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 Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:56 am
 It had been several days since Odd had returned to the pride proper. Instead he had been in the forest where his mother had raised him and his siblings after bringing them to the Stormborn. It wasn't hiding, he told himself, but he knew that in truth he was doing just that. More to his shame, he was hiding from his half-sister, who was always quick to claim him as her best friend.
It wasn't like Odd to run away from things he found unpleasant. Just because he wasn't a fighter by nature didn't mean he couldn't deal with conflict, but right now he couldn't see any way for matters between himself and Kazul to improve unless she initiated it. After all, it was her sharp tongue and generally stupid behavior of late that had driven him off. He knew where the blame lay for that, of course, but when he tried to bring the subject up before they had fought. He didn't like fighting with her.
He had actually been enjoying living in the woods though, completely away from the pride. Oh, he'd always lived in the woods, even after reaching adolescence and moving out of his family's shared den, but he'd also spent most of his time in the pride proper. Now he was spending all of his time in the woods, letting his old skills come back to him and doing his best to re-establish communications with the spirits.
He'd already learned ages ago that the spirits in the Stormborn woods were different from those in the woods where he'd been born, but he'd never put as much effort in familiarizing himself with them as he should have done, generally too distracted by pridal goings-on to really devote himself to his practices as he ought to. But now that was changing.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:14 am
 Herryk had taken to calling the treetops home. Well, not really the tree tops, but he'd found one particularly gnarled and fat tree that he loved to spend time in. He could climb high enough that he had a good vantage point and the position of the tree also allowed him to watch the comings and goings of the Stormborn lions. He'd spotted his mother once or a twice and his brothers a smattering of times. Herryk also liked looking down on them. The stupid lions didn't even know that he was watching them, and he enjoyed the knowledge that he could see them but they could not see him. It made Herryk feel grandiose and superior. After his conversation with Broni, he felt even more upset and distanced from his family, and even more reluctant to approach his father. Just thinking of Aesir gave Herryk a caustic burning in his chest and put a sour taste on his tongue. Herryk dozed in the safety of his gnarled tree, the lacy pattern of the sun slipping through the tree-cover warming his coat. In that in-between place of dream and reality, Herryk felt closer to the fey spirits of the forest. Their presence soothed his troubled mind. He often whispered to them of his hopes -- to have his family together again as they'd been before Calder had been taken, to see his brothers again, to look into the wise eyes of his mother once more... all of these things seemed so impossible to Herryk. A strangely-familiar scent wafted towards him, and Herryk perked up immediately. Peering over the thick branch he was splayed over, Herryk caught sight of his brother, Odd. He'd not seen Odd since they were younger, and Herryk's heart thrummed in his chest. Had the spirits answered his hopes and wants? Herryk could only hope that was the case. In a show of uncharacteristically childlike play, Herryk scratched off a thick piece of bark -- the size of a small stone -- and flung it softly in the direction of his brother. Being higher up than Odd, Herryk couldn't wait for his brother to realize that he was there as well.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:42 am
Odd flinched out of the bark's path scant moments before it would have struck him. He would have liked to claim that he had noticed the bark's descent and made a conscious decision to shift himself, but the fact of the matter was that he was simply better at doing these things instinctively than on purpose. It was the same way whenever he had succumbed to Kazul's imprecations to spar with her. He was far better at it if he didn't think about what he was doing, though he still wasn't all that good at it. It was difficult to convince himself to fight just for the fun of it.
Of course his next action was to look up. It wasn't something most lions were inclined to do since there were so few predators for them to worry about and even fewer which attacked from above, but when bits of bark came raining down on a person, even without much force, it was worth the effort to look up and see why. At first all he could see were black paws and gold eyes, but he was quick to recognize the orange coat which could only belong to one of his family and the developing black mane which meant it must be Herryk.
"Come down here," Odd called up to Herryk, lobbing the piece of bark awkwardly back toward him. It fell far short, but throwing things was not a skill most lions possessed, or even tried to develop. Odd was not some leonine freak of nature who could just do it, so unsurprisingly his brother was in no danger.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:59 am
Herryk laughed, a genuine sound that had not been used freely in quite a long time. He rose to his feet and climbed his way down the tree. His muscles bunched beneath his autumnal pelt as he agilely pushed his body from the trunk of the tree, landing before his brother in one smooth movement.
"Odd!" The happy exclamation was paired with a beaming smile. After the sour twist his meeting with Broni had taken, Herryk silently hoped that this reunion with his brother ended a little better.
"What brings you out to the forest, brother? You are looking well. Aunt Iseq has come home to us, have you seen her? I spent some time with Broni days past. Did she speak of our conversation to you? I think she is upset with me."
He paused to take a breath, a sheepish expression on his face. He was not the type to babble, but the happiness he felt upon seeing Odd, well... in this moment, Herryk felt as if a little babbling would be forgivable.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:12 am
Odd grinned at his brother. He had been enjoying his solitude up until now, and so it had not occurred to him to look for Herryk in the forest, even knowing that it was where his brother made his home. Seeing his near-twin reminded him that he was not completely without family, even if his half-sister seemed to have less time for him now than she used to. Such were the dangers of befriending few people.
"I just thought it would be pleasant to get away from the rest of the pride for a while," Odd said. "I was reminded the other day that I am not just one of Aesir's sons, but also a lion of the forest."
That was a very diplomatic way to put it. In truth, Solvtorn had spent the better part of half an hour making jibes of varying degrees of subtlety about his heritage, mostly his mother's side. It would have taken an especially stupid lion to say anything against Aesir with Kazul listening on, but she hadn't said anything against Solvtorn as he "teased" Odd. She'd even had a few barbed words of her own to contribute, though it was difficult for Odd to believe she meant them to be as hurtful as Solvtorn obviously did.
"I have seen Iseq, yes. Several days ago I came across her. She'd been trying to fight her way into the pride. I was able to offer her another way in that wouldn't cause her to get into any more fights with Reavers. I don't think any of us are really built for going up against full Stormborn in battle."
As far as Broni went, though, Odd couldn't really contribute much. He knew she had apprenticed herself to one of the pride's Priestesses, Susu, and that she was working hard at her apprenticeship, but other than that he knew fairly little. And given that he had been in the forest for the past several days himself, if Broni and Herryk had disagreed in that time, he would not have known of it anyway.
"I've not seen her for some time," he admitted, "but most likely if she was sharp it's because her training is causing her stress, or something like that. I've heard that what Priestesses do here is much less intuitive than the interactions our mother has with spirits. Far more ritualistic with lots to memorise."
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:08 am
Herryk looked thoughtful as he listed to Odd speak. "Though this forest is not as peaceful as the one I remember from our childhood, it is rife with spirits." He would not admit that perhaps this forest contained within it even more spirits than his childhood home did. Never would he admit such a thing, but he could not deny the spiritual power that thrummed within this forest.
"I am glad you have not forgotten that you are a child of the forest, brother," Herryk said solemnly, a hint of anger in his voice. "Broni claims to be a priestess of all spirits, but I fear the forest has lost her." He shook his head, turning those intense golden eyes back to his brother. "I am glad the forest has not lost you, Odd."
Herryk started to walk deeper into the forest. After a few steps, he glanced over his shoulder towards Odd, indicating that his brother should follow. He did not want to discuss Aesir or the Stormborn, that much was made obvious by the way he glossed over the mention that Odd made of them.
"I have not talked to Ormarr or Calder, nor have I had words with mother." He wasn't sure what else to say on the topic. "Sometimes I fear I have lost them."
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:06 pm
"I've felt a few of them," Odd agreed. "Sometimes strongly enough to wake me."
He wasn't sure what to say about Herryk's assessment and doubts of Broni. Personally, Odd was impressed by his sisters' ability to walk the fine line between pride and forest. If she claimed she communed with all the spirits, he couldn't prove otherwise. He wondered if training would help with that, but then remembered that there was no one who could train him except maybe his mother, and she wasn't one for formal lessons.
"None of us have lost the forest, Herryk," Odd said as he trotted after his brother. "Nor the other way around. We're half-forest as well as half-Stormborn. I think probably the only way for any of us to achieve anything resembling peace, personally."
He wasn't expressing himself very well, but he was trying. Odd was out of practice when it came to talking about these matters seriously. His affinity for spirits was more of a sideshow parlor trick for the Stormborn he'd spent so much time with, and they weren't really interested in how it worked or what it meant. They just thought it was interesting, and a little amusing, that he had this different set of beliefs. He had kind of liked showing off for them, too, when he was younger, but recently he'd grown tired of being a performing monkey.
"I think you worry too much about losing people. More likely we're going to lose you. I mean, really. Do you ever leave the forest?" He asked it with a grin, but he wasn't really joking. He just wanted Herryk to know he wasn't criticising him.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:35 pm
His brother's words struck a chord despite the fact that his own sister had said much the same thing. Perhaps it would take a few times hearing these words for them to make any impact on Herryk. He frowned softly, a soft, "Hrmph," growling forth from his throat. It was hard for him to accept his Stormborn-half.
"I never leave the forest," Herryk said softly to Odd, his eyes meeting those of his brother. "I feel... suffocated when I am too deep within the pride. I never stray too far, brother, but..." he fell silent before he dropped his head and came to a stop, his midnight mane shifting forward to cover his eyes.
"You are wise, Odd," Herryk admitted, "perhaps too wise." He shook his head and lifted his gaze to meet Odd's once more. "I am no fighter, Odd. I do not find glory in the destruction of others, and at times I feel I do not belong here." He looked troubled. He was troubled.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:18 pm
Odd wasn't sure what to make of Herryk's grumbled response to his thoughts, and so as much as he would have liked to talk about the spirits of the pride with someone who could actually relate to him he decided to find something else to discuss. Something that wouldn't upset Herryk. Clearly the subject was already touchy from whatever Broni had said, and Odd had no desire to go poking at it. He was already avoiding one sibling, and he saw no reason to add any more to the list.
"I don't quite feel the same, but I can sort of guess what you mean," Odd ventured. "They all seem to have very strong, domineering personalities, and if you aren't the type to assert yourself and go up against them, the instinct is just to become small and unobtrusive, but when you do that too much, it's like you're boxed in on all sides, right?"
Very rarely Odd did get that feeling, but being around Kazul helped. She had an impressive personal space but a fairly small personal...spirit for lack of a better word. A person who only saw spirits would have to look twice to notice hers, Odd had always assumed. Even when she put herself out there and behaved in a take-charge manner, Odd rarely felt like she was pushing at him. Not like their father, for instance, who couldn't seem to help it. There was a lion with a palpable Presence. It always amazed Odd to hear that his father could sneak at all.
"Nah," he said dismissively. "I'm not all that wise. I'm just trying to find a way to fit in here, the same as you. Some days it's easier than others. I've been here in the forest because it's been difficult recently."
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:32 am
Herryk immediately felt better when Odd mentioned that it had recently become more difficult to fit in. It was nice to have someone who could relate to his deeply-rooted issues with his assimilation into the pride. There were times that he felt as if he did not belong within this band of warrior-brothers, but despite that he was utterly reluctant to leave his mother and siblings behind in search of a more peaceful place to call home.
"I am sorry for the difficulties you have been facing, Odd." It pained Herryk to know that his brother often felt the same as he did.
"To welcome you back to the forest," Herryk said in lighter tones, "I suggest a run through the woods." Herryk tired of speaking of things sad and infuriating. He wanted to enjoy the time he had with his brother before Odd decided to return to the stuffy confines of the pride.
"What do you say?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:04 am
Odd shrugged. "The difficulties are my own, and I'll deal with them."
Or else he'd flip one day and just savage the next lion to piss him off. That was kind of an appealing thought, too, and it shouldn't have been. Odd really wasn't a naturally violent lion, though he was capable of committing necessarily violent acts, as with hunting or self-defense. The fact that he was truly tempted by the thought of attacking another lion told him that he did need some time away from the Stormborn.
"A run would be great," Odd said feelingly. He grinned and reflected momentarily that Herryk had only proposed a run and not a race. There were precious few among the pride who would not have added the competitive element to their suggestion. It was nice to be back in the forest, where things like who could run faster were more or less inconsequential.
"Why don't you lead, since you know the area better."
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 11:59 am
"Gladly," Herryk said a mere instant before he broke into a run. To run with his brother would feel amazing, and Herryk was glad his brother had agreed to it. There was nothing like the feel of earth beneath your feet or the tangle of wind through your mane. Herryk felt as if running through the forest could heal his soul and free him from his worries, but there was something even more stunning about running through the fey-woods with someone you cared for.
Slipping into silence, Herryk allowed his mind to go blank. There was nothing but him, his brother and the woods around the pair blurring into nothing. His lean legs ate up the ground beneath him and he did not have to focus on trivial worries as he ran. Perhaps this is how the Stormborn felt in battle?
Herryk led his brother deeper into the woods, leaping over fallen trunks and slipping between slender trees. There could be nothing better than this.
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