Stricken (Nimue)

[Journey]

She was gone.

There was no other explanation.

It had been weeks, months, since Journey had caught the scent of her beloved in the lands they had both decided to call home. Sunny had promised her, the two had made amends and fallen immediately back into familiar habits, and then she was gone. It was not unusual for the lilac-eyed female to wander off on her own, needing time to recharge and think by herself, but this was far too long.

Journey had run herself ragged the past two days, searching every inch of Aveline and many acres beyond, hoping to catch a sniff or glimpse, wishing she had never let Sunny out of her sight again. The thrill of rejoining her long-lost love had rekindled a kindness and a spark in Jo, one that she had noticed when meeting Phantom and one that would have continued to grow until she again became the happy, more-outgoing-than-she-could-have-imagined wolf. But with each passing hour holding no sign of Sunny, the hope that she would return to a life she loved had slowly begun to fall apart.

As she ran through the territory, Journey ignored the needs of her body and simply kept pushing; she had not eaten or drunk anything since beginning, and slept only when she had been too exhausted to continue--for a few hours, before she shot back up and began again. Now, however, her pace was sluggish, her feet dragging as she approached the crater that had filled slowly with the melting of the snow. A rock tripped her and the wolf did nothing to prevent her falling, landing with a thud and a splash at the edge of the pool, her face half-submerged in the life-giving substance she so desperately needed.

It was several moments before she attempted to drink, her head spinning from the sudden motion of having fallen, and then stopping. The world seemed to dance, the colors of the sunset were blending together, and if she closed her eyes to stop the sensation, all she could see was the laughing face of her love, gone again for perhaps the last time. It was too much to bear, and so she suffered the agonizing visions and nausea that accompanied them, the softest of whines bubbling the water before her nose and adding to the pathetic image she portrayed in her grief.

Words || 406
Tags || Nimue
Notes || My poor baby. D:

[Nimue]

Perhaps it was fate that lead Nimue towards the crater that morning; already she’d made her rounds past the large indention, and had even stopped to drink along the way. After a morning of patrolling the borders, she’d been eager to return to the dens, to curl up for a few precious moments of warmth until something called her away again. But then along the way she’d decided to visit the pool once more, though she could not have said why should somehow have asked. Whatever the reason, it was fortunate that she did.

Nimue slid down the side of the embankment with a surprising amount of grace for one so large, her legs carrying her towards the water that had collected at the bottom of the crater. She did not notice the flecked ivory form sprawled upon the ground until she was almost upon it, and it was ultimately the sad whine that escaped from the maw of the other creature that made the Chieftain pause, ears pricking with alarm as at last her pale eyes found the telltale shape of Journey splayed partially in the pool. Never before had Nimue seen the usually elegant she-wolf in such a state; alarm coursed through her as she crept forward, not wishing to alarm Journey with her presence.

There was no use in asking the femme what ailed her; Sunny’s absence had not gone unnoticed by the Chieftain, and she recalled quite clearly the day that Sunny had joined Ananke, confessing that she and Journey were a couple. It had been a strange concept simply because in Kairos, Nimue had never heard of such a thing; in the time since, she’d easily grown used to the idea. But then, just as unexpectedly as so many others had – Morrigan, Mathias, Erebos, Arya – Sunny had vanished. For some time Nimue had wondered if they’d all decided to depart together for some unknown reason, an unlikely group of allies that for whatever reason had found Ananke unsuitable. But there was simply no way for the femme to know now.

”Journey.” Her voice was quiet as she settled beside the she-wolf, lowering herself to her haunches in the water and mud. She was careful to keep her distance in case Journey wished for space, but still close enough to offer comfort as well. ”I cannot tell you how to make the grief go away. I still struggle with it every day with the absence of my sister. It is not the same as what Sunny was to you, I know, but…I understand.” Her words were gentle, her gaze trained upon the fae. ”You cannot let it eat away at you. You need to drink. You need to eat. Even when your mind tells you that you cannot, you need to survive. I cannot say that it will ever go away. But it will get better, with time.”

TAG: Journey
WORDS: 482
NOTES: D: poor Journey!

[Journey]

It seemed like she lay there an eternity, her fur slowly soaking up the crystal water and weighing her down as much as her brain was. Journey had finally taken a drink, which helped to ease the dizziness that had caused her fall, but the skin clinging to her bones indicated that hydration was not her only problem. The she-wolf had never before let herself get so pathetically thin, nor had she ever given up as she apparently had. Even when she lost Sunny the first time, Jo had recovered by keeping herself distracted, training, hunting, exploring. This time, however, it seemed she could not bring herself out of the funk of losing a loved one for the second time. Sunny had been everything to her, and the loss hurt all the more when Jo remembered her leaving on her own.

The sound of a voice caused Journey's eyes to dark up, emeralds meeting sapphires as she saw, of all wolves, her Chieftan staring at her, pity in her gaze. With jerky motions the ivory female flailed her way to her feet, attempting to rise as quickly as possible, though it was very clear that Nimue had seen her well before her futile attempt to appear less apathetic. "Nimue," she muttered sheepishly, her front half dripping with water as she attempted to calm her racing heart. Ashamed of the state of herself, Jo chose to ignore her filthy pelt--grooming it would take ages--and sat down, no longer half-submerged in the water.

Before she could say anything else, the giant wolf before her offered words of comfort, and the white female felt ashamed. Nimue had lost her sister as well, and more than one Ananke would had seemingly disappeared over the last few weeks. If the Chieftan could bear that and still hold her pack together, what nonsense was taking over Journey that she couldn't even feed herself? It was pathetic, worse than anything she had thought, and the realization hurt almost as much as her loss. Jo had not proven herself strong, but the opposite, and it would not lead her to a better life as she wanted.

As much as she was now mentally kicking herself for such behavior, Journey was extraordinarily soothed by the words that reached her ears. Her father, bless his heart, would never have spoken such kindness, and instead would have bullied her into forcing her way through it--not because he was crass or unloving, but because that was how he had dealt with things. But Nimue... she was appealing to the softer side of the female, something that very few wolves had ever achieved. "Thank you, Nimue," was all she could say at first, her head hanging now in shame instead of sadness.

When she lifted it again to meet the gaze of her alphess, she knew that Ananke had been the right choice. Here was a pack that was truly a family, with a leader who wanted only the best for those she looked after. "I'm sorry to have failed you. I promise it won't happen again." The words stung as they came out, but Jo powered on, determined to get her thoughts out. "I don't deserve the kindness you've shown me, but I will work to earn it from here on out. You truly are the leader this pack deserves, and I'm lucky to have met you," she finished quietly, turning away from embarrassment.

It was amazing how much better she felt after just a few simple words; perhaps that was all she needed. A spark behind her mind would grow back into the flame it once was, thanks to Nimue, and she would recover. Sunny would always weigh upon her mind, but perhaps someday she would find a new love, or accept that she never would find someone she loved the same way. Regardless, it started today, now, and perhaps with a bit more help from her Cheiftan. "Would you, ah... mind hunting with me?" she asked as she turned back to Nimue, frowning. "I'm not sure I could take anything down by myself right now."

Words || 710
Tags || Nimue
Notes || Hahaha I lied. You thought I wouldn't still reply in less than 12 hours?? HAH

    

[Nimue]

It was as if Nimue’s words had somehow returned a little of the she-wolf’s spirit, somehow; Nimue watched with what felt like baited breath as Journey sat up, seeming almost embarrassed to have been found in her situation, but thankfully not turning away the advice that the Chieftain offered. Nimue knew how difficult it must have been for the femme. Though she did not know many of the details concerning Journey and Sunny, she had felt loss when it came to family, and she could not begin to imagine how it would feel to lose someone whom she loved in an entirely different manor.

At last Journey spoke, and Nimue shook her head almost before the she-wolf had finished. ”You have not failed me, Journey,” she said kindly, her tail curling around her haunches. ”Loss is a terrible thing, and I will not judge you for something that you cannot control. I’m glad that you are still here, despite everything.” And truly, she was. Journey had been with her for so very long, a part of Ananke’s foundation. And while Nimue would not have been surprised if she’d chosen instead to leave and attempt to find Sunny again, she found that she was glad that Journey had decided to stay.

At the mention of hunting, Nimue’s ears perked, and she nodded her head in acceptance as she stood, pausing long enough to brush some of the muck from her pelt. She was glad that Journey seemed to have some desire to take care of herself now, for Nimue did not know if she would have been able to stand seeing a wolf she valued so much waste away, a victim to pain. Pale eyes glanced around as she looked towards the distant horizon, her tail swaying slowly behind her.

”There’s a herd of pronghorn lurking around here somewhere. Likely in the plains,” she informed the other female, referring to the strange deer-like creatures with odd horns. She’d spotted their tracks earlier than morning while patrolling, and they were large enough to provide both she and Journey with ample food. ”We can go try to take one down, if you’d like.” She gestured for Journey to follow with a sweep of her muzzle, before turning and beginning to pick her way up the side of the rocky incline, moving carefully and slightly slower than usual so Journey could keep up in her weakened state. Once she reached the top she paused, her gaze drifting towards her companion once more. ”Are you liking aveline so far? I fear we haven’t gotten to speak as much as I’d have liked lately.”

TAG: Journey
WORDS: 438 (EW)
NOTES: wow this sucks, sorry wife ;-; Just didn't wanna keep you waiting anymore.

[Journey]

As her Chieftan continued to speak only positive words to her, the warrior female took a look back to what her life had been the past few months. First was the horrible but bearable trek partially taken with Veles, and then a wonderful and incredibly easy decision to join Ananke. It took her only a short time to become familiar with Aveline, and by the time she was bored with it, Sunny had returned in all her glory. The meeting had been tense, and heated, but quickly dissolved into the warm familiarity it had always been. And now here she was, covered in mud before her leader, having hit the lowest rung of the ladder.

Well, she could only go up from here.

At the thought of a proper meal, Journey's mouth began to water, and the white female licked her chops as she followed dutifully behind Nimue, shaking her legs with each step she took in a useless attempt to get the mud to stop clinging to her ratty fur. Once they reached the top, Journey shook her pelt out fully, mainly to rid herself of the extra weight of her water-soaked fur. It was kind of Nimue to wait patiently at the top for her, but Jo felt highly embarrassed that she portrayed such a weak picture that the giantess thought she might need a break.

"Aveline truly is one of the most beautiful lands I've seen in my travels," she responded when she had finished her motions, nodding her head to emphasize her words. "Much better than the foul desert I had to walk through to get here. It's nice to have dirt and grass beneath my paws, and trees to break up my line of sight." When she finished speaking, the smaller female lifted her nose to the sky, scenting the air deeply for the first time in the past few days. A myriad of scents assailed her nostrils, but above all came the smell of prey, and a small but wicked smile slid across her face.

"Mind if I make the final blow? I'm suddenly finding I've missed taking down a good meal," she asked sincerely, knowing that it would be just as easy for her to allow Nimue the honor. It didn't matter, truly, so long as the intense rumbling in her stomach was sated. With a little chuckle, Journey began to trot in the direction her nose was leading her, feeling as though she had already begun to heal from a wound she thought would be permanent.

Words || 449
Tags || Nimue
Notes || WHATEVER THIS THREAD HAS BEEN GARBAGE GOODBYE