Drooping Willows Wicked roots that take me under

Vanadís Argyris-Archer

On the man's instruction, Vana headed south, until the willow trees began sprouting from the ground, large and imposing in their stoic silence. He had said that it seemed to him as if everyone had deserted the Lore, but she had allowed herself to hope that at the very least they would still be there, that he was exaggerating. Her brow furrowed as she followed the trees into the heart of the territory, and found herself standing alone amongst them. Her nose lifted, searching the air for borders, for signs of life, but she found none. Whatever her father's birth pack had been, whoever her aunt had been, they were gone now.

Pale eyes swiveled, searching for answers amongst the willows, but there were none to be found, and suddenly Vanadis couldn't remember why she had even come. Her heartbeat drowned out the silence, drumming in hear ears as she felt a loss that wasn't even her's to begin with. Had all the wolves truly left? So she sat, bathed in light from the setting sun and waited for something, for anything to happen.

Slowly, eventually, she made peace with the fact that her subconscious journey had come to an end. She had found what she was kind of looking for, and now she would have to regroup, and start anew. After all, Vana never really thought she'd even be able to find this place, so it shouldn't have bothered her. With a sigh, the woman stood up, and turned to leave, thoroughly unimpressed with the trip so far.

There's a serpent in these still waters, lying deep down.

(This post was last modified: Feb 04, 2021, 10:56 AM by Vanadis.)

I think there's a flaw in my code

Being back here had her trying to come to terms with a few things. But there was one thing she hadn't let her mind truly settle on. Kyna wasn't the only family she could have over here. There was someone else who'd taken a very small part in her life.

Her sire.

But she had always felt he had deserved as much thought as he had given her. Zero. Was there really a point to meet someone like that? She hadn't thought so.

Serach had taken the true role of a father and she wondered if him knowing where she came from had made that part easier or more difficult for him. She'd like to think he took the job well, especially since he'd been nice to her before Aponi and him had a thing. But just like so many other things she was quite certain she'd never know. Her mother on the other hand had made it clear what she'd do if she ever saw the guy. Another reason Lila saw no point even trying to know who he was. She'd thought he was just a nobody who wanted to remain nobody. He probably took off in the end.

Now she had a minor interest because one, she was here, and second she'd learn he'd actually been born and raised over here by a pretty prominent family. Archer. A surname that had more familiarity than most. That was only because his mother had been a great ruler, healer, and a strong woman who'd done a thing or two worth knowing. Now she wished she could have met that lady. She was sure she might have given a damn about her. After all her "aunt" hadn't been half bad despite their brief and strange encounter. She'd filled her in a little, which was more than anyone else had done.

As the trees came into view she let her eyes linger on them. There branches were different, offering cover in a way she'd never seen before. It was clear this place was as empty as any other. The only Archers here would be the ones who'd been buried, and you couldn't interrogate skeletons. Still she strolled among them, taking her time to look closely for old signs. All along wondering what it would have been like when wolves had lived here, and again what would have made them all go.

Suddenly something shifted up ahead, and she froze. Her mind had thought there was just more white when actually it was the figure of a young wolf. Too young to have any answers by the looks of it. Still, Lila began to head in her direction, keeping her movement smooth, and relaxed to a point. She saw nothing wrong with being friendly at first. Around here it had worked to her advantage.

She slowed to a stop once they were a couple wolf lengths apart. "You look like you're a little disappointed." Her silver-blue eyes had already taken in her features. She looked in fair shape for her age, and the depths of the tones in her coat made her eyes stand out. Over all making her rather pretty. Lila felt there was something familiar about her look, but that didn't make sense to her. There were other wolves with blue eyes too, but that didn't mean they had anything to do with the Aquila. "It's rather quiet all around these parts," she offered, in case this just happened to be her first stop.

(This post was last modified: Jan 28, 2021, 09:03 PM by Lila. Edit Reason: code )

Vanadís Argyris-Archer

The soft crunch of snow signaled a stranger's approach long before their word's were ever cast into the air. Anticipation built as Vanadis swung to find the source of the sound, unsure what to expect, yet hoping for the best. Peachy eyes fell upon the woman, flickering over her coat with unwavering curiosity, as if every detail were more important than the last. She was older than the youth, taller, with a raven-hued coat that was marred only by a light sprinkling of silver, and an oddly familiar white patch which lay upon her chest. Blinking once, Vana's gaze lifted, soft peach meeting pale blue-grey. The woman did not fit Ravenna's description, nor the vague description she had received of any of her cubs. Of course not.

Disappointment gnawed at the Argyris-Archer's stomach once more, as she silently chastised herself for allowing her hopes to rise.  The inky stranger was quick to pick up on that feeling, though to be fair Vana hadn't been actively trying to conceal it. "Yeah." There was no point in denying it. Perhaps in the future she would do well not to let her emotions get the better of her. Gods, her mother would have been displeased to see her so... vulnerable. "I came here seeking answers, but it seems I've only found more questions." A weary smile fell over her soot-kissed maw as a sigh passed through her nostrils.

Vanadis nodded her response to the woman's second statement, already intimately aware of the Lore's apparent lack of wolves. "You don't know what happened to this place, or the wolves that were here before, do you?" This time the yearling felt no excitement, no anticipation or adrenaline thrumming in her chest, for she was sure that she already knew the answer.

There's a serpent in these still waters, lying deep down.

(This post was last modified: Feb 01, 2021, 08:54 AM by Vanadis.)

Love your art for her Pinn

I think there's a flaw in my code

The youth didn't counter her observation which was slightly surprising, though refreshing. Getting your nose bent out of shape for no good reason was a waste of time. So to not do so was a sign of maturity, at least in her perspective. Lila didn't need to read her mind to know why, she'd come hoping for answers.That makes two of us. Honestly, Lila had expected what she'd found so she wasn't exactly disappointed. She saw it as something to cross off her list of useless ideas. Though, if this stranger was here hoping to learn something about this place she had to have her own connection. "You might be holding those awhile," she replied, with a thin smile. "if anyone has remained they are not wanting to be found." Not that she'd blame them in the least.

An ear twitched back from the questions. There was a careful way to go about things. "I've heard there use to be quite a large pack here. One of the longest standing ones in fact. Big family. " She paused, letting her eyes rove over the trees, and then met the young lady's gaze. "If anyone would have stayed you'd think it would have been them. But I have no idea what happened here. Or to anyone really. Two years ago, when I lived in the lore there was quite a coyote infestation. It was so bad you couldn't leave your lands without getting mauled and they were really cutting down prey. Maybe some left then. Maybe something worse happened through the years..." There was a faint frown, being the bearer of bad news. She'd thought about mentioning the fire, but for a number of reasons didn't. But if different tragedies had struck different places like the Bend throughout the years she saw why others moved on. "You're young, maybe you'll have your answers sooner than you know." Stranger things had happened.

An eagle flies overhead and drops pieces of its kill. +3 Health

Vanadís Argyris-Archer

Thank you <3 Sorry for the wait!

Vanadís' tail waved softly behind her as a weary smile found it's way onto her lips. Thus far it seemed that the stranger was right, either the Ridge wolves did not want to be found, or they decided to leave, taking their secrets with them, secrets that she would have to learn to accept not knowing the answers to. "It seems you're right." The yearling sighed, casually shaking her coat afterwards as if she might somehow be able to shake off the disappointment.

As the stranger spoke, Vana did nothing to hide the curiosity that swelled in her chest, materializing in the way that her head tilted to the side, and her eyes burned with interest. This woman clearly knew someone who knew the wolves that used to live here. Maybe they would know what happened. At the stranger's mention of big family the youth huffed out a laugh, "You're telling me." If the stories were true, and her parents were anything to go by, Archers were worse than rabbits.

As the stranger continued on, Vanadís was quick to note that her story coincided with Aleister's.  They both spoke of an infestation of coyotes two years ago, but neither of them were sure what the actual cause of the disappearances were. "Gods if I ever needed another reason to hate coyotes, I guess this would be it." Not that she ever did need another reason, and there was still the very real possibility that something entirely different had driven them out.  "I just.. can't believe it's gone." She offered a final sigh, the second in such a short time, and moved on.

"So what about you? Why did you come back?" Assuming from the way the inky woman spoke, that she had also left the Lore. Perhaps, like Aleister, there were wolves she was returning to.

Then, as an afterthought, she added, "I'm Vanadís, by the way. Vanadís Argyris-Archer." Really, she would have to get better at introducing herself first.

There's a serpent in these still waters, lying deep down.

No worries, these last weeks have been hecktic for me :3

I think there's a flaw in my code

She took disappointment well. A quality one needed in this life, and at her age this yearling was ahead of the game. "Maybe, this place has a way of keeping secrets." She shrugged her shoulders, thinking some secrets might be better left alone. But who wouldn't want to know why this place was so empty.

It was evident she had her attention, but Lila could never give her first hand information. She was a little suspicious this girl was some way an Archer or had fallen in love with one. Likely knowing more about this place than Lila did. She wasn't sure if any of that was a good thing. "I bet they had a hard time keeping track over the years. Then again, the Archer I met had a good memory but women are better about those sorts of things." There was a small smirk then. But thinking about keeping track of her own brother's exploits made her sad because she'd never really had the opportunity.

Lila's heart softened.

This girl had really hoped to find something here, it was almost unbelievable it didn't exist. Another sad fact of life. What's been given can be taken away in a heartbeat no matter how great it was. "It is distressing how empire or home can fall so fast." It made it hard to consider creating one, knowing it was only a matter of time till it was gone too. This place had had a good run....like the Bend.

Of course she really didn't like questions turned to her but for the moment she didn't mind conversing with this pale wolf. Nor did she feel it would hurt to answer her. There was something about her she liked. Though it was clear she was thinking about how to explain it. "I guess it's because it's the only place that's felt like home." It hasn't left me alone. "It has a way of calling you back."

Introducing herself, Lila kept any surprise hidden, not that it was difficult. Her guess was now just a fact and it was a pretty big family tree for her to think how closely related they might be. Maybe not at all since she had the last name to begin with. She was a bit younger. "It's a pleasure, Vanadis. I'm Lila Aquila. You must do your parents proud carrying both their names." She hadn't come across someone who honored both. It was more interesting because Archer didn't weigh out all by itself. Made her curious of the girl's mother.

Vanadís Argyris-Archer

Perhaps they weren't meant to discover what had happened here. Maybe it was too vast, too great, or gruesome for them to understand, or maybe it was nothing at all. They might never know.

Vana's tail picked up speed as the stranger mentioned meeting an Archer. Though it was unlikely that she would know the wolf personally, there was always the chance that she had heard about them. "You've met an Archer? Who was it?" It seemed as though the yearling would have to make peace with only knowing her family through stories, and rumors, and through the eyes of other wolves. There was no other option, and perhaps there never would be.

Vanadis nodded her agreement to the dark woman's next statement. Being so young, it was hard to accept loss, to accept that the proverbial rug could be swept out from under you at any time, and to accept that even if you did everything right, you were still prone to falling.

"I don't know if this place will ever feel like home, but yeah.. it does have a way of calling." Even Vanadis, who had never even seen it with her own eyes felt the pull, drawn to these lands by some invisible source, like waves to the shore. How strange that others felt the same thing. She might have thought more on it, but the stranger continued on, introducing herself as Lila Aquila. Aquila? It didn't sound familiar.

"Mom would have my ear if I dropped the Argyris." An easy smile graced her features as a laugh bubbled up from her throat. "Something about there being too many Archers in the world." She said, rolling her eyes. "She says that, but she's got a soft spot for them... obviously." Vana tilted her muzzle towards her chest, motioning to herself as if her existence was proof enough of her mother's perceived weakness.

There's a serpent in these still waters, lying deep down.

(This post was last modified: Mar 03, 2021, 01:58 AM by Vanadis.)

lame post is lame xP

I think there's a flaw in my code

The Aquila pretended to pause for thought as if she really couldn't remember. What she was debating was if she should even tell her the actual name. She doubted this girl knew each one, but Lila decided it wouldn't make much difference and if it did....

"I believe she called herself Morganna. She had a bit of an accent." As if she'd ever forget the woman, or what she'd said. Even under different circumstances she would have stood out. She was definitely one of a kind.

Strange how they were both here, having missed out on what was despite there little connection. It was the first time she wondered if she should be more concerned about what made this place so empty. The thought was dismissed, as she wasn't sure if she'd be around long enough to carry that concern.

"Sometimes home isn't a place, it's a...feeling. Belonging, ya know? " Which was why she wasn't sure this place would feel like home again either. It wasn't like she'd just lost the Bend, but wolves who'd mattered to her. That's what had made it home.

A soft chuckle fell from her own lips, thinking she would have liked this girl's mother. Or at least her way of thinking then. "She sounds like a smart woman," even if she'd ended up with an Archer. They weren't all bad, Vanadis was proof of that. She wondered what kept her parents from returning as well, but that could be a number of reasons. Besides the Archer was at that age where it was nice to get out on your own, see a bit of the world. Maybe she was trying to decide if there was reason to stick it out here, or not.

Excitement built in Vana's chest as Lila tried to recall the name. There was always a possibility that she wouldn't know the Archer, or that they were too distantly related to be of any real interest, but when the inky woman finally landed on 'Morganna', she gave a little bounce. "Ah! She's my aunt! She and my mom ran a pack together before my parents left for the Loch." And that pack was... somewhere around here. Maybe she'd stumble upon someone who'd heard of it, just as she'd learned of the Ridge through Aliester.

'Sometimes home isn't a place, it's a...feeling. Belonging, ya know?'

Vanadis couldn't help but wonder if that's why the Loch stopped feeling like home, when it definitely should have. She'd been raised there, cared for, doted upon, and yet she was never able to quite shake the feeling that.. something was missing, or that perhaps there was something else out there for her. "Maybe someday this place will feel like home to me too."

Vana's cubhood had been a time of contention between herself, and her much more reserved mother. Their differences too often outweighed their similarities. Celandine was prim and proper, and hardly any fun in the yearling's eyes, but when all was said and done, she loved her family. Not to mention, the time they'd spent apart had already softened some of the.. unrest between them. "Yeah. I guess she is." but she'd still rather be stung by an entire hive of bees than admit to her mother that she thought so.