Neverwinter Forest genesis

ooc: aw, hoping to lure a sister in!

Antares bristled slightly, the constant movement of water giving him reason to pause. This was not as home had been back North - there the world was established by brute force and ancient strength. Unless it was in your blood, you did not know what victory was. The union of the Ostara and the Odinn had produced fine, beautiful children. Vehemently his tail lashed behind him, a rumble of a thick growl bubbling up from his chest. Except for him. He was not born like his siblings, the lithe girls, the strong men - snowy and pale and enchanting with brilliant eyes like frosted sea-glass. Not him. Salene had not been able to hide her discontent that such a child would come from her, one that resurfaced such old and deeply lain wounds.

Antares would always have the stigma of his genes, just as Salene would always have her own in the form of the eye she so hated.

His blue eyes blinked back the sudden wave of fresh emotion, his regal head lifted and his body rigid as he placed back that carefully conceived stone wall. No part of him wanted the life that he had been given, no part of him asked for the hurt in his mother's eyes when she looked at him. His Uncle, the valiant Einheri had tried once to explain it to him, but, words did not come easily to most men when it came to the heart of a woman.

It hurt.

When he had mentioned he intended to set out - he did not ask for such trivial things like permission - it was surprising, and yet not, that Sigrún had steeled her resolve and set out with him. Having the pale beauty at his side had made the nights more bearable and had made the days less lonely. Though being typically stoic, his siblings were the one area that he was not guarded in. With a soft rumble of appreciation for the presence of his most beloved sister, Antares turned his blue eyes towards these new lands with the same sweeping, critical gaze as all the others they had passed.

It was not Home, and he did not know if they would remain here for long.

I love the name of this territory so much. I want to make a pack here. XD

They had traveled long and far, and yet her paws were not tired. For endless days and nights they had trekked through wild lands unknown, narrowly escaping danger and death on more than one occasion. She remembered the time Antares had rescued her from an angry mountain lion who felt they had ventured too close to her cubs. And there was the misty morning she had shown him how to soothe a cut on his paw with a chewed-up poultice of aromatic, bitter-tasting plants. Through it all, they had stuck together, side by side. It was hard for her to imagine making a journey like this by herself, for surely without the aid and support of the other, either one of them likely may have died on their own. She would've fled their lands regardless of whether she was alone or not, but she was glad that Antares, her favorite sibling, was with her.

They had always had a close connection. Perhaps it was because their circumstances were not so different as they seemed. Where Antares had to deal with his mother's constant dissatisfaction over things he could not help, Sigrún also endured her mother's constant pressure to be something she was not. Being the favored daughter did not make life any easier for her than it did for the scourged son. In Sigrún dwelt the heart of a warrior, her father's daughter through and through, and yet her mother pushed her down the path of diplomacy and leadership. As detestable as Sigrún found it, she endured it for no other reason than she simply didn't want to disappoint her mother and her clan. She didn't want to derail her destiny with her own selfish wants. But when her mother had, without her knowledge, betrothed her to the son of another clan chief to ensure an alliance between their packs, she drew the line there. She and her brother both had had all they could tolerate of their mother forcing her will upon them. And since then, they had been chasing the freedom they both had longed for, side by side.

She could tell when such memories resurfaced within her brother and threatened to crack the wall of stoic composure he carefully maintained. It was something that only one who knew him as well as a sister could see. A soft growl rumbled gently in her chest as she approached him from behind -- for they had been traveling together, she lingering behind a moment to sniff out an interesting game trail. "Peace, Brother," she said softly, flashing him a comforting grin. He was not alone. "What do you think of this place?"

quickly reply till I'm done with Matt's birthday stuff this evening.......and you too? I love the name and this territory. *makes barbwire fence around it* only Kiddos with Mommy issues allowed >:D

The male had a lot of issues. Everyone knew it. The Clan knew it, Mother knew it, his siblings, his uncle, everyone did. It had been a big weakness and those he sparred against knew that it was a double edged sword. Sometimes a call about his relationship with his mother was a chink in his armour and the boy went tumbling - sometimes it was the spark that started a wildfire. It blinded him in many ways. His personal quest was to please his Mother, to just once have her look at him the way she did at Eirikr, the way she did at Sigrún.

It wasn't his siblings fault, and if he had known her before he would know it wasn't even Salene's fault. The sturdy FeralHeart only knew her now as the icy woman with nothing kind to say to him. It wasn't as if she told him he wasn't worthy of the mantle of his heritage but it was in her eyes. She expected so little out of him because of everything her father had offered her. What a joke that the thing she feared the most was just what he had done now. Leaving The Palisade was not easy so much, but the challenge was welcome, and escaping out of the expectations of ghosts past was a relief for both child. His lovely sister had proved herself time and time again and though the designs of their predecessors blinded the Ostara to their potential both children knew....they were limitless.

She approached him from beind, addressing him with soothing tones with the very question that rested on his mind. They had learned a long time ago not to assume and to never take things at face value. Many men lay gasping and beaten at the paws of his pale sibling for assuming the lithe lady was nothing to fret over. "There is potential." He said quietly, his gaze flickering from towering tree to tree. For some reason the forest felt welcoming, and it seemed like it would be a good starting point if nothing else. "I can't put my finger on it, but I like the feel of the forest." he admitted flashing her a toothy grin. When he tried, Antares could look almost dashing, but these attempts were few and far in-between.

With Sigrún though, things were different. She had watched after him, taken care of him, taught him - though she was younger than he was she was the best companion he could hope for. He leaned closer to her, lovingly plucking a stray bit of foliage that had attached itself to her shoulder. It wasn't as if he tripped over himself being affectionate to her, but, she was the rare sort of gem that he did not guard himself around. She had proven to be worthy of much more than a stonewall and a dead gaze.

I'm also particularly fond of Northstar Vale, too. Such cool territory names! This post sucks. I'm too distracted to be writing. XD

A small smile tugged at her onyx lips as Antares plucked the stray leaf from her shoulder. Her brother was not an overly affectionate type, and he certainly did not smother her with attention, but he still took care of her in the small ways, with little gestures such as this. It warmed her heart. She was a fearsome and capable warrior who had beaten and broken more than her fair share of men twice her size on the sparring field, so she certainly didn't need to be protected -- and yet she loved the feeling that someone was looking out for her and would back her up if push came to shove.

And she would do the same for Antares, too. May the gods have pity on the poor fool who ever made the mistake of crossing her brother, for they would have the wrath of not one, but two Feralhearts to contend with.

"I like it too," she agreed after a moment, her glacier-water eyes trailing appreciatively across the ancient trunks and the seductive shadows that lurked between them. "It's different. Secretive. Safe." Compared to the vast, open, windblown tundras of their homeland, this forest felt like a quiet, cozy, dark little corner they could hide in and enjoy a life of serenity and peace -- without obligations, commitments, or the hassles that had plagued them back home at the Palisades. "My paws are eager to keep moving, but my heart is weary. I wonder if we could be happy here."

Your writing never sucks my dear, don't be so silly!

It was true, he was not flowery. He was not moved to fawn over people, he was not motivated by overly poetic speeches and the whims that lust could bring. But to those that he did truly love, truly - not superficially or sporadically - there was no ends to the more tender ways in which he showed his affection. It was always through smaller gestures and tiny ways spoke the tomes that he did not voice. For Sigrún especially there was an endless fount of these little intricacies. It was unspoken, they did not need to address one another - she was his stars and he was her moon. Constant, never overshadowing.

He did not hide the slick smile that appeared on his face as she agreed with him. He had expected as much and it was in part because they were so ☆NSYNCin-sync but also in part because there were so few places that seemed to hold a candle compared to their arctic fortress back home. This forest, however, was true beautiful in an enchanting way. It was almost ethereal in it's other world qualities. She said it best though, in that it felt secretive and safe - and those were phrases that meant entirely different things to the FeralHearts. "Too true," he murmured softly "We can give this place a try." He offered to his pale sister, understanding that the constant moving could make a creature weary.

She wasn't the only one who felt the strain of constant travel physically they had faced far worse and yet he did not feel as if he wanted to move on yet. They had been traveling for what felt like an eternity and though the fact it was just the two of them had only brought them endlessly closer, it still wore him down spiritually. He wondered for a moment if the lands had more to offer them, and as his blue eyes traveled from the forest around them to his sister he did feel his chest puff slightly (not that their family could ever be accused of the sin of pride naturally) - "We can thrive here, I feel it." Not forever, unless they wanted it.

Omg, your NSYNC thing...I giggled so hard at that. XD

She his stars and he her moon -- for that was truly a most accurate way to describe the relationship between the brother and sister -- and their mother the sun around which they all revolved. Even now, despite the anger that lingered in her heart, she felt a sense of longing for Salene. She didn't want to admit it, and her pride and anger wouldn't allow the sentiments to find voice, but she missed her pale queen mother. She would not forgive Salene her arrogance for assuming to give Sigrún away in mateship without her consent -- regardless of tradition or politics -- but the fact nevertheless remained that she loved her mother and always would, and life without her guidance and companionship was difficult to get used to.

She pressed her brow in the underside of Antares' throat, allowing a silent moment to pass between them as birdsong rang sweetly amidst the trees around them. Then, with a sigh, she moved to a patch of soft pine straw illuminated by a ray of sunshine filtering down through a break in the evergreen forest. With a grinning glance toward her brother, Sigrún lowered herself to the pine straw and then rolled onto her back, all four paws splayed out every which way as she sunned her tight white belly. Another soft sigh involuntarily left her lips as she enjoyed the warmth on her skin, the air on her paws, and the sense of relief that washed over her at the thought of not having to leave again for a while. With her eyes closed, she spoke again a few moments later, "I wonder what they are doing right now." She knew that her brother would understand 'they' to refer to their family back at home.

I actually went to their concert, it was amazing XD that was my first concert ever!

Antares could only share the feelings of his closest sister though he would be even harder pressed to admit it. While he did not have, and very muchly envied, the relationship his pale sister and mother had, he still missed her as a source of comfort. He missed his brothers, hell, he even missed Rika. He missed his Uncle Saeran, he missed the crisp air of the arctic and he missed the sweet song of the wind as it whipped through the ice at night.

Antares was rather poetic sometimes and his priorities tended to call to the familiar. He wanted comfort, but in a different format than many. His comfort was less in relationships and more in the routine. The regular. It was why he depended so much on Sigrún in this journey. She approached him for a moment of soft sweetness and pressed her brow to his throat before stepping away. He watched in silent amusement as she found an appropriate sunspot and lounged, kicking her dainty white paws into the air as she basked. He allowed her this reprieve, and would not have moved from his silent vigil at her side until she spoke.

He smirked as he looked at her, knowing just who she meant. "That is easy. Rika and Eirikr are quarreling, Mother is probably grooming an invisible spot from behind Eha's ears." He responded quickly, swallowing back the laughter. In reality Salene was probably raging at the loss of a daughter and son, and plotting if she should send the rest of her litter out to collect them or clutch them even tighter to her breast. For such a tiny thing, she was a terror.

My first was Trans-Siberian Orchestra's winter/Christmas concert. Go see them sometime if you haven't. They're absolutely incredible! :)

A short laugh trickled from her throat at her brother's reply. Despite the lightheartedness of the answer and the amusement it brought them, they both knew it wasn't true. Their mother was probably enraged -- especially over Sigrún's desertion, for it had likely created problems for Salene and the rival clan to which she had promised her daughter's betrothal -- and their siblings were no doubt upset and confused. She knew Rika would be sad and irate with her, probably more so for not taking her along than for leaving in the first place. Rika, the tough, inquisitive tomboy, would have loved an adventure to strange and distant lands. It was hard to gauge what Eha's reaction might have been. And Eirikr...well, she could almost smell his disapproval from here. She knew he would have choice words for her if ever he saw her again.

Rolling over onto her side to face Antares, she asked, "Do you think any of them will come looking for us?" She knew that Antares had left with Salene's blessings, but she herself had not. It wasn't beyond their mother to send someone -- Rika or Eirikr, most likely -- to find Sigrún and bring her back. In fact, she wouldn't have put it past Salene to come herself. She hoped not, though. They had traveled an incredible distance and had been for a long while; surely, by now, their trails would have been long lost to the elements. One could never be sure, though, with Feralhearts. They had a most peculiar talent for tracking down prey.