Whisper Marsh melting clocks on burning walls

@Nineva slight PP let me know if you want anything changed.

She had been quick like promised and brought back good news. This @Veho fella approved of them taking a trip. They had set off then and there. The duo kept a good pace with each other. Both were still young so the travel should be fairly easy. Nineva had been leading most of the time to set them on the right path. Deacon appreciated everything she was doing in this. While he was still a little surprised, but joyed, she had wanted to tag along the young male didn't ask for more to know.

To fill the silence as the entered the marshlands his head turned to look at her briefly. "So, tell me something exciting." He paused and let his tail sway behind his large form. "Any boys, or girls? Perhaps some teenage gossip?" He couldn't help but laugh at himself. Like usual his mind wandered briefly, thoughts of the pretty pale princess (trying saying that three times fast) Celandine. Deacon bet she had forgotten all about him or was extremely mad at him. Hell, she might have even found a new boy to keep her company. Deacon even remembered meeting the honey-toned Mojave. The two had planned to travel together but he'd never seen her after that one meal. Maybe it was for the best.

If they could just keep this pace and conversation flowing the young Archer-Lyall was certain they'd be there in no time. He could smell the willow bark and herbs just thinking about home.

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when she was just a girl

It was crazy to think that this day had started like any other, and now she was on a real scouting mission with a wolf she never thought she'd see again. It had thrilled her that @Veho agreed, and she had been able to return to Deacon shortly after their talk. A few detours had been taken to check @Tomen's most usual haunts and say good bye, but he hadn't been in any of them and she assumed he was on one of his runs. Willow Ridge wasn't so far; they would be there later in the day, and then she would have so much to tell him about afterward.

Even if she wasn't the only one that knew the way, it was natural for Nineva to take charge. None of the natural obstacles hindered her, not in the forest nor the meadow or the marsh. She leapt atop logs and bullied her way through the brush, and now her paws danced effortlessly amongst the few patches of solid ground amongst the muck and reeds. With all of her wandering, she was plenty experienced with this terrain.

Her ears perked as Deacon spoke up, asking for something exciting. There was plenty that Nineva found enthralling, but it wasn't necessarily the consensus understanding of the word. Discovering a new species of plant, a new hive of insects, a cave hidden amongst the falls; those were her news-worthy events. What would Deacon want to hear about?

He helped her out some by going on, but it only confused her. Boys and girls? What about them? It was 'gossip' that gave her any hint at all.

"What, like, drama?" she asked for clarification, but powered on without it anyways. "I mean, @Rose is the same. She just recently made her way back from running away. @Korrin got lost recently too, actually. They're both back home now though. Other than that, I mean its just me and Tomen in the Hollow. And the pups, they're fun. Nothing... really exciting, though."

she expected the world

(This post was last modified: Nov 08, 2016, 04:25 AM by Nineva.)

Large ears stayed perked and alert as she talked. His heart fluttered at the talk of her siblings. Korrin had been lost. It was a great relief to hear he too had made his way home. It was also comforting that Rose, the other Caverns princess, was safe and "home".

He allowed himself to drift close enough to her so he could bump her shoulder lightly in a playful fashion. "While all of those are relieving to hear, I meant more like crushes." A wide grin spread across his face. "I know I had a crush on this pretty princess from the mountains when I was younger. Cute little thing with an attitude like a mountain lion, in a good way." He left it at that unless she wished to know more. Deacon chuckled from thought, though. "Is this Tomen guy like family or is he something more?" The Archer-Lyall did the wolf equivalent of wiggling eyebrows at his silver partner.

Maybe some small part in him was concerned this Tomen fellow would be trouble or even prevent a challenge to him. It was a deep thought he'd keep only to himself. Deacon didn't want Nineva getting the wrong impression or no longer wanting him around. So perhaps some friendly gossip would tell him what he wanted to know.

"Any questions you're dying to ask me? I don't think the trip will be that long but it certainly gives us time to talk about anything and everything." He kept up next to her and admired the muck around. While most might be upset with the marsh's conditions he rather enjoyed them. A typical boy. Always dying to get dirty no matter the time or presence around.

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A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

when she was just a girl

Her ears lifted at his clarification, eyes wide with lack of understanding. However, that grin of his was infectious and she smiled back all the same. Crushes? In all honesty, as sheltered-sounding as it was, she wasn't familiar with the phrase. His own narrative followed after a beat, however, and explained it well enough. A princess from the mountain, Nineva had to wonder if maybe she was from Cernan's pack. Regardless of who she was, Deacon seemed to notice girls a lot more than Nin was noticing boys. Not that she had a broad array of options. Other than Tomen, the only wolf near her age she knew about had been Blitz, and his sour attitude had ensured she kept her distance. He went ahead and pointed it out then, about the same time as that thought passed through her mind.

He wanted to know if she had a 'crush' on Tomen. The perspective was a little jarring for the young woman, who for all her thinking ahead had never before considered that one day she would be expected to take a mate, much less predicting who that might be. In all honesty, after finding out about her mother's disappearance, she'd found herself with reservations about the whole situation. If she were to accept the role of wife, was she risking being abandoned by her partner as her father had, or outed by a male as Quil had been? It seemed messy as hell, and Nineva was a beast of order.

These thoughts took over and her eyes turned forward, brows furrowing together as her ears leaned back and a minute frown tugged at her lips. Deacon didn't let the silence stretch on for too long, maybe offering something of an out when he welcomed Nineva to question him. This prompted her to speak, even if her answer wasn't the clearest.

"I mean, he's my best friend. I don't know, I don't... that's really heavy, you know? ... I've seen a lot go wrong. I'd rather spend my energy on something productive."

Which kind of included nearly everything else. Oh well.

"Like, what about the mountain girl? Did you... pursue her?"

she expected the world

On something productive? He frowned (no filter here) at that statement. He realized emotions could be messy but to say she'd much rather spend relationship time on something productive had him feeling pity upon her. "I mean, I guess I understand. But if you trust and really like someone, you just have got to hope for the best. If they feel the same about you, they won't do anything to purposefully harm and or upset you." His face scrunched up a bit. Perhaps the advice he was giving her was the advice he wished he had been told before.

A question was flipped on him though about his former crush and Deacon smiled gently. "I did for a while. I would bring her gifts, talk to her about her goal to be queen, try my best to keep her happy." His brows furrowed and he looked at their traveling paws. "But I don't think we were meant to be. We were kinda on two different tracks in life and we're just meeting in the middle for a brief moment I suppose." Was that how those things worked? Would the gods only bring in someone for a short amount before sending them out? "I still wonder what she's doing from time to time but I don't let it burden me. There are plenty of fish in the stream."

Before he could stop himself another question, very off topic compared to their previous conversation, popped out of his mouth. "So what do you hope to get in pursuing my mom and dad? Is it for your future or Grizzly Hollow's future?" His question was posed in a very sincere tone. Deacon was in no way challenging her motive. He trusted Nineva to know exactly what she was doing. The young male assumed that since she had approached the Hollow leader on the matter that maybe it was more for Grizzly Hollow than her own. "My dad said I'll always have their support, so maybe it'll count for you too since I'm supporting you." His bright eyes turned to look at her face. For once in some time, he felt at peace. Almost like his first cold winter days.

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when she was just a girl

Deacon didn't miss a beat, and she felt his concern as he began to talk. Was it really so bad a thing to put last? To her, there were so many things that were more important. Still she listened, ears twitching at certain words. Trust and liking, was that really all it took? It couldn't be so easy; her parents had really been in love, hadn't they? So why wasn't Narime back? How could Rook replace Quil? Why did no one seem to stay together? @Aideen and @Miccah seemed pretty happy together; she almost felt guilty that she expected that to end as the other relationships she'd witnessed had.

What had Deacon seen to think so differently?

She listened to him talk about the girl he had cared for, and wondered what she had done for him in return. Or had that been the problem? Nineva began to chew her lip as the thoughts crowded inside of her head, unsure of what exactly to say to him. The worst part of it all was that she didn't have any personal experience on the matter. And none of this helped her to know if she had a crush on Tomen or not. He was a constant in her life, a dearly favorite one she didn't want to give up. That didn't give her the answer, though.

Suddenly, he took the conversation elsewhere, and she was happy to leave the unknown behind to tread back into more certain waters. Because yes, she knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish with this visit.

"Both," she answered, circumspect but simple. "It's better for everyone when communication is open and we're all on the same page. Thinking mutually. Veho and the Hollow have done so much for me, I want to make sure I return that. When I reform the Caverns, I won't be leaving them behind, but I don't want to be riding right at anyone's tail either. Other alphas should know who I am. And... Elettra might be the only one left who knows the whole history of my parents and the pack."

"There's actually a lot this could do," she surmised, at last with a grin and even a bubble of laughter. "So, thank you, Deacon. For the opportunity. I'm so excited."

It didn't even occur to her that they might find the Ridge in completely different paws, despite the transition Grizzly Hollow had gone through. She was far too optimistic.

"What was it like growing up there? In the Willows?"

she expected the world

Kinda dozed off writing this, apologies for any typos

He noticed that Nineva was very driven to work with and gain with those around her. The male appreciated that heavily. "You're going to do great things, Nin. You'll make those around you proud and happy, I know it." His tail picked up the pace in wagging a bit. The girl was young and had a, hopefully, long stretch ahead of her. Deacon was determined to see her rise through all of life's challenges. She was a conqueror and he loved it.

Deacon was caught off guard when she asked about his life in the willows. He hadn't really talked about it with anyone much. He'd been a handful of a child from what he could remember and been told. "It was interesting. I was a pretty troublesome kid in the willows. I'm the eldest out of three brothers so most of the attention was on me, or so it felt. One of my brothers went missing and another always kept to himself. I got lost as a kid once too. I don't remember the lady who found me (Myrrhis) but she was really nice I'm assuming since I'm still alive." He chuckled softly before continuing. "But life was good. I had a nice caretaker @Enoki who supported me and even fought off some angry wildlife once for me. She was one of the last people I saw before I left home." His head hung a bit as he remembered the day briefly. How she was worried about him and outwardly showed almost more concern than his mother. "I think lots of things were expected when I and my brothers came along through. I already had two older brothers and a sister. I only knew one of those brothers, though, and I really don't think my sister was all the fond of me even though she saved me when I got lost. Maybe it was just tough love. Who knows." He sure as hell didn't.

He let the silence hang momentarily. Perhaps he didn't always need sound to feel better. Talking about his past had created a lump in his throat. It threatened to turn into a whine but he choked it down. Was Castiel okay? Where was Greer and had he ever become more social? Did Morganna actually give one lick about him? What about Skoll, what was their realtion truly? But most importantly, why was he questioning all of his own family now? Deacon couldn't understand the battle that was raging inside of his head. Maybe he needed to go home more than he thought. To be reassured that, maybe, his family did love him as much as he wanted to believe they did.

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when she was just a girl

It did mean a lot to the girl that so many other wolves seemed to have faith in her. In fact, she'd yet to run into a body that didn't support her or who balked at her ambitions. If she were a less confident creature, these assurances would heat her cheeks and avert her gaze. As it was, she took it all with grace and in stride, and Deacon earned a broad smile for his kind words.

Her ears turned to take in his description, both swiveled to the side to drink up every word. It was amazing how varied the earth was and how a home could be made anywhere. But was even more curious, was Deacon's self description. Troublesome? Never would she have pegged him as that. In fact, the more he went on, the more she was amazed by how eventful his childhood had been. Yet then again, hadn't her own contained its fair share of excitement?

"I didn't expect all that," she admitted with a giggle. "That's... so incredibly different. I didn't realize life in the Willows was so exciting. What made you change so much? From a little hellion running off to Mr. Chivalrous and Responsible?"

she expected the world

@Nineva

Her words caused him to giggle too. "The willows always had something exciting, granted sometimes the exciting becomes boring." It was the honest truth. Sure things happening in the willows could always keep him in shape both mentally and physically but it almost felt boring always having to be on his toes. "We all gotta grow up sometimes," He bumped into her shoulder. "Look at yourself. Little caverns princess turned into regal lady wanting to rule with respect and honor." He sighed gently as if something was squeezing his lungs. "We really aren't all that different you know." Trailing along his words before his thoughts kept bouncing in his head. The conversation of home still rattling like a window left open. Except there was no breeze blowing through the window, it was a harsh storm that had blown the window in.

"You ever feel like nothing is as it seems? That the gods are making everyone a mountain goat in wolf's clothing and you're not sure what's right and what's wrong." Deacon didn't know where that came from. His emotions starting to drip like a leaky faucet. "Sorry." He tried to cover it up with an apology. He wished he was with his dad right now. Angier always had something to say and knew how to reassure the Archer-Lyall that things were just fine. That memory of his first winter realing over and over in his brain.

He looked down at the muck beneath them. While he was no stranger to this he wasn't ever fond of the trip. His large form easily collecting stray leaves and mud. It was a gross thing but he could bare it. "So what do we do after our trip to the ridge?" Would they split but keep in contact? Would he settle back into his home for the safety of comfort?

(This post was last modified: Nov 17, 2016, 07:22 PM by Deacon.)

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