Riddle Heights fear of falling

[@Rose]
<p>Her newly-regained muscle seemed to remember the snow-covered Earth beneath her hardened paw-pads; As if each rock, and hill had been drawn on a map that only she had access to. Celandine had assumed the information to be lost; forgotten in the same way that trees shed unnecessary bulk in fall, or the influx of rain causes the terrain to collapse and slide. Most intriguing was the fact that the last time she had traversed the mountain, she'd barely had the strength for the descent, let alone the comforts of a sound mind. Her absence had been necessary, however, for she knew that if she had remained upon the heights for much longer she would not have lived to see the Lore's first snowfall.
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She was not surprised by the familiarity of the scents, though. The crisp air that settled on the heights, the sharp smell of fir. It had all been cataloged somewhere deep within the files, and folders of her mind, awaiting the heiress' return. There was just one thing missing. The foreboding aroma of a claimed territory was wiped away entirely. Amber eyes narrowed at the realization, becoming wide as she let the absence of borders settle in. Silent Moon was gone. Why would her uncle move the pack? It didn't make any sense. She hadn't come across anything strange during her journey. The area didn't seem to be lacking prey, the pack closest to their's was still the same distance away. It was very peculiar, though she would have to do a little more investigating, to be sure.
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Celandine continued the ascent, bright eyes searching for movement upon the horizon, and awaiting any familiar shape, although she knew none would turn up. The mountain had not been lived on in some time, as the only tracks she could find were too small, and worn to mean the old place was frequented. Gone were the caches, and broken were many of the dens. It looked like more than a few had caved in, which could only mean that they hadn't been maintained through the better part of winter. She found the peacefulness of it all quite funny, as though Nature were taking itself back.
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Her heart sunk as she came upon the pack den. It's icy roof still held, as awaiting a wayward passerby. She moved toward it, her paws scraping on the ice before it's entrance. The former princess knew it was empty. Her heightened sense of smell told her that, but she had to see for herself anyway. Once inside - though she triple-checked to make sure - and satisfied that the den held not soul but her own, she laid upon the frozen ground, and let out a solemn sigh. Tomorrow would be a new day, and the forgotten heiress could find her former pack then.
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Curling up on the den's icy floor, Celandine let the darkness creep in. Familiar faces danced behind her eyelids, as the yearling drifted off to sleep. </p><p>

Rose had entirely given up on the thought that her brother and father were at all capable of ever finding Nineva. The missing kin had been gone for months, and they've yet to announce even a single lead! How was it that they've managed to screw up such a simple task? Was it of no importance anymore? "Incompetent." The former-princess sighed as she made her way through frozen, unfamiliar territory. 'This place'd actually make for decent pack grounds. Perhaps once I'm of age, I'll consider building a home here..' the child smirked, she'd make a damn good queen some day. Wasn't it obvious?

Closing in on what had appeared to actually be a former den, something seemed off. What was that soft noise she was hearing? And that scent.."Another wolf?" the fae whispered, creeping closer to investigate. 'Don't get your hopes up yet, Rose. The likeliness of this being Nineva.. Well..' Coming to a halt right before the icy entrance, it had become apparent that whoever was inside had fallen asleep, and they were completely alone. 'Well, the place itself doesn't seem too bad for rest.. However, aren't they afraid of an ambush?' The amber pup squinted in hopes for a better look at the stranger, yet much to her displeasure couldn't see anything beyond the darkness.

Wearily, the former-princess decided that forever what reason she needed to call out to the foreigner. Perhaps they'd have information on her lost sister, right? "H-Hello?" Rose spoke with uncertainty. "I don't mean to bother you.. B-but.."

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

Scenes flashed behind heavy lids, seemingly frozen in time. They were not unusual, or new. The forgotten heiress had seen them all before. Some recent, some old, those she'd lost, those she'd loved. Of course 'love' was used loosely, for the female wasn't sure she could truly love. It was as if her unconscious mind was fighting to remember things best left to rot. Still, each picture brought with it some strange emotion that had the fae's breathy whines echoing through cave. Thus, when the stranger approached, she was too far gone to notice. Having always been a light sleeper, this was perhaps the first time another soul had the advantage on her. It was with this mindset that she awoke to the female's hesitant call.

Without any time to let the heavy cloud of sleep clear, Celandine was on her feet. Defensive, the pale woman kept her neck bowed; baring her pink tongue behind still-white teeth. It took her no more than a few seconds to survey the situation, and drop into a more neutral stance. It was clear that the younger wolf meant no harm. "I apologize for my rude behavior. I was a bit startled." She whispered, though the cave's empty space caused her voice to bounce back toward them in such a way that she could have been yelling.

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The foreign wolf woke in a rage, something Rose hadn't exactly accounted for when she'd decided to go through with her naive little plan. Jumping back, the fae made efforts to bare the same gnarly expression as her possible foe. She'd never quite been in a real fight before, in fact, she wasn't even sure if she was capable of one. Always losing in small spats with fellow kin, the real deal just didn't seem very plausible. 'Run!' her instincts screamed, but somehow the small child found herself frozen. 'You're done for.'

With luck in Rose's favor, the snowy white woman calmed herself only moments later. She even made an effort to apologize for her actions, which was something the fae almost instantly took admiration for. "Ah, It's okay.. I really shouldn't of startled you, I appreciate the apology though!" She smiled, lowering her stance to something a bit more comfortable. "I'm Rose, I come from Secret Woodlands. Might I ask your name?" In all honesty the foreigner's name was of no importance to the Hervok child, however formalities were bred too deep into her to skip all together. 'The sooner I can get this over with the closer I'll be to my sister..' maintaining her smile, the former-princess waited for her company's reply.

Secret Woodlands. The name held no importance, as the alabaster woman was unaware of it's existence before this moment. Giving it a little bit of thought she figured that they could be a newly formed band of wolves, or a pack far enough away that she never bothered to scope it out. Either way, it wasn't worth delving further into. "Celandine Argyris, heir to Silent Moon Plateau." Or whatever they were calling themselves nowadays. It was likely that Erebos would change the name after a move. That's what they had done when they left the Glen.

With the fog of sleep long gone, the yearling was able to straighten up, taking on a stance she hadn't deemed necessary in so long. Just another strange reminder that her muscle memory was in fact greater than she'd expected. Her posture held a regal heir while not being overly intimidating. This was her home after all. "What brings you to the mountain?" The fae's honey-glazed voice sounded mildly intrigued, though that was not entirely feigned. Rose seemed to be of an age with Maeve. It was entirely possible that the kenspeckle cub might have befriended her. Why else would such a young female come barging up the mountain? It wasn't unheard of, but strangers didn't often brave the heights without reason. 

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"Heir?" Rose gasped in admiration. Although she'd never heard of Silent moon plateau before, she'd definitely longed for the title 'princess' since the day it was unrightfully stolen from her. Replacing the annoyed feeling she once bared for this conversation with enthusiasm, the Hervok gave her company a slight bow. "My apologies princess, I had no idea."

"Well, you see.. I'm looking for someone." Rose responded, trying not to delve too far into the topic right off the bat. If it were really royalty she had the pleasure of speaking with, then she'd sure as hell drag out their time together as much as she possibly could. After all, it wasn't everyday the fae got to spend time with such an important figure. "But she's been gone for a while now, so my efforts might very well be futile. I'm not even certain she would of traveled out this far.." With a sigh, the auburn child found herself gazing at the earthy ground below them. "If you don't mind me asking, what about yourself?" It was a bit odd to her that a heir decided to just up and sleep in an abandoned cave, though the Hervok couldn't really say she knew the woman well enough to judge her so harshly on it. 'Nineva, I promise I'm coming but.. Just let me have this one moment..'

@Rose

Celandine couldn't help but notice the way Rose's voice seemed to gain enthusiasm at the mention of her status. Standing a little taller, and with a renewed ego, the woman spoke. "It's quite alright." A smile swept across her maw, as she shushed the younger fae. "I would have mistaken myself for a loner if I didn't know any better." Ever-sweet she was. "I've found myself a little far from home." She offered no more detail on the subject, as she hardly wanted to ruin her image in the cub's eyes.

"I'm looking for someone." Well that made Celandine very interested indeed. The soon-to-be yearling was of an age with the very wolf she was looking for herself. It wouldn't be too long a stretch to say that they could be friends. "I'm looking for someone as well." Her voice held a nostalgic dose of honey, familiar but still so far away. "What does this wolf that your searching for look like?" Her interest in the girl's loss was mild at best, unless of course, it was one in the same with her own. 

"You seem to hold your manner's quite well, you know." She was prying under the guise of kindness. Maybe she could return home with some trinket of information to help her entrance go a little more smoothly. "Your parent's must have taught you well."

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Rose could feel her eyes sparkle as the princess spoke to her, each word filled with such elegance and grace, something she'd apparently lacked to notice earlier on in their conversation. "Well, I too am a princess!" the fae spouted, but was quickly able to recollect that she'd in fact just lied. "Or, well.. Used to be." the Hervok hated more than anything that her birthright had been snatched away as if it were nothing. She was born to rule, though the likeliness of it ever happening was unfavorable now. "Regardless, thank you for the compliment. My parents have indeed influenced the way I present myself around others." Quite possibly another lie, neither of them had spent much time with the child since the disappearance of Nineva, though the stranger wouldn't be interested in hearing about something as trivial as that.

"Hm, well she's my age, her coat is completely lacking in color.. Rather outspoken, or at least last I've seen of her.." though that was a while ago, Nineva could very well be a completely new wolf by now! The thought saddened her, as she wanted nothing more than to have back the sister she already knew. "Like I said though, It's pretty obvious that she's not been through here.. At least not for a while."

Celandine smiled at the russet-colored girls's enthusiasm, wondering if she could be of any use. Of course, the woman hadn't gotten her hopes up. The pretty little thing seemed to be just that, and open books were not worth reading. "Oh, darling, what happened?" Feigned concern laced her tongue so heavily that distinguishing the lie would be near impossible, but her interest on he matter was quite genuine. A monarchy had fallen somewhere, and the alabaster fae was want to know the details. It could be yet another trinket to bring home with her. "Well they've done well." Apparently not, if they couldn't hold themselves together.

Rose's description was ever-so familiar, which made the interaction all the more interesting. Maeve fit that description-though relatively vague-to a tee. Confident once more that she would find Silent Moon with ease, Celandine spoke. "Do you know the girl's name?" On the off-chance that the wolves they were searching for weren't one in the same, the heiress kept as much information to herself as possible, lest this little girl be some sort of innocuous spy sent to find out why the mountain pack relocated, under the guise of innocence. It would seem her time away did nothing to sate the paranoia in her head.

(This post was last modified: Apr 24, 2016, 09:23 AM by Celandine.)

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