Blackbeak Bluff I'll die for you, I will

The adventure begins! Thread's open to all, but I figured I'd tag @Caiaphas, because it's been waaay to long since we've had a thread :P

Not long after speaking to his Vicar, the Cardinal of the grotto set off and away from his church. He had no worry leaving his wolves under the careful watch of Jhala. She was more than capable of leading the wolves of the grotto while Hiram was away. They would be safe, he was sure. The light of Raas would continue to shine over him. The Cardinal would soon return home -- but this time, with his children at his flank. This was the Lord's will.

Southwest, the woman had said. He followed the setting Daystar as he marched to the sea. He trained his eyes upward at the setting sun. Raas painted the sky with a beautiful cascade of color; orange, pink, and purple -- a sign of his blessing. He would not fail.

He walked until the light was all but gone. This time was claimed by the Heartless One; he told himself he would proceed no further until the light of the Lord returned to guide him, but the sound of the sea drew him forth to a cliff-side. Hiram looked over the side to see an angry sea bashing itself against the rocks. He was unsure what it meant, so he stood in silence; watching.

would it be okay to back-date this a day or so? only because presently Phas is over at SS. <__> or leave it at an indeterminate date?

the return of resources made the siren queen more adventurous, more bold in her daily conquests. she had never appreciated the affects of a full belly so clandestinely. and in a way, life had been restored to normalcy.

she had been entertaining the idea of revisiting donnelaith, but some hidden hand stopped her at the breaks of shore. she could not say what it was that forbid her from going any further -- perhaps it was the startling reminder that lasher was dead; of her life no longer.

morosely she had turned back home, only to find a familiar wolf perched close to the thunderous shore. she moved towards him, though her approach was guarded. after all, there was a history there -- a history she dared not disturb. "what are you doing here?" she queried softly into the darkness, finding her words scarcely audible above the consistent rumble of the sea.

That's fine with me! Backdating it a couple days would actually fit Reek's timeline better.

The sea commanded his attention -- all of it; as it always had. Even in his childhood, Hiram had been captivated by the stories of the ocean's power as told by his sea-born mother. The stories, compounded with the call of the sea itself, had drawn him into these Wilds. This salt-kissed mistress had not only called him here, but she had thrown him into the throes of misfortune. Perhaps life would have been different had he turned away and had never crossed the threshold into this cursed land. He should have hated the sea and all it represented, but he could not bring himself to such feelings. Strangely, he still held love in his heart for the coast.

He breathed a wistful sigh, lowered his head, and reminisced. There had been a time when life had been simple -- a short time, but he remembered it well. He had not been mistreated by the sirens of the sound to the north. Though it had been a time without the light of Raas, the man couldn't help but wonder how much different life would have been if he would have remained a simple consort.

His thoughts, however, were cut short by a voice -- barely audible above the crashing waves. Familiar and uncharacteristically soft. He turned, allowing his gaze to settle on the outline of a charcoal black face. The soot-crowned Queen had arrived as if summoned by his thoughts.

Surprisingly, her question bore no sign of malice, nor did she offer any scathing remark. The man had always enjoyed that side of her personality -- and though he hardly let it on, he thoroughly enjoyed her company. "I'm heading south," he spoke plainly. He offered no further explanation, however, he saw no reason not to elaborate further if she asked. Though he would never admit it, she was a friend.

imagine if reek remained a simple consort o boy

caiaphas had turned her attention to the sea, following reek's indeterminate gaze. she breathed the ocean; the salt consumed her, the winds revived her -- she could never, in a single moment, envision the harrowing idea of life without the strand besides her. in a way she wondered how reek had faired, roving so far inland -- he certainly did not look too miserable.

but he was reek, and reek to an extent was always miserable; they shared a certain affinity for misery and in some ways caiaphas surmised it was why despite the strain of their past they could not be rid of each other. his voice was lisp-less, which drew a sly smile from the wretch.

"what for?" she inquired, knowing full well his lack of a further in-depth explanation likely meant he was not in a garrulous mood. but when was he ever?

Though the news Nova Rose had given him made Reek's heart overflow with joy and hope, the sad conditions of his attempt at fatherhood still weighed the man down. Deep down, he knew there were some wounds that even God couldn't heal. But hope was a powerful thing. Somehow, it kept his heart beating and it drove him further south with the urgency. He took a breath and wondered, did she know? Could she? His unborn children had been a sensitive subject during their last encounter -- and in a way it still was, yet Reek was less guarded than he had been in the past. The walls he kept had tumbled down; each barrier stripped away by heartache and exhaustion.

"I'm a dad," he murmered. A bittersweet feeling took hold, seeping into the cracks of his weathered form. The Lord had protected them -- kept them safe from the wrath of Sleeping Dragon -- but how much time had Reek lost with them? There were so many milestones he had surely missed; his daughter's first words, his son's first clumsy steps. He had never marvled at how small they were, nor had he looked upon them with love until his heart felt as if it would explode with wild emotion. 

"They were gone," he continued. "Stripped from me before I even had the chance to know them." This, he knew she would understand. Her own son, Kevlyn, the Cardinal knew how much she loved him -- how much it had left her gutted when he had died. He had been her heart, and with his loss, Reek knew that something was missing inside of her. There was a hole, a hole he felt as well.

But his children, they were not Kevlyn. "They're out there, somewhere." There was an urgency within the tremble of his voice; a broken, but hopeful shake. "I have to find them." And if he didn't, he knew he would die a bitter, lonely man.

the siren queen looked over her once-consort, once-friend -- now a wolf no more familiar to her than the thunderous depths of the sea. so much had happened in their lives since their departure from one another -- and yet, she did not feel alienated besides him.

her gaze flickered as he mentioned being a father. somewhere in her still beating heart she felt a gross pang, unwanted -- as if the viscera and blood had shifted and run cold. she shook the feeling, though her gaze darkened.

"who took them from you?"

In truth, it had been his own fault -- but Hiram had harbored his guilt for long enough. His anger burned for another: sleeping dragon. It had been their fault. The pressure they put on the maplewood had forced the maplewolves to the southwest and into unknown territory. If they had only remained in the maplewood -- if the dragon pack and had never come to the wilds, perhaps things would have turned out differently and relations between the the grotto and the maplewood could have been repaired.

If she desired an answer, he would give his own. "Sleeping Dragon," he spat, casting his blame with vitriol.

in reek's words there sat a venomous hatred; as black as a dark pool of oil and twice as consuming. caiaphas relished in the raw sharpness of his words, though she knew nothing of the pack he spoke of.

she had never been one to let those who wronged her live their lives free of her brand of revenge, and breathlessly the little queen tilted forwards with her yellow eyes mad with interest. "did you kill them?"

Yes. In his dreams every night he stood over the corpse of Thuringwethil with her throat held tightly in his jaws; her body mangled. The other wolves of the mountain, all of them meeting the same fate by the paw of his underlings. However, this was only the thing of dreams. A nice catharsis, but nothing more.

"No," he said shaking his head, voice pained with regret. "I don't have the numbers: neither now or then." And even then, it was likely not in the Daystar's plan to bring war to the dragon pack. Without His guidance, Hiram would not act. "It would be suicide." Perhaps he would have considered it when the wound was fresh -- but now he had purpose and daughters to find.

last post for 'phas, feel free to PP

caiaphas was not afraid of the prospect of suicide; if anything, she was a special kind of warrior -- she was stupidly bold, and incredibly devoid of self-preservation. the prospect of killing delighted her, even if it meant her own life.

"that's a shame." she offered uselessly. "good luck with your children, reek." she turned her head to him and looked him long and level before offering one last statement: "don't think like a wolf. think like a coyote." there was a snakish gleam in her eye; he could get whatever he wanted, so long as he was clever about it.

of that, she was sure.