Riddle Heights my youth is yours

possibly for @Kyna if you're able to, otherwise maybe another SMP wolf? :) <3 -- backdated for 12/6

The lithe shadow hated the winter. It was always unnecessarily cold and due to his thin physique, even with his winter coat, he was almost always shivering. Last year the snow had nearly claimed his life after he had wandered too far from the willows and lost track of where he was. His brother and a packmate had found him nearly frozen to death—if he had been out in the cold any longer by himself he certainly would have died.

And, for whatever reason, even though he despised the cold, Greer found himself stalking toward the mountain. Since the season’s had changed the boy had remained closer to the dens and kept a watchful eye on the pups to ensure they didn’t repeat his actions from the previous year. However, the longer he remained at camp the more restless he became. There had also been a recent shift in power and Greer wasn’t sure how to feel about it. First, his mother had stepped down due to his health, allowing his sister to take her place. And then his brother, Skoll, had taken the position as alpha male from his father. The shadow still wasn’t sure whether or not it would be beneficial for the Ridge wolves… his brother was most associated with a loose cannon. He was incredibly intelligent—all Archer’s were—but he was also impulsive and bold.

With each passing day his home was beginning to feel less like home and more like a stranger’s house. Due to his observant nature and ability to blend into the shadows, it seemed as though the ghostly Hecate had also taken a liking to the new leader. A disgruntled sigh fell through his lips at the thought, followed quickly by a shake of his head. How had his brother gone from being at the bottom, almost exiled from the pack, to being on top? No wonder Hecate was fond of him…

He did not want to stress on issues that remained in the trees. He had sought out the heights to clear his mind—and potentially bump into a little red-head that possessed the power to turn his mood around. Greer had always been a wolf of the forest, but as the days went on he couldn’t help but wonder what life on the mountain would be like. Continuing forward, the boy moved with quiet determination, his silver eyes narrowed as he studied the rocks before him. He believed he was going in the right direction to find the tree stump where he had first encountered Kyna—it had been so long, he was worried he had forgotten…

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2016, 06:57 PM by Kyna. Edit Reason: Added backdate after a discussion. )

It seemed the change in seasons was going to be very good to young Kyna. The cold weather was enough to make the golden girl happy – the snow was a true delight. It was best when it was falling, to dance and scamper through the flat flakes, but there was something very appealing about the virgin snow blanketing the ground or well-worn tracks leading to and from the mountain wolves’ homes. If that hadn’t been enough to delight the girl, then certainly the arrival of her mother had changed everything. She’d almost begun to believe the rumors that Aponi would never return – had almost begun to believe her own fears and worries that some horrible fate had befallen her dam, and the wolf suffered the same fate as Aesire, and possibly Ace.

But she’d been a very good girl this year, for it seemed the spirits of the forest had one more gift in store for her.

“Greer!”

The young female came bounding from the woods, through the snow and over a stump as she raced the last several lengths to her favorite hiding place. Even though she could no longer fit into the little dugout she’d found a lifetime ago, it had become a fine place to cache her small hunts. When she didn’t have anything to store, she’d come to check on its integrity, memories of the thieving wolverines still fresh in her mind.

“You’re back,” she greeted her friend, offering him a bump of noses once close enough. “It has been a long time.”

A wild dissertation appears!

thank you for joining @Kyna <3!

As the boulders grew more and more familiar (how a rock could be committed to memory, when they all looked the same, amazed the shadow) he realized he was getting closer to the tree stump where he had first met he golden princess. At first she had been reluctant to talk to him and retreated within its cavern, but the longer they remained in each other’s presence, the more comfortable she had gotten around him. When it had come to the two parting ways Greer had been reluctant; he wanted to stay on the mountain with his new friend, even though he knew he had to get back to the trees. It was an odd predicament that the smudge had been falling into since his meeting with the mountain princess—along with a few other strangers both before and after meeting Kyna. As much as he wanted to remain a part of the Ridge and watch his younger siblings grow, along with the pack, he also wanted to be a part of something else… something new… something different.

‘Greer!’ He didn’t even have to search for a scent to know who it was. A soft smile appeared on his dark lips, lighting up his usual stoic features as he slowed his pace. Silver eyes immediately lit up as the (much bigger!) red-tinged princess appeared and he offered a long swish of his tail in greeting as she bumped his nose with her own. “Greer said he come back. So Greer here.” Obviously, he snapped at himself once the words dripped off his tongue. “Too long. How Ky doing?” It really had been too long. The slender boy had meant to make a trip up to the heights sooner, but with the leadership changes within Willow Ridge, Greer thought it would be better if he remained closer to his family. Up until now.

Perhaps, Kyna thought to herself, she ought to have more faith in the words of other wolves.  Aponi had returned home, true to her promise, and despite all the neigh-saying of other wolves.  Greer had not forgotten her either, much to her utter delight.

“I am happy to see you,” she felt the need to make clear, tail swinging in much wider arcs now that they were close.  Not a dream, but reality!  A gentle touch, a familiar scent – the first friend she’d made outside the borders of Silent Moon Plateau, and the handsome prince had returned to visit her once more.  For a moment, she simply allowed the moment to sink in, pink tongue flashing out underneath his muzzle in friendly kisses.  

“I am…pretty well,” she decided after a moment, taking a step back to allow Greer his space.  One ear flicked backwards in the direction of her home and she gave a soft sigh. “Things are…weird.  At home,” she clarified, mouth twisted into knots.  Happy as she was to spend more time with Phineas, things were different now, not to mention her father had given up leadership.  She was just another cub, now.  This did not bother her – but the tension, the tension ate away at her like an ulcer.  “How are you?  How are the willows?”

Ack!  Sorry this took so long.  :<  Kyna and I love Greer so very much!

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2016, 06:58 PM by Kyna. Edit Reason: Liquid time issues. )

A wild dissertation appears!

<3 UGH these two make me so happy

He couldn’t deny the warm feeling that surged through his chest at her comment (and the accompanying kisses). Greer did not know the first thing about having friends—his self-inflicted isolated childhood made it difficult for the prince to connect with others. Not that he wanted to; he was at peace with his solidarity.

However, two exceptions had made their way into his life and the shadow prince was unsure how to feel about it.

As the redhead responded his dark lips dipped into a frown, his head tilting to the side as he studied her expression. “What happen?” He asked gently, his silver gaze soft as he met her fiery pools. Greer was curious as to what had happened to her in the Plateau. Partly because she was his friend and he did care about her, and partly because her home was where he wanted to relocate.

A shrug came as an initial response to her question, the frown only deepening against his maw. “Greer… ok.” Another shrug followed, mercury gaze downcast as he glanced at his paws, ears flat. “Willows ok, too. Too much change. Greer doesn’t like,” he added absentmindedly, voice soft, as he glanced at the willow trees in the distance. “Greer think… Greer leave soon.” He stopped, lips tight. Would Kyna even want him to join her pack? He did not want to impose on her life; he wanted to make one for himself—he wasn’t able to do that in Willow Ridge. 

(This post was last modified: Jan 08, 2016, 06:52 AM by Greer.)

These two are so important to me. ;w; Thank you for being so patient while I sorted things out!

What happen?

Such a simple question, and there was no easy answer. Kyna huffed softly, mouth twisting further still as she looked towards the sky. Racing thoughts were not hidden behind fire bright eyes, but she would not speak until she could be words and ideas were in order. She was not one to waste her breath, and put a certain amount of weight in everything she did say. Greer, at least, seemed to understand it, and so she did not feel rushed as she shifted her weight from side-to-side, indicative of her uneasy thoughts.

“My da,” she murmured quietly, finally looking back to her favorite friend. Her paws kneaded against the earth, even as she spoke. “He – stepped down. Not in charge of Silent Moon, anymore. He – wanted to spend time with me.” Such a strange thought. Her tail swished behind her idly – of course she wanted to spend time with Phineas, but she still felt some guilt. But oh, she had a hard time putting such thoughts to words.

“Dunno…what’s supposed to happen, now. I’m not – important, anymore.” Being princess had been a nugatory title. Still, something felt different. Unhappy. Ears flipped backwards, and she shook her head. Things still felt different – like perhaps she was losing Phineas, too. “What if he leaves? What if he leaves me?”

A wild dissertation appears!

i have so many other threads to reply to but kyreer is so important and is life <3 & i never mind waiting, i know these are tricksy times :)

As always, the yearling listened with patient ears. There were very few wolves that he was close to outside of his family—even fewer that he trusted. Greer was happy keeping to himself, minding his own business and refusing to allow unnecessary words to fall from his tongue. This made him an exceptional listener—especially for his exceptional friend sitting before him. Kyna was one his only exceptions of those he trusted and cared for outside his family. There were more times than he would like to admit when he caught himself thinking about her when he was surrounded by the willows—how she was doing, what she was doing…

With a soft gaze, his stone-coloured gaze studied the red-head with an affectionate glance. It upset him to hear that she felt as though she was not important anymore. He gave a hard shake of his head at her words, refusing to believe that she was anything but important. “But—but Ky important,” he started, the words stuttering uncharacteristically off his tongue. “Ky-dad not leave her. Nobody leave Ky. Ky too important to leave,” he finished, his voice feverish as he spoke. He desperately wanted the redhead to understand how wonderful and charismatic she was—how nobody could abandon her and that she would still be of value despite not having her father sitting on the throne. “Greer not want Ky think that. Not good.” 

Too important to leave.

Her mouth twisted into an uncharacteristic snort, the young female’s face twisting into something ugly and unreadable. If only her family felt similarly, she thought bitterly. And while he may have been correct about Phineas, she was starting to wonder if the same could be said for the woman that gave birth to her. So she turned her fiery gaze back to her friend and allowed her scowl to melt away into something much quieter, much more withdrawn.

“My mother left,” she started simply, ears folding back as she revealed the truth. So much of the young blond had been defined by such an abandonment – first she had believed what Aponi had told her. That the silver alpha would return shortly, that his excursion was only to solve a problem, and then her mother would reappear at Silent Moon Plateau. But time passed. Kyna grew. The queen never returned; even when she began to learn to track, no evidence was reveled. Aponi never came back.

It explained, in some small way, the girl’s own suspicion of her father’s motivations, even If the former lord had given her no reason to doubt his intentions. All the same, she heaved a great sigh, and crept a little closer to Greer, subconsciously seeking the approval only a friend could provide. “I just-- Don’t know. So much change, Greer.” The youth snuggled a little bit closer. “You came back, at least. You are a good friend.”

A wild dissertation appears!

<3

It seemed as though his plan backfired. He had attempted to elevate the mood and let the red-head know that she truly was important, regardless of if the wolves in her life thought differently. He thought she was important — and her father must as well, or else he would not have stepped down from his position as leader. His pigeon-grey eyes blinked slowly as the girl confessed that her mother had left her behind, his features softening. “Greer sorry,” he responded quietly, his voice barely above as a whisper as he shuffled closer to his friend, hoping to offer some sort of  comfort to Kyna. He wasn’t good at showing his emotions — in fact, he preferred to pretend as though he had none — but he had to try. For Kyna.

“Ky-mom miss out…” he started lamely, his lips curling into a gentle frown as he adverted his gaze. “Not realize Ky important. Ky-mom loss.” Well done, idjit. It would be so much easier to comfort his friend if he was able to speak properly…

Her voice cause him to return his gaze to her slender body, his stone-coloured eyes adjusting to her russet fur. He nodded, slowly, in understanding. There was too much change in the Ridge, also. So much that it was making him doubt that Willow Ridge was still home. It did not feel like home. There was so much going on that Greer was often blind to any occurrences within the willow borders. A sigh of relief exhaled from him as his friend snuggled into his obsidian fur, a warmth seeping through his body at her touch. He briefly pressed his cold nose to the middle of her forehead, a faint smile folding open against his dark lips. “Greer always come back. Greer promised.” And he would hold onto that promise, no matter where they were or what pack they belonged to; the shadow would always find his way to his flame, the one light he would never shy away from. “Change… good. Sometime. Give chance before decision.” Perhaps her father stepping down would mend their relationship; strengthen it. In the case of his own father stepping down… Greer wasn’t sure if his brother rising to power was all that good of an idea. Things seemed… darker.

(This post was last modified: Feb 12, 2016, 06:54 AM by Greer.)

For several moments, Kyna simply allowed herself to nestle close to her friend and enjoy the shared warmth. She did not even press this close to her father (and especially not any of her half-siblings); she’d cuddled Aponi, when she was tiny, when the woman was still here. But Greer, Greer had kept his promises, and this was a first for the youth, so she relished in such friendship for several moments. Her slender tail gently laid across his, and she might have been content to stay just like that, had the other youth not made such a curious statement.

Ears flipping forward, the fallen princess lifted her head away from thick, smoky ruff to peer curiously at her companion for a moment. “Maybe,” she hummed softly, eyes drifting to the sky as she peered up into oblivion. It hadn’t felt good, not yet, but she could not deny that Phineas’ attention was unwanted. He could never take the place of her mother, but the man did try, and she was very fond of him. Eventually, a small smile curled across her lips and she tipped her head, the light returning to Argyris orange eyes as the tip of her tail flicked.

“Maybe. Patience, I think. It will tell. I will wait,” she decided, small growing in warmth. After a moment, Kyna spoke back up. “I am glad you came. Good advice,” she clarified.

“But – will you stay, for a little while? And just. Think with me.”

If we wrap this one up, I can start a new one where Kyna comes to see Greer after she's joined OTB? :3

A wild dissertation appears!