home is where the heart is

@Aeylen. Ruiko and Aeylen miss their familyyyyyy. :)
Started this joining thread on the hope that Arlette in this thread told Ruiko where SR went.. Didn't want to lose more LP. :(

The moment the pale she-wolf had notified him of Swift River’s move across the mountain, the tawny beast had wasted no time in collecting his mate and beginning the trek across the dangerous terrain. It was strange to him – the other side of the mountain had opened now, and according to @Arlette, the valleys of Relic Lore stretched on. Mountain of Dire was familiar to him – perhaps not as much as his uncle Honijo, now some of the other locals that frequented it often, but enough that he was able to locate one of the openings and lead he and his mate to the descent within the Vale of Secrets.

Had he been younger, and less pissed off at his brother, the tawny male likely would have ventured a bit further in hopes of finding his orange-eyed littermate. Yet a part of him knew Indru was gone forever – stealing his son away in the middle of the night and leaving behind a broken family.. he had nothing to return to but a swift death. Ruiko could recall the afternoon he had found Corinna, broken beyond possible repair, and as he remembered the desperation and misery in her green eyes, his heart only hardened more at the thought of the other Tainn.

Their travel took days. The Tainn male lost count of how many sunrises they had witnessed since parting from the Grove, but it took them awhile to navigate the scents that was his family. These lands were unknown to him, and every so often the tawny wolf would brush his shoulder against his mate’s in silent comfort – the eerie forest was also not as enticing as the beautiful forests that had surrounded Swift River.

His heart thrummed in his chest as they came upon the borders of what he had learned was ‘Oak Tree Bend.’ Corinna’s scent was overwhelming, as well as Triell’s, and the male felt a tug of relief. Casting his eyes to Aeylen, Ruiko then tilted his muzzle back and sang to the wolves of the pack. The note would crescendo across the afternoon sky – beckoning them forth with a joy he could only hope they would feel when they saw him as well. As his howl faded, he lowered his muzzle, his stance, once so regal and dominant, now falling to a more neutral stance as they waited.

(This post was last modified: Oct 20, 2013, 01:09 AM by Corinna.)

Ruiko's recent return to her with information about what had been Swift River's whereabouts was like an affirmation of faith. They had searched for what seemed like months with no end or hope in sight; to hear that he'd connected with someone who actually knew where Corinna and the others were was the break that they needed.

There was a fleetfooted hustle in her movements as she kept to Ruiko's side for the entirety of their journey. The days came and went, and though their progress was timely and rather efficient for the most part, it was plain to see that they were in uncharted territory once they'd descended the other side of the mountain. The land here seemed nearly untouched, and the air was thick with an earthen redolence that she'd never encountered anywhere else. Beneath the thick canopies, the forests seemed ancient─more so than even Sacred Grove had. Life buzzed around every unfamiliar bend, or, in some stretches, seemed not to exist at all.

Navigating the terrain had been difficult, but eventually Corinna's scent, laced along the forest's periphery with a number of others that now seemed unfamiliar, finally was found. Aeylen breathed it in deeply, finding a comfort in it that even she was not expecting. Dutifully following Ruiko's lead, her honey hued eyes looked to him as his own cast toward her, a gentle smile lighting her golden feature. It was what he'd been waiting for─what he desperately wanted and needed─and for him to finally have come this far warmed her thrumming heart.

As his song echoed through the vast and hidden spaces of this unfamiliar place, the woman stilled in silent reverence, her posture instinctively mirroring her mate's. Anticipation heavy in her chest, her eyes roved the shadows as they waited.

<3 Don't mind Cori...she doesn't have as good of eye-sight as she used to. ;)

Gone Tomorrow

The days were growing colder and the shadows were growing longer. The sun seemed to sit lower in the sky, and the moon commanded the sky more often. The seasons were changing and winter would soon be here once again. They had picked this land during the spring, when prey was abundant, but the wolves of Oak Tree Bend had yet to survive their first winter on this side of the mountain. There had been hungry days before, but Corinna did not know the patterns of the herds in this area, and she was anxious to find out.

And so the pack's leader was trying to do what she could to ensure that her pack would have full bellies when the snows covered them in their sleep on a nightly basis. Her kills were small and infrequent, but when she made them, she dutifully tucked the freshly killed animal away in a cache. Digging deep into the ground, thankfully still soft from the recent rains, the leader buried her treasure. Covering it once more, she secured the cache, laying on her back and rolling on it to thoroughly covered. If she felt that was not enough, she urinated it as she would her borders; a strong and potent smell that would warn away any curious strangers, canine or otherwise.

Corinna had been in the middle of her scent marking ritual when her ears perked up. Faint notes of a song caught her attention, and she lifted her head off the ground to listen. She was too close to the center of the pack's territory to recognize the voice, but it was unmistakably a howl. Hoisting herself up from the ground, Corinna shook herself to rid her fur of most of the dirt and mud that clang to it after her rolling around. Sparing a moment to tilt her head back and howl back, she let the caller know that she had heard him, and was coming.

Weaving through the woods, the Oak Tree Bend ran swiftly and silently. She had heard no other calls, answering either her own or the stranger's, so it wasn't likely another pack member was also on their way. It had been a long time, though, since a stranger had called on them. It was a male, but Corinna knew indubitably (indubitable) that it was not Ice or Merlin. They would not have howled at the borders, but would have walked right past them in their haste to find her. So whoever it was, was a stranger and would be met with caution.

Distance was not in Corinna's favor, and the stranger at her borders had nearly an hours wait before she was able to make her arrival. Running through the woods, Corinna's nose eventually took over as she neared the general direction that the howl had come from. It was not enough to distinctly identify, but enough of a disturbance in the air that it led Corinna to them like a homing beacon.

The leader had barely begun to slow her pace when she first caught sight of the pair, sitting just beyond her borders. A first look, though, was all it took for instinct to take over. The smaller of the two wolves was unremarkable, but the larger of the two caught her attention immediately. The tawny fur pattern had captured her attention, and little thought was spared to anything else. Corinna's snarl was so loud that more than one bird took flight, scared from their roost. Propelled forward by her previous momentum, she didn't pause in her step for even a moment to consider alternatives. The weak autumn light cast the whole forest in shadow, and the tawny fur was so distinctly Indru's in her mind, she didn't realize who it was that was actually in front of her. She was focused solely on the brute in front of her, and with reckless abandon, she charged. Jaws parted she roared in fury as she ran, ready to sink her teeth into the pelt of the betrayer who had dared to show his face once again.

Feel free to either have Cori hit him or miss him completely. She'll realize her mistake next post...hopefully. =p

A song – so familiar and yet one not heard for far too long answered him back, and given her calm response, Ruiko knew she had not recognized his voice. Not yet anyway. Anticipation coursed through him as he pressed his shoulder to Aeylen’s once more, his bright eyes casting out over the borders of Corinna’s new land. It did not hold the same allure to him as Sacred Grove and Swift River had, yet he was but an outsider looking in for the moment, and he was certain his silver sister-in-law would not disappoint in her choice of a home, despite his disgruntlement at her leave of Indru’s once claimed lands.

The time passed, and as it did so, each moment stirred his heart to seemingly beat harder in his chest. Stoical upon the outside, within he was a trembling mess, and Aeylen, who knew him best of all, would likely be able to tell this. He lowered himself further, hoping to bring his large frame to a smaller stance of submission. He held no reign over these lands – not like he had Swift River at one point, Copper Rock Creek, or even Sequoia Vale. His days of leadership were possibly over, and for the first time in his life, he felt settled with the thought. With Aeylen by his side, the once regal wolf seeked no more than family.. and he could think of no place like home than with his siblings while his children had dispersed to carve their own path in to the world.

Finally, time had answered his pleas, and Corinna emerged from the foliage of this unknown land. She ran – and he perked instantly upon first sight of her – was she as happy to see him a she was her? And yet a second breath stirred understanding upon him, and as she swept toward them in what he now recognized as rage, the tawny male shifted his weight swiftly, placing himself in front of Aeylen to shield her from the she-wolf that approached them with her teeth bared lethally.

“Cor—“ he began in his dark rumble, an attempt to placate the she-wolf, and yet his words were cut short by a furious snarl. His ears slid back, his own eyes flaring as he rolled his shoulder forward, protecting his nape as her teeth found their mark, slicing through the flesh with a precision that was impressive. Stunned, he hadn’t realized leaving had caused her such rage, and tucking his muzzle lower, he allowed her to deliver her punishment without a grimace.

Gone Tomorrow

Corinna had seen red and nothing else. She barely registered that her target had moved his position in order to shield his companion. That was no matter to her, she had eyes only for him and be damned the companion that he had brought with him. He had done that once before, two wolves who had stuck around for barely a week before deserting them.

The distance closed between them, and her teeth met fur. His shoulder had shifted to defend himself, protecting his neck from her fury, but her teeth connected with the loose fur of his shoulder. Biting, her sharp teeth cut through the coarse fur and broke through the skin, and with satisfaction, she tasted blood. But in the second that her teeth had made their mark, her nose caught up to her mind. The scent struck her like the blow she herself had just delivered, and immediately she let go. Corinna shuffled backwards, barely avoiding tripping over herself in her struggle to separate herself from her victim.

Green eyes wide with fear and shock, she stood before the pair, eyes fixed on the bloody wound on the male's shoulder. What had she done? The tension that had propelled her forward earlier was now causing her body to violently shake. With her fur along her spine and shoulders standing on end, she looked a fright. "Ru...Ru...Ruiko...." she stammered, her tongue heavy in her mouth, tripping over itself just like her paws. "I...I...didn't..didn't..realize...Indru..." After almost a year, this was the greeting she gave him: a flesh wound to his shoulder and a babbling so intense that a sane wolf would have thought her mad.

So sorry, and this is terrible.

The time the pair spent it waiting crept by slowly but surely and she would look to Ruiko for reassurance as his shoulder brushed her own. Enveloped in silence, she considered a multitude of possible reasons why Corinna and her brood would have left Sacred Grove behind. Aeylen knew enough of her mate's history to realize that the river wolves had a meaningful and volatile stay in Swift River, and had endured many hardships─a number of which she'd been told had stemmed from Indru's absences. Corinna remained, largely, a mystery to the tawny she wolf, but she had never forgotten the silver queen's visit to Copper Rock Creek before she and Ruiko's timely departure. Just as she and her mate had uprooted their own family a number of times, it was only reasonable that her sister-in-law may have had her own motives in resettling.

She couldn't see the anxiety that she could feel radiating from Ruiko, and she mirrored his shifts in posture attentively. Where his own emotions were easily hidden by his stoical facade, Aeylen's golden eyes widened in anticipation as a silver streaked figure emerged in the distance. Submissive at Ruiko's side, the woman's tail swayed in a final─and brief─moment of relief. The wolf who was fast approaching was not the Corinna that she remembered, and as the leader closed in on them it became clear that she was not pleased by their return. A low whine hitched in her throat at first, replaced by a deep growl that she quickly bit back as her mate moved quickly to shield her. It was one thing to be turned away, and another to be attacked so quickly and without any provocation; confusion overcame her and as Corinna closed in on Ruiko with what was, frankly, a terrifying display.

The altercation was quick and more violent than she was truly prepared for. Nearly as quickly as it had happened, however, the attack ended, leaving Ruiko bloodied and Corinna appearing as though she'd seen a ghost. Her brows furrowed, Aeylen took in the wound on Ruiko's shoulder with horror, a ridge of fur erected along her spine. Wild-eyed, she held her tongue.

Her teeth scored their mark -- the burning sensation as her fangs ripped his flesh upon his shoulder did not bring an outward wince, though it caused his muscles to clench and his jaw to tighten. His eyes were wide as he looked to her -- uncertain what to do before she pulled back just as quickly as she had launched herself at him. Only a second passed before he shifted himself, still standing protectively before Aeylen and yet lowering his muzzle now -- not in the submission that he had displayed earlier, but in the need to protect his throat in case she charged him again.

Corinna stammered then. The beautiful silver she-wolf seemed out of sorts -- shocked, distraught. Her words were a mixture of nonsense, and as she spoke his brother's name, the male felt his ears slide back to his skull, a grunt escaping him. He did not understand her confusion -- not taking in to consideration how closely he resembled his littermate, and while Corinna did not move, his eyes trailed worriedly to Aeylen, his muzzle lifting to touch her cheek gently in reassurance, feeling the tension emanating from her. "Indru what, Corinna?" His tone was stoical, and yet his words were also clipped as his eyes drifted down to his shoulder, now bleeding quite freely. At that very moment, Ruiko doubted his need to return back to the wolves of Swift River. perhaps he and Aeylen did not have a home with them after all. "Is he here?" Had his brother, after his misdeeds, dared to come back again?

Gone Tomorrow

Ruiko responded as any sane creature would - protecting himself from the menace that had attacked him. In her babbling delirium, all Corinna could see was the blood. It was not a large wound nor particularly deep, but it was still going to be a hindrance. But the taste and the smell were what drove her insensible babble. It was all she could taste, stuck to her teeth and to her tongue. Her head snapped quickly, side-to-side, her green eyes desperately searching for water so she could erase the taste from her mouth. But they were not in Swift River anymore, and there was no water to ease her guilt.

His clipped words were enough for her frazzled mind to hold on to, and she forced her mouth to stop making senseless noises to listen to him. At his question, her head began to shake again, but this time in a clear "no" gesture. "Nnooo, nooo, no," she stammered, stopping to take a deep breath to settle herself. "I just...I saw you..and the light...you look so much alike...." Not quite complete, but hopefully coherent, she peered up at him. Knocked back on her haunches by her own shocking actions, she was dwarfed by the large Tainn. Her ears flattened against her skull, and when she hesitatingly rose off her haunches and took a tentative step towards the couple, her tail was firmly tucked under her belly - a long ways from where it normally rested. Corinna desperately wanted to reach out and touch him, to lick the wound that she had so savagely caused, but was terrified of Ruiko's reaction. He had not retaliated yet, but once the shock wore off, it wouldn't surprise her if the anger surfaced. "I never thought I would see you again, Ruiko," she whispered, head bowed, eyes staring resolutely at his paws. "I thought he'd found us, come back to take my sons like he took Torrel."

Forcing herself to look up at him, she tried to meet his gold eyes, willing him to understand just what emotions had been brought up at the sight of him. Indru's ghost had haunted them in Swift River, behind ever tree and twist in the trail it had lurked. But her own reaction was more than clear - some ghosts were never left behind.

(This post was last modified: Nov 12, 2013, 02:41 AM by Corinna.)

Though Ruiko still stood between she and Corinna, Aeylen could feel the tension of the encounter in her bones. Her dismay was tempered by the hard, stoical tone of her mate's voice as he questioned the mention of his brother's name, undercut by the soft stammering of the alpha who seemed to crumble into someone unrecognizable. She knew that tone of his well, though it wasn't one she heard very often; they had traveled all this way and as of a moment ago it seemed like it had been for nothing, but she knew better. Corinna was the reason they were here, and as off-guard as Ruiko had been caught by her melee, she didn't see him walking away so easily.

Taking a half-step forward so as to be able to see Corinna as she spoke, Aeylen willfully resisted the urge to press into her mate's side as the pain inherent in the woman's words stung her own heart. It made sense now why they'd found here here, so far from Sacred Grove. How horrible it must be to fear the possible return of someone who was once so trusted and loved; for the father of her children to be the enemy she would so willingly attack; to be afraid that the home you chose could be tainted by the exact thing you had sought to leave behind. To have lost a son and to fear for the lives of those who were not lost...

Aeylen trained her eyes upon Corinna as sympathy and a fresh wave of sorrow washed over the uncertainty that had resonated just moments before. She didn't feel sorry for the woman, only sorry that it seemed plain that she'd been through hell.

Dust to dust

Triell had reasons to dislike Ruiko, but he never fed those demons. Ruiko had never out right abandoned them nor the new family he had created. When Triell heard his voice, the ring of happiness he wasn't sure he instantly reflected the sentiment. What was Rue doing here? By his song his family must be well, right? It had been, well Triell couldn't even remember last he saw the wolf. Shouldn't he be running, ecstatic to see him? Maybe,because he was leading man now, or disturbed what brought his eldest brother at their doorstep he was rather neutral when he began to trot to the song's owner.

Dark paws began to work the ground it dawned on him the last time they had been graced with his presence...Kinis. It was another cloudy memory ready to chew him up, and spit him back out. Knowing easily it could be to slip into that, lock itself into place, he began to run. It wasn't right of him to hang back, avoid this interaction. He was curious how the eldest Tainn had fared, how he had found them here, and what he was going to do now. The Tainn forced himself onward to find the answers to the questions.

Corinna would far beat him. He had not seen the attack. By the time he could see the trio breaking through the trees Corinna looked like she had taken a terrible bite of food. Puzzled, his nose titled to the air, finding Ruiko's blood. The dark wolf put the brakes on, moving behind her in a more cautious manner. It made no sense for it. If she hated Ruiko she should hate Triell too. Feminine voice broke the stillness, and it became clear how she had greeted the other Tainn. The air suddenly seemed tinged with pain and guilt. On purpose his paws crunched dead leaves, and he brought his figure beside her. Triell made an effort to brush her shoulder, but only after the fact she knew he was there. Other than that he stood with his head tall, quiet and reserved if only trying to help steady her by standing by her side where others had not.

are you with me through it all?