Drooping Willows heads on a science apart

Albeit her intentions were pure of heart, nothing the piebald woman offered could be enough in that moment to soothe the pain and shivers raking the aging tawny man. Swarthy audits pressed harder and harder against the flatness of her skull with each hysterical word that flew off a salmon tongue and the attempts of her fellow subordinates to answer the bombardment of questions Angier needed to be answered. A soft whimper of distraught the last straw Enoki needed to determine the former patriarch needed to be removed from the scene immediately. He deserved his time to grief and mourn the loss as all the pack did, but not out in the elements like this. But, how could she manage such a feat?

Lifting her dark hued head from the top of Angier's paler comparison, the rounded edge of her coal black nose pressed lightly to his white furred cheek before smoldering amber optics darted from Greer to Wraith. A pleading look etched deep within their depths that would hopefully convey her wishes that he had to be moved until a light breeze brought forth the scent of Elettra and Morganna. Shit. Instantly her gaze sought the dark silhouette of mother, friend, and reining queen of a daughter, spotting the duo on the near horizon. 'Watch him' Enoki mouthed silently as her embodiment rose to all fours, obsidian limbs seeking to close the distance between herself and the dark queen. The piebald woman could only imagine the pain she could be dealing with granted it was her who carried the dearly departed within her own body and gave life to Isolde.

A cautious posture cloaked her approaching form, ears kept splayed back upon a lowered head while the ivory dipped tail at her rump curled tentatively beneath her stomach. Adorning a silvered chin with a hesitant lick as if the gesture could ease anything at all, dark amber irises graced the ghostly pair of her friend and superior. "Elettra.." She trailed off into a whisper. What could she honestly say to make any of this better?

I'm waking up enduring my biggest fears

Outside the perimeters of the packland his Uncle's voice still managed to reach him. The hopelessness of its sound froze his limbs, and brought on a coldness to his bones that had nothing to do with the winter. Its disheartening melody made it clear. There was only one thing that could bring so much sadness. For what it was, he did not want to answer, he did not want to pay it notice. How could he not? He would be a useless, and heartless coward to hear such a thing and ignore it. The Lyall took his time getting there, trying to rein in his own emotions. Trying to think rather than feel.

In the distance there was already a group gathered about Angier, and Isolde. It was with a heavy breath, he rapidly blinked his golden gaze, and managed to push forward. Why he would have sought Morganna's side, she had taken place beside her mother, and other sister. While he wanted to stand at the now empty place Enoki had left beside Angier, he did not. With a low whine he approached in submission, stopping short near Greer. Simply hoping to help in any way he could. Which felt like so little under the circumstances. He had wished things hadn't ended like this for his cousin, for this family.

Just the one post of Sven observing at a distance, don't mind him.

The boy dared not to approach the growing group of wolves. Truly, he was torn between a desire to displace himself as far away from them as possible, and the aching want to tear into each and every one of their throats.

How dare they make such abhorrent sounds with eyes so wet and heads hung low. What was so special about Isolde and her damn littermates? At last the boy was regretting the many times he had wished they would find her dead, for seeing this burned so much deeper than watching them spend so many tireless hours searching for her. If that had been his mother there, frozen to the solid ground without a breath left, they wouldn't have even paused to kick the snow back over top of her. He was certain of it. All the times he had begged them to care, to help him find Piety, and they had told him he was wasting his breath. They had not given an iota of care for her, and in turn it showed that they had disregarded his own well being. Yet here they all were, even those who barely knew the pack and its prestigious family, grieving as though it were their own child who had been taken.

Worst of all, he had to wonder if they would have cared half as much if he were the one within the snowy coffin. Morganna would, right? Hecate? He found himself doubting even Skoll. If Piety could walk away from him, then certainly the rough affection of his aunt and his mentor could be just as fickle as well. Remembering the flash of his father's teeth, it was hard to picture him carrying on anything like Angier was doing now.

Fuck all of them, then.

The jealousy was eating him alive, and he wanted to make it a beast that could be unleashed upon them instead; but he couldn't. He could only continue to stand and watch and hate filled eyes and a heart that ached with every beat.

Same for Skoll, seems only appropriate that if his son is there, he's there... :/

Sköll Archer I LOOK INSIDE MYSELF & SEE OUR HEARTS ARE BLACK Those mournful howls had sent chills down his spine as he heard them on one end of the territory. On one hand, it made him want to turn around and head deeper into Willow Ridge; on the other, it made him want to investigate and make sure no one was about ready to bare their fangs at him and accuse them for whatever pitiful thing had happened. He chose the latter. He had stayed up well past his bedtime anyway and he might as well keep awake just for a little while longer. Willowy limbs, at a rather leisurely pace, and an eager nose brought him to where his family had gathered. He spotted his son's ivory coat first and he came up at Sven's flank before brushing a stark black shoulder against the youth's own. He followed Sven's gaze out to where Angier laid crumpled in the snow, then to where a near-yearling-sized body rested next to him. The tawny coat of an individual that size could only point to Isolde - his baby sister. There was nothing to do at this point, he realized as the whimpers and the cries went on. They would mourn and they would move onward from this moment. For him and his son, perhaps this was nothing more than an opportunity to observe and mentally mark the occasion. The day that Willow Ridge lost a cub, a part of Elettra and Angier's legacy. He steeled his heart as it clenched itself within his ribs. He would never let anyone truly know it, but he did care for Niles, Ravenna and Isolde. He cared because his aging mother put so much emphasis and love on her daughters (he knew this because he knew of the 'special' treatment Morganna regularly received) - and, in this litter, she had delivered two. No matter, one of them was lost now. Skoll decided he would grieve in the night, out of sight and out of mind when everyone else was asleep. His grey eyes flit to Sven's then and he craned his head ever so slightly as to catch the cub's attention. His gaze softened and his ears even relaxed. "I know you don't like them," he whispered into the snow white ear, his head cast to the side and his gaze sweeping over the back of Sven's head. "But do not let this get to you. You are lucky." Skoll hoped he would take his words to heart; he assumed he knew what Sven was feeling, having been in his paws several times before in his youth. "You are smart; you wouldn't have wandered off like that for long. This is not--" he paused in order to keep his composure, "--This is not love, Sven. This is suffering. You do not want anyone to be in agony for you." He wondered if Sven, too, would think of Piety. "If you want to talk, you know where to find me." Here, he withdrew from the youth with a few backward steps, pausing only for so long in case he wanted to talk.

♥

(This post was last modified: Mar 12, 2016, 08:03 PM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

Alright, let's close this up. :x Will be archiving by 3/19, so please get your exit posts in by then.
Assuming Angier stays with Elettra in any case. If you'd like to bury Isolde's body or just cover it in snow, be our guest. <3

Oh, take me back to the start

All that Wraith, the man whom Angier could only identify by voice and scent, could say was that Isolde was no longer suffering. Greer chimed in to say that she was not hurt but that her body had been merely been frozen, taken over by the winter. Had the Lyall been any more pious than he really was, he might have cursed that Old Winter God, the ones that saw to the Winds and the Frost - those who took over when the cycles changed. He bowed his head and, with shaky limbs, he tried to stand. It took a few attempts, crashing to the ground on his elbows and dropping his chin into the snow, but he managed.

Somewhere to his side he was sensitively aware that Ravenna was near and that Elettra was close by, enduring her own breakdown. He shuffled himself with his four feet anchored to the ground, leaving trails in the blanket of snow as he found his way to his mate. As best as he could, he touched his lips to her ears and temple, lowering his head and neck as to lap at her muzzle and bring her the sort of comfort only two grieving parents could provide one another.

"Come on," he whispered, suddenly realizing that both Enoki and Morganna were beside her. "Let's go. They'll take care of her." They'd get through this, he was only somewhat sure, but being an optimist never really helped according to his experiences. Being more of a realist had him thinking, "It might be time for us to head home now." To Torbine> He figured that she knew, and he could only hope that she would agree. This was probably a sign. That their time here was up and, with Isolde's death heralding it's beginning, it was time for them to hand over the keys of the kingdom.

Instead of moping about and waiting for what was to come next, he wanted El' to rest so that they could think about what could be their next move. With Morganna in charge, it was perfectly safe to make plans. They would bury their youngest daughter first then see what else the future would hold...

(Fade.)

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

More wolves arrived, filling the area heavily with the scent of pack. They weren't the closest, Wraith realized. There were some here he'd hardly even scented before. It was nothing like his birth pack where bonds were replenished daily with grooming and play, stories and laughter. But the Willow wolves came together when it counted. When it truly mattered, they made a show of solidarity he'd not seen since his arrival.

Wraith nodded his head minutely when he caught @Morganna looking his direction. He required no gratitude for this. Despite not being blood-related, the black male felt as connected to the suffering around him as the grieving father at his side. He caught @Enoki's silently mouthed order to watch the broken old wolf and inclined his head in acknowledgement as piebald female made her way over to the retired pack matriarch.

Distracted as he was by the waves of grief all around, the black brute's amber eyes lifted to catch the hard silver stare of a white pup. The boy's posture was not one of grief, but anger. When Wraith spotted a dark form approach the boy, the northerner recognized @Skoll. From what little he knew of his superior, he expected a matching anger within him. However, the male's posture was carefully composed, and Wraith had to wonder if this affected him more than he was willing to let on.

His gaze quickly fell back to Angier as the aged wolf attempted to stand shakily. Wraith pressed close to offer support, but dared not overstep the patriarch's boundaries - especially during such a stressful, emotional time. Each time the wolf stumbled in the snow had guilt shooting into Wraith's heart. He should know his packmates better. Well enough to know if it was okay or not to offer more assistance. Angier seemed to manage and dragged his paws over to his mate. While Wraith couldn't hear what he said to her, he imagined he was urging her back home. There was nothing more they could do.

The northerer's jaw clenched, steeling himself as he turned back towards Isolde's body. Were it spring or summer, she would never have been found, her body decayed into the earth long before. But winter's cold had a way of allowing things that ought not be around to linger. No longer in the mountains, a true burial could be provided for the lost life. With a heavy heart, Wraith began to dig through the snow. His claws soon scraped hard against frozen ground, but he'd not stop until she was laid to rest. Whether that happened alone or with help of the surrounding pack would be up to them. Either way, it would be done.

There was a quietness in her father, though she does not blame him... She could not find comfort in her father this day and so therefore kept close to her brother, Greer, staring down at the corpse of her little sister. She did not say a word, nor move from her position until she noticed one of her packmates, Wraith (though she did not know him personally), was beginning to dig right near where Isolde had fallen. "No..." The young girl peeps, lifting up from her placement to look over the dark man fully. "Isolde is my sister, she deserves to be buried within the boarders." It was all she said to the wolf before then turning back to look at her fallen kin. She shouldn't be buried out here, alone, where scavengers could dig her up... she should be rested safely at home. Unknowingly, her older sister Morganna knew exactly where that should be...

She was lost there, shocked and still. So frozen in place that when Morganna came easing to her side to brush her muzzle along Elettra's cheek, Elettra jerks, jaws snapping with a turn of her head, so close enough that small incisors could grace the hairs of her first daughter's face. Morganna had expected it and Elettra had delivered it, though just as quickly did not pursue further and turned her attention back to her frozen, dead daughter. It is here she could see Enoki's approach, coming up in a stance smaller then she had ever before. Elettra's limbs are tense and though she accepts the small lick and hears her friend's words, she does not react. It was not until Angier was upon her did she finally stir once more. His warming touch had forever found a way of simmering the rage within her. She hears him, though does not speak. As her cheek brushes his muzzle she nods so that silently he would understand even without being able to see her any longer. With her throat tightening to hold back the whine, watery eyes turned to both her eldest daughter and friend on behalf of what Angier had said. Slowly she then lifted, touching her thick hip to Angier's side to guide him home.

[/quote]

(This post was last modified: Mar 12, 2016, 10:44 PM by Ravenna.)

The snap anticipated, she was spared when her mother closed on fur and air. She was grateful for @Enoki's assistance and when @Angier approached she moved to make room for him at her mothers flank. There was something in the way he said home that pulled at her gut, though she couldn't quite place it at a time like this. @Wraith's movement caught her eye and she moved forward to press her flank against his, a low murmur indicating he should save his energy, she looked at Ravenna as she spoke. "We have a place fer...her." For all of them. She began to gently paw at the hardened snow that held her sister in place. Isolde would be a much lighter load than Guiness had been. She would sleep forever next to Skana. With such fierce protectors there was no need to worry. Everything would be okay.

Once Isolde was free, Morganna would lead whoever stayed to help to the graveyard, and they would churn the frozen earth to provide her with a resting place. She would carry out the task in relative silence, leading through actions rather than words. Once the task was completed she would retreat to the heights for some quiet reflection. Was there anything else they could have done to save her? Probably not, but that couldn't ease the feeling of fault from weighing down on her shoulders.

(This post was last modified: Mar 12, 2016, 11:13 PM by Morganna.)

There were too many wolves; too much grief. It suffocated him, causing his head to grow dizzy with the overwhelming presence of his packmates. For the solitary creature it was too much for him — he needed to get away.

But he needed to be there for his family.

He swallowed, hard, and stepped away from his father, allowing his mother and Enoki to take the blind Lyall away. Taking a few steps back he separated himself from the rest of the gathered wolves, his mercury gaze still fixated on Isolde’s frozen body. It was not fair her life had to end so abruptly before it she had been given a chance to truly experience what the world had to offer.

Now the burial — as much as he wanted to partake, he couldn’t. The yearling needed time to himself, despite his desire to help his family and packmates. Was this what had happened to his brothers after they disappeared from the willows? Had the elements claimed their lives too — or perhaps the predator turned into the prey, and they had been felled by some unknown creature.

No. He needed to remain positive about his littermates. They were alive, somewhere, and doing well. Greer refused to believe they had suffered the same fate as little Issi.

He glanced sympathetically at his fiery-eyed sister and nudged her shoulder affectionately. The shadow gave her a look to say he would meet them at the graveyard; he needed his space. Out of all the willow wolves, he knew that his sister would understand. They might have come from different litters and possessed personalities on the opposite side of the spectrum from each other, but out of all the Archer siblings, they seemed to understand each other the most. And for that, he was thankful.

Without a word, the prince turned away from the grieving wolves, his mercury gaze heavy as he maneuvered through the snow. He would take the long way to the graveyard… it would give his mind time to process what had happened. (Fade.)

No snap of her own came in response to her whispered words, or the delicate lick to her chin from Elettra, but there was no need for such displays. The tension and silence that engulfed the world around them that day spoke volumes enough before the sound of shuffled steps from behind warranted Enoki's attention back to the approaching shattered father. Her slender frame remained low as ebony limbs guided her to fill the space against Morganna's open side, allowing the parents to comfort one another in a way no other wolf could possibly do. An ear flicked catching the certain way Angier said home before meeting the watery eyes of her friend, the audits upon the top of her head pulling back to rest against the scruff of her neck while a smoldering gaze watched the duo begin the trek back into the confines of the barren umbrella shaped boughs.

A heavy breath the piebald hadn't realized she was holding until now released into a steady cloud of vapor, gaze shifting to fall upon those still gathered once Angier and Elettra's forms disappeared into the ivory and pale blue painted horizon. Grief was like a crushing mountain now, the two toned woman left frozen where she stood with limbs unable to help as her heart would have liked to do. Instead all she could manage to do was watch the parade of wolves depart from the scene with Isolde's dislodged body in tow, a whimper escaping from behind tightly sealed lips. "Rest easy, Isolde.." Was all Enoki could manage to push out of her lungs in a whisper before finally her limbs allowed movement, body turning to seek the comfort found at the base of the mountain. If there was any place that offered relief, it was her covert second den.

Exit.