Discovery thread for Ankyra Sound. All welcome, Nereides preferred. Please join if you'll be able to prioritize this thread in the evening hours of Central Standard Time.
Landmark: Megalith Forest
![[Image: sequoia2.jpg?itok=IU3iTgHF]](http://www.nationalparks.org/sites/default/files/styles/park_page_image/public/sequoia2.jpg?itok=IU3iTgHF)
There had been no sequoias in Themiscrya; trees, yes, but not these giants, whose roots grew as tall as the trees she had grown up knowing... whose branches then grew higher, still. It was humbling, almost exposing... the ocean never made Aktaiê feel small, but these silent giants caused shivers deep in her bones. They grew right to the edge of the cliffs, some even bearing roots in the rock and jutting at odd angles. It would be fearsome to stand on the sands beneath them, though they did not shudder even when the heavy winds of autumn came.
They offered protection at the southern border of the cliffs. If enemies were to invade the Nereides' territory, the sirens would be able to run them on unfamiliar ground; herding them like lemmings to the open drop on the other side of the forest. It wasn't a large forest — not enough to claim for itself, like some of the others in the Wilds — but just enough to get lost in, particularly around the giant trunks. The remnants of a fire, she supposed; or that which the Sea had not yet reclaimed.
She pressed her nose against one of the trees, inhaling and exhaling against it... an odd gesture, and one she would be embarrassed by if someone were to catch her. But Aktaiê wanted to understand these sentinels, so close to the sea's edge.
CST is.. +6 from PST, right?
They had travelled up the coast in splintered groups, and Aktaie took the lead without issue. Behind her was his charge, and for a time Atlas pursued them doggedly until their paths diverged. It was instinct which told him to turn and follow after her; instinct and training, a childish devotion... But as he turned his head and took the first few steps, Atlas realized that the Adept was too quick for him. He was suddenly faced with a wall of trees - and after an uneasy few hops and turns, he decided to follow after Aktaie instead. Greyjoy hadn't been far behind with the drudge boy, so it wasn't like Akantha was alone. He just.. Wished to be the one to follow her.
So he shifted and began to march after the priestess. The trees got closer, closer, closer, and while they got bigger, they never seemed to stop growing before his eyes. When he was finally beside one of them it was
immense - the biggest tree he had ever seen! So grand that Atlas simply stopped and stared for a few minutes, and then began to side-step around the trunk. His eyes were wide and bright, roaming across the tree's bark as if to find an indication for an
ending, and yet it seemed as if it would go on forever.
Then, finally, he saw a gap - and through that gap, a figure.
Aktaie. Sniffing heartily at the tree, her face nosed in close. Atlas blinked in surprise, and with a softly mutterd,
Oh,
he dropped his eyes and prostrated to her with a bow and a weave around one of the sequoias.
Caiaphas as of late had not felt particularly social - she had much to think about in regards to the potential bridge she had burned down with Ragnar; he had been fairly compelling but in truth he had ideals that Caiaphas did not share with him. Occupied by this thought, she found herself trailing distantly after two of the only wolves she knew. She kept a wide berth from them; trailing after like a windblown waif, directionless and off kilter.
They were departing from the strand and they marched down the whiteworn strand towards a bosk laden with tall spires of trees. Unlike Atlas, Caiaphas paid them no mind -- trees were plentiful where she was born and they served only as a reminder there were things bigger and longer lasting out there. She did, however, appreciate how they stood immune to the cold in the winter.
She was oblivious to the exchange between the two wolves -- but she noted how Atlas nearly sheepishly recoiled from the wolf. Curious but not compelled to join their company, Caiaphas held back -- a diminutive figure under the immensity of the shadowed sequoias.
NPC'ing Atlas out, since he's now inactive. Sorry for being stupid slow on this, but I'd like to continue!
Her bright eyes snapped open in surprise, her head turning to set a turquoise gaze upon the consort. Perhaps born of embarrassment, the priestess pulled back her lips to show the male her teeth in warning. He had much to learn; if Greyjoy had found her in such a vulnerable state, he would have remained in silence to guard her, or would have moved on without notice.
"It is your place to remain unheard and unseen," she hissed angrily,
"unless there is need for you. I have no need for you." Aktaie lunged, then, though she did not intend damage; only to shoo him away. It seemed to have work, for the consort quickly disappeared; if he lingered nearby in silence and out of notice, the priestess would pretend to be unaware of his presence.
Agitated, the siren began to dig around the tree's base where there looked to be a hollow between its roots. She didn't quite know what she searched for, but the physical activity served as a channel for her annoyance.
can spree if youd like
Caiaphas observed the duo's swift exchange silently, noting with slight amusement how quickly Atlas strode to move away. While Aktaie's actions had been punishing n nature it was evident she had not been aiming to maim him -- her mild discipline elicited a slight snigger from the quiet girl. She had not often seen males so demure in female company -- and this prospect most delighted her.
She hung back still, unsure of how to approach -- Aktaie seemed most preoccupied, perhaps in part by irritation. She watched at length, content to rub her cheek on the tall spire of trees here and there to mark her passage; a marker to passerbys that the Ankyra wolves were settling her and there was no dispute to their claim.
Aktaiê moved the earth until the agitation and tension melted away from her shoulders, slowly coming back down to the peace that had cradled her upon entering the forest. Coincidentally, as she felt the last of her moodiness leave her, a paw landed upon something hard and decidedly un-dirt-like. Curious, the priestess leaned her head down to take the object into her teeth. After several hard tugs, it came loose, and landed between her paws
When she looked up, she saw the silhouette hovering between the trees, and for a moment she mistook the stranger for Atlas — come back despite the warning she had given — and her lips quivered. But then the instant passed, and she realized her mistake; her expression melded back into one of warmth, and she nodded towards the other female.
Caiaphas was content to rub just about every inch of her body on the wide expanse of every tree -- and it was unfortunate then that Aktaie had to look up when Caiaphas bore the most oafish of expressions -- a smug smile half between doltishness and glee. Her expression terminated in a flush, and she proffered a somewhat ungainly smile in return -- her eyes fastened on the object held like a supplicant offering between Aktaie's jaws.
Caiaphas disentangled herself from the bough then, noting with great satisfaction the unholy amount of hair left behind from her exchange with the tree. Content with this she drifted closer to Aktaie, choosing to set herself upon another unfortunate tree. She was not sure what Aktaie held in her teeth, but did not want to press the matter -- and with a childish bemusement she continued to wrap herself endlessly around the wide bough in asinine circles until it seemed as if the tree bore more fur than she did.
Lol, I forgot to say it was a shark jawbone. SRY I MAKE CAIA LOOK DUMB. *fail*
Aktaiê was typically a very serious creature, most often taken by foul moods or feverish devotion to her beloved Sea and Moon — but there were moments that found her to be, well,
normal. Akantha was the best at bringing that side out of her, grounding her and forcing her to simply appreciate life; the Amazon was light and laughter and solid earth. It seemed, however, that the legendary warrior was not the only wolf capable of bringing levity into Aktaiê's life.
At Caiaphas' behavior, a warm laugh bubbled forth from the future matriarch's lips, spilling the bone onto the ground — where, for the moment, it lay forgotten. The sound was not mocking, for Aktaiê swiftly realized how ridiculous
she had looked when Atlas had found her only minutes before.
She wrapped herself like a cat around the wide berth of the tree -- flickering from bough to bough with feline-like dexterity. As she pulled closer she realized Aktaie carried a most unusual specimen -- it appeared to be some great fish's jaw, but the manner in which it was procured puzzled her. What fish slept underground? "What fish is that?!" She asked between grunts, rubbing her narrow shoulders up against the tree in short twists.
Aktaie's laughter only emboldened her -- and as ridiculous as Caiaphas may have looked, she truly delighted in the endeavor -- and best of all they were reinforcing not only the pack's territory but also their presence.
After the laughter had escaped, leaving the priestess in a particularly pleasant mood (my, her emotions changed like the tides), Aktaiê moved to rub her cheek against the nearest tree's trunk. A moment passed, and she then rubbed her entire body against it with gusto — following Caiaphas' lead. Although their size still unnerved the siren, it seemed they held no danger in their thick trunks.
"A shark, I think," she answered readily, truthfully as confused about its presence here as Caiaphas was. "But I've never heard of any that live upon land."
I can fade now and have you post last or I can do one last post, you let me know!
The idea of a land-shark caused Caiaphas to pause from her joyous marking and seriously consider her bid for living on land. She did not enjoy the idea of a great white resurfacing from the clay banks and overtaking her. A frown threatened to swallow her countenance, but Aktaie's move to share the marking duties reinvigorated her interest in the trees.
She elected then to play it safe and assume the jawbone had been buried there -- she had no notion of entertaining the idea of monstrous fish further. "I hope not." She uttered faintly, turning to attack a new tree with her cheek. By this point next day it seemed every tree would proudly bear their scent.
We can fade fo' sho'!
A shudder made its way down Aktaiê's spine as she similarly considered a land-shark, though even along the shoreline they seemed to be rare enough. It was far more likely that it had been buried by a different wolf; perhaps these same lands had been claimed long ago by others. It a matter of days, such things would no longer be a concern; the Sound would belong to the Nereides.
She made a mental note to return after she grew weary of marking the forest, to take the bone back to begin a collection that would rival that of her grandmother's. In the meantime, the pair continued their enthusiastic marking, moving in opposing directions to cover more ground faster — they would join the others down upon the beach later to feast upon the fish caught by Greyjoy and the other consorts.