Riddle Heights gotta be everything more

For @Nicolò only.
Dated for June 5th, late afternoon.
Random Event: Flash flooding has caused local landslides.

Earlier that day had been so pleasant as far as the weather was concerned, and then the clouds had marched in from the horizon and chased the sun away. With little more warning than their swift presence, the downpour had begun, unleashing waves of water too quickly for the ground to soak up. It rushed over the ground in sheets that swept against his paws and threatened to steal his balance as he navigated the rocky terrain downward. The boy gritted his teeth together in focus, determined to beat the worst of it home. His mind brought up the faint memory of being caught in the rapids, slamming against the smooth, hard rocks with no hope of breaking free from the current himself. It had taken @Hecate to save him, and Sven was determined he would not be subjected to such humiliation again.

With careful confidence he managed to reach the shift in terrain where the slate gave way to dirt and brush. He had anticipated this to be easier to traverse, but was swiftly proven wrong. The ground gave under his weight, shift in sloughing heaps. Sven attempted to dig in and fight against it. It took only seconds for him to learn that this would be impossible, and his assured demeanor began to falter as he realized that he had failed to beat the clock. This was turning very dangerous, very fast.

Left with little other options, the boy lurched forward. The ground continued to give beneath him, and he only managed to get a few paces ahead of the landslide before it gained its full momentum. With gravity's help he flew as quickly as he could, desperate to escape what would surely be the end of him.

Things had finally settled down in Willow Ridge to the point where Nicolo felt comfortable enough to leave the territory. It had been raining constantly for quite some time now, causing concern for some of the territories. Puddles filled and connected. The alpha of the Ridge was concerned about the pack territory but also the surrounding area. After he took time to gather any information he could about the territory and deeming it safe enough to remain in for now, Nicolo set off to view others territories. What worried him most was the mountains. The wolf's pace was brisk as he made his way towards Riddle Heights, not feeling the need to hurry. Tensions were lower within the pack and no one needed him currently. He had the time he needed to see what damage had been done to their hunting grounds and go back. What he was not expecting was the horrid landslide that greeted him and...Sven. Nicolo stood off to the side for a few moments, his heart beating anxiously in is chest as he watched his nephew's son race away from the disaster of death. It only took the alpha a moment to race after him, his paws soft against the ground. He pushed himself to avoid the landslide and in order to catch up with Sven. The dark Archer had never grown close to the boy but he was family and he had stayed after Morganna's departure. That meant something to him, in the least. When he felt he was close enough, he spoke to the boy, "Sven, run towards Fireweed Rise!" The trees would block some of the landslide on their way in that direction, if the boy listened, and if any trees fell, they would be able to avoid most of them in the open fields. Hopefully, they would both be able to get out of this disaster in one piece.

WesternStock @ DA, KYghost @ DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Sven's heart was beating loudly within his chest, but he could only feel it as the groan of the earth as it continued to heave down the mountainside drowned out all else. It thudded within his ears and against his throat as he ran. Stupid, stupid, stupid he scolded himself, but then, how could he have seen this coming? The rain had come so suddenly, and the ground had drown too quick for him to have time to realize just how bad things would get. Continuously he felt his paws slip, purchase just an illusion at this point, but miraculously he had yet to lose his balance, thin long legs keeping up just barely as it all helped him to careen faster downhill.

Without warning, something different was within his ears, and the boy only dared look from the corners of his eyes to see what it was. Nicolo? The man was on the fringe, running where the ground was still solid, and with wheezing breaths Sven attempted to subtly veer himself toward his great uncle. Yet moving sideways decreased his speed, and so his progress was minimal. Fireweed he had heard, and his gaze snapped ahead to lock onto the terrain below. It was close, a lot closer than he had feared, his heart leaping as he realized that this might soon be over.

Without a further glance to the charcoal man to his side, Sven put everything he had into reaching that tree line. When his flank brushed roughly past the bark of one tree then bounced off a second, no pain was felt; he was far too elated to have actually beaten the landslide to worry about minor scrapes and bruises. His momentum was hard to slow, and it wasn't under the thundering had stopped that he finally came to a slow and panting stop.

His chest heaved, tongue lolling from betwixt his jaws as his widened eyes looked behind him; the earth had stilled at last, a mound of it steeped around the trunks. From the looks of it, several trees had even been felled by the mud and stone. A grin victorious grin spread over his face until he remembered; Nicolo.

Ears pivoting and eyes searching, he sought out the dark frame of his uncle. He had been on solid ground, he had made it out safe hadn't he?

"Uncle Nicolo?"

(This post was last modified: Jun 20, 2016, 01:41 AM by Sven.)

His nephew appeared to understand his message even though his initial intentions of veering closer to him alarmed the dark man. Nicolo felt relief seep into his heart when Sven hauled ass towards his directions, the dark brown wolf not far behind him. Legs use to the art of running did not slow once they passed through the trees and it took awhile for him to come to a complete stop. High on endorphins, the uncle looped back around the look for the younger member of his pack. The young boy he had initially isolated and shunned. It didn't take long for the dark Archer to find the boy, his questioning voice echoing through the quiet. He was quick to make his way towards Skoll's son. His eyes were wide when he arrived, yellow eyes surveying the damage done to the area around him, voice strong when he spoke, "Sven, are you alright?" His head turned towards the smaller boy, assessing him for any physical damage. From what he could see, there were no dire injuries that Nicolo would have to immediately get him care for and the Archer felt as though he could relax. They had been lucky to get out of that situation without any sustainable injuries and even if he didn't particularly know the young man well, it didn't mean that he hoped ill upon him.

WesternStock @ DA, KYghost @ DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

gonna cover myself in the ashes of you

Was he alright. It was exceptionally rare that someone asked the teenager that question, and he supposed it was reasonable that it would come about then in exceptional circumstances. His pale eyes regarded his uncle, equally enlarged by the gravity of what had just been escaped. Still he had not been able to catch his breath, and while he was able to pull his tongue back behind his teeth he could not help his unhinged jaw and heavy pants. It affected his words as he finally spoke them, airy and faint compared to his normally heavy tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he informed the alpha. The youth turned step by step, gaze leaving his great uncle to instead survey the destruction behind them once more. As the adrenaline worked its way slowly out of his system, room was made to recognize more than just 'the danger is over.' How many wolves could say that they had outrun a landslide? How many wolves had even been so close to such danger? It was like taunting the bear with @Craw all over again, and the likeness of that memory caused him to wish briefly that it had been his ugly ink-stained dial running alongside him instead of Nicolo's.

"Why did you help?" he asked suddenly, twin moons leaping back onto the charcoal features of the man his father could not topple. This, what had just happened, clashed within the boy's mind with the picture the others had painted of the alpha. Was it possible that they had not been completely right?

and nobodys gonna give a damn

(This post was last modified: Aug 21, 2016, 10:00 PM by Sven.)

The teen's bated breath told the older man that the run had taken just as much out of the boy as it had him. It was much of a relief that both of them had gotten out of the landslide unscathed. He huffed softly, doing his best to get his breathing under control. As Sven turned to look at the damage done to the lands, Nicolo's pale yellow eyes followed, a frown etched upon his features. It was a shame that the disaster had taken out so much but it only meant new things to come in the future. They remained silent and the dark Archer followed his nephew to process his near death experience. As exhilarating as it was, Nic found that he could do without it. At least, this experience in particular. As the sandy boy's voice sounded next to him, his gaze moved towards him again, showing that he held his full attention. The alpha's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  It was a simple question but he felt as if the answer were obvious. Licking his teeth, he mulled over his words, "What do you mean? You were in danger...so I helped you." This boy had been shunned since birth and it made Nic feel guilty for never seeking him out as a children. For seeing if he ever needed anything or asking if he wanted to know anything about life. Had Skoll taught him lessons? Did Sven know what he wanted to do when he got older? Did he have a certain path he wanted to follow? The dark Archer pondered this as he looked upon the back of the younger boy. Would he have done the same for me?

WesternStock @ DA, KYghost @ DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief