Nightingale Palisade what if love is the cost

4/26, after night fall. Scattered clouds and light wind, 52 F 11 C. TW Depression.

Leviticus had not seen another wolf in a full cycle, and certainly far gone from where he currently rest were the likes of his friends. He'd tried to find them, so damned hard. The young man was ragged from his frantic searching, and barely sustaining himself, leaving little else but bone and weakening muscle. His paws were raw, his lids as heavy as boulders, and yet it was such a difficult decision to stop moving and rest.

The land crested here, dropping away just feet away from his paws into a ravine of sorts. His gaze had searched every single detail of it's features, praying that he would see a splash of blonde or red or brown. Nothing, no one. Finally, Levi crumpled against the cold ground, curling loosely around a single, charred black stick. It was all that was left of the bundle he had gathered after he'd realized Arcus had gone, despite his best efforts to guard each and every one.

This last one now felt like a lifeline, especially given how far he'd come from it's home. There would be no reasonable way to replace it, and he had to believe that any day now, it's time would come. That was getting increasingly harder tto do, however; believe. The lifeline was fraying.

The land ahead looked so desolate, and yet something about it pulled at him. It was abhorrently empty, but there was a dark voice deep within whispering that maybe he belonged out there.

Where they looking for him as desperately as he was for them? Were they... looking at all? Tears burned at his eyes before beginning to fall. What the hell was he doing out here, an entire world away from his family and home? What good had leaving actually done anybody? All he did was fuck everything up.

His crying became audible, soft sniffling and hiccupping drifting up toward the starry sky. The moon was full, lighting the earth up. It was all beautiful, and he wanted nothing to do with any of it. Levi's heart was far too tired, and in that moment he just wanted to disappear. He was nearly there anyways.

The land surrounding him had grown dark as the sun faded from existence to the west, it was a time he should’ve settled down to rest. Yet he persisted onwards, guided by the faint light of the moon and stars. The night air was a pleasantly cool temperature, while a faint wind provided some ambient background noise in an otherwise quiet landscape. There was the sound of a river, too, that echoed up to him from somewhere within the valley of sorts he’d found himself in, though he hadn’t dared venture down to it, just yet. Alarick had remained closer to the rim of it, traversing his way around, as he attempted to create a mental map of everything he’d seen so far. Until now he had explored only forested terrain, populated by various trees and shrubs, not completely unlike what the hunter used to call home. But it wasn’t his home.

It was patently obvious that wherever he was, it was far, far, away from anything he had ever known before. Or perhaps it wasn’t, but he had no way of knowing. Memories of whoever.. or whatever had taken him from his home and brought him here were vague at best, and that confusing, frightening dilemma was an entirely different subject. What mattered the most was that it seemed to have been done with intent. He was here now, with no way to ascertain how far, or which way even, he’d have to go to get home. That meant, there had to be some reason for him to be here, some kind of a purpose. Or he could hope, anyway.

An incredibly faint, but oddly distinct echoed to his ears at that moment, interrupting any further thoughts he might’ve had on the matter. Alarick paused mid-stride, ears and head swiveling towards the noise in an attempt to determine what was making the noise. Whoever was out there, was not very far away. The wind did not favor him at the moment, which the hunter realized was why he hadn’t detected their presence before now. Was it... someone crying? That was.. what it sounded like. Was someone hurt? Did they need help?

Alarick set forth again, altering his course to approach. With each step he took, the hunter deliberately generated more noise than he otherwise would have to signal his approach even before calling out. He didn’t want to catch the stranger completely off guard.

Scanning the area ahead, it did not take him long to spot the figure of another man lying on the ground, visible amidst the trees and shrubs dotting the darkened landscape. Seemingly, he was the source of the noise Alarick had been hearing. He noted that the other was colored similarly to himself, although the details of the build and height of the other weren’t discernable for the moment. With perhaps two dozen or so paces between them, Alarick paused again, feeling it was a respectable distance to maintain until he had a better idea of what was going on.

”Hey there, are you alright?” He called out, a genuine concern reflected in the gentle inquiry. He didn’t want to intrude on something personal, but he didn’t want to simply pass by either, without knowing for sure if there was something he could do to potentially aid this man.

With time, Levi began to hear the scraping of gravel against dirt as someone or something else moved across the ground. The sound increased in volume steadily, and he did lift his head to see what. When sage-colored eyes settled on the other wolf's form, a brief spark of hope flashed within them. It vanished just as quickly. It was a stranger, not the friends he was looking for. Dejected once again, he lowered his head and curled up tighter, trying to disappear altogether rather than attract the unknown man's attention.

Levi had nothing to offer him right now, not even a friendly smile or thump of his tail.

Then the guy spoke to him. The younger wolf's ears rose to meet the words, but he did not answer promptly. In fact, part of him wished to ignore the question and hoped the stranger would continue on.

"... yeah," he murmured, once he was sure his tears wouldn't warble his voice. "m'fine."

It was a clear lie.

(This post was last modified: May 24, 2021, 03:00 AM by Leviticus.)

There was, concerningly, very little reaction from the rather dejected man. No greeting, he didn’t even bother to stand in the presence of Alarick; the other simply lifted his head briefly, and after a few moments, lowered it again, before curling more tightly into himself. There was no further acknowledgment to be had except for a slight flick of the ears, though only silence followed.

Unconsciously, the hunter took a few more steps forward before he checked the motion, and paused again. Based simply on visual assessment alone, the stranger was clearly not alright. Setting aside his peculiar behavior, leaving himself completely vulnerable as he was, the man didn’t look like he was keeping himself particularly well-fed. Food was a challenge for loners, Alarick had come to find, but this seemed to go beyond that.

Which left him trying to decide whether he should try to offer aid to this fellow, or simply let him be. Despite a burning desire to help, he was.. unaccustomed to these sorts of situations, and did not want to inadvertently cause more harm than good. Surprisingly, though, just when Alarick was beginning to think he wouldn’t get anything, the guy did offer a response. Soft, and obviously, an untruth - but at least it was something.

”Very well. Do you mind if I rest here, for a little while? Been walking all day, and this seems like a good spot.” Perhaps it was best not to ask about what was wrong, for now. Alarick could simply offer company, and let the other decide whether or not he wanted to elaborate in due time.

Levi had expected the other wolf to either heed his response and move along, or become more persistent in his prying. Instead, the stranger surprised him.

"No," he answered, clarifying after a beat; "I don't mind."

The younger wolf sniffled and smothered his face against his paws, trying to stifle the tears now that he had an audience. It wasn't often that the herringbone-backed wolf felt shame for his emotions, but despite his sensitivities, he really didn't cry all that much. Growing up, his father had greatly discouraged it, along with giving up and self-pitying. All of which the only Armstead heir was indulging in right now.

He was embarrassing himself and he knew it.

Still, it meant so much that the stranger wanted to stay nonetheless. It took a few minutes for him to regain enough composure to speak again, but Levi put everything he had into getting to that point so that he was wasting as little of this man's time as possible. When the snot and water works had finally abated, he squeaked out an innocuous question;

"Are you traveling?"

The individual was forthcoming in his next response, which.. somewhat surprisingly, seemed to welcome Alarick to stay. The dispirited wolf did not mind company, it seemed, though the former hunter hoped that the expressed sentiment was genuine and not because the other simply didn’t feel like disputing the request due to.. whatever was afflicting him. ”Thank you, I appreciate it.” Alarick spoke, the words soft and warm, genuinely appreciative.

Whatever the reason behind the acceptance of his company, the hunter decided not to question it. Rather, he was simply grateful, settling onto the ground and falling back on his left elbow and flank. If the request had been to leave, Alarick would have almost certainly done so, but not without a tremendous amount of concern and regret.

The other man seemed to make an effort to control his emotions, efforts that did not go unnoticed by the former hunter. Although he’d taken care to position himself so that the other would be in his line of vision, Alarick turned his head away to gaze elsewhere so as to not focus too heavily on the distraught wolf, hoping such an action would lessen any feelings of embarrassment the other might have been feeling. Instead, he kept his attention directed primarily upwards, towards the sky. Although it was not completely clear, the clouds up there were sparse enough that a plethora of stars, as well as the moon, were still visible, and it was quite something to marvel at.

This seemed like the wrong sort of place for grieving. Rather, he guessed it more appropriate for.. maybe, courtships and romantic couples, or the like. Although, when Alarick considered his inexperience in that domain, perhaps it was a silly thought.

It was only when he’d been asked a question, that the hunter realized the sorrowful sounds from the younger male had stopped, for the moment. ”I am, yes. I am not really sure to where, though.” Alarick answered with a note of hesitancy, turning his gaze to face the other. That was one way of describing the odd and frightening predicament he’d just recently been subjected to.

”I am Alarick. Thank you, again, for allowing me to stay.” He added on, allowing a soft smile to cross his countenance. It was nice to converse with someone, again, a sentiment the former hunter once more hoped was shared.

The stranger appeared so earnestly kind, it both warmed Levi's empty chest and made it constrict uncomfortably. What was the point in getting to know such a wonderful wolf? Leviticus would just lose him in short order as he had everyone else that mattered to him.

Alarick. It was a rather melodic name in his humble opinion.

"Levi," the boy answered, voice still small as though he was unsure about speaking at all. In a way he was, but now that he was here and speaking with him, the auburn-kissed wolf didn't want Alarick to leave so soon. Being alone was worse, allowing an unimpeded free fall into his own misery. He didn't know how to move on without someone else, and needed to hold onto the other man's lifeline. At least just for a little while.

"... you're really nice," he offered, unable to think of much else. Not a lot of wolves would do this for a stranger, especially when they were trying to survive on their own themselves.

"... why are you alone?"

Levi, the distraught young man replied softly. An introduction, a name. That was encouraging. Alarick smiled a little wider at the other, tipping his muzzle in acknowledgment of the statement. ”Hello, Levi,” the hunter spoke gently, refraining from expressing further pleasantries. A nice to meet you didn’t quite feel appropriate in this circumstance, even if Alarick was indeed glad to see another of his kind.

The compliment was unanticipated and unnecessary, and at that, the hunter’s ears flicked back slightly in humility, but the sentiment was not unpleasant to hear. ”Thank you. I.. uh, appreciate that.” It wasn’t every day Alarick received such comments, especially from strangers, but he took it as a good sign, too. Perhaps his company truly was welcome.

The other seemed to have gathered a bit of control over his emotions for the moment, in addition, posing a further inquiry that gave the tawny male reason to pause. In the face of someone that was had been clearly grieving, only the truth seemed appropriate. ”I am.. lost. I was taken from my family. Purposefully, forcibly. I am.. trying to find them, now. But, I do not know if I ever will.” A soft breath escaped Alarick at that, and for a moment he averted his gaze, amiable expression fading as he considered the daunting task of locating them again.

A task that seemed almost impossible, given the circumstances. The hunter returned his gaze back toward his companion, blinking apologetically. ”I must apologize, Levi. I do not mean to burden you with my problems.” He wasn’t seeking pity, not from someone that was clearly suffering enough on their own. The weight of it was his, alone, to worry about.

It always seemed to end up being a more intimate question than intended when he asked it. Levi couldn't help his smile falling and his eyes glazing over once more with salt water as he listened to Alarick explain. Why did it always have to be something bad? Why did the world have to be so awful?

Then the man apologized to him, proving yet again the worth of his heart.

"No, I'm sorry," he asked, voice thick once more as he remained on the verge of tears, "I'm... I'm so sorry that happened to you."

"It's... it's not the Valle family, is it?"

Maybe... maybe this was a member of @Rochus' family, and Levi could actually help. A small sliver of hope peeked through inside his chest, even if it didn't reach his mossy eyes.

(This post was last modified: Jul 02, 2021, 12:53 AM by Leviticus.)

Mere moments after he’d recounted his story and issued an apology, Levi too, was offering one. I’m so sorry that happened to you, he had spoken, the grief that’d formerly been present in his voice returning, though this time for Alarick. The hunter hadn’t wanted sympathy, but some level of understanding felt comforting. Levi truly seemed like the honorable sort - feeling empathy for someone despite being conflicted, himself.

”Thank you,” he murmured, as the other spoke up with an inquiry, providing the name of another family, that Alarick assumed could be found somewhere around. ”No, it is not,” he confirmed verbally shortly thereafter. At least he knew there were others that had chosen to live here, wherever here was. And curiously, perhaps he was not the only one to have been separated from his family, either.

”I.. have to believe there’s a reason for it happening, though. A purpose. If I cannot find them, perhaps it is because I am meant to be elsewhere.” His voice was strained, but a note of optimism shown through, and the hunter afforded himself and his company a small smile. Though he may have been far from home his home at the moment, Alarick could not give up that belief. It was up to him to find out what purpose and path he needed to follow, that was what would keep him moving forward, whether or not he ever found his way home.

Right now, that purpose was simply sitting with Levi. He did not know what it’d be tomorrow, or after that - but he’d find it. That much, Alarick believed.  

(This post was last modified: Jul 06, 2021, 03:32 PM by Alarick.)