Sapphire snarled at the bird once more, her teeth out in the open. She was quite tempted to take a few bites out of the foolish feather-brained creatures. However, Sapphire had previously noted that that bird was a friend of Jay, and if she didn’t know better she would say he needed all the friends he could get. A shame this damn bird had been too busy preening its feather’s in the sunrise to worry about her friend – or whatever it was that birds did in their spare time.
“I didn’t have to see it then to see it now, vein piece of fluff. Jay needed a good ear for his story, he needed to get it off his chest and understand it wasn’t his fault. If you were really watching him, why weren’t you there for him when he needed you?” Sapphire’s sharp eyes bore holes into the forehead of the rodent-eating waste of air. The bird honestly thought leaving him was the right thing to do? “Waste of air” She muttered under her breath, shaking her head, moving her glare to Jay, but softening the gaze so he knew the glare was not for him. This bird was about as pompous, stuck up, agitating and know-it-all as Arrow had been. The bird spoke again, but when she spoke this time Sapphire almost swore there was some mental line crossed, like the bird actually thought she had won! With a soft growl of warning Sapphire leaped forward, teeth snapping against the air above Jay’s back to frighten the bird. The first snap was a warning, the next time she wouldn’t aim to miss. “Sow that beak shut bird, before you lose it. I have no patience for your high-and-mighty kind" “My apologise Jay – but honestly, I don’t know how you put up with it. ‘I know you better then you know yourself’ ‘the sun shines only to coat my feathers’ Sapphire huffed.
"You don't know what Jay needs, you foolish femme! You have some nerve insulting me. I am what is considered a queen in these areas, and you do not know what sorts of nature you are toying with when you dare to insult me," the owl screeched bitterly. "Jay just needed to find something to snap him out of his funk. If you would shut your trap for five minutes and listen to my side of this situation, then you would understand!" Alearia stopped yelling long enough to look Sapphire in the eye sternly before she continued with her speech. She would not allow some mangy loner to tell her what she was doing wrong in her relationship with Jay. That was not her place, and Alearia intended to make that very obvious.
"Now, if you would listen for a few minutes, I think this will make more sense. I am not the cold, heartless owl you seem to think I am, Sapphire. I would never do anything without Jay's best interests at heart. He is very important to me, and it would do you well to remember that."
Jay watched the owl silently. He was just as curious as Sapphire likely was to hear what Alearia had to say. I don't see how any of this was for my benefit, he seethed quietly, unable to voice his opinion until the little owl made her presentation. He knew well enough that Alearia would have a fit if Jay spoke out without letting her talk first.
Alearia shuffled her feathers as she adjusted herself on Jay's back once more. The perch had become unfamiliar to her, and it was taking a little time to readjust. Once she was situated, she plunged into her story. "Now, before you were in the picture, Miss Bundle of Fun, Jay here was a member of the Aldgar Pack. I know you have already heard the majority of the story from him, so I will spare you that tale again. However, what you did not hear from him was exactly how his behavior was toward anyone outside of himself. He grew bitter and cold, furious at the world. It was to the point that, when I finally left, it was because he chased me away." At this point, Jay turned to look at the owl, and he saw truth in her reflective bird eyes.
I couldn't have done that... Alearia was all I had. Why would I treat her poorly? he fought himself internally, searching for the words but not finding them. Alearia continued with her story.
"I remained near him, but never close enough that he could sense my presence. Other wolves avoided his path. It seemed as if anyone who was unfortunate enough to come in contact with him was the butt of his anger. It was rather sickening, but there was nothing I could do. I'm much smaller than he, as you can plainly see. And although I am a bird of prey, I stand no chance against an angry wolf." The sadness in her eyes was evident. This had been a difficult time for her as well, and Jay had not realized it. All he had felt was the pain when Alearia had disappeared, and he had not understood why she had done so. Maybe this was the eye-opening moment for the second time today.
"You are the first wolf I have seen Jay open up to since that horrible time, and for that I thank you. I must say that I do not appreciate you and your snippety attitude, but you have helped him in a way that I could not. He's something special, and definitely unique; I have to admit that, while I do not necessarily like you, you were the reason he has snapped out of this funk. Thank you."
Jay stood almost open-mouthed after Alearia's speech. He had never heard something that kind come out of the bird's mouth, and while he knew Sapphire might not necessarily understand the significance of this moment, Jay was touched that Alearia would go out of her way to say something to that degree about his new friend.
The bird let herself go in anger as she tried to tell her side of the story, and well the feather brained creature carried on, Sapphire realised she may well have seriously insulted the bird. In her sudden annoyance in finding out Jay did in fact have a friend – just one that had not been present when it appeared Jay needed them the most. Maybe Sapphire had been a little hasty in her accusations, not letting the other have a chance to rally explain what was going on. The poor bird looked at Sapphire in distressed annoyance, and the wolf let her anger die away as she listened to the other speak. Knowing full well her head-strong nature may rise her to anger once more in the course of this conversation.
The bird, despite the words Sapphire herself used, addressed the wolf by her true name. She sat down and closed her mouth, willing at last to hear the bird out. She was quite surprised to hear the wolf that Jay had become – seeing him now, sweet and gentle and full of potential. She turned her eyes to Jay, and saw no accusation there, as through he knew that what the bird was saying was truth – he would not argue it. Sapphire was not so mistrusting to think the bird might be poisoning his mind, but rather that Jay had come through the dark side and only now, by fluke of when Sapphire found him, was he ready to take a step towards saving himself.
Realising now what the bird had gone through, Sapphire was sorry that she had been so abrupt, so demanding. She lowered her head in apology, still listening through at the bird went on. The bird both thanked her, and explained that she did not like her, and Sapphire realised she had been too proud. She would not let her stubborn attitude stop her from admitting her mistake, however. “You are right, Alearia, I was wrong to snap at you, and for this I am sorry. Now that I know the full story, I understand, understand that you also felt pain from what had happened and suffered as well.” Sapphire acknowledged the bird’s position in the events past. Sapphire only hoped this new friend could find it in her to forgive Sapphire for her rash response. She had only seen Jay’s pain, that of her kinship, and had lashed out. She expected Alearia to be as vein and self-cantered as Arrow had been and had judged her before she had gotten the chance to know her.
Jay was growing tired from the conversations. Here was a freshly killed deer, and they had yet to feast. There was enough for the two of them; while Jay had been trying to use his manners and allow his companion to eat first, his hunger overwhelmed him. It had been quite some time since the brute had enjoyed a satisfactory meal, and he was itching to taste the warm flesh as it slid down his throat. No longer able to hold off, he ambled to the corpse, lowering his jaws to the deer and digging in heartily.
The overwhelming taste was so much that Jay almost could not handle it. It had been months, if not close to a year, since the brute had enjoyed a fresh kill at his own paws. This was large enough to feed both himself and Sapphire with ease, so Jay had no problem gorging himself on the warm meat. He hardly noticed when Alearia jumped from his back, fluttering to a stump wedged between two rocks to perch. "He seems a bit preoccupied," she mused with a quiet laugh. There was something lighter in the air at this point, as if the weight of their conversation had finally been lifted. Alearia was not quite comfortable with this stranger, but she would do her best to remain civil for Jay's sake.
"He needs a family again," she murmured softly to herself, not caring whether or not the femme or Jay himself heard. "He won't make it out here on his own any longer." She knew that he would not remain a loner much longer, and hopefully wherever he decided to go would accept her as well. If not, she would be forced to leave him for his own sake; she would not hold him back from having a normal life just because of her selfishness. While many wolves believed Alearia was purely a selfish, cold-hearted bitch, she legitimately cared for her friend, and she would not be the one to keep him from what he deserved.
((OOC: I know, this isn't a very good post, sorry x.x))
As the bird and arctic wolf spoke, Jay had moved to the kill, and Sapphire realised how inconsiderate she had been not indicating for the other to take part in the feast before them. In fact, considering the state he was in, and the juicy fresh kill before them, it was a wonder he had held off for as long as he had. He was digging in happily enough now however, so Sapphire didn’t let her momentarily lapse of politeness bring her down.
Considering the bird had previously used Jay as a landing perch, she moved from his back to the closest tree-stump to Sapphire, so the fae did not have to move for them to continue their conversation. The bird was certainly a shorter height now, so Sapphire lowered herself subtly to that they still meet eye-to-eye, she had been rude enough to the bird as it was so far, she was attempting to make amends now.
The bird – Alearia; Sapphire had to stop referring to her as simply ‘the bird’ – found it easy to laugh now, pointing a friendly joke at Jay, and Sapphire wondered if maybe Alearia had forgiven her, by the ease she joked. “Sounds about right – should keep him busy for a little while anyway, considering where talking about him and all” Sapphire teased gently in return – doing her own part to lighten the conversation between herself and the proud owl.
The bird spoke of family, and Sapphire watched her in hopes of reading something from her expressions, but there was something about a birds eyes that remained impassive; unchanging. “Your right – it’s hard not to see it, but he needs others around him to keep him sane. Well I can’t stick around for ever, I could for a little while, and who knows, maybe when I’m done doing what I need to do I can return. If he accepts my company I rather like the idea of sticking with him for a while, or if one wolf isn’t enough I could help him find a home that would accept the both of you. I heard a new pack started up on these lands – maybe they would want members enough to accept an unusual add in...” Sapphire realised she was more thinking aloud then actually asking the Owl – but it came out as both, as through Sapphire felt she needed Alearia’s permission to ask Jay himself such a thing.
It would never have occurred to the brute that he would be able to come across such great friends outside of a pack. Jay was still reeling from the amazing companionship that Sapphire had offered, and his stomach was quite pleased with the arrangement as well. While he had been listening to the two females chatting, he had been too wrapped up in his own business, which at the moment was inhaling the doe's succulent flesh, to respond or even acknowledge that they were speaking about him. He quite simply did not care at this point, as he was content with the current arrangement. He enjoyed Alearia's company once more, and Sapphire had been more than enough of a friend that he almost wanted to avoid pack life and wander with her instead. She was a kind, giving wolf, and that was something that really appealed to the grey brute. In all honesty, he only sought friendship in his life, as he was not sure he would be capable of ever having a real relationship with another.
"You are good for him, you know," the owl hooted softly, her bright eyes settling on Sapphire as Jay finally finished his meal and turned to face them once more. "I don't know what it was, but somehow you snapped him out of his foolishness where I could not. I suppose the possibility of a pack is viable, but if there is not a pack that will accept him with me, then I will be forced to take my leave. I cannot in good conscious keep him from a normal life." Jay stared, gaping at Alearia when these words escaped her beak. He was mortified at the thought. I just got her back! She can't leave me again! he fretted immediately, and the owl sensed a change in his behavior.
"Relax, Jay. I do not plan on leaving you again, but I want you to live a life that you have not been able to live for quite some time. If you ever want to settle down and start a family, I will not be condusive to that environment. There will come a time when I will no longer be necessary, and at that point we will make the choice. I refuse to be the factor that keeps you from enjoying a normal life." The owl's cool stare fell on Jay as Alearia spoke with conviction. There was a tone in her voice that quite plainly told Jay that she would be the one to decide what was best for him, and that there was not going to be much argument in that time if or when it arrived.
"I just don't want to lose you. Everyone leaves me," Jay murmured softly, embarassed by his words. I don't know if I can handle losing her... I mean, I know Sapphire will leave eventually... I can't expect her to stick around forever. He looked at the female with a sadness in his eyes that was hard to decipher. He was quickly growing accustomed to her presence, and it would be strange to walk away from his newfound frienship. There was the possibility that they would cross paths in the future, but not knowing was the worst thing Jay could imagine.
A life full of uncertainty was all that Jay had ever known. He needed some structure right now, and in the current situation, he was not finding it. "I just don't know where to go from here," he admitted quietly, as if his words would make him more vulnerable than he already felt.
At the end of Sapphire’s long sentence, one that meant more to her then her expressions showed, her eyes fell upon the brute they spoke of. She didn’t lead on her nerves, how she truly saw a friend in this brute, and wanted him to accept the offer. To portray that want seemed almost selfish – Jay had gone through a hard time and the decision he made next would be a very important one to his future and mental well being. If he did not wish to travel with her, she would act indifferent to that choice. There would be no pressure from her that would compel him to pick one he might otherwise have not chosen.
So, with all this in mind, the birds next words where surprisingly comforting. Alearia truly thought that Sapphire was good for her friend? The owl knew Jay far better then Sapphire did, despite the lengths the two had gone to so far to acquaintance themselves – Jay telling her his past, and hunting side by side. The birds next words truly made Sapphire sorry for the way she had first spoken to the owl (Even through she was already sorry before the words) Alearia was truly selfish when it came to her friend; it seemed she would go to great lengths to ensure that the brute really was okay - even if that enticed her leaving him forever.
“I think, that a dear, old friend is exactly what he needs right now. If that time was ever to come, it wouldn’t be for a while, I assume? Her words where more to comfort Jay then to actually ask the question, but it served as both regardless. Jay’s following sadness was more then the fae could bare. His gentle eyes upon her, his expression undecipherable, but sad, and she found herself wishing for the ability to read his mind. His words gave enough away however, for her to understand what ran on inside him. “I will not leave your side, Jay, until it is your decision for me to do so. You’re an amazing wolf, and I see a great friendship in you, and have no will to leave. If I was to go, it would be on your say, and no one else’s” She promised him, hoping she wasn’t making it harder to him to chose where to go from here – but at least he knew he had a friend in her, someone that would not leave him.
Through all of this, Sapphire had not touched the doe that the two had somewhat skillfully downed.Jay was concerned that she had been offended by his assumption that it would be proper for him to consume his fill; would he not touch the meat because he had tainted it? But these thoughts left him when Sapphire and Alearia appeared to have reached a truce. Maybe the pair of them could co-exist without threatening to have each other's heads from now on. That's if Sapphire sticks around, he reminded himself bluntly.
It wasn't that Jay did not trust his friend. In fact, it was just the opposite; he knew that she would keep her word to the grave, but that did not mean much. The brute had his fair share of experience in that department. Xinelil had not meant to leave him, and yet he was cruelly torn away from the grey brute at a young age. How could he be sure that these two friends he was so proud to possess at the moment would not one day meet a similar fate?
Jay suffered from severe self-confidence and separation issues. Since his parents had disappeared, Xinelil was murdered, Meikou hone, Kadhi abandoned them, returned, only to disappear again, it was not difficult to see why. He had never had a stable position in his life, and now he needed to decide what to do with himself. He could not see going back to Aldgar's lands. There were too many hard memories there, and besides, the pack was no more. However, the current packs did not necessarily seem appealing at the moment, either. Although Alearia had quite plainly stated that he needed to be around others, to which he was not going to argue, the brute was not sure that he could handle the current packs on the continent. It would be a "wait and see" situation for him. But if Sapphire and Alearia would promise to remain with him, then he believed things would work out just fine.
"Sapphire, what are your plans?" Jay inquired, realizing that he had not asked anything of what she wished to do. His manners had escaped him, and it was starting to catch up with him just how backwards their conversation and friendship had been from the start. They needed to figure out what would happen from here, especially if the femme had some sort of goal in mind. Who knows, maybe they could eventually start a pack of their own? Don't be foolish. There is no way that she will stick around long enough for that. She has her own life, and I'm sure she has more friends than just you, his inner voice cried out cynically.
((OOC: Sorry, this isn't wonderful, but I needed to get it up before tomorrow otherwise you wouldn't get anything until Wednesday or Thursday... This week is going to be hectic for me.))
The scent of the doe was still rich in the air, and it was clear that Jay despite his hunger would not be able to down the entire feast himself. In fact, it was probably a good thing he didn’t try since he would only make himself sick. Seeing that the other had eaten a fair amount, Sapphire felt comfortable to take a step towards the kill, lower her head, and breathe in the aroma of a good meal. Taking a bite and munching, the two friends still had the majority of her attention.
Her eyes strayed to Jay more then the bird – this pack brother had a good heart, and a want to be around other wolves. It would be wrong to leave him now – but more then that, she wanted to remain around him. When she came to this land, abandoning the weak tree-hugging wolves of her old pack for this place, she honestly thought she would have made a life for herself now. Okay, so she was fairly comfortable to roam the land, hunt when she was hungry, and speak when she found others worth speaking to. Yet, this place didn’t feel like a home to her. There was that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that a friend – and not just any friend, but this friend, was the answer to her problem. Jay was someone she wanted to hunt with, and be with, he was a good friend and she wasn’t about to throw this opportunity away.
When Jay asked her about her plans, she almost felt it was as through he was reading her mind, and asking her for her conclusion. But no, of course not... so she finished her mouthful and answered his question as best she could. “I have another friend in Anikira, we parted ways a little bit ago, and I do want to track him down and find what happened to him. Once I know he is okay then... I want to find you again, and see if maybe we could make this work – us two friends sharing the rouge world. Or maybe... maybe one day we could start a pack together and see if anyone else joins. We could do anything, Jay – the world is our oyster. That is – if you want to remain beside me, my friend” An idea of a pack... that had never occurred to her before, but they could make it work, if they wanted to do it – they could find wolves to join, or they could just live together, in what ever way they wanted to. She honestly believed they could make anything of there lives – she had always had that optimistic view of herself – if she really wanted to do it, she could do anything.
Jay could not possibly believe what his new friend was telling him. She wants to stick with me? he thought in awe; no one had ever sought him out and wanted to spend more time with him. He had always been the one looking for friends and family, except in Alearia's case. That little owl was a completely different story. The brute's tail wagged softly; though he was sad that Sapphire wanted to leave him temporarily to seek out another friend, he could understand. At least he could make it easier for her.
"I think I will head back to my old pack's lands for a little while... The Oriens, where Aldgar used to be," he explained, his voice growing softer at the mention of Xinelil's old pack. Alearia hooted reassuringly from her perch, hoping to let him know that everything would be okay. It was going to be nice to have a steady presence in his life that, unlike his friend, was actually canine. I can't believe how lucky I am, he thought, his tail wagging happily back and forth as he nodded to Sapphire. "Of course I do. I would never send you away. I'm just confused why you would want to stay with me, of all wolves," he replied shyly. Surely Sapphire could find someone a little less broken, a little more happy with his or her life.... Something other than the crushed grey brute. He was not exactly the photo child for happiness. Sure, he had picked up the pieces to some extent, but he was not quite to the point that he was back to normal, nor was he sure he ever could be.
"You doubt yourself too much, young one," Alearia chided him softly. "Eventually you will open your eyes and see what everyone else sees standing in front of us."
((OOC: Sorry it's short, but I'm beginning to run out of ideas in this thread lol x.x))
Sapphire ate all she would of the deer, and what ever Jay didn’t eat from here would be left to the scavengers. Looking at the other wolf it seemed strange to realise she had only meet him this day, and she had barely known him for any time at all. She felt somehow like they had been friends for a long time – and would remain that way for with any luck the rest of there lives – no matter where there paths may lead, and even if they do not remain together she hoped to never lose his friendship. There was something about this wolf, that shouted trustworthy and more importantly, worth it.
Jay’s tail wagged in apparent happiness, and after a moment Sapphire’s own tail followed suit. He spoke again now – after stating he would visit the Oriens well she looked for her friend – she felt a little sad at that, wishing she would be able to help her friend considering it would be a hard experience to see the lands of his old pack. “Jay, don’t ever think your not worth it – you’re a stunning wolf, and of course I want to remain beside you” She chided him gently, as Alearia said something similar, making her smile at the bird. They definitely did get off at the wrong foot, but she hoped that she and the bird would be okay from now on. “I guess this is when we part ways, Jay, but I promise you – it will not be long before I return to you. I will find you, in the Oriens, wait for me there” She nodded her head, turning her body from the others, but tilting her head there was, to see if they had anything to add before she left. When they did not speak(or murmured there farewells) she nodded and took off, her strong paws swallowing the ground beneath her.
Thread end
Ooc: You can make another reply if you like, but that’s pretty much the end of it. I’m up for a reunion thread anytime you like. What’s your opinion on making a pack? I haven’t really looked into it yet and I’m not sure what’s required...