The Sentinels And if the house just keeps on winning

Maia'd returned with birds in tow, handing them off to @Arcturus and @Wraen.  Her relationship with her sister was solid as ever after their talk, but she still wasn't quite sure what to make of her friend.  He was quiet, and seemed nice enough, but something made her hesitant to get to know him.  Maybe it was that feeling like she was a bit of a third wheel.  The little sister tagalong.  It was her own mind completely, of course, but it didn't make it exactly easy to cozy up.

Shallow conversation suited her anyway.  As did exploration, and she was doing a lot of the latter lately.  Today she was tromping the western edge of the forest, where the sentinels met the bay.  The ocean sure was pretty, she thought, staring out at the vast blue expanse.  Almost as pretty as the sky, especially with that same twinkle when the sun hit it.  She wondered if there was maybe an opportunity there.  She'd told stories of wolves who lived in the stars.  Maybe they had a sister pack, some group who made their homes in the sea?  White wolves, with fur soft as sea foam, and eyes that shone cerulean....

She got caught up in the making of it, and was soon talking softly to herself.  It was a habit she'd always had, but she'd picked up more of it traveling alone.  There should be a leader, like a King?  No, maybe a council, since that's kinda boring...  More thinking.... For a villain, maybe something like... hmmm...

After eating his fill of the bird Maia provided, Arcturus sought the storyteller’s company at the western rim of the Sentinels.

He’d not spent much time with Maia beyond simple travel; part of it was his fault, for Arcturus was often lackluster company.

Drawing close to Maia, Arcturus loosened a soft chuff — he’d heard her mumble and tilted his head to the side as if to ask what she was thinking.

She was too caught up to notice Arcturus approaching, so when he made a sound, she started.  Oh!  Immediately whatever plot thread she'd been following fled her mind, but she knew she'd find it again, soon as she looked.

Sorry, I was just... ahhh, yknow.  Thinkin up stories.  It's so pretty, hard not to be inspired.  She indicated the ocean, then fell back into semi awkward silence.  She didn't really know what to say.

Wraen had told her a bit about Arcturus, but Maia hadn't asked much.  Now she kind of regretted that because asking the source was way more awkward... but what did she know to talk about? She didn't even know if he liked stories, or any of the things she did.  It was weird, she felt so comfortable talking to complete strangers, yet so out of place talking to her sister's friend.  Maybe because the stakes were that much higher.

arcturus knew just enough about stories to tell he had disturbed maia from some deep thought -- he hoped whatever thread she had dropped she would find cleanly and easily. his ears swept back apologetically, and he offered a gentle smile.

"wraen likes stories as well. if i remember, she told me once about her mother, who also was fond of a good yarn." arcturus' soft gaze searched maia briefly as she looked to the ocean. "the apple did not fall far from the tree, did it? what did you have so far?"

Maia smiled a little shyly when he mentioned her mom, and that they were similar.  Mom was the best at telling stories, for sure!  Wraen is a lot like her.  Her big sister reminded her a lot of their mom in a comforting way... but while their mom had been distant at times, Maia never felt like Wraen wasn't right there, ready to back her up.  

She, on the other hand, felt like she was nothing like either of them.  I don't have a ton yet! But I was thinking, what if there were wolves who lived in the ocean?  White and fluffy, that run across the water like the wave caps sometimes.  Her eyes were focused out, imagining them, before she laughed.  Silly, yeah?  Stories needed villains, and conflict, and closure.  But they all had to start somewhere too.  She was dismissive, in case he figured it was a bad idea (he probably did because it was).  But that didn't mean she wasn't going to develop it some.

arcturus knew little of osprey -- but he imagined, whoever osprey had been, she must have been a wonderful and very special wolf to make not one, but two admirable women. he kept this sappy sentiment to himself, though a soft smile hung the corner of his lips.

a story of seafoam wolves? his ears pricked in interest. one of the things arcturus liked most about wraen, was that she was not afraid to tap into her imagination. arcturus was not an imaginative wolf; he lived with his feet firmly rooted to the practical world -- it both awed and inspired him the endless lengths of creativity wraen (and maia) seemed to unravel at her own disposal.

"that's not silly. it sounds interesting." arcturus murmured genuinely. "what is their story? are they religious wolves, do they believe in gods? do they like land dwellers like us? and what drives them?"

She was expecting him to brush it off, honestly.  She was used to people having a passing interest in her stories, but since she told so many, she imagined they got old pretty quick.  It was the best way to communicate, though.  She smiled when Arcturus asked her to expand, and felt that familiar uncomfortable warmth she always felt when anyone paid her attention (or a compliment).

They live in the water, but come to the surface to run in the warmth of the sun, or to see the beautiful stars.  It's too hard to see the sky underwater, of course.  She began, drawing the shape of these unknown packs from thin air.  They have to protect their territory too, yeah? So sometimes they come up to fight too, and that's when the ocean gets really rough!  They'd weathered a storm or two since their coming here, and Maia had been in awe of how much the ocean raged with it.  It was terrifying, and it wasn't hard now to imagine it as a roiling mass of fighting wolves.

But I think they are mostly curious of us, and how we manage to live on land.  Just like we are mostly curious of them.  Who do you think they would worship?  She wanted to see what he might bring in, if he had any additions.  The stories people made together were always the best ones, and she wondered if he had a storyteller in him too.

fun fact: arcturus did not know how to swim. he was mortally aware of this as maia continued, though the warmth of her smile kept his hidden fears at bay for a moment longer.

strangers who came to the surface to sun themselves - strangers who missed the sight of the sky, being in the murky and pelagic deep. in truth arcturus had no concept of what it was like underwater -- he had never needed to swim.

it ws funny to arcturus that maia, much like wraen, gave him his chance to decide where the story went. under fire he was never a sure shooter, but he tried his best: "maybe they worship the sun or the sky, like you mentioned -- because it is unobtainable to them." however, he wouldn't have been offended in the slightest if this wasn't the right answer. after all, he'd survived the gauntlet that was wraens' Q&A about story time -- and had blundered through it with all the grace of a rock crashing through a thin layer of ice.

It was lucky for Arcturus that the only wrong answer, by Maia's estimation, was no answer at all.  Even then she could forgive it, but it always disappointed her when a wolf didn't feel comfortable enough to let loose and get creative.  She enjoyed the suggestion a lot; it drew on what she already had given, which meant he was paying attention.  It also had a reason, which made it even better.

I like it!  The sky.  And the birds are their messengers.  She watched as a gull swooped and circled overhead, then went winging off out over the expanse.  They offer fish, and in return, the birds and the sky that keeps them are appeased.  She liked this, it was more drawn out and detailed than her land of the stars.  Though she and Charon had never really gotten the chance to explore that at any huge length.  It didn't even occur to Maia that she was in actuality standing here now with Charon's son.... all she knew was that he at one point had lived in Moonspear.

That's perfect!  Now all we need is a villain and we'll have a story.  She didn't have any ideas at the moment, but she was sure one would come along eventually.

a gull strafed close by. arcturus watched the docking of its wings and the sharpness of its turn as maia spoke.

now, all they needed was an enemy. some tension sprinkled into the narrative to craft a compelling story.

arcturus knew a thing or two about enemies. the worse ones always came from within, where you never expected them.

"is this a good versus evil story, or maybe a story about how the way things are?" that would shape his answer. they could always draw from real life inspiration, or, if it was as mythical is it seemed, perhaps create a whole new species of terror in which to rule and rein in their imaginary world.

He knew something of tales.  He pretended like he didn't, but if that was true, he was at least a natural!  Maia was visibly impressed by the question.

I think how things are, she decided.  Good and evil is fun, but it can get old sometimes.  There wasn't a lot of middle ground to the old divide.  You could still introduce fantastical elements behind the question of "why".  She'd already gone that route, when she'd created the story of storms and rough water, and it seemed fitting to continue the theme.

She waited eagerly to see what he came up with, but put her own mind to work too.  She wasn't going to make him do it all on his own.

arcturus was secretly relieved maia chose life versus fantasy. truth be told, he lacked the imagination to conjure believable tales of dragons and mermaids -- but give him an hour or so, and he could fashion a short tale of hard-working wolves, and of the natural order.

"well, the way things are is often unpleasant." arcturus thought for a moment, drawing from his own life experiences. "we need an element of unhappiness. maybe our main character has a jealous or bitter sibling.. or aunt. someone who would take things from them. who is our main character?"

When Maia had speculated herself on what might be a real-life theme to go with, she'd been considering more natural events.  Arcturus flipped her expectations, though, and instead brought up the subject of family. She liked it a lot! It felt more unique, but it also made them far more relateable to think they might have family trouble as well.

It's always best when they aren't someone important, Maia said thoughtfully.  Maybe an apprentice to someone?  Ooooooh!  She lit up as she landed on a good little bit of inspiration.  What about an apprentice who saw something they shouldn't, and now their mentor is the baddie.

That story would have it all... betrayal, intrigue, the search for truth!  She wasn't sure what job would be important enough for that kind of reveal to be necessary, but she'd let Arcturus weigh in.

WC: 141

already, their story had the rough composing of a riveting one. arcturus knew a thing or two about familial strife.. add in tension, betrayal, unexpected twists -- did you have a story then, or just simply life as they knew it?

he liked the idea of a mentor, but it hit close to home for him. hydra. he hid the break of composure well by looking away. "maybe the mentor has been poisoning the leaders.. either by food or their mind. or, maybe the mentor was setting into motion things that would incapacitate the rulers, and pave the way for their ascension?" hunger - be it for flesh or throne - was a powerful motivator.

Perfect.  Maia was completely unaware of any parallels to Arcturus' situation.  She knew Wraen's history with the mountain, but she had never bothered to find out why Arcturus left.  It was a highly personal question, asking someone why they left home and never looked back, and it usually didn't have a pleasant answer.

Poisoning the mind.  The mentor has been turning the rules against each other, making each of them believe the other betrayed them.  Maybe they'll realize in time... or maybe not!  I guess that'd be the difference between an epic and a tradgedy.  Well, epic so long as there's some kind of journey towards solving it.  Like one of them leaves to find the truth.  She thought about it, but she wasn't so sure.  She loved a good epic, but tradgedies had to be special.  This one had the makings for one that would really pull at the heartstrings.

There could be hope, too.  If the previous was a marriage of convenience anyway, and something happened, perhaps a new love?  As her mind started following this thread, Maia had to pull herself back, realizing she was traveling a little far into the realm of make-believe and leaving her friend here behind.  I love hopeful stories the most, but sometimes you just really need a good tradgedy.  Usually when you just really needed a good cry, something to loose your soul without having to focus too much on your own actual problems.

WC: 243

"hope holds us over the brink. tragedy pushes us off of it." arcturus supplied, musing.

poisoning the mind was the work of wolves clever with words, wolves who intimately understood the nature of their victims better than those they manipulated. arcturus did not profess to be that clever - he wore his heart plainly on his pelt in many ways. "maybe the leaders have an ambitious son, and the mentor plants it in the leader's mind that the son is looking to overthrow him.

and the same goes for the son - perhaps the mentor suggests his father is going senile, and will dispose of him out of fear of losing his throne?"

That was a pretty statement.  Maia thought about it for a second, wondering if it meant quite the same thing.  A normal wolf might just let it go, but for Maia, words were a trade.  It was similar, but for her, it aligned the two a lot closer than she usually viewed them.  She had always viewed tradgedy as the absence of hope entirely, but now that she thought about it, without hope initially a tradgedy didn't hit near as hard.  Are you sure you aren't a storyteller?  That's good stuff.  Maia said, clearly impressed (and more than a little thoughtful).

She liked the pattern this led to.  So the mentor turns the father and the son against one another.  They fight, and no matter which wins, he can pin the blame and show they took their paranoia too far.  By that time, even if they sorted out they'd been tricked, it would be too late!  There were other options too, but with three characters, the frame-up was the easiest way to resolve!  Plus then you could have a tradgedy alongside a triumph!  The son might regret what he did to his father (or vice versa), yet still win out and learn from it.  Who would you choose to be the victor?  Father or son?  Son would make sense, but father would defy expectations.  Bit of a twist to have the 'senile' old king turn out to be the hero in the end.

WC: 243

arcturus did not believe himself a story teller -- but perhaps all his time with wraen (and now maia) was beginning to rub off. "not a story teller, no. maybe just someone who has some life experience." it was hard to believe arcturus was approaching his third year. in many ways he still felt like the naive young puppy that stood at his father's legs, peering up at the impossibly tall idol that had defined his life in many ways.

no longer - charon was but a shadow of smoke in a fading memory. the same could be said of amekaze. something clinched tightly in arcturus' gut.

"father would be more tragic. what is worse than a father killing his son?"

His comments did make Maia pause, but she didn't dwell on it.  If he had life experience with themes like these, then that meant his childhood had been a lot different than hers.  But perhaps it wasn't his experience he spoke about.  Either way, it wasn't something she felt comfortable asking about yet, so she let it go.  Maia would do about anything for a story, but that was forward even for her.

Not much.  Either is pretty bad, but one definitely... hits worse.  She agreed, imagining the emotion in the tale.  I think we have the makings of something really good!  We should workshop it and tell Wraen.  I think she'd like it.  She smiled, waving her tail invitingly to him and stepping away.  She preferred to move while she brainstormed the actual story, and if he wanted, she'd take his company a while longer!  She was curious how he did with the actual tale.

we can fade this, if you like! <3

<3

arcturus was not aware of how much of his past life he was unwittingly exposing -- he'd never been the subject of filicide thank god, but his early life had been far from simple. truth be told, there were many violent aspects of his home he was not aware of.

maia's acceptance of his ideas made him ever so slightly more confident; it was good to be acknowledged, even if he was only trying. he wasn't anywhere near the caliber of wraen or maia when it came to weaving stories, but the fact both always welcomed and built on his suggestions made him feel as if he were being built up, not destroyed down.

at maia's suggestion arcturus nodded; the two of them exchanged ideas (maia's better than his own) until they caught up with wraen.