[html] 298 | Dated for August 30th, mid-afternoon.
The news from Zalen that Titania had left was heartbreaking- not only for the loss of an alpha, but for the loss of a friend and family member. No one could figure out where she'd gone or, for that matter, why. There were clues- the stillborn children were enough to send any mourning mother packing, but with a mate there to share her pain, why would Titania leave? Sky was confused, but she also knew there were others in the family who needed to know. So, after a few pokes and prods at other members, she'd learned that Orin had in fact moved to the Court. This made things a little easier, at least- she wouldn't have to break any rules by visiting d'Arte to see the woman.
The wolfdog left after checking in on Noah. She'd gotten permission from Zalen to leave, granting him the peace of staying home rather than delivering such terrible news. Orin wouldn't be happy to hear what Sky had to say, but at least she'd be hearing it from a friend, and not the man who could've been blamed for the problem at hand.
Her trip was made in lupus form and it took her quite some time, well over two days with rests and hunting, but eventually Sky found herself on the borders of the Court. She sat down, long tail wrapping around her paws as she allowed her muscles to relax. The travel was far from friendly, but at least she'd made it. After a few moments of rest, she tossed her head back and howled, settling back down to wait. Her call was for Orin, no one else. She hoped her old friend would hear her and come. She prayed the woman would take the news well...
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Despite her midline rank and privilege of meeting visitors and potential members at the borders, Orin did not make a habit of answering to border calls, but today that would change. She had been uncaring when she first heard trace sounds resonating over the Court, sitting on the porch of her and Mars’ home and enjoying the sounds of the day. (For once she was sort of enjoying it, rather than sitting in silence and torturing herself over her recent loss. Perhaps her mood was lifting after all…) But as the howl grew stronger the perfect pitch of the singsong note was not lost on her, and deep down in the bit of Orin’s soul she knew there was only one woman who could produce such a velvety tone. “Sky…”
She was up and off the stoop, nothing but a streak of ivory across the yard and out onto the pathway that led away from the cluster of buildings. Sky had… disappeared. What was she doing here now… in Cour des Miracles of all places? Well, there was one explanation that made sense… Looking for me?
She soared over a knoll and once she reached the precipice and peered down ahead of her she spotted the sight of the dusty brown female sitting patiently at the borders. “Sky!” Her voice was befuddled with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and happiness. She kept running until she was almost on top of the lupus woman, and when she stopped her faded pink tail lashed unevenly in a half happy wag.
“What… why are… how did you… what are you doing here?” she couldn’t figure out what she wanted to say, and blurted out a mixed jumble of questions that at least still got across mostly what she meant. She hadn’t seen Sky in a long time, and there were several months where she had convinced herself that Taliesin had murdered her and her pups and hidden the evidence. She had seen the woman once since then, learning that Tal was not the reason for her disappearance, and then Sky had become yet another ghost… until now…
The Orin that stood before her was not the same one she likely remembered. Dragged through tragedy after tragedy, and barely a month past the death of two pups, Orin was disheveled, appeared older than her years, her eyes were tired and the once vibrant dye in her hair had faded to something of a pitiful resonance of what it once was.
(400+)
[html] 289 | I seriously need an updated ref for Sky. xD
The first thoughts in Sky's mind when Orin appeared before her were those of delight, joy and relief. She stood to greet the woman, tail waving unevenly behind her, smile happy but troubled. "Orin!" She murmured a 'thank the gods' and resisted the urge to nuzzle up to her old friend. This was an urge primed into her by her time spent in New Dawn, where the usual greeting was a lick or nuzzle to the face or shoulder, of course. She resisted.
"I came to see you, of course." Sky wasn't the fearful runt from d'Arte anymore, either. She'd gained a healthy weight and toning, her fur thick and glossy and eyes bright and healthy. The dye in her fur had washed out completely, leaving flecks of gold in her undercoat near her nape and shoulders. Three piercings decorated the length of her almost disabled tail and her ears had been pierced with two guages each. She'd undergone her own changes, more good than bad thankfully.
It was the sight of her friend, disheveled and worn tired, that worried the ex-artisan. She frowned. "Oh, Orin... I've missed you. How is life treating you in the Court?" She wanted to get catching up out of the way before she dropped the terrible news onto the girl- she didn't want to ruin her first meeting with her in such a long time. It wouldn't be right. "May I cross the border? Is there somewhere we can go that's more private?" She also didn't want anyone listening in when she did tell Orin the bad news- it wouldn't be good for New Dawn, for another pack to know they'd lost an alpha... and the remaining leader was in greiving.
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“Of course, come, come. Outside the borders are never safe these days.” she waved her hands graciously, inviting Sky to cross the scent boundary and come fully into Cour des Miracles with her. She took a moment to bend over and wrap her arms around her old friend in a warm greeting that was different in gesture yet just as friendly as the greetings of New Dawn. Orin didn’t know that Sky had moved to the pack, but the moment she hugged her friend the scent of the woodsy, traditional pack bombarded her. Her eyes went wide with surprise.
“You smell of New Dawn,” she stated. It wasn’t a question, but there was surprise in her voice.
She wanted to get away from the edge of the pack lands and move into the safety of her home, and the hustle behind her steps was clear as she moved past Sky, intending to lead her back over the knoll and toward the path that would take them to her house. As she walked, she glanced over her shoulder and for a moment there was a flash in her golden eyes, like that when a child sees a monster. She tried to erase the look before she turned forward again.
“My house is down the road. I’ll make you a cup of tea, are you hungry?” She chatted as they walked, retracting the steps she had beaten into the dirt pathway when she came to meet Sky. It wasn’t long until they reached the house that she shared with Mars and their children…. no, their child. She swung the gate open, moved up the row and onto the porch, then opened the door for Sky.
Maybe she had heard about what happened and had come to offer her condolences. It was probably, especially if she was living in New Dawn. Orin could drive herself nuts speculating, but didn’t ponder much farther than that. Instead, she moved into the kitchen nook and used a ladle to put some clean water into a pot for tea.
There was evidence of a family here; scents of others, the scent of Mars and of their baby, Svetlana. Sky, an experienced medicine woman, might also catch the old trace of milk. Amon, Paz and Krystalle all visited often, too (Krystalle less often than the others), and their scents were permanent fixtures in the furniture.
“Svetlana is out with her father right now,” she said idly to the pot as she moved it onto a coal burner. “But I’d love for you to meet her. She’s a sweet little thing, sometimes I wonder if she’ll go into your profession when she’s older.”
(400+)
[html] 433 | Wasting time with small talk.
Sky passed over the borders with Orin's okay and gladly pressed herself entirely into the woman's hug, head tilting back with a happy whine. At the statement of her scent, she smiled. "It's a long story. I'm happy there, though. So are Cody and Lena." She murred, proud of her children who could now shift and stood in their adult ranks. They traveled quickly, deeper into Court territory and Sky found herself too far emmersed in the area to really notice Orin's fearful glances. She could smell the fear scent, though, just slight in the air. Curious, she turned to look at Orin as they strode along, Sky keeping pace with the woman easily, despite the difference in forms.
She led Sky to her house, offering tea- oh gods, yes!- and food. "Oh, sweet Tea! I've missed it so much!" She mewled dramatically, tail waving a few times at the thought. The arrived at the comtessa's house and Sky slipped inside, taking a few good moments while Orin busied herself in the kitchen to look, sniff and feel around. The first thing she noticed was Mars. His scent was an old one to her, but thick and musky, aged in this place. Orin lived with Mars? Mars was in the Court? That was news to the woman.
Next was the scent of younger wolves. Or rather, wolf. A puppy. A girl, healthy and clean. Sky rubbed her shoulder against one particular wall that held the pup's scent, not to mark her own scent there, but to pick up the tiny scent for her own memory later. She whined softly as she explored for a bit, before finally settling down to shift- tea was not a lupus drink. Once in her optime form, her time spent in lupus form became direly apparent.
Her hair was shoulder length, natural loose curls dancing down her back and framing her face. Her fur was thick and smooth, even now, covering any naughty bits. Her hips were wide from her litters, but her health showed in toned stomach and legs. She truely was beautiful, even after all the things she'd been through. The girl leaned up against the doorframe as Orin spoke of Svetlana and she peiced the girl's name and scent together to be... Orin's daughter. Excitement bubbled up in her stomach. "I didn't know you'd had another litter, Orin. Congratulations. I'd love to meet her before I leave." She grinned, not knowing of the others' deaths. "Am I to guess, Mars is the father?" Again, piecing the puzzle together through scent and name.
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“Your babies must be such a vision now. How old are they? Six… no… seven months? Now I really need to come visit New Dawn, but it’s been hard with a young pup. I don’t really want to travel with her just yet but soon… maybe soon…” There was no worry about Sky roaming the house. After all the women had been through, oddly enough her once-enemy was now a trusted friend, and she did not fret where Sky might go. In return, the woman simply explored courteously, checking out the common rooms and scents, and then returned to the kitchen in Optime form. When she turned and saw her friend there on two legs a wide smile dominated her muzzle, one that was genuine.
“Yes, Mars is the father. It’s about time, isn’t it?” she grinned still, her voice laced with pride. She was truly happy to talk about her small little family. When Sky said ‘litter’ for a moment she remembered Misha and Vladmir, too, but telling her friend about Svetlana and seeing her friend’s unabashed joy for her small family was refreshing. She didn’t want to tell her about the others yet… if at all. Sky had been through the same thing she had, and she didn’t want to drum up those memories for her, either. “Svetlana Takekuro, she’s a tiny little girl-“ she held up her hands to illustrate, then began spooning a generous amount of black tea into a teaball and then that into the water, “She has those sky blue eyes like her daddy but my color coat. Mostly my color, anyway, with a splotch here or there… She’s three months old.” She was lost as she talked about Svetlana, her demeanor for once seeming truly relaxed for the first time this afternoon.
“Take a seat,” she gestured. There was a couch or there was a table, Sky could choose where they would take their tea. Orin grabbed the jar of honey, and now the fragrant aroma of the tea leaves filled the kitchen. Cups appeared from a cabinet and placed on a tray as Orin waited for Sky to pick a seat.
(300+ :: Feel free to PP Orin serving the tea and sitting down if you like.)
[html] 288 | HEAD DIVE!
Sky listened to Orin as she spoke. "They've already started to shift and have their adult ranks and everything." Sky gushed, tail waving behind her. "I'm dreading the day they find mates, though. They're both good looking kids, so they're bound to attract an interesting crowd." Especially Lena, with her flawless black pelt and curves. She reminded Sky of Dusk, though she didn't realize that Lena looked more like her than her sister. Cody's looks were completely random, really. Still, despite looking like a dog, he really had become a handsome young man.
Svetlana sounded beautiful. "Orin, your children, especially your daughters, are always drop-dead gorgeous." She mused, flicking her tail to the side as she moved over to the couch, settling into the fabric with a soft sigh- it had been a while since she'd felt the warm embrace of real furniture. "I hope Mars can handle the dating age." She smiled coyly, blue eyes shimmering with mischeif.
But as they sat down to enjoy their tea, falling into relative silence, Sky felt her original reason bubbling back up again. Titania. "...Orin, I actually.. I didn't come here for a social visit, to be honest." Her expression become controled greif. "I came here because... something happened back in New Dawn. Titania. She..."
With a deep breath, she decided not to beat around the bush. Such things didn't work with Orin. "She'd been expecting a litter with Zalen... but they were stillborn. We didn't know. She never said anything and she wouldn't let anyone in the pack check on her. Not even Zalen. When... When he found her birthing den... she... she wasn't there." She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. "We can't find her."
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This was one of the gayest moments Orin had had in several weeks, ever since the loss of two thirds of her brood. When Sky flopped down onto the couch she came over with the tray and set it on the end table, handed the woman a cup of tea, and took her own, spooning honey into the mixture to sweeten it. Her spoon clinked against the edges of the cup as she stirred and stirred until the thick, sweet wax was melted in her tea. She took a drink, grinning still at the thought of Sky’s offspring. They may be Rhiannons, but Orin trusted the strength of the Katruk blood to have made them into upstanding individuals.
“What a pride and joy they are,” she uttered at one point. And then when she complimented her daughters, “Oh thank you. I’m so proud of both of them, out there making that kind of life for themselves. Juliet has a mate now and lives in Casa di Cavalieri. I’m proud of her, she’s done well, getting out on her own. There was a time I didn’t think she would be able to, but she beat the odds.” Everyone knew that there was something a little wrong with Jules. Not completely off, but her brain didn’t function quite the same. It was like she was a naive, innocent child still, but she had overcome the disability.
She was taking another sip of her tea when Sky’s demeanor changed. Catching the serious shift in her friend’s countenance, she looked at her questioningly and lowered her glass. ‘…something happened… Titania. She…’ An icy grip squeezed her heart, threatening to crush it. “What? What happened?” She blurted, by Sky was still talking.
She knew about the litter. Her daughter had had a false pregnancy and she was elated to find out later that the couple had conceived a viable litter, but she did not know the rest. She was stark still for a moment, then swallowed hard, her ears flattening back against the faded dreadlocks she wore.
“Was there… was she… any sign of an attack?” She managed to eke out the words. Orin leaned forward, holding her breath in wait for Sky’s response. “If there’s no sign of struggle then maybe she’s still out there. She’s strong. She can survive. She’s probably just out there lost or something.” She had no idea how all of Titania’s stargazing had made her an excellent navigator. “If… if… if they were still born then she’s grieving. She just wants to mourn alone. She will come back. She will come back.” She was talking faster and faster, quickly following the path toward hysterics. "She's still out there, you're just not looking hard enough! What is Zalen doing? Twiddling his thumbs?!"
(400+)
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