Shelter for a stranger

Number of posts : 328 Registration date : 2011-02-04

Marrok’s eyes and ears directed straight at Isis, trying to tone out the figure of his sibling looming next to him. She clearly wanted some answers from the look in her fiery eyes. He tried to look remorseful, as if his devious brother stalking them was an embarrassing accident. His orbs even seemed to dull a bit, as he thought back to harder times. “We went our separate ways for good reason, but he somehow managed to find me. Knowing him, he’s looking for something, and either searched me out to help, or just so happened to come to this forest at the same place and time as we did. Convenient…” Jericho gave a deadly stare, like he wanted to kill something just for the sake of getting a rush from it. “I’m right here,” he said unimpressed. “But I guess this is supposed to go with the ‘tough-guy leader’ look, right? You know, maybe if you hung around long enough, we could’ve stood a chance at unifying everyone for the better. But no. Instead, you ran away with your tail between your legs because things weren’t going like you hoped.” Marrok simply ignored his comments like they weren’t directed at him. The things he had won and lost before didn’t mean anything now. Marrok resumed his explanation to Isis, trying to wrap things up for her. “…And now he probably wants to tag along for his own benefit…What do you think? I can tolerate him, but I don’t know if you want to.” Looking at her for a few seconds in a light-hearted manner, he turned back towards Jericho with a darker tone. “Well, that’s what you want, isn’t it? To follow us?” Jericho glared back with unforgiving crimson glares, halfway between anger and defeat. “I wasn’t trying to cause you trouble. I just need some better guidance until I can go on my own again. I don’t these lands like you do…Where are you even headed, anyway?” Marrok responded in a less antagonizing voice. “Midnight Meadows” Jericho gave a small smirk at the answer. “See, now wouldn’t a third set of eyes and ears pay off on a long journey? Plus, I’ll be out of your hair by the time we arrive there. It’s on the way to where I’m going.” Marrok looked down at the earth slightly. His ears twitched while he thought. Truthfully, he didn’t like him around, but he could help. Each choice had its major pros and cons, but what worried him most was Jericho being around Isis. Jericho wasn’t always the ‘friendliest’ person to be around, but he would still probably be loyal to Marrok’s judgment. Marrok just hoped Isis had a stance on this so they could help or leave Jericho as quickly as possible.

[OOC: kinda dragged out, sorry Razz

]

Number of posts : 74 Registration date : 2011-03-26

Isis watched closely as the two wolves discussed with each other, but this time with her more included. She saw the want in Marrok's eyes, like he wanted them to leave. She kept looking at Jericho with spite, she could feel malevolence emanating from him, but if he was Marrok's brother she supposed he couldn't be that bad, but still she decided to keep opinions to herself about him. She honestly didn't know anything of what this wolf might do is he tagged along, and even though she was reaching health and could probabaly fight on her own soon, she still felt weak compared to him, just as she did with Marrok. Then the question of toleration came, she knew that she didn't like him already, but never htought that maybe she could stand him. If he was generally harmless she probably could, but she wouldn't trust him ever. She couldn't tell this to Marrok, because even though he seemed anxious to get Jericho to leave, the small part him that cared actually showed through. Isis knew the connection of brother could never be broken, for she used to have two brothers, and she had studied them for a while too. Isis didn't want to get in the middle of it though, so she said," As long as he can keep himself in check, I'm fine, but its mostly your decision Marrok, he's your brother"Isis spoke a little on the strict side, as her eyes moved back to Jericho and his sly grin. Her ears flattened, in her words you could tell she felt a little on the angry side, not only because of Jericho's presence, but because deep inside, she felt a longing to suddenly meet up with her siblings just as Marrok did, but immediately she knew, that would never happen.

{OOC: No prob Smile

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Thu Jul 28, 2011 4:45 pm

Marrok gave a great sigh with Isis’s response. She would be fine with it. Plus, it was his brother. It was his decision. But he knew Jericho. He could be playing games now, but what if things got serious? What if he was angry and ruthless like usual? And what if Marrok had to be like he was before he met Isis?... There were too many chances to take, but Marrok was going to take all of them, with some ground rules in place. Almost in regret, he at last looked to his brother and gave a verdict. “Fine, you can come. But as soon we’re in good range of Meadows, you’re gone. Understand?” Jericho was more at ease, but still gave his usual sly tone. “Alright. Lead the way.” With that, Marrok motioned for Isis to continue in the direction they had been going originally. Glaring back to Jericho, Marrok spoke again. “You stay in front with me. I don’t want you out of sight.” Reluctantly, Jericho matched Marrok’s stride and began to keep pace. “No need to be so dramatic,” Jericho mumbled to himself. Jericho wasn’t particularly fond of how he was being treated; he understood that he was a jerk sometimes. But Jericho was always the mature one. He was the closest thing to a father figure Marrok had, even though their sire was still alive growing up. Even though they were the same age, Jericho always looked out for his brothers, especially Marrok. It’s why he was supposed to grow up to be a leader. It’s why he was in place to become the next alpha. And it’s why he was so pissed when he had to leave the pack for his own safety. With Jericho lost in his thoughts, and Marrok leading the way, both were in silence.

***

After a long time trekking in a monotonous, straight ahead trudge, the trees began to retreat. Less and less green began to cover the world around them. It was clear: the forest was beginning to end. This meant many things: fewer resources, different obstacles, and less time. The hardest was yet to come, and Marrok could just feel it so close, even though they were still blanketed by woodland landscape. Things were going to get interesting.

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Thu Jul 28, 2011 6:19 pm

Isis fell silent for the rest of the day, she never felt so many feelings at once before, one minute she was troubled by the past, and another by the present. She sauntered behind the two males, keeping her head down inn thought most of the time, and looking up only to make sure she was following the right way. Sometimes it would take her a minute to remember which wolf was which, but whenever they walked a certain way, or Marrok turned his head so she could see his icy orbs she would know. She was so caught up in her memory, and her mixed thought that it was far too long before she noticed the change in landscape. The trees seemed to get farther apart, and the grass seemed to grow as they walked out towards the sunlight. She looked behind at the dark forest they came from, and felt a cold shudder emit from it. That's when she walked up to Marrok's side, almost looking like she was using him for a shield. But what much could he do against her paranoia? She tried to look less needy by looking forward and keeping a straight face, but inside she just felt like the journey was going to get more tricky as they went on, she just hoped that Jericho wouldn't make it harder for them as they went along. So she perked her ears and kept walking, hoping that things would ease up by the time night fell.

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Sat Jul 30, 2011 4:19 pm

Now was a rather strange time for Marrok. The journey itself that he was on started out almost spontaneously, and developed pretty quickly. At one of the more trying times of the venture, his ‘long-lost’ brother seeks him out and joins along. And the two were going to go along with it like nothing was different? Not to mention the terrain ahead of them was becoming unrecognizable and unfamiliar from what it looked like just minutes earlier. The rock-hard earth had felt more like solid stone rather than mostly dirt, and its uneven mounds and divots were beginning to send pangs of fatigue through Marrok’s paws and ankle bones. Now, the surface was smoothed out, becoming nearly flawless soft plains. Waves of grass were starting to rise below the group as they went on. Marrok had never been on such forgiving land. It almost scared him at how foreign it seemed compared to the snowy mountains or even the forest they had maneuvered through. It seemed too easy to pass by. Darkness had begun to ensue, and it wasn’t long before the last slivers of the warm orange sun were fading from the horizon. He faintly realized Isis had been standing close next to him for some time now. From a glance, she seemed to staring straight ahead, determined. Marrok just smiled to himself. Deep down, though, he just hoped she felt safe, because it wasn’t long before they finally got warning signs from the plains. Far away yet distinct sounds were coming from the prairie grass. Snakes. Badgers. Bobcats. There could even be coyotes or other wolves out there for all Marrok knew. Even though there was no more treeline restricting the starlight, it little helped to guide the way. Focusing as much as he could at the land ahead, he whispered to Jericho in an attempt to pass some time. Jericho had stayed pretty low-key the entire trip, and there didn’t look to be any good places to stay for the night, so they could be stuck walking for awhile. “So…have you heard anything about…” “About what?” "About home?” With that question, Jericho was silent for some time. Then, he took a deep breath through his nostrils, almost in anger, and finally whispered back. “They put us through hell because they wanted their way of running things. I’m never going to check in with them. Honestly, I wish they were all dead. Everyone, dead. I know they aren’t, but it might make it easier to forget them then.” Marrok was silent. The conversation halted. What scared him the most is that he wanted to agree. All he wanted to do now was find a place to stop.

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Sat Jul 30, 2011 9:31 pm

Isis could hear the rather loud whispering the entire time, she wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but there wasn't anything more interesting to listen for. She began to wonder what their home was like, how their family was. Of course she would never meet them from the sound of it, but she could still think about it. The way Jericho explained the wellness of their old home, it sounded more in peril to her. She still wasn't exactly sure what happened but she wasn't about to ask. Then she heard Jericho's death wish, and she felt a flame rise in her. Since the accident, she never wished for anyone to die, ever. So when she heard Jericho say it, she became instantly defensive, but she didn't say anything due to her manners of not interrupting a conversation, even though it had fell dead silent. But she found it undeniably rude to wish for death, she could feel the core of ehr tightening up. But she tried to make sure not to say a word. She decided to settle her new found anger with herself later, but for now, she would just have to stay irritated. Her tail flicked in reflex,and the ridge of her back stood up like needles. Her face lowered in slow anger, as they walked, but with her body showing anger, her mouth stayed shut.

As they walked, the night had com e upon them, the silvery light gently touching the white fur on her back, and making all their eyes glow in the darkness. Her feet began to wear, but even though she might be somewhat courageous, she found it better to wait until they found a better place to rest. But she knew that the prairie was not the safest thing to pass by. She could just barely make out the old scent of a bobcat, but she wasn't worried about that, since it was faint. Though she still was aggravated, the moonlit grass seemed to calm her a little, and let her body show less of what was burning inside. So she looked around a bit, letting her eyes take in the beauty as they walked, and hopefully they would find a place to rest soon.

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:54 pm

Jericho was the first to take notice. Far off to the left of the group, shallow hills elapsed on one another, creating a rugged incline. The only way one could see the beginning of one hill and the ending of another from this distance was by seeing the thin breaks of grass. This area had to be the highest spot of elevation for miles by far, and atop this staircase of land stood a solemn prairie tree surrounded by scattered bushels of other plants. Its vibrant colored leaves were starkly different from the more brittle, yellowing colored grass below it. The tree just seemed sacred, like it defined how the rest of the land appeared. Jericho wouldn’t be surprised if other creatures loomed around this landmark, but it seemed best to investigate it and see if it was safe. After all, it would be better not to risk staying the night out in the open, and the prairie tree overlooked every speck of earth for miles. Not leaving his gaze from the hills, Jericho spoke aloud. “Marrok…” Marrok spun his head around quickly, stricken by the break in silence. “What is it?” he asked. Jericho nodded his head in the direction of the staircase hills. Turning to see, Marrok noticed it instantly. A rush of thoughts played through his mind. It took him only seconds to know what Jericho was thinking. A barely noticeable smile came on Marrok’s face. He even let out a small sigh of relief, aware that they could finally rest somewhere. His body had been alive and alert, but the traveling was starting to put his mindset in a nervous trance. His family even lingered in his thoughts. Marrok now directed his lyrics towards Isis. “Seems like we’ve found a reasonable place to stay for the night. It might be able to tell us how much farther we have until we reach the Meadows, too. It’s a long shot, but we better go.” He turned more to the left, walking at a slower pace and looking to Isis. He didn’t know where the next opportunity like this would come up. The moon sat high above the land, but he didn’t want to crawl through the dark all night until morning showed. He wanted her to approve. He wanted her to begin to feel eager, knowing they could be that much closer.

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Wed Aug 17, 2011 1:29 am

or the dely, my interent was out for while!}

[color=cyan]Isis stayed quiet until she was asked to speak. She looked up and saw the tree they had spotted. She at this point would take anything just to cool down. It had been sort of a long day for her, with emotional drama and whatnot. She turned to Marrok and nodded"Sure I'll take anything right about now" she said with a groggy voice due to the unused condition it had been in this whole time. She inhaled a gust of air and sighed, the soreness of her eyes began to take form in her face. She looked up at the moon, remembered that her soon to be new home was sitting under the same moon. She felt eager to be able to start out fresh, but she knew that if she wanted Marrok to trust her fully, and this had crossed her mind last night, that she would have to tell him about her past. She thought that maybe she could tell him when she felt ready, but knowing that his brother was here, and the slight possibility of him leaving with him when they reached the checkpoint had occurred to her, she knew that the sooner the better. She knew though, that it would be hard to tell him, without him being distracted by Jericho or the journey. She also didn't want Jericho to hear her, because she only wanted to tell the ones she trusted, and Jericho wasn't one of them. Isis knew that tonight might be a good time to tell him, but she would only wait for the right moment.

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:05 pm

Marrok looked into Isis’s orbs. Her tired, cracked lyrics shuttered the air, and her entire form looked slumped with fatigue. The alertness was slowly crumbling in her body from the walking perhaps? It just seemed like it was more than that to him. He returned a faint smile, giving a sort of message that said ‘cheer up’. “Alright…” he breathed, looking back to the landmass ahead in the open distance. Marrok walked at the same pace, yet the hill got closer and closer faster than he expected. They treaded on flat earth for the most part all the way until the mound lay a paw length in front of them. The incline up looked sharp and menacing like a wolf’s fang, pockmarked with grass and bushes. Sounds of nightlife had been echoing for hours, but now the noise seemed to fade behind the shadow of this hill. Marrok took in this place with all of his senses, and without much hesitation they continued up the mound. Yet Marrok could feel the resistance in his slow-moving legs from the sharp ascension. The old, wicked tree at the top seemed farther away than ever. Marrok was never one to feel tired. He might be sleep deprived every now and then, but his muscles and joints never gave way to soreness. He didn’t feel that kind of weakness. He wasn’t unstoppable, but he was more rugged then he looked. Yet from all the work today, the last meters of the day felt like more of a challenge then anticipated. He now glared at the tree at the top, like it was the one making this more difficult. So, without any word of it, he jogged ahead of the other two for the last 100 meters up. The night air beat down harder as he picked up speed. His muscles flexed, and his joints moved smoothly. He felt like himself again. As he reached the top and the tree now stood in front of him, he spun around to look down at Jericho and Isis. Marrok didn’t even glance around at his surroundings, as he now waited patiently at the top. Jericho looked back and forth between Marrok at the top and Isis with a small look of confusion. “Wonder what’s with him.”

[OOC: It's cool, no problem Smile

]

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:25 am

Isis slowly sauntered behind Marrok, his tail somehow keeping her concentrated. She could feel every muscle in her back legs straining in every inclined step. She always hated when she felt this tired, she wondered if she would be able to talk for the rest of the night. Soon she realized that Marrok had sprinted ahead, his fitness compared to hers being rather superior. She lfited ehr head and realized how far they had come. She sighed and swung her tail in a slow wag. Then she heard Jericho's comment, and she turned with glazed eyes"I wouldn't have a clue"She said as they approached the tree. The ground was flat around the tree except for some roots coming out from the dirt. She found a slightly comfy spot and plopped down on it. Her legs sprawled across and her ears relaxed for once. She looked over at the twins and smiled, her icy eyes gazing both at them with relief. She then began to lick the dirt form her paws that were sore form so much walking. She hoped for a conversation before sleep, just to make it less awkward.

Subject: Re: Shelter for a stranger Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:27 pm

Finally at their destination, Jericho looked about the hill top. It wasn’t much, but at least it meant a good vantage point and not having to sleep in the desert-like plains where the unknown lurked. The tree was oddly enough full of life, unlike the rest of the long-lifeless land. Even stranger, it seemed abandoned, as though the things that once lived just decided to get up and leave. It appeared more eerie to him than the mysterious lands they had finally finished crossing. Jericho even circled the tree once, getting a better view of its outlying presence. But, in reality, his mind was concerned around more devious thoughts. It was obvious Jericho was here for a greater purpose than just “tagging along”. He was already sick of this namby-pamby, playing-nice crap, and it hadn’t even been a day since he met up with Marrok and Isis. For him, being quiet was more than enough to fall under the category of being polite. He needed to get away, maybe to be to himself for a minute. Jericho had been scavenging for food for around a week, he wanted to prepare. Breaking his silence and his over exaggerated curiosity for the environment, he looked towards the other two wolves, keeping conserved still. “I’m going off on a hunt, more just to explore. I won’t go too far.” Like that, his body disappeared behind the opposite side of the hill from which they ascended. His loud, thumping footpads as he raced downhill were audible in the strange, still atmosphere of the hilltop.

Marrok decided not to ask if he could join him, not wanting to impose on Jericho. Marrok thought he seemed like something was wrong. He hoped in his head that Jericho was okay for his sake. Marrok felt more at solace with his brother gone. Looking at the space where Jericho had been standing moments before, he could see land far in the distance from where they were headed. Marrok moved closer to the edge of the decline back down to flat level, getting a better view. For a few miles, everything seemed to be yellow and brown with death and desertion. Yet at the very cusp of visibility, in far reaches on the horizon, greener pastures looked to begin. He decided to lay down at the edge of the hill, as he turned back towards Isis. “Looks like we’re pretty close,” he said in a fatigued yet contented voice, as he sat his head into his paws and stared into the promising distance.

[moving to Midnight Meadows, 6/15/12]

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