Wild Rye Fields To You I Will Always Return

Backdated to August 11th, early morning - for  @Jessie <3

The sun was just rising to the east, coloring the sky a brilliant vermillion-orange, as two shadows made their way over the the gradually rising land of the tundra. Golden grasses shone in the morning light up ahead, and the scent of home was in their nostrils. This last leg of their journey had been much smoother than the previous travel through Mount Dire’s foothills, yet the aged man still looked forwards to a few days rest for his aching joints. Indeed, it was good to be home again.

They crossed through the Gateway in the same comfortable silence they had shared during the walk, a smile and nod given as @”Adelayde” went off to greet whomever she had missed the most; Or perhaps catch up on some much needed rest. For Drestig, there was no debate, stiff legs steering directly for the center of the territory. He jogged steadily along the creek, ears perked excitedly, though all they gathered in morning quiet was distant sounds of bird song, and frogs slowly coming to life in the mud. It’s still too early… He supposed, pausing to drink from the pond as he savored the familiar scents and sights. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to take on a trip like this again any time soon.

Now he ached to see his family, wondering how much bigger the pups had grown while he was gone. But they were no doubt still asleep, and he didn’t want to wake them. So he only walked to the edge of the woods. sitting down quietly to watch the sun rise over his Fields. Soon enough, they would be up and causing trouble, and he would be struggling to keep up. For now he would enjoy the peace.

Word count: 291

"Speech" Thoughts

(This post was last modified: Aug 30, 2017, 08:24 PM by Drestig.)

It didn’t matter what time of the day it was. It had been too long since Drestig left for their neighbors and allies. Too much happened since his departure. Part of her inability to sleep stemmed from the worry that came with telling him that they had one more occupant for the time being. The Rye Queen had curled up in her old birthing den around her new ward, @“Risaela”, offering the child whatever comfort she could offer. It was how she spent most nights. When they turned restless, the mother would step out and stare at the starry night, comforted by the fact that somewhere Drestig might be looking at the same constellations winking down at them. Jessie thought it was wishful thinking when a soft breeze blew by and her mate’s scent accompanied it. The woman started forward, testing the air again. No, there was no way this was a mistake. The monochrome wolf’s tail wagged as she started in the direction of where Drestig’s scent originated. The pond, of course. More confident in her direction, Jessie bounded towards where the dark man was sure to be. The Tainn didn’t even care that she was making a ruckus. Jessie allowed as she neared the pond, the taller form of her lover sticking out in the brilliance of the rising sun. Jessie let out a soft sigh, going to him, and pressing her head firmly against his chest. It was good to be home. No words were needed between them, Jessie conveyed her love and longing for him through touch alone.

dawnthieves.de

It was a surprisingly short wait before the sound of quick footfalls drew his silverred ears backwards. Gaze locked on the eastern slopes, where the first sliver of sun was just creeping above the hilltop, he didn’t turn immediately. Sunrise was a rare treat to the Rye wolves, and though he’d witnessed it a fair deal during his trek, he had missed the glimmering of the morning light in the waving grass. His home. Only once the first rays had hit the rye, making it glitter like gold, did he draw a deep, satisfied breath, shoulders relaxing fully. Then he heard the sigh behind him, the lightest of sounds, and yet it made his heart leap. With a swish off the grass, ignoring his aching joints, the old man spun in one, swift movement. He spotted her greyscale pelt easily among the sea of gold, moving towards him on quick, light paws. Dark tail wagged wildly behind him, ember eyes sparkling in contest with the rising sun at his back, as he smiled at his mate, taking the last few steps to meet her. They embraced tightly, his neck curling down over her back and muzzle pressing into her fur. This, possibly, was what he’d missed most of all, holding her; Feeling her against him, hearing her breath, filling his nose with her scent. For a long stretch of silence, he did just that, revelling in the sensation of her heart beating against his, this feeling of finally being whole again after such a long time apart. “I didn’t want to wake you,” he whispered at last, pulling away only enough for her to tilt up her head. The green glint of her eyes was enough to set his heart racing, her familiar perfume almost intoxicating after his depravation. Then his brow furrowed slightly, nostrils quivering; “Who’s that..?” He’d smelled the pups on her fur, which of course made sense, she was their mother after all, still keeping them close, and feeding them on occasion. But there was a fourth one, standing out subtly, but clear enough; “You didn’t… Have another puppy while I was gone, did you?” His smile was joking, one brow arching pointedly, but there was a confused edge to his voice. Word Count: 375 Thoughts "Speech"

dawnthieves.de

The Rye Queen took a moment – despite the business that needed to be conducted – and enjoyed the presence of her mate. The petite woman wrapped her head around his neck and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and hoping with every breath that she would remember this moment for the rest of her life. His soft whisper in her ear sent a shiver down her spine. It was good to have him home. This time, it wasn’t Jessie who pulled away first. Emerald eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, a sly grin on her lips, “You know I always welcome a morning rendezvous – even if it’s not planned.” The tone became a bit more serious after that. Drestig was quick to call attention the girl who was in their borders who now bare their scent. For a moment, Jessie’s eyes fled from her mate’s to glimpse the sunset and collect her thoughts before they refocused on the dark male in front of her. Her voice was solemn, “A lot has happened since you went on your trip.” The Tainn did not take his bait at his attempt at a joke but she did not lash out at him either. The muscle in her jaw clenched, eyes softening in sadness. “Kisla’s daughter…Risaela. She’s going to be staying with us for a while. I’m assuming you know?” She was referring to Kisla’s death. The untrained, useless messengers that had come to collect Risaela had done right, at least, in telling her that useful piece of information.

dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Jan 27, 2018, 03:26 AM by Jessie.)

The moments peace was too brief. If only he could simply hold her like this and think of nothing but her presence forever. But that was not their lives, and they would have to face that, he had a lot of news from his trip, and clearly, his mate hadn’t been idle either. Still, seeing the warm expression fade from her features as she pulled away made him regret the change of subject. The humor left his own face, brows furrowing at her solemn words. He’d hoped the answer would not be too serious, but her tone promised otherwise, and when she finally continued, he understood why. Ember eyes darkened, a mirror of his mate’s sorrow, and flicked down for a moment, the corner of his mouth curving down. He’d hoped they could stay away from the particular topic for a while, but fate wasn’t so kind. “Lachesis mentioned scouts heading this way…” His voice was hollow, moisture glistening in his eyes as he looked back up at her; “They made it then. I’m… Sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say, there was nothing else he could say. Kisla had been a good friend, and her death was a hard blow to him. But Jessie had known her since she was a pup; She should have outlived us both..! The surprising news of Risaela made him flick an ear though, voice tentative as he asked: “Do they know? That... she’s here, I mean. Lachesis was quite worried.” He didn’t want to push the question, she deserved to grieve in peace, but he needed to know if, at least a messenger should be send back to Hearthwood. The silence stretched awkwardly. He wanted to reach out to her, bring her back into that embrace that had blocked away everything else. But he wasn’t sure if closeness was what she wanted right now, so he held back, awaiting her response. Word Count: 319 Thoughts "Speech"

dawnthieves.de

Jessie could only sneer at Drestig's terminology but at that moment, her mind could not focus on the two nit-wits that Lachesis sent to their borders. Instead, on a fallen relative. The Rye Queen's eyes fell upon the Rye ground, in mourning for their lost friend. Kisla always amazed Jessie with her resilience, even when Swift River and Oak Tree Bend were going through the worst of times. A sharp sigh escaped her muzzle, fiery eyes meeting the gaze of her mates at his question. Nostrils flared, in what could only be deduced to rage. Her tone, however, was dry when she responded, "Indeed. They know." As she continued, her voice gained ferocity, "Though the two scouts as you call them hardly deserve the title... Those two fo-!" The woman inhaled sharply, shutting her eyes against the word slaughter she was about to ensue and bit her tongue against what she was going to say. Since she met Drestig, the pepper-and-salt colored woman and certainly become more generous in offering her thoughts on matters, but sometimes she just needed to be held back a little. Swallowing, she continued, "They were hardly diplomatic, Dres. Things just went south. Reyes and Askan were there...and you know how they can be. We were taking a side bar and well, the wolves they sent didn't take that very well. Threatened to severe the alliance," At this the spark of anger returned to the woman's gaze and her chin lifted slightly, "I took them I would make no such decisions with them and would need to speak with Lachesis if such a thing were to occur. But then.." and then Jessie's eyes darkened slightly. It was the insecurity. The one that always festered deep inside of her, that she would always not do enough. "But then, I told them that I would take care of Askan and Reyes, to make sure that there were consequences for what happened. Even though they are the ones that overreacted. So after they left...I spoke with our boys, and I just lost it." At this, Jessie averted her eyes to the ground again, teeth gritting together before meeting his gaze, "I'm just so angry, Drestig. This shouldn't have happened!" Kisla dying. Their unwelcome visitors. Everything.

dawnthieves.de

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