Shroud of the Lost Here's a toast to the night to the ghosts in my life

A world class failure.

If there was a better statement to properly describe Galen Vuesain and his inability to keep anything good in his life it was unbeknownst to the swarthy man as dark limbs wearily trudged the final miles that would bring him back to the place the Cove had christened as their new home. How many moons exactly had passed since he slunk into the cover of the night in order to search for his missing daughter was amiss to him, albeit he knew he had been gone too long and it was time to turn around and temporarily accept defeat. Once more turning up empty pawed with nothing to explain his latest disappearance act.

Would it matter, though, if he even returned?

His relationship with his best friend had become a dilapidated relic of its former glory, ready to crumble to dust any moment now. The children he helped bring into this world had no inkling of their covert relation to the swarthy man, yet, now one was out there somewhere lost and who knew in what type of condition. Hell, he couldn't even track her down! Galen was a failure as a friend, as a father. As a man. The guilt caused an all too familiar tightness in his chest that he couldn't shake no matter how hard he shook his pelt to try.

Sighing heavily Galen trudged onward, golden gaze searching through the silent trees for any recognizable landmarks he could remember of their new home.

Word Count: 251

(This post was last modified: Nov 14, 2024, 07:24 PM by Eros.)

Lucian's luck had finally run out. Injured while hunting alone, everything had compounded to bring him to this point. Weak and thinned and unable to find adequate water. Feverish and aching and constantly reopening wounds he couldn't keep clean enough. There had to be others eventually. He just had to keep moving, keep trying.

That determination brought him to Galen, though if he knew what trials the stranger he scented was returning home to, Lucian would have likely passed the group by altogether. It would have been selfish of him to impose on wolves so tortured. Of course, he was oblivious instead. His gait picked up into a happy, hopeful jog and when the pitch wolf came into view, Lu's own tail was wagging.

Still, his limp was obvious and his voice was deeply hoarse. Just this amount of activity was tiring him.

"H-hello! Could... could I have a, a m-moment... ?"

Dark lids narrowed to better glance between the towering timbers while the tip of his nose twitched in an attempt to siphon through the various scents that lingered about, hoping a familiar cologne or perfume would soon grace his sense of smell and better guide him toward the others. Alas, nothing note worthy was picked up so the man continued onward until a scent, far from familiar, tickled his nose and shortly a voice just as foreign breached the silence he had become so accustomed to.

Curiosity had swarthy limbs coming to a halt and his head swiveling toward the hoarse voice that called out, clearly indicating someone young by the tone of it and providing a false sense of hope as his mind ignored the obvious indications of boyhood. For a brief moment a light flickered behind his golden gaze until they found the source. Gold eyes that rivaled his own. Disheveled and thin by the looks of it, shades of browns meshed with creams and blacks in a fashion that painstakingly differed from the agouti pattern his daughters inherited. This was not his daughter, but that begged another series of questions to ring in his mind all the same.

Who was this pup and where did they come from?

"Suppose you could have a few moments." Galen answered, shifting his body to face the child more while lowering his rump to take a less intimidating position. A sign that he meant no harm to the unknown pup, curiosity written plain as day across his facial features.

Word Count: 258

Oh, a few even? Lucian's eyes closed and his smile grew wider, as though already provided with immense relief from his ailments. Of course, he wasn't, but the near-delirium made it almost feel real.

"Ah, how g-generous of you, sir," he spoke with absolute sincerity, though the vocative was admittedly tongue-in-cheek.

"If you could... p-point me to uh... to..." Lu drifted then, though whether in thought or ability was indiscernible. His golden eyes popped open again, as though he'd been surprised by something, and then his head tilted questioningly.

"Have you a, a pack?"

They'd be near water, right? Or should he have asked for the water? He... was actually getting more than just a few moments, right? What even was a moment, exactly? The pack would have water. Or water would have had the pack.

His head was spinning, but he still kept that smile on his face through it all. Even if it was subtly becoming a little more nervous.

Stoic in his posture, Galen heeded what the young pup was trying to spit out as he watched his frail frame seemingly start to lean which stirred some minor panic in the concavity of his own chest. Just as his muscles tensed to set into motion and shift a single paw forward should he need to catch the leaning boy, bewildered eyes opened in surprise and offered a small head tilt before posing another question.

Had Galen a pack?

This caused a single swarthy ear to flick be it out of habit, or uncertainty. The Vuesain would like to answer with a solid yes confirming such, but he wasn't sure what exactly he'd be returning to let alone possibly dragging this kid toward. No way in hell was Galen going to let this kid stay out here by himself. "Err, kinda. There's a group of us, but we recently came across this area." A simple truth that might appease this kids curiosity and hopefully enough to get the ball rolling on getting him some help. Aquene would be his best option on recovering from however long he'd been in this predicament. But there was that nagging question at the back of his mind still.

"What about you? Any pack, parents?"

(This post was last modified: Nov 25, 2024, 08:34 PM by Galen.)

Kinda... ? Good enough for Lucian! Certainly better than no one at all, at the least. He was pretty sure his tail was wagging at the news, though in all honestly Lu couldn't fully tell which direction exactly he was moving it in. Did it go up and down for joy, or diagonal? Side to side seemed, uninspired.

Lucian was about to speak again, only half-distracted by the what-to-do-with-his-own-tail conundrum, when the shadowy stranger returned the question. His smile didn't fade at all as he shook his head no at the word 'pack,' then snickered over 'parents.'

"Many parents, no- no pack. I, am on a mission of discovery."

Had he been human, he would have waved his hands through the air to emphasize the magic of the word. As it was, his own enthrallment was communicated by the glittering in his sick-hazed eyes.

"But I-... Small thing. I need to be... w-well, alive for that. Could you... Could I have... help?"

(This post was last modified: Dec 27, 2024, 01:50 AM by Eros.)

A shake from the boys head signaled a no to his posed question if he had a pack which brought a mixture of both relief knowing he wasn't about to pup nap this sickly fellow by bringing him back with him to the others and yet more panic to settle in his chest knowing whoever his many parents were had allowed their child to fall into such conditions despite the snickering response from the other. The thought was almost hypocritical was it not given his situation in regard to his offspring?  Although this fellow was older than his own daughter, he was still but a kid in Galen's eyes.

That thought was loosened from his mind for the time being with a shake of his head, curiosity momentarily drawing his attention beyond the boys gaze to note the odd... way his tail maneuvered behind him. Had Galen been human he may have even likened it to the propellers of a helicopter on its side.

Could you... Could I have... help?

Golden eyes blinked a few times at the boy as if the question was an absurd one, which in truth, it was. Of course Galen was going to help him. What kind of wolf would he be to let some defenseless and sickly child stay out here alone?

"Well, honestly by the looks of ya you don't look to be doing so hot so my help was going to be given whether you wanted it or not. I can't just leave ya out here to fend for yourself." A crack of a smile tugged at the corner of his leathery lips, almost making it into the golden hue of his gaze. "But first whatcha name, kid?" He had to call him something, right?

(This post was last modified: Dec 31, 2024, 04:47 AM by Galen.)

Lucian did not balk at all at the declared determination to whisk away his autonomy if needed. Instead he was practically swooning, though rather from fever or gratitude would be difficult to decipher.

"Gallant, too!" he beamed. While he might not know its trajectory, Lu did know that his tail was by now moving in great sweeping arcs of joy. He was saved!

The yearling would stagger forward and welcome himself to the older wolf's side then, leaning heavily. He likely radiated heat, further testament to his poor health. Even more clear, he trusted the stranger thoroughly with remedying this situation, almost like Galen was just another adult from the natal pack he'd left behind.

"M'Lucian," he answered in a half-mumble, taking a moment to appreciate this little bit of safety and comfort.

"What about you, grownup?"