Greer nodded slowly in response to the boy’s question, his mouth suddenly dry. Words failed him as worry consumed him; he hoped that his silent nod would suffice as an answer because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to form actual words. Instead, he kept his silver gaze locked onto his younger counterpart, patiently waiting for he secret Niles wanted to entrust him with. 

The younger Archer-Lyall's willowy limbs folded as he sat before his now captivated audience. it was in this very instant that Niles could appreciate what (appropriate) distance time had put between them as brothers. It had made the boy realize that even a bit of maturity (the parts of him that knew that he didn't need to bombard Greer with playful nips and tail tugs just to get his attention) was enough. The ears atop his head tentatively rose and his bottle brush of a tail came to drape over his toes.

"I think I made Isolde go away," he whimpered, averting his eyes once more. "I didn't mean to. I told her it was a game; she knew it was a game. We were looking for fawgs--" This pronunciation of the word "frogs" had obviously never been caught or corrected, "in the snow. We followed the creek and I told- I told her not to go too far 'cause Mom would get mad. I turned around because i thought I heard something under the ice and when I looked back she was gone." His teeth clenched together, almost certain that he would get a nip to the ear for straying too far. "There weren't any tracks. I couldn't follow."

His already tall frame sunk lower as he bowed his head, "I waited. I waited and she didn't come back. Not even for the game... for me. Issi always comes back for me."

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

The slender Archer listened patiently to his younger brother as he explained how he believed he was the reason behind Isolde’s disappearance. Greer reflected back on his own disappearance last winter… he had wandered too far and the snow had covered his tracks… he had no idea where he was or how to get home. The winter had nearly claimed his life; if it hadn’t been for his brother and a former member of the Ridge, Greer wouldn’t be present to listen to Niles’ secret. Because of his own rescue, the yearling refused to believe that Isolde was permanently lost—she was simply misplaced and trying to find her way back home.

A lump formed in his throat as Niles continued to explain what had happened between him and Issi—how she didn’t come back… It pained him to think of how his little brother felt; thinking that it was his fault that she had vanished. Once his brother finished Greer gave his head a quick shake as he focused his mercury gaze on the little smudge. “Niles not make Issi go away,” he started, his voice low as he struggled to keep his composure. “Not Niles fault. Issi just lost…” his voice trailed off as his ears fell back, collapsing onto the back of his skull. “Greer look. For Issi.”

He shuffled closer to his brother, his pale orbs soft as he pressed a comforting lick to the boy’s forehead. He wanted to make his brother understand that it wasn't his fault for their sister's absence but he didn't know how. The only thing that would truly comfort Niles was finding their MIA sister.

(This post was last modified: Feb 04, 2016, 08:22 AM by Greer.)

Unbeknownst to the little lord, this was perhaps the first time he had ever uttered a hundred words at one time. Typically, he let his scoffs, laughter, smiles, whines and whimpers speak for him most of the time. “Niles not make Issi go away,” Greer lent. It only made the cub's ears fall back again, disbelief bubbling up in his chest. He really did feel it was his fault. What should have been just an innocent game, one they have always played together no less, became something terrible over a long span of time.

The older Archer-Lyall went on to assure his brother that Isolde was just lost. This made Niles frown. In his mind, his sister never, ever got lost; that was commonly his job. He saw Greer's ears fall back also and the boy whined, the note growing louder upon comprehending that last statement.

"I wanna go too," he decided, his tail wiggling now at the thought of coming along to help. "I'll help look for Issi." Those similarly colored irises met those of his older siblings, an expression of pleading reflected within them. The way he saw it, he was an older brother, too, even if not by much (mere minutes, most likely). He felt he held just as much responsibility in regards to pushing for the effort to bring Isolde home.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!