Sacred Grove we won't wander alone

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Barely had he asked his question when Indru answered it for him, sneaking up on them like some hungry cat. It took him a moment to register the answer and the implications, and when it finally settled like sand in water, it felt like someone was spinning his head around. This .. thing .. was Triell's litter-sister? Indru's little sister? A Tainn? And here he was, having thought all of them were gallant and polite! It looked like there were some rogue genes even in their large family, and it took a lot of willpower to smother the grin. Somewhat amazed, the Guardian stood where he was, unsure of what to do now. Indru had arrived and taken care of them, though he still didn't like the female... nor the way she brushed against the other male as she apologized to him. Well, at least someone had tried to teach her manners, and he had to give her a nod for that. "Apology accepted," he said tersely, though his eyes were still unconvinced. This was family business though, and a wolf of her age - Triell's age, and suddenly he seemed so much more mature - was hardly easy to hammer manners into. He'd let Indru handle his sister on his own, or would've, had not Corinna showed up as well. It suddenly felt hot and tense, as if someone had thrown a burning stick into their midst. Corinna was literally crackling with.. anger, he guessed, and once again he was very glad to be on her good side. Curiously he peered at her, surprised at how differently the leader pair regarded this Borlla. For the moment, Ice was content to ignore Bardou, but as he locked his gaze on the renegade Tainn again his eyes narrowed. If this came down to a fight between Indru and Corinna, he knew who he would support, simply because he was more inclined to share her opinion of this loudmouthed, disrespectful stranger. Still, being the generally easygoing wolf he was, he hoped it would be settled without blows and relationship crises. He wasn't certain he could handle it again, and with the pups... This would not be a good time for the pack to split. Worried, he looked to Indru, trying to gauge his reaction to his mate's outburst. What would he choose - his sister, or to keep the peace with the woman of his heart? .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Sorry for the long post and the wait. ): Indru is so very conflicted, especially with Kinis, it was hard to know what to write. <3

As an apology tumbled from Borlla's mouth Indru blinked in surprise, perhaps she had grown up a little in her absence, but none the less his unimpressed expression didn't shift. He was more than pleased to see her safe and unharmed, she'd be silly and he'd be hurt if she questioned that, but whether she had family here or not she was not pack currently and would have to learn to treat those that were respectfully. As Indru suspected he might, Ice accepted the apology, and his fur settled as his slightly risen hackles dropped, pleased that she had been put in her place.

His careful eyes watched his sister with curiosity, even on his arrival she had acted much different than he was used to—respectful even, and for Borlla that had to be a first. However as the male, and then Borlla herself, introduced the stranger the leader's fiery eyes switched rapidly to the silver male and before he had time to respond (not that he was sure what that would have been) Corinna's scent struck his nose and she arrived not long after. The tension in the air suddenly sky rocketed and on instinct Indru's fur rose again, the rage from Corinna was undeniable in her body language and her scent but if that wasn't enough her words made certain that it was clear. At Corinna's arrival Borlla had shrunk and he knew it would take a strength such as one Cori possessed to get his sister to submit the way she had, and Indru continued to watch them in silence as the tension rolled over him in waves.

If it wasn't clear before what Borlla had sought (as Indru didn't much think she'd come just to dangle Bardou in front of his nose) he was certain then by the stutter and insecurity in her words—she wanted to come home. The oldest Tainn's posture stiffened in his dilemma, as torn as he was. To refuse Borlla was the equivalent of Cori rejecting one of her children who had a bad attitude and a rebellious streak and it wasn't something he could see her doing. Yet, he knew too that her predicament was her own doing—too many mistake and too little apologies. His jaw tightened in his confusion, he felt torn both ways, Borlla was only a sister by blood but she was much more than that really. Indru had spent too long being a father to those three cubs, Borlla and Triell in particular, for them to remain only siblings to him. Cori... He hushed, as soft as a whisper, not really sure what wanted by saying her name either, his voice was pained and he hadn't felt this conflicted in a long time, especially with Kinis so recently missing, how could he let another one go? If something was to happen to Borlla he could never forgive himself.

Quickly Indru's eyes flashed to Borlla and the message in them was clear—if she wanted this, if she wanted to come home and be with her family she'd have to prove it. If it required her to swallow her pride and completely submit she would have to do it. There was a desperation in his eyes as he watched her and willed his sister to do the right thing and offer Cori her complete fealty.

(This post was last modified: Apr 24, 2012, 09:10 PM by Indru.)

Gone Tomorrow

Her arrival had caused an immediate effect, one that affected every single wolf in the gathering. Corinna's appearance should have been expected, but perhaps her rage had not. Which was ridiculous, considering just had much history had accumulated between the two females. More so than any of Indru's siblings, or himself, Borlla had felt the need to wander off, to adventure into the world. And each time she returned, there had been plenty of strife between the two of them. She had barely gotten to know Corinna's first litter, and the expression on her face made clear that she did not want the creme female anywhere near her second.

As expected, Indru spoke up, though barely. He did not come to the immediate defense of his sister, who hadn't managed to say anything at all. A small smirk of satisfaction had eased itself onto her muzzle - it was about time that Borlla was knocked down from the high perch she had placed herself upon, even if the landing was hard. Green eyes looked to Indru, staring at him for a full minute, fur along her back still bristling. "Did you not teach her what it means to be loyal?" Her voice was a low hiss, and her gaze shot back to Borlla, grilling the younger girl in her stare. "Some things in life are consistent. Your sister's inability to stick around for more than a month or two is one of them. We're family when it is convenient, Indru, nothing more." Shaking her head, Cori turned her head away from the pair in mistrust, breathing in deeply in an attempt to calm herself some. "She's an adult now, Indru. And I am tired with having loyalty to this pack thrown into the River as if it wasn't worth anything." Her voice had leveled out some, but the conviction in her voice had not died at all. She would be resolute on this matter. Corinna would sleep fine that night, even if the youngest Tainn sibling was turned away at the borders. But staring at Indru, she knew full well that he wouldn't let his baby sister go.

<blockquote> Over the last year, humility was something the grey wolf had learned well. The drama with his brother and the woman he had set his heart on no longer cut him as it had at first, and the pale lady at his side had played a big part in that. To see her under such familiar scrutiny twisted his gut, and the knowledge there was very little he could do to ease the situation only made the quickly building pain worse. He felt like he was going to be sick.

It would seem the wolf they remembered was very different to the girl he had grown to know over the last three months, it was up to her to show that now. As submissive as he could appear without rolling on his back, all he could do was wait, and hope that Borlla could begin to prove to them that she was here for the right reasons, and not simply because they were selfish and starving. They managed ok as far as hunting, even with his gammy leg. He would never feel the comfortable embrace of his true family again, but he was happy to make one wherever she was, after all, friends were the family you chose...

His heart lifted a little at the tone of the fiery eyed male, but quickly sunk at the hiss of his mate. He never expected this to be easy, but he wasn’t much of a talker and was completely lost for words at this stage. He liked to think on his words lest he say something foolish. Obviously not a problem for the others gathered and he worried they may think him stupid as well as lame. That wouldn’t be very conductive. Wincing a little at the thought of interjecting on an argument between couples he was well aware it may result in a swift bite to the face (or throat) however if things continued the way they were, they could be here all day with neither party willing to back down.

<b>”If I may interject lady... What would it take for you to reconsider? I have known Borlla yet three short months and I am yet to see her display any disloyalty or bring dishonour on herself... I understand I am but an outsider and there is no reason for you to believe my words...”</b> for they had left Stone Shelf on amicable terms, rather than stealing away like thieves in the night. He still braced himself. He just couldn’t bring himself, with his luck to be able to see this ending well.</blockquote>

It seemed to be a thing between mates now. Borlla wasn't sure what to do, or say. Any courage that she'd mustered up just a few moments ago, had been dashed. It was gone. Because Corinna was right. Borlla looked down at her paws, wanting nothing more than to lean into Bardou and disappear. She hated feeling like this. Every inch of her screamed to fight back, but her brain, and even her heart spoke the truth. All she could do was sit here and take it. Because Corinna was right. She wasn't loyal. She'd left not once, but twice. Even before then, she'd never given Corinna a reason to like her. There was no conceivable way to fix things in the state they were now. Who knew if it was even possible to fix them at all.

But she'd been given to chance to explain herself. Bardou seemed to be speaking now, and Borlla seemed to visibly cringe. The sentiment was kind, but if his words weren't taken as he intended...She just didn't want to see him hurt. Her bright eyes shifted quickly towards him, panic glowing in them, before shifting towards Indru and Corinna. When he was done, her ears flicked back, and she let out a long sigh, wishing to get her own words in perhaps before they were given a chance to lash out at Bardou. <b style="color:#32527a">"I-I came back because I wanted to fix things...I've done nothing but wrong, and I accept that. So, just once," she swallowed, a thick scowl upon her face as she held back the emotion building up behind her eyes. <b style="color:#32527a">"Just once, I want to do something right. But, Corinna, I will leave right now if that's what it takes to make this right. Even a little bit." Her eyes lifted, not meeting the leader's of course, but merely trying to show some sign of truthfulness without further angering the female or being threatening.

At this point, though, she didn't expect her words to have much effect. But she didn't want to be here if she was going to have laser's burnt into her soul at every pack meeting, and flinch at every scent of the pregnant female. It had been hell last time, and it certainly wouldn't be pleasant again. If Corinna was willing to give her a chance, though, she would be willing. Indru would just...have to deal. <b style="color:#32527a">"speech."

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The unfair accusation in Corinna's words caused the leaders hackles to rise in turn, and though his nose wrinkled and the tips of his teeth were shown he managed to restrain the growl that bubbled in his throat so that it barely rose to an audible volume. His fiery eyes, which normally only looked upon Cori with softness and affection, had hardened under the challenging stare she had placed on him, and as she broke her gaze from him his chin rose along with his tail in his annoyance. He was far from weak in their leadership.

He let his mate speak, as was her right and as he respected her, but he didn't agree with all the points she made. She's a adult now, he expressed, and surely Corinna would know the truth of his words—a yearling was an adult only in appearance and nothing else, was she prepared to call their children complete, true adults in a month? She has done wrong, she was rude and insolent and she left and came without apology. However, she is back now, and with an apology, and from what he could see, a different attitude too. Indru's family was always the thing he would have a soft spot for, it was instinctual for him to want to care and protect them, however even so it was clear that already he would not put up with Borlla's behaviour as he had before. If her fealty to them was accepted she would have one chance to be a true River wolf and that would be it, but the acceptance was not his to make. Both Borlla and Bardou's words had washed over him and Indru, lost in his thoughts, had no desire to reply knowing they were directed at Corinna anyway.

Turning from Corinna, Indru stepped towards Borlla once again, with intentions to test a theory. Bardou was forgotten for the moment as Indru's attention focused solely on Borlla and as he closed the distance towards his sister Indru's movements stiffened as he began to adopt a more dominant position: his tail tugged at his fur almost painfully it was held so upright, and the fur along his spine rose and only made him larger, his ears perked forwards and slowly a rumble of a growl started to echo from his chest. An old Borlla would have protested, most likely would run from him, but Indru wanted to see if she had changed. Was she old enough now to swallow her pride and accept him (and in turn, Cori) as a true superior, a dominant wolf, and show herself as submissive, or was she no different and would she turn and flee once more?

(This post was last modified: Apr 29, 2012, 11:59 PM by Indru.)

Her lungs screamed for air, although she was breathing just fine. She needed more air. There simply wasn't enough. But the girl kept a hold on herself, eyes flicking from Corinna to Indru, since he spoke up first. Though the words weren't aimed at her, and she dropped her eyes again until silence took over. It was odd. She was afraid. Terrified of rejection. She'd never felt this before. It was terrible. She couldn't move, could hardly breathe. And it just came down to the one single fact again. She'd done this to herself. All of her foolish decisions suddenly dumped at her paws in the one moment where she just wished they'd never been committed.

When Indru stepped towards her, she immediately shrank back. There was something in his movement that forced her knees to buckle, and her head tilted slightly. It hurt, being treated like this, but she made no protest, eyes dropping as she made an effort to be as small and insignificant as possible. The desire to disappear in Bardou's fur lingered again, but she didn't move, if only to shrink more. She felt broken, but if this was what they needed, then so be it. <b style="color:#32527a">"speech."

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Gone Tomorrow

Her words had clearly been heard, drawing not only a verbal, but a physical response from Indru. For once, she looked at him coldly, not at all unnerved by his more aggressive behavior. Having raised Borlla himself, she would have been surprised if he had not been offended by what she had said. Though, there was more than a little truth in her words. This had become a pattern, and Corinna had no desire to let it continue. And while she had said Borlla's name, a part of Cori had grouped Indru into the words as well. He had come and gone just as many times as his younger sister had, perhaps part of the reason he was more than willing to forgive. And while Indru had worked his way into the female leader's good graces, his younger sister had not.

Green eyes flicked away from Indru as she was spoken to by the male that had accompanied Borlla. She fixed him in her stare, clearly rejecting his protests even as he said them. What could Borlla do to make her reconsider? There wasn't anything. She didn't want her near Rihael, Fenru, and Kisla, not even a little bit. Any apology would fall upon deaf ears; simply too much trust had been broken in Corinna's spirit for her to be so willing to listen to an "I'm sorry" without questioning its sincerity. But before she could say so, Corinna's attention was grabbed by Borlla. She spoke up for herself, but the words only made Corinna's fur bristle. And as expected, convinced Indru. He came to her defense in a moment, and even before Indru had approached Borlla, the green-eyed female had turned away. Looking at Ice, presumably her only ally in the group, she tried to seek some comfort from him. He had been there, when their supposed "family" had departed in the middle of the night, without so much of an apology. Indru hadn't been there that night, there was no way he could appreciate the kind of pain that had struck Corinna and Ice, and the rest of the pack. Fruitlessly, Corinna shook her head, letting her gaze drop to the ground.

She didn't even bother to look at Borlla and see her response; it didn't even matter at this point. Lines had been drawn, and Corinna had come out on the losing side. Borlla was lucky. Had she come back to Swift River while Indru was gone, she would have been run off without much of an issue. Her brother had saved her, but forgiveness had not been granted. Turning around, Corinna nodded her head at Ice, her eyes reflecting the hurt she was currently feeling. She didn't look at Indru, Borlla, or Bardou again, and merely departed, heading back the way she had come. She didn't bother with a parting shot, because it wouldn't matter. So long as Borlla satisfied Indru's request, then she would be given a home; Corinna's opinion hadn't mattered to begin with. It was a simple as that.

{exit}

Marsh in~

<blockquote>He had heard the howl. With Relic Lore's traffic increasing, the sounds of wolfish communication filtered through the air almost every day, and most of them were of little interest to Marsh particularly, worth nothing more than a twitch of the ear and silent acknowledgement.

He had not been expecting this one. He very nearly treated it as dismissively as all the rest, save for its message. So, Borlla Tainn was back again, and Marsh had no reason to believe she would be bringing fresh imports of humility back with her. It was no secret that Corinna did not like her.

If Marsh had not already possessed the same opinion, that fact alone would have been enough to soil Borlla's name forever.

The summons had not been for him. Marsh's opinion would not sway whether or not the girl was allowed re-entry into Swift River, though he did not doubt that she would if Indru was the one to greet her. Indru placed a lot of value on family, and in cases like these, Marsh believed it to be a little shortsighted. There was no reason in trusting another just because they shared the same blood. Marsh Barrew may have been incapable of judging those with unquestioning devotion, but at least he gave it to wolves who didn't let others down time and time again.

In the end it was curiosity which drew him forwards, though he never intended on coming out into the open. It was not his place. He could smell Ice, Indru and Corinna as he approached, as well as the familiar trace of Borlla and a stranger she had brought with her. Another perfect stranger during Corinna's pregnancy? Were his nerves never going to be allowed to rest? The sound of voices trickled through to his ears, their content filtered into nothing but their owners. Indru, Borlla, the unknown male. Marsh came to a stop, watching the gathering from the forest, his eyes settling on his leadess and instantly her apparent tension sent a ripple of unhappiness down his spine. Was she being opposed? Just as he knew that Indru would let his sister back, he also guessed that Corinna would have been happier running her out. And the family-blind beast was choosing his sister over the woman who had never failed him?

Suppressing the snarl in his chest, he stepped forward to try and support his leadess, but it seemed as though the decision was already made. Indru had moved forward to dominate Borlla - who, to Marsh's surprise, was actually reacting properly - but Corinna had turned to leave. Coming to stand, briefly, next to Ice, Marsh glared at those present - particularly the strange male, just for good measure - before his eyes landed on Indru's back.

It would have been insubordinate to growl, so Marsh did not. It did not stop the open fire in his steely eyes. Doing his best to contain himself, the beast instead turned about again, leaving the sorry mess behind him, and trotted after the retreating Corinna.</blockquote>

...Marsh out!

<blockquote> It was hard to contain the pride he felt as he watched Borlla submit. He knew it took a lot for her to fold in on herself. To admit she had done wrong in the past and that she was here to try and make amends, but he did not envy her position. His presence seemed all but forgotten by the gathered, forgotten by all but the grey male with the icy blue eyes.

As Corinna turned and departed without a word, his concern grew, not just for Borlla’s chances, but for the lady herself. It wouldn’t do her well to be getting herself worked up. She should be enjoying this time and he considered himself an idiot for not considering it sooner. They should have come earlier, or much much later. But it was too late to change things now. Hindsight was a wonderful thing.

Another male emerged in russet tones, impressive in build and clearly capable. Scars adorned his body and he wore them like badges of honour. He avoided the man’s slate gaze just as readily as those of all the others gathered, but he could feel the judgement searing into his skin. As he turned to follow the lady back into the pack lands, it was obvious he was just as displeased with their presence as Corinna was and he begun to wonder how they could possibly make a home with only Indru on their side? But he was persistent, and so was his creamy companion. They could make this work.</blockquote>