King Elk Forest with baited breath

for @Mato <3

 

To say that Nova was on edge was an understatement, she was anxious for Mato and Seabreeze to return from the Caldera - and while she could have gone along she didn't want to. It was childish but she was still a child in that sense, not wanting to get too close to the borders of a place she'd felt unwelcome from since day one. Still, she wanted to see her father and other siblings, but, she couldn't leave while Mato was gone. Not that she didn't trust the others but she also didn't know them and it left a lot of questions for her still up in the air. 

With a soft sigh the girl tracked some game, catching sight for a moment of the King Elk as he made his graceful pass through the forest. It made her pause, for a moment blue eyes meeting the eyes of the elk. She held her breath, eventually averting her eyes to not try and pose any threat. He was massive, antlers full of poise and a sense of grace to him. No doubt she would have fallen if she'd taken him on, but, she didn't want to. 

♥

As Mato follows Nova’s scent wanting to give her the run-down on how the visit to the Caldera had gone ( not well admittedly ) but figuring that she wanted to know despite having not gone. Mato hadn’t bothered asking her, either, if only because he presumed he already knew her answer; but now he understands in a way he had not been able to before. The druid gives pause at the heavy footfalls of the King Elk fall upon his ears and waits with baited breath as the magnificent beast strides past him. A shiver slithers down the empyrean’s spine as he takes in the sheer size of the king elk and it’s massive antlers. It has not fought: not for the territory, not for a mate but surely he is old enough to procreate for he does not strike the starlit king as young; his antlers are towering and thick, in no way chipped or unbroken leaving Mato to wonder if any other male would be dense enough to challenge the king elk. Mato does not move from the spot he froze in, and for a moment the two kings stare at one another — the young and the ancient, the wolf and the elk, the god and the mortal. A respect passes between them ( or perhaps it is a tolerance from the elk and Mato simply flatters himself ); unspoken words before the King Elk lets out a low snort and moves on his path.

Mato releases the breath he’d held and continues on to where Nova’s scent is the strongest. He is not even in her vicinity properly before he breathes, “Did you see him too? The King Elk?” with breathless excitement and awe in his voice, offering his sister a gentle and affectionate nudge to her muzzle in way of proper greeting.

 
Nova felt herself not moving, not breathing until the Elk had passed her and she was released from it's hold. Of course there was no claim that the creature could make that the wolves could not topple - but it would be done with bloodshed and loss no doubt. A beast so magnificent wouldn't go down easily and to take them down almost felt sacrilegious. Of course wolves had to eat, but, this wasn't the way they needed to go. Not with the King Elk. Nova let out a breath once the beast had passed her on, and it seemed only moments later that Mato had found her. "Yes," She admitted, turning to face him and press a few gentle kisses to his cheek. While it wasn't a brutal show of submission she was still respectful to him not only as her brother but as her Morwinyon.

"We met eyes - he looked right at me." It was a little awe inspiring, to be honest, and had frozen her right in place. "I'm so glad you're back," Nova admitted with a gentle smile, tail giving a few sways behind her. She was eager to hear how it had gone - and to maybe discuss her own trip to see their father and siblings, as loathe as she truly was to go back to the Caldera. 

Nova responds to his question with affirmation that she, too, saw him: the King Elk. A beast, admittedly, that the druid had hoped was more than just fable. “He is truly magnificent.” Mato breathes, having never seen anything so ethereal in his life and harbors the sneaking suspicion that there may never be any sight to top the King Elk ( but then again, he’s young and doesn’t consider that, you know, birth of his someday children might actually top the King Elk ). “Me too.” Mato breathes a lofty sigh to Nova’s expressed joy that he has returned. “I did not return alone, though. Grandfather and Malice have came to join our ranks with their skills.” Mato informs her, in case Nova wishes to see them; the empyrean is glad to have Burke and Malice, and cannot help the soft scowl that twists his features as he thinks how it is an honor to have Burke’s expertise and how unjustified the Caldera’s treatment of him was. “You were right about the Caldera,” Mato speaks then, figuring he might as well dive right into it since it was more than likely to come up anyway. “A child had told grandfather and by extension Malice that they had to leave because he was taking resources from the Alpha pair’s pups,” The druid recalls the story as he was told it. “They refused to let grandfather eat because they keep spawning when they do not have the resources to do so.” Fools. He had yet to actually meet anyone from the Caldera ( that he wasn’t related to ) and perhaps one day, if he did, his impression formed currently may change. Or perhaps it may not; but currently the Morwinyon holds little more than disgust and contempt for based off of what he’s been told.

Even now, it unsettles him and causes his umbra dusted hackles to bristle with anger. Not an emotion that Mato feels often. The druid was not very aggressive, not even passively; but beneath his eloquence he is primal like all others. Or perhaps it is the king in him that feels the slow burning, seething rage at such injustices; because he could never imagine stealing food from an elder, because he would never allow reproduction if he was not sure that Tindómë could support everyone. He would never risk it for both the adults and the babes. “Needless to say, it did not go well. Grandfather and father got into an argument and Benjamin acted like an angry, spoiled child. In front of Brienne. Not exactly how I wished for her introduction to the rest of the family to go.” He is still embarrassed about how they all acted in front of her and couldn’t help but think, bitterly, that he would not blame her if she balked at the idea of someday joining the family.

Realizing that he has info dumped Nova, the empyrean offers her a sheepish look of apology.

 

While the pair are enthusiastic and eager to share the encounter with the patron god of the forest neither can negate the need for updates for long; Nova yearns to hear of the trip and Mato has much to share and unload as well. Hearing that both Burke and Malice have joined them made her tail fly into a flurry behind her, eyes going a bit wide with the unexpected news. How fortunate for them! She knew that both had a colorful history, leading multiple packs before retiring of sorts of the Fen. Before Nova can even offer up her opinion Mato admits that the Caldera had been unfit, and Nova's surprised expression turns sour before going completely blank. It's become the standard way she expressed (or didn't!) her opinion over the place that had taken them in. While Finley and Elwood might not have been bad they certainly weren't opening up the friendly home that they thought they were. 

"What!?" To hear that they had been denying food and that it had been a child that dictated things made Nova's blood boil. "I bet I know who it was." Nova didn't need to ask questions or even run down a list. Towhee had never taken to any of them, her disdainful behavior somehow making her think she was elevated in her stature. Someday she would learn, and when that time came, no doubt it would be a lesson learned the hard way. "They wasted the opportunity to learn from their elders." Not that Malice was old but she was experienced, and often the young woman lumped her right in with Burke when it came to their age and prestige. She gave a breathy sigh when she heard that they had been squabbling like children right in front of Brienne, and gingerly Nova reached out to nuzzle against Mato's chin like she might soothe some of the angst away. 



"Well, Granpa has never gotten along with Daddy. It's not a surprise there. Best she learns that now than get surprised by it later." She offered in jest; well, partially at least. If she stuck around and what was slowly brewing between Mato and Brienne grew she'd find out eventually. "Did you see Benny or Ivy at all?" She asked curiously, a hopeful note to her voice. Maybe her other siblings were doing well, too, and they might have been alright over all. 

“I’d ask you to tell me your suspect but perhaps it is better I remain ignorant.” Burke and Malice had not given him a specific name and if Mato had it within his grasp he would not forget it, might even do something reckless and utter un-Mato like in a quest to knock arrogant whelp from pedestal. It is not for a child to dictate such thing and what sort of parents condone such behavior from their brats? Mato is not habitually aggressive ( passive or otherwise ) and he does not enjoy the swelling heat of his anger. It burns too much, threatens to consume if he does not temper it. “Grandfather and Malice are invaluable and though I wish the circumstances of their arrival were not how they’d been I am glad they are here.” The druid agrees with his sister’s words.

The empyrean’s sister makes a good point: that the disagreement between their father and grandfather is nothing relatively new and that it’s better Aerlinn see it all now before ….well. It was always good to be honest about things regardless of how humiliating it’d been. “Nevertheless they could have extended effort to be more polite to one another in her presence.” Mato does not necessarily begrudge the two their feud ( not that he’s overly sure why they squabble as they do ). “It was not exactly how I’d imagined taking her to meet the rest of our family to go.” Things rarely went how one imagined them, though and he knows this. “Only Benjamin,” The druid replies drawing in a soft breath and letting it fall from betwixt his lips in a sigh. “His reaction to everything was quite …childish. He became angry and ran off after Burke informed him that mother and you were not coming back.” As if their brother never grew up and though Mato feels guilt regarding it he’d been annoyed by his brother’s very childish behavior. He speaks the words with delicacy knowing that so easily his words could come off as rude. He doesn’t necessarily mean them as so but he also does not speak it as a compliment. His thoughts on Benjamin’s refusal to grow up are quite clear and he feels surprise that he’d never noticed before …but of course Mato had never been overly close to Benjamin and was much too wrapped up in his own selfish ventures.

“I didn’t tell them you were here. I did not think that was my choice to make but it might do father and Benjamin some good to know that you are with me and safe.” Mato makes the suggestion lightly: absent pressure. He will certainly never force Nova into anything she doesn’t want to do. The starlit king shifts his weight, ears pivoting atop his skull for a second as he studies Nova curious as to her reaction to all he has left her with.