Spectral Woods Let your heart hold fast

For @Triell, set some time after the thread with Drestig and Spieden and before the meeting.
<3

like the hight tide takes the sand

Naira hadn't heard Drestig summon Triell and Spieden, but she had seen the heavy way he walked since, the thundercloud looming over his head thicker than it had been since before they went looking for Nayeli. A cross look had likewise settled on her own face. She hated to see him so down.

At first she had been content to let him mull over his thoughts in his own time, certain he would come to her if needed, or pull himself out of it. As the days stretched out in silence and his dark mood only seemed to darken her resolve was set. She had never been one to sit idly by, and one could go so far as to say she thrived on conflict. 

The winter may have served to remind her she wasn't the young pup she had once been, but she wasn't ready to roll over and give up yet. That Triell, a whole year younger than her and much more sound in body looked to be close to doing just that between mechanical rotations of the borders and obligatory hunting made her wonder just what had transpired. She was tired of waiting for him to open up to her. She was going to extract the information from him if she had to beat him from one side of the bend to the other.

Sticking her head unceremoniously into his tree she found the voice she had tucked away when her own pack came to ruination. "Up!" she demanded, retreating towards the edge of the teritory. If he didn't follow she would stomp back and drag him out by his tail. Moping would achieve nothing.

@Naira

I'll be the bright, and black, that's making you run

His routine did not change. The man still checked perimeters, kept on the watch for signs of prey, and even more so demon pigs. After what had happened to Anneliese he had taken time to recall the creatures from the Grove. Thank the stars there hadn't been any hints of their return. Would it keep him from worrying? Oh no.  With spring coming he worried how long the little beasts would stay away. Wondered if perhaps they should go on a hunt. Truthfully, he didn't see it ending well. When Swift River had gone after them they had had a fierce group. Three Tainns and Marsh and Corinna. The Bend?  He wasn't sure who he would wish to enlist to the cause. For the time being he would wait. Just like he was always doing. It seemed the only thing he was capable of.

There was still no news of Drestig's decision, and each day he tried not to let it grind his nerves. The minutes were thinning his patience and understanding. Again, he reminded himself it was not his choice. None the less it didn't help. He worried about the fate of the pack. He was anxious that Darrah had gone on his own. What else could possibly cut at his heart?

As another part of his routine, and keeper of his sanity in all the madness in the middle of the day when it was the warmest, he always made sure to get a decent nap in his tree. He was less than thrilled to be awakened by a commanding female. It only took a few seconds to realize there was only one lady who would speak to him in such a way. Teeth clicked together, and he squirmed into the light, seeing her snake across the white. Oh no you don't!"What the hell?!" He demanded, dark banner bristled as it twitched above his haunches. Orange eyes narrowed upon her. 

Triell Tainn

(This post was last modified: Mar 03, 2016, 09:31 PM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

@Triell :o

As the voice rang out behind her a bitter smile crossed her face. At least she didn't have to drag him out. She rounded on the dark Tainn, her tail curling over her back in a way it no longer had a right to, but the set of her shoulders and the open challenge her bold faced stare and forward pointed ears presented was enough to remind herself just Who she was, and who they both should be. A low growl dared him to come at her, to put her in her place if he had a problem with her methods. Anything was better than what he had become.


"What happened to you?" she questioned harshly, with little regard for delicate feelings anymore. She had been around long enough now not to worry that she might break his heart with harsh words (hadn't she already done so time and time again with her actions?) "Enough moping. If you are angry, get angry!" she moved forward to sharply prod at his chest or shoulder with her nose. She needed to get up in his face. "Where is your fire, Tainn? Where is the thunder?" She pushed on. She would get her answers out of him. Somebody had to.

@Naira

I'll be the bright, and black, that's making you run

Briefly he thought she was going to take him on some chase to tease and torment him. He was by no means wanting of such a thing. When suddenly, he was seeing her face to face, and payed note to her new carriage. The challenge she was throwing at him. Yes, he did want to ignore it. Walk away. Thinking it was all too much effort, and for what? He never knew about this woman any more, and her antics.

He was about to turn on heal, when her voice cut into air, and he could feel its attempts to cut into him. Like a cold, sharp wind. Through it all he remained locked in his position, staring her down. It seemed she would not be dashing away, instead invading his space, a dark lip twitched to reveal his teeth as she pushed at him. He gave a low growl in warning. She only continued to shoot words at him. It could have worked, but he still didn't understood her motives.

"I am angry, but kicking your ass isn't going to make me feel better or solve anything," he huffed. "It's not all black and white sometimes. Besides when did you start to care?" The Tainn glowered in turn, finding a different way to bite back.

Triell Tainn

are you with me through it all?

@Triell slight pp, let me know if you want anything changed.

I am angry. "Then do something about it and stop dragging your ass." Naira snapped back as he took the chance to huff. Eyes narrowed dangerously as he questioned her in turn. She stifled the growl and reigned in the bite that wanted to close firmly around his face and give the man a good shake. Instead her voice went quiet. "I never stopped caring. I'm here now aren't I?!" She held an inhaled breath before slowly releasing it. Breathed in again, she moved forward to try and shove him with her chest, her head swinging down stubbornly. "You were the one that chose to stay where I could not go. One mistake..." she released her own huff. Perhaps they both needed this. Her voice had dropped again, "It could just as easily have been you."


But what use was there in digging up the past like this? It barely mattered now. What mattered was what had him so out of sorts. She moved back and went to turn, taking her eyes off dark fur, a sour expression plain on her face. "What has you so out of sorts then?" Tell me so I can help you fix it.

@Naira

I'll be the bright, and black, that's making you run

There was no comment he had to give back. It wasn't he didn't want to do something, but he was reluctant to explain. Especially, he wasn't sure how much he wanted to confide. On he other hand wasn't he counting down until he would do something? Wouldn't it be a relief to tell her? So someone other than Spieden and Drestig knew what had happened.

Dark ears twisted, and briefly he shut his eyes. He hated how much everything had changed, all the faces he missed, and at times how alone he still felt.

After his accusation there was sharpness in turn, and for a tiny second he actually did expect her to place her teeth on him for throwing such a low blow. With what she did say his dark face softened slightly about his eyes, and he swallowed. He wanted to believe it. She had stuck around all this time, and throughout everything. She did know him better than most anyone. She really had remained his friend, trying to help. Yet, he still felt this distance between them. Maybe, it was him who kept it there. He was afraid to get close to anyone in such a way to have to pick up pieces of his life again. In the end she had always seemed to leave one way or another.

Taken back, her mass shoved at him, and he scrambled a few steps. Perhaps they had been thinking of the same things. "I know," was all he could say, it was always another matter he would what if about without doing any good. In apology, bright eyes stared into her golden look, and he touched his nose to hers for a brief moment before pulling back, sitting down on the cold ground.

He did no look directly out her now. He contemplated, and twitched his toes in the snow. "It's Drestig. I.." Hell, where did he begin. He was half ready to go challenge him right now and be done with it all. The man had been so cryptic. All about himself. Not the best way to get a point across nor sympathy. "After all these last months he finally decided to talk to me about my position. He told me if I was to be leader again then he was going to leave. Naira if he was not my friend I surely would have ended it all there because I had no idea he felt so strongly about keeping it after a few months."

The Tainn grunted, shifting his tail about his haunches. "Being my friend I told him I wasn't inclined to take leadership back like that. What would everyone think of me for it? Letting Drestig leave for the sake of a title?" He couldn't do that to the pack, feeling they would been devastated. The pack, not what place Triell had in it was what mattered."When it came down to it, he kept talking about how he only had so much time, and how this place haunts him. I realized he wanted to leave, and he wouldn't bloody say that. I told him rather bluntly how Oak Tree Bend had been founded to escape tragedy, and look at it now." He took a breath, feeling the weight of it begin to lift. "Any way I told him to decide and let the pack know. I would be waiting. Damn it, I'm getting tired of waiting. Part of me thinks he's being a selfish ass in all this. Wanting to keep his rabbit, and eat it too. Another part of me can't blame him if he can't stand it here. Argh, why would he say it to me like that? Why the hell is he dragging it out?" Yes, this was what was driving him mad. How did his care free friend who loved to travel be so caught up in authority? Yet, wanted to leave the very place he was in charge of. He didn't understand what Drestig was really trying to accomplish.

Triell Tainn

(This post was last modified: Mar 09, 2016, 12:19 AM by Triell. Edit Reason: fixed some broken code<3 )

are you with me through it all?

Triell pressed his dark nose to hers, pushing all the tension aside with his action. As he sat, she moved along side him, resting her head against his neck as he finally explained. Eyes began to narrow as the Tainn relayed the encounter, Drestig's ultimatum met with a snort, rather than the bared teeth and low growl such requests deserved. Nature would always win out one way or another and she never thought any wolf so civilised that words alone were enough to keep them in place (wasn't she walking proof?) Eventually the threat of being the cause of the others wolf's absence would either drive her friend from his home, or he would realise it was no great loss and he would act. She had every intention of making sure it was the latter.

Triell went on to elaborate. "He sounds more unhinged than I am," the bitter chuckle betraying the joke. "Leaders need to be decisive creatures and neither of you are acting it right now. You're both leaving @Spieden to bear this pack alone, and of course she won't complain. It's not in her nature." Drestig wasn't the only member of the pack Triell should be worried about the welfare of, or had he already forgotten the woman who had raised his children for him? 

"You've got two choices my friend..." she knew which route she would take, and it was unlikely to be the one the Tainn chose to walk. "Call him on it now, right now. Demand an answer or tell him to get the fuck out," but she knew he was not a confrontational beast. "Or wait and see what comes of this, but give yourself a deadline. If he hasn't moved by the time the moon goes dark again you need to have a plan and act on it." It would allow a month for her friend to stew, indeed, but these things did take time. 

He had stood at her side when she moved against the Lake wolves, and while she doubted it would reach that extreme it was a good comparison to draw. "Know where everyone else stands, and you'll never be surprised."

Ah now this, this she had missed.

@Naira

I'll be the bright, and black, that's making you run

For a change, he didn't feel himself pulling away when she found place beside him. He didn't feel the odd tug in his chest with her head pressed to him. No, each day passed by he found comfort in the familiar. In the company of the mountain wolf. If only that was all he had needed. Surely, by her snort she wasn't impressed either.

At her joke he could not even offer a thin smile. Naira was many things, and though he could find some of her choices bewildering, he was sure she felt the same about him. Like a child being scolded he nodded his head. He hated that part too. Spieden had not been in on it, and she had enough to worry about. It was rough leading alone, he knew that. Far as he saw it, he wasn't about to slack off. Lately, there hadn't been any new faces come calling for that to be an issue. Even then he knew who to run off.

As she continued, he kept his tongue still. Why she didn't tell him anything he hadn't already thought, all the same, hearing it made him feel his actions were not out of place, unjustified, or rash. It was clear she wouldn't have even let it get this far, but he had to be certain of the feelings of others. The "family". A curse and a blessing as it always would be. She, knowing him better than anyone these days seemed to read his thoughts on that. "That's what I was hoping to do in the mean time, and continue to help Spieden. This is my pack no matter where I stand." He wanted to make it clear he wasn't about to remain idle, and would certainly chase him out if it came down to it. It didn't look like either could remain in this state.

"Good to know you can be my backup hmm," he teased, for he could see her volunteering to get the job done. Sensing the change within her. 

Triell Tainn

(This post was last modified: May 25, 2016, 08:25 PM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

@Triell wanna wrap this up with your next post?

He took her words on board, and she could only be pleased that he would consider them. He was a strange creature, so worried about everyone else that so often her forgot to take care of himself, what he needed, what was right for him. Didn't he realise that the rest of the pack respected him enough, loved him enough that they would stand by whatever decision he made, knowing he had their best interests at heart? Because when had he ever done otherwise?

When he spoke of helping @Spieden, her head nodded, she had every intention of doing the same, and when he teased her, was that a dig at her age or her tendency towards a show of force? she decided it probably sat somewhere between the two. Feeling better with the warming weather, a small stash of pine resin enough to ease the ache in her joints she decided to remind him she wasn't over the hill just yet. She stood with a shove of her shoulder into his own, "You'd better believe it," she baited him, snapping at the air around his forelimbs, her head bumping against his chest as she growled. She might not have been as fast as she used to be, but that didn't mean she was going to make it easy on him. Everything about the way she moved whispered Catch me if you can.

I'll be the bright, and black, that's making you run

The Tainn should have felt confident his pack would support him. Even after these years he did not feel certain. They too, he was sure thought he was strange. The way he welcomed strangers, and helped them at times. He didn't want to cause a rift in the Bend. They had had enough tearing them apart. He would not be the cause. The one they all looked at with blame and hate.

His words were an indication of both, and the fact through thick and thin he had her. Here now, with him. He never doubted she wasn't on his side, not now. The dark Tainn did not expect her sudden quickness, and skirted back at her snapping teeth. A chuckle began building in his throat at the sudden growl that was given. Black banner began to sway behind his hips. He knew where this was going. But, like usual he didn't fight it. He was always up for a game of chase. Naira knew it was the best way to get him out of his mind.

{fade}

Triell Tainn

are you with me through it all?