Silver Moraine Come on Superman, Say Your Stupid Line

New thread time! Not backdated. We will just say they spent some time in the willows! @Etephyr

The days of respite beneath the willows lasted until the seasoned traveler was assured that the maiden could continue their travels without discomfort. The duo had set out in the crisp chill of the early morning air, and the luck they had seemed to lack scaling the mountains seemed to shift it's attention elsewhere. The day was pristine with blue skies devoid of clouds that allowed for quick progress across the grassy valley and onto the naturally carved road the brute had lead them to. These lands were devoid of the flora and fauna that Omnium had grown accustomed to, but it made for cushioned steps.

The travel would be easier for his companion, and the large male was thankful for that. The secretive vow of her well being a well kept secret known only by himself, but Omnium would hold up his end of the bargain nonetheless. There would be no scrapes to be had here, lest she decide to take a tumble over her own feet. He could not help her then. It added a bit of a spring to his step as they walked side by side on the pre-made trail. The beautiful traveling partner he would steal glances of from time to time assisted in brightening the environment considerably, but that was another thing he hid.

There was dread playing on his mind; A cruel demon plaguing his thoughts brought upon him by the mountains in the distance. Their familiarity. Somewhere in the midst of their travels, the brute had forgotten to inquire of her past. A fact he had also forgotten to divulge, but it was not as if a wolf with a cloudy past, such as he, would push Etephyr to do the same. The silence between them begged to be filled, so he spoke with the familiar low and smoky voice. I am from over that ridge. My sister and I passed it on our way South. With a tip of his large head, Omnium motioned to the looming peak to the North of their current tracks. 

The woods that I was born in lie beyond. They are quite lush, but the temperatures there get very harsh in the winter. They would chill me to the bone, even beneath this heavy fur coat. Matter in fact, Creed and I crawled into the carcass of a deer one night just to live to see the morning. The wolves who found us thought we were red wolves upon first glance. The large male carried on with his words. There was no ulterior motive there, just a conversation to be had if Etephyr wished it.

It felt like there was too much to say; the pile of words she wished to reveal cowered behind her lips. It left her cold, isolated. She pondered, that was what she wanted right? Cold isolation with only supervised tangents of socialization, but that wasn't what she had with Omnium. She quieted. It was time to move, to travel in the brisk of the morning air. Their roving was largely silent. Both in the depths of their own mind, at least that was Etephyrs excuse. She wasn't oblivious to the glances Omnium was pilfering, the side of her eye catching his thefts, she wondered if he was queuing her to say something. He would have got nothing from her if that were the case, every sentence would have unfurled into a mess of unintelligible garbage. Too much of a good thing was detrimental, and Omnium was that good thing. 

The land they traversed went easy on Etephyr. Far-reaching plains, grassy knolls peppering the earth as far as her eyes could see. Through the wind and the rain, it was worth seeing what was on the other side. Etephyr huffed out a nearly inaudible laugh at the phrase, "the grass is always greener on the other side.". She looked to Omnium, and to her detriment, it was. 

Having enough of the silence, the herculean man spoke of his previous travels with his sister. Etephyr recalled the mention of a sister, an estranged sister. She remembered much of his words but to believe them entirely would surely cause her to fall on her own sword. Listening to the rest of his story, Ete made sure to acknowledge him with glances as they walked. He spoke of a particularly cold winter, where his only option for survival was to hide in the corpse of a cervid. 

As much as Etephyr wanted to inquire about family, the memory of the last time she did with another wolf sprung to mind. She would hold her tongue. "I see." She said plainly, almost disinterested, but she was simply occupied by thought. Silence dragged on for a moment more before she found her words. "Surely that staved off any visitors. If isolation is what you want, why did you leave? What better place to live than a place no one wants to be. Could you not adapt?" Her words were nearly insidious, a small bid for a sense of control, knowing their doom drew closer with each step. 

The words brought forth by his companion gave him pause to decide his answer. The brute carried on walking beside her, but his long legged steps slowed as he pondered the double edged sword that was her question. He knew very well his motivation for leaving his homelands, but the catalyst between his only living family member had been trivial enough that he could not recall it's origins. The self reflection left a sour taste in his mouth. Perhaps he had been in the wrong all along, but the path the man had taken was now set in stone. That much was evident with an expression drifting over his face that was devoid of emotion.

On the contraire, there were actually many others there. The food was scarce and competition was worse than these lands, but we were able to adapt with time. There were just a few... set backs. We were left to our own devices at a young age, so that alone left us at a disadvantage. Our predicament got better when I learned how to anchor the hunt, but we were forced to leave when the food we could bring down was thieved by pack wolves more often than not. There were good and bad memories there. A time when the bond between Creed and he had been at it's strongest, and it was only his foolishness that pained him now. Not that he would ever admit it.

Omnium's yellow eyes turned on her fully then. No more flitting glances as they traveled. The large male examined her features with a fondness. An attempt to mark them to memory in light of the looming days to come, and he was certain that his mind would never forget her. Despite his reservations on his past decisions, the brute was thankful that he had crossed paths with Etephyr due to them. He wanted to speak his mind to her, but the silence would win this battle. The time was not right. 

Might I beg a question? He inquired as they moved to evade a particularly large boulder. It was asked gently to give the maiden a chance to reject the advances as they spoke. The wind lightly coaxed them onward from behind, but it allowed for a cool refreshment due to the lack of vegetation.

It was never her intention for her inquiry to produce such a detailed response, nevertheless it had. Omnium explained his troubled past, a swift extinction of emotion wiping across his face. Etephyr refrained from staring at the big man as his story got harrowing, too cowardly to watch what she had created. A tale of abandonment, thievery, and desperation. A past not so different from hers. As much as she wanted to return to stone, she couldn't find the strength to harden against one of the few in her life to settle her storm. Relenting, Etephyr gazed at Omnium, gently offering her acknowledgement with a small furrow of her brow. 

"You came out stronger because of it. You were forged in the ice of the tundra, as strong as the winds that once threatened to knock you down and as ambitious as the snow that tried to bury you." She explained, her voice not quite triumphant but not meek either. It was perhaps a touch tone deaf but that was Etephyrs way of trying to make something right, even if nothing could. She simply didn't always know how to communicate what her heart felt. Empathy.  

Then came her turn, or so she thought. Omnium begged to ask a question. Etephyr assumed he wished to pry into her past, a secret she wasn't sure she could tell. The woman struggled with the idea that it was owed to him, after all he gave up a part of his past and a smidge more. Wasn't it the least she could do? She grappled. Lost in her own mind, Etephyr had neglected his question long enough that an awkward tinge now tainted their space. The woman cleared her throat, nodding before responding. "Yes, of course." She managed coolly, walking round the bolder. 

The brute appreciated her words with a rumbling hum from his chest. They fell on attentive ears, and it settled some of the unease within him. He felt relieved in having not been judged in the history that was his foundation for life. The very roots that kept him upright as he navigated life originated in his formative years. Omnium drifted closer to Etephyr and lightly brushed her shoulder with his in her drawn out silence. Thank you, Etephyr. There was much more he wished to tell her, but that was all that would escape him.

The large male waited for her consent patiently. A moment of silence was a welcome friend as she mulled over his ask. He did not want to push her into a metaphorical 'back to the wall' position, but Omnium was thankful when she relented. A once emotionless canvas switched to one of gentleness. Why did you come to these lands? A maiden of your intellect and knowledge... what do the Teekon Wilds offer you, Etephyr? His tone switched to soft spoken, and it was a far throw from the average volume he held his voice. A small attempt to comfort her.

He had pondered the question after they had agreed to travel together. A solemn figure always keen to observe everything in his surroundings; he had watched her. The knowledge of herbs. The lack of experience in travel. The wisdom behind her words as she spoke. The large male had always found it odd that he would find himself in the company of another whom he knew so little about, but the little things could not always be overlooked. Omnium did not wish to pry into her past, but he did want to understand her motives.

His words thanked Eteph, while his body furthered the appreciation with a gentle brush of the their shoulders. The woman nodded her head, a slow blink followed that nearly turned into a full bow. Although it would be hypocritical of her to think him disgraceful, if he had wallowed in his own pity; she was far from without flaw. Ete appreciated Omnium could see the strength that was produced from the past. Ever iridescent in character, the man continued to prove himself, even without trying. 

.

As his question closed, his words reverberated in the woman's lobe, free to spark and ignite the pyres of her past. Etephyr breathed, a scarily familiar scent trickling in, becoming pungent by her third breath. Acrid, with a hint of pine, the noxious stench was all she could sense. No longer could she feel her muscles flexing with each step, rather, they were stagnant; fixated in place. She wanted to run, the screaming in her chest growing violent. Her core thrashed against its cage and wailed its warnings of immanent peril but the body played ignorance. A fire burned bright, if Etephyr could have see her own eyes she would've sworn the fire perfectly reflected in them. Perhaps that was where they got their color. The heat of the flame singed her chest and burned her eyes, Etephyr tried to blink the heat away and found a stream of tears cooling her cheeks. 

.

It was over in a fraction of a minute. The green pastures came back into view and so did Omnium. Amber orbs flickered, irrationally searching for an answer in him. Confusion quickly turned to horror as her actions cemented her back into reality. She could not believe what she let happen, the very thing she abhorred. Pity. She had wallowed in it like swine. Etephyr wiped away her tears, clumsily trying to hide her shame. Wide eyed, she stared down Omnium defeat like a barrel of a gun, loaded and ready to fire. 

.

"That wasn't-" Pitiful? "I didn't mean to-" Wallow? 

.

Words escaped her, the burn of degradation setting in. Etephyr turned her head away, slinking back into a sit. "I did not mean to disgrace myself." Remorse kept her voice meek, pathetically cracking at the end. Had she not spoken of the strengths of a broken past? Could she not live up to her own words or was it simply betraying her? Etephyrs mind whirred with questions, bombarded from every side. A phrase kept repeating at nauseum, taunting her like a school yard bully. Too much of a good thing is detrimental. 

Omnium's gaze was originally trained on the barren landscape they were slowly progressing past, and his large form made it a few lengths before the lack of presence occurred to him. The brute turned to ensure that he had not missed something in his observations. He scanned their surroundings for a few moments before yellow eyes moved to search his companions face for her reasoning on the sudden halt; he had almost expected the beauty to have another battle scar from their travels, but the answer lied within her eyes. 

The wounds that pained her now could be fixed by no poultices, and the brute was all too familiar with them. He knew that the wolf that had slowly blossomed into his affections resided in front of him, but her mind lie elsewhere. Omnium approached her carefully as the tears welled from her eyes. Although he remained unsure of his intentions, the emotions which he derived his actions drifted the furthest from pity. There remained guilt and understanding behind his eyes as he awaited her return. He dared not to reach to touch her in fear that another's presence might worsen the effects, but the man wished for nothing more than to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Etephyr? He beckoned to her in a weak attempt to reign her back to the body she resided in. His words remained ineffective.

When he was assured she had returned, there was a sigh of relief to be had. His own breathing had ceased to work in the tense moments. The guilt weighed enough to shush the feeble attempts Omnium would have made in an attempt to comfort her, though. The brute watched her pull away with eyes of sorrowed understanding. He had been the one to push her too far, and that would be his burden to carry. 

After a few long moments of silence after her last words, the large male mirrored her to slink closer to her back. The last thing he wanted was another episode of her terror, and his stature took on a submissive stance. The hind end of his body dipping below his shoulders with a slightly tucked tail. It seemed misplaced upon his looming figure, but he did his best to shrink himself to being level with her. Even if she could not see him, the respect he held for her space and comfort warranted it. Omnium was unsure what would come after, but he wished to pull her from the recesses of her own mind.

In the face of terror, you fear disgrace above all else? He paused, mulling over his own words. You fear not the event itself, but rather, the opinion of another soul who knows not of what demons lurk beneath your surface? For who am I to judge? For who are you to insult the very mind that nurtures your every thought? Omnium was hopeful he had not overstepped his bounds in his speech alone. He had not been so brazen in her presence as of yet, but there always came a time for such an event. The advances stopped as he reached the same distance from her he had given upon their first meeting. The brute wished to respect her wishes, so he would not crowd her lest he was beckoned.

  <3 <3   < Song

Added the song because it seemed a bit fitting

 

Her heart still raced, this time out of embarrassment. Omnium tried his best to comfort her but his tenderness went unheeded, instead Etephyr honed in on the sickly ache that formed in the chambers of her heart. Every contraction squeezed more tears from the creases of her eyes. The humiliation worsened. The thought of running did little to quench the burn of her shame. The woman couldn't understand why it happened, many months had passed since her last terror. Etephyr questioned Omniums role in it but quickly ushered it away, the blame was solely on her. Grace was all she had and although Ete knew she let it slip away at times, that didn't mean she strayed too far.

Through blurred vision she gazed at the sky, still looking away from Omnium, a familiar forlorn tenderness tugging at her heart strings. She was sure her father peered down at her, his stature looming over her with the typical disappointed fatherly glare. "Grace, Etephyr. Wipe your tears, we are in company." His words repeated in her mind, his stern tone striking much of the same guilt as she felt the day she heard it. Eteph wiped her tears, roughly rubbing her eyes against her legs. She swallowed down any pit that had crawled its way up, then cleared her throat for extra measure. 

Turning to Omnium, she spoke. "You demonstrated grace in the face of adversity, overcoming your trials but upon my turn, I failed to demonstrate the same grace." Her voice grew hoarse by the end, a surge of emotion tightening her throat. "We are nothing without grace. It is one of the few things no one can steal from you." Etephyr looked ahead, staring into the vast valley as she fought another round of tears. Her words were merely a hint of her past, just enough to explain loss but not enough to place any true worldly connections.  

They already stole a great deal. 

w-w The song has me tearing up.

Omnium remained stoic in the position that he had taken just a small distance from her. There was a silence that the brute knew not how to break after Etephyr had spoken words that rang true, and her words were apprehended as they rang out into the world around them. Their volume fizzled out into the open air as the ears they fell upon ascertained their hidden meanings. His own history was marred by the wounds of time, ever sealed within the cage of his mind, and despite the urge to comfort her, he remained still. No words spoken by any other soul could heal the wounds within oneself, and Omnium had been forced to learn it in the most devastating way possible.

The tears that fell from the eyes of a familiar face brought him the most pain, but there would be no admittance of that. They were not here to comfort his wounds. In this very moment, the only individual in the world that mattered to Omnium was Etephyr. A woman who had only shown her strengths from the beginning of their time together, and he had basked in that light, unaware of the cracking foundation that lie beneath the surface. Had she been anyone else, the brute would have given his leave to allow for her to compose herself before returning, but Omnium remained by her side. As still as stone, a gargoyle poised in uncertainty.

As much as he wished to respect her boundaries, his paws hesitantly carried his lumbering figure to her side. The large male took up a sitting position next to her, and he mirrored her while looking over the expansive terrain that remained an unspoken proof of how far their journeys had carried them. A silent offering of comfort within the bounds of company. He was close enough that their shoulders would brush if she wished, but his yellow gaze remained on the valley. They took in everything and nothing at all.

He spoke then. A gentleness that had never been laced in his voice before made itself known. There are some things that even the most graceful of wolves are unable to control. I may appear to be graceful now, but there was a time when my trials and tribulations made me into a bitter person. I am thankful that you will never have to meet that side of me, but I want you to know that grace is not everything. There are bigger things within life that another can not steal from you. Thoughts, feelings, emotions... They are all your own. Omnium paused, taking a deep breath. I am unsure of who might have pushed you to believe that we are nothing without it, but they were sorely mistaken in their ideologies of the world. There is no need to fear the theft of your grace within my company, Etephyr. You are the very embodiment of grace within my eyes.