|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:53 am
 The ocean-colored wolf slipped from one shadow to the next without a sound. Even though he was still in pack territory, it was never acceptable to allow one's skills to go unpracticed. He was a creature of the darkness, living shadow itself, moving without sound, evading any watchful eye. He may have doubted his abilities for combat, leadership, and a number of other skills...but Fallyn had always been a natural Shadow Walker.
It had always kept him from being noticed too often, even by his Brothers.
And what of this latest generation? Could any of them even Shadow Walk, let alone with such practiced skill? Who knew what the omegas were teaching them these days? Before he could let the foolish notion take hold, Fallyn banished the thought of him teaching them instead. No one would listen to him, not even pups, he thought irritably.
It was strange to be allowed to entertain his dark thoughts for once without his 'tag-along morale support' pipping in. Fortunately, Marrok was gone with the rest of Firdaws' troop on a hunt. Fallyn would have some peace, likely until they returned near sunrise. Though he had been trying to make changes, less frequently hiding from their own Brothers...still, the green hunter remained his near constant companion when not away from the pack lands. He simply did not understand why. Perhaps Marrok really was a bit touched in the head...dropped as a pup maybe...
His Walk brought him to an outcropping overlooking some of the dens below. The moonlight caused his coat to shine as he stepped into full view and settled his haunches near the edge. Two Alphas gone...and yet, somehow, the Brothers held together. That was the virtue of the Brotherhood...no matter what happened, they endured. Members may scatter, come and go, yet the fellowship remained. So much hardship though...
Eyes tracing the familiar lines of the environment below, Fallyn wondered, who or what was really to blame? They placed so much blame on the Traitor...but could one wolf really have done all this? Taken away not only their God Alpha on some foolish chase over strange lands...but also the one who stepped in to be his surrogate? Of course, by definition, that should have been Fallyn...but he was no fool. He could have no more stepped into the God Alpha's paw prints than a suckling pup. No one would have paid him any more mind either had he tried. Other Brothers had disappeared as well, though the leadership's absence was definitely the most concerning. Yes, they were Brothers...but they still needed leadership.
They had blamed the traitor. They had blamed the spirits, in some cases. Even 'circumstance'. New blood still came to the lair, but was it the same as before? It was as if the Brotherhood kept taking hits no matter how they endured...a relentless pursuer, dogged and unyielding, waiting for any sign of weakness...
Or a poison. Slowly eating away at them all.
Growling softly and shaking the thoughts from his head, Fallyn turned a glare on a nearby rock. For some reason, the thing offended him. Maybe that was the trouble? Maybe this very land was cursed! Lifting his lip with a snarl, he swatted the offending rock from the ledge, sending it clattering down the outcropping and bouncing along the lair below.
The sudden sound from his lashing out seemed to break through his thoughts just enough for him to realize...the area wasn't as deserted as he had previously thought. Freezing, he focused his senses to try and locate the other. The scent...it was a Brother, of course, no worries about an intruder to their lands...but he had the secondary concern, always eating at the back of his mind, that he might have offended some Brother with his mere presence.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 4:55 pm
 It was a quiet night. The rambunctious, ridiculous group of hunters were away, allowing a certain kind of peace to fall over the land - even the parts nearest the dens. The Warmaster was often on the prowl, silently patrolling the territory and its borders, keeping an eye on threats both without and within. But on nights like this, when the world was quiet and the stars shone clear in the moonless sky, he liked to lie down and simply be. Looking to the heavens, he would allow his thoughts to drift where they will, unguarded and unchecked. Some nights, they took him on unpredictable paths; others, they brought together niggling little details into a clear, cohesive picture; and sometimes they were simply quiet, leaving his mind in peace and filling his ears with nothing but the little sounds of nature. He could not call it tranquility, but he supposed it was about as close as he was liable to get. This night, as he lie there staring out at the stars, his moment of solitude was broken by the approach of another. The Brother in question did not seem to notice Arkadios - not entirely unexpected as he was still and in the shadows - but neither was he being loud and disruptive. The Warmaster could have left, but he was content enough. Fallyn, he realized now, seemed too caught up in his own world to disturb him. Still, Dios kept half an eye on him. Old habits. His attention was piqued when the younger male seemed to grow particularly irritated. It was only after Fallyn had smacked a small stone that he seemed to notice Dio's presence. The warrior in him was appalled at the younger male's lack of awareness - particularly since Dios had not even been really trying to hide his presence. He had simply been...quiet. Quiet in mind and body. He wondered how long it would take for the younger male to locate him - a bit behind and a few yards to the right. ((Is it ok for Dios to have been there? If not, I can change it.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 12:36 pm
There was no excuse for letting his attention lax, not even in pack lands. Fallyn admonished himself far more than another would...though, depending on the Brother, the reprimand may or may not be of a more physical nature. Ears laying back warily, he surveyed the area while holding absolutely still. The scent...a Brother, yes...strong, dominant...definitely not one of the pup-sitters... As his nose worked on the mystery of the identity of other, his other senses worked on the location.
With a mixture of dismay and relief, Fallyn identified his companion shortly before pinpointing his location. Not the best wolf to allow to catch him off-guard...but he could think of others that would have been worse, if for personal reasons.
Fallyn had spent far too much time amid the safety of the burrows as of late, clearly.
Doing his best to shield his momentary surprise from showing in his form, he turned towards the shadows where the other wolf lay, dipping his head slightly. "Forgive me, Brother, for disturbing your peace." Head remaining bowed, silver eyes looked up from beneath the dark hood. "I had not intended to intrude on anyone. Please, enjoy the moonlight..." He turned, prepping to leave before he incurred any additional irritation at his presence.
Nyx Argyros ((That's absolutely fine by me! Apologies for my derping and forgetting we started this!))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 8:41 pm
Stoic as ever, Arkadios watched the younger male prepare to leave, his eyes doing nothing to reveal his thoughts. No one really thought of Fallyn as the heir any longer - Dios had never really considered him a true contender, even when Danel had been present. But the blue-green wolf had done a very fine job of staying in the shadows these past few years. Even the warmaster had seen very little of him. Their paths did not often cross, as a matter of course, but he had done a fair job of keeping an eye on his brothers. Yet Fallyn remained hidded. Forgotten. Ignored. Dios rather suspected that wolf in question preferred it that way. "Does my presence disturb you?" came the quiet question as Fallyn had gotten no more than a few steps away. The answer seemed fairly obvious, but he doubted the younger male would admit it outright. It would be rude of him to run off once they had something resembling a conversation going, and Dios rather thought he would take advantage of this opportunity to see what the fallen heir had been up to all this time. Teigra Not at all! I had half-forgotten, myself. But I think I'm going to enjoy it, now that it's properly started.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 8:30 am
Fallyn froze mid-step, somewhat surprised at being addressed in such a manner. He had expected the Warmaster would have preferred to be left alone...not to willingly engage him in a conversation. The single question made him wary. An exchange starting with such a question felt like a briar thicket...something that could be traversed, but only with care, lest one make a misstep and pay the price.
Of course he found the other wolf imposing. Dios was the Warmaster of the pack, a position well-earned, not merely given as a token gesture. Granted, Fallyn felt some level of discomfort around many of his Brothers these days...constantly wondering how many were watching and judging and questioning...
Pushing the thoughts aside before they could aggravate the anxiety already beginning to churn in his gut, Fallyn decided to answer as if he'd interpreted the question to refer just to this moment in time. "No, Warmaster," he began, turning back and keeping his head bowed respectfully as he explained. "I worried only that I had disturbed you. I did not wish to spread my foul mood and ruin your evening."
Steeling himself, he took a few steps back towards the grey-blue wolf, out of the open and back into the shifting shadows. He cloaked himself in them, wrapping himself in their familiar, reassuring presence before taking a seat. Conversation. He could do this. Drawing strength and courage from the darkness, he glanced out over the dens below, adding in a conversational tone, "Such a pleasant evening. Quiet for once." The absence of Firdaws and his hunters was always obvious. "It seemed a shame to ruin such peace." In a quieter tone, almost to himself, he murmured without thought, "...at least for others."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:19 pm
Fallyn's mood had no bearing on the warmaster's evening. He was rarely affected by the highs and lows that other wolves went through. Their emotions meant nothing to him beyond what such irrationality translated into their actions. Most of the time, it was simply not enough to bother with. the younger wolf could be walking in clouds or drowning in despair and it would all be the same to Arkadios.
He decided that it might not be prudent to mention that. Instead, he focused on Fallyn.
"What cause do you have to despair?" he asked. Surely this night was not unlike so many others. The pack was in a fragile state of stagnation. The precipice was near, but they had yet to tip over the edge into the unknown. Until then, there seemed little need to worry. Particularly since news of change was not widely spread.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
