Secret Woodlands days of miracle and wonder

Noisy migrating geese!
All very much welcome, would like to finally start getting Bella and Duck integrated into SW... and I need a new thread to get back into the swing of things c:

It was the effect on the wind which she had noticed the most, for up in the rocky mountains the air currents had little and less to stop them, save for the shape of the mountain itself, and as Bella had always preferred the wide open spaces to those covered in trees, going from that kind of environment to this dense, overgrown one was something approaching a culture shock. In the thicket, the wind rushed noisily through leaves and branches, clattering everything against itself, and sometimes it was hard to hear over the rush of air. Far from disliking its intensity, what was disconcerting was hearing but not feeling; huddled among the thorns and bushes one night, a terrible gale had blown over the woodland, and Bella had watched the canopy bend and sway wide-eyed. Yet her fur was still, the world at the forest floor calm and quiet compared to the blustering overhead. She hadn't needed to hide away to escape the winds, the forest protected her of its own volition.

It wasn't just the weather, either. She was used to being careful with her footsteps, but because of the dangers associated with living high up as opposed to the simple danger of tripping or getting caught in thick undergrowth. She constantly seemed to be picking bits of something or other out of her fur.

But there was a distinct kind of tranquillity to be found down here, Bella had concluded. She missed the horizons and the cool, clean air and the lake, but in their place was birdsong and pine and blackberries. It was alive down here, rich and thriving, and everywhere she turned there was evidence of someone who had passed by not long before.

Bella did not regret her decision to join the woodland wolves, and that was not least due to the effect it had had on her son. She could not regret a choice which had seemed to lift a weight from his chest, and seeing him so much more relaxed was a wonder.

Despite that, she had her nostalgic moments. And it was in one of those that she found herself that day, for as she had been stepping carefully through the woodland, the sound of wings and squawks and honks from somewhere out of sight gave her pause. Curiosity grabbed, she had tried to find somewhere so that she could catch a glimpse of the flock of geese, and finally stumbled across a spot in the thicket with a clear patch right in the tree canopy - through which she saw the long wings and brown feathers of the large birds. As they flew past, oblivious to their audience hidden away between the trees, she realised that she could see the top of the mountain through the beating wings. She had hesitated, given it a second-glance, and then decided that a few moments of self-indulgence couldn't hurt. Sitting down with a wistful sigh, her eyes traced over the familiar distant shape, her mind taking her right there. If she were one of those geese, she could have flown to the top without a care - but such a trip was not for the ground-bound, and ground-bound she now truly was.

Irritated by her own selfishness, for she had had many goods reasons to leave her birthplace and had landed on her feet in Secret Woodlands, the woman nevertheless could not shake the own yearning in her chest, and honestly knew that she was not trying very hard to do so.

(This post was last modified: Dec 03, 2015, 03:48 PM by Belladonna. Edit Reason: indecisiveness about using RE or not :C )

Fate seemed to have a cruel sense of humor, and the joke was not lost upon the swarthy wolf. No sooner had he been reunited with his brother and sister, both had disappeared -- one without word, and the other with the intention of finding his mate. Nios would have offered to venture out with Mirren -- scouting the horizon like old times -- but he had felt the need to remain in the Woodlands for two reasons. The first, he had promised his loyalty to these wolves, and he needed to maintain his word for once.. and the second, his niece was here. And while they were not close by any means, she was family -- and he was not of the mind to let her stray far from his sight now.

The winds reverberated through the forest tops, but the floor was seemingly peaceful in comparison. It was a sight to see, and yet the dark male was more intent on scouring the lands for any sign of @Lyanna , wondering what she was up to today. The squawk of geese above caused him to pause and glance up, and given the thickness of trees, he almost did not see the darker female before practically plowing in to her.

He stopped mere inches -- surprised he hadn't traced her presence prior to this very moment, and his nose would tickle at the very tips of her fur as he blinked his bright yellow eyes. Back peddling quickly, Nios instantly felt foolish as his gaze drifted over her. "Sorry," he offered, feeling a surge of awkwardness press past him -- he was usually smoother than this. "I was distracted by the geese."

(This post was last modified: Jan 31, 2016, 07:57 PM by Nios.)

'cause its home, but it's gone

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

@Nios <33

The near-collision was her fault nearly as much as his, for his approach would not have been lost on anyone paying attention. Absorbed in her own mind and memories, it was only when the dark man was almost upon her did Bella turn with a startled "oh!", him so close she felt it in her whiskers. But the alarm gave way to warmer amusement as she both recognised the wolf as a packmate, and heard his excuse. Her fur flattening back down to a less surprised state, Bella laughed, still riding that last adrenaline wave that sudden surprise gives you - but since there was no danger, it merely translated to a pleasant state of beating heart and a rush of warmth to her limbs.

"Me too," she admitted, wanting to ease any of his discomfort - it was a simple mistake, nothing to hold against him. As she was looking at him, then, trying to place a name to the face or the scent, she realised that he seemed oddly familiar... his scent, at least - and then it struck her. "Are you... Mirren's brother?" she asked, a little abruptly, realising that she couldn't remember the name to go with it. The geese continued to fly by, the numbers of the great flock thinning from their view, though their honks and squawks were not yet fading. Just like that all her ponderings were lost to the wind, no doubt to be found again and ruminated upon sometime in the future - but a distraction was welcome, and she would have been lying to say that she wasn't curious about Mirren's family.

I'M THE WORST I'M SORRY

He could feel the brush of her fur upon his, only momentarily, and when he had pulled back, the surge of heat remained there as a gentle reminder, only now beginning to fade as his heart hammered in his chest from being startled. Her laugh was a pleasant surprise, and he glanced up at her more sharply now, focusing upon the she-wolf who he had very nearly taken out, and only seeing her now for the first time. She was a lovely thing – intricate cinnamon and toffee. Her eyes were a lovely shade of gold, and he found himself transfixed for a moment.

Of course, had he known his brother had already set his sights on her, he would not have continued to dwell on it, nor would he have stared for quite as long.

Yet the name of his brother did bring him back to reality, and as if coming back from a dream, the male gave a slow nod of his muzzle, finally responding to her before blinking. “Sorry,” he offered again –partly for staring, and partly for barreling in to her. “Yes, Mirren is my brother,” he confirmed, his muzzle canting slightly as he attempted to mentally ‘shake’ himself. “Are you a friend of his?”

'cause its home, but it's gone

shh you <33 @Nios

Mirren's name seemed to bring the dark name back into focus, so whether or not her guess was correct, the men had some kind of relationship. But then he nodded, and she did the same, if only to acknowledge it. When he repeated that he was sorry, Bella just smiled, hoping it was clear that no apology was necessary; they had both been in fault, and the event had been no terrible thing! No indeed, she found herself quite content with its result, for she was eager to get to know the pack's members and Mirren's story, and so talking to his brother would give her a little progress towards both.

The gold-eyed man didn't offer his name, which still escaped her memory - she was sure Mirren had mentioned it, or someone else maybe, but it was lost every time she tried to grasp it - and instead posed an interesting question. One side of her mouth crooked upwards in amusement at her inability to easily answer. Were they friends? "I'd like to think so," she offered after a moment, not doubting that her hesitation had been plain enough. "He invited me here but truly I don't know him well; your brother is quite a private person." Memories of him in the rain, of the mystery which always seemed to surround him no matter how many small details she learned, like his motherless daughter... She did not truly know how to interpret Mirren. He appeared to enjoy her company, perhaps a little too much, but she fancied that she was posing as little more than a pleasant distraction from him; his frequent trips to go search for his lost mate were evidence enough of that.

But he wasn't the one stood before her right now. She really needed to stop letting him and her mountain take over her thoughts so effortlessly. "I'm Bella," she said, ears twisting forwards as she met the brother's gaze fully, openly anticipating his own name.

She offered him another smile – completely at ease that the brother of Mirren had almost completely careened in to her. He must have appeared pretty dense, and he withheld a small twinge of regret. He had been able to woe ladies in the past – but now, with his brother once more missing from his life and his inability to find a place where he truly belonged, he felt only the awkward surge of floating through life.

 Her mention of Mirren’s privacy drew his own small smile, and the stoic male lifted his own shoulders in a gentle shrug. “He comes by it honestly,” he noted. “Runs in the family.” It was all he spoke on the matter, uncertain if Mirren had been withholding information from the dark beauty before him.. and for what reason. Or, if she had simply not tried prying in to the man’s life. The Tainn family in general kept to themselves – Ruiko’s children proved to be no different.

 “Nios,” he offered then in return, his ear giving a flick at her name. Bella. She had mentioned Mirren had invited her here – his brother’s next mate, given Kite had vanished in to thin air? Of course.. Mirren’s life seemed particularly pristine and well aligned, minus his first love’s inability to commit. He withheld a soft sigh. “Do you know anyone else here, then?”

'cause its home, but it's gone

Runs in the family indeed! Her tongue clucked quietly at the roof of her mouth in amusement, his small shifts in posture conveying the same sentiment just as well. Were all Tainns this mysterious? Mirren was so collected and deliberate in his words and movements, and she could see the same in his dark-pelted brother so easily.  Yes, she fancied that the familial resemblance was clear in manner alone.


Nios, he offered, which drew yet another smile from the chocolate woman, striking another name from the list of woodland wolves she hadn't been introduced to. "Ash Hervok is my father," Bella replied, watching Nios' face to see if he had any outward reaction to the name, wondering if they were familiar with each other or not. "In all the ways which matter, at least. And my son, he came with me." She almost said I'd like you to meet him but stopped herself, because that was probably too forward - and while she was desperate to get a good male role model in his life, that was a bit much to ask and expect of someone who was essentially a stranger. Her eagerness was borne mostly from wanting Duck to integrate himself into the pack, and she just knew that he would be too content to avoid social interaction. She'd drag him into forming relationships beyond herself, kicking and screaming if necessary. "Are you here because of Mirren? Forgive me, I - the story of the Tainn family is one I'm passingly familiar with. The fire. I thought there was a Tainn led pack not far from here, or there was at one point - am I mistaken?" 

He missed her amusement -- the cluck of her tongue something not heard, and his gaze was instead studying the features of the woman in a manner he imagined as conspicuous. His interest was piqued the moment Ash Hervock's name fell from her lips -- even more so that the man was her father.

At least, in her eyes, she confirmed, and his wolfish brows lifted slightly in surprise. He held no love for the brusque man -- perhaps he had held a certain level of respect from his days in Whisper Caverns, but that had dwindled the moment the wolf had let Rory simply disappear from his life without thought or word. It had been a bit since he had thought of the yellow-eyed girl, and he felt a pang of regret. Rather than focus upon Ash -- who he had managed to avoid thus far since joining the Woodlands, he instead focused upon the son. Briefly, he wondered who the father was. "What's your son's name?"

Her own curiosity drew to the Tainn's -- and he was slightly surprised at her knowledge of his family's history. "Mirren, yes," he noted quietly, his gaze drifting form her features to study the lands about him thoughtfully. "There were a few Tainn packs. Swift River, lead by my uncle at the time, and Copper Rock Creek, led by my father. Nina was a member when we were born and helped look after us -- but my parents wanted a fresh start elsewhere from the Lore and moved us. Nina stayed behind and started Secret Woodlands." He fell quiet then, his gaze drifting back to her to see if he had satiated her curiosity

'cause its home, but it's gone

I'm so sorry, Bella's wasn't talking to me for a while :/ since this is so old now, could we wrap up (maybe just a fade with them continuing to talk?) and I'd love an up-to-date one <3

"Duckweed," she'd answered smoothly, unashamed of the name she'd given her son - much unlike the boy himself, to her eternal disappointment - before continuing on to discuss his family. He confirmed the relation with Mirren, and she nodded at it, glad to have guessed right. As his eyes fell away from her and out towards the landscape around them, she perked an ear more purposefully in his direction, sensing a meaty answer to her question.

She did so love learning more about this place.

She knew the names of both packs he mentioned, if only in a shallow sense, and his use of them combined with the past tense told her everything she needed to know about that. The connection between Mirren and Nina was new, though, now she thought about it, unsurprising; there was clearly a special bond there, a very maternal one. It amused her to think that, in some way, that made her something akin to step-step cousins with that particular litter, seeing the Hervok brother and sister in fatherly and motherly roles respectively.

"You chose to come back to Nina rather than stay with your parents?" she asked, hoping that her questions were not too prying. @Nios was being very obliging of her curiosity, which she was grateful for. "You and Mirren, both?"