Windsong Fjord the night's too long

Her daughter was seemingly vanished -- everyone had searched for her, and yet Karina had managed to elude them all. Kisla would have felt anger at the girl's blatant display of disrespect, and given she had been gone for months, could almost assume she was no longer a pack wolf to Hearthwood River.. but all of that was lost in her grief.  Had she been such an abhorrent mother to deserve a daughter who longed for nothing more than to do everything against what she asked? Had her request to stay away from Round Stone Crest been so terrible that Karina had determined to disown her family?

More importantly, did she even accept her daughter back in to the ranks if she tried to return?

Spring began to warm the lands now, the snow beginning to melt across the landscapes. Kisla's heat had come upon her, and she had gone in avoidance, allowing Lachesis to procreate this year. She had not wished to place the stress on Maksim, nor would she have any other but her loving mate. He was still not up to normal strength, and she worried for him greatly -- one more concern to pull at her mind.

Nosing along the fjord, she flicked an ear in the direction of a song bird, a gentle smile finally pressing to her strained lips at the sound. Winter would soon melt away - that was the only comforting thought she could hold for now.

(This post was last modified: Apr 11, 2016, 12:48 PM by Kisla.)

sparking up my heart

After deciding that it was time to take a break from the festivities that he had gotten himself into the past few weeks, Merys headed Northeast to a familiar place that had brought him peace once before. Where his journey had just begun in Relic Lore with a white healer and an expansive view. He remembered, fondly he would call it, the memory of @Lachesis, the male he had strangely shared a frozen meal with on the northern foothills. He had admitted that he did not want to join a pack, that he wanted to explore Relic Lore; Lachesis had even given him directions to places to visit. Since that day, mere weeks ago, Merys had found himself frolicking with a young female who eventually went on to convince him to join her pack. After that, he had chased a bear, and stumbled into finding his place in the ranks. It was not what he had in mind when he had left his old pack, not at all. Yet, here he was, in this enigmatic life situation, making what he would of it. He still had a taste of bitterness toward everything, even though he could have easily walked away at any moment. Still could. He lingered nonetheless, waiting for this newly founded pack to fulfill whatever need he had left looking for - perhaps they would serve as an ersatz until he figured it out. He wondered if he would be waiting long. He wondered if it would even be worth waiting for at all..

He padded forward towards the steep slopes, seemingly unfamiliar since last time he had been here. His muscles, renewed from his now regular meals and rest, did not falter at the thought of climbing them. It felt good to get stronger. Being a lone wolf had thinned him, moreso than he ever had been. He was happy to be gaining back what his large frame required. The four year old made a turn to begin climbing the slopes and revelled in the subtle burn in his muscles - it made him feel alive. A smile, rare these days for the subordinate, melded into his face once he started panting. Itching for more, he began running. Up, up! He pushed himself to continue, even once he was past the happy burn and into the discomfort. He needed the rush, for more reasons than just physical. He pushed and pushed, faster until he realized that there was no more slope and just flat ground. Tiredness washed over him then, and he slowed to a slow walk, a happy expression and lolling tongue donned his face. He looked around then, back at what he accomplished: view down to the fjord. A moment passed, and his mouth closed suddenly and he turned his head, ears pricked. Her scent had caught his attention suddenly as the adrenaline stopped pounding through his veins. The females' scents were near impossible to ignore in the spring, he was unhappy he had missed it while running, but what truly piqued his interest was what else was in her scent. A familiar one.. the same earthy scent he had smelled once before with the white wolf on these slopes. 

WHITE FIR Notch

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founding member | 2016

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

She should have known better to traverse past her pack lands so soon before spring heat had fully died down, and yet the itch of her paws had offered no other options. Not when her mate was injured and healing, and the pack’s Second would produce their litter this year.

It stung. And yet there was no one to talk to regarding this – even the dragon, @Kjors had seemingly been missing from their lands the past few days. It was just as well she avoid all males for now, though, and so solitude was a very welcome thing in the moment.

But it would not last, and a stranger’s scent would drift to her – unfamiliar, and yet something teasingly familiar about it. Had the wolves of Round Stone Crest still lived within the Timbers, she likely would have recognized what pack he had come from – but too many changes had occurred, and so he remained completely unknown to her.

Her tail flickered idly down, curling closer to her so as to not release the last of her pheromones toward him. Her bright green eyes regarded him quietly – a rugged male, handsome in his own sense, but larger than her. Around her age, perhaps.

His intent remained unknown to her, and so she made to rest the waters. “Hello,” she offered then, her tone soft as she continued to openly regard him.

sparking up my heart

Their gaze matched each other's for a few moment, studying each other. He was glad that the female broke the silence first, though hardly. Understandably, the female's gaze and voice were wary. It was a good time of year for a female to be wary of others, especially strange males near nice views. His nose confirmed that smaller tawny female was still in that category of wolves. What else lingered in the air was the idea of recognition beyond being strangers. Or maybe he was simply projecting his own feelings onto her expression; though he felt like there might be a reason why she looked at him the way he looked her.

A kind smile crossed his face, a hint of apology in his expression. "Sorry, got a bit carried away there," he said light-heartedly. He was still on a high from the sprinting endorphins and was grateful for the good mood. He was beginning to start feeling like himself.. or perhaps just a little bit less bitter for the moment. He would gladly take it. "Merys, sprinter extraordinaire. You?" The four year old decided to let some of his inner happiness seep out; why not share the wealth? If the green-eyed lady ending up being a sour Susan and thought him silly or namby-pamby, then he would take his leave and love for the fjord elsewhere. He was not eager to lose the mood he had gained getting up here. 

WHITE FIR Notch

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

founding member | 2016

They studied each other, and for a quick moment, she wished she had the ability to perceive another’s thoughts better. Her perception of others was perhaps lacking, but the way his eyes lingered upon her could have brought a blush to her cheeks if she did not believe he was only staring at her given her sudden appearance – and perhaps her scent. It was only her mate that ever looked at her as something more – and pressing the fluttering thought away, she gave a light cant of her muzzle to his leisurely words, appreciating the casualness that he portayed.

“Kisla, of Hearthwood River.” She paused then, her bright eyes drifting from him to the direction he had come from. “Were you just.. sprinting through?” Playing upon his own words to portray that she too desired casual conversation, the honeyed woman shifted her weight then, noting that Relic Lore seemingly had quite a few new faces these days. It would seem spring encouraged travel, and she briefly wondered if the male before her sought a home.

Or even then, if her mate would perhaps feel threatened by his presence, if his lingering gaze had anything to offer. She was almost certain she overthought it – unused to attention. She had been quite foolish to wander past her borders this time of the year.

sparking up my heart

While his company had turned out to be in good spirits afterall, there was something else that she had said that caused a piece of his light-heartedness to fizzle. "Kisla, of Hearthwood River." The recognition of her scent was stark now. She smelled like @Lachesis, the white wolf he had first met upon arriving in Relic Lore. He had almost forgotten that he mentioned being the leader of the pack called Hearthwood River, but once the words had left her mouth it rang clear as a bell. His smile faltered only in the slightest, as he decided to keep his recognition secret. Not because anything the white healer had ever done. Not because of anything this female had done. But because upon joining White Fir Notch, it had been made common knowledge to avoid the Hearthwood River wolves. He had not been explained why, nor had he really cared at the time, still stewing in his annoyance for his scolding. Yet, now here he was. Here they were.
His thoughts wandered to the wolf he had shared a meal with on this very hill weeks before. Would that encounter have gone much differently had he identifed as a Crest wolf and not a lone one? Lachesis had seemed a gentle soul, not one for housing hatred. His thoughts moved to his alphas then.. were they shit disturbers? Had they started a quarrel with this pack? Could it have been a love interest gone wrong? An old family disagreeance that caused the children to ossify and blind uphold the tradition? Was it all based on heresay rumours spread between catty teenagers? There were too many variables when it came to pack politics, and it greatly bothered Merys to be involved with that nonsense. He had always been a wolf to purposefully avoid them, and he was not about to change that now. Especially when he had no justification to hate these wolves. Not yet, anyway. Besides, it wasn't like he was getting in bed with the enemy or anything, right?
These thoughts passed through his head over mere seconds, and he maintained his demeanor for his company, if only a flicker of change detectable in his expression. "Hm? Oh, you saw that? Oh. Yeah, just a leisurely stroll/sprint up the mountain, you know," he explained nonchalantly, reclining to his haunches then, trying to seem overly casual about the whole thing. He hoped the pack stuff would simmer away from the conversation, content to sail on with this optimism. In the back of his head, he was curious to know if this female would also have any reservations if she knew the pack he had just joined. But in the back of his head is where the thought stayed, happy to be ignored at least for the time being.

WHITE FIR Notch

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

founding member | 2016

If something had changed within the seconds it took him to respond, she did not pick it up. His casual response stirred her wolfish eyebrows to arch in mild surprise and mild confusion – had he not just described himself as a sprinter?

The russet wolf sat – and while Kisla imagined it would have been polite to indicate she was in for a longer conversation by mirroring his actions, she remained still, her tail still tucked downward in an attempt to keep her scent from becoming too overwhelming. He was a polite stranger thus far, and she found her own muscles easing slightly. Still, this was a lesson well taught given the season – not to stray from home, as it was impossible to tell who one would run across.

She had met her own share of wretches in the past – the Lore crawled with them. The thought would have once stirred an ache in her heart from the past, but now it only served to fray her nerves for the future -- @Karina was out there, somewhere, unprotected. And it would be her own daughter’s first season as well.

Giving a nod to the male to maintain their casual nature, her green eyes studied him quietly. “Are you from around here?” It was best to keep the conversation casual – and best to use it as a distraction to the true reason she had wandered from the borders of her home.

sparking up my heart

Unfortunately, Merys' jokes seemed to have been lost on the smaller female. Perhaps he had been too convincing with his sarcasm. She still had the air about her that she was wary of him, despite her friendly words. He tilted his head slightly to the left, the kind smile lingering on his features. he wondered if she had had poor encounters with strangers before. Maybe he looked like a bully she had encountered from her younger days. Maybe she'd had unwelcome advances on her this spring and was taking precautions with him now. He scoffed inwardly at himself at that last thought. What a joke. Puppies. The scent of the females attracted him like any other natural reaction, but he had long moved past the temptation of desire when he realized that puppies were rarely an act of emotion but of mere political advantage. Granted while there was merit to keeping packs alive, there would always be wolves who were more willing to 'take one for the team' in that case. Merys would never have to take up that torch, thankfully.

"Are you from around here?"

Careful.."No, no, of course not. If I had grown up around this kind of beauty I wouldn't feel the need the explore it like a yearling now would I," he chuckled, motioning to the area around them. What? It's true! I'm NOT from around here. He was too new to feel connected to these lands anyway. They were not home, they were nice, but they were not home. Not yet. The air was crisp and fresh and different up here. And he was no longer thin and alone. Life was good. He was part of a new pack and had new, annoying rules again, but it was going to be a necessary evil to get the things he wanted; he would have to manage."You?"

WHITE FIR Notch

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

founding member | 2016

His words stirred a gentle smile to her features, and in turn, her eyes drifted from him to sweep about the scenery. The Fjord was not a place she had visited in her more youthful years – but the Heartlands of Relic Lore, where she had been born, were what held her heart, despite the memories that also shadowed her. “Yes,” she answered simply, the warmth of her gaze shifting back to study the male before him. If he was a loner seeking a home, she wasn’t opposed to offering hers – and thoughtfully, she tilted her muzzle slightly.

“If you’re considering remaining in the area and my co-leader approves, you are welcome to join our pack,” she offered then, attempting to keep the conversation casual. She wasn’t one to extend offers lightly, and with a careful glance she waited for his reaction to her statement – no doubt, Lachesis would approve of the cinnamon wolf, if he was not putting an act on for her now.

Her words paused then, and her honeyed shoulders lifted in a gentle shrug. “But I can also understand the desire to explore further – to see entirely what Relic Lore has to offer you,” she noted then, in turn offering him a ‘get out of jail free’ card should he stumble to find a way to deny her offer

sparking up my heart