Blackfeather Woods The changeless thing that lurks behind superficial mutability

The woods were quiet lately. Too quiet. His sister was long at prayer these days and Titmouse was descending ever further into a nameless madness. Ramsay had made a mental note to check in with the Decima and then failed to follow up on it; he was too busy, he told himself, but really he just wasn't sure how to confront monsters of the mind. He didn't know what ailed Titmouse and he didn't know how to fix it. For the dwarf, it was easier to maintain his distance, much as it pained him.

Instead he tended to the pack's borders as always, keeping them fresh and strong. He branched out from his usual duties to stock caches and make sure the pack's water supplies remained untainted by the prevalent snow mold that came on winter's departing heels. He made little time for his pack mates; before long he couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to one of them. He realized it with a start as he was perusing a half eaten carcas and abruptly changed course. There was something he meant to do and it had slipped his mind.

With a short, low call for @Tundra, Ramsay began to jog through the woods in search of her.

a silence hung thickly over her home, and she was reluctant to admit it but it wasn't the good kind. in fact it reminded her of what it had been like before she'd departed the first time she'd sought residence in these woods. with a soft sigh the pale woman would continue on with what she spent most of her days doing, making sure the borders remained as strong as ever despite whatever may happen within them- it was all she really could do after all. 

idle thoughts flickered through her mind as she moved, the woods weren't empty- there were members residing here but they clung too much to the shadows. of course she couldn't fault them for that too much, she herself tended to behave in such a way more than she'd care to admit but it wasn't what they needed right now, especially with the addition of pups to their ranks. such thoughts of moonshadow's newly born children brought a bitter tang to her mouth and she'd swallow hastily- pushing past the topic before it could fester. maegi had seemed rather occupied recently, and she never seen much of the other two anyway. concern at the idea of someone trying to steal the pack from maegi's grasp would shift her thought process onto a whole new trail. on the off chance that her leader ever seemed unable to keep the pack running smoothly what would happen? what would tundra do, was it maegi or the woods themselves who truly owned her loyalty? 

of course such feelings went out to both factors but when it came to choosing one over the other..which would win? it was a curious thing to ponder on but it was done in idle ways, she didn't feel it was anything that would be a problem in the foreseeable future. or at least she hoped not. dark eyes would lift to rest on the equally shadowy form of her little companion as he arrived above her from who knew where. he'd seemed agitated recently, perhaps sharing her nagging worries for these were his woods too. perhaps more than any of the rest of them, whatever happened to blackfeather woods as a pack the ravens would always remain.

surprise would make a fleeting appearance across her features when a short call broke the still air, it was unmistakably directed at her. unable to suppress her flickering curiosity as to what could possibly be wanted from her- tundra would shift her position ever so slightly so that her paws carried her directly to the source- being the man who'd greeted her at the border for the second time. what was his name again..r something...raphael? no, no that wasn't it..ram..ramsay yes that was definitely it, maegi's brother. 

he hadn't been far off and so it wasn't long until she found herself in the small brute's presence. a small dip of her head would be given in formal greeting before dark eyes sought his unique purple hues. after a mere moment of silence she'd simply utter; "you called?" soft voice as cool toned as ever as her head would tip to the side slightly in an inquisitive manner. off to the side she'd clock bertók settling silently onto a higher branch- head tilted to observe the two with keen beady eyes.

Tundra didn't disappoint; she was quick to respond to Ramsay's call, arriving long before he would have found her on his own. He offered her a thin smile and said, yes. Walk with me. Turning, he headed for the territory's heart where the trees grew thickest. The borders could be tended later.

Tell me, he implored as he passed beneath the shadow of a tall, proud oak. What is it you aspire to? It was perhaps a deeply personal question, or maybe Tundra wasn't private about her goals or ambitions at all. Some wolves kept those things close to their heart and others shared them openly. Which kind of wolf Tundra was would change the outcome of this. Ramsay himself was the private sort, but he no longer knew what he aspired to. He already protected the woods. That was all he'd dreamt of for the past year.

What did she dream of, he wondered.

a curious blink is all that's given at his command to walk with him and so she does, slipping after him silently like a ghost drifting alongside a shadow. their steps carry them deeper into the woods where the trees grow thickest and the raven's loudest, bertók isn't long losing interest in whatever might be going on down on the ground and disappears up into the masses of dark feathers to likely socialize with a few buddies or whatever ravens did in their free time. for a while they moved in silence, something tundra was more than happy to do. such lack of speaking never felt awkward to her and she was glad ramsay didn't seem to be the of the type that felt the need to fill every moment of silence with pointless chatter. she just couldn't wrap her mind around those that didn't appreciate silence, it was easy and peaceful and helped you remain so much more aware of the world around you.

she is, however, curious as to why he's sought her presence so is eager enough for him to speak again. when he does it's as far from anything she could have imagined to come from his jaws. her dark eyes turn sideways in his direction for a few long moments- searching his face for hints of a double meaning but coming back empty handed. eventually her gaze returns to the path ahead, remaining as quiet as ever as she racks her brain for an answer. in all honesty, she'd never really thought about it all that much. she supposed she'd never had to aspire to anything before, before the teekon's she'd simply been what she was told to be and that would be that. maybe she'd aspired to be free but that isn't what he meant was it, and she was free now anyway so what was the next step? she hadn't even intended to join a pack and yet she felt oddly tied to the woods even in just this short time.

"i guess i've only ever aspired to be able to protect these woods as best as i can" she murmurs and it's true, it's no humble statement- there was some primal urge just pushing her to keep this place safe from who even knew what. she didn't even bother trying to understand it anymore, maybe it was to do with maegi's gods or maybe not, who knew.

If Ramsay was one to believe in the greater daedra, then he might come to the same conclusion as Tundra: they were shaping the whims and wills of the wolves in the woods. He believed there were daedra in the world that whispered ideas to mortals in their dreams, but he didn't view them as gods. He didn't believe they could control anything. At most Ramsay believed they could suggest chaos and nothing more.

Good, he quietly intoned, though that wasn't really what he meant. Had she supplied that answer because she thought it was what he wanted to hear? No matter. I have a task for you, should you accept it. Complete it and you may take your place among the pack's respected. Which at the moment only included Moonshadow, something Ramsay hoped to change. Most of the wolves still with them deserved the honour, but it was earned, not given.

I want you to try to find out where my dear uncle has gone if possible, he said, turning in his path to study Tundra's expression. No more than that. I will not have you risking yourself or the woods for it. He is insane and I cannot say what he would do. But weren't all Melonii in some fashion? He would argue otherwise. But I do not believe he would breach these woods only to slink off for good. I want to know where he hides.

dark eyes shift to linger on his crooked frame at the simple 'good' that slips from him. but why...she continues to ponder silently, expecting there must be more to come. talks such as these usually built up to be something more and it would seem she wasn't wrong when he went on to say more, speaking of a task. at that simple word her ears tilt forward much more, completely halting now to turn nimbly on small paws and narrow a pressing gaze at him. the word triggers an odd movement within her, but it's no negative reaction, quite the opposite really; it resembles something almost like excitement. almost. being in the pack's respected certainly sounded nice, she'd acknowledge that but the appeal it held ranked only second in comparison to the idea of an actual task. she only hoped it was something actually good, the restlessness she'd worked so hard to quell had now become pure living energy at the idea of getting to be freed through action.

there is, however, a small nagging at the back of her mind; like a dull warning sign trying to light up the night with a dying battery. her brain was reacting in such a way because it held a resemblance to her past, something she worked hard to escape and should not be reacting to as if someone had served her up a nice fresh kill. nevertheless it does little to penetrate her eagerness as a pink tongue slips out to run over dry lips, a small sign of the writhing impatience within. the much more dominant part of her mind swamps the small light in the darkness of denial; refusing to link it with her past in any sense. she's simply glad to be able to get out and help the pack. 

finally the requested job is presented to her and for the first time in a while the pale woman smiles, an odd combination of something both eerie and beautiful in appearance with the stark contrast of such a pretty smile with such empty, dark pits for eyes. "i'll find them, you can be sure of it" she murmurs in tones as smooth as silk, tail swaying softly across the dark blades of grass. bertók makes a nicely timed arrival back from his gallivanting, perching briefly on the woman's soldier to observe with his constant almost wicked look before taking off again to circle only a few lengths above with impatient caws. with that tundra dips her head- turning to leave with the assumption that that was all he had to say however only a couple of steps were taken before she'd glance back over her shoulder at the purple-eyed man. "ramsay" her expression had returned to one of much more suitably somber tones as she made the split decision to tell him something, and why she suddenly wanted to say this she wasn't even sure but it just felt right. "i want you to know, i was...a soldier before- i had no say in who i fought for and why i fought for them. this is the first time i have a home i chose and can defend because i want to. i don't plan to abuse that free will." with that she simply shrugs, turns back to where she was headed and continues on. whether he had questions or not at this point didn't matter, he probably wouldn't get an answer anyway.

Ramsay's humped shoulders tensed when Tundra spun toward him, but he forced himself to relax again when he realized she was not angry or displeased with what he asked. That ever-present wariness was hard to shake; he was so used to being out on his own with only his brother to rely on that he sometimes forgot he had others now. The accompanying smile was unsettling, but having been raised in an unsettling environment, Ramsay managed to avoid the chill that might have stolen down another wolf's spine.

His indigo eyes flicked briefly to the crow. With no knowledge of its significance to Tundra, he assumed it was just one of dozens of birds in the woods winging information between them. Do not take unnecessary risks, he cautioned with a grim pull to his lips. This was information Ramsay very much wanted to have, but losing Tundra for a little reconnaissance would not be worth it. That was all he intended to say, but she stopped him with his name.

Yes? he asked quietly, and then blinked in confusion when she had said what she had to say. We all do what we must, Ramsay said, frowning slightly, but the purpose behind Tundra telling him that was not forthcoming. He would be left to mull over it for a while; in the end, he was glad she was able to exercise free will at all and left the handling of her task completely in her paws, whether she conducted it as a soldier or in her own way.