Mountain of Dire I am inimitable, I am an original

 @Sven

If I ever leave I could learn to miss you

Why it was that the boy had ventured up the mountain he had no idea, but it was done all the same. Perhaps it was the thoughts of what was soon to come plaguing him. They’d left the Monadnock only two days ago in search of their future home. Why they were on this side of the mountain was beyond him, but he’d dutifully followed Hal as he knew he always would. And it wasn’t so bad, honestly, to finally get out of those borders.

Sometimes he felt bad about his thoughts about the Monadnock, as they’d been so nice to taken them in when their ranks had already been filling up. Truly he did respect Craw and Morganna, it was just that their home wasn’t the perfect home for him. It wasn’t like they’d been being freeloaders, they’d provided just as much as any other pack member and never went beyond what they were supposed to do. But to him it still felt...dirty. He didn’t like it, but now they wouldn’t have to worry about it.

The weather was cold and cloudy, but luckily the wind wasn’t as powerful as it usually seemed to be. The large silver lad moved over the rocky terrain, head lifted in alertness. Just like cougars or lynxs were plentiful in the Monadnock he’d scented a few around these parts as well. He’d rather get back to Hal in one piece.

With sentimental boy as my nom de plume

(This post was last modified: Feb 19, 2017, 09:09 PM by Kino.)

well i finally found what i'm a lookin' for

It hadn't taken much thought to press past his secret domain at the falls and ascend higher, up into the passes of the mountains. Since his grandmother's death, things had shifted within him. There was, in his mind, no one to answer to anymore but himself, and only Attica to care for. He missed the woman dearly, would have given almost anything to have her back amongst the living, but in a way? Things felt clearer these days, now that the grief did not dominate his heart. He knew what the future held now, because it was all within his control to make happen.

That made breathing so much easier. He stood atop the snow coated ledges and inhaled deeply, thin and frigid air breezing through his thick, white coat. Guilt and worry did not nibble at the back of his mind. He thought of nobody and nothing, pale eyes closed against the sun as he enjoyed merely existing. Then one breath too far brought that peace shattering down around his paws.

It wasn't her, but she was there all the same in the scent. His heart suddenly hammering within his chest, he turned about, searching wildly for the source, and then-- a boy his age, wandering further north. Without any confirmation, Sven couldn't help but name him. Alastor.

But also... did he smell Morganna on him? He couldn't tell for sure, he'd have to be right on the boy to know, and the Archer youth honestly wasn't certain that he wanted to find out. So instead of moving, he remained still, simply staring.

but if they get their chance they'll end it for sure

If I ever leave I could learn to miss you

A cool gust of wind brought the scent of another to his nose and he paused in his movements, auds swiveling all around as his topaz gaze narrowed in order to sharpen his vision. He didn’t know the scent but it wasn’t hard to decipher it was of a pack wolf. But whether it was a pack wolf on the mountain, maybe the Fallen Tree Cove pack that was allied to the Bend, he couldn’t say. Still, he didn’t like not seeing who it was that was around. It made him feel...weak and vulnerable which was the opposite of what the moon-child wanted to be.

After another minute of looking he was finally able to land on the body of another boy around his age. He’d almost skipped over him, the snowy pelt blending in with the snowy landscape and his silver gaze only aiding in the blending. But, a harsh black smudge ran up the length of his snout and the little bit of movement had been enough to gain his attention. And he was looking at him with...something. Wariness, shock? Perhaps both? He couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

His body remained alert, prepared for whatever circumstance that might be thrown his way by a stranger, but there was nothing threatening about him as long as you ignored his large and brawny build. In fact, a slight raise of his brows betrayed a bit of curiosity on his end. “So are we gonna just sit here and stare at each other, make some introductions, or be on our own way?” he asked bluntly though the options were completely open to the other. He’d prefer one of the last two, since he’d never been one for enjoying the event of staring slack jawed at another like the other seemed to.

With sentimental boy as my nom de plume

well i finally found what i'm a lookin' for

Only a few moments passed in silence before the other wolf noticed he was being watched. Sven's twin moons locked with Kino's cut aquamarine, but of course, no recognition passed through the other's eyes. There would be nothing about the Archer teen for him to identify, lest he'd just spent time with Halie, and she was long gone. At least, he'd thought. If his nose was right, and she was with his aunt... well, she might as well have vanished completely, he supposed.

He could have simply asked the boy, 'are you Alastor?' or 'do you know Sahalie?' but there was something else too that Sven wished to test, something he'd always really wondered about the girl and their friendship. Thus, he already knew what he would say even before the other boy spoke up. His ears turned forward as the words carried to him, the other clearly unamused by the notion of having been watched. The choice was all his, hm? Good, it was the same opening he'd had before the other wolf had even opened his mouth, then.

"Sven Archer," he introduced himself, features neutral and paws still, keeping the distance empty between them.

but if they get their chance they'll end it for sure

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

I am not falling behind or running late

The shock seemed to wear off of the other boy and something in his demeanor changed. Kino suddenly got a feeling that he wasn’t familiar with and it threw him off. Of course it could have been his imagination, but he wasn’t so sure.

“Sven Archer,” the pale lad introduced and it struck something inside of the Lagina boy. He felt like he’d heard the name before, like it had been important to him somehow but exactly where he couldn’t be entirely sure. Slowly, a feeling of nausea came over him. It wasn’t that he was going to be sick, but rather it was a recollection. A feeling that drew up the time he’d returned and gotten drunk off of the fermented apples then encountered Sahalie. God, it felt like forever ago that it had happened. But, it was there that he recollected the name. It was the boy that Hal had professed her love to, that she’d admitted she might have liked along with him. And, even if she’d insisted that it had been a spur of the moment thing and she’d sworn off love after that he still felt a pang of jealousy swell in his chest.

He bit it down, stuffed it into his gut and covered it with a grin. There wasn’t anything to the grin, it didn’t even entirely reach his eyes, but it was the only thing he could do. “Ah, one of Hal’s many friends I’ve yet to meet,” one of her fixer uppers, like me he thought. “Alastor Leigh,” he replied leisurely, as if it were easy. As if it meant nothing to him.

I'm not standing still, I'm lying in wait

well i finally found what i'm a lookin' for

It wasn't immediate, but it was there. Recognition. Suddenly breathing came easier, and he wasn't sure why it was such a relief, only that it was. He wasn't a secret. He didn't vanish from her mind each time she said goodbye. That meant something, but... what? Should it, still? His mind wasn't given time to wonder, as the other boy was still talking, and his name came as no surprise. This was him, the one that had gone away and been away and been lamented that moonlit night. That night that was supposed to be just the two of them.

Sven had no idea how to feel. Jealously attempted to rise that this other man was still able to be with her, but it quickly died. Of course he'd been brought along, he'd lived with her. Perhaps Sahalie was all he was rooted to, while Sven... Sven had so much keeping him under the Willows. She'd already asked him if he would leave his pack for her, and he had been honest. Of course she wouldn't ask him to go, yet still he wished she'd have come to him at least to say goodbye.

Alastor might have those answers, but just because he meant something to Sahalie didn't mean Sven would open up to him. In fact, Sven, an already guarded character, felt the need to appear far more secure than he truly was in front of this other wolf.

"How is she doing?" he asked with a light tone, a smile beginning to curl the corners of his lips. At least he could find out the most important thing without baring his hurt.

but if they get their chance they'll end it for sure

(This post was last modified: Feb 20, 2017, 03:48 AM by Sven.)

A look of pleasure flickered in the eyes of the Archer yearling, the opposite of what he'd expected to happen. Even as he'd told himself he wasn't going to dig, wasn't going to be that guy he still selfishly wanted Hal all to himself. Even as they were about to go start a pack together, virtually start an entirely new life together, a part of him sulked at the thought that this pale boy could possibly have any part of her heart that he could claim that for himself.

In that moment a bit of understanding clicked with him. He had the promise of something that the other did not. He was going to go back to Hal, he was going to lie down by her side and feel her warmth while the boy would go back to wherever it was that he came from. He had the promise of a future with her in it. Oh, how he hated to love the feeling of power that gave him over the other.

“She's great. We're sort of roaming around for now, but that won't be for long,” he mentioned good-naturedly. Then, he allowed his real dig to drop. “We’re starting a pack together.”

(This post was last modified: Feb 20, 2017, 04:08 AM by Kino.)

well i finally found what i'm a lookin' for

Great. The word relieved him more than it hurt him. Something selfish and bitter deep within him disliked the news, for if she was so excellent then she should have had time to come see him and tell him what the hell had gone down. So much more important than that was her happiness, and so even as he went on to say that all they were doing was wandering around, the sting of abandonment was duller than it had been with any other wolf. Yeah, he'd rather she be happy.

The next bit of news, however? It made his heart stop.

Rather than expressing anything, the shock froze his features as they were. So many parts of the claim either didn't make sense or cut him just behind his ribcage. He remembered distantly again that discussion in the cavern, how she'd been talking about mates and acting like she had to have it all figured out. He wanted to bite back that it was far too soon, but then, wasn't he only several weeks away from acting on his own ambitions?

They were adults now. Come spring, he would be the age his father was when he'd had him.

Sven arched a single brow, and plainly stated "She wanted the Bend."

but if they get their chance they'll end it for sure

A mask had been set in place, a cover of tightly curled lips by the other boy but Kino knew masks. He'd worn one himself, was currently wearing one and there was a certain pleasure to know that Sven was feeling enough to be in the defensive. Another part of him, however, was slightly miffed that he couldn't see the emotions being played out behind it. He couldn't see what the next move would be in their little game of seemingly indifferent chess. But, that's how the game was played right? Chess and poker, you never laid out your hand unless you had all your ducks firmly in a row.

A simple statement was all he was given along with a quipped brow. But in that statement he could hear a question. Why doesn't she want the Bend? and oh wouldn't he want to know? Wouldn't he want to know everything that had happened exactly that day and those days after? “Yeah, but plans change I guess. I just follow her lead. She keeps you on your toes like that,” he replied, keeping his end of the conversation up as easily as possible.