Round Stone Crest Be Not Afraid

ooc: @Gent dated 8/24/15. Late night. Calanthe has a worse nightmare than usual - anyone who wants their wolf to react to the ruckus she puts up is welcome to have them do so at any time.

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And she swims in a sea of fire calling out for those who will never answer back, burning as her paws drag at liquid flame and howling at the sky turning black with smoke and death and the wind grows thick with the sounds of screaming and makes the air heavy with despair and fear and the gaping void left by the sweeping away of many lives at once in one fell strike from the blistering sun above, and death reins eternal here in this barren ash-land, this deadland where ghosts are the only life to be found and shadows lie where there are no high places to cast them but the fist of the next great tragedy waiting to shatter the world around the bleeding, broken form that lays in a defeated heap upon the blackened soil - all alone, all alone, forever and on into the end of all things she is alone--

Calanthe started awake with a shriek, her claws scraping against the floor of the communal den as she scrambled blindly to her feet. Fire--!

The quiet, cool darkness surrounding her pressed around the befuddled woman like a physical thing, rushing in to catch her as her nightmare-madness suddenly fled, leaving the pale woman gasping raggedly in its wake as she fell clumsily to the ground again. Her body shook with fear as she gritted her teeth and smothered another squealing cry. Only when her chin started to ache did she realize she was pressing her head as hard against the cool, unburned earth as she could. It smelled clean and fresh, if a little sweaty from her own thrashing...

A shaking sigh rattled through her teeth as sense finally swept in to replace the blind panic of moments before. For a long, long moment she lay there, listening to the sounds of the sleeping wolves around her as they breathed and lived peacefully, safe from the horrid fire. Her family. Her pack. Her home... all were safe and whole and here with her. She was not alone as long as they were here. She was safe.

She squeezed her eyes shut against the sting of tears and tried to focus on the sound of their breathing.

(This post was last modified: Aug 25, 2015, 10:29 AM by Calanthe.)

OOC: Slight PP

An ungodly loud noise woke her, though she had a hard time registering just what it had been as her eyelids fought to stay closed. She was so groggy she didn't realize the potential danger attached to a sound of that nature until her sensitive ears picked up the frantic shuffling from one of their other subordinates. She heard the thud, lifting her head from its place beside Astraeus just in time to focus on the heaving rib cage of Calanthe. The thin girl was hard to distinguish in the darkness, but the realization slowly hit as her golden pools studied the tormented soul. Raela's eyes popped open wide now with concern. Was the woman ill? She stared on, long enough to catch a muffled squeal as the female trembled.  Unable to restrain herself any longer, the Crest female rose; parting from her companion's warm, comfortable side. If he hadn't been woken by this, there was no reason to wake him now. Calanthe had settled some by the time her careful feet had picked their way to her side. She approached from behind, having been asleep closer to Minka and the pups than most of the others. It seemed she hadn't been noticed yet, and she stared at the poor girl for a moment. Her orange ears folded back solemnly, and she sunk down to her stomach. Silently, Raela placed her head atop the middle of the younger woman's now healthier but still somewhat bony spine. The motion was gentle and slow, just in case she managed to startle the wolf. Calanthe had proven to be excessively jumpy when she was fully awake. Raela nudged her muzzle downward into the other's fur ever so slightly in a reassuring nuzzle. There was no need to wake anyone else with words.   She knew of nightmares. She couldn't bear to see this woman deal with them alone. They shared a horrible past; that much was clear. If Calanthe was anything like herself that was where the bad dreams would come from.  Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

This sudden injection of fresh faces into their pack was nothing short of a blessing, especially to the king who had found himself yet again filling multiple roles all at once for the betterment of the pack. Each time he returned to the communal den, his busied thoughts no longer kept him awake, for his body was so thoroughly tired that he would fall to asleep rapidly and deeply. It was upon waking that he would spend his time with the children before heading out to pursue a densely packed schedule, the same routine each and every day. Now, however, he had more paws to delegate tasks unto, and with the new training system underway he felt much safer entrusting the safety of the pack to others.

Thus, as night settled upon the timbered hills, the man felt no guilt about pulling himself away from the borders. Calling upon @Moraxia and @Alphinaud he instructed them to take the next shift patrolling, trusting both the woman's mass and the man's diligence to do an effective job of keeping his family safe tonight. When Gent finally did arrive home, the remainder of his pack that resided within were fast asleep. Quietly he entered the shelter, passing by Calanthe as he bee lined for @Minka and the children. His pale eyes were drawn to her for a moment or two, her body twitching and her legs occasionally shifting. Clearly she was having a dream, and by the twisting of her brows he could guess it wasn't a good one.

It was only when he had just settled down next to the queen and her brood that Calanthe's condition abruptly escalated, something caught between a scream and a yelp escaping her and echoing in staccato form throughout the den. Lifting his head his gaze passed over the entrance before settling onto her, quickly able to assume that no outside forces had affected her. No, that wretched noise had been caused by whatever was running rampant within her mind. Minka shifted beside him, awoken by the noise and alarmed, but the king quickly pressed his muzzle against her ear to whisper to her. "Calanthe, she's just having a nightmare. I'll take care of it, go ahead and sleep," he told her, before hoisting himself onto his paws. @Marianna, @Kino and @Draven had also begun to squirm, but the mother was quick to ease their fussing in her expert way.

Within this time, Raela had already acted, choosing to silently reassure the woman through physical contact. Gent considered leaving them be, but he wouldn't have the risk of Calanthe awaking his family again. Hopefully, if they bleed the demons now, she would at least have the rest of tonight in peace.

"Come," was all that he said as he passed the women, beckoning them to follow him out of the den for a walk.

(This post was last modified: Aug 27, 2015, 07:19 PM by Gent.)

The trembling young woman heard Raela approach; residual terror had sharpened Calanthe's senses far beyond their normal capacity so that even the blood roaring in her ears couldn't muffle the quiet sounds of the rest of her pack. She still flinched when she felt Raela lay down behind her - her muscles still twitched beneath her pelt as the agouti woman offered her silent gesture of comfort. It was all so wrong - wrong because it wasn't her family here, wrong because nobody was in pain or afraid here, wrong because a wolf who held superior rank to Calanthe cared enough to show compassion rather than chase her from the den in a snarling fit. Wrong because it felt so utterly wrong to have pack mates who actually cared for her based on merits that seemed to lay beyond the realm of simply living together.

She heard Gent's voice disturb the stillness of the night seconds after Raela settled in, though it was already so deep that being lowered to a murmur made it more a vibration in the air than true sound from where Calanthe still laid huddled in a tight little ball. The pale woman's heart plummeted. She'd disturbed the royal family. She'd been too loud and roused not only her King and Queen, but possibly the young princes and princess as well. She had been doing so well. She hadn't awakened anyone before, not after the first night, not that she was aware. She had been trying to be good, to stay quiet and soldier on through the nightmares without bothering anyone else about them. They were only nightmares; what sort of creature couldn't handle the images of their own mind?

She flinched as Gent walked by, a shadow against paler shadows as he headed outside. At the King's single-word command she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before carefully pulling away from Raela and getting to her feet. Now she'd done it. Gent was going to kick her out of the pack for sure - or perhaps she would get lucky, and he would only bar her from sleeping inside the den anymore. She hoped, at the very least, that Raela wouldn't try to defend her to the great black wolf; a child who couldn't fight down her own nightmares didn't deserve that kind of support, least of all from one of the pack mates she had disrupted with her childish behavior.

OOC: Quick little spectator post~

A single ear twitched away from Calanthe to register Gent's presence as being awake rather than asleep. The whispering came in clear to her sensitive hearing, and she was glad to hear them settle a moment later. Brilliant yellow eyes surveyed Gent's form once it appeared in her range of sight, but she was unwilling to turn her head. Calanthe had done nothing to acknowledge her gesture just yet, but she chalked it up to just nerves. The King's choice in words was unsurprising, and as much as she wanted to silently comfort the new recruit back into peaceful sleep, she couldn't deny that it was a far better idea to try and soothe her new friend outside where no others could possibly be disturbed. Raela pulled herself away in anticipation of Calanthe's movement; rising to her own paws a moment after.  The pale girl seemed just as dejected if not even more so now, and Raela felt the urge to reach her side. It could not be accomplished without stepping on someone though, so instead she caught up once their bodies had been greeted by the cool night air and enveloped in moonlight. Swiftly she moved, feeling the irresistible gravitational pull of knowing there was something she could do to help. Without hesitation her cold ebony nose reached out, pressing against the other female's shoulder gently as they walked. The gesture was brief but her eyes sought approval from her target nonetheless. She muddled through the dark forms on Calanthe's face, trying desperately to get eye contact or some expression, something. The concern was plastered across her own face and in the way her ears cupped forward. She wanted the woman to know she really meant it. She was here, and so was Gent. Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

(This post was last modified: Aug 28, 2015, 01:01 AM by Raela.)

            

Hope it's okay to throw Kino in here! He's trying to sneak around following after the group c:

Kino had been sleeping, happily curled up with his mother and siblings. His own dreams played in his mind, though unlike Calanthe’s his were not about flames licking the sky, but rather his own feet kissing the ground. He ran through the trees, skidding past the territory he had already come to know so well. He’d had this dream before, and each time he’d stop at the border but never cross. Just stare, as he’d done so many times in the real word. Though his sibling had made that adventure, he’d yet to work up the gall to step one silver toed paw over the premises. It was as if some unknown force held him back, throwing him from where he knew he really wanted to go. Out there, into the unknown. While some his age flinched at the thought, it only intrigued him endlessly. He wanted to go out there, but it wouldn’t be then. Soon, but not then.

A shriek tore him from his dreams and he awoke with a start, bright blue gaze going wide as he floundered around looking for the cause of the noise. The woman Calanthe seemed to have had an episode or some sort, and Gent and Raela were already on the scene calming her down. Ari and Draven seemed to have startled as well, but Minka was quick to tuck them back to her and settle them down with hushed whispers. While the others were surely curious, they seemed to agree and drift back to sleep. However, Kino simply couldn’t after what had just transpired. Curiosity nagged at him now, and he needed to know what was going on if it was the last thing he did. He pretended to be sleeping as the other adults fumbled around before leading the woman outside, waiting a moment to make sure that the others had settled down before quietly removing himself from the bundle. He stuck to the wall, slinking along it and peering around to see the three of them walking away. He looked back to make sure the others hadn’t stirred before scurrying forward himself, attempting to keep to the shadows despite his platinum pelt. It was much easier to stay hidden and follow the adults around when it was the daylight, for them a flash of silver could easily be mistaken for a glimmer of sunlight. Here, in the dead of night his bright pelt stood out like a beacon. It was because of this that he hung back as much as he could, but still stayed within range so that he could hear what it was they would be saying. He tiptoed after them, concentrating on not stepping on anything loud.

TAG: ---  |  WORDS: ---  |  NOTE(S): ---  |  ?

(Throwing Kova in to help keep Kino from being a sneaky wolfy)

Kova had lain between Kino, Raela, Marianna, and Gent with Calanthe being positioned opposite from him in the sleeping area. As the young wolf aged from cub to adult slowly but surely he would go to sleep later every night. So the yearling was deep in a dreamless sleep when the shriek sounded. He'd jolted out of that nice dark sleep and hit his head on Minka's rear end before lifting himself half off of the ground growling threateningly. Kova had thought that something was wrong, or that danger had walked into their den. However his growl began to lower and decrease in intensity as the youth looked around. His nose found nothing hugely out of the ordinary, spare for the thick fear scent of Calanthe that hung in the den like a fog. Dragging his tired self to his paws, Kova then slunk over to Calanthe and Raela. He nosed Calanthe softly then looked to Raela with a face harboring pity. He had bad dreams as well, like many wolves did; though his were mostly of finding his family dead in a ditch someplace out in the wilderness.

Once his own little investigation was over Kova trudged back over to Minka and let his body practically fall to the ground beside her. His head bounced off the dirt making Kova moan in tiredness and pain at his own clumsiness. Then he fell silent just watching the other wolves out of the corner of his eye and listening to their movements. He spots Calanthe, Gent, and somebody else moving out of the area. Then only a minute or so later he heard the pitter-patter of small paws trying to slip away after the others. This prompts Kova to force himself to his paws and meander towards the entrance of the sleeping space. His nose catches the scent of Kino, to which Kova sighs because he was relatively sure his little brother was up to no good. Silently Kova then sneaks up behind Kino trying to be silent as a ghost, then attempts to tug on the boys tail.  

Gent did not look back as he trekked through the forest, relying on the rest of his senses to ensure that Calanthe had indeed heeded his command. It was known that Raela too had followed, something he had expected and was thankful for. Knowing what pieces of Calanthe's past that he did, it was certain that the advisor-to-be would have far more success in aiding the traumatized woman with whatever emotional issues it was that plagued her. They could be stopped, couldn't they? Gent did not doubt Raela's ability to make it happen.

Furthermore, he picked up on Kino's scent. Initially his instincts told him to turn around and herd the child back to his mother, but it was noticed that the boy was following them specifically rather than wandering about whichever way he pleased. The king decided he would allow his adopted son this excursion, even going as far as pretending he didn't know of the tag-along's existence so that he could have the thrill of feeling successfully sneaky.

Yet a fourth scent even drifted into his lungs and Gent's ears flicked back in annoyance. That was five of them up, losing sleep all because of these nightmares. This disruption was becoming more and more of a severity in Gent's mind with each paw step taken.

Once having traveled a suitable distance away from the den, where they could talk at any volume without further disturbing those that still managed to slumber, the king finally ceased his walking. Turning to face his company, his pale eyes traveled over top of them to stare past and into the pitch shadows crowding between the many trees. Somewhere there was Kino, and he suspected that given Kova's unviewable proximity, the elder sibling was dealing with the tyke. Satisfied with this, he finally turned his attention fully to Calanthe.

"What's going on?" he asked her, bluntly but not unkindly. Truly, he wasn't entirely sure what questions to ask or where to lead the conversation, and so he was content with letting the woman start.

Calanthe's ears went flat against her head and her tail swept even farther between her legs as her body shrank in on itself. One of the pups was up... and there was Kova's scent, too. Had she roused everybody in the den? She could feel Gent's disapproval radiating from him like a physical thing, and it scorched and burned her like ice on a raw wound. Gent had been the one to accept her into the pack, to offer her this place among them, and she had returned his faith in her with this.

She stopped when he stopped, head low and body hunched miserably. She had let him down. She had failed to live up to whatever he had seen in her that had been worth taking a chance on. Never mind that the difference in her rank and his demanded she keep her eyes lowered - she couldn't have met his gaze even if it didn't. She couldn't bear to see his displeasure burning in those ice-chip eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir," she answered at his prompting. "I've been trying to stay quiet so this wouldn't happen. I didn't wear myself out as much tonight because I thought I didn't need to..." What an absolutely terrible apology. Nothing was worth forgiving if the one apologizing for it followed it up by trying to explain themselves without being asked to - that turned the apology into a justification, and if it had to be justified, it was wrong to start with.

Her head fell a little lower yet as she added, "They're only nightmares. I can fix them, sir; I swear this will be the last time I wake anybody up like this." Just please don't tell me to leave...

(This post was last modified: Sep 10, 2015, 03:18 AM by Calanthe.)

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity