Empress Riffle can't forget what you can't get back

May 24th; Early morning; Scattered Clouds; 51.8 ° F, 11 ° C.

Since losing Leviticus, Sawyer had become aimless. Having survived his first coupling season, he traveled north. From Roamer's Rest, he marched around Whisper Caverns. He trailed unknowingly after a four-doe deer herd through his grandparents' old stomping grounds. Eventually, he reoriented himself to find his way to the banks of Heartleaf Creek.

The trees above were full of heart-shaped leaves and the tree cover was a welcome relief. As much as he did not want to admit it, Sawyer was beginning to get frustrated. He was nowhere and, yet, he was not lost. He belonged to no one, and he no longer had anyone to look after. Sawyer was very much still the yearling who had come from afar. Alone and exasperated.

When the sun rose on another boring morning, the Archer abandoned his makeshift camp. Everything about him was stiff and surly. His hackles lifted high over his nape in terrible spikes. His bottlebrush tail dangled lifelessly behind him. The pointy ears on either side of his head remained pinned. His muzzle wrinkled as he kept dragging his tongue down the front of his nose. Every fiber of his being was starting to wonder why he had left in the first place.

As his dragging paws brought him to a shallow part of the river, he eyed the Riffle's rapids with narrowed eyes. Unimpressed and unamused. He had come this far, so... now what?

(This post was last modified: May 24, 2021, 06:18 AM by Sawyer.)

you musn't be afraid
to dream a little bigger, darling
⟡ ⟡ ⟡

It had almost been a week since the birth of his second litter, and Viorel was exhausted. So much so that his schedule was being thrown off, he was never awake at this hour and it was hard to hold his eyelids open. Blinking hard a couple times to wake himself back up, salt and pepper paws carried him almost out of habit back to the rapids. Where everything had started, the flirting, the midnight renegades, the start of something that he was beginning to figure out was deeper than what he had ever expected.

He was so tired that Viorel was not on guard as much as usual, and the sight of a large, reddish male standing near the rapids took him by surprise. Coming to a halt from his slow pace, the Valle blinked sleepily a few more times to make sure this was not some kind of illusion. When he was sure that this stranger really stood in front of him, he wagged his tail in a friendly manner and barked out a short greeting.

Watching cautiously to see how the man would react, Viorel approached the water, watching the way it swirled through the rapids and disappeared. He had forgotten why he had even come here, other than for the sake to reminisce.

In boredom, he stomped his paws through the shallows. He had been brooding about his loneliness when a bark tore him from his musings. Amber eyes caught sight of a dark rogue with a wagging tail. Sawyer shrugged inwardly to himself. Never in a million years would he admit to himself that he was yearning for company. He was an Archer - independent, self-governing, and perfectly fine flying solo.

His wrinkled muzzle smoothed into pursed lips. He would at least make an effort, he supposed. The black-pelted man seemed amicable enough.

"Let me guess," his tone was a little more acidic than he would have liked. "Have I imposed on your home sweet home?

you musn't be afraid
to dream a little bigger, darling
⟡ ⟡ ⟡

While the other was not outright hostile, he certainly didn’t seem to be pleasant to be around. Giving him an annoyed look out of the corner of his eye, Viorel snorted to himself as he reached down to take a drink. No wonder this jerk was all by himself, he meets a stranger by the creek who was friendly to him, and he had a sarcastic biting remark. But, Viorel had grown up with Vayko, and it would take a lot more than that to phase him.

Finishing his drink, Viorel straightened and turned to face the reddish man. Raising his eyebrows, he responded sarcastically, ”Does it smell like you crossed any borders? And furthermore, you think if you had waltzed into my home sweet home, that you would have been greeted so peacefully?” He wasn’t being threatening, but his voice drawled sarcastically.

He held back the urge to roll his eyes, maybe he was being grumpy because of lack of sleep, or maybe not. ”Are you always so pleasant to strangers, or did I just tickle you just the right way?” If he had known he was talking to his girlfriend’s brother, he might have been kinder. But, he had no idea.

The man had a point. With a nonchalant tilt of his head and the wrinkling of half his muzzle he sounded out, correct, "Ehhh, yeahhh, okay." He appreciated the sarcasm. Back at home, everyone saw it as Sawyer 'acting out again.' To the others' second query, which also bit back at his ears, the Archer shrugged. His tone had picked up some, half-impressed by the way the other handled his remarks, "I'd say tickled."

His tall russet ears perked up, neutral at last. The tail at his back, stiff and unwavering, still conveyed that he was wary. "Name's Sawyer," he extended. Then, with some sort of thought and a hint of pride, "Sawyer Argyris Archer. Apparently, my family's had roots around here once. Know anything about that?"

you musn't be afraid
to dream a little bigger, darling
⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Viorel finally smirked that the other wolf admitted that he had just tickled him the right way. Shaking his head softly in amusement, whatever tension had been building was instantly dissipated. Thankfully he had so much experience diffusing sarcasm after having grown up up Vayko’s cranky ass. Even as a child his cousin had been feisty, the council had had a field day with him. The smirking continued as he joked, "Well happy I was able to hit the spot for you."

Nodding in respect he responded, ”Viorel.” Before Sawyer followed up with words that made the yellow eyes widen with surprise, ”Well shit, Argyris-Archer, as in with relation to Vanadis Argyris-Archer?” He knew that his girlfriend had said that her family had ties to the willows nearby, but he suddenly realized that while she knew almost his entire family, he knew nothing about hers.

His stomach dropped with guilt, and he made a mental note to ask her about it next time they were alone. It was important that their children knew about both their families.

It was a stretch, asking some random stranger about his family history. The only thing Sawyer knew about Willow Ridge was that it was made of memories that did not belong to him. He knew about Elettra Archer and how Angier Lyall had supported her in her reign. He knew a few things about the distant lands of Torbine, but the main idea was that he had descended from royalty. It was only natural for him to seek out his roots and wonder if they still stood.

It wasn't until Viorel swore that the Archer came to his senses. The widening of the man's eyes and the utterance of Vanadis' name made Sawyer's ears lift. "You... know my sister?" a tilt of his head revealed his piqued interest. The narrowing of his glinting amber eyes hinted at budding suspiciousness. Why in the world was this bloke surprised? Maybe the Archer name did have prestige after all.

His right forepaw lifted out of the water in a full step forward. A flick of his tail and he found his confidence restored. What sullen, sour mood had occupied his head had fallen away in the favor of serendipity. His mind was frantic from how fast the conversation had turned in his favor. His father's silver tongue had to be useful for something... Quick. Say something - anything - to get closer to her. "I've been looking for her."

you musn't be afraid
to dream a little bigger, darling
⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Some feeling of protectiveness settled into his stomach at the word sister. He wasn’t entirely sure why, he would have been so happy to have a brother dropped on his lap. Or maybe he wouldn’t, not after his mom had dropped a sister into the lap of his pack, families could be complicated. Maybe it was that this was the first taste of surprise that had come from Vanadis, rather than all the surprises coming from himself.

He kept his expression pleasant, but the information guarded, ”Yeah. I know her. I could take you to meet up with her if you want.” Certainly not within pack territory, but outside of the borders where Vanadis could meet him if she wanted to. If she wanted to leave the children, that was another piece of the puzzle.

Glancing back towards Sawyer he waited for some kind of reaction, something that would tell him if he was being overprotective. He probably was, right? Right?

Sawyer was in luck. "Yeah. I know her," came the affirmation. Then, an offer he couldn't resist, "I could take you to meet up with her if you want."

Perfect.

It wasn't like Sawyer was begging for acceptance under this guy's figurative wing. All he had wanted was to figure out what exactly Vanadis had left Lichenstone Loch for.

Another slow step forward to gauge the other's reaction and sincerity. While Sawyer didn't want to come off as some lost or desperate pup, he didn't realize how gullible he seemed. Until now. His concern about Vanadis was genuine, but whether this guy was serious or not was about to come to light.

Time to put his manners and displays of eloquence to use. "I'd appreciate that," his voice was level and his shoulders had finally relaxed. His tail even fell into a gentle curve at his heels. "You think she'd be fine to see me now?"

you musn't be afraid
to dream a little bigger, darling
⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Sawyer seemed to be realizing as the conversation went his way, but Viorel still felt a little guarded. But, he had already let the cat out of the bag, he knew that Vanadis was somewhere around. Hiding his inner turmoil, Viorel offered a brief nod and a pleasant smile, ”Well, I guess there is only one way to find out, I’ll take you to her.” Or, he would take him close to the borders but not over them.

He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut, tried to tell his brain he was being overprotective and crazy. What kind of boyfriend would feel this way about taking her brother to see her? It just rubbed him the wrong way that she had never mentioned any siblings or anything about Sawyer. Turning as the large male reached him, Viorel began a gentle trot back towards the backwater. Time to go find Vanadis.

FADE