Tags for reference! Would love a
@Merrick if you have time, but its open.
He spends a day perusing the nearby creek for signs of
@Sunhawk, having lost track of the curious fellow while he had hiked within the mountains. After a brief dip in the water to drink and idly attempt to fish up some dinner, he spends the night roaming south-east until the dawn arrives. That morning Revui skirts the edge of the fox-laden forest. He is in good spirits.
The man is tempted to find a fox within the woods to bring back for
@Ikkalrok, but as soon as the concept enters his brain it is gone again. She is probably still clinging to the darkness of her den. Too busy sleeping through the summer like the valley's patron bears to show any sign of interest in him or his potential gifts.
By the time Revui finds the valley mouth it is the early evening. The blanket of clouds which had collected in the afternoon hours had mostly dissipated by this point; the sky is clear enough for stars to peek beyond the veil, and a sharp wind is blowing. He should be on his guard after his encounter with
@Astara days ago—especially because he had fought with her and then promptly abandoned his post—but the event is far from his mind.
GOSH missed this D: so sorry
merrick was in a fine mettle; he had spent the day near avicus and aventus, watching over the growing leggy things he had finally claimed as his. he was not the only father in ursus, but he felt his were best suited for whatever bloodstained lineage he might pass down.
this opinion was confirmed by how he did not think revui nor the silent woman were much visible when it came to putting together a vision of their own family. the greystone wolf had been devoted to his hunts and his rovings; he had not seen her in a time. and merrick saw no reason to force any sort of kinship.
he had that in revui; a gentle growl of welcome vibrated in his throat as he caught sight of the warrior and approached at a brisk step. "what is on your mind?" merrick purled, single eye drifting briefly toward the darkening skyline.
He had thought himself to be in trouble, at least chancing an encounter with an agitated shadow; perhaps Astara was still weak, damaged by the manner of their last encounter. It was Merrick who arrived at the borders to greet him. He seemed in good spirits. There was no gnashing of teeth nor talk of banishment, not that such intricate terms would surface in Revui's mind. He certainly expected a more vivacious reception - but it seemed as though everything remained the same within Ursus. Stagnant. A lazy summer day.
He would not take it for granted. Then again, it could have been a ploy. Revui glanced at his surroundings, but there was nowhere for the shadow woman to hide, and he could see no other guardians patrolling the valley's mouth at this time. He chose to relax in the presence of his friend.
I have been in the mountains.
He explains.
There is one that looms over the meadow, it is impressive. I want it as my own.
The idea had been festering in his brain for a while now, and hiking among the spires of the range had helped him realize it. But I will not take it without your blessing.
He would not abandon Merrick, not like he had abandoned Moonspear. He would not make that mistake again. If not that mountain than another, there are many, each impressive.
In the grander scheme of things, he spoke of wanting his home - his family. Of taking Moonspear for himself, despite the distance to the mountain and how ill-equipped he is to do so alone. Revui knows he cannot go back there; he makes due.
as revui spoke, merrick felt himself turn to ice. the giant had always been faithful, stalwart; his teeth had ripped many a foe alongside that of the bearwitch.
and now he found no pull to keep him here.
merrick felt he knew this mountain, though was largely uninterested in such peaks and spires. revui, however, was a wondrous creature better suited for it. anger warred with grief, melded into resignation, stippled with curiosity. "the woman?" too young yet to travel, the little grubs, too weak from her injuries, their mother.
perhaps he meant to abandon them.
perhaps he meant them as a gift for merrick.
"can i still call upon you as an ally?" he breathed, single eye searching the rugged quiet of revui's features, so like the shaded places of the jagged, high places he wished to claim for himself.
The woman.
He did not want to think of the neglectful Ikkalrok with her attention reserved solely for the children at her breast, and scowled at the mention of her. He had never loved her too deeply; lustful and carnal was their pairing, and now that she was so focused on the boys there was no room for him. Let her rot, then. Let her have her dark pit in the ground. He would go his own way.
As for an alliance, Revui nodded. Yes. I am still a friend to you.
He did not have many, but Merrick had somehow made that short list. I will take the mountain and you are welcome there.
as for the children, I leave you Ikkalrok and the boys. They will make fine ironfangs one day.
the twist of revui's features told merrick all he needed to know, and he accepted the gift of the woman and her children with a nod.
"oh, revui," he sighed, though he refused to sag under the weight of his own self-disappointments. "you have been a true friend." brief flutter of something like a smile, one that died but did not replace merrick's favour of the man before him. "ursus is better for you having been part of it."
he gestured toward the distant line of mountains. "when you have settled, call for me, and i shall bring you a gift."
He is pleased to have come away from Ursus better than when he'd found it, with at least one benefit being a friend such as Merrick. He would miss prowling the meadow with the shadow, or harassing the neighbors, and certainly would miss the fine flavor of violence within everything they shared; perhaps once settled, he would bring Merrick up to his mountain for a hunt. They could shred something to pieces like old times.
With a final nod, he moves to leave — crossing that boundary of the valley and heading to the sprawling meadow, then the mountain beyond.
merrick watched revui depart with something sparking in his breast; he did not take a step forward until long after the ashgrey man had faded from view, and then went off to sequester himself in some shadow or another until the odd, nameless weight had passed.