Cedarwood Forest Driver Forest

Morning // November 4th // Heavy Snow, 24 ° F, -4 ° C // Half a mile from the borders of GH for @Nineva

He wasn't a little boy anymore. He had filled the shoes of being a knightly, noble man. Kind, gentle, thoughtful. He wasn't a typical Lyall in looks of course, but his personality certainly was. A wondrous man with a wanderer's heart. He had done fine outside of the lore, found a family to stay with. They weren't your typical family, it was more of a rag-tag group of friends that had taken him in. He'd learned a lot from them too. While he had always been a kind pumpkin being with those other pumpkins had taught him more about what it meant to be kind. That perhaps being a king and ruling wasn't everything. That in fact, being a simple member of a group meant more than anything, you were the gears that kept the world going. Somewhere in learning the way of life from them, Deacon realized he needed to go home. He was two now and his parents weren't exactly the youngest when he was born. The Archer-Lyall wished to see them before time was up.

The young man figured once he got back into the Lore, it wouldn't be too hard to find the willows. He figured even the trip would be easy if he could make it before winter hit. His thoughts would keep him company too. While the rag-tag group he had been staying with offered one of themselves to go with he refused. He'd feel bad if something happened and the one who went with couldn't return. Deacon also knew a trip alone was better for him. He could put his morals to the test and the reward would be all the more glorious.

He was unsure whether he had bounded into the Lore yet or not but something in his gut told him to keep going. A familiar presence of the tall cedar woods and thick snow had him feeling comfortable. Deacon thought briefly about his family. He remembered his first winter he had a moment with his father. Sitting in the snow looking out onto the lands. Talks about Golden Boy, learning to be just like @Angier and @Elettra  , even talking about ruling the Willows one day. Something that his father said that day always stuck with him, though.

"Wherever ya 'ventually end up, yer mother an' I will be right behind ya. You will 'ave our support. No question 'bout it."

Deacon couldn't help but yearn to know if that was still true. Did they support his choice to leave? Did they even know he left the lands? The young man licked his cold ebony lips in thought. He knew overthinking everything would have him making wrong choices and turns. In a fight with his mind, he shook his head and took a spot by the snowy roots of one of the tall trees. A quick rest would do him good, no need to over exert himself in this weather unless he wanted to end up like any buried plants.

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oh yeah your skin and bones

Out and about was Nineva's most typical status, even despite the structured training her second year in this world had brought upon her. Tutoring under the adults, most often with Veho himself, nor the scars etched into her side and thigh, could deter her from what had always been her heart's desire: adventuring. More and more, the surrounding area became as familiar to her as though there were a map of it burned into her mind. Yet time left nothing unmoved, and she found that this expanse was enough, the changes there to be found and able to sate her curious mind. She loved this land, everything about it, everything it provided and all that it promised, and never would she tire of it.

If only that could be said of some others, some very specific wolves. At least they tended to stay away, though, rather than coming back to incite her anger and continue to muddle the affairs of others which effects they would not be around to witness much less suffer. That had been the mode of it all, and she had no reason to ever expect to run into the ghosts of her past. Indeed, it took the longest time to realize this to not be true, even after his scent had persisted in her lungs for far too lung.

The memory was murky, and recollection was painfully slow. It started as a feeling, something buried deep within her chest that almost could be ignored. Growing larger, the pressure gradually became too much and she had to acknowledge it. There was someone else stalking through these woods, and he was significant. Still, she couldn't figure it out, and with great interest she chose to seek him out, navigating the forest with practiced ease, letting her nose lead the way.

Even upon seeing him, it didn't initially trigger. How old had she been, after all, when he had left? Young, but not so young as to forget altogether. Nineva sauntered closer, uninterested in hiding her own presence from him. Her mismatched eyes were quizzical, brows knitting together subtly.

"Hello," she said, as though she knew him because she did, didn't she? The young woman wagged her tail hesitantly, before freezing the motion altogether as it started to fall into place. This was "Deacon."

The word was filled with surprise as it fell off her tongue, and a flurry of emotions unleashed within her. She remembered him looking after her, playing with her, telling her stories. Then she remembered the meeting, his promises, and the days without him. If he had come back, how different would her life be? Would they still have the Caverns?

"What the hell?"

turn into something beautiful

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

We can go after that drop or not :3 up to how Nin reacts

now all you seem to say is

Deacon Archer Lyall

"baby how could it be you?"

Throughout history peace was always broken. Peace offerings, peace treaties, even the peace in the woods when you thought you were alone. A scent filled nose rumbling his brain away from the thought of family. Well, blood family that was. This scent caused an uproar in his memories. A flood of names that he tried matching to the scent but none of them fit, at least not yet. It was familiar but something also seemed so off.

A hello was sent out and before the young man could even get words out his name fell from someone's lips. "Deacon." Somewhere in the coloring of the snow and the coloring of her pelt Deacon was convinced this was a ghost. These cedarwoods were just whispering his name in a taunting dare. Barely a whisper her name fell from his lips like a bittersweet flowering falling. "Nineva.." The 'ghost' before him was not a ghost, and was not the child he remembered growing fond of. This was an almost grown lady who had his heart racing. It was wrong to think she was beautiful, it was wrong to think she was stunning even in her dismantled emotions.

"What the hell?"

He rose to his feet, tail tucked and head hanging a little low. "Nin, I'm so sorry. I didn't want that to happen. You know I wouldn't want that to happen. You, your mother and father and siblings, the Caverns...mean't more to me than anything, even my own." He whined so weak and gentle in this very moment. No one else would have had ever seen him like this. Deacon knew he was in the Lore now. With her right in front of him there was no doubt. He realized he never specified what happened but he was also aware he didn't have to. She knew.

"But...you're here and I'm here." The young male wasn't sure what he was grasping at but he hoped she would know. His bright eyes looking up to her face, daring to gather any reaction she would give. Deacon would take being met with teeth or words. It was funny how weak one could be in the face of their past.

"Speech"

(This post was last modified: Nov 04, 2016, 11:22 PM by Deacon.)

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oh yeah your skin and bones

He was more Archer than Lyall, dark and nearly her own intimidating size. He didn't have @Tomen's mask and there was something sharp behind those eyes despite the warmth they could cast. It all made it easier for the anger to overcome the joy of seeing him again. Her black lips turned downward, threatening to scowl as her brightly lit eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He remembered her too, and that was significant, but all of the acknowledge, the accepting of blame, it was also damning. She didn't know what the worst would have been. Obliviousness to what he had wrought, or this admittal of guilt. If they had meant so much, why hadn't he come back? Why had he let them fall?

But, her ears perked at the word but her features remained cautiously frozen in disapproval. But, he was back, and she and her family had survived. It wasn't like he had caused them harm, and she doubted he'd been malicious. Deacon had a reason for what had transpired, he had to of. Was it worth forgiving? Nineva was forced to recall her own betrayal, how Ash had accepted her faults and her wish to make things right. Where exactly did that mean her own compass should point in this situation? Part of her wanted to command that the man come with her, drag him by his pitch black ear all the Secret Woodlands so that the elder Hervok could pass judgment upon him.

She couldn't count on daddy to make every uncomfortable decision for her, though.

"We lost our home because of it, Deacon," she told him, voice not as hard as she wished it to be. "Because you left us when we needed you. Now you're just... what? Wandering around the woods? Did you come back to fix what you broke, or just to gawk at the ashes?"

turn into something beautiful

now all you seem to say is

Deacon Archer Lyall

"baby how could it be you?"

Her words were hard but he'd be a fool to blame her. The young princess had every right to be mad. He didn't think he'd done as much damage as it seemed he did, but you can't ever be certain what pieces will fall where. He would have kept whining and moaning but her question struck a cord in him. "You think I would come back to gawk at a disaster I had no intentions of creating? I thought you would have known better of me, but I guess what I did was enough to make you think foul in my choices." He paused, allowing the silver toned Hervok to take in his words. "I'd be a fool to blame anyone but myself." Deacon looked at her dead on. "I'm here to fix things. Anything I've touched that broke, I want to rebuild and do it right. We are not guaranteed a second shot at things always but here I am. Lucky that I get a chance to fix things." Nothing was a lie. He'd come to repair family bonds, fix any unsettled friendships or deals. What Nineva was serving him fell onto his shoulders to fix. If he had really caused this much damage the least he could do was try and patch things together.

The Archer-Lyall took in a deep breath through his nose. "We can start by me helping carry some of that moose carcass to wherever your staying. When things start to get cold it's best to store as much as possible." He remembered his first winter and how his father seemed to worry but assured him everything was okay. Deacon wasn't so naive though. He knew winters would take what they wanted and never return them. Like the playground bully of life.

He watched her to see if she'd accept his offer. It'd be better to move it now before the snow froze it up too much. While he could stand for a meal, Deacon wasn't going to eat one bite unless he was permitted to. For now he owed far to much to the Hervok infront of him.

"Speech"

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Her words struck a chord, and it brought back something more recognizable within the shadow-casted wolf. Her mind was a whirlwind as she listened to his retaliation, only an annoyed flick of her ear here and there resulting in any change across her judging features. It wasn't until he confirmed his willingness to construct something new upon the scorch earth all of their mistakes had left behind that her eyes softened, just slightly. He thought himself lucky to be back? Nineva's eyes cast south, to where her beloved Caverns lie. She thought of all of her own luck, of all the good things she had fallen into despite her own trespasses.

Her dual gaze returned as he mentioned the corpse nearby. Briefly, she wondered if it had any relation to the moose that had follied by charging @Felix. Whatever was left of it would certainly be a boon to the pack, especially when the majority of their hunters, the sea tribe, had recently vanished. Silent still, Nineva regarded the man before her. She decided that she liked his choice to chase his promise with immediate action.

"You didn't give me the chance the know you," she reminded him, but her voice was no longer cold. "You can fix that, too, while you're at it."

With a signaling sway of her muzzle she silently intended let's go, paws quick to follow the suggestion. Her black nose wriggled as it searched the air, rooting out the exact location of the pungent meat. As they walked, she asked, "so, where've you been?"

turn into something beautiful

now all you seem to say is

Deacon Archer Lyall

"baby how could it be you?"

A weight was taken out of his burly chest when she didn't snap at him. Her voice lost it's harder edge and Deacon finally felt like he was actually with Nineva. They never got to know each other very much, both being younger, but he remembered always keeping a watchful eye on her. She had a wildfire personality in his opinion. While her parents could certainly keep their children in check Deacon felt another set of eyes wouldn't hurt.

"so where've you been?"

Following close to her he left his tail sway softly. "I got lost searching out some lands. If you know anything about the Lyall's they got adventurers heart in them, all of them. Even if only a speck. So for us, getting lost isn't all that bad I guess." He thought briefly of stories of Borden and other family members that his father would tell them all about around bedtime. "When I realized I had no idea which way to turn and scents were getting funky I called out. At first, it was just one pretty girl. She kinda looked like you too." He chuckled softly, trying to tame the beating heart in his chest. "I was interrogated for a bit before an older male came out. He was all sorts of dark hues but his fur was graying with age. He was much nicer and offered me to stay with them for a night or two. Missing home and missing a den I quickly snatched the offer." Deacon's nose twitched to make sure they were still on track even with his story telling. "It turned out there were three others, younger too. I'd say they were fresh yearlings or so. In all, the group was much like their own family. The older man and the woman taking care of the yearlings. My stay was obviously extended longer than needed but they taught me things, Nineva." His bright eyes glanced to the side hoping to catch a look at her face. "I'm not sure if I'd be the same wolf without them. I knew I had a good head on my shoulders," Cocky Deacon... "but they really solidified things for me. I told them about the caverns too. They were rather amazed about a pack living in tunnels."

Realizing how much he'd been babbling Deacon quickly closed his mouth. Letting his silver toned company take everything in that he just said. Would it all make her feel angry at him again, he wondered. Would she think he had found another home and forget about them completely? "But what about you? Who are you with?"

"Speech"

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They moved the same, walking closely together as though it were quotidian. Was this nostalgia, that was trying so hard to calm her? Narime's voice played through her head, 'Never trust a wolf's loyalty or word if they leave without a word.' That claim had been taken into her heart at such a young age, burned into as truth, and yet still she had committed that very crime in her own youth. Her family had forgiven her, neither @Veho nor @Rook had judged her for her crimes, Tomen did not mistrust her, and still the battle was real within herself of just how much she should trust this man who was simultaneously a strange and an old friend.

He began his answer to her question all the same, and his initial statement caused a dry quirk of her lips. Yes, she was somewhat familiar with Lyalls disappearing to follow their 'hearts' or whatever they wanted to call it. At least, her most prominent example of what a Lyall was had given her plenty of sight of it. She would label it as more than just adventurous, though. Reckless, selfish, fickle were words better fitting the bill in her mind. But was that just one patriarch, or the majority of them? It certainly wasn't all, for Tomen had proven time and time again to be a diamond in the rough. Where did Deacon fit on the scale?

Maybe he really had just taken a few steps in the wrong direction. Still, his determination to stay the course had clearly been lacking.

Her ears perked as the story continued on, other characters now coming into play. Her mismatched eyes side glanced when he compared her to a girl he had just described as 'pretty.' Did that mean she was too? Nineva had never been one to consider her looks or how others might find them to be. That was @Rose's concern. Her own lack of caring had been emphasized when she hadn't given a second thought to the scarring upon her upper thigh and side as it formed. Still, it wasn't the worse thing to hear.

So, that was the new family Deacon had found himself a part of. Very much like her unintentionally-prolonged stay with the Hollow, she supposed. She had to wonder, was this 'pretty girl' his Oula or his Tomen? Were any of them like Kenelm? How did he leave them, how sad were they to part? He mentioned them serving as teachers, and she met his gaze with interest. Whoever they all were, however mistaken his entrance into their life, they were now and permanently a part of who he was. Interesting, how those things went.

Finally he tacked on their own impression of the Caverns, and she couldn't help but lift her chin just a little bit higher in pride. No one could visit or hear of the Caverns and not be impressed, she was certain of that. There was nothing else like her home, and that was why they had to be revived. Why she would bring them back to life.

"Grizzly Hollow," she answered him with another wry turn of her lips. "I'm a little familiar with that Lyall wanderlust. It's why the pack is no longer in their paws."

Would he know of it, that piece of his lineage? As far as she knew, the Ridge and the Hollow had always been at uncomfortable odds. Deacon being from the former, maybe he had a completely different view of it all, or none at all.

"When my parents couldn't support us anymore, they took us all the way North to the thickets, to stay with Aunt @Nina. I hated it there. Not long after, Narime and Yuka just... left."

She now knew the reason why, but was nowhere near trusting Deacon with such delicate information. After all, it really wasn't even her secret to share.

"I couldn't stand it, felt like absolutely everything was being taken away from me, so I ran away. Was gonna go straight back to the Caverns and live by myself there. Thankfully, I didn't make it. A man named Kenelm found me and took me in, brought me to the Hollow and helped me join. He's gone now, and I've since made amends with my family and the Woodlands for all the wrong I did them, but the Hollow is where I'll stay until I'm ready to lead my own pack. I've been learning a lot, too. Everything I can."

It would all be needed, she was certain. Anyways, the girl still loved to learn regardless.

Her steps slowed as the heaping carcass became apparent amongst the brush; they had found it. She circled around its head, admiring the massive antlers upon its head before standing at the opposite side of the fallen beast as Deacon. Her dual-colored eyes pinned him as she ignored the bounty to ask him, "what all did they teach you? Who, exactly, is this new and improved Deacon?"

turn into something beautiful

now all you seem to say is

Deacon Archer Lyall

"baby how could it be you?"

As far as Deacon was concerned, Grizzly Hollow was merely a place in his dreams and bedtime stories. He was also aware that it had been a Lyall homestead. The fact that Nineva was telling them due to wanderlust Lyalls couldn't lead, was putting a disgustingly sour taste in his mouth. "I mean..my dad's a Lyall, Angier. He leads right next to my mom. They work together pretty nicely too, everyone keeps in order." Things had changed within Willow Ridge but Deacon obviously had no idea. He had been gone and wasn't aware of any rank shifts. In his brain, his mother and father would always lead until one of his brothers took over.

He listened intently as @Nineva explained everything him. The young male's ears pulled back slightly, though. She was mad at him when her own mother and brother left her? Perhaps she was angry at them too but just wasn't letting it show. Deacon could press matters when they were more comfortable with each other. It wasn't his place to bug her too much. But a name showed up in her story, one he was not familiar with. Kenelem. Now that he was willing to ask about until her voice leaked an important detail. "until I'm ready to lead my own pack."

"Have you thought about where you wanna do it?" He could have assumed she was gonna go back to the caverns but some part of him was hoping she'd pick somewhere else. The mountains, meadows, forest, lakes. He liked the tunnels and caves but it seemed smarter to live elsewhere. Who knew when they would come tumbling down.

A reasonable question was flipped on him when the pair stood across from each other, the only thing between them was the moose carcass. "They helped me improve basic skills ya know. Tracking, hunting, stuff like that. But they really showed me what morals to value. I can't really tell you who the new Deacon is." He paused to take a deep breath and look back at her. "I just have to prove it to you that I've improved."

"Speech"

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