Umbra Copse merrily we fall out of line

@Niles because I can.

you took this heart and set it free

The traveling had taken its toll on all of them, but it had done a number on the smallest girl, in specific. It was humiliating, to say the least. Just a few months ago, she'd been a bright bundle of energy... but she'd most certainly overdone it. The constant adventuring when she got to the Lore, and she'd pushed herself to the limit and beyond far too many times. The ache that was just irritating before was now settled deep within her bones, stiffening her joints and making it nigh on impossible to do anything at all.

Earlier in the month, she had been fully ready to obey Alastor's order to find a communal fen for the pack to stay at. In fact, she had searched, for a little while - at least a day. Until she'd slipped and fallen down a small hill and couldn't move until the following morning. After that, absolutely everything had hurt, and she hadn't been capable of doing much of anything.

Or, at least, until the night prior, when she'd gone to Draven for help. The rest, combined with whatever else he'd given her, had helped immensely. She didn't feel good, by any means, but she felt good enough to at least try and find Niles again. She knew he was around, and she missed him desperately. Unfortunately, her independent streak and need to appear as tough as possible overrode her desire to be around the dark boy for a while. She didn't want him to see her looking so terrible - it was embarrassing enough without the object of her affection knowing that she was weak.

Anxiety bloomed in her chest at the thought of him, and she shifted her stance in the snow from where she was positioned next to a rampike on the forest floor. Would he even want to see her? How would he take her, if she were to tell him the truth? It shouldn't matter to her as much as it did, since she wasn't going to be on the earth for too much longer. But Niles... Cas cared about Niles. She cared about his opinion of her, and she wanted him around for as long as possible.

She wasn't sure what to do.

A soft sigh found its way out of her mouth before she shook off the anxiety - as well as a few tufts of loose fur - for a moment. She winced at the movement, as it sent a jarring jolt of pain up her legs and into her core, but it was not nearly as bad as it had been before she'd gone to see Draven. She made a mental note to thank the "healer" later... but for now, there were much more pressing matters at hand. She needed to call for Niles, before she lost her nerve.

She steeled her nerves before lifting her muzzle to the sky and howling his name.

All this time since being tugged along from the reaches of Wild Rye Fields, Niles had been worried. He had grown quiet again - perhaps too quiet - and only spoke if @Castel, @Sahalie or @Kino engaged him in conversation (regarding the older, gruff-looking @Larkspur, however, Niles chose to shy away). For the first few days away from the pack, Niles partially doubled back on their trail, if only to look longingly in the direction they had come from before returning to Castel's side in the morning. Though, as they had gotten further and further away, he had to abandon the practice and think up other things to do when he struck out on his own. Some of the time, he hunted; and, apart from that, he wandered. Often, he trailed after Castel, saw that she was all right, but mostly he kept to himself... missing the sounds of his willow trees and pining for the security of home.

Eventually, Niles broke away from the little group of friends altogether, trailing their muddied highways by no more than a few hours behind. He had noticed the changes in the season, most notably in his and Kino's female companions and, in the end, it had been too much to handle. Too much too process, too much to comprehend, and way too dizzying and disorienting to even act upon instinctually. In Niles' mind, his father had miscalculated many things when it had come to "the talk" and the whole of March had left him feeling disconnected overall. Maybe there really was a hopper in his chest and it chased the butterfly that lived in there, too, all up and down his torso and abdomen. Common sense would dictate otherwise though, and he took to eating frozen grass as a means of distraction (and, maybe, making a nice cozy nest for the fluttery-winged bug and energetic frog that lived near his stomach).

He had been quietly patrolling an area where the ragtag band had thought to make their claim when her call came up. His eyes peered through the falling curtains of snow as if she would magically appear there. He slowly turned around, ears perked and tail bristled. They hadn't spoken in quite a while, not in the heart-to-heart way as they had in the months before when they had first met, and now was a chance to make that reconnection. All he needed was that spark.

Lumbering through the copse with his head ducked down to weather the acorn-sized flakes, he walked for some time before offering a bark of his own. It no longer squeaked as it might have in his adolescence, but instead it merely rasped in his throat from neglect. I'm  here, he offered, as if he had been purposefully standing nearby (in all truth, he had, but traveling had gotten him comfortable in leaving her on her own for days rather than hours).

(This post was last modified: Apr 18, 2017, 07:59 PM by Niles.)

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

you took this heart and set it free

The rasping noise that came out of the large boy's throat caused a twinge of pain to well up in her chest. He must not have been speaking again, and that was mostly her fault. She couldn't really help it, as she had been very sick and had no energy left to spare, but still. Guilt crossed her expression for a moment or two before she pushed it away, overjoyed to see him. She wagged her tail happily and gave a little hop in place. Then she padded up closer, hoping the limp in her step wasn't too noticeable, and intending on letting him have his space, but found that it wasn't so easy. The tiny wolf bounced up near him the first chance she got and gave his muzzle a few quick licks, winding her way under his chin to brush her flank against his chest. She did step away after that, not knowing if he was comfortable with much physical touch after so long apart. Her entire body gave a little wiggle of joy as she turned to size him up.

"You look good," she approved, finding nothing too physically off about him. He seemed pretty much as healthy as ever. Cas relaxed, tail thumping at an easy beat behind her. "I really missed you. I'm sorry for not being around, but..." The words rested on the tip of her tongue - she wanted to tell him so badly, but for some reason... she couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead, she went for a more sugarcoated version of a half-truth. "I got pretty sick heading down here. Didn't want to expose you to it. But I saw Draven last night, and I feel better now!"

The girl dropped down into a play bow to prove her point, forelegs flush to the snow and tail arced over her back, waving like a banner. "Are you okay? Did you miss me? Did you have fun on the trip?" she questioned, not really knowing if he'd respond - if he would even be able to respond. His poor, poor, raspy little voice had just about broken her heart. But Castel was used to talking for the both of them, so if he couldn't reply, then she would just come up with another topic for herself to discuss. Or, perhaps, they could explore some of the territory. She didn't feel on the verge of collapse anymore, though she was still limping... just a bit.

For a time, there was nothing but silence but, then, there she was... She wagged her tail at him where he stood still before her. His posture and stance barely changed as she approached, as tall as he was, his neck and shoulders sagged and his tail remained limp at his heels. It made for a perfect spot for her to lap at his muzzle and worm her way closer to him. He gave a small chuff, a possible telltale sign of relief. As she stepped away, though, his gray eyes watched her prance about. It wasn't as energetic as before, but her little wiggle told him she was fine all the same.

Castel's eyes raked over him; and, all too suddenly, he felt vulnerable. She approved of his condition, though, finding nothing off about him at all (perhaps, he thought, the grass and frozen scraps he found were enough to keep him going until the weather grew warmer). Mmm, he hummed at her when she apologized. He had missed her, too, and he hoped she understood that when he whimpered a bit louder before she continued.

What came next, however, was something he thought he should have known. She told him that she had been sick and that, when he had fully gotten used to being without her for days at a time, she had visited with Draven. "I feel better now!" she had said, but Niles wasn't about to ready to meet her play bow or even lift his tail just yet. As was characteristic of her, she fired off a few questions to engage him... if he was okay (his stomach hurt a little, but he wasn't hungry or hurt), if he had missed her (oh, but of course he had), if he had fun (well, if constantly roving back and forth from their little band and back to their previous 'camp site' could be considered fun, then he supposed it was a little bit fun)...

In reply, the Lyall merely stepped forward and pressed his forehead to hers, poking his tongue out against her cheek and folding his ears back. He loomed over her as his jaw quivered, unable to find the words he wanted to say. He whined, I was so worried, and he sniffed back the mewl building in his throat. I'm afraid...

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

you took this heart and set it free

He met each of her verbal inquiries in his own nonverbal way, but Cas found that she didn't have too much trouble understanding him, anyway. The only problem was that he didn't seem very happy, and that was highly disconcerting for the tiny wolf. She knitted her brows together and flattened her ears a bit with worry at his soft whines and hums, finding that she desperately wanted to hear him verbally reassure her that he was fine.

Then he approached her and pressed his forehead to hers. She almost closed her eyes at the contact, but instead kept them open so that she could admire his silver ones. His tongue touched her cheek, his ears folded back, and he whined his worry to her. She nosed his quivering jaw imploringly, a soft whimper of her own escaping before she could stop it. She was just overwhelmed with this overwhelming urge to fix whatever it was that was bothering him.

Her own throat felt tight with the emotions that he was expressing, and she had to clear it before she could respond. "Why are you so scared?" she voiced aloud; the boy's fear was palpable this close - she could feel it like it were her own. She, herself, had been so excited to get down there and form this pack that she hadn't even stopped to consider how Niles felt about it. She knew that she should probably say more, but she couldn't find any words, and instead buried her face into the dark fur near his shoulder.

"Will you talk to me? Please?" she asked, desiring nothing but his voice and presence after so long apart.

What was probably the best thing about Castel was that she did understand, maybe even more than his sisters did once upon a time. She easily picked up on his uneasiness. She pleaded, "Will you talk to me? Please?" It brought his eyes to hers, even as he trembled. He slowly sat before her, hunched over so that he could nuzzle his face into her auburn shoulder.

If he tried to raise his voice, he was sure it would break. So he whispered, his words merely formed from breaths of air and the movement of his tongue and lips, "Why are we here? What's wrong with these trees?" He swallowed, inhaling a jagged breath and letting the winter air sting his lungs, "They stand so tall. There's nowhere to hide..."

He wanted to go home, but he knew better than to utter such a stupid thing when he was aware that he couldn't. "Who are they?" He drew away from her with a small whine; he had trusted his gut when he followed Castel into the northern lands. Now, he couldn't be sure just what sort of deal he had gotten himself into. "How far are they going to take us?"

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

you took this heart and set it free

Confusion muddled the girl's response, and she simply stood there, allowing him to whisper his worries and concerns into her fur. Her throat tightened a bit and she closed her eyes, leaning her head over to lick his ear comfortingly as he spoke. Fear gripped her chest for a moment - would Niles wanna stay with them? Was he planning on leaving her? - and she gave a soft whine of her own before he finished talking.

It took a second, but the little wolf eventually decided on which issue to tackle first. "The trees are really tall," she commented, tipping her head back to look at the impossibly high tree branches. Cas, herself, liked open areas like this, so she was fine with it, but it hadn't occurred to her that Niles had the opposite problem until now. "There's nothing wrong with them, though." She turned her gaze back to meet his, a smile breaking out on her lips. "You wanna know what's cool about it? You don't need to hide. You're big, and strong, and you can kick anything's ass. Or," she went on with a smirk, "I'll protect you. So, really, there's no need to be afraid."

She dropped back down into another play bow, her tail waving in encouragement. "Because, of course, I am the biggest badass in all of the Lore. If anything wants to get you, then it'll have to get through me!" she professed proudly, straightening up to walk over toward him again.

She stopped before she reached him fully, tipping her head to the side. "These wolves - Sahalie and Alastor - are good. They're friends," she explained, voice much softer now. "They're not taking us any further than here, okay? This is part of our home now." Cas' voice trailed off a bit, and she glanced at her paws. "If, uh... if you want to stay with us - with me, of course..."

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

If Niles could count on Castel for anything, it was for the fact that she always had answers. The trees were tall - there was nothing wrong with that... Really, he ought to have considered his own size in comparison to hers in regards to something like that. If wolves were small and tall, so were trees. "You wanna know what's cool about it?" she teased at the small whim of curiosity that awoke from the sound of her voice. His head tilted to one side as she explained that he didn't need to hide, that he was big and strong and could kick anything's ass. A puff of air sputtered between his lips in disbelief before she said the word 'or' but she went on to assure him that she would protect him. Most importantly, she said that there was no reason to be afraid.

Down into a play bow she went and Niles simply hovered there, muzzle dipped downward and shoulders droopy. His tail gave a wag, though the amusement did not fully appear until she told him that she was the biggest badass in all of the Lore. A hum left him in something that sounded like neutralized disappointment. She could have told him that she could turn the sky green if he asked her to and he would have believed her. After all, the only true badass he had ever known was his mother. His sisters Ravenna and Morganna ranked pretty high up there, but the more Castel sparked and glowed, the more he knew that she was truly something else.

His own head straightened when hers canted to one side. He fixated his eyes on her small paws, looking from his own to hers and comparing them while she told him that Sahalie and Alastor were good and that they were really her friends. As if to hearten him further, she additionally disclosed that they were not going to be traveling anymore and that they were almost home. This section of the woods was merely just a part of it.

Castel's eyes drifted down to the ground and he caught the tip of her nose from the corner of his eye. He studied her for a moment, wondering now what she questioned in regards to emphasizing the possibility of him staying with her.

"Of course I'll stay," he whispered, his throat straining as he cleared it again. He would have actually spoken the words "Why wouldn't I?" but chose not to. Instead, he reached out to her and bumped his nose to hers, placing a small kiss on the side of her cheek. He closed his eyes and all but inhaled her... her fur, her scent, her warmth... She was the only reason he had come this far; he would be damned if he left her now.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" his eyebrows came up and his ears came back, a plea painting every feature on his dark face. Stay just a while with me instead of going back... to them...

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Sorry this took so long! @Niles I just wanted to make it squishy and feely enough.

Her heart swelled in her chest when he touched noses with her and kissed her cheek. She wasn't sure how it was possible to love someone so much when you had never intended to fall in love in the first place. And yet, here she was, filled with so much affection and longing and pure, unadulterated love that she just wasn't sure what to do with it all. So she just stood there, pressed into him, and closed her eyes. If there was one thing she would never forget about her short life, it would be Niles, with his beautiful silver eyes, and his stuttered way of speech, and his gentleness in spite of his size, and his scent, his feel, the sound of his voice. Nothing about any individual trait sounded very important, if you just listed them that way, but she adored each one of them, all because together, they made him.

I love you just didn't feel like enough.

Niles had brought a joy into her life that she never even dreamed was possible. She'd never known that she needed him so desperately until she'd stumbled across him, by chance, in that blackberry field back in winter. But now she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she needed him with her, always. So, when he told her he'd stay, it felt like the tall, tall trees in these shadowed woods were really and truly home.

She just didn't know how to convey what she was feeling into words.

So, to begin, she pressed herself close to his chest and brushed her nose along his jaw before dropping a few soft, sweet kisses to his muzzle. Then, she took a deep breath of his scent and memorized every little detail of it, filling herself with him for just a moment or two. "That's good, because I need you, Niles," she whispered, pushing her face into his chest and muffling her words. "I want you to be happy, and I know it's selfish, but I'd rather have you here, with me." For a moment, I love you lingered on her tongue, but she didn't want to say it for some reason. "I need you," she murmured again, instead, hoping to convey more with just that.

Then he asked if she'd stay, and Cas took a step back before responding to this one. She sought out his silver eyes with her blue, wanting him to understand the gravity of what she was about to say. "I will stay with you, every night, for the rest of my life," she breathed truthfully, her throat too tight to raise her voice any louder. She swallowed a bit, still making eye contact with him. "Would you like that, Niles?" The question was asked with baited breath, her heart hammering in her chest as she waited for him to reply.