@Riley?
Anyone is welcomed though!
After dealing with Leshen, Orlaith spent the night at Kaistleoki and then immedietly left the next day. She trusted they'd deal with the pup well, and would be on her way, looking for herself, and see if anyone was missing a child. Selfishly, she was more concerned if she could find anyone about her past.
It was a mystery, that she needed to find so. It simply felt.. Empty, without knowing where these feelings surged from at times, as familarity would stir the anger within her blazing heart. A calling to the mountains, and she felt that would be the correct path.
Wherever had Esme gone?
The rain made any headway impossible. If Esme had ever existed, it seemed certain it was not here -- Riley coursed up and down exhaustively and never saw a single trace of Esme's passing.
His hip prevented much uphill climbing, and Riley realized once he descended the Sunspire that he would likely not ascend it again. Setting his sights on the plains, Riley strode through the late August grass slowly, savoring the breeze that carried summer grapes on the wind.
The wind carried a scent he recognized too -- it was then Riley slowed with ears cupped and eyes scanning the vicinity for Orlaith.
Orlaith didn't descend up the mountains too quickly, as she looked at the peak. It seemed difficult in the current area to try and find a way up, so she ventured further down, going through the plains. As she was injured, with a gnarly burn upon her right arm, and a few grazing to her right flank. She had to be careful, but was impatient.. The wolf needed to know.
Then her head lifted, and she smelled someone she did not recognize yet, a glaze of nostalgia. When she saw the corocodile yearling, Orlaith asked, "Who are you?" and why did did he seem familiar?
The rare expression of friendliness on Riley's features withered as Orlaith hailed him down with a question that set Riley aback.
What did she mean, who was he?
Riley looked her over warily, catching sight of the ugly burn along her pelt. His brow wrinkled in confusion and his tail fell to his sides in defeat.
"Riley." A glut of questions all knocked vehemently at his mind's door, and it took several seconds for Riley to funnel his thoughts into coherence. "What... happened to you..?"
The name.. It gave a flash of anger, yet it was so little compared to the warmth she felt in her belly. Was this someone she knew? A recognition? Though he didn't appear so, and gave no indication that he once knew Orlaith. Riley, was his name, a wolf who came down from the mountains.
He gave a wary look, and could only deduct if they were friends, there would be more warmth, "Lightning, but indirectly." She forgot who told her, but the wolf faintly remembers being told what happened. She wasn't hit exactly- or Orlaith would be near-death, but the ground seemed to be burnt to where she laid alongside the count. It seemed they both were severly burned.
"You from the mountains?" She asked curiously.
Riley's dark brow darkened even further as Orlaith gave zero indication she knew him.
This had to be a joke, right? She was pulling his leg. It was just an act, and she'd be over it in two seconds with a laugh -- oh, she had gotten Riley good.
Except Orlaith continued with no hint of recognition. It made Riley uneasy and confused in a way that was so unpleasant that Riley grew anxious. "No, I'm from Easthollow." Riley's tone was hurt and accusing -- "you know this. Cut the shit, Orlaith. It isn't funny."
Her eyes narrowed, "So you do know me." Though he didn't seem friendly- was this an enemy? Was the fire and anger she felt from seeing him due to that? Though there was a hint of warmth, and she couldn't understand that. If he was so, why did she feel that? Complications, who was she in the past? And why was everything so complicated?
"I don't know anyone anymore, sorry." Orlaith confessed, as her gaze softened and she plumped her rump to the ground. Firmly planting her so, as this was the first key to find out who she was. He, knew her so.
Riley was at a loss for words.
She didn't know him anymore, sorry? What kind of bullshit was that? He scowled -- if he was capable of crossing his arms he would have done so in total disbelief.
Several seconds spanned in the silence between them, where Riley begrudgingly accepted the inevitable truth. The freshly-scarred phoenix was not lying. His gaze traced the brutal lacing of lightning-strike on her hide. Irrefutable evidence that Orlaith now was not the Orlaith he had once known.
"Lightning can do that?" Riley first queried, finding the question was unnecessary. Clearly, it was capable of thieving memories, so Riley brushed aside the question with a paw. "Where are you living now?"
"I guess? The only thing I know is my name." If she could, she would throw her arms up in defeat, but Orlaith could only shrug. The element of lightning was a strange, and dangerous concept to wolves. It harmed her so, and alongside it, took away whatever memory she had left. Only vague familarity lingered, with the word of her name 'Orlaith.'
"Kaistleoki, they took me in. I'm indebted of sorts, even if I find out if I was from another pack." Which was the truth, she was loyal to them. They took her in, and claimed her so, and no one else came looking. If she truly was from another pack, then the betrayel of them not claiming her, was enough reason not to return. Or, the Count was right, the fire wolf was just a wanderer.
"So, you know who I am right?"
Riley digested this admission with some skepticism, but ultimately was forced to accept facts: Orlaith was very much no longer Orlaith, and now she had a wicked scar to prove it.
He wondered how her past self would like this new, softer self -- he did not see much of the flickering fire of Orlaith's previous iteration.
They would revisit where she was now some other time; there were more pressing things at hand. "Well.." Riley shifted, unsure of how to start. Even in the best of circumstances, one could hardly call Riley a reliable source. He was terrible at any sort of communication, his speech patterns were stilted, and he often focused on seemingly irrelevant details.
He supposed he ought to start at the beginning. Still suspicious, and giving her a squint, he turned his hip towards her so she could see the freshlaid scar along his hindquarters. "You gave me this." He moved away, settling a wary distance from the phoenixstrife.
"You attacked me because I was --" he wasn't trespassing, but his teeth gritted: "I was looking for a friend on territory your pack was in the process of claiming." His throat rumbled with something akin to extreme displeasure.
"You left that pack. Something about your queen -- who I could have told you was an insufferable git -- not respecting you enough. You and I met a few weeks back up there --" He motioned towards the distant Sunspire, which loomed over them dark and gloomy. We watched the rain together. "Then you were gone."
"Damn," The woman craned her neck to take a look of what 'she' had done to him, "was I badass?" It was a joke, with a rather awkward smile to this moment. Kinda odd, that they were talking on friendly terms when she.. Well, scarred him so! It was at least somewhat nice knowing, that the hope of her warrior part, was true.
"Ah, I was a badass, and a bitch, alright." Which was not really nice knowing. Orlaith's instincts seemed rather right, she was not a pleasant person of the past. Causing a fight, and scarring him so for searching a friend? Seemed rather.. Petty of her past self, to which she wished to scold, "sorry about that." An honest apology, and her past self would definitly be hitting her head right now. This flamethrower never would've apologized.
"So I left because.. They disrespected me?" That reasoning seemed rather moronic. Surely there had to be something more, because if she threw all her loyalty away just for a mer' act of disrespect, God, what kind of wolf was she? But- at least it know knew the fact she once did belong somewhere. However, it seemed Orlaith had cut ties with them long ago, and she wondered how bad the fall-out was. Simply by this small conversations, it was like her previous self was very hot-headed, and rash.
Which still continued today in a lesser form, as the wolf was a lit flame, barely burning. Her gaze followed the Sunspire, where she definitely felt the calling was. Maybe it was meant to find Riley.
"Was there a particular moment?"
There had to be more to the story then that. Maybe if she asked herself, some answers would be given. Surely she didn't leave just because she was disrespected? A part of her felt anger, when she thought so. A fire of the previous form lit, but tried to remain calm and seated. Something definitely caused this rage, and she had to know.
"What were they called?"
The bad-ass joke was lost on Riley, who just stared at Orlaith blankly. She had ripped his fucking hip open, and now she joked about it?
He blinked and chose to ignore it -- instead, he focused on answering the question that was worthy of an answer.. What had precipitated her departure? He closed his eyes, trying to stir to life the memory of their last conversation that rainy afternoon.
His eyes opened, their surface clear. "Oh. You weren't.. appreciated. You wanted to be equal in power, and she said no." He struggled to remember much else, but at least that was clear. "They're called.. Something Court." Think, think, think.. Riley thought it was a word that sounded stupid... Stupid.. Snake? Snare? Silence..? It was on the tip of his tongue --
"Seelie Court."
That made more sense, and filled Orlaith with more confidence on who she was. The picture was painted as thus; she was once a loyal wolf, but wasn't appreciated nor' given respect as she should've had. So she strived to be equal, but was given a no. Definitely wouldn't have just pursued power for no reason, that didn't feel right. Little did she know, the picture she thought was the exact scenario, however she was far to hot-headed to be given the rank.
She nodded with a a more ease of a smile, a usual smirk of sorts. Though held more pleasant then or the usual arrogance- she wasn't the same Sovereign anymore. She couldn't call herself that, without remembering so.
If she simply attacked him for being in the territory, the flaming wolf was once very rigid about border control it seemed. Made sense though, protecting the border. Felt a bit sorry for him though, she thought while glancing at his injury. Maybe should talk more, fight less it seems.
It was a sigh of relief she wasn't a previous psychoof some sorts, just very angry, "wow. That name, sounds very, uhh.." how does she put this, "sparkly." It sounded like something out of a little girls story. When Orlaith looked at her own reflection once, she was of coal and flames, muscle and brawn, and surely wouldn't be in a flimsly pack like that, right?
"Did I leave on my own accord?"
Sparkly was one way to put it. Riley had managed to keep the disdain out of his voice, but Orlaith was filling in the blanks well enough.
A thought occurred to him -- one that while sluggish, was just clever enough that Riley might not be able to pull it off.
"Yes, you stormed out." Riley answered, slowly concocting his joke. "You were still stewing from it when we met up there." His gaze traveled to the promontory, which hung dark and misty against the rain.
"That's where we did it." Riley's tone was the same as before, not an ounce out of place -- even if inside, his sides were splitting in suppressed giggles.
She felt liker her body.. Calmed, learning more of her previous self. All the anger she felt was explanatory now that she learned of where it was originated, and aimed at. Seelie Court definitely stirred that emotions of her past self. An anger, a yearning and a mourning all in one. Perhaps she would need to properly visit them..
But at the same time, now she learned why she left, was it needed? Did she want to go through that again? The pain of what transpired?--
"What." In the midst of her 'renewal' of sorts, he dropped a bomb that made Orlaith twirl her head to him with an accusing glare. She could feel her very spine crackle, and fur rise up, "hang on, repeat what the fuck did you say?"
The moment the prank left his mouth, Riley was considering his life choices.
On the one hand, he had already tried that, and it hadn't worked out in his favor (ironically, this was Orlaith's fault, though he would never share that with the argent). On the other hand, it had been a long time since Riley had made a joke of any kind, and it felt good to laugh at someone besides himself for once.
Orlaith's head-tilt was met with the same flat, reptilian expression. Riley had an unusually good poker-face -- not because he had full control over his emotions, but because in many ways there were a lot of things wrong with Riley.
"Oh, sorry." Riley offered, almost politely: "that --" he gestured uphill -- "is where we did it. You confessed your love for me." By now a roguish grin cracked Riley's facade, lighting up his dour expression with warmth that almost made him handsome. The jig was up -- but would Orlaith catch on?
She did rip him a new one, so any way he could get her back, right?
She inhaled sharply. He was playing a prank, had to. There was no love she felt upon seeing him- well, there was warmth, but she thought it was due to friendship! Was it possible? Would her past self, really hit upon a yearling? One she attacked as well? "Ah. I see. I was a fucking moron, yeah?"
Yeah.
"You and me?" Her paw lifted and pointed toward him, before firmly placing it back on her snow-white chest, "no way." Orlaith couldn't believe it, and if it was true, she didn't want to believe it. Wouldn't she feel something if so, and have way stronger emotions?
"You must be joking...
Please tell me you're joking."
The longer the joke went on, the more Riley's feelings got hurt.
First it was funny, seeing Orlaith's eyes widen, the way she swept her gaze over him. After a few seconds that shock turned into something else -- was it revulsion? Riley felt his stomach flip.
Orlaith didn't want to believe it. Why? What was wrong with the yearling? He knew he wasn't ugly (well, maybe his one off-kilter eye was ugly), so what was the big deal? Why did every woman look at him with some species of disgust?
Riley's confidence did the equivalent of a spider curling in on itself, death-style. He huffed through his nose and looked away, clearly stung.
"I'm joking." He conceded, his tone short. It was just his luck that his joke would backfire on him and hurt his feelings in the process.
A sigh of relief, "Oh thank fuck. You're nice, and thanks for telling me about who I was, but I don't want to be sleeping with a kid." She was about to beat the leaving hell out of herself if Orlaith truly did sleep with the other in her past. She judged by his age he was short of a yearling, perhaps just growing, and being much older then him.. Well, that felt like a crime.
"Pretty funny giving me a scare," oh boy. She could only laugh now that it was all fake. For a second, the thought Leshen was her son crossed her mind, and she nearly head a heart attack.
"Well, now I got a pretty good image of how I was." It was both impressive, and sad at the same time. Seeing the injury she gave him, her past self was not a very nice wolf, however, seemed someone of worthy power. Except how described so, the past-Orlaith wasn't cherished as she should.
At least it seemed Kaistleoki, was a good start of a fresher, "So, where you planning to go? You got a pack or something?"
Orlaith looked so relieved it stung Riley more; he had half the mind to bristle and say 'I AM NOT A KID!!!' but by the time that exasperated retaliation managed to fumble its way to his lips, Orlaith was laughing and moving on.
As stung as his pride was, Riley wasn't heartless -- he could be stupid, and he could be selfish, but he wasn't cruel; it worried him that Orlaith's memory was gone and that a new wolf stood before him. It made his skin crawl that memory could be bled from the skull so easily -- and by something from the sky...
He glanced upward, reading the dark clouds. He resolved in that moment that Orlaith would not be returning to wherever she was alone. His quest for Esme was not put off, but maybe a change of scenery would be good for his search. "I was part of the Saints." Riley felt the words came easily for once, although the topic he broached was tough. "You hated them - and me... but.. I haven't been home since you attacked me, and... Well, I don't think that's home anymore." Riley set his crocodilian gaze on Orlaith, for once his expression firm: "I'm going to come with you." Even if you looked disgusted and then relieved that we didn't bang.
"Everytime I hear their name my blood boils," the flaming wolf confessed, feeling her neck bristle in an unknown rage. The Count Ira had warned about them, and Orlaith was very well-prepared to face an enemy toward her travel up the mountain. However, with the injury still relatively fresh, she would have trouble, "tell me more about em'."
It was trouble enough to try and climb the mountain, and was thankful enough to find clues to her past self relatively fast. Almost too fast- but her anger toward the world felt more subsided, and justified. Her past self definitely wasn't treated right, and she'd let whoever caused these feelings, have at it.
Now, she was indebted to Kaistleoki for the meanwhile.. Whom she keeps bringing new people toward, "Alright," didn't really object with it, "they nice, kinda empty but eh, they got children." She hadn't encountered too many wolves, but simply deducted it was due to their kids. Apparently quite a few were roaming around..
"Guess we gonna be buddies," Orlaith cackled, turning toward the direction the pack was. She waved her tail at him, a direction to follow her lead.
fade since we have a new one? <3
Riley obliged, telling Orlaith what she had collaborated to him originally about the Saints. Part of him felt guilty for turning tack like that; Donovan
had given him a home. Then he remembered all the bad: being mocked in front of the court,
rotting on the mountainside, being discovered by Praimfaya.. It was enough to remind Riley he had always been on his own.
Guess we're going to be buddies. A slow grin stole across Riley's features -- when he wore a scowl, he was decidedly unhandsome -- but a smile somehow transformed the darker edges of his face, and gave the yearling a winsome quality rarely seen.
He trotted after Orlaith with a slight limp, the pair discussing Orlaith's history and their future all the way to her new home.