Swift River Portrait of a Dying Heart

Mainly for any of the leaders, but if they can't hop in, then any pack member can. This is situated on the borderlines of Swift River. No need to match length.

          "I never meant to hurt you like I did. I'm so sorry. I take everything back, everything."

          Those words ran over and over again, unshakable. Nero would have refused to believe them before, but in the grips of death itself... they were Nyx's dying words. The dying words of Nero's beloved cousin, who betrayed her from their birth path and sent Nero off in ashamed exile (mind you on Nero's own terms). Nero didn't expect to see the likes of Nyx ever again after what was done. Nero started her life anew in the early start of Swift River, slowly accommodating her place amongst the ranks and the hype of companionship amongst the pack during the time. It wasn't until the curious scent of Nyx roused Nero from her slumber one night, and in the confusion, surprise, and utter curiosity of why her cousin's scent out of any would be blatantly apparent amongst the breeze, Nero abandoned her post within Swift River to follow the scent. It whisked Nero beyond the borders of Swift River, beyond the outskirts of Relic Lore. Nyx's scent had traveled so far, only because the spill of her blood made it apparent.

          Nyx suffered wounds from a caribou she attempted to strike down by herself, in desperation of survival on her journey to find Nero again. Nyx had always been the cocky one, attempting to take on tasks and situations larger than herself. The caribou's antlers struck her deep and vital in the flank and shoulders; tearing open a nice segment of flesh and blood to spill, puncturing several vital organs in the process. It was a wonder Nyx was able to survive as long as she could when Nero arrived to find her crippled and crumpled within herself on the forest ground. There was nothing that could save Nyx; no time to retrieve a Medic, no time to seek any herbs to close her wounds, no time to cry for help. Nero collapsed beside Nyx, in shock and stipulation of her current state. Nero tried what she could, with the basic knowledge she had, on caring for Nyx, but to no avail... she would not heal. Not from this.

          "I traveled so far, just to see you again. Just to say I'm sorry."
          "I never meant to hurt you like I did. I'm so sorry. I take everything back, everything."

          Ren remained with Nyx's body for as long as she could, even after death took her. Digging a mound not too far where Nyx's final resting place was, her funeral would not be amongst a beautiful meadow, but it would at least be decent. Digging as much as her tired, cold paws could, Ren literally took her time to dig for days until a perfected grave was made suitable for Nyx. Nudging Nyx in and finally burying it properly, more days passed where Ren would splay herself crumpled upon the freshly dug Earth that buried Nyx. Nyx's blood was still stained into certain areas of Ren's coat, her scent still strong upon her as if she had embraced her not too long ago. Day and night blended into one, and Ren nearly withered her own spirit away atop her cousin's gravesite. Who knew how many days Ren had been absent from the core of Relic Lore. Surely her membership expired long ago.

          Come on, it's time to go back. Her spirit urged her to get up and return. There was nothing else out here except the wind and the cold, and Ren knew Nyx wouldn't have wished in her heart for her cousin to die upon her grave. That wasn't in Ren's nature, anyway. She was granted enough grieving time and sadness to where she needed to rise and return to reality. I still can't believe she traveled this far, that she came back for me. Her paw falls were not with spirited avidity, nor did Ren expect for Swift River to come to her with open paws and wagging tails to invite her back in. Speaking of which... By the time she arrived at the borders, Ren stopped and stared blankly into the horizon before her. Reality hit as hard as a pinecone falling from the tree. How long have I really been gone? Ren couldn't count, and who knew... everything must have changed after all this time. They probably thought of myself as dead and gone.

          A heavy breath blew out, as Ren's mind was frantic on what to say if she was met face to face with an individual who she knew before she left. Ren usually was never nervous (even with a hard task at paw), but for some reason this instance made her jittery. Whether it was the after effect of her cousin's death still hitting her hard, her withered nutrition while she was gone, or the sake of herself teetering back on the borders of sanity and society again, Ren was nervous about this. It had been too long, and deep down didn't want to be left out in the cold, alone, with nobody there to comfort her psychological wounds. Her head lifted, her throat emitting a drawn howl to those who might have recognized it from the past. It was sundown, and the creeping winds behind Ren pushed her to scoot closer to the borders without actually crossing over, although Ren was dying to get back into a normal routine of life after this personal tragedy.

(This post was last modified: Dec 26, 2012, 08:57 AM by Ren.)

Time had passed by frequently in Swift River. Snow had fallen and each and every one of them had gotten older and the losses they had faced still plagued their memory. First Indru and two of his offspring and then Rissa, stolen from them. The memories still hurt…but in time they would have to become a hardship each one of them would have to face. To survive they would have to remain strong and provide for one another. The borders would have to soon regain their strong scent…and it was slowly occurring, either that or Jessie had just grown highly used to the strong scent she had arrived. She liked to think it was the later. Runs of the territory were much more likely for her now, even though it hurt each time she moved.

Her injuries from Blaze still remained, though they weren’t exactly as bad as they had been before, they still bothered her dearly. The claw marks on her chest were almost healed up, the marks near her throat not as closed up as she would have liked. A white, pinkish scar ran up her chest, and considering her white and gray fur, the pink was easy to notice. Her shoulder had healed up eventually but the pink bite mark was also an obvious sign that she had been in a fight with another wolf. She was grateful for Ice and Triell being there to help her.

In her mind, today would be a day completely devoted to hunting. It wasn’t likely that she would find much, but anything would do. Perhaps she could find something for Aiyana…she was not sure how much the younger Tainn had been eating since the disappearance of her sister, and Jessie was trying to keep a better eye on her. Today, however, the Swiftpaw had found a strong rabbit trail within Swift River and had decided to follow it…turning out successful when she sighted a scrawny gray rabbit near a tree. She crouched low, her emerald eyes gleaming with excitement. She needed this kill for the pack…they needed the food.

She crept forward silently, her muscular shoulders flexing as she approached…the rabbit oblivious to the predator less that a foot away. The wolf tensed and then sprung, landing swiftly on the rabbit and digging her jaws into the soft flesh that awaited her…and no sooner did the life drain from the rabbits body, did a voice call over the territory. Her head turned in the direction immediately, blood staining her muzzle. The voice was unfamiliar to her…and she was unsure of who it was, but if no one was there, she might as well get her paw moving. With a silent snort she quickly dug a hole and placed the rabbit there…she would come back for it later.

She broke into a short trot immediately after the rabbit was buried, making sure to clean her muzzle on the way there. Considering she wasn’t too far from the borders, she was in no rush and she shouldn’t have been, considering how she was still recovering from collapsing not too long ago. When she arrived at the borders a female was already there…and she was already extremely close to the borders. Jessie’s lips instantly peeled back to expose her canines a message to the other female to back away from their territory before anything physical happened. She didn’t want to get into anymore fights…but she also didn’t want anymore loners crossing into Swift River territory.

          Ren felt edgy, shifting her weight upon her paws as her ears tentatively listened for anyone beyond the borders who would respond to her call. Nothing. She knew she left without a single word, without looking back, without even going to the leaders of Swift River to tell them what she discovered. Perhaps it had been a part of her past Ren wasn't comfortable to share amongst those of this pack; she had always been an individual who didn't like her personal life in the limelight, although at the same time was somebody who loved all the hype and noise of other wolves' drama. Her means to depart from her birth pack was to originally escape the taunting and start anew in Swift River. Apparently Ren didn't learn her lesson of leaving the past in the past. How could I, when Nyx was barely crawling to find me in forgiveness? I can't believe it. I can't believe her.

          Finally, somebody acknowledged her howl and presence at the River's borderline. Ren was met with a small statured female, two toned in black and white. This make Ren relax a little bit, for it could have been Marsh or Ice she would have been staring face to face with, in shame. There was something about her that was older than Ren herself, despite how she was smaller in size than Ren. The thick waft of blood emitted from her pelt, the smell delightfully pleasant to Ren in a serious confrontation as this (probably because it had been weeks since a good meal had been sought). Ren would not be met by kindness (nor wasn't expecting to after leaving without a word from Swift River), as the blood stained fangs of the two-toned female pulled back in a suggesting warning that Ren's presence was a little too close for comfort. This female must have been one of the new ones Swift River picked up, for she didn't recognize her face nor scent back when Ren held a proud title as a member.

          Ren refrained from breathing out an irritable sigh in order to not offend her. The female was only doing her job as a fledged member of Swift River in protecting their borders, and in the back of her mind the Buffalo she-wolf was actually quite pleased to see Swift River wasn't too cordial with greeting outsiders on their borders. Ren took a minuscule step back from where she was standing, acknowledging in silent body language that she understood the female's warning and obviously wasn't here to stir up mischief. She had enough headache and emotional trouble to set her straight for the entire year. "I didn't come to start trouble." Ren further implied, her voice laced with monotonous seriousness. On the inside she was still on the verge of breaking, remembering Nyx's face before she passed, the regret ridden in her dulling eyes. Ren drew in a sharp breath, keeping the matter at paw strictly business. "If Indru is still Leader, I'd like to speak with him, please." Ren remarked, keeping it short, sweet, and to the point. Ren thought she might have caught a whiff of Indru's scent on the breeze when approaching the River's borders, but so much time had passed in between... who knew what Ren would be coming back to.

(This post was last modified: Dec 28, 2012, 09:29 PM by Ren.)

Cali was feeling comfortably tired after a full day of border patrols and a few failed attempts at hunting. Apparently, today wasn't her day to catch anything, but she wasn't worried. Swift River took care of it's own and between all of them there was always enough to eat in the caches. More would be better, but perhaps she would have better luck tomorrow as well. The white she-wolf was just about to head towards the den for a well deserved rest when an unfamiliar voice rang through the air. The last stranger that she was aware of coming near the borders had injured her sister, Jess badly and Cali was still reeling in guilt that she had not been there to aid her.

In moments she was approaching the location that the call had originated from and she picked up two scents, that of a stranger and that of Jessie. Instantly, her hackles raised and a growl emitted from her snowy muzzle. She stepped forward stiffly, head and tail high, just in time to hear the words of the unknown fae. She moved to stand next to her petite sister, proud of her performing her duty so admirably, despite her healing wounds and still-gaunt condition. Indru? What did this young girl know of the ex-leader? Out loud, she demanded, "Who are you and what business do you have with Swift River?" She conveniently left Indru out, just as he had left them out of his life in his ultimate betrayal.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

Her body position was still tense and on guard, but when the other female backed away from the borders, her lips instantly slide back over her bloodstained teeth. When the loner’s words registered to Jessie’s ears, the fur on her spine easily started to rise…it did not take long for her scrawny body to look as though she were much larger, considering she had her full blown winter coat in now. Indru was not a topic that should have been mentioned around Jessie, and now that this loner had mentioned him, the small prick of anger and jealousy welled up within her. What was Indru to her anyways? The pain of his betrayal was still there, and sometimes it made Jessie just want to rip another life’s throat out and pretend it to be him.

Right after the words were muttered, she was comforted to have her sister return to her side. The family resemblance was easy to see and it would take a blind and deaf wolf not to be able to tell. Cali’s words greeted the other wolf and Jessie was thankful, it meant she wouldn’t have to utter a single word. Her tail was lower than that of her sister’s though she still held an air of dominance around her. The female’s emerald eyes burned like embers as she stared at the girl in front of her. No more than a year old and daring come near their borders…but yet she knew of them, somehow. She even knew the same of their past alpha…and their pack.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. Life in Swift River hadn't been easy the past year, and by saying that, he meant that his life in Swift River had never been easy. There had been interludes of peace, when everything felt perfect - the days in spring after Indru's return, shattered when he helped Ava, slowly piecing itself together as summer waned... only to be broken again, when Indru left with Rihael and Torrel. And when he thought that they were recovering, Rissa had been taken. Another blow dealt to their fragile hearts. How had they not broken yet? With the exception of Hotei, Swift River had somehow functioned well in spite of the disasters. No one had left in a long time - and no one had been let in, either. The low howl of Ren came as a surprise, a familiar voice from what felt like a lifetime ago, and Ice stopped in his tracks a moment. The sun was nearly down, the wind blowing into the Grove, her scent upon it clear as daylight - though less healthy, naturally. She smelled of loner again, and as his tired eyes went to the snowy trees, he sighed. Had she left to try her luck only to found she had none, and came crawling back to them when winter wasn't too great a match for her hunting skills? Part of him wanted to ignore her, but there was one reason he couldn't: the borders. As he set off, his mind already decided upon confronting her, the scents of the Swiftpaw sisters came to his nose. Good. They were already there. As he spotted the young female through the trees he slowed from a wolf-trot to a walk, head and tail high (it felt too natural). Silver eyes bored into her emaciated shape, hearing the frosty voice of Cali cut through the air. Taller than all the females, Ice prowled closer, until he stood side by side with his pack mates. "Ren," he simply said, his voice neutral while his hard, unyielding eyes asked the question, why did you leave, why did you return, what do you want?. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

          For a split second the fangs disappeared, and Ren was temporarily relieved the two-toned she-wolf wasn't on any egotistical power trip to keep displaying malicious dominance where it wasn't needed. She was still stiff, and there was a change in chemistry in the surrounding air of the two that grew tense (at least on Ren's end). Ren couldn't put a paw on why this was so, but figured it had something to do with mentioning Indru. This doesn't feel like a good sign... Not knowing a tad about respect of your elders several months ago, Indru was one of the very few wolves Ren looked up to as respected. She had been a wild adolescent (and in some manner still was in most aspects), not knowing what direction she was going in life, only working hard in whatever she concentrated in at the moment, and not giving a damn what anyone else thought about her or her hard work. Indru had been one of the few to break the ice early with her, and actually opened Ren up to a new world of possibility that the rest of the world wasn't as hurtful as her own blood had been to her. For the tension in the air to invisibly rise, the temporary relief suddenly turned nerve wracking again.

          From the cover of the River's foliage in the heart of the territory emerged another. Pristine white, coming up to the side of the two-toned female, Ren seeing how the white she-wolf used her flank as a protective measure to the smaller of the duo. Ren didn't recognize her scent or face either, although there was something distinctly similar about the two female's scents before her (and it wasn't the Swift River signature aroma, maybe family?) Eyes like daggers were set on Ren from the two-toned girl, and the white wolfess who appeared demanded to know who she was and her business with Swift River. Ren refrained from making an irritable sigh again, as she disliked the motion to repeat herself a second time. Sure, they were only doing their duty as pack members, but the business Ren had concerning Indru was none of their concern.

          Ren was about to state her only name and to restate she requested to see Indru, until yet another presence met the three of them at the borders, and rather he announced who she was to the females. This time Ren's golden eyes widened at the sight of no other than Ice Aesir. Ice's sheer size impressed Ren with how large he grew the last time she seen him (or maybe it just had been too long since she last seen Ice face to face). Ice's hardened silver eyes asked the questions that Ren inevitably knew would be asked whether by voice or sight alone. Ren practically bailed on them all, but not without valid reason. "Ice." Ren muttered his name, suddenly the two females disappearing temporarily and her only focus was Ice before her. There was a skipping heartbeat of hope within her at Ice's presence, but then again his eyes told of something else. This could certainly go either way right now. Ren swallowed. "Ice. Where... where can I even start?" Ren said, shaking her head. Thing was, Ren didn't know if Swift River knew her well enough before to know of her past, so whatever she had to explain now might come out strange to them.

          She inhaled, determined to tell the truth and nothing but. "Ice, I'm... I'm sorry I left. An old cousin of mine came to the Lore, and I had no choice but to go to her. I smelled her on the breeze one night, I had no time to explain to anyone." Did her voice sound frantic? It was cracking a little, with the remnant of emotion from whence Nyx died. Ren didn't lie though, she never did. For the first time toward anyone, there was genuine hurt gleaming in her golden, tired, tear cried eyes. Ren was actually ashamed to look like this, even in the presence amongst three judging wolves. They had to see it really was a difficult matter she tended to, and now that Nyx died in the cold lonely outskirts of the Lore, Ren didn't want to be left out there with her. Not with the ghost of Nyx or her past she initially ran away from.

Standing next to her sister, she could feel the slight irritation coming from the waif before them, although she refrained from saying anything for the moment. It was apparent that she was familiar with Swift River and it's former king, but Cali had no idea who she was. She, herself, had been a part of the river pack for a good while now and the girl before her was but a yearling. She waited patiently for the young fae to answer her question, all the while keeping her gaze locked on the stranger. Just as it appeared that the girl would finally speak, Ice emerged from the trees.

The large white male came to stand by her and Jessie and Cali felt a surge of pride in the powerful show that Swift River was putting forth. With Jessie and both Seconds here at the borders, surely the girl would cause no trouble... not that Cali had been worried before. It was merely one of the rare times that Ice didn't seem irritated with her. Of course, Marsh wasn't around and he seemed to be the catalyst for the large male's dislike. This was the first time that she'd noticed that. How strange. But at the moment, that was irrelevant. The stranger before them was what mattered.

When Ice said her name, Ren, Cali glanced in his direction and saw a play of emotions and questions travel over his countenance. Her emerald gaze was drawn once more to the girl, Ren. There was obvious fear, self-doubt and nervousness in her voice as she tried to explain herself. She brokenly told of a relative that needed her. What happened to the cousin, she did not say. Apparently, she had once been a part of Swift River and had left with no word. No wonder Ice seemed so stiff. Although, honestly, she could not ever remember not seeing him stiff with tension or displeasure. Wolves abandoning their pack was far more than a touchy topic for Swift River right now. She decided that it was best to keep silent and let Ice do the talking for now.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

OOC: Sorry it is so short and sucky. :/

The younger Swiftpaw had already been highly on edge. Unwanted visitors on the borders was not something Jessie wanted to deal with right now. Especially one that mentioned Indru. Her posture was already stiff, waiting for the reply from the larger female. None came, until after Ice arrived. The large guardian eased some of her pent up stress, and some of the rigid body position relaxed and her ears pricked toward. When he came to a stop by her side, she respectfully licked his shoulder, glad to have the man by her side again…even if he was grumpy most of the time. She could handle that though, and she actually found it quite run when they had their little arguments. It let out pent out stress when they didn’t want to actually lash out on others around them.

When the female’s name was spoken, the two toned female kept the name and scent in her memory, saving it for later to remember. When the female spoke she snorted under her breath silently, muttering, “From the beginning.” Her comment was rude, but it wasn’t loud, probably only for the ears of Ice, if at all. When the female did speak, she remained silently, listening to the other wolf’s sob story and she had to resist the snarl that threatened to overtake her. While she had been gone tracking a cousin Swift River had lost four…she was upset about a death while they had many others hanging over their shoulders. Her quiet manner did not waver, though her body was becoming more tense by the moment.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. It didn't come as a surprise that she still remembered his name. After all, she'd spent a few weeks with them, and Ice had held her muzzle, giving her the reassurance of knowing her place, of being part of the hierarchy, the family. She had been one of those he could easily have forgotten in the months since, just another heart coming and going. It had been nearly a year. She had not stuck around long enough for him to nurture hopes of her staying, like the Swiftpaws, and so her return was unexpected — and troubling. Would she stay this time? Or would she drift away like a shadow in the night, like she had done once already? He could feel Cali's silent presence, the stiff irritation in Jessie. This was what happened when Indru left. This was what happened every time he left. It was in Ice Corinna had found stability the past spring, and together they had kept the borders safe, not daring to let anyone in for fear of time sweeping them away, as it always went. And now, Indru had left again, and Swift River was just a quaking, quivering bomb, a corpse. For a moment, it felt like all the trees threatened to fall down on him and crush him, and he closed his eyes. Beside him, Jessie muttered, not pleased with the situation at all. Neither was Ice, but at some point they all had to wake up again, and return to the living. His silver eyes opened again as Ren haltingly told of a cousin she had left them for. "I had no time to explain to anyone." Part of him pitied her, for the hardships she'd gone through, and another part wanted to scream at her that they had suffered, too. In the end, all he said was, "You have time now". His voice was cold, as his eyes, as his heart. He wanted to wake up, to smile and laugh and dance in the snow and sing to the stars, but as long as he remained in the Grove, he couldn't. Every shadow, every bird, every rock reminded him of Indru, and of Rissa: a place in his mind he did not want to visit, did not want to dwell upon. Somewhere deep down, he was beginning to understand that they had no future here. The past would always haunt them and cast its shadow across their bodies. But what he couldn't understand was if to accept Ren back was to move on, or to anchor himself even more in the past. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul