Cedarwood Forest A hopeless circle

For @Enia

Sighing, Ravenna moved on alone through the snowy Cedar forest. She would have not left like this, especially with the winter, had it not been a dire circumstance. She had called out to @Sven and the rest of her pack before she left, allowing them to know where she was going but not leaving room for objection, either. Sven and Ravenna had scouted quite a time or two so after she returned, Sven could head out if he wished and then maybe even Lorcan or Blitz. Taking turns are the right option to make sure their own pack was protected. After all, with Kyna and 'her pack' seeing Willow Ridge as the enemy, there was no telling what they might do.

She was only about a days travel from home. She had started earlier in the morning when the birds chirped to the new day. Now, it had grown dark, the winter land becoming still. It was a clear night. The moon's glow on her silvery backside, the only sound the crunch of her footing over the snow. Ravenna figured that getting here by nightfall, whoever had taken @Revon would have stopped for the night, putting the child to rest. Ravenna didn't know if her little stolen cousin would be here or not any longer, but after @Adeltra having found her and her captures here less then a week ago, it seemed the best place to stop. Surely the thieves had not traveled too far. Not with a reluctant child in tow, not with the snow and ice.

It seemed to Ravenna she was traveling this general area for hours. She would pause, listen for signs of life, move more, pause - nothing. The swirl in her gut caused her to grown nauseous. She decided to sit down, contemplating her next move. Should she go further or go back home to her pack before the weather turned for the worse again?

She felt so lost. Growing up, she had been the least adventerous of her siblings and now that she had no place to call home, she realized that had been a dire mistake. The young girl swallowed uneasily, light brown eyes taking in the unfamiliar area with unease. Over the weeks since Secret Woodland's disbandment, Enia had grown thinner, no thanks to the gifts that winter brought and the lack of prey that littered the area. Despite the knawing hunger in her stomach, the Athseila girl pushed on, desperate to find some semblance of someone she knew. The Woodlands never truly received any visitors since her birth, and if they did she hardly noticed them. She would have continued on had she not noticed a distinct scent that smelt quite different than everything else around the area. Curious, the young girl's paws took her in the direction that the scent was strongest, brown eyes scanning the snowy terrain in curiosity. When her gaze settled on someone else, the young girl's tail wagged enthusiastically, a smile painted on her lips. Maybe this woman could tell her something! Her steps were hurried as she stepped forward, "Excuse me, d'you know where I am?" Brown eyes lit up with innocence and kindness, but beneath it all was confusion and fear.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

A few minutes had passed since she had first sat down with defeat. The silence of the Cedar forest throughout the night nearly spooky to her. Ravenna still felt like it had not been too long ago that this forest was blooming with activity, her relatives of the Lyall blood claiming this land as her own. As of now Ravenna only knew of one Lyall wolf, Renier Lyall and the children he had produced. Of course there was her brother and herself, though the pair had claimed the name of Archer-Lyall if only one of the high respect they held for the Archer line. Though many may see Ravenna as an Archer naturally, taking to her mother's footsteps, some of her personal reflected the teachings of her since passed father... Her enjoyment of scouting, her connection to the gods, and her level-headedness. She was more curious of strangers, then standoffish and cautious like her mother. So when Enia came rushing along into her direction, tail waving, eyes hopeful and innocent though it was clear the younger woman was in desperate need of something.

She was lost. This had to be the reason for such excitement at seeing Ravenna for she personally didn't know the girl although their pack's had been allies since the Secret Woodlands creation. "Cedar wood forest." She spoke, her pale eyes looking over the girl curiously. She didn't seem to have any I'll intent though as Ravenna remained seated, she couldn't help but be ready with caution should the dark girl try any funny business. "It is north of the Lagoon and stretches over to the east until the cedars change to a much less dense forest of willows." She then elaborated just in case anything may ring a bell for her.

Subconsciously, the young girl's nostril's flared, taking in the unfamiliar scent of the woman in front of her and unwillingly committing it to memory. The woman was much larger than her and in retrospect, Enia probably should have thought about rushing up to her in the manner she had. The thought did not even cross her mind. The young Athesila's tail wagged behind her quickly, glad that she found someone that could finally give her some information. Eyebrows creased in confusion when the other woman spoke, speaking of places that were unfamiliar to her, places that she had yet to travel to. As a child, Enia spent most of her time in the boundaries of Secret Woodlands. Now that all of her family was gone - her father included - her lack of adventure surely had its disadvantages. Ears flattened on her head, glancing around nervously at the unfamiliar forest. One word, however, caught her attention and her ears immediately snapped back up, a hopeful expression in her features. Willow. While their relationship with their allies had not been the strongest towards the end of Secret Woodland's time, Enia did know that her father always stressed the important of their allies and how her grandmother had fought so hard to put them into place. Perhaps there was someone in the willows that could give her guidance! Laughing nervously, the girl shifted from paw to paw, "Excuse my poor manners. I didn't even ask your name. I'm Enia Athesila."

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

I can't recall if Ravenna knows about SW disband or not so I went with a no.

The young woman before her seemed still, well, confused. Though in her youth it could be easily assumed she had only just begun adventuring the world around her and Ravenna would have wondered if she had been part of the Lore at all had she not smelled of the familiar forests here... But where exactly?

Then the girl offered her name, to which Ravenna smiles. She had thought she heard that name before....Oh ya! "Your a Secret Woodlands wolf, right?" She questioned, ears perking hopefully. "Our pack's were allies for quite some time." She was unsure how that bond still stood with the change in leadership between Morganna, Nicolo, Enoki and now even herself. It was hard keeping in contact with a pack so many days away from them. Still however the alpha held them in high regard, completely unaware that it had disbanded. "My name's Ravenna Archer-Lyall. I'm the Ridge's Leader." She informed, wondering if by letting her know this she would be willing to shed light on how the Woodland wolves were holding up.

The woman seemed kind enough, she even offered up a smile, which made Enia's tail wag ethusiastically. The young girl's eyes brightened with the knowledge that this woman seemed to know where she was from but in that same instance the brightness faded in a dull sadness. The girl's dark ears pressed down against her head, the reality of her situation being presented to her once again. The girl's ear twitched at the next piece of information given out. Does that mean that she's part of-. The Athesila's mouth opened in a 'o' at the other woman's introduction. The young girl flushed dipping her head in respect to the woman in front of her - because that's what she was suppose to do right? She had seen others do it when they say her mother or father, it only made sense. Clearing her throat, Enia did her best to articulate her thoughts, "It's nice t' meet you. Uhh..I was a part of Secret Woodlands. We disbanded after the passing of my father not too long ago." A deep frown pulled on the young girl's face, ears pinning back against her head again. It was not something she particularly liked to think about. There was just so much pain and now there was no one she had to rely on.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Mar 31, 2018, 07:39 AM by Enia.)

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

The young woman seemed happy, excited that she had found someone but as Ravenna's question of what pack she was a part of came everything seemed to fade away in Enia's expression. Her ears fell down against her skull and to this, Ravenna's expression faded, sympathetic for the girl's pain though her face shown also confusion as to why she had seemed upset with Ravenna's words. When the knowledge of who Ravenna was came into the light, Enia showed recognition and she dipped her head to the woman respectfully as a leader. Ravenna pressed a small, forced smile to her lips as she still struggled to understand what was wrong.

Then, with Enia's words, she knew. Ravenna's throat tightened, a small whine squeaking from her throat before cutting off. "I'm so sorry...." She took a step forward, then another, as though ready to come into the young woman's direction and comfort her but stopped short. Their packs had been allies, sure, but more or less the girl in front of her was still a stranger and it dawned on her that perhaps a touching comfort from someone she did not know was not something she would have enjoyed. "Is there..." She pondered, wondering if the words may hurt her further. "Is there anyone else left with you?" When she spoke the words she knew it didn't sound good and so quickly added... "You don't have to wander alone lost. Loner life is hard on a pack animal. I could offer you a home with me, if you'd like?" They had been long standing allies after all and the least she could do is offer a home to the remaining refugees of Secret Woodlands.

(This post was last modified: Mar 31, 2018, 03:13 PM by Ravenna.)

Maybe it would have been better if she would have just left with her mother and brother. They were her family, after all. It just felt so wrong. The idea of leaving to lore. It seemed preposterous that her mother would even suggest a thing. That after her father's death, Secret Woodlands was no more. If Enia had been honest, everything seemed to go downhill the moment her father had gotten sick. Everything had been thrown out of balance and it only made matters worse when her mother went away for such a long time. This woman in front of her kind of reminded her of the former Woodlands Queen in a way. She had an air of compassion about her that Enia was instantly drawn to. A deep frown pulled on Enia's lips. She had no one. Her mother, Adimar, Pax...they were all gone. Her throat felt dry and all Enia could do in response was shake her head. But the woman continued. She wanted to say no, that she was going to find somewhere, going to build something that would make her father proud, but what was it that he always said? Allies were one of the most important variables in their life. The young girl swallowed thickly, brown eyes sad. She nodded her head, voicing her thoughts, "I would like that a lot...thank you." she paused for a moment before continuing, "My dad said that I could be a good scout, but I can do something else if you need m'to..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say. In Secret Woodlands, Enia always felt sure of her place within the pack. Why shouldn't she? Her parents had been the leaders and she had gone everything in her power to ensure that they were happy with her and the work she did to ensure the best for the pack. Trying to impress others were never on the top of the young Athesila's priority list.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

It took the dark girl some time and all the while Ravenna was silent. She shook her head no when Ravenna had asked if there was anyone else with her and it made Ravenna wonder what happened to the rest of the Secret Woodland wolves. If this girl in font of her was a child of the leader, where was her mother, any of her other siblings? The silver woman decided that it was best not to answer, questions which she would wonder but imagined she would never find the answers to unless Enia decided to take it upon herself to tell the tale.

"You know..." She said, an obvious hesitance about her as her head turned down, a single gray paw lifting to paw at the Cedar forest floor. "My parents died when I was young. It's.... very hard and you'll never just get over it, but you learn to cope with it and live on with their memory." She spoke, knowing that this would not fix anything for the young girl but hoped that it would do something for her, whatever it was.

Enia decided then that she would come along with her and also mentioned that her father mentioned that she had the potential of being a good scout for the pack. It must have been hard given the fact that she had been a child of the leaders and now she was a loner, lost and without purpose. Ravenna hoped if anything, she could grow to find purpose within her ranks. "If you'd like to work towards a scout in the ranks you are free to or anything else if you so decide. Right now we have one scout and a youth in training, one well huntress and a few who have taken to border patrol." She spoke, giving this information so that Enia could get a grasp on a bit of what was going on within the ranks of her new pack. "Come on Enia, I'll take you to your new home." She spoke, offering a smile and a wave of her tail as she turned around and began leading her newest member home.


FADE.