Stavanger Bay Memories that Drive me

I'm not sure what happened here. I just went with it. Territory of Shield Maiden's Sorrow (Watefall)

Ash Paw strode from the lands of the ravens. Past the forest's cold call. The darkness that crept upon her and the bony fingers of winter's cold winds blown. She was colored in splashes of red and brown, upon her pelage of tawny and black. Blood and gore upon her paws, and maw. She had not slept for a day or two.  A restless energy tearing her apart as she moved and hunted for the creatures that would fill their caches, and appease her gods. 

A fevered sense of time running out had played along her mind for days. She was fearful of what the autumns winds would bring upon their colored heels. The white of snow was coming, and she was ill prepared.

So it was with such thoughts and sorrow that she found herself traversing the forest and the shores of where her auntie had once tread. She did not have a connection to the dirt and the trees as Thistle had, but to Thistle herself she held a deep sense of something. She had loved her auntie in her own way and Thistle had accepted her just the way she was. Here and now she was unable to find that same connection, that same acceptance and it filled her chest with pain.

She traveled and shifted and found the cliff side that her auntie had told her of, where she had found the scarred norsewoman, dead and gone. Valhalla she had moved. 

Where she too crept and wept and stood over ceremony atop the wide sweeping cliffside of Sheild Maiden's Sorrow. As if a weeping mother embracing a broken child, or a warrior woman as she waited for her mate to come home. This is what the name reminded her of.

Slowly she crept and allowed the icy falls to splash upon the rocks and thus upon her. The blood and gore that had marred her, slowly slipping from her pelage, as if whirling from a cocoon, and it was there that she simply sat long after the cold had taken her feeling. Long after she could no longer hold her position and without a nary worry in the world, she pulled upon years of drive and body honed for what it was, and she leapt.

She hit the water like a tidal wave, the cold freezing her limbs and stealing her breath. She swayed with the water as it moved, her body she couldn't uncurl. She simply closed her eyes and waited for whatever the gods would deem to happen to her, and slowly she was spat upon the shore. Her body half in and out of the water.

Shivering from head to toe, she didn't move. She merely lay there, cool clear water tracing dainty circles around her eyelashes. Her pelt sopping and slipping along every curve and whither. Dipping deep into valleys of shadow, and highlighting all her blemishes and all her charms. The sun began to rise upon the sky, beating upon her, drying her. And still she lay. Numb, but content. For her gods had sparred her again.

he did not mean to be gone.

he really, truly did not mean to be. yet he had accidentally wandered a bit too far and had yet to make his way home. of course, guilt only accelerated such feelings. mir would be mad. sobo too, maybe. mama and maman most certainly would be. even aminthe would likely have his ear for life if he returned.

so he scuttled on down the coast, wandering. meandering.

only to find something had washed ashore in the daylight. which was a total score! it had to be a meal.

but.

hold. up.

as he neared, he realized this was most definitely another wolf. somebody curled up and drenched. unmoving. he figured they were dead. extremely dead. they had to be. right?

but still he came up, looking like a seagull as he hung his head over their body and stared at them.

'ey...'ey. a hoarse whisper nearly in their face. are ya dead? yer dead, right?

Ash Paw heard the shuffling noise as someone moved nearby, but she didn't move. The fur to wet, the sun just the right amount of warm. Her body weak and tired. She was spent.

Suddenly the sun was blocked, and a hoarse voice spoke down at her. Blue eyes snapped open and she stared up at the other that stared down and she snorted. 

Of course i'm not dead, but if you don't back off i'mma bite yer nose off. She gave a small growl, though she didn't move at first. Finally, she lifted her head. 

Small, petite body moved and shifted a she stood on sopping paws. The fur of tawny and black a mixture of wet and dry, water sluicing down to puddle at her feet, curling around the innards of her legs and stomach. 

She tilted her head. I was enjoying a swim. She grumbled back grumpily.

he only took one step back.

nobody had ever spoke to him like that. never once had he faced a real threat in his life. so...maybe she was bluffing? yeah. probably.

uh. i dun t'ink layin' on de sand is swimmin'. he informed her with an awkward, boyish chuckle. she was older but she was small.

she most definitely had not been swimming.

he had seen her, curled up like a miserable seal pup. but if that was her story...

Not big on personal space i take it? she tilted her head, and gave herself a vigorous shake. If he wanted to stand so close, he could smell what she ate for breakfast so be it.

She had not been bluffing, had he not taken the one step back, she would have lunged. Staring at her like some sort of feather brained dodo head. Big eyes, red fur. He briefly reminded her of the wolf she had recently treated.

She gave a long suffering sigh, as if she had just had to deal with too many annoying wolves and had met her end. It is if you jumped from the cliff and let Sedna move you as she willed.

She snapped blue eyes back to his face, eyes roving over the plains and lines. Who are you?

he wanted to roll his eyes.

he also didn't want to test her boundaries. so he refrained.

she also spoke...kind of crazy. launching herself into the sea for some sedna. quennell had been taught to do the exact opposite. cliff jumping was for those who didn't respect the sea. who wanted to mock the strength of it.

maybe she had hit her head real hard, maybe the sea had taken something from her.

quen, he offered her a nickname with a half-squinted look. are...you sedna?

Ash Paw would have probably lost her temper, were he to roll his eyes, but perhaps not. She wasn't quite certain where this ire came from. Or why she had done what she had. There had simply been a moment, when she needed to fill something other than lonliness and sadness.

Well Quen. I am Ash Paw, but you may call me Ash.

She tilted her head, ears forward at his next question and she chuckled.

Of course I am not. Do I look like a goddess? I am no more than mere mortal.

ash paw.

or ash.

as for her question, he shrugged his shoulders. soft but genuine.

i dunno. and he was honest! what was a goddess supposed to look like? who was to say one could not look like them?

never met a goddess.

He moved with practiced ease.  A young wolf, but comfortable in his own skin, or at least he seemed. Ash Paw could not boast such a thing. She was not comfortable in her skin, still unsure where she fit and why. Had no real idea what she wanted from life, and how to go about getting it. If that wasn't evident by the fact that she very much almost killed herself, just to see if she had a gods favor.

She was momentarily disappointed and settled to her haunches, scratching designs in the dirt, as she thought. 

I haven't either, though I have an acquaintance who swears he's a god. I haven't seen the evidence yet, but who am I to ask such questions of gods? It's rather disappointing.

She frowned eyes going inward. The gods I follow are great bears. Slobbering, slavering grizzly and pristine gigantic polar bear. I haven't seen them, and I fear that if I did. I would simply run from the fearsome looks of their visage.

She scoffed. But why am I speaking to you of it. I am sure you don't want to hear me speak such things. What were you doing out and about?

She smells no pack on him, but he is young. Not young enough to not be out on his own, but still enough that he should have someone to care about his well being at any rate.

she spoke a lot, and some part of him dreaded it.

mainly for the fact that she described beasts he had only heard nightmare stories of. slobbering, ghastly things. his ears seemed to momentarily sweep aside for it. airplaned, almost feline like in the brief scrunching of his appearance.

she was right. he didn't want to hear about these things.

jus' explorin'. i'm of de sea. he boasted a bit, huffing some with his own sense of pride. an' where do you be goin'? after, uh, dis swim?

AshPaw was more talkative than she usually was. She wasn't sure if she was proud of herself or disgusted honestly.

He was from the sea, she wondered if he was part of the disbanded pack that had belonged to Ingram. Or if he was a different one that she hadn't met yet, perhaps of the one her Cousin had joined, and then left. 

Sacraium, but I may leave there soon. The scents are weak.

he knew that name, loosely. he knew a girl from sacrarium had come to sapphique to be a scout with jorunn. they were supposedly allies or something of that ilk.

weak? de be leavin'?

and without telling one of their own members?

Ash Paw had arrived after the allieship was made, and too soon after she arrived had many of the wolves become scarce. She hadn't even had a full tour, truthfully.

Yes. They were there accepted me, and then they were suddenly gone. Low numbers. Not sure. Why.

Ash Paw shifted her weight.

he frowned, nearly pouty in its nature.

upset for her. truly. he could not imagine if he found somewhere, and everybody left in a trickle. by their own will, of course. quennell was not a stranger to loss, but this concept from the washed woman was a new idea entirely.

i hate dat. he admitted with a shake of his head. a grand, childish idea washed over him suddenly. it showed in the shifting of his features to some mischievous.

you could take it! like a pirate, if no one be keepin' it safe.

suddenly he dropped into a play bow and his tail arched over his back, waving in excitement.

This youngling was cute enough, and she smiled at his pouted lip.

Ash Paw had no comparison to make. She had only ever had father, Auntie and Cousin Guns. And this was her first foray into pack life. So she wasn't entirely certain if it was the norm? Did packs just come and go like that.

Ash Paw had not played in some time, but she mirrored his movements. Unsure, but pleased all the same.

I could. Though I don't know much of pirating, looting and plundering.

he barked with laughter, tail only picking up speed for it all.

well den good t'ing you met me! i be da best pirate. i even know how to fight sharks!

and in a moment of wishing to show off he bounced around her in a frenzied circle. trying to remember what he had practiced with siblings and caretakers. although he didn't make an actual move at her.

just showed off his super impressive speed.

it was super impressive, right?

Ash Paw smiled, her own laughter joining his. Though a little lighter. Her own tail moving as she shifted.

Ash's eyes grew wide. Sharks? Did you just bop them on the nose? The gods must favor you.

She followed him, her eyes crinkling at the corner. Blue eyes traced as he moved and jumped and gamboled. He made a super large circle around her, his body moving faster than her gaze could keep up, but she tried.

A gentle loll of her tongue as he was excited and it was catching.

oh, i get 'em real good!

he boasted through a bark, as he dived in with soft clicks of his teeth. although he remained mindful to not actually nip her. in case she did decide to have his nose still.

de can't see me comin'! he laughed before he found himself already exhausted! nobody had forewarned him about the tiredness that came with roaming so much.

so dramatically, he flopped, belly up towards her. staring at her upside down as his tongue hung down against his cheek.

Ash laughed, That's a good thing. One less shark, yes at least near the shores. Foul creatures that they are.

Ash Paw settled to her haunches beside him, meeting his gaze with her own blue eyes. Sharks can't see you coming? You have roved far and wide?

Ash continued downward, small petite body wound to the ground. Legs crossed neatly, politely. Queenly.

You are returning home full of stories and tales?

returning home.

right. he still...needed to do that, didn't he? mama and maman were probably terrified. some part of him wondered if they weren't. chacal needed so much help already and his sister would certainly enjoy being the center of attention for a while.

right...?

it was a sour, childish thought. he felt certain that it was not true but he could not help but think.

all of this showed on his face, of course.

a subtle darkening of his mood.

ah. yeah. lotta stories, just...needa get 'em first, yah? he offered as he attempted to lighten his mood once more.

Ash Paw saw the immediate change and wondered if perhaps she should not have opened her mouth. Perhaps he was not home because he didn't want to be home. Maybe there was something, no she was certain there was something she didn't know of.

Well you have one to tell today? of the silly girl that jumped from the cliff to seek the favor of gods.

She nudged him gently with the tip of her nose against brown fur. She smiled then and shifted. She looked to the cliff and down into the water.

This is called Shield Maiden's Sorrow. My auntie named it thusly.

he laughed, but not to mock her. it was with warmth and delight at the way she described herself.

then he hushed once more to hear her words.

how her auntie had named this place. shield maiden's sorrow. it was a bit of a...downer. not to his mood but just in general.

was she sad? he asked with a furrowing of his brows as he looked to her blue eyes.

There was a warming to his laughter. It pulled a small chuckle from her. His laugh was infectious. He was a happy fellow.

Ash nodded. At the time she was yes, but her friend at the time Julooke. She told her to they would turn the day around.

Ash motioned with her paws. Then Julooke took a running leap and jumped from the cliffface, laughing the whole way down. And Auntie followed her and when she came up for air. She was no longer as sad. 

Ash Paw smiled at the story and the memory of being told it. Auntil had spoken in a hushed whisper, her voice curling around gently and with kindness. Her common words dancing with icelandic words that Ragnar had taught her.

he had thought her crazy for cliff jumping at first. yet the story morphed around his mind. how julooke had convinced them to jump into the waters from so high. then the sadness had washed away from her auntie.

into the sea. away on waves.

his gaze drifted out towards it for a moment.

you have good stories. he told her sincerely. will i see you again? or do you be leavin' sacrarium behind for good you think?

Ash Paw hadn't fully realized what her intention was. She had only done it on a whim, but now she wondered if perhaps she had been attempting to ease some of her lonliness or her sadness or whatever it maybe that was causing her issues.

thank you. I have many my auntie lived, and loved here.

His next question drew her pause and she looked him over. If I do live I will still come back to seek you out? Would you like me to find you if I decide to leave before I do?