Willow Ridge The world turns inside your head

RE: Daegal, the wind seems to be calling your name tonight. All welcome to members of Willow Ridge!

Things had been quiet since the fight with what Daegal now knew to be called a bear. 'Fight' was perhaps too strong a word, but whenever the pup dreamed about it, the interaction seemed to last so much longer. Only, in that turn of events Hagar was injured far worse and the bear chased them all over the territory while Daegal struggled to keep his dad moving as he lost more and more blood.

Every time he woke from that particular nightmare, he had to go check on his dad to make sure he was still okay. It was making for a very erratic and poor sleep schedule. Most nights Daegal was afraid to fall asleep to begin with and would sit up as long as he could get away with it. Tonight was one of the nights where he'd gone to bed with the rest of his family only to wake with a whimper and heaving breaths. He finally extracted himself from the pile of sleeping wolves and tiptoed from the den to sit just outside and breathe.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2023, 12:57 AM by Hagar.)

The constant struggle and stirring of her brother lately had not gone unnoticed. Though Eve might have argued more often with Daegal then she ever had with Issy, he was still her brother after all and wanted to make sure he was okay.

This night, as he roused from the comfort and warmth of the Ridge wolves den, Eve lifted her head to watch him do so. Pale eyes following his path and after a moment, she so too lifted and followed out into the open willow forestry.

As winter came, the winds brought out a chill which whipped around them. Eve quivers, shaking out her rich earthy coat as she looked to her pale brother. "What's the matter?"

(This post was last modified: Dec 05, 2022, 04:54 AM by Nineve.)

Things were not the same as they had been before, when they were small and the days were warm and easy. Daegal had woken again in the night, once an unusual habit for him that now happened all to often and seemed to be born of nothing good. They didn't talk of it much, whatever had happened that day that left his brother feeling scared. But Iseldir could hear the things unread in his tone when he whimpered, and he worried for his brother.

When Dae left them once again in the darkness, Iz felt the warmth of the den grow cold from where his brother had been. At first he himself did not stir, not knowing what he could do to help. When Eve followed, though, he decided to join them. It felt right for them to all be together.

Moving to catch up with his siblings, he stands near enough that they can share warmth, two dark shadows and a pale spot of moonlight. He's glad Nineve is here, she is better than him at knowing what to say, but he lends his presence and support with a subvocal "Hmm," and nod of his head. If Dae wanted to tell him, he'd be there to listen, or just to lift his spirits however he could.

(This post was last modified: Dec 07, 2022, 12:07 AM by Iseldir.)

please skip hagar going forward, he's just around <3

It was difficult not to notice the absence of the children, even when he'd been sleeping soundly. Lately, he was just as fitful as his son, frequently awoken by the deep aching of his wounds. He worried about infection, but what could he truly do? Hagar would simply have to hope for the best and do what he could to keep himself otherwise healthy, enough so to fight off whatever burned beneath his skin.

Green eyes flicked open in time to see Iseldir's chocolate-dipped tail vanish from the cavernous opening of their den. He stretched his limbs and spine, being tender with his injured shoulder, before hefting himself up onto his paws and following after the trio.

They hadn't gone far at all, much to Hagar's pleasure. He gave them space, laying down a few yards away and settling back into sleep. Their ever-loyal guardian, present if they needed him.

Daegal hadn't meant to wake his family. He'd intentionally exited the den to allow them to sleep while he calmed himself in the cool night air, but before long the warm presences of his siblings pressed around him. Dae let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and sagged into his sister before briefly touching his nose to Izzy's side too.

He took several deep breaths, distracted enough that he didn't notice their father slip from the den and settle a small distance a way. The young moon blinked at his siblings to either side of him. "I'm sorry," he finally said, not knowing what else to say. "I didn't want to wake you up... I just keep remembering that day, and what if we didn't get away, or if it chased us, or if Dad..." he shuddered and sniffled back the tears.

"There's always gonna be danger, Dae..." His sister murmured, pressing herself against him as he had pressed himself into her. Hagar a silent guard in the background. Izzy growing to mimic their father's antics. Nineve matched her mothers, doing her best to be supportive, the hard 'rock' of the family, where their mother had been the leader of them all. Maybe, one day, she would be as big and beautiful as her mother, too.

"Just have to do our best to look our for eachother." Their lives had not been easy ones, she was beginning to realize as they aged. Their parents did their best to keep the pups wanting for not, but as Eve was learning she knew it had not been easy. They had been born into a drought. Their pack was small, a pawful of members to both hunt, watch the pups, mark the borders and chase off tresspassers. Bears came from the cedar forest to the west. Now, winter had come- a new challenge for them all.

Eve wondered what her mother would do next.

It took some time for Daegal to speak, but the other Archer boy was there to listen. Izzy nodded along to Nineve's words, and pushed himself closer to Dae's side in reassurance. He let out a breath of his own, slow and steady, hoping to help steady Dae too. He didn't mind one bit being woken up, not if it meant his brother didn't have to be out here by himself. He was sure Nin felt the same way.

Izzy's glanced from his brother to his sister. Nineve's wisdom sunk in, she was right that they'd all need to face what was to come somehow. "Dae, Nin... let's stick together, 'kay?" He didn't speak much, but when he did, it was something he really meant to say. Young though they were, and without knowing what may come, he could imagine nothing else but sticking with his family, here in there keep in the willows or wherever they may go.

Thoughts churned like a rapid through Daegal's mind, horrible images how easily his father's flesh had been torn, how strong the bear was, and how the pup had thought he could hunt it, like the deer or rabbits mom and dad brought home. He should have known better, should have sensed the danger when the animal first snarled at him and he saw the teeth. He should have listened the first time Dad told him to back away, shouldn't have tried to dodge around him-

Eve's warmth pressed harder against him, her soft voice washing over him and soothing his roiling mind. It didn't help him to feel all that much better, but at least he wasn't alone, and that... was almost enough. Then Izzy added his own thoughts and Daegal sniffed, giving each of them an affectionate nuzzle in turn. "Okay," he said. "Let's all stick together. The three of us, always." It wasn't that he was excluding his parents, but it just felt right that the trio would always be together.

There was a purr on her lips, settled there with her brothers. Their world was a small one. It was just them as pups and the adults were all family- mother, father, uncle (before he had left) and cousin. She wondered how life was outside of the willowed woodland. She wondered if it was harder then it had been here. Either way, she wouldn't be going through any of it alone. She had her two brothers at her side.

She snorts to her brother's words, rolling her etes. Was that even a real question!? "Well duhhh." She let out rather dramatically. "Of course! You guys are my bros." She said so as she nudged into them.

He wouldn't understand what Daegal or Hagar had seen or experienced without having been there himself, but he had seen the aftereffects. As he returned his brother's gesture and then leaned in with a reassuring pressure from his shoulder as he sat there, he felt both fearful and thankful that neither his da nor brother had been taken from him that day. That himself and Nin and Ma were all safe, and they had their aunt with them.

But Daegal's words hit the mark, the trio were their own little unit even within that. He was learning the world had more in store for them than they might want or ask of it.

At Nineve's snort an eyebrow quirked up, and then a laugh escaped as she spoke. His tail swept and thumped the earth, fur brushing with the other two probably stirring up debris and mussing up Nin's and who cared?

Whether or not they had really helped Daegal forget everything that was troubling him, they would be there with him to face it going forward.
"Us three, always,"

(This post was last modified: Feb 13, 2023, 11:48 PM by Iseldir.)