Drooping Willows I'll gnaw at anything

@Sven || Evening, Clear skies, 1°F (-17°C)

Romanov Archer

He wasn't going very far tonight. The piebald boy hung right outside of the Ridge's borders. He was sitting tall on a large slab of stone that was cold thanks to the lack of sun. His amber eyes scanned back and forth trying to catch anything worthwhile. Romanov didn't want to head back to the den yet despite knowing that someone would likely be looking for him soon.

Or would they?

His face scrunched for a brief moment before smoothing out again. The boy knew he shouldn't think like that but he couldn't help it after meeting the peach-eyed woman. He was glad she didn't seem to be hiding behind any willow branches tonight. With a heavy sigh, the growing Archer's body slumped down into a spread out laying position.

art by crowteeths

It's Only Dark.

the devil is & always will

Sven had easily fallen back into the pattern he had established before, the weight of responsibility comforting on his broad shoulders. His scarred, spectral form glided easily through the night and across the familiar landscape. Not all that much had really changed in his absence, the little being truly the only novel additions. Subordinates came and went, that was nothing new, but there was certainly something different within him.

For example, he had not panicked when Adeltra had gone the way he surely would have had it been Attica the year before. Perhaps it was the variance in the degree of their relation, but he liked to think that he still greatly valued the children regardless of their place within the Archer family. No, there was a newfound ease within him instead, an acceptance of the way of life that he had rebelled so viciously against as a youth.

Still, that wouldn't keep him from desiring that the same fate not befall the remaining Archer child. Certainly not as obsessively watchful as he had been with his sister, Sven still kept an eye out for his cousin. When his route took him across the scent trail of the boy, clearly leading outside of the territory, he departed his set path in order to investigate, though without urgency. When he came across the pup, he looked less than peaceful, further piquing the paladin's curiosity.

"Rather sleep alone tonight?" he queried into the night air.

be a gentleman.

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

Romanov Archer

The young boy heard the voice before he spotted the silvery form of his cousin. Truth be told, he was glad it was Sven. Had it been one of his parents they'd likely be corraling him into the Ridge right now. His cousins were almost always more relaxed.

He pondered the question for a moment as amber eyes settled on Sven's large form. "Maybe." Romanov answered rather nonchalantly. "Might be cold, though." The cold was likely the only reason that the Archer kept returning back to the den at night rather than sleeping out on a stone or under one of the many willows.

Slowly Roman got to his paws, moving towards his larger cousin but still leaving room between them. "What're ya doing out here?" He asked as an ivory brow raised above amber eyes. The Archer boy was pretty much waiting to hear some sort of adult answer. Still, he had asked because even if he usually had a good idea, Roman liked hearing it right from the wolf's mouth.

art by crowteeths

It's Only Dark.

the devil is & always will

Sven drew closer to the young boy, listening to his words and eventually passing him altogether. His own paws took him atop the very slab of rock he'd found Nicolo's son perched upon, and with the altitude he surveyed their dark surroundings. It had been such a quiet night; he had certainly missed this solitude that the deep nocturnal black brought on. Skoll's new pack had never seemed to rest. Or perhaps, they simply had never fully trusted Sven on his own.

"Just be careful; you wouldn't be the first Archer to freeze to death out here."

The warning was not intended to be heavy or dire, simply information. Cousin he was, a proper prince to their bloodline too, but Romanov wasn't his own progeny and therefor if the boy chose to stray his way into death's jaws, it wouldn't be on the ghostly adult's shoulders.

"Thought I'd get one more round in before heading to the den. Surprised your parents aren't out here clucking over you. How are you taking it? Being alone."

He knew exactly what it was like to be an only child, and while Romanov hadn't come into the world that way he still had to wonder if the child was experiencing any of the same emotions that Sven had as a boy.

be a gentleman.

(This post was last modified: Nov 10, 2017, 06:47 PM by Sven.)

Romanov Archer

He raised a brow at his older cousin's word of advice. Roman wondered if it was worth asking about. Of course, curiosity bit him like usual. "Who else then?" He shuffled awkwardly as Sven moved by him and onto the stone that he had just been sprawled out on. Somehow it seemed more fitting to the silver-toned Archer. Maybe it was because of their size difference. Regardless Roman was content to let him have it.

The words stung him lightly, a frown tugging on his inky lips before they balanced out again. One thing at a time. "Thought it might be Dad coming to get me at first." His shoulders shrugged as his rear met the ground, amber eyes looking up at the sky. "And, uh," He thought over the question for a few brief seconds. "I don't know. I don't know why they would want to leave." Wasn't this place home? Mama and Dad were here along with their cousins. It may not have been a lot but it was family. Their family.

He had to bite his tongue from saying anything more. The last thing he wanted to do was seem distraught or make himself cry.

art by crowteeths

It's Only Dark.

the devil is & always will

At that last line, Sven looked back at the boy with a smirk of a smile. It had been a thought that recurred constantly within his head for most of his life, until @Attica had more or less explained it to him with her innocence. Even still, there were so many motives taken that simply didn't seem worth it, certainly not to him. Letting yourself be eaten alive by the flames of that anger, however, was not viable. Maybe Romanov could be that balance that Sven himself had failed to find. He felt more at ease, less trigger happy than he had been in his tumultuous youth, but he knew the kindling was still there under his skin.

Anyways, he decided then and there that he very much liked the kid.

Sven legs slid out from under him as he reclined then laid down upon his stomach, paws left to hang freely in the night air.

"You and me both, Rom," he replied, "but you'll find there's a lot in life that doesn't make sense."

And about the freezing to death part... had he not been told of the fate of his family members? Perhaps Nicolo and Enoki thought such matters too gruesome for a pup? Hm, how gentle.

"How much have your parents taught you about your family?"

be a gentleman.

Romanov Archer

He did not like the answer that his cousin gave. Regardless the piebald Archer bit his tongue from giving a retaliation and simply nodded his head like a good boy. He knew - or actually hoped - that his silver company didn't mean harm with his words but regardless it felt like someone was poking at his bruise. The pain of the words was not enough to stir Romanov into aggression but it was still certainly a stinging moment.

"Well, I've heard the bedtime stories." His shoulders rolled softly as he stuffed down his feelings about the absent conversation. "And Ravenna told me 'bout the first Romanov and The Gods of Old. Supposedly that Romanov was made from them but I mean, I don't think he froze or anything."

art by crowteeths

It's Only Dark.

the devil is & always will

The bedtime stories. That sent Sven quite a ways back, to those nights when it was just him and his father, and the elder Archer filled his son's head with bravado and pride. The man smiled at the boy, finding it strangely bittersweet that he was in this position at all.

"Surely they told you of Elettra, too? She would have been your aunt; your father's sister. She founded this pack, made our name what it is in this part of the world. She was everything a wolf should be," he summarised, certain that Ravenna at the least had told the boy a thing or two about her beloved mother.

"She lost a daughter to the cold, Ravenna's littermate. None of us know what Isolde was thinking, wandering off by herself, but she didn't make it back. Took the pack a long time to find her amongst the snow. Nonna's mate, too, succumbed to the cold. Left to die by his own son. Nature is more unforgiving than any enemy you'll ever make."

be a gentleman.

Romanov Archer

Elettra was indeed a name the boy had heard before, a name that was whispered as he was falling asleep or a name spoken from @Ravenna when he proded her with his questions. Of course he did not know as much about the name as he likely should have. With time he would. Like now as Sven refreshed the young boy's memory.

Isolde. A name he carefully tucked away but not one he was sure he'd ask about to anyone else but Sven. He wanted to wonder if the same was going to happen to Adeltra or Elle but he choked down the thoughts - quickly. "A-and who was Nonna's mate? The son?" Roman asked showing his hunger for the knowledge even if it was causing worry to stir around in his mind.

art by crowteeths

It's Only Dark.