Wild Cherry Orchard the path to hel

For @Drestig -- since the AW got scooped before my butt got there!  Light rain, evening time.

Kjell surged through the forest, mist rolling off his back in little droplets.  Under different circumstances, he might have found a safe place to wait out the rain – but a hunt waited for no man, and the sooner he could confirm or deny the witch’s suspicions, he could come to peace once more.  Revenge was not a thought he’d entertained in quite some time, but to have the opportunity so close at paw, well – that was something the dragon prince was not about to overlook so quickly.

He did not much care for the Mother, nor believe in Her so-called powers – but he knew a blessing where he saw one.  Might even make an offering to the all-knowing goddess if this snake hunt ended up in his favor.

This orchard, this was where he met the girl.  The one that knew of the All-Mother already.  Knew other things.  Seemed a bit odd, that girl, but it was one step closer to where he needed to be.  If he could just find her again, that she might point him where he needed to go – now that, he’d consider a true miracle.  Lifting his nose high, he scented nothing of the girl, only the stink of cherry trees beginning to blossom.

“Shit.”

(This post was last modified: Apr 25, 2016, 05:15 PM by Kjell.)

note to self: set sometime before March 25th

The sun had set beyond the horizon, bringing an end to yet another, fruitless day. Drestig Avalon was not one for pessimism, especially now, when he had left behind so much in favor of hope. But time kept rushing through his paws, running off with nothing left behind as price for its passing. Just gone. It was starting to get worrying, feelings of regret threatening at the edge of his mind; Did I do the right thing? But it didn't matter, there was no use in such thoughts, since there was no going back. Still, after watching the last rays of gold fade beyond the distant trees, he had felt way to restless for sleep, opting instead to go hunting, now when the rabbits were most active and least cautious.

A light rain fell from the charcoal heavens, padding against similar-colored fur with an almost imperceptible touch. Lids hung heavy, half closing glowing ember eyes as they searched over the ground before him. His nose quivered, doing its best to seek out a meal, but finding nothing but water. Until, unexpectedly, a wave of unfamiliar scent hit him, making him freeze in place and jolt up his head. He narrowed his eyes further to gaze through the mist, continuing to sniff heavily, trying to identify the approacher. A lone wolf, looking as dark as Drestig himself in the low light, appeared out of the blurry shadows, his paler underbelly looking ghostly against the swarthy coat. His scent revealed no pack affiliation, as far as the older wolf could tell, yet he appeared strong and healthy, the single word suddenly falling from his maw ringing deep. "I hope that wasn't directed at me," The graying man commented, taking a relaxed stance across from the new arrival. Company was not what he had expected from this late stroll, but he would take it gladly; Anything to distract my mind right now..!

Word count: 319

"Speech" Thoughts

   

“Huh?”

Kjell’s head jerked upwards at the sound of his voice – in his single-minded search for that girl, he’d completely missed the presence of another wolf.  The swarthy stranger seemed to emerge straight from shadows, a creature of legend, a beast not entirely lupine, and he made a low noise.  Ears flicked forwards and back, forwards and back, a visual representation of a racing mind as the loner tried to process how he’d overlooked him entirely.

After another moment, it dawns on him that the wolf had actually asked him something.  The dark male gave himself a whole body shake before he turned, properly facing the sizeable answer.  “Naw,” Kjell answered, rolling his shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.  Ears pricked forward even as his tail hung in a neutral position. “Was thinking ‘bout something.  Well, actually, I was lookin’ fer someone.  This girl?  Silvery lookin’, with real light blue eyes.  Almost freaky pale.  You seen her?  This is the last place, but--”

He shrugged again, a long sigh dragging through his nostrils.  Didn’t seem like she was anywhere near by, and he couldn’t smell her.  If this guy didn’t live here, didn’t know who he was talking about…eh, he was probably shit out of luck.

The stranger was obviously startled by his remark, clearly not noticing his presence until then. Drestig couldn't keep the smirk from his lips, eyes shimmering warmly through the mist. It took some time before the younger wolf fully focused on his sudden company, seeming to have been deep in his own thoughts when their paths crossed. But he didn't blame the graying man for his fright, when he finally spoke up, instead launching into an explanation of what he had been so preoccupied with. Surprised by this honestly, Drestig perked his ears, lightly wrinkling his brow at the description; Girl… Silvery? His mind naturally went to only one place, though the finishing details made it clear that this was not the same wolf the dark brute was talking about. He also couldn't imagine anyone calling Jessie a girl, the very concept making him snicker.

To the bistre stranger, he shook his head, giving an apologetic shrug of his own shoulders. "Sorry," He said, flashing a thin smile; "If she's got blue eyes, then it ain't my lady, and I don't know much of anyone else around here." With the honesty of the other, Drestig felt a need to open up a bit himself, and he had to admit, using the phrase my lady send a pleasurable tickle down his spine. This left them at an impasse though, the younger man having apparently been cut off in the middle of his search, and the older wolf having no information to contribute. He shuffled lightly from paw to paw, considering for a moment if it was worth the effort; To hell with it! The stranger might want to head straight back on his trail, but in case he wasn't so keen, his counterpart offered a simple introduction: "But I'm Drestig, Drestig Avalon."

Word count: 300

"Speech" Thoughts

“Ah, shit.  Was worth the ask, I guess,” Kjell groused, twisting his nose to one side.  He figured it’d be a long shot.  It’d been some time since finding the girl, after all – and he certainly wanted no trouble pertaining to this guy’s lady.  Rarely did the bond of mateship deter him from any sort of flirtation; but today he was on a mission.  That, and he’d never met this particular woman.  Far be it from him to sign up for something before getting an eyeful.  No one had ever accused Kjell of being anything more than shallow; he had no interest in an ugly woman.

So he shifted his weight, rolling his shoulders as he brushed the mystery woman from mind.  She was lost to the wind – better to focus on the present, lest he land himself in a world of hurt.  “I’m Kjell.  Kjell Avalon,” he hummed, dipping his head just once. “Don’t belong to anywhere – ‘er anyone,” he added with a wry grin, one eye winking right quick. “Ain’t lookin’ fer that reason, neither.  She jes’ – knew some family information.”  The All-Mother was a family thing, wasn’t it?  An Ered Luin thing?  Who else could have taught her but someone from his old pack?  What if--  What if--?  The notions swirled around his mind. “This gonna be another crazy ask, but--  Y’know if there’s any Kjors runnin’ ‘bout these parts?  ‘Er someone else from Ered Luin, yeah?”

Drestig nodded empathetically, the stranger had seemed quite keen on finding this girl of his, the disappointment was understandable. He seemed to shake it pretty quickly though, offering his own introduction in reply. The name rang a distant bell in the Avalon's mind, brows furrowing as he tried to dig out the memory; Sørenson… It was not exactly a common ringing name. Kjell continued to speak though, and his words drew the older man's attention out of his head for the moment. The comments made him snort, though he grinned back at the bistre wolf, he remembered those kind of feelings very well from his own early days in the Lore; We'll see..! He mused. In his own experience, it was simply a matter of the right place, and once winter came knocking, Kjell might very well find himself on a border line, needing protection from the cold. But Drestig wasn't about to pressure him into anything, especially when that thing was so insecure yet.

The cryptic mention of family information, caused a silvered brow to quirk, but it was quickly forgotten as he moved on to another question, a crease instead forming along the elder mans forehead. The name sparked the earlier ghostly memory back to life, and both his brows flew up as everything clicked; Kjors Sørenson! Kisla's advisor, now that he remembered it was all so obvious, this brute might still be in possession of both his eyes, but they sparkled a parallel, bright gold, and the cream accented, swarthy coat had a similar, uncanny resemblance. 'Family secrets'..! But what relation exactly? Drestig looked the other male over for another moment; "I don't know anything about… Ered Luin?" He drawled, trying to by himself a little more time to deliberate. He wasn't exactly sure how much to disclose up front, the dragon – the other dragon – had never mentioned relatives. Then again, they'd never had a discussion where it might come up, he barely knew the guy.

Finally, the graying wolf shrugged his shoulders lightly, tilting his head towards Kjell with a thoughtful pucker; "But Kjors… A relative of yours? The name does sound familiar." That seemed fair enough, prompt the other to divulge a little more before deciding exactly how much to tell him; I don't wanna get in the way of a happy reunion, after all.

Word count: 390

"Speech" Thoughts

(This post was last modified: Oct 23, 2016, 09:23 PM by Drestig.)