Ankyra Sound the oracle told him to beware the ides

@Cerulean? :)

He ventured to the coast.

It was a far different sight, when he pushed through the tangle and met the salty air and sandy shores. When he made it to the sound, he stared around. Allies to the east, the islands out in the sea.

He thought of Marina.

Had she traveled into the taiga yet? Had she found more knowledge, more faces to learn from?

His claws flexed into the cold, damp sand. Tempted to call for her but uncertain if it would even be heard, if it would even be answered.

So he continued to prowl along the sound.

EEEE

she trailed aimlessly along the wide swath of the sound.  the snow that had fallen had not stuck, but had left the sand damp and gray.  it was cold and unwelcoming here compared to the relative density of the islands, and she shivered as the breeze ran its fingers through her short coat.

she thought he was a hallucination at first.  perhaps it was just wishful thinking that she saw his form carved against the ascending cliff faces that surrounded them.  but as she approached, she knew it was him.

he stood, tentatively contemplating something, before he moved again.

she emit a howl for him, low and welcoming.

A howl.

Not a lonesome one, not even a neighboring pack wolf making some sort of summons for their own. This was a call for him.

From her.

His head turned, red eyes settled on her form. This time softer. Not so pointed in the way he admired her presence. He physically turned to her. A slow lope until he would be nearer to her.

Once near enough, he breathed out in wispy tendrils of air, her name.

Marina,

He found himself speechless beyond that.

he seemed relieved to have found a friend instead of a stranger.  if she were honest with herself, she was, too.  strangers could be interesting, but there was comfort to be found in something more predictable.  not that she knew him well enough to predict him.  prophet, she echoed in greeting.

are you lost?  you did not call for me, she chided with playful intent, tilting her head as she surveys him from below.

He remembered that he had greeted her in that way last time. Snorted softly for it.

You said, if I find you, and I had not yet.

A soft roll of his shoulders, gaze fluttered out to the ocean before it returned back to her. It was not often he got to be humorous.

In fact, it seems we've switched roles here. You found me and called, hm?

a small laugh expels a plume of fog from her nostrils.  she is not the kind of wolf that makes jokes or callbacks, and the behavior comes as a surprise, even to her.

that is fair, she admits.  he says he had not found her yet, but it made her believe he had been looking, and she does not quite know what to do with that.  she had offered.  why was she surprised?  i have.  this is a better view for us, at least.

A better view.

That it was, for multiple reasons. None of which he voiced. Only rumbled approval and agreement.

Will you walk the sound with me? He offered with a soft sweeping motion of his muzzle. There was plenty to explore, at least for him. Perhaps she had seen this place before, living so close to it.

she had only been here once.  it was where she had met the listener, where her life had forever changed.  suddenly, she found herself wishing she had spent more time exploring, so that she might have something impressive to show.  she offers a nod in response and moves to walk at his side.

how is it, back at home?  she found herself puzzled by the druids and their lifestyle.  she had met many of them, only briefly, and each interaction had felt like a test.  is it always the same?  patrolling and sparring?  that's how she had envisioned it, from his depiction.

He had not given much thought to how much of his life was a pattern. Repetitive and determined, but there was comfort to be found in that. To train his blod or guard the claim of Redtail.

More or less, He was unbothered by this. Unless I come out here. Strangers offer surprises. He hummed deeply, eyes flicking around their surroundings. Always they returned to her.

Why do you ask? Seeking more knowledge? A brow arching softly.

she found herself envious, which also came as a surprise.  her life had always been the same until the moment it hadn't, and since then she had found everything in turmoil.  she wondered what the rest of his life looked like.  did he have friends?  was she his friend?  the realization of how isolated she was sunk in around her.

i have found strangers to be most worth the endeavor.  travel was little to pay in exchange for the diversity their company provided.  


one could say that, she admits, but not on behalf of the druids. my life is not so simple. i look forward to my days of sameness.

Her words were...odd. Not literally, but it felt like an exposure of herself to him — or perhaps he was reading too much into it. Desperate to see the Rise thrive, desperate to offer places to those who deserved it.

And she yearned for sameness.

You could find it easily, if you looked... He trailed off hesitantly. Uncertain if he would be over stepping. Uncertain if he wished to possibly crumble whatever friendship might have been building here with unasked for advice.

she had misspoken.  for a moment, her face breaks to show the apologetic flood she feels within.  oh, she says, stumbling over her words.  she does not want to give the wrong impression twice.

it wasn't that the implied offer upset her.  it was that she couldn't do anything about it.  in desperation, here on these sands, she had given her life to the listener in return for viridian's wellbeing.  she grasps to find a balance between too honest and too vulnerable.

but perhaps she was reading into something where there had never been anything at all.  maybe his advice was just that, and she had written in an offer that had never been said.  she finds her footing again.

i have obligations that prevent me.  if he wanted to know more, she might elaborate, but she was too reserved to burden him with these feelings outright.  but i find sameness in these adventures away from home.

every one, another stranger.

He felt as if he had overstepped.

He watched her features, heard her reserved words. Perhaps a man of more tact would have directed conversation elsewhere. Instead he still found himself only further curious in Marina, these obligations that kept her away from what it seemed she desried.

Might I know? Your obligations.

Clearly whatever they were did not keep her to the island sun up and down. She still roamed. She claimed to find her sameness in that.

ooo post 100 for you!

she watches him watching her and senses that she has done something wrong.  it was not the conversation that had upset her, but the way the vibe had changed.  she grasped at it desperately, afraid of losing his company.  she couldn't bear to be abandoned, but she knew she didn't have a right to feel that way.  she barely knew him.  it wasn't his fault she had no friends. 

he asks what obligations she has, and she doesn't know where to begin.  it was complicated.  i made a deal.

i have two sisters that i take care of.  lazuline would have been furious upon the admission, but lazuline wasn't here.  one is gravely ill.  her lip tightens.  i am no healer.  the druids are treating her, in exchange for my service.  she is — better now, but,

it seemed like she was going to say something else, but she didn't.

she cleared her throat instead.

Two sisters to tend to. One gravely ill.

The druids tended to her in exchange. She was bettering but —

What? He had told himself he would not push, but here he was. Too tangled up in concern for her and these deals she spoke of. The knitting of his brow over blood eyes was tight.

But what, Marina?

His voice soft despite the hardening of his features.

the words come out abrupt, like a balloon letting out air. i still don't know if she's going to make it.

she devolves quickly into a line of thinking that would do her no good.  was it lazuline's fault that her belligerent persistence lead to someone's death? was it her fault for bringing them here in response to their exile? was it viridian's fault for pissing on moonglow's caches?  was it the snowbird's fault for attacking them?

or did it start earlier, somewhere untraceable?

she thought of all the paths she had been locked into, and the paths she still had left to take. 

the druids are skilled, she says, to ease herself and her company.  i am grateful to have met you, prophet.  and she was grateful to call him her friend, if only to herself.

What a horrible thing to hear.

A frown creased his features further, she was quick to reassure though. That these druids truly are skilled. Yet he wonders why she feared such if they were so talented. Perhaps it is something not able to be healed.

He wished to push more, to press further. But he does not. Instead he was swept up in her kindness.

And I am grateful to have met you, Marina.

We should meet more often... He speaks, uncertain of what she would make of his offer. Perhaps it will add some more of that sameness that you crave.

in a moment, things had settled.  the vibe could not be recaptured but the comfort could, and that was enough.  in his offer was the implication of what she desired most; companionship.

i would like that, she says, careful not to seem too forward.  should i come visit the taiga, next time?

Excitement.

It thrummed at his heart.

You should, Steady and calm. Composed. I promise there is more to the taiga than just the twisted branches of the tangle.

i can start another in the taiga for us today/tomorrow! feel free 2 fade

i believe you, she says, but i will find out soon.

with that, she offered a small smile, and turned to leave.

would love that!! fading out <3

He would watch her, eyes hot upon the back of her. When he lost her to the tangled branches or distance, he would finally turn to head back home.

The need for adventure seemed to hush its roar in his bones.