This town was built by the lunatic [P]arade
#1
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she's quiet when she's down
strangers from other towns

nowhere to be found
on this side of the scene
Private for Tal/ Vannah-face <3<3<3 Set in Arisiag Shoal... but right next to the New Dawn borders. Dated for the 5th of October Smile
WC: 916 (sorry it's looooong XD)

The evening was well underway, the sun had sunk beneath the horizon a fair while ago. The sky had faded from all a clear unmarred blue into the inky blackness of the night. All around stars twinkled, small beacons of light so many thousands of miles away, their light being the only evidence that they really existed. The moon had gained a strange yellowish tinge this evening, it was now waning, somewhere between completely full and a half moon, soon enough it would fade away to nothing and then rebuild itself. The breeze was cold, especially rolling in from the sea as it was here, it whipped at the grasses of the plains, well what was left of them after the storm, the stalks bent and swayed as the winds blew against and around them. Soon enough this grassland gave way to the rocky shore by the sea, followed by sand before the land finally gave way to the vicious currents of the waters that crashed against the shore. The sea seemed jet black tonight as well, mirroring the night sky, even the small lights that hung high in the sky, in the water they seemed to dance joyfully, playing together in the waves. The smell of wood smoke hung in the air, thick and warming. The source of this soon became apparent, a medium sized fire, lined with large round stones burned brightly on the beach, casting warming, dancing light across the rocky shores of the lands. Beside this sat a sable female, Soran. She had crept out of the lands at nightfall, taking many of the branches that she had gathered during the day, the winds of the hurricane had ripped them from the trees and Soran had been tidying the lands all day, now she was putting the wood to good use. It was rare for the sable female to be in her Optime form nowadays, she preferred to stick to the pack's own preference, her four legged form, but today she had needed her hands to allow her to move the wood and she had not bothered to shift back.

So here she sat, stretched out before the fire, resting on a gnarled piece of driftwood that had been bleached almost white by the salt of the seas. Her long curled mane had grown even more in her absence from New Dawn, the gentle waves and curls now falling down her back, almost to her elbows. The two brightly coloured feathers, one red and one green, gifts from her daughter Rain, fluttered in the breeze as she sat there, they were attached to her mane on the left hand side of her face and seemed to be performing some strange dance with tendrils and wisps of her ebony pelt, with the now whitening streak at the front, another sign of her age. Across her scarred chest and resting against her right hip was her canvas satchel, she had still not been able to give it up, she knew that Zalen would allow her to keep it but would prefer that she didn't, but somehow it was a connection to her old life and she couldn't quite bring herself to rid herself of it, not yet. Her green eyes were not filled with their usual dancing cheerfulness, they seemed darker than usual, filled with worry. The truth was that she could not get Deuce out of her mind, her pale mate was missing and she missed her more than anything. She had been missing for far too long now and the sable female could not get over the idea that it was all her fault, she had left after all; what if Deuce had left to look for her? What if the alabaster healer had left because she was certain that her ebony pelted lover had fallen out of love with her? Surely the pale female knew how Soran felt though? She had always loved Deuce, the pale female had always held her heart, even when she had first left the lands all those years ago, no matter how far apart they had been Soran had always loved her. Oh where was her lover? Was she safe? Was she well? Soran's mind reeled and rolled with the ideas, what if something terrible had happened to her? Oh she hoped more than anything that the pale female was safe and well. As she thought she was tossing small pebbles into the sea, but soon enough her hands were empty and she had no energy to get up from her seat and gather any more, besides the monotonous task wasn't taking her mind off of her worries enough for her liking. So the sable female reached into her bag, long dexterous fingers clasping what they were looking for quickly, she drew out the silver dagger from her bag and proceeded to carve her initials, followed by Deuce's into her driftwood seat, circling the whole thing with a heart. Once this was done she reached into her bag once again, assembling her flute and raising it to her lips, it had been so long since she had last played. She began to play a lilting, slow tune, something that Deuce used to sing to her when the pale female had thought she was asleep, she did not remember the words, always being on the edge of slumber when Deuce sang it, but the tune was burned into her mind and her heart. And so she played.


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Table by the fantastic Raze (Vesper) <3<3
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#2
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OOC stuff here....

He had come north after ensuring the pack would be okay. The leader had returned from her trading journey, but Thomas had told him that Deuce had been no where to be seen. Tal wanted to know for himself if his mother and other family had gotten through the hurricane okay. He had only just arrived in the area, when the scent of burning wood and a haunting melody came to him. A flute. He could only think of a small handful of wolves who played a flute. Hurt and anger rose in him as the memory of a handcarved flute around Shawchert's neck came to him. But there were others. Why not go look? And the melody, so soft, so compelling.

He knew the song. His mother sang it often, when she'd been in love with his father. As he came closer, he recognized the form playing the flute. Soran. Strange, mother had told him Soran had been missing. The melody she played pulled the words of the song unbidden from his lips. His voice was deep and rich. Once, Sky had been enchanted with him as he sang the same song to her. "Red is the rose, that in yonder garden grows. Fair is the lily of the valley. Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne. And my love is fairer than any..." He stepped into the ring of firelight, a small smile playing on his lips. Soran was a mother to him, in many ways. "Mom must be thrilled that you have returned. She was mad with worry when you were missing."

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wc: 000
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#3
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Sorry for the wait on this hun!
WC: 655


The sable female missed her lover so very dearly, she was never far from her mind, she was always there in the background, a single smell, sight or sound could instill the feelings of longing for the alabaster female in her dark mate. Everything reminded Soran of her, sometimes it would even be something new, something the dark female had never seen before, then she had the sudden urge to rush to her pale lover and tell her what she had just seen. It was beginning to wear on the sable female, her heart was breaking even more with every passing moment that Deuce was missing. She just wanted her home and safe, she wanted her to be curled in her arms once more, to be able to breathe in the scent that made her heart race, to hear that wondrous voice as she fell to sleep. Oh how she missed her, she felt broken, like she was missing a limb. Every moment that she woke up there was an empty space next to her, every time she searched the lands there was a pale form that was missing. But no matter what happened, no matter how far away Deuce was from Soran she still held her heart. The pale lady had held Soran's heart ever since that night that they had claimed one another as mates all those years ago, no matter where the pale female was, no matter where Soran herself was her heart had always resided with Deuce. Long, slender fingers moved along the flute as she played, the tune stirring feelings of sorrow, but also hope as the familiar tune wafted through the night air, almost wrapping itself around the New Dawn female, almost like a comfort blanket.

The sable female's reverie was disturbed by a clear voice singing the lyrics that she had forgotten, the lady's green eyes had been closed tightly as she had played, but at this moment they flicked open, falling upon a familiar pale shape; for a moment the sable female thought that it was Deuce and her heart rate increased to a fever pitch, but it wasn't Deuce, for a start the shape was far too tall, too masculine. As the male stepped into the ring of firelight Soran smiled, she knew him well of course, this male was essentially her son, he was her step son and she loved him dearly. He spoke, saying that his mother must have been thrilled to see her home and Soran's eyes widened. He didn't know that she was missing? Well that was another option that had crossed the sable female's mind out of the window, she had been planning on going to Cercatori d'Arte to see if Deuce had gone there to see her son, apparently she was not there. The female felt a little crestfallen, another place that Deuce was not it seemed. The dark female lowered the flute from her lips and looked up at her step son.

"Tal, it is so wonderful to see you." She declared, placing her flute on the driftwood that had been serving her as a seat and standing quickly. She crossed the space between them with long strides and wrapped her arms around the pale male tightly, hugging him. She was truly delighted to see him, despite the fact that he had inadvertently brought her bad news. She breathed in his scent, still so similar to Deuce's in many ways, the smile fell from her lips though as she stepped backwards, breaking the embrace.
"I came back and was thrilled at the idea of seeing your mother, but she is not in the lands Tal, I have no idea where she could be, you haven't seen her at all recently have you?" Soran asked the male, suddenly hopeful that he might have seen her recently and that she might have just traveled further South, perhaps searching for Soran herself.





Gorgeous table by the very talented Aoves
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#4
He hugged the dark woman tightly, his subconscious noting New Dawn in her fur, and the scent of his mother all but absent. His brow furrowed in thought as she pulled back, her words causing his expression to fall. "I came back and was thrilled at the idea of seeing your mother, but she is not in the lands Tal, I have no idea where she could be, you haven't seen her at all recently have you?" The pale scholar swallowed, his face shadowed.

"Last time I saw mother was about a month and a half ago. She came down to visit me and Myrddin, then we followed her back up this way to visit Noah and my pups. And Sky. I got back home just before the hurricane, was home just long enough to help the pack prepare. The caravan had come up this way, and I'd asked after my family but no one knew, so I came up myself to check on them.

No one knows where she is? Not Zalen, not Noah?"
His ears fell, a fear rising in him that perhaps...

No. He refused to even consider the possibility of her death. She had been the shaman of Phoenix Valley. She herself was a Phoenix, rising from the ashes of her life time and time again. She couldn't die, he refused to acknowledge that. And if she were dying, she would have done it in the way she lived, in your face and unapologetic. If she were dying, she would have demanded an Irish wake, one she could enjoy with music and drinking and celebrating her life, not mourning her death in some secluded corner.
#5
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My feet hurt Vannah, I'm never walking anywhere again Sad
WC: 710


The sable female was more than glad of the returned embrace, it was nice to be held by her stepson for a moment, after all he was the closest thing she could find to Deuce at the moment. She hated that her pale lady was missing, every passing moment increased the worry and the fear in the ebony pelted New Dawner, what if something awful had happened to her? Soran was struggling enough living with the pale female being missing, if she were dead then what would she do? Her soul was so tied, entwined with the lady's that she feared that she would simply wither away without her, for what would be the point of a Deuce-less existence? She had her children, and Deuce's children and grandchildren to care for of course, and she loved them all and wanted to be there for them, but without the alabaster female Soran was incomplete, there was a large portion of herself missing. Deuce was the other half of herself, the puzzle piece that fit so neatly into Soran's life, if she were dead then the dark female would never again feel the wholeness that being loved unconditionally and loving someone with one's whole self brought. She would wither and die herself, she was sure of that. But Deuce could not, would not be dead, Soran just knew that, in the same way that she knew that Conri was alive, she was certain that if her pale mate was dead then she would have felt it somehow, her heart would have known, returning from being owned by Deuce to herself in an instant, shattered and broken. She watched as Tal swallowed nervously, his face darkening at the news, it seemed that he was as concerned about the pale lady being missing as Soran herself was. The ebony female swallowed nervously herself, long fingers reaching to touch the silver pentagram at her throat, the glinting object on a thin silver chain; it was her sign of mate ship to Deuce of course. As she did so she offered a silent prayer to whoever was willing to listen, to Deuce's beloved Rhiannon, let her be alright, oh please, please, I will do anything, just bring her home to me, let her be safe and well, please give her back.

Ears swivelled to catch the pale male's words as he spoke, it had been a month and a half since he had last seen her, she had travelled south to see him, he had followed and come here to see Noah and his children; a strange turn of events in the ebony female's eyes, it seemed that Sky had come North to live with the New Dawn pack, why she was unsure. She nodded as the male explained that the caravan had travelled to New Dawn, she had vaguely recollected smelling the familiar scents of Cercatori d'Arte in the lands, though she had not seen any of the wolves. She had been keeping herself to herself mostly, perhaps if she had asked them if they had seen Deuce when they had been here then her disappointment and concern would be less now. The male asked if Noah and Zalen had any idea where Deuce was and the sable female shook her head sadly.

"Noah seemed rather disappointed that it was me rather than your mother he met the other day, he has not seen her for some time. And as for Zalen, he told me straight away when I returned to New Dawn, he seemed deeply concerned with her absence, he has no idea where she has gone Tal." Soran replied, the desperation and worry in her voice evident as she spoke.
"You have no idea where she might have gone? She wouldn't have gone searching for me would she? I had to leave you see, I never planned to be gone so long, but... oh how I wish I had just managed to make it back sooner, but I was too injured, too ill." Soran replied, tapping at one of the scars on her ebony chest, there were four of them, running parallel from her right shoulder to the base of the ribs on her left side, the product of fighting a bear alone.





Gorgeous table by the very talented Aoves
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