two daughters - one dark as she was, one tawny grey. she loved them fiercely in a manner she did not think possible, and in the early glow of the morning watched them closely as they inhaled, exhaled, suckled at her stomach. her concentration was fierce and yet not entirely motivated by love. she knew sharply that only a distance away sat twin piles of feces and worms, the stench growing, twisting its way into the sanctity of the whelping den. and yet she'd lost any hope that sanctity could exist here. it took one look at the woman who cooed and fussed over the pestilence to remind her starkly that the Blackfeather she hoped would come out of the new ranks was little more than a fantasy.
"This is Hell, of course."
foolish to think it was the wolves that made it that way. Potema had warned her all those months ago, and yet the woman had returned, and brought with her two lived untouched by the world. it was this place, she was convinced, that lay heavy like a blight upon the Wilds, and it broke to pieces all those that settled here, or else otherwise sharpened them and twisted them into something terrible.
the woman shifted, uncomfortable. she had not left her pups since Maegi had birthed her pestilence and taken her vigil on the edge of the Glen, and her coat lacked its sheen, matted with dust and earth. she could not allow the twisted wood to make its way into the minds and hearts of her children - she would protect them, in that she was resolute.
"This is Hell, of course."
foolish to think it was the wolves that made it that way. Potema had warned her all those months ago, and yet the woman had returned, and brought with her two lived untouched by the world. it was this place, she was convinced, that lay heavy like a blight upon the Wilds, and it broke to pieces all those that settled here, or else otherwise sharpened them and twisted them into something terrible.
the woman shifted, uncomfortable. she had not left her pups since Maegi had birthed her pestilence and taken her vigil on the edge of the Glen, and her coat lacked its sheen, matted with dust and earth. she could not allow the twisted wood to make its way into the minds and hearts of her children - she would protect them, in that she was resolute.
That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die.
And with strange aeons even death may die.
June 04, 2019, 01:06 PM
she was going to leave to seek the melonii's whereabouts soon, in fact ever since hearing ramsay's request her whole form had become an animation of pure energy- bones buzzing as if hooked to a live wire with a growing restlessness at the prospect of getting to do something. however she'd forced herself to remain within the woods for the time being, moonshadow was so vulnerable and although istoira seemed to keep a close eye over her she was aware maegi too had seemed close to arrival. it just seemed like the wrong time to leave, how could she forgive herself if the melonii attacked when maegi too was vulnerable while she was out hunting them down like an idiot when all the while her pack were being slain? she certainly couldn't have that. as she walked she wondered, would aries be there when she did uncover their location? she was supposed to remain hidden away, she'd been warned not to put herself in unecessary danger but these melonii's were like snakes- arriving home unmarked whilst possible seemed like a pretty small chance of an outcome.
she was pretty lost in thought as she walked, tail lashing occasionaly in an uncharacteristic display of agitation. sticking around had turned out to be a pretty fucking waste of time in the end. maegi had brought nothing into the world but sickness and whilst tundra worshipped no gods, sought no signs- it would take an idiot to believe anything good could come of what had happened. even worst, the young leader's mind had also spiraled and tundra would sometimes approach where she resided with an almost hopeful look to her dark eyes only to leave with teeth grit in frustration as she was met by the same scene every single time. the silver woman cooing over the revolting pools of filth at her paws.
she didn't even trust herself to speak to her leader, fearing she wouldn't be able to keep a lid on the annoyance thrashing about within her gut like an angry snake and words too harsh would spill from her jaws. but seriously, what the fuck? this couldn't go on, what did that sight say about the pack even to any of the members within? it suggested madness, the thing maegi had preached against at the very beginning and now met with open arms as if wanting nothing more than to bury herself in it. dammit she felt betrayed and maybe it was a harsh reaction considering what the girl had endured but at that moment tundra could only think for what she thought was the woods but was perhaps a bit more herself. she wanted to shake the leader, remind her she chose to become the wood's protector and by failing to do so was betraying every single being that resided here. no one said it was going to be a stroll in the park. so although she tended to remain close to the area she refused to engage in direct contact with the nona and simply walking under a cloud of utter frustration at her inability to do anything.
her former life would have her snapping at the woman and disposing of those disgusting violations against nature but things weren't like that here, that kind of behaviour could have her in all sorts of trouble. such mind consuming thoughts had her forgetting maegi wasn't the only "mother" residing here and it wasn't until that sickening aroma of milk surrounded her that the pale woman would halt with a start, surprise flashing briefly in otherwise hollow dark eyes. "shit sorry" she'd mutter, stepping back with an quick dip of her head. she had only landed herself a good few lengths away so it wasn't like she'd really directly approached the woman but still she knew mother's were pretty protective so the apology had seemed necessary anyway. with a blink, her head would tilt to the side briefly- she hadn't seen the dark girl before. "i didn't mean to wander so close, i was pretty lost in thought" she'd elaborate, fighing the want to express that she was usually always on full alert. with that she'd linger only because it seemed rude to just leave at that, but if she wasn't wanted she'd be happy to get away from the pups despite a slight curiosity as to where the newcomer had come from.
she was pretty lost in thought as she walked, tail lashing occasionaly in an uncharacteristic display of agitation. sticking around had turned out to be a pretty fucking waste of time in the end. maegi had brought nothing into the world but sickness and whilst tundra worshipped no gods, sought no signs- it would take an idiot to believe anything good could come of what had happened. even worst, the young leader's mind had also spiraled and tundra would sometimes approach where she resided with an almost hopeful look to her dark eyes only to leave with teeth grit in frustration as she was met by the same scene every single time. the silver woman cooing over the revolting pools of filth at her paws.
she didn't even trust herself to speak to her leader, fearing she wouldn't be able to keep a lid on the annoyance thrashing about within her gut like an angry snake and words too harsh would spill from her jaws. but seriously, what the fuck? this couldn't go on, what did that sight say about the pack even to any of the members within? it suggested madness, the thing maegi had preached against at the very beginning and now met with open arms as if wanting nothing more than to bury herself in it. dammit she felt betrayed and maybe it was a harsh reaction considering what the girl had endured but at that moment tundra could only think for what she thought was the woods but was perhaps a bit more herself. she wanted to shake the leader, remind her she chose to become the wood's protector and by failing to do so was betraying every single being that resided here. no one said it was going to be a stroll in the park. so although she tended to remain close to the area she refused to engage in direct contact with the nona and simply walking under a cloud of utter frustration at her inability to do anything.
her former life would have her snapping at the woman and disposing of those disgusting violations against nature but things weren't like that here, that kind of behaviour could have her in all sorts of trouble. such mind consuming thoughts had her forgetting maegi wasn't the only "mother" residing here and it wasn't until that sickening aroma of milk surrounded her that the pale woman would halt with a start, surprise flashing briefly in otherwise hollow dark eyes. "shit sorry" she'd mutter, stepping back with an quick dip of her head. she had only landed herself a good few lengths away so it wasn't like she'd really directly approached the woman but still she knew mother's were pretty protective so the apology had seemed necessary anyway. with a blink, her head would tilt to the side briefly- she hadn't seen the dark girl before. "i didn't mean to wander so close, i was pretty lost in thought" she'd elaborate, fighing the want to express that she was usually always on full alert. with that she'd linger only because it seemed rude to just leave at that, but if she wasn't wanted she'd be happy to get away from the pups despite a slight curiosity as to where the newcomer had come from.
![[Image: ezgif-com-gif-maker.gif]](https://i.postimg.cc/0jGdFRQ6/ezgif-com-gif-maker.gif)
June 04, 2019, 03:59 PM
the movement awakes her from her near-rest, lidded gaze tracking carefully the meandering steps of the stranger. she is a packmate, but that sentiment alone does not bring the comfort that it should. Cassiopeia shifts, gaze growing sharp, but the brief flash of sincere surprise when the woman finally stops is enough for her to soften her guard. the woman is impassive as she backpedals, but when the stranger stops she rises carefully from her children and moves forward to meet her, casting a backward glance at the two bundles and ignoring the stiffness in her limbs. "I can see that." she offered, head dipping a fraction in acceptance of her explanation.
she gives her pelt a stiff shake, gaze moving back towards the woman. "I am Cassiopeia." she doesn't move to introduce the two children for the reason that it's obvious they are hers, and still remain nameless. those will come, she thinks surely, when she settles on something fitting. despite herself, her gaze shifts to the twin piles of feces, something heavy and reminiscent in her gaze. if Potema's line is doomed to madness, what does that mean of her own children? nothing. she will protect them from this possibility, too. they are better off with some unknown father, surely, than one who links them to this place. and for now, unknown he will remain.
but her focus again is on the stranger, now, hoping her own greeting will prompt her to offer her own. despite it all, she could use allies.
she gives her pelt a stiff shake, gaze moving back towards the woman. "I am Cassiopeia." she doesn't move to introduce the two children for the reason that it's obvious they are hers, and still remain nameless. those will come, she thinks surely, when she settles on something fitting. despite herself, her gaze shifts to the twin piles of feces, something heavy and reminiscent in her gaze. if Potema's line is doomed to madness, what does that mean of her own children? nothing. she will protect them from this possibility, too. they are better off with some unknown father, surely, than one who links them to this place. and for now, unknown he will remain.
but her focus again is on the stranger, now, hoping her own greeting will prompt her to offer her own. despite it all, she could use allies.
That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die.
And with strange aeons even death may die.
June 08, 2019, 04:11 PM
she is glad to find her appearance isn't met with complete hostility, she definitely wasn't in the mood to get her fur ruffled over nothing but the mother seems to be reasonable if nothing else. dark eyes follow the woman's movements tonelessly until she stands before her. eyes drift over her now that she stands, observing a pelt of darkness side a dusting of lighter hairs to the back of her, set with eyes of bright emerald. definitely would have remembered seeing her around before. her eyes follow the other's gaze back to the small bodies she'd left behind and tundra couldn't help but blink curiously upon shifting her attention back to her company. this pack was the last place she'd expect a mother to come seeking comfort, not to diss her home or anything but she just didn't think the dark, looming forest screamed 'sanctuary'. then again, she shouldn't be so quick to make assumptions- perhaps the dark woman hadn't had much of a choice, or maybe she had a connection with this old forest. this place had seemed to affect manys a wolf around here at some stage in their life, either for better or for worse.
anyway, maybe instead of letting her mind run the way it just seemed to love to, focusing on the actual conversation could be a better idea. she might learn real stuff then. 'cassiopeia' the name brings an unbidden smile to her face, small yes but present all the same. tundra had always been fond of the stars that scattered their skies at night, likely due to how a lot of the few memories she could categorize as anything 'good' from her time before teekon had been accompanied by either talk of stars or the ethereal things themselves. not too long ago such fragments of her past would have hurt but in time they'd settled into something much more bittersweet. "cassiopeia" she'd echo softly "like the constellation?" perhaps that meant nothing to the other, after all sometimes a name was just that, a name but the word would always remind her of simple moments during hard times.
rolling her shoulders, she'd proceed to nod and offer up her own name; "i'm tundra" she can't help but notice the way her newfound company's attention is drawn to the sight of maegi not too far off, likely still crooning over those puddles of filth. her jaw remains stubbornly set despite a longing to share her own thoughts on the display with someone, this wolf is still a stranger to her and wether she's a stranger to blackfeather or not is something she has yet to know so because of that there's still a desire to defend maegi's state to the 'outside world'. yet not finding words to express that either she settles for silence, deciding to act as if she'd missed the glance, not caring much if it was obvious that she'd chosen to stay silent on it.
"i don't believe i've seen you..you's around here before" she'd prompt, hoping for some sort of explanation as to who she was because in the end, name's meant nothing but a polite gesture unless they were familiar to you. she'd glance back to the pup's once more but didn't linger on them, still a sore spot for her it seemed.
anyway, maybe instead of letting her mind run the way it just seemed to love to, focusing on the actual conversation could be a better idea. she might learn real stuff then. 'cassiopeia' the name brings an unbidden smile to her face, small yes but present all the same. tundra had always been fond of the stars that scattered their skies at night, likely due to how a lot of the few memories she could categorize as anything 'good' from her time before teekon had been accompanied by either talk of stars or the ethereal things themselves. not too long ago such fragments of her past would have hurt but in time they'd settled into something much more bittersweet. "cassiopeia" she'd echo softly "like the constellation?" perhaps that meant nothing to the other, after all sometimes a name was just that, a name but the word would always remind her of simple moments during hard times.
rolling her shoulders, she'd proceed to nod and offer up her own name; "i'm tundra" she can't help but notice the way her newfound company's attention is drawn to the sight of maegi not too far off, likely still crooning over those puddles of filth. her jaw remains stubbornly set despite a longing to share her own thoughts on the display with someone, this wolf is still a stranger to her and wether she's a stranger to blackfeather or not is something she has yet to know so because of that there's still a desire to defend maegi's state to the 'outside world'. yet not finding words to express that either she settles for silence, deciding to act as if she'd missed the glance, not caring much if it was obvious that she'd chosen to stay silent on it.
"i don't believe i've seen you..you's around here before" she'd prompt, hoping for some sort of explanation as to who she was because in the end, name's meant nothing but a polite gesture unless they were familiar to you. she'd glance back to the pup's once more but didn't linger on them, still a sore spot for her it seemed.
June 09, 2019, 11:14 AM
she wonders idly if by staying, she could have protected Maegi from this. but that was so long ago, and what-ifs are not something she prefers to dwell on. they lead to ugly thoughts and ugly answers, and she'd not dwell in the past. the woman echoes her name, and at her query Cassiopeia dips her head. she does not know any other reason why her mother would name her such; it seemed some part of Olive was perpetually cast among the stars and skies. it is not, however, a question most ask, and she is curious. "do you know much of the stars?" she's not found another with any interest in them besides her mother, and so her own knowledge and love for them had suffered because of it.
she committed the woman's face and name to memory, matching the moniker easily with the pale of her pelt. her next few words are a veiled question, and she understands the curiosity of her arrival here. it is a terrible place to seek refuge, surely, though now that she has she's bound to them by honour and duty; she'd told Ramsay as much. "you wouldn't have," she confirmed, and was glad for it. if she had been the type to run with the woods during her time here, she would have been more guarded. "I lived here when Maegi was born. her, and her two brothers." she did not mention the other's that died by their mother's fang. once more, she glances at Maegi. she is her mother's daughter and not; both touched with madness, though Potema's bred hate and Maegi's born out of love and loss. her gaze returns to Tundra. "when war came and destroyed them, I'd already left. I've only been here a fortnight, at most."
That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die.
And with strange aeons even death may die.
June 13, 2019, 06:15 AM
the stars...a soft sigh slips silently from pale jaws as her eyes instinctively reach for the skies above despite the thickly woven branches blocking most of her view and well, it wasn't like she was going to see any in the middle of the day anyway. she allows her gaze to return to the darkly cloaked woman once more and shakes her head slightly. "not too much" she admits honestly, despite a lingering fondness for them she was no expert. all she knew was what she'd been told and then again, she had no solid proof that even that was true. that led to her wondering- who was it that got to decide things like that? who was the first wolf to gaze at those star scattered skies and assign names to the bundles of lights? "i used to know someone, he.." she'd inhale softly, it was the first time she'd spoken of him aloud and although she refused to even allow a name into the equation it still had her heart wincing at the notion. "he was really fond of the way the world worked, he told me stuff about them" and while wolves fought, bled and died not too far off somehow he'd find solace and peace looking up at this sky and promising me that somewhere we could look at this exact spot and stand on ground not slicked in constant blood and death...she'd found his world, if only he'd gotten to too.
she swallows hastily, shocked by the sudden swarm of emotions to puncture her gut and has to glance away to regain her composure. luckily she manages to conceal it better than she feels like she does; perhaps a slight wince is visible to her company but that wouldn't seem to out of the ordinary, she knew she wasn't the only wolf to have not so great pasts. just these random bouts of emotion were a whole bigger deal to someone who had grown so isolated from them, teekon had been chipping at this wall bit by bit and the longer she resided here the weaker it grew. she was beyond grateful when bertók made a sudden appearance- gliding with his silent grace until landing on a low branch near tundra- only inches above their heads. with a small smile she'd nod in the raven's direction; "that's bertók" she'd introduce, watching as he cawed softly before settling further onto his perch. she'd linger on him only a moment longer before looking back to cassiopeia; the distraction helping steady herself once more.
this new knowledge surprised her and she'd blink with enhanced curiousity now, leaning back on her haunches with a small tilt to her head. her gaze follows the other's to the young nona and a sigh drifts free of her jaws once more, yea she seemed angry at the scarred girl but that wasn't it really; she was just angry at the situation and maegi just happened to be at the receiving end of it. after all it was easier to push frustration onto a being than a situation you could do nothing about. she'd glance back until her company finished all she had to say. "this place has some history doesn't it" she'd murmur, she wondered who maegi's other brother was. she only knew of her and ramsay, still she chose not to press on it for now at least. the war, she'd heard of that from moonshadow too. "it's strange...despite initially knowing absolutely nothing about this place, from the moment i was accepted the first time by relmyna i felt a tug here, even before that" she'd frown a moment longer before simply shrugging "i dunno, i think this place just has potential"
she'd flick her tail to the side, kind of surprised she'd said so much to the girl considering this was literally the first time she'd ever seen her but it felt good to talk. she'd blink once more before asking; "what brought you back?"
she swallows hastily, shocked by the sudden swarm of emotions to puncture her gut and has to glance away to regain her composure. luckily she manages to conceal it better than she feels like she does; perhaps a slight wince is visible to her company but that wouldn't seem to out of the ordinary, she knew she wasn't the only wolf to have not so great pasts. just these random bouts of emotion were a whole bigger deal to someone who had grown so isolated from them, teekon had been chipping at this wall bit by bit and the longer she resided here the weaker it grew. she was beyond grateful when bertók made a sudden appearance- gliding with his silent grace until landing on a low branch near tundra- only inches above their heads. with a small smile she'd nod in the raven's direction; "that's bertók" she'd introduce, watching as he cawed softly before settling further onto his perch. she'd linger on him only a moment longer before looking back to cassiopeia; the distraction helping steady herself once more.
this new knowledge surprised her and she'd blink with enhanced curiousity now, leaning back on her haunches with a small tilt to her head. her gaze follows the other's to the young nona and a sigh drifts free of her jaws once more, yea she seemed angry at the scarred girl but that wasn't it really; she was just angry at the situation and maegi just happened to be at the receiving end of it. after all it was easier to push frustration onto a being than a situation you could do nothing about. she'd glance back until her company finished all she had to say. "this place has some history doesn't it" she'd murmur, she wondered who maegi's other brother was. she only knew of her and ramsay, still she chose not to press on it for now at least. the war, she'd heard of that from moonshadow too. "it's strange...despite initially knowing absolutely nothing about this place, from the moment i was accepted the first time by relmyna i felt a tug here, even before that" she'd frown a moment longer before simply shrugging "i dunno, i think this place just has potential"
she'd flick her tail to the side, kind of surprised she'd said so much to the girl considering this was literally the first time she'd ever seen her but it felt good to talk. she'd blink once more before asking; "what brought you back?"
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