Stavanger Bay l'ingénue

See on the map where the Bay intersects with Honeyed Pasture? He's closer to the pasture. I just suck at thread placement. Also tagging @Deirdre for visibility. Not sure if you can venture out of Donnelaith but ??? maybe we can spree. 

Once the sea had tired of him and he of it, Renoir chose to journey inland once more. He was hungry, actually. The hunger drove him on more than anything, and as he said his swift farewell to the seaside and its perils, he found comfort in the ebbing scent of salt upon the wind. His trek wound towards the mountains as he sought shelter for the night; the beach was a fine place, but the sand did not agree with him, and he was quite tired of trying to rest among the scurrying crabs. He found a forest before long, and hid himself for the night within its confines — in the daylight, as he stretched and woke to greater hunger than before, Renoir knew he had few choices left.

Scavenging upon the sand had been difficult to him. The birds had been hostile, the strange beasts living among the rocks and sand had been tedious, and even the landscape (with its tumultuous shifting mood) wore him down. There was ample opportunity here at the base of the Keep — yet the boy journeyed out from under its shadow, tracing an irregular pattern across the pasture nearby. The flat lands reminded him of the rolling meadow where he had found Noctura, and this fond memory kept him well sated, his spirits high. If he could not find something to nibble on that was already dead, he could perhaps find something to hunt (though the thought turned his poor, passive stomach); or better yet, another friend to add to his growing roster.

with the absence of tachyon, deirdre had been forced to overcome the fear of her father. it had been a slow process, and grueling for her to endure, but together they had done the thing. her nightmares had all but ended and his nearness was accepted and even required, now. the young witch was an apt pupil of her father, who taught her as the winged beast did of magick. today, for the first time, they stole past the borders of donnelaith. the wind howled for her to return, and the trees hissed her name through their teeth. deirdre felt she ought to never leave, but her father bid it, and for the greater good of her craft she obeyed this without argument at all. it was known that he knew much, and far more than she. it would be good, to see beyond the wood. she kept to his side and as the forest opened to bay, deirdre looked to yawning waters. what is it? she breathed, looking to @Lasher in an awestruck manner.

they had begun to mend their bond -- lasher spent much time with deirdre, and with emaleth. it was rather rare that he took them off together, believing they needed their own spans of time in his presence. and so he walked alongside the pale witch, and heard all she would tell him. she had loved tachyon, and eilidh had also -- he was not blind to the simpering of his otherwise rooted daughter in the presence of the slim man. 

they had not yet stolen over the borders, but she was old enough now, and as her curious lilt filled his ears, lasher smiled down at deirdre. "let us go and see," he murmured, and swept her o'er the borders, setting a slow lope toward the coastline.

a lovely pasture spread before them first; lasher paused in the tall grasses, knowing his witch would follow suit, and his murkwater eyes swept the land before them. she was a tiny thing, still perhaps easily attacked by the swooping talons of a predator-bird; his gaze found the sky, then fastened themselves upon the pacing form of a lovely and slender creature, fur made aureate by the glowing smile of the sun, and he waited to see if deirdre had seen the wolf also. 

her question went unanswered for now.

His vague, half-formed prayers were answered swiftly, it seemed. As the boy wandered across the grassy expanse, he thought he spied movement far-off from himself; in turning to meet it, he had hardly any time to duck low as a hunter might. It was a good thing he was not so quick to move, because the creatures he caught sight of here not fit to be meals at all — although as he made his jovial approach, he did notice the fine features of one entity, and felt a-flutter in his heart. The pair of strangers were still at quite the distance, but Renoir could see the reedy figure of a man, accompanied by the stark opposite: a pale girl who seemed eager for adventure.

Renoir was easily reminded of his darling sister, though she was far more meek by comparison. This child was just as fair - and appeared to be of sound breeding - and Renoir felt his heart go out to her. What a lovely creature, this tiny angel child — how lucky he was, too, for having found her. The wanderer wished to know this girl and her attendant, although he could not think of a proper way to do so.

Perhaps they were heading to the beach from whence Renoir had ventured? It was a dangerous place, and as that fleeting thought passed through his mind, a brief expression of worry worked its way across his masked face. He thought it only right to drift closer, and when he was within earshot of them, he called out, 'Ou are going to da lanmè — the seaside, yes? It is trè bèl today! The tide had been returning as he did, which would perhaps make it safer for the two of them.

the cub kept near her father, her large eyes upon him. when he offered that they go and see this sound, she pranced in place and nodded her head jubilantly; deirdre could think of nothing else she would rather do in this moment than discover the artist of the song she heard. her gaze mirrored his own, first meeting the sky and trailing his to land upon the figure of renoir. the pretty babe stared at him, squinting in the strange light. for a moment she saw only the large frame and broke from her fathers side, bounding four feet ahead of the man with an expression of utter delight upon her countenance. the birds had led him to her, tachyon had returned! but the shifting rays changed the vision she saw, and she noticed her error and felt her heart fall. the other was lovely, still, but she was too young to know how to hide her disappointment. it did not alter her own beauty, but she looked to renoir with sad eyes while he approached. she darted shyly back to her father, trying to wedge herself beneath him. though she was growing, and had some features that would foreshadow how lovely she would be as an adult, she had the build of a girl still and so it was easy to be beneath her father and look up at the large man that came. when they spoke, deirdre was enthralled and breathed, uttering a knowing oui, to him. her father taught them the tongue of old and the tongue of orleans, as well as the common english that was altered by their soft brogue. she did not know it was another language, just that she spoke it, and that it was lovely to hear it from renoir.

hover for translation!

the slender figure drew near, and lasher let his eyes trail across the pleasant body, its finely made limbs and proud eyes. and yet the wolf spoke, and he realized it was not a woman who approached, but a man carved from gilt, gaze smiling, speaking a tongue the druid knew.

taltos was besotted.

beside him, little deirdre murmured a welcome in her child's voice; lasher stepped forth and met the stonewater warmth of the other's eyes. "la côte, oui." a flash of his teeth in a smile. the golden man's tones had been rhythmic, vaguely exotic, bespeaking the seaside city where he had loved julien. the wolf had come from that direction, but lasher wished to know more of him. "voulez-vous vous joindre à nous?"

The child came forth first, and though her movements were less refined than an adult, Renoir could see the potential of her; the narrowness of her body, the exacting manner of each step. She seemed overwhelmed with glee — it made his broken heart swell with a great many emotions — and just as swiftly there was a shadow, and that shadow encompassed her entirely. This too brought emotion to Renoir, and he had to hold back a pitiful little gasp upon realizing how distraught the girl appeared. When she turned around and scampered in to her hiding place the boy wished to call sweetly to her, to comfort her, and ease whatever troubles he had caused. It was heart-wrenching for the wandering boy — painfully so.

Renoir stepped closer, intending to apologize, but then the man above the child spoke; his words were familiar in their tone and inflection, and again Ren was sent spiraling in to feeling. He looked at the man then, studied him, and a grin spread across his narrow features. Anchante, and then the girl spoke, mimicking her father with a sweet, dulcet voice.

Voulez-vous vous joindre à nous? asked the father, and it was music to the boy's ears! They were so far from his beloved home, and yet they carried with them pieces of it. It was easy for him to answer — the surprise of having discovered them was simultaneously replaced by waves of glee he could hardly contain. Wi! Mwen ta dwe kontan. Mèsi.

They were standing in direct opposition, so Renoir hastily moved out of their way, bidding with a low bow of his head for them to come closer — and he briefly flashed the angel child a glance, eager to feel that familiar sensation in his heart which, thus far, had only been caused by his beloved Monet.

sorry! i've been sick! small short post to get one in here <3

her father extended the lovely man an invitation, and though her heart hurt to know that this was not her favored tachyon (and that wound was openly displayed) she had no objections to speak of. deirdre was not yet so fluent to know every word of what was spoken, but she knew the invitation, as her father had invited her on many a denied errand this way in the month past, when she had all but ignored him. the frenchman, born and bred, rejoined with an acceptance himself. she was delighted by his accented voice, and smiled prettily to him, and then her father, at his subsequent acceptance. we... will all go to the coast? she spoke in full english, then, her bell-like voice seeking confirmation.

and so off they want, lasher happy to lead them -- he wondered at the fondness in the slim young man's eyes toward deirdre, but decide that the little pale one engendered much of that in those she met. "mon nom est lasher et c'est deirdre," the druid said gently, gaze soft with wonderment at the loveliness of their companion. male though his voice was, he wore a woman 'round his withers, and taltos found himself quite charmed by this glowing contrast. 

"to the coast, my little flower!" the man exulted, dipping his muzzle to kiss the ivory ears of his daughter. the shore began to spread before them as the land fell away to sand beneath their paws, and he looked again at their companion, wanting to know more of him, much more.

it ok!! feel better (or feel butter whichever works for u lovely) — also i just realized his cajun french is written phonetically by the translator LOL

He watched them interact and the similarities between these strangers and his home was heart wrenching. Surely this was a sign to him; of all his wanderings, Renoir had yet to meet such splendid people. The girl spoke and he only smiled at the two of them, and once the father gave the go-ahead the girl was off. Ren watched her move, her features shifting as she ran towards the beach to resemble Monet, and he had to withhold a gasp. The swarthy father had his attention on him now, and it would be wrong of him to stare much longer.

Se mwen menm ki Renoir, nan Bordens yo. Yo yo se pwobableman pa li te ye isit la. His voice was light but cheerful, and while he spoke the golden man studied his opposite. There was a wildness to this man that the cultured prince found vastly more appealing than he should have; the fact he bashfully turned his eyes away from the supposed Alpha may have been evidence of that. He sought the figure of Deirdre then, and watched her frolic across the sand — supplementing the calm moment with simple banter: Jiska kounye a mwen pa te wè lanmè a. Li se manyifik. He had meant until his banishment, but did not elucidate upon that point.

her fathers exultation caused the growing girl to smile. with him there, she felt safe, and the man that had joined them this day was kind. she knew nothing of deception, and so she did not fear at all as she bounded ahead of the duo, giggling at the feel of sand between her toes. she was delighted by the change of earth, but she knew she preferred the loamy earth to the grains she pranced through. even so, this place was also donnelaith, and the sea called to her heart in a different manner than the forest did. it was peaceful and slow today, and its hypnotic movements beckoned her ever-nearer. the babe paused upon noting a collection of shells and let out a little gasp, delighted by the shape of them. féach daidí! she lapsed into another tongue without thought, as at present, her mind worked and shifted between the three languages she knew, though was still learning, at its own volition.

taltos did not notice the shyness with which renoir turned his face away -- a small and secret amusement bubbled within him, and he listened to the cadence of the other's speech, knowing it only in passing during his time upon that exotic coast. "il parle à mon coeur," he responded, wishing he knew more of the patois that rolled smoothly from renoir's tongue.

deirdre piped in the glen-words; he drew near to her. "ils sont là pour vous," he responded in the shared language, not wishing to alienate their companion. the swampwater of taltos' gaze soon found and embraced that of the gilded man. "as-tu une maison?" he breathed.

he wished to know more of renoir, and thus was more pointed in his speech than perhaps he meant.

Renoir could not help but smile fondly as he listened to the man speak, but found his attention inevitably wandering to the pale girl as she gleefully latched upon a trinket or some such within the sand. The phrase she used was alien to Ren's ears, but her enthusiasm caused his smile to grow warm and true upon his face. 

He watched as the swarthy father moved close and was immediately struck by how quaint the scene appeared. Quite a lovely view, he mused; then, as he too drifted close to inspect the trinket, the fine-boned man returned to a familiar tongue. The question too was familiar, and made Renoir's smile flicker weakly with doubt.

Non, he replied. His thoughts of Monet never ceased, yet now with the topic of home within his mind again, he felt their lack of connection acutely.

no home. oh, lasher wanted to grant him one, and he looked to his happy little daughter, frolicking upon the beach among the sand and waves and shells. she had evinced no distress in the presence of the golden man, to whom taltos' eyes were soon drawn again. he let his gaze travel unashamedly over the effeminate, coy features, the strong, slim limbs, the shyness and the youth that comprised the boy's features.

he was smitten, of course, but that is not why he said what he would in the next moment. intrigued, of course, wanting to know more of renoir, but the creed of donnelaith dictated that he left no wolf alone in the elements, and so lasher smiled warmly. "souhaitez-vous une maison?"

skipping you my lovely @Deirdre - i hope its ok to assume she's just playing on the beach for a bit!! just to try and get this thread concluded.

How desperate he was to return to a time with Monet at his side, bundled warmly between himself and the edge of a whelping den. Her breath rhythmic while she slept, and he awake, listening acutely to it. Or to their first rain, which had pulled her from the safety of the forest and in to the plain, where he had chased her - laughing - until they were both soaked through but happy, so happy. Renoir would have done anything to see her smiling face again, to hear that laughter in his ears. The closest thing he had discovered following his expulsion from his father's kingdom was the voice of little Deirdre, and he wished desperately never to leave her side — so when the dark man offered this exact thing, it took all of Renoir's concentration not to erupt with effervescence. He did not want to startle either of these fine creatures, least of all the girl.

Ou ta fè sa? Ofri tankou yon bagay nan yon moun lòt nasyon tankou tèt mwen ? Ou se kalite - se konsa kalite - Mwen pa gen okenn mo, he rambled and his phrasing muddied, flowing far too quickly and with almost as much enthusiasm as to match the child. It was time to make a decision. It was an easy one, Ren thought, to give up this endless wandering and have himself a family again. A fine family indeed! But his face grew taut with apprehension, and he shrank back from their company by a step, feeling exposed despite having avoided spilling his soul to the dark man. Èske ou sèten? He voiced his doubt, worry wrought clear upon his face.

fade after another round? <3

deirdre -- she ran upon the beach and was filled with happiness, and her gaiety was infectious. the golden man spoke, and his gratitude was clear -- it shown in the fine-boned features of his face and the curve of his lips, though his sudden unsurety gave taltos paused. why would renoir suddenly fear that his offer might be revoked?

the earthen servant nodded firmly, meeting the eyes of the gilded child -- "bien sûr," he murmured. he wished to know more of the man, and the openness of renoir was a boon to him, refreshing after the guarded nature of so many lone wolves. and so he stood aside, invitng the golden one to come to him, and to deirdre -- to come home to donnelaith.

:> squishes renoir in to dongle-lather

He did not know why he doubted the man, but he should not have been so worried. He seemed kind and gentle, and if he held the same sense of propriety that Renoir did - since he carried with him the language and the esteem indicative of Ren's own people  too - then they would get along famously. Perhaps his doubts were misplaced.

It was indeed possible that Renoir was only nervous because of his own insecurities; not to mention the strange urge he had to steal little glances at the man's chiseled features. He let the moment seize him nonetheless, and with a broad smile concluded, Oui! Oh, Mwen kontan! Mèsi poutèt ou, Seyè a. For the first time in a long while, the golden boy let his mind slip off of his sister and fixate upon someone else. 

And once the pale girl was gathered, the trio moved together towards home.