Stone Circle let your plans be dark and as impenetrable as night

home —

the massive stones that dominated the heart of the stone circle stood ( or some of them did, anyway ); like crude and ragged altars. once kept clean, even beneath the thin dusting of snow, nanoq can see that they have not been tended to for some time. vines have crept over the rocks — especially the ones that have fallen flat against the earth — to reclaim what was theirs.

of course, imagining that he'd find more than bones stripped clean and left to bleach beneath the sun was a child's fantasy. he knew a few miles before he'd entered the territory that it was no longer occupied and hadn't been for some time.

there was the few, fading scent of stragglers travelling thru but nothing concrete. his family was not here; and had not been for some time ...but he could not imagine a scenario where his mother would abandon this place and thus was left to assume only the worst without any evidence to support or dispute it: that he was all that was left.

nanoq's shoulders tense beneath the soft snowfall; trying to plan out his next move. whether he would stay here ...his birthplace, the ruins of a family legacy that he alone carried — or if he would keep going. there was nothing left here but ghosts, but for this evening: they offered him soft and lonely comfort.

OOC: Keeping details vague since Keyni's arrival thread at the Glacier has not yet started. Can be assumed to be forward dated.

She set out today, now that she had been back in the Teekons for a short while. Keyni was not entirely familiar with this part of the wilderness and was curious to see what she might find. She also was interested to see what had changed, if anything. Back by the Glacier was her home camp, for now. At least until she decided on where she wanted to settle for good.

The meadow she found herself in drew her eye to the pillars of stone at the center. Some stood upright, others fallen upon the cold ground. Her brows pinched gently, while she considered what could have possibly happened at this place. Or maybe this was the way it had always been, but the stone towers were unlike anything she had seen.

She stopped, catching a glimpse of gray up ahead. The scent he carried, completely his own, struck a chord of familiarity with her. Not yet aware that they had crossed paths briefly before her disappearance, the Tundrian kept her distance, but called out in a soft chuff to alert him of her presence.

the chuff startles him; so wrapped up in swarming memories. for a moment, he is young and valette is coming up to him ready to tell him of the lore surrounding the stones. nanoq's jade gaze scours the land until it falls upon the woman: not valette, he recognizes with a painful gut punch but a stranger. the fact that their paths had briefly crossed goes unknown by him and within her he sees nothing familiar.

not wanting a stranger to see him in his most vulnerable, the pain and mourning of what had been lost to him in truth years ago ...he whisks away those thoughts for more private moments.

a quick glimpse is given to the ancestor stones before he turns his back to them; drawing some rooted spiritual strength from them.

hey, nanoq offers as a greeting; tempted for a wild moment to ask about his lost family before deciding what giving himself false hope was not kind.

Something tickled in the back of her mind. The start of a spark, nudging her towards recognition. Despite it, Keyni could not name the feeling, so it went unacknowledged. Unsure of what kind of reception she might receive, she prepared herself to step back if her presence was unwelcome.

To her slight relief, the slate man only regarded her neutrally, with a calm air about him. The gentle, slight swing of her dark tail tip showed she carried no ill intentions with her, by being here. His greeting was simple, to which she replied with one of her own. "I hope I am not intruding..."  She let the question hang, jade eyes drifting to the assortment of massive stones just behind him. "This place...it is quite interesting." But sad. Yes, she could sense the gloom in the air. A land neglected, stripped of it's former glory and life.

quick work post

nah, nanoq breathes out in a soft exhale that morphs into a sigh. you're not intruding. there was little to intrude on ...besides his own thoughts and he'd rather not let himself get swept away in that sea. not while it looms dark and foreboding before him; the greedy tide of grief always famished.

a soft noise of agreement lingers in nanoq's throat. it once was full of life and prospects of future. now, it is a graveyard of once was'. these stones once all stood tall. many of them had fallen to lay sideways upon the earth, now. it was a ruin. for a moment, nanoq is lost to his thoughts briefly forgetting his company. i am nanoq. he offers in introduction when he remembers her lingering presence.

She nodded, taking one more step closer. Assured and pleased that she had not disrupted him in a moment of privacy. Jade eyes trailed along the circular formation of great stone slabs. Some still standing, others laying flat. With the way her ears twitched gently in the air, there was no mistake she was listening to him. 

"How do you know? It must have been beautiful." She remarked, with a hint of regret in her voice. For that in she wished she had the chance to see Stone Circle in it's glory. Not as the relics they were today. Slowly, she padded forward. Not towards him, but towards one of the stones lain upon the earth. She gazed at it a long moment, while quietly skimming a paw delicately over the surface. Her respect was clear. "I can sense it. A great sadness over this place...in the soil." She knew not it was once his home. Turning back, she faced him. "Nanoq...it is good to meet you. I am Keyni." She extended, prying into green eyes with her own, searching his features for something familiar.  They had met before, however brief and hardly formal.