Larkcall Lowlands Close without closure [BWP]

Silvered limbs couldn't help but falter at the edge of a golden sea that lay spread out before her, the light breeze beneath a cloudy sky causing rolling waves of wild rye that challenged to drown even the most experienced sailor wishing to traverse its domain. Had someone rewound time to months ago, perhaps the stalks would have managed to succeed in doing so when pitted again Sphinx Avalon; a pup that barely stood tall enough to brush her head against the warmth of her mother's belly, but time didn’t stand still and things changed. She changed.

Warm amber irises watched the rolling tide continue its natural dance as digits kneaded the soil beneath her paws, in what, hesitation? Fear? The young lady couldn't quite pinpoint what caused the cease in her steps, her nostrils filled with the scents surrounding her and offering a weird mixture of familiarity and strangeness. This place was both so similar and different from that of her memories, but perhaps that was because much like herself this area, too, had changed overtime. Now tall enough to gaze over the tops of the rye, the rye itself became a vast sea of emptiness. Had there not been a pack nestled not far from here near the giant rock that jutted out from amidst the sea of yellow like a sore, grey toned, eye sore?

Another slow inhale revealed no scents of others on the air, no indicators of a boarder. Just the unrelenting stench of coyotes and wet earth from the latest rain to fall that had yet to fully dry due to the cloud cover that remained overhead. A silver tipped ear twisted off to the side for a moment to hone in on the rustle of probably nothing more than a field mouse scavenging for fallen seeds, having seen nothing else thus far to cause such a stir. Not even another wolf had been seen in days, possibly even weeks at this point. Time wasn't exactly something that Sphinx kept a tab on these days, though. Just move was all her mind focused on and this standing still? Drew her mad.

One hefty shake of her pelt and the young lady was on the move again, a set of scores in the soil the only indicator the Avalon child had even stopped before diving in to swim through the rye. She had to keep moving.

(This post was last modified: Jun 13, 2018, 12:42 AM by Sphinx.)

"I drive myself crazy, thinking everything's about me"

He was on his way home himself, a fat lemming in his mouth that he hoped to give to @Adelayde and the pups. Tail wagging high in his triumph, he skipped along quickly, bright gaze focussed on the golden hills up ahead. The black figure was easy to spot amongst the rye, plainly not one of the Field, too tall to be @Chimera, and too dark to be anyone else. Dropping his hardwon prize, Gale increased his speed, calling out indignantly as the stranger crossed into the grain; “Oi! That’s our borders, what do you think you’re do…” He trailed off as he came close enough to see the hints of silver in the sooty fur, speechless for a moment as he mistook the girl for their father. Then he caught sight of the youthful face, its mottled mask unmistakable.

Coming up to her flank - though with a few lengths between them - Griffin squinted now, shock and astonishment showing clearly on his features. “S-Silva?” He could hardly believe it, after so many weeks of searching, after their dad… “Is it really you?” He even blinked, as if she would suddenly disappear into thin air, no more than a figment of his imagination. Except he hadn’t thought of her for a while now, convinced that she was lost for good. A sentiment he shared with a simple: “I thought you were… Gone.”

word count: 233

"Speech" Thoughts

LucieG-Stock @DA

Several coyote abandoned a half-eaten deer. But before you can take a bite they reappear.

Special attention for WRF members who might be wanting to join in possibly for BWP

Feather like ends to the rye ears caressed and tickled the young lady's sides with each stride she took through them, occasionally dipping her head to give the brushed against strands a whiff in search of traces of her childhood home that seemed like nothing more than a distant memory now of short lived joy then turmoil and ultimately heartache that drove the child back then from the protective arms of her family. All for what? To chase after the one man in her life she looked up to aside from that of her father? A man that chose to walk out of her life without so much as a single word or goodbye just so he could go play pack and be some big bad leader with his equally dumb boy toy who in his own way left his mark upon the speckled girl.

Well, she assumed that’s what Reyes was to Askan and their reason for leaving, but she never got her chance to ask. Kinda lost their trail early on the night she set out after them to scold them for hurting everyone back home and despite the lessons the big grumps bestowed upon Sphinx, she only managed to become more lost rather than found. A heavy grunt; that could have been mistaken for the infamous ones the dark hued man use to make himself in her youth during trips to the outlook, puttered out the side of her lips and a swift shake of her head made quick work at freeing her churning mind from the bitter memories. Sphinx hadn't come here for him and had given up hope on finding her once upon a time role model long ago.

Above, the caws of circling ravens caused dark lids to squint against the grey painted sky and what sunlight managed to filter through the clouds, head tilting back to test the air for signs of what the ebony birds may have discovered. Ravens when grouped as such often meant food and from what she could tell it was a rather fresh deer kill, but the stronger odor of coyotes left the loner leery about finding out if anything remained despite the rumbling earthquake of her hunger deprived stomach.

Luckily, or maybe not, her attention didn't have long to focus on that conundrum as movement behind her had speckled ears splaying out to the side, whirling around in time to spot a mottled figure emerge from the depths of the rye and make a speedy approach. Instincts had the skin of her snout curling in a warning snarl to slow their roll, warm amber gaze warily watching this stranger until a single nickname was ushered. 'S-Silva?' There was only a small band of wolves that happened to know that name for herself.

Recognition came slow for the girl but came it did. "Gale." Sputtered off her lips in her own mixture of shock and disbelief, eyes widening to further emphasis her surprise at finding her brother of all people so soon. "Not gone, lost. Tracking Kana." Was her short response to the ladder, unwilling to offer pointless flowery words to get her point across.

adelayde artemieva

The mother was taking a light walk around the territory while the cubs slept or so she thought, she had left while they were sound asleep. There was a chance they would wake and try to cause trouble, but being within the central part of the territory, they couldn't cause too much mischief. @Laike was most likely within the vicinity as he always seemed to have a watchful eye upon everything in the Rye. Ade intended to be back rather quickly to ensure the twins didn't get themselves into anything, a little fresh air was needed first. 

Clouds loomed above while in the distance an unkindness of ravens circled around what was most likely a kill making the Rye second suspicious. The kill was rather close to the borders and she hadn't seen any Rye wolf come through with remnants of a large kill like this. With the coyotes on a disturbing rampage, she feared they were getting more fearless by the minute. Adelayde debated returning to her cubs and alerting Laike and the rest of the pack of her discovery until she heard voices drift with the wind that blew through the rye. 

Mismatched eyes caught the two figures in the distance, with the wind she could tell at least one of them was a Rye wolf. It didn't take her long to reach the two of them, easily recognizing Griffin as she came upon his flank. However, the other she didn't have a chance to get a good look at yet. Adelayde missed the conversation that went on between them, but by both of their expressions she could tell something was off. 

Everything alright here, Gale? She asked softly as her eyes finally took in the stranger and also the band of coyotes that loomed in the distance over the kill they intended to keep. Blinking a couple times, she almost swore it was Drestig in front of them, but as her eyes inspected the female more closely, she finally came to realize who this truly was or could be. Sphinx? The name came off her lips in the most uncertain way as if the shock was too much to overcome. Could it really be her after all this time trying to find her? All the miles traveled she searched for the lost princess and the heartache she felt when she came up with nothing every time. 

Eyes wide as she waited for a response from either of them confirming this was truly the lost girl they had been searching for. A paw took a tentative step towards the girl. Was it really her?

(This post was last modified: Jun 13, 2018, 08:11 PM by Adelayde.)

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"I drive myself crazy, thinking everything's about me"

He hardly even noticed the snarl, through his shock, too busy studying every inch of his magically returned sister. She’d grown surprisingly tall and lanky in their time apart, white-speckled legs like stilts, lifting her back clear of even the tallest grass around them. Just like his own, her markings had become more distinct, the contrast between black and white much starker, especially in her facial mask. It was odd, looking at someone so different, and yet seeing his sister, quite clearly. She recognized him too, after a little while, and gave an answer in that same simple way he remembered so well.

Tail wagging high behind him, the sparrow boy came to a halt, eyes growing wide as he gaped in surprise; “Oh! But they’re just down…” But he was interrupted before he could finish, fortunate enough perhaps, at least for Sphinx’s pride. The new voice made him look over in surprise, noticing Adelayde for the first time as she drew up by their side. Flustered by this seeming materialization out of thin air, Gale forgot what he was saying entirely, and only nodded, smiling crookedly at the name. It was an odd act of fate indeed, to have the lost girl reappear now, when they had all but given up the search.

And it was not done playing tricks yet. Now that his attention was loosened, he finally noticed what the two women already had, muzzle wrinkling in disdain. “Those bastards are getting too cheeky,” he snarled, staring down the coyotes with ears raised in anger. They might not dare coming into the territory, but this kill was within smelling-distance of the border, prey that belonged to the wolves of the Rye. Giving a small snort, Gale looked over at his sister, a bright gleam of challenge in his eyes; “You hungry?”

word count: 304

"Speech" Thoughts

LucieG-Stock @DA

I'm horrible for just now getting a reply up. @Adelayde @Griffin

The mere mentioning of the old Rye member was enough to elect an immediate response from the likes of her brother, gaping in surprise before beginning to spill details that unfortunately were never delivered as a new voice bounced off the tops of the swaying rye to draw the siblings attention toward the slow approaching silhouette. A second dose of amnesia clouded Sphinx's ability to decipher the tawny female's true identity for the time being, her lanky form tensing in uncertainty of what may occur next while the older woman gave Sphinx a complete look over. Her facial expressions revealing the confusion that washed over it in waves as if she was trying to decipher between two individuals. What was it with them looking at her like she was a ghost of some sort?

Finally, recognition came for both the tawny female and Sphinx although uncertainty continued to remain present, underlining the speckled female's name as it flitted off Adelayde's lips. It was the widening of those mismatched eyes that Sphinx could finally see clearly now that the other woman settled alongside Gale's flank, that allowed her cloudy mind to reconnect the dots. "It's me." Sphinx spoke softly, the guilt of her misadventure weighing on her shoulders as her lanky frame hunkered down slightly and ears splayed back like a child waiting to be punished for doing something bad. Her expression doleful.

But the guilt was brief as their attention returned to the looming threat in the distance, the snarls of feasting coyotes giving the slain deer a second go filling the air. Warm amber eyes shifted from the faces of her family to the carcass being shredded, lids narrowing in both leeriness like before and annoyance while Gale questioned if the starved girl was hungry. Did a bear shit in the woods? "Hungry." She stated matter ofactly in typical Sphinx fashion, sweeping her gaze back to the likes of her brother and Adelayde. The smallest hint of a smirk adorning the corner of her lips while a challenge of her own glistened in her eyes to reflect that of her brother's.