01-13-2010, 01:09 PM
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Her stomach was a knotted ball of iron. It had been several weeks since she'd last seen her mate, and though at first she wasn't all that worried, now she was literally worried sick. Her patrols around the borders had yielded a decent collection of the filthy traps that had been set to terrorize the pack, but no signs of the missing Elliot Oriel had been found. Part of her was thankful she hadn't come across his mangled body, but the other part of her was longing for some sort of news somewhere. And there was another part of her whose voice was growing louder in the weeks that passed, a voice that whispered that the handsome male had simply lost interest in her as all of her past lovers had done, and had found someone far more appealing. As much as she hated herself for thinking so, Kol had to admit that the anger that thought stirred in her gut helped to push her onward through each day he was gone.
Strangely enough, the coal-colored woman was not on the borders when the call went up. Haku's voice rang through the air surrounding her treehouse, and with a heavy sigh the Stormbringer set aside the diary she'd begun keeping upon her return to Dahlia de Mai. To her growing disgust, Kol had found herself becoming more and more withdrawn from the world around her, and the thick book with the scratchy writing was now her only companion. She still had not gotten around to visiting Alexey, as much as her heavy heart missed her. Having seen the golden-eyed woman at the previous meeting, and the way she looked at Conor, Kol had no interest in complicating her friend's life. She knew how things happened when friends found lovers, and both time and absence worked to drive their own wedges between them. Lexey had much more important things going on right now, though Kol knew she had to apologize to her at some point, both for her own long absence, and her idiotic brother's seeming abandonment. There had still been no sign of the rust-colored male since he'd left Solbjorg when Kol's pups were born, and Kol had been certain he'd returned to Dahlia and Alexey. His mysterious absence was yet another cause for the iron ball that weighed on her gut.
After climbing down the rope ladder that connected the treehouse to the ground, the Stormbringer woman set herself into an easy trot toward the meeting circle, her long optime legs eating up the ground only slightly more slowly than her more efficient lupine form. Her violet eyes were steely and cold as she picked her way through the woods, her mind constantly churning over everything from her missing loved ones to the increasing tension she'd begun to feel between Dahlia and their longtime enemies, Inferni. There was a note of urgency in the call that Haku had given, and Kol had a sinking feeling that the two packs were once again on the verge of an explosively violent conflict. In addition to the several new scents that littered the borders and the packlands, the very air resonated with the tense energy of mistrust and fear.
It didn't take the dark woman that long to arrive at the scene, but several others had made it there first. As she slowed her pace, her violent eyes hid the shock she felt at the number of unknown individuals in attendance. She sought a familiar face, but the form of Alexey was already flanked by Conor, and Kol reserved herself to sitting alone, as usual. As she entered the circle, she dipped her head in respect to the newly-crowned Rosen, and moved to take a cross-legged seat on the right side of the gathering. A pang of nostalgia hit her hard as she remembered another meeting long ago, when the pack had gathered in celebration and Kol had been surrounded by those she considered family. Alexey and she had been close as sisters then, and the dark woman hoped that someday she could mend the relationship they'd had and be like that again. It would be a long road, and once she would have to initialize, but she held that hope close to her bruised and lonely heart.
As she kept her silence and solitude and waited for whatever news Haku's call would bring, Kol couldn't help but notice the distinct absence of ghostly former Rosea and her piebald mate. Their scents had begun to fade around the packlands as well, and Kol made a mental note to do a little sniffing around the old church the pair called home after the meeting. The woman knew deep down that something was going on behind the scenes, she just couldn't put a finger on it. Thoughts rolled through her mind as she scanned the faces of her gathered packmates, her eyes suddenly settling on the black figure sitting beside their leader. Sitting upwind of the woman, Kol could not catch her scent, but her build and the color of her eyes caught her attention. Drey had spoken of coming across a vaguely familiar scents those many months ago, someone of their bloodline but not of Solbjorg itself. Kol never found out if her brother had discovered the owner of the scent, but her suspicions were now tickled unbearably, for she'd come across a similar circumstance around the packlands of Dahlia. The scent had intrigued her, and now the appearance of this woman who looked so like one of the dark bloods pushed the mystery even further. Was this Haku's newest consort? If so, just who the hell was she, and why did she tease the corners of Kol's mind so?
Table by Tay
Her stomach was a knotted ball of iron. It had been several weeks since she'd last seen her mate, and though at first she wasn't all that worried, now she was literally worried sick. Her patrols around the borders had yielded a decent collection of the filthy traps that had been set to terrorize the pack, but no signs of the missing Elliot Oriel had been found. Part of her was thankful she hadn't come across his mangled body, but the other part of her was longing for some sort of news somewhere. And there was another part of her whose voice was growing louder in the weeks that passed, a voice that whispered that the handsome male had simply lost interest in her as all of her past lovers had done, and had found someone far more appealing. As much as she hated herself for thinking so, Kol had to admit that the anger that thought stirred in her gut helped to push her onward through each day he was gone.
Strangely enough, the coal-colored woman was not on the borders when the call went up. Haku's voice rang through the air surrounding her treehouse, and with a heavy sigh the Stormbringer set aside the diary she'd begun keeping upon her return to Dahlia de Mai. To her growing disgust, Kol had found herself becoming more and more withdrawn from the world around her, and the thick book with the scratchy writing was now her only companion. She still had not gotten around to visiting Alexey, as much as her heavy heart missed her. Having seen the golden-eyed woman at the previous meeting, and the way she looked at Conor, Kol had no interest in complicating her friend's life. She knew how things happened when friends found lovers, and both time and absence worked to drive their own wedges between them. Lexey had much more important things going on right now, though Kol knew she had to apologize to her at some point, both for her own long absence, and her idiotic brother's seeming abandonment. There had still been no sign of the rust-colored male since he'd left Solbjorg when Kol's pups were born, and Kol had been certain he'd returned to Dahlia and Alexey. His mysterious absence was yet another cause for the iron ball that weighed on her gut.
After climbing down the rope ladder that connected the treehouse to the ground, the Stormbringer woman set herself into an easy trot toward the meeting circle, her long optime legs eating up the ground only slightly more slowly than her more efficient lupine form. Her violet eyes were steely and cold as she picked her way through the woods, her mind constantly churning over everything from her missing loved ones to the increasing tension she'd begun to feel between Dahlia and their longtime enemies, Inferni. There was a note of urgency in the call that Haku had given, and Kol had a sinking feeling that the two packs were once again on the verge of an explosively violent conflict. In addition to the several new scents that littered the borders and the packlands, the very air resonated with the tense energy of mistrust and fear.
It didn't take the dark woman that long to arrive at the scene, but several others had made it there first. As she slowed her pace, her violent eyes hid the shock she felt at the number of unknown individuals in attendance. She sought a familiar face, but the form of Alexey was already flanked by Conor, and Kol reserved herself to sitting alone, as usual. As she entered the circle, she dipped her head in respect to the newly-crowned Rosen, and moved to take a cross-legged seat on the right side of the gathering. A pang of nostalgia hit her hard as she remembered another meeting long ago, when the pack had gathered in celebration and Kol had been surrounded by those she considered family. Alexey and she had been close as sisters then, and the dark woman hoped that someday she could mend the relationship they'd had and be like that again. It would be a long road, and once she would have to initialize, but she held that hope close to her bruised and lonely heart.
As she kept her silence and solitude and waited for whatever news Haku's call would bring, Kol couldn't help but notice the distinct absence of ghostly former Rosea and her piebald mate. Their scents had begun to fade around the packlands as well, and Kol made a mental note to do a little sniffing around the old church the pair called home after the meeting. The woman knew deep down that something was going on behind the scenes, she just couldn't put a finger on it. Thoughts rolled through her mind as she scanned the faces of her gathered packmates, her eyes suddenly settling on the black figure sitting beside their leader. Sitting upwind of the woman, Kol could not catch her scent, but her build and the color of her eyes caught her attention. Drey had spoken of coming across a vaguely familiar scents those many months ago, someone of their bloodline but not of Solbjorg itself. Kol never found out if her brother had discovered the owner of the scent, but her suspicions were now tickled unbearably, for she'd come across a similar circumstance around the packlands of Dahlia. The scent had intrigued her, and now the appearance of this woman who looked so like one of the dark bloods pushed the mystery even further. Was this Haku's newest consort? If so, just who the hell was she, and why did she tease the corners of Kol's mind so?
Table by Tay