and the world turns around

Jefferson Soul · 03-17-2010, 11:33 AM

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Alli!

It had always bothered him that he knew nothing of that pack to the west. Jefferson had passed by it countless times, paying visits to their allianced AniWaya (which in and of itself was a terrible trek from Phoenix Valley), not to mention the times he'd stopped by Crimson Dreams. Jefferson was aware that he spent most of his time at home, usually too protective of his pack to bear leaving it. His members weren't the most vicious of sorts, nor were most of them fighters outside those in the higher ranks like Pendzez and Ty. It was not that he couldn't trust his underlings to defend themselves, but Jefferson preferred to be present to just do it himself. After all, nobody expected a one-armed cyclops to still be capable of a fighting style.

Since the day was sunny and warm and he felt a need to enjoy it, the cyclops left. Geneva was aware of his traveling; he'd been to Dahlia recently as well and the pack had been fine without him -- it was just that the concept of war, even if his pack was uninvolved, pressured and worried him constantly. The last thing he wanted was a massacre to happen when he himself was not even home.

Cour des Miracles, from what he'd observed, kept to itself much like his own pack did. He knew nothing of its members, its leaders, its way of life. The pack itself was an enigma, and nobody had told him otherwise. It had been similar with AniWaya at first when the tribe had first appeared, but Jefferson was fortunate enough to acquaintance himself with the leaders and form an alliance, which was useful in the war. He hoped, if nothing else, that there was a possibility of the same in Cour des Miracles. It was not a long walk and the weather was fine; he arrived at their borders in a genuinely good mood, though as always the cyclops walked with tenseness in his steps. Standing where he believed the borders to lay, the brute breathed in the spring-like air deep, shaded his eyes from the sun with his good hand, and observed. There was no urgency to alert them of his arrival.

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Heath morte dre Soul · 03-18-2010, 07:20 PM

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thanks for starting :]

The world within his borders was something that had been consistently calm. Since his tussle with Jac Heath had lived in the hopes of avoiding the King and thus in relative happiness. His time was divided between his life among the horses, his life beside Ruri, and then the rest. The world beyond was another thing, a story that Heath had not wished to delve into. Yet, the things he had heard and the idea that an attack had been made on one of their own lit a fire in the male and sent him into a protective mode that made him think that his consistent calm could come to end at any moment.

The roan mare walked beneath him, the reins were loose as the Marshal watched over the surrounding landscape. The dark faced horse knew the trail that led them along the pack’s borders. The keen beast watched and worked the warming air just as the canine did, ears flicking backwards and forwards at the sounds of the surrounding wildlife. The male placed a hand on his hip, the worn soft denim felt beneath his palm, the knife he carried noticed in his pocket. The wind was alive and well and Heath had left his western hat at the stables in the hope of not loosing it. Lumière walked over the uneven ground happily saddled with blue merle coat newly groomed and shining.

The pair continued until the wind and warming air told them that the peace had been altered. The mare paused, her ear moving to the right as she face followed. Heath read the message, his nose rising to find a scent that he had not read in some time, so long ago that it was merely a shadow of a memory. He heeled her forward, his eyes narrowing and watching for the figure that brought such a scent to their borders. It did not take long, the mare approaching in a hurry. Eager to know who it was that lingered along their homelands the roan hued horse snorted at the sight of the wolf that stood before them. The male unspoken in his question of who and why this male was here, not recognizing the worn and scarred face at the first hurried glance.

Jefferson Soul · 03-19-2010, 12:31 AM

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No prablem :3

What he was met with was certainly unexpected; Jefferson had assumed he'd be left to his lonesome for at least a little while to give him a chance to sense the peace or tenseness in the air, which was something he'd gotten fairly skilled at as of late. His tattered ears heard the presence of a horse long before it came into view and he was immediately reminded of AniWaya and how much they treasured the beasts, much like Phoenix Valley although their horses were not often ridden by the members. He admired the approaching mare before moving his eye to its master, silhouetted against the sky only briefly until the stranger closed in.

His heart might have stopped. He wasn't sure. The cyclops stared at male on the horse wide-eyed, muscles immediately poising themselves as if it was likely that the horse would run him down any second. Heath, the boy had once introduced himself as. Alongside his sister and brother, Heath had been ruffled back then, fangs bared without hesitation with a caustic, bitter tongue. He'd been freakish, frightening almost. He was... his son.

But there were no words exchanged at first -- just two long, silent stares between the two. This boy was not the ruffled, hellish yearling he'd introduced himself as almost a year before. He seemed smooth, collected; it was a wonder Jefferson had recognized him at all. On the other hand, the cyclops had not changed a bit -- but the boy seemed unfazed at his presence. Why was Heath here? How long had he been here? Where were his siblings, and what did Cour des Miracles do to shift him so? Ever so cautious, the cyclops swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded his head. "Well," the brute said slowly, "fancy that." Was he remembered at all? Perhaps if he was lucky, he wasn't.

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Heath morte dre Soul · 03-19-2010, 10:34 PM

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The horse’s head lowered, and the rider steered Lumière so that her side faced the stranger. Honey eyes looked down at him, taking in the sight of the stranger. But then, it was no stranger at all. The mare’s dark eyes watched the scarred male, just as intensely as the hybrid that rode her. Few words came from his mouth, and Heath found that nothing came to him but a frown. The male that stood before him, hovering at his home’s doorstep was none other then his father. The knowledge of it sent a jolt through him, running from his hand through the reins and making the mare’s head rise and fall with a matching stomp and snort.

With a swift movement the black and tawny male dismounted and stood on solid ground. Still she was uneasy, but his grasp on her lead was firm. All the memories rose, the knowledge of what had happened in the past had not filtered away with time. Such a thing could not be whitewashed and over looked. His brother and sister were lost to him, and if Heath was to blame anyone it was the male standing before him. Not to mention the death of his mother. He was the cause of that as well.

Just as he had before Heath was not faced with the ravenous monster that lived in his memories of his youth. No, it was simply the shell. The evidence was written all over his body, and narrowed amber eyes read them once more, though his ravenous anger no longer shadowed his gaze. “Why are you here?” He asked, his deep voice as rough as ever. There was nothing he enjoyed about the presence of the male, how could he reach and find anything but the bitterness and the hate that had been planted there at such an impressionable age?

Jefferson Soul · 03-20-2010, 04:34 PM

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Why was he there? Suddenly all his reasons seemed pathetic and unfit, something that Heath would shoot down in mere seconds. Jefferson hadn't known his son had joined a pack nor that he had been so damn close all this time, especially after Miriette had run off and Jefferson had not seen the other brother -- the most vengeful one -- since their first meeting. The cyclops had lived on edge for several months thereafter, fearing that the three were plotting and waiting to hunt him down at the second he was most vulnerable. With time, however, such feelings melted away, and Jefferson had eventually given up. If they were going to kill him, they'd do it quickly and easily. He wouldn't have seen it coming either way.

Now that Heath seemed to have recognized him and made it obvious that he lived in Cour des Miracles, Jefferson wasn't sure what to think. Perhaps they'd given up the whole thing, perhaps not. It seemed either way, this son had wandered away from the other two siblings and made a life for himself -- and all in all calmed down, or so it seemed. The cyclops didn't react to the question posed, his gaze set steady on his son. He'd grown -- he'd grown quite a lot. Jefferson's tattered ears twitched just slightly: he'd missed out on even more of the poor boy's life. "You've grown," he stammered, leaving the question behind. "I didn't know you lived here."

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Heath morte dre Soul · 03-21-2010, 12:22 PM

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His eyes were dark as he looked over the scarred male. It didn’t feel like he was his father. Heath had grown enough to begin to understand what it might be like to be a father, the responsibility and care that would need to be given. He was a caretaker himself, a mate and loving and protective one and hopefully a true father one day. This male had failed him in so many ways, but being a father was not something that he wished from him. Perhaps when he was lost and a wanderer Heath might have yearned for the figure that might guide him into adulthood. But the coyote mix had made it, alive and for all he knew better off then the other two of his litter. He had nothing to thank the one blood tie that was left to him in a radius of a few hundred miles.

No answer came, and it did not go unnoticed by the Baron. Instead there was a meaningless comment and then a statement of ignorance. Heath cleared his throat, and Lumière lifted her head as she shifted feeling his unease. He wished to comment on how ugly the weather beaten male remained but he held his tongue and spoke with narrowing eyes. “For some time. Figured it was better then running away.” Just as his brother and sister had disappeared. Heath had looked for both, and found nothing of them. But at some point he had needed to give up, move on. Though their memory would never leave him.

Jefferson Soul · 03-22-2010, 12:10 PM

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There was a tenseness in Heath's stance, an unease between both he and the accompanying horse. Jefferson had ventured to Cour des Miracles with intended innocence; he, as always, carried no weapons and brought none with him, making the short journey by foot rather than horseback. The glow of his eye was devoid of the typical darkness he was known for, and even he himself knew that he had changed since they'd last met. Much had happened since then -- not only had he had plenty of time to muse over the concept of being a father, but he'd watched Addison grow, blossom, and eventually leave as well. He'd wanted to hold her there in Phoenix Valley forever where he could keep a close eye on the girl, but in time Jefferson learned better: Parents could raise their children and forward the knowledge from their experiences onto them, but they could never stop them from living their own lives.

And he had become close to Geneva, too. When Heath and his siblings had stood before him, the cyclops had never known true love, only vaguely understanding what they had missed with an absent father through his experience with Addison. It dawned on him later that it was no one's fault he hadn't been there for the three and the blame was shifted away from himself, but the guilt was all the same. It was his own fault their family had been both created and destroyed, even if he couldn't remember any of it. The cyclops dipped his head. "Where are your siblings?" the cyclops mumbled, oddly humbled that he was made to ask such questions. He was never fit to be a father, Heath knew that. Out of anyone, his children knew that best. "There is a war to the north," Jefferson said, raising his voice back to its normal level and reasserting himself as a leader. Straightening himself, the cyclops looked his son in the eye unafraid. "I came to speak with the leaders here. My pack is neutral, and I came to see if we had allies or enemies here if something happened. I know nothing of the people here."

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Heath morte dre Soul · 03-25-2010, 10:54 PM

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im blind! & did not see this D: !!

Time had changed them both perhaps, yet the evidence was dominantly written on the grown coy-wolf. The internal changes that had blossomed throughout the older male's mind were unseen, and Heath looked at the male with the same sort of mindset as he had the first time he had set eyes on him in these lands. Though, his feathers were not as ruffled, his tone even and lacking the growl that had once been ever-present. The male was once one that Heath did not wished to know, and only destroy. Now, He was not the violent rouge that he had been, though seemingly mild compared to his lineage, and only held one of those two requests.

"I don't know." He spoke with a low yet even tone. "I don't know when they left." He spoke in case it was to be the next question. Steady, he spoke to the horse through the hand he had on the lead. Focusing on the male only brought the feelings and memories of old forward. Heath concentrated on calming Lumiere, and thus calmed himself. When he spoke again Heath only watched, allowing the words to come forth and the subject to be changed to the present day. War, allies, it all made the male sick. Evident in his unmoving frown. "We're peaceful, and neutral here." he told the Valley leader, though his tone was far from reassuring. He was not the one to speak of alliances, "You will want to talk to Jacquez, the King, if you want a pact or guarantee that we'll always be friendly. But, its safe to say that there is only one enemy this time around." He wouldn't need to speak to one higher then Heath to be assured that Haku was the main reason the world was at war, but to know for sure that they were allies Jefferson would need an less bias opinion.

He did not offer to call the King, knowing that at this time he was likely to be half in the bottle or still in bed. If he made the attempt they would all be lucky if Vigilante would appear, and if their meeting was to be cut short Ruri would. That was something Heath would never allow, not with his knowledge of it.

Jefferson Soul · 03-26-2010, 09:32 PM

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He was relieved to know that Cour des Miracles was considered safe, but the concept -- the original point to his presence there as a stranger to their pack -- was being tucked into the uncomfortable cracks somewhere in the back of his mind. His son's words were informative and answered his questions; he didn't need to see the leader to be assured the place was peaceful, but he might have preferred it to discuss negotiations if there was an emergency. That seemed hardly important now, though, although he was so inclined to keep asking such insignificant questions just to avoid having to make actual conversation with the boy he wanted to learn about, but didn't want to frighten away.

"I'll make time to find him, then," Jefferson nodded. His shoulders sunk and he glanced away a moment, awkwardly unsure of exactly what to say. "I didn't know they were gone," he tried. "It's Heath, right? Your sister has been gone from my pack for some time now. She started building a tree house ... and then she was just gone." I was worried. The cyclops glanced briefly at the horse, whose gaze seemed as dark as his son's as it was pressured on the Patriarch's shoulders. As for the other boy, he hadn't seen hide nor tail of that one -- the only child he was certain to reappear after the boy had initially attacked him.

Jefferson, after enough dodging, looked his son in the eye once more. "I don't want things to be like this between us."

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Heath morte dre Soul · 03-27-2010, 09:44 AM

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He had spoken what he was doing here, and Heath had given the answer to his question. But the other did not turn to leave. Was he not satisfied? The male gave no answer when the tattered beast spoke his next goal, simply not liking the idea of the stranger walking through his homelands. It irked him enough that his pack was so close.

He gave no answer when the male wondered about his name, unsure how he knew it at all. It was the words of his sister that Heath focused on. Perhaps he had been too tangled in his own life to ever go looking for her, but he had spoken his distaste for her living among their sire. He figured she believed that keeping the enemy closer was always wiser, but Heath had felt she had given in and simply bended to Jefferson's will by staying after the three had confronted him. ”She should never have lived there.” She should have stayed with me. He thought, though the two would have ripped each other apart if they stayed together, it was simply their nature.

There was very little that Heath wish to speak to him about, and to know him now would be forgiving the things that had happened. Heath would never be right, never be normal for the things that Maluki had done. And though the same wolf stood before him under at different name Heath did not see anything but the Maluki. Her remembered how the green eyes beast had screamed his new name, claiming that he was forever changed, his memory lost. The last remark was one that Heath could have scoffed at, if his humor was alive at that moment. He spoke simply, and with a hollow tone “How are you going to fix it?”

Jefferson Soul · 03-27-2010, 02:10 PM

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Heath clearly inherited his stubbornness from this guy :I

Any words Heath spoke echoed with a hollow emptiness, devoid of anything but a mild disgust in their undertones. His eyes were unforgiving and Jefferson was aware he was fighting a useless battle -- yet he insisted. Perhaps it was an inner peace he needed to settle, or perhaps it was the paternal instinct he was known to stifle or fail to acknowledge. The inner conflict was that he now knew he was not welcomed here, and what rumors would be spread of his presence would likely have an impact on the leader's interpretation of Phoenix Valley. There was no likelihood of alliance here, though the cyclops hardly believed tension and conflict were plausible. This was between he and Heath -- not between their packs. It would never elevate to such a level. The cyclops would sooner let himself die than put his entire pack at risk for his own sake due to the countless number of wretched sins he had committed.

An ear twitched at Heath's first words. "I never pressured her to stay," he said slowly. Miriette had joined on her own free will, and the cyclops hadn't even sensed a relation between the two until all three had faced him. Even after that conversation, the two barely made any conversation; he felt it best to leave her alone, let her approach (or attack) whenever she found it necessary. When he had tried to talk, she had been blocked off and busied herself instead and the conversation overall failed. He'd never asked her to stay, nor had he asked her to go. Finally, with a concluding sigh, he admitted "I looked for her for weeks." He'd looked, he'd worried, he'd been endlessly frustrated... and it was to no avail. She was gone as quickly as she came, and Jefferson had not seen her since. It would make no difference to Heath.

How are you going to fix it? An unusual question. It wasn't often that he was required to do something of someone else, being that he led the back and was meant to give directions rather than submit to them. His reply was not quick, made only after a great pause to think. There was no appropriate answer. "I can't give you back your childhood," Jefferson replied. "I can't force myself into your life. I'm not going to. I can only tell you that if meant harm then, I don't now. I gain nothing from ruining your life any more than I already have."

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Heath morte dre Soul · 03-27-2010, 03:08 PM

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ohh yeah...

How else should it be? Heath wanted to know what their relationship should be like, if it was not this. They should have killed him when the rage and anger was still so heated and raw. He regretted what happened that day, all the regrets equaling the still-breathing beast that stood before him. No, the thoughts did not make his blood boil as it did before. Heath was more moved by the idea of the male walking through the territory and coming closer to those he cared for, then the shadows of the past they shared.

Heath was weighed by the thoughts of Miriette, his dark furred sister passing before his mind’s eye. No, Heath wouldn’t assume that Jefferson would be so bold as to hold her there. It was obvious that he had not given her a single reason to stay, for she left without a word. But the black armed man still wouldn’t be believing those claims entirely, his trust for the other wolf going as far as Heath throw him. If he had not wished for to stay, or pushed the young female to do so why was he surprised in her departure? Heath wondered in silence, eyes nothing more then hard amber.

The answer that came to Heath’s question was something that he could barely listen to. He did, needing to know what it was that Jefferson desired from him. The words touched his mind, and then fell away like dried dead leaves. Perhaps it was his voice that brought Heath so much indifference, and made him wish for solitude and the screeching scream of a dieing rabbit. Both would be more satisfying. But Heath could not believe him, couldn’t take what he had known as the image of his father and place upon it those passive words that told Heath to trust him. Trust that he did not want to hurt him again, to hurt those he loved. He was not a young whelp, and his desire to know and to have a father was no longer present. The coy-wolf had lived without one, and then lived as a loner long enough to adjust to being without the parents that he had needed.

”I have nothing to gain from you, as I owe you nothing.” Not a further glimpse of his life, not his time or respect. Peace, forgiveness. None of it would pass between the two canines, relatives by blood alone and barely that. Heath inhaled, the mare beside him sensing the change in his composure and raising her head. “Its time you left. Perhaps I will ask the King to visit and you two can speak of an alliance.” It was far from a guarantee, and if his true intension was to gain knowledge of he lands Heath was the wrong wolf to have stumbled upon.

Jefferson Soul · 03-27-2010, 03:38 PM

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I guess we're done, then? PM me if you don't want to post again and I'll archive it.

He hadn't expected, nor desired, a grandiose change of heart and character in his son. Heath was hardened against him now, that much was obvious. Jefferson knew the walls he himself maintained against the world was exactly what lay before him now, under a shield of provoked indifference. Heath had learned to suppress his emotions, it seemed; there was a bitterness to his words, a caustic air as they slipped off his tongue, but the emotion in his eyes was dulled and lifeless. Jefferson was not wanted there, and he did not expect that to change. He as a leader was not done negotiations with Cour des Miracles, as Heath suggested, but he was unfortunately finished as a father with his son. Had he known what the relationship should feel like -- to know the love of a blood-related child, rather than an adopted one like Addson -- perhaps he would have tried harder. For now, the ache in his chest and twist in his stomach informed him that his subconscious was disappointed, despite the firmness of his gaze and stance. Jefferson would not allow himself to seem weakened by the unyielding walls of his unforgiving son. Briefly, he knew what Geneva had faced. He hadn't the slightest idea how to break through them as she had.

His fingers lifted and adjusted the sling at his shoulder once more before the brute answered with a stiff nod. He had nothing to gain, nothing to lose for a relationship with Heath. Things would continue as they would before, with the father knowing of his abused children and the distaste harbored for him. Jefferson would go on as always, independent and dedicated to his pack. Addison was not there anymore. It was like nothing had ever happened in the first place, like the concept that he was a father had never been presented at all. The cyclops turned away, peered at him one-eyed once more, and breathed. "You know where I am," was his only thought. It was unlikely that Heath would come back to repent as Mew had. It was unlikely that any of his children would put aside their inner demons and forgive a creature who had never intended to be the way he was. Perhaps they would have liked Mew. Perhaps she would have liked them. Where was she now? What was she doing? Would she have been a better parent?

Stiff, and with shoulders sagging, he left the way he came.

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Heath morte dre Soul · 03-27-2010, 04:43 PM

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k!

There were some choices that needed to be made; his life was only so long, his time no more important then the next creatures… but it was his. He would be use it to the fullest. The world was not a predictable place and in an instant it all could end. Would he spend it with the male that had come looking for something else and surprisingly found him? He thought of the beasts that he did not see enough, the ones that were lost to him and that he could not go looking for. His brother and sister were gone, and Heath’s responsibilities and his ties were here now. If he could not go after them and search for any bit of evidence that they might be well how could he exert the effort that it would take to reverse the mindset that he had lived with his entire life? No, this was his life and he would go through each day creating the experiences and memories that he wished to hold forever. He was not alone, he was not without and yearning for more, and he was not willing to chance it all on a beast that brought such a negative connotation to him each time he lay his eyes on him.

There was no fight at his request, but Heath did not gain relief from the words and only from the beast’s turn back. There were no words of good bye, nothing else that Heath wished to say or leave the wolf with. He would not go see him, and likely keep from his pack lands entirely. Just as he had so far. Heath watched the Valley leader walk off, watching his form shrink ever smaller until it was out of sight completely. Still Heath waited, the scent of him lingering and the distrust still swelled in his chest. Lumière nudged his shoulder with her dark face, assuring him that the beast was gone. His light had rested on her nose, finding comfort and security in the touch. He spoke a word of well done, mounted her saddle and gave one more look into the surrounding wilderness. Turning the mare he gently heeled her into a trot, and then urged her forward into a gallop.

All of the caged angered released into the horse below him as their speed increased, through the mare it traveled to be pounded into the earth below.

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