Gilded Bay you steal the life from me

chronicler thread for @Puck <3

golden blanket over the ground dappled with a light coat of snow as paws carefully treaded across; without meaning, without reason-- she was simply existing for the time being, waiting before returning to the bay to start her patrols. although not completely formed, a pack was a pack, she would do her part to keep it safe from the dangers that loom-- lucky for them, they had the best line of defense. moving further into the bay, the shuck came to a stop near the ocean's edges, watching as the waves lapped the shores whilst rolling outwards. the rhythm of her heartbeat steady and slow, there was no place else she'd rather be.

her lay down along the shore, watching the sea as the waves hypnotically rolled in and out, the tide heavy. a crescent moon shines dimly through a dappled sky, stars shining their way through the thin blanket of clouds, reflecting off of the water's surface, directly mirroring the night sky perfectly in all of its heavenly glory. a few beats passed as she stared at the sea, mumbling to herself the stories of creatures long since passed. creatures who conversed with her, teaching her the ways of the trenches & their mysteries. stories she could echo back, word for word.

traveling from the valley to further into this land, Puck had a skip in his step and a tune on his mind. he hummed a bit as he walked, of long-forgotten poems and histories that people sorta-kinda understood. or rather they weren't very, um, remembered. tales of fae folk and little people from his homeland. that sorta thing. nothing really important, okay? not unless another person knew what he was talking about. not really important, he thought again and whistled innocently. too bad. they were gonna be re-told anyway. 

it was then he spotted the other a few paces away. whelp, he stood true to the saying; can't swing a dead rabbit without hitting another person! except he had no rabbit to chuck at her. pretty lady though. maybe he shouldn't start by throwing things at her. "hey there" he beamed as he approached, noticing her own mutterings. what the heckity hoo was a lady like her troubled about? maybe it was something else entirely. who knew? "mind if I join ya?" he added in, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible to her.

her glacial gaze turned toward a wolf-- his approach was abrupt, so much so it startled her a little, but not unwelcome. her mumblings came to a close as this stranger requested to join her-- she saw no harm in it, really. it wasn't as if she was doing anything direly important at the time. with a slow nod of her head, she quietly replied to him. ,,you may,'' she noticed something about this male, something in the way he talked. he wasn't defensive, or wary, like most wolves she had met were. no, he was, although loud, carefree. or he came off that way to her, anyway. she motioned lightly with her head for him to come lay next to her.

"cool beans" he added to her permission, still with the wide grin on his face. he walked around her to where the lady motioned, settling down beside her. not close enough to touch - respect thy space and all - but enough for others to know they were having a conversation. they were, weren't they? that's what this was? the dance of dramatic first encounters and all that shit. "name's Puck, by the by. what's your name? he asked her, turning his head to glance her way. 

sorta rude to not look at someone when they talked, y'know? but ah well, some folk were like that. he didn't really care if she didn't give her name. the company of a pretty lady was enough for him anyway. she'd given him the go-ahead to sit next to her. er. lay next to her. they weren't sitting at all. point was, this was the beginning of a lovely evening, you feel? good company. good atmosphere. aside from the cold, it was all good.

this wolf... had an interesting way to speaking. his words were short & casual yet also direct? amatsu had grown up surrounded by hymns and prophecies, poetic language, words that worthy of higher beings alone. not long after her invitation, the scrawny-looking male laid himself down beside her-- a respectable distance away, though not far enough to her to feel disengaged. he quickly continued the conversation by introducing himself-- this one was definitely a talker. not as if being a talker was a bad thing, he was friendly enough, but most wolves she had the pleasure of making acquaintances with were of few words. ,,i'm amatsu,'' she responded, though not with her full name. it was a little long, after all. ,,it's a pleasure to meet you.'' she contined her speech, ending it off with a pleasantry.

cold air brushed against the pair of canines as the rolling of the waves intensified with every beat. the dimly-lit sky of dappled stars shone through a thin blanket of clouds as the water's heartbeat became more and more apparent. unsure how to continue the conversation from this point (being as socially inept as she is), amatsu allowed herself to be consumed by the waves, the stars, and their stories. she swiveled her ears forwards as she let out a dreamy sigh, curling her tail amongst her body. ,,so, puck,'' the wolfess started to speak, ,,would you like to know what's down there? deep in the trenches, beyond what we are able to comprehend? immortality is a tricky thing. my eyes can likely see things yours cannot, and i'm not talking about your average trees.'' ...and there she goes again. spewing what most would consider utter nonsense, under her false godhood.

he didn't have much of an opinion of the lady yet. but that wasn't a bad thing. nah, Puck already decided long ago he didn't care to put labels on people. it ain't right, he thought. why would you judge someone before you knew them? that also wasn't right. he gave people the benefit of the doubt. he knew some people looked at him, thought him scrawny and weak and a half-breed. all that fun stuff. but here he was, not giving a shit about that. actions spoke louder than words, in his humble opinion. "amatsu? what a nice name" it was foreign, he knew that much. 

"and likewise. spankin' good to meet ya" he gave a fervent nod in her direction. more excitable than anything. she began to speak after a silence, going on about being immortal and... wait, what? Puck tilted his head to the side, a brow raised. well... surely no harm in letting her think that right? or, like, maybe she was. she could be. you never knew. the only way to prove it was killing her and he wasn't gonna do that. he wondered if immortals even bled. for now, he'd play along unless she went on some religious zeal. can't stand those guys.

"my eyes are bad, gotcha" he added with a serious nod, though his own eyes danced with amusement "I thought they were pretty but oh well" he smirked "guess they ain't for everyone" but oh, she was going to tell a story right? that's what he got from her fancy talk. "tell me what's what. I can't know everything, you feel? I always could use some more worldly knowledge."

he gave her a slight nod after the introductions were exchanged, before raising his brow curiously at her statement-- the immortality one, of course-- not as if that wasn't expected. the silver-shuck was used to these types of reactions, they were starting to phase her less and less. not everyone was blessed of the storms and skies as she was.
'my eyes are bad, gotcha.'
she couldn't help but slightly chuckle at this-- a sense of humor was something amatsu wasn't really sure she had, maybe it was the way he talked? the way his voice sounded? it fit him oh so well, perfectly actually. she flashed puck a gentle smile as he expressed interest in the tales from the depths, tales she hadn't been able to echo back for a fair bit. ,,puck, i've lived through many things-- i've had conversations with many creatures, old and new, but none compare to the tale of the leviathan.'' her ramblings started, the introduction short though informoative enough for him to get the gist of what she would begin telling. ,,a leviathan, older than time, a massive serpent who wraps around the deepest of trenches, keeping gentle watch of the creatures in the ocean of which it reigns over. it doesn't have a name, it never shows itself, it simply is. it simply exists amongst the morals of the world whilst humming deep songs and melodies. the leviathan rarely moves, for moving from area to area would be impossible-- the length of the great serpent supposedly has no end. it goes on and on, infinitely, holding the entire ocean in its coils. as it shifts the earth underneath it shakes, the shipwrecks it causes are lost to time. it guards the seas, it keeps it safe, it calls to the waves & the trenches as not a separate entity but as a part of it. the ocean is a living, breathing thing; this is why you should never anger it.'' her words are gentle and quiet, percise, timeless. her words were confident in their delivery as if she had been there the whole time.

well, he didn't know nothing about being blessed by some godly powers. Puck was mortal. that was enough for him. meant he lived fast and died young. it was great. maybe not the dying young part but it meant he could live his life without regrets. or as much as he could not regret. he listened, however, to her tale. eyes were wide as he hung onto every word. "oooh, a salty sea jaunty of assumed monsters" he chuckled when she was done, telling him never to anger such a beast. "I didn't peg you for a pirate. get it? peg? leg? heh."

he let that sink in before continuing on. sure, he'd heard of Leviathans. there were some badass creatures that roamed the seas. "so I guess this landlubber will talk about the Behemoth then!" he grinned. "behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly" he recited a poem he'd heard from his travels. "a divine pet at best. anchored to the land and the gods above. a ring in its belly, where its power is, and a leash attached to that ring. it's supposed to do some great battle with Leviathan, I hear."

Amatsu spoke of the sea serpent like a mystical benevolent force not to be trifled with. Puck spoke of the land creature like a dangerous, destruction beast. how funny; the two were never more different. he tilted his head, frowning. "and then what happens? some people say a god will strike down both - is that you? are you going to give us the meat of those creatures and we'll all sing stories in your name?" well, there were worse people to praise, he supposed. he'd rather have a pretty goddess anyway.

she listened intently as the man spoke of a behemoth; a creature she had heard of, but the silver shuck was one of the seas & skies. the land wasn't lost on her, but it surely wasn't her area of reign. the poem he recited carressed her senses as gentle as a butterfly's wing. a creature large, a creature anchored to the earth, a creature with so much power contained in its being if it were to erupt at any moment the world as they knew it would go dark on impact. puck mentioned the leviathan-- she knew of the serpent's counterpart but never had she heard anyone speak of it until now.

amatsu twitched her ears as puck's story continued, a thin blanket of snow dappling their coats as the clouds above promised. his words came to an en, he poised a question to her: 'is that you? are you going to give us the meat of those creatures and we'll all sing stories in your name?' the wolfess couldn't help but chuckle at this a little-- she did enjoy listening to puck's story, as odd as the dingo-like creature was she was enjoying his company all the same.
,,oh, no, dear puck--'' her response to him came in a whisper riddled with small giggles, ,,i do not strike anyone down, especially creatures as mighty as those; i don't riddle in their affairs. i keep to my own.'' her tail swayed behind her as she relaxed her gaze, giving puck a gentle smile. ,,you know, they say if the stars could speak in languages we were meant to understand they could teach us about whatever we pleased. we each have our own star, amongst the millions of tiny bells dotting the sky. we each have one, ringing for us, and us alone. they teach you how to laugh, how to stay bright in the face of the world when everything is against you.'' might it be nonsense? maybe so. did she believe it true?
absolutely.

she giggled and he tilted his head, tongue rolling from his mouth at her quiet laughter. "shame" he mused, grinning "I sorta wanna see you walkin' a Leviathan or Behemoth on a chain. even if you gotta murder 'em later." it'd be a funny sight to see, that's for sure. and was it really murder? wolves murdered all the time to feed themselves. maybe the beasts would be better dead so their huge flesh could solve world hunger. one of those, ah, happy endings? tragic but happy.

"oh right?" he knew about the stars a bit. he followed her gaze to them before giving a nod to the unseen gods he thought could be prancing up there. "I thought only people who did great heroic deeds were immortalized up in there skies? you're telling me I got a star up there, Amatsu? fuck. which one am I?" he mused, squinting his fuschia eyes against the dim light. he shook his head slightly, looking back to her. "which one's your star?"

the idea of walking massive beasts, older than time itself, larger than life itself-- collared and chained-- was something she was able to find some mild sense of amusement in. ,,i'm not sure if i'd call it murder,'' she pondered this. the leviathan aond behemoth would outlive all mortal beings on this earth. they'd probably move to new worlds as the things they protect die out until nothing is left.
it's lonely being immortal, she thinks.
,,without death, there is no life. the rot and decay is simply necessary, sometimes things need to be sped up a bit. nature moves at a snail's pace but she prefers it that way.''
she watches as puck squints towards the sky-- all this speak of immortals and stars, amatsu found herself quite deep in enjoyment. sharing stories was one of her favorite things to do and she had many to share. he speaks of heroics, those who accomplish something great, something beyond themselves. being immortalized in the sky was something not exclusive to just those, she thinks. puck's eyes sparkle as he turns his crown upwards to investigate the infinity above. ,,only you will be able to tell which star is yours. the star that shines brightest, the star that speaks to you more than any other.'' she whispers into his ears as a gentle smile crosses her muzzle. turning her muzzle skyward, she continues. ,,mine is in the northeast. it's rather small, but the light it gives off rivals even the brightest.''

"maybe some kinda Judas-thing" he uttered, for if you had a pet beast and suddenly was fated to slaughter it one day... what else would you call it? the look in its eyes as you went for its throat... ugh. just thinking about it was all kinds of unnerving. he comedically shook his head, giving a massive shake of it. "brr! feels like someone walked over ma grave." he chuckled. he had some experience with people 'turning Judas' on him. well, maybe not just him. his family in general. that sorta thing. 

"and probably for the best, cause I'm as heroic as a snail" he grins, wanting a star for himself but also not wanting to do any great feats toward it. they didn't just hand this shit out, did they? according to Amatsu they did. must be a big damn sky for all the small, insignificant people out there. like him. he looks back to the sky, squinting again. he doesn't see anything that really stands out. they're just pools of dots to him. specks. very far away.

"northeast; Amatsu's star. blinds the eyes of anyone brave - or just unworthy - enough to focus on it. got it" he gave a nod of his head. he'd look for it next time he was northeast. he wondered what color it was. probably grey. they all looked grey or yellow to him. oh, one or two were white but that's it. no other colors for him. "I gotta think of a good story there. a goddess who came to earth but left her pet star behind... now she's walking behemoths and leviathans."

wanna close this out soon? <3 i think one more post from each and then we should be good for exits unless i'm mistaken.

,,maybe so.'' speakings of judas-like rituals weren't foreign to her although something she couldn't quite grasp. she was taught all life was sacred, that all life has a purpose even if it may be solely to die. he suddenly violently shakes his head back and forth, talking of graves. ,,oh, they say that happens when a rabbit crosses over your grave.'' it was something she had heard a while back. ,,i'm not sure why rabbits. feels like it should be the opposite way around, yeah?'' she gives him a slight tilt of her head with twitching ears.

remarking of the almost-impossible standards he had heard of to be immortalized in time, puck squints towards the sky. she observes him, his fuschia eyes glimmering as he-- almost visibly-- struggles to find himself up there; before speaking again though not about himself. speaking of her own star in the northeast, the small speck of bright light that resembles her very soul. she wondered if he could see it, she wondered if he knew about it. the silvery pools in the sky were billions of years in the past. they could teach you of your lives before your current self if you asked them nicely. she smiles as the wolf next to her speaks of coming up with a story of his own-- the story of a goddess. the story of a star, lost to time, and the trumphs she would need to talk to recover it.
she enjoys the sound of it, she can't help but smile as he talks.

sounds good to me! i'll make puck begin to exit this post ;D

man, how time flew. here he was talking to a pretty lady and the next it was past midnight. well, according to the stars and his internal clock that is. he usually went to bed around one in the morning, and it was almost time to settle for the night. he knew he had a long trek back to where Easthollow lay. even if he wasn't accepted into their ranks (or if he was, cause timelines suck) he would remain in the Emberwood for some time before moving on.

"it feels like I got hit with a ton of bricks and not rabbits" he dramatically sighed, feeling very tired all of a sudden. rabbits were soft and cuddly. bricks? just, bam! right in the face. the conversation was tiding down to brief specks now, and he rose to all fours and gave his company a nod. "its high time I got back to the valley if I'm gonna get any sleep" he was loathed to leave such good company but ah, she must have places to go too. she couldn't hang out with him all night. that was improper. they barely knew each other.

"s' nice to have met ya, Amatsu. good luck with the divinity on this mortal earth and all that jazz" he grinned, turning his body to make for an exit. he hoped to run into her again one day.

darkness cloaked the world as the stars crept into view, she watched as the wolf she was with gets hit by a wave-- figuratively, of course. it was pretty late, after all. ,,it was nice meeting you,'' she gives him another smile as he gets up. ,,may our paths cross again one day.''
with this, amatsu stretched-- lifting her body to her feet and shaking out her fur. she circles around him before the silver shuck takes off into a sprint towards the depths of the territory behind him.
she wasn't in a hurry anywhere in particular, but things called to her all the same.

there was little else to say except formal goodbyes. and he hated formal goodbyes. he had broken formality previously with his words to Amatsu, giving her a friendly nod of goodbye before heading off. the conversation had been good and though he would have liked to chat more, it was a long trek back to the valley. he stifled a yawn as he turned, hoping to appear as cool as a cucumber. "see ya!" he called after her as he let the dark swallow him up again. however brief that happened to be.

/EXIT PUCK