Black Thorn Downs Tears May Fall

For @Eirian

- Midday, Light rain - 55 ° F/13 ° C

Her wanderers legs seemed to have returned. Maybe it was knowing that by this time next year, she would be bound even more closely to Secret Woodlands by higher responsibilities; Not that she minded, mostly, but her adventurous side seemed to have decided to poke its head one last time, before she became a proper adult. She figured she could use this need for movement to acquaint herself more with the lands surrounding the Thicket of Secrets, explore nearby areas that she had yet to investigate closely. And yet her paws had taken her north, to the familiar fields that had first caught her attention back when she came to the realm of Relic Lore. She couldn't help it, in the end she was a nostalgic soul, and the soothing scent of blackberries would surely be the best remedy for her tense mind; Well, second best.

So she strolled through the meadow, passing between dark bushes, heavy with dark, ripe berries, deep breaths filling her nose with the sharp, yet sweet scent; Pale paws stained purple by the fruit that had fallen to the ground. She could do nothing but smile, a light haze filling her eyes as memories of childhood washed over her. Around here, the bushes were so plentiful, forming large, dense thickets of bramble, turning the lush field into a labyrinth. Where she grew up, they were much more scarce, and her mother had searched far and long to find one, only succeeding a few days before going into labor; Her father had told the story often, of the heavily pregnant shewolf, struggling to dig out a den in the still-frozen ground among the roots of the lone blackberry bush. Her mother had insisted on digging a birthing den only under the safety of this particular type of shrub, even when it looked like she wouldn't find one in time, it was tradition in her family. Suddenly, Aideen found herself wondering if some of these bushes stretched all the way into the thickets, and the thought made her blush.

As she continued north, the petite medic suddenly realized that she was getting close to the lands of Black Thorn Downs. The territory had been abandoned, some time ago, an curiosity filled her as she turned slightly to head towards the slopes. She had been there once before, back when the pack was still newly settled, meeting their female leader not far from the borders. Later she had learned of the hostile relationship between their two packs, and had stayed away, but now that the lands were empty, the pack having moved to somewhere further north, she couldn't help but be drawn to this place. Starting her decent, towards the mixed forests at the base of the hill, she wondered if the former residents had made their den among some of the blackberry bushes that intermingled with the trees, or if perhaps they had chosen a less prickly space to raise their pups; Those thorns can cut quite deeply, especially into the soft skin of curious young pups.

Word count: 510

"Speech" Thoughts

It had been just a hair shy of a week since his amusing encounter with his estranged cousin, filling her head with utter nonsense that she of all wolves in the world had the makings for an alpha one day. A 101 course of Asurn manipulation even though Eirian knew the good for nothing kin would betray his words to those half breeds she called her new family and inform them of his dangerous presence. With that in the back of his regal mind, the dark agouti man had made well at keeping a distance from those reeking borders least they decided to pursue him for questioning.

Now, tanned limbs perused a trail southward to keep a buffer zone between the crest wolves and himself. Travel weary paws finding themselves tainted with the juices of mushed blackberries with every stride he took and his nostrils filled with their delectable aroma. Every deep inhale he took brought the mouth watering odor to his senses, coral tongue often times swiping across his swarthy lips as his depleted stomach rumbled at the prospect of being filled once more. Surveying the once inhabited berry field with citrus optics, rust tinted audits rotated for the sound of more formidable prey to dine on. Ripened berries would do little to sate the hunger of this male.

Snout lowered to the earth, coal black nose nudged aside the fallen fruit away; but not without stealing a bite or two for himself on occasion, as he trotted across the downs. A peculiar sight then caught his attention upon discovering a depression in the earth beneath a grouping of the prickly bushes. Gliding forward a smug smirk graced his leathery lips at the abandoned den that could have belonged to an individual or a family unit of wolves at some point. The small collection of shed fur yet to be discarded by another animal or mother nature herself his only clue to such thoughts. Unbeknownst to him at that time that another figure was closing in on his location.

Being the curious creature Eirian was, a darkened masked face was shoved into the miniature cavern like domain, optics narrowing to better adjust his vision to the lack of light filtering in thanks to his bulky, muscular form blocking most of the entrance. Displeased to find nothing interesting inside a snort left his nostrils to lift a small spray of loosely laid dust, slowly retreating to the outside world. Whomever had lived here was long gone and offered the Asurn nothing as a source of entertainment.

Tiny raindrops fell on her grey-dusted back as she slowly made her way down the hill, careful not to slip on the wet grass and squashed berries, leaving clear, magenta splotches on the green base. Had Black Thorn Downs existed back when she first came down from the north, there was no doubt the gentle woman would have been drawn to the pack. The central part of their territory lay nestled in a small valley, between the higher fields, and the rising lands further north; A lush forest of almost as many different types of flora as the thickets, though with more cedars, and permeated by the thick, dark bushes. How different things would have been. The shewolf mused, moving into the forest where the canopies protected nicely from the light shower.

With the soft thump of the raindrops against the leaves overhead as background music, the vixen-like wolf continued her explorations, finding the tell-tale signs of previous inhabitation. Clumps of wolf fur still stuck to some of the thorns, the scent of formerly carefully kept borders not quite faded in places. She smiled to herself, enjoying the dimness of these lands, more open than those she called home, and permeated by the alluring perfume. Yet in the end, she agreed with herself, she preferred the Woodlands; They're home! An here, she thought, she would never quite have been able to forget her birthplace, living among the blackberries would have left her caught up in the past.

She rounded another cluster of shrubs, and entered a small clearing, flanked on the opposite side by a large, fallen tree surrounded by several young berry bushes; And from between them, a wolf's backside was protruding. A loud, slightly theatrical, gasp escaped the petite woman at the sight, face contorting into a mixture of shock, curiosity and mild amusement. The old den had to be under the large log, and whoever this stranger was seemed to be either on his way in or out; Excellent timing! A small smile curled her lips, head tilting slightly as the darker, larger wolf wiggled his way back out of the den. "Sorry, I didn't expect to find anyone here." She said softly, waving her tail in a friendly gesture behind her. The unknown man's scent had been camouflaged by the blackberries, and even now, it continued to elude her, his entire presence a complete mystery; And it's been a while since I've had myself a good mystery!

Word count: 411

"Speech" Thoughts

PLOT WITH ME!

Don't be afraid to smack me around a bit if I take too long in replying xD

Had Eirian kept his head inside that abandoned den a moment longer a ripe lump would have formed square on his head after the jump he received upon hearing an unexpected voice. Luckily that wasn't the case and nothing but open air met his head while his paws leapt at least a good foot off the ground, whites of his eyes visible for a spare moment. Once his pads touched based with the sodden earth, his sides heaved wildly from the surprise, a bewildered and breathless laugh passing over his lips. "Ay, miss. Y' gave me quite the fright there. Thought I was about to meet my ancestors early." Lifting his right limb, the dark agouti man held it against his erratic beating heart until it finally returned to a normal rhythm.

Waving his ebony dipped tail at his rear, a small grin curled the corner of his lips upwards while his tangerine optics took in the sight before him. It would seem that some pure bloods did inhabit this land, a promising sign. Surveying the rusty coated she-wolf there was a faint scent(due to the light rain) that nearly warranted a frown to mar his muzzle. So pure, yet mingling with the unholy beast. Was there a single soul within Relic Lore not off their rockers? That detail was pushed aside, though, as he took a moment longer to inspect the woman. In general she was smaller than he, something that was expected in other pure timbers. Clearly not everyone bred for perfection in the way the Asurns did.

Realizing he must be coming off as a creep with the way he was staring, a coy smile settled on his lips before a gentleman bow was offered. "Excuse me for not introducing myself yet. Eirian is my name, and you m'lady are?" He spoke, purposefully leaving out his last name. Didn't want to go informing a possible ally of Raela's pack of his presence, now did he? One had to remain on their toes.

It had never been her intention to frighten the stranger, and when he sprang into the air, she felt deeply guilty; Though she had to smile at the comical sight. Luckily he seemed to take it well, a smile replacing the shock on his face, even as he heaved for breath. Still, Aideen let her ears fall sideways apologetically, showing honest concern when he raised a paw to his chest; Maybe he has a bad heart, oh no what have I done?! The thought was an overreaction, evidently there were down sides to being a medic too, and luckily the stranger soon lowered his paw again, smiling lightly. The vixen lass smiled back sheepishly, copper eyes looking to meet his deep oranges in heartfelt apology. The dark man was busy studying her though, taking in her every fiber with an almost brooding look, making Aideen cringe back a little, self-consciously. He himself was not much different from her, larger of course - Isn't everyone? - and with deeper, darker colors, true black mingling with the grays and reddish hues of his pelt. She had no real grasp on the different breeds of wolf, and it didn't matter to her either; In fact her own lineage might not be so pure as it seemed.

Finally their eyes met, and the stranger offered another smile, hesitantly returned by the petite woman. His introduction reminded her of her own manners, and wariness was forgotten as she quickly answered: "Oh no-no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. Aideen Athesila is my name, it's nice to meet you Eirian." Her expression was returned to its trademark friendly smile, ears waving in polite interest, tail swaying lightly. After a short pause, she continued, unable to hide her curiosity; "Are you new about these parts? I haven't seen or smelled you before." She tilted her head a little at the end of the question, eyes open an honest as she waited for his answer. Truthfully, she'd gone a bit past pure truth when asking, most of what she could scent on him still was just rain and blackberries, really anything could be hiding underneath that sleek facade. And she was dying to know what.

Word count: 369

"Speech" Thoughts

PLOT WITH ME!

A twinge of minor regret prodded at his stomach noticing the less as eager secondary smile that graced her lips. Ay, already scaring off the locals. He thought momentarily before the vixen before him offered her own introduction, the friendly expression from before gradually returning to her features. "It's quite alright, Aideen. A good fright keeps ya young." A small chuckle following his friendly words until more words spilled from her lips causing his audits to prick forward in interest. Curiosity seemed to ensnare the woman now as she questioned his ties to this land, noting the lack of his cologne let alone sight of him anywhere.

"Indeed I am, a wandering soul just traveling around until something worthy anchors me down." A vague explanation as to his true motives for mapping out Relic Lore one paw step at a time, but Eirian couldn't just go blabbing the impending rise of the Asurn bloodline and their fates as serving them as breeders now could he? Of course not. "A question like that must mean you live around these parts?" The tawny man returned the question with genuine interest. If this woman was indeed a local of this specific region he wondered how easy it would be to obtain useful information from her. Was there another pack near by? If so, how many wolves did that one have under its belt? Perhaps it had been a blessing in disguise that this charming purebred managed to find him rummaging through the abandoned den. 

@Eirian

She was relieved that the stranger didn't take the scare to heart, his light chuckle making her relax fully. Tail wagging lightly at her hocks, the vixen wolfess watched her new acquaintance with a friendly smile, ears perked politely as he answered her question. She nodded in understanding, remembering her own time of adventure, that had let her to Relic Lore. Eirian seemed to be of a similar mind, his interest in the old Downs den showing curiosity in abundance. So did his own follow-up question. Aideen smiled, bobbing her head again; "I do, my pack lives in the thickets just a little further south." She motioned over her shoulder, ears waving casually.

Looking back to the boy, she studied him closer, eyes alight with friendly interest as they ran along his dark frame. He couldn't be much older than she had been herself when she said out from home, probably having just reached adulthood that spring. He was handsome, not overly tall but heavy set, with a strong build and well defined muscles under the sleek, tawny fleece. Paws and muzzle, which like hers were lighter in shade, were stained by the deep plum of the blackberry juice, obscuring the thin stripes of charcoal down the front of his legs. His eyes were a stunning, warm orange, not too different from her own, slightly duller coppers, and radiated both intelligence and kindness. In fact, he reminded her a lot of her brother Bero, making it impossible for her not to feel calm and happy in his company.

Already, Eirian had succeeded in dragging her from her gloom, and she wanted to stay in his company. Looking for a way to continue the conversation, she glanced around at their surroundings, tilting her head a little; "Our closest neighbors used to live here, but they moved, further north I think... Now the closest pack to ours is even further south, in the Cedarwood." She smiled, thinking back to her meeting with @Veho and the excitement she had felt at meeting another healer. Then her attention returned to her current company, a slight heat in her cheeks as so hurriedly asked: "Where do you hail from? Have you travelled long from your birth home?"

Word count: 372

"Speech" Thoughts

PLOT WITH ME!

Her tongue began to weave words of pure gold that cooed at the concealed demon inside and its hidden intentions. A thicket slightly south of their current location marked the rendezvous point of her pack, the tawny woman even continuing onward to reveal more invaluable information for Eirian. According to her lips a pack inhabited a cedar forest further down south and one had indeed lived here, as if the abandon den and floating puffs of shed fur that continued to linger wasn't evidence enough, but moved somewhere north. A flicker of memory from his lovely encounter with his cousin caused the man to ponder if Raela's pack of unholy inbreds were the said group to have relocated. It was a logical possibility considering they were the only wolves to the north he had encountered.

Rusty audits wavered mildly as they listened to the woman before him speak in such a hurry, a small smile sliding the corners of his leathery lips upon catching sight of the slight warming to her cheeks with those dashing citrus orbs of his. Oh, how could he deny the vixen a lavish tale about his homeland and glory of the Asurns? Shifting dark hued haunches to touch base with the earth below, a simple nod of his cranium signaled the curious woman to obtain a similar comfortable posture. "I hail a long ways from this place. It's a glorious place to the east filled with a plethora of warriors." So the splendiferous tale of the Asurns began.