Oak Tree Bend In another life

Oblivious was the best way to describe the tawny wolf, her muted hearing missing her daughters summons, and only catching the end of her victorious howl. Did @Aponi have to yowl her guts out every time she caught a hare? Naira thought to herself with a snort, shifting to test her aching joints then thinking better of it as she rested her head back across her paws and went back to gnawing the fir branch that had been her companion on this snowy day. Soon enough it would soothe her enough that she could stand with minimal wincing and make a slow pass of the borders.

Or at least that had been the plan, before she caught the whisper of Spieden calling for her children, stomach doing uncomfortable flips as her ears turned back, wondering when the children had last flounced past and whether or not she should go to the greying woman. No. Her ears turned to the side. She knew the crushing suffocation, the panic that dwelled behind a call like that. Perhaps it was time she started gathering up her own children too. Footsteps came nearer and she released a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding as @Triell came closer, She pushed herself up to a seated position, not bothering to hide the look of worry on her face. "My agreement was with @Spieden." What would they do now?

Once anger hit his chest there was little he could do to quiet the disruption. It was starting to bubble, and warp his thoughts. He thought back to when Drestig had asked them all to leave, and was shocked they would not. Drestig didn't understand..

 Now...the Tainn was over everything. If he could do nothing right in the eyes of his daughter, he felt no need to stay. He had long felt if Serach continued on his path of leadership, he might just possibly take leave from the Bend. He had been its caretaker for so long, and now it was in good hands. He felt he had kept his promise to Corinna. Deep in thought as his paws lead him to Naira, it took him a second to realize she was already sitting there, looking at him.


Orange-yelllow eyes shifted to her face, seeing the lines of worry. Her voice reached him, and he drew in a long breath. If she was worried, maybe he hadn't been on the wrong train of thought. Swiftly, he clicked his teeth, and slowly let it out. "I think it's time to leave the Bend then. I've always meant for it to get back to Serach, and with her to help him I think they'll get on just fine. I don't...I don't want to stay here any more..."


Now he had confessed his feelings, he took the last steps to her, face to face. Would she think less of him? Would she be the one to understand? This had never quite been home. Any time he had started to feel that way, it fell apart. 

(This post was last modified: Dec 26, 2016, 10:16 PM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

and i confess, i'm only holding on by a thin thin thread

Naira

She could see it on his face, that more had passed than just a simple rank challenge. It could have been all in her mind but it seemed a cloud of blood mist hung in the air, making it all smell so wrong, like her brothers broken corpse. She listened to the words she thought would never leave his lips, but then again, there was no Corinna to hold him here anymore, and hadn't he done enough to make up for Indru's sins? When had he ever done anything just for himself?

She rose to move in closer, forcing her head under his chin in a way she had done so many times before. "Then we'll go." She answered with certainty, only tipping her head to try and recall just where she had last seen the children pass by. "Are you thinking of returning to the west?" Wherever he went she would happily follow. It was his turn now, to do something for himself. Maybe that would be enough to put all these ghosts to rest? "We'd best move quickly if we do." Clean breaks always healed the quickest. She wouldn't tell him that it was going to be easy, or that everything would be fine, but she would be there for him. What more could she do?

 

If I go crazy then will you still call me superman?

He couldn't bring himself to say more. He would lose his resolve, and then wasn't sure what would happen. The would was fresh. A cut that stung, and throbbed. If he could just ignore it a little he could handle it. Get past it. Drawing in her scent helped to hold him still, let him close his eyes and think. Yes, he couldn't stay here.  Why he had thought spring would be the time the question surfaced, everything else had brought it out. Made it clear. He was no longer needed here. He needed a change for himself.

Black banner briefly wagged as she nudged him, not questioning him in the slightest. Nor trying to change his mind. It was things like that that made him hate to think what would have been left of him without her. He slipped his nose along her cheek,  as she only asked one question. "Yes, I miss the Wildwood."He missed his river, and the pulse of the grove. These woods had grown on his heart, but had never been the same. The chaos he felt here, as if he'd never been good enough.. "That's the plan. Just need to tell the children, make sure they are set for the journey, and gotta say my goodbyes..." Those goodbyes would only be the start of the hard journey ahead of them, but he would do it right. If they thought him disloyal so be it. "So, what should we do first? Want me to round them up?" He didn't think he would call out, and cause more damage in the moment.

are you with me through it all?

and i confess, i'm only holding on by a thin thin thread

Naira

She wasn't sure on stopping for goodbyes, though she had none of her own to make so that probably made it easier. She hadn't stopped to say goodbye in Swift River or when she broke away from Poison Path, even the disbanding of the keep had been one void of emotional declarations of regret (except for a few quite words exchanged with Mapplethorpe and the hope they would meet again, in this life or the next). His offer to track down the children was met with a shake of her head, if he had farewells to say then he could do that while she rounded them up. "I'm due for a border pass anyway, I'll find them, you can say your goodbyes." It would do to maintain some semblance of normalcy until they were ready to take their leave.

She wasn't looking forward to scaling the mountain in this weather but if they travelled through the heights the journey should be a little easier on them. "We'll head for the Grove first then," she announced with a small smile, stopping to drag her teeth through a wayward tuft in @Triell's ruff before she finally managed to ask. "How was @Spieden?" How she wished she had of heard the call and made her way there to see it all with her own eyes.

 

If I go crazy then will you still call me superman?

If he didn't have a good heart he would have walked away from it all. They would all wonder what had happened to the Tainn, like so many of the rest. But, he wouldn't do that to anyone if he could help it. Wasn't surprised she declined. There wouldn't be anyone she missed here, and she could collect Reiko and Treyah. Let them know what had passed, and they were going to the Grove. A place of stories they would see for themselves now. Just a moment his heart wished the same for his older children, but he had to kill the thought. No, they were adults, and he had to let them go where they felt they ought to be. "Okay," he murmured, more confident now with her steadiness. One less thing to fret over.

"Best place to start,"he grinned. He would like to return there first, and see the state of it. He had a belief it would do her a world of good to be there too. Why the mountain would be the hardest thing to conquer he did not fear. They would take their time. He had traveled between here and there a few, and he was sure Naira even more so to know where they ought to go.

His grin was quickly wiped away by the inquire of Spieden. It was an image that he doubted would leave him. The fear. "Not good. She looked like a deer afraid for its life, and her fawns. Skittish like when she first arrived, Hal thinks she can help her." he softy sighed, shaking his head. He still hated how he couldn't comfort her. It was in Sahalie's paws, and he wasn't going to be told twice. "I just need a day I think. We can go by next morning."

(This post was last modified: Dec 27, 2016, 06:23 AM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

and i confess, i'm only holding on by a thin thin thread

Naira

Fear might not have been something Naira had much trouble with these days, worry perhaps but not true fear, not like when she had managed to claw her way back over the mountain with her infant child in tow, no. Still, it made her sick to her stomach to think of anyone else in that state. "Like I was?" she questioned, more hypothetically than someone expecting an answer. He had seen her at her lowest points, she was sure there was more than one memory that may well spring to mind.

Of course @Sahalie would try to fix things but what could she really hope to achieve. "She might be the only one with a chance of getting through to her, but if this isn't a safe place for her anymore, it's only cruel to try to drag her back. @Spieden is a woman grown. She knows what she's doing." The latter was said with a sigh, only regretting that she hadn't had the chance to get closer to the former leader herself. Naira could only wonder at what the fallout might be from all of this in the days to come. If Sahalie chose to follow her mother figure, who else would fall in step with the girl? For surely if Spieden was the glue holding the adult members in place then Sahalie was the same for those younger. If she had a shred of loyalty for more than herself and her children it might have tugged enough at her heartstrings to convince her to stick around, but she was an old hand at damage control and what was best for her and hers was to leave.

"It's your turn to do something for you." She reaffirmed with a nudge and a chuckle. It was time the Tainn took a leaf out of her book and stopped living for everyone else.

 

If I go crazy then will you still call me superman?

The day she spoke of was still in his memory; when she had found him after all that time, two different children in tow, trying to understand the wild state she had arrived in. "Yes," he simply stated, glad those things were behind both of them. Though, were they really? Should he be more afraid?

He tried to find comfort in her words, as he had began to think the same thing. Hearing, here say the same out loud it helped his some of his guilt in not doing more for the woman. They were going to do what they thought was best for themselves too. Why he would like to know what Sahalie would do, right now he had to put those wants to rest. He had let her go, and felt if they would see each other again it would have to be on her terms no matter how painful it was.

His tail slowly beat, yes it was time he looked after his immediate family. He had tried to do better for Reiko and Treyah, and this would just be a continuation of that. He couldn't imagine if Serach and Aponi had pups what it could come to. It was better this way he told himself.

"Thank you," he murmured, sweeping his nose to her cheek. At least someone understood him, loved him no matter what. It was nice to be together in this, and to hell with the rest. Though, excitement beat in his chest, there was fear there."Not sure what will happen so get as clear from here as you can. I promise I'll find you." He doubted he really needed to tell her this, but said it all the same. He wasn't afraid for himself, only them.

are you with me through it all?

we know who we are

Naira

Naira had never been one to drag her heels when it came to leaving. It was something she was rather good at after all these years. Clean breaks healed best, there was no point to leaving a little bit of your soul behind with each and every goodbye, (you were also a whole lot less likely to find someone chewing on your ass if you just got up and left). She might have been getting sentimental in her old age, but with Spieden gone there was nobody left for her to say goodbye to.

 

"This isn't my first desertion," she teased, not intending for the words to cut but to merely prepare him for the harsh words to come should he persist with getting the all clear from everyone else before he thought to leave. "Worst case we'll meet you on the heights, I'll head to my old tree tonight." It was clear enough from the Oak Tree borders to not stick out in any obvious way and it would give her a chance to prepare the children for the journey ahead. "Stay safe, and at the first sign of teeth get out. Words aren't worth dying for." There was more at stake than other people's feelings.