Barrow Fields once there was a queen named gioma

set a little outside grimnismal borders. AW! backdated a few days after chusi gets chased out of grimnismal.

she was gone.

ingram ingloom moved with a dejected aspect, his steps heavy as he canvassed the barrow fields. her scent was long-since faded, leaving only stale remnants in her wake. morosely the luschyon boy replayed the sorry scene over and over again: arrille's impudence the days before, chusi's two-fold defiance, wylla's snarling face as she chased down chusi.

he understood more than anyone his sister's reasons for her actions, but it didn't mean he liked it.

he missed the warmth of her fur on his flank, and the light giggle she had when he did something stupid. he missed the way the cave's lighting illuminated her soft eyes, and the gentle sway of her tail.

like any lovestruck boy, he was CRUSHED by the sudden termination of their relationship. dramatically, everything reminded him of her: and each time he came across a spot they had played together in, or a place they had traveled together, a long and dramatic sigh was evinced from his sorrowful countenance.

Rosalyn knew that her new role would keep her a bit more tightly tied to the bay, keeping watch on her captain (what sorta captain needed watching, though? She had some things to learn about Smokestep's peculiar method of crew).  But she also knew there were going to be days where she couldn't abide to, and so her steps would carry her out, up to the forests and coasts to the north or south, a breath of fresh air and not the same sand every day.  She had always been a rover, even as a captain herself, though sometimes it did buy trouble.

Today it seemed, however, all it would buy her was some depressing creature.  She would have left it, having more than her own share of troubles right now, but sometimes in times of strife all you needed was to see and poke fun at someone a little sadder than yourself.  And seeing as he wasn't crew....

"Aye! Your looking like a right ray of sunshine.  Lose your favorite chewbone?"  Her tone wasn't exactly mocking, but there was a sweet quality that didn't quite speak of true concern.

the distinct approach of another wolf stirred ingram from his pensive wandering, and he fastened his dejected gaze on the approacher. he did not recognize her, and studied her plain features with morose intensity. by proxy of being female she reminded him of chusi and a new round of heart-pang strummed his wearied heart.

her voice sounded nothing like chusi's, but there was an accent there that he could not place. his ears swept back at the mention of a chewbone and with a heavy sigh he gave into her poking -- he was too vulnerable to put up much a fight. "my girlfriend broke up with me." he said piteously, rubbing a paw into the snow to distract himself from a new wave of dramatic grief.

Oh wasn't he just pitiful? Gods save boys and their crushes.  She wanted to laugh, like the cynical asshole she generally could be, but maintained her composure.  The sighs were a theatrical masterpiece; a true testimant to the woes of adolescent angst.

"Good guess on my part then." She said, self-congratulatory in tone.  "She decide to trade in for a different model, handsome, or did you screw up?"  She gazed at him expectantly, waiting for either an answer or an oh so gentle request to kindly fuck off.

while ingram's aspect was largely demoralized, he perked up as rosalyn called him handsome. did she -- a rather intimidating and worldly woman, find him attractive? his ears swept forward atop his dark skull and he apprised her with newfound light in his gaze.

"she.. she got kicked out of my pack and i wouldn't go with her... but.... am i handsome, then?" he queried cheekily, battering his eyelashes at the woman with a slight, barely visible grin attained to his features.

Oh, hell. Boys and their egos.  Apparently her casual (and somewhat tongue in cheek) greeting had set this one off.  It was both gratifying and a little sad that her words could give that much a boost... then again, she had caught him on apparently a rough day.  The sighs didn't lie.

"You were till you had to ask," she said, giving a small wink.  "Word of advice; just always assume you are.  Helps others get the memo."  She lifted her own head a bit.  It really was amazing what a cocky exterior could gain a wolf.  "And it seems to me you made a choice.  What's the use dwelling on it now? Less you think you shoulda gone?". She'd take a bit of a story if he'd give it.

the grin slipped from his features as she punctured his hopes and dreams like a quill held to a jellyfish. r00d! he stopped blinking and turned away briefly, delivering the chestnut woman the hairiest eyeball he could muster.

it wasn't a very convincing one, especially since she had just imparted upon him some serious Bro Wisdom that not even arrille had the good graces to bestow upon him. his sagged features lifted a little and he looked at rosalyn much more warmly than he had before.

"couldn't have gone anyway." he started to explain: "because then i'd be losing my family. family that, for the record, is not as handsome as me and definitely should count every day as a blessing that they have with me." was that all it took to lift ingram's spirits? a sly quip? surely he was not that one dimensional?

nope.

he was definitely that one dimensional. "my girlfriend and my sister -- that's the alpha -- didn't exactly get along and she just chose the wrong time to stand her ground.. oh, and she called my sister a lunatic. it almost felt like a family reunion except nobody got killed. who are you, by the way?"

Despite the look, he seemed to have cheered up some, enough to crack a joke or two.  She gave him an approving look and a wink.  "See, there, that's more like it."  That cocky attitude was what would get him looks and catch him glances later on.

Family reunion cept no one got killed? Sounds like a family worth losing, but to each their own.  Most days she was happy to be shod of hers, but it seemed the universe was destined to shove in her face everything she didn't have because of it.  What gives?

"Rosalyn," she answered.  "Is she a lunatic? Your sister."

rosalyn might not have known it, but her encouragement was enough to bring ingram's weird ego back to its normal self; he smiled as she said that was more like it -- maybe it was more like it -- maybe things weren't so bad after all.

but then he remembered chusi and how pretty she was and a newfound grief struck his heart and the facade crumpled but for a moment. rosalyn revealed her name and ingram nodded, rejoining with "that's a nice name. i'm ingram."

but then rosalyn had the punch to ask if wylla was a lunatic -- ingram suspended over the question, a curl of his lip given as he ruminated the answer. "uh.. no...?" he looked to the ground as he considered carefully his words. "she's not crazy. i don't think she is. there's a lot going on." he thought about the insurrection that had happened - how chusi and arrille both had defied wylla -- that would have made him lose his temper too, if he was wylla. and then he thought about the other wolves in their clade - nyx, reef -- the weird witch and her weirder bodyguard.. those two were definitely crazy. "she's not like the crazy wolf that lives in the grotto. she's crazy. wylla's just wylla."

Mhmm.  Well, she supposed she would have to meet the woman to know for sure, and Roz wasn't super interested in that, because why would she care?  He might be biased, but so might his runaway girl.  Either way, he was stuck with what he'd picked, wasn't he? And surely he'd bounce back; men generally did.

Hold on.  No fuckin way.  She took a step in and took the scent, suddenly realizing why it was so familiar.  "She's with you.  The black faced witch."  Rosalyn looked at him with surprise and not a little aversion.  "Why!?". Maybe his sister was crazy after all, letting a snake like that reside in her grotto.

ingram had expected the reveal to go one of two ways: one, rosalyn would commisserate with him and tell him how much of a Stuck Up Binch chusi was -- or two, she would sympathize with chusi, and clout ingram over the head with well-deserved heft for his stupidity. so when she picked a third option, C, none of the above, ingram tensed and a squint overcame his muzzle.

what was she doing? he stiffened as she scented him, and when she pulled away there was no mistaking the -- displeasure -- on her face? ingram's jaws hung loose in surprise - he hadn't said anything that bad, had he?

he needed a moment to process what she had said, and he set back on his heels as if he had been suddenly shouldered an immense weight. "wuh.. what?" his ears pulled back as he continued to reel. "wylla isn't a wit--- wait.. you mean caiaphas?" ingram's head canted to the side in confusion as he tried his best to untangle the sudden change of atmosphere around them.

Mmmm.  Yes, that was her name.  As soon as he spoke it, she recalled, and nodded to confirm.  He seemed confused by her reaction, which both surprised her and made her question his taste in company as well.

"Aye.  She's bad news, that one.  Used to run with her back when she led the grotto."  Her ears slid back at the recollection.  "Surprised to hear she let anyone pry that patch of rock from her claws.". After all her own attempt had been rather unsuccessful, not that she was about to share that.

ingram was still wheeling from the rapid change in conversation; he was glad she wasn't talking about wylla, and truthfully, that was all he cared about. the wych that secluded herself to the grotto, other than that minor kidnapping/hostage thing, really hadn't bothered ingram. like wylla, he did not have any love for her -- but oddly, lycaon did, and that was what likely stayed the luschyon brood's temper from driving the dethroned siren queen right out from their birthplace.

he wasn't surprised to hear rosalyn's opinion of the coywolf, though he was still taken aback she knew her. he rolled his shoulders and pursed his lip, his ears still canted back as he considered her words. "oh... that must have been fun." he offered lamely, not sure how to defuse the tension between them. "um.. my sister and i don't really know her well..  she raised us when we were first born but then my mom came and took us, so i don't remember much. um.. my mom left my brother with her, though.." ingram shifted, feeling like he was betraying lycaon by even speaking of how lusca had abandoned her third whelp at the siren queen's grotto. "he seems ok. i don't see her much. she hangs out in that cavern a lot. why aren't you with her anymore? do you live nearby?"

Rosalyn didn't know who his mother was, but if she'd remembered, Lycaon had been one of few she'd enjoyed in the grotto.  Mainly due to the other's matching distaste for the witch who led them.  

She didnt really want to get to get into the whole story, but she'd give a piece of it.  And of course it was the one piece that made Caiaphas come out the worst, and she the wronged party.  "She set her second out to kill me.  Luckily he liked me a bit better." She snickered lightly.  If Vlad had taken Caiaphas' side that day, likely she wouldn't be standing here.  

"Aye, we got a claim down the beach a ways.  Pretty good crew, if a tad rough.  Hope your lot don't mind distant neighbors."  She skipped over any mention of his brother... she doubted he was really alright if he'd been raised by that demon, but already she was sold on this guy being blind to his family's faults, so would let it pass.

ingram considered what she had just imparted on him: the siren, capable of killing -- or rather, capable of making other people do her dirty work for her. it was dark news, but he took it in stride -- mostly because he didn't think anyone at grimnismal would even so much as give the reclusive wretch a second glance. she was powerless presently, and ingram believed she would stay that way -- as distant and irrelevant as the denizens that gurgled in the grotto's endless keep.

"that wasn't very nice of her." he commented dryly, though his expression was humorous in light of the small laugh she had issued. rosalyn's mention of a pack brought him to sharp attention, though he did not seem perturbed by the news. "oh? nah, not really. as long as you don't come to visit." he joked, though it was kind of true -- grimnismal was not very well-receiving of anyone. "what's your crew called? mine's grimnismal."

Not particularly nice, no.  It still stung a little, the defeat at least (not so much the betrayal, as they had never been friends), but not so much that she couldn't laugh about it.  She liked where she had ended up now just fine.

"Ironsea.  No worries there, we keep to our own strand.  Not really the pillaging type." Not yet at least.  She wondered if Smokestep intended to raid any of the nearby lands at any point; she'd always preferred to get her own resources, but sometimes had led her wolves against another pack for pure sport.  A good crew on crew squabble could be mighty fine entertainment, but was far more fun when the stakes were low.  She got the sense that wouldn't be the case around here; wolves didn't seem quite so easy about their claims as the south, where moving was a regular thing.

rosalyn's assessment of ironsea was reassuring -- ingram kept that piece of information in mind, deciding he would have to tell wylla later about what he had found. in a round-about way, grimnismal cared nothing for outsiders -- he doubted wylla would care unless these wolves somehow encroached on their resources. somehow, ingram doubted that rosalyn or her aforementioned crew would compete with them for resources. he had been up and down the coast several times, though had never gone past the giant river that spilled into the sea. he surmised then that where-ever ironsea was, it was not close enough to grimnismal to merit any concern. plus -- she had said distant.

oh, to be so stupid and naive.

"that's good. we aren't either." he replied, wagging his tail in an upbeat manner. "we like to keep to ourselves, mostly. i haven't seen many other packs around here - i guess that's good for you and me, all the seafood we can dream of." ingram winked, a smile playing his features. "i could go for a seal right now, except they're usually too fast for me." it was his hips, wasn't it? too voluptuous to give good chase.

Hmm, so they weren't the type to meddle.  Good to know.  She'd have to ask Smoke what his plan was for raiding and inciting chaos.  Either way didn't matter much to her but she'd found if they gathered the types of wolves they said they were seeking, well... such bodies didn't do well with boredom, and stir crazy pirates could cause a host of problems for a captain.  Better to give that energy direction.

She wasn't sure if he was hinting or not, but no way was she hunting for him.  In fact, best to depart while she was ahead... he was gettin familiar and she liked to leave them wanting more.

"That so? Well, hope you find a fat slow one.  Leave the beefy ones for our lot," she said with a wink, then turned and trotted away, a wicked little sashay in her step as she did.

ingram wasn't aware of rosalyn's thought process, but he did catch how as soon as he thought he had reeled her in, she was slipping away. aw. not one to be easily dampened -- at least not by an acquaintance -- ingram followed her a few steps but slowed as he caught the mesmerizing cant of her hips.

well, if she was going to walk away from him, and do that.... he wasn't exactly going to argue.

he wanted to say something clever, something to catch her attention and to be remembered by -- and maybe, something that would stick in her mind like a thorn so that at some later date she would seek him out and ask him what the fuck does that mean?

but... he wasn't as clever as he wanted, and besides, those hips were very distracting. any sort of cognitive enterprise was halted immediately by the gentle sway of her pelvis. oh, shit -- it was a good thing she couldn't see him. "bye rosalyn!" he called over the wind at length, though at this point she was quite far away.

She didn't return his farewell, though her tail did flick in response as she disappeared.  It was likely they'd never run into one another again... then again, she did come here often, and their pack was right next door.  And perhaps she could use this to her advantage, as she'd had a notion brewing that she had yet to bring to Smokestep, unsure on his take on it.

A thought for another time! Currently, she was getting peckish, and if she wasn't going to hunt seals with him, time to find something elsewhere.