Drooping Willows baby, i'm star-struck by you

@Adeltra | he is located around -69.65709, -7.38281
dated for January 21, late afternoon

He was getting good at travelling.

Although it was a bit strange to be venturing on his own, for the sullen boy had gotten used to having company. But he didn’t want to pester his mother, or Cheedo. They were getting accustom to the mountain terrain, learning the lay of the land and deciding what to do next. Cyril was just a thorn in their side. Moping around. Sulking. Things he had promised not to do but they were promises he couldn’t keep. The weight was still heavy on his shoulders, threatening to bring the boy down. But moving, that lifted his spirits. Even if he was moving in the wrong direction, away from his mother.

He hadn’t left without informing her first. Cyril knew better than to make his mother worry, especially when they were all the other had. Except for Cheedo, of course. She continued to accompany them, following dutifully behind wherever he and Piety went. Sometimes he wondered if it was what the small agouti wanted. To follow the grieving mother and son. It couldn’t be very exciting, especially with Cyril still being selective with his talking. He didn’t need to speak with Piety, for the most part, for she had no trouble understanding his silent mannerisms. But he felt bad for Cheedo, for he had been subconsciously avoiding her. He didn’t want to force a conversation with her—or anyone. Most of the time he just wanted to be left alone.

Or visit his dear friend Adeltra.

He had chosen the latter two and a half days ago.

The trees had begun to shift as he continued south, his lean body hugging the land between the forest and the mountain. Not once did he stray from his trail, for he intending on following it back north, to the haven in the mountain. But not after paying his friend a visit, for he felt guilty for not notifying her about his move. He wondered if she had already been notified of his absence, for Morganna and her group had likely passed through the willows since Cyril had gone north. He frowned at the thought. He just hoped she wasn’t angry with him for leaving so abruptly.

He had meant to tell her, but the move had been so sudden. Unplanned.

But that was his life now, for he had not planned on witnessing his father’s death. Or being a single-parent child. Or leaving the only home he had ever known.

But that was life, wasn’t it? Full of unpredictable possibilities.

Poor Cyril.

The south felt a big like a party all of a sudden with Morganna’s band moving in. Of course they were a respectable distance away but just knowing that they were there made her feel itchy. Like she was being cramped, being watched. And, with the knowledge that Cyril wasn’t with them, it felt more empty. She knew she should be happy to have more family so close but a part of her had been so happy to find out that her friend would be moving so close to her. They could be together again, go exploring and maybe Cyril could find happiness again. Of course that had been shattered when her cousin had revealed Miss. Piety and her dark companion hadn’t gone with them.

Everything was going downhill it felt like. Her mother was still missing, her father was so ill he couldn’t leave the med den, she had no idea where Cyril was, and the Ridge was being accused of pupnapping of all things. Of one of their family members no less. It was ridiculous, all of it, and she just wanted to scream.

Adeltra was out in the Drooping Willows trying to grudgingly clear her mind, keep her bad attitude from being known throughout the whole pack because then they’d start asking questions and for the first time in her life she really didn’t feel like talking it out. There was too much, she just needed to process.

Something hit her, smacked her across the face and she paused. It was a scent, one so familiar she was pretty sure she could follow it in her sleep. And, another rarity, instead of feel excited she only felt wary. A little hurt. A little angry. The dark Archer ran after the scent, her nose twitching madly as she tracked it. Why was he coming now? It had been weeks since Morganna had moved the pack. How had it taken him nearly 2 weeks to finally come tell her? She rounded a tree and his dark form came into view, stark against the white snow. She slowed to a hard stop, breath fanning from her jaws like dragon’s breath. She looked him over, because even if she was mad at him she still wanted…needed to make sure that he was okay. She stared at him, brows knit tightly together, amber-yellow gaze open with their mixture of hurt, anger and worry. Why was all she said.

(This post was last modified: Jan 20, 2018, 05:20 AM by Adeltra.)

He knew he should have come sooner. He had given her no reason to think that he wouldn’t be accompanying Morganna west. The last time he had visited the drooping trees he had been in the company of one of her subordinates; a clear sign that he was part of her group. Only he wasn’t. He had only hovered at the borders of the vale, alongside his mother and Cheedo, never crossing over into the Archer’s territory. He held nothing but respect for the ebony woman, but he had no desire to join her pack. Not if his mother didn’t intend to, and she considered the swarthy woman one of her closest friends.

But he had gotten distracted. By Morganna’s sudden departure. By his mother’s desire to travel—words he had never expected to hear from her mouth. Especially so soon after her mate’s death. But it kept them busy. Preoccupied. Prevented their thoughts from lingering on Wraith; on Whitestone.

It had worked for a little while, until they settled once more. Then all the thoughts came crashing back, suffocating the obsidian boy. Another reason why he was heading south—to clear his own head. Especially after crossing paths with Everly, who was nothing but a shadow of who she had been atop the monadnock. She had suffered too, and not just because of witnessing the death of Cyril’s father. Other demons had tormented her and Cyril couldn’t help but feel guilty for not going to look for her.

Was everything his fault?

Why?

The single word pulled him away from his thoughts, causing his steps to falter as he glanced around, yellow eyes frantically searching for her. The wolf he cared about almost as much as his mother. Maybe even more, but he hadn’t figured that out yet. His ears instantly fell against his crown, his expression meek as he took a step back. A wounded expression rolled onto his handsome features as his tail tucked between his legs, a whine threatening to spill past his lips as he studied the unexpected, but deserved, anger on her face. His tongue grew dry, words failing him when he actually wanted to speak.

I’m sorry, he breathed, his voice hoarser than it had been before. Speaking was only appealing when he was around her, even though he knew he did not need to. Mom didn’t want to follow her, he explained, his voice low as he avoided her gaze, so we went north. His nose tipped toward the ground, shame cocooning him like a warm hug. I w-wanted to, he urged, his voice growing even softer, but there was no time. A pathetic excuse for a pathetic boy. Adeltra deserved better.

One look was all he’d given her, a look that instantly stabbed her in the heart and made her ache all over. She watched as he literally tucked tail, crouching to the earth and the high, but muffled, keen of a whine at the back of his throat reached into the air. Her auds folded back as she watched him practically submit to her. She felt sick, to know that her look had made him do this. Through her own wild thoughts a part of her said she was stupid to think that he had done it on purpose, had thrown her aside to go skip off somewhere. They’d already said it, they were a part of each others home. Where one strayed they would always find their way back to each other at some point. She’d had a lapse in faith and watching him, listening to his explanation, made her realize this.

Boy was she a sorry excuse for an Archer female.

She was quick to move forward, a whine escaping her own jaws as she nudged at his cheeks and neck in an attempt to comfort him. No I’m sorry. I know...I know this is all still hard on you. I can’t expect you to come straight to me, you have other priorities, she said. The girl swallowed thickly, I was just...scared. Scared that you’d never come back.

(This post was last modified: Jan 20, 2018, 05:20 AM by Adeltra.)

Even with the guilt that weighed heavy in his stomach the boy still felt the familiar wave of comfort come crashing down, gnawing hungrily on his tired bones. The feeling of home, which he only got whenever he was in her presence. Boy, was she a sight for tired eyes, even if she was disappointed (and angry) with him.

But her hardened expression did not stay long.

The ebony Archer was quick to close the distance between herself and the broken boy, which he readily received. His nose immediately sought out the warmth of her fur as he leaned into her, his tail uncurling from beneath his legs as he embraced her. No I’m sorry. That was silly—she did not need to be sorry. He was the one that had left, without a word, giving the girl false hope. She had every right to be upset with him; he had just wanted to explain the reason behind his unexpected disappearance. She deserved to know, especially with everything the pair had gone through.

He tossed his chin over her shoulder in an attempt to bring her in closer, his yellow eyes closing as he breathed in the soothing scent of willow bark clinging to her pelt. I should have come sooner, he breathed into her fur, a soft whine accompanying his words as they spilled into the cold air. I didn’t mean to scare you, he added as he pulled back, his yellow gaze meeting pools of liquid amber. That was the last thing he had wanted, but it was justified. The thought of losing Adeltra and never being able to see her again felt like a swift kick to the stomach, making it difficult for him to breathe. He couldn’t imagine how she had felt after learning that he had not accompanied Morganna and her troupe. 

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

He enveloped her and she felt her body buzzing from the warmth, a sense of calm rushing over her that she hadn’t felt in days. Not since everything had come crashing down. Leotie and the young Archer had been out for the past two days scouting as much as the land as they could. Realistically they could cover all the areas instructed to them within two days but they’d been taking each area once a day, starting at dawn and ending at dusk. She was tired and stressed and worried and this was just what the doctor ordered.

He pulled away and looked at her, a small, tired smile lining her lips. You’re here now, that’s the important part, she said. A deep breath stretched her chest, blowing from her lips steadily. It might sound bad, but I’m glad you’re not with Morganna. There’s...a lot I have to tell you about, she said, her brows creasing as her smile fell away.

He wished he could whisk her away from the willows and bring her back to the mountain, but he knew he couldn’t. When she had gotten lost and wound up in the north the girl had been persistent on returning home; to her family. And now, with her mother missing, Cyril knew that she wouldn’t leave. The last time he had seen her Adeltra had also mentioned her brother being angry with her, which was another factor adding to her inability to leave the Ridge. But, despite the distance, they made it work. His home would always be with her, even if they were miles apart. They would always find a way back to each other. As long as she was in his life, even if they belonged to different packs, Cyril was content. He’d prefer it if they were together, but he knew {right now} that wasn’t a possibility.

His ears twitched at her words, his nose tipping to the side. A frown puled at his lips, a questioning expression falling onto his dark features. What happened? He asked silently, his brows pinching together in concern. It had only been a few weeks… what had happened during his time on the mountain? 

She wanted to nudge away the worry that crossed his features, smooth the crinkles that wrinkled his brow. He always looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and she knew that he blamed himself for his father’s death. It killed her to think he thought that because it was such a heavy burden to bear and she knew it wasn’t right, but a part of her knew that this was a way of his coping. Right now he didn’t need someone shoving him, insisting he was wrong. He needed someone to listen, to listen to the silence he offered and see past it. Hear the words that he couldn’t say and Adeltra had been particularly adept at that. Her empathetic heart reached out to him, cocooning his misery and attempting to pry it off bit by bit. Maybe one day they would be able to sit down and talk about what he was thinking but today would be that day.

She paused, tongue passing over her lips as she wondered where she could possible start. What better place than the beginning. Dad had to step down as leader. He’s....sick, she said. It might seem as something insignificant, but to her it meant a lot. It was another parent down for the count because even though Nicolo was there and she could talk to him he was always holed up in the den. Something in the back of her mind told her she might not have much time with him anymore, that he was old but she stubbornly pushed it aside every time because the alternative was facing that she might become an orphan within the year. That she might crumble and fall along with everything around her. She was only one girl and even her optimism could only stretch so far.

My cousin Greer’s pack, Aurora Heights, is accusing Willow Ridge of stealing their pup. They were our allies but things are really rocky right now. I’m trying to do everything I can to find her because even though her pack might not think great of us right now...Cy she has to be so scared, she said, her brows furrowing. The dark Archer would never admit it but she had been terrified when she’d gotten lost. To be taken from her home by a wolf? Well, that had to be even worse. Yes she wanted to smooth out the relations between the Heights wolves and the Ridge and if she found Revon then the girl could testify that they’d had nothing to do with it, but she also wanted to help a girl like her. A girl who was lost. If you see her...she’s our age. I’ve never seen her but I’m told she’s red. If she looks like her mom you definitely won’t miss her, the thought of the snarky woman brought a bad taste to her mouth. Her name’s Revon. But, just...be careful. She was taken by force and if anything… she stopped, her throat closing up at the mere thought. She pressed her nose to his neck for reassurance, pulling in his scent.

Now, for the last part. Perhaps the most serious of all. Two of Morganna’s pups showed up at our borders. One of the adults, she was careful to keep Sven’s name from her tongue, tackled the one that had crossed the border and pinned him to the ground. He wasn’t going to hurt him, just teaching him a lesson in respect you know? Can’t just go crossing pack borders ‘cause it’s gonna get you in biiiig trouble. Well, Odin showed up and they got in this big fight and he got kicked out of the pack. When they left he promised that Morganna was gonna show up with hell for us to pay with an entire pack at her back, she said, pausing to let it sink in. There might be a war between the Ridge and the pack that she’s set up. And, you know, if something happens...I just want you to know, she said, a helpless smile curling at her lips. It was a lot to throw at him, she knew, but she couldn’t stand letting everything happen without him knowing. Letting him show up at the borders someday in the future and for them to not be there. No, no matter how hard he had to know.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2018, 02:46 AM by Adeltra.)

His features softened as she begun her response, starting with the news of her father. She had not mentioned anything of her mother, which meant it was likely that she was still absent… poor Adeltra. His frown grew more prominent, his ears folding atop his crown as he pressed his nose to her cheek in a feeble attempt at comforting her. She had been there for him after his father’s death… he didn’t want her to go through the same thing without him. But how would he know if something happened if he was all the way in the mountains? The thought caused his shoulders to sag and made the distance between them even more obvious. But he couldn’t leave his mother… even if it meant being with Adeltra. Piety had already lost her husband; he did not want her to lose her son as well.

He remained quiet as she began speaking of her cousin, a Greer, and a missing cub. His brows snapped together in concern. Immediately he thought of his friend when he had found her in the north; half-frozen and famished. He could only imagine how frightened the missing cub was, especially since she was not just missing. She had been stolen by another wolf, which made the situation even more severe. Revon, same age, red fur. He nodded, committing the information to memory. He would be sure to look for her on his way back to the mountain. Stealing a cub was a serious offence; it was no surprise that things were tense between the two packs. But it didn’t make sense—if the wolves in Willow Ridge were related to this Greer why would they taken his daughter? Something seemed fishy about the situation but the boy didn’t comment on it. I’ll keep an eye out for her, he responded in a low voice, a sharp nod confirming his words.

The news didn’t end there. He blinked, his nose tipping to the side as he listened to her concluding words. Trespassing wasn’t to be treated lightly, Cyril knew that, so the wolf had been justified in showing the cub his place. But the next bit of information earned a shocked expression from the boy, his ears cupped forward. Odin! An exasperated sigh escaped him—how had so much happened in his short absence?! Now there was talk of a war between Morganna and the willows? He would have to relay the information back to his mother, for he was sure she would be interested in all the drama that was happening in the Ridge. Especially since it didn’t involve her.

Two weeks, he hummed, another sigh escaping him, two weeks and all of that happened? He shook his head in disbelief. I hope nothing happens, he added, his voice soft as he studied her amber pools, I hate the idea of me not being here if something does… What if something happened to her and he wasn’t here to protect her? His frown tightened.