Hoshor Plains in new york, you can be a new man
249 Posts
Ooc — Miryam
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#1
All Welcome 
@Keelut -- I tried to make it as "in the middle" (from Jade Fern Grove to Silvertip) as possible!

The settlement had commenced; now the evangelizing must begin. Phocion, confident that Cortland was in good hands with Poet during his little journeys off the mountain, traveled farther and farther with each trip, going deep into the valley on this day. He hugged the mountains, casting a dark glance at the place where Cortland had fell before going farther south, onto the plains.

It was warm, and green, and there was good hunting to be had, if you got lucky--herds of ungulates roamed, fat and healthy, and the streams were full of fish. The white priest trotted happily along, eyes trained for strangers. Food wouldn't come amiss, but it was wolves he was looking for. . .wolves for Argyros.

It was the name the tribe had called Silvertip, when he'd first described it to them in his stories. It had stuck with him ever since, and he used the terms interchangeably, keeping his lore close to his heart but not wanting to forget the legacy of all who had come before--Steady. Zaria. Krypton. It had been Silvertip to them, so it would be Silvertip to him always.

But his tribe would be Argyros. That was settled.

He had told Poet bits and pieces, knowing how resistant she was to the idea of religion. He had vowed from her arrival that he would not push her into anything, that he was happy with her presence there, no strings attached. As for Cortland, Phocion had been too concerned about his injuries to focus on any sort of conversion. If it did come soon, he'd be overjoyed. If not. . .he found joy in the fact that his friend was even alive, right now.

He found joy in a lot of things, these days. Phocion skipped along almost ludicrously, letting out a blissful chuckle. If anything, perhaps they'd approach a wolf who embodied that joy, stars in his eyes.
92 Posts
Ooc — Anthony
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#2


He had come down from far, and he had taken his time to do so. Blackfeather Woods was his destiny, for despite having a vague attachment to his past life he still believed that there were ties that bound him to that place which he could not get rid of. His father was there, his sister and brothers were there (or so he believed) and though she no longer belonged, the memories of his mother also drew him there.

But what use is rushing if one were to live a hundred years?

Keelut had ventured places where knowledge and spirituality abounded. He had been enlightened in more than a single way and now the world was his home. The gods and deities came by the millions, one for each twinkle in the night sky, one for each grain of sand and drop of rainwater. Everything from the sky to deep within the lupine body was a spectacle to admire, and Keelut wanted to admire it all.

With @Tizheruk noodling close by his side Keelut trotted down the plains with fairy strides. The great lake of blue in the distance had caught his attention from the mountain range, and once there the thriving herds of beastly bison had dragged him further in the opposite direction of the dark woods. He had picked an interest in a particular individual. A male by the looks of it, he was larger than most, yet considerably shier. Keelut chased him from afar at first and gradually gained his confidence to at last cut enough distance to feel the warmth of his breath embracing his pale figure. It was exciting, being so close to such powerful beast, able to crack his skull with a single hoof should he wish to, and yet find such tranquility in his company.

For a moment it was only the two of them in the world, each as intrigued in the other as their counterpart. Keelut had lost track of his reptilian friend, and not even the rest of the herd held much importance. Certainly the priest that lingered close by failed to catch the mad boy's attention.


Light blue speech is all in Keelut's head and cannot be heard by anyone but him
Styled speech is spoken in some language which unless your character knows it, is unintelligible

@Tizheruk is welcome in any and every thread with Keelut, as they never stray too far from each other.
249 Posts
Ooc — Miryam
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#3
A flash of silver in the brown mass that was the bison herd caught his eye, and Phocion craned his head, trying to see over the wooly creatures. They parted, eventually, and he saw a sleek young wolf, close by a large male, looking at the animal with wonder. Phocion had much of the same in his gaze, and he loped slowly that way, cautiously eyeing the others in the herd.

The white priest weaved through the bison, trotting smoothly up before pulling to a halt. There must have been a dearth of wolves in this valley, at least as of late, for the bison seemed completely undisturbed by their close proximity. He gave a soft chuff to the silver male, head tilted in silent curiosity. A couple of animals started at the noise, but went back to placidly grazing soon enough.

"Magnificent, are they not?" Phocion asked, looking at their great heads, the gently curving horns. He gazed at Keelut, then, with a smile set on his face. "They say long ago, there were herds ten, twenty times this size, roaming the plains. When there were two moons and a world of stars. Things were better, then."
92 Posts
Ooc — Anthony
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#4


The bull exhaled through his nose, blowing Keelut's face with warm, humid breath. The pale wolf laughed at this, but the bison didn't seem to care about the sound of it. They were too close, close enough to be considered well within each other's personal space, but neither one of them cared. But eventually the magic of the moment was interrupted by the sound of another wolf's voice. Keelut's friend was visibly startled by it, and after a moment of analyzing the situation decided to turn around and gather up with the rest of the herd. Keelut hadn't yet turned to face the other wolf, preferring to enjoy the sadness of seeing the creature walk away from him.

How are they worse now? he inquired, not yet having taken the first glance of the other male. He watched the pale bison find what looked like a familiar. They exchanged grunts and walked further into the herd. At some point Keelut lost sight of them, mixed with the mass of brown fur that stretched far and wide.

249 Posts
Ooc — Miryam
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#5
He sought the other's gaze, but the young man only had eyes for the bison, whom Phocion had scared off, evidently. At his question, the white priest smiled. How to answer such a query? So complicated, and yet so simple. He hadn't dwelled in that world, but he had heard the stories. And they all might be boiled down to one word. . .

"Peace," Phocion replied, his tone full of wonder. "There was no pain, no suffering. Wolves were the rulers of all the world. The sun has brought us nothing but turbulence." He continued to try and look him in the eye, head craning a little, but eventually gave up, staring absently around at the bison. "One day, it will all be restored. But only if we believe.

"I am Phocion,"
he introduced himself, dipping his head in greeting. "Do you reside on these plains?"
92 Posts
Ooc — Anthony
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#6
Tag for reference



The other spoke as though he knew it all, from the ways of the world before their time to how things would be in the future. He spoke of the sun and peace, and how the wolves were once rulers of all the world as he'd said it himself. At some point Keelut's interest peaked prompting him to turn himself around to look at the nightcrawler priest for the first time. He couldn't hold back a chuckle; by his voice Phocion was exactly how Keelut had imagined him. Small and pretentious looking with his funny little smirk. But something stood out from everything else and Keelut found himself staring after the other male stopped talking. A moon-shaped scar on his left temple, which the pale wyrling didn't have a hard time guessing was some sort of religious mark like the ones they had on their shoulders in Blackfeather Woods.

Squinting, Keelut asked Am I right to asume you're some kind of priest, Phocion? of course he was right, which is why he smiled as though there was some kind of joke in everything he said. I've met quite a handful of priests in my lifetime, you know? he continued raising his eyebrows, absolutely ignoring Phocion's question (for Keelut's residence was hardly relevant in that moment). Keelut's travels, aside from proving fruitful from an intellectual standpoint, had given given him the chance to explore intriguing ways of life and beliefs as well as those faithful to them. He didn't plan on stopping anytime soon.

Would you care to explain how the sun is to be blamed for the turbulence of this world? he begged, settling down in a sitting position to pay absolute attention to his new friend, ears perked forward as @Tizheruk --who had always been close by, dragged himself up the witch's leg and around his neck to do exactly the same.

249 Posts
Ooc — Miryam
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#7
His mouth firmed as the young man laughed; Phocion had never taken kindly to being laughed at, and was ultra-sensitive to any perceived slight--one of the few flaws that still remained from his youth. Still, he gave a terse nod to the man's question, head canting to the side at the second query. As for the third. . .

"In the beginning, there was no sun. Only the endless night." His eyes strayed to the serpent that had approached, curling around the man, whom he assumed was the snake's master. Interesting. "Out of nothing, the moon--Fengari--formed, and created for himself a wife, Erastia." This story worked much better at night, with the stars for illustration. Nevertheless, he continued.

"They had many children that dotted the sky like the stars we see above--for the stars they are, the ones that guide our way. In these times, wolves were kings and queens of the earth. All other creatures existed under our reign." He then pointed his nose toward the sun, squinting against the glare.

"The brightest of the children was Iliana, and she was beautiful, more radiant than any child who came before or after her. But Iliana was jealous, and jealousy is all-consuming. She was jealous of her mother, of the light Erastia held. One day, the envy overtook her, and she attacked her own mother while her back was turned. Swallowed her up, to take her light, her spirit."

A growl bubbled in his throat as he continued, coming to the climax of the story he'd told a thousand times or more. "Oh, how Fengari's anger rocked the earth! He tried to fight back Iliana's wrath, but with her newfound power, his daughter was too strong for him. Her light was so bright that it turned the night into day, and the wolves--the children of the moon--from kings to peasants." Now, he looked back down at the man, eyes suffused with sadness.

"Now Fengari is engaged in endless pursuit of his daughter. Until he finds her and kills her, the world will not know peace. Wolves will suffer. The light of day will continue to taint the earth."

Phocion regarded the man with abundant curiosity, assuming he'd sat through the story with some interest. "What is your name, brother?" he asked gently, gaze sharp but gentle, inquisitive but relaxed.
92 Posts
Ooc — Anthony
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#8


He laughed because he knew them, he knew what they wanted to achieve through patronizing wolves like Phocion was just trying to do with Keelut. They thought they knew the world but, how could they? Each and every single creature on earth seemed to believe a different story, even if they claimed their souls were aligned under the same religion. How could a simple mortal know the workings of the universe, how could a wolf be king of the world and how could anyone ever fathom the ways of their sun?

Still Keelut listened to Phocion's mythos, reacting to every inflection and expression accordingly, lifting his nose to the sun when Phocion did and looking back at him when he did the same, yet no matter how hard he tried he couldn't force himself to feel any involvement in the story. The priest, though... He did really believe these things, didn't he?

At the end of the tale Keelut chuckles in awe, merely a reflection he's developed since his infancy. That was quite a story, my friend, he congratulates the man with a smile. He had an impressive talent for narrating, which was a trait Keelut would always admire in a wolf. Eventually Keelut is asked about his name, which he supposes he cannot hide much longer. Keelut Vaekar, he gives away carelessly. Excuse me Phocion but I must be confused... You said before that peace would be restored only through faith but... Now you claim that the sun's reign of terror will not end until her mother kills her... he notes, intentionally questioning the priest's conviction. If he wanted to convince Keelut of anything he would have to try a bit harder.

But in the end all the moon-priest's efforts proved futile, for Keelut's conviction in his own belief was immovable. Eventually Keelut found his patience running out and dismissed himself from the valley. Perhaps one day he would find a man capable of shaking his mind, but today was not that day.


Editing an ending to archive :)

Light blue speech is all in Keelut's head and cannot be heard by anyone but him
Styled speech is spoken in some language which unless your character knows it, is unintelligible

@Tizheruk is welcome in any and every thread with Keelut, as they never stray too far from each other.