Hearthwood River time waits for nobody

--AW. Jet's out scouting and makes a discovery about himself

The cooler weather was certainly coming upon them quickly now. The air this morning was crisp and cold, with temperatures that had dipped down lower than Jethro could recall them being since towards the end of the last winter. At this rate, he knew it wouldn’t be much longer before the cold was here to stay.

While that was of course something to be aware of, there was a positive side as well. It seemed, thankfully, finally, like the smoke and ash that’d been clogging the air for most of the summer was at last starting to thin out. The dark one hoped that’d bring back their prey.

He’d chosen this morning to venture out, to assess the situation for himself, as well as to just enjoy the sights and sounds of autumn. They had been here nearly a year now, yet he still the forest as mesmerizing and beautiful as the first time he’d explored it.

Jet had wandered north, to where he knew another river was. An area that almost seemed like it'd once been home to others. Their scents were long since gone, but there were still pathways. And areas that almost resembled dens, where wolves would've once slept.

That wasn't what held his attention, though. Jethro lingered by the water's edge, in a place where the current was nearly still. His own reflection stared back at him, and.. he was pretty sure he could see the beginnings of grey tipped furs underneath his chin. Only a few, but after several minutes spent studying, twisting and turning to be sure it wasn't the light or water playing tricks on him, Jet was pretty sure they were there.

"Huh.." he huffed. He'd never been particularly vain about his appearance, but that.. well. It gave him more to think about.

(This post was last modified: Oct 04, 2023, 02:50 PM by Jethro.)

Marigold hadn't left the territory with the intention of following after her leader, but as she was out and about doing some reconnaissance of her own she ended up crossing paths with his scent trail. Much had happened in her time since joining this pack, her first, and through it all she'd never managed to return to her original goal in coming to the Lore.

Auburn's death had eviscerated a large portion of her hopes. Her father was still here, however. And Mar still had her questions.

"Jethro," she greeted in her usual manner, curt and formal without conscious intention. She stayed back a moment, waiting for assurance her presence was welcomed. Though, what else could he really be up to, aside from pondering his reflection?

His name was spoken from somewhere behind him. A voice he knew, yet not one with which he was intimately familiar. Immediately, upon turning, he recognized the familiar light figure. And concurrently, the dark one felt his face flush with the warmth of embarrassment. How much of what he’d been doing had Marigold seen? What did she think?

There didn’t appear to be anything judgemental, but then again, Chan’s older daughter has so far seemed adept at masking her emotions. Trying to explain it would probably just make things even more weird, so he’d just move forth. Put what had been stirring in his mind out of it, for now.

”G’mornin’, Marigold,” Jethro returned the greeting, mirroring her formality but with a touch of warmth, a small smile, and a nod. ”Somethin’ you needed?”

Needed. Mar's mouth opened, then closed without a word. Her left ear twitched and a small frown dared to make itself known on her lips. There was plenty, but launching into it all wouldn't be tactful. She had thought and rehearsed plenty, but now facing him, a wolf she still did not know well, something was holding her words back.

"Do you have time to talk?" she edged at last, "At length?"

There was a pause, and then she decided to let on, "About my father."

She had been able to gather that they'd been around one another for some time now, perhaps even that the wolf in front of her had gotten more glimpses of what Chan was like as a parent before she'd even thought ever meeting him was a possibility. Had he ever mentioned them, hinted at their existence at all? How could she ask without seeming desperate, pitiful?

(This post was last modified: Oct 21, 2023, 06:18 PM by Marigold.)

The younger woman looked.. troubled, perhaps? Uncertain of herself, which was a feeling Jet could empathize with to a degree. Her request was to talk, at length, about a subject yet to be named. It didn’t seem like it would be something urgent, though, for he doubted Marigold would’ve waited to bring up something like that.

”Sure,” Jet confirmed with another little nod, choosing to sit back and tuck his tail up close to his paws.

She didn’t delay very long in saying what it was she wished to speak about. My father.

Jethrᴏ couldn’t mask his momentary confusion. It didn’t make much sense for Marigold to wish to speak to him about her father. Unless it was about something with which she wasn’t quite comfortable? Still - he imagined she had to know him better.

”I’ll tell you what I can,” he added on, this time with a note of uncertainty.

(This post was last modified: Oct 24, 2023, 03:02 PM by Jethro.)

Marigold remained standing, too tense to bend or shift. She absolutely loathed being emotionally vulnerable, but it wasn't always avoidable, not if she wanted others to share what to her had been secret. Auburn had chosen to be direct and trusting. She functioned much differently.

Mar cleared her throat softly, chose to start from Jethro's beginning with Chan.

"He said you came to the Cove with a cousin, that was how you met?"

Two years ago, when the wolf before her would have just barely been an adult, and when she and Auburn were yearlings. Isolated with a grandfather that had desperately needed rest. Their mother months dead.

"How much did he talk about before?"

Had he not already known of it, Jet wasn’t certain he would have seen any connection between Auburn and Marigold. Certainly, he wouldn’t have guessed them to be siblings - but then again, they weren’t always alike. As much as he ached for the loss of Marigold’s brother, he could only guess at how she and Chan felt.

Jethro would nod to her initial question, reflecting back on that time with a mixture of both fondness and melancholy. ”That’s correct,” he spoke, not feeling a need to elaborate any further about that period in his life unless more direct questions were asked.

How much did he talk about before.

”Never, at least not to me. I always knew him to be focused on the future, not the past.” He wasn’t quite sure if that was the one Marigold was looking for, but it seemed like the best he could do. Most of their early talks had been about growing familiar or had involved Chan teaching Jet things and taking him along on missions to the other packs.  

Never. Of course he wouldn't, if he really hadn't known, but she didn't like the answer all the same. Proof of absolute disconnection, no matter the cause. Would it have been better if he'd spoken of them? Just another question she would not get the answer to. Already her thoughts were a storm, knots that maybe could have been talked loose but her lips were so difficult to move. She wanted to thank Jethro for his time and say goodbye all in one breath, take off and hide in a hole somewhere, and she'd barely asked anything of substance.

The maelstrom was securely contained behind those steel-vault eyes of hers.

"What about the future?" she prompted, tone almost a scoff. Hearing the vagueness in her own ears, her blonde crown tipped toward home.

"Making this place? Being with Flair?"

Did focusing on the future mean specific goals, or just a way of avoiding questions about the past?

(This post was last modified: Dec 19, 2023, 05:43 AM by Marigold.)

A part of Jethro wished he could’ve known how Chan’s lost daughter felt. Whatever emotions she held though always seemed to be kept a secret, behind that direct, but respectable demeanor.

Another part of him ventured to guess that it wasn’t dissimilar to what he’d once felt for his parents. How would Marigold have felt, he wondered, to hear that her father had been present more for him than her?

There were more questions, though.

”No. He was leading Sanguine Cove when I first chose to stay there, so.. he was usually focusing on helping to keep us fed, safe, and building good relations with other packs. Those things,” again that felt like the best answer he could provide without potentially overstepping. But was it enough?

(This post was last modified: Jan 07, 2024, 04:46 AM by Jethro.)