Ghastly Woods Nowhere to Hide

(Ooc: Beware of long post and flashback/nightmare... Posting order is Cessair, Shadowstorm, Ice)

After what seemed like ages of lonely, confused thought, the mottled brown wolf stopped walking and brought her mind to the present. It occurred to Cessair that stopping at that very moment for no apparent cause was rather odd. She was still on the same train of thought that she had been following for some time now, and no attention-grabbing apparition had manifested itself, so why should she have stopped? With a shrug, Cessair shifted her weight forward and began to continue on her way. All of a sudden, it dawned on the girl why she had stopped. Her paws were tangled in a sort of twisted bush, and now that she had put herself off balance, she was falling forward. The ground met her chin with a dull thud.

Cessair let the pain fade a little before kicking her legs free of the clingy plant. Pulling herself back up, she decided to take stock of her location while her mind was still focused on the physical world. A surprisingly dark forest encompassed her, with tall undergrowth and menacing trees. Swelling up within her was a strong urge to leave this place, so she turned completely around and began plodding cautiously back the way she had come. It would have been a good idea to pay attention to where she was going on her way in, Cessair realized, so she would have been able to find her way out this dismal labyrinth of a forest. This place seemed to be endless.

Worry infiltrated Cessair's mind and she began to run blindly, hoping she would stumble upon some gleam of light that would allow her to find her way out of this forest. Without warning, what felt like a claw raked its way down her back. Screeching to a halt, she turned to see what had attacked her. The burst of adrenaline had left her panting heavily when she noticed the low, prickly branch that was surely the culprit. She was about to turn back around and continue searching for an exit more observantly when a breeze picked up and ruffled her fur. It carried the sound of creaky trees -- or was it distant screams? Cessair's fur stood on end as a low moan rose up and black mists filled the forest until all she could see was the blackness.

A different forest faded dimly into view. The moaning was closer now. So close, that Cessair knew it was just beyond the thick bush in front of her. She shouldered her way through it. There, lying in the dirt, was a red and grey form, taking such shallow breaths that Cessair wondered it was alive at all. Lifeless eyes flickered up and met Cessair's worried ones. It's tail wagged limply on the ground with a spasmodic motion, and it hit Cessair that this creature was a disfigured wolf, covered in blood. Again, it moaned, and she recognized it's voice. "C...Cessair...Get out of here..." She tried to obey her mother, but her muscles were frozen.

A deep-voiced, evil laugh arose from nowhere in particular. "You can't escape." Cessair's mother stirred, and her body was consumed in a grotesque boiling convulsion. She began to speak, her voice deepening and strengthening with each word. "I..." The blood seeped back into her body and her fur darkened. "Will..." The fatal wounds closed. "Get..." Front paws placed themselves firmly on the ground. "You..." The back paws followed. "Next!" Blazing golden-green eyes locked onto Cessair's and held her fast. The transformed wolf stalked directly toward her, a devilish sharp-toothed grin spreading across his face. With an abrupt gasp, Cessair found herself back in reality, staring dumbly at the branch that she had brushed up against not long ago.

(This post was last modified: Jul 11, 2012, 04:12 PM by Cessair.)

I'm playing this as if it was before he went up to the Lake to meet with Ava, if that's okay with you? :)

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Despite the pups back at home, Ice found himself straying away from the Grove more and more often - it wasn't because of the pups, though, but... But because it was getting harder and harder to keep his straying paws away from the mountains. She was up there, his friend, and he was down here, ignoring her, when he was the one who had acted the most strange at their parting. A trip north to the Ghastly Woods and the journey home took about a day. If he didn't stop to think, he could forget what he was running away from, a meeting he desperately wanted and at the same time was afraid of. Whenever the worry gnawed away at his gut, he tried to think of Marsh, and how the stoic copper guardian had accepted what he'd done. They'd moved past it, into something else, something he wasn't quite sure what it was - it was something he treasured, though, something he kept close to his heart. Watching Marsh these days wasn't like it had been before, when it was with a quiet fascination, and so many questions. Where had all his scars come from? Who was he? Why didn't he talk? He'd found the silent, gruff wolf charming in his own peculiar way, but now - it was more akin to stealing glances at him, admiring the way the sunlight set off his fur, how soft he seemed when he slept. Marsh had forgiven him, despite the way he'd stared at him with cold eyes that night. If he had gotten over it, surely his black friend had, too, and all would be alright once they found each other again. He just had to work up enough courage to get his pale ass up the mountainside, and hope her precious leaders didn't tear him to pieces for coming within a mile of their border and their pups. Ice strangled the sigh and plodded on, thinking back on the night Kisla had found him out here. Poor girl, it had been kind of rough on her the past time too - and Fenru... Ice shook his head quietly, padding into the dark forest. The light disappeared and shadows swallowed him up, but even in here he wasn't quite invisible. His pale fur stuck out like a sore thumb in the dark, but he seemed more akin to a large ghost than a real wolf. Silence enveloped him, the birds quiet, and he gave a small shudder. This place still hadn't stopped moaning. When he'd been here some week ago, it had made those groaning, keening nightmarish sounds too, and it looked like it was the latest hobby, here to stay. Couldn't it have picked better sounds to make? He grumbled to himself, but found it kind of fitting too, once the initial wariness of it had worn off. It was called the Ghastly Woods for a reason, and he was haunting it now, wasn't he? It was only fitting that it made these ghoulish noises. Ice drifted deeper into it, long branches poking him every once in a while, and hanging leaves touched him with silken hands, causing him to shudder. Sometimes it felt like the wind picked its moments with too great care, to make something stir against him when he was halfway past - those sudden touches were so much more startling than something that had been there all along. He gave a shaky snort in the dark. This place was a nightmare sometimes, and today it seemed extra clingy. Several times he had to leap across rivulets, or fight his way through bracken. He was starting to nurture thoughts of going back home, for battling the desire to see Ava was easier than plowing through this, but a scent on the wind stopped him. Curious, he drifted closer; she smelled of female, and of loner's life. Soon enough he found her. She was a small pale thing, tan and cream with hints of gray, with golden eyes that kept staring at a branch. She looked a bit spaced, but that was okay; Ice could be like that at times, too. He gave a low woof as to not startle her, and then slipped around another stand of bracken, his ethereal and comparably huge form coming into view. His stance was neutral, his silver eyes kind and curious, but he didn't speak, merely tilted his head to the side and watched her with a question in his eyes. Who are you? Behind him, his tail gave a cautious, happy twitch. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Ooc: That's perfectly fine :)

It took all of her concentration to keep from falling back into her horrifying nightmare of a flashback. Cessair felt that if she didn't move, nothing else would, and if nothing else moved, it meant nothing was going to attack her. Thus, she continued to stare at the branch, only flicking her ears slightly when the forest delivered to her more unnerving sounds. A bird must have been startled by the noise, as it suddenly flew off uttering a loud squawk. Despite her lingering terror, Cessair didn't even flinch -- either because she was so determined to stand still, or because she was still paralyzed with fear.

The forest played other tricks on Cessair's mind as she continued to stand transfixed on the branch. In the corner of her eye, a bush seemed to turn red, then orange, before disappearing altogether and fading back into existence. Next, the branch she was staring at grew hundreds of tiny little claws, retracting and flexing them with each wispy breeze. Cessair even thought she heard a quiet bark, but she quickly dismissed it as another one of the queer sounds emitted by this bewildering forest. When she smelled a stranger wolf, however, she repealed that thought. Judging just by the chill Cessair felt on her spine, this wolf was large, and no doubt very powerful. Could it be? Did the murderous wolf from her dream follow her back into reality?

A strangled yip of panic escaped her throat as the small wolf jumped backward and turned to face her impending doom. Her wide eyes narrowed a bit when she realized that this wolf's coat was light grey; a stark contrast from her ghostly tormentor's charcoal grey. Furthermore, this wolf stood in a nonthreatening stance, more curious than aggressive. He didn't speak, but questioned her with his eyes. Suddenly embarrassed at having acted so foolishly, Cessair gave her ruffled fur a quick shake and introduced herself with a somewhat shaky voice. <b>"M-my name is Cessair...What's yours?"</b>

Shadowstorm wandered after her encounter with Follko, the sweet wolf, he could tell she was in pain and offered to help, but she didn't need help. She knew she had to hide it better so she shifted her weight to the point where it could only be seen with the keenest eye. The healers eye as some would call it. She froze at the scent of wolves. <i>More wolves? I thought this place was desolate. Come on!</i> She complained in her head. She continued forward, hiding to get a good look at the wolves, she wasn't sure if they were in the same place or not, but she proceeded with caution, as she could deal with one wolf, but not two. <i>Unless we're to all fight each other, but hopefully, it won't come to a fight if I'm lucky.</i> She commented to herself.

She saw the two wolves were in the same place. Great, if she was caught, she'd have to deal with two wolves instead of one. One of the wolves was about her size, smaller then most and looked to be a lone wolf. She stuttered as she said her name. <i>Cessair? Is that right? Or is it Sesaros?</i> She wondered, she couldn't hear them very well. One of them obviously a pack member. He was larger then the fae. She observed them carefully, hoping to not get caught.

The larger wolf looked like he was going to control her or something, like he was going to kill her or attack her, but she couldn't see them well so she couldn't be sure. It was obvious he was curious about the fae. <i>Should I reveal myself? Or should I stay hidden in this clump of bracken?</i> She was <span class='word'>ectopic</span>. This wasn't her place, she decided to stay hidden.

(This post was last modified: Jul 11, 2012, 02:10 AM by Shadowstorm.)

~ραяαησια ιѕ α tнєσяу, ι'м ησt ραяαησι∂, ι'м ιηѕαηє~

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. She didn't seem hurt, or aggressive - perhaps a bit skittish, because she made quite the startled jump and stared at him. He gave her something that might've passed as a sheepish grin, hoping he hadn't made her start too badly. He didn't enjoy making others flinch like that, but it seemed she recovered fairly quickly. And to that, he wagged his tail, with a little more excitement to the motion. She was a fluffy little wolf, alright, and gave herself a shake as it to toss off whatever paranoia had caused her to jump. Ice approved of it. He didn't approve of spineless wolves, but clearly she showed some backbone, dealing with her own bout of fear and getting it under control. It, perhaps, wasn't the easiest under the circumstances; the ghastly noises kept on whining and moaning all around, and the forest had hardly been a reassuring hypethral to begin with - thick branches wove themselves together to form a dark ceiling, blotting out the sky. No, this place was the perfect place for scares, and an involuntary shudder rippled down his spine. It felt like someone was watching him, and this Cessair. "Ice," he stated simply, turning deftly on his large paws despite his size. Something was out there, something that normally didn't groan in a spectral voice. Something that was more solid, more.. alive. Ice's pale ears kept flickering on his head, silver eyes scanning the surrounding bracken and hedges, but relying on sight in here? Useless, with the murky light and many deep shadows. He snorted, and allowed to wind to bring him scents - every once in a while, one ear would flit back in Cessair's direction, in case she decided to speak more. Whatever was watching them didn't seem like it wanted to come out, and with a snort he tired of his own little game - his thoughts had just wandered back to Poison Path anyway, simply smelling the air wasn't enough of a distraction. "Come out," he ordered the surroundings, his voice somewhat stern. "It's rude to eavesdrop." But behind him, his tail was still wagging, and upon his face was the hint of a smile. ( sorry, this sorta sucked xD ) .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Cessair relaxed a bit when the large wolf wagged his tail. With the haunting sounds still drifting in from between the crowded trees, she couldn't loosen her rigid muscles, but at least her thoughts slowed enough that she could think clearly. This particular part of the forest had no <span class='word'>hypethral</span> grotto to speak of, and the light from any celestial body that may have been shining obviously had a difficult time filtering through the thick canopy of leaves. The resulting gloom afforded practically no noticeable details, so relying on sight alone was quite ineffective. If it weren't for his light-colored fur, Cessair would have found it very difficult to distinguish the male, who introduced himself as simply "Ice," from the rest of the forest by sight alone.

The two wolves simultaneously perceived a third presence in their midst. While Ice turned to study the undergrowth, Cessair spent another moment calming herself. Her first reaction to sensing another wolf had been the same as when the giant, ghostly male had appeared. A sudden bout of panting came on, and the alarmed girl hoped that Ice didn't notice when she again shook out her nerves. Now calm again, Cessair gave her full attention to the forest as the commanding male addressed the presence. He was obviously not worried or angry, but Cessair still found herself tensing up and repeating under her breath that this was the real world and not a flashback as she waited in angst for the wolf to appear. The unearthly noises carried by the breeze was not helping anything.

Shadowstorm gulped, they had figured out she was there. They were looking for her and demanding that she came out of hiding. <i>Like I'm going to listen. A lone wolf and a pack wolf demanding that I reveal myself.</i> She snorted slightly but then held it back, afraid she would reveal herself unintentionally. She knew she would have to talk if she went out there, but if she didn't, they would come looking for her, she didn't want that to happen. She debated the cause and effects for a moment. <i>I think I'll go and introduce myself as always.</i> She grinned. She stepped out in front of the other two wolves.

“Who are you to demand my presence?” she asked rudely. Her paranoia kicking in as she saw the two wolves faces, they could easily kill her, but she could easily run away, injured or not. Her ankle stung a bit but she hid the pain well. She stood there. “If you must know though, since you two introduced yourselves Ice and Cessair, I am Shadowstorm.” She said a bit quieter. Nearly muttering to herself the next part, “I see that you are of a pack Ice.” <i>I hope this isn't the death of me.</i> She thought taking a few steps forward, nearing them.

<i>I probably won't make it past, but if I'm lucky enough to survive if it comes to a fight, then call me my father because it will show that I will live.</i>

ooc: She's quite paranoid, always thinking that she's gonna die and that everyone wants to fight her.

~ραяαησια ιѕ α tнєσяу, ι'м ησt ραяαησι∂, ι'м ιηѕαηє~

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Behind him, Cessair's scent turned slightly anxious before calming again; his own was unwavering, steadfast, thick with pack. The seconds ticked by, counted only by his heartbeat, and as time passed he found himself disliking this shadow presence. She was doubly rude, first spying on them, and then refusing to come out. Gradually the wagging of his tail slowed, and his gray eyes grew hard as flint, cold as his namesake. He was more or less about to stalk into the bracken and drag her out by the scruff when she - finally - got out on her own. She was a small black thing, short, scrawny in the way that all sneaking loners were, with dark blue eyes. “Who are you to demand my presence?” Okay, once or twice in the past Ice had come off as rude, and on more than one occasion had he been rude, but that had pretty much always been to loners bothering him on the borders. This... It struck a nerve in him, a sore spot, for he was a wolf that did not yield an inch when it came to dishonest behavior. First she'd snuck up on them, then she'd refused to come out, and now she did, with a comment like this? The thick hair on his neck rose, his tail stiff and high, and a warning growl rumbled in his chest. She introduced herself as Shadowstorm, and into the silence after her voice he snapped, "You just answered your damn question yourself." He took a threatening half-step forward, wondering what skittish Cessair would do - either she'd run, or chide him, or join in. Ice normally wasn't an aggressive wolf, but certain things rubbed him the wrong way and this certainly had. It was like a stray spark striking a pile of dry kindling. If you just knew what annoyed him, he was very easy to provoke. If you didn't, you just needed rotten luck to do it, or the wrong personality. Perhaps, in Shadowstorm's case, it was a bit of both. "And I smell that you're not," he spat at her after she'd muttered about his pack. She was drawing closer too, and Ice bristled further. The growl returned, rumbling in his deep chest, and his gaze narrowed a fraction before locking steadily on hers, daring her to take another step forward. If she did... He felt it course in his blood, hot like liquid fire; nothing she'd done had put him at ease, all it had managed was to ignite his rare, but obviously not lacking, anger. And, strangely enough, he felt the need to protect Cessair from this warped, bad-mouthed loner (that is, if Cessair wasn't trying to chew his tail off for being aggressive). Still, it was not too late for the black girl to back off and avert this situation, but the question was - would she? ( woops. xD he got a bit upset, sorry. ) .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Worry stood at the back of Cessair's mind when the stranger wolf still didn't show itself. The only reason she could come up with for hiding like that was if the other wolf held some malicious intent. Shifting her weight back on her heels, the little brown wolf prepared herself to run as soon as she saw fangs. She noticed that Ice was also loosing patience as his wagging tail nearly stopped. Even the air seemed stiff for a moment, providing a temporary but welcome lull in the unnerving sounds.

The breeze soon enough picked up again, giving Cessair a chill as the cool air penetrated her fur and brought back the noises. Some brush moved, and she tensed further as she recognized that the other wolf was finally showing herself. Instead of fangs or claws, though, she was greeted by striking blue eyes set in a midnight black coat. Cessair almost felt herself grow jealous, even though the female showed the same gaunt features of a loner that she did. This feeling was replaced by resentment when the female snapped rudely before introducing herself. <i>Well who are you to be spying on us?</i> Thankfully, Cessair didn't think out loud. She knew that greeting an irritated wolf with another rude comment would only make things worse.

When Ice responded to Shadowstorm with a similarly uncivil remark, Cessair froze. A fight was just about the last thing she wanted to see, let alone be a part of. As she stood with a stricken expression, her mind raced to find a solution that would calm everyone down. Ignoring the impoliteness of the other wolves, but taking care to account for the tense situation they caused should work best. Cessair determined to be as kind as possible, and whatever the other wolves chose to do would be to their own records.

She cautiously stepped forward until she was almost the same distance from Shadowstorm as she was from Ice, but made sure not to get between them. <b>"Hello, Shadowstorm. Seeing as you already heard our names, I will not bother to repeat mine to you, but it is a pleasure to have your acquaintance. I'm sorry if we frightened you, but I promise I mean no one any harm."</b> Hopefully Ice would calm himself and try to be friendly too, but she wasn't about to tell anyone what to do at a moment like this.

(Sorry for the language in the last paragraph, had no way else to word it)
Shadowstorm made no movements. No afraid of Ice because he ws alone. It seemed Cessair was being nice so she would just ignore the angry brute of a wolf in front of her. <b>"You didn't frighten me and I'm sorry for spying, in truth, I was curious. I scented a rabbit and was chasing it when I scented you guys."</b> she said kindly, trying not to invoke a fight with her bad leg. Shadowstorm wasn't going to be mean to the nicer wolf, she would start asking questions, she was curious. <b>"So do you come here often?"</b> She asked, hoping that is wasn't to much information. <b>"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."</b> She added.

<i>I need to stop being so rude. I obviously rubbed that pack wolf the wrong way with my words.</i> Her thoughts jumbled once again. Her leg started to <span class='word'>deflagrate</span> She held in a yowl and shifted her weight a bit, pretending to be unsure if it was to much of a question to ask the fae she was talking with. Her thoughts all burned away and to the sharp pain that had seized control of her.

She ignored the male wolfs ramblings, politely turning to him when a sneer about being a lone wolf came out of that cocky bastards mouth. “Maybe I don't want a pack.” She simply stated. Her ice cold eyes locking with his. It was a clear message. <i>If you want to fight, we'll fight.</i> She turned back to Cessair after breaking her gaze.

~ραяαησια ιѕ α tнєσяу, ι'м ησt ραяαησι∂, ι'м ιηѕαηє~