Verdant Mosses one foot on the platform, the other foot on the train

For @Celandine. Backdated for traveling between Fireweed Rise/the Lagoon and Quaking Vale~

November 26-27th; Midnight; Cloudy and cold.

What Celandine had made of her little group of wolves turned out to be some familiar faces - namely Renier and Attica - joined by another named Maeve. That was it. There was no one else. He put on a brave face; two to three days eastbound was going to hurt even more than his trip up here from the south. Not only did he have to mentally try to keep up with the travel party, but he would have to muster up the energy to stay in step with the rest of them.

They left the Lagoon behind and easily traveled over the frostbitten fireweed; they clambered up and over the mountain range where Skoll spent most of his time trying not to let more spells of dizziness get the best of him. On the other side of the Mountain of Dire, he requested to take a break and, when he found himself unable to move after emptying the contents of his stomach beside the trickling stream within the Mosses, they were forced to rest for the night. Hot flashes ran from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail and the ends of his toes; his body did not stop shaking until well into the night after he had awoken from a nap. His teeth chattered for a time, clicking in the silence as the others seemingly slept nearby. He clenched his jaw, curling up tighter into a ball as the half-moon cast some light down upon Fen. He sniffled for a while to break the silence that pressed against his ears, silently reminding himself that he would be with his sister soon and that she could help right what had felt wrong before.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

Celandine did little more than observe as Skoll struggled to keep up, and later revisited his meal. There was nothing she could do. Their little party hadn't been graced with the amount of healing knowledge that he needed, and until they found Morganna, his body would just have to fend for itself. Thus, it came as no suprise that they would have to stop for the night. She didn't mind the pit stop so much. As long as he made it to Morg in one piece, her job would be complete.  

Choosing a spot close to Maeve, the woman curled so that her tail laid flush against the tip of her nose. The night was still young to her, but she tried to sleep. Unfortunately, the Argyris woman had never found the blissful waves of unconsciousness easy to come by. Instead she laid there, listening to the incessant chatter of Skoll's teeth, and finally the sniffling that rang through the silence.

When Celandine finally decided that rest would not find her, she stood. After checking over Maeve to ensure that she had not been disturbed by the movement, the pale dove turned her vivid gaze up on the mound of fur that made up Morganna's brother. He was too thin to ward off the cold entirely, but whether it be his pride, or a general dislike of physical contact—both of which she understood—she doubted he wanted anything to be done about it. 

Quietly she spoke, her honey-laced tongue forming syllables and steam. "It shouldn't be much longer." Much longer to Morg, much longer before whatever was ailing him was taken care of.

(This post was last modified: Nov 30, 2017, 04:30 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

It wasn't until she spoke did he realize that he was no longer alone. Celandine had come over; the ruckus his teeth were making was probably enough to draw her over. He was annoyed with himself, with the state he had let himself get into. So much for love...

He let out a scoff which was more like a tired sigh more than anything. "I hope not," he stated, his words dry and clearly overwhelmed by the travel. As best as he could, he tucked his limbs closer to his body, draping his tail over his hind limbs. It wouldn't do much when everywhere around him was cold, but the action alone made him feel just a little bit warmer.

"How much longer then?" he asked, opening his ghost grey eyes to peer up into the woman's pale ivory face. The sooner they got there, the better. He cursed his three lovers for making him reach this new low.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

Celandine contemplated his words, calculating the distance between where they were, and where they were going. Of course, she didn't know the exact location of their destination, but the directions Attica gave were enough. "Another day if you can manage it. One and a half, or two if you can't." The words weren't sent with accusation, or even care. They were indifferent. It didn't matter to her either way. 

"Morganna should be pleased to see you. She talked about you often enough." It was like staring a legend in the face, except it wasn't as thrilling or exciting as you imagined. The man before her now was different than he had been in the stories. 

Her eyes raked over his body once more, curious to see his reaction. She'd told him the same thing when she discovered his form crumpled up in the snow, but he was less... with it then.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

So, they would be traveling for one more day. Great. Splendid. Fuckitall. Skoll supposed he should have been grateful it was just one day; at least, he didn't have to worry anymore about whether or not he had traveled north enough to find Relic Lore. He was going to make it, he decided. If it was going to take two if he couldn't manage, he figured he would just stay on this side of the mountain and wait for her to cross it. His need to be reunited with his sister, however, would make it happen.

Upon hearing that Morganna talked about him and often, the dark Archer made a face. It was one thing when Skoll talked, but when his sister opened her yap, it was a whole different story.

"Oh, yeah?" he shrugged. "What did she have to say about me?" He was ready to be defensive about it all, the fur on his back and neck bristling nearly unseen in the dark. "That I can kill if I wanted to? That take what I want? That I was stupid to be blinded by love? That I was a coward?"

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2018, 06:14 PM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

Sorry I didn't realize it was my turn. Darn the SoW.

She expected him to react, of course, but his response was quite different from the one she'd imagined. It was much more interesting, and far less gushy. She liked it. Pale brows rose, and her head cocked ever so slightly to the side. She thought about playing into it, letting him continue so that she could collect the information her mind so truly desired, but instead she responded with a simple, "No." Still, she'd note those things for later, and ask about them if the time ever came. "Would it worry you if she had?"Though she had yet to have a need for it, Celandine was confident that she could kill if she wanted to, and she certainly took the things she wanted.

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2018, 05:43 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

"No," such a simple, straight-forward answer should have sufficed. Actually, it should have even appeased him to a point where he should have been at ease. He wasn't. Not even when she questioned further if such a thing worried him if Morganna had actually shared things about his past.

"No," his response was not as smooth. It was laced with bitterness and agitation, "but, it would be nice to know what she mentioned." He paused for a moment, collecting himself and allowing his hackles to smooth out some. "I know better now than to think others speak highly of my name and, usually, my reputation precedes me." His gaze had wandered as he spoke, but after some time, his eyes flickered to her face. "Mother was usually frank. Morganna, though," he shrugged again, "I never know with her, but she knows where my loyalty lies."

He silently winced, laying his head back down on his paws and shifting his weight to relieve himself of the pain from the hidden sores on his side. A hiss of air came from his clenched teeth. He thought to thank her for all that she was doing, but he withheld it. They had a little more to discuss, "So, why are you helping me? What is Morganna to you anyway?" He could have answered that question for himself - that Morganna was an ally, a friend, a partner, a Leader, a queen or whatever - but he wanted to hear it directly from her own lips. If he had been in a better state of mind, he might have suspected he was some sort of damaged goods being exchanged for something in Celandine's favor or likewise.

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

Skoll pressed her further, and though she would have rather left it all to Morganna, Celandine figured that giving him one little tidbit wouldn't kill her. "More than anything, she mentioned how important you were to her, and that she felt like she wronged you." The rest could be said directly when they met up with the Archer woman. Celandine wasn't exactly... comfortable relaying everything. "You shouldn't doubt her so much." But then again, Morg had never wronged Cela personally. 

His first question wasn't all that surprising, or difficult to answer. "Because you're Morganna's brother." Short, and sweet. "Your sister has been a lot of things to me. A stranger, an alpha, a companion, a friend." As far as friends went with Celandine. "When the Monadnock went to shit, I followed her to Torbine, and now we've decided to come back." That was the gist of it anyway. 

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

Celandine went on to mention that Morganna thought of Skoll as important and how his sister had thought she had wronged him. Heat prickled down the back of his neck and his nose twitched as she told him that he shouldn't doubt her because he was her brother. The Argyris had a point; and, as she told him exactly who Morganna had been to her, he simply listened. Up in the North, it seemed the Monadnock pack, Morganna and Craw's endeavor some years ago, had not survived. Celandine then followed Morganna to Torbine and back.

"Hmm," he hummed in return, neither disappointed nor satisfied with her answer. At least he knew now that there was no sinister motive on her behalf.

Where the warmth had been on his pelt, a sudden chill caused his body to shudder and he made an attempt to draw himself into an even tighter ball. He could barely bring his knees to his stomach, the position too demanding on his muscles and joints, and he eventually just relaxed and let his limbs remain sprawled out on the ground. "Well," he stifled a yawn with a stiff muzzle, not allowing his jaw to open more than a few mere inches. "If I forget, I want you to know now that I'm thankful for all this. For your help."

He let his head rest fully on his wrist and slowly closed his eyes, leaving only one tall dark ear to remain facing towards her. He was going to ask her why they had decided to return to Relic Lore, but the prospect of sleep was starting to make his head foggy again. "Maybe," a deep exhale gave away the fact that he had staved off another yawn, "talk more in the morning?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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