Hearthwood River and the moon is the only light we'll see

March 13th; Mid-afternoon; Overcast Clouds; 31.91° F, -0.05° C.

Having left Lovers' Drop behind, Adelard had taken the time to reorient himself. To clear his mind and brood upon what he truly wanted from what seemed like a pending mid-life crisis. He had joined a pack apart from his familial one, taken on a leadership position, and found the love of his life... He even helped raise four children and fathered six of his own in two litters. It almost felt like he had had everything all at once and now had nothing. To top it all off, he had a new title to tack onto his name: widower. Most days, it sounded like a death sentence. Like he should have ceased to exist the moment Woya drew her last breath. Even on the tongue, it felt like it tasted sour. He hated it.

Grief had other plans when Adelard thought to head east. Instead of ushering him in the direction of his children, he found himself headed north. He missed Dead Empress Backwater and Sanguine Cove entirely. Instead, he was taken by Hearthwood River into a potential pack he was not aware of during his time in the Chasm.

Adelard regarded his surroundings in silence, the sequoia trees offering solace and reprieve. They were nothing like the forests he had seen before, but he appreciated their majesty. Despite everything nature threw at them, year after year, decade after decade, they stood. Tall, impressive, and unwavering. He allowed himself a moment to both wince and grimace. If only wolves were built similarly...

Thoughts aside, he aimlessly meandered along with his nose to the thawing ground, unsure as to what he would find in this unfamiliar wilderness...

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2024, 10:51 PM by Adelard.)

i am a dark red liver stretched out on the rocks

All the poison, I convert it and I turn it to love

Who was this?

She had only just spotted him and yet she had felt an intrigue hot enough to captivate her. This was not someone she had seen before here or elsewhere. Not that she expected to know every wolf but...the northern woods often did not see many beyond those she did know. It would be nice if more strangers rolled through every now and again. Something to keep her troublesome boredom at bay.

A low whuff escaped her as she stayed her distance, a few yards away. Cautious but willing to gamble. What of him? Would he chase her off? Perhaps he'd see nothing exciting and depart. She was, as usual, prepared to escalate for just a sliver of attention though.

Isla had always been memorable in one way or another to those around her.

It wasn't long until a low bark caught his ears. His yellow eyes grew wide and he looked about for the origin of the sound. It took a moment but he saw her there. A dark, lone figure in the shadows of giants. He swallowed, unable to make any assumptions or discern anything about her just yet.

Adelard's large frame straightened as he shifted his weight and raised his head. His tail fell slack at his heels and the black line of his lips remained even and straight. The only thing he was certain of was that she was not one of his.

In response, he gave a short growl. Nothing too grating or aggressive. Time and recent events had merely turned him into an old man. One who had little patience for shenanigans.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

i am a dark red liver stretched out on the rocks

All the poison, I convert it and I turn it to love

He answered without words and she found she appreciated him for it. She had never been the best with her voice. She was more equipped to be a primal creature anyway. Maybe she had finally found someone who understood that. It had been too long since she had met those who knew it was okay to not always be so sophisticated and cultured.

Her tail dared to quiver behind her with energy, not yet raised but she knew it would have been easy to do so. This close to the Falls she felt she could be confident enough to posture outright. Still she only wanted to test the waters for now. It was why she remained out of immediate reach.

Who was he?

For what seemed like a calculated moment, both wolves acknowledged one another. No words, no sudden moves. They watched one another and she was the first to truly move. Her tail shook behind her. Adelard's eyes narrowed. His whiskered brows drew together. He couldn't be sure if she was friendly or not. That was fine. He could reply in kind. No problem.

She kept her distance. He could respect that. As easily as he could have walked away without further interaction, he decided not to. He, too, wanted to see how far this would go. The curiosity was there, he just did not outwardly show it or want her to necessarily know right off the bat.

He gave his dark coat a good shake then looked back at her. Without words, it was a gesture that he meant no harm. Had no want need or want any form of hostility. His mouth opened for the briefest of moments, if only to bark at her. Twice. Loud enough for her to hear loud and clear. He saw her, was just passing through, wanted no trouble. And, most importantly, if she wanted to stay away, that was okay by him.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

i am a dark red liver stretched out on the rocks

All the poison, I convert it and I turn it to love

They stayed wordless and her eyes watched him with a carefulness befitting a hunter. He might have been the mightiest thing in the woods in that very moment. For her attention, he might as well have been the only things in the woods then and there.

She dared only a cautious two steps closer. Head low as she sniffed the air, as if she might detect the finer details of him. She could not be close enough for such a thing but it had not stopped her attempt.

Now she dared a bark at him. One that seemed more intended to invite instead of sending him off. She was not inclined to turn teeth against him unless she was given a reason to.

Without warning, she came closer, if only by two meager steps. Her head lowered and it was obvious to Adelard that she was trying to glean any more information off of him. To him, there wasn't much to learn of. He was alone, had no present pack at his back, and was as weary as they come. His tail gave a low wag. The movement simple enough to show that he was willing to entertain her spirit of inquiry.

She barked and it was with sharp, keen eyes that the masked man received the invitation. To say the least, Adelard was neither stupid nor prone to thinking with his innate need to... get it on.

As if to accept her proposal, he took one step forward. He had to admit it to himself, this was a fun little game. Given a little more time, it might've turned flirtatious, but the brute was not in the right mindset. His tail waved now, parallel with his spine. Another, yet more playful, growl. If she was looking for boyfriend material, she was barking up the wrong tree. She would find that soon enough if she continued to goad him further.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

i am a dark red liver stretched out on the rocks

All the poison, I convert it and I turn it to love

She liked him, in the only way that Isla knew how.

Perhaps for his potential only, for whatever he gave her now. A fleeting little feeling in the grand scheme of their lives, maybe.

With his step forward, she dared a step backward now. As if they played tug-o-war with each other. Her own tail whipped around above her spine now. Her front end dropped only slightly as she shuffled some. She could not deny that this feeling had inspired some sense of freedom within her. They had not danced around with the kerfuffle of words or manners. Instead they relied upon the nature of their bodies.

Her pale blue eyes gleamed with excitement, warmth, and that continued invitation.

When he came forward, she backed away. Just a step. The distance between them remained the same. Adelard took a moment to read her, to see the movement of her tail and the slightest dip of her torso. Her eyes did not narrow and her teeth remained behind silvery lips. In fact, her brows seemed to invite him to continue.

A puff of air left him in a short exhale. His nose lifted to the air in attempt to glean anything else of the woman... if she belonged to a pack, had family, or belonged to this stretch of the Lore. At best, he could only still assume.

He dropped his head and sauntered toward her, steps slow and steady. His ears relaxed and pulled back, a clear sign that he still bore no ill will against her. If they were going to rely on more primal means of conversation, he needed to get closer. He stopped when he was a mere two wolf's-lengths away. The only thing he was certain of now was that she was not as young as he had thought.

The next sound that came from him was an attempt at a sneeze. How she would take that was up to her, but it was clear in Adelard's relaxed posture that she could inspect him if she'd like...

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

She stood still enough that she might have rivaled the dead.

Her eyes watched each step, gauged how he carried himself in this moment. He had not tried to flaunt some grand level of dominance or any kind of masculine flair that might have oozed in a gross manner. He simply seemed comfortable as just being. A trait she found favorable in this moment.

Now had come her turn.

She moved in a nearly feline manner. Carefully placed steps and a slinkish movement in how she walked. She wanted to sniff near his limbs first. As if she might smell the earth off of him and known each step he had taken to come here. Not that she could ever, but the hunger to know more was grand enough she thought it might set her ablaze.

Her nose turned towards his face, eyes fixed at beauty-mark level. She watched his lips, his jawline, for any kind of indication of a sour mood brewing at her proximity.