Aurora Heights i can handle anything

@Pyriel

The sky was a dark indigo, with millions of tiny stars blazing in the distance. Clouds crept their way across the scene, giving the whole picture a muted feel with its added whites and grays. And the moon - big and only a hair off of full - hung in the sky before a string of constellations. The night air was light, and a soft breeze danced through the dilute black fur of Tinley's pelt. She was laying on the precipice of one of the mountain's cliffs, her forepaws dangling off the edge and her muzzle turned upward to the heavens.

Although she and Pyriel had only joined Aurora Heights a few days ago, Tin hadn't given herself much time to relax. The warrior had been busy learning the territory, mapping it out and committing it to memory as best as she could. She'd patrolled the borders, found out where all the caches were, and checked for danger everywhere she could find. Over six months of living as a loner - and the lifetime of specialized training before that - had not prepared her for the placidity of pack life. She couldn't help the tenseness in her shoulders, or the struggles she had falling asleep, or the fact that she'd forgotten to eat anything until that very morning - she had indulged herself in a rabbit from one of the caches.

She hadn't ever been a part of a pack. The Bloodbreakers hadn't been a pack - not truly. Sure, they had an alpha and subordinates, but they weren't like this. There was a sense of... security, almost? It was peculiar, and Tinley couldn't decide if she liked it or hated it. But she supposed she'd have plenty of time to figure that out later.

Keeping herself so busy hadn't let her have much time to talk with her new packmates, or even Pyriel. She made a mental note to seek her partner out soon - check and see how he was doing. She had no doubt that he'd probably been chasing tail and irritating the women of the pack, but she knew for a fact that he hadn't left the territory, either. She hadn't been lying to Kyna when she said that the two of them were very loyal wolves. Plus, no matter how Pyriel acted, he was still quite intellectual. He'd probably been busy, too.

She sighed softly through her nose, never taking her tangerine eyes from the stars above.

Night had fallen by the time the warrior had decided it was time for him to rest for the night if the nightmares would let him. His pale form was a stark contrast in the darkness if the forest as he made his way to the heart of the territory. Every so often the twinkle of one of the many stars in the sky would catch his attention. As he passed one of the openings in the canopy of the trees he'd caught sight of the nearly full moon. It was bright enough to light his way as he moved through the trees.

He and Tinley had only been in the heights a few days but it was a very different pack than the bloodbreakers. The wolves weren't always worried about battle and training, to him it was more relaxed. In the days since coming to the heights his training or maybe all the times Tinley had badgered him to train had taken over for he'd not taken a moment to sit and do nothing. During the day he would go through the list of things he needed to do before he could rest at night. He would rest when he made sure the borders we're secure and he knew the territory.

He'd kept himself so busy that he hadn't had a chance to talk to his partner let alone see her. He knew she was safe and that was what mattered to him, it was what he'd come to this place for. He also knew she wasn't sitting around doing nothing, he wasn't sure it was in her to not keep busy. Still he needed to talk to her and make sure she was doing okay and adjusting to the new life they had chosen for themselves. It was much different than what they were used to even back home and he feared she wouldn't take well to it and be unhappy. Pyre didn't want that for her and would do what it took to make sure she was happy.

He wasn't expecting to come across her that night but there she was as he came upon the precipice. He wasn't sure she'd seen him as he gaze seemed to be focused on the sky as he came around to where her paws were dangling off the edge. He thought about nudging one with his nose but he feared that would startle her and the last thing he wanted to deal with was an angry Tinley. So he settled for clearing his throat to announce his presence before speaking.

“Shouldn't you be in the den?” He questioned as he backed up to where she'd be able to see him easily. “Or were you planning to stay here all night?” He didn't think the latter was a bad idea as his gaze followed hers to the sky. It was a good night to sleep under the stars as he'd done so many times while on his own.

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

She hadn't really been expecting company that night, but Pyriel was never unwelcome. The dark female sensed him rather than heard or smelled him, and one of her auds swiveled just a hair so that she could pick up on his pawsteps. He had a weird gait, ever since he injured his shoulder so badly all those months ago. She wondered, idly, if he had any more injuries or scars than when she had last seen him. Tinley knew that she did - mostly minor things, but there were still marks there that Pyre wouldn't know about. The thought made her feel guilty. She was supposed to be his partner, and she abandoned him to his own devices. And Pyriel didn't even like life in the Bloodbreakers.

Tinley Attaya sucked as a partner.

But Pyriel didn't seem to think so, because he'd taken to her again as easily as breathing - not a hint of reproach or anger or judgment at all. Her friend cleared his throat thoughtfully before speaking, probably so he didn't startle her. As though the young Attaya would be so jumpy. She looked down at him as he spoke, her head tilting to the side and a smile tugging at just the corners of her lips.

"Wasn't aware we had a curfew," she hummed in return, her eyes flicking from his green orbs to the sky once again. She shut them, enjoying the way the cold mountain breeze ruffled the fur on her cheeks. "I haven't slept in the communal den once since we got here. But I suppose if you'd been sleeping in there, you'd know that. So you've probably been sleeping outside, too," the dark wolf deduced, not opening her eyes as she spoke.

And, just because the two of them had always been honest with one another, the girl took a deep breath of the mountain air. "I like it out here, at night. It clears my head - makes it easier to sleep, after a while." She, like Pyriel, was also assaulted by a slew of nightmares almost the moment she shut her eyes to sleep every single night. After all, you couldn't kill and kill and kill without some consequences, after all.

The diluted young woman jerked her chin slightly in a gesture for him to join her on the precipice. "You coming up here, or are you just going to stand there like a moron all night?" Her voice held just the slightest bit of teasing, and while most people would have thought she was being serious, she expected Pyre would understand her much more clearly.

He'd not been expecting to run. Into her that night since he hadn't for the past few nights. It was good to see her after not for the past few nights but he was sure like him she was doing what she needed to feel safe I their new home. To find her on the precipice wasn't much of a surprise to the Albarn man and as he looked up at her it seemed a fitting place for his partner. The past weeks being with her again had left him wondering why it had taken him so long to come after her, he should have gone after her sooner. Now that they were together he didn't plan on letting her go off in her own again, that would be something for another day. The day was done and he'd been going since dawn, it was time to rest. Finding her was the opportunity to check on her that he wouldn't pass up.

As he approached he knew she had to know it was him that had found her. He knew her hearing was just as good as his and his paw steps hadn't had the same sound to them since the injury to his shoulder. Though healed it still pained him enough to cause a slight limp on the front leg. The clearing of his throat was more of a courtesy to her before he finally spoke as she looked down at him, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Her response to his words wasn’t unexpected as he knew her so well.

“And if we did have a curfew you probably wouldn't one it anyway.” Pyre was almost certain that she wouldn't unless it was a direct order. He observed her from his place below her as the mountain breeze ruffled her fur and his. She as always with her powers of deduction had figured him out of course. “They may have accepted us into their pack but that doesn't make it home,” said letting his gaze drift to the sky. The pale agouti man had to wonder if he would know home when he found it. “It's going to take time, I'm more comfortable under the stars anyway,” he added letting his green gaze fall on Tinley once more. She was his home, he felt most comfortable with her then he'd ever felt even in the bloodbreakers.

He could share the sentiment that she expressed about sleeping outside the den, he too felt the same. The night air did help to clear his head and eased the nightmares just enough that he could get some sleep. “If I could I would take them away for you Tinley,” he said with a sigh for he didn't believe she should be plagued by the nightmares. Like him she had seen and done too much and he knew he couldn't stop her from having them just like he couldn't stop himself. “You deserve to have dreams and not nightmares.”

The Albarn man caught the jerk of her chin, a signal for him to join her on the precipice. He pawed the ground as she spoke, “Well since I'm not a moron I will be coming up there,” he said with a hint of jest in his tone. He knew quite well she was was merely teasing him. The pale man didn't waste any time in jumping up and settling behind her pressing his nose into her scruff and taking in her scent. “Six months was far too long.”

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A smirk traipsed along her lips when he mentioned her not obeying curfew, and she shook her head. "I don't know. I'm pretty good at following orders," she responded, once more closing her eyes against the mountain breeze. The lightness of the air was heavenly; it felt good not to have any extra weight added to her lungs. He mentioned the pack not being home, and she hummed lightly. "There's no such thing as home," the young wolf murmured, not bothering to open her eyes again. Unlike Pyriel, she was too practical to pin her idea of home on another person. Not now, at least. But yeah, I do think that, with time, this place will be good for us. So far, no one's been severely hurt or killed, so we're off to a good start."

She shouldn't have been surprised when he understood her mentioning of the nightmares, but it made sense. Pyre understood them; he could relate to her, on that level. "Don't say that," she reprimanded lightly, with no real bite to her tone. "It's nothing in comparison to what I've succeeded in. I'd do it all over again, and have nightmares every night for the rest of my life, as long as I know I'm doing the right thing." She glanced down at her partner with a bittersweet smile. She didn't comment on his final remark, instead keeping the idea that she didn't deserve dreams to herself. Why should she be allowed happiness? Her mission wasn't complete, and she had killed and killed and killed. You don't do that without consequences, even if you kill in the pursuit of goodness.

It didn't take long for her partner to jump up onto the precipice beside her, and he lay down. Pyriel always had this little habit of getting close, and if it had been anyone else Tinley would have been quite pissed off. But, since it was only Pyre, who was like an extension of herself, she was fine with it. She even lowered her head to rest on her forepaws when his nose brushed her scruff, feeling much more able to relax now that she had someone to watch her back.

'Six months was far too long.'

A soft, amused exhale left her body, and she flicked her tail across his. "Not like I was leaving forever," she told him, subconsciously finding the slightest bit of comfort in his familiar scent. "Was that what you were doing here in the first place? Following me?" It wasn't a topic they'd breached so far - instead, Tin had focused on the menial and day-to-day aspects of their life. But now that they had a bit more time to spend other than just surviving, it seemed like a good time to ask.

It was the look on her face that he'd been looking for when he'd made his comment knowing she had found some amusement in it. She as he knew and was true for himself did follow orders. “That you are,” how could she not be with their life surrounding around orders. He lifted his nose into the air and inhaled as the mountain breeze swept over them. “Or you haven't found a place that fits what you believe to be home.” That was the case with him, the bloodbreakers certainly hand been his idea of what home was. How could they know for certain what a home was supposed to be? “It is a good start,” he agreed his gaze drifting in the direction he knew the communal den to be. “It will at least give us a place to rest our paws and fill our bellies.” That was what the heights was for the time being though he held some hope that it would be more than that one day.

Nightmares was just one of the many things that he shared with Tinley so it was not hard for him to figure out what she'd meant. A frown crossed his pale features when she reprimanded him for what he'd said. Though it hadn’t been aggressive by any means he only spoke what he felt. He remained silent as she spoke of how she felt in the matter and he could not disagree with her, he felt the same. “I feel the same but that doesn't mean I can't wish for better for you.” whether what they had done was the right thing or not he felt that their nightmares we're their punishment for all of the killing they had done. They had taken other's lives so why should theirs be filled with happiness? Greater good or not it didn't matter to the pale man he'd hated every moment of it, he deserved the nightmares as far as he was concerned.

Her invitation to join her on the precipice was quickly accepted as he jumped up to join her. As usual he laid down close to her, it had always been his reassurance that she was still there. As he brushed his nose through her scruff she laid her head on her forepaws and he knew she felt like she could relax and not have to worry now that he was there to lookout for her. It was what they had always done, look out for each other.

His comment didn't go unnoticed, her words causing him to shake his head, “It may not have been your intention to be gone forever but you also don't know how long it will take to find your father.” After six months and the weeks they had been together she still had not found Mace. He knew she couldn't give him a definite answer of how long it would take. The conversation they had been needing to have seemed to have found it's time to be had because she wanted to know if he'd followed her. “Yes but I shouldn't have had to follow you, I should have come with you.”

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Following orders was what they did best, after all. Dehumanized and reduced to nothing but robotic soldiers, so that normal wolves could be able to live safe and happy lives. It had been so drilled into Tinley's head that she couldn't imagine a life outside of it. Therefore, she had never given any thought to what a home might be. "Maybe," she agreed lightly, still watching the heavens above. "Haven't really imagined it before." A smile curved the corners of her maw. "It does feel nice to have food to eat and somewhere a little safer to sleep." Though they both knew that sleep wasn't really happening just yet.

'I feel the same but that doesn't mean I can't wish for better for you,' he told her, and she hummed lightly in her throat. She wanted to tell him that wishing was pointless, and hope and dreams meant nothing. That, no matter what, they were killers and they'd earned every single nightmare that they experienced. She even more than he, because she'd forced him into the life. Knowing that there would be no normal afterward. Instead of all that, she just smiled lightly at him. "Thank you," she replied, then turned her attention back to the sky.

He mentioned her father and she gritted her teeth, her temper rising up in her chest. "Damn him," the young wolf hissed under her breath, but it was only halfhearted. She shook her head afterward, banishing the thought. "I suppose you're right. But at least I was planning to come back, unlike he was." A breath of a laugh escaped through her nose, her chin still resting on her paws. "I wouldn't have ever asked you to come with me. It's a pain in the ass," she replied, tail brushing over his flank in a rare show of affection. "But I am grateful you decided to. Are you angry at me for leaving?" She had to ask - she needed to know if she should apologize, or if she had something to make up for.

Orders had been their life in the bloodbreakers but now they had rules, those were easy enough to follow. Especially for he and Tinley who were conditioned to follow orders, it was all very simple, cut and dry. It was the home part that he'd focused on, could they have finally found a place that could be some semblance of a home. She agreed that she may not have found that place that was home to her. It caused a smile to tug at his lips for she'd actually agreed with him on this. “We're not with the bloodbreakers any longer Tinley, maybe it's time you let her mind wander in the idea a bit.” Their lives were very different now, it was something they would have to get used to but she was right. “It is, to not have to worry about where our next meal is coming from or finding shelter for the night.” They had those things now which made it so they could focus on other things.

He expressed a feeling about her that he never had before, for what reason he wasn't sure. Possibly to test the waters or maybe he just felt she needed to hear something that told her that he cared for her a great deal. She'd helped to get him through a lot and now maybe it was his turn to help her. She'd never admit to needing the help but it was a good thing that he knew her well enough. “Your welcome,” he returned happy that his admittance hadn't upset her though he supposed they had been friends long enough he supposed he shouldn't have been worried so much.

She wasn't happy when he brought up her father and he couldn't blame her, he let her have her moment until she spoke again. “I know you were but it was a matter of if I wanted to wait that long not knowing what may have become of you.” He had done plenty of worrying about her before he decided to go after her. It was one of the reasons he had left the bloodbreakers for her. “You shouldn't have had to ask. Pain in the ass or not I should have been at your side like I always have been.” They were partners and friends, he should have never stayed behind but been there to watch her back as she looked for her father. A smile crossed his pale features when she told him she was grateful and as for her question. ”I'm not angry with you for leaving. I understand why you had to. If anything I'm more angry with myself.” He felt he had been a bad partner and friend and he intended to make up for it.

(This post was last modified: Jul 16, 2017, 02:41 AM by Pyriel.)

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Her brows knitted a bit when he mentioned them not being in the Bloodbreakers anymore, and she couldn't help but stiffen a bit. "Nobody said that I was planning to stay away forever," she responded tightly - not angrily, but perhaps a bit more tense than she had been from the rest of the conversation. "All I'm doing is finding Mace. The Bloodbreakers are all I know. I don't know if I can be away from them permanently." Although, having been away from them for upwards of six months now, she was perhaps considering the idea of not going back. It was tempting - not having to fight and kill constantly just to please the higher-ups. She sighed softly and admitting, "Although the idea isn't the worst."

She felt no need to respond to his small 'You're welcome' and instead just remained silent, watching the stars above them. It was nice to know that there was at least one person in the world who wanted the best for her. She knew much better than to expect that there were many wolves who actually cared for her, but Pyriel was definitely one of them. Despite their many, many differences and quarrels, he was always there for her when nobody else was. And she wanted him to know that she appreciated that.

The dark wolf shook her head at his own self-deprecation, her ears flicking back momentarily. "No, you had your duty to the Bloodbreakers. I was the one who broke that, so I was the one who acted wrongly. You did much better than I did," she told him, her tangerine eyes drifting to close. "I'm a terrible soldier, chasing after a deserter like I am. I don't even know what I'm going to do when I find him." She was torn between tearing him to shreds and crying at his feet. The latter was not preferable.