Verdant Mosses ask your soul if you're alright

wouldn't mind a QV wolf popping in here
morning | sunny 58°F/14°C 

The shadow had gone in search of food. He had slunk away during the early hours of the morning while his mate and daughter were still nestled comfortably in their shared den. Despite his position drastically changing since leaving Whitestone—he had jumped from subdued subordinate to leader, a title he had never expected himself to achieve—the Archer could not shake old habits. He preferred solitude and silence. No, he craved them. His feelings for the strawberry blond and his russet daughter were far greater, of course, but he could not restrain his wandering paws. Greer was always sure to return with something, whether it be food or information, for he did not want Kyna to think that he did not want to spend time with her. He had grown accustom to being able to wander as a scout in Whitestone; being stuck atop the heights was starting to turn him into a basket case.

As he moved east the terrain drastically changed around him. Stone quickly shifted into lush, vibrant green illuminated by the sunlight rising above the trees. Winter had finally released its tight grip on the Lore as spring begun transitioning to summer. The temperatures were not too warm (just yet), leaving the dark pelted leader to meander as he pleased during the day. It was a nice change from the blanket of snow that captured the land only weeks before. Rain plummeted from the sky occasionally, but nothing out of the ordinary. Slowly but surely Relic Lore was return to normal.

The ground sagged beneath his paws as he moved, his brows pinched together as he scanned the moss covered earth for signs of life. He had only been here once before—when he encountered a chatty chocolate-coloured wolf with eyes that rivalled the sun. That had been some time ago, when he was still part of the Ridge pack west of the mountains he now called home. When he had first thought of leaving the willows behind…

If only his mother and sister could see him now.

-throws Cas in-

Things had calmed down quite a bit in Quaking Vale after the birth of Neha and Draven's son - in spite of the dire circumstances of his coming into the world. The weather had calmed, as well, and the sunshine filtering through the silent, yet beautiful, Verdant Mosses warmed Castel's pelt from above. She'd gone a bit further than the borders that day, for the first time since establishing the pack. Having met each of her packmates, and gotten to know them all on a more personal level, she was itching for someone new. Not that Sahalie, Alastor, Niles, Draven, and the others weren't enough for her - because they were. It was simply that drive for adventure and that longing for things unseen that called Cas on past the borders of her new, established, home.

Blue eyes scanned the greenness around her as the Vale's second padded through the moss. She enjoyed the way the ground smushed underfoot, causing her to dip and accommodate her body's lack of perfect balance. She couldn't believe how good she felt, now that the world had warmed up and she'd achieved some sort of stability in life. Even on days where she felt sick, she could just cuddle with Niles until everything was better, or go to Draven for some more of those medicine thingies he'd given her that first time. Simple as that.

She loved the sense of being needed, and of being important, that came along with her rank. Helping Hal and Al out was good for the silver-dusted girl, who thrived on doing and helping and being social. It was all starting to give her hope that maybe she could live some semblance of a normal, productive life. That perhaps she wasn't as sick as she'd originally thought she was.

That was a stretch, but a girl could hope.

Cas perked her ears when she caught wind of a strange scent that drifted in the air. It was a fresh, breezy scent that spoke of mountains and fresh air and freedom, and it didn't smell the way Quaking Vale smelled. Her pack's scent carried its own freedom, in its own way, but not in the same aspect as this particular scent. It was another wolf, and one not from around here. Which, of course, was nowhere near Quaking Vale's borders, so Cas' first response was that of friendliness and welcome, even though her tail did raise like a banner over her spine.

Damn those dogs, with their curly tails. She'd never break this habit.

Following the scent, the girl eventually came across its owner. It was a young man - bigger than her, with a pelt that was black like Draven's or Niles'. Her tail waved welcomingly and she started forward, eager to make a new friend. "Mornin'!" she called, a smile dancing across her features as she approached the wolf. "Nice day, hunh? Sure as hell beats the weather we've been having!" She hoped she wasn't being offputting, but she hadn't made a new friend in a while and she was excited. "My name's Cas, second of Quaking Vale. What's your name?"

pls forgive me for this awful post </3

The lanky Archer hovered near the edge of the mosses, a grim frown stretched across his lips as he meandered through the sponge-like foliage. Greer did not want to stray too far from the mountain’s shadow—not so soon after Revon’s birth. He had grown fond of the stone that encased his new home; the abundance of green was rather off-putting.

His nose hovered inches above the mossy ground, desperately searching for something to bring back to his scarlet mate. There were not many of them—yet—so it was crucial for the alpha to return with something warm. The position he had been thrust into was new to him, and despite not being completely comfortable with it, Greer was trying. For Kyna… and for Revon. He knew this was what the strawberry blond wanted… and he wanted her, so he would do whatever necessary to ensure she got what she wanted.

He smelt the stranger before he saw her and by that time, it was too late. His expression grew somber as the female approached, the mosses consumed by her scent. She smelt odd; different. Her pelt carried the scents of others—packmates, he presumed—but there was something else there. Something not right.

As the blue-eyed agouti approached Greer dismissed the thought, his mercury gaze hardening as she spoke, her sing-song voice filling the stale air between them. His lips remained drawn shut as she continued, addressing the weather first (which earned an internal groan from the shadow) before she introduced herself. Quaking Vale. It was not a pack name he was familiar with. Perhaps they were newly formed, just like Aurora.

His nose twitched in annoyance as the rest of his expression remained calm, his ears pinned forward. The shadow did not understand why the girl was so excited—he did not do well with these types. He did not know how to interact with them; how to amuse them. Truthfully he wanted nothing to do with them, but he could not flee now. Not anymore. “Greer,” he answered simply despite the reluctance that bubbled within his chest. He stopped there, for he did not feel like it was necessary to share anymore information.

Yet.

Your posts are never awful! <3

It appeared that her presence was not entirely wanted, but when had that ever stopped Castel before? The girl simply smiled as the shadowy wolf introduced himself, blue eyes intent and waiting for something more from him. But, apparently, this one was the strong, silent type, and Cas was okay with that. After all, Niles was very much silent most of the time, and that certainly didn't make him bad. In fact, it was one of the reasons the silver-brushed girl loved him so much.

Speaking of, this wolf - Greer - bore some striking resemblances to her love. They were around the same size, big and strong-looking. Though, of course, every wolf looked big and strong when you were as small as Cas. But the resemblances didn't stop there - while Greer was much darker and contained none of the silvery hues that decorated Niles' pelt, they were both black-furred. Which, of course, large, black wolves were fairly common. Askan, Reyes, and Draven were three more that she could name right off the top of her head - which, in turn, sent a spike of pain through her chest, because she couldn't even think of Askan without missing the grump. She chased the thought away quickly - he likely hated her, and she'd never see him again, anyway.

What truly got her thinking about the similarities between Niles and this Greer character were the eyes. Cas was nothing if not observant, and Greer and Niles both had beautiful, striking silver eyes. If Cas was aware of currency and human expressions, she would bet money that the two of them were related in some way.

"Pleasure to meetcha, Greer," she told him with a respectful dip of her head and wag of her tail. She wanted to wait and ask him about Niles, but for some reason, she wanted to know right now. "Say, you look a whole lot like a really good friend of mine." This might not be a good idea, and he might not even know him at all, but it was worth a shot. "Do you know a Niles Archer Lyall?"

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

His body tensed uncomfortably under her scrutiny, his lips tense as he waited for her to say something—anything—otherwise he was going to dismiss himself from the situation. Like a shadow, the Archer-Lyall liked to go undetected, observing and collecting intel from a distance. Conversation and confrontation was not his forté. His tongue was pressed to the back of his teeth, uncertainty consuming him as he watched her, a line forming between his brows. In typical Greer fashion he did not speak. He did not know what else to say, aside from announcing the name of his pack. Not yet.

She spoke once more, mirroring her nod with one of his own. His ears twitched as she spoke, a single brow arched as his curiosity peaked. It was not until she spoke the name that Greer deemed the girl appropriate company. Do you know a Niles Archer-Lyall? His nostrils flared and for a moment he was quiet. “Brother,” he answered quickly, ears pinned forward. “Niles where?” He asked, the words tumbling off his tongue as his mercury gaze bore into the pale female. Ravenna was still home, in Willow Ridge, forever loyal to their birthplace. Morganna (as far as he knew) was still perched atop the monadnock, most likely tending to another litter. The rest of his family was either missing or dead… but Niles… where had his younger brother ended up? 

By some stroke of serendipity, this Greer character happened to be Niles' brother. Niles had not mentioned much about his family - she knew his father and mother died only a few days before she met him, but he hadn't shared too much else. She didn't know names or personalities or anything, and she supposed that was okay, because she hadn't really gone too in-depth with hers, either. She'd told him of her mother's death, and that she had been 'raised' by her father. It was just far too difficult to explain what human beings and fences and dogs were to wolves who had never seen or heard of any of them.

Cas could certainly see the family resemblance, though. Greer spoke a bit more oddly than Niles, but they were both men of few words. Much unlike the girl herself, who grinned at the black wolf's shocked, urgent response. "Niles is my packmate," she told him, a bit of a laugh in her tone. She tilted her head back toward the direction of Quaking Vale. "He's a ways over east, if you're ever out looking for him. That is, if you're not going to hurt him." Her blue eyes grew serious. "So, if you just want to see your brother, then please feel free to visit. But if there's any bad blood between the two of you, and you want to hurt him, then you'd better stay far away. Got it?"

It wasn't so much a threat as the girl just being protective of her love. Niles had been through quite a bit - the last thing he needed was a family member who was going to wreck his life. "The way you said his name didn't sound mad, though," she reasoned, tipping her head to the side. "So if you'd like to have a friendly visit, then stop by anytime. I don't think Sahalie or Alastor would be angry about it."

Packmate. The shadow stiffened at this, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled the female’s scent, his brows narrowed darkly. His lips tightened as she continued to speak, his legs stiffening. If you’re not going to hurt him. Greer struggled to keep his canines behind a curtain of black as he swallowed a snarl before it could escape his throat. Hurt Niles? This wolf was delusional. Niles was his brother—he deserved to know where he was and what he was doing. Her overprotectiveness made him wonder if his younger brother had a relationship with the blue-eyed wolf.

Relationship or not, nothing was going to keep the Archer-Lyall with reuniting with his younger brother.

Sahalie. Alastor. His ear twitched with familiarity at the names. So this was where the pair had disappeared to after their brief stint in Whitestone. Greer had (surprisingly) enjoyed the silver male’s presence, for he had been a wolf of few words during their hunt in the tundra.

Was Kyna aware her friend was nesting so close to their home?

“They not mind. Greer know,” he countered with a frown, his mercury gaze still fixated on the russet female.

He wondered how far east the pack was from the fen. There would be no family reunion now, for he dared not stray too far from the mountain. Eventually he would meander through the eastern woods to reconnect with his younger brother. How had Niles ended up on the other side of the mountains and why had he chosen to stay, instead of returning to the Ridge?

Greer had not returned either, nor did he plan on making the willows his home again. The mountains had claimed him—just like Kyna had.

The black wolf before her seemed to dislike her claim on Niles, and she supposed he had a right - he was family, after all - but she would absolutely not give the wolf she loved away. If this brother thought otherwise, he had another thing coming. As far as she was concerned, Niles belonged with her. Cas had never loved a wolf as much as she'd loved Niles, and she never would again. It was a special, wonderful kind of love that pushed feelings of protectiveness and - perhaps - a bit of possessiveness to the surface. It was the kind of love that stiffened her own legs and narrowed her own eyes, in the face of someone much bigger and more capable than herself.

But that wasn't like her. Her posture relaxed as soon as it had begun to puff up, and she set her tail at an easy wag behind her. 'They not mind. Greer know.' She almost spoke of herself in the third person in response - not in a mocking way, but it was quickly becoming something that could come with the slip of the tongue. "Okay, then," she told him, her voice back in its cheerful, lilting tone. "We're pretty much due east; it's kinda hard to miss."

Another invasive thought wound its way into her mind and came immediately out of her maw. "You won't try and take Niles, will you?" she asked, her throat tightening a bit toward the end of her sentence. "Because I - uh, I kind of..." love him, "...really care about him. And, I mean, if he wants to go, he can - obviously - but I.... yeah," she finished lamely, after babbling in nervous anxiety for longer than she should have. She did not like the thought of Niles leaving her - though she supposed it was his choice, in the end. It was just that the very thought caused her to feel like her heart was being tugged from her chest.

Her expression calmed after the shadow spoke, but he did not miss her blue pools narrowing protectively. It appeared his suspicions were correct: the russet female did care for her brother, perhaps in the same way he cared for Kyna. Questions bubbled up inside his throat but he did not allow them to surface. Instead, he remained quiet, waiting patiently for words to spill off her tongue.

Fortunately, the shadow did not have to wait long. East. He nodded quickly to show his gratitude. Greer would seek out his younger brother soon, for he was curious as to why he had chosen to reside on the other side of the mountains. Like Greer, he had found a home for himself outside the willows. Was Morganna or Ravenna aware of their brother’s whereabouts, or had they been in the dark as well? He frowned slightly, his brows pinching together as the girl spoke once more, questioning the shadow’s motives about seeking out his brother.

Slowly, the Archer-Lyall shook his head. No, he would not take his brother away from his new home—or this strange female. If this was where his brother had chosen to live he could not remove him from the eastern woods, just like he could not tear Kyna away from the mountains she devoted herself to.

Restraining himself from rolling his eyes at her comment about caring for his younger brother, the shadow frowned slightly, his maw tipping to the side. “Greer no take,” he assured her, his voice firm as it filled the space between them. “Greer visit.” He paused, words hesitating on the tip of his tongue.

What if he was not able to visit his brother in a timely fashion? His duties—as both leader and father—often made it difficult for him to travel far. “Tell Niles Greer mountain?” He asked, his voice much softer than it had been before. She did not have to carry out his request—he certainly did not expect her to—but he would appreciate it.