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Post by Cascade on May 25, 2014 20:44:30 GMT -5
Despite the summer air the caves were cool, chilly almost. Beads of condensation ran down their walls, over the ridges and dips and mysterious carvings that adorned them. He was so far away from home, but felt even further from his heart. Kanut didn't feel like himself. He didn't feel like part of the Eternal Snowfall. He didn't even feel like a wolf. Rhiannon had been so close to accepting her birthright...and she had been so close to him. To have gone through all that they did together, only to go to sleep one night and wake up in the morning to find her disappeared. It was dreamlike, something that didn't feel real.
Kanut laid down at the mouth of one of the smaller caves, absorbed in thought of nothing in particular. The wolf to which he had so fully anchored his life was now gone without a trace, and he had reached the impossible decision of whether to keep looking for her and devote the rest of his life search, or to let himself stop looking and know that he gave up on her. Let himself move on without having found her and known for sure that she was alive or dead. Let himself laugh. Let himself live.
It was cold, and he was far from home.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 21:03:18 GMT -5
MoonFlower loved to travel by the light of the moon..but she also loved to bask in the warmth of the sun. This lead to an interesting reaction when it was a bright and hot day. She was used to the colder temperatures of the night so..while she enjoyed the sun..she could not stand long periods under it.
This meant that the caves were perfect for her.
Once again finding her way to what has become her summer home, Moonflower wandered along the cool interior, feeling the caves steal the extra warmth away from her and clearing her mind.
She was about to lay down and take a nap when she got something. Sniffing the ground, shew got a better scent and decided to follow it out of her curiousity.
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Post by Cascade on May 25, 2014 21:10:51 GMT -5
Kanut's ears perked up as they heard the sound of an approaching wolf. His heart leaped, as it did for every unknown sound, at the possibility that it may be Rhiannon returning safe and sound. In his mind he shamed himself for it. Of course that wasn't the case, and it hadn't been the last hundred times either. Months later, could he really expect her to just...show up?
To no one's surprise, it was a wolf he'd never seen before, but the disappointment bloomed in his chest just as it did every time. Even though he didn't let it show on his face, he couldn't help but scold himself further for the rude reaction. He was not going to let his entire self be overtaken by this inner turmoil. Mustering himself as best he could, he cleared his throat so as not to startle the wolf in case she wasn't yet aware of his presence.
When he saw her, he nodded to her in a polite gesture of acknowledgment. "I see I'm not the only one beating the heat in the caves today," he said in a friendly enough tone. Some normal interaction would do him good.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 21:33:52 GMT -5
She had seen him just fine, him being a patch pf white (kinda) just as she was sure she was to him.
He seemed friendly enough and willing to talk. She sat down a respectful distance from him. She was glad to have found him, she hadn't been able to be in anyone's presence in a while. Feling cooler now, her mind also cleared up. She nodded to hikm in both greeting and agreement. "it is quite warm." she responded quietly, then looked down at the ground and then the opening of the caves. Perhaps she sould say more than that...
"I am not used to it."
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Post by Cascade on May 25, 2014 21:49:43 GMT -5
Kanut stood and stifled the urge to stretch, wanting to nip his rudeness in the bud. "I agree," he said, "Out in the meadow where there is not much shade, the heat can quickly be overwhelming. These caves will be inhospitable come winter, but there's no better place to cool down in these months," he smiled, "Except maybe the lake."
Ironic though it was for him to have a coat resembling a waterfowl, Kanut had never been one for swimming. Even in this heat, it would take too long for his thick coat to dry, and he didn't like the decreased agility that came with being in the water. That was neither here nor there, though, because he was in a cave high in the mountains and the only water around was what little dripped from the ceilings.
"Forgive me," he said, realizing he'd not given his name, "My name is Kanut. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2014 16:31:40 GMT -5
She remained quiet as he spoke. Quiet, but interested. She only nodded a bit as he mentioned the lake, which made her think about water. She herself, didn't mind swimming..but many wolves went to the water sources for more than just a drink in the hotter days.
Remaining wordless, she walked over to a wall where there was a good layer of condensation. She pressed her nose to it briefly before rubbing her entire side against the wetness. She repeated for the other side. Now she was comfortable, and would remian so evfor a while, even if she left the cave.
Her ears perked as he continued, this time telling his name to her. With her task done, she returned to him and smiled a bit again. "MoonFlower. My name is MoonFlower."
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Post by Cascade on May 26, 2014 16:45:26 GMT -5
"MoonFlower," he tested the new name on his tongue, "I am intrigued by that name. Were you named after the flowers that bloom by night in the Lunar Meadow?" Living just west of the meadow, Kanut had witnessed the blooming of those flowers many times himself, each time more breathtaking than the last. It was a truly benevolent display of the mountain's magic, and one that brought him much comfort in times of stress.
He noted her cooling herself with the condensation on the cave wall and briefly considered doing it himself, but he was comfortable at the moment and not planning to leave for a while yet. "There is great unrest in the valley. Packs falling apart, packs joining together. It's nice to get away from it all."
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2014 17:35:23 GMT -5
"My mother said it was because the moon is beautiful, and the word flower denotes beauty in it's own way." She explained, giving more to it that any other thing she had said for this encounter so far.
She came to sit infront of him again, looking him over more thoroughly now that they've begun to talk with each other. Never being one to keep up on news of packs, since she never thought to decide to join one, what he was speaking of was news to her.
"I wouldn't know, I don't watch the packs."
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Post by Cascade on May 26, 2014 19:01:57 GMT -5
"You would be so lucky. My parents were much more literal in naming me...as I understand, 'kanut' simply means 'goose.'" He laughed for what felt like the first time in ages. It wasn't loud, but it grew larger in its echoes off the cave walls and sounded strange to him when it returned to his ears. He wasn't used to it.
"The packs..." thinking about them made him grow more solemn, but he still felt relief from getting some emotion out, "It is a rough time for us right now. Even as a loner you should at least be aware. We on the side of good had to join together just to keep from dissipating completely, and even with our combined numbers we are outnumbered two to one by evil." It was a grim prospect, evil potentially holding that much power in the valley. "Even the Honovi, who claim to be neutral, side with evil as their allies. I haven't heard any news of violence spilling over to other packs or to loners, but much unrest is brewing in the evil lands. It is very troubling."
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2014 19:16:18 GMT -5
She smiled with the slightest sparkle of amusement as he explained his name. And now that she gave him a closer look over, he did kind of resemble the bird. But she found herself drawn to those with more complicated coats, the simplicity of the moon was beautiful, but so were other things she's seen on the wolves of the valley.
She blinked as he continued talking about the pack again, his happiness getting dampened by the apparent hopeless situation. Still, she had to wonder if about how many loners there were compared to the packs now. She had been told that a long time ago, there had been many packs...so why did it seem like there were so few now?
"The goods are gathering?"
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Post by Cascade on May 26, 2014 19:25:48 GMT -5
Kanut nodded. 'Gathering' might have been an oversimplification, but Eternal Snowfall was now stronger than it had been in a long time with its ranks bolstered by the Bright Timber wolves. "Yes, some of the good packs dissipated but Bright Timber combined with my pack, the Eternal Snowfall, and now we have just enough wolves to protect our borders." Unsaid was the fact that Kanut was not currently there protecting the borders, selfish as it was.
"I hope I didn't worry you. I didn't mean for it to sound like doomsday, I just want you to be safe while traveling. Not all is bad...few starve these days because game is so plentiful, and I am sure that some bright young upstarts will claim one of the old territories for a new pack, and life will bloom in the valley once more. There are cycles of bounty and drought, but the mountain has a way of correcting the balance when things stay one way for too long."
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2014 20:11:18 GMT -5
Her tail idly drifted back and forth as he continued to explain things for her, however, this was about as much information as she needed. She had no more questions on the matter, not that she had asked many to begin with. She contemplated about whether or not it was time for them to part. Maybe he would be ok with them just relaxing silently together. She didn't know, but she was fairly certain most wolves did not like to be silent when they were with another.
Still, she found him interesting.
"You are worried about me? We just met."
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Post by Cascade on May 27, 2014 13:26:47 GMT -5
Kanut nodded, "With so few wolves left in the valley, it's our responsibility to look out for each other. No one is truly a stranger to another, just a friend they haven't yet made." He looked to the caves, at the markings that danced along the walls. Some of them looked like the carvings on the Adoette tree, others were similar to the strange runes that could be found on some of the Abeytu ruins. Doubtlessly they were all connected somehow, but Kanut had never figured out exactly how. He didn't expect that the answer would suddenly come to him on today of all days, but it was always interesting to consider the possibilities.
"There are a lot of mysteries in this valley," he said, "And I think I like it that way. At every turn there's something new and wonderful and full of magic."
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2014 13:37:42 GMT -5
She blinked, not remarking on how idealistic and hypocritical he seemed to her at that moment. It really did not matter in the long run of life if he was hypocritical or not. But she did kind of like him, some things that he said seemed almost like poetry and it made her smile.
"I am glad for you, that you are happy with how things are."
well, in that sense anyways. obviously, he wasn't happy about the situation with the evils but everyone had two sides to them. Or more. Moonflower only passive observed, and never actively disentangles the personality of anyone she's met. She liked to wander through life, admiring what she did happen to see. She thought that maybe it was best that way.
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Post by Cascade on Jun 2, 2014 21:42:53 GMT -5
"Thanks. I'm glad to have someone to talk to, newly-met though we may be." He sat up, the coldness of the rock becoming too much for him, even in the summer heat, "These caves have a certain unfriendliness to them," he remarked, shaking some moisture from his belly, "Very useful, but cold and dark year round. And mysterious." He glanced again at the strange markings. In some respects, just being unknown could make something appear sinister. "I'd like to go someplace a little more cheerful. It's later in the day now, so the heat shouldn't be as overwhelming. Would you like to come with me? No sense wasting good company when the valley is so sparse, these days."
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