Ravensblood Forest Billions of Eyes

Anyone welcome! Let's bond <3

Though the weather was changing and the temperature was quickly dropping [father Winter surely had his foot in the door], Olive's days seemed to get longer and longer. Every hour seemed to stretched on, inversely correlated to the pleasure she found in her daily tasks: Clean her den. Meditate among the titans. Move and experience the magic of a physical body. Ponder the meaning of life.  Every day awakened her further, but boy did she crave something different. 

Olive had an abundance of gratitude for the freedom of time, but the forest mistress still could not help but feel her soul ache with listlessness and her heart shriveled with guilt. Who was she to lay around, without purpose, when time was the most valuable thing she would ever have? Every hour that passed, Olive crept a little closer to her eventual demise [whenever that may be]. A little morbid? Yes, but Olive was never was to turn a blind eye towards the foreboding aspects of life; it was a duality of physical existence that had to be appreciated, not feared.  The wraith was intimately aware of her own mortality and even welcomed the moment when her soul eternal would be called towards the heavens -and at the same time, Olive worked to make the most of her life between the earth and the sky.

That subject Olive kept mostly to herself, as she knew most wolves cultivated a healthy aversion to the topic of death. Every cell in their body yearned for life and vitality, and that was something she could never blame them for [listening to their own instincts, that is]. 

However, over the past day Olive had made a discovery. The femme had been making her rounds, quietly marking the borders as she came upon them [this was not a task that had been directly assigned to her rank; she assumed was a responsibility of every pack member]... when she found it. It wasn't something that could be seen, nor something that could be felt, nor something that could be heard. It was something that had to be experienced. Olive only knew of its presence from a vibrating sensation that mysteriously rang through her body and stopped her dead in her tracks. It was a subtle feeling, but to a wolf so in tune with her body it undulated strongly through her sinew and bones.  It called to her; she called back.

 A quick sweep of the landscape proved nothing was out of the ordinary, so Olive dug her paws into the earth and scraped at the woodsy loam in an instinctual hurry - her breathe started to come in short huffs with her exertion. A fruitful endeavor, it was...as it finally laid before her. It was a stone.

A stone!

A stone, but a stone unlike any she had ever seen. It was smooth and beautiful - a milky shade complemented by an engrossing opalescent sheen. It captured the light of day and stored it deep within its layers, waves and curls.  It was covered in dirt, so Olive quickly licked the smokescreen away and let it's true opulence shine. The color of it closely matched her creamy underbelly and it could even get lost had she buried it within her fur. It was a crystal, the stones of legend, myths and lores!

Olive sat and looked at the small crystal [about the size of a lemon], birthed from the ground with her own paws. It was not hers to take, but she felt compelled to keep the rare specimen close by. It was incredibly calming, as if the consistency of the crystal's energy helped to mediate and level her own. So Olive sat, feeling extremely fortunate that her desire for "something different" had manifested in the form of her newest, most prized possession. 

Palisander was not one to fight , he rather avoided those things. However he did help frequently with the borders and marking them. His main task had been hunting. He kept track of the herd and would check the caches, empty them if they were too rotten, or moved meat around so scavengers wouldn't pick up on their locations. It was a busy task.

Palisander was a social wolf but he was very guilty to give all his time to Isley. He really liked being close to her and with the new stability it seemed that Isley finally caved in and became his. Still she didn't know much about his trickery but that was not really needed in his eyes. The male's thought process then became cut off because he senses someone close by.

The black and tan male approached his fellow packmate. A female he hadn't met before. "Hello," he greeted, and then his eyes fell on the rock. Palisander loved the beauty and art in Nature. The flowers and sceneries. Though what he saw now, this beautiful rock, was also taking his breath away. "Wow, beautiful," he spoke, though giving no indication if he was talking about the rock or her. He pulled his face into a handsome smirk as he looked at her.

Olive was not alone with the stone for more than a few minutes before someone was upon her. Being so close to the borders, her [newfound] pack instincts warned her that it might be unwelcome intruder. Olive steeled herself against the new presence, for Olive knew Teaghlaigh’s policy on acts of trespass and she had no desire to pass such a verdict. Condemnation of death [not the departure itself] was an uncomfortable thought for the pale creature, whether it be prey, nature or wolf. It was not her right to swing that sword... It was purely the decision of the universal gods, whenever they decided to call their spirits back home.

Alas, it was no intruder but a packmate; part of her Teaghlaigh family. Within seconds her icy facade melted into that of warmth and cordiality. The fae beamed up at him, her grin driving her cheeks so high that her vision was slightly compromised. He announced himself through a chummy greeting and mention of beauty: there was no question in her mind that he spoke of the stone. It pulsated, glowed with the power it stored. Olive brushed it gently with her nose, noting it’s resemblance to her beloved moon.

“Palisander,” Olive purred. Though she had yet to formally meet this male [a brother, albeit not by blood], she knew of his name. They had seen each other at Teaghlaigh’s inception and victorious promulgation; even Olive’s sensitive nose had intercepted his scent lingering amoung the sequoias of Ravensblood Forest. It was a scent quite often accompanied by that of a female [Izzy, Ice, Lisley…Olive had a difficult time recalling the name].  

Olive rose to her feet in respect, momentarily taking pause to glance her bright green gaze down to the opalescent moonstone which lay amid her soft, milky paws. In fact, the arrangement of it all appeared as if she had laid three of the stones side by side [never mind that two of the stones were made of bones and blood, rather than everliving stardust]. The stone was beautiful… but it was not hers. The forest could take the gift back and quickly as it had bestowed it upon her. The rules of nature could not be bent and Olive felt a slight twinge of guilt over her possessiveness of it.

“It is, isn't it?” The female swept her gaze from the moonstone to Palisandar, freely allowing the cosmogonic energy of the stone to affect her thoughts and movements - not unlike a high from a drug. “Come closer,” She urged.

“Touch it.”

The muted fae's heartbeat quickened at the thought of sharing this experience of oneness with another. Olive did not know if the brute would be receptive to anything further than the stone’s exterior beauty [as it took an atomic level of attention to perceive]. Many wolves were not receptive, but that would never keep her from trying. She often questioned whether it were limitations of the physical, or limitations of the mind that kept others from seeing the wolve's true role in this world. 

The male bobbed his head once the other greeted him. He had seen her change going from distant to warm, it made him feel better, after all it only confirmed that they were packmates. That they were an actual family. If he would have met her outside these borders he would probably have been received that way instead of the warm and friendly way. The male quirked up his lips into that smirk of his. "Olive," he greeted in return. She was not to be confused with the other pale female. They were really different in personalities, truly.

He stepped closer at her command, liking that he was allowed closer, especially because seeing how possessive she looked over it at first. The male stepped closer and looked over it. It was beautiful. His ears perking up forward the moment she told him to touch it surprised him even more. The male tipped his head a bit and looked into the stone. It reminded a bit of the moon, and the prettiness of Isley. Maybe she would like this stone. Palisander liked pretty things. He grabbed it with his mouth, gently and then placed it between his own paws, both tan colored paws touching the sides of it. His blood orange eyes falling into the other's green ones, staring at her.

And Palisander did as she as suggested! Olive was pleased. 

The brute move closer and took the moonstone in his mouth, scooting it closer to his sandy-hued physique. Her pack brother seemed curious about the stone, and she [imperceptibly] tipped her head towards him in gratitude. So many wolves quickly dismissed her [and her ideas] and it always rubbed her sweet spot when others would [at the very least] humored her.

But, he did still seem curious. Olive inched closer to him [her nebulous eyes strongly reflecting the green of leaves above and underfoot] and she too stared into the opalescent folds and layers of the stone.

Of course, now she was obligated to give Palisander an explanation of the moonstone’s magic [not that she wouldn’t take advantage of any opportunity to promulgate the news of her gods]. How could she put into words what she barely knew herself? Unlike the omnipresent heavens and expansive, tangible nature… Gemstones were a rarity. She had never actually set sights on one before, especially not one this beautiful. But she had heard naturalist and bards [both of those trades could easily fit inside one wolf, and often did just that] sing songs of them. According to the universal understanding of it all, crystals had to ability to heal emotional and physical wounds. But she knew more about the legend than the mechanics of the stones. 

Olive raised her head to her fellow explorer, her mind suddenly expansive and clear. Though she knew close to nothing about the stone, she felt that she had never thought so straight before.

“It’s a gemstone… have you ever seen one? I’ve never seen one before.” Her heart still fluttered inside her chest from her digging exertions and excitement. Olive hoped she appeared normal to Palisandar and not entirely a raving lunatic. “I’ve heard tales of of caves made of gemstones. Floors, walls and roofs, all glittering with the stuff.”

“I’ve also heard that the gods imbued gemstones with the power to heal. Different stones have the power to cure different ailments, both those of the mind and the body. Placing them around you, near you, imbues you with positive energy on a cellular level… and truly, nurturing your body like this is one of the best way to nurture your spirit.”

“White stones such as this usually affect… the stomach, or was it the brain?” She smiled sweetly, chuckling at herself. “I’ll be honest, that i’m not entirely sure of. I’m still learning.”

Palisander looked at her, still holding the gemstone between his paws. He rather liked to have the claim on such pretty thing. Sure sure she was family and it wasn't really nice of him to put a claim on it, but Palisander did like nice and valuable things. The smooth male slowly nodded. "I've heard about them. I've seen a few before actually," he explained to her with a friendly smile on his lips. He did knew they were valuable especially for some wolves. He rather liked them.

"I did not know they had healing powers! That is very interesting, Olive." He listened to her and hoped that she could tell him more about it but as it seemed, she was not that skilled either with them. Palisander kind of wanted to know more about it, perhaps so she was even more impressed by him and would look up to him more. "Well Isley and I want to be the healers of the pack, perhaps we could use the stone and see if it helps," he spoke thoughtfully. "Perhaps we could gather other colors and see what kind of things they heal. Would you mind if I hold on to the stone for a bit so I can see what effects it has? This really interests me," he explained.

Just tagging ‘Turo for awareness :)

 
Palisander quickly put Olive in a quandary that she did not expect. Of course the moonstone was so beautiful that others would desire to have it! All beautiful things in this world needed protecting – all mortal wolves were prone to indulging in life’s greatest sins, including gluttony and greed. That was why the stone needed her, called her forth: to protect it.
 
No.

Olive stopped herself. Weren’t she suffering from those sins  at that very moment? Yes the moonstone was beautiful and, yes, it did call out to her. But it was not hers. The stone belonged to no one except itself, as it would continually recreate itself in lock-step with the earth’s shifting layers - for eternity. Olive was almost embarrassed at her lack of self and materialism, but she was unable to relent entirely. Something in her had claimed the moonstone and wanted to keep it close to her person at all times. It was hers, but it wasn’t. But neither was it Palisander’s! Olive regarded him closely, trying to determine his motive.
 
Palisander was family, she concluded. He could only have the best interest for the family in his heart; and family included herself. He even disclosed that he wished to determine and harness its entire healing properties with Isley. It was selfless. But, still!!
 
Instead, Olive posed what she deemed a solution. “What if…”  She began, looking at the male in earnest. “What if we presented and gifted the moonstone to Ceannasach at the next family meeting? This way the stone is available for you, Isley and I to use and borrow, but it is consistently blessing and protecting our leader. After all, we owe everything to @Arturo.” Olive knew naught of Palisander’s past, but she felt it safe to assume the brute was indebted to the Ceannasach.
 
Olive turned her to attention to Palisander’s other question. “This is the first gemstone I’ve laid eyes upon – if I’m being truthful, I would not know where to look to find others. As you’ve run across more than I, do you have any suggestions?” Her tone lightened at the thought of locating other treasures across Ravensblood Forest.

Unknowingly to the trickster he had sparked quite the thought process in the female's mind. Palisander was oblivious to it, perhaps the only small thing that gave it away was her being rather thoughtful of not giving him the stone. The thing was, even though he was a trickster and was very guilty of wanting the pretty stone for himself, he was not a bad wolf. He had his morals under a selfish layer of gluttony.

However the male didn't want to raise any suspicion towards her and if Arturo would have the stone then he could borrow it as much as he wanted. Perhaps as long as he wanted. There was another route he could play on, call her out for not trusting her family, accusing her that he would do the thing he was planning on anyhow. No, that would be something for perhaps later. "An excellent idea, Olive," he returned. Palisander didn't really agree that he owe'd everything to the alpha male but he was not the type to be disrespectful either.

"I assume you want to present it to him at the next family meeting?," he asked. It was just an inquiry, perhaps to see what she would think or how possessive she really was about the stone. Palisander cleared his throat lightly when she asked him another question. "Well, there was a grotto close to my home who would sometimes have them," he explained. "And when you think about it, if the ground keeps these little treasures hidden then it seems logical to explore caves and underground tunnels," he spoke to her with a smile on his maw. "If you want we can maybe look for them together."

“Yes!” the dove chirped, pleased at the palpable transition of the conversation.  She definitely did want to present the stone at the next family meeting - whenever that may be. It filled her with pride to dedicate such a strong stone to Ceannasach and hoped the act wouldn’t appear too credulous to the rest of the family - but, truthfully, it was for their own good. In her natal pack, devotional acts and sacrifices were normal fare and were often accompanied by instances of great natural abundance. Olive hoped her resignation of the moonstone to something [someone] higher than herself would set their atomic microcosm in balance. In the face of the impending winter, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. 

“Why don’t... I mean, you should hold onto it... until then. I’m sure Arturo would love to hear what healing properties it contains, and I am no healer. Just bring it with you when the time comes” Olive grinned towards the brute, letting any hardness between them crumble and blow away with the winds.  It was a test, but it was a test more for herself than it was for him.

Olive whirled her body around, invigorated by the mention of treasures, caves and tunnels. “Oh, yes! That’s fantastic. I know exactly of what you speak… Mountains, always so squally and tumultuous; the earth gods underneath the mountains heave, grind and throw themselves about. In the midst of their tantrums they fracture the rock, oftentimes creating caverns that are navigable by…” Olive’s orbs  [which had  been so nicely reflecting the dark green hue of the forest around them] hazed over doing her vivid soliloquy, but at once snapped back to Palisander’s. 

“…navigable by us.” The fae concluded with a toss of her head, not truly giving him time to weigh his options. 

“So, it has been decided - yes?” Olive closed the space between them with dancing, light steps. “We shall go on a hunt… not a hunt for blood, but a hunt for these jewels of the earth.” Olive stopped and nosed the moonstone which lay on the ground, as if Palisander needed a reminder. “It would be sage to explore these caves before the snows blow in, right?”  The faux naivety aimed to disguise her true question: she wanted to know soon they were to leave on this journey. Olive was apt to leave right then - but, then again, Olive would never not be held in the clothes of wanderlust and her thirst for unknown would never be truly quenched. If Palisander needed to wait, she would do so happily.

Palisander was more than pleased to see the female agree to him holding on to the stone. He would have to show this to Isley! She would find it beautiful he was certain of it. The male's manipulation had worked. He managed to get his paws on the precious rock. Now he only needed to bring it to the next family meeting to fully gain the other's trust. And it was not that he didn't want his packman's trust on the contrary. If they could work as a team and get more of these beautiful stones then he was all for it. He liked to have pretty things.

The girl seemed to blab about the earth and the mountains. Truly Palisander wasn't even listening. His tail was saying behind him though and his head nodding in the right moments. Her brief pause made him snap from his thoughts. "You said that beautifully," he charmed and quirked up his lips in that known grin of his. "It has been decided, however I will have to discuss this with Isley of course, I will be away on a quest in dark caves with another woman by my side," he explained. He did plan on not being away longer than a day so he did not feel the need to call Arturo for their mission. They didn't need permission in his eyes. Isley was another story though of course he was super trustworthy with these things.

"I will go show this moonstone to Isley, and see if we can find out the healing capacities of it in the meanwhile. I will also ask how she feels about this mission," he explained to her. Isley was dear to him, thinking of the idea of her hearing he was away from the borders with Olive sounded wrong in his ears. He might be a conman but he did care for the girl.

Haha they have such a weird relationship. I love it.

They were to be prospectors, searching the cavernous mountain for the limitless beauties and treasures hidden within its core. Olive tingled with excitement – if the result of their pursuit resulted in anything half as ethereal as the moonstone, they were in for a divine treat.  Perhaps they would stumble upon the crystal caves of legend, but the fae believed that were too farfetched for their own inexperience.

Olive also coveted the opportunity to learn more about this strange man. His words and mannerisms intrigued her; there was something about him that led her to believe there was deeper underneath his exterior skin. If he and she were family and they were to work together for the betterment of the pack, she would need an understanding of his inner workings.

Of course, Palisander needed to double check this adventure with his mate. Olive nodded in agreeance, not entirely interested in sparking a feud with the only family member who remained a relative stranger to her.  Olive did not know it at the time, but by the time of this undertaking she too would need to vet it through her own kindred spirit.

“Yes, share the stone and our plans with Isley.  I hope she sees the value in this! I, for one, am greatly looking forward to our future escapades and the bounty that will result. Signal for me when you are prepared to leave - and I will await your call.”  The grey fae shot a toothy grin at Palisander and backpedaled a step, light on her feet.

“I am ever so intrigued about the healing properties of the moonstone. I know your and Isley’s expertise will do it great justice.” The notion of parting with the moonstone still bit in the back of Olive’s throat and she desired to retire from the scenario [if not to ponder the strength of the earth beneath her feet, at least to lick her festering materialism]. “I should be getting back, however. Until we meet again, Palisander.” The pale woman spoke softly before slipping back into the dark treeline.