Neverwinter Forest Never Neverland
286 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#1
All Welcome 
Overnight, a dense fog had rolled in, penetrating the well-protected and shielded forest by slipping beneath the evergreen boughs that normally kept them safe from both rain and snow. The chill of late Autumn air beneath the nearly full face of the moon had made the night a very chilly one, even though there was no wind. By the time the morning came and the sun broke over the horizon, the fog still remained in the forest but began to lift as the sun pierced through the pine branches, dissolving it, but not without leaving each and every pine nettle glistening with an opaque coat of silver- hoarfrost had settled upon the Neverwinter Forest, and though it had not snowed at all, the hoarfrost made it appear as though an icestorm had coated all the trees in a thick layer of beautiful, glistening ice. 

Shrike padded through the forest and had visited the den with a pheasant in his mouth in hope of finding Allure there and giving it to her- but to his surprise, she was not home. She'd not been gone long, so he quelled the panic that immediately rose in his throat, and was reassured by the fact that she had finally chosen to leave the den and go out on her own after her period of mourning. He chuffed fondly, and left the pheasant in the den for her to find when she returned. 

With Allure recovering from her grief, Shrike was left with the hope that her good spirits would return, and that she would become more like her old self again. Gentle, with a sophistocated, slightly sarcastic sense of humour, and radiant with beauty. Shrike's hopes of asking Scimitar for permission to be her mate had been dashed to pieces when he, Cypress and Allure had discovered him, dead. The only one that he could ask, now, was Kaskara, though he hoped to build up a better reputation before he did so, and allowed Allure to recover more. Now was not the time to be romantic; now was the time to be supportive. 

Deciding to make himself useful, he began tracking a small herd of deer, one of the few that seemed to enjoy taking shelter within the forest despite the fact that the wolves lived there too. If he was lucky, he might be able to pick out a suitable deer to bring down should someone else join him for the hunt.

And that first kiss coming, let's just freeze the frame
Your eyes were closing, as mine were opening
you can't wake up, this is not a dream
205 Posts
Ooc — Rachel
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#2
-steals thread-
Her slender form crept through the fog at a more leisurely pace – her mind still reeled from the recent events, and while a certain darkness had settled upon her, she tried her hardest to remember the light the world had to offer. Scimitar had been a steadfast guardian to her and her siblings – the Frostfur’s had seen tragedy more than once, and each time, he and Bazi had done their best to keep it at bay and from affecting their children as much they could. Swift had the first unfortunate incident – Whittier the last. Even Rannoch, now, and yet the bi-toned girl had finally accepted that her youngest brother was simply gone. Whether by choice, or through another means, the mystery would seemingly always remain.

And now she had to focus on what was left: Cypress.

Even though the fog was dense, she came upon the familiar scent of Shrike, and while she neared the den, she did not seek out his gift – she was far more invested in the idea of seeking him out. He was her rock in these dark times, and she could not explain what it was now that had her trust him without question. They had met briefly once in the Caldera – and then the day he had come searching for Lucy on the borders. Since then, he had become a scouting companion.. and if the girl could grasp her blossoming feelings as she felt a quickness in the beat of her heart as she neared him, she would even realize he perhaps meant even more than that to her.

The only crush she had ever known before had been Floki – and it had left her with a sickening butterfly in her stomach that had turned her in to a fool any time she had seen him. Though, upon seeing him in the light and realizing he was Kjalarr’s twin brother, something had felt very wrong about the situation.

Now, as she swept through the evergreen trees, her eyes landed upon the masked wolf she sought – and she did not fumble over her tongue as she had with her previous interest. Instead, with regained confidence, Allure would trace up along his side, her nose brushing his shoulder in silent greeting.
Are you deranged like me? Are you strange like me?
Lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?
Do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?
286 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#3
He had been wondering where Allure had gone, and had felt slightly jealous of anyone who had been in her company during her outing, as he felt, still, that he was her soldier and support, and wanted to be there for her even when she had chosen to go out on her own. Maybe she had found Kaskara or October; he didn't like to think of her being in Kjalarr's company simply because he was a male and because he had told Shrike to let Allure know he's be there if she needed anything...But if anyone was going to do that, Shrike wanted to be that someone. Not Kjalarr. 

So he stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder when he heard someone approaching and felt his heart calm and warm when he saw that it was Allure. Even though they shared a den and he had done everything he could to provide for her, he was pleased to see that she had chosen to find him and join him. He rumbled an affectionate growl as she nuzzled his shoulder, and felt the hairs along the nape of his neck stand up at the gentleness of her touch. To have her seek him out was the ultimate compliment, and Shrike appreciated the gesture deeply. 

He moved closer to her and ran his teeth through the fur just behind one of her ears and pressed his chest against her shoulder. He had never felt this way about another wolf. Generally, he preferred solitude and would be apathetic but friendly about having company, but Allure was different. There were things he wanted to say to her, and had been holding them back for some time now- but even now, he wasn't sure if ot was the right time. She had just lost her father and his mate- he would allow her time to grieve and heal without troubling her with his feelings, he decided, though it pained him to do so. 

He licked her cheek, then, and paused with his muzzle beside hers. He wanted to invite her to hunt with him- but didn't want to pull away from that moment just yet.

And that first kiss coming, let's just freeze the frame
Your eyes were closing, as mine were opening
you can't wake up, this is not a dream
205 Posts
Ooc — Rachel
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#4
Her companion preened at her – eliciting her own rumbling growl of affection, and for the first time in months since her first crush upon another, a flutter in her chest. But she was new to such feelings, and with a shyness that could almost be mistaken for coy, pushed her muzzle up to bump him gently upon the cheek before taking a small pace away, her tail flowing behind her casually. “Distract me,” she decided, the dulcet of her tone indicating the sadness that weighed heavy on her heart. “Let’s hunt, or scout… anything.”

Because right now, when the quiet world of Neverwinter ran silent, her mind would dwell back upon that moment, and once more she would see the bodies of her father and his mate, haphazard and bloody upon the frozen ground.

The King of the Forest and his gentle love had never deserved a death as tragic as that.

And she should have been able to handle more -- should have been able to step up when the pack had needed her.
Are you deranged like me? Are you strange like me?
Lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?
Do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?
286 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#5
The sweet tones of her voice were enough to placate the male who felt the cold seep between them when she pulled away. There was nothing he wanted to do more than distract her from everything, now that she was ready to move forward with her life and move away from tragedy. He nodded silently, gazing upon her beautiful features calmly, and in seeing the sadness that had not yet been eased from her face, he knew it would be his duty to distract her from everything she needed to forget. He gestured, having been drawn back into reality where the scent of deer had once been calling him. Not far from them on the ground was the mark of a hoofprint on the soft ground, heading in the direction of the heart of their forest, where the deer would be safe from the cold wind. 

He began to move, following the scent and the fairly obvious path the herd had left behind- the frost that had settled on the grass and bushes had been swept away by their tawny pelts, and no matter how light their tread was, here and there he could still spot the shape of hoofprints on the ground. If they were lucky, they might be able to select one from the herd that just the two of them could take down- and he hoped it would prove a worthy distraction to take Allure's mind off her sorrow.

And that first kiss coming, let's just freeze the frame
Your eyes were closing, as mine were opening
you can't wake up, this is not a dream
205 Posts
Ooc — Rachel
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#6
He did not deny her request, and releasing a gentle sigh of relief, the bi-toned dove followed after him, her own pace quickening to keep up with his strides. Her mind remained distracted, but she was eager to push past the memory of her father's empty eyes as she sidled up along the side of Shrike. Her own nose quivered at  the potential of what they sought -- apparently a hunt, which was just as well. Kjalarr's mate was with children, and while she worried about the five cubs they housed already, she seemed to be the only one.. but Ondine would surely appreciate a decent meal. 

The hoof prints were what led them, but she remained silent, in fear they would come upon them sooner than she expected and would spook them. She could only hope a smaller or more sickly one was within the herd to better the advantage, as for now there were just the two of them.
Are you deranged like me? Are you strange like me?
Lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?
Do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?
286 Posts
Ooc — Jess
Offline
#7
While Shrike wanted to talk, or simply spend some time cuddled up somewhere where his presence would be soothing enough, Allure seemed to want to go out and behave as a normal wolf would, performing pack duties and he would do everything he could to provide her with a feeling of consistency. She needed to feel as though life was back to normal, and that life was going on, still. He kept quiet, knowing that they might spook the herd with words, though his mind was busy running with words. Shrike had never been adept at expressing himself, and all the words in his mind ran together in a massive jumble. What could he say, and how could he say it, when eventually he would need to say it?

The scent of the deer became stronger, and Shrike stopped when he thought he heard something ahead. He pricked his ears and slowly lifted his head, gazing through the forest until he saw the tiny hide of a deer moving through the tree trunks. Another off to the side caught his attention, and a few more, slipping between the evergreen tree trunks. He continued to gaze, trying to pick out one that might make for a good meal for the both of them without being too difficult to take down.

And that first kiss coming, let's just freeze the frame
Your eyes were closing, as mine were opening
you can't wake up, this is not a dream
205 Posts
Ooc — Rachel
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#8
Her companion moved silently alongside her, and for a moment, the bi-toned girl considered what life would have been like without Shrike. He had been a gentle face at the Caldera, surely, but nothing compared to now -- the man had entered her life like a storm, and she clung to him now as if he had been there since the very beginning. When had this occurred?

She couldn't even fathom why it had, but she was grateful for his presence, and the ebony and white she-wolf cast a shy glance to the wolf.

But there was a pull to her senses, and following his gaze, she noted the herd below -- small, but hopeful. Her eyes lit up, and the girl tensed beside her tawny counterpart. She scanned for a more sickly one - though none popped out at her. Casting an uncertain glance at Shrike, the girl took a hesitant step forward, having never hunted with him - did he want to test the herd and see if any would flee from them? Or should they simply call for more pack members?
Are you deranged like me? Are you strange like me?
Lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?
Do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?
286 Posts
Ooc — Jess
Offline
#9
Shrike gazed over the herd, but didn't see anything they might be able to bring down with just the two of them. He caught a slight movement from Allure, but she too seemed a bit perplexed as to which one they should go for, or what they should do. It wasn't worth expending the energy chasing after them, or spooking them at all- if the herd felt safe, they would stay in the forest and the wolves could make a pass at them when they had more hunters on their side. Tilting his head to the side, he gently nuzzled Allure's ear, in resignition. They would have to wait for another day. Truth be told, he was still distracted by his feelings, and his heart rate had not yet slowed down. 

He motioned for them to leave, and began to stride off, but at a slow pace, so he could stay right by Allure's warm side, his shoulder brushing against hers as they moved away from the herd at a matched pace. Unable to help himself, he reached out and brushed his muzzle against her cheek, and in the quietest voice, filled with earnest devotion, he spoke. 

"I love you."

He had nothing else to say, and didn't mind whether or not it was spoken to him in response. But the words could not be held back, and released themselves from his grasp which had softened considerably. He knew she already knew that he loved her; but saying the words felt right, and he felt the feeling grow having just finally said it out loud. It was the truth, and he wanted her to know that.

And that first kiss coming, let's just freeze the frame
Your eyes were closing, as mine were opening