Ghastly Woods sing me a haunting song

<i>RE - The wind carries unnerving sounds in the Ghastly Woods. </i>

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. He hadn't meant to stray so far. Reality and his intention were at odds, and, unfortunately, he had strayed that far. It'd take a little less than a day to get back, but he was tired - after all, he'd been walking the less-than-a-day up to here already. Sunlight had waned and the sky was a bruised purple-blue, still carrying traces of flaming orange bloody red in the west. A handful of stars graced the Lore with their presence, and Ice found himself staring at a familiar glade. Much, much earlier that spring he'd been rolling around here, trying to work some of his shed fur out. A by then relatively new pack mate had found him, but instead of scorning him, had joined in. She'd told him a handful of things. Her name was Naira. Naira was a pack mate no more, Naira was an enemy, if there ever was one. Still, up until the point she had turned out to be a traitor, she had been a very decent wolf - caring, intelligent, kind, playful. She'd been large as a Tainn male, and if Ice was going to be honest, he missed her. The winds had since scattered their fur to all four corners of the world, not a scent of them lingering after countless of rains and storms had done their job. Absentmindedly he clawed at the dirt with a filthy front paw, watching it give way. The reason he didn't want to be so far out was simple: cubs. Corinna was still largely confined to her den, but the new blood themselves were allowed out every once in a while now. There were three in all: black Aiyana, who looked like she'd grow up to become a mini-Triell, single male Torrel, who was yet another Indru-copy, and Rissa, whom Ice found to be an endearing mixture of Corinna and Kisla. They were vulnerable, not only the young, but Corinna too - she was out of shape. They needed their loyal guardians now more than ever, and yet once was out here, poking at the dirt in the nighttime Ghastly Woods. Ice muttered under his breath. He was too tired to go back now, and if he didn't bother trying to catch breakfast he could make it back before nightfall (not that the sun set early here in the north), and all would be well. He'd be hungry, but he'd live, and hopefully no pack would get it into their heads to invade them in the meanwhile. They had no reason, though, surely each pack had pups of their own and no interest in barging into Swift River and disturbing their peace. There was also another reason... It was a reason clad in black fur, a reason that saw the world through bright eyes, a reason he had no name for. Once the pups were a little older he planned to seek that reason out up in the mountains, maybe even at her own lake, and make sure that things were right between them. He wasn't sure they were right now, but hoped that whatever damage had been done wasn't irreparable. A very foolish, hopeful part of him had guided him out here, hoping she'd be out and about on one of her usual trips. Sometimes she left her home, just like he did. At those times, they often ran across each other. Ice yawned in the moonlight, stretching his sturdy forelegs out before giving himself a tired shake. He was tired, it was dark, he had to run all the way back home tomorrow - might as well settle down to sleep. No one seemed to be around right now, and the quicker he fell asleep, the easier tomorrow would be. Shuffling around, he looked for a nice, dry spot, and eventually settled for a fallen tree lying across a pile of rocks. It protected him from the wind, well, at least from most directions, and provided enough of a roof to satisfy the white male. Without further ado he folded his legs and sank down on his side in the shelter, and rested his heavy head on his large paws. It'd be good sleeping here. The wind blew. The forest responded, and gradually the noises turned more and more unnerving; what had at first just been the forest's lullaby turned into something that grated on his nerves and made his heart speed up. Sleep was the last thing his body wanted to give in to, and cautiously he peered into the dark. He didn't quite know what it sounded like - nightmares, ghouls, glacier cracks, ice splitting, the icy howl of the wind across the tundra... Like breaking, falling trees and rushing rapids. Flattening his ears to his skull, Ice waited unhappily for the sun to rise. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Hope you're ready for an awkward thread, Fen. xD

She weaved her way through the thick trees, noting the pale moonlight that washed the foliage to a light silver. Her tongue slithered past her lips, uncertain as to why she was so drawn out here in the middle of the night. The scent of a certain silver pack mate was strong in her senses, and Kisla felt her curiosity stir her forward, despite the knowledge that she should have turned back towards home where she was needed.

But what about what she needed?

The image of Valkyrja burned brightly in her mind since that day. Marsh had become more than friend; he had become a valiant guardian to her. Naivety was something she was sure she held, and from that day on the pale tawny she-wolf had been well aware of the dangers that lurked in the shadows.. perhaps too much so, for she had become jumpy.. untrusting.

So she lurked the borders of Swift River. Every few days, she would trail outside of them, avoiding the questioning gazes from her pack mates and family, and seeking the solitude she felt might heal her wounds. Of course, it didn’t. The silence only allowed her mind to replay those moments of her life; Valkyrja’s flashing smile.. the burning pain that swarmed her throat as she had drifted to the bottom of Swift River during the flood. Kisla Tainn had branded herself a fool, and there was little she could do to shake the title now.

Edging closer, she could see him now. The plague of curiosity rooted her to the spot now, her pale tail casting a small flick in the cool night air. Swift River was made up mostly of her family; a band of Tainn’s that looked to Corinna and Indru as their guides. Ice was different. He was not of their blood, but he was of their family. And something about the musky smell of the male finally drew her forward from the shadows.

The whisper on the wind stirred her hackles, and she elicited a whine as she approached the Guardian. Thoroughly spooked by the sounds of the forest but unwilling to seem like a child, the lissome girl allowed the façade of bravery to smooth across her impish features, her green eyes seeking that of Ice’s pale gaze. “You’re out late in the forest,” she murmured, trailing up to him before bumping her nose along his cheek in the greeting a pack mate would deliver. Little did she expect electricity to course through her at the contact, and inhaling, Kisla pulled back to regard the male silently.

sparking up my heart

XD Finally! <3

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Something was out there. It was subtle, discreet, making few sounds but he knew it was there, heard it in ruffled leaves and hushed breaths. Combined with the dark-edged symphony of the forest it unsettled him, and as he lay in his shelter he pressed his ears flat against his skull. A single ray of moonlight parted the darkness just in front of him, shining silver upon the haunted world, and Ice focused his bright eyes upon it. It was reminiscent of daylight, something bright, free of fear; every burden seemed heavier in the dark, every secret choking and the guilty so sharp it cut into his flesh. When the night wind whispered dark things, the only thing he could do was cling to what little light there was and pray with every fiber of his being for a swift sunrise and an end to the woes. The thing kept coming closer, and snatches of playful wind brought him a very familiar scent - Swift River, Tainn, Kisla. But what was she doing out here? He scanned the surrounding forest for a flash of her green eyes and tawny fur, but found nothing yet; the spooky sounds already had his heart beating with paranoia, and for a brief moment he had the irrational fear that she'd come to kill him. After all, wasn't she Indru's get? He lived in a cave behind a waterfall and had fiery eyes.. but on the other hand, he didn't live in a cave behind a waterfall at all, and they'd established a long time ago that he did not enjoy eating other wolves. So why would Kisla? Had she sneaked away for a midnight snack without Indru noticing what macabre rituals his daughter took part in? What's wrong with you? Ice made a valiant attempt to strangle his own thoughts; when he was thoroughly freaked out, he had a flair for assuming everyone ate wolves. It was completely illogical and had no foundation whatsoever in his previous life experiences, and he was fairly certain it stemmed from nothing but his over-imaginative, warped mind. Ah, there she was, pale as a ghost in the monochrome light, watching him with cautious eyes. Maybe he was the one who ate wolves, since he hid among rocks and logs and all. Or no one eats wolves at all. He took the moment to study her, silver-tinged, in the darkness. If her scent wasn't so strong in his nose, he would've thought her a ghost, the cause of the sounds, come to carry his soul away. She'd become withdrawn since the incident with the stray female and the river.. but for one who had been swept away by the flash flood she was relatively stable of the mind, slipping away at odd times but she wasn't as bad off as Fenru had been. Perhaps she was stronger than everyone thought, including herself? She approached him and he figured it would be decent of him to crawl out from under his log. Large silver paws slipped into the moonlight, and like a beast tumbling out from the shadowy realm the rest of him followed, shimmering faintly as the moon touched him. Ice met her eyes; her mother's eyes, deep and green. She spoke and bumped her nose against him; unaware of the jolt the mere touch sent through her, he bumped his own nose against the top of her muzzle. ".. I was trying to sleep," he said after a moment, then realized it sounded absolutely strange. Why was he trying to sleep out here, instead of staying at home? He snorted. "I could say the same about you." But he said it with a silly smile, the kind that Ice tended to carry about with him always, even when the wind sighed dramatically through the trees. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Had the girl known Ice’s thoughts of cannibalism, she might have turned tail then, afraid of a wolf who’s thoughts could turn so dark and macabre.. especially after her. There was not a moment of the day when the pallid she-wolf did not flash into the young Tainn’s mind, threatening to kill her, the hot throb of her claws and teeth against her throat, stealing her innocence in a way that delved far deeper than any sexual event or innuendo. Kisla Tainn had been tainted, and she spent her days roaming the borders of the River, unworthy of her family and pack. Marsh was her savior.

Kisla ignored his conversational inquiry; she wasn’t sure why she was so far from home, nor did she wish to dwell on it. Instead, she was far more focused upon the thrum of her heart as Ice reached out to touch her.. the lightest graze to the top of her muzzle. It was an ache she felt – unfamiliar in every sense, and yet it felt entirely natural.

Licking her lips softly, the tawny girl leaned closer to the warmth of the silver male, her tongue seeking to groom the pelt of his shoulder and back of his nape. She had never spent the night with a wolf outside of her family, and suddenly she felt nervous. Would ice reprimand her of her actions? Did he suspect the way his presence made her pulse quicken? Was he more interested in the older and more fitting she-wolves of their pack, such as Cali or Jessie?

Despite her doubts, the young she-wolf continued her administrations, grooming him the way one would to another of their pack. It was only until the unsettled wind raked along her spine and cackled within her ears did Kisla inhale sharply, her slender body shifting and pushing closer to the male at her side. “Ice.” Her voice trembled slightly, any bravado she had elicited on her entrance to the forest completely vanished. “Ice, what was that?”

sparking up my heart

Sorry, I'm a slowpoke <3

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. She didn't answer him, at least not within the time span that one considered normal in conversation. But then again, he hadn't asked her a question, really. It had been a thinly veiled one, and inwardly he frowned. That was the exact reason why he had sort of liked being socially inept, because if he hadn't spent half a year or more in a pack, he would've asked her Why are you out here? and then she would've had to respond, or been terribly rude. And then his curiosity would've been satisfied and all would've been raisies and dosesdaisies and roses. Now, though, she left him hanging, either on purpose or because she didn't know it had been a question. Because, in all honesty, it hadn't been a question! Talking... Perhaps he should grow mute, like Marsh, and frolic with the copper male in a meadow of silence. It wasn't until she was nearly snuggling up to him that he snapped out of his reverie, and then he nearly jumped out of his skin because he hadn't been prepared for her to start grooming him. Out there, in the middle of a creepy forest, in the dead of night! From paws up a wave of tension ran through him, every hair standing on edge as it passed and then fell flat again. Wide-eyed, he let his gaze fall on the horizon for a moment. "I wasn't prepared," he said lamely, feeling bad. What if she stopped, or got hurt? He didn't want to make her feel bad... He was too nice to ever want to make anyone feel bad. Except, maybe some Poison Path assholes. Or other assholes. But Kisla wasn't an asshole, she was a sweet young girl who seemed to be troubled by her less than pleasant encounter with a loner a few months back. Giving her a smile as if to say it's alright, he turned his head towards her and nuzzled the soft fur just behind her ears. He was just about to groom her back when the wind blew again, carrying more nightmare sounds. The mere presence of Kisla had calmed him enough to not care, because whatever it was was distant, and now that he had someone to protect he was brave, but she didn't seem as relaxed; she pressed up against him, radiating fear and uncertainty. Ice wagged his tail slightly, trying to calm her with the gesture, and peered around the woods. He saw nothing but trees, and the thickets; the entire Ghastly Woods was like a maze, wispy branches hanging down to poke your eyes out, leaves and bracken stroking you wherever you went... "I don't know," he told her honestly, silver eyes spinning but voice steady, deep, vibrating through his chest. "The wind, but I don't know why it sounds nasty all of a sudden..." He didn't smell anything untoward either. Bother. "Want to take a look, and see if something's around?" He didn't know if it'd do her any good or not, but if she'd feel safer visually confirming nothing was here... Ice's head lowered towards hers again, his tongue flicking out to the base of her nearest ear in a soothing gesture. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

The sudden movement from Ice as she had neared him stung – just as it would any adolescent girl. Kisla cowered back as if struck, the shock of his knee-jerk reaction fluttering a small bout of panic as she briefly recalled the attack. Her eyes widened as she looked to him, fighting the desire to flee then and there. Ice’s stammered words did little to soothe her, and she kept her position for a few moments, feeling the thundering of her heartbeat in her chest, this time.. not from the butterflies of what could be a puppy love. Only until the silver male touched his muzzle to her ear did she relax slightly, her green eyes looking anywhere but at him in submission and embarrassment.

Only when the howling wind sweep past them once more did the haunting echo stir the young she-wolf to press against her companion. Ice was uncertain, and Kisla withheld a whimper, though just barely. At the male’s suggestion to explore and figure out the sound, a light frown marred her features as she pushed lightly away from him, her gaze finally seeking his out. “No,” she stated flatly, her tail flicking nervously. “Nothing good ever happens when you go looking for trouble.” There was a waver in her gentle voice then, the uncertainty she felt and the knowledge that he would hear her fear emanate from her vocals. What good could happen if they sought out the horrible noise? Like any horror story, they would be the ridiculous protagonists’ that sought out the antagonist.. and got their asses handed right back to them.

Any previous emotiosn of mesmerization had quickly fled; now, the pale tawny girl's paws kneaded at the ground with antsy movement, her eyes flickering from Ice and to the direction of the noise.. and then swiftly in the direction of home.

sparking up my heart

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. It seemed that his natural lack of fear (or, natural thickheadedness) wasn't mirrored in her. At his soft suggestion she pulled back and away, emerald eyes locking on his. Surprised, he remained still as she spoke in a flat voice. So sure of her thing, going so far as to try and stare it into him - or perhaps convey her unease? Her body screamed it, her scent tingling as it turned afraid, gaze breaking and eyes seeking to escape south. What had happened to her, to make her so afraid? He knew no details, nothing at all save the simple fact that a loner had come to blows with Marsh when Kisla was around, somewhere in the Grove. What else did it mean? What did it symbolize to the tawny girl? Ice allowed his gaze to sweep the dark, haunted forest, before he sighed. There was no point in giving in to it. Running back home with their tails between their legs would solve nothing, even though the nightmare sounds nearly put his hackles on edge. His silver eyes turned back to her. He couldn't let her escape this, couldn't let her run back to the shelter of the Grove. Did she want to live the rest of her life in fear, jumping at shadows, flinching at sounds? What sort of life was that? "We'd not be looking for trouble," he told her, blunt in his own way; always too literal. They'd be looking for the cause of sounds, not trouble. Besides, he doubted it was an army of ghosts or a living creature moaning from every direction, but rather a trick of air through hollow trees, logs, accompanied by far-off coyote cries and the rustle of dangling vegetation. "You're afraid, Kisla, afraid of shadows. If you never confront your fears, or find the cause for them, you'll always be afraid - and the more things you fear, the deeper you spiral into darkness, until there's nothing left to do but flinch at every sound and every scent." Boldly he padded closer to her, trying to close the gap she'd created between them. "Running back to Swift River won't help you. You'll just carry the fear with you." Moonlight glinted off the edge of his thick body, tipping his hairs in silver to match his eyes; Ice's head tilted to the side, something soft in him despite the hard words he spoke. Would she listen, or would she break and run? Would she care to know, that he'd braved one of his own greatest fears for the sake of a game, more than half a year ago? His fear of water defined him, it was a key feature of himself that he could not escape, but he did not let it rule his life: he'd stepped into a river for Triell without barely knowing him, and had done it on a cold summer's night in an attempt to save his nameless friend, too. Fear was healthy to a point, but the shadows around Kisla's eyes, her nervous gaze seeking the exit south, seemed too strong - unhealthily strong. "It's just the wind playing tricks," he murmured; it could be a cacophony at times, a hellish choir, but her presence had soothed his own straying mind and focused it upon the harmless reality. What would she have thought, had she heard the deep groan of glaciers, the howling of winds through narrow passe, the way it keened and whined around your ears as snow blinded your eyes? He reached out to touch his muzzle to her neck, meant to be soothing. Another gust brought a deep sound with it, lapping against his twitching ears. "Hear? It's just a distorted owl's cry." .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

The silver male allowed a sigh to escape his lips, and for a momentary pause Kisla felt the struggle of pleasing her packmate and friend versus sticking up for what she believed; she knew she was exasperating him, and the young and immature part of the she-wolf wanted to bristle and snarl at him, to call him stupid for not taking her seriously. That she had seen darkness, and there was certainly no need to search for it.. it always found a way to come to you. And yet she could not speak.. her mouth felt dry. Instead, a low whine emitted from the Yearling’s muzzle, and she turned her muzzle from him, her eyes desperately seeking the way to home. Even as his words swallowed her, the girl would give a shudder. As right as they were, she did not feel the desire to change; did not see the purpose. Fear was natural, and it plagued for a reason. Because there was something out there to be fearful of.

She could hear him move to her, and finally the pale tawny girl’s muzzle swung to his direction, her eyes seeking the pale irises of his. A sardonic snort escaped her muzzle then, and her cinnamon ears flattened to her skull then as her eyes narrowed at her pack mate. “If it’s just the wind, there’s no need to go investigate,” she challenged, her muzzle canting to the side now as her tail gave a sweep through the air.

No sooner were the words bitten past her jaws did the girl flinch at her tone. So angry with the world. At the unfairness of it all. But not Ice. She was not angry with him. “Ice,” she murmured, taking a plaintive step forward.. toward him as her voice turned apologetic. She dared not touch him, dared not tilt her nose up and bury it to the soft of his neck. She could not bear to watch him flinch from her touch again.

sparking up my heart

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. He felt guilty as she whined, as if he was somehow making it all worse when all he tried to do was help. Ice's own ears fell back, a frown of sorts forming upon his head. It didn't exactly help that he, usually, was fairly rotten at handling other wolves - there was something wise in him, at times, but how to transfer that wisdom onto others, when what he said came out in all the wrong ways? He could've bitten his own tongue off, but it was patience and care that drove him to keep talking, keep trying to sort this out, and at the same time he marveled at the fact that he was trying to help another of Cori's and Indru's children to battle their demons. First Fenru, and now Kisla... did Rihael have a shadow across his heart too, something he needed help to sweep aside? That was something to ponder at another time, for Rihael wasn't here, but Kisla was. She swung his head back in his direction, something challenging in her narrowed eyes. Ice's ears flipped upright again, meeting her green gaze without hesitation. “If it’s just the wind, there’s no need to go investigate.” Did I.. just get caught in my own trap? He could've laughed, but merely gave his head the slightest of shakes. He'd meant the former to be an invitation for a search that would turn up no ghouls, the latter to be soothing, and instead it had just slammed him full in the face. But what to say? He couldn't give in, give up, meekly agree to go home and let the forest be yet another demon to haunt her sleep. He couldn't let her go until she relaxed here, or at least stopped looking for the fastest route home every other second. He'd been gearing up for a war, but she changed - the challenge of her gaze and tone was dropped for something else, his name slipping out of her mouth in an apologetic tone as she drifted a step closer. Everything he'd been wanting to say, every expression that he'd kept locked away behind silver eyes, just faded out of existence at this turn in her. Instead, he watched her in silence for a moment, before sighing. "It's okay," he told her quietly, taking small steps forward until their heads were level. Gently he touched his nose to her forehead, sliding it up to her ear, giving it an affectionate little lick. He didn't want to overdo it, though - just the simple fact that they were yearlings seemed to have reduced them to cubs in his mind. Fenru had seemed so much smaller than he was in body, and as far as he knew, he wasn't giving out forehead licks to the rest of the pack like that. He swept a step past her, silver eyes on the forest. Only the loudest of the strange noises caused his ears to twitch, and he pondered what to say - what to make of this mess. Ice's pale head turned slightly to regard her. Behind him, his tail wagged slowly, thoughtfully. "Have you ever stood by a hollow log as the wind rushes through it? Or listened to the whisper of leaves, when they rustle against one another?" She'd probably heard the noises a myriad of times before, but had she ever stood by, eyes closed, and simply listened to all the sounds the wind was capable of bringing forth? And if he found her a hollow log - or something else capable of distorting noise for that matter - would she relax, and believe him, that there wasn't anything harmful here? .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

She accepted his comforting gesture readily, her muzzle tilting up to nip fondly at his cheek before her green eyes found his silver – watching as he stepped past her now. As fear thudded in her heart and chest, she still felt a trickle of satisfaction at being in his presence. Her gaze drifted from his features to note the silver off his pelt and the fade of it to a stark ivory as it came to his belly. He was a handsome specimen – something she hadn’t noticed until now.. but then again, Kisla had never put much thought in to the opposing gender.

Shifting her paws to favor her left side, the pale tawny girl rolled her shoulders back, still nervous at the situation she stood in. As much as she felt Swift River was drowning her, like it literally almost had, the she-wolf felt a strong desire for her paws to be walking on the familiar terrain at this very moment. Ice seemed adamant about his new purpose to chase away her fears, and her gaze lifted once more to his own.

Her ears flickered forward as he spoke, and in turn, Kisla gave a light shrug of her shoulders. “Yes,” she murmured, unsure of how this was truly relevant. The whistling of the wind was not always that – sometimes it masked the dangers that hid underneath. Sometimes the rustling of leaves or foliage wasn’t just the wind – sometimes, it held hid a dangerous predator, waiting for an opportune moment to grasp one of them. Sometimes, a smiling she-wolf was not as kind as she let on to be – her true intent was to main you right on your pack borders.. And sometimes, the place you called home was not the safe haven you envisioned it to be, and the river would on wide and attempt to swallow you whole.

Her bright eyes still challenged him on this, but she did not place forth the argument that when she had heard these noises, she had been in a familiar terrain. Instead, Kisla Tainn practiced patience, something she lacked at many times, as she waited for him to continue his thoughts.

sparking up my heart