@Mordecai our catching up thread!! Set outside OS, but I don't know the exact layout of the land so maybe she picks up a scent of him and howls?? IDK!!!
It had been over two days since Caiaphas had departed the strand. She had first swung south towards the Bay and in a moment of impulsion she had teetered dangerously on trespassing. She watched from a distance several (presumable) Stavanger Bay wolves bring down what appeared to be a deer in the forest -- and from her vantage she recalled her unsettling conversation with Thistle Cloud. An ugly smile spread across her lips and satisfied, she had left.
She then found herself somewhere -- a somewhere in which she had no name for. Jagged and jutted rock teeth -- ascending slabs -- pontificated pines with their evergreen needles slanted upwards and glinting in the sun. And then Neverwinter Forest with the fog that seemed interminable even when she had already been traveling half the valley in a thick and heavy haze.
She had elected to skirt Neverwinter entirely, so deep and opaque was the fog she was scarcely sure she would be able to find her tail. It was then she thought of visiting Mordecai -- it had been several weeks and for the first time in a long time she felt herself wanting company. Surprised by this sudden compulsion but pleased to indulge in it, Caiaphas struck back towards Neverwinter's southern hemisphere. Or at least, in the fog she thought it was possibly south.
She was not a great sleuther, truth be told -- and it was a long time before she stumbled across his scent. Urged by her good luck she followed it until it joined with several other wolves' -- she paused uncertainly and threw her head back in a howl that at first entertained the idea of being somewhat wolfish before it fell into a warped cry as if the noise itself were disoriented by the fog.
Works for me! <3 Also weird post is weird because I'm fighting sleep and regaining my sobriety... don't wanna go to bed until I've seen the eclipse. :C
The fog curled around him like an unseen hand. The grasp of it was imperceptible to the tawny Ostrega as he made his way through the wooded terrain. Silence greeted him early in the day, but it greeted him most times. The troubles of the Spine sunk well to the bottom of his mind like long forgotten sediment, though in reality it was all but forgotten. It became the norm with a certain fluidity, and his scouring of the borders had not turned up much in the way of bodies.
A sigh raked itself out of him, a certain weariness threatening to inhabit his being. He kept it at bay by remaining busy, by clutching the scarce threads of hope that remained to an otherwise threadbare path. He had gotten used to these rounds as a solo sentinel, but even he found the itch for company to be an aggravating specimen. As it were in his listless bend at the natural curve of the terrain, he did not have to travel for long in the fringes of the Spine. A howl rose on the weak wind, and in spite of it being distorted he tread towards it without much question or pause for listen.
On the outskirts of the Spine, he found her in her dark pallor. A shadowy pit against the haze; the low lighting gave her a more dramatic flair than he could have pulled off.
“Caiaphas,” Mordecai murmured, more for himself than anything. But a smile rose to ward off his stoicism, and he adjusted his approach accordingly to greet her properly. A light wave of his tail, he was truly surprised to see her again. Their meeting, for however queer it had been, had left an impression on him he had yet to shake.
“What brings you here?” He thought of her talk of her sisters at the coast, and perhaps on a interior level hoped she had left them in favor to reconsider his constructed offer.
In the murky halflight Caiaphas counted pinecones as she waited, uninterested in pressing further. She recalled that Mordecai had mentioned the Spine was not really the place for a day-trip -- and with all the patience in the world she settled into the fog and watched blankly the fog roll by until she heard footsteps of a wolf approaching.
She would have tensed then were it not evident it was Mordecai -- and while she did not rush to greet him in the manner of acquainted friends she did return his gesture with a wave of her own tail -- and a near genteel expression seemed to mask her dark visage. She noted then, however, that her companion seemed consumed by a pall of weariness -- and with a faint narrowing of her piercing eyes she watched him hawkish and discerning.
"I was in the area -- it occurred to me to visit you." She spoke plainly and from the nakedness in her tone one could tell in this particular instant she was not lying. She remembered with a faint twinge of amusement the shoddy circle she had drawn him and wondered if it was still there untouched by fog or passerby. "How fares the inland?" Her question was not weighted, but it was evident she was willing to converse and share tit-for-tat much more openly than she had been last time.
Sorry about the delay. Stupid work. *coaxes internet signal to stay, however*
He smiled genuinely, glad to see that she had decided to visit. It was an interesting change of pace for him, if only for the fact that the Spine simply did not receive visitors. But that in itself was perhaps for good reason too, though he had found the lack of wanderers at their borders a bit irksome. Not that a familiar face was irksome either, but he didn't expect to be seeing anyone else he really knew knocking at their doorstep any time soon. Verrine was tied up with his children, and Viggo… well, Viggo was gone. He steered himself clear of that reminder, though.
“Busy,” he said, breathing out a sigh.
“Just trying to get the pack settled and ready for the winter. Not sure what kind to expect anyway.” He rolled his shoulders in a wolfish shrug. Mordecai anticipated the cold, but had no real way of gauging just what kind of inclement weather they would receive.
“How fares your coast?” Like before, he could pick up the traces of the salty destination clinging to her. It drew out the same curiosity as he had held before.
it's no worries i know how terrible your internet is!!!
The pale wraith watched the affable male -- her eyes bright and inquisitive as he spoke. He mentioned the winter and she looked widely around her -- the spire that swallowed half the vale in shadow was immense and she too, wondered how the wolves of the Spine would fare against the bitter onset of cold and frost.
Her gaze returned to his warm agouti countenance -- and once more she was struck by the unremitting amiability in his titian expression. "The coast is cold." She answered fluidly, her narrow muzzle in the direction of the strand. "We have settled in a small channel that faces the sea -- like the Spine it is amassed by natural obstacles and approachable only by the front." She was not sure how much she could delve into the fares of the Sound, but presently there was no superior presiding and she felt she knew enough of Mordecai to know he had no ulterior motive.
"It will be a challenge, this winter. Our cache was already raided by a coyote and there are more nearby." Her expression soured -- she may have been a great deal coyote but she did not affiliate herself with her kin. "What have you been busy with? When the time comes, do you think your alpha would be offended by a new pack in the Wilds?" She was unaware of his recent promotion -- and her expression was plaintive and without guile. She did not have the authority to establish an ally right then and there -- she would have to consult Aktaie first -- but the Spine seemed as promising a friend as any.
It really is terrible and I hate it, haha. Just wished I wasn't commuting so much otherwise that mifi would be completely affordable. But alas, monies go into gasoline purchases. :(
It came as a bit of a surprise that the coast was cold. But had he actually put some thought into it, he would have realized that it was always cold. Having followed the coastline north into the Wilds, he should have recalled it. Instead his expression piqued with interest at that note and remained as Caiaphas shared a brief summary of what her home was. Following that came the trials of being there, and he soon found himself thankful that they had not had to deal with their kin trying to steal food. It wasn't to say that the vagrants who had gone astray of the Spine hadn't done that, however convoluted of a thought it was.
“Sounds charming,” he stated, referencing their sound. For the same reason, he supposed he liked the Spine as well.
“And I've been busy… doing this, I guess you could say. Keeping the caches full, maintaining our borders. Trying to keep everyone settled.” He smiled weakly at the mention, but did not voice the question if they had their own deserters or not. Perhaps it was a seasonal thing, where some wolves felt it was better to venture out and gamble against the oncoming winter. Before the Spine, Mordecai had never really paid attention to the bodies that came and went.
It was her question past that though that gave him a moment's pause. Given how far away the Spine was from the coast (or at least the perceived distance; again, he had never given it thought), Mordecai hadn't consider the impact of their neighbors. They had left Silvertip because of the proximity of others, and the Spine gave them natural distance and cover to keep them away.
“I don't see why we would be bothered, but then again I'm only half of the alphaship here. I can't speak for her, but it doesn't bother me.” He paused, mouth opening to speak a question that evaded him momentarily.
“Why do you ask?” Did Caiaphas know something that they didn't?
A dry smile fringed her black-stormed lips -- she wondered if Mordecai had deliberately placed the pun 'Sounds' charming in reference to their Sound. She swung her head to the side as he continued -- she did not realize he was an alpha. He had certainly never suggested his prestige; neither in posture nor in words. She wondered then if it was a more recent thing, and for a moment her brow furrowed as she inwardly recanted their entire interactions.
But she could not recall once him stating his rank.
"Oh, a promotion? " She ventured with a singular ear canted suggestively -- perhaps the canine equivalent of a hiked eyebrow. She could tell he was taken aback by her question -- she certainly knew only about the Sound, but it seemed the valley was replete with packs and every which way she went she was frustrated by the clear pack borders that marked their presence. "I ask only because packs are everywhere. We are far away, but our presence has an effect on everything."
"Why must you keep everyone settled? Should it not be their place to be settled? Is that not what your kind came to the Spine for?"
I find it hilarious that compared to Leviathan, Mordecai is all "I really have no idea what I'm doing but here, let me pretend I do!"
In regards to his own promotion, all Mordecai could offer up was a single statement —
“Of a sort.” — and leave it at that. Not in a dismissive way, but because what Caiaphas went on to say brought him introspection. He supposed on some level, all the packs affected everything around them. No doubt the prey, which in that moment, Mordecai didn't see them having too much of a problem with. There was of course, Meldresi's pack near to them, but it was still far enough away that he hoped it wouldn't pose a threat to their livelihood. Or benefit greatly from whatever opportunities they chose to pass up.
It was however, the following queries that caused him to falter; his mouth opened uncertainly, wondering how he could patch up his own choice of bad words. He wasn't exactly fond of mentioning that the Spine had certainly seen better days.
“It is,” he said finally,
“it's just the restlessness that comes before winter. Even I find myself wanting to venture out for a bit, but I know it's best if we keep our focus here. Not all of us are seasoned scouts, you know?” He offered her a smile, though it felt weak. He tried to amend it further.
“The last thing I want is someone to venture out and get snowed in somewhere. Every wolf counts, which I'm sure your pack has done its fair share of recruiting as well.”
His explanation did not entirely satiate her curiosity though quietly the dark-helmed female wondered if he chose to employ brevity in favor of too much information. She was still likely only a stranger -- a curious one at that -- and while she had hoped he would explain to a great decree the process behind his uprising she supposed it didn't matter. She did not detect much dismissal in his voice, but she was not so astute to pick up that he had been reflecting on what she had said moments before.
Wryly the curiosity in her gaze remained, if somewhat contained. She did not press the matter.
He spoke again and this time he was far less concise in his manner and this seemed to elicit a sense of excitement from the female. She knew fully the restlessness he spoke of but she knew also the folly of it; the restlessness of nature was far too deleterious and the selection of who experienced nature's ferocity was indiscriminate until at length it seemed all wolves fell prey to to nature's fury. Caiaphas did not envy the lives of lone wolves and would not, this winter, ever feel clemency for the miserable lives they endured.
"Every wolf counts." She echoed demurely, though inwardly she was being introspective at well -- all it took to shatter a pack's life was one agrarian move. And this revelation fascinated her.
As she echoed him, he found himself nodding in quiet agreement. They all mattered in a sense, whether or not they may have belonged somewhere. Mordecai had never been one to truly consider the balance of things, but he acknowledged that it existed. If not for their dispersals over the generations, they would have never stumbled across the vistas they inhabited today. None of their were irrelevant. So in essence, he discovered that she was right in asking whether or not there would be offence in finding that another pack had settled. Even if they were on the other side of the region, they too mattered and affected them in some way, however minutely.
“Do you think your pack will do well this winter, being on the coast?” The question was one that he wondered, if not just for her sake but his brother's as well. The Bay also rested along the coast, but how much further away from the Sound he couldn't have guessed. Behind those wonders came the feverent itch that he should have explored the coast more. Perhaps there would still be time once they were satisfiably ready for winter. If they were ever truly satisified and calm. The Spine was getting there, even if it was a slow progress compared to the leaps they had seemingly made in warmer weather.
i am going to fade out with this post, im so sorry for the wait those two times im the worst!! i forget to check my threadlog and then i'm like O__O OH SHIP!!
Despite the quietude that enveloped them, Caiaphas did not feel uneasy. A sly glance stolen furtively from the corner of her yellow-ringed eyes suggested Mordecai felt much the same.
Perhaps the two of them had much to think about, when they found themselves awake in the late hours. While Mordecai acknowledged that the balance of the world was precarious and outwardly all things seemed affected, Caiaphas had spent a great deal of time ruminating this -- there were so many things in the world in which were inexplicable and irrevocable from their course. A gentle butterfly's pass today, an unruly tornado's path tomorrow.
His question went some time without answer. Caiaphas did not have an answer for it and as she rose to leave her gaze fell across his cheeks solemn and reluctant. "One would hope." The utterance a somewhat dark admittance -- with that, the coywolf rose to make her leave. "I'll see you soon, Mordecai." It was growing late, and Caiaphas had many miles to walk before she dared rest.
Pfft, you're fine! I'm a patient sort, really. Plus I've been derpin' hardcore on replying to my threads because tired and restless. :C I still enjoyed this and will archive! <3
She seemed to settle into some process of thought and in turn, he found himself doing the same. Mordecai did not wonder if she had considered her pack's success or not; he imagined she had. Caiaphas, for all her quirks, did not strike Mordecai as a creature who did not think ahead in that regard. She was interesting and in turn, he enjoyed her company regardless of whether or not they spoke. Any good interaction was a reprieve from the negativity that had tried to exude from the Spine; somewhere behind him he was inclined to believe there were plenty of conspiracies hatching. Whether or not those came to light, he would wait and see.
She rose, speaking and pulling him from his rooted reverie momentarily. Time was habitual in the way that it got away from them all and in spite of the late hour he found himself wishing that her visit had lasted longer. He offered her a smile as her farewell and watched her dark figure merge with the shadows on the outskirts of visible light. The forest acted as though it swallowed the coast dwelling coywolf, and he hoped that it spat her back out safely and close to home.