Firestone Hot Springs Wandering crow

Weird post is weird. xD

Large, puffs of white clouds drifted across the blue sky of the mid-morning, shifting to cover the sun in turns, with temporary breaks in their movements that allowed the sun’s warming rays to skim across the silken tendrils of ebony fur along Crete’s spine as he quietly, slipped out of the borders of his relatively new home in Blacktail Deer Plateau. It was taking some time to adjust to the stark difference in scenery between the Plateau and Flightless Falcons, and despite Peregrine and Atticus’ presence in the pack Crete felt slightly homesick - only to further feel physically ill when the knowledge that he was never allowed to go back home slammed into him like a wall of bricks. Home was not a word that existed anymore for Crete, if he was being honest, yet he found himself pining for that which he could not have. Piteous and pathetic though it was. He missed March Owl, he missed being able to visit Aether’s burial site. He missed his non-tyrannical siblings. Tyrannus’ betrayal had hit Crete hard, and took him wildly off guard, for it always been assumed that Crete would never leave the Falcons due to being mute. It de-habilitated him because while he had acutely learned to communicate via his body language and facial expressions alone, it was frustrating when in the presence of wolves who were not used to relying solely upon physical communication, and one sided conversations.

Snow crunched lightly under each step Crete took, breath expelling from his leathery, black nostrils in tendrils of white steam, before the stark cold, too, claimed his breath. Sea green eyes, took in the unfamiliar territories around him, figuring that maybe some time out from under his brothers’ attentions would help to allow him to brood in private, and work through the mess that was his emotions and the chaos that was his thoughts most days; and Crete had a lot to work through. Adaptation. Tyrannus’ betrayal. Coping. How he felt about Hawkeye’s bizarre (as far as he’d seen) leading methods, which troubled him though out of her generosity this was something he did not wish to bring to anyone’s attention. The ease of which she accepted wolves into her pack caused unease within Crete. The times were harsh, yes, but was Blacktail Deer Plateau so desperate that they took any cripple (in his case) and straggler that came their way into the fold? Aether and March Owl had done things so different. Crete would have done things so differently - not that he ever had any semblance of a chance at leadership - his muteness had all but made such a thing impossible for him.

A errant shake of his head was given, as if he wished to chase those thoughts away. There was a lot of inner turmoil going on inside him, and Crete knowingly accepted that. It was clouding his thoughts, feelings, and judgment and until he was at peace with the demons inside, he had no right to judge any one else. It was as simple as that. Steps paused as he felt a rush of steam, warm as it was, causing his fur to curl slightly, as he entered the hot springs, shivering slightly from the rush of warmth that worked to chase away the chill that settled in during the winter months. He paused at a pool and sniffed at it cautiously, wondering if it would be wise to soak in the warm waters for a bit, before he hesitated, unsure. Perhaps he could find something more practical to do - like search for medicinal herbs instead. The last thing he wanted to do was become ill from a poor choice.

table by houkie