Hush Meadow Dreamcoat

@Avari (and maybe @Kjell?) Active change in the Northern Lights RE.

With the sun low on the horizon she had thought to take an evening stroll before the insanity that was sure to be her first Spring as leader ensued. Perhaps she would trek over to the lagoon, or maybe ghost around the feet of the Cedar trees to see if she might chance upon Piety and take her other ear? But as the sun sunk lower and lower below the horizon, the stars lighting up in their twinkling symphony, the clear view offered by the meadow simply took her breath away.

Her gaze roved back over the mountains that shadowed and sheltered her home, and upwards to the ballet of lights that danced above it. She couldn't keep the smile of absent minded wonder from her star-lit eyes as the ribbons of colour danced in greens, blues and purples. For a moment she wished that perhaps one of her pack mates might come looking for her, but the thought was quickly brushed aside. No doubt they were snuggly tucked in the communal den rather than braving the brisk pre-spring night.

Despite her exhaustion, she couldn't bring herself to rest. It was only going to get worse in the coming weeks. So selfishly she decided to keep this moment to herself as she lowered herself down, dark fur standing out like a smudge on the rainbow tinted snow, completely mesmerised by the display that was playing out above her.

It was funny how things could change at such short notice. The swinging seasons came with warning, it followed a pattern that never deviated from it's course. Other things were not so simple, like the sudden reappearance of once thought dead relatives or the emergence of sworn enemies. How well one adapted to these unexpected shifts dictated their legacy. Rarely did a battle break out on schedule, or a war begin with a timeline known to both sides. Spring was ever nearer. By some sheer miracle the ageing woman had survived yet another winter mostly on her own, and come out on the other side in surprisingly decent shape. Of course it would have been unbefitting of a queen like Avari to simply hunker down and wait out the whistling winter winds. Productivity was higher than it was in years. Each day and each breath and every single step drew her closer to vengeance. Granted her revenge for Kjell's death had since been proven unnecessary, but she'd come to convince herself that it was still appropriate, proper even for Kjors to face the end of his life for even attempted fratricide. So, perhaps she was the kind to hold a grudge. Granted Kjors had been the furthest thing from her mind in recent days. Kjell had returned smelling of a bitch that had since been totally absent, and the over-proud Avari could not face death knowing he was on his own. The prince that was her son needed someone at his side - not a princess or a slave. Kjell deserved a queen of his own. Someone slight but strong, pretty but proud, a compliment to his own brilliance. He deserved-- Well, anything was a start. Calm winds carried everything, sound and scents alike. Dulling skies lit by the gorgeous dance of departed spirits revealed a figure in the snow, albeit a hard one to pick up on from any kind of distance. Slow steps drew Avari closer, her head lifted both in arrogance and pride while serving as well to scent the air. Presumably before Ava was even known, the unknown figure was all but identified. A woman of many scents - a pack. Perfect. "What do you see?!" From a fair way off the elder called out, wary of being too close to marked borders and wanting to make sure that if she came under attack she had time to howl for her son before she was reached. The question served a purpose deeper than just announcing her presence. The answer, depending on how it was delivered, would dictate whether the meddling old witch could play her little games, or dismiss the stranger as incompatible. "In the sky - what are the lights?"

@Avari

She allowed herself to drift with the lights, careful contemplation as to just what be causing them drifting anywhere from a sign of her mothers old gods to fanciful tales of long dead heroes, which of course led her to think of her Nona Skana, and brave Guiness... and of Isolde. That such a wonder could inflict such a terrible emotion on her left a sour taste in her mouth and with a heavy sigh she thought to rise and leave but a voice called out to her from the dark. What do you see?

For one so familiar with the stealth of @Skoll it wasn't often she was caught unaware. The fact the stranger spoke to her first boded well enough so she kept her seat, turning her head in the direction from which the voice had come, ears high atop her head as she continued to question In the sky, what are the lights?

"Gods an' ghosts, depends on which way I turn m' head." she called back with a half smile pulling at the corner of her lips. She had asked what Morganna saw, first after all. "As ter whether or not that's what they are? Well maybe I'll know fer sure with a few more years on me." she finished her statement with a small chuckle and a dip of her muzzle to invite the stranger forward should she wish to give the younger wolf an education. Her mother had long since taught her to respect her elders.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

In all her years she'd been quick to learn when she was welcomed and when she was not. It wasn't hard to tell, but it was at times a practised skill. Some were more deceptive than others, but none so deceptive that the wool could be pulled over trained eyes. That the girl didn't leap out of her skin spoke volumes. She was either used to being startled or Avari wasn't nearly as stealthy as she thought she was.

Gods and ghosts. The answer given was more than satisfactory for Ava's ears, as it hinted at a belief more spiritual. While she would have won more points by calling them dragons, anything other than 'I don't know' was a winner to Ava. Upon invitation she stepped forward, though not too close, just enough that she could get a better look at the woman. Silently examining, assessing all that could be seen with the naked eye. Typical nosy old bitch.

"Be wary of anyone who says they know for sure." For a moment she craned her head back, certain that there was no way anyone could possibly understand what made the display above them take place the way it did. It was just too... complicated. "There's a very special name for people with that kind of arrogance." A name that wasn't befitting the early stages of conversation with a stranger.

"And you too must have a name." Better to ask than be asked as always. "A reason to be out here alone in the company of ghosts gods." In which category Avari put herself... well she wasn't a ghost just yet...

(This post was last modified: Feb 29, 2016, 08:11 AM by Avari. Edit Reason: Codes :| )

@Avari

Teeth glinted in the moonlight, a wry smile in answer to the woman's advice. The dark wolf was wary of anyone who wasn't her mother or Skoll, or someone she had been given a measure of time with which she could judge them. So when the older woman asked her name and her reasoning for being out here she silently weighed her options, but what harm was there in providing an answer to an old loner? Had she carried the scent of a pack, or even a hint of cedar in her fur she might have had to skirt around the question.

There was no hint of hesitation in her answer, the thoughts flicking through her brain at light speed. "Morganna Archer, I lead Willow Ridge." she said with a tilt of her head in the direction of the willows. "Winter was hard but Spring is gonna be worse." she admitted with a dry bark of laughter. With no distinctive male scent laying claim to her coat the implication should be clear. A mateless leader was a vulnerable leader and with the next two ranked males her brother and step-father she had little hope of someone rising to the challenge before her own heat started. She could feel it already, a building pressure at the base of her throat, a fire unfurling in her stomach. The experience was entirely too unpleasant for her to revel in it as her mother might. The whole sordid affair left her anxious. "An' what should I call you?" she questioned back, her desire to change the topic clear. Not all was as peachy as her eyes in Willow Ridge.

Things almost ran too smoothly for her liking. In years gone she might have suspected that she'd walked into a trap, that some mole in her ranks had gone off and announced what she was looking for, and some rival planted this stranger in the right place at the right time to be discovered.

No longer was she so suspicious. There was, sadly, little value in pulling the wool over Avari's eyes. She had nothing to offer, no pack and no land, no caches of food or bodies for war. She was no more than her own body, with some skills that could just as easily be found elsewhere, albeit much less refined. It was sad in a way, but it would not have been a wise move to say as much to her face.

"Morganna Archer..." the elder repeated in a test of her tongue, the name rolling off with ease as she bobbed her head and took but one step closer. I lead Willow Ridge. Lead. Fewer words won respect from the old bitch.

"Spring is at times the cruellest season." Lazy observations were setting her up for greater plans in mind. "People get complacent with the warming air. They get lazy when they should be doing the very opposite." With a huff the old girl sat back, lacking the grace of a slow descent she might have once had and landing on her backside with a rather blatant thud.

"Ava Bjornson, lone wanderer... well... almost." A quiet bark of laughter broke up an explanation. "I've a son that travels... not quite with me..." no need to have @Kjell sounding like a mommy's boy "...but always nearby. Truth be told, he's probably kept me alive these past weeks."

"Had it not been for him repeatedly sharing his kills, it's safe to say I'd be looking more my age." Of course it was somewhat of a lie, things had not been nearly as wonderful as she made them sound, but opportunity had knocked, and far be it from Ava not to answer the door with a fake grin on her face.

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2016, 01:37 PM by Avari.)

She heard the woman test her name a small smile inching onto her face. Had her mother become complacent when Piety fell pregnant? Or had that been @Angier's oversight? Would their vigilance have made any difference when her brother so often did exactly as he wanted to? Probably not.

As the woman continued, offering up her own name, tucked away for safekeeping in the back of Morganna's dark head, the mention of a son drawing a quick flick of her eyes across the meadow. "My own mother suffered a fall this winter, she's recoverin' well but it's good ter know we aren't th' only one's ter care fer our elders." Truth be told, had she not mentioned a son, the leader might have tried to convince her to come home with her, at least to weather out the rest of the winter within a pack, but did she also have room for said son? Perhaps.

her ability to brush off the trails of life as a loner, in winter were admirable, having suffered through lengthy scouting missions, she wasn't convinced it was something she would choose to suffer through. She should proceed cautiously. "If yer don' mind me askin'," she began conversationally, "What brings yer to these lands?" her assumptions were that all was as it was in Willow Ridge, and if she had a son she must have been a leader at some point. Why would she leave?

Everything about the elder bitch was calm, and for once it wasn't entirely fake. It was nice for a change to be able to sit back and engage without having her mind trying to spin the conversation towards her efforts to track down Kjors. She'd already put Kjell to that task, which allowed her to put her mind onto other tasks. Apparently the plan to turn the entire conversation towards Kjell had been unsuccessful, but still there was time.

"Ugh." She grunted. "I'm at the point that I fear falling, now. I used to fear reaching the point at which I might fear falling." Humour at her own expense wasn't quite enough to draw a laugh, but a smirk. It was the best she could do. She wasn't much for being made fun of, even if it was by her own tongue, but why was she here?

"These days I just wander." Her head nodded, and she hummed a quiet sound as she mused. "Once upon a time I had an empire of my own, now I'm just... me." A shrug of a shoulders all but dismissed what she'd once controlled, the past clearly well and truly behind her. Then again it was so long ago, how could she not have moved on? "I figure I'll either fall into something, or just wait out my last days in relative peace."

Relative peace? Well she couldn't promise that... And yet. "Well I couldn't promise peace," she didn't care to dwell on all the turmoil and tension that was about to bubble over in Willow Ridge on such a lovely night, although if questioned she might dare to elaborate. "but if yer ever miss the security a pack can offer we're over that way a bit, I'm sure we could find room for yer." her tone was conversational enough, offering the older lady a place to stay was only polite, especially when they had managed such amiable conversation.

For a moment her eyes turned back to the sky, the light dancing and fluttering like ribbons across the sky. Perhaps this was fate after all? "O' course I'm sure there are others that could offer peace but wheres the fun in that? Yer don't seem nearly that close ter the end o' the branch ter me." She offered, half a tease in her tone but clearly implying it as a compliment. She wouldn't press the woman for an answer, in her experience it hardly ever worked. Make the offer and if they came under their own steam then clearly the impression she had left was good enough.

Would it be good enough this time?