Wheeling Gull Isle I hate to be the bearer of bad news
1,015 Posts
Ooc — Jay
Offline
#1
All Welcome 
The yearning to see someone he loved was strong and grew even stronger when he had smelled the scent of the sea. He remembered that Aunt Seelie lived across a land bridge and had stopped by  oceanside pack asking for entry and some help finding it. To his delight he had been shown where to go and he crossed the bridge, beginning to run when he smelled Aunt Seelie and her pack.

He stopped as soon as his paws hit the sand and called for @Coelacanth and any other leaders around, praying they would show up. After he had done so however, he realised he would have to be the one to tell of his father's death if she didn't know already.
Birdcatcher: 4/10
 
587 Posts
Ooc — KJ
Master Medic
Offline
#2
“Sunny,” the sheepdog breathed, tufted ears tipping forward upon her skull at the young wolf’s summoning cry. With infinite gentleness, she tucked a wandering @Grayling closer to her flank and smoothed her tongue soothingly across @Thresher’s brow. Her Neptune gaze drifted lovingly to her mate, whose heavily-muscled frame formed the opposite half of the ring that kept their children safe; the new parents were tucked nose to nose, tails entwined. In the thick fur of @Stockholm’s abdomen, Koi and Sixgill had formed something of a round knot, and Seelie swept them to her breast, caging them in the heart-shaped clasp of her forelimbs, without unraveling them.

At his Aralez’s behest, the Gampr rose and hastened to greet the boy. Cordially and succinctly, he urged Sunny to follow him to the Rainsong Labyrinth where Seelie waited. Once he returned with the Morningsider in tow, he took up his place once more, closing the ring and resting his heavy chin atop his mate’s wrist. He made no protest as Koi lovingly attacked his face, burbling melodically.

“Sunny, welcome Undersea,” she whispered, her feathered tail thumping vigorously. Her seasparkle eyes bore no shadows of sympathy or grief — just happiness, bright and clear and untarnished. If that didn’t make it clear enough to him that she was blissfully unaware of Grayday’s passing, her next statement would: “Morningsigh,” she misspoke softly, “Grayday, Catori, puppies — Dawn — Adi — ” it still hurt to taste his name upon her lips!“all well?”
1,015 Posts
Ooc — Jay
Offline
#3
The one that heeded his call was not Coelacanth but a male that held her scent and the scent of puppies on his fur. This made Sunny's eyes widen and his mind raced as he nodded and followed quickly behind the male to Seelie's den. Upon arriving he peeked inside and his jaw dropped, a low whine of surprise and jaw leaving his maw as he dropped to his belly and crawled forward.


Looking up into the joyous face of his aunt he felt his heart warm significantly only to sink once more as she asked of her father, Catori, and the babies which lead him to realise she had no idea. His face fell and he felt grief unlike anything yet experienced. Had he known that Seelie lay here nursing babies and enjoying true happiness he would not have come knowing he would be the bearer of horrible news. "Seelie...Dad is...He died. Catori is deep in grief and the pups are feeling it too..." he whisperer, averting his eyes and swallowing down a lump that was building in his throat. "Dawn is staying strong and Aditya is helping her. I..." he held back the confession and closed his mouth, the guilt written clearly across his face. He scooted forward, wary of Stockholm and extended his neck to press his nose against Seelie's fur.
Birdcatcher: 4/10
 
112 Posts
Ooc — Sabin
Offline
#4
News of Grayday’s death sobers the Gampr, and the chuckle that stirs low in his throat at his youngest daughter’s resemblance to a facehugger fades, overshadowed by grief. He makes no move to dissuade the young man from burying his nose into Seelie’s fur, merely begins to bathe his Aralez’s muzzle in tender kisses as he tends to their children. This is Sunny’s time to grieve and Stockholm doesn’t want to stem the tide of sorrow, just to offer support to his mate. “I’m so sorry,” he murmurs, his voice thick with compassion.
587 Posts
Ooc — KJ
Master Medic
Offline
#5
The tiny Groenendael’s expressive countenance flitted wildly from emotion to emotion in the wake of Sunny’s revelation. By the time he finished speaking, her seasparkle eyes were practically all pupil, wide with shock and horror. The weight of the news was so crushing that she could not weep and therein find release; in fact, she sought cessation of her mate’s tender ministrations with a soft, quicksilver wrinkling of her muzzle, revealing the tips of her canines. Stockholm understood her better than any other creature and took her warning for what it was — “Please don’t kiss my face, but I’m sorry and I love you and please don’t leave me aweiruaiower!” He dropped his chin to her wrist again, and she fussed over him, nibbling at his short-cropped ears before she spoke.

Coelacanth looked at her children, nestled at her side. She looked at Sunny, whose nose was buried into her feathery fur, and began grooming him with long, slow strokes. “Sunny,” she breathed. She wanted to leave immediately for Morningside, but her children were still too young — and her pack needed her. She looked at her babies, a soft whuff anointing each tiny head: @Grayling, @Thresher, @Sixgill, and Koi. None of them had official names yet, though she and Stockholm had talked about it at length. She had planned on a grand ceremony for their Naming — introducing the puppies to the ocean and the rest of Undersea at the same time — but the giving of this gift could not wait.

Seelie drew her nose with especial care over her firstborn’s crown. “He is One,” she whispered softly. “First.” She paused for a moment, then quietly let go of the name she had wanted to give him. “He is Grayling Corten,” she decided, her silky susurrus tinged with gentle finality. “For honor, and for love.” She hoped that some of Grayday’s spirit would live on in the small ocean soul who fed so greedily at her breast.
99 Posts
Ooc — Jess
Offline
#6
Skip me as needed- or PP her too :) just making an appearance.
 

Thresher’s dreams were pleasant; they mostly just consisted of feelings, as she had yet to see anything. Warmth, food and soft, downt fuzz were all that she really knew- and movement, both her own and those belonging to whatever entities surrounded her. 

She felt her mother’s warm breath wash over her and she reared her little head, pointing her little nose up toward her mother, and emitting a soft, whistling sound, before she repositioned herself against her elder brother, tucking her nose against his soft, warm side, and then settled back down, content to be acknowledged and comfortable.
1,015 Posts
Ooc — Jay
Offline
#7
Originally he had been standing bent over with his nose into Seelie's fur. Then when she began to groom at him, he slowly slid to his belly and remained still eyes closing. Surely if Seelie could withhold her grieving then he could too, he could wait till he was away from prying eyes. "It's alright Aunt Seelie...We'll get through it." he said softly. Such was the Morningside way right? Together they would all make it through.....except he wasn't together with them.

Shunning the beginnings of depressive thoughts he lifted his head away and adjusted his position so that he could fully observe Seelie with her babies. They were four beautiful little balls of fluff and wiggles and he watched her as she touched each one. Then when she spoke he found himself stunned once more by her voice, enraptured by the softness of it. Then he was crying, eyes giving no stinging warning of the tears that suddenly flowed from their depths as she named the first born after his father. "Seelie...Thank you" He breathed in a trembling voice. "I'll tell everyone...that you named him after dad." he said after he had slowly sucked in a breath, trying to stop the flow of emotion.
Birdcatcher: 4/10
 
587 Posts
Ooc — KJ
Master Medic
Offline
#8
Skipping Stockholm with permission. ♥

Sunny stretched out on his stomach, and Coelacanth saw in that motion a man falling to his knees in absolute surrender. She cared for him tenderly, protecting his vulnerability with a gimlet eye, and kissed the tears from his cheeks with soft sweeps of her tongue. “Peace be, Sunny,” she breathed, settling herself more solidly against him that he might draw comfort from her nearness. “Stay, today, tomorrow,” she urged him, for the journey had to have been arduous. “Morningside home, Undersea home, all family.”

There was no shame in crying, and Coelacanth rested her head cross the boy’s withers to absorb the shudder of his breath. “Let free,” she murmured to him softly, licking at the backs of his ears. “To bleed, to heal.” It was a clumsy analogy, but the Aralez had become a big believer in taking time to grieve, whatever way was most comfortable.
1,015 Posts
Ooc — Jay
Offline
#9
For the first time in the company of others he didn't feel the need to stay strong and hold everything in. In his Aunt's embrace he released the pent up emotions and began to heave, his whole body shaking with the force of his sobs. It was more than his dad's death, it was the death of himself too. He knew that he was no longer the same happy go lucky young man with a heart of a child but instead a man who had lost his father and hurt his family through horrible actions. It lasted only a few moments before it slowly quieted down and then he sniffled, sucking in a breath and blowing it out in a sigh. "I will stay as long as you want Aunt Seelie, I just need to be home in a week. Thank you for letting me stay" he said softly and gave her cheek fur an appreciative and affectionate nuzzle. "I gained so much family through Catori but you're the one I'm most grateful to" he admitted. Not gratitude so much as he held a simple but profound adoration for the woman.
Birdcatcher: 4/10
 
587 Posts
Ooc — KJ
Master Medic
Offline
#10
I feel like Seelie probably slips up and calls @ThresherTreasure” pretty often. ♥

Coelacanth held her young cousin-by-marriage close and draped one spindly forelimb across his broad shoulders, resting her chin atop his head. It was a physical manifestation of what she longed to do but could not accomplish: shielding the young wolf from all the pain the world had to offer. After exchanging a glance with Stockholm, she decided to let Grayday’s son be the first wolf to know the names of the newest Cortens, that he might bear these names to Catori and Dawn. “Welcome ever, Sunny,” she reassured him gently. “You carry name to Morningsigh,” she breathed, licking the tears from his face and drawing back so he could look more closely at her puppies. “Treas — Thresher,” she whispered shyly, smoothing her tongue across the little girl who most closely resembled her father in coloration; “Sixgill,” as she nosed at the pudgy little piebald boy who never seemed to stop squalling; and, “Koi,” marveling at the subtle gradation of her black pearl’s blue-black down.

With Sunny’s promise to carry the names home, Seelie relaxed, her feathered tail thumping genially — and after urging him to explore the island and all it had to offer, she turned quietly to her mate. Together they “talked” in the way that had become natural for them — a mixture of body language, actual words, and the silent communion of touch and sight, comforting each other and soothing their puppies.