The Fields Have Turned Brown

Haven Aatte · 11-23-2010, 04:25 PM

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Drama llama, here we come :o 300+

Usually his visits to Crimson Dreams were happy occasions. Usually he was heading to see his mother, sister, or little brothers. That was not the intent of this visit though, and it felt like there was a hot lump of lead in his gut. It had been a while since Rio had left, even longer since she had been assaulted. It was only now that Haven had mustered the nerve to head to his old home and tell the girl's father that she had left and what had been done to her.

There had been many reasons he had been dreading this day. Some were obvious; no one wanted to break the news to a father that one of his children had fled the lands and that another was the cause of it. Beyond that though, the Knight had not seen or talked to the Marino man since he had gotten his mother pregnant. Naniko was little more than a ghost to him now, but seeing Ehno would be awkward. Mixed in with his pity for the news the man would have to hear was an anger that he should have done more to prevent what had happened. After the D'Angelo had left her children behind he should have taken them to Crimson Dreams. If he had, none of this would have happened.

It was heading towards dusk when the Aatte arrived at the borders of his birthplace. He slid off of Drogon's back and looked with shadowed eyes out into the territory. Taking a deep breath, he let out a howl calling for the Marino man and him alone. No one else needed to be there when this news was delivered and Haven didn't want there to be any other on-lookers. When his call was finished he set his jaw as his tail twitched in anxiety.

Ehno Marino · 11-24-2010, 04:20 PM

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Ehno had become somewhat of an uncharacteristic homebody of late, seldom venturing out farther than the reaches of the Dreamer borders. So it came as a bit of a surprise when he heard a howl summon him to the outskirts when the sun was beginning it's descent. His ears perked in curiosity and confusion, wondering who exactly it could be. There was a familiarity in the voice, and after some internal digging he realized it to be Haven.

It seemed like ages since Ehno had last seen the Aatte boy--and it was as a boy that his memories still pictured him. There hadn't been much contact between the two of them since he'd left Crimson Dreams many moons ago, and the Marino could hardly venture to guess what made him seek him out now. Judging from the nature of his call, it was something most likely very private, and thus very serious. The thought gave the Italian man pause, and he stared out across the horizon in the direction of the call. He didn't know what this was about, but it was doubtful that it was anything good.

The Marino snapped himself from his thoughts and made his way to the border at a quick pace. He slowed as he reached the outskirts, amber eyes searching the darkening horizon for any sign of him. At last he spotted him, standing beside what Ehno assumed was his horse. Haven had certainly grown up from the adolescent boy he remembered. Ehno halted a short distance away, greeting him with a brief nod. Despite how interconnected their lives had been, he felt like he was looking at a stranger. "Haven," he said, almost a question. What did he want?

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Haven Aatte · 11-25-2010, 12:19 AM

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300+

As Haven waited for the older man to respond to his call, he contemplated a bit more about the Marino. The Aatte honestly didn't know how to feel about him. They had never been close when he still lived in Crimson Dreams, but they had been friendly and Haven had always liked him. At first he hadn't known who it was that had given Naniko her second litter of children and it was only when he finally heard Rio's surname that he put the pieces of the puzzle together. It was no secret that Haven had become quite distant from his birth mother. At first it had been his own fault, his intentional separation from his family after he had found out the truth about his father. After a while though it was clear it was not only him. She had never come to see him once he established himself in Cour des Miracles, had never sent word. She hadn't even had the decency to inform him about the existence of his little siblings.

The Knight had issues with his birth mother, but he couldn't help but feel a bit resentful towards Ehno as well. He didn't know the circumstances behind their conception, but he knew about his mother's expulsion from the pack and that she had severely harmed one of the Marino children. Clearly his relationship with Naniko had harmed his own family. Then, surely, he must have been aware that Naniko had left his children behind. Why hadn't he taken them into Crimson Dreams with him? Why had he never searched for Rio? This new image he was formulating in his head was nothing like the Ehno he had thought he knew, but the evidence was hard to argue with.

Finally movement coming towards him caught his eye. Ehno approached, nodding in greeting. Clearly there was some tension and confusion in him, but it wouldn't be hard to make assumptions given the circumstances. "Ehno," he responded back coolly. Well, no point in delaying the inevitable. Might as well just dive into all this unpleasant business. "There are some things you need to know, about your children." Jade eyes watched him with scrutiny, trying to see if his half-siblings' father had any idea of what had occurred.

Ehno Marino · 11-26-2010, 03:01 AM

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Ehno had always been curious about what had prompted the Aatte boy to leave the lands of his birth pack when he was younger. As far as the Marino's memories could recall, he had simply up and vanished one day. The only clue he could recall learning about the lad's whereabouts had been when he had stumbled upon Naniko near the Cour des Miracles borders well over a year ago. She claimed that she had been there with the hopes of seeing her son, but had mentioned nothing more beyond that. He couldn't really fault her for the lack of information then, though--shortly afterward she told him that he had gotten her pregnant. And lo and behold, the very subject of those children was the reason Haven had sought him out today.

Haven was quick to get to the point, and his words prompted the Marino's ears to flatten against his skull and twist his mouth into the beginnings of a frown. The vaguest reminder of his lackluster parenting skills was beginning to set him on edge lately, and this was no exception. It had been long since his last visit to see them or since they had come to see him. Countless things could have gone on in their lives since then, and he had continued to remain oblivious in his shame. Clearly something terrible must have happened to prompt the Miracles Knight to pay him a visit. The defensiveness that hung over him began to mix with a sense of dread. "What?" he asked, tone just as cool. What had happened? What had he failed to teach them when he had been there for them?

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Haven Aatte · 11-28-2010, 11:53 PM

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300+

It would have been no surprise to him that his reasons for leaving Crimson Dreams were mostly unknown to his former packmates. The only ones that he had told himself were Anu and Mati and he could not see his mother or sister spreading the news around the pack. It wasn't anything to be proud of and the fewer people knew the better. Haven had finally made as much of a peace with his past and his heritage as he could, but he preferred to leave all that nasty business behind him. The Aatte had become better than the sum of his parts. He would not let the crimes of his blood parents shape his future any longer.

Ehno's reaction to his blunt statement was expected and the mood between the two men darkened even further. Haven remained as stoic as he possibly could, though he knew when he began to actually repeat what had happened that his composure would fissure. Rape was on par with murder as far as the Knight was concerned and there could be few worse perpetrators than a brother. The Marino man asked him what, and he was quickly given his answer.

"A few months ago I went to visit Rio; the sister no one bothered to tell me I had," he added bitterly. Perhaps Naniko had lied and told Ehno that she had informed him, he would not have put that past her, but he still felt that he should have had some kind of contact with the man about the matter before now. "I found her beaten and bruised. She had just been raped. Raped by your son." Haven's face had turned into a severe frown, that familiar fire of anger burning in his jade eyes. As far as he was concerned, he no longer had any relation to Harlowe. If he ever saw the little slime he would attack him for the bastard he was. "I carried her back to Cour des Miracles, took her into my house. I had hoped that she would stay, but she left. I did what I could for her." His last words were not so much meant as a comfort to the other man as they were proof that he had done what he could, even if no one else in this miserable situation had.

Ehno Marino · 12-03-2010, 08:29 PM

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Haven's first bitter remark caused the Marino's eyes to narrow and he had to stop himself from spouting off whatever defensive little retort his mind could come up with first. But he held his tongue and let the young man continue on; he may have fallen into an increasingly foul mood, but he wasn't going to let himself rudely interrupt now. It would be petty and clearly there were more important things to be discussed at the moment. He was eager to hear what the Aatte man had to say and get this encounter over with. He wasn't quite prepared for this news, however.

Ehno's eyes widened and he froze out of shock, staring at the Knight, unable to believe what he'd just heard. That couldn't be right. That couldn't have happened to Rio. But there it was again, that terrible word--followed swiftly by another verbal blow that had him reeling. She had been hurt so terribly by her own brother? "No, no," he mumbled, as if his very denial would make the words untrue. "No. That can't be." He couldn't believe that his son could do such a thing. Not the Harlowe he knew, the quiet and watchful boy he remembered raising as a pup. It was impossible.

The Dreamer was left speechless for a moment, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions all fighting to be first expressed. The image of a damaged Rio that Haven's words had painted was haunting. He wanted to dismiss it all as a lie, but from what he knew of Haven, he could never play such a cruel joke on another. Being denied the possibility of this being untrue, anger began to take the reins of Ehno's thoughts. He was angry at Haven for bringing such terrible news, angry at the mere notion of his son becoming such a monster and doing such a thing, and angry at himself for not being there to prevent this from happening. Some protector he was turning out to be.

Unfortunately for Haven, he was the easiest of the catalysts for Ehno to confront right now. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hardly noticed the snarl begin to make its way to his features. "Why would he do that? How could he--" he shook his head and exhaled in exasperation. As he turned his gaze back to the Miracles wolf, another thought struck him. "How do you even know it had been Harlowe?" he asked, anger twisting his words into those of suspicion. It was a terrible enough situation with Rio being wronged in such a way and taking off on her own. It was only made ten times worse for her with Harlowe being revealed as the perpetrator. Ehno would scramble for any possibility of making this seem less severe until he ran out of options and was finally forced to face the awful truth.

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Haven Aatte · 12-09-2010, 05:39 PM

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500+

The Marino man's eyes narrowed at his comment and Haven half expected him to make some weak excuse as to why he had never been told of his half-siblings. Part of him almost wanted Ehno to make the mistake of trying to defend whatever pathetic position that he stood on in that matter, almost itching for a reason to verbally go off on the man. However, the brown toned wolf remained in control of his tongue and so Haven did as well. There was nothing left to do but to deliver the news that he had come here for and the initial reaction it brought was just as he would hav expected it to be.

Ehno's golden eyes widened, obvious that the words that had been spoken were some of the very last he would have thought to hear. It was so much worse though, and when the final hammer dropped denials immediately slipped from the father's lips. The Knight said nothing in response to the other male's words. There was nothing to respond to. Ehno was just reeling from the horrible reality and hoping that if he denied the words that had just been spoken they would cease to be true. What had happened had happened though, and there was not a damn thing anyone could do to make it right.

Haven stood silently sentinel as Ehno struggled to come to terms with the fact that his sweet young daughter had been abused in the worst way by her own flesh and blood. Slowly, before the Court hybrid's jade eyes, the confusion and denial turned to anger and he could feel the seething heat begin to radiate off the Dreaming man. The Aatte's muscles tensed ever so slight, readying himself for what might come. That anger could easily be directed at him at any moment and he wasn't about to take any shit from this man. He did feel sorry for him, but he was not the one responsible and he would not become the scapegoat.

A snarl formed on the Italian man's lips and Haven's heckles raised. When the, likely rhetorical, question about Harlowe was spoken, the Knight couldn't help the response that immediately came to his lips. "He's a sick bastard, clearly." The words really were not meant to goad the other man into further anger, they were just a simple statement of face. There was absolutely no other explanation for the atrocity that had been committed. When the fact that Harlowe was the violator was questioned though, Haven's eyes sparked and his own lip rose in an angry sneer. "You may fancy the idea of calling me a liar, but Rio told me herself that it was him. Plus I could smell his stench all over her." There was not a single shred of evidence that pointed to anyone else. Harlowe was damned in Haven's book, and rightfully so. It had been him to attack Rio, no one else. Ehno needed to accept that fact, devastating as it was.

Ehno Marino · 12-16-2010, 07:57 PM

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Ehno couldn't understand how this had come to be. It just didn't seem possible. Had he really missed so much in his children's lives that he couldn't have seen this coming? Clearly he had, if he had no recollections of any indication of the twisted turn his son had taken. The Marino could recall the last time he had seen his boy, walking with him to the Dreamer borders. Harlowe then had been much as he was a pup, simply bigger and more talkative. Ehno had not sensed any malicious coldness in the boy's actions nor in his olive eyes. Could he really have changed so much in these months to harm his dear, sweet sister in such a horrible way? He refused to believe it.

The Knight was quick to spit out a venomous comment about the boy and it coaxed out a low growl from the Marino. "Shut up." Thoughts of denial refused to allow Ehno to consider the absolute truth of the matter, as horrible as it was. He could only picture the quiet youth he had raised as a pup, and hearing him referred to as a sick bastard, however true remark may turn out to be, only added fuel to his anger. Hearing Haven's explanation of the accusation and seeing the sneer that accompanied it was just enough to push the Dreamer into succumbing to his anger.

He didn't care that the Aatte man had done no wrong in relaying this tragic event. Golden eyes could only see the cause of his anger standing there in front of him, could only sense the other's own building anger and hear the derision in his voice. He couldn't take this anymore. He wouldn't stand by and listen to the Knight's words any longer, regardless of whether they were true or not. Before he even realized it, he stepped forward and raised his fist to take a swing at the young man.

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Haven Aatte · 12-22-2010, 11:44 PM

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Know we discussed this, but let me know if you want it changed at all <3 300+

Haven should have been more sympathetic to the other man's state of mind, but it was difficult. He could not say that he went so far as to resent the Marino, but he certainly did not view him as highly as he once had. It was true that people liked to shoot the messenger, but the Cours Knight was not about to take growled orders from anyone. "No," he said bluntly. He would not shut up. What he said was harsh, but it was the absolute truth. Ehno could only run from it for so long. When it boiled down to it, he would either have to accept the fact that his son was a monster or accuse his wronged daughter of being a liar. There were no other options.

Still, it was becoming clear that Ehno had been pushed past his limits. There was that dangerous, irrational glint to his gold eyes and Haven was already anticipating what was to come, the real question was, how was he going to react to it. Part of him wanted to black the Marino's eye for not properly caring for his children after Naniko had left them. Whatever little sympathy he did have for the father won out though. When the fist was raised, the Knight acted quickly. He grabbed Ehno's raised arm by the wrist and manuevered behind the brown toned male, twisting his arm and pinning it behind him. His other hand grasped the elder man by the scruff of his neck, pushing him down a little. "Knock it off." Haven was giving him a chance to calm down, but if he tried anything else stupid, he wouldn't be as forgiving.

"I don't know why this happened. There's probably no reason behind it at all. There's no sense to be made of this sort of shit, so stop trying." Harlowe was a bad egg. Haven doubted that anything Ehno would have done would have changed that drastically. "Regardless, you should have brought them here. Once she abandoned them, you should have brought them here. She seems to lose interest in her offspring after they reach a certain age," he said bitterly. "You screwed up...but I don't think you're a bad man." There was more he could have said, but he waited to see what kind of reaction he would be faced with next.

Ehno Marino · 01-02-2011, 02:21 AM

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Tis fine! wc: 504

Before he could even react, Haven swiftly grasped his arm and in a single maneuver, had the Marino's threatening fist pinned behind his back. The hot-heated Italian was caught off guard by the motions, but it was evident the younger male had already been prepared for his sudden lunge, and clearly much more skilled than he. The low growl continued to rumble in his chest as a sign of his displeasure. He wasn't exactly fond of being man-handled like that, regardless of how deserving he may have been. When the Knight continued on to reach for his scruff and try to push him down, the growl deepened, and he began to struggle against his hold.

He wasn't going to take this shit. It was embarrassing enough to be so easily overwhelmed by the Aatte wolf. He didn't need to sit there with Haven hovering over him, acting like such a high and mighty soul. He tried to wriggle his way out of the other wolf's grasp, but with his arm pinned the way it was, it was an awkward and futile attempt at best. That didn't mean he was going to give in. Anger still burned within him, signaled by his snarling and further fueling his desire to lash out at the other man. If only he would just stop talking. He didn't care if the words were all simply a horrible truth he would have to face at some point, he didn't want to hear it now. Either way, he wasn't going to sit still and submit himself to the other.

But it was perhaps for the best that Haven ignored his snarled order of silence and continued to speak to him. These words seemed to have a damping affect on his rage, smothering it temporarily, leaving it just out of sight. Ehno stilled suddenly, and his growling eventually faded into silence. Haven was right. He screwed up in a way he never imagined he would. He failed to protect his children, from each other, from themselves. Of course he wanted his children to come live with him, and when his daughter came to visit him with news of her mother's sudden disappearance, he even asked her. But the girl seemed adamant about remaining withing Phoenix Valley lands, and claimed her siblings would feel much the same. He shouldn't have given in so easily, shouldn't have given them the option to choose. His job as a father was to protect his children, and by leaving them to their own devices after their mother's abandonment, he utterly failed at that.

Ehno remained silent for a moment, lost within his own torrent of thoughts. The Aatte's hold on his arm was growing more and more uncomfortable as the seconds ticked on, and his desire to be released from his grip grew stronger once again. Yet this time he did not thrash about in an attempt to free himself, but instead continued to remain still. "Let me go," he said, accented words laced with resignation.

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Haven Aatte · 01-04-2011, 06:32 PM

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^^ SoSuWriMo 328

Haven had expected some resistance to his forceful submission of the other man. Ehno had his own strength, of course, but for well over a year now the ochre hybrid had trained himself in combat and turned his muscles hard and strong. He and Anann regularly sparred against one another, only furthering his prowess and strength. It did not take overmuch effort to keep the Marino male pinned as he had him. Bi-colored ears were erect and pressed forward despite the menacing and angry noises coming from the other. Even though he had his own small flame of anger burning in his chest, he did hope that Ehno would calm down so that the Knight would not be forced to do anything more drastic to subdue him. The Aatte truly did not wish to physically harm him but he also would not hesitate to defend himself if the other was so set on a fight as to not listen to reason and let his heels cool.

Finally though, as he spoke to the emotionally unstable father, the rage seemed to die down and the struggled against his own limbs ceased, the growling dying down until it could no longer be heard at all. Pleased as he was to see Ehno calm down, his guard was still on high alert, knowing that in such a state it might seem a good idea to go still just long enough to make an opponent let his guard down and then to quickly strike out again. Time ticked by though, and no such further retaliation was made. Silence continued for some time, the air dead around the two interlocked men. Haven's ears flicked when he heard Ehno ask him to let him go. The Knight contemplated for a split second before he removed his hands from the Marino and took a step back. He was still ready for a possible fight springing back up, but for now he simply watched and waited.

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