Umbra Copse aura of sacrifice

RE: Strong winds are whipping up leaves into small colourful whirlwinds.

October 17th; Mid-afternoon; along the borders of the Vale; Overcast Clouds; 55.4 ° F, 13 ° C.

Larkspur and Laurel were still missing. It was nerve-wracking, almost as if Angier and Isolde had gone missing again. However, only this time Niles could only hope that he would not turn onto some path and find their bodies cold and lifeless on the ground. If he knew Larkspur, assume as much as he could about the 'old' man, Niles was certain that the brute could manage on his own. As for Laurel, he sorely wanted to believe that maybe Larkspur had dragged the cub along with him, despite the row he thought he heard between them some odd days (weeks now?) ago.

Today, as he let his paws follow along the paths of his pack mates, the Lyall slowly came to realize that both Ritters' scents were faint if non-existent - as though they had not been in the area for quite some time. Along the western borders, he had to stop to think. Kino had been 'missing' a long while ago, though his brother Draven still remained. There was another male about, but Niles had not had the time to socialize with anyone as of late - not when Castel had had that recent ache-filled day. His time had been purely devoted to keeping a zealous eye on her and this had been the first time in what seemed like ages when he was off on his own.

The autumn winds briefly whipped past him, kicking up the leaves that had already fallen from the aspen trees. In-between a couple of roots, a little whirlwind of yellow and faded green lived but for the briefest of moments before the gust died. Niles watched with a wistful gaze. If Larkspur did not come back, then there was only one thing left for him to do: step up and attempt to remember what advice his father had once given him so many months ago. The Quaking Vale didn't need another Leader, with Castel doing such a great job, but it would need him to help keep the peace amongst the rest of the males in the hierarchy, most especially with winter on the way.

(This post was last modified: Oct 17, 2017, 09:42 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!

nabs threads for old times sake

It wasn't a mistake, nor accident her paws had carried her this far. But, she did not understand her desire. She wasn't a snoop, and it wasn't like the Bend needed to fear this pack. She supposed she was curious of what kind of pack Sahalie had created. If she was happy here instead of the Bend, and why that might be. Maybe, just maybe it could help her. Lila needed reason and logic. If she could find it here it could possibly give her that extra umph to seek her eldest sister out.

She was optimistic, starting with Tikhon's old trail from the falls. It would be a piece of mouse to follow. She'd bet he had come straight from the Vale.

It was a lot easier in her mind. Despite her knowledge of the Copse, their scents evaded her. She'd already spent a great part of her morning just to get down here. An annoyed sigh slipped from her lip. As the sun raised higher his scent kept fading. A faint scowl etched across her dark face, and she circled back over again. Then three more times. She'd probably just missed something, not that she'd admit that.

Then she noticed these trees. There were not one, but several. They were quite unusual. These white, spotted things with golden leaves. She stood in a silent awe when the wind rose up, lifting fallen leaves. It wasn't where her eyes followed, she saw another dark shadow.

"Hal?"

(This post was last modified: Oct 18, 2017, 04:04 AM by Lila.)

Niles' gaze had just flit upwards when he heard a voice on the wind. "Hal?" Just out of his view, another sable-furred wolf had appeared and his eyes immediately went to the patch of black between the yellow, white, desaturated greens, and browns that made up Umbra Copse. She had sounded young, but upon first glance, her sizable build said otherwise. Niles knew better by now to not assume much from anyone.

In response, he merely shook his head, standing now before the youth as if straightening up might have told her by sight alone that he was not "Hal" - which he was so sure meant Sahalie. It would seem that Castel was not the only one who used the shortened nickname for her. He gave her a heavy sigh and a rather rueful gaze. As much as he wanted to talk to the rogue girl, his mind protested against it. If he was to be one of the Vale's high-ranking individuals, he was going to guard it - and its secrets - by any means.

One tall ear swiveled to one side as he internally crumbled. If she had known Sahalie by her nickname, perhaps he ought to open up to her. Just a little... After all, it wasn't as if the contact involved required him to operate on a level in which he did with Castel - open heart, fully-formed words and all. His tail gave a low wag and he ultimately offered a soft woof in greeting.

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!

The stranger finally looked her way, and she came to a realization. "No, of course you're not," she replied, chiding herself. There was grey around his lips clear to his cheeks, and he was not short in stature in the least. Where Sahalie had a coat of earth tones, his was about as black as her own. Why on earth had she allowed herself to believe?

A rough huff fell from her nose as she recollected herself, straightening  her figure. Quite painfully he said nothing in turn, though he didn't simply walk off. What embarrassment she had felt began to dissipate. She could not just stand here even if he seemed uncertain to waste his time on her.

Since she was here, and she had to quench her own thirst she would divulge information then. "I'm Lila from the Bend. My mother told me Hal has a pack here. I wanted to see as I hope she's well." They'd never been close, but she'd always liked the Tainn. She really did hope she was all right. It seemed like ages ago when Aponi had claimed the role of leader, and the Bend had cut in half. But, there was a lot the guardian in training did not say. All the things she really wanted to know.

Niles remained quiet as the girl spoke to herself, not wanting to embarrass her further or intimidate her. He gave his tail another wave and another when she introduced herself. For now, it was all for show - his display of diplomacy at its best. The expression of interest turned genuine though as he considered that he had never heard of the Bend or wherever else Sahalie had made friends or alliances. All he had known about the Vale and its inner workings had all been filtered through Castel and her comings and goings about the territory. Perhaps it was time that he established these sort of ties for himself.

"Nice to meet you," he extended, his voice gravelly as though he had just woken up from a very long nap. For good measure, in case his voice decided to crack in mid-sentence (which rarely happened these days now that he thought of it), he cleared his throat. It didn't do much for his tone, but it did make his words a little more understandable than before. All around them the wind whistled on, the thickness of the Copse cutting off most of the strong gusts as they ripped through the eastern edges of the Lore and beyond.

"I'm Niles." He did his best to appear friendly; his tail came up in a more jovial wag and his ears relaxed enough to make his face and posture seem 'inviting.' "Sahalie's still here," he assured her. "She's jus' been busy. I can tell 'er ya came by if ya want?"

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!

She was a bit surprised he hadn't mocked in her some manner. But, she didn't exactly have a wide experience with boys. Maybe, he wasn't a boy per say. Maybe, they were closer in age than she thought. Whatever it was, it was nice to see some friendliness, instead of being brushed off. What had changed his mind?

A single ear turned back at the roughness of his voice just because she hadn't been ready for it. She managed to smile, evidently pleased. It was going better than she had expected. Even with the harsh voice of the wind attempting to reach them. A promise of a storm.

Niles. Hmm, she placed it to mind thinking she'd keep it there. Knowing the Tainn still remained, her dark tail beat through the air. "Good." She didn't think Sahalie needed any more problems. Though she hadn't returned to the Bend, she'd wager the east meant something to her. She assumed they were allies after all, as Aponi hadn't spoken ill of her.

It was evident she wouldn't get to see her personally."That'd be great....thanks." She doubted it would mean much. It was nice of him to offer. But, without seeing her herself she didn't have what she really wanted. She hated to to leave now with so little.

A foreleg lifted, and she went to turn. Instead she stopped, her ears twisted back, and it was obvious she was thinking over her next words. "Maybe, you could answer something for me?" She realized they were strangers, and hope she made it clear he didn't have to. She had no idea what she might be provoking.

"What made you leave home?" That was too personal. "I just...is  it something that happens when you get older? You want to leave. You want something of your own?" Would she want that? She'd already said too much, and gave a shake of her head, a quiet huff, ready to disappear into her woods.

(This post was last modified: Nov 29, 2017, 05:31 PM by Lila.)