Stone Circle will the darkness fall upon me when the air is growing thin?
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are we all lost like you?
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Ooc — Jaclyn
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@Stream of Creek

He found himself by the riverside today, drawing across the stony bank and picking at the rocks. A cover of fog rose up to shroud the waters and the woods in an otherworldly haze until Merrit could almost convince himself the forest didn't exist beyond the lazy trickle of the creek and the few lonely trunks he could see. Everything else simply vanished to an oblivion of white, and he wondered how easily a wolf might get lost in there, turned and spun around until they were simply gone.

He dragged his paw with an absent mind, and the pierce of something sharp broke his thoughts. Merrit jerked his foot away with a fizzled hiss, gaze dropping to where a small line of blood stained the stones red. A heat rose in his chest and with a forceful kick, he knocked a spray of rocks into the river. They plunked into the water just as he sank to his haunches, tears stinging his eyes while he tried to refocus before mother, or anyone, really, found him like this.
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The mountain wolf carried herself on one of her patrols, something that had become a habit after Greyback's absence while he searched for one of their allied packs. Nothing eventful ever really happened while she was out, but sometimes she would run into a packmate. Ira's ears swivled as she kept her senses alert for anyone or anything that might be roaming their territory. Fog had taken over near the river making the stone colored wolf's vision almost useless. It was because of this that she paid extra attention to the sound of the river being disrupted by several splashes.

Carefully the female trotted closer until the shape of a wolf came into view. Hello? Ira squinted until she could make out the young male's features. It did not take much longer for her to realize he was one of Valette's kids. She had made a mental note early on since she was originally not allowed near ker pups without approval, something she understood as an outsider coming into the open family pack. While she had been in Easthollow for a while now, she still seemed to keep her distance, perhaps also out of habit, but she did not see why she would need to avoid the young male now.

You are Valette's child, are you not? It didn't take an expert to see the pup's distress, perhaps over his father's absence? She recalled hearing news of the male's departure recently. Her eyes softened at the thought. She knew what that was like. Her next words were picked carefully with a lighter tone, What brings you out here? I can see you have something on your mind, perhaps talking about it will help more than throwing stones? Normally Ira liked to avoid troubled wolves, but she seemed to have a soft spot for kids.
#DAA520 , pawprintIra's Playlist  3/20*, * = incomplete threads
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are we all lost like you?
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The stranger's voice settled ice through his bones, and Merrit jerked his paw to his face and tried to wipe any sign of tears away. But his frustration only seemed to thicken with the questions she raised and he turned his head away from her, giving her an answer of neither yes nor no. He simply kept his paw pressed over the bridge of his snout and peered down at the slick river rocks as he tried to wrestle his emotions back down into what they'd been before, until he just squeezed his eyes against the heat in his face and offered her a defensive shake of his head.

"I was just looking for rocks," he finally said, and shrugged. "One of them cut me." And while he kept his head turned away, he lifted his paw for her to look. He was okay, he had to believe that, and so did everyone else. Mother couldn't know - she just couldn't - and he could carry this. He knew he could, he was okay, even as the autumn air sagged with a heaviness that pulled at his body, and showed in every way that he wasn't.
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Ira watched carefully as the young boy wiped away his tears and held out his bloodied paw. He was young, but she had no reason to believe he was so young as to cry over a cut paw pad. Her eyes flicked between the boy's face and his raised paw before she dipped her head to lick at the wound. If she was allowed to continue she would give it a quick cleaning before speaking again, Throwing rocks is still not the solution you should be looking for. It would be a shame if that became infected. The stone wolf's eyes lingered before she looked out to the riverside. You are one of Valette's children. That means you just lost your father correct?

 She didn't need to look at his face to confirm her growing suspicions, she has dealt with father issues for too long now to not recognize the pain the boy was feeling. If you have anything to say you may say it. I will not tell anyone. I know you do not know me and I know little about you, but we might actually have a lot more in common than you think.
#DAA520 , pawprintIra's Playlist  3/20*, * = incomplete threads
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are we all lost like you?
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Merrit let the stranger clean the blood from his toes. Her gentle rasps felt soothing against his wound, but when she spoke, her voice cut like thistles and he jerked his paw away. He'd only kicked the rocks because they had cut him, and he defended himself with a sharp, "I know." The silence made him think she was done, but when she spoke again, he wasn't ready. A fresh wave of heat stung his throat, and he kept his face forcefully turned away.

How could she possibly understand what he was going through? He let her talk, but the fire built until it was too much, and he found himself swinging to face her with a hard and bitter stare. "What do we have in common? Was your dad ever sick? Did you visit him every day so he wouldn't forget you? Did you decorate his den with leaves and river stones so he'd have some way to remember you, and to remember that you didn't forget him?" he peeled his lips in an ugly curl as he thrust his face forward, "Did your dad ever leave you?"

Silence buzzed from his throat, and Merrit stiffened and jerked away, a wild look of anger and fear in his face. He had said too much. "Sorry," he murmured, but there was no way he could take anything back. He had left every piece of his heart scattered in the space between them.
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Ira felt the boy pull back as his tension soon grew and overflowed his small body. She did not try and stop him, however, instead simply listening quietly as she stared at the stream. Of course, they were not exactly the same, this boy had a connection with his father. He cared more than his heart could handle and now it was ripping him apart, but now he was faced with a new feeling towards his family. Something she could relate to.

Sorrow seemed to cross the mountain wolf's face as Merrit reeled back and apologized softly. He had no reason to be sorry with everything he was dealing with. You've been holding onto all of that, hmm? Ira titled her head back to look over the growing pup. He was still young but had already seen so much. She pushed onto her paws turning to now face him standing tall. I do not share your history, you are correct. However, that does not mean we have nothing in common... My father did leave me. I was too young to remember, but he left my sister and I with my fallen mother's birth pack. She shook her head thinking back to her childhood. For the longest time, she lived a lie unknowing of her true parents' fate. Normally Ira would never share this part of her backstory, but if Merrit was willing to open up to her, he deserved a bit in return. I was unaware that my "parents" were not my true kin until I was an adult.

She was unsure how Merrit would react to her so she opted for minimal detail. Hopefully, he would stick around a little longer despite her intrusion and his outburst. If he did not it was not the end of the world to Ira, but she remembers the pain from when she was told her father left. It hurts and she does not even hold a connection with the man, but Merrit? He has memories and burdens now met with an empty den. The least she could do was stick around if he needed someone to talk to.
#DAA520 , pawprintIra's Playlist  3/20*, * = incomplete threads