[JRP] Departed Spirit [Niite'Manu x Haldir x Ruavin ]

[Thalion]

The youngsters had all the spirit of their kin but they lacked the body. They moved too quickly, too clumsily, and far too eagerly. They had purpose but they lacked focus. To be young and easily distracted again... it would be horrible.

Haldir knew every muscle and how it could stretch and retract, every nerve and fur was under his perfect control. Of the border guards, he was perhaps one of the best. His pelt was the perfect color for blending into the mists, moving like a spirit through the haze provided to them by the gods and the falls themselves. His breath was a whisper of a whisper and his paws knew the land like they knew themselves. His eyes were sharp- though in this place it did little good on the border.

However, they did come in handy when the young ones stumbled through the barrier into the pride's center. He stood still as the stone under his paws and watched in silence, not moving so much as a hair. The female looked a little flustered, perhaps she had forgotten her training or had lost her way through the mist and stumbled back to gain her bearings.

He glanced just behind her as another dark form made its way through the fog, certain of her direction but a little less certain of his own.

Perhaps it was time to make himself known.

"The two of you should learn to breathe. I could hear you huffing like a pair of elephants suffering from allergies." The loud, sharp, but somehow disinterested voice called from above. "And lad, if you're going to follow a lady, you may want to do it from a greater distance."




The dark male froze mid-stride, catching his breath and slowly rolling his eyes in the direction of the voice. He was young, barely into his adult mane, and despite his training through cubhood up, he had much to learn. The older lions here almost seemed to manipulate the mists itself. They moved through it, timing every step with the swirling mass around them. Part of him wondered if they didn't breathe the stuff and leave the younger members to stumble about as they did.

Normally, under his own terms where the air was quite clear, he could move like a shadow. Here, however, he couldn't hardly see the nose in front of his face. Dew gathered on his whiskers and in his mane, making him uncomfortable and damp.Sounds seemed to come from all around, sourceless. It was difficult enough. He well understood how and why outsiders often wondered for days before the watch decided to make themselves known and drive them off.

As he was detected, Ruavin rolled his eyes once more and stood himself upright. "I should have known you were our tormentor today, Haldir."

Alpaca Chobi

 

[Thalion]

"Whether it was three days or three years, you should never forget the training you've given to your paws and your head." The older lion pointed out sharply. "A Mistwalker must be as silent as the veil they walk through, move like water over stone, and keep ever-alert. Had I been an enemy, you would be laying in a pool of your own blood by now."

He moved down the side of the rock, his paws knowing every groove and ledge. His movements were barely a whisper and his form nearly poured over the face of the rock to glide gracefully to the damp ground below. He glanced past Nii into the fog where a dark form began to emerge.

"The cover has been blown, it's best you come and face us."

Ruavin sighed as he stepped from the mist and tossed a bit of mane out of his eyes. He was silent enough to follow but obviously his skills were lacking if a middle-aged lion was able to pick him out of the mists. He met soon with the critical eyes of his mentor and the more irritated ones of his childhood friend. Offering a small smile, he pulled from the cloak of mist and regarded Nii seriously.

"You slipped away on your own. You can't expect me to take notice of that and just sit on my paws, can you?"

Alpaca Chobi

 

[Thalion]

Haldir snorted. It would happen again. Sadly, the two youngsters were still a few lessons away from being where they needed to be among the mists. They wouldn't learn it in a week, or a month. Some wouldn't learn it even in the span of a few years. Stealth required mastery of the mind, body, and soul. The mind had to remain calm but aware, sharp and alert to every movement and sound. The mind had to over-come the body, which had to learn to obey the mind itself. The mind naturally wanted to breathe heavily, walk with the weight bared down into the joints and paws, the mind was a clumsy thing. When mind and body were perfectly in sync, they worked like a song and a good singing voice- beautifully. The spirit had to know when to allow itself to feel- but that lesson would come later. The spirit would rule over the others. Sometimes a broken spirit broke the mind down, then the body tumbled right in behind it.

The philosophy was still something the two had yet to grasp. The female was irritated and hasty, she had wanted to slip away from something. Ru was clouded in his judgement and had allowed himself to be sensed.

Rather than say any of this, Haldir simply stared, his eyes knowing. "Enough of your sweet nothings. We need to get back into the heart of the pride. You two have done enough mistwalking for the night."

Ru didn't like the look the older lion had shot their way, nor the clipped tone of his companion. He let his ears lay flat and rolled a disgruntled look over to Nii.

"And I was stalking. If I had asked for permission, it would have defeated the point. I wanted to see what you were getting your paws into."

Alpaca Chobi

 

[Thalion]

Word Count

1,730