The Last Hurrah [Summit]

[Deleted]

The early winter clouds hung low over the sky, and chill winds breathed the promise of colder weather to come. Winter in the north came as early as the middle of fall, and Kesle was afraid she had missed her window of chance before it would be too cold, but her luck, it seemed, was in; today was relatively warm for a change, a small blip in the frigid weather. She knew she couldn't waste any more time in this. If she wasted this chance, then she would never leave.

The shore below the cliff was very small and narrow, barely a stretch of pebbly sand. Kesle stood, front half in the shallow water, staring out at the gray sea and soaked up to the neck. She had envisioned simply pushing off and heading out to sea, but had quickly realized that was not going to work. The weak winter sunlight filtering through the clouds may have warmed up the air, but the sea was still stingingly cold. She had resorted to inching herself in, front paws first, and then moving out little by little. The end result was not going into shock, she hoped. She gritted her teeth to stifle a yelp as she shuffled a little farther in. "I don't-" she sucked in a breath as freezing water sloshed against her belly, "I don't mind the cold. Not really. It... it gives me time to think." 

"Though I'm not sure thinking about this is a good idea," she muttered under her breath. 

She shook herself mentally. There was no going back on this- she knew she didn't belong here. Her talk with Summit had proved it. Airila was a nice pack, a good pack, but it was not for her. She had spent three seasons thinking that being a part of pack life would fill the gaps in her heart, but had been just as unable to adjust here was anywhere else. Whatever it was, that empty feeling... she wasn't sure. But she was not going to find it on Anikira. Kesle remembered the tale her friend Nocturne had told her, when they had met on the beach last spring, a tale of other islands, bigger ones, where strange creatures lived. There were other places across the sea. And she was itching to find out what they were like. This time, this one time, she, Kesle, was not going to turn tail and give up.

Kesle let out a breath and inched a little further into the water. Time to go... 


OOC: The Last Thread! \o/ Kesle is off to explore strange new places. This was typed on my iDevice, so apologies for any gross typos you may find.
Tags: @summit
Muse: ...Good. Now that she's leaving, I have good muse for her. The overwhelming irony..

[Deleted]

The North. A resigned sigh parted his lips as the white wolf stared down the seemingly endless stretch of beach. A towering wall of rugged cliffs bordered the shore as far as the eye could see. Instead of the vast grasslands he had been anticipating, far in the south where the weather was warmer and the territories unclaimed, he had dragged them to the exact opposite. Here, the ocean winds were growing colder, and he knew Katari would not be impressed. Once again, Summit had attempted to lead the way through the Oriens, and once again, his sense of direction had been sorely lacking. From now on, he decided inwardly, I’m letting her get us lost instead. He knew she would be waiting for him as he went ahead to explore the beach, but there wasn’t much there to see.

Not that he minded terribly. Whether he was following the wrong trail or allowing her to lead the way, he knew that one would inevitably follow the other, for being lost alone was a lot more enjoyable with Katari. Every day was different and interesting. Maybe the days were not always pleasurable, if the rain was relentless and the pair had nowhere to go to avoid getting soaked, but even the worst days were not so bad when spent with the right company. Even when everything seemed miserable, Katari found a way to say the right thing or make a joke to make it all more tolerable. In the long stretch of time since the demise of his pack, in spite of the love acquired for the freedom to move and to wander, Summit had come to realize that he was not a wolf that was meant to live alone. Innately, he was better off with someone else than he was on his own. It was what he had been searching for all along without ever recognizing it – a new life, and the discovery of a new purpose alongside Katari.

In the distance, in the midst of the frothing sea, he noticed something floating just above the surface. He squinted, trying to make out the scene before him. It looked like something washing ashore, except.... Curiously, the snowy brute stepped closer to the water’s edge. Still, another lingering minute passed before he could distinguish what it was he was watching. His mouth fell open in horror – a lone wolf was standing in the ocean, and instantly, Summit assumed the worse. He was watching a wolf about to end their own life. ”Hey!” His paws nearly stumbled in the rocky sand as he rushed towards the water and towards the stranger, not stopping to consider the alternatives of the situation. All he saw was a wolf who appeared to be in trouble.


”Hey, come on! You should come back to the shore! You don’t have to –“  The words were snatched from thin air as he pushed through the frigid waters. ”Wait – I know you!” He was stunned, and his hazel eyes were wide with surprise. It seemed too great a coincidence that he would happen upon the first female he met when he first began his journey on Anikira. He stared in disbelief. ”Kes... Kesle. You’re Kesle!”

words: 541
tag: @cogs

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For a few moments, all was quiet, save for the wind which was gradually picking up, beginning to blow between Kesle's ears in an annoyingly loud way as it went about its buisness clearing the skies for the chilly weather to come. It was loud enough that it drowned out any noise from behind her on the beach. So when she heard a bark carry down from upwind, she nearly jumped out of her fur.


"Hey!"

She swung- or rather, sloshed- around, bristling in surprise. A figure was running up the beach behind her. Oh, no- this isn't another pack's territory, is it? She was sure there hadn't been any scent markers along the cliffs, but... well, it was winter. Packs didn't often mark borders as regularly as they should. It was cold, and energy better spent hunting. She'd been caught several times before accidentally trespassing. But she really didn't want to have to explain to a hostile and grouchy patroller about her buisness standing in their stretch of ocean all by herself in winter. She was gathering her thoughts, trying to figure out a way to explain that she was not after another pack's fish, when she realized as the wolf drew closer that they looked quite... familiar.

She inhaled, and let out a small woof of surprise. The headwind hitting her face had done a good job of blowing Summit's scent right up her nose. Summit! Speak of the devil. She couldn't help but smile, confused as though she was about what he was doing here. Hadn't he talked about travelling down south after seeing the Tia'Delis? 

No matter. He'd be surprised, either way, to hear about the adventure she was starting. And who better to see her off? Kesle felt a small glow of pride for finally striking out again. It occured to her that she liked doing this. It made her feel very brave.


Summit was still coming headlong down the beach at her. What was he doing? "Hey, come on! You should come back to the shore!" 

"Summit!" she barked, "Summit, it's me! What are yo-" she broke off, wincing in sympathy as he plowed straight into the freezing water. She made a move to go meet him in shallower water, to save his belly fur from being soaked unnecesarily, but he was already out away from the shore with her. 

"You don't have to-" his eyes widened. "Wait- I know you! Kes... Kesle! You're Kesle!" 

"...Summit!" Kesle grinned a little, wagged her tail, spluttered a little as a wave lapped her muzzle. "How have you been?" Her grin faded. "Did... something happen? I mean, weren't you- well. It isn't any buisness of mine, but weren't you heading down to the south?"


OOC: In which Kesle's inner dialouge is as winding as she is.
Tags: @summit
Muse: Still good. The irony is still scalding.

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The white wolf heaved a deep sigh of relief as he realized that the wolf wasn’t trying to commit suicide, as he had initially assumed, and his eyes were not playing tricks on him, either. So he wasn’t crazy. It really was Kesle standing chest deep in the ocean’s dark blue waters, her bright emerald eyes shining in the sunlight as she regarded him with a little smile and the faint wag of her tail. The alertness in Summit’s pale features faded from concern to curiosity. She had been so kind to him in the past, his first taste of the world beyond his natal pack. Months had passed, but her shining eyes were undeniably Kesle. Summit had never expected to run into her again. The island was vast and she belonged to a pack whose name Summit had forgotten long ago, in a land that the snowy male was forbidden to enter. It seemed the most unlikely place to find her, and yet, she was standing before him, waves slapped at her muzzle.

The happy coincidence brought a warm feeling to Summit. Unfortunately, that was short-lived. The shock of the cold water struck him like a kick in the gut, and his eyes widened in distress. Snow he could tolerate, but the ocean’s cold currents made him uneasy. The saline taste of the sea filled his nose and tongue as he began to ease himself back to the beach, large paws carefully stepping over the pebbles that carpeted the ocean floor, worn smooth and rounded by countless years.

”Me? I’ve been fine! You don’t have to worry about me. Everything has been pretty great lately,” he responded with a laugh. He was bubbling with excitement to tell someone about the adventures he had since their last meeting, and about Katari, but he bit his tongue. There had to be a reason Kesle had come out into the waves. ”What about you?” He shook his head as the frothy sea spattered his muzzle again. His neck craned to avoid swallowing a mouthful of the Atlantic Ocean. ”First, we should go back to the beach though. We can talk and dry off before the sun sets. The tide could just carry us both away if we’re not careful.”

The frigid temperature of the water threatened to overcome the brute, but mercifully, he was back to the shore within seconds. He shook the water from his heavy pelt as best as he could, sending a shower of salt and water in every direction. Pools of hazel slid from one end of the beach to the other in search of other stray wolves, but still, they were the only souls on the sloping shore. His eyes turned once more, fixing upon the charcoal gray femme as he waited for Kesle to join him.

words: 470

tag: @cogs

ooc: a bit short, but it works. ;P

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”Me? I’ve been fine! You don’t have to worry about me. Everything has been pretty great lately,” Summit laughed, and Kesle heard how happy he sounded, even though his bark was just a little shaky and he was already backpedaling out of the water (Kesle couldn't blame him, it was cold, and she winced again in sympathy). His voice, however, was clear and light, and Kesle thought about how he had changed so quickly from the awkward, slightly uncomfortable, and unsure wolf she had met only a few months ago. Something had happened since he had left since he had left for the south- he had matured. The thought made her a happy, and a little sad.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said, and meant it.

The ocean cut him off with a salty slap to his muzzle in the middle of his return question. Were the waves getting bigger? Kesle cast an uneasy glance out to the open ocean. It was still clear, the clouds scudding away quickly to reveal a chilly light blue sky. She relaxed and turned back to see Summit edging backwards towards the shore.

”First, we should go back to the beach though. We can talk and dry off before the sun sets. The tide could just carry us both away if we’re not careful.”

Kesle felt a small twinge of guilt, seeing his eyes wide and jaws clenched against the cold. She reluctantly followed him to the bank, but stopped short of climbing all the way out onto dry sand. The cold wind went right through her wet fur. "Actually," she said, shivering, "That was kind of the idea," she grinned suddenly, the excitement back and tingly in her paws, spreading across her face.

Making a quick decision, she climbed all the way onto the shore, shaking each paw as she stepped out of the ankle-deep water. She sat next to Summit on the sand. "But first," she said, relishing both the thought of having something interesting and brave to tell him, and curiosity about his own travels, "tell me about your time in the south. Did you meet many packs? Did you see the plains? They change color in the fall, you know, like leaves-" she stopped herself, aware she was rambling. "Anyway," she amended sheepishly. "How was it?"


OOC: The long-awaited reply! I'm trying to keep these going at an acceptable pace, so they're a little short.
Tags: @summit

[Deleted]

"Actually, that was kind of the idea.” To Summit’s great relief, Kesle followed him to the beach and to safety, but her statement confused him. An unsettling feeling seeped in as the brute watched her on the sand. She seemed eager to catch up, failing to explain what she had said as she came from the sea. "But first, tell me about your time in the south. Did you meet many packs? Did you see the plains? They change color in the fall, you know, like leaves-" Summit grinned as Kesle rambled on before finally inquiring: "Anyway… How was it?" For a minute, Summit forgot about the real subject and hand to gash. After all, he had not had the opportunity to talk about Katari before with anyone other than Katari. ”Oh. I can hardly describe it. I have seen the most beautiful places, and I met the most wonderful wolf. Her name is Katari. She isn’t far.” He smiled sheepishly when he mentioned her.

But the Arctic male could not forget what she had said only moments before. He couldn’t just let it go, curiously spurned by the vagueness and the mystery of her comment. That was kind of the idea. What was that supposed to mean? Was she trying to kill herself in the merciless ocean waves? She looked too cheerful to be suicidal, but then, you never know. If she wanted the tide to carry her away, then where else did she intend to go? Summit was a product of the island, born to two native wolves descended from some of Anikira’s first lupine inhabitants. He had never made the journey to what the elders had called the Big Lands. Anikira was the only place he had ever known. Since childhood, the snowy male had heard stories of small, hairless monsters and a place without wild wolves, but Anikira was the only home he had ever known. He was not entirely convinced that the place even existed. What if this place was nothing more than the fodder of fairy tales? He could not conceal the concern that surfaced in his gentle eyes, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

”Kesle,” he started uncertainly. ”Are you sure about this? I mean… I know you can make your own choices, whether you want to be on a pack or – or whatever it is you’re planning on doing here. But…” His words tapered off for a moment. He did not want to sound as if he was trying to control Kesle, but a part of him wanted to protect her. She was the first wolf he had encountered outside of his natal lands. He could not help but feel concerned for the gentle she-wolf.

words: 476
tag: @cogs!