Lake Rodney Dust to Dusk

Crius needed time to adapt to his new role as a scout, though he was still foreign to the wilds he needed to test his stealth and awareness. The sun had set and a crescent moon had filled it's void for the night, a light breeze blew small waves against the edge of the lake. While his vision was still frail he could still make out the tree line in case he needed to ake a hasty escape. 

Tonight's mission was practice and information gathering; the dark wolf was hopeful to meet someone from one of the local packs in the area as there was a wide array of scents leading to this lake; that way he could make an ally and hopefully gain some tasty info.

He hadn't meant to stay out so late, but the sun had set and Floki had hardly noticed. The afternoon had been spent circling the south side of Lake Rodney, carefully staying away from Redhawk Caldera. He had no desire to run into the father of his ex-girlfriend, especially since he had no idea of her whereabouts; for all he knew, Wildfire could have settled back into her birth pack. The thought had made his stomach clench earlier in the day, but hours had passed without incident and he had stopped worrying, even indulging in some fishing.

The yearling was on his way back to Moonspear when he spotted another wolf near the water. He feared at first that it was a caldera member, but the scent that reached his nostrils was not familiar. Still, he approached with caution; he would have preferred to go on his way, but there was no way to pass the stranger without some sort of interaction. He came to a halt, his paws squelching in the damp soil at the lake's edge as he pitched his ears forward curiously, eyeing the dark figure.

Time for some awkwards..

With the Caldera wolves having their paws full with the antics of the Alphas litter, Allure found her time better placed either hunting and maintaining the caches (though she hadn’t had much luck in that department lately) or scouting out past their borders, hoping to earn at least one of her titles.

She tried not to stray too far, or spend her time too long outside of her pack borders.. but there was little joy in returning to the place she called home, given how familial the pack was, and how hard it was for an outsider of their family to integrate within their ranks.

So the day found her by a lake, and while two figures caught her eye – one stirred a wave of nostalgia within her. Silver fur, sandy limbs, bright eyes – Jorunn!

She quickened her pace, practically beaming at the wolf, though her gaze would drift to the dark wolf as well, from time to time. “Jorunn!” Her voice broke the silence between the group, unsure if either wolf had hoped to escape one another’s presence without discussion, but be damned, she was going to reunite with her brother!

Bounding forward, the bi-toned girl was about to plow herself in to the side of Jorunn when she realized her mistake – the scent that she had come to know, if only distantly, and pausing in pace, she blinked. There were subtle differences, and she stared, almost dumbfounded. “F-floki?” Having met the boy only once, she recalled his handsome face under the grace of the night sky – and in the dark, had completely missed how eerily similar he was to her brother.

Crius's darkened form with stiffened with the sudden interruption, a wolf? Floki? There must have been two wolves behind him, that or there was one wolf getting him confused with someone else, either way, this was quite a situation to be in; if they were hostile he could probably take a chance and dive into the water. 

He looked back and tilted his head, "Floki?" he called into the dusk, head tilted, "I don't know of any Flokis but,if you come out maybe I can help you find-" a scent caught his nose, a mixture of two different foreign smells; his hunch was right. The dark wolf would have to play this situation carefully and collectedly, to avoid a premature attack. 

Squinting his golden eyes he tried to make out whatever forms he could, though his vision was still failing him.

It wasn't the first time that Floki had been mistaken for his twin, but it had been so long since it had last happened that he was caught off guard. "Jorunn?" a voice questioned, and he blinked, his eyes searching the darkness. At first, he almost didn't see Allure, until the moonlight hit her just right, illuminating the white fur on her cheeks and chest.

She quickly corrected herself, calling him by the proper name, but Floki's brow was already furrowed. How did she know Jorunn -- or the wolf formerly known as Jorunn? He went by Tevinter now (and unbeknownst to Floki, had even foregone that moniker as well), so her knowledge of "Jorunn" indicated that Allure had known him for quite some time. He was so flustered that he very nearly forgot about the other wolf in their presence until he spoke.

He pulled his gaze away from Allure and looked back at the male. "I'm Floki," he explained, giving a friendly flag of his tail to indicate that he meant no harm. He then shifted his attention back to the she-wolf. "How do you know Jorunn?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

“I didn’t.. I’m sorry.. I..” She practically flailed verbally, the stutter of her voice followed by the gentle shake of her head as she attempted to decipher the meaning of the situation before her. One ear would hear the stranger’s voice – a kind wolf who offered to assist her, and Floki was quick to correct him – and yet his bright eyes were upon her, inquisitive.

And he knew Jorunn, too?

“I’m sorry,” she called out to the stranger, attempting to steady herself as her wide eyes sought out the dark wolf, her wide eyes darting between both Floki and the unknown wolf, finally focusing upon the one she did know. “I just.. you look just like him,” she remained dumbfounded as she studied Floki, her tongue darting out to smooth across her lips as she reeled from the information before her. “I grew up with Jorunn – he was a brother to me.” She paused, suspicion fluttering in her breast as she regarded him, practically doe-eyed. “You… you’re related to him?” The bright eyes – the silver fur.. the sandy stockings upon his paws. Allure had missed them from the dark the other night, but now, in the day, it all became quite clear to her. Jorunn's family was still in the valley.

The Dusky wolf bewilderedly listen to the other two wolves, 'They don't see me?' He thought, looking from what he suspected to be the direction of the male's voice to the more female one. This was a peculiar situation, two strangers have casual conversation while he stands in the background like a piece of scenery, and it was fantastic; this would be the perfect location to meet some new wolves and test his stealth skils. Of course, his level of secrecy would be determined by how quickly the other wolves detected his scent.

Once the female was done speaking for the moment Crius turned his attention back to the one called Floki. "Floki? That's a nice name, very... Unique."

Floki paid little mind to the murmurings of the third wolf, who seemed content to dissolve into the shadows and simply observe. As long as he didn't appear to pose any sort of threat to himself or Allure, Floki didn't mind his scrutiny of this odd little reunion. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he considered Allure's words, slowly putting together the pieces of the puzzle.

If she knew his twin as Jorunn and had grown up with him -- even referring to him as her brother -- then she had to be a Frostfur, right? She likely was a child of the wolf that had taken in the puppy washed up from the sea. Floki felt conflicting emotions at this realization; there was a sting of jealousy, but it was paired with a strange sense of relief. Maybe the Frostfurs weren't as bad as he and Charon had assumed -- Eshe and now Allure were slowly proving them wrong.

"Jorunn is my twin brother," he said with a bemused smile. "Your family must have taken care of him when he got washed out to sea -- you're a Frostfur, right?"

She continued to remain stunned, staring at the silver wolf before her almost incredulously. Her mouth opened, aiming to speak, and then clipped shut, one ear swiveling to the dark wolf who addressed Floki. Floki, who was Jorunn’s brother.

Suddenly, the brief attraction she had felt for the boy before him seemed so wrong.

“Yes,” she clarified, her muzzle giving one last gentle shake as she tried to stabilize herself. “I didn’t know,” she murmured, her eyes studying him before she released a slow breath. Her eyes drifted to the stranger once more, her ears fanning back to her skull as she released a gentle but nervous laugh. “I’m sorry! I must appear to be the most awkward thing..” She allowed a small smile to fall upon her lips, a nod given to the stranger to indicate she had not meant to dis-include him. “I promise I’m not usually so rude! I’m Allure.”

She had a million questions for Floki.. but suddenly, with their company, it all felt very inappropriate and far too personal to speak so casually about.

Guess we can continue since Crius is inactive!

"I didn't realize either," Floki replied, his gaze shifting to the other wolf as Allure addressed him. He seemed almost to melt away into the shadows and Floki assumed that he was just disinterested in their odd reunion.

Stepping closer to Allure so as to better talk with her, Floki gave his head a gentle shake. What a small world it so often turned out to be. "When's the last time you saw Jorunn?" he asked. He had seen his brother only a few weeks prior, and had they not settled their differences he might have grown defensive when he learned about Allure's connection to him.

Despite calling out to the stranger, the ebony man seemed to fade from them, and the bi-toned girl could not blame him. Her ears slid back to her skull as she watched him leave, and a wave of embarrassment beckoned her to sit down.. she needed to process her thoughts. Jorunn had stayed behind to be with his birth family he had found – and yet somehow, she had never dared seek him out, fearful he wanted only them now. It had stung her at first, but she had grown to understand.

She could feel the wolf before her step closer – the sweep forward of his handsome form causing her bright eyes to gaze upward at him, and as her heart fluttered once more, she realized almost instantly that her attraction to him had definitely not dissipitated with the realization that he was the true brother to the wolf she had grown up with. The wolf she had called a brother herself.

Oh god, how twisted was she?!

“I..” She paused then, swallowing the lump in her throat as she released a gentle breath. “When my family first left the Wilds. He wanted to stay here to be with.. his real family.” Her gaze drifted downward now, and she could feel the blush rise in her cheeks. And yet as she considered his words, the black and white dove only then realized the way the question had been worded. “Is he.. not with you now?” Only then did she glance up once more, a light frown pressing upon her delicate features.

It turned out that it had been some time since Allure had last been in Jorunn's company, which wasn't particularly surprising to Floki. He began to make sense of the timeline of events in his head: once the Frostfurs left the Teekon Wilds altogether, he assumed that was when Jorunn had come to Moonspear. And since then, he had moved on and was making a life for himself at the coast.

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but no. He stayed with us at Moonspear for a while, but he and my older brother don't get along that well," Floki explained with a subtle grimace. "So he ended up leaving us. I saw him a few weeks ago, and he's living with a pack called Saltwinter now. I'm sure he'd love to see you if you ever feel like visiting; they're near the ocean," he added.

The boy paused, gaze lingering on Allure's pretty face for a moment. It was weird to think that he hardly knew her at all, yet she considered his twin her brother. "I could take you there sometime," he offered in the next breath, his tail waving.

Only now beginning to recover from what had been perhaps the most embarrassing set of reactions ever, the bi-toned girl shifted her weight, attempting to appear more collected. Her muzzle tipped lightly at Floki’s words, a light frown drifting over her delicate features as he described Jorunn’s recent developments. There was a twinge in her heart at what had come to her attention now – Jorunn had not come with them because of his desire to get to know his birth family after finally finding them… and then he had ended up leaving them too?
 
“Does he.. does he know someone in Saltwinter?” The question was spoken hesitantly, and for a brief moment, Allure studied Floki. What did he make of everything? How hard had it been for him to not have his brother?
 
And then he invited her to go with him. He would take her to go see the brother they shared. A smile graced her muzzle then, and she all but beamed at the boy before her. “I would really like that.”

Want to wrap this one up? We should have their Saltwinter thread soon!

He shook his head in response to her question. As far as he knew, Jorunn hadn't known anyone from Saltwinter before joining their ranks; it had likely been the sea itself that had called to the young viking. "No, I don't think so," was his simple response. He was oblivious to Allure's inner turmoil, though he would have been able to commiserate had he known -- his relationship with his twin had been quite strained up until recently.

She seemed to like the idea of visiting Saltwinter with him, so Floki gave a decisive nod of his head. "It's settled then. Whenever you want to go, just come find me at Moonspear," he invited. He narrowed his eyes suddenly in a thoughtful manner, hesitating for just a moment before asking, "Are you still with Redhawk Caldera?" He couldn't help but wonder if she knew anything about Wildfire, though he wasn't brazen enough to ask. The other Redhawk wolf, Shrike, hadn't given him any information, so he still had no clue where Wildfire had gone.

Her mind reeled at that – Jorunn had left them for his birth family… and then left them for what reason? She was eager to know – she was eager to catch up with him, but rather than voicing this, she instead worried part of her lip, a thoughtful glance given to Floki.

“Okay,” she offered then, a smile returning back to her gentle features now. She hadn’t visited his home yet – she was not one to scout the borders of other packs, but with an invitation to knock on his door, she would certainly do so – and hopefully soon, so they could travel to the coast together.

The thought stirred her heart to beat faster for a moment – until he questioned if she was still with the Caldera. The topic was a sensitive one – she was a member of their pack, and yet remained an outsider. “For now,” she noted, her words quieting slightly. Would he think her unloyal? “My father has returned to the Wilds, with my aunt.. and she's pregnant. I might join them.”

He nodded, carefully keeping his face neutral as she explained the circumstances with Redhawk Caldera. Although she was still a part of their hierarchy, it sounded as though he heart belonged elsewhere. "So you think you might leave to be with your aunt and father?" he questioned somewhat rhetorically.

Floki had to remind himself that he knew her family -- or was acquainted with them, at least. He had met Eshe and had heard of Scimitar, though he hadn't laid eyes on the Alpha male. "They're in Neverwinter Forest, right? I met Eshe on one of my scouting trips," he added, realizing that he and Allure had more in common than he initially thought. He could have added that Eshe and Scimitar were helping to bring Goober to justice after he attacked Wildfire, but his tongue felt suddenly heavy as the thought crossed his mind.

She nodded to his question, not daring to voice the thoughts that portrayed her as an abandoner; Redhawk Caldera held no love for her, nor would her missing presence be noticed, it would seem. Why try to bridge that gap when she would always feel a pull toward her home, now that her family had returned?

“Yes,” she clarified, as he spoke about Neverwinter Forest. She had been slightly disappointed the Frostfur’s had not staked claim upon Nova Peak, but she could imagine Scimitar had desired to have a fresh start with his fresh family. As if on cue, Floki mentioned he had met Eshe, and her smile waned only slightly before she gave another nod. “Eshe is kind,” she offered then, as if making the statement to purposely say her name, so the silver wolf before her would not mistake her as her actual mother. “It makes the most sense to re-join them.”

My last post! :)

"Well, I hope it all works out," Floki replied earnestly, and he meant it. He had been separated from various members of his family enough times to truly appreciate the ties of kinship. He smiled gently, his gaze roving absently over Allure as he found himself again pondering the strange circumstances of their relationship. His brother's sister, yet there was no common blood between them.

Shifting his weight, he said, "I should probably head back home. But come to Moonspear whenever you want to go see Jorunn." He was happy to remind her, and even reached out to gently nudge her shoulder before taking his leave. "See you soon," he called out as he departed.

As quickly as they had come upon one another again, it seemed just as quickly as they departed. There was a strange sensation in her stomach as he bid her farewell this time -- the realization that he was Jorunn's actual brother only stemmed a confusion in her that she was uncertain if she should explore further, but her own muzzle tipped in return, and she flashed him a gentle smile. "Soon," she noted, and with that, made her own way back to the Caldera. Little did she know that the next few months, devastation would strike them in way of a famine -- and her plans would be placed upon a back burner for some time.