Tormented Tarns children of the mist

The midday sun stung his eyes as they made their way onto the tarn, the sound of insects and frogs welcoming them to yet another new place. Dirge had taken the lead at some point in their venture, uncharacteristically quiet for a change. His gold eyes scanned the damp path ahead of them but saw nothing out of the ordinary. It had been much of the same for the last few miles and like him, all was quiet outside of the ambiance. The only thing that may have been different was the placement of the mountains, where the towering peaks had been visible earlier they were now covered by the rise of the forests, only seen through slivers of branches and green.

Now those things, they interested him. Mountains were familiar, comforting. He would have never admitted to be relieved to see them again, but he suspected that the feeling may have been mutual with his siblings. They weren't home, but he had no interest in going back there if he could help it. Home was really quite a subjective thing for an Ostrega, though he didn't know exactly what it meant to be one of those either. It was a name, nothing more, and as far as he had been concerned he had been a Winterheart more than an elusive shadow chased away.

A sound off behind him stole his attention; he peered back to his sisters, ever in tow.

He smiled as he turned his head back forward. They were still following along, not that he expected them to go gamboling off any time soon. The trio had stuck together thus far, though once upon a time they had been a quintet. Whatever had become of the other two in their litter he didn't know as they hadn't decided to come along. It seemed whatever their father had imparted to them – other than half of the reason they were alive – hadn't spread to all of them, and that only made it seem vaguely like a disease.

@Saor @Nyx Ostrega

Lol...first posts are always weird.

As the miles stacked up behind the trio, Saor found herself reflecting on their journey and thinking of home a lot.  She loved to travel, of course, and the three of them had had a pretty good time since striking out on their own.  The weather was warm and placid, food was plentiful, and the freedom of having nowhere to go and nothing to do was actually quite enjoyable.  Yet in spite of everything, part of her still missed those familiar woods nestled in the protective embrace of granite peaks.  She missed her mother, that sweet, naive, and unassuming she-wolf.  While she sorely missed her sisters, Grey and Lestra, part of her was glad that they had stayed behind.  She wasn't sure how her mother would fare if all of her children left her at once.

Dirge had been the primary concern.  Cross, the alpha of their pack -- who also happened to be the pups' grandfather, though he had never taken kindly to them calling him that or attempting to pursue that sort of relationship with him -- had treated the lone male of their litter with increasingly pronounced suspicion and mistrust as Dirge had come into his second year.  He had always been indifferent toward the pups, sometimes even outright contemptuous, since their mother had conceived them with an outsider and borne them illegitimately.  It had taken every ounce of Kasaka's dignity to beg her father not to kill her newborn pups as she licked them clean on the night of their birth.  And even though he had grudgingly relented to her, his anger had never quite burned itself out.  

Because the truth was that the aging alpha had not been able to sire a litter of his own for some time, and the pack needed a new generation.  The benefit five new puppies meant to his pack was not lost on him.  However, also not lost on him was the fact that one of them was male.  As Dirge grew, Cross fear that someday the boy would be a formidable contender for the alpha male.  Therefore, his treatment of young Dirge was harsher than that of his sisters.  Maybe he hoped that Dirge would leave before a challenge ever had a chance to arise.  Certainly, his worries were not unfounded -- as the pups matured into adulthood, Dirge was easily larger, stronger, and faster than Cross.  Saor still wasn't sure exactly what chain of events led to Dirge leaving the pack, but when he did, there was never any question that she would be tagging along.

As far as she was concerned, it was all for the better.  Because she was tired of dealing with Cross's shit.  Dude was a dick.

She caught Dirge's eye as he glanced back at them, flashing a grin at him.  It really is better this way, she thought.  Maybe they could find a nice place of their own and settle down.  Where they stood now, at some lovely little precipice to a vast, mountainous, coastal paradise, was certainly nice enough.  She inhaled deeply the scents of summer -- fresh grass and sunshine on warm earth, with subtle notes of sea salt and wild honeysuckle -- and sighed it out with an air of satisfaction.  Waving her tail, she looked at Nyx questioningly, wondering if she felt the same.  Or we could just travel forever, she thought. She really didn't care.  As long as these two were with her, it mattered not at all.

Despite having grown up not knowing the wolf who'd sired her and despite their grandfather's bitterness, Nyx and her siblings had always known love. The devotion of their mother and pack-mates always outweighed the sourness of their Alpha, much to his frustration. Nyx had, naturally, attempted to build a relationship with Cross in her early childhood, but was swift to realise how truly stubborn and cruel he could be. It was then that she learned a powerful lesson: there was nothing more heartbreaking than trying and failing to make someone love you.

He'd never been able to spare any time for the Winterheart youngsters, even after they entered the adult ranks. The only real interest Cross then had was for her brother Dirge who, as he filled out to become larger and stronger, roused a fear in the aging leader that he might face a challenge for his title as Alpha. His way of channeling this was to consistently bully the boy he suspected might try to take his place, which Nyx never understood. Would it not have been simpler for him to chase him from the pack when he came of age to support himself, rather than make his life miserable over that slim possibility? Their grandfather's mistreatment of Dirge did not go unnoticed by his four sisters, who would grumble among themselves at how to best deal with the situation. 

Nothing serious ever came of the matter, however, until Dirge announced that he planned to take his leave. Nyx and Saor, eager to stand by him, have a taste of freedom and be rid of Cross' crap for good, did not give their brother the opportunity to go alone. This decision devastated their mother, of course, but the trio were content to make their own way knowing that their other two sisters, Grey and Lestra, opted to remain. It was difficult to say goodbye and see their family divide, but Nyx in particular felt liberated. She'd always felt the urge to see beyond her homeland, a longing in her heart to travel, but she'd never wanted to go on her own.

Her raven-tipped lobes pricked forward as the trio made their way along a damp trail, and pale eyes looked around curiously in search of the frog who'd croaked loudly nearby. A vivid dragonfly hovered near her snout and she twitched her nose, huffed through her nostrils in its direction then followed with her gaze as it disappeared between the foliage. When she could no longer see the bold insect, Nyx looked ahead once more to briefly meet her brother's bright eyes, and she chuffed happily in response. She heard her sister breathe a sigh then caught her gaze as she too looked back to exchange a glance. That's what Nyx loved most about their little unit: they always looked out for one another. The tawny wolfess beamed at the blue-eyed female, then suddenly skipped into a quicker pace to move alongside her. She leaned in close to her sister and, accompanied by a low rumble of playful intention, reached over to tug gently at the loose hide of Saor's nape. 

All in all, Dirge would have been fine with the traveling forever idea. They had already covered a lot of miles in the last few weeks and the urge to just keep going was there. The more mileage behind them, the better, he thought. Unlike his sisters, this thoughts of the past stayed there; he thought more of what the future would hold for them. The trails they had taken to get to their present had been full of opportunities but something more had lured them on. There was far too much to see and smell and he found that he was not entirely ready to settle just anywhere.

There was a distant taste of salt to the air mingling with the richness of the loam. He could taste them with each breath and it ignited inquisitiveness within the largest of the Winterhearts. There were plenty of scents he did not recognize either – the flowers, the creatures, the list went on – and he wished to seek them out all the same. All things would be done so in due time but for now, he was not inclined to deviate from the path they were on. The day was far too young.

Once again, commotion behind him stole away his attention and his eyes left the mountain. It was of little surprise that he found Nyx trying to instigate a little play between them. His tail swished merrily behind him as he paced forward a bit more to turn, following up her playful growl with one of his own. Maybe it would do them some good to break up the monotony of travel... and there were plenty of opportunities he saw to prepare to push one of them into the muddy waters that littered their way.

In the midst of that sweet, summery glade, a quiet serenity hung over the trio, imprinting the perfection of this place and this moment into their memories forever.  Each of them caught the gaze of the other, so many thoughts and unspoken words passing between them as could fill an entire conversation in the span of a few seconds.  Never would Saor forget the wild freedom and exhilaration that shone in Dirge's eyes, nor the radiant contentment written in Nyx's smile.  Such things were fleeting and ephemeral, however; the flick of an ear, an exhaled chuff, and the moment broke like the popping of a bubble, gone forever.  

Nyx eased up alongside her sister and grabbed hold of Saor's nape.  A playful growl accompanied her grin as she pushed at her sister, bumping her away with a nudge of her shoulder.  A movement caught her attention and now Dirge was joining in, clearly game for a little rough-housing himself.  There was something comforting in the fact that some things never changed; perhaps, in spite of whatever life demanded of them and whatever roles they played, this aspect of their relationship would always remain unchanged.  Grinning gamely at her sister, she gestured not-so-subtly toward Dirge in a clear indication that she thought attacking him two-on-one would be a great idea.

Saor, seemingly accepting the golden girl's invitation of play, responded with a low growl and made to nudge her away with a gentle bump to the shoulder. Nyx yanked the mouthful of russet fur between her teeth lightly - a threat of dragging Saor down with her should she lose her footing - before releasing her grip and skipping elegantly aside to avoid potential rebuttal.

None came, but her pale eyes settled on Dirge's powerful frame as he circled around to join in on the females' playful scuffle. He rumbled softly, and Nyx' grin widened as she made to exchange a glance with Saor, who looked at her with wordless suggestion. Dirge was far too strong for either of the girls to take down alone, but together they could perhaps at least bring him to his knees. Nyx did not hesitate and sprung forward and in her brother's direction, yipping excitedly as she made to clack her teeth at a tuft of beige fur just behind the boy's shoulder - an attempt to draw his attention toward her and allow Saor the opportunity to move in for the tackle.

In the split second they were all still in motion he had dropped to his elbows in a bow. His tail made great sweeps behind him as his sisters exchanged a glance – he knew from experience what exactly that would entail. Nyx was the first to come forward towards him and he let her, prepared to spring away as she got a little too close. The click of teeth was warning enough to get him to move with a bark but he kept her close to him, trying to keep her between himself and Saor lurking. Whatever their paler sibling had planned he wasn't too sure about, but he knew better than to think she didn't have something in mind...

I love these goobers already. <3

Nyx sprang forward with a yelp, a charade meant to distract Dirge.  The problem, however, was that they had played this hand a few too many times before, and Dirge was already well aware of what they had planned.  Wisely, he maneuvered so that Nyx remained between him and Saor, effectively hobbling their strategy.  She knew immediately that her original idea wouldn't work -- but maybe if they both rushed him at the same time they might have a chance.  As he warily sidestepped Nyx, Saor darted to the right, teeth aiming (harmlessly) at Dirge's flank while nudging her sister on the way in the hopes that Nyx would join in.