|
Post by Heron on Sept 27, 2009 10:37:36 GMT -5
Heron listened to Rahiel's story with a growing sense of pity in her gut (now vacated by hunger). This wolf was not meant to be in wars; she was a healer fighting was against her very nature. And yet Heron knew the wars would come again. A few days earlier she had smelled death, carried on the wind. It was the smell she had learned came with the Heus hide, sweetly sickening and deadly. With the Heus came the promise of bloodshed, and horror for the packs.
When Rahiel talked about her mate murdering her brother Heron felt a strange sense of connection. It seemed that was what the Heus did, they severed the bonds that held the packs together. The examples of Sasriel fighting Sasriel, and Outlanders executing their own without a thought. 'Strange,' Heron thought. 'Strange that I shouldna have seen it before... The oldest fightin' technique and I didna see it... Separate you enemies and kill the one by one.'
“You carry a piece of me with you, now Heron. In this short time I have known you; I have come to respect you as a close friend..."
Heron lopsided grin returned, as she looked up at the Alphess. It had been a long time since she had had a friend. Her tail wagged slowly, brushing back and forth across the stone. "Well, mah dear Rahi Alphess Miss, there be only one thin' I can say tah that... You sure know how tah pick a stunnin specimen of a friend!"
|
|
|
Post by Rahiel on Oct 2, 2009 20:20:02 GMT -5
Rahiel laughed and shook her head at Heron’s words, her heart leaping with excitement. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been called Rahi. Oddly enough, she didn’t mind it, not from Heron. Leaning over, she arched her neck over Heron’s, one wing coming from around her back in a sort of wolf like hug.
“A mighty fine specimen, in my opinion.” She laughed, grinning widely. “My only problem is that I cannot keep you here, but that I have to watch you from my perch on this frozen rock. But I will watch and come to you when you have need for my aid . . . or companionship. Let us hope for the latter, shall we? You will be a valuable pack member for whichever pack you choose, though I can’t tell whether or not the other packs have formed. I have to admit though . . . I can’t see you in River Wood. You seem to be more of Amber Moor material, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
She took a step back, looking up to the endless above, casting her eyes over to the entrance once more. Sunlight was starting to seep through. She grinned.
“I do believe the wind has ceased its endless bite for a moment, shall we go take a look?” she winked, crystal blue eyes bright as she stepped into the sunlight.
It was warm against her fur and her paws sunk into the soft snow. But the cliff top was rather flat, so she wasn’t too worried as she led Heron out into the open. As long as they stayed in the sun it would stay warm. Seeing the ledge ahead, she grinned and turned back to Heron.
She felt good in the sun, more full of energy, especially with a satisfied stomach. She had company and friend again. She nipped playfully at the air in front of Heron’s face.
“Race you to the end, warrior?”
She jumped into the air, opening her wings in one powerful motion. It strained her muscles, hurting in the crisp air, but it felt good at the same time, releasing her new energy. She dipped down near Heron before pushing herself towards the edge. Her wings, mangled as they were, actually slowed her up some, and Heron had three legs. It was equal; they were both handicapped in some way.
She laughed as she went, tossing her head, long, white fur catching the sun. This was a side of her she wanted Heron to see; a side that been long packed away during the winter.
For the first time in a long time, she felt a sense of hope.
|
|
|
Post by Heron on Oct 7, 2009 13:55:26 GMT -5
Heron leapt up, with a pup-like yip at the prospect of a game, a game she had not played in a long time. Her warmed muscles itched to run again, revived by the warmth of Rahiels' caves. Her small frame darted towards the entrance of the cave, tongue lolling as the wind brushed against her fur, blue eyes bright in a weak glimmer of sunlight.
The sight of Rahiels wings momentarily took Herons breath away. Not for the first time she longed for the wings of a Sasriel. To soar through the sky with the birds, running with out touching the ground… Heron marveled at the irony of her namesake. She had watched a heron fly once, its beauty and grace far beyond her own meager clumsy ways. She had yearned to soar through the skies with him... Kissed by the wind...
With a small yelp Heron realized that Rahiel had pulled a head and began running again, swaggering with her signature run. Heron's long fur billowed around her and her eyes watered as the wind's cold bite found them. She kept her head down, though still managed to look like a puppy galloping as she raced towards the ledge...
Ice forms in winter: this Heron knows. Ice is also slippery, and difficult to stop on when one is moving at high velocities: this Heron also knows. So, as Heron began to break, and still didn't stop barreling towards the edge of the cliff, she was able to successfully conclude that she was indeed on ice.
Heron's claws skittered as she tried to find a hold on the icy ground, spinning as she avoided the ledge. In one final act of desperation as the ledge loomed, Heron threw herself head first into s snow bank, landing with a loud 'Oomph!". She lay, surrounded by the snow for a few moments, willing her heart to slow in it's frantic race.
Heron stood, shaking the snow from her body and said, "Well then Miss Rahi...." She turned, grinning, "Tha' was fun."
|
|
|
Post by Rahiel on Oct 14, 2009 19:56:20 GMT -5
Rahi’s wings stretched in the cold frigid air, tensing as she pushed them down. She didn’t allow herself to get too high, for fear that her muscles would freeze and she would be suddenly dropping. Her laughter rang like an echo against crystal as she soared past Heron, whose swaggering gait gave her a puppy like grace that Rahiel couldn’t help but find charming.
Rahiel had always liked puppies, had often told her mate that she couldn’t wait until it was safe enough to have their own. He had been a silverback Sasriel, a rare variety if there ever was one, and with her petite nature, other members often commented on the beauty of their offspring.
A pity . . . as it was, she would never be a mother.
She glanced down once, bright, crystal blue eyes glinting almost magically in the sunlight. It was warmer now, especially when the sun beams were blanketing her coat with their golden fingers. For a second, she laughed and wondered what Heron was doing . . . skidding on the . . .
Wait a second . . .
Skidding?
Rahiel’s stomach dropped as she did a quick alternation with her wings, coming in low and at an angle, her wing tips right near Heron’s ear. But in the end, as any good warrior would do, Heron saved herself . . . by plowing straight into a snow bank. Rahiel let out a baited breath and arched her wings back, wincing as her muscles twitched involuntarily. The backdraft caught her as intended and she skidded on her back paws for a few feet until coming to a complete stop, her paws used to finding the right angle on the ice to walk.
“Heron!”
Her tone was thick with worry as she loped over to her friend who was shaking off snow. She caught Heron’s comment and shook her head with an offhanded smiled.
“Oh!” she was at a loss for words for a moment, her breath coming in short gasps. “How stupid of me! I knew it would be icy out here! Are you okay?”
Her wings now tucked safely flat against her back, Rahiel poked her nose around Heron, making sure everything was indeed intact. She was a healer, not a killer! She nosed some clumps of snow from Heron’s shoulder and sighed.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I shouldn’t have challenged you to a race towards the edge. The edge! Souls and devils what was I thinking?”
With another sigh, she gazed out over the clear, crystal land that was her home, peaks rising out from under the snow, a light mist blanketing distant, untouched mountain areas. When the sun shone on it, it turned the silvery mist into a light gold.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she said softly, standing safely next to Heron.
Below them, snow rolled over a steep embankment and out amongst the hills. She cocked her head slightly towards Heron and smiled ever so slightly.
“Sing with me?” she asked, a soft lilt to her voice.
Pointing her nose to the sky, she let her voice erupt from her throat in a gentle, sing-song melody that cut through the wintry air, spreading out from her spot on the ledge. It felt good to sing again, calling out from over the lands.
Who knew . . . perhaps someone new would return the call.
|
|
|
Post by Heron on Oct 18, 2009 0:07:07 GMT -5
]Herons maw adopted a lopsided grin as Rahiel abused herself for the folly of challenging Heron to a head long race for toward the edge. What the Alphess failed to see was that Heron might have run toward the edge anyway. She was a warrior and lived for the thrill of life. The race had been voluntary, Heron knew that ice formed on mountains when it was cold, and she knew that barreling toward a cliff face was probably not a good idea. But it was fun anyway.
"Nah Miss Rahi, thats how I live. Life is always a bit more fun when yah take a few risks. Random, stupid acts of awesomeness I jus' part of who I am..."
Just as Heron looked toward the cliff edge the sun broke through the cloudy sky, dancing on the surface of the freshly fallen snow. For a moment Herons eyes were confused by the dazzling light that reflected from the many faceted eyes of the snow. After blinking away the light Heron drew her breath in awe.
The splendor that lay fresh around her took her breath away. The high mountain reaches were untouched, the snow creating a blank canvas for life to paint its picture on. She had never been to the high reaches before. Before Heron had questioned Rahiels decision to stay, so desperately alone, in her home. But the beauty that lay waste to the harsh stone of the earth around her answered her questions.
No one could abandon this beauty.
"Sing with me?"
Rahiel's song rose from her chest, pure and clear on the wintry air. For a moment Heron could do nothing but listen, unable to bring herself to break the purity that surrounded her senses. Slowly, but not timidly, Heron raised her voice, lower than Rahiel's, but beautiful all the same. Heron's voice weaved a simple harmony around Rahiel's, echoing back to her like something from another world.
|
|
|
Post by Rahiel on Oct 25, 2009 23:25:13 GMT -5
Rahiel drew her muzzle back, perking her ears as she heard her voice and Heron’s intermingle through the echoes. She sniffed the air, looking for any sign of life, watching an eagle swoop above her with a majestic cry. She smiled to herself, watching the strong movement of its wings. A rabbit was clutched in its talons – a successful hunt. They were cousins, in a sense; both masters of the sky. The only difference was she was more rooted with the earth, and the eagle was the true king of the air.
And then she heard it. The one thing she had been waiting for, for so long.
“Heron . . .” she said, her heart seemingly stopping.
Her tail started wagging and she started to quiver with excitement.
It was faint, yet still so clear; an answering call, a response to her own. Her eyes lit up; by the sound of it, it was male. She listened intently, trying to judge the direction. Her mind began to speed through at a million miles an hour, her blue eyes growing sharp and intense.
“That’s . . . that’s . . .” she began to stutter, unable to get her words out fast enough. “It’s close enough to be Amber Moor, but it could be River Wood just as easily, no doubt they might come. Do you think they will come? I suppose he might not be an Alpha but oh by my own wings I hope he is here to stay!”
She turned to Heron, her smile bright.
“If it is Amber Moor . . .” she did her best to hide the sadness in her eyes. So far, she had not seen hide nor hair of any other Sasriels. What if she truly was the last one? “If . . . it is the Amber Moor Alpha . . . this could be your chance . . . call out to them. Rejoin a pack . . . be happy again.”
She smiled into the wind, closing her eyes, trying to catch a new scent on the wind.
“Oh I can’t believe it!” she sighed happily. “There is life once more . . .”
Slowly, others were coming. Slowly, these lands would come together . . .
Slowly, life was becoming normal once again . . . on all aspects.
|
|
|
Post by Heron on Oct 29, 2009 11:28:25 GMT -5
Herons mind was far off as their song died away. She was reliving her Outland life. They had sung together, but the songs never meant what they did to Rahiel. Rare were the times when the pack had let her 'have fun'. But they had been a family closer than any she had known since. Rahiels song reminded Heron of that family...
Could she have that again?
"Heron..." Rahiel's voice was breathless, nearly lost in the wind.
Heron tilted her head, listening for what the Alphess had heard. With a gasp she realized that the voice was more then the wind, but an actual living creature. Heron leaned foreword, staring intently to wards the faint source of the sound, as if she would be able to see him over the distance. Was it another Alpha?
"...Call out to them. Rejoin a pack . . . be happy again."
Heron cast a glance at Rahiel, confusion obvious in her eyes. Clashing emotions roared inside her head as her stomach did a nervous jig. She wanted to rejoin a pack... But it had been so long since she had actually belonged anywhere that the thought terrified her. The control of an Alpha and the trust of the pack. Could she keep that trust? Or would her history forever haunt her footsteps?
Heron glanced down the face of the cliff, as if hoping the sheer drop or the cold wind would bring her back to reality. This loss of control was not Heron, and only helped to confuse her more. She needed control...
She breathed deep, looking once more at Rahiel before throwing her head back and responding to the Alphas call with her own. Let me join you... Herons song was short, cutting off almost abruptly as she ran out of air.
Heron glanced back at Rahiel, "It time for me tah head home now, Miss Rahi... Mehbe..."
|
|