Secret Falls One Last Stop

Gale is calling for @Askan and @Reyes specifically, but other SE wolves are welcome too.

He was a slain wolf. Despite his very best efforts, travelling for weeks all around the lore,  until his paws were swollen and legs sore, he had found nothing. He had been so certain when he set out, wanting so desperately to find some good new for his parents, now when they need it more than ever! They hadn’t wanted him to go after all, afraid he would disappear too; …’Too young for that kind of journey..!’ But they couldn’t go, and neither could any of the other adults, not now with… Everything. Yet it seemed all Gale had accomplished was giving them even more to worry about, that and enlisting half of the Wildwood in the search for Sphinx. But that wasn’t enough, not even close! He’d wanted to return home triumphant, bringing his dad the peace of having his daughter back. Instead he was trudging through these endless woods with his tail between his legs, with no other choice than to make his way home, alone. And it was a long trek too. He wasn’t even sure how long it would take, but heading due north, he should eventually hit Kingsfall, where Hearthwood River was, and he could make his way home from there, avoiding the mountains. The north bit was the hard part though, it was way too easy to get turned around in all these trees, no clear horizon to follow, or even a proper view of the sky. He did his best, but he was distinctly sure that he wasted many hours veering off course before finally catching a glimpse of the sun or stars, to correct his route. The young wolf was defeated, he was exhausted and he was hungry, and he just wanted to be back home. How many days passed like that, he wasn’t sure, but finally one afternoon, the glum monotony was broken by the sound of gushing water. Dry lips smacking, throat itching with thirst, Griffin turned to follow the sound, but he wasn’t even in sight of the water when a hint of familiar scent woke him from his stupor. It was almost like a smack right across his muzzle, ears and tail rising high as he breathed in again; Can it be? His movements were much quicker as he set off again, nostrils flaring while he weaved in and out among the trees. Then he came upon a border, stopping his advance, but by now he was confident in his nose, and he wasted no time in raising his head, howling shrilly; And for the first time on this trip, there were specific names in his request. Word count: 439 "Speech" Thoughts "They never look to see me fly"

Ylliny @DA

(This post was last modified: Jan 25, 2018, 09:46 PM by Griffin.)

Every so often Askan-sort of- missed the Fields.

The Shallows were his home, and would remain so until the day he died, but even so he couldn't forget what once had been. When he stood atop the falls looking down on his lake he couldn't help but be reminded of the lookout. Of how small, irrelevant, everything had seemed from its sloping heights. Askan remembered the sense of pride that had lingered in his chest when he recalled all he had accomplished as Drestig's second. Not only had he helped found a pack but he had done everything in it's power to keep it strong and thriving. How badly has his departure effected it? Who remained? Had it fallen to ruin or did things continue as if he had never been there at all?

Both prospects bothered him. On one paw, he wished the pack no harm, he wanted Drestig's dream to continue, thrive even. But on the other...was Askan so disposable? Had his efforts been washed away like paw prints on the shore of an overflowing river?

Damn it, he hoped not. But what if they had? Did it even matter anymore? He had moved onto greater things, his life had branched off in a different direction and he was happy. As happy as the grumpy Selwyn could manage anyway.

His musings were soon interrupted by a call, one meant for his ears- and Reyes' he soon realised. Clambering down from his pedestal, Askan broke into a canter as he pushed through the snow. He recognised that voice, and there certainly seemed to be an air of familiarity to that call, but who? And perhaps more importantly, what did they want?

Warm air puffed from his nose as he slowed to a stop. He emerged through the trees, like a scowly shadow from a nightmare- only to pause midstep. The Edge Lord caught a glimpse of the wolf staggering by his borders and- his assumption had been correct. This wasn't a stranger at all, he knew this wolf- perhaps not as well as his sisters but that was aside the point.

"Gale."Askan rumbled as way of greeting, his tail hanging neutrally between his legs. Though there was no mistaking it, these were his woods. Askan deferred to no one, not anymore. His tone was gruff-as always- but there was a lingering sense of... almost fondness to his voice.  Hidden well but there nonetheless. "Did your Father send you?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 25, 2018, 10:51 PM by Askan.)

There was an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach as he waited, squinting into the woods. He’d missed the dark couple, @Reyes especially, never really understanding why they left the Fields. But they had, and the feeling of abandonment that had weighed the whole pack for so long afterwards was still fresh in his young memory. Gale didn’t like to hold grudges, especially against who he considered family, nor did he want to be angry with the men, sure - despite the lack of explanation - that they had had their good reasons for leaving the Fields behind. Finally a dark shape materialized out of the woods, a familiar face scowling at him with a hint of surprise in bright yellow eyes. The pup smiled, tail giving a tentative wag at the sound of his name. “Askan,” he breathed, ears flicking back and then back up as he continued to grin with the corners of his open mouth. The sudden question was unexpected though, and he started answering, rather deadpan, before even thinking: “No. Or well, I mean… Uh… Kinda?” His head tilted, the slightest glimmer of hope alighting in his bright-green eyes; “I’m looking for Sphinx. You haven’t uh… Seen her, have you?” His tail moved more intensely, gaze locked intently on the earth-colored man. It was another long shot, and yet; If she’s not here, then where? She’d been even more affected by their uncles leaving than him, maybe she’d gone to find them. Still, Griffin was afraid of the answer. This would be his very last chance, the only place left to look, and if she wasn’t here, he would have no choice but to return home with no news. Looking around at the trees, hit again by his own curiosity, and perhaps hoping to postpone the inevitable answer, he asked quickly: “So this is where y’ went, huh? It your pack then? You’re leading it? Or… Is Reyes?” He couldn’t really imagined either of them submitting to the other, or to anyone else; That has to be why they left, right?! To found this place, for themselves. Young as he was, the sparrow-pup could sympathise with the wish to be in charge of their own lives. Even if he was mentally wrinkling his nose at their choice of territory; TREES! Word count: 386 "Speech" Thoughts "They never look to see me fly"

Ylliny @DA

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2018, 10:40 PM by Griffin.)

Kinda? Askan wasn't sure what to make of that, but rather than push for a better response Askan allowed Gale to fumble through his words. It seemed as though he hadn't changed much, which was a good thing, right? He wasn't entirely sure to be honest, nor was it a topic he had time to dwell on. Soon enough Gale explained why he was here, Sphinx was missing.

Shit.

That was not what he wanted to hear. What was it with Avalon girls and wandering off? It was as though they couldn't help themselves, that there was some sort of force pulling them away. First Percy, now Sphinx, what next? Would Jessie wander off to find herself too? Askan huffed as he shook his head, his brows knitting together.

"I haven't no." He wished he had, even if it was to just reassure Gale that his sister was safe. "How long has she been missing?" He was pretty sure she had been there when he'd left, so she must have wandered off since.

Either way, it went without saying that he would tell the other's to keep an eye out for her. They weren't exactly neighbours, nor had it been set in stone but Askan considered the Field to be an ally of his. He would do whatever he could, even if it wasn't much in the grand scheme of things.

"Mmm, Shallows Edge. Reyes and I are in charge, make sure everyone does their part, so on so forth." He said, his shoulders shifting in an easy shrug. "I like it here, it's a nice change from all that open space." Little did he know Gale couldn't agree any less.

He couldn’t help it, hoping. It would be so great to find her! To see her again, and be able to bring her home. But the look on Askan’s face when he heard the news made it immediately clear that he hadn’t known, meaning; No luck here, either..! The sparrow’s tail stilled, his smile fading as the answer fell. The very last chance had proven another dead end. Gale sighed, looking down at his paws with hanging ears. Already, he was imagining the misery of returning home, just as clueless as when he had left. And behind that lay the even darker realisation: If she wasn’t here, if she wasn’t in any other pack or had even passed through; She’s really… Gone! So the question took him rather by surprise, ears flicking up though his gaze remained downturned. “A while,” He murmured, scraping at the ground with a dirty paw; “It was… She vanished not long after you left. She was really broken up.” He bit his lip, cracking nails digging harder into the clay to try and distract himself from the dark feelings churning in his gut. If she really had gone looking for them, then clearly she hadn’t found them; Who knows har far she might… She couldn’t last on her own for that long, not to mention all the other dangers she might have stumbled into. No matter what end she had met, it was starting to look very unlikely that she would ever be found. Obviously keen to distract himself from these gloomy realisations, he latched onto Askan’s words quickly, even managing a fresh smile as he looked up at the dark man. “Yeah?” He asked, glancing around at the forest, which seemed to be growing thicker every second, almost physically weighing down his shoulders; “It’s… Something else.” With nothing better to say of the Selwyn’s chosen lands, he quickly moved on to other questions, tail slowly starting to wag again; “Both of you, huh? Cool! Who else you got? There a lot of you?” Having been born into a pack, the boy had no idea how one went about starting one. And despite the somber reasons behind his reunion with Askan, he was curious to hear his tale, and learn more about his new home. Word count: 380 "Speech" Thoughts "They never look to see me fly"

Ylliny @DA

Askan had half expected things to decline after he and Reyes had left, but that was mostly his sense of pride and self-esteem getting in the way. He knew that the Rye wolves could continue on without him, that they weren't a last cause or anything like that but...Perhaps he had been right, in a sense. The Edge Lord didn't know what to do, this didn't make him happy or smug. He just felt bad, as though he had somehow brought this on. He was no longer amongst their ranks but he still considered the wolves of the Rye to be his allies, amongst the few figures he could trust.

"Yeah..."He trailed off, knowing that-at least in part- it was his fault. Shit, not a good feeling. "She's not a child anymore, she should be able to take care of herself, if any of the lessons I taught her stuck." He damn well hoped they did, for her sake more than his own.

Gale's tone said it all. He didn't like it here, go figure, Askan couldn't say that he was surprised. What had he expected though, for Askan to roam the land till he found a carbon copy of the Field? Nah, that would nullify the reason for leaving in the first place. Change was what the Selwyn needed and it was what he had found, like a breath of fresh air.

"You feeling a little trapped huh?" He asked, gesturing to the trees with a wave of his snout. "You get used to it. Like it more this way, feels private."

Gale seemed happy for them though, which felt good, made Askan's shoulders feel that much lighter. It was clear that the youngster had a lot of his dad in him, no squinty gaze or brash words, just smiles and a laid back nature.  Good.

"Mm, we're doing good. Have a couple of kids your age, the rest are older. We've made something good here, glad you came to see it."

The words eased his mind a little; it was true that both Askan and Reyes had taught the pups to handle themselves, and so had their parents, perhaps anticipating such a devastating repeat of history. Maybe Sphinx wasn’t completely beyond hope after all. Gale prayed so, because he wasn’t sure his father could handle losing his daughter; Again..! Biting his lip, he nodded somberly at Askan, trying to project this added hope in his firm gaze. He almost jumped when the dark man spoke again, seeming to have read his thoughts; Or perhaps I’m just that obvious… He needed to work on that, hiding his true thoughts a little better, or he’d end up truly offending someone. But his ‘uncle’ seemed to take it pretty well, shrugging his shoulder and mentioning privacy, something, it was true, that wasn’t abundant at the Fields. Griffin chuckled sheepishly; “You can tell, huh? Guess I’m just… Made for the open air.” Shrugging his shoulders a little, the sparrow pup ducked his head in an exaggerated fashion, then grinned crookedly up at the older wolf - he had no problem making a joke at his own expense. It was very true that he couldn’t expect the rogue pair to take up a home completely similar to their previous, nor had he really. But from what he had seen, this type of mixed wood was the typical choice, and he also didn’t have them pinned for going with the conventional; That, and I just don’t understand this affinity for TREES! All in all, he was left wondering if the shelter of trees didn’t hide something more. A little of that secret was revealed in Askan’s next answer, prompting a fresh smile from the young Avalon. “Really?” He asked, wagging his tail excitedly; “I’d love to meet them…” But his joy quickly faltered, ears falling back against his skull; “S-some other time I guess… I should get home.” He sighed, turning his head and looking dejectedly into the dark woods, towards the north. Truly, he was not at all eager to get home, not without good news, but he couldn’t stay away forever. “Dad’s… Not gonna be happy,” he spoke in a low voice, more to himself than the Selwyn, though it would be easy enough to hear. Green eyes squinted down at his muddy paws for a moment, then he looked up at Askan again with the faintest shadow of a smile; “At least I can tell him that you’re here, maybe that’ll cheer him up…” And Unless Drestig’s state was remarkably better than when he’d left, he would need a lot of cheering. Word count: 438 "Speech" Thoughts "They never look to see me fly"

Ylliny @DA

Maybe it was because he was unfamiliar with these parts but Askan couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Gale's flighty-ness. It wasn't so bad, hidden and safe in the woods, but each to their own, Askan supposed. Not so long ago the prospect of living in a forest was weird, undesirable, but times had changed. It was better to adapt then be left behind in the dust.

Apparently this was just a quick social visit, no time to stay or even mingle. Gale had to fly. Rolling his eyes Askan as if to say 'yeah yeah' , Askan made no move to stop him or delay him. He had quite a way to go, but Askan had faith the young Avalon would get there sooner rather than later, even with all the wind and snow.

"Is he ever happy these days?" That was a bit of a mean jab, Askan knew the Old Man had a lot on his plate, that he was a worry wort through and through. "But yeah, let him know where we are, that we're all still alive and all that. Come again when it's warmer, travel should be easier too." At the very least, Avalons weren't unwelcome guests around these parts, Askan would ensure everyone was aware of that fact.