Spectral Woods The Way of the Messenger

Backdated to February 26th
Jynx is at the borders calling specifically for @Serach and/or @Aponi 

 

After a late start, Jynx was finally on her way to Oak Tree Bend. Despite the hold up that involved herself, @Pip and @Oksana, she was able to excuse herself once the situation was under control and the child was in safe hands. She had news to deliver on behalf of Lachesis and she wouldn't let a minor hiccup stop her. Opting for a shortcut, she veered away from the mountain, cutting through great stretches of unfamiliar forest. For the first time in all her years here, her paws treaded over the soils in the east. She was unfamiliar with these woods of course, and had no mental map to guide her. All she knew was that she needed to keep travelling south and that the pack she was seeking, made their home in a dense forest.

The experience while much like a breath of fresh air, also brought with it a prickle of anxiety. Golden eyes strayed in every which direction, hoping for a glimpse of off white or dark agouti fur. Her nose worked busily in hopeful attempts at catching the faintest scent that might belong to her son or daughter. But she found nothing. Not even any paw prints that would match a child of their size. Disappointed but unswayed from her task, she pressed onwards. During the daytime she was on the move, and at night she rested, rising early the next morning. She only stopped for a quick snack consisting of a squirrel or hare and a cold drink, before getting back to business. After several long days, Jynx began to sense that she was nearing her destination. The late afternoon sun fought to break through the overhead cloud cover, reluctantly allowing a few tiny rays of light to spill down into the dense forest. She had been travelling through this patch for several miles now and she could smell the increasingly pungent signature of well marked borders. Jynx herself had never actually visited this pack before, nor was she familiar with any of it's wolves, except for Kisla, who had once called this place home. Respecting the clearly defined boundary, she tipped her head back and let out a smooth howl, meant only for the ears of the wolves who led Oak Tree Bend.

Serach's ears perked up attentively when the usual forest sounds were interrupted by the sound of an unfamiliar voice howling. For half a moment, he considered ignoring it and resuming his activities - namely finding a cozy place to settle down for a late afternoon nap - but alas, he could not afford to let the summons go unanswered. Sparing just a moment to scratch his ears first, he opened his lips and howled back to let her know that he was on his way.

Sunlight or shadow made no difference to the Bend leader. Loping through the familiar woods, he was sure-footed and quick to find his way to where the stranger was waiting outside of his borders. She was easy to spot, her russet fur was striking and made her stand out starkly against the winter snow. He approached with a raised head, but a friendly smile. "'Lo. I'm Serach Donata, and these are my borders you're standing on," he introduced, leaving the question of what she had wanted unasked.

Waiting patiently, the russet traveler used the spare moment to examine the dense woodlands that this pack called home. It had more variety than Cedarwood Forest and Hearthwood, but still offered plenty of cover without being suffocating. She imagined in the springtime, that the game here would be most abundant. Sunny eyes flicked ahead, pinning on the approaching figure of a light colored wolf. He was pale, but not a pure white like Emrys or even Lachesis. She would have to reference his face for memory, should she ever need to meet with him again. His confident posture left no doubt in her mind that he was the dominant male of the pack. Her own remained relaxed, but her gently waving tail pointed towards her friendly intentions.

The beginnings of a smile formed on her dark lips while offering a small dip of her head. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Serach." She filed his surname, Donata, away in her memory. "I am Jynx Myrddin. My leader, Lachesis sent me with news in regards to Hearthwood River." She could only assume that neither males had met face to face before. And she did not yet know Lilya well enough to know if she had ever made a journey to Oak Tree Bend or met any of it's members. She left the facts open ended, willing to let Serach correct her or fill her in where need be. Her only link was possibly Kisla, whom she had barely begun to know before her unexpected disappearance. And now that she was back where she had started with the former river wolves, Jynx had not already heard of Kisla's untimely death.

I am so so sorry about the delay on this. I also double checked and @Lila would have made a trip north in the fall/winter and found out about Kisla's death and would have told Serach.

The russet-furred woman seemed pleasant enough, greeting him with an easily wagging tail. Her relaxed attitude and the smell of other wolves on her pelt told him that she was not a lone wolf looking for a pack, and as she introduced herself, she confirmed his assumption. His smile dimmed though at the mention of which pack it was. Kisla, his heart lurched at the thought of his beloved sister. Lila had been the one to deliver the news to him, and ever since he had struggled to come to terms with the emotional fallout. Most days were good, but most days he didn't have to look a member of his sister's pack in the face.

"Nice to meet you, Jynx," he responded, forcing himself to be pleasant, although his tone of voice was certainly more muted than it had been a moment ago. "I know of Lachesis, although I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face. You've come a long way, so please, what news does he have for us?"

She shook her head, russet ears flickering forward momentarily. "Not that I am aware. But it's always pleasant to see a new face." The more connections she had in the Lore the better. Positive ones at least. Briefly she considered filling the man in on her own background, of her own accomplishments during her time in the Lore. But first, down to business. She had a message to deliver and the Oak Tree Bend Alpha was patiently awaiting the briefing.

"Lachesis is a good friend of mine. I was informed that Hearthwood and the Bend agreed to an alliance." She smiled pleasantly, taking a momentary pause. "Recently he decided to relocate the pack to the region of Turtleback Lake. We are now known as Driftwood Surge." Her toes kneaded at the soil beneath them. "He thought it wise you be aware of the change, and that we will still honor our withstanding alliance." 

(This post was last modified: Apr 25, 2018, 12:06 AM by Jynx.)

Jynx was here on an official visit, not a pleasure one, and she was quick to dive into the real message. While he initially watched her attentively, he could not hide the look of surprise on his face when she let the shoe drop. His eyes widened and his ears twitched, as though he was trying to correct his hearing in case he had misunderstood it. Hearthwood was gone? It hit him harder in the gut then he would have anticipated. Blinking a few times, he turned his head to the side so she could not see his face while he struggled to grasp the implications. There were none, realistically speaking, that would impact him or the Bend in any real way. But Hearthwood had been Kisla's, and with it now gone, it felt like losing his beloved sister all over again.

"I'm...I'm...sorry," he stammered back at her, turning his head so he was looking at her again, the confusion on his face very evident. "The Bend will certainly uphold our end of the agreement, but I have to ask, why did he move the pack away from Hearthwood?" Did she know? And even if she did, was it going to be a good enough answer? A sense of protection and anger on Kisla's behalf surged through his heart, but that wasn't fair and he bit his tongue to keep it in check. Did she even know his connection? "Kisla Baranski was my sister," he told her, hoping the simple statement would give her a bit more context for his reaction.

 

She allowed Serach all the time he needed to process the news of Hearthwood's disbandment. It had taken her by surprise too when she received the news. But she dealt with it less like a cold slap to the face than he was exhibiting now. That wasn't to say she didn't have questions. She often wondered why it was so, and what had become of the former Queen, Kisla. Caught up in her personal affairs with Emrys and those concerning their lost children, the fiery agouti female was spared little time for such deep thinking on said questions. She had catching up to do, and maybe it would be through this wolf, that all would become clear.

When faced with the confusion written over his face she hardly acknowledged his willingness to uphold the alliance between the packs, save for a faint tip of her chin. Instead she focused more on his question. Why Lachesis had elected to move the pack. Her brows knitted slightly. "I do not know the exact reason." She reached deep and pulled the exact words her friend had used. "Only that it did not feel like home anymore." Her burning yellow eyes raised up to meet his, to see what he would make of this. Audits flicked back in momentary surprise at Kisla's name and relation to this wolf. He was her brother? "I...never knew of her family, outside of her mate and children. I was familiar with her in my early days in Hearthwood. She was strong...respectable. " She said with a note of contained admiration. "But some time that forced me away from the pack separated us, so I haven't seen her. Has...has something happened?" She asked pensively, keyed in on the building sense of negativity concerning the fact that Kisla no longer walked among them.

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2018, 07:28 PM by Jynx.)

Four coyotes appear from the shadows, posturing aggressively.

Heads up that this will be my last post until after May 18th as I'm going on absence for my wedding. Also going to ignore the coyotes since this thread was set pre-BWP.

She was patient with him, and if she was put off by his emotional reaction to what was probably simple news she did not show it. Serach was thankful for that, even if he could not immediately convey that to Jynx. But he would remember this kindness if they ever crossed paths again in the future. Her patience was matched by her honesty. He did not expect she would know the reason that Lachesis had abandoned Hearthwood, but her guess probably more accurate than she imagined. Serach had never made that choice for himself, but he had heard other wolves tell him similarly that they had to leave because X no longer felt like home. If it had not been Kisla's home, he would not have reacted quite as strongly. And so while he could sympathize and understand his fellow leader's decision, his face conveyed his disappointment and shock more than it did understanding and acceptance.

His eyebrows raised in shock and then furrowed as Jynx continued. He had assumed she knew Kisla, but it had never occurred to him that there might be wolves in Hearthwood who did not know what had happened to her. He could feel moisture begin to pool at the corner of his eyes, and he blinked away the forming tears rapidly, turning his head away so she could not see him do so. I must look a fool, he thought, swallowing his grief so he could look back at her and explain what had happened - something he could not help but feel angry at Lachesis for not doing. "She died, last fall... One of our subordinates, Lila, was on a scouting trip and learned of the news. A cougar tried to attack Kisla's pups in their den, and she died protecting them," he explained, forcing himself to fight through the grief to give her as full of an explanation as he knew. If she wanted to know more, she would have to ask Lachesis.

"I wish Driftwood the best, of course. But...I can't help but feel like abandoning the Kingswood is a slap to Kisla and Maksim's memories, intentional or no."

 

A sense of dread pooled in her stomach whilst she watched the Bend's Alpha fight back tears. And then he uttered the words no good hearted wolf ever wanted to hear. Kisla had died. From the wrath of a cougar no less, but valiantly defending the lives of her young children. That was so like her. Going down fighting, sacrificing herself so her lineage may continue. Bright yellow eyes wide with shock, the immediate world before her had slipped away, replaced only by the many memories and wolves so deeply touched and entwined in the lives of her former Alphess. Her thoughts went briefly to a wolf in the pack. A young tawny male, with eyes just like his mothers. Oh, no wonder @Matheo seemed so sober all the time. If she ever got a moment alone with the boy, she would speak with him. Or maybe not, since risking reopening old wounds could do more harm than good.

Drawn back to the present moment, ears pressed flat in sympathy, the Surge female took a tentative step forward, a simple gesture of comfort. "I...I never thought..." Her eyes flicked down, stinging as she said a silent prayer for Kisla. She looked back up then. "I'm so sorry...my deepest condolences..." She said in a thick voice. After both wolves had recomposed themselves after a moment, she considered what he said. Her contemplative expression hinted that she was not trying to take sides, loyal to Driftwood and Lachesis, but yet still honoring of Kisla and Maksim. "If I were in your place, I suppose I would feel the same way too. I suspect that Lachesis' reasons for moving the pack are more personal...more complicated than I know." Sensing her business here was coming to a close, she straightened. "If you'd like, I could see if working out a meetup would be possible in the summer?" By then any pups the packs had would be old enough to be watched by non-related adults. A face to face discussion with the Bend and Surge males may do them good, and provide Serach with the further clarification he needed.

(This post was last modified: May 31, 2018, 06:42 PM by Jynx.)