King Elk Forest they paint the world full of shadows

---

The King Elk's chased off the young bulls and the cows that had very briefly made up his harem. Only one cow remains now and her estrus cycle has long since waned — only time would tell if Spring would herald a child of the mighty, ethereal ungulate. Once the others were outside his immediate circle of protection generously bestowed upon him by the wolves that has claimed his forest the elk were no longer his concern and free for the wolves to hunt them if they so wished. He was a rarity, a solitary species and if the cow remained then he would see her protected from the wolves regardless of if it means spilling blood or not. It's not his place to predict or decide whether she will stay or venture off with a passing herd. This morning, he works on building up his bulk for the winter months, grazing on grass and eating leaves with the female close to his side. He knows that the pack is building up their food stores for the winter months as well and so long as they give him and his a wide berth their mutual agreement can continue undisturbed. Thus far, they have left him alone and given him no reason to not trust them — though this does not mean that he does trust them because, frankly, he doesn't. He rips a mouthful of leaves from a branch and lets out a low snort as he munches noisily upon them, ears flickering and eyes vigilant for the pack that he knows haunts his forest.

post written by Mato.

delight has not paid too much attention to the elk, though he does not particularly like seeing the king elk and his cows flaunting about - he does not need everyone's coupling rubbed in like that.

he's being a little dramatic.

still, it is important to the pack and all that. their numbers are small ( lately: delight is a touch anxious but - but.) the forest is not large enough, though, that the dispersion of the rest of the elk's harem goes unheeded. interesting.

the androgyne is not a hunter any more than any other wolf is but if the elk are free game now, that seems.. useful, for winter. of course he cannot take them on alone and where is everyone, anyway, and - oh he's stumbled by the king elk himself. so it goes.

delight is small in frame compared to other wolves but against the massive god-creature he feels tiny. his expression twists slightly into something akin to apology and he mumbles to the elk, "we good?" his silvery gaze tracking towards the movements of the rest of the herd. might as well get permission directly from the creature itself while he's here. assuming everyone hasn't up and abandoned him to the woods alone.

Mato has been keeping an eye upon the King Elk — or rather as much of an eye as he can spare in-between tending to his borders and pack responsibilities as Morwinyon. He became aware of when the mighty ungulate had chased off all but one of his collected entourage and though Mato cannot be sure he thinks that it means he’s chosen his female …though only time would tell if she would remain with the mighty beasts’ spawn. He has been watching the pair from afar wondering if elks have a mating ritual similar to wolves or if they are as different as the species themselves. Do they mate for life? Or is it strictly seasonal? Mato supposes that time will tell. Umbra dipped ears perk atop his skull as Delight appears on the scene and speaks to the King Elk and for a moment Mato considers leaving his compatriot to speak to the ethereal beast upon his own. “Does he answer you?” Mato inquires with unbidden curiosity in his tone. The druid himself has not yet attempted to speak to the King Elk — though this is mostly because the empyrean does not feel that they need to share words or attempt to break that barrier. They exist and they cohabit and that is enough for the Morwinyon.

 the elk snorts dismissively, maybe-kinda-sorta in his direction so delight takes that as a - oh god mato. "gahk," he says, strangled, "oh, hi, mato." he has not been avoiding morwinyon, that would be absurd. he's perfectly capable of acting as if nothing is wrong. 

his fur settles back along his spine. the elk, unimpressed, hasn't moved away at least. "maybe?" the androgyne answers, looking at the elk and determinedly not at the silvery prince. "sort of? i think so." less answers perhaps than 'snorts at' or occasionally 'looks at', which delight interprets. at the least he doesn't seem to mind his occasional speaking. "do you talk to him?" he asks, finally looking at the other boy (he is being so totally normal he should win an award for it).

Mato’s ears cup forth, twitching at the strangled sound of Delight’s voice but the Morwinyon does not draw attention to it, mostly because he assumes that he has simply startled Delight ( Mato’s a bit oblivious ). The druid does not naturally consider himself much of an envious beast — not because he’s necessarily beyond that because he’s not: he’s know the green beast from time to time — but simply because he makes an effort not to be jealous of things that others have. Maybe, sort of, I think so ended up being the uncertain answers that the empyrean’s subordinate gives him and the druid gives a contemplative flick of his tail against his hocks. “Sometimes,” Mato admits with a deep breath, apple green gaze focusing upon the majestic warden of their home. “but he does not speak back.” That was a barrier, the druid believes, that the pair: Morwinyon and King Elk were never meant to breach and though he might feel envy if the Elk ‘speaks’ to his subordinates he does his best not to let it fester and poison him.

thank the elk delight is so smooth, mato does not seem to pick up on any awkwardness. he does, then, take the opportunity to study the silvery prince's face closely - not staring, mind, just a quiet contemplativeness. does morwinyon mind delight's slight transgressions? perhaps that's part of the ainima, that he's meant to be regarded in reverent silence and not in the singing-sunlight's own flip tones. 

 the elk-god itself doesn't seem particularly bothered by it, though. 

the vailë make's a thoughtful sound when mato answers him, his own gaze moving to follow the lines of the regal beast. "i could be reading into it," he admits, rolling his shoulder in a brief shrug, "but if nothing else, he seems to notice." which is, really, all the assurance the storyteller needs to weave the tale.

delight falls silent for a minute, wondering if he should make an exit, because every minute spend lingering in mato's presence is another opportunity to slip up and make a fool of himself. but actually, he does have something to mention, doesn't he? "oh, i met a girl up in the sweep," the androgyne starts casually, "she seemed curious about the forest, so i said she could come by if she called for me when she got here." he still doesn't think mato will mind - and it's all in the name of recruitment - but probably better to let him know before strangers come calling, just in case.

Mato’s gaze do not lift from the king elk as he gives a low snort, pausing in his chewing to swing his head towards the two wolves that observe him eat but returns back to grazing. He is not uneasy, not perturbed. He knows, Mato thinks, that neither male has deigns of making an attempt on his life. The druid’s umbra dusted ears flicker back and rest comfortably lowered to his skull, a contemplative gesture as Delight speaks his theory: that the king elk notices, if nothing else. The empyrean is in agreement there: at least he notices. He acknowledges, though if it is a desire to preserve his own life or an actual understanding of what they say to him the druid has still not been able to work out. “Alright,” The empyrean offers his subordinate as Delight speaks of a nameless girl that he met that has harbored a curiosity towards them. Morwinyon wonders, however, if she will actually find their way to them or not. Tindömé has always been small and since their founding they had not had any come to their borders seeking to join. Perhaps, Mato contemplates, they are too far south in the map but, at the very least, it has brought them peace from the warring northern packs far too close together despite the distance that separates them. He made a good choice, he believes, in choosing a territory that is not populated besides them but he supposes that in order to have one, the con of not getting a lot of interested visitors also comes hand in hand with it. “Do you think she will actually come?” The druid inquires then, voicing the path his thoughts have taken aloud.

to his relief, morwinyon does not seem perturbed by his decision - he lets go of a small breath he'd been holding. like the silvery prince delight has been aware of the dearth of those seeking to join them, though he's met strangers passing through the sweep just north on a few occasions. it does not make him as uneasy as the disppearance of the soldier and the pest do, but - perhaps that is what tindömé is meant to be, a small, tight-knit thing; perhaps their growth will be internal in the litters bri will surely bear... but! but. he doesn't want to think about that now.

thankfully mato's question pulls his thoughts back to the present, and he looks toward the trees, thoughtful. "i do," he says, voice slow, "though i don't know if she will stay with us." visiting and commiting loyalty are not the same action. moon-sharp eyes move back to mato's form (he can look at him, he can manage that much). "should we work on recruitment?" the vailë asks, echoing a return of his earlier thoughts - wondering what mato's take on it is.

It is hard to say what the future will hold for Tindómë — right now, to Mato, it seems fickle, uncertain, perhaps even bleak. The druid does not enjoy being a pessimist but he knows he has to look at it all objectively. The empyrean’s lips pull together tersely as Delight mentions that he thinks she’ll come to them but is unsure whether she would stay. That is the nature of the beast, Mato knows, but he does not enjoy flightiness in wolves. Alas, beggars cannot be choosers, he supposes. The Morwinyon draws in a deep breath and lets it out in a heavier exhale as he contemplates Delight’s words a bit longer. “Recruitment is a good idea,” Mato concludes as his gaze settles upon the King Elk with a solemness in their green depths. “perhaps out here we are ill located. I wanted seclusion but by choosing seclusion over populated areas I may have doomed us to fail,” He speaks grimly and his gaze flickers to rest upon Delight. “Perhaps we should consider re-locating east, to a territory with heavy travel.” Mato is thinking aloud, in all honesty, but he speaks his thoughts aloud in the hopes that Delight might offer him his opinion.

the conversation has tilted wildly out of control in delight's eyes - he could barely think of looking at mato, and now the morwinyon lobs him such a heavy question - though he supposes it is not without merit. for a moment he feels sheepish, silly for letting his little crush weigh so heavy on him when there's more important matters (and another part thrilled that mato values his opinion enough to ask him--). moon-sharp eyes linger on the god-creature nearby as he thinks, quiet. 

"i have been in the sweep a lot lately," he admits, "it seems more traveled - but how far east are you thinking?" delight is not a scout: he doesn't know what other packs lay claim and where, and he sort of enjoys their seclusion, as mato does. "we'd be leaving the king elk... though i suppose he won't care either way." 

the vailë pauses, letting his gaze slowly fall back on the silvery prince, contemplative. "i don't know either way," he says, hesitantly, "but winter's nearly here and - we probably shouldn't move with burke during the winter months, at least. and - i think you should talk to him about it, too." arthendal's old location is close-by, according to the elder - and he seems healthy enough but delight would be nervous to try and move far once the snow starts, with their numbers so small to begin with. and, hell, what does he know, anyway? burke's got way more pack experience - delight, at least, would trust his counsel on the matter. either way: "i'll be by your side, no matter what," the androgyne confesses, and ducks his head slightly, hopeful his dark pelage hides the blush spreading fast across his face.

Mato might not mind the small size of Tindómë if they had gotten visitors at their borders, if they had wolves among their ranks that had joined them at the borders after the pack’s founding. This is not the case and it causes for concern in the Morwinyon’s mind. He had considered, fleetingly, the idea of children but there would be none if Tindómë did not swell in ranks. It took a whole pack to raise pups and it would be foolish and selfish to burden such a small pack with children when their focus should be upon the pack itself. “As far East as it would take.” Though Delight brings up a valid concern that has also occurred to Mato: moving with his grandfather in winter was not a good idea …but neither was running the risk of having the pack dissolving. At least if they relocated Burke would ( more than likely, Mato assumes ) survive that. The latter, however, the druid is not so sure his grandfather would survive. “Before I decide further upon this I will take some trips to scout. Perhaps I can visit Rannoch in Northstar Vale and see if he might give us some shelter for a bit while we’re on the move. If we move in the winter months.” The druid draws in a deep breath and lets it out in a heavy, burdened exhale. Yes, leaving the King Elk was not ideal, not in a slightest, but if staying here was no longer what was best for Tindómë then leaving was what Mato had to do. “When I return from the Vale I will have my decision made.” Mato isn’t one to dwell in the realm of indecisiveness. Not when lives are potentially on the line. “Thank you Delight. Your support and advise is highly regarded.” Mato speaks honestly, with a coloring of affection in his tone.

there are plenty of things about the silvery prince that, if manifested in another, the vailë would find a little bit annoying. at is it mato could burn the forest down around them and delight would be in the ashes as starry-eyed as the day he saw him. "ah," he says, eyes widening a little, "if - when you visit the vale - i'd like to come." surprised by his own boldness, the androgyne pauses, then adds: "i've been wanting to see it for myself - to meet rannoch, since he seems important to - tindómë's founding, in a way."

he knows it is unlikely the morwinyon will allow him to come given the fragility of their claim, but then again - their alpha leaving would put them in an unstable position anyway. either way he'll do what mato tells him. 

the affection in the silvery prince's voice throws him for a beat, his heart stammering erratically in his chest. "a-anytime," the singing-sunlight manages weakly, unable to stop the slightly-dopey way the edges of his mouth curl up (for elk's sake!).