Red Fern Forest The unstoppable force meets an immovable object

 @Bennet Takes place late afternoon, the sun's just starting to set.

Weaving through the red stained trees, Askan continued his journey at a brisk but sustainable pace. Warm air puffed from his lips and his paws thudded against the frozen forest floor, but he paid little attention to the unfamiliar sights and sounds of his surroundings. His expression was intense, surly, as- for what felt like the hundredth time- he recalled the conversation he'd had with the Rye King, just three days ago.

Askan was eager to serve and to make his alphas proud, there was no denying that,but when he'd been asked to leave the Lowlands his first instinct had been to say no. And quite adamantly too!The Lowlands were his home, the idea of leaving- after everything he had done, everything he had been through- was simply unimaginable. They'd have to drag him by his tail, kicking and screaming if they wanted him to leave. But after a few seconds of internal and heart breaking panic- that must have registered on his face- Drestig was quick to reassure him that he was not being exiled. That there was and always would be a place for him in Wild Rye Fields. 

Instead of being cast out like an unwelcome pest, Askan was to be a messenger, to spread the word of Wild Rye Fields establishment and to extend an invitation to the wolves of Oak Tree Bend to visit, if they were so inclined.

After learning that, you'd think that Askan would be relieved. Honoured that Drestig would trust him to deal with such an important task. Well, you'd be wrong. If anything, Askan was frustrated beyond belief and words!

It wasn't that Askan thought this duty was below him, after all he was aware of how important it was to maintain positive pack relations. It was simply that he had had no idea why Drestig thought he was the best candidate for it! He was no diplomat, his way with words was weak, at best. And more often than not he offended someone every time he opened his mouth, so how on earth was he was supposed to do this? How the hell was he supposed to represent Wild Rye Fields in a positive light if he could barely hold a civil conversation?Askan wasn't blind, he knew how intolerable people found him, so why oh why had Drestig sent him away?

Askan's step faltered as it dawned on him. After three days of thought, it hit him like a sudden whack to the face, as though once again he'd ran headfirst into a tree.

Drestig was hitting two birds with one stone. 

He was getting Askan out of the Lowlands so he could clean up the political mess he'd created with the Whitestone pack, whilst at the same time ensuring that his allies weren't feeling neglected. Oh Askan had to give Drestig credit where it was due, it was a smart move- one Askan couldn't fault him for- but Askan couldn't help but feel like he'd been cast aside. It was temporary, he'd return once all was said and done, but it stung nonetheless.

"Damn it!" Askan yelled, his gruff voice bouncing off the trees, causing a pigeon perching nearby to panic and burst into flight.

He stomped to a stop and cast a glower back, as though glaring at the Old man himself. He understood and by no means did he resent the Rye King (Askan practically worshipped the ground on which he walked)  but Askan was a proud beast and this revelation had damaged his pride considerably.

Enough to make him throw a tantrum when he thought no one was looking.

(This post was last modified: Nov 29, 2016, 09:38 PM by Askan.)

As it happened, someone was watching.

For the little family living in Dragonveil, of course, that statement was practically redundant. Existing under the constant gaze of their eternal matriarch, the ideas of loneliness or abandonment had never been more than fiction to Bennet, or, at best, sad things which happened to other wolves. Ever since she had understood words - perhaps even before - it had been made abundantly clear just how connected they were to each other, to Her, to all things, even if nobody else could see it. It was a funny world which allowed a little black wolf child to spend most of her time with no other wolves in sight and yet have her be the least lonely creature on the planet. Everywhere she walked she felt the Mother's loving presence, felt inspired to live up to its warmth, to ensure that she took every step necessary to bring about a brighter future.

Bad things happened to good wolves, and life wasn't fair, and faith in the All-Mother was not a fix-all for one's problems. Under different circumstances, Bennet might have been intimidated by the weight of it all, the heavy spirituality which demanded goodness yet promised nothing even for the best of them, the truth which, as far as the girl knew, was understood by only her core family. It might have been too much for a normal child.

But Bennet was not just a wolf child, she was a dragon, and spread her wings wide to soar high and strive to meet all those many expectations, to best fulfil Her will, to understand Her mind as best as she could. Kjors' strength in the face of so much adversity was a source of constant wonderment and inspiration. Bennet would be the dragon like he was the dragon. Though she sometimes wished to be the soft deer like her mother, to spread the word with gentleness and compelling words, Bennet knew in her heart that was not to be her way.

She was a creature of fire, to be the guiding light by her mere actions, rendering her other weaknesses irrelevant. So what if she didn't miss her siblings like she was supposed to, like a normal wolf might have? So what if leaving behind Hearthwood had been the easiest decision in the world, and even in her deepest core, she felt not one shred of regret? So what?

Watching the stranger stride through the red forest, Bennet took a moment to consider him. Once before she had met a wolf in this very forest who had warned her of danger and death, but Bennet was yet to see any signs of it, and was beginning to think that they were either mistaken ramblings or relics from a world long gone. She sensed nothing but a quiet power in this forest, the rich red of it making her vision hum with pleasure. Suddenly, the dark wolf stopped in his tracks, and Bennet's head tilted imperceptibly to the side, yellow eyes unwavering. She sat so quiet and still that it was no surprise that he walked right by, absorbed in his little world, his shout of frustration bouncing through this spiritual place and prompting the faintest of frowns.

He passed her, and something compelled her to stand, to take a single step forward, eyes still fixated on the stranger.

Then he stopped and glared behind him, as if similarly compelled - and Bennet stood still, and met his agitated yellow gaze with her own unflustered one.

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

Surprise surprise, Askan has a potty mouth

For a split second Askan tensed up as the severity of the situation dawned on him. When he realised just how much of an idiot he had been, in that allowing himself to get so tangled up in his thoughts he'd allowed a stranger to get the drop on him. That without even meaning to, he'd made himself so very vulnerable. It was almost laughable. Askan Selwyn, the prickliest bastard around, vulnerable ? Right, like that would happen. And yet there he was, in a red forest, so very far from home being stared down by a wolf he hadn't even noticed was there.

There was something about the stranger's gaze that threw him off further. Something that made him hesitate, made him resist the urge to bare his teeth and lunge forward in his defence. It was....  There was no malice in their eyes, leading Askan to assume that whoever this stranger was, stalking him was not their intention. They simply watched him, as though he was a speck of dust drifting in their air, that they'd just happened to notice. Like all of this was down to chance. But there was more to it than that, more than simple curiosity.Their gaze carried a weight, a sort of purposeful dignity, a sort of which Askan had never seen before. 

What made this encounter all the more confounding, was the fact that this stranger was a mere adolescent- she could be no older than Percy. So why the fuck was she looking at him like that, with such an unyielding gaze? Like she was a hoarder of great secrets, as though she was somehow better than him.

No matter the reasoning, Askan quickly concluded that he did not like it- nor her- and so shifted his stance accordingly. His eyes burned with resentment, as though her presence alone was a insult, and his lips ticked down at the edges into a more prominent, Askan brand of scowl. He didn't care that she was a kid, she had chosen to approach him and so she deserved every single bit of his ire and frustration. If she couldn't take the heat she could damn well leave him alone. A few more seconds passed and she still remained firmly in place, as though she intended to take root. Clearly she was not blind, so how could she not notice he had no intention of sharing a pleasant conversation?

Perhaps she was the stubborn sort. Perhaps she needed it to be spelled out for her, a service Askan was more than happy to provide.

"The fuck you want kid?"He asked, his voice a bitter sneer.

The uni-directional flow of energy was almost palpable; the man stared, caught off-guard - whether by her presence or manner - but his aura quickly shifted into that of hostility and resentment. She could see it in his burning eyes, in the antagonistic slope of his mouth, as though his acrimony poured out of every orifice. While he overflowed with feeling, Bennet stood there like a rock as it washed over her, as impervious as the bedrock to the river's current.

He spat his vulgar question and she still did not blink.

After a moment, her head tilted again but to the other side, her large puppy ears (which she had almost grown into) flopping slightly with the movement, though still perched high upon her head in interest. Danger and darkness had lurked in this forest once, long ago... but she did not think that this man was a remnant of it. He was angry and heated but in an empty kind of way. What sort of adult snapped at a child in that way? Faintly she tsked, tongue clicking quietly at the back of her throat, unable to keep from thinking how her mother would have reacted in this situation. The stranger would have gotten a scolding for sure.

But his temper didn't bother Bennet, who saw no way that she had caused the man harm, and thus rationally deduced that any of his ire was not directed at her but somewhere else. She just happened to be a convenient outlet due to proximity. That was nothing to get offended about, and she was not an easily offended creature to begin with.

So if her mother had not told the man off for his rude manner, what might she have done? The All-Mother offered goodwill to all, whether they deserved it or not, and it was hardly Bennet's jurisdiction to question Her in that. "Why are you so angry?"

She didn't flinch. Not even a little. It wasn't his intention to scare her- he had better things to do than trot about scaring kids shitless- but he wanted a reaction of some sort. He wanted to be taken seriously. But no, she didn't even blink. Her posture remained the same as it had been before, loose but comfortable, with not an ounce of tension in her shoulders. He hadn't been trying to get a rise out of her, but it seemed as though she had certainly done so for him. 

As soon as she spoke, Askan also decided he did not like her voice. It was calm and level, further cementing the fact that his negative vibes were not swaying her at all. For what it was worth, he might as well have not been there. She seemed so serene and at ease she might as well have been talking to the red trees! And yet, somehow on top of that she still managed to sound so patronising. Like she was looking down at him, judging him from on high.

Askan had been pissed before, but this was doing little to improve his mood. As each second ticked by, he could feel it build and his patience was growing thin. Who the hell did she think she was? Huh? Talking to him like that? Granted, he had no idea who she was and vice versa, but even if she was used to talking to those she knew like this, then she had to be aware of the fact that the same rules did not apply when talking to stranger. Especially strangers who were clearly busy and in no mood for chit-chat.

He was half tempted to just stride on and ignore her. She wasn't standing in his path, he could easily leave her behind. But that wasn't in his nature, Askan didn't back down unless he was truly pushed to. So he relented, though as easy as that sounds it wasn't. Not for him. Askan had no intentions of explaining everything that had happened, he had no intention of telling her about Wild Rye Fields, or the mission he was currently on. He would offer her the barest of bones.

"Just realised I've been played." Askan was reluctant to say anything more on it, the way he clamped his mouth shut made that abruptly clear.

He knew Drestig meant nothing by it, but shit. He didn't belong here, in these woods. He felt an itch beneath his skin, like the open space of the Lowlands was calling to him. The sooner he dealt with the wolves of Oak Tree Bend the better. But here this little shit was holding him up, making him waste precious time.

"You happy? Can I go now?" It wasn't like he needed her permission or anything, it was obvious that these woods did not belong to her, he was free to come and go as he pleased. But he found himself seeking it nonetheless.

It was hard to tell if the question was well-received or not. The ire in his expression faded not one bit, but nor did he say anything, and for a long moment the two dark wolves just stared at each other. While she did not feel any awkwardness in the silence, she understood why others might, how it stretched on and she could only guess how he might respond. It had been an empathic question, no? An implicit offer to share the other's burden? Whether or not it was inappropriate to say such a thing to a pure stranger was not quite something Bennet comprehended. Feeling connected to every other wolf and yet simultaneously utterly disjointed - and both for the exact same reason - was a difficult thing for a logical young wolf to rationalise.

She did her best.

A black ear flicked forward at his response, his tone different to before, less angry. Her jaw opened the barest fraction, about to ask him to explain what he meant, when she stopped herself. That was treading over compassionate into just being nosy. Or so she'd been taught, anyway.

It was a good thing she stayed quiet, because then his snappishness was back, and her ears flicked back at the resentment in the words, her first overt reaction to anything he'd said. What kind of a question was that? Still wanting to know what he'd meant by being played, she opened her mouth, hesitated, and then managed to stay on Her good track (or so she hoped, this kind of thing really wasn't her forté):

"You can do whatever you like."

Her response was.... How the hell did a kid her age manage to be so annoying? Was she making a pronounced effort to be? Was she trying to get a rise out of him? Because it was working. But he was dubious, there was no mischievous glee in her eyes- the like that Percy got when she knew she was being a pest and getting on his nerves. She was just being herself, she was simply saying whatever crossed into her mind. Askan often did the same, but when she did it her words wiggled beneath his skin and made him want to squirm in revolution. In disgust. Who the fuck did she think she was?

"Course I can." He spat back, all venom and no tact. "Don't need your permission."

It's not as though he had been seeking her permission, though perhaps his words could be interpreted as that.. Ah well. He didn't give a shit. He needed to keep moving, he wasn't getting any closer to Oak Tree Bend by standing around and talking to this runt. And yet.. Askan wasn't heartless. She seemed large enough to look after herself for short periods of time, enough to wander from the den, but surely she wasn't alone, was she? Askan frowned. He didn't care for her or her pompous attitude, but he felt like he'd earned the right to ask the questions now.

"You on your own kid? That's not smart." He said as he turned a little, as though she didn't even deserve his full and undivided attention. Which she didn't. Instead he glanced at the darkening sky above. He'd have to find somewhere to sleep soon, if wanted to keep up his pace. "Why don't you go run back to your parents and annoy them instead."

Askan was going on the assumption that she didn't belong to a pack- surely he'd have a pack of baby sitters chasing his ass otherwise- but even then her parents (or parent depending on the situation) couldn't be too far away. Even at this age, Percy never wandered too far. Or at least to his knowledge she didn't, then again now that he thought about it he wouldn't be surprised if she snuck off for an adventure or two without telling anyone. Askan repressed the urge to sigh and instead, reluctantly turned his gaze back to the kid to gauge her response.

(This post was last modified: Dec 02, 2016, 08:16 PM by Askan.)

This felt weird.

Either she was saying the wrong thing, or he was determined to make the worst of it no matter what. Such a surly and unpleasant man this was, so eager to spread his unhappiness to those around him. Definitely not a wolf devoted to goodness. The very notion that he might need her permission - that she might expect him to need it - was irrational, yet that was the implication behind his snarls. Was that how she came across? Was that how he saw her?

Hm. She would have to talk to her parents and re-evaluate.

With how clearly he resented her presence, Bennet had already believed that he would leave and begun to withdraw into her mind for assessment when his question drew her back out. Yet he turned even as he spoke, which left her confused as to whether or not he really wanted an answer, and if he hated her so much then why ask in the first place? When she thought about it, too, there seemed to be a threat implicit in the way he'd remarked on her aloneness. She made a note not to get any closer.

Even still he did not leave, instead offering a parting shot which left her with that faint, uncomprehending frown, yet it made sense that he accuse her of being annoying. She didn't understand how, or why, but thought it best not to press him for answers. Clearly he was not a wolf to be inconvenienced. For a moment she considered offering a polite farewell, perhaps even an apology for her conduct, but... she did not think she had acted so wrongly. The misbehaviour was all on his end. Bennet would neither stoop to his level or make excuses for it; they would be judged equally in Her eyes and Bennet would not dare act counter to her nature for fear of being seen as a liar.

No. Able to understand the man's anger and its implications well enough, the little dragon only took a step back. She watched him still, but for her own wellbeing; she was not stupid. She would wait until he was well gone to turn back for home.

Askan was unsure what to make of her silence. She was still watching him, with those same knowing eyes. But at least she had the sense to stop prying. It seemed as though she was weighing up her options here, taking the time to take them both into consideration. There was nothing wrong with thinking things through, but in that moment her presence was an unnecessary source of annoyance and Askan wanted her gone- or to leave himself- sooner rather than later.

With a petty harumph, Askan tossed his head and turned his back on the kid. He hadn't even asked her name, or offered his own. And it was better that way. If he ever happened to look back on this moment- he doubted he would do so fondly- he'd just refer to her as that weirdo kid in the woods. That's all she was to him. She was an annoyance for sure, but he had no intentions of actually hurting her. What sort of guy did that? He had a short temper, but even a bizarre runt like her didn't deserve to physically take the brunt of his emotions. He'd save venting on people who could take it.

"Whatever." Askan grumbled, determined to get in the last word. 

With that, he was done. He had a long way to go yet and he intended to keep going until night fell. Then he'd find somewhere reasonably comfortable and safe to call it quits for the night, before heading out again as soon as the sun was up. It was a routine he had grown accustomed to during the past few days, but it wasn't one he was fond of. It reminded him too much of his journey to Relic Lore, except this time he had a destination in mind. Pushing the encounter with that odd kid out of his mind, Askan broke into a hasty trot and weaved through the trees, heading further south than he'd ever gone before.