Emberwood twisted shadow knots around my wrists

Emberwood twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Printable Version

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twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Kukulkan - December 23, 2019

bhediya come smack the dumb boy pls

The winters were not difficult, everyone insisted around him.

But the boy hated it all the same. The chill in the air threatened to mask the scents that made up his whole day, that lifted his spirits and led him to deep, intrinsic thoughts. But now it all smelled the same, of wet and ice and a silence that held a physical presence. It was almost haunting, leaving Kukulkan with worries that seemed to slink around his limbs and hold on tight.

The adjustment to the climes of the region had left him distracted, and in that distraction the boy had slipped through the cracks. At first he'd pushed past it, eager to impress and to protect the new friends he'd made. Failure had never been an option for the pirate, but here he was drenched in it. Here the brute approached the edges of a place he'd sought to call home, but his wandering heart had led him on a fruitless endeavor to find nothing more than ghostly delusions.

Whatever his intentions had been, it meant little as his lumbering gait came to a halt. That crooked smile of his was replaced by a soft furrow as he let out a series of short, low calls. A level of shame coiled itself around each note, with a tone as deep as the wintery silences.

The pirate prince stood, riddled with shivers that had nothing to do with the cold.

@Bhediya

[Image: murdermuffin666_by_etkri-dc1wf3p.png]

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Bhediya - December 23, 2019

the calls were sounded, immediately pulling bhediya from her panic. the morning had been spent shifting between the stages of hysteria, each one more painful and terrifying than the last. she was happy to have been given a way out, an excuse to head back to the border.

there stood a familiar face, though one that she hadn't seen for some time. a smile twisted onto her maw as she made her approach, mocking him with a scornful shake of her head. what was his name again? kuku- no, kulkul.. klukul? k, bhediya finally decided upon, where did you go?

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Kukulkan - December 23, 2019

A small shadow emerged and for the briefest of moments, K felt nothing more than a swell of warmth and relief fill his chest. The threat of a smile tugged at the edges of his frown, but the moment they started to pull he met her eyes. Bhediya's head shake, as harmless as it probably was meant to be, was more than enough to send his tail down into a tuck. Ears flickered and then stayed back, the boy wanted to break the eye contact. But he wouldn't.

"Bhediya..." The weight from a heavy conscience thick upon his tongue, "I... I ain't really got a good 'nough answer fr'that." His wanderings at first had been with a keen objective, to find someone for a certain other someone. It had been folly for the southerner to attempt to navigate after a target without knowing the region well enough. At that point, it'd simply been his pride that'd damned him. "Went lookin' for someone, but I don' know this place like y'all do. A'that point, I was jus'..." This time he did break his gaze, a tense sigh under his breath, "Didn' wanna be a failure..." to her...

He'd interrupt his own internal thoughts with a rough roll of his shoulders, as though doing so much physically remove this discomfort that cloaked him. "So yeah, ain't no good reason. But I don't wanna lose," Bright eyes flickered back, "any of y'all." Was it the fact Kukulkan had made no other significant connections in his time up north? Could his feeling of connection here simply be skewed, a need for community stitched into these wolves? No.

There was something here.
Something that held him close.

"Are... are ya okay?" Who knew what things could have happened while he had been away? How much had his absence risked? This place was a new home for him, a family away from family. They were his responsibility as much as any.

@Bhediya

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Bhediya - December 23, 2019

the explanation was more for the sake of his sake than hers. bhediya didn't hold any true contempt against him; they had hardly known one another. even with his absence, uaine gorsedd found incredible success, so there was no reason for resentment. as he spoke, she moved to comfort him by brushing her cheek against his shoulder, though only after checking to make sure pygmalion wasn't around.

she took a step back to meet his gaze, then saying, you didn't lose anyone. you're still welcome here as a guest, and when a spot opens up, we'd be happy to have you as a member. that was the one thing that kay had missed in his absence; the flood of newcomers in their ranks.

bhediya motioned for him to follow as she started into the territory. i'm guessing you didn't find what you were looking for, she said, thinking back on her own recent blessings, i'm glad you came back. it must feel good to get that weight off of your chest.

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Kukulkan - December 24, 2019

The small shadow girl closed the distance between the two, and for a moment K felt himself tense, his limbs freezing and his senses spiking. Wide eyes watched for a half second as she brushed against him, anticipating something - though what exactly he couldn't tell, just something - and a shiver of relief washed over him as his shoulder felt her gentle warmth.

The comfort of company. The reassurance of security.
It was new to him, it was different, and though he felt something akin to fear at the idea, its warmth lulled him into a sense of peace. His coy smile softly tugged at the edges of his mouth.

"Tha's... a relief t'hear..." Kukulkan was always the one to try and lighten the mood, to keep things engaging at all costs, but it'd be a heavy lie to say doubt hadn't been coiled around his shoulders. "Sounds like th'right kinda problem t'have. Y'all runnin' outta room already?" His gaze danced between Bhediya's emerald eyes and the woods that stretched and spread behind them. Though the land was cold, with the winds lapping at his brutish build, the pirate boy could sense the community, the warmth of spirit that took up residency in the woods.

"Shouldn't surprise me," A charmed chuckle, "She... y'all have somethin' amazin' going on here." As she picked up and started walking into the territory, her oversized shadow followed suit, keeping close. "Um, yeah... no I didn't..." Words heavy as molasses fell off his tongue, hesitant and muttered, "Still need'ta learn these lands a bit more, y'know..."

Failure had never been an option growing up, and with the tides finally seeming to turn in his favor in recent months, it was an unfathomably painful truth to face that he had, indeed, failed in his attempts to compensate. He'd been a fool, drowning in delusion that if he could somehow find her brother, he'd fix everything. He'd be the hero, the knight, the champion of good faith. But instead he returns as a stranger, with neither story nor results to share.

"Oh," He hadn't expected what she said next. "I'm glad to be back, t'be honest. I ain't th'best at not... well, accomplishin' what I intend t'do. This hurts like hell..." A shrug of his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension built in his muscles, but he'd play it off with a sheepish grin and earnest tone. Pride was the sin of his bloodline, ingrained deep into his DNA and whispering doubt into his ear. He would need to work at it more aggressively to overcome it, wouldn't he? "I'd feel alot better if I can do something... be something... I wanna help."

K was his own worst enemy in this endeavor.
But determination swelled in his veins. Tomorrow will be different.

@Bhediya

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Bhediya - December 24, 2019

bhediya nodded and laughed along. not running; ran, she clarified. with a territory as small as the emberwood, there was hardly enough room for the wolves that they'd started out with, let alone the colony they'd built.

it would only continue to grow, if not with new recruits then with children in the spring. she made a note to ask ibis about moving beforehand.

if you want to help with something, she offered with a slight furrow to her brow, you can be my scouting partner. taking trips with awol sounded.. well, it didn't sound ideal. they would surely get business done, but that would be it. bhediya grimaced at the thought of a three day trip without conversation.

she thought about her mate and broke her gaze with kukulkan. pygmalion is more comfortable with me leaving when i have someone with me. there was an audible sadness to her tone, one that she'd meant to keep hidden. they hardly knew one another, this man and the magician. he was probably just as disinterested in hearing the story as she was in telling it.

after forcing another smile, bhediya continued. besides, i'm small so it's probably for the best. i'm not a very good fighter.

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Kukulkan - December 24, 2019

Ran? With a flicker of his ears, K glanced around to the woods that were now engulfing the two. No wonder it felt so full, so warm - the trees that had before been the life of the party were now merely hosts to a larger estate. Ibis had achieved the incredible. A comforting wave through his muscles and the boy felt a new relaxation ripple over; Bhediya continued and cut his focus.

Scouting? Help? Lips peeled as his customary crooked grin spread wide, his tail lifting up in a latent wag - a cautious excitement. "Scoutin' party? Hell yeah that sounds fuckin' great, if'n ya need me!" Talk about killing two birds with one stone - though the thought of doing that made his gut twist, birds are our friends. "Well, Pygmalion can rest easy if yer with me, I ain't gonna let nothin' fuck with'us." he dipped his head down, his tone filled with the confidence that normally radiated from him, though there was a gentle reassurance somewhere on those words.

Most of his new friends were still mysteries to him, but K wouldn't risk pressing if it meant he'd accidentally push them away. As she spoke again, a short burst of laughter cracked his maw wide, snaggleteeth sparkling in the winter light. "Ye don' need t'be big 'r strong t'be a good fighter. I could uh, I could help teachya if ya want." A casual roll of his shoulders, "Or jus' fer protection, it ain't a worry. I'd just be happy t'help."

Anything to stitch back together the threads that held him to this new family of his...

@Bhediya

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Bhediya - December 24, 2019

bhediya was uninterested in learning, she just didn't think that she'd be very good. it was better left to the bigger wolves, the ones who actually had a chance in combat. a series of lessons did sound like fun, though...

would pygmalion mind? she chose not to think about it. well, if you insist. bhe bumped kay's shoulder then, a cheeky smile brightening her solemn gaze. it could be fun, i suppose.

she found herself looking at him a moment longer than was polite. she turned away soon after realizing, hoping that he hadn't taken offense. bhediya was quick to change the subject. so, tell me about what happened while you were away. if you want to, that is.

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Kukulkan - December 27, 2019

"Heh, I'd never insist, but hell yeah I'll teach'ya some basics here'r'there. Most likely somethin' that'll be more useful fer, uh, teeny folks like ya." Warmth flooded back into the boy, countering the chills that had been so deep in his limbs for the past few weeks. Bhediya's shoulder bump was all he needed to fully let his smile slip wide on his maw. The regret and shame were there - they were unlikely to fully disappear - but it was this that he craved. The feeling of connection. Of the red threads of fate that weaved between others and bound them together.

He could feel those threads binding.
It was comforting. Anchoring.

Oh yes, it sounded like fucking fun - reconnecting with his northern family, being able to explore as part of his job? And all the while, being able to chill with his packmates and pick their brains for all the little tricks and tales these northern wilds had? To have roots somewhere new up here, but those roots so flexible and yielding so as to allow him to venture as far as he needed, as far as he could, to help those he cared for? Serendipitous could not begin to describe this...

As these thoughts raced, building off each other into more and more, hopes and ambitions and dreams, K hadn't realized how intense their locked gaze was. In fact, he likely wouldn't have at all if she hadn't looked away so quickly. Just as quick, Kukulkan dipped his head towards her as they strode side by side, "Fuck sorry, ahh. Didn' mean t'upset ya, I ju--" But she had chimed back in before he could manage to say anything else.

"Oh, yeah that..." That pit in his gut returned, and K cleared his throat to try and shrug it all away. "I was 'er... lookin' fer someone..." A wave of awkwardness washed over the pirate son, so tied to the seas that even as he stood landlocked, the chill of a seawave crashed heavy on him. "P-- uh, please don' tell Ibis, I don' wanna upset'er..." A deep sigh, his pace slowing, "Was lookin' for Okeanos... I jus' wanted't help. But well," He shook his pelt briskly, hopelessly attempting to shake off the awkward cling of embarrassment "I don' know this land'as well as I fuckin' thought and uh... don' even know what he looks like."

With a slow sigh and a shrug, Kukulkan conceded defeat in his endeavors. Officially. "I need'ta learn more, I know. But I ain't a goddamn whelp, I can help and I know it... I jus' needa find meself a new route." Lifting his head up, those striking red-orange eyes began to scan the weaving of trees, the deep shadows they cast yet the life that flourished within. "I needa learn," he turned his gaze to her. Intently. "from y'all..."

Ambition was his blood, the sea his mother, and all of that potential would be for naught if he could not manage to learn the basics of these lands. Of their inhabitants. Of the political fragility in these regions. "Teach me?" A crooked smile, but from a genuine heart.

@Bhediya

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Bhediya - December 27, 2019

listen this post is poop, i am so sorry

there was something admirable about what kay had attempted. bhediya continued watching him as he spoke, her interest apparent in her gaze. i'll teach you, she said, if you teach me. we'll.. we'll work together.

just do not tell pygmalion.
god, kukulkan, keep your mouth shut.

so long as it remained between the two of them, bhediya saw no reason why they couldn't work together. it was all friendly, right? she wasn't developing a crush, right?

no, she wasn't. it was just.. the feelings would pass. it was just a distraction; it would pass. i'm going to get back to work, bhe sighed, stick around and you'll be the first to get an empty rank. okay? she would wait for kay to respond before seeking out ibis.

RE: twisted shadow knots around my wrists - Kukulkan - December 29, 2019

we can wrap this up here. <3

There was a weight in her gaze, and while any other fool would have noticed that it might've meant something, Kukulkan was a particular type of fool. Proud, ambitious, protective, and energetic... and somehow still incapable of picking up on the subtleties that one deep gander could mean.

Her words, regardless, lit a small flame of confidence and excitement nonetheless, and a warm chuckle rolled from his lips as that cheeky grin spread just a bit wider. "Workin' t'gether, that there sounds like-a plan." A solid way to cement himself into Uaine Gorsedd, to both socialize and plant himself as useful. As a go-to, reliable member.

Oh, she had to leave. A brief moment of sadness threatened to wash over his face, but the doubt was shut down quickly and Kukulkan shook his pelt and let the warmth, the charisma, that confidence settle in as he dipped politely to the darling shadow girl, "Well then, hope ya handle yer work things righto... And hell yeah I'll keep close. Miss these'ere trees an' whatnot, gonna reacquaint meself..." That boastful confidence in his tone slowly trickled down into a wistful, warm trail of thoughts as his words listed on.

Warm gaze locked onto Bhediya as she turned and left.
He had worried that her leaving would bring that shiver back. But... here he stood. Warm and glowing from the inside out. He's content.