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+--- Thread: King Elk Forest begin again (/showthread.php?tid=24661)
begin again - Mona - January 06, 2018
usually lies could be fixed or ameliorated with an apology. lying itself was foreign to mona, having been raised with what she assumed to be honesty by her parents. even cortland had stopped fibbing in puphood. mona had considered this a great mark of character, a sign of her maturity, until her father had spoken and she'd watched her world crash down around her ears.
"shit!" the girl yelped as the snow gave way beneath her angry steps, plunging her into a snowdrift that swallowd her body to its ruddy shoulders. huffing into the cold air of afternoon, mona extricated herself and stood fuming, her murkwater eyes burning with an anger born of frustration.
and pain, if she was being honest. this was something you were supposed to be honest about first! mona declared heatedly to herself. "guess i was fuckin' wrong," the girl snapped aloud. in the next moment, the wind changed and brought to the mayfair the scent of wolves — mona realized belatedly she'd strayed near a clearly marked border, and bristled with fear.
however, in the next instant, the yearling straightened and assumed the gentle cool of her mother's poise. maybe this pack would know how to find the goddamn plateau, the first place in the shitty scavenger hunt that casmir and rowan — despite the fact that she'd been born from the silver-eyed she-wolf, her mom was now rowan, for as long as mona decided — had set her on.
but as she waited, mona's resolve and anger faltered; soon the border was touched with the sound of gentle sobbing.
"shit!" the girl yelped as the snow gave way beneath her angry steps, plunging her into a snowdrift that swallowd her body to its ruddy shoulders. huffing into the cold air of afternoon, mona extricated herself and stood fuming, her murkwater eyes burning with an anger born of frustration.
and pain, if she was being honest. this was something you were supposed to be honest about first! mona declared heatedly to herself. "guess i was fuckin' wrong," the girl snapped aloud. in the next moment, the wind changed and brought to the mayfair the scent of wolves — mona realized belatedly she'd strayed near a clearly marked border, and bristled with fear.
however, in the next instant, the yearling straightened and assumed the gentle cool of her mother's poise. maybe this pack would know how to find the goddamn plateau, the first place in the shitty scavenger hunt that casmir and rowan — despite the fact that she'd been born from the silver-eyed she-wolf, her mom was now rowan, for as long as mona decided — had set her on.
but as she waited, mona's resolve and anger faltered; soon the border was touched with the sound of gentle sobbing.
RE: begin again - Ariel - January 07, 2018
winter is quiet around them, the forest settled. delight still feels uneasy under the crown he's borrowed. tindómë is calm and he hopes it is not on borrowed time that they are able to live in peace. he patrols quietly, trying not to think about anything but his own breathing and the crisp chill in the air. his days are becoming fairly routine: walk the border, check the cache, make sure no one's dead in the snow, check on mato and burke. he wishes anatha were still here - she'd probably have something that could ease the old man's suffering. maybe brienne..
but that's something he'd rather not touch.
he doesn't have time to dwell on - that, because the sound of sobbing reaches him. moon silver eyes blink, breaking out of his reverie. he'd not realised he was close to anyone else, and he quickens his pace, worried that someone (brienne? jomyo? anatha?) is at the door crying. but the figure - inside their claim, he notes absently - isn't someone he knows. oh, jeez. he's not actually good at dealing with... crying.
the androgyne clears his throat, shuffling awkwardly closer. "hey there, uh. everything... okay?"
RE: begin again - Mona - January 10, 2018
thanks for joining!
mona had finally made up her mind to leave wherever this was, cross the mountains, go home — whatever got her away from the realization of the huge lie she'd been told. it was through her dejected sniffling that she heard the dulcet, wary tones, and glanced up through her tearstained lashes. the wolf who watched her from a small distance was a creature of chocolate and silver; mona met the dazzle of the stranger's gaze for a heartbeat longer than lupine propriety allowed.
dropping her gaze politely, the girl held herself in a courteous way, lifting one fore-ankle to wipe the rivulets of saltwater from one cheek. "yes," she responded, cursing the tremble of her voice. "i didn't mean to come so close. i —"
what was she doing here anyway? in that moment, the mayfair girl felt steel edge her heart; her slender shoulders squared and she lifted her eyes once more for a brief glance into the face of the stranger. who, as it was, mona found very beautiful without completely knowing if it was a wolf or wolfess she beheld.
"i would like to join you." there. and now nothing rowan or casmir said mattered. "my father was a druid. he liked ... forests." well he had, hadn't he? he'd had an entire woodland called donnelike or something. as the pause deepened, mona's breath began to hold itself in the fluted column of her scarlet throat.
dropping her gaze politely, the girl held herself in a courteous way, lifting one fore-ankle to wipe the rivulets of saltwater from one cheek. "yes," she responded, cursing the tremble of her voice. "i didn't mean to come so close. i —"
what was she doing here anyway? in that moment, the mayfair girl felt steel edge her heart; her slender shoulders squared and she lifted her eyes once more for a brief glance into the face of the stranger. who, as it was, mona found very beautiful without completely knowing if it was a wolf or wolfess she beheld.
"i would like to join you." there. and now nothing rowan or casmir said mattered. "my father was a druid. he liked ... forests." well he had, hadn't he? he'd had an entire woodland called donnelike or something. as the pause deepened, mona's breath began to hold itself in the fluted column of her scarlet throat.
RE: begin again - Ariel - January 10, 2018
where's gracious when you need her? delight's stunted, broken, he doesn't know how to offer comfort. but the girl pulls herself together enough, starts to apologise. "it's fine," he starts, awkwardly, "just-" but then she begins to speak again, much more sturdy than before. distantly he notes with interest the moment that the strength comes back into her tiny body, similar to watching a mask shutter down, though he can still sense her determination.
"okay, well, let's talk about it," the androgyne says, very reasonably in his opinion. "this is tindómë. our - former morwinyon, leader is druidic as well. i'm our current morwinyon." his mouth closes funny around the word former, even though it's accurate. mato's gonna come back, he reminds himself. mato's in a den with burke right now. he takes a deep breath, letting his gaze sweep over her briefly. "we value skills - trades - here - do you have any particular skills to offer us? or, um, are willing to learn?" it feels a bit awkward to him, jumping into his usual ... border interrogation when she's still sniffling, but he's trying to be practical, treat the situation as normal. he is not a good counselor.
RE: begin again - Mona - January 13, 2018
tindómë. mona committed that to memory, or tried to; on the heels of the unfamilar word came another, morwinyon. and that the first one was a druid. however, the wolf had given an explanation: it was the name of the leaders here, and the title of the sylph before her. mona nodded, glancing down as her nerves began to tremble.
however, it would appear that her pretty companion was not without their own doubts, and mona wondered if it was her presence at these borders that was the odd, unsettling sort of thing. however, she listened raptly to what was asked of her, and murkwater eyes widened with a bit of surprise. "um," the girl began inelegantly, feeling her cheeks heat beneath the scrutiny — and also the silver gaze — "well, mom is a healer, but —"
" — but i never ... picked up on much," mona chuckled awkwardly. "and my dad" — she stumbled on the word — "dad is a warrior. and a scout. i could do that?" the mayfair suggested hopefully, before her false bravado failed and she chewed the edge of her lip. "look, i ... i don't know a lot, okay? yet," mona added hurriedly. "but, uh, but i learn really fast? and you know, i'll do whatever you need. whatever it takes to earn my keep."
after a beat, mona sought the face of the forest-dweller, apprehension clear in her expression. she'd really bombed this hard.
however, it would appear that her pretty companion was not without their own doubts, and mona wondered if it was her presence at these borders that was the odd, unsettling sort of thing. however, she listened raptly to what was asked of her, and murkwater eyes widened with a bit of surprise. "um," the girl began inelegantly, feeling her cheeks heat beneath the scrutiny — and also the silver gaze — "well, mom is a healer, but —"
" — but i never ... picked up on much," mona chuckled awkwardly. "and my dad" — she stumbled on the word — "dad is a warrior. and a scout. i could do that?" the mayfair suggested hopefully, before her false bravado failed and she chewed the edge of her lip. "look, i ... i don't know a lot, okay? yet," mona added hurriedly. "but, uh, but i learn really fast? and you know, i'll do whatever you need. whatever it takes to earn my keep."
after a beat, mona sought the face of the forest-dweller, apprehension clear in her expression. she'd really bombed this hard.
RE: begin again - Ariel - January 13, 2018
she doesn't have much to offer, but it's still more than some things that have been said to him before, and, okay, he's kind of a softie underneath the sullen exterior. "as long as you're willing to work for it, yeah," delight tells her, deciding to tactfully overlook the rocky start of their interaction. "i won't tell you what to pursue skills-wise," he says, "but we have a scout you can train with, and i'm sure there's wolves around to practice sparring with and all of that." after a beat, the morwinyon adds, "but not me," deadpan. haha. "i'm a historian - if you have any interesting stories you can share them with me."
he takes a step back to give her space to come forward, offering a small, fleeting smile. "oh -- we also share the forest with a creature known as the king elk. and my name's delight singing-sunlight." he pauses. "what's your name?"
RE: begin again - Mona - January 13, 2018
mona nodded again, straightening as she was invited over the borders. to be a scout sounded nice; after all, casmir and rowan had brought she and her brother back to teach them from where they'd come. it wouldn't make sense just to settle and never do that. mona burned with questions for which she feared there were no answers.
it occurred to her that she hadn't said a word following the leader's introduction; the girl gave a crisp shake of her muzzle and smiled wanly at the morwinyon. "i'm mona. mona antha mayfair," she elaborated, digging the toes of her small red paws into the snow. delight singing-sunlight. it fit the quiet wolf who was to be her new leader.
the girl wanted to ask more about this intriguing king elk, but the next words she spoke were a bitter blurt of tumbling emotions. "i just found out that the man who raised me isn't even my dad. he's my half-brother. and my dad is long dead. i barely know a thing about him and i have no one to ask." mona's murkwater eyes found the ground in a sheepish pause. "so ... there's my interesting story. but whatever," the scarlet girl added, shaking out her crimson ruff. "what's king elk?"
it occurred to her that she hadn't said a word following the leader's introduction; the girl gave a crisp shake of her muzzle and smiled wanly at the morwinyon. "i'm mona. mona antha mayfair," she elaborated, digging the toes of her small red paws into the snow. delight singing-sunlight. it fit the quiet wolf who was to be her new leader.
the girl wanted to ask more about this intriguing king elk, but the next words she spoke were a bitter blurt of tumbling emotions. "i just found out that the man who raised me isn't even my dad. he's my half-brother. and my dad is long dead. i barely know a thing about him and i have no one to ask." mona's murkwater eyes found the ground in a sheepish pause. "so ... there's my interesting story. but whatever," the scarlet girl added, shaking out her crimson ruff. "what's king elk?"
RE: begin again - Ariel - January 16, 2018
sorry for the wait! ❤
mona. he doesn't recognize the surname mayfair, but he supposes he doesn't have to. he expects her to - oh, i don't know, ask about king elk or something about the pack, you know, but then instead she tells him a snippet of her history. something the chronicler treasures dearly, but also, something clearly still freshly traumatizing.
"oh," he says, alarmed. where's a counselor when you need one? "um. king elk is -- are you sure you're okay? i can .. we have counselors you could talk to," delight fumbles, "if you - want to, i mean. and the king elk is a large elk who's lived here long before we arrived."
RE: begin again - Mona - January 19, 2018
no worries! <3
delight began to speak, and mona drew a shaky breath, offering the lithe creature a warm smile before focusing on an explanation that came only after a couple of awkward starts. at the mention of a counselor, mona's countenance flared with a sudden saddened recognition — that's what mom said about lasher, too — but the girl was determined not to flummox delight more than she assumed she already had.
"i'll be okay," she rejoined, glancing down at the snow and hoping her confidence didn't sound too put upon. after all, she meant it — mona was sure after a time she would be all right, once she figured out what the f —
"so he's very old?" the mayfair blurted suddenly, intrigue all but choking her. was it desperation that drove it, or true desire; she didn't know or care. "how long have you been here?" the mayfair inquired next, her murkwater eyes glinting with fascination.
"i'll be okay," she rejoined, glancing down at the snow and hoping her confidence didn't sound too put upon. after all, she meant it — mona was sure after a time she would be all right, once she figured out what the f —
"so he's very old?" the mayfair blurted suddenly, intrigue all but choking her. was it desperation that drove it, or true desire; she didn't know or care. "how long have you been here?" the mayfair inquired next, her murkwater eyes glinting with fascination.
RE: begin again - Ariel - January 19, 2018
she turns down the offer - for now anyway - and while part of him wants to press it a little he knows better than that and lets it go. after all, he knows better than anyone what it's like being fresh off a tragedy, even if his was more of the everyone i loved has died in a terrible avalanche variety than the personal family betrayal/revelations variety.
the androgyne is a little taken off guard by her questions, but he tilts his head thoughtfully. "we're not sure, to be honest, but i think so. our first morwinyon told me he knew of him because he was called the wolf-killer, so his reputation at least preceeds him." he wonders how old the elk really is -- and if there's a way to figure it out, though that might be a challenging project even for him. "we've been here about six moons," delight says to answer her question, still thinking about the elk. "so -- not very long, but long enough to be fairly settled, i think."
RE: begin again - Mona - January 19, 2018
wolf killer — mona's eyes widened with a child's apprehension and intrigue mingled. she was not so old as to not be fascinated by the image of a great old elk who ran down his foes and cleaved them in two with mighty hooves —! aware that she was fixating on this idea rather fiercely, the mayfair dragged aside her mind reluctantly to focus on the remainder of what delight was saying.
six months. it wasn't a long time, but mona didn't mind. a fresh start meant just that; how much newer did she need than six months? she stopped in her tracks to tilt her delicate red crown skyward, watching the trajectory of a slow-wheeling bird overhead, and then narrowed her eyes toward the heavy grey clouds. "looks like snow," she mumbled, unaware she was speaking aloud.
"so ... what ... where do i go from here?" mona piped after a second, her tones hopeful that maybe the morwinyon would assign her a task and she could be on her merry way. the presence of another wolf was beginning to weigh oddly on her grieving mind.
six months. it wasn't a long time, but mona didn't mind. a fresh start meant just that; how much newer did she need than six months? she stopped in her tracks to tilt her delicate red crown skyward, watching the trajectory of a slow-wheeling bird overhead, and then narrowed her eyes toward the heavy grey clouds. "looks like snow," she mumbled, unaware she was speaking aloud.
"so ... what ... where do i go from here?" mona piped after a second, her tones hopeful that maybe the morwinyon would assign her a task and she could be on her merry way. the presence of another wolf was beginning to weigh oddly on her grieving mind.
RE: begin again - Ariel - January 21, 2018
wrap up? <3
he smiles faintly, relieved she seems to be past whatever crisis for now. it takes a while to recover, he knows, but at the least she isn't sobbing at his feet anymore. he doesn't have the constitution. "hmm," the morwinyon says absently, both in regard to her comment and her question. "i can give you a tour, if you'd like," he says, "or if you'd prefer to explore by yourself, that's fine too." and with that, the androgyne steps back to let her in, whether she chooses to walk with him or not.
RE: begin again - Mona - January 24, 2018
thank you for the thread! i hope to have more <3 feel free to respond again or archive
she stepped to the leader's side, feeling her paws thrill at the touch of unfamiliar territory. however, it was at that moment mona realized she desperately needed to be alone — tears pressed behind her swampwater gaze, and she dipped her crown to hide the trembling of her lips. "i'll explore!" the girl declared in too cheery a voice. "thank you, delight," mona added more seriously, moving forward to kiss the edge of the forest-wolf's jaw, if allowed. and then she set off at a ranging step through the thick trees, searching for a place to be alone and secluded from the eyes of the wolves who were to be her packmates.