Hearthwood River uncover your eyes

for @Kisla <3

Since the death of Maksim and the arrival of both the twins and Karina’s bundle of joy, Lachesis had not seen as much of Kisla as he would have liked. He felt guilty for being so caught up in his own life and being insensitive toward what had happened in hers. Not only had she lost Maksim, but she had also lost some of her children, who had wandered away from Hearthwood. It was also the first year in several that Kisla had not given birth. There had been a lot of unexpected changes in her life, and XIX felt as though he owed it to his late friend to be there for his widow.

The marks on his cheek were beginning to fade and the limp in his leg was almost completely gone. While he had won the challenge Lachesis was still worried that once his health returned Kjors would be in hot pursuit of the throne. The ghost would hold onto his position until his dying breath — he would not allow Hearthwood to fall into the claws of the dragon. This was his pack and his home; he would not allow Kjors to take control. But, as much as Hearthwood was his, it also belonged to Kisla. As he dragged himself from his infirmary the ghost wondered if the queen had gotten word of the challenge. A frown creased his maw as he made his way to her den. The sun had not yet risen from the horizon, which meant that most of the river wolves would still be in deep slumber.

Hovering at the entrance to Kisla’s den he called down to her, asking for her to follow him before he slunk away to the river’s edge, away from prying ears. The air was beginning to grow colder as August dragged on. Soon fall would takeover the lands of Relic Lore, followed swiftly by the arrival of winter. He shuddered at the thought. The ghost hoped their numbers would increase by then, but only time would tell.

stick with those who stick with you

She was not used to visitors – the wolves of the River had seemingly tiptoed about her after the loss of her mate, her best friend, and the dispersal of Orren. She had encouraged this as well, seeking none out – the pups of the pack remained strangers to her still, and while a part of her ached at the thought of missing this time with her granddaughter, she could not bring herself to do much these days.

Was she even a leader any longer, or had another assumed her position during her absence? She would not have been surprised, nor would she necessarily have been opposed.

Yet the familiar voice of Lachesis broke through these thoughts, and while the woman hesitated at his request, she soon slunk forward, her green eyes blinking against the harsh sunlight. Thinning, wary, the Baranski matriarch followed dutifully after the healer, her eyes sharply taking in his own injuries with rising upset. “Who? When?” Not once had she thought to ask why, and as she came up to his side, the honeyed woman tentatively brought her nose gingerly to the ivory wolf’s cheek, wondering how much of herself she had lost – and in turn, what had occurred during her alone time.

sparking up my heart

For a fleeting moment he did not know if the green-eyed leader would follow him. She had distanced herself from the pack in recent weeks and the healer did not blame her. Too much had happened in such  a short period of time; it was a lot to handle. He did not once push her out of her comfort zone, for XIX knew that when she was ready she would leave her shell behind.

Her presence was confirmed by her soft steps thudding against the ground and a frail smile broke his stoic exterior. However, it did not last long. Her questions were short and to the point: who and when. His frown quickly returned as the tawny queen brushed his cheek with her nose, the concern evident in her wide, green gaze. “Kjors,” he started, his upper lip curling at the name, “a few weeks ago.” He paused, his tail flicking in annoyance. “He challenged me for my rank.” He did not need to state that the one-eyed dragon did not succeed, for Nineteen was certain he wouldn’t be having this conversation if Kjors had taken hold of Hearthwood.

“I’m not sure what brought it on, and I don’t think it’ll be the last time he’ll pursue it.” Hs voice was clipped as the words rolled off his tongue. It was evident that the Stark was not a fan of the older wolf, nor did he trust him. However, he had been appointed as Kisla’s advisor many, many weeks ago. His frown deepened at the thought while his chartreuse gaze focused on the sparrow before him in anticipation of her response. 

stick with those who stick with you

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Kjors.

The name was spoken with distinct distaste from her ivory companion – something she would have balked at prior to the devastation the pack had recently felt, but she felt an ember spark in her chest at the name, igniting further in her bright green eyes. Maksim had not been dead in the ground for a season yet and she had heard nothing from the dragon. The wolf she had considered friend once had not sought her out – he had done nothing for her grief, nor had he advised her.

He certainly had not told her intentions of challenging the wolf Maksim had felt he best trusted in his place.

Her own lip curled back, and her muzzle lifted – a surge of pride finally wove its way once more to her very being, and she could feel the fury of the scenario before her. Kjors had tried to take advantage of the wolves she called family in their time of grief – Naia’s death, Maksim’s death.. the pack had been reeling since. Kjors had been blatant of his dislike for both during their time alive -- and it would seem he could not even respect them when they were dead. She would have none of this.

The dragon had stepped much too far this time.

“He’s not welcome here any longer. Any wolf who takes advantage of its family during a time of mourning is not a wolf but a snake – I want him gone." Lachesis was her equal in all maters of the River.. but she did not leave room for argument in her voice, and her eyes sparked toward him, wondering if he would resist her demand.

sparking up my heart

At first the ghost expected the tawny wolf to defend her Advisor. They were supposed to be close, were they not? Truthfully, XIX had not seen much of the one-eyed dragon prior to the challenge. After the deaths of Maksim and Naia, the older male had kept to the shadows, seemingly uninterested in pack affairs. Was he even distraught over the loss?

It appeared as though the dragon did not care about the losses Hearthwood had been hit with. Otherwise, he would not have challenged Lachesis so soon after Naia’s death. Perhaps he had been waiting for the perfect opportunity — when the ghost’s mental state was just a little weaker — in order to challenge for the throne. His frown deepened at the thought. A wolf like that was not welcome in Hearthwood. Lachesis could no longer trust the one-eyed dragon (not that he did before) and did not want Kjors anywhere near him, his children, or the rest of his pack.

He snorted in agreement at Kisla’s words one the initial surprise wore off. He felt guilty for thinking that she would have defended her lacklustre Advisor, but he was glad to be proven wrong. “I couldn’t agree with you more,” he responded quickly, his tail flicking in annoyance. Kisla was clearly livid with this discovery and wanted nothing to do with the grizzly male — and Lachesis could not be happier. He was glad that the dragon’s facade was fading, fast.

The ghost tipped his nose up as he studied his green-eyed counterpart, as if to ask when they would be tossing the dragon from their home. 

stick with those who stick with you

Sorry for the hold up!

With the two leaders in agreeance – the first true matter that had come to them as a pair now that Maksim was gone from them, she felt a certain finality of her decision. Kjors had been a friend to her at one point – but she had not seen the one-eyed male for some time now. Never had he bothered to seek her out after losing her mate, and it only seemed to further highlight his hatred for the fallen River King. The mere fact he had brazenly challenged Lachesis during their times of crisis and heartache only seemed to enforce to the she-wolf that Kjors cared for nothing but his own ambitions – and so when Lachesis spoke his agreement, she gave a swift nod.

“Good,” she rumbled, her tail giving an idle lash in her anger. Her eyes drifted from her ivory companion, stealing out to the landscape of the River. “Let’s do it now.” She did not feel the need to converse with the pack prior to this decision – and with another quick glance to Lachesis, the Baranski woman tipped her muzzle up, trying to determine the direction the foul beast might be.

She was quick on her pale paws as she would seek him out, her slender form moving with a purpose that had been missing from her the moment she had laid her husband to rest. Enough was enough. Yet as she struck out, she would come to find the dragon not as easy to find, and her pace would slow as it neared his usual haunting area – Karina's den, with Bennet. Was she willing to cause such a scene in front of her granddaughter?

(This post was last modified: Sep 30, 2016, 04:52 PM by Kisla.)

sparking up my heart

Even if he wanted to disagree with his friend he couldn’t. Her decision was final — they would seek out the dragon now, before he was able to see it coming. They had the element of surprise on their side; as far as Kjors was concerned he and Kisla were still on good terms. The healer was thankful that his tawny partner no longer wanted anything to do with the dragon. He no longer had to keep his negative feelings toward the grizzly wolf under lock and key.

Without hesitation the pale wolf followed his friend as she tracked down their prey. As they maneuvered through Hearthwood the ghost began to worry about their numbers and the coming winter; however, he quickly dismissed the thoughts with a sharp wag of his tail. If anything, the dragon was going to negatively effect their numbers — especially if he managed to defeat XIX in a rank challenge. They would find a way to survive the winter, just as they always did. Without the dragon.

The pair drew closer to their destination — the dragon was much more difficult to track than anticipated — a realization began to settle in the pit of his stomach. A frown creased his liquorice lips as he stopped abruptly, chartreuse gaze fixated on the tawny wolf before him. “No,” he started, his reluctant tone growing more apparent as words continued to drop off his tongue: “not now. Not in front of them.” Surely Kisla was thinking the same. “We will call for him, away from them.” 

stick with those who stick with you

She paused as her companion and co-lead requested they take care of the dragon away from the others -- somehow, it felt wrong to the honeyed woman -- as if Lachesis held doubt over their decision. Her green eyes regarded him quietly, but she nodded, any argument she held dying at her lips for now -- he had been the one truly wronged -- and it was a decision that would certainly affect his children, given the role Kjors played within the youths lives.

"Very well," she agreed, but she was still less inclined to wait upon such business. Directing her muzzle to the borders, the Baranski leader began to lope away from the scent of the dragon and their would-be spectators -- the job could be even less sloppy if held at the borders, where the pair could instead ensure he was directed out without any form of hesitation.. for she did not trust him within her lands any longer.

Maksim had despised him, others had warned her of his misdeeds -- Kisla had stood beside Kjors, insisting the man was misjudged. But when she had needed him the most? He had been nowhere to be found, despite his title as her advisor. And even more so, in the wake of news of her mate's death, Kjors sought to usurp power for himself. No longer would she be blinded.

sparking up my heart

feel free to fade w/ ur post or just archive! <3 @Kisla

He knew that she wanted to deal with the situation as quickly as possible—and so did he. However with Karina being so directly involved with the dragon, they needed to dispose of Kjors in a more delicate manner. Away from the pack and the children. They could do the job now—they just needed to find the one-eyed male and pull him away from the prying eyes of the river wolves. The ghost knew that the twins wouldn’t be happy with the decision, for they had grown attached to the older male. It was for the best—Lachesis did not trust the man to be around his children. He had shown the ghost his true intentions—as far as XIX was concerned, the man was now deemed a threat.

Without another word the ghost followed his co-lead to the borders. Quick and painless. They would explain their decision to the pack later. There was no room for debate: their decision was final. They could not allow the dragon to remain a part of Hearthwood any longer. Once his injuries were healed there was no doubt in Lachesis’ mind that Kjors would try to challenge him a second time. He didn’t want to find out…

They would call for the dragon at the borders to remove him, peacefully, from the pack. He knew that their decision was already going to cause turmoil amongst the river wolves, but they wanted to minimize the effect as much as possible…

(This post was last modified: Dec 31, 2016, 06:59 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you