Gyrfalcon's Keep memoryhouse

was he off his rocker? you're gotdamn right if you said yes. the falcons wheeled and screamed, and velen snapped racuously at them. high up on the cold stone of the keep, the boy clutched for a foothold. there was no sane reason to be out there, save for that velen was both bored, and a wolf from an isle where he had learned to fear very few things. 
a female dipped and cut her talons across his cheek; the stormrift creature grunted and clung grimly to his perch, even as warm blood began to drip down his face. "is that all!" velen shouted madly at the birds-of-prey who had come to roost, not be disturbed by a boy with a confusing sort of death-wish.

This was, perhaps, the closest to the ocean that Grezig had ever gotten in her life. She’d left the forest only for a short time, to see if there was anyone nearby that she could recruit, or to see if there was anyone or anything she needed to know about. The call of the falcons left her wary, though, and she was about to turn and leave, when she heard the shout of a wolf. ’Is that all!’

She paused, eyes scanning her surroundings. The falcons had not noticed her yet, for she was still relatively far away, and they were too busy harassing… ah. There he was, up on his perch. She didn’t have a clear look at his face here, but she was loathe to get any closer to the angry falcons. Tentatively, she called out, “What are you doing?”

a feminine voice rang out, and velen turned toward it, still aware of his too-compromised position. "telling these birds to fuck off," he chirped back in true smart-ass fashion, tongue lolling despite the scarlet beginning to dry upon his cheek. slowly, he picked his way to a lower ledge, beginning to head down toward the woman who had called to him. the falcons were intriguing, sure, but the company of his kind would always warrant more of velen's attention.
with a satisfied grunt, the boy set his paws upon solid ground and crossed toward the stranger. she was strongly built, but it was the seriousness of her pretty eyes that beckoned, immediately piquing the young wolf's interest. "haven't you ever told a bird to fuck off?"

Grezig pulled her head back a bit in surprise at the male’s response. Telling the birds to fuck off. She blinked. How strange. Why on earth would the boy put himself in a position to anger birds with such sharp talons in the first place? He didn’t seem to be there looking for food. His sole purpose seemed to be simply to piss off the birds.

As he came nearer, he spoke again, asking her a question: ’Haven’t you ever told a bird to fuck off?’

She raised an eyebrow at him, but her voice remained flat. “No.” She looked him over. “Is that something you do often?” There was contempt in her voice—just a bit, for she could think of nothing beneficial in telling any bird to “fuck off.”

velen did not miss the note in her voice, but nor was he peturbed by it. the antics of his kith were often beyond the understanding of anyone not part of their clan; he could hardly fault her for scoffing at his foolishness. "i do," the boy answered, tongue flicking to lick the flecks of blood that had splashed along his jaws, "because when i come back for their eggs, they will remember me."
falcon eggs were a delicacy; a wolf willing to climb and snap despite the lash of their talons was not one easily forgotten. velen's eyes roved quickly over the earthen colours comprising her pelt — perhaps she was as loamy as she seemed. "i'm velen," he offered gently, accompanying the introduction with a wave of his plume. she had not driven off his good nature, not yet, despite the flatness of her own.

*cry* Sorry for the wait! What is free time? I only know school.

Grezig tilted her head slightly at the boy’s answer. “If you think they will remember you when you return, why would you piss them off on first meeting? Would it not be better to make yourself inconspicuous? If they remember you next time, taking their eggs will only be harder.”

He offered her a name and wave of his tail. “Grezig,” she responded, nodding slightly. She looked around. “Are you alone?”

no worries! im slow too! D:

boy, she asked a lot of questions for someone so scornful. "not if i murder them in the face for fucking with me," he stated with a roll of his shoulders, ears sweeping forward. "no. i'm on the coast with my siblings and a couple others, in the bay that way," he added, gesturing in the direction of where they had settled. "we're wintering there." a pause; a smile. "are you?"

He cursed a lot, something Grezig often found distracting. He was not alone, and he had just… propositioned her to join their group. Grezig gave a wan smile. “No. Sorry. I’ve got my own pack I’m trying to start, in the pine forest to the south of here.” She paused, and confided, “Not much luck so far.” It was true. Siege had said that loners would come through Neverwinter, but so far, not many had. Laroche was the only one. And then that confrontation with that one group of wolves had thrown a proverbial wrench into her plans. Still… if they could gain enough numbers, they could maybe take the forest for themselves. Neverwinter was important to her, for it was sheltered from most bad weather. She wanted that forest, and she was not above ousting a group who’d settled there before her to get it. “I’ll keep your pack’s location in mind,” she said, bringing her thoughts back to the present. “Perhaps we can form an alliance some day.”

she was quick to decline, but offered a somber sort of alliance. ford might like the sound of that, though velen knew his massive brother was far too proud to accept help unless it was absolutely needed. that was their way, after all, and it had suited skellige just fine, until of course he had met deirdre.
"it's slow going, pack-building" the chestnut-eyed boy chuffed in agreement. "a forest sounds nice. i'm always up for exploring them, even though it's the beach i prefer." a flick of a dark ear. "my sibs and i were born on a island; our dad settled here, so we're back to reclaim. where'd you live before, if you don't mind my asking?" 
though it was quite easy to see velen as invasive, too boisterous, his intentions were mere curiosity. the loyalty of the seawolf lay with his kith, and with the bay, and grezig had already turned aside his invitation. anything beyond that was mere banter.

It was hard for someone like Grezig to imagine that a wolf would prefer a beach to a forest. Then again, she’d grown up in a forest, and this male had grown up on an island. Different strokes for different folks, she guessed. “Before now…” she began, and then paused, unsure how far back he wanted her to go. She sighed. “I lived up on a plateau for a few months before this. Then… some things happened and I figured it would better to leave. So I did.” She shrugged her shoulders awkwardly and glanced at him for a moment before looking away. Talking about the Plateau still made her heart hurt.

there was a story here, and velen wanted to hear it. however, he was also socially apt enough to know when someone didn't want to talk, and so saw no reason to press grezig for her tale of woe. he assumed it was woe, for it had taken the woman from her home. of course, it could have been her own fuck-up
"well," he mused aloud. "if someone there hurt you, that's their loss." she seemed strong. capable. far more logical than him, after all. whatever had happened had ended the homelife of someone who seemed to be an asset.

Sorry this is old and I forgot about it! I’m closing it! Thanks for the thread! <3

’If someone there hurt you, that’s their loss.’

“Yes,” she mused quietly, murmuring the word so that it could barely be heard above the sound of the falcons. “I suppose it is.” She was thinking of Kavik, but thinking of him brought pain to her chest again and she forced the image of his face from her mind. 

Without seeming to remember that anyone was there, she turned and wandered away, lost in thought.

[Exit.