Wild Rye Fields You’ve Married an Icarus

For @Jessie only <|3
Evening twilight, heavy snow

The icy wind had picked up, tearing at the shaggy, greyed fur of the lone wolf, struggling against it. The snow showed no sign of letting up either, falling thickly enough to obscure the view just a few steps ahead. Still he struggled on through the high drifts, moving slowly, more a stagger than a walk. He had no idea how many days he had journeyed, having to pause at every shelter he found, to rest his injured leg. The pain was now bordering on the unbearable, pounding with every beat of his pulse, his shoulder and upper leg swollen and stiff. But he had no patience to let it rest, he needed to get home! Darkness was falling, turning the grey world indigo around him, the large snowflakes blurs of dark motion before his eyes. But he limped on, dragging his leg along like a dead weight, his teeth chattering in the cold; I have to make it, I have to! It couldn’t be far now, he was sure of it, having crossed through the palisade and rounded the last mountain outrunners a while back. His mind was starting to get fuzzy, breaths heaving and labored, but that only made him more determined, he knew he couldn’t afford to stop and rest. What a fool he had been, forcing himself out on this trip before his leg was well enough, while the cold was still raging, not the least sign of spring in the air. But it had seemed so important - it WAS important! - and he didn’t regret it, not really. Finally, he thought he noticed the trees growing lower and denser around him, lofty timbers changing into the stumpy woods at the outskirts of the lowlands. Pushing himself a little harder, he hoppled on, breathing through his nose to try and catch scent of his own border. Is that it? It was hard to tell in the whipping winds and scent-dampening snow. But his vision was starting to go blurry, and his head felt uncomfortably light; It has to be! With no strength left to raise his head, Drestig simply let out the howl straight into the storm, pushing every bit of force he could into the worn voice, hoping it was enough to let it reach her ears. And then the call died into a pained whine, as his legs gave way beneath him and he collapsed into the snow, pain and darkness threatening to swallow him up. Word Count: 413 Thoughts ”Speech”

dawnthieves.de

Having Jessie call Neko in here because I figure it would be the sensible thing, but whether you want her to join or not is up to y'all.

Despite the oncoming storm, the Rye Queen resumed her post outside the communal den. The cold only assisted in her attempt to remain awake, emerald eyes wide against the heavy snow. The night prior she had rested and it was not that she would remain awake until the early hours of the morning when she would set out on a patrol. There was no hope of her finding Drestig's scent now, it had long gone stale. She did not want to give up, could not, but with a pack and children to take care of she could keep up this act for so long. Deep lines from lack of sleep shaped under her eyes. It was why when a call from the border sounded, that she thought that perhaps, it was in her imagination. For only a moment. Something about that call jolted something from deep with Jessie. An old memory of a dark night coupled with a thunder storm, lightning, and a large crash. Shaken, the woman rose to her paws, her joints stiff from the erect position she arranged herself in. This was a different voice that called out to her tonight, one that she had been waiting for. Without any more hesitation, the monochrome woman raced towards the borders, teeth grit against the pain that shot through her limbs against the lack of use. Her destination was far more important than the journey in this case. When she arrived, it did not take long for her eyes to land on the fallen form of her mate. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. In the next, she was by his side, providing what warmth she could to his beaten body and glaring down at his form, her jaw clenched. Her words were desperate when she spoke, "Drestig...I'm right here. Open your eyes damnit!" Emerald eyes watched his form desperately, listening for anything. In a form of desperation, despite the late hour, Jessie lifted her head and let out a call for @Neko.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2018, 08:07 AM by Jessie.)

I'm planning to post a thread immediately after this one, for the rest of the pack. But I wanted them to have a moment alone first.

The cold embraced him like a welcome friend, the snow forming a soft cushion beneath his aching body. In the distance, the wind was still howling, but it seemed very far away, as darkness continued to close in, a starless night, lulling him to sleep. But then suddenly, there was a voice calling, one he had to answer. Blinking slowly, ember eyes zoned back in on the present, a world of swirling ash grey rather than black. And there, bending over him, he found her, a weak smile tugging at his lips as he met her emerald gaze. “Jessie…” He croaked, voice so low it could barely be heard over the wind. He wanted to reach for her, but just lifting his head a few inches above the snow took immense effort and he had to give up, dropping it back to its icy pillow. Despite her protection against the wind, he still felt frozen to the very bone, too cold even for her added body heat to warm up. At least the starting numbness in his limbs made the pain more bearable. But it also made him more unfocused, eye drifting from his mate’s as he face grew blurry before him. He blinked again, head veering feebly in the snow. He wanted to see her, needed to see her. Beautiful and strong as ever, there for him to the end; I can’t do this to her..! Water was pooling in his eyes, from the thought as well as the cold. He wanted to be strong for her too, to keep his promises. But as a shiver ran through his body, he was starting to fear that he couldn’t. Looking up at her, almost desperately, he tried to clear his vision, tried to must what strength there surely must be left in him somewhere, for her if for nothing else. But all he managed to do was mouth a few words: “I’m sorry.” Word Count: 323 Thoughts ”Speech”

dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2018, 09:06 PM by Drestig.)

Listening to their playlist. </3

Something must have gone terribly wrong with the world because why would two of her loves be taken from her. There was definitely something wrong with that because that did not just happen. Jessie felt an icy hand wrap around her heart and it had nothing to do with the weather. Her eyes felt misty and nothing would relieve them, not even Drestig's weak attempt at a smile. Her name was a soft whisper on the wind off his lips, something she would not have heard if she had not been waiting for it. Emerald eyes shut tight and opened quickly, offering him the brightest smile she could, teeth clenched tightly to prevent a sob from escaping her lips. The strong, prospective man she had first met in Oak Tree Bend was a far cry from the one in front of her now, but he was no less in her eyes. No...in fact, he was so much more now, and that was why this probably hurt so badly, because there was only one thing that all of these signs could point to. She had seen it before in another man, only his spine had been crushed. Her lips trembled and for a moment she wanted to scream. You can't leave me here! You promised. This was for us!! But that wouldn't be fair. Instead, she drew closer and confirmed what she already had, "Yeah, Dres. I'm right here. You're home." A playful grin crossed her lips, her eyes twinkling, in sadness and happiness to see him, "it took ya long enough." She winked. And then something shifted in him, she frowned. The Rye Queen's eyebrows creased, biting her tongue to refrain from any form of interrogation. He looked lost and she depserately wanted to reach out to him, for him to find his way back to her. They had already established that she would have been lost without him and vice versa. The urge to scream resurfaced, if only to get his attention back on her. But then he apologized and she was confused. Immediately, she shook her head, the word falling from her mouth like a death blow, "No." Eyes grew colder, determined. Lowering her head, she spoke, calmly, "Look at me. You don't get to apologize. You are...everything...I could want and more. And you always come home." Her eyes widened, trying to express what she couldn't say with her eyes because really Drestig meant the world to her. She loved him and trusted him more than she trusted anyone else she had ever met in her life. He was the true meaning of an equal to her. And, "I love you so much." She pressed her nose against his cheek, her heart beat frantic against her chest. Please stay with me.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

He could hear his own heartbeat, unusually loud in his ears; thud-thud, seeming to slow down even with every beat. He could feel her next to him, but her body heat only seemed to brush his coat, unable to penetrate the ice that was slowly gripping his body. He was fighting desperately, clawing against that cold with every fiber of his exhausted spirit, determined to keep his promises. Beside him, she huddled closer, trying her best to block the howling winds; Not that it mattered much, but he appreciated the attempt all the same. Just her presence was enough to soothe him, even as another long shiver ran through him, his entire right side now numb beneath his weight. The smile on her face was all he could ask for, the whole reason he had fought so much to get back home. Just to see her, one last time. He tried to laugh at her words, but only managed a few, airy barks before it morphed into a cough, tearing up his chest. It seemed more an more clear that he was not making it out of this. Jessie was seeing it too, her voice growing more serious, desperation hiding right below the calm notes. He wasn’t fooled, but he played along, glassy eyes meeting her piercing emeralds as she spoke, a faint smile once again curving his lips. How had he gotten so lucky? After everything that had happened to him, all he had done, she was here beside him. Even as he was about to forsake his greatest vow and abandon her for good,  she was speaking of his loyalty. Breathing raggedly, he leaned into her caress, pressing his own snout to the corner of her eye, still struggling to speak, but trusting she understood his meaning; I love you too, so, SO much! His eyes closed as he took another deep, shaky breath, still fighting even though he knew it was a losing battle. He wasn’t ready yet, he’d made it this far and there still things that needed saying, things she didn’t know; “I… I had to… had to do it,” He wheezed, pulling back to look up at her again, struggling to keep his thoughts straight; “Had to go… See them.” He gasped for breath, the very act of speaking exhausting him. But she had to know, had to understand his reasons; “Percy.” That was all he could manage before a new fit of coughing shook him, forcing him to lie his head back against the snow, eyes closing as he fought for breath; Not yet! She needs to know..! Word Count: 435 Thoughts ”Speech”

dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2018, 08:32 PM by Kyrios.)

He was slipping away from her and there was nothing she could do about it. Every ragged breath and cough was like another stab to her heart. Despite all the hardships Drestig had been through, he was not getting out of this one. Despite the warmth that spread through her chest at hearing him laugh it took all the restraint she had to refrain from wincing as more coughs racked his muscular frame. The cold and fear of the situation stung her eyes and Jessie could only watch as the Avalon fell apart in front of her eyes. This was no laughing matter and soon there would be no smile gracing the pepper-and-salt colored woman's lips. Emerald eyes shut tight against Drestig's touch, wanting to memorize and hold it close to her heart for the rest of her life. The monochrome woman inhaled his scent before he pulled away, seemingly exhausted from the effort of reaching her. As soon as he shut his eyes, however, Jessie feared she would never get to see them again. Tongue pressed hard against the back of her teeth, desperate for something to say and  wanting just one more moment as each second passed because no time was enough for what remained unspoken between them. The only indication that she was angry was the slight tightening of her jaw. Of course, she knew who he was referring to when he said them. Adelayde had been quick to report to her that Drestig's scent had faded around Shallows Edge, which could only have meant that the aging men had visited their former subordinates. And now I'm going to have to go see them... Emerald eyes roamed over her mate's frail body, teeth grinding together before their daughter's name caught her ears. Jessie inhaled sharply, the cold winter air piercing her lungs, but she didn't care. Eyebrows furrowed as she leaned forward, voice insistent, "What about Percy, Dres? What about her?" Grey ears perked forward in curiosity.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de