Whisper Marsh Lay my heart down with the rest at her feet

Open to one or two, special tag for @Felyx @Cynder  ;)
NOTE: I'm transitioning into using only they/them pronouns for Apple but this is my first real time writing without gendered language so sorry if I mess up or some of the wording is confusing. pls let me know if so, so I can fix it going forwards

The last three moons had been turbulent for the witch, with their plans for the future cut short before they’d even really started. Losing the pups meant a drastic restructuring of already chaotic thought and a whole lot of even deeper soul-searching. Clearly, children were not a part of fate’s plan for the young seer, and it felt like a failure on their own part to have tried to make them anyway. Since then, their dreams had been much grimmer than the ones that originally guided their path back to Relic Lore. No longer lively images of the family they had left behind, but instead gruesome scene’s full of blood and death, visions with a clear message, and yet Apolline could not tell what it was. In the end, they found their only option was to retrace their steps, once again returning to the familiar lands of southern Eden, and the place they had so far felt closest to the higher power, whatever it was. Sitting at the edge of the lily pond, the tawny wolf stared into the crystal-clear water with their one good eye, waiting for a sign; Where do I go next…? Thoughts ”Speech”

dawnthieves, nalina24 & TinusDream

(This post was last modified: Jun 24, 2024, 02:41 AM by Apolline.)

This place was gross. Spongy flooring that squelched between Felyx's toes and water all over the place. It was a bit off from the mountain he'd been eyeing - and now that he gave it a little bit of thought, Paeryl had asked for a mountain, hadnt he? - but Felyx had never promised to go straight to the mountain. Wasn't getting followers important, too?

It would certainly make for a more fun group. The more individuals, the more likely things were going to be entertaining. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Felyx didn't really care.

He spotted the wolf near the water and hummed to himself, eyes half-lidded as he studied them. Bigger than him, and older too, but very wrapped up in whatever they were seeing - or not seeing - in the pool beneath them.

The ginger wolf stalked up behind them and peered into the water as well, his reflection joining theirs.

"What do you see?" he asked, stormy eyes meeting their singular functional one from the surface of the water.

(This post was last modified: Jun 25, 2024, 01:14 AM by Felyx. Edit Reason: I USED THE WRONG PRONOUNS )

They wandered about, moving from the flower dotted meadow to a more tree dotted landscape. The ground beneath her red stained paws became mushy. A familiar feeling and sound between her toes, only no rancid smell, most of the time. She walked easily while Lyx more like pranced to avoid the sensation as much as he could. She let out a small snort - typical.

A dark brown figure sat alone near the water's edge. Larger than her or her twin and a mix between them in color. Reddish like Lyx and brown like her own. Felyx practically danced away at the sight of them. Another quiet snort and eye roll was pulled from the yearling. While her twin would love to have endless wolves to talk to she preferred fewer individuals. But it was a necessary evil for the sake of the group. They needed more followers, and the more they brought in the less likely they would be casted aside.

As the reddish boy made contact asking the stranger what they saw in the water, Cyn more a little further off to drink from the water. She kept her blue grey eyes fixated on the pair. Coiled and ready to strike like a rattlesnake should the stranger try anything with him.

The water reflected the sky, fluffy white clouds swirling in a sea of azure blue, traveling with the wind much as Apolline had been, drifting without direction. They stared at them for what could have been hours, waiting for a vision to appear amidst their idle wanderings, but none came. That was until someone came to join their watch, a face appearing next to theirs, stormy looking eyes meeting golden brown. This wasn’t a vision, the stranger’s breath easily felt against Apollines neck as he asked his question, yet they remained statue still, meeting his gaze unwaveringly through the watery mirror. It was a very interesting query, not something just any stranger would ask right of the bat, and the witch found themselves drawn into those glaucous eyes, a whole sky of their own. There was a vague sense of movement on the side of their blind eye, another reflection in the water that they couldn’t quite see, but a clear sense that someone else had joined them. Still Apolline stayed where they sat, locked in the young man’s fascinating gaze, thinking to themself; Is this a test…? It wasn’t the way fate usually spoke to them, but perhaps that was a good sign; A change… Just what they had hungered for. Dipping their muzzle the tiniest bit, a subtle gleam in their golden eye, Apolline finally spoke with quiet steel; “Opportunity.” Thoughts ”Speech”

dawnthieves, nalina24 & TinusDream

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2024, 12:18 AM by Apolline.)

Having his sibling nearby gave him even more audacious courage. He didn't think anything was going to go wrong, but even if it did, there was no doubt in his mind that Cynder would be able to take care of it. And if it was absolutely necessary, Felyx supposed he could step in as well.

But truly, he didn't think there was anything to fear.

The other wolf stared back at him through the water, unblinking. This was a test indeed - one of Felyx's mental poking and prodding just to see what the other wolf would do - and they were responding in such a fascinating way. There was a gleam in their golden eye, something just beneath the surface, and Felyx liked it.

Opportunity.

What a delightful word. In the same vein as interesting, as potential, as fun. Their voice was quiet, but firm, and Felyx gave a soft hum in response, a smile creeping along his maw.

He dipped a paw into the water then, disrupting the reflection and letting it come back into focus before he spoke.

"Funny," he began, his own eyes sparking with interest, "I was just thinking the same thing." He wanted to coil around them like he did with Cyn so often, but he refrained, sitting perfectly still instead and letting the water drip off of his paw. It was up to the other wolf how they interpreted his statement.

That smile, slowly slithering onto his face like a bug creeping along the forest floor, seemed emblematic of the young wolf’s entire being; more fluid than constant. To most strangers, that might be off putting, even deterring, but Apolline found it intriguing, one corner of their own maw curling ever so slightly. The smallest touch of his paw send ripples across their image in the pond, disrupting it much as Apolline’s life had been almost two years earlier; Such a tiny coil, growing into a cataclysmic wave… However, as they watched the rings rolling over the surface, they slowly grew smaller, eventually returning the mirror to reflect their faces once more; Ah! Now there was a sign! The young man spoke again, and slowly, almost lazily, Apolline turned their head to finally look at him directly – eye briefly glancing over at their silent companion, noting her small yet muscular stature and the tinge of red on her pale fur – before zeroing in on the speaker. He was a curious case, similar to the woman – a sibling perhaps? – if more lean in build and the red on his fur evident beyond the taint of a recent kill. But how he carried himself was what really caught the witch’s eye, much like themselves, he seemed more than just your average wolf; however much his looks might speak to the contrary. Their smile grew just a smidgeon, real fire aglow in their single eye as it met the stranger’s storm. “Were you now?” they asked, voice still largely neutral, though a faint hum of interest might be heard as they continued: “And just what opportunity are you offering?” Thoughts ”Speech”

dawnthieves, nalina24 & TinusDream

Something lit in their eye, and it made Felyx's heart suddenly flutter like a trapped bird - excitement bubbling within him. This was a good one. Where he'd met @Dacian in the trees, he realized he found a gem hidden deep within the marsh with this wolf. @Paeryl would like this one, he figured. @Sovanya would, too.

His poor sister likely would not, but she hardly liked anyone. For that matter, Felyx didn't really like others, either - he only really liked what they offered him. And this wolf seemed as though they could offer a lot.

But what mattered right now was what he could offer. Luring them in would be his top priority for the time being.

"Do you believe in god?" he asked, instead, turning his attention from their reflection to meet their gaze instead. Testing the waters, seeing what they were all about. He doubted he could explain Paeryl's gods as well as the man himself could, but if he could just convince this wolf to meet Ryl, he knew that he could convince them.

Her coral tongue lapped the cool water at a leisurely pace not wanting to have too much water in her mouth should she need to use it. Her stormy gaze monitored the pair across the way. The pair spoke about opportunity and that sparked a memory of her and Lyx being snatched in broad daylight. Had that never happened they wouldn't have had the opportunity to be where they were. She finished her drink and adjusted herself into a seated position as the stranger turned to glance at her. Blue grey met a single golden and her dark brows rose with intrigue.

The yearling mulled after how the stranger could've ended up with one ghostly white eye. Maybe offering their little group would allow her to find out exactly how. Depending on the story maybe it would allow Cyn to learn to avoid it. The stains on her pelt didn't come from solely the blood of others. No one went down without a fight and she often bled with them. The light agouti girl sat and watched, like a silent sentry. Perfectly happy to let her twin do what he did best, recruit.

Believe, faith! Their path surely had been guided by something of that nature in this past year; But what exactly? The word ‘god’ rattled around uselessly in the witch’s brain – something about it sang to their very heart, but it seemed just out of their grasp. In fact, they were so deeply rattled that a small hint of shock might even be glimpsed through that carefully composed façade. The feeling of two sets of stormy eyes almost burned against Apolline’s fur, their heart speeding up in a way they hadn’t felt for many moons. Thrill was not something the witch ever sought out, but whenever it found them, they accepted it eagerly, feeling, for a moment, closer to the force guiding their steps; God? Golden eye flicked to the girl, the first sign of wavering they had shown. It took several moments, looking between the two strangers, thoughts circling like a cyclone, before words finally came to their mouth, to simple ones that none the less rang with faith: “I do.” Thoughts ”Speech”

dawnthieves, nalina24 & TinusDream

For a moment, Felyx noticed the other wolf hesitate. Had he misjudged? Made some kind of mistake, frightened them off somehow? It had been a bold question, and one that most might not take to straightaway, but there was something about this wolf that told Felyx they could handle such boldness. Their eyes moved toward Cynder for just a moment, and Felyx wondered what was on their mind. If this question was even possible for them to answer.

But then they were looking between the twins, and Felyx relaxed, catching hold of that singular golden eye once more.

"Then I've got someone I think you'd like to meet," he told them, tail swishing back and forth as he got to his feet. "His name's Paeryl, and he'd be able to offer you much more than I can." He offered them a smile. "I'm Felyx, by the way. It was rude of me not to tell you, before."