Hush Meadow always wondering if it's ever gonna end

SKÖLL ARCHER

we walk through the fire

November 20th; Evening; Cloudy; -17° F, -27° C.

As much as Skoll had wanted to venture east and entertain the idea of possibly finding himself a decent place to stay, his paws had other ideas. Called into the north, he wondered now if his mother might have had something stashed away to cure him of his exhaustion. The women of Devilsbite Dell had taken everything he had to offer and then some; though, he was lucky to escape alive, to know for certain that his son Sven and his little shadow of a friend Lilith had been given a chance to leave. As for the five near-grown hellions he had left behind, he was confident that - sooner or later - some of them would find their own ways out from beneath their mothers' enchantments. They were Torbine wolves, after all, and true Archers always struck out in search of power and influential positions. His daughter might have had a place in their coven, but his sons were bound to get a rude awakening in the coming months.

He staggered across the Meadow, head and tail low as he scoured the frozen earth for any familiar scent. It had been ages since he had been home and he could no longer recall just how close or how far he was from the willows. All he could do was to keep walking and keep alert.

The scent of still water wafted to him from the west and his tongue unglued itself from the roof of his mouth. He had hydrated the other day, using the cool stream's respite to surge onward to where he was now. He shrugged his dark shoulders with a sigh as he eyed the frost-covered meads and the forest in the distance. He'd get there in due time (some minutes' worth of walking apart from having to navigate through the evergreens and willows). For now, all he wanted was to be here, without the weight of some supernatural tether tight around his neck and chest... without the worry of being possessed, smothered, and drained of his energy...

For a while, he trembled as he stood, his eyes closed. In the darkness behind his lids, dizziness took hold, swaying him to the left and then to the right before he collapsed into the snow.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

@Skoll - Hope you don't mind me throwing Celandine in here. Ps: She might still smell slightly like Morganna~

Her paws betrayed her. They always betrayed her. She'd shut them down countless times before, and yet they still pulled her towards the mountain. She hated them, but there was nothing to be done. Patience had never been her strong suit, and waiting around was starting to make her skin crawl. So she'd head on over for a visit, and pay her respects. Not that that was something Celandine cared to admit to. Phineas was dead now, and she had no idea where his body was laid. A fools errand at best, but she pressed forward all the same. 

It wasn't until the range's outline appeared in the distance that she really started to second guess herself. What did she hope to accomplish there? Morganna would return soon, and Maeve would be looking for her. The kids were probably days out, and there she was, too worried about her past to think about her present. A laugh bubbled up from her throat, crossing the threshold of her tongue to fall into the still winter air. Phineas' ghost would probably push her right off, or maybe Evy's. Hell, even Takis might rest beside their father in his rocky grave. Surely they could be a family then? Another laugh shot through the emptiness before her. 'If you wanted us to be a family, then maybe you shouldn't have died on me.'

It wasn't until she turned away to make for the Lagoon that she saw him. Standing in stark contrast to the snowy background with his eyes closed, was a man. Celandine hardly had enough time to register his presence before his body crumpled in the snow. 'Shit.' Her body was moving so fast that her head had trouble keeping up. She had no plan of attack, no medicinal background. Oh gods what was she going to do? The snow was no match for her, crunching and creaking beneath her weight as she trudged forward. 'Don't be dead' He could be useful if he was alive. At least that's what she told herself later when she wondered why she cared.

Caution was thrown to the wind as she closed the distance between them, intent on doing... well something. "Gods, are you alright?!" she asked as she nudged his flank. It wasn't her most eloquent use of words, but it would have to do until her mind could process what was happening.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

aaaaaaaaaahhhh~ this is perfect!

As soon as his body had come into contact with the snow and he had laid there for more than a few mere moments, his equilibrium stabilized. The world was no longer spinning and his sense of being overwhelmed fell away. He could move his legs. He could inhale deep and exhale every bit of air in his lungs. His paws were no longer heavy; his sense of vision was crisp and his head did not feel clouded. For the first time in what could have been a very, very long time, he felt alive.

He heard her loud footfalls before he could even register her scent, but he made no motion to move. He wanted to just lay here for a little while longer. Well, he thought he did, but she drew closer - and she touched him. She had asked if he was alright and he hummed in acknowledgement - not moaned or groaned or whimpered or cried out in anguish...

"You ever just chase your tail for the hell of it?" his eyes opened slowly and his tail lifted in a partial wag before falling back on the snow-covered ground with a soft thump. He remained still on his side, blinking as he stared across the stretches of virgin snow. "Felt that oh... so... delicious sense of freedom and carelessness?" A smile was visible along his muzzle but he did not laugh, "I haven't felt this way in ages."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

The realization of who he was didn't hit her until his hum played against the soft hair of her ears. She must have missed his identity in her panic, unable to separate the scent that was distinctly him from the ones that definitely weren't. She'd only met him once, so she might not have even remembered had Moganna not spoke of him so often. Skoll Archer.

Celandine went to speak, to tell him about his sister, to tell him all of the things that would be better off coming from Morganna. She wanted to ask him to wait, to let him know that the dark woman would be back any day, and convince him to wait for her, but he spoke instead. Bright eyes flashed to his face, a single brow raised at his question. 'Weird.'

Her pale brows knit themselves tightly together as his spiel continued, and she found herself taking a step back. Something about this whole thing was.. off. She couldn't quite put her tongue on it, but that was just.. a very strange thing to ask, and if he was about to have some sort of breakdown, then she wasn't about to be caught in the shitstorm. 

"And what feeling is that?" She left the question for him to answer, unsure whether or not she should continue. 

(This post was last modified: Nov 23, 2017, 06:58 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

"And what feeling is that?"

She had drawn close enough for him to get a whiff of her scent - which seemed so familiar but so out of place, as if he had known her from long ago - but Morganna's perfume hit him first. His head lifted but it was not his sister that his eyes drank up. Disappointment seeped in with the narrowing of his eyes; though, as he regarded that stark white coat, his glare softened and he curled up on his side. He would find all four of his feet beneath him soon enough. He wanted to relish this sense of newfound relief.

"As if you've been holding your breath for so long," he elaborated, his tone of voice seeming genuine and edging on a solemn note. "And that first breath you take fills your lungs and stings every inch of your chest, but it hurts so good." His whiskered brows touched for the briefest of moments. "As if you've remembered something you've long forgotten... Sweet, agonizing bliss."

He blinked, his gaze raking over her. "I know you," he mused, words a bit cautious this time. "And... you're acquainted with my sister." A pause as he shifted his weight on his elbows. He wasn't going to get up or make any sudden moves; he hoped that motive was clear as he continued to just lay there before her. She certainly didn't feel like Piety or Hecate. "What's your name?"

(This post was last modified: Nov 25, 2017, 07:30 PM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Celandine was quick to note the way his expression changed as his silver eyes flashed across her features. It wasn't a response she was used to, but it wasn't one that hurt her in the slightest. She was more curious to know what he had been expecting to see.

His monologue continued before she was able to ask, and honestly she found it much more interesting than she should have. Given the lack of context one might assume that Skoll was talking to himself, but he was clearly aware of Celandine's presence. He answered her question, and reacted to her face, but it still seemed as though the dark man was somewhere else, somewhere far away from here.

As his speech came to a close one brow drew upwards. She quite liked things that drew her attention, and this was certainly no exception. 

"I know you,"

So he hadn't lost his mind entirely? "And I know you." Better than he knew her, but that was largely Morganna's doing. "Although we've only met once, your sister has told me a lot about you. I'm Celandine Argyris." She waited to see if that rang any bells, but the woman didn't expect much. She might have forgotten him entirely had her companion not kept his name on her tongue.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

She knew him and they had met before.... Skoll tried and failed to place her face to memory. Every instance where he thought he recalled Celandine's face, his former lovers replaced her. His head shook from side to side as though he were attempting to shake something from his ear before he grew still again. Concerning Morganna, however, he wondered how he could play into his present companion's favor. Forget Willow Ridge for now; he needed his sister. He would check up on his mother and Angier and the rest of the family before he went to follow after Morganna.

"Maybe..." he agreed. Seeing as his adult life had been topsy-turvy from the start, it was no wonder how Skoll could not remember her. It was a while before he spoke again, the leveling of his muzzle and the tilt of his head giving away that he had been thinking... considering something.

He sat up as slowly as he could manage, his shaking head and slouched posture becoming what was left of the Archer heir. "Could-" he seemed hesitant, as if it were too forward of him to ask, "Could you lead me to her?" Then, something even more uncharacteristic, "Please?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Celandine considered him for a while, letting her eyes rake across his body while he spoke. The picture she had in her head of him before was fuzzy, so she couldn't tell if he had lost weight or not. He didn't seem to have any visible injuries, aside from the scars he carried, but those were old. His voice was deeper than she remembered, but that was likely due to the skewing of her memory as time passed.

It was of no surprise to the woman that Skoll couldn't place just who she was. Their meeting held little importance in the grand scheme of things, and it had been so long ago. 

His posed question was enough to make her tail sway. She expected him to put up a fight, but it would seem that they wanted the same thing. Relief washed over her, and she thanked the gods that Morg would be able to say the things that needed to be said. Celandine had never been especially good with things like that. 

"Of course. She'll be back any day now, so if you'd like to come back to the lagoon with me, you'll be the first to know when she returns." She cocked her head lightly to the side, brow still drawn, as she waited for an answer.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

"Of course." The dark prince let out in inner sigh. He would be reunited with her at last. Truth be told, he had forgotten all about Craw and whoever else had thought to follow his sister into the north. Really, all that mattered right now was that he saw her, had a word with her, had the chance for himself to see if she could put his world right side up again and undo the nastiness that the women of Devilsbite Dell had wrought upon his unsuspecting crown.

Morganna was to be due back here near the Lagoon any day now, Celandine had relayed and Skoll gave a silent nod. To her quirked brow, he slowly stood up. His limbs shook, as if the weight of his black-furred body - what was left of his underbelly, anyway - were a tad too heavy for it to lift and carry. "I-I'd be grateful," he smiled at her. No malice, no spite, no treachery or deceit. His ragged tail gave a wholehearted wag. Who was he to deny the kindness of a stranger from memories passed? Perhaps this was a second chance; only this time he was going to do it all right.

"Whenever you're ready, lead the way."

The night would be long and his dreams of things and moments he thought he had lost would resurface, but it would not be enough to make him stray from the kindness and gratitude he owed Celandine.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away