Altar of Twilight [ art :: elennóna

added an illustration inspired by this story <3
these are HER thoughts, not mine. i repeat, these are HER thoughts, they do not reflect in any way my own.
wanted to make it a short story, but decided to make it a thread.
if it doesn't get any reply in a week, i will archive it and stick to my original plan. <3

happens before this

The singing of the grasshoppers echoed through her ears, a soft melody as the argent stepped onto the rocks of the altar. Her pelt glowed under the pearl light of the crescent, her gaze shifting from her paws to the endless night sky. A perfect night for stargazing, something she had not done in months.

On one of these nights she met Kavik, tall, handsome and mysterious Kavik. A beautiful shadow among the blackness of her mind, his presence was soothing, calming. He was everything she wanted in a male, beautiful, strong, protective and toxic. An emotionally-unavailable partner that gave her a reason to try more, to be the best version of herself, while hurting her feelings in the process, therefore never reaching her goal, a vicious cycle of deceit and betrayal that kept going on and on and on. Kavik promised he would be here for her, for them, and yet he was gone.

Agana spent the last months clearing her head, her thoughts, living with her mistake. It tormented her mind, her feelings, and every bit of her. It spread like a disease in its final stage, she couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, her thoughts were back to that day when she left her son in that cold, empty cave. These thoughts almost drove her insane and she needed to return and find her son.

The rustling of the leaves in the cold, night wind woke her as her gaze turned to the source of the sound. The night was quiet now, oddly quiet, but she did not mind it at all. Agana turned to the sky once more as a faint trace of a falling star caught her attention. A sign; a sign that her son was alive; her heart instantly filled with joy.

The night was upon them. Filled to the brim with stars. A certain restlessness of spirit had taken over the brute and without further ado, he moved further afield. Eyes on the sky. He had loved looking towards the stars when he was trapped in the pit, the light had never touched them down there, but it had certainly caught his eye. He had determined then, that he would fight to get to see them closer, that he would make it to the surface and he had. He had used his body, his very innocence to get what he wanted. He had sold his soul to the devil and had paid his price.

His price had been his body, his mind his soul. Nothing had belonged to Dreven, nothing. Even now he had difficulty digging deep to remember that he was no longer a slave. That he could make his own decisions. He was driven by a baser instinct than most, but he also had a sense of self, that most didn't. An arrogant confidence that showed outward.

He came upon a she wolf in the darkness, and a smirk lit up his face. Well, well little cloud. Argana was it?

He asked conversationally. Whilst searching the darkness with his red eyes. The silence oppressive and comforting all it once. He tilted his head, and settled, lounged further away from her.

Those stones there look sacred. Should you really be tempting the devil by climbing them?

A sign that Astraeus was somewhere, struggling in this unknown world she brought him. Her unhealthy obsession with this search was exhausting; her son was everywhere, in her mind, her heart, her every limb. She did not even met him properly, did not even spend enough time to get attached, nothing. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack, the main issue being if she  would actually like the needle or not. Interesting way of thinking, isn’t it?
 
Agana shifted her weight nervously; a sudden wave of uncertainty hit her. It was probably the future meeting with her son. Was he going to remember her? Unless Mahler spoke up about her, or Andraste’s mate, then he wasn’t going to. The argent was torn between two outcomes for this; she will either find him, or will learn that he is no longer alive.
 
Ironically, this situation was not the reason she felt uncertain. A voice broke her serenity, a way too familiar voice. “The giant trunk himself,” Dreven; she rolled her eyes at his pronunciation of her name. “It’s Agana without the 'r'.” That was not her true name; it was a name she gave to herself after one of the gods her old pack worshiped. Agana was religious, but not as religious as her family, and the only god she felt connected to was Agana. Her memory played with her, she no longer remembered what Agana was worshiped for; luck? Power? Something like that. Her name is a subject she will not discuss publicly, at least not yet.
 
“You are one annoying fella, did you know that?” she narrowed her eyes at him, laying down on the cold, rigid surface of the stone; if looks could kill. “The devil took a break today and left me in charge for the night.” This could have been a peaceful, stargazing night, but no, someone had to interrupt it. “This is not the Forsaken so you could spare me your rudeness.” He had no reason to attack her; she was not crossing any border, the Heartwood was far away from the Altar. He also did not seem in the mood to be rude, so that was something. The lioness kept a close eye on the trunk while still watching the night sky.

He held a paw to his chest as he lay there, mirth dancing in his eyes. Agana. You wound me. At least my nickname is half a kindness. He tilted his head. Mind going back to why he knew that name, and then he donned on him. Agana is a god or something, right? Did your parents fancy you a goddess, cloud?

Dreven lifted a well-muscled shoulder. There's lot worse things than annoying. If that's the only side of me you see. Lucks on your side.

He actually chuckled at her words, a deep burr in his baritone when he answered her. I like that one. You're quick when you're not frightened.
 
Dreven's voice met her's smoky, dark. I assure you darling, this is not me being rude. If I were. You'd know it. The Coldness was there, the threat of what he could do. However, he was enjoying the night.

Are you watching the stars? He tilted his head and narrowed his red eyes, tracing his eyes across a picture in the stars. See that one there, shaped like a wolf, howling. Her name's Lupus. And that one there.

He traced another with his nose. It depicted a great hunter. That one there is Orion.

For the record I had completely forgotten that the other thread wasn't finished yet lol. So yea. <3 sorry about that. And his father was a shaman that's the only reason he knows about the god.

He was talkative tonight; he was not like that back when they first met. “Mine is out of kindness as well; you are like a giant trunk! Did I not make a good association of terms?” His appearance was similar to a trunk, and maybe, just maybe, something else was also similar to a trunk. She turned her head away from him for a while, then his words caught her attention; “How did you know that? Are you some kind of mind reader? You know, if you are, you could be useful.” She thought for a moment, “No wolf can read minds, so you might as well tell me how you know that.”
 
The night suddenly got interesting; he had information, he knew things, thing no one else from Teekon knew, unless he was born in a pack that worshiped these kinds of gods. She needed to know more. “Luck is always on my side if you weren’t aware already.” A wink followed by a smirk, “I-I was not frightened. I was just… taken by surprise. There’s a difference.” She scowled, a reddish hue filling her cheeks.
 
“I was, until you showed up.” A slight annoyance in her tone; maybe if he asked this before he spoke up about the name resemblance she would have been fully annoyed by his presence; now, not so much. “The cross, also known as the Crux, and the shape of a bull, Taurus, are also visible tonight.” the argent was certainly impressed by how much he knew about the stars. Orion was beautiful this time of the year; she knew stars changed places with the seasons, while some remained unchanged for the whole year round. “Are you a stargazer aswell?”

Dreven could be talkative if he felt like it. He could also rip your throat out if he felt like it. Or make you scream his name. All sorts of talents were in the scarred beasts repertoire. A smirk lit up his face.

If you say so, little cloud. I suppose my size can be attributed to one. The implication was there in his tone as it always was, but he didn't comment, that exactly. He was a gigantic male though too.

He chuckled darkly. Depends on what kind of mind you have. Some appetites i can sate easily, could even say i know what you want before you do, but as for mind reading no. I cannot. But wouldn't it be a fun time if i could.

My father was a shaman, and depending on which goddess or god the queen wanted their favor from he sent sacrifices to them. I know many.

Dreven had lived a hard life, but he had learned in his life of hardship. Because he had always been around others. He was pleasing to the eye and to the body, so he was privy to more knowledge than most in his former pack.

Hmmm. Dreven spoke quietly, watching her with a smirk and amusement on his face.
 
Dreven shifted. Where i'm from Agana. The only thing for relief was to look up.

Even if she was a woman and knew a man, her mind was still quite innocent and did not immediately knew her words could be twisted and sexualized; so she just  brushed it off as a joke. “Right when I thought I could find you useful. Guess I was wrong.” she giggled under her breath, covering her nose with her paw. A wave of relief washed over the argent, sighing in response. “I see. You know a lot, don’t you giant trunk?” She again thought for a moment then stood up, jumped from her resting place, went straight for Dreven with her eyes narrowed and her eyebrow raised.
 
Agana was… weird; or in other words, her mind was special. She knew fear far too well, but when she wasn’t frightened, she asked a lot of questions and approached others without asking first. Some may take it as flirting, although it was far from that. The argent was afraid of the umber-painted male, but she was also curious and wanted to know more. Staring right into his crimson eyes, Agana parted her lips to speak, “Where are you from then? And what do you mean by relief? Where you some kind of hard-worker back in the past? That’s why you have so many scars?”

Dreven knew immediately there was something different about this one. When she didn't reply, he immediately shut the part of his brain off, that was not good. Granted most of it wasn't, but he could cowl his lusty ambitions at times. This was clearly one. She was an adult, but she thought like a child about things. It made him a little unsure. He had never really had time for the pups. He would make sure they ate, and then move on. Didn't even know which ones were his.

Dreven saw her coming, and he simply lay there wondering what was her intent. He wasn't too concerned that she would hurt him. Which was probably good for her, most would have taken her as a threat and tore her throat out there. Especially as she moved towards him mission intent.

He leaned forward and blew breath in her face. Back up little cloud and i'll answer your questions. I'd rather not get set upon. Go on back up.

He watched her with narrowed eyes, seeing if she would move. He was not entirely thrilled with the way she was in his space, but he was telling the truth. He would answer her, if she would back up a little. She was in his space and he disliked it.

“You could eat some mint for your breath,” She made a disgusted face just to tease him, his breath was fine, although indeed he could use some mint. The lioness felt a little pride when the male asked her to back off; her standing so close to him made him uncomfortable. On his request she backed away a few steps, sitting on a boulder that elevated her a little, just so she could feel in charge of the situation. Standing so close to him, the female could finally study him a bit more; he was handsome, mysterious and strong. He was also annoying, scary and seemed dirty. Not dirty as in he needed a bath, dirty as in he was white before, and his umber fur was a result of carrying a dark burden all this way. Some war-markings were old and grey, while some were new, the newest one still having a reddish hue. “I’m listening.”
 
His eyes were something else; crimson orbs like blood, in contrast to her sun-like ones. “Where did you get the eyes from? Are you some relative to the other raven-pelt with red eyes?” They indeed looked similar, not like brothers, but cousins. She herself did not look like her sister, Hemera, yet they were not littermates so that may explain something. Agana tilted her head to the side, still examining him, waiting patiently for his story. “Could you tell me more about the stars after you finish?”

good girl. he purled a smirk on his face.

He chuckled. I'm not one for plants, at least not many. But I'll try to find some.

He chuckled again. She was losing her fear. He didn't mind though he hoped she realized he wasn't entirely good.

I'm From a place called Lazarus Copse. Its far from here and gone. Burned to the ground.

He shifted and rapped a tail against the ground. My scars are for different things. I was a slave, born into it. Queen's consort.

He studied her. The notches on my ears are for every wolf i killed for her. The notches in my tail for every pup i kidnapped for her. The notches in my front legs every wolf that used me for their pleasure. The rest from fights. Curiosity sated?

He asked mirthlessly. Though a smirk still held presence there. He was ehat he was. There was no changing him.

He chuckled. No relations.

What would you like to know about the stars little cloud.

“From what I know, you can find mint anywhere.” Plants and herbs were not her specialty, far from it. And yet she could make an effort and learn about them, not only for healing, also for her own trivia. Plants were the last thing on her mind after he called her a good girl; the argent shook her head slightly, not letting the comment get to her.
 
Dreven was a product of hate and pain caused to him by his fellow queen and her subjects. Every scar he wore with pride, or rather shame, were how many times he was betrayed, hated and broken by everyone in this wretched world. His were visible, unlike hers, hidden inside under a surface of curiosity, compassion and loyalty. She was everything and neither of those; not completely good, not completely bad. So was he; neither bad nor good. A broken porcelain teapot glued together after being broken so many times. Agana felt compassion towards him, although was shocked by his past. His pelt told a cruel and gruesome story, one she was not ready to hear in full detail. Agana lifted her tail and placed it close to her back legs as her entire body shivered.
 
“I’m… sorry… for what happened to you. No one deserves to go through abuse.” Abuse; she knew the disgusting taste of it, not on a large scale such as he. Verbal and emotional, psychological and physical; they come in different forms, and yet the result is all the same. They were not so different after all. Agana lowered her head to the ground on her paws, watching him with sad eyes. The argent sighed, feeling somewhat better about herself; she was not entirely alone in this.
 
“Do you ask guidance from them?” she inquired; that was the reason of her presence near the altar. A reason she was not ready to disclose just yet.

He liftened closely. Trying to remember what Mint looked like. He thought it was kinda ferny looking. He knew the smell.

Dreven had been born into his station. Had not known he could be anything but. It was strange what years of conditioning could do. However, it also very much made him, him. Dreven however was mostly shameless.
 
Dreven shrugged a leg up. It is of no consequence. It happened. I survived. I can tell pretty girls about stars for it.
 
He chuckled dryly a little darkly. I ask guidance from no one and nothing. But they give me something to look up too when i need it.

“You’re not popular with girls, are you?” She giggled softly, glancing at the sky then back at Dreven. They were so different and so much alike, both in appearance and personality. Agana felt somehow responsible for him, now that she knew about his past; she was aware he was trying to get her to bed; therefore she played dumb and attempted to hurt his ego.

 

“I understand. I do sometimes seek guidance from them, in moments like these. I was asking the sky for a sign and it gave me one.” She disclosed more information than originally intended, another habit of hers, harmless in this context. Agana gave Dreven a warm smile, “I can help you find mint,” she turned away from him, “If you want of course.” she quickly added, a little embarrassed of her offer and his reaction.

Dreven chuckled darkly. Actually I do well with any gender. I don't discriminate.

He raised a brow. He wasn't actively trying to do anything with this she wolf. Sure his innuendo was there and his heavy suggestion, but that was a staple of his personality anymore. If anything happened it did. Otherwise he was absolutely fine to just enjoy the night. He was finding joy in other things, he found.


Dreven studied her and smiled, a full smile. Devilish and charming, a thing of beauty as it always was. I'll take the assistance if you want to help me find some Cloud. Does mint do anything other than freshen up your breath?

He didn't recognize mint, his father had not used that one, that he could recall.

last from me!
Would you be up for another thread? I loe these two <3

“Oh! I see,” she raised a brow in surprise. He did not seem the type to enjoy the company of men. Perhaps a woman would be more suitable for him, an experienced woman that knew what she did and how to please a man in bed; unlike her. Suddenly, she felt jealous over other women; they knew a man long before she did. Was she unpleasant to the eye?
 
“Mint helps with the cold from what I remember.” The benefits of mint were the last thing on her mind. Agana looked at the sky then back at him, giving him a half smile. “I should get going, it’s pretty late. We may go search for mint the first thing tomorrow.” She got up and jumped down the cliff and padded to the entrance of the valley, waving her tail tip slightly. “Good night, Dreven.” This is and will be the only moment she would call him by his name.

I would love another one. <3 They are fun to write together.

Perhaps had Dreven not been raised the way he was, he would have preferred the company of woman, but honestly he wasn't too sure there. He enjoyed bodies in all forms. And he was finding he enjoyed what was more than physical as well, but that was a new realization of his, that he wasn't keen on visiting this late.


 Dreven watched her go with heavy lidded eyes a smirk on his face. Very well Tomorrow. G'night Agana.

He settled further into his position, content to sleep here under the stars. There weren't any threats around that he could tell, but well it was what it was. A smile lifted up his face as he closed his eyes. He was finding a place here in these new wilds. And new things were happening all the time.