Whisper Marsh see the hope in my heart

shooting broken arrows in the dark

March 16th; Afternoon; Overcast, patchy moderate snow; 23 ° F, -5 ° C.

Truth be told, this wouldn't be the first time a character played by Grey on Relic Lore had succumbed to losing their voice. Let's just say, with Niles Archer Lyall, it had always been a possibility, a certain proneness perhaps given that he had a tough start with speaking to begin with (just like his brother Skoll). The day he had been told by @Ravenna that their sister Isolde had been found frozen in the snow - dead, like the withered herbs and the iced over world around them - the near-yearling had shut down. Days turned into weeks, and he refused to speak, refused to eat, refused to move... He remained in the pack den, asleep until the last meal he had eaten had left his stomach empty and cramping.

He curled up against the stony wall for hours until he finally admitted to himself that he simply could not sleep anymore. It had been with a sorely nursed yearning that he hoped would be greeted by that playful "Helloooo, get up, Ni'! Let's go exploringgg!" But, Isolde's birdsong voice never came and no one seemed to have paid him any mind. Angier, though blind, could have picked up on the youth that he was distressed but made no move to coddle him. The scrap of rabbit leg that had been offered as a bribe to get the cub out of bed, though, had been enough to get Niles to stand and slowly leave the den behind. Ravenna and Mother would be back, and it would seem that his stomach had finally remembered what it was like to be offered a morsel of food.

His instincts kicked in and, just as Isolde had taught him, he set off on a well-worn trail in the sludge with his nose to the ground. If he could just pick the right adult and follow their trail, chances are that he would be led straight to a cache. While this was the plan that he had laid out for himself in his mind, it wasn't meant to be. The gangly youth meandered beyond pack borders and began to run, imagining with an aching heart that he was chasing his sisters through the thinning trees and out into the open air where it seemed like the snow would never stop falling form the sky.

Niles panted and watched as his breath lifted from him in small wisps. He hadn't done that in forever and, oh, how good that felt... His stomach gave another twinge and he remembered now why he had gotten up in the first place. The black nose at the end of his snout wiggled as he scented the area, turning his head one way and then the other until he was fortunate enough to find something another predator had left behind. There hadn't been much left of the old thing (which was probably an impressive raven at one point in time), but it was enough to breathe some fire back into the deepest recesses in his chest.

He tugged at one outstretched wing, pulling it out of the reeds it had been hidden behind. Then, slowly, he began to try to extract what was left of the frozen innards, closing his eyes as he forced himself not to imagine what his sister might have looked like when she had been discovered so far from home.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Since the discovery of Isolde the pack had been left in distress.

The shadow felt as though he had failed his little brother. He had promised to bring Issi back — alive — and he had broken his promise. The feeling left him shattered; the prince did not like disappointing his family. Since her frozen body had been found by their blind father, the youngest Archer-Lyall had been absent, distancing himself from the willows. The response did not surprise him, but it still worried him. Every time the spider-legged shadow went to find his younger brother he was already gone, his trail zig-zagging through the willows until it disappeared completely.

Not being able to track down his brother was incredibly infuriating for the expert tracker; he took pride in his scouting abilities and he bubbled with anger at the thought of not being able to catch up to the littlest Archer.

Fortunately his persistence paid off and he was able to catch wind of Niles’ scent as he slunk through the willows this chilly afternoon. The boy’s silence was troubling and Greer felt as though he owed his little brother an apology for not following through with his promise.

The trees fell away behind him as the marsh opened up, the ground spilling between his toes. He was so close — with his nose held low to the ground, he continued forward, determination fuelling his movements. Snow dusted his shoulders as he closed the gap between him and the little smudge, who had stopped to grab a bite of something that was left behind. Cautiously, the shadow slunk forward, his mercury gaze soft as he studied the sullen figure of his brother. Greer offered a hushed woof in greeting, his velvety ears pressed to the back of his skull. 

shooting broken arrows in the dark

Niles had been staring at the little black corpse in the snow when a bark reached his ears. His head jerked upward and he stared into the leaner, thinner figure of his older brother. He stepped over his quarry of frozen bird (which had been reduced to old sinew, feathers, scaled skin, and other birdy things that were not edible) and, with the squaring of his shoulders and a prolonged stare, he made sure to let his sibling know that he did not intend to share. He had every intention to make the old avian something like a "soother" or a security blanket (or, rather, item...); he needed it, if that was not clear enough. Regardless, the distance between them was closed and the younger Archer-Lyall felt a fragment of the standoffishness he had been carrying melt away.

He sniffed, swallowing a bit of gristle that he had pinned between the roof of his mouth and his tongue. In turn, he lowered his head and relaxed his posture, staring down at the grotesquely curled foot of the raven. A small whimper emitted from him; it was the only sound he could presently make. Grief had robbed him of the words he actually so greatly missed - and, if anyone, deserved to hear him speak, it had been Greer, whose words were few but ears were always open.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Greer was not good with emotions or comforting others. Even when they had found Isolde’s frozen body the shadow was incapable of showing support for his father and the rest of his family, and hoped his presence had been enough. After they had taken her body to the burial sight Greer had visited his little sister when the crowds had dispersed to grieve alone. Her death had been unexpected, but continuing to mourn her was not going to bring her back; there was nothing that could bring her back. As sad as he was, the shadow knew he could not be fixated on his sister’s death — not like Niles. He could not — would not — let it consume him.

Niles, however, was a different story. This was his littermate; they had grown together, gotten into trouble together, done everything together. And she had been ripped away from him. As much as he want to shake the little Archer loose of his grief, Greer knew it was going to be a difficult — if not impossible — task.

The shadow remained where he was as his brother hovered over the bird, making a point to say that the frigid creature was his and he would not be sharing. Rolling his shoulders with indifference Greer studied the boy through narrowed brows, his mercury pools soft as he noticed how Niles’ fur hugged the bones of his ribs. He remained where he was until a soft whimper from the youngest Archer caused the shadow to step forward. Keeping a respectful distance between himself and Niles the long-legged spider plopped himself onto the ground just a few steps away, his slender maw pointed at his brother. Silence was what he did best and, from what he understood, was the best method of support. He would not speak until he heard Niles’ voice disturb the air around them.

shooting broken arrows in the dark

At first there were only whimpers, little attempts at sounds that were meant to be words. Tiny peeps and low mumbling jibberish like: "Mmm..." and "Greee--" and "Wuhhh..." At some point, he had to stop completely and focus on something other than the dead bird at his feet. As much as he had wanted to continue eating it, he couldn't anymore, but the thought of offering it to Greer was still out of the question. He had already made plans to steal it away and use it as a means to keep the loneliness away when Ravenna was off somewhere without him.

He stepped forward so that he was close enough to his older sibling as to be within reach if either of them bothered to extend out a forepaw. In the process, he took care to slide the raven behind him before he sat down. His black-masked face was distorted and his gaze flit to Greer three times before he was able to find and keep hold of his voice. "It hurts."

His nose scrunched up and his body tensed as his stocky frame shivered. "When- Will it ever stop?" His eyes closed, his nostrils and eyes stinging with the sadness he had tried so hard to keep bottled up in his cavernous chest. "I just... I miss her so much."

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

i am so so sorry this took so long <3 :c @Niles

Niles was not like the shadow; he did not know how to disconnect with his emotions. He was still young — always learning — and had not experienced such a devastating loss in his short life. Greer had lost his own siblings, but not to death (as far as he knew). They had gone off on their own adventures, and while he missed their presence, he could not help but be envious of their freedom.

However, Isolde would never experience that freedom. She would never experience anything at all. Her life had been cut far too short and it was not fair. The shadow was more angry than he was sad — angry that she had been ripped away from the world too soon. Angry that she did not get to see her first birthday. Angry that she would not see the birth of her cousins. Angry that she would never get to see the rest of Relic Lore and make lasting friendships… fall in love… experience life.

It should have been Nicolo, he thought bitterly to himself as his forehead creased, his attention wavering from his little brother until the smudge’s voice called out, breaking the silence. The previous anger reduced to embers as he studied the boy’s features breaking, piece by piece. It hurts. He blinked, his velvet ears falling against the back of his skull as he drew closer to his little brother, his dark frame curled up next to the smaller shadow. “Never stop,” he admitted as he placed his chin on Niles’ forehead, a tight frown stretching across his maw. “Will get better. Need time.” He paused, his chest heaving as a sigh rolled off his tongue. “Greer miss Issy also.” There was no need to lie to the little Archer; it would never stop hurting. Loss was a terrible thing and there was no easy to overcome it.

shooting broken arrows in the dark

"Never stop" the older Archer-Lyall said and Niles felt as though his heart had become free-floating in his chest. It contracted and seemingly struggled to keep beating, it was as though it were attached to nothing and what few heartstrings he had left were tethered only to his immediate family. The one that was figuratively fastened to Greer limping hung between them, buzzing with both static and low-current energy. There was so much to be said but, in the end, there were only so many words that needed to be used. Greer understood; he missed Isolde, too.

Gradually, Niles fully pressed him into Greer's dark chest. If he had been smaller, like he had been all those months ago, he was certain that he could have been unseeable... invisible. A part of him was so certain that if he couldn't be seen, the sadness had no chances of finding him. As it was, he soaked in what comfort his older brother had to offer. In time he would learn to not depend on Greer so much as a means for feedback (like he had when he wanted assurance to come out of the Infirmary on his own or when he wanted help to look for Angier and Elettra when they had seemingly been gone for too long or he desperately needed to look for Isolde), but for now he needed this.

He pressed one side of his face into that plush pelt and then the other, ultimately pressing his forehead to Greer's shoulder with the softest of whines. "Will I ever see her again?"

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

There was no reason to sugar-coat death to the younger Archer. Lying and saying that the pain would subside was absurd. His family was the only thing the shadow truly cared for (aside from himself, of course). Greer did not want his little brother to be angry with him for lying to him. He did not deserve that. He deserved the truth.

For someone who did not know how to comfort others — and did not like to — he was doing a lot of it lately. A small frown creased his lips at the thought. Perhaps it was his silent nature that allowed others to feel like they could open up to him… surely he did not look trusting? He was brethren to the darkness. In order to remain distant he had succumbed to it, allowing it to consume him. Blood, however, was a different story; blood would always come first. Regardless of how aloof and detached he wanted to be, blood was not something he could ignore. As his brother clung to his dark body, searching for consolation, Greer could feel his exterior softening. For Niles, he kept telling himself, when his mouth grew bitter with distain. For Niles.

He nodded softly in response to the boy’s question, his forehead smooth as he studied the smudge curiously. “In dreams,” he started, ears flattening as he continued, “In memories. Issy around. Always.” Greer tapped the middle of his brother’s forehead with his nose: “Here.” No matter where Niles went, or who he was with, Isolde would always be with him. 

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