Willow Ridge you know that's how the story goes

Lil' somethin' for Miss @Isuni; forgot our other thread went dead with a conclusion of him pretty much leaving her hanging... so... 'bout time they met again. :D

like ghosts they want me

February 9th; Few hours before sunrise; Clear; 25 ° F, -4 ° C.

His romp with Enoki just the other night had been pleasant to some degree. If the Archer had to admit, he was out on this part of the pack's territory to try and provoke the same sort of setting as to invite another nighttime outing. Here and there, for what seemed like hours on end, he waited. He had even cast a few soft barks into the chilled breeze to see if he would be answered by another in the wee hours of the morning. That call never came; and, he had to resign himself in realizing that he was probably going to have to wait for another opportunity. Perhaps tomorrow night he would try again.

In his wanderings, he came to find that his feet had led him back to Sven's birthplace, the small hideaway where he had once tucked Piety away from the world and the rest of the family. The vines were dry and barren, looking more like a tangle of spindly twigs as they snaked up and around the side of the rogue, non-willow tree. Frost clung to it and had even piled up in the entrance atop the bed of leaf litter the lined the floor of the thicket den, seemingly emphasizing just how lonely it had been since she left.

Skoll took a deep breath, craning his head down and prodding at withered ivy vines to find that no one had visited the place in quite a while apart from him and his son. His paws crunching through the snow were the only tracks the site had seen recently, though and he walked around the tree twice as if the circle he just made would forever protect the little sanctuary. Then, once through, he sat down to face the triangular entrance, staring into the darkness as he had just seasons before, staring at nothing but the emptiness where his family had once been.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

Curiosity was going to get her killed, someday. Probably not today, but someday, such an unhealthy habit would get the best of the female, even as large as she was.

It was that keen sense of wonder that had her following paw prints out across the pack territory – she rarely sought out other members of the pack, feeling she really did not belong among their numbers – but it was a wondering of what this other wolf had found, or was going to find, that spurred her on. Initially, the young female had no intention of being seen at all. Downwind, she had the ability to remain invisible if she so wished it.

Except, she didn’t.

It was Skoll, she realized eventually, that she had been trailing. They hadn’t spoken in some time, despite the fact that she had come to join Willow Ridge – she wondered if he were still the same wolf he was when they’d met before, when she was still on her own. Capable certainly didn’t feel like the same woman anymore. Not in a good way, either. Her mouth twisted up into a wry, husk of a smile and she chuffed, announcing herself to the shadow.

“Long time, no see,” she greeted the male, tail giving a friendly wiggle behind her hocks. “You’ve been busy?”

bring me home, bring back what's stolen,

Capable

like you're supposed to

A wild dissertation appears!

derp... sorry. Tournament, vacation, and being stuck with the boyfriend for a week longer than expected let this almost slip through the cracks.

like ghosts they want me

“Long time, no see,” a feminine voice caused one of his ears to rotate to one side in her direction. He recognized this one he was sure. Yet, when he turned his head to look into her face, he found that she was a little more beautiful than he had initially remembered. Whether that was because he had tried just moments ago to try and remember what Piety had looked like or attempted to imagine what the dainty wildflower looked like now in the middle of winter.

Her tail waved at him as he stared at her from over his shoulder, “You’ve been busy?”

He could have scoffed, but instead he gave an ordinary smile. No grandeur or charm, not even his characteristic sneer or snark. A small cant of his head signaled to her that she was welcome to sit and talk with him. There was no one nearby or even awake to eavesdrop, as far as he was aware. "Not busy enough," he lent, "or so it would seem."

His pale gray gaze went back to the thicket and his ears mirrored one another at last as he dipped his muzzle downward as if to survey the untouched snow that covered the place where the dry, spiraling vines met the ground. His nose twitched and he made a rather blunt but still somewhat thoughtful observation, "I see you've managed to join us." He didn't look up to meet her eyes just yet, "How do you find the Ridge?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

The woman moved forward without any feminine grace, shifting to sit next to the dark prince with a dull thud. Her tail dig not wag, splayed lazily across the ground as she watched him for a moment. His confession was meant with a grunt, Capable inclining her head. “I feel the same, I guess,” she replied, glancing outwards. A pink tongue flashed across her black lips, chapped where the winds had made a point to desiccate them. Ears were out to the sides, and her shoulders might have been described as slumped. She watched nothing in particular.

“Your sister invited me,” Capable muttered, ears still flat. “For what it’s worth. Been--” The woman paused then, holding her tongue. Willow Ridges was the Archers’ domain, and it would be unwise to speak anything ill. Greer might have shared some of the same sentiments, but the yearling was odd. He related to Isuni in that way, and she had a feeling the handsome, charming prince did not suffer similar issues.

“It’s been fine. Quiet, I guess. Tried to avoid any trouble.” That largely meant avoiding most of the other wolves. Dimly, the moody female was aware it was still that time of spring, but Skoll hadn’t – acted oddly towards her yet. She eyed him suspiciously. “Where you been?”

bring me home, bring back what's stolen,

Capable

like you're supposed to

A wild dissertation appears!