Larkcall Lowlands we know we are the aching lands.

RE: There is an active change in the Northern Lights! The sky lights up in greens, blues, and even shades of purple. For lovely @Askan~

He still felt kind of shitty about leaving Askan so quickly like that. It wasn’t like Cottongrass needed him that badly – worse still, the guy probably knew that, too. Probably knew his mind was racing (or knew he’d gone down the gutter, damn it all), probably knew Reyes was actually thrown off kilter for the first time in ages. The self-loathing probably wasn’t very helpful, either – took the man a whole week to decide to turn his ass around and head back to the lowlands. To find the damn ‘Field’ or whatever Askan had called it.

And with him he brought a gift. Well, it was a kill, technically. But he had made it without any assistance, and with the other male in mind, so--

Well, it was more as a repayment than a gift. (Even if Askan had only cleaned him up after savaging his neck, but that was besides the point.) The added weight slowed the loner considerably more than he had planned, however, and by the time he’d brought the hare to the lowlands, night had long since fallen. Above him, the northern lights began to slither to life, greens and reds starting to dance across the sky as he scanned the horizon. Where the hell was Askan? Or ‘the Field’?

Shit, he was seriously barking up the wrong tree.

Note to self: This post is vague as I'm not sure how the search for Percy is going to work out. I'm assuming that he's crawled off to sulk cry. Change/edit stuff if need be

Askan stared upwards as he watched the colours flow and dance across the night sky in seemingly unending lines. He'd seen these lights before, but tonight they were brighter and more vivid. It looked as though the sky was alive. He wondered what Percy would have thought of all of this. Knowing her he imagined that she would have been interested for a moment or so, might even have had a glint of wonder in her eyes. But the awe would quickly wear off and she'd scoff and lose interest. But wait, why was he thinking about her in past tense? As though she were...Askan shook his head fervently till the world around him blurred. No, he was not allowed to think like that. He couldn't...He just couldn't. By no means was the Selwyn a man of faith, he had always been a 'the glass half empty' sort of guy, and yet now, there he was clinging onto hope. She had to be out there somewhere, waiting to be found. @Phoenix wasn't gone forever, she was just lost and he would be the one to find her.

Because if he didn't, well Askan wasn't sure whether he could cope. He didn't know who he'd become.

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Askan pawed at his eyes with a sniff.

This was hard, he wasn't sure whether he could deal with the strain and stress of knowing that his best friend was out there somewhere. And that for some reason she was unable to return on her own accord. A thousand possibilities raced through his mind as his eyes scanned the tundra below, looking for the only wolf he'd ever called a friend. From his position on the ridge he would have been able to see for miles and miles on a clear day, but no matter how much he searched and hoped, she was not in sight.

They'd have to expand their search, maybe even start heading south if need be.

The Rye wolf sighed and his head hung low as he stared at his feet. He-for once- was trying to remain positive, but it was easier said than done when it felt as though a part of him was missing.

If he believed in that sort of thing, Reyes might have wondered if the universe at large was throwing him a bone. As it were, the wolf had little sense of higher being than himself. Even the occasionally exclaimed ‘dios mio’ was something picked up out of habit, a general phrased for his mother’s frustration or surprise. That the faint scent of the familiar wolf had been picked up on the breeze meant little to him beyond that he was in the right place, at the right time. There were no blessings to be had, not here. Not in this world.

Picking up his mouthful, the loner altered his course and returned to a steady trot. His form formed a straight line across the horizon as he travelled, steady, eager – wait, no, he wasn’t eager. Steady, patient, and soon enough, the mirror image that was Askan appeared, lit well under the dancing lights. Red and purples were painted across the snow, reflecting well on the man’s dark coat, and Reyes increased his pace until he could lope up beside the other wolf and drop the hare. Ugh. There was fuzz stuck in his teeth.

“Hey! I was looking for you.” Because he hadn’t been clever enough to ask where to find that damnable ‘Field’ last time. “I brought you this because--” And Reyes stopped there, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled for a reason. Not because he felt like he owed Askan, oh no. That’d give the pack wolf ideas that he didn’t need, and-- The loner paused, head tipping to one side. “Hey, you okay, chaco? You ain’t lookin’ so good.”

It was stupid of him, but Askan didn't hear the crunching of snow as the loner approached from behind, as he scaled up the ridge with ease. Clearly he wasn't joking when he said he liked the burn.  In fact, Askan was so distracted and exposed that he could have been attacked with next to no resistance on his part. Someone could have killed him there and then, and yet Askan had a hard time mustering up the enthusiasm to care. In his eyes, it would have probably been for the best. A mercy killing.

But no, it was Reyes and as snarky as he was it was unlikely the rogue would try and kill him without warning. The Selwyn's ears twitched at the sound of his voice and he cast a weary look over his shoulder. At his feet laid a rabbit, it's neck stained with fresh blood. Apparently Reyes had been looking for him. Why? The way he left last time didn't really suggest that he wanted to be around the Yukon. If anything, it seemed as though he couldn't have gotten away fast enough. Hm. He blinked slowly, his expression a blank mask as he listened to Reyes continue. His not so bright gaze flitted to the rabbit once more, then Askan opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey." He said, his voice a little raspy from all of the shouting he'd done. And also maybe because he'd cried a little too. Maybe.

Whilst he wasn't making an effort to hide the way he was feeling- at this point he didn't have the energy to- he couldn't help but flinch when Reyes pointed out the obvious. Was he going to tell him though? He knew talking was supposed to help and all that, but it didn't feel right or natural. He internalised everything and anything. But this, could he really squish this down and swallow it? Like a bitter pill? He didn't know. Looking to the sky again, Askan sighed, a puff of fog drifted from his open lips.

"Not really." He admitted, and that was putting it simply. He truly wasn't okay. "Percy is missing and I don't know what..." He cleared his throat and stared down at his muddy black paws. "What about you? Your neck, how is it?"

(This post was last modified: Feb 09, 2017, 05:44 PM by Askan.)

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Huh. Maybe Askan was sick. His voice sounded a little messed up – he’d remembered the man sounding a bit husky, but not like he’d swallowed a mouthful of sand. Nothing else indicated illness, however, no strange smells or signs of infection, no wheezy cough or runny eyes. (These were all things a loner had to watch out for – illness was a bitter bitch, and every bit as likely to kill you as the cold or an empty stomach.)

But before he had the chance to enquire after the pack wolf’s health, he mentioned that someone was missing. Percy. A member of the guy’s pack, probably, but something tickled at his memory and he frowned, brows creasing over his glittering eyes. “That one of your sisters?” he asked, remembering a mention of the girls before. No names, but that they’d play – even if they weren’t on the same kind of terms now out of their youth, Reyes knew he’d be heartsick if one of his own siblings had disappeared in the middle of winter, and he hadn’t seen them in several seasons. Shit, he should really check on them.

Maybe in the spring.

“My neck? Eh, it’s fine, just a cut. I’ve had worse. Clearly.” Reyes lifted a scarred lip in a self-deprecating smile; frankly, the only reason he remembered the wound on his neck at all was because he kept meaning to come back up north. Because he remembered Askan. Because he remembered with painful clarity how stupid he had acted, the scene replaying over and over and over in his mind, like a nightmare he had to keep on living. “You want help lookin’?”

"No...She's a friend." Askan felt as though that word wasn't enough. They weren't simply friends, but for the sake of brevity he went with it. "She's just a kid, hasn't been missing for long but I... Something bad has happened. I can feel it."

By no means did he think they had a magical or spiritual connection, but even so he couldn't explain the tight, uncomfortable feeling that had settled in his chest, like a weight was pressing down on his heart. It didn't hurt per se, but it was a constant, unpleasant reminder that she was missing, that he should have done better. He should have been watching her, he should have noticed her leave. It was his job to keep check of who came and who went. It was all his fault. She was gone and he was to blame.

If anything happened to her, her blood would be on his paws and teeth. For what it was worth, he might as well have done the deed himself. A horrifying, repulsive thought if he'd ever had one.

Shaking his head, Askan smiled at Reyes. It was an empty smile that didn't meet his eyes. It was stiff and strained, like a string that was pulled too tight and would snap at any second. The Selwyn didn't know why, but it was almost funny, he almost wanted to laugh. There he was, asking Reyes if he was okay and being glad that he was. Things between them hadn't changed, Askan had.

"No thank you." Perhaps it was foolish to refuse his request, but what could one more pair of eyes do? The whole pack had been out searching for her and they'd found nothing. No solid proof anyway. "The pack will start the search again tomorrow, we're supposed to be resting." Clearly that wasn't going to happen, so Askan had to make do. "Why you here anyway? I thought you had to go." 

The Selwyn had a hard time remembering his exact wording, but from what he could tell that was the gist of it. By no means was it a rebuttal, Askan wasn't sending him away, he simply didn't understand what had bought him back here. Or why he'd even want to be around Askan in the first place when it was clear that he was cursed. That anyone he got close to either lost interest or got hurt. The thought of losing Percy was devastating, heartbreaking. He couldn't stand to lose anyone else, not even Reyes, as odd as their relationship-if you could call it that- was.

“…well.  Alright.”  He had no comment on Askan’s sense for his missing friend – quite frankly, it wasn’t his place.  He didn’t know anything about the missing girl (and shit, that she was still a kid really didn’t look good, not in this weather), and he had no idea what the pack was like.  It really, really wasn’t his place.  So he rolled his shoulder in shrug; if the Field wolves didn’t want strangers looking for their missing pup, that was alright.  He wasn’t about to argue the subject.

Thankfully, it seemed the swarthy man was just as keen on changing the topic as Reyes was.  He hummed quietly, reaching down to nose the rabbit’s carcass towards the other wolf.  It was cool now – if he’d know he wasn’t going to be able to find his way, the loner would have tried to make a kill a little later in the day.  But it would have to do, right?

“I did.  And I went, took care of shit, and now I’m back.  Was a little abrupt last time, so.”  Reyes lifted one should in a half-hearted shrug.  Looking back on the entire situation, even he couldn’t really explain exactly what had been going through his mind when he turned tail.  It’s like all thought processes had just…shorted out upon seeing Askan stretch his entire body out.  Ugh.  Nope.  Not going to think about that. “I said I’d come back.  I just--  Brought this, this time.  Since last time my efforts…” Reyes trailed off, attempting a half smile.  “Wasn’t real keen on getting’ bitten again.”

(This post was last modified: Feb 09, 2017, 11:52 PM by Reyes.)

Askan's gaze drifted down to the rabbit once again as Reyes pushed it towards him. By no means had he ever been the sort who was good at reading social cues, but even Askan could see that that the loner had brought a gift of sorts. An offering even. The Rye wolf had next to no appetite, he could hear his stomach rumble and groan and protest but he paid it no heed. He had better things to do than eat, that time could be used to search for Percy. The sooner he found her, the sooner he would be at peace and able to eat again with a clear conscience. That said, he knew she wouldn't be happy at him for going without. For all the times he'd caught her raiding the caches, she always did offer him whatever was left. Even if it was just a morsel. Besides, he knew that logically it made no sense to starve himself. How was he supposed to find her if there was nothing but food on his mind? His senses would get dull and he wouldn't be able to travel for as long, or as fast. Perhaps this was for the best.

"I didn't think you'd come back." He admitted, with a weak shrug. "I thought I did something wrong."

He wasn't exactly surprised by that line of thought, he knew he wasn't a people person. He knew-for the most part- others didn't like him. But maybe, just maybe a small part of him had hoped that Reyes was different. That he could see past all of his bullshit and just accept, maybe even like who he was. It was stupid and normally Askan would have gone out of his way to crush such a hopeful thought, but things hadn't been so good lately so he'd let it linger. Against his better judgement.

"I promised you it wouldn't happen again. I meant it, I'm a man of my word." Even now, despite his obvious despair there was a steely resolve in his tone and his gaze sharpened for a moment, before the light faded and his shoulders sagged.

"Thanks for the rabbit. I'm hungry." With that Askan picked up the little beast in his jaws and quickly demolished his way through it. As usual, he ate with little grace or manners. But despite the rumbling of his stomach he did not eat it all. Licking his lips, he pushed the remains towards the rogue.

"You finish it. I've had enough."

“I said I’d come back,” Reyes repeated himself, mirroring that same half-hearted shrug he’d given before. His ears flickered hither and forth, feeling all a bit stupid for the problem. They eventually settled flat, his mouth knotted up in a frown. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Got my tail in a knot, worried about Cotton…haven’t been put on my ass like that in a long while, yanno.” The man’s eyes twinkled, a hint of amethyst in his eyes as they reflected the solar storm overhead. But it wasn’t just the northern lights there. No, that was the truth, and perhaps his pride had been a bit wounded at the time, but there was something to be said for a worthy opponent.

But it wasn’t worth arguing. He’d brought the rabbit, and it seemed to be a good thing that he did. There was more to appease than he’d realized. “Yeah, no problem.” Whatever Reyes had been expecting, had been planning to do, it wasn’t happening. It wasn’t like he could blame the guy – a missing kid was no joke, but…

He tipped his head, ears twitching forward at the remains of the carcass. “You sure? I killed that for you,” he hummed, wiggling his nose. Sure, he hadn’t actually eaten today, but the wolf was fine with or without. “S’why I dragged it all the way out here. Is this the Field, by the way? It occurred to me I had no idea where to look… Which I suppose I could have avoided, but.” He shrugged.