Hidden Tree of wild rumpuses past

i am no prince, no rebel nor man of flair,

i am Fenru Tainn

Swift River's bloodline, protector & heir

March 2nd; Early afternoon; Partly Cloudy; 30° F/-1° C

Having been allowed to leave Sacred Grove after making more than half of his patrol around the pack's territory, Fenru Tainn's paws deviated from the usual path he would have taken through the familiar trees. Northbound by the desire to see something different - something other than the shadows of the intimidating trees he vigilantly marked and kept guard with and everything that smelled of his family and pack - he stumbled into a rather peculiar set of trees. He sampled the air, searching for something familiar but nothing immediately came to mind. He wriggled his nose from side to side as he rummaged through his memories, looking for the reason why this section of the Wildwood provoked feelings of a memory nearly long forgotten. Eager ears turned forward and his eyes gazed upward as the sight of a distinguished oak tree came into view.

He leveled his skull as he noticed the large entrance between the roots. All it took was the instance of staring a second too long for the memory to return, vivid as the present yet ghostly and ethereal as the figure of a young wolf cub ambled past him to peer into the depths of the tunnel. "'Elloo?" the youngster called into the darkness. Corinna's voice answered him with her own hello and Fenru watched as he remembered himself turning about in surprise, his customary yips of "Mum! Look!" greeting her in turn.

The remembrance of his childhood faded as he continued to gaze past the gnarled roots, a thoughtful expression forming on his face. Of course he had been here before. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he recalled that he had unearthed an old snakeskin from the burrow. So innocent, so young and carefree... Though he wished he could have had the memory back, to relive it again, he opted to relish it through memory alone. One whiff told him that the burrow had recently been looked over by a wandering fox and the Tainn could not be bothered to investigate and risk the chance of possibly upsetting the red-furred creature if it bothered to return.

Drawing closer to the ancient oak, he pressed his nose to the side of the tunnel, realizing that the fox's scent was much older than he originally thought. He tilted his head, releasing an airy growl to confirm that the den was still abandoned. Lowering himself onto his elbows Fenru's tail began to wag as he made quick work of clearing the hole to accomodate his adult build. Inch by inch he crept inside until he could comfortably curl himself into a loose circle.

"This used to be a den, just like the one we live in now. Actually..." Corinna's voice returned to him. "This was where your dad, Uncle Triell, Uncle Ruiko, Uncle Kinis, and Aunt Borlla were born. A long time ago." Half a smile returned to his jawline and suddenly he felt a twinge of sadness overcome him. He shifted so that he could see the daylight just outside the den, then wondered again why his family had not returned to the very place where their bloodline was forged. Then he remembered... He took a deep breath then another. The cold winter air, only slightly warmer than it had been the day before, smelled of nothing but the crispness of a new afternoon. The ash that had once coated the area had long since disintegrated and in its place the seasons and its plant life had reclaimed the soil.

Crawling until he rested in the short tunnel, he set his temple against the side of the entryway and closed his eyes as a random sunbeam cast itself across Hidden Tree. As the warmth washed over him, he took a moment to think of better things... taking Aiyana here for an adventure, the possibility of becoming an older brother to another set of younger siblings, how he could possibly claim the landmark for himself... the idea that one day, some day, maybe he would even consider starting a family of his own.

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2013, 02:56 AM by Fenru.)

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Belun was lost.

It hadn't taken long for him to realize that he had no idea where he was or how to get out of here, but panic didn't reach him. After all, he was usually lost. Wandering around for months had never given him a clear view of his surroundings, so he just kept going as a vababond. He'd reach one place, find no wolves, and move on to the next. Over the past few weeks he had fashioned a makeshift den in the willow forest to the south out of a fox hole, but he rarely used the thing. When he'd arrived in this vast expanse of land, Belun had hoped that the scent of wolf would let him find a pack and a home. To stay in one place was something he had wanted since he and his family had left the coast. Instead they had wandered for what felt like forever, and now he was forced to wander more.

It was also a very bad sign that the first wolf he'd come across had not spoken his language. Belun was starting to realize that it was unlikely he would find anyone who did, which meant he'd have to learn more English. He wanted to curse his parents for never teaching him properly, but he liked his native tongue. It certainly sounded nicer than the twangy phonemes of English. He sighed.

The forest he'd walked into was a dead one. Great promises of once-trees sat still and cracked above him, smelling of wood smoke. The afternoon sun gleamed through their broken branches, filtered by nothing but their skeletal remains. Belun didn't know why, but for some reason a dead forest felt sad to him. He wandered through the burned forest for over an hour before the smell of a wolf met him and he moved toward the scent immediately. Belun hated to be alone, as he was a social creature and hoped desperately to find a home for himself that wasn't a hole in the ground.

A great tree, its roots still lively, perched itself in a small clearing. The wolf he had followed was next to it, sniffing around its entrance. The beast was male, and looked in excellent health. He had dark markings over his body and looked quite young, likely from the previous year's litters. That meant he had a family, and likely a pack, a good sign for Belun. The wolf pushed himself into the remnants of an old den beneath the tree, Belun saw from a distance. Belun loped toward the tree and woofed a greeting, his tail wagging lightly in a relaxed position at the excitement of meeting someone new. "Hello.." he murmured one of the few English words that sounded normal when he spoke them.

i am no prince, no rebel nor man of flair,

i am Fenru Tainn

Swift River's bloodline, protector & heir

The yearling had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had not even bothered to fully acknowledge the owner of the new scent that curled in his nostrils. Male. Young. Merely a wolf, just a little older than he was. "Hello.." The spoken salutation sounded foreign on the lad's tongue and Fenru, staring now into his newfound companion's face, sniffed.

Fiery orange eyes sized up the fellow, pupils dilating and ears lifting and rotating to the side and back again small degrees at a time. His nose twitched and upon assessing that the man was no threat - a friendly enough greeting, loose posture, thick black tail wagging amiably - the Tainn opened his mouth. "Hi," he proffered. Strange, misplaced scents on his fur told Fenru of his travels, days and weeks and months of wandering as a lone wolf. Almost immediately he canted his head to the side, a cocky smile forming on his maw as he gazed at the stranger from the corner of his eye, "Not from around here are ya?"

He grinned, either way, depending on how one perceived him just now, he could have been playful, suspicious, or even just as glad to have found someone who wasn't older nor younger than he was by a year or so. By closer inspection, given that the coal-coated man before him was slimmer in build and a tad smaller in height, Fenru could have easily assumed there was only a few months difference between them. "Of course not," he answered, only allowing a moment's silence before answering his own question. "Where ya from though?" His smile instantly became more humbling, more genial and personable, "Can I help you with something?"

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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The amber-eyed male stared at Belun when he spoke, and that made Belun shift a bit in his spot. He lowered his eyes uncomfortably, hoping that the yearling didn't view him as some sort of threat. The area he was in didn't smell much like pack territory, even though there were a number of individual wolf smells. There certainly hadn't been any well-defined boundary with scent markings, but he supposed he could have missed them. Perhaps they didn't just speak a different language here; maybe they also had different customs. The thought made him more nervous than he might have been otherwise.

Belun's tail stopped wagging for hardly a second before the boy loosened his gaze. The brown-coated Belun resumed his friendly posture and opened his mouth, panting lightly. Excitement stirred in his heart as the stranger returned his greeting and then asked a question he didn't really understand. Belun shook his head slowly, although he wasn't sure what he was saying no to. Luckily he didn't really need to answer the question, because the stranger started talking right after he had asked.

"Where ya from though?"
There were words missing, and things were slurred together, so it was difficult to make out what the boy had said. "Where" usually referred to a location, as did "from," so he was either asking Belun where he had come from or... No, he was definitely asking where he was from.

He opened his mouth to answer, but the stranger asked another question. From that one, he got "help you," which might have meant the stranger was offering help. Belun didn't really need help with any specific thing; it wasn't like he was injured, so why the boy had offered was unknown to him.

Finally, Belun responded with words after licking his lips lightly, as if preparing to recite a poem. "I fruhm eh..." he didn't know the word for "ocean," or "west," for that matter. So, he turned around and looked at nothing before he realized he didn't actually know what direction west was. Belun looked toward the sun to orient himself, and then pointed southwest with his front foot. "Thaht way, may-be," he said. "I ahm not.. eh, need-eeng the hehlp. I wahnt.. becuhm peck wulf... Yes?" He must have sounded terrible. Belun looked at the ground in embarrassment. "You know?"

He must have made other people feel incredibly awkward. He didn't like that feeling at all.

i am no prince, no rebel nor man of flair,

i am Fenru Tainn

Swift River's bloodline, protector & heir

Whether the thought was a whimsical idea or a reasonable suggestion, Fenru could not figure out for the time being if his contemporary was from somewhere of the likes of the adventurous Ice Aesir or the silent and reserved Uncle Marsh. What was surely certain, however, was the idea that maybe this stranger was not literate, did not speak the same language, or perhaps both. The points he had made were clearly and gratefully received though as he learned that the wanderer had come here by chance... in that direction... somewhere obviously far, far, far away from here.

He continued to say, in rather broken English - or "wolf tongue" - and peculiarly accented words, that he did not need help and that he wanted to become a pack wolf. Fenru watched with raised brows as the man looked away, seeming embarrassed or ashamed. "Oh," he sounded, his tone of voice no longer canny or demeaning in any way. "Well..." His mind snapped at him as he recalled the very last time he had encountered someone near home - Arlette of Grizzly Hollow had nearly trespassed on his family's territory and he had dutifully escorted her away from the border without even a moment's hesitation. ...well, what?

The yearling gazed directly at the man now, all too aware now what type of situation he was in. He, a hopeful and viable upcoming guard or scout of Swift River, was well away from his homeland. There was nothing to physically defend, no other wolf to mind aside from the one who sought his pack's acceptance, and no hard lines to define as of yet. He considered carefully what he ought to do; and, firstly, he could not just up and drive the brute away since his family's domain had not even been breached.

His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed briefly in thought. "Prove it," he then challenged, the two simple words rolling off his tongue and clicking off his teeth. As if in attempt to make this little test a bit easier on him, Fenru elaborated further in hopes of getting his next point across, "Guard? Hunter... Protect, cache?" It seemed for a while he was trying to grasp words out of the air surrounding them until he was able to seize and pronounce the words he really intended to say, "You... loyal? Turr-rust? Faith-ful... Love... family? Bond... thicker than blood?" He held his tongue though he wanted to try out more words to see what the youth could and could not understand and how he would react to the other specific concepts he had in mind. Only until he knew for certain where this rogue had come from or why he wanted to associate with him would he even think of revealing who he, himself, was or what pack he hailed from.. let alone calling for the River leaders or daring to lead him towards Sacred Grove.

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2013, 06:29 AM by Fenru.)

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It had been a long time since he had needed to help with any form of pack duties. The family pack he once belonged to had of course needed assistance in hunting, and he wasn't terribly good or terribly bad at that. They had never been much for patrolling their territory, as they didn't have a territory after they'd abandoned the coastal regions to the bears. There were no guards, no scouts, or anything of the sort. The pack was too small and had never needed the kind of structure that the packs in Wildwood and the regions surrounding it did. It seemed that Belun would have to discover this on his own.

"Prove it," said the stranger. The way he said it and the expression on his face preceding the words made Belun uncomfortable. He didn't understand it, of course, but it made him a bit nervous. Belun wasn't really sure what the other male was thinking. He didn't know if the boy was trying to be passive aggressive toward him, or even if his offer to help had been genuine.

The next few bits of speech were just words, which Belun realized was the boy's attempt to make him understand better. He frowned a bit as words would pass by him and go without notice, but there were others that he did catch and understand. The word 'hunt' was spoken as a question, and to this Belun nodded his head with gusto. To "protect" Belun answered with, "Yes! I know!" Then more words came, and Belun nodded to them whether he knew them or not as he understood what the boy was trying to get across: Belun needed to be all of these things if he was to be a successful pack member. It was like a test. Belun wondered if the boy was going to help him find a home, but thought it unlikely. Who would be that generous?

"I wuhs family, yes. Fahther.. you know? Fahther wuhs ...eh.. good. Muh-ther wuhs nice. Love.. there wuhs, yes. I wahnt.. go to.. Muh-ther. No can go. You know?" he wanted the boy to understand. He wanted him to know that if he could, he would return to his family, but it would simply never be possible to do so. "I wahnt peck bee-cawse no can go, bee-cawse I wahnt love, ahnd tur-rust," he attempted to explain.

"Moje nervy! I fuor-get! My name is Belun." He gave a great nod of his head as a combination apology-introduction.

i am no prince, no rebel nor man of flair,

i am Fenru Tainn

Swift River's bloodline, protector & heir

All of the nodding and the enthusiasm piqued Fenru's interest and, in response to his version of a word association trial, the stranger expressed a genuine need and want for the membership of a pack. As much as he wanted to just go ahead and plant within the brute a seed of doubt, to pull the rug out form underneath him, his mind merely encouraged him in the other direction. The boy had to admit to himself that he was thoroughly taken by his company's ardor and verve. "Oh-kay," he returned, still weighing both his and the rogue's tones and trying to convince himself that they understood one another one some level. It wasn't until the man expanded his answer on the tangent of "family" that the Tainn was assured that somewhere, somehow, during this interesting encounter they did strike similar chords with one another.

"I wuhs family, yes. Fahther.. you know?" he began. Fenru nodded attentively, hanging onto one syllable before the next. "Fahther wuhs ...eh.. good. Muh-ther wuhs nice." Okay, so perhaps they had something in common as well... Go on, go on, the boy's eyes wordlessly pleaded. "Love.. there wuhs, yes. I wahnt.. go to.. Muh-ther. No can go. You know?" A wince began to make itself apparent on the yearling's face. "I know," he answered quietly, his voice low but clear that he apprehended what was said. So... not unlike Fenru, the dark youth had also yearned for a parent, but even as the Tainn had lost half his siblings, his pain and loss could not compare to the fact that the stranger was alone. And, he could not go back to his family.

"I wahnt peck bee-cawse no can go, bee-cawse I wahnt love, ahnd tur-rust," he proceeded, instilling within the boy tinges of sympathy and empathy. What this man did not have, Fenru... had. Above all else, he learned that what he wanted, desired, was the very things this River-borne took forgranted. Love, trust, and then some. He looked hard into the other's eyes, taking in the green hue that he had so long associated only with his mother and sister. What emotion he could see there, especially after a rather apologetic introduction, held no ill will nor deception.

Lifting his head and slowly rising to his full height, Fenru gave his own tail a small wag and offered the man, Belun, a smile. "Fehnn-roo Taynn," he enunciated. "I trust... you. Like you, believe you. Where I am from... my family does not like traitors... Thieves. Betrayers. Deserters. Renegades." His voice darkened and he paused to allow the solemn concept to sink in. "You betray me... my family... hunt you. I... hunt you. Yes?" He nodded once, only smiling once more in hopes of seeing yet another wave of comprehension wash over Belun's face. "Loyalty," he emphasized, standing straight and leveling his head. "Family. KEEP family... strong, yes? No weak. Family strong, family trust."

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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Belun didn't know if he would have taken back what he had done to his family just to return to them. On the one hand, he would have given anything to be with them again, but on the other, the mere idea of his uncle marrying his mother just seemed wrong on so many levels. He felt that he had been right to point out that it was an unacceptable crime, whether or not it had been necessary. Normally when Belun thought about things in retrospect, he ended up being the one in the wrong. To Belun, 90% of all bad things were his fault. This was just one of those very unlikely 10%.

The boy gave a small wince while Belun spoke, a sign that he understood what the brown male was trying to get at. He longed for the kind of company he had once had with his family. Things had been difficult; the wild had never been the most friendly place, but it was those family bonds that had gotten them through. Now, Belun felt he had little point in existing at all. There was no one to watch out for, no one to care for, no one to love. All he could do was cling to the shadows of the past in the dim hope that one day, he would see those shadows shape into reality. But they never did.

The boy, who was called Fenru, noted that he trusted Belun, which Belun thought meant he had believed in his little spiel. He said that his family didn't like "traitors," "thieves," "betrayers," "deserters," "renegades." They were words that Belun had never heard before, but the way Fenru's voice darkened and deepened and the glare he gave clearly meant that they were all very bad things. Perhaps Fenru was trying to gauge if Belun was any of those things; he hoped sincerely that he wasn't. He said that if Belun did the betray, that Fenru would hunt him, and that was something the brown male understood. He lowered his ears and his tail snaked under him, "Yes, I un-dehr stan." If Belun did the betray, then he would be hurt. He just wished he knew what the betray was. Surely he'd find out later.

There was a pause before Fenru went on to the word "loyalty," another that Belun had never heard before. He then seemed to try to explain the word, which Belun remembered had been spoken earlier also. Fenru said that family needed to be strong, and that "family trust" was also important. Family trust must have been their word for <b title="loyalty">vernosť. Vernosť had always been something that Belun had a lot of, so he nodded deeply. "Yes, I have a lot of thees. We call vernosť een my eh.. len-gooage," he said.

i am no prince, no rebel nor man of flair,

i am Fenru Tainn

Swift River's bloodline, protector & heir

While it occurred to Fenru that the man might have very well had a good (or bad) reason as to why he could not go back to his family (he assumed his parents had also died by some terrible accident), the boy did not question it now. If Belun was accepted into Swift River's heartland there would be more than enough time to find out... that is, if the matters weren't too touchy to inquire about. At least he understood, and hearing his acquaintance verbalize that he comprehended what he meant was, at present, worth the risk. Fenru took a step to one side, only partially ready to lead the way back home when Belun explained that he understood his last statement as "vernosť" in his native tongue.

"Family... trust...?" he echoed once more, hoping he was still understanding his contemporary correctly. "Trust is verr-nawst?" The concept of the word having two different names made his face light up, even if he was inwardly afraid he might be embarrassing himself by half-mimicking Belun's accent in order to fully follow through.

Fenru took another step to heave himself out of the tunnel, gradually adopting a slow but even stride, "Come, we can talk on the way." Slipping past a spindly sapling he glanced over his mottled shoulder, "Let's walk. This..." He took a second to reorient himself, looking and half-edging toward one direction before correcting his path. "This way." Might as well take the long way around, he advised himself in his head. Take some time to learn about his new, foreign-speaking buddy.

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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"Trust is verr-nawst?" Belun couldn't help but smile a bit at Fenru's attempt at the word. The accent was tainted by a twangy English, but it wasn't bad either. The mis-communication that "family trust" was one word had resulted in Belun teaching the youngster something totally incorrect. Luckily Belun knew the word for trust, so it wasn't too hard to clear up. "Nie, eh.. No. Tur-rust ees dôvera. Doo-u-veh-ra. Vernosť ees liek eh.. ahl-ways to be loveeng the family, yes? Family tur-rust. Ees same," he explained. Family trust clearly meant the same thing as loyalty in Slovak, so it all made total sense, he figured.

Fenru slipped back out of the den and after a moment's hesitation, he pointed them in a new direction and told Belun to come. The brown male was pleased that the boy was using easy to understand verbs that he knew, like "come" and "talk," it made him feel a little less stupid and incompetent around the young male. Why they were moving now, he wasn't really sure. He didn't know where they were going or what plan Fenru had, but the boy was as close to a friend as Belun had had in quite a long time, so he had no qualms about following obediently.

"Where ees goeeng us?" The words sounded very wrong on his tongue, and he frowned bashfully. Maybe the whole language immersion thing would work, over time. He was still young yet, and he didn't see why he couldn't learn the language properly. It would just be difficult, and hard, and boring, and it would take a long time. "Sor-ry, my tahlk is no good," he apologized.