Pasos al Cielo remove your hands from over your eyes

@Anastasia <3 dated for August 23 | morning

He did not know how he felt about his conversation with Inna and Lorcán, or if they understood the reason behind his frustration. The ghost understood why they had reacted the way the did, for he knew that both Askan and Reyes were not known to bite their tongue, but that was not an acceptable reason to abolish an alliance. Not when Lachesis had worked so hard to preserve the relationship between Hearthwood and Wild Rye. Did they not think that Jessie would punish her subordinates for their actions? XIX knew that Inna was still recovering from the loss of her mother and obviously took the words of the opinionated Rye wolves to heart. He just wished she had not reacted so boldly, as though she was in charge of Hearthwood not him. It did not matter that her mother lead the pack alongside him—he was the leader. Maksim had trusted him to lead the river wolves (for whatever reason). This was his pack. The Baranski name did not mean Inna was entitled to lead the pack. She would have to earn her place at the top, just like both Lilya and Lachesis had.

He headed west, leaving just after the moon started to fall from it's peak in the night sky. Although he wanted to speak with Jessie and apologize to her for the actions of his subordinates he was not ready to do so yet. Not until the dust had settled in Hearthwood. As much as he wanted to bring Lilya along with him he knew he couldn’t. Not while things were so tense. She needed to keep things under control while he was away, but perhaps he would bring Lavender or Lilliana—show them a bit of the lowlands. He would have to discuss with the blue-eyed sparrow, of course, for if she really wanted to visit her friend in the Fields he would allow her to go. One of them needed to.

And to think, while Inna and Lorcán were gone, the alpha pair had had a wonderful meeting with Jessie’s mate, Drestig, and their scout, Adelayde.

He would leave soon. Once he returned to Hearthwood after this excursion he would discuss his plans with Lilya. XIX did not want to wait too long to apologize, for he worried that the Rye wolves would take the raven’s words to heart, even if he had assured Reyes that their alliance was still intact.

He meandered along the moss-covered rocks as the sun broke across the horizon. His shoulders sagging, bearing the weight of his increasing stress, as his paws dragged sluggishly along the ground. The trickling stream was not the same as the lake he preferred to visit but he needed a change of scenery—where the chance of him running into a familiar face was low. 

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Low chance? Not today, at least. Today was a day of surprises. One by one, they would come to him and she, Anastasia, unable to erase all the surprises she had. The woman was lost and beaten, understandably so as she tried time and time again to forgive herself for her cowardice. In such the way that she was unable to cope with the changes in the life she had wanted to return to. It was amazing what time did to one's life when they were checked out of it for so long and she knew, now, that coming back once more would only prove that time did nothing to soothe her.

The pale cherub had spent so long away from the general populace of Relic Lore that she had become rather attached to her solitude and had not had to deal with any disruptance in her life aside from wondering if she would be able to find her next meal. With no one there to help her - she chose that life and thus did not complain - she had to make due.

While the boy she had taught and grown up with did not expect to see her today, she knew that there was always the chance that she might run into him. So when she looks up from her rummage of one of several hidden caches made by herself, she feels drawn to the vision. Immediately she craves to run to him as she had before and collapse at his paws. Craves to be near him and apologize for her behavior; however, she is trapped.

Lachesis was no boy now and he had every right to look upon her with disappointment as she had left not once but twice now without any goodbye. Anastasia should be nothing to him, she deserved it. Yet seeing him only made her heart ache for someone to look at her the way they used to. Happy, proud, loved... she had had it all. Now she was nothing; worthy of nobody.

by Sarah

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Lachesis rarely ever got the solitude he craved. The north was becoming a popular haven for those seeking packs and as the northern packs swelled in size XIX found it difficult to avoid running into someone during his excursions. Which was why he had chosen to sneak away from the redwoods under the cover of darkness, for there was not many wolves who were as inclined to accompany the moon as Lachesis was. However, as the sun rays crept from over the forests to the east, XIX knew that he would not be alone for long. Wolves would begin to creep from their dens, greeting the morning sun and groggily falling into their routines.

Not Lachesis. Sleep had evaded him tonight but that was not out of the ordinary. He was far more nocturnal than his comrades and preferred to walk amongst the stars.

As he continued along the mossy rocks his pace remained slow; cautious. It had been quite some time since he had ventured this far, for he was used to visiting the barren tundra or the forest that surrounded his favourite slice of water.

A familiar scent slapped aggressively across his nostrils, nearly causing the ghost to trip over his own paws. He blinked frantically, unsure if the smell was just a figment of his imagination or if it was real. But it couldn’t be real… there was no way. His head snapped around, eyes scanning the crevices of the Cielo, searching for a familiar tuft of alabaster fur.

His breath hitched in his throat, a whine escaping him as his peridots fell onto pools of aquamarine. Was he really that sleep deprived that he was now hallucinating? Perhaps he should have stayed within Hearthwood and curled up next to his daughters, seeking comfort in their small, warm bodies. He remained rooted to the spot, disbelief weighing heavy in his chest. It was not possible. She couldn’t be here… could she?

stick with those who stick with you

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

There was nothing that could distract her from staring upon the green-eyed face of the elusive Lachesis. The feeling that she desperately needed suddenly encompassed her and she could feel his eyes upon her. But were they really on her? It would seem that he was looking right past her - or rather, right through her. Mouth ached to scream and shout, wishing to garner his attention but knowing that she couldn't even begin to make a sound. Instead she moves her right paw and dabs at the ground beneath her. Perhaps to gather his attention and to see if he was interested in crossing the distance or if he would rather keep moving on in life. To keep moving in his world that had not had her in it for so long.

by Sarah

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looking for friends, potential love interests and role-inspired threads!

The figure did not disappear and Lachesis felt his throat go dry, his vision going blurry. It wasn’t possible that the dove had found her way back to the lands of Lore, was it? He frowned. It had been so long since he had last seen her. So much had changed. But it was not the first time that Anastasia had returned to change. A frown creased his pale features as he took a hesitant step forward, his tail slack between his legs. She pawed at the ground, encouraging him to break the distance between them. And he did.

His steps were hesitant at first, slow, as he approached the doe-eyed dove. Almost as though if he moved too quickly she would disappear, gone for another year. Was this really happening again? His frown deepened as he crept forward, a dull ache forming in the pit of his stomach. “Are you really here?” He managed, voice  hoarse as he struggled to remain composed. He continued his path toward her, his brows narrowed with concern as he waited for the pale figure to vanish before his eyes. The hole that had formed in his heart after her disappearance had never fully healed. She had been a constant in his former life and had helped him through the most difficult times. He would not have survived life outside the Lore without her—or life in Lore.

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As soon as his gangly legs began to move, her breath started to get quicker. A beginning to a series of hyperventilating, ocean blue eyes starting to water with tears as she tried to fight the urge to run. A strong sense of power to simply run away because she was afraid that he was mad -- or even sad and disappointed. He must have been something after the last disappearance, she would be. Or, so she thought before realizing that she would probably just feel lost and alone. Anastasia didn't have anyone anymore. Lachesis and Karpos had been the only two to cling to her arrival before. Now, she couldn't even imagine what light there might be for them.

So she stays frozen in place, breathing quick and eyes filled with tears as she hears his deepened voice. "I am," she wished to cry and fall -- to flee and disappear again but she knows it best she stay put and take what she knew she deserved. It wasn't fair that she keep coming in his life only to disappear. It wasn't right to come crawling back when she felt so lonely and isolated, it was selfish... perhaps one of the most selfish acts she had ever commited in her life and one of the worst. All Lachesis had to do was say the word and she would be gone, all he had to do was bare his teeth and Anastasia Starklen would disappear for good.

by Sarah

i'd love more threads, so message me if you'd like one!
looking for friends, potential love interests and role-inspired threads!

As he drew nearer she spoke, her breathy voice like breath of fresh air to his ears. His knees grew weak and he nearly sagged to the ground, his ears flattening against the back of his crown. After the last couple of weeks he’d had Lachesis was not sure he could handle anymore stress, for he was certain he was about to fall apart at the seams any day now. This, this was almost too much. It had been too long since he’d last seen her… not since Cut Rock River was still around. How had she managed to find him in the north or was this merely coincidental? It did not matter. She was here—that was all that mattered. The finer details could be discussed later, when he was not worried that she would blow away with a gust of wind.

His pace quickened and he stumbled into her, embracing her in a sort of wolfish hug. Lachesis half expected to fall through her and was pleasantly surprised that he was greeted by soft fur and the same comforting scent he remembered from all those years ago. “I missed you so much.” He wanted to be mad at her for leaving but he couldn’t. XIX did not think he could ever be mad at his blue-eyed dove. They had been through too much together. “H-How did you get here?” He managed, his voice soft and laced with concern as he drew away from her, his brows pinched together. 

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A soft whimper blew through her lips as he moved quicker until he rested with a thump into her warm body. The words he spoke offering her release from the bonds of disappoiintment, leaving her the impression that he really did miss her. Then again, that had never been her worry. She was afraid that he would be mad or not want to let her enter his life when it was clear that she had a hard time staying. "I'm so sorry," she murmured as she attempted to move the right side of her cheek against what piece of his neck she could reach. When she aimed to continue her apology, no words came as she didn't know how to excuse herself. There was nothing she could say that would make her leaving seem accidental or worthwhile. She had nothing to give him except what seemed to be an empty apology. "I went south first, to the River and you weren't there. I thought maybe you'd gone..." just as she had. Lost to the wilderness and potentially moved on to be happy elsewhere with someone else. Again, she deserved it -- an instant, subconscious flicker of doubt.

by Sarah

i'd love more threads, so message me if you'd like one!
looking for friends, potential love interests and role-inspired threads!

He remained close to her, worried that too much distance would cause her to flee once more. His peridots narrowed as she spoke, a small frown creasing his dark lips. It did not surprise him to hear that she had gone to the river first. She did not know of what became of Cut Rock for the last time she returned the pack still resided in the southern woods. She thought he had left. The thought made his stomach drop. “We moved north,” he explained, his lips falling into a small frown as he spoke, “to Kingsfall.” The ghost motioned dismissively over his shoulder in the direction he’d come from. “Grizzly Hollow reformed, pushing us out of the River.” That was the simplest way to summarize what had happened between the two packs.

It felt weird, forcing small talk with Anastasia, as though nothing had happened in the years that passed. There was so much he needed to catch her up on… so much that had happened since she had disappeared from Cut Rock a second time. But he did not know if he wanted to burden her with everything all at once, not while she appeared so fragile.

“Where did you go?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he met her cerulean gaze.

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