Firefly Weir bad boys bring heaven to you

'Cause I know it's true
They say "all good boys go to heaven"
But bad boys bring heaven to you
- Julia Michaels, "Heaven"

June 1st; Nightfall; Overcast Clouds; 62.6 ° F, 17 ° C.

The last time Skoll had been here, he had cast his brother into the Weir, too angry and too upset all at once. Now, when he saw the too-still waters of this part of the Lagoon, all he could see were the ripples where Niles shook his head and had near-refused to get up. It was terrible, felt terrible to relive the moment, but the Archer was all too acquainted with his own ghosts to take on more painful memories. For Niles' sake, he would remember it their little squabble (if it could be called that), but all Skoll yearned for - still - was peace. A little serpentine in his steps, he found his way to the water's edge.

In the dead of night, the little channel of water bubbled and glistened under the waning gibbous moon, but the further the stream fed into the Lagoon, the quieter it got. The Archer stepped into the shallow pool, allowing the cool waters to submerge his ankles and wrists. He had stood here before, but he hoped with all his might that he would forget the sight of Niles' submerged face. For a few moments, his eyes closed and he exhaled slowly, counting back in his head from ten.

Ten. His name was Skoll Archer, brother to the Leader Morganna and sire to the Leader Celandine's new brood.
Nine. Niles was last seen sleeping outside the pack den just before he left for the Lagoon... if he was lucky, the brute would sleep through the night, just this once...

His eyes flickered open and he sought out the forest on the other side of the water, standing as tall as he dared under the broken moonlight.

Eight. He was a father, not just to yearlings and present acting Leaders beyond the Scowle but to a pair of cubs hidden deep within the pack territory. There would be no reason to act reckless or on impulse.

Another sigh left his lips, softly hissing between his parted teeth. A gentle breeze whispered past him, bringing with it the nighttime smells of the Lore... of frogs, fresh grass and newly sprung flowers, migrating wildlife, and the new and vexing musk of coyote.

Seven. He was in good health, better than he ever had been compared to the past year. He could breathe, he had eaten, he felt stronger and mentally sharper. There were still emotional wounds he had yet to heal, lost loves to replace, and new possibilities to nurture, but he knew for a fact that he was somewhat intact. He still needed to cut some losses to set an example for his brother who was nothing but a magnet for heartache.

Six...

The sudden cooing of a mourning dove overhead ensnared his attention and he watched her fly from the shadows and out into the open air. Six, he tried to count again, his interest suddenly piqued as the pale bird found a place to perch among the bent reeds on the distant shore. "Piety," her name, while unbidden on his tongue, had taken him aback with how fresh her memory had stung inside his chest. His breathing quickened and he took a few steps back onto the shore, as if it granted him enough space from the bird to keep from hurting. His head slowly shook as he sat down to collect himself. His next words came as a whisper, meant for only him to hear, "Go away... I have someone else now."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

In youth you'd lay
Awake at night and scheme
Of all the things that you would change
But it was just a dream
Imagine Dragons - Warriors

here we are, don't turn away now

This latest litter had been harder on her than both years prior combined. It was the first time she hadn't been antsy to leave the den, but all good things came to an end, and she couldn't continue to just lay about and hope the scowle would run itself as it had done up until now. It hadn't been that she was oblivious to all that had been going on, but that she felt she was better off keeping her nose out of it. Now, with Skoll's scent on the breeze in the direction of the wier, and the ever present threat of coyotes just beyond the borders, she found herself trailing after her brother, if only in an attempt to steal a few moments of quiet company before they parted ways.

What she hadn't expected was to hear Piety's name almost whispered on the breeze. It was enough to steal the air from her chest, her own steps faltering as ears swivelled and she allowed her nose to do a double take of the scents that had recently passed by here. She swallowed around the awkward lump in her throat. No, she wasn't here... so why was her brother speaking the doves name then? She continued to inch closer, more mindful of where she placed her paws now, barely making out the dark shape of her sibling and the bird that had come to rest in the rushes alongside the lagoon. Ah. So that was it.

Confident now that she wasn't exactly intruding on something she wasn't supposed to she strode forward with purpose to rest her flank alongside Skoll's and bother him, preening the fur about his cheeks and neck, fussing as though it bothered her to see a single hair out of place. She didn't need to bother him with words. Not yet.

we are the warriors that built this town

(This post was last modified: Jun 02, 2018, 10:43 AM by Morganna. Edit Reason: spacing extra code nightmare )

For a time, he scowled at the bird until his sister came barreling through the woods and distracted him from it altogether. All along his muzzle and nape, she combed her teeth through his fur. He let her, remaining still for the most part; he needed all the contact to keep him grounded and in the present. Once or twice, he lifted his head, craning his snout from her reach whenever she hit some sort of sensitive spot. Mostly, he just didn't want her nipping at his lips or yanking out a whisker with how aggressive her touch usually felt.

Skoll leveled his head when the dove took flight, seeking refuge in the trees well and far away from where the Archers were. He let out a breath that made his shoulders sag and muscles finally relax. He leaned towards her until he could rest his jaw against her temple (or wherever she would let him nestle up against her). At long last, it would seem he felt nothing.

His tone was soft, meant only for her ears alone, "Hello.".

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

here we are, don't turn away now

A contented sigh left her chest when he leaned against her, tilting her head to lean into his cheek. She had missed him so much during their time apart and now finally everything was almost as it should have always been. Almost. She did well to keep the pout off her face, though a neediness still worked its way into her words. "I'm bored brother." Really, there was no reason she should be. Everything was perfect. The pack was, for the most part content with each other, they were friendly enough with their neighbours. The dullness was driving her crazy. The only glimmer of hope was the plague of coyotes, and even they weren't exactly a threat that required much brain power, but more brute strength. "I worry if I don' use my brain soon it'll slide right outta my ear. Peace is all well'n good but old gods it's so borin'." Were the willows really their closest neighbours? Perhaps they should have stopped on the Rise after all, just for the entertainment value.

we are the warriors that built this town

There are fresh deer tracks, but there is also some coyote prints along with them.

"I'm bored, brother," she answered him without even needing him to ask. He let out an airy snort that was really meant to be some sort of scoff. Really, his sister being bored was absolutely nothing new to him. To hear her verbalize it only humored him to the bone.

Next, she told him - in that special sort of way that only she could - how weary she was over how peaceful it was in the Scowle. "Now, now," he smoothly consoled her, turning to steal a glance into her eyes. "Don't you take the quiet for granted." Frankly, he needed a break - not only for himself, but he very much preferred that the Scowle stay this way (albeit sans coyotes) while his youngest son and daughter matured into their yearling months.

"If you didn't have this sense of quiet, you wouldn't have the time for me, right here, right now," he lent, finding comfort now in the simpleness of her warmth at his side. "We would just keep missing each other, wouldn't we?" He gave a thoughtful pause, "You'd be out doing things during the day, I'll be out patrolling in the night, the both of us kept much too busy to even think about touching base with one another." He leaned over to return her affection in kind, nibbling at the base of her ear that was closest to him, "And, I don't know about you, but I very much prefer this."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

here we are, don't turn away now

Don't take the quite for granted. Really she should have known better. No sooner had she opened her mouth than her eyes fell on the trail of deer flanked by canine tracks. Far too small to belong to wolves. At least they seemed to be moving away from the scowle, but still her ears turned forward, twitching to catch any tell tale sign that they weren't as alone as they might hope to be. "You're right." She responded quietly, surprised it would be Skoll pointing out the silver linings to her, of all wolves. They were older now, but that didn't mean Morganna had quite grown up yet, and she was still concerned at how placid her sibling seemed to have become.

"I don' suppose tryin' ter herd 'em towards someone else'd keep 'em gone huh?" She tipped her chin towards the tracks left in the snow. "S' a pity really. We could really make an impression on th' neighbours that way." Of course she realised it would also be incredibly dangerous, with both Ravenna and Sven's... friend being pregnant at the willows and no knowledge of another pack nearby. She might have had the occassional dark thought but she wasn't the type to follow through on it. Not anymore. "What do yer think has got 'em swarmin' at th' moment anyway? Yer exes put a hex on us or somethin?" It was meant as a gentle tease, though it wouldn't be a surprise if it wasn't taken that way. Maybe Macha would be the better one to ask that question of?

we are the warriors that built this town

"Psssh," he jeered, air hissing through his teeth again at Morganna's teasing. "If it had been them, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't delve into the business of lesser creatures." He looked at her face before following her gaze to the place she was staring at in the gathering darkness. The tracks that littered the edges of the lagoon trailed away from the Scowle (or so it seemed, if he squinted and stared long enough to see just which way the deer hooves were pointing) and he saw no need to take action - at least for now.

"But, no," he murmured. "Can't really do much to keep them away apart from just... keeping a sharp eye on things. Make sure they aren't getting into the caches and what not." His voice quieted again as he sidled up beside her. A moment passed before he grew still, ears moving about as the distant yaps of the nearby coyotes reached them. As long as their barks didn't grow louder, he wanted to assume they were safe for the time being. He wanted to keep Celandine and the cubs in one spot for as long as he could manage.

He decided to shift their conversation over to something else. Maybe keeping his sister's mind off of the rabble was best while they got their bearings on why and how the vermin were making their way around pack territory lines. "Why were you out looking for me? I mean, Celandine... when she saw me half-dead in the meadow, she said she was going to bring me to you... But... why?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

This is my kingdom come

A compliant sigh was all that offered to his suggestion of keeping an eye on them. After all, launching an all-out offensive would leave the cubs exposed and for all she knew, that was their entire addle-brained plan. It was safer to wait and see, while numbers and sheer strength were on their side.

The Archer rolled her shoulders and even went so far as to look away when her brother changed the topic. It wasn't that she hadn't been expecting it to come up eventually, but it was visibly obvious that the current direction of conversation was making her uncomfortable. Her lips came together in a taut line as she drew a deep breath in through her nose. She was going to have to spit it out eventually, after all, wasn't that the whole reason she had been looking for him to start with. She released the tension that was building up in her shoulders with a short shake, though a sullen pout remained on her face as her head dipped ever so slightly, ears turned back with the foreignness of it all. Morganna Archer did not apologise for her mistakes.

"Because I was wrong ter leave yer behind." She couldn't even meet his eyes as she shifted her weight ever so slightly from one paw to the other. "'Specially fer 'im." Urgh this was the worst. Finally, she turned to meet her brother's eyes. He'd better remember this moment because she had no intentions of ever having a repeat performance, for anyone. "I'm sorry alright?"

this is my kingdom come