He was standing in the middle of a foggy forest. A familiar forest. He knew this forest better than he knew himself. He knew every tree, stump, and rock. He knew every trail hidden to a stranger, for he had walked them countless times. And though he had lived here all his life, though he had never left, he felt a deep longing for his home. It was strange to think he would ever miss this place, it was strange to think of himself anywhere but here. The thought was impossible, he could never leave his home or Tari. Her name made his heart jump, and as if his thoughts were calling out to her, she stepped through the fog, toward him. Her pelt blending with the fog, only her green eyes stood out in the cloudy wood, a true angel among the darkness.
She was a sight for sore, tired eyes. She didn't smile at him, for the first time ever. In fact, she didn't look happy at all, but saddened by his being there. But, that didn't stop his tail from swaying as he met her, pressing his nose into her soft fur, taking in her sweet scent. It felt like ages since he had seen her last, though it could have only been this morning when they last parted. She pulled away, leaving a lick on his ear. But, even his touch didn't seem to brighten her mood. "Tari, what's weighing on your heart?" Concern flooded his voice, he wanted her to be nothing but happy. That's how one felt one they loved another.
"You shouldn't be here, Cas," is all she replied, in that sweet, sing-song voice.
Her words left the brute confused. Why shouldn't he be here? This was his home, this is all he knew. Where else could he possibly need to be? Was she saying she didn't want him here? The thought made his heart skip a beat, and not in the way she usually made it. He took a step back away from her, hurt. "What do you mean? Of course I should be.. This is my home, as well as yours, m'lady."
She stared at him, her face not changing from the saddened expression she held before. "Go home, Cas. You don't belong here." She began to back away from him, then, her pelt melting into the fog as she disappeared from sight. Castien quickly padded after her, his brown eyes searching viciously through the thickness for his love. "Tari! Tari! Where did you go?" He called out desperately, "Don't leave me yet.. Please."
He barely caught her final words, a whisper in the wind. "I love you, Cas." Just the way she had on that final night.
And just like that, it all came rushing back to him. The ambush, the bodies, the blood. Anikira, Toiro, Airila Pack. The cougar, the pain, then blackness.
"Don't go.... I need you..." Cas whispered as he began to regain consciousness. He blinked open his eyes, he found himself in a den. But, not just any den. He was back at the Airila Pack dens. He lifted his head and looked around, he was alone. He pushed his will to sit up, oh, how stiff his muscles were! How long had he been out for? How embarrassing, to be knocked out during a battle! And in front of Toiro.. Could one's pride be any more injured? He'd be lucky to score a rank of gatherer after that show.
He took in a deep breath, preparing himself to face his pack. He knew Spirit would have some snide comments to say about this. He could only imagine what Toiro would say. Count --> 648 w. Muse --> Abundant. Tags -->OPEN Notes --> I'm Baaaack. <3
Another day spent in lonely hunting. It seemed once again that everyone in the pack was off, busy with their own duties. The howls of loners had been hanging in the air lately, demanding Toiro's attention more than usual. That left Huxleyi to keep up on marking the boarders while the alpha ran about greeting potential new members. Aludra was another one she had not seen much of, the duties of a shaman keeping her busy as well. And, with Castien still out cold (if it wasn't for the fact that the male was still breathing she would have thought him dead by now), that left the young female to many of her own devices.
Hunting, of course, was always her first priority. It was a good way to pass the lonely hours and as Airila's only hunter it was her duty to the pack. Every morning she would rise early to watch the sunrise from the beach. From there her routine was to catch a few seagulls and bring them back, followed by a short rest in the dens before journeying out again to see what else she could find. Rabbits, squirrels, stoats, pretty much anything that was smaller than herself that she could sink her teeth into. Without any help the chance to catch herself bigger game was slim to none. Thankfully, the frequent trips she went on to scour the forest and other land seemed to be enough to keep the pack decently fed.
Quiet paws once again carried her into the heart of the dens, a stoat draped around her shoulders and two rabbits hanging from her maw. It was her second round of kills for the day and, when coupled with the pair of gulls she caught this morning it would be enough for a dinner tonight. Still, she couldn't help the pang of loneliness she felt in her chest. Her pack was her family now, her friends, but Airila was so small that she never seemed to have company. Maybe the potential new members would take up a rank like her's, give her new friends to help her out. Until then, however, it seemed it was destined to be just herself coming and going as best she could.
Cherie dropped her prizes within a small chamber she'd taken to using as a sort of food locker. Old bones and skulls still littered the grounds though she kept it tidy enough, making sure to remove any rotting meat before it stunk up the dens. Poking the small pile of fresh bodies with her nose, she continued pausing long enough to have herself a meal. She had been on the go all day pretty much; one small break and a meal wouldn't kill her... With a wry smile she pulled the stoat from the pile and padded closer to the river to enjoy her lunch. And that's when she smelled it.
"Castien?" The scent was one she was well acquainted with even the she knew little to nothing about the male beyond his name and that he was Airila's lead warrior. He had been hauled up in the infirmary, watched over by Aludra at Toiro's request. Sometimes she'd brought in food, some of the smaller prey, in case he'd finally wake up and need something to eat. She'd never seen the brute awake though, and she'd certainly never seen him on his feet. "You're awake!" Happy orange eyes watched him a moment before she padded closer and dropped the stoat at his paws, tail wagging as she tried to somewhat respectfully dip her head in greeting. "Um, I'm Cherie. A huntress. I know we haven't met yet but I'm so happy you're okay." Ever the optimist, she had to fight down the urge to nuzzle her pack mate in pure joy. After all, they were technically strangers to one another.
Castien pushed up off his haunches, readying himself to venture out to find his packmates. But, when he gave the den he was in a better look around, he started noticing strange details. There were herbs and tools surrounding him, some whithered and no longer any use. He didn't remember the dens having a section quite like this, or anything like this at all. They did not have a shaman, so there was no use for things like this. Warriors, hunters, and the like wouldn't know what do with any of this. 'Maybe Spirit has a soft side,' he thought to himself with a smirk. Yeah right, that fae had as much as a soft side as a boulder. One without moss. Or dirt. Whatever. He had better start getting his insults under control, he was awake now and Spirit wouldn't give him a break just because he had been injured, if anything that was more of a reason to attack him.
It was quiet in the dens, but that was far from unusual for the Airila wolves. It seemed to always be quiet in Shyia and that was perfectly fine with Castien. He had so much violent excitement in his life so far that he wouldn't mind living out the rest of his life in peace. But, if duty called he would give up the peaceful life to defend his pack. He knew with Descai being so close by, peace wouldn't last as long as he would hope. He needed to start getting battle-ready again, in case Descai did attack, which would not be unlike the fiends.
He stomach began to ache, oh, how he was hungry! That cougar fight must have really worked up an appetite! He felt like he hadn't eaten in days! And his muscles and body felt so stiff and weak, he must have pulled a nerve in his spine, he hadn't felt this bad since.. Well, ever. He didn't even feel this bad after the fight with the rouges in his former home. And that was saying something.
He suddenly heard scuffling around in the caves, her perked his ears and lifted his nose to scent who it might be, but the aura that came back to him wasn't of anyone familiar. Not Toiro, or Spirit, or Kastiel, or Duchess. Not anyone he had ever met before. His hackles began to rise, the scent wasn't that of a Descai member, in fact, the intruder smelled completely of Airila Pack. But, how could that be? Had Toiro picked up a new member he did not know about? The stranger began to move closer, it's pawsteps becoming louder and Castien lowered his head. He wasn't sure if he could keep up and hold his own in a fight, if he had to, right now.
"Castien?"
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She knew his name. But, how? How was it that she knew him, but he did not know her? She didn't sound familiar to him in the slightest, but perhaps Toiro spoke of him? When the fae came into sight, he lifted his head. She was much shorter than him, her coloring a mixture of neutral colors, much like his own but more defined. She was much smaller than him, but that seemed to be the norm around here. He had grown almost used to it. She had bright orange eyes and carried something that was fresh kill. His mouth began to water as hunger clawed at his stomach.
She seemed rather excited to see him awake. She came closer and he tensed, more than he already was. After she had left the kill at his paws it took every ounce of willpower to not dig in ravenously right there. She introduced herself as Cherie, a huntress. When had that happened? Just how long had he been seeing black?
"Uhh thanks," he answer hoarsely, gesturing to the stoat. He needed to find some water, he hadn't realized how thirsty he was until he spoke. He swallowed and cleared his throat before continuing. "I'm Castien.. But, I suppose you already knew that. It's a pleasure to meet you." He felt awkward and confused. his head began to pound. "Say, Cherie. Do you know what the others are? Do you know where Toiro is?" he laid back down on his belly, gathering the stoat between his paws. He tried to give off the casual meal "feel," but he wasn't sure how well he was doing with that. Count --> 768 w. Muse --> Not bad Tags --> Cherie && Open Notes --> He's so confused [/color][/size][/left][/blockquote][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center]
Castien was a bit of a legend here, or at least that's how Cherie had interpreted the story. The mighty warrior, brave and strong. Though the cougar had rendered him unconscious, he had fought valiantly and Toiro spoke well of the wounded warrior. To the apennine femme, he was the picture of brute strength and raw manliness, the sort of male to be idolized. He lived up to everything she had been taught about brutes, that they were brave protectors of the pack, willing to give their lives. And though she did not actually know him, she had spent countless hours wondering what he would be like once he'd awoken. Cherie daydreamed a lot. It was a good way to pass the time.
Her tail wagged more rapidly at the thank you, pleased that she had done well. If she'd known how to carry water she would have brought him some of that too, but alas the warm blood of a fresh kill would have to do until he was able to bring himself to the crystalline river that ran through their dens. "It's no problem." She was practically beaming from the praise, not even bothering with etiquette right now. She was too enthralled by the situation to think about where her head should be placed and where her eyes were supposed to be looking. They could punish her later for such blatant disrespect (not that they would because such was the custom of her old pack, not Airila).
"A lot of loner songs have been going up lately. Toiro and Huxleyi have been working twice as much to run the borders. And Aludra's probably out gathering more herbs. I've got to go out on another hunt again soon too. I've brought back a few rabbits and other things if you want more. Um... here!" Cherie had name dropped like nobody's business, it not even occurring to her that the current members of the pack were not the ones Castien would remember. In her hurry to keep doing good, she'd bounded back over to the prey pile as well, selecting one of the more plump rabbits and bringing it back to again be dropped at the warrior's feet.
Not once had her tail stopped swaying, easy nature and good cheer practically radiating from her body. The younger femme saw nothing but joy in this situation. Her dear pack mate was awake, she had the chance to make a new friend, and her constant hunting was finally paying off almost immediately. Pride of having such good fortune filled her heart with warmth. The only thing keeping her from bounding to the den entrance to call the others to come celebrate was the fact that she didn't know if it was her place or not. Well, that and she was a bit preoccupied with trying to fatten the male up. Once he finished the rabbit as well, she'd no doubt be off to fetch him something else.
This Cherie character seemed to be rather delighted to see him up and awake and to be able to speak with him. She was a sweet young fae, obviously eager to help. It was no wonder she had been a good fit for Airila Pack, she was just like Toiro in many ways, simply more animated. He wondered if this is what the alpha was like when he was younger, a pup maybe. Cas had never been like that, there was no time or room for that nonsense. It was nice to be in a pack where such a laid back attitude was embraced, the sort of pack he would like to raise pups in some day, maybe.
A wave of guilt passed through him just as Tari's face appeared in his mind's eye. His hopes of having pups disappeared when she did. It was painful to think this way, he had always wanted pups of his own and he was a passionate wolf, the thought of never having love again in his life was heart-wrenching. It was so hard to be happy these days. Sure, he had his new pack, new friends, new life, but, somehow that wasn't satisfying him. He knew something was missing.
He withdrew from such serious thoughts and returned to the present. He took a bite out of the stoat between his paws, and he could have sworn it was the best thing he had ever tasted. The blood was warm in his mouth, not as refreshing as water would have been, but he was thankful for what he had, thankful that Cherie had been here to provide it for him. His stomach growled with pleasure as he went in for a second bite.
Cherie had answered his question, just not in the way that he had expected. At all. He stopped chewing his food, was he in the right pack? He quickly swallowed the stoat in his mouth with a hard, painful gulp and furrowed his brow. "Whoa, slow down, Cherie. Hold up." He was quiet for a few moments, he didn't recognize any of the names that she had spat out, besides Toiro. And on top of that, she had not mentioned Kastiel or Spirit or Duchess. She had disappeared for a few moments, leaving him alone with himself. He pushed what was left of the stoat away from him and stared blankly at the ground.
Cherie returned with a mouthful of rabbit and dropped it in front of him. He licked his dry lips in attempt to moisturize them before speaking again. "Who... I don't know the names you speak of. I know Toiro, of course. But, Huxleyi? Aludra? I'm not quite sure.... And where is Spirit? And Kastiel, shouldn't he be helping Toiro? Is Duchess okay?" He realized he was asking a lot of questions, but he felt that he deserved answers. His ears lay flat on his head in concerned confusion. What was going on here? Count --> 506 w. Muse --> Ehh. Tags --> Cherie && Open Notes --> He's going to have a mental breakdown. xD
Slow down? Hold up? The rapid swing of her pendulum tail slowed to a near halt as she looked at Castien in confusion. Had she said something wrong? Almost immediately her positioned changed, tail tucking between her legs and head lowering in shame. Her ears pulled back and she tried to look apologetic, fearing the worst. She had been trying so hard to be a good girl, to do the right thing. Now she would be beat for her incompetence and scolded for being a wrong, silly female.
Except such strongly defined gender roles had been the norm for her birth pack, not that of Airila. Castien had no true reason to strike her and she probably looked rather pathetic with how fast her mood had shifted. All she wanted to do was please her pack mates and do right by them. She hadn't been in Airila long, maybe only a month or two at best. It would be a long time before she learned that punishment was not waiting around every corner, goading her into slipping up. She had yet to adjust to the ways of the new pack and three years of conditioning needed to be undone.
At least bringing him more food seemed to right whatever wrong she'd done him, in part. Further confusion was brought on when Castien mentioned a list of names that she herself did not know. She had never even heard Toiro speak of those wolves, not that she'd spoken to the alpha all that much. After she'd joined the pack, her alpha had constantly been so busy. She rarely saw him, if ever, and had it not been for the constantly dwindling prey pile and Toiro's strong scent she would have begun to wonder if maybe he'd disappeared. But she knew he hadn't and whether she saw him often or not Cherie had full faith in her alpha. Now if only she could piece together what it was Castien was saying...
"Huxleyi is the beta. And Aludra is the shaman... I don't know the others you mentioned. Haven't met them." Her ears remained pulled back though her posture was slowly uncurling from such a submissive state. The apennine femme looked almost timid in the way she was holding herself now, that cheerful energy from before having receded. Were there more members in this pack than she'd thought? Or had the Mack. Valley male really been out for that long. "As far as I know it's just the five of us, unless some others have joined?"
Toiro, Huxleyi, Aludra, Castien, and herself. There were the only scents she usually picked up when hunting and the only bodies she usually saw. Aside from the occasional stray wandering into the territory, that was it. It was all she knew. A soft whine escaped her maw, wondering in some way if her lack of knowledge would bring on the punishment that still hadn't come. Unfortunately, the only one that would be able to answer the warrior's questions was Toiro.
Cherie suddenly looked like a scolded puppy and Cas suddenly felt bad. Had he raised his voice at her? He had felt very frustrated with his current situation, but he was never really one to yell unless he was given a well enough reason to. And, this wasn't nearly enough reason to. He knew he would figure out just what was going on, and Cherie was helping all she could, there was no justification to being angry with her. But, seeing as she thought otherwise, he quickly spit out an apology, "Sorry, Cherie.. Please try to understand my confusion here," he said gently. "'One day I'm in Toiro's pack with Kastiel, Spirit, and Duchess. And... Today, I wake up and none of them are here."
The names Cherie began to list off brought no sense to the brute. Huxleyi? Cherie said he was the beta, but what had happened to Kastiel? Aludra was a shaman here, well that would explain where he was. He must be in the infirmary. That was one mystery, of many, solved. But, how long had he been out for Toiro to install a shaman and for her to have collected and built up her infirmary? A mental question Castien didn't want to face, but he knew he had to ask.
He heard a soft whimper and it took him a moment to realize it had come from Cherie. His ears went back, was his packmate afraid of him? Well, he had almost ten inches on her, and he was a good eighty pounds heavier. Well, maybe not so much right now, he had lost some weight. (Another reason to ponder how long he had been out.) Castien sat up, shakily, and lowered his head to look at Cherie, eye to eye. "Cherie, you don't have to be afraid of me. I'm part of this pack to protect you, not hurt you." It was the second time Castien had noticed her brilliant orange eyes. He had never seen such eyes before and they just about entranced the brute.
He blinked a few times and cleared his throat before he spoke again. "My mouth is rather dry, I'm not sure if I could eat this wonderful, tasty-looking rabbit without a drink of water first." He gave a sort of quiet, dry cough. "Would you mind escorting me to a pool of water so I may get a drink?" Then, after he had finished his rabbit, maybe she could help him find Toiro so he could make some sense of all this mess. Count --> 450 w. Muse --> Okayyy.. Tags --> Cherie Notes --> He feels like a horrible wolf, making Cherie so scared. xD
Toiro had just seen Orfeo off to the borders and was now returning to the dens for a little nap before his tiredness started to affect his mood. It was disappointing that the loner had decided not to join, as Airila needed new members – they were still so small and weak compared to their neighbours. But he supposed that it might be for the best that the stranger had decided to go on his way. Toiro had found himself at a loss with how to deal with him – the wolf kept mentioning strange words, and his description of the creatures he called humans was just plain confusing. His attitude towards these ‘humans’ was very strange, as if he was expecting to find some here to look after him, and the alpha wasn’t sure how a wolf like that would cope in a pack environment. Oh well, that was all in the past now, wasn’t it? He didn’t need to keep worrying about that loner – he had his pack to care about.
The entrance to Lerelm was a reassuring sight, and Toiro sighed as his paws crossed the threshold into the smooth stone caverns. It had been a long day, what with remarking the borders and meeting Orfeo, and he was keen to finally get some sleep.
The alpha was just about to retreat to his den when a sound caught his attention. Were those voices? In the infirmary? He thought he’d told his packmates to avoid that area so they wouldn’t disturb Castien. That wolf was in a very fragile state, and even Aludra’s best efforts seemed to be only just keeping him alive. Actually, Toiro was pretty sure the shaman was out gathering herbs for him now, so who could be talking? The large grey padded further down the passage, towards the cave Aludra used as her infirmary, a little annoyed to be kept from his rest.
And then he turned the corner and froze on the spot. A large grey wolf, Castien, Airila’s lead warrior, was sitting and speaking with Cherie as if there was barely anything wrong with him. Toiro simply stood and stared, not daring to believe what his eyes were showing him. Perhaps this was a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep? But even after he blinked and shook his head the figure would not go away and the longer he stood there the more he realised that the scene in front of him was in fact real.
A wide grin finally broke across the grey wolf’s face, lightening his appearance entirely as he was suddenly brought to life. “Castien!” The alpha's tail wagged happily behind him, tiredness forgotten, and the only thing stopping him from rushing forwards to nuzzle his loyal friend was the fear that he might injure him in the process. “Are you okay? You were out so long – you must be hungry…” The grey trailed off as he saw the carcasses; of course Cherie had already seen to that. The alpha’s eyes returned to Castien, the excitement at having his lead warrior back barely contained.
"I'm sorry too..." Her voice was soft as she trailed off, the things she was apologizing for nothing able to be known to someone like Castien. There was much about Cherie that had not adjusted to her new home. She was wary of males for the simple fact that they were supposedly superior and capable of a great many things she was not. (Okay, so she didn't know she was capable of many of the same things she had more likely been brainwashed by pack laws into thinking such.)
Shaking her head, she puffed out her chest a little and tried to lift her gaze from her paws. It felt so disrespectful to be looking at a male like this when she believed herself to be in trouble, but Castien was asking questions about her behavior so she had to fix it to please him, right? Especially when he accused her of being afraid. Orange eyes hardened with a bit of fiery determination. "I'm not afraid. It's... Airila's just different." Different from what she was used to and she was still learning. Besides, showing submission was better than showing aggression any day.
At the male's request for water, Cherie nodded her head and got to her paws. Her tailed swayed back and forth again, showing her eagerness to do something right. "I can help." But as she took a measly two steps forward, another presence caught her attention. Toiro. The alpha had returned from his day of doing alpha things. Immediately the Apennine femme's tail picked up speed twofold though her eyes found the floor again. It was a strange combination of excitement and submission. When had been the last time she'd seen the alpha? Not since the day she'd joined really, unless you counted in passing but they'd never really had the chance to talk. "Hello, sir." Now that Toiro was here she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do. Everybody here outranked her.
