Sacred Grove Better the devil you know

For Skoll.

@Skoll was back, that much was clear, but she was still yet to lay eyes on him properly. Her discussion with Nicolo had been all but brushed aside, he could make all the threats he wanted. Her actions spoke louder than words as she continued to diligently patrol the borders, check caches and check in with the members of her pack. She had also made a point of keeping an eye out for any sign of the tusked invaders. She had rallied their members to run off intruders who dared to try and pillage their hunting grounds and saved Sven from a rogue loner. What had he done to benefit the pack since his rise?

She snorted into the evening air, a billow of breath illuminated by the moon and its reflection off the snow where it magnaged to break through the bare canopy. Compromise might be her best course of action, and they was no questioning where her will was softest. An ear tipped back as her eyes sought to discern where the shadows ended and her brother began. Her shoulders slumped as her tail dropped to point towards the snow. "Skoll?" she finally called out softly. They needed a plan.

Sköll Archer BLACK AS NIGHT, BLACK AS COAL When the Archer prince had risen for his nightly walk, now more of a patrol now that he had begun to consider overtaking Willow Ridge with Hecate at his side, he felt something pull and tug at him. It called to him beyond his family's lands and compelled him to leave all thoughts of women and temptation behind. Head high and tail held aloft as he went, he wandered through the chilled winter mist with his heart thumping about in his chest. Usually, this sort of feeling led him into more exciting things: a half-eaten carcass, a dead bird, an invitation of chase provoked by a couple of chattering vixens... However, the further he went into the Sacred Grove, the more disappointment began to creep up into the base of his skull. Frankly, he had been hoping to find that timber girl again; and, on the off chance, that he found her again, he was actually quite ready to slip on a mask and attempt to flirt with her once more. It would not be Hypatia that would find him tonight though. Skoll had only been vaguely aware that he could have been followed but when her voice finally called to him by name through the haze, he stopped and blinked as if he had been awoken from a spell for the first time in centuries. At long last, a impish smile emerged on his white-furred lips and he walked in a half-circle to turn around and seek her out in the dark. She, unlike those he commonly met at this late hour, knew all too well that if she spoke of the devil, he would appear. "Morganna," his usually weighted tone was ethereal as he cooed softly back to her. Clearly, he was amused. When he navigated to a place where her scent had grown thick, he scanned his immediate surroundings before he was able to pick out her own silhouette in the fog. His black crown ducked down and when he fully showed himself before her, two sharp, silver eyes stared back at her accompanied by a toothy grin as the mist unveiled his swarthy form. As was customary, he should have crept just close enough to bring his nose to her chin but, tonight, he didn't. He merely stood there, a dark tower with two pointed spires before her to behold. To anyone else, he might have been intimidating and he might have let a growl rumble in his chest in greeting. But, this was no ordinary soul who summoned him - this was his queen - and, to her alone, did he offer an accomodating inquiry, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

♥

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

A customary rumble was offered when her own name drifted to her ears. If it had been anyone else she would have held her ground but when he enquired after her presence, she was the one to take the final steps and push her muzzle under her siblings silvered chin. "I've missed you." she offered as an explanation, her voice barely rising above a whisper. Regardless of her uncle's (or anyone else thoughts on the matter, before her stood her only equal. 

The tension in her shoulders eased, although the lines of a frown remained on her face. There was so much to tell him, and yet even she wasn't sure where to start. She supposed it would be wiser first to provide him an opportunity to escape her unloading and so instead she moved to allow him some small space before enquiring after his journey. "Did yer find what yer were looking for?" she questioned with genuine interest, forcing a smile as she enquired. Despite the turmoil she had found herself in at his absence he had kept his promise and returned.

Tales of threats and scheming could wait. 

Sköll Archer BLACK AS NIGHT, BLACK AS COAL As anticipated, she was the one who closed the distance between them; and, as was typical, he let her have her greeting - that comforting touch of her nose to his chin. "I've missed you," she uttered to him and the prince felt all the tall walls he had built around himself come crumbling down. In all truth, she was perhaps the only one who had the key to his heart and, yet, he was the one who always willingly let her in without her having the need to knock or even fumble with the lock. He nuzzled the base of her ear with his nose then held still for as long as she remained there within his personal space. He was sure that he didn't even need to say it... That he had missed her too. WIth them, it was all but given. With her tucked up to his chest and throat, Skoll was left to stare at the swirling mist behind her, his gaze eventually drifting off to the trees around them. His ears took turns rotating to one side and then the other in a slow but wary fashion. He swallowed and he felt her withdraw from him. Instantaneously, he focused on her, holding her gaze and patiently waiting for her next string of words. It had been so long since they had last had this sort of chat; all he could have wanted in this moment was to hear her voice, to be with her, and make certain that all was still well in her little nook within Relic Lore. "No," he muttered under his breath in response to her question. "My youngest sister turned up dead." And, there was nothing I could have done. The corner of his lip, on the left side quivered, and he averted his gaze, forcing her to stare into the side of his face that was left scarred from Xetor's attack. Even his ears flipped back for the briefest of seconds. "As for tonight, I figured I would look for something--" someone... "-- to help occupy my mind, fill it with something other than wistful reveries." Here, he turned his head to look at her cheek, realizing that she hadn't really answered his question. For Morganna to be with him meant something had happened or something was terribly wrong. He raised an eyebrow at her, his pale eyes slightly narrowing as he quipped back, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

♥

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Sorrynotsorry >.>

She listened in silence, only reaching out to press her nose to his cheek when he mentioned their youngest sister. At least they knew, and at least she was now home. Morganna wasn't above questioning why such an extensive search had been organised for Deacon, and yet only she and @Skoll had even bothered to look for Asriel. 

So much for loyalty to family.

His own question was met with a quiet, bitter bark of laughter. "My partner..." she sneered, her voice laced with uncharacteristic venom, allowing her to enunciate her words like a proper lady, "Our dear uncle" Who you saddled me with no less. "threatens the pack. Apparently I'm unstable." Teeth glinted in the moonlight, a cheshire smile in the dark of the woods. It wouldn't be a far leap for a casual passer by to draw such conclusions themselves knowing nothing more than the encounter playing out before them. Her rumbled threat was a whispered promise, "I'll have his head one way, or another."

A deep breath drawn and the tension flees from her shoulders. Patience would be required, no finger could find itself pointed at either one of them. She allowed herself a moment of childish fancy. "Do yer ever think about just leavin'? Startin' a pack of our own where nobody comes lookin' fer 'Elettra Archer an' Angier Lyall' o' stinkin' Willow Ridge'?" She played a pompous tone and waved her tail in jest, allowing a gentle smirk to cross her face. She was almost afraid of the answer. But she had to know.

There is a rabbit\'s nest nearby. +1 Health

Sköll Archer BLACK AS NIGHT, BLACK AS COAL He stared at her forearms as she laughed. His own sort of sour grimace graced his facial features - now that was more like it. He straightened as he came to comprehend that their uncle, Nicoló, did possess the gall to jeopardize the pack. Whether this had happened in his absence or just a few hours ago, it did not matter, his response would have been the same (most especially after she told him that she had gleaned from the Historian that she was unstable). His gut twisted. Nicoló Archer would be sorely mistaken if he even crossed paths with him again. Even Angier could have attested to such a thing; for example, in the circumstances regarding Piety, where Skoll would have easily put the poor girl to death for her mindlessness and betrayal, Morganna had only taken an ear off the Santoro to warn her to never come back. A growl thundered from him as he faced his age mate, the side of his muzzle twitching as he wordlessly agreed that she ought to have his head. Though, as the queen's posture relaxed, Skoll's hackles barely lowered. He flashed his teeth, still hot on the idea of eliminating their relatives - figuratively the older versions of themselves. It only made sense in the way their aunt Adele clung to Nicoló's hide and followed in his shadow that she would have to go also. "Do yer ever think about just leavin'?" her question contrasted so sharply with her previous sentiments and statements that Skoll made a sound that was something in-between a snarl and a whine. Her tone was serious and the acid that longed to drip off his own tongue had to be curbed in the side of his cheek. "Yes," he admitted, his voice much too flat and earnest to be taken for sarcasm or teasing. He made a face at the thought of Angier and his now milky white eyes. His tail rose to arch above his back and he brought his nose within inches of hers. Half-lidded eyes regarded her with a rather contemplative stare and a tilt of his skull as though he were trying to imagine something or attempting to persuade her into something. His lips parted, cracked open just enough so that she might see his tongue curl to touch the roof of his mouth in thought before he spoke, "I never thought you'd ask..." There was a moment where it seemed like he could have touched his lips to hers but he immediately drew back so that he could fully see her face. A soft smile played along his maw, "I'll let you know, though, that I am thinking of making it official with @Hecate. I'd say I've learned my lesson after that whole... Piety incident, don't you think?"

♥

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Truth be told, until now she had never considered leaving at all. Her whole life she had only been able to see them both rising up to lead their mothers pack, but the willows grew heavy with the snows, the air was stifling and half their retainer couldn't be trusted. All it took was a single word to bring a genuine smile to her face. Even just the thought of being free of it all was enough for now. Like reckless teens, they could douse the old house in gasoline and light a match on their way out, if it took their fancy... Right now such an act would suit Morganna down to the ground.

His admission about his relationship with Hecate bought her back down momentarily. "I don' think yer've learned a thing..." she quipped with half a grin, "but I can't speak... I'd ask @Renier ter come too if we did." she admitted freely. Perhaps even @Craw and @Wraith or Capable (@Isuni) would join them? 

"But I wouldn' settle ter be less than I am now..." she thought it needed to be said. At least if she went with him she would be there to pick up the pieces if this one left too. "How does @Sven feel about brothers an' sisters?" she questioned with a smile, her lowered her voice tinged with sadness as she continued "I'm not sure I'll be able ter give him cousins." Finally voicing her anxiety after she failed to produce a litter of her own last year.

Sköll Archer BLACK AS NIGHT, BLACK AS COAL An undeniable scowl stared back at her as she told him the direct opposite of what he had wanted to hear. To that, he snorted at her. He could tolerate Renier, sure, but he rather would have liked her confidence before anything else. Morganna went on to tell him her terms before shifting the topic ever so smoothly onto the idea of cubs. His mouth flattened into a hard line. "I never thought of asking him," he answered, honesty evident in his tone by the way his tone remained level. "But, I have thought of it. He's been an only child for too long, I think a sibling might round him out some." He met her eyes, the undertones of his words easily discernible as he slightly smirked. Obviously having a sister (even if she was only younger than him by a short span of minutes or so) had done him a world of wonders. He searched her face now, suddenly aware of the downward note her words had taken. "What do you mean?" the words came slow, the question almost attempting to pull from her all the possible answers related to why his sister could not bear a litter of her own. His tail lashed at the air in a single swipe. First assumptions went to Renier and how the Lyall probably could have been a poor choice as a partner to begin with. Their own mother had been lucky to bear nine children over the course of three years, surely his sister had the same potential. "What else is wrong?" he continued to catechize her, suddenly uncertain as to where else their conversation was going to go. You know you can tell me.

♥

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

His questioning wasn't unexpected but she wasn't certain she had the answers. She had all but admitted that she, too had broken pack law the previous spring, it was just luck that she didn't get caught. Manoeuvred herself to sit along @Skoll's flank, Morganna found the strength to voice her fears from the warmth where their fur mingled. He had been given the same lessons she had as a child, surely he could come to the same conclusion? "Archers 'ave large litters an' they rarely have daughters." she recited almost monotonously. "Three is average at best. Maybe there's a reason daughters'r so uncommon?"

Her gaze had lowered to focus on the ground where their paws rested side by side. "Even Piety managed ter have @Sven. I couldn' even manage ter match that." Her bitter tone betrayed her and perhaps even helped to explain some of the anger and betrayal she had felt when it all came to light. Why she had so willingly stepped up to try and fill the void the white woman had left when she abandoned her son and how personally she had taken the abandonment herself. Trying to lighten the mood a little she forced a laugh, "B'sides, leaders don' have time time fer raising pups an' doin' their job properly." At least there was one thing she could do right.