Cedar Sweep Ghost Train

Gracious kept a light pace, her long strides engulfed the freshly snow topped ground. Light crunch noises were emitted from her paws as she moved along, foggy breaths escaped her coal black lips, making her appear to be a dragon with every exhale. Snowflakes danced around her as she moved along, the sun was covered by the sheets of grey clouds where frozen tears cascaded towards Earth. She felt the chill of the light breeze blow through her, sending shivers down her spine and through her body like an electrical current.

She stopped in her tracks after she reached what seemed to be the edge of a large forest full of tall cedars. Grey gems pulled themselves up to glance at the magnificence of the trees, almost basking in the silent beauty of them. Gracious almost felt speechless, her eyes began to glaze over just a bit out of pure wonder and a lack of focus.

Before she could go any further in her dream like state, the burly woman felt another shiver rack through her bones, signaling to her that she needed to find some cover. Although her coat was thick, Gracious still didn’t favor the cold as much as she did the spring and summer. Perhaps, she could force herself to become more accustomsted to the chilling weather, or at least, appreciate some things about the cooler seasons. She did enjoy the snowy days, where clean snow marked fresh paths and snowflakes fluttered around her like little dancing companions. But the cold was just never appealing to her. Maybe, with more time spent in these wilds, she would enjoy it more.

With one last look at the trees, the lady moved from her apt and entered the big forest, curious as to where her paws would lead her.

*STEALS THIS*

once again he returns to the sweep, though he doesn't intend to stay long. he's not really got any reason to be away from tindómë's borders now and it's probably not something he's supposed to be doing as nénar, but. whatever. he's not gonna get scolded and he wants to stretch his legs. (sometimes he wakes up and his heart aches and he has to get away even if just for a minute to catch his breath.)

winter's chill is insistent and demanding and delight is glad tindómë has grown enough to put away thoughts of relocating until it warms. he's not surprised to catch scent of another in the sweep - his encounters here have been frequent enough that he's learning it's fairly well traveled. the nénar does not exactly set out to find the other, but lets his steps drift in the direction of the scent until he sees their form in the distance. a large, sturdily built character - a woman, he thinks, despite her build (a funny parrallel to him, the delicate androgyne, although delight doesn't give much attention to 'gender' nor particularly cares if  he's labeled male or female). curious and emboldened by his recent socializations, the wisp draws closer to her. "getting chilly," he says by way of greeting, his tone as usual not-quite warm but certainly not hostile.

ooc: *latches onto*

As the free spirit moves onward, she takes notice to how dwarfed she feels with the Cedar trees being so tall. They surrounded her like an army trying to protect a valuable person, a person of interest. Grace almost laughed at the thought of her being important to things, even as lifeless as trees. She wasn’t important to anyone, but she didn’t mind, anyways. The importance could perhaps come later when she find her own niche to call hers, her own family that will fill in the spot where the old one was in her heart. Perhaps then, she would feel important to others. But until then, she would travel alone and dance with the snowflakes until her paws gave in to weakness and exhaustion.

It was not long until a scent was caught in her nose that brought Gracious to stop in her tracks and lift her gaze up. Her eyes were no longer as glazed as they were when she started to walk again, they began to grow crisp and sharp- yet still they retained a gentle shimmer of warmth and politeness in them. She turned around slowly, making a small pirouette to face where the scent was wafting from. She admired the beautiful fur color of chocolate and dark woods the wolf before her had. She didn’t think of it strategy wise, but perhaps the other could have a disadvantage in the winter due to his dark coloration standing out in the white blankets of snow.

When the wolf began to speak (she deemed it as a him due to his more tough voice), Gracious turned her ears forward and kept a posture of neutrality. “Indeed, the winds are bringing in winter quicker than I imagined” she said, her voice light and silvery. She took in more of the male’s features as she stood there, her eyes gently roamed over him before relaxing on his face. He had a light build, contrasting her own due to how heavy she was made. His coat had color in it while hers lacked it and was only replaced with frozen white and grey. In a way, she was the exact opposite of the male. It was almost quite comical. “Why are you out here, my friend? Is it the call of adventure that brings you into the cold?” She asked him, gingerly taking a step or two forward closer to him.

not having lived through very many winters (born at winter's edge, this is technically only his second), delight hadn't thought too hard about how quickly the snow descended upon them, but he takes her word for it with a shrug. her question throws him for a loop - taken aback by the funny formality of it - but a mark of rapidly burgeoning maturity: he manages not to say the first sarcastic thing that pops into his head.

instead, he tilts his head and squints slightly. "just taking a walk," the wisp replies, "my pack is close by." they are secluded but not particularly reclusive and delight doesn't mind showing his hand, so to speak. besides, she doesn't seem particularly threatening, just sort of... quirky. well, he can roll with quirky by now. "are you on an adventure?" he asks, one eyebrow raised. lots of folks are, it seems, though delight himself is hardly the adventuring type. he flirted briefly with the idea of doing some scouting for tindómë - still might, maybe - but now that they have jomyo he doesn't feel the need to go very far and frankly, he likes it that way.

His replies intrigued her a bit, her eyes refused to gloss over and he ears fought against the will to fall behind. He was a pack wolf? Gracious wouldn’t know by his scent, she really couldn’t tell the difference anymore sometimes. Loners and packwolves for the moment smelt the same to her- foreign.

His question brough her out of focus, just for a little, and she began to think to herself quietly. Was she, in fact, on some sort of an adventure? Or was she just letting the wanderlust take over her body? She pondered the question, though parted her black lips to speak. “I wouldn’t call it an adventure, perhaps just, a wander, a very long wander over lands.” Her reply seemed more fitting than an adventure. She had no real goal besides just finding a place to live for now.

He seemed sharp and blunt, straightforward. Such qualities were nice to have, compared to someone like Gracious who often extended her sentences. She didn’t know if she could link his way of talking to age, but perhaps later, if she knew him better, she would be able to make such a connection. “I have no real goal in mind, all I know is that moving forward is my only choice. I’ve come from far lands from the North, out of these Wilde’s.”

what is with him lately, is  he cursed (blessed?) to be some sort of ... flytrap but for wayward wolves? it must be the season driving wanderers south, and he isn't about to take it for granted, but. ever the keen chronicler, delight's always interested in those from afar, what stories they may bring with them. "how far north?" he asks, eyes bright and interested. 

as for the other thing.. he shifts his weight from paw to paw, always a little uncomfortable with formal recruiting, and offers, "it's only gonna get colder, so if you want a place to stay..." delight gestures over his shoulder in tindómë's direction. "i could tell you a little more about my pack," he says, and leaves it at that.

She could see a small flame ignite in his eyes as she brought up her home and where she came from. Gracious didn’t mind, it was not like she was going to head back anytime soon. Perhaps, her siblings would find her, or vice versa. She would love to reunite with the 4 of them and play like children again, such glory days would be a blessing to Gracious’ broken heart from how she was forced to leave. At least her brothers and sister would be happy to see her, perhaps if they still retained such love and were not brainwashed by the parents.

”The snow would go to my shoulders on lighter days where I come from,” she commented, thinking back to her days in her old home, “often snow would force us to stay inside the den, we would easily be submerged if we tried to walk through it.” Although Gracious was raised in tough conditions, she still just didn’t favor the snow. Sure, she was used to it by now, but even the slightest of winds can still send shivers down her spine. “Lakes were nearly always frozen over enough where several of us could stand on it at a time.” She remembered sliding across the ice like a graceful figure skater, and then she remembered running into her sister and tumbling over. “Winters felt like an eternity, snow would always take long to melt, as well as the ice.” 

The speaking of a pack peaked her interest in the man. Her head tilted in the slightest and she offered him a polite smile. “I’d be delighted to hear about it.”

he tries to remember the details of his last winter. the base of the mountain where he'd lived was snowy too, though so deep as to hit his shoulders. he'd been a scraggly child, fine boned, already possessed of a surly mien. what would his family think seeing him now? what would he think, six months ago?

"i lived by a mountain as a child," he shares, surprised to find it doesn't hurt so much to think about, to say out loud. "north-ish too, though not as far as where you're from, it sounds like. but we got a lot of snow and ice too."

it feels... nice, to be able to share something simple like that. even if he is leaving out the unpleasant details. she agrees to hear about tindómë and he pulls himself back into the present, sitting down to speak. "we live south of here - a place called king elk's forest. our name is tindómë." he studies her for a moment, trying to puzzle out what she'd probably be most interested in, what's fair to share. "we don't hold rank like a traditional pack - instead we're based around trades, the skills you decide to hone." delight pauses to watch her for a reaction before continuing, curious what sorts of things she'd like to study.

Gracious could recall the mountains she could see through the horizon when she woke in the early mornings. The snow looked to be colored pure white like dove feathers, the sun would shine so beautifully through the peaks, one would think it was a picture taken by a professional. Pure beauty covered a valley of deceit and trickery. Perhaps it was best it did to cover up the lies the wolves who lived the land within told. Perhaps the beauty would prvent others from seeing the natives' true and ugly colors.

She watched the peculiar male sit down as he spoke, she only mirrored him, ears pushed forward with fierce intent of listening. King Elk's Forest; it sounded magical to her. It sounded like a place where food was plentiful and the wildlife was lush with the flora. As he continued, the burly woman let the gears in her head turn a little. It would be different to live in a pack where the traditions were cast off to the side. But then again, the woman had been living by her own traditions for quite some time now. She could use the interaction and family0like unit. It would fill in that small gap she had in her heart. 

"A unique name fits to such a unique pack, I'm intrigued by your group's dynamics." Gracious paused for a second, considering what she should say next. "If this interst you," she says politely and gently, "I am knowledgeable of plants and healing. I'd much rather be the one that helps others rather than the one that hurts them." Gracious was a peaceful being at heart and would rather save lives than end them. She held no thrill for the kill, sometimes she even struggled making her own kills through hunting. Life was precious to her and should be treasured and celebrated.

she seems to be in to the general vibe; he offers a faint smile, nodding. they've a few medical and plant-minded folks but delight's not really the sort to keep tabs and he doubts mato cares much. eventually they'll need to worry about things like warriors but the forest is safe and secluded for now, and they've always had sort of a .. druidistic air to them, anyway. so long as no one else tries to usurp delight's role as historian. (ha.)

"we're peaceful minded," the nénar reassures her, then pauses. "we share the forest with its namesake - the king elk. he's .. sort of a special creature - him and his cow aren't to be hunted. if you'll abide that i'd be happy to - bring you back with me," he says, hoping that doesn't sound too awkward, "or show you where it is, anyway." maybe she's like jomyo and wants to think about it - whatever, the nénar is very flexible. very.

His reassurances served him well, it was a hook, line, and sinker. Gracious could only imagine a place like Tindómë, a place where she would feel at home for once. The misty woman felt her heart beat like a steady drum against her ribcage, filled with excitement and a bit of anticipation. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but the thought of a warm home and den to sleep in already baited her to just go along with the man.

When he spoke of the king elk and his cow, she was intrigued by the thought. She appreciated it no less, the idea of letting the elk, the one who probably has lived the longest, keep the herds in order. Gracious almost wanted to see this king herself; she could hardly imagine how many branches his antlers split off into. Before she could cast herself away into a dream-like state of thought, the woman thought it would be best to make her decision now.  "I'd be flattered to follow you back," she said happily, "your home sounds like a place of paradise to me." Gracious was almost the optimist, she could only pray her expectations would be met.

She stood up, shaking off her pelt gently to release the snowflakes that had been creating a ridge on her. "Oh, where are my manners? I haven't even told you my name," she chided herself as her lips curled upwards into a smile, "I'm Gracious, Gracious Orlov."

wanna wrap this one up? & i can start a new one at tindome or we can let that be offscreen & i can title you up!

she agrees readily and he offers a slight smile, pleased. they have been lucky lately - he's been lucky lately. delight doesn't know what weird karma he's cashing in on right now but he's not gonna complain (much more than usual). "well," he says, turning to lead her, "i think it's decent, anyway." his tone is affectionate though as he thinks of his home.

oh, shit, names, right. at least she's polite enough to offer first even though he'd forgotten to ask for it. the nénar glances back at her and nods. "delight singing-sunlight," he returns, "and i'm our nénar... uh, sort of second-in-command." it's not an exact equivalence (if they had an elentári or carnil they would be equal to him, he thinks) but he's the only one in leadership besides mato, so it works for now. "our leader is called the morwinyon, his name is mato." 

delight leads her back quickly, unaware of the events that unfolded in his momentary absence, but feeling somewhat proud for having collected another set of useful paws to bolster their set.

His name intrigued her, but she spoke nothing of it, deciding it was best to just be quiet for a little and listen. The ranks sounded awfully different from what she was used to living with, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. For now, she had a place she could call her own, and she couldn't be happier. A warm den sounded awfully nice to her, the snow was starting to make her shiver in the slightest way. Her fluffy plume swung behind her in a cheerful manner as she stepped closer to Delight gingerly. She, with the greatest amount of precision and care she could muster, gently bumped his shoulder with her nose before following behind him.