Celestial Falls hopeless hearts just passing through

August 10th; Evening, near sunset; 85 ° F, 29 ° C.

The sun was setting and it was probably just about time to head back home, but Niles was much too preoccupied. Another storm system was on the way; he could feel tingling his whiskers, setting deep in his bones, and smell it on the winds. Summer was not quite over yet. His nose twitched as he surveyed his surroundings, remembering why he had come this far. He gazed down to his soiled paws, eyeing the mud as it crawled up his elbows and his chest. Ah, yes... that was the reason.

A few more steps to the north, the Lyall navigated his way alongside the babbling brook until it opened up to a small pool. The waterfall that unfolded before him was startling and yet awesome to behold. He had never seen anything like it in his life. A smirk settled over his brown-colored snout (where ivory fur should have been without all the mud and dirt).

At first he ran, tail high in the air and tongue lolling from his mouth as he met the furthest reaches of the expansive waterfall. Castel would probably appreciate it if he finally had a proper bath. As soon as he reached the rock wall, however, he frowned. He would have to go into the shallows if he wanted to get clean. A cautious paw was dipped into the water and his head tilted to one side. It was cool and pleasant. Huh. The sensation chilled the fur in-between his pads and even the gentlest shake of his wrist removed a bit of the gunk that had clung to his paws. This was better than he had thought...

The other forepaw plunked in the water, followed by the splashing of his hind limbs. He waded over to the rushing cascade, ducking his head underneath and washing away the grime, mire, and blood. All evidence of the fight and their spat would be washed away...

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

<3

He had ventured a little too far from the Vale but the russet child was not worried. He kept parallel to the river, following it as it cut through the copse and never once straying from its side. As the warm glow of the morning sun spilled through the orange leaves overhead Sachiel had snuck away from the dens. There was still much of the surrounding territories that he had yet to explore and although his packmates had promised to take him on adventures the little Leigh decided to take matters in his own hands. Some claimed they wanted to wait until he was bigger but the boy was impatient. Being a good boy all the time was boring.

The trees shifted from orange to green—or what he presumed was green, for Tikhon had described the colour to him. The leaves grew smaller and thin in appearance, much like the needles the older agouti had also described. His brows pinched together as he committed everything he saw to memory, even if he did not understand it. More questions formed in the back of his mind and for the first time during his travels he was annoyed that he was alone, for there was nobody to answer his questions. Frowning he continued forward, not allowing his sudden loneliness to deter him from the task at paw.

As he continued north the sun carried out its path in the sky, the morning turning into afternoon, unnoticed by the tawny bundle of fur. Occasionally, when his paws grew weary, he would seek comfort in the slow-moving water and take a drink to refuel. It was the sound of rushing water that caught his attention and quickened his pace, for he could not put an image to the sound. A familiar scent also splashed across his nostrils, egging him forward as he tiptoed around the river, careful not to trip on any roots or stones.

The river opened up into a small pool, a rush of tumbling water greeting the little Leigh. A lazy, lopsided grin tugged at his lips as he approached, hesitantly, his mismatched gaze seeking out the wolf he had detected. The boy spotted a dark shape beneath the falling water and he panicked—was he okay?! Sprinting forward Sachiel stopped as soon as his forepaws sunk into the water, his brows arched high into his forehead as he called out to his dark packmate: “You okay?!!”

(This post was last modified: Aug 17, 2017, 04:31 AM by Sachiel.)

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

It had been a slow process. At first, only the mud up to his mid-forearms had been cleansed away as he waded in the shallow pool. Then, eventually, as he traversed the edges of the pond, he reached the waterfall and allowed it to cascade over him. In a matter of seconds, he was drenched to the skin. On his face, it stung and he had to close his eyes; wherever the falls fell on his back, it parted the thick, now black-brown fur and showed off his pelt's true and saturated color. His tail hung behind him like a flag, droplets forming little chutes of its own as it dripped off of it.

The Lyall had just lifted his head and given his coat a good shake as he removed himself from the onslaught of rushing water when he heard a youthful voice call out, "You okay?!!" Batty ears drew up and colorless eyes darted about until he saw the cub, paws already in the water. His jaw dropped, immediately afraid the youngster would jump in without warning. Niles, whose paternal instincts had suddenly reared its head, half-paddled over to where the boy stood, eyes partially stern until he reached a point where the water reached only just above his elbows and knees. He could manage at this depth.

"Yeah," he quipped back, shaking his head twice to rid his ears of excess water. He almost asked why, but had a feeling he wouldn't get an answer that would appease him. Cubs, he was sure, were not like adults... They were young, naive, and sometimes oblivious. Instead, he turned the question around, "Are you okay? What're ya doin' out here by yerself?" The question could have been pointed and accusing, but the Lyall knew better than to guilt the cub into feeling as though he had disobeyed some unwritten rule. Things were different in the Vale than in the Ridge. All Niles wanted to be sure of was that the boy hadn't come running this far out because of something terrible or some mischievous scheme.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

A sigh of relief escaped him as the dark male responded, confirming that he wasn’t drowning. Or dying. Or hurt… or anything bad. His head tipped to the side as Niles turned the question back to him, paired with another question—the question Sachiel had been expecting.

First of all, was he okay? Physically speaking, yes, the boy was fine. No injuries, no bruises. His paws ached due to the length of his travel but aside from that he was peachy. Even mentally the boy was basically okay. There was no orange out here—nothing loud or obnoxious to cloud his thoughts. It was lush with vibrant shades of emerald and subdued chocolate. It was calming and he liked it very much. So, over all, he was okay. So that answered the shadow’s first question. “Yea, m’okay,” he answered with a shrug as he stepped backward, releasing his paws from the water.

Second of all, he was exploring. Duh. It seemed adults always wanted to rain on his parade, questioning him about his adventures and “going too far”. Pffff. They were supposed to, especially since he was still small and young, but it still bothered him. Even if they were just doing their job. “Went for a walk.” He answered with a soft tilt of his head, his mismatched gaze fixated on the steel-coloured wolf. He hoped he wasn't going to get in trouble for going to far. He had always been obedient and abided by the rules. Making sure he was home before dark and never straying too far. Today, however, he had done just that. Gone too far.Oops.

(This post was last modified: Oct 18, 2017, 03:20 PM by Sachiel.)

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

First, Sachiel was okay. Second, he had come this way because he had gone on a walk. Fair 'nough. When Niles had been littler, his and Isolde's adventures often took them quite far. His stomach lurched; but, he was actually glad that he had come this far, that he had caught Sachiel on his little expedition this far out from the Vale. "S'long as yer okay," he nodded, stepping closer to the water's edge and shaking water from his coat and underbelly. His paws plopped and plunked as he reached a spot where the water only reached up to his wrists. Gone was any trace of mud or dirt; the grasses that had even been embedded in his tail and sides had been washed away.

"Lemme look at ya."

As elusive as Niles was, it was actually very rare that he ever saw his pack mates up close. Well, honestly, when Sachiel and Laurel had been mere bundles of fur with noses, tails, and ears, he had wanted nothing to do with them. Now that he was a little older, his interests in the up-and-coming yearlings had piqued. His tail gave a wag that sent droplets here and there behind him. "Did ya find anything interesting on the way here?"

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

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

“‘M fine,” he retorted quickly with a stubborn frown perched atop his dark lips, his brows furrowed as he took a hesitant step toward the ebony male. The agouti boy didn’t like being fretted over, or treated like a child, even though he was painfully aware that he was one. Until he grew a couple more inches and thickened out, the older wolves in his pack would always look at him like a cub. It was the unfortunate part of growing up.

His ears cupped toward the dark male as he spoke once more, a question dripping off his tongue. His frown deepened. “Not really,” he mumbled in response, his paws shifting uncomfortably beneath him as his mismatched gaze surveyed their darkening surroundings. “I like the trees out here better,” he admitted, keeping his gaze averted from the older male, “not so orange.” There was no amusement in his voice, for he spoke the truth. Sachiel did not know what brought on the disdain toward the striped, tangerine-leafed trees, but he despised them with every fibre in his little body. 

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

Niles hadn't expected the cub to come closer though, frankly speaking, that one little step was more than enough. When the Lyall took even just a couple more steps onto the shore, he could see now the gray and rich red tones in the boy's fur, the dark mask and those mismatched eyes of blue and yellow. In being so distant and so uninterested in the boys before, Niles had only ever seen the cubs no more than probably twice in passing. By scent and a good guess, though, it went almost without saying that this before him was Sachiel. Niles was so sure he could see both Draven and Alastor in the boy's build.

A nod was given as the cub mentioned that he liked the trees beyond the Vale better, that they weren't so... orange. Even if Sachiel's gaze had gone elsewhere, the older male smiled. It was a fair reason. Hell, Niles liked the borders of the pack lands so much if only because he could keep an eye on things and muse to himself just how different the woodlands here were not like mother's willows.

"Ahh," he acknowledged. "Been out this far before?" It wasn't like Niles was going to tattle or try to find a reason why the boy could or should be in trouble, but a part of him, he supposed, just wanted to know. He, himself, had gone off wandering with his sister at this age for hours without adult supervision. "Just wanna be sure... I mean... just so someone knows where you are."

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

His paws shifted uncomfortably under the scrutinizing gaze of the charcoal wolf. He did not like being examined but he knew it was better to comply. Otherwise the older wolf might rat him out for being so far from pack territory. As Niles spoke up once more the boy returned his mismatched gaze to the darker wolf, his nose wrinkling slightly. “No,” he responded in a hushed tone, his ears falling to the side. “Just kept walking. I didn’t realize how far I was going.” It was the truth—he had not intended to go this far. Sachiel had been too transfixed by the array of colours and had not been paying attention to his path. He wasn’t worried, though. He always knew where he was going, no matter how far he strayed from the orange trees…

At the older male’s next set of words Sachiel almost rolled his eyes. “S’okay,” he mumbled with a casual flick of his shoulder. “Mom ’n dad won’t care. They never notice where I go.” Another shrug. He wasn’t looking for sympathy—he just continued with the truth. “As long as I’m back before dark they don’t say anything.” Maybe he should’ve lied. He didn’t want to get his parents in trouble. His eyes went wide, his shoulders sagging: “It’s okay, really. Don’t get mad at them, okay?”

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

The boy had simply been off on a walk and had lost track of where he was. What was more was that it was okay and that his mother and father didn't care. They didn't even notice where he went. Niles' lips drew itself in a stark, straight line across his muzzle. Angier and Elettra were the same way, if he really thought of it, but his memories of them were heartwarming and riddled with both instances of pride and discipline. The only time when he and Ravenna were ever minded was when their sister Isolde had wandered off too far. As for Sachiel, though, he was an only child and one of two cubs within the Vale. They were easy to mind for the most part and both boys never seemed to cause their parents any trouble - at least, Niles was never within earshot of anything like an argument or a scuffle to get younger pack members to obey.

“It’s okay, really," Sachiel repeated. "Don’t get mad at them, okay?”

The corner of Niles' mouth turned upward again and he shook his head. "Oh, I won't," he confided in the youth. "It isn't any of my business to chide other adults when I don't have pups of my own. As long as yer okay, then it's okay." To drive his point home, he gave another wave of his tail as he walked onto the damp shore, crossing over the waterline and giving each of his paws a good shake. "Jus' stay clear o' coyotes, all right?"

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!