Kingsfall All I Need Is Some Sunshine

Prob evening after the group from OTB reach HR. Any welcome, please just give me a heads up before you join!
Also sleepy writing this so might be a little messy haha

The tension in their little group was palpable and Larkin was glad to finally have the chance to get away from it all. When they'd made it to Hearthwood River's lands, he'd quietly slipped away from the group. Feeling more free than he had in a long time, the man hadn't quite left the trio of Bend members to continue his search for... "For what?" his mind bitterly spat, which only left his stomach bubbling with anger and regret. He felt more like a lost little pup than the strong and confident ex-alpha that he was supposed to be.

But he wasn't, he wasn't much of anything that he used to be. Now he was scared, and acting strange, and doing stupid things. He knew better, and he knew that he knew better, which only made him feel more lost and confused. "You're just crazy," he thought, and wished he could feel some sort of solace in those words. He was still struggling with the concept, and besides being... different, and feeling... also different, he was still functioning. Wolves that had lost their minds weren't, and maybe he was just... growing.

Larkspur sighed, wishing that the weight on his chest would leave him. It didn't, so he did his best to try to enjoy his moment of solitude. The forest, thick with redwood trees, was beautiful. It wasn't ghastly like it was in Oak Tree Bend, not as eerie. Finding a small stream, Larkspur stepped into it, tightly closing his eyes as he hummed and wished everything was better.

(This post was last modified: Jul 29, 2016, 04:21 PM by Larkspur.)

hi hello my name is sarah i will be your roleplay partner today. please keep all hands and legs inside the vehicle.

Since their initial talks with her cousin had concluded, Sahalie was free to roam about the area as she pondered the things that had passed between the two packs. Everything had gone smoothly, and though the girl enjoyed the prettiness of the forest she already felt a creeping itch at her paws telling her that it was time to go home. It was as if Hearthwood River were just another box on a checklist and there were many other duties to be done. Clearly scout-work was not her calling. She wondered if it was for @Kino now that he finally got a taste of a "mission," if he'd tell her he didn't want to be her advisor anymore. Chewing on her lip as she walked, her nose caught the scent of Larkspur.

So this was where he had wandered off to. 

He hadn't stuck around long after the meeting, though really there was no reason for him to. He had no kin here, no ties here. It was just another place, and probably not quite north enough since, as she twisted her head, there was still land that continued in that cardinal direction. As she neared it became apparent that he was humming—not a musical sort of humming, though, more like a humming that would cancel out all the noise in and or out of one's head. Sahalie had to wonder if Larkspur would ever be alright, like really alright. Something was always off with him and it was truly unfortunate. "Hey," she barked softly, coming up around him.

"Whatcha thinking?"

Everything didn't quite seem loud enough. He tried to really feel the coldness of the stream, or really hear the birds chit-chatting away. His teeth firmly clamped together as he tried to get out of his own head for a little bit, to try and relax and think about nothing for a little while. But that odd, crawling feeling was there, and there to stay. Hey, someone barked out, causing Larkspur to spin around. For a split second, he was angry. His fur was on end, his eyes pinned at the stranger and his teeth were showing. He almost let out a big, nasty, get away from me snarl, but in the instant that he realized it was just @Sahalie, he deflated. Lark turned around and plopped himself back into the cold water and considered her question.

"I'm thinking about where I'll go," he confessed, which only seemed to increase his anxiety. "I don't have much of a plan, and I never did. It used to do me good, going into things and not expecting anything in the end," he'd always applauded himself for it. Hell, he'd even thought it made him better, it kept him on his toes and kept him spry. Now it only made him worried, and as much as he wanted to just curl up and pretend the world didn't exist for a little while, he knew continuing on was going to be his best plan of action.

"Doesn't feel like it does me any good any more." It wasn't so much the unknown that scared him, and not exactly the fear of the unknown that he felt. That was normal, that he knew was normal. What wasn't normal is that he didn't trust himself anymore, and how everything he did was starting to feel all wrong. Lark didn't look at her, and instead tried to think of where he may be in the end.

"You all heading back soon?"

Her ears turned backwards. The girl had already more or less known that it would happen this way, as she had told Alastor, "We'll probably reach Kingsfall and he'll be on his merry way and out of our fur." And here they were, in the forest of sequoias, and Larkspur was thinking of where to go. Preparation could not prevent her from feeling...whatever this strange emotion was, rolling around inside her. Sure, she'd miss him because she enjoyed their odd, disfunctional relationship, but also she missed how things had been before Lark had come to town. Then again, the man had added a little spice to the daily grind of waking, tending to the pups, and returning to her den to sleep.

She sighed, ruminating on those thoughts and the own ideas he introduced into the air—since it seemed he was more "thinking aloud" than talking to her. Did Sahalie ever had a plan? There was that whole idea: the one about her future as a Leader of Oak Tree Bend, and in that plan there was a place for Alastor. But it was not really a plan because plans had steps and this had none. It was really more of a goal. Should she have a plan? Her eyes drifted sideways towards the battered form of her unwilling friend. Plan or no plan, it seemed that nothing had ever done him any good. Life had not been kind to him, but this was maybe how Lark liked it.

Nodding once in respones to his question, she proposed her own"Not sure about going north anymore? Seems like from what Hearthwood River said it's mostly empty land, probably wouldn't run into any problems."

The rumbling of acid in her stomach only increased. Ah, she noted at last, this was why: "There's....there's always a place for you at the bend, you know. I mean, to me there is.... if you...don't wanna come back I'll tell everyone you got lost. They don't like deserters. Probably the only thing anyone is firm on. But if I said you got lost then you could come back if you wanted to?" Why was she offering to lie for him (again)?

The redwood forest of Kingsfall had always been a wonderful place for thinking. A month had passed since Karina’s conversation with Lilya, when the Baranski princess had realized that despite her lineage, she and her chosen family did not belong in Kingsfall. Since then her daughter had doubled in size and was looking more like her father with every passing day. How long could she keep her secret when the evidence of her crime was walking and talking right under Kisla’s nose? Barely a half-moon ago, Kjors had battled Lachesis for his rank once more. He had not spoken to Karina about his intentions beforehand, but he didn’t have to. There was no doubt he also felt the pressure of their secret—perhaps more so, since he was unable to claim his daughter as his own—and he sought the crown in order to provide the covert  family with more security for if (when) their secret escaped. 

 However, Kjors had failed in his attempt, just as he had in all his others.  It had become quite clear to Karina why—the Mother was blocking Kjors’s attempts at Hearthwood’s throne because her Right Paw was needed elsewhere. Dragonveil. 
 
Karina had only planned on stopping at the creek for a drink, but the evening was so sultry that she found herself easing her body into the trickling flow. The smooth stones and sandy creek bottom felt heavenly against her underbelly, which was thankfully shrinking now that the pups were weaned. She lay quietly for a long moment, but her ears flicked to attention as she detected a stranger upstream. 
 
The man had Lachesis’s look, from what her cloudy vision could perceive, but the Oak Tree Bend smell. The older man from the Border, Karina remembered.  She remained silent, thinking he would simply have a drink as he passed through and be on his way.  He did no such thing though, remaining motionless in the creek for so long that Karina felt torn about how to proceed. She knew she ought to make her presence known, but at the same time she had no wish to intrude on his private moment. 
 
To make matters even more awkward, another wolf arrived—her Oak Tree Bend cousin—and began a conversation with the man. It was impossible to ignore their words, and Karina was feeling more and more like a spy the longer she remained silent.  The moment her cousin’s conversation touched on treason, Karina cleared her throat and rose from the creek.  She stood silently for a beat or two, water streaming down her legs and face hot—thank the Mother wolves can’t blush--  knowing she was not supposed to overhear Sahalie’s offer and knowing that they knew what she knows. 
 
“Hi cousin, sir..” she greeted the pair finally. Keep talking. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear..” She sloshed forward hesitantly. She could think of no way to repair the situation—she could not unhear what she had heard—other than to offer a secret of her own.  It was for the greater good, anyway.. it sounded as if the lost older gentleman could use an introduction to the Mother.  
 
“Perhaps it’s not a physical place your heart seeks, sir.” Here we go. “No matter how far north you run, you will never reach the North Star.” Karina continued moving toward the pair, blurred vision searching for their expressions. Not everyone reacted well to religious talk. “I know a land that the All-Mother above has blessed, for the creation and prosperity of her heavenly Pack incarnate. It is not governed by the laws of the earth, but by the will of the Mother herself, as interpreted by those She chooses.." There was the briefest of pauses. “..Like me.  And maybe you, too.” There. She had matched their treason for a little of her own, airing her desire to form a pack of her own.  If the older man’s spirit was truly as adrift as it seemed, perhaps he would hear her out. Perhaps he sought a spiritual home as opposed to a mere physical one. 

   

    
 

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

Had he ever been sure? He thought he had, and he'd been clinging to the idea for so long that it felt wrong to doubt it. He was tired, weary, the uncertainty and lack of control that he had over his situation was making everything worse. He could continue north, but why? "I don't doubt it," Larkspur said before allowing himself to drift into his own thoughts. "It'll probably be like a mountain. Empty, cold, dead," or he'd hit water, and have to walk along the shore. It didn't sound pleasant, but Lark hadn't intended for it to be. He'd just needed to get away.

Her next words brought an amused gleam in his eye and a horribly misplaced smirk. Stupid girl, he thought, but somehow couldn't bring himself to say. This was more unlike him, as Lark was usually more than happy to shoot the girl down when he could. Maybe his odd mood was throwing him off kilter... or perhaps it could be that he was growing fond of the dark girl. Either way, they weren't alone. Before he could continue their conversation, another girl was making herself known.

He shot bright orange daggers at the girl, ears flattening as she approached. She was one of the wolves from the small welcome party, and from what he understood, one of Sahalie's cousins. He'd learned his lesson the last time he'd disrespected a pack member in their own pack, so remained silent as she spoke. When she was finished, Larkspur gave Sahalie a brief, but also slightly confused, glance. The hell was he supposed to say to that? Did Sahalie know what she was going on about?

Larkspur looked to the woman, still not exactly clear on what she was talking about. Unable to come up with an easy way to word it, Lark did what he did best: he was blunt. "So you found god," that's what it sounded like, "And you think I need god," All-Mother, same thing, different name. "And you're... inviting me to your cult?" He felt like he deserved a pat on the back for not laughing.

He desperately wanted to look at Sahalie, maybe get some sort of explanation. Instead he got to sit awkwardly between them. Larkin was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Look, I've heard it all before. I don't need a sacred land, or to close my eyes and hope real, real hard that there's a better place after I die, or to make hollow wishes to some made-up god just to feel fulfilled. I think it's all bullshit, so unless you've got a really good sales pitch or do something actually impressive, you're wasting your time."

Oops, was he supposed to be nice to @Sahalie 's family? He must have forgotten.

(This post was last modified: Sep 18, 2016, 03:51 AM by Larkspur.)

@_____@ koolaid man says OOOOO YEEEAH @Karina your turn

Here she was, breaking one of the only "rules" of Oak Tree Bend. Was it a rule? It had been more or less unspoken since she had been a child: no one liked a deserter. There was so little else to care about, so how was it that Sahalie could not even follow this one simple rule? How could she talk herself into breaking it for a man as thankless and brooding as Larkspur who had a shit-eating smirk on his face? Something in her said that this was a clear sign that she would break it for anyone, but the rest of her was not sure. It was hard to say, certainly harder to say than any of her treacherous words had been to form in her mouth. Even with the sensation of bile tickling the back of her throat she felt her resolve harden. This was something Sahalie felt in her gut: that some wolves would be worth protecting. Rules be damned, laws be damned, it was the wolves in the end that mattered most. Doing the right thing, rather than the righteous thing, was what mattered to the girl. Into heart she carved this maxim. The guilt seemed to be fading...

Until suddenly she heard the sudden, barely-familiar lilt of her cousin. Overhear? The girl's ears twisted backwards, wondering selfishly what her cousin might think of her now. Karina had not said much at their meeting, it seemed possible that the woman could be anyone, think anything. And her dark ears continued to twist as Karina opened the dialogue, fighting any urge to look at Larkspur and form her opinion based on whatever expression he wore on his face. Because, honestly, she had no idea what to make of any of it. Her silvery cousin was incredibly eloquent, and it wasn't any fault of the individual words or the syntax that lead to the confusion, but somehow when the words came together the meaning was absent from this plane, as if it lived on some higher cerebral level that Sahalie did not understand. It began to dawn on the young, dark Tainn that she had never thought of herself as a spiritual girl. Her heart, though optimistic and idealistic, was firmly rooted to the here and now, flesh and bone. In the back of her mind she was reminded of something curious Drift had said once upon a time, but she remembered only the sense of it and not the exactness. No laws? A blessed land for chosen? Karina thought she was chosen? The girl blinked, jaws loose. Again, she reminded herself to keep her face neutral, open, and for fox-sake not look at Larkin.

Luckily, there was not much else for her to do as she had not been the wolf Karina spoke to. Larkspur seemed to neatly put the speech into terms that a simple, unworldly girl like Sahalie could understand. Well, understand save for the cult part. She was left to wonder what on earth a cult was, though if it was truly anything like what Karina said, Sahalie was not sure they were for her. For the first time—was she going crazy?—the cantankerous man's words resonated with the girl—except the dying part, she hadn't really thought about a place after death—and though the word bullshit seemed awfully strong it seemed to encapsulate the nonsense involved in worrying about the ethereal as opposed to the corporeal. Her mouth hung open, and she dared to glance at Lark for just a moment, and her eyes glittered with concern. Should she say something?

"Are you... are you going somewhere too Karina?" To a sacred land? What other reason would her cousin have for a sacred land? Her eyes roamed the golden trees, wondering if there could be a land that felt more sacred than this. "Are you...going to. Are you trying to start a pack?" At the heart of it, she felt vaguely reminded of Drestig and Jessie. Had they found their land free of bad memories?

Hahaha drink up! @Larkspur

As she approached, the older male was giving her a look that could boil water.  Mother, help me, Karina thought as she continued her march, wondering if the only reason she wasn’t being chased off was that this was actually her packland. For now. The Mother obliged, giving her the language and courage she needed to explain her mission, even allowing a short silence in which her companions seemed to actually consider her words. She could tell she was fighting an uphill battle simply from the shock, doubt, and disbelief etched on their faces… but there was no doubt they had heard her, loud and clear. Shock might prevent her words from sinking in right now, but perhaps later one or both of them might mull them over a little more while the Mother whispered encouragement softly in their ears.
 
The frozen man’s words were cold and hard, as Karina expected. His manner reminded her of Kjors in a way.. perhaps this is what Kjors would have been—would have become--  if he hadn’t been taught about the Mother so early. So unfulfilled... so empty. That emptiness was what struck Karina most about his speech.  Her ears flattened and brow knit together, heart breaking out of pity for an old man with such an empty, directionless life.
 
 “The most I can offer is purpose,”  she replied, sounding a little melancholy. She knew it wouldn’t be enough for the Frozen Man.  “.. But it’s a purpose that fills your soul and lifts your heart. It’s the chance spread Goodness, however and wherever possible, without the constriction of law and tradition.” The Mother (though she loved her wolf-children most) was not a wolf and not of this physical plane, and so she was not bound by the earthly laws of wolves.  Her talk of the All-Mother seemed to have shocked her companions, but perhaps a mission of Goodness would appeal more to her audience. What was the All-Mother after all, if not the purest essence of Good?
 
Sahalie was not a wolf to beat around the bush it seemed, and her question caused Karina to hesitate.  She didn’t want to be too quick to agree; what she was trying to create was unlike any pack she had ever heard of before. Karina also was unfamiliar with the word “cult,” but that description (without the negative connotation, of course) was much closer to her goal. “I’m moving my family,” she finally said, “And welcomed to join us is anyone who feels similarly —that treating one another with Goodness is more important than anything else."   Karina watched her cousin’s expression carefully. Even if the Frozen Man was completely closed off the idea of being happy and fulfilled, maybe her words would hit home with Sahalie—especially if the girl had spent a great while in the company of the Frozen Man. It only took a short bit of time exposed to misery like his for someone to want to do anything to not end up like that. 

   

    
 

Still unimpressed, but at the very least, Karina had him thinking. Did he want to spread goodness? It seemed like a weird concept, doing good without law. It sounded contradictory, even, because without law, what was good? It was easy to hide behind the facade of goodness, and claim something was good. Without law, you could go around causing chaos and claiming it was in the name of good.

Karina could hope real hard, and pray harder, but it was doubtful that he'd consider the woman's crazy theories after their meeting today. Plus, he didn't really think he wanted to spread goodness. Doing good didn't make him feel any better, it hadn't changed his situation, and it certainly didn't give him any type of purpose or fulfillment.

"I don't" he wanted to chime in after her 'good is important' spiel. Those types of things were typically looked down upon, so Lark decided to keep himself quiet. He noticed how the woman was particularly looking at Sahalie. He looked, too, to see if the young girl was making sense of it, or if she thought it was as pointless as he did. "And what goodness will come out of deserting your pack?" he suddenly challenged. "Because it sounds to me like you're being selfish. You can hide behind your importance of good and your god all you want. But you can spread good wherever you want."

He got up, "Doing good has never done me good, but prove me wrong. I'd love to be wrong,"  he said in the sort of way that meant that he didn't mean it at all. He looked above to find the sun, then made his way north.

Exiting unless someone continues to interact w/him or whatev B^)

@Sahalie