Duskfire Glacier Blessed are the peacemakers

Time 2:45 am | Weather is 25F (-3c) | Wind - Calm | Place - Polaris Icefield 

Dreams were an escape from the daunting realities of life, hauntingly
short relief from the things that plagued the mind; or so most hoped
for relief. In times of great strife their dreams turned into terrors,
besieging a once prominent tower of peace. A never ending bombardment
of anguish, fear, angst and hopelessness pushed the dreamer back into
a harsh and bitter reality with great force. Their lungs squeezed of 
every ounce of air as they screamed and their eyes dripped with
desolation. Despair wrapped itself around the dreamer like a snake 
suffocating its prey, wrenching out its victims tears all the while 
grief curled in their lap, whispering accusations and disguising it as
the truth. The dreamer was left to the whims of its attackers, riding
the tsunami until it took what it wanted, their peace of mind.


They did just that. It was all he had, the one thing that didn't persecute 

him for his failures. His dreams. He was left shaking and breathing heavily 

as the last of the terror left him. Rye wondered if anyone heard his scream, 

although he desperately wanted to believe it was muffled, he knew the mountain

 walls were primed to echo any sound. Embarrassed, Rye got up and moved away 

from his makeshift den, deciding to go on a long walk as he doubted sleep 
would be an option again. His walk was accompanied by memories from days 
past, painful, nearly torturous side effects haunted him each minute. Rye
gritted his teeth as tears streamed from his eyes, he cried as quietly 
as he could but the agony crashed into him like a wave. It drowned him 
in his own sorrow and by the end he was gasping for air again. His mind
thrashed, showing the lifeless blots of color on the ground, reminding 
 him their lives were on his shoulders. All he could do was slump against

 a tree and pray for it to end, hope for his peace to return to him. 
Even if only for a second, it didn't matter, he only wanted a break. 

the polaris icefield held a certain sort of untamed beauty to it, wintersbane thinks. the glisten of ice in the dawning of a new day when the colors danced upon the ice; setting it ablaze. of course, it did not actually catch fire, remaining ever resilient against the caress of the sun. though it could perhaps be a chaotic sight: wintersbane finds peace in it. comfort, even; though he does not doubt it is because it reminds him fiercely of enok tundra and his brief tenure there.

the scream startles him out the serenity he's left in as he paces along the icefield and a mixture of concerned and territorial he descends on his bettering — now slight — limp and follows the pinpointed echo of the sound to it's origins. a man; a new recruit and one that must've arrived recently enough for wintersbane to have yet made introductions.

are you alright? wintersbane inquires without introduction; glacial gaze surveying as he assess the new recruit.

Was there truly such a thing as privacy in the wilderness? Birds, squirrels and other tiny vermin on the 
constant watch made privacy a rare commodity. So when the silver woven male arrived Rye was not
all that surprised, he knew he did not have good enough luck to get that privacy.  However the deeper
truth had him secretly thankful for the company, misery was easier to bear with someone at his side.
Rye tried to quickly rub his eyes free of any tears holding on by a thread but it was useless, his eyes
were already stained red. A quiet sigh escaped from his lips as he looked to the larger male in shame.
Crying was not something he favored doing in front of others.

"Yes, just a simple nightmare is all. I'm sorry if I woke you, I didn't mean to yell or anything." His
voice was weak, nearly muted but the quiet of the night let his voice be heard anyway. "I don't believe
we've met, not the best terms to meet on I apologize but my name is Rye and yours?" He was quick to
move on, refusing to leave any room to talk about himself. That would be his third nightmare of the night,
right after the current one playing out.

wintersbane, crass as he could be at times — no doubt arturo's influence upon him — at least has the decency to look away as the other male attempts to compose himself. assured that he was not in immediate danger, the glacial king does not find it within himself to press unnecessarily. i was already awake, wintersbane attempts to soothe; keeping whiskey timbre steeped in smoke soft; lulling. i like to begin my patrols early. the tundrian offers in explanation hoping to dispel any unnecessary guilt the other might be feeling.

he shifts his weight; careful to avoid his healing leg not wishing to upset the mending sinew and flesh.

i am wintersbane, the tundrian offers with a dip of his head. alpha of this fledgling pack. which seemed to be coming along nicely — though he has learned to be careful with getting his hopes up.

Rye could not keep himself from predicting the silver males name, he knew his luck was tapped dry, not a drop left. '-tersbane', he inwardly finished the alphas name. A rush of mortification swallowed the woodland male whole, only the slightest pained look gave hint to his emotions. Rye offered his own bow following Wintersbanes' but after, his eyes remained fixed on the starry night sky, the aroura dancing somewhere in the distance. The wind did not howl but whispered through the trees, the oceanic hiss of leaves being simultaneously rustled and the cracklings of branches being bent, stretched and bowed came together to form a faint melody. A peaceful sound previously unnoticed. It was his, much needed, eye of the storm.

.

"It is nice to finally meet you," He offered, "I first met Iana who invited me to stay. As with most packs skills are needed to maintain health but I will be honest with you, I know next to nothing useful other than basic instincts. However, like I told Iana I want to learn. To fight but also to heal." Rye wasted little time getting to what mattered, either he was to leave at Wintersbanes behest or he could stay and prove himself useful with time. 

i see, wintersbane muses in a soft hum. as it is nice to meet you. wintersbane responds; glad that this meeting was happening even if it was late. admittedly, he'd been busy — healing and patrolling and hunting and recruiting, though he is glad to find that he is not the only know recruiting. at the moment, he wasn't terribly fussed: they weren't technically a founded pack yet; still lingering in the realm of fledgling. while pack skills are important as long as everyone is contributing whether you'd like to pursue one specific or not is entirely up to you. wintersbane says on the topic of what he assumes is trades. 

i cannot help with healing — my knowledge is basic at best, and that was being generous towards himself, admittedly. but i can help with fighting. he offers with a small smile tugging at the edges of scarred lips.

Perhaps hope still reigned supreme in his life. Rye had wolves around him to help better himself, Iana for medical knowledge and now Wintersbane for defense. The male knew he would have many hours, even days of apprenticeship work to become a novice but in the end it would all service him well. "I would be very grateful if you did take the time to help me learn what you know." A smile of his own formed as he looked towards the alpha. Rye wondered what his future days held and just what he might learn from both Iana and Wintersbane.

.

A reoccurring question surfaced to the top of his mind, the same one Rye asked Iana when they first met. "Why did you choose to live here? This place have any importance to you?" It was not a bad place to claim, water, food and security appeared abundant, at least to Rye and his untrained eye. For the time being everything seemed stable, mouths were being fed and no one came by to bother them, not yet. Although possible pups this spring might dampen their little haven but that was another matter entirely, one that Rye was sure wouldn't come to bite him.    

i am always willing to mentor. wintersbane offers; after all, he thinks, what good did all that knowledge and experience do if it wasn't shared? passed on? and while he desired fiercely to have cubs this year — to actually be a father he does not hold onto the hope of it. it seems unlikely at the present moment and once more he tucks it away with the tentative acceptance that it might be possible next spring.

rye's question draws wintersbane from his contemplations. it is a question he's gotten a few times already; in different forms. the tundrian draws in a deep breath and lets it out. i was born in these wilds but i spent a bit of time in my mother's birthpack outside of them; enok tundra. his lips give a terse twitch of emotion that he is not keen on sharing. duskfire glacier reminds me of it. it ...feels like home.

Shall we wrap?

Rye listened to what Wintersbane had to say, his before home sounded intense.'Enok Tundra', he repeated in his head. He wondered just how far Wintersbane traveled to reach the tundra and where his family was. From what Rye could tell Wintersbane was without his kin, he could only guess they were no longer in Teekon or no longer alive. That thought lead Rye down a path of brief saddness, his thoughts turning to his own family and how many had perished since his departure. Maybe one day he would return to them, although it would no doubt be in a different plain of existence, Rye was sure of that. "So long as there is some joy in a place or thing, I believe it's worth it." 

sure!

i agree, wintersbane murmurs in response. hopefully everyone else grows to feel the same. the tundrian muses with a soft shrug of his shoulders; believing in the thought that if they didn't then they wouldn't be there. the glacier might've been unique but it was flourishing with both flora and fauna. i'll leave you to your rest. wintersbane says then. it was nice to officially meet you. wintersbane says with a soft smile before he takes his leave, assured that rye was alright and hoping that the other man was able to sleep a bit better.