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ooc: Thread Info: Early morning. X'yro in Optime, leaving behind his shirt and staff so he is just wearing a fur and leather loin cloth (I wanted to be all Dothraki sexy). Post Dated to October 17
Jiva… Jiva was the name of the man who bestowed upon the Nomad the last clue that would finally bring an end to this accursed expedition. Jiva, a name and a face that he would never forget, was just as autumn-toned as X’yro himself, and if he had not known any better he might have pegged the youth for one of his own kin. Able bodied, strong, and loyal, when X’yro left the young man, taking with him only the evidence that would lead him to his final destination, he decided he liked him. Indeed, he would have made a fine Nomad… it was a shame he was not born to his people.
Even as he silently thanked Jiva for the help he provided, he was already filing the memory aside, clearing his mind to better focus on what was to come. So, his little sister had shacked up in this waterlogged land and thought she was some kind of Shepherd to a new fold now? What a joke. He knew what this really was, this little charade of hers, and he was coming to call her on her fallacy and expose her for what she truly was… craven...
Molten amber eyes narrowed, his lip curled with the bitter sneer upon his muzzle as he stalked toward the pack lands. This time, so close to his goal and following the information he had leeched from the young one – who knew not what he was doing when he gave the Shepherd’s brother the route to her lands – he remained in the open to better navigate by the stars. Oh, he could follow other paths as well, but with the lands in such dire disrepair from the recent hurricane, the stars were the quickest and most reliable map in nature. That was, when the skies remained cloudless.
Following the twinkling bodies, he found himself through Amherst, around Vinatta (the pack Jiva had been a part of), and soon to the borders of Sangi’lak. The inky dark sky was giving way to the pink hues of morning by the time he arrived, but he had been moving by night for so long that he was not short on rest. For a long while he simply stood atop a knoll, a man tall and proud, gazing out over the territory before him as though they were lands of his own. Hands balled into fists at his side, his walking stick staked into the ground nearby – he would not be needing it any more.
Finally the statue moved, purpose in each moment as he carefully removed the stained, earth-sodden shirt he had worn on this long venture. Prideful as he was, there wasn’t a chance in hell that he would let his sister see him this filthy from these dreadful roads. Using the shirt as a rag, he meticulously scrubbed his fur clean, and when the rag itself was too soiled to do any good he knelt down and used the old fashioned canine grooming technique that had served wolf kind for centuries. His journey had been long, he could afford himself a few more hours to make himself look presentable.
The sun was higher in the sky now, azure was now creeping up and the oranges were fading. He could see the soaking lands better now. Still exercising patience, he took his time to unbraid his mane, comb out the knots with his fingers, and rebraided it down his back. Perhaps they knew he was here by now – it wouldn’t surprise him of a true family - but no alarm had sounded.
Finally, calm and clean, he tossed the old rag of a shirt aside, left the walking stick, and stalked toward the outlands of Sangi’lak. The closer he marched the stronger the scent of these settled lands. There was no mistaking it, he had come to the right place.
At the last moment, just as the markings were at their strongest, in a show of Exultare to Exultare courtesy, he turned his muzzle skyward and let out a formidable howl.
“I’m here, sister,” he muttered to himself. “And I have been led by the Ancestors. There is no running from your betrayal now.”
700 words.
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ooc: Totally had to look up this culture just to get the reference and OMG drool-worthy!
Oct. 17th | Early Morning | Groggy but waking
The morning light crept in to chase away the tendrils of darkness. With warm rays the light peeked through and gently touched the nose of the slumber wolf. She recoiled from the light with eyes drawing tighter closed in vain to stave off the illuminating hues, but the tension lessened, and like a child giving into the tender caress of its mother, she turned her muzzle into its warmth and sighed softly with her awakening. Inhaling the breath of the morning with conscious mind away, she scented first her mate and then the collected perfume their mingled scents created. She looked to him with tired eyes though with a twinkle of light that made them brighten. And then a smile touched her lips as he too began to stir, feeling the movements of his mate and as if endowed with the subconscious urge to aid her, turned his nose toward a weathered golden cheek with blind eyes searching through the false darkness for her touch and what she might need. Endearingly, she touched his muzzle, a silent word that all was well and it was only the morning that stirred her from rest. A soft sigh, one of relief, sounded quietly on behalf of the grey male and with heavy lids parting he pushed from the ground to rise, using his shoulder to guide the pregnant female to stand and greet the light as well.
Quiet and peaceful were the events of the morning as if the circumstances of the days before had not befallen them and truly it was only they that resided on the mountain. The day could wait for their emergence into the light. The prey could have their few precious moments of life before it was taken by hungry jaws. The moments of peace were cherished between the two, until it was irrefutably broken by a thrilling sound that caused both ridges to stand on end. The expression on the male’s face was little more than a look of disdain for the interruption to the pair’s morning… but when he looked to his mate, that calm resolve, that flicker of emotion came to brilliant light upon seeing the alarm wrought across the golden face.
It could not be. It simply could not be. Surely without the voice being heard for so long, her ears could have mistaken a similar tone for one more familiar. It was a trick her mind was playing, a cruel one, but a trick none the less. It could not be… so long had she heard that voice, the way it rose and curled with the pronunciation of a name that was not a name, but as sound just as his would be…just as all the Nomad names would be. But the way her heart hammered, how quickly it beat against its caged and stirred her anguish, she could not believe this was a trick. Had her mate not said he had come to these lands with her brother? Were they not separated ‘on’ these lands? Oh, what a fool she was to believe she wouldn’t be found. How silly she was to forget that her blood still stalked the lands…
A calming touch graced her cheek stirring the woman from her panicked thoughts to her present status; fur bristled and breath heavy. Eyes wide and limbs shaking. Oh, she was scared…she was terrified for what this call would entail. And worse, she fear the state she would see her mirror reflection. Would it smile back at her? Would it grimace? Would it bare its fangs and leap through the threshold?
Wordlessly, she stepped from darkness into light accompanied by the epitome of the realm between. With sure steps and the fire of curiosity, they walked down the face of the great mountain and onto land that led toward the shores of the Aldorto’K. Patiently, neither hurried nor delayed they marched in awkward unison, the weight of the female’s cargo causing heavier steps than she would have cared for and the occasional butt of the Lambda’s shoulder against her own as if to keep her standing should her steps elicit a stumble. It was not long before this walk found a more favorable rhythm, one accommodating the cheery symphony of nature waking though they together neared what could potentially turn such a happy mood to dread in an instant. But the Nomad woman would smile, for she was one that would smile even in the face of her own death.
‘X’yro’. No, she did not use the civil tongue to speak his name, but instead the sound that his name was to mean; the sound he made bequeathed by the Ancestors that would forever become a part of him. She paused before her reflection, four legs planted firmly to the soft grasses still wet with the morning dew. “I am glad you did not stay lost within these lands, brother.” She greeted neither hostilely nor with favor, but as a fact of her true feelings. “Though… I must say…” swiftly her eyes wandered his clad form. “I am disappointed that you wear the hide of another to guard your own. Do you not believe the armor of the Exultare will be enough in this strange place?”
874 words.
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ooc: Me-OW.
The wolf looms, and the shepherd protects the flock. As easily as he called, she came, and as soon as X’yro spied the coat with hues that mirrored his own he halted, his march drawn up short mid-step. Looking upon his sister as she traversed the expanse between them both cooled an ache and seared one anew, and somewhere in the midst of it X’yro was caught in the twisting whirlpool. Hands clenched at his sides as yellow eyes narrowed, and soon glanced away. This wasn’t fair. The reunion with his sister should have been a happy one, but her actions from seasons past had, even after all this time, followed them like a curse to mar the beauty of the moment they might have shared.
Even as his gaze deflected to lessen the sting, another claw cut deep when his eyes fell upon the ashen tones of the Lambda. He breathed a disdainful snort that was likely loud enough for the couple to hear, and he cared not. His resentment turned the very air around him bitter, it was a wonder what was left of the grasses after the storm did not wilt at his feet. The sight of X’ies renewed his ire, and he collected his rage into courage, raising up to his full height and no longer casting his gaze aside. Instead, he stared straight at his sister, watching her approach. Perhaps she was as nervous as he, but she wore little of it on her countenance. What he could see, though, was her obviously bulky shape, and the extra weight her body carried. His brows pinched together. Once, he thought this tense moment might once again come down to the physical, but there would be no honor in challenging a quickened woman.
No doubt they were the Lambda’s. He crossed his arms. Testosterone filled the air.
‘X’yrin,’ he replied, in the same grunting language that was their nature. She was shorter than him, but they weren’t even in comparable forms. He tilted his head down, some of the hardness leaving his eyes as he looked her over for one drawn out, silent moment. Then there was the slightest, almost imperceptible twitch of an ear and he inclined his head in a half nod, which was a hell of a lot more than he afforded X’ies. There was little body language that would acknowledge submission to her; his tail was stark still, ears pert and forward. Without so much as glancing at the cloth that was wrapped around his waist, he clutched it with a fist and tore it from his body. It fell rather unceremoniously to the ground.
“Little more than tick repellant,” he sniffed, eyes flashing to X’ies for the briefest moment. “You chose a rather infested place to play house.”
He tilted his head towards the Lambda, and grunted, shot X’yrin a look and then grumbled another guttural sound, abandoning the common word to better express his displeasure at X’ies’s presence in their family’s more wolfish way of communicating. She would have recognized his voice, and to bring the Lambda at her side as though he was her choice support when coming to greet him was a slap in the face. By his expression, though, he didn’t really expect anything more from her.
For another beat his expression softened, and he crouched so he was lower to the Secui level. He could not stand there hard and cold in the presence of his once beloved sister and feel nothing. His firm resolve faltered, and a pale glimmer of the love he held for her reflected in his eyes. A softer sound, a nod towards her, a twitch of the tail – part of him was happy to see her. He wanted her back. He loved her dearly. And he despised her for leaving his side. She made a mockery of him, and no amount of sentimentality was going to make him forget that. His eyes hardened again and he stood.
“…but I cannot say I am as pleased to see him.” He suddenly returned to high speech, switching language and picking right up from his momentary falter. “You may not wish to see me lost, but I wonder about him.” He waved a hand at the grey one. “Somehow, I doubt our separation was accidental.” The fiery look in his eyes shot accusatory daggers at X’ies.
“At least a skin is my only folly. It looks like yours is far worse,” again he motioned, and this time he was looking at his sister’s swollen belly. “If I were a betting man, I would say those weren’t just the Ancestors’ work there. You always did have a soft spot for your little Lambda, it’s no wonder he finally got it. Frankly I’m disappointed that you’re not in fighting condition.”
800 words.
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ooc:
Oct. 12th | Early Morning | Groggy but waking
Smoothed hackles relinquished their composure as the air became electrified by opposing tensions ill met and rubbing against the other. The sound of two voices, so alike but differing; the high alto laden with a practice kindness contested the hardened baritone octaves creating a ballad that spoke of high conflict via subtle, secret undertones. The tempo was conducted by tails swaying to their leisure, though a feminine banner did pause when attention to diverted to the male as her shoulder. It became still rather abruptly with a stray wind hardly stirring the finer hairs. As if held with bated breath, it lingered for as long as the amber eyes held fast to their reflection, peering deeply beyond the present to past, to grasp what remained of the youthful soul she once knew…
“Oh brother-Ro,” the she-wolf sighed softly in feigned disappointment, following through with a depressed dip of her muzzle as she called upon her sibling’s puppy-name as if in an effort to ease the tension. But she was not so foolish to infuse hope into that act. “You aren’t playing nicely. Jealousy does not become you…”
Swiftly she raised both head and tail. “None of our Family had difficulty calling me to play with them…and you as my blood had no reason to let your tongue turn heavy. Did you believe you no longer had the ear of your sister?” Though she invoked the memories of their youth, a time when all was innocent and lacked the complications that came with experience and knowledge, her voice reflected not the joy of that cherished time, but remained neutral in tone to keep with the uncertainty of the mood. Though hostility could be perceived by the swift lash of barbed flesh, it was not taken by the mind of the Exultare female. For too often had she heard these like tones that became the norm for her brother and thick now was her hide to his grating voice that she could smile and let her tail fondly caress the air.
“Surely you could have come to me and voiced your anger toward our Father’s restriction upon you…” With head lowered she raised her eyes to look up to her brother, gold glittering mischievously from beneath the wild auburn veil. “It was not fair that our Shepard…barred you for…one reason or another- “ her lips twitched, purposefully failing to conceal the smirk that played across them ”-but you certainly could have spoken to me about it instead of letting this resentment fester. Is this truly how you wanted to see me?Bitter at another male because you feared he’s taken me away from you…? ‘I am hurt brother-Ro.’”
446 words.
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ooc: Since he's all like "screw you, X'ies" I'm fine for X'ies to pop in at any point. 
An ear twitched when she spoke the fond childhood nick name, and the tensing of his jaw laid evidence to his clenched teeth. Oh, how dearly he wished she could say that name in sincerity once again. Now it was all lost. He could not imagine a future where he ever believed another loving word from her again… and yet, that was all he ever wanted, a future where he could believe in his sister’s love and loyalty.
“And betrayal does not become you. You have grown so heartless that you would mock me, and before your precious little Lambda at that,” he grumbled and shook his head, the long burnished red braid that trailed down his back swayed to and fro. “Do not call me brother-Ro again, one who can not even face me alone. What is this, guilty conscience?” He shook his head again. “No, I still hold too much love for you. I forget you have no conscience.”
His eyes bore into X’yrin, hoping to see a lash of pain from his words… something, anything that would show him that he could still hurt her. It was an evil way, but it was all his scorned heart knew to do. If he could see the hurt or the regret in her face, maybe he could begin to convince himself she actually felt it. But why would she show him such courtesy when he would not afford her the same? His eyes were still hard, glossy marbles.
Her words cut deep, a dull knife digging into a festering wound. He winced and scoffed. The rocky growl in his chest spoke his surprise that she could be so stupid. Another snarl, a look, and then he burst into haughty laughter. After his booming laugh, he returned to words again.
“The Lambda has poisoned you, truly. You are so arrogant and blind, sister. You left me. Turned your back on your own brother… and for what? To be with one like him?” Again, a gesture toward X’ies, and a sidelong glance. “Look at him… fire ravages and leaves ash behind. That is what he is.” He looked disdainfully at X’ies’s slate gray coat. When he looked at him he could see nothing but destruction, but unfortunately it was not X’yrin or X’ies’s destruction that he was really seeing, no matter how he tried to spin it.
“We were in it together, X’yrin, and you,” the fire was crackling out of his voice, his tone becoming more like the rasp of a broken heart. “abandoned me. How could I ever come talk to you about anything? I can’t even talk to you now without him here! I would give you my soul, not that one.” He loosed another snarl at the gray wolf next to his sister.
466 words.
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ooc:
Betrayal. How many times would she be pained by this word until the Ancestors were satisfied? Was this her punishment for leaving her family? To eyes of the Collective, was this indeed her betrayal? Perhaps in the group eye, yes, this was her crime for leaving them to their own devices whilst she walked along her own path led by her newfound motivations and purpose. Mayhap it was betrayal for going against her promise to them; to return with the news of what resided beyond the Collective and march alongside them again. Had she been distracted? No… never did she forget the promise she made to them, but rather…buried her head and chose to dismiss it. She chose to believe they would carry on without her. That the male standing callously before her would take the place he so desired and carry on the name of their family.
Relinquishing her farce of enduring pain to look to her brother, parting the wild veil with a harmless brush of a heavy paw, she saw not that present she had made herself believe. It was not the proud reflection she looked upon, but one cracked and angry, marred with disgust for what he felt he was robbed of. She said nothing in immediate retort to his lashings but heard him clearly, her ears twitching back periodically as they were struck with another unpleasant tone.
“X’yro, please…” ‘be calm’, she tried to reason with her brother in the hope that a soft voice would lessen his rage, but she feared that hesitant breath would be lost to the raging inferno now spewing from heated maw. Her voice became little more than a whisper as the force that drove her sarcastic tongue ebbed to naught in the face of naked, justified anger. But how could she have known how he felt then? “Brother… he is not beside me to bring insult, but as one that is concerned for my wellbeing and the pack’s future. Is this any different than how it would have been at home?” At the mention of the winter mountain keep, her tail swayed fondly. “However…” The banner wavered at its proud height then lowered to settle relaxed against her rounded end. “This is not an excuse for my greeting to you. We should not speak to each other with hardened tongues, but pleasantly as a family that has not seen the other after many seasons.”
Lowering her head, the female stepped forward til the tip of her nose butted gently against the crème tinged belly. “I cannot hope to repair the damage of our past or confess my motivations in but a few words, brother. But I can express how I have missed you. Would you allow me the honor of embracing you, brother, as we did as children? Might we share that fond memory as our gift to the other?”
481 words.
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The feminine mirror before him tried to ease his tumultuous soul, and a small part of him tried to obey when she meant to calm him, but the more stubborn, scorned part of his soul would not give in. The most that he offered in return was the slight unclenching of his fists, but his fingers were still tense. It was all he could do to keep from lashing out. “Of course your protection would be paramount to your… people… but he could stand watch from a distance, you knew it was me. Or have you forgotten so much of who you are and where you came from that you did not even recognize my voice?” He huffed and looked away dismissively.
But she was easing forward now, coming closer to him, and it was not long before his gaze slowly made its way back to her visage. He stood still as a statue even as she was nearly against him, belying what churned beneath his stony surface. This was one of the hardest battles he had ever fought. He had trained, sparred, met with foes, and had even challenged (and lost to) X’yrin herself. He was an Exultare, a being of brute strength and impenetrable force, yet somehow – without even a second scuffle – she had destroyed his defenses and sent him reeling. For seasons he had told himself that all he wanted was her to acknowledge what she had done, and to forgive him, and to be with him again instead of the Other, but even if those things were a possibility, he was still far too lost in his rage to see it.
Part of what he wanted, he was getting now. The autumn wolfess ambled away from the gray one and up to him, reminding him, as he had spat at her, that they were still family – telling him that they should not be this way. For a moment he gazed down at his sister’s face, his muzzle wrought with a scowl, but he did not move to stop her. Eyelids slowly fluttered closed as he took in a deep breath, surrounded with his sister’s scent, and almost forgot X’ies was even there. His shields momentarily broken, he bent to kneel before her so he might, in some stiff way, accept the embrace.
A soft whimper meant only for her escaped him. He missed her. He didn’t know what to do without her. There was no place for him, not unless he could right everything that had gone wrong…
…everything because of her.
426 words.
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ooc:
When words failed, silence would take their place. And it was within that silence that the soft words of the heart could be heard so long as the open heart was willing to receive them. Their Shepard had said something of the like during their youth, though his deep voice crafted words far beyond the young ones’ understanding, what they took from it was relatively simple by comparison. Continuing to yell and howl, to jab and bite, would further mute the ‘true’ voice that need be heard. Always did something stand before it be it pride, deception, or desire. Something that kept what needed to be spoken silent to ears so used to the sounds created without thought.
In their silence was sorrow and understanding, a plea for forgiveness from a sister to her brother. Blinded by her own childish wants, her desire to play and to be not of the Exultare but a simple Wolf of the world, she had not seen the effects it had upon her brother, nor did she inquire if he approved or other. Assumed…yes, she assumed all had been well. Adorned with flowers and feathers and taken by the splendor of something new, she had forgotten their bond…or rather…left it untended and brittle. Fraying til naught but a strand was left; the strand now that rested upon the razor edge of a claw.
Apologies were but words when actions held more significance. How to begin…if there was an opportunity, was to the discretion of the male before now bent with body rigid but fur still soft and welcoming. She draped both front limbs over his shoulders as she drew into his mirroring form. Awkwardly so she encircling his shoulders and let her head rest upon his shoulder as she deeply inhaled his scent marked heavily by the wild. She could, if only by the work of her distant memory, scent the Collective as if he had only just departed from them and saw within that memory of them the picturesque visage of their Father baring down on the two of them, glad that his offspring were getting along if only for a moment.
359 words.
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ooc: Way to ruin a moment!
He nearly flinched when X’yrin wrapped her forelegs around his shoulders in the embrace that was long overdue, but never forgotten. All at once he was engulfed in her scent, her warmth, the soothing palm of her presence, and it was like being taken back in time to a moment before everything had fallen apart. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, and for once did not hesitate as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. For a moment he held her, pressing his cheek against hers, nuzzling, lost in the past for the briefest, but oh so sweetest, flash of time.
‘Brother and sister should never part,’ he expressed to her, with a high pitched purring growl that was more soothing rather than fierce, and a small nip to her scruff. A smile even replaced the grimace he wore earlier, and then he shifted, moving his head to say something when his eyes opened…
…and he saw X’ies…
A doggish rumble resonated in his chest and his half-lidded eyes flew open. He glared at the silver wolf and jerked back like he had been hit in the face. The embrace meant nothing with the serpent there, looking on. X’ies had been there the whole time, he had overseen his fall from grace, he had taken X’yrin away from him. He had poisoned the autumn sister into ditching her blood brother, her hunt brother, her puphood best friend, and he was still here to poison even this.
“No!” He jerked his arms away from X’yrin, a pang of hurt slicing his heart as he did so. It hurt to let her go, but giving in to this false promise would be ever more devastating. He pushed her; pushed her away from him, off of him, and if he had had no regard for the life that grew within her he would have shoved her ten times harder. He raised himself up to his full height again and stepped back.
“I won’t fall for this act!” he roared. “A hardened tongue and biting words are all I have left for you because we are not family! Not anymore! Not like it was! I will never be able to trust you again. My sister… my sister” he slapped his chest, “would never leave me. She would have stayed true to her duties and fought by my side for the rest of our lives. The X’yrin I loved would never have taken advantage, would never have disgraced me to the family like you did.”
He spat, then spun and marched away, stopping with his back to them. Every fiber was tense again, it was all he could do to keep from lunging at one of them.
“I worked to become a true Exultare, and I had to do it alone. And still that wasn’t good enough. And what was my reward? Blood that runs cold,” he motioned at X’yrin, even though he still had his back turned to her. “And the deepest disgrace. An Exultare… childless upon my fifth year… for playing by the rules… and look at you. I guess it pays to be…” he huffed. The insult wasn’t even worth his breath.
“This place… those pups… it won’t be long before everybody knows what a disgrace this little toy Family of yours is…”
500+ words.
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ooc:
A brother and sister should have never parted, a truth the she-wolf accepted with a soft, sorrowful whine as she buried her muzzle into her brother’s scented fur. Her paws should have remained on the borderline that day. Her thoughts better focused on what the path of the Shepard entailed. But she was driven by curiosity, and motivated to escape the stagnation of the day in, day out routine. The unknown called to her and in truth, she feared it would not have been understood. But it had been by one and that was enough for her. But to her family… to her loved ones, it was sadly not. But if she could steal a moment of the past and alter it to spare them pain, she would try for their understanding. She would try to make them see. The decision would not have changed, but how she left them- oh if she could she would have done more than show her back in leaving! But perhaps she could explain now, at least try for her brother.
Yet her optimism was shattered by the thrust to her chest. Not hard but violent in its act that she stumbled back on her hind legs in alarm and dropped shakily to all fours again. “Brother-“ But her voice was lost as it was overtaken by the booming voice of her beloved brother. His rage turned upon her, flattening her ears against her skull and downing her proud head with shame. Nothing was said outright, but she listened as she always did. Her attention never wavered even as her belly touched the ground and the rest of her body followed. Head graced the earth between umber gloved paws whilst her gaze remained locked upon her angered reflection. Not a jerk nor twist nor flippant sway of his tail was missed as he bequeathed upon her his righteous wrath and spoke of disgrace both his and her own. Her reaction was nil until he turned from her, then from her patient bow she role to pursuit of his dismissing form. Though she did not call for him, the whine that parted her lips pleaded that he not leave her. They had only just seen each other again. Two years, nearing three since last their eyes looked upon their reflection. She would be damned if words of disgrace would be there parting gifts.
“Is that why you have come then? Why you and X’ies left our Family?” She set a paw forward, albeit hesitantly. “To tell me of your rage?”
425 words.
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'No!' he grunted, and half turned his body back to her to catch a glimpse of his sister as she was, timid on the ground as he spat every last ireful word at her. “Of course that is not why I left. Whatever his reason was... well, that is obvious.” Stormy eyes looked back and forth between them, and paused for a beat on the one paw she carefully stepped forward with. He didn't know what he would do if she came to him, but he did not have to worry, she held herself steadfast.
“I wanted to find you.” 'You. X'yrin. Sister. Friend.' He suddenly looked very heavy, his shoulders slumped forward and his gaze dropped to stare at his feet, though his expression was illegible. He was not dejected, and although he looked at the ground it was more like his eyes saw a memory, pictures of a time long since past. “And I hoped that just seeing your face again would change everything. I thought... if anybody could erase what has happened...” he held a fist over his heart, waved a hand, and uttered a few noises that few random onlookers could decipher yet X'yrin and their family would understand '...could erase stain on this spirit...' “...it would be you.”
He huffed a little half laugh, that kind of sound a body makes when he scoffs inwardly at himself, and shook his head. “Oh, but Sister, it seems I was wrong again.” He rubbed the back of his head with a giant hand, loosing some fiber from his long braid.
“What's worse is now you've even taken away my hope. I thought I might take you back. Bring you home, where you belonged. You might even still be Shepard, the fold would forgive you. You earned it, after all, right? When I fell?” He nodded, but it was a sarcastic gesture. “Should have made that journey take longer. Should never have found that one who sent me here... Jiva...” he cursed the name, though he knew the young one had only meant to help. It seemed he was now starting to have a track record of blaming others for his problems.
“But it's worse than I thought. You have your Lambda and you've got your little pet Family here. What would the others think, knowing that you left, thinking that you – the 'strongest' of our fold - might one day return to us... but instead you are out here... replacing us all...” His voice drifted on the breeze, and he let the last of his sentence hang in the air as he met her eyes, wondering if she had ever even taken the time to notice that she had, indeed, thrown their entire Family to the wind.
464 words.
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ooc:
In seasons passed she had made a promise that she would return to her family with news of the outside. She would share with them her experiences, her interpretations, and bequeathed to the Exultare her insight from what she had learned of the various ways of living beyond their own. But what had she done in truth? Experienced many things, was hurt and had hurt, embraced a culture not her own and found it did not support the ideals deeply ingrained into her. But she did not take the steps toward home. Twice upon these lands, she favor casting aside this charade of a ‘normal’ life and return to the mountains, calling this land a burden than a blessing. But had she not done what the Nomad taught her; prevail over all circumstances to achieve a goal? However, the consequences of her achievement had yet to be seen. She could not fathom the pain that was caused by her actions because she could not see them first hand. An excuse…but a legitimate one that could not be helped. And she was made to endure the result.
Her ears perked up as her brother mentioned Jiva, the young wolf whom she had shared pleasant encounters with. It was he that led the Exultare to this place…then perhaps he encountered the wolves of New Dawn as well. Had they spoken of the Family’s alliance? Did her brother know how the Family was prospering? It was a group all its own, not a replacement for what was left in the mountains.
“The teachings I share are the same as our own, brother,” the autumn Nomad uttered to defend this family. “It is not a replacement, but I seek to create an improvement upon the flaws that mar our family. We were stagnated, X’yro. Idle. Too deeply set along a singular path when there were more lands to cross. We were unique in that we moved and cultivated the lands upon the seasons, but we were routine in that we touched nothing new. While he called ourselves perfected and mighty, we were scoffed by our own allies. We became predictable so much that our keep was breech by those wretched dogs that devastated both pups and mothers. Do you not remember that X’yro? The mass cries of an entire pack crippled by scum? I would not join them in crying again…I would not let that happen to myself.
“We are gifted with the urge from the ancestors to seek the Endless Path. Do you not believe it was to touch ground new to ours? To make something of it? This is what I am doing here; readying the ground for those that see the flaws, that were touched by our forebears seeking salvation… I do not abandon our family brother. I do not abandon you. I make a place for us…for those of our family that seek it, upon land not spoiled by years of stagnation.” She breathed deeply then, her voice still impassioned as she spoke of her intentions, her desire for this keep she had claimed far from home. “Forgive me brother…” she lifted her head seeking the eye of her sibling in vain. “Forgive me for leaving you all this time. But please do not look at this as naught but a false image. Look at this as my bond to our family. Look at this as my hope that the name of the Nomad will prosper.”
576 words.
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