A Fateful Encounter [Nimue/Morrigan]

[Phantom]

At the junction between grassland and beach, a silver-eyed rogue lay stretched out beneath a stray savannah tree. The midday heat was fierce, and even with his summer coat, Phantom was finding it difficult not to overheat. The tree’s shadow offered some relief, as did the sea breeze and the tongue lolling out of his mouth in an idle pant. The warmth no longer felt like an adjustment. He took to it easily, like slipping back into an old friendship after growing apart, and the bitter cold that the northern quarter of the island offered felt like a distant memory. The south was more than a home to him, it was a friend. Right now it felt like his only friend.

He and Sunny had parted ways, and he felt no regret or resentment toward the separation. Phantom had enjoyed her company, or, at least, enjoyed having company. Once she had left, Phantom was free to do as he please once more, to travel whenever and wherever he wanted. The only problem was that he didn’t know what that entailed. The nomadic wandering that had engulfed that last year of his life had been pointless and indefinite; there had been no end and he hadn’t needed one. Now he felt as though he were suspended in purgatory; waiting for some kind of revelation to hit him and bring meaning into his life once again. From what information he’d gathered, Phantom was fairly sure there were no packs left in the south of Anikira. There were no scent borders, no signs of a potential home for him.

Not for the first time, Phantom wondered if he were making over-complicating things.

Here, looking out at the sea, he felt content. It did not have to be more complicated than that. The eastern tip of Xisyn was visible, its rock formations visible even from this distance. The ocean consumed the space after it finished, azure blue stretching out as far as the eye could see; to the horizon, and beyond. But what lies beyond? Curiosity clawed at the insides of Phantom, but he knew it would never be sated. He knew no wolf could journey that far in empty, vast water. If tiredness didn’t kill them, the hunger would. Speaking of which, Phantom couldn't remember having eaten this well in a long time. The plains were teeming with prey, all of which were less hardy than the prey of Caurus. It was easy pickings for a wolf with Phantom’s stealth and accuracy. He had to be careful not to grow lazy, though. Indolent prey cultivated indolent predators.

The coastal wind picked up and the salt air combed easily through Phantom’s fur, carrying with it the scent of a stranger. Phantom raised his head, curious and dauntless. Strangers were becoming ever less strange to him.

Word count: 481
Muse: good
Notes: Thought I'd better get this whole thing moving x)
Tags: Nimue and/or @morrigan

[Nimue]

Across the sands she went, large paws slinging up tiny granules as she moved. The sun bore down upon her mottled pelt, and yet with fall had come pleasant weather, a breeze granting her relief from any potential heat. On this day Nimue had branched out briefly from her sister and the steadily growing group that they had gathered to hunt, and it was towards them that she went, idly tracking their scents across the land. She’d lost it here on the beach where the salt in the air stung her nostrils, but she was certain that they had come this way; there was nowhere else they would have gone. Regardless, she was in no hurry. She moved with surprising grace for one so large, something she’d never forgotten from her mother’s lessons so long ago. Icy blue orbs flickered across the expanse of sand before her as she moved, a fat hare dangling from between her jaws. It was the second of two that Nimue had caught, and the first had been large enough to momentarily sate her hunger. It would have been a terrible waste to abandon the second when she traveled with so many, and so she’d scooped it up and taken it with her, where it now sat thumping idly against her chest.

A shape in the distance caught her eye, and briefly Nimue thought that perhaps she’d spotted a straggler from their group. Some time ago she and Morrigan had decided that they were capable of founding a haven, a place for wolves where they would not be forced to play a part or take a role, a place where they were truly family. She’d been surprised by the amount of support they’d received, and awkwardly she smiled around the corpse in her mouth as she hastened forwards. A moment later, however, she realized that this wolf was truly alone and not moving, and she slowed. He was unfamiliar to her, and yet still she drew near. She had become used to approaching strangers in the days since she had left Kairos, and she stopped only once she was close enough to see the peculiar split of ebony and ivory upon his visage. Pausing, she placed the hare down at her paws and cleared her throat, noting even before she spoke that she was larger than he – and he was no small male. She’d never been dainty like her mother or her sister, Fawn, and she’d begrudgingly come to terms with her considerable size long ago.

”Hello,” she said simply, her voice carried by the wind as she stood gazing into his pale silver eyes. ”My name is Nimue. I hope I have not disturbed you,” she added, for indeed he had looked so peaceful as he’d stood and gazed out at the ocean.

TAG: Phantom (and possibly @morrigan!) 
WORDS: 469
NOTES: sorry if this double tagged, edited in this table <3

[Phantom]

As the stranger drew closer and it became clear they were intentionally approaching him, Phantom rose onto all fours and gave his coat a light shake to try to dislodge the grains of sand that clung to his underbelly. If it weren’t for her scent, Phantom would have surely mistaken the female for a bear at a distance. She appeared twice as tall as Phantom, who considered himself to be an average size, at least for his breed. Never in his life had Phantom seen a wolf of this breed, though, or even anything close to her size. He wondered briefly if all the sun had gone to his head and she was a figment of his imagination.

As the enormous wolf closed the remaining space between them, he became sure he was not losing his mind, and felt something strange stir inside him: intimidation. Phantom was confident in his ability to defend himself, but in any other situation he would have avoided this wolf in the same way he would have avoided a predator. Her demeanour was friendly enough, though, and if Phantom had learned anything over the last few months it was that first appearances are very rarely true reflections of someone. Initially he had been wary of Jericho and Auron, neither or whom had warranted his suspicion. Sunny had presented herself as a simple puzzle for him to solve, but he felt no closer to knowing who she truly was after travelling together for weeks. Almost as unfathomable as he was, Sunny had confused and intrigued him simultaneously, though he doubted that was what she had intended.

After placing the hare down carefully and announcing her presence by clearing her throat, the female introduced herself. Nimue, he thought, his head raised in order to look her in the eye.

“Phantom,” he exchanged, with a courteous dip of his maw. “It’s no disturbance. I was merely admiring the view before continuing on my journey.” Phantom glanced in the direction of the ocean to emphasise what he was referring to, before looking back at Nimue. He could not stop himself from looking her up and down, inspecting her curious pelt colouration and ice-blue eyes. It was obvious she was not descended from one breed alone as he was, but the longer he looked, the more perplexed he became. Silver eyes shining with curiosity, Phantom decided to broach the subject.

“Forgive me for staring,” he said, raising his brow. “I have never come across a wolf of your stature before. Are you native to the island?”

In his youth, Phantom had resented being on the slightly smaller size of average. The other males in his pack were all built much larger and stronger than he, but in time he came to appreciate his size. It was easier to go unnoticed, to drift as silently as a ghost past enemies, to creep up on unsuspecting victims. It was a blessing to him now, but it hadn’t always been that way. Does she consider her size a blessing? he wondered. The benefits were obvious, but it struck Phantom that there were more disadvantages than advantages, at least in his eyes.

Word count: 532
Muse: okay
Notes: Posting while I have the time/energy/motivation! Sage, feel free to through Morrigan in if you want <3
Tags: Nimue @morrigan

[Nimue]

Phantom. It was an appropriate calling Nimue decided as she nodded, pleased to see that the brute apparently had no intention of running – or attacking. His words were courteous enough, his gaze briefly sliding to the ocean, and Nimue’s swiftly followed. It was nothing she had not seen before; she’d grown up on an island, surrounded by ivory sand and rolling waves, the cry of gulls constant and comforting. She recalled the day when she was much younger and she’d accompanied her half-sister, Castalia, to the beach. They’d played with the crabs and dined upon starfish, and unexpectedly the memory brought a gentle smile to Nimue’s muzzle.

Phantom spoke once more, and Nimue turned back to him, blue eyes meeting silver as she considered his question. She had not noticed him staring, too preoccupied by memories, but he certainly had not offended her regardless. ”I am. I was born on Ina’mos, an island off the western coast, though I am of that pack no longer.” If he was familiar with Kairos, then he would know where she hailed from; if not, then it did not matter regardless. ”My blood is a mixture of many breeds, but the one that had granted me my…considerable size was passed down from my father. Kenai Peninsula, to be exact.” She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. When she was young, she’d been disturbed by her massive paws and bumbling gate. She’d secretly coveted the hope that she would stay small and graceful, that she would master the things that she’d observed from her mother: the coy glances that Messoria had directed towards their father, the tilt of the head just right so that it was charming, the eloquent speech and willowy figure. But then she’d continued to grow until she was larger than Fawn, and then larger than her brother, Croix as well. Nimue no longer regretted her size; it did not make her less graceful, less elegant, less feminine. And likewise, it made her feel fierce; she had learned that femininity and strength could reside comfortably in the same dwelling.

”And what about you?” She asked Phantom, her curiosity outshining all else in that moment as she gazed at him. ”Are you a native to this land? Do you call any of the packs your home?” She had not forgotten that she was following her sister and their companions, but there was always the possibility that this male might be looking for a home himself. It was an opportunity that she could not overlook.

Belatedly she remembered the hare at her feet; the longer than she stood talking to Phantom the cooler it grew, and soon it would be warm and fresh no longer. It would be a terrible waste to allow it, and so her gaze flicked back to his as she gestured to the hare with her nose. ”Would you happen to be hungry? I hunted earlier and it seemed so foolish to leave it. It is yours, if you would like it.”

TAG: Phantom
WORDS: 501
NOTES: ~

[Deleted]

The taste of salt lingered on her tongue as the wolfess panted softly, pausing to regain her breath on a sandy dune. Out here in the wild, in the lands left free for the wanderers of Anikira, she could run and run, with nothing but the occasional tree to stop her. She relished the pleasure she felt, the wind in her dark mottled fur, something so simple that had once been impossible on her island birthplace. Now, Morrigan had enough company to occupy her time, as each passing day brought them closer to something resembling unity. New wolves had come into the fray, and they came willingly.

For the first time, the female was allowing herself to see them as more than mysterious outsiders, instead viewing these rogue wolves as possible allies. They were not as bad as Morrigan had been raised to believe. On the contrary, so far, she had encountered wolves striving for a similar purpose. And so, it seemed only natural that a new pack would sprout.

They didn’t have a home, which meant that their growing collecting of cohorts were, for the time being, a roaming pack. And, thus far, they were a group without a proper name to identify their emerging pack. Morrigan had been toying with ideas, kept up at night by the excitement of her newly found life. It was all so unexpected – encountering wolves along the way that wished to band together, and Morrigan, looked to as a leader – that the she-wolf didn’t know where to begin. Naming their would-be pack seemed like a logical place to start, along with the possibility of claiming a land to house them all.

During her sprint through the grasslands, an idea had come to her, and she was excited to share the thought with her sister, her closest companion and best friend since birth. She had tracked Nimue’s scent, following the ocean air. Her running ceased when she approached the pale sand that delineated the beginning of the beach. Not far from where she paused, Morrigan saw Nimue speaking to the stranger, and a brief moment of panic clouded her mind. Being out in the real world was still so new, and Morrigan had been brought up not to trust outsiders. Those not of Kairos were certain to be against it. But Morrigan was no longer of Kairos herself. The rules of her past life were no longer relevant in the existence she was forging alongside Nimue and the rest of their new compatriots.

Slowly, the large she-wolf padded along the sand. She could hear Nimue’s voice, but was unable to decipher what the two were conversing about. Perhaps this wolf – a male, Morrigan knew, because his scent soon mingled with Nimue’s familiar smell and the ocean breeze – was like many of the others. Perhaps his ideals fit with those of their new pack. Even if he was not interested in joining their journey, it could be worthwhile to meet someone new, to begin to forge ties with those who roamed Anikira. As she approached, her head lowered just barely so that she would look closer to Nimue’s size – still large, but not as big as Morrigan had grown to be.

He was an unusual looking wolf, his features striking, two-toned pelt a mixture of darkness and light. It was his silver eyes that captured Morrigan attention as she came to stand beside her sibling. ”Greetings, stranger. I am Morrigan. She’s my sister,” she said with a grin. ”I hope you’ll forgive me for interrupting.”

Words: 608

Tags: Phantom + Nimue

Notes: here she is, finally! <3

[Phantom]

Phantom listened with guarded fascination as Nimue briefly explained her origins, his ears twitching delicately in response. Ina’mos. That certainly sounded familiar – though he could not remember the pack that inhabited it – but he caught himself before he began to chase memories. Phantom found that his past was like a rabbit hole; one wrong step and he’d lose himself again. Here, in the presence of this stranger, he wanted to remain himself. Instead, he focused his attention on the second half of her introduction.

“You are the first wolf of Kenai Peninsula blood I’ve met. I must say, I’m rather awed,” he replied honestly, raising his brow ever so slightly. Giant wolves were certainly a novel concept, though he suspected the novelty would wear off if you got on their bad side. It sounded more like a fairy tale than reality; Phantom wouldn’t believe it if the two hundred pounds of evidence weren’t sitting squarely in front of him. He could not help but wonder how many more of them there were, if Nimue had many siblings who has also inherited her father’s size. Did they all reside in one place? It was a wonder he had not come across one before in his four years of existence. Perhaps Nimue was the first of her breed to leave the island.

Despite her size, Nimue was neither intimidating nor brutish. Rather, her markings were delicate, elegant even, and despite her size she carried herself with grace. There was something more, though. This stranger had an air of… royalty.

“You left your pack,” Phantom echoed, allowing his head to tilt to the side in a show of curiosity. It wouldn’t hurt to learn as much information about this giant as she was willing to part with, given that she was new to him, and there were many gaps in his knowledge to be filled. “Are you running away from something?” he suggested, his impassive expression revealing nothing. “No judgement,” he clarified. “In my experience, everyone is either running away or toward something. Both, in some cases.”

Her next questions were expected, and he had his response ready. “I was born here, but I have no pack currently.” Admittedly, he could have elaborated, but Nimue was a stranger to him, and he’d rather hear more about her story than repeat his own. When she offered the food, however, he was in two minds about his response. It was a pleasant gesture, and he had no desire to be on bad terms with this wolf, but as a general rule he would not accept food from strangers. Besides the obvious naivety of it, Phantom didn’t want to feel he owed this wolf anything. Just as he opened his maw to tell her no, thank you, he ate only recently, a new scent pervaded the scene and he turned his head to observe his distraction.

There, heading toward them, was another giant. Another female, judging from her scent. She walked, slow and deliberately toward them, far too casually for her to be intending any trouble. Phantom did not anticipate any trouble from either of them; their body language was friendly enough, but still he took precaution. This newcomer was even larger than Nimue, though from the way she hunched over she seemed self-conscious about it. That, or she was doing her best not to intimidate him. He placed his bets on the latter, on her trying to win his trust. Phantom took in her odd dappled colouration, her icy blue eyes inspecting his pelt, her lowered black face, and decided to see how this played out. Phantom was well-rested, well-fed, and confident that giant wolves could be fought and evaded as easily as average-sized ones. Glancing back at Nimue to gauge her reaction, Phantom let out a huff of laughter.

”Greetings, stranger. I am Morrigan. She’s my sister,” she said with a grin. ”I hope you’ll forgive me for interrupting.”

A small smile played at the edge of his lips as he nodded his head in greeting. “It’s a pleasure, Morrigan. My name is Phantom.” His silver eyes glanced between the two of them, taking in the family resemblance. “I gathered as much. You have the honour of being the second bear-sized wolf I’ve met.” Besides their size and eye colour, there was very little in the way of similarities. They looked so comfortable sitting next to each other, though, in the way that only close siblings could, that Phantom didn’t doubt their bond for a second.

His gaze settled on Morrigan, as she was now the more interesting or the two to him, but he addressed them both. “Despite your size, you have the glow of youth about you. Two young siblings who’ve left their birth pack,” He mused, briefly pausing in consideration. “It begs the question of what made you leave, though I am not so presumptuous as to expect an answer to that. Instead, I’m curious as to what you left for.” Phantom’s eyes were practically aglow with intrigue as he arrived at the most logical conclusion, and felt a shiver of anticipation at what it would mean if he was correct. “You’re not, by any chance, looking to form a pack, are you?”

Word count: 872
Muse: all over the place
Notes: please forgive me for taking an ENTIRE month to excrete this turd of a post ;~;
Tags: Nimue @morrigan

[Nimue]

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[attr="class","pltxt"]Phantom’s admission that he was awed by her made Nimue laugh, the sound clear and tinkering. She’d never considered when she was upon Ina’mos that there was those who’d never encountered a Kenai before. Due to the majority of pups born to Kairos being sired by either her own father, Goliath, or the previous General before her uncle had stepped forward, Titan, Kenai mixes had ran rampant upon the island. But it seemed as if wolves of her size were not as common on the mainland. Once Nimue might have felt self-conscious with this revelation in mind, but now she only thought it to be an interesting fact to mull over later. If the surrounding packs wherever they laid claim did not have wolves as large and she and her sister, then their size was certainly an advantage.

His question made the smile fade from her maw, though she took no offense to it, her brow furrowing with consideration as she thought over how to answer. ”Kairos is…a place of ambition, of ferocity and strength. It’s not that I have no desire for those qualities, but with the sheer number of wolves who made up the pack, it could get a little overwhelming. The females…they were expected to breed, each of them, every season. There was no getting out of it unless you were given the position of High Priestess, and only one may hold that title.” She frowned, struggling for the first time to give voice to her feelings. ”It’s not that I don’t want a mate, or young ones. But I don’t want it to be expected of me. I don’t want it to be all that I’m good for.” She shrugged then, knowing that there was no other way she could explain it. ”Females were not typically warriors there. There were two that I knew of. Not to say that I have a warrior’s heart, but had I…well, I probably wouldn’t have been allowed to fight. We just wanted an opportunity for more – to be more.”

As the last of her explanation fell from her maw, Nimue became aware of an approaching figure, the scent of it familiar. Not longer afterwards, Morrigan came to stand at her sister’s side, and Nimue’s smile blossomed once more as the dappled femme introduced herself to the striking male. Phantom’s observations concerning the two made Nimue glance at her sister for a moment, before she nodded to the male, confirming his final question. ”We’ve been gathering others for some time now. They follow us even now as we go forth to find a home.” She’d been awed at the number of those who’d decided to come with them, some familiar and some brand new. Standing here now, Nimue wondered if Phantom would be the next to join their ranks of wandering wolves, searching with them for a place that they could settle and thrive. Nimue knew it was out there somewhere, waiting patiently for their arrival. Soon, she told herself. We’ll be home soon.

TAG: Phantom + @morrigan
WORDS: 502
NOTES: ~

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