Seeking Songs in the Stars

[Saosin]

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Autumn had slipped through the crevices of summer, and it arrived just as silently as summer had died, naught but a cool whisper floating upon a distant breeze. Fall tumbled across the forest in waves of cooled temperatures and breezy days which swept the reaming leaves that dwindled upon their perches away into distant lands, or perhaps the waiting cerulean sea who greedily drank all that it was given. And it was these long, cool nights that the pallid alpha lay silent and contemplating upon a large broad boulder that overlooked Ravilin and its occupants. Solitude nagged at him, pulling upon his heartstrings with great angst, and yet he ushered these feelings away stubbornly, attempting not to wonder about possibilities that he did not know of. His mate had been gone from his side for some time now. The mirror image of himself yet far more feminine had drifted into the backdrop of their world and disappeared without a word. Alas he could only account for such a disappearance with the chilling call of the brute Carrick who he knew had such a complex history with Larka. He had called for her, perhaps demanded, and he could only assume that she had answered that call, for he had not felt her warmth upon him for many a week. He did not speculate as to their meeting, for he held the utmost respect for his mate, and trusted her completely. He also knew that there was much turbulence between her and Carrick, and that at some point the air would need to be cleared and decisions would need to be made. These of course were decisions only they could make, and so he took up the role of alpha alone, marking the boundaries heavily, watching their young pups grow with each passing day, and overlooked the goings on in their pack with intent interest.




Place a name upon the night, one to set your heart alight
and to make the darkness bright
Paint the sky with stars

[Kaziph]

The days again passed, and Cloud found herself wandering alone in the woodlands. She wandered nearest the den most often, and the cubs always made her smile. Yet Larka remained elusive after Carrick's voice again touched the clan, and it made the white fem nervous. Had their alpha gone to meet with him? If so, what had been said? She found it odd, too, that Zena was not as often present. The warm air was turning cooler in the evenings. It made Cloud's bright eyes sparkle more pleasantly, for it meant that she had been a member of the clan for a full year of her life. Not much had changed since she had first come across the Ravilins. Only a new litter and a new hope in Atka's reign made the wolves different from the faces she had known four seasons previously. Lorkan was often on her mind, but she had not seen him as often, either. It troubled her that the main bloodline of the clan was so distant.

Surulian was around, but she left him to his own devices. She'd seen him sniffing after the newest fem, Haokah, and although it amused her, she felt her presence wasn't needed. Not necessarily unwanted… just… not needed. So the pale she-wolf roved alone under the mid afternoon sunlight. It dappled shadows across her pelt as she passed under the trees, but she was oblivious to the effect it had upon her already handsome frame. Her voice rang out in the cheery noise of the woodlands, calling softly for the others. Where are you?

[Saosin]

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The younger pallid wolf named Cloud had never gone unnoticed by the similarly hued alpha, for she exhumed a sense of happiness and hope unlike any he had ever known. There were not the creases of regret and sadness etched into her features as in many of those who surrounded him. And he found it touching that she seemed to care so dearly, and most importantly, so very genuinely, about his family and these pack lands. She was a valued member of the pack and he truly hoped she would remain here for all her days. He watched her move through the brush, her features and body language suggesting she too was tiring of the silence and wished for company and life amongst this aging wilderness. Shaking himself of the loneliness and subdued mood that had washed over him in brooding of his missing mate, Atka progressed towards her, his eyes soft and his posture friendly as he greeted her. He had heard no others answer her plea for company, so perhaps they could take the time to get to know one another better than they already had. “Cloud… it is good to see you about, so many seemed to disappear lately. Tell me how you fair or of anything really… I find I am craving a conversation in these silent times.”




Place a name upon the night, one to set your heart alight
and to make the darkness bright
Paint the sky with stars

[Kaziph]

His voice didn't startle her, rather it was like a natural extension of the woodlands around them. It whispered through the old oaks like a phantom, a spirit of the Ravilin. She turned her head about when the tones reached her pricked ears, and a genuine smile was already pressed upon her muzzle. Greetings to you, too, Leader, she said softly. Her paws made indentations in the leaves as she crossed the ground between them, closing the distance easily. Her strides were long.

The she-wolf approached and lowered her tassels, letting it brush against her hocks. Her muzzle came down and then up again, touching Atka's lower jaw respectfully. Once the ritual was competed, she took a few light steps away. It has indeed seemed so lonely here. I miss Larka, and her eyes looked saddened. Lorkan too, part of her whispered. She wondered where the pups were; she had seen Atka with them, watching protectively as a good father should. Surely he wouldn't have let them get too far away. But conversation with the youth, too, can be trying. So many why's? Her eyes brighten a bit at the thought.

Silence seems to reign supreme here under the cloaked lands of the East. I wonder that any wolves voices are ever heard here at all. Her mind again flickered to Carrick's song. I have been well. Lonely, certainly, but well. How do you fair, my friend?

[Saosin]

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So many questions and so many lost voices who trailed into the wind with no signature trail in which to follow them. How had it come to this? How did it always seem to come to this, in this breathtaking woodland? For it seemed that to dwell here, within this labyrinth of trees and secrets, was to have the very soul suckled from you. So many desires and so many false hopes danced through these trees. So many songs of misery, and so many psalms of joy. To live within Ravilin was to offer yourself up to it fully, and in turn it promised to consume you entirely from time to time, and it was only a breath upon the wind, filled with hushed whispers that told of if you were to be delivered once more into the light of the sun.

Atka had watched the delightful creature Cloud act as only was customary to a pack wolf, her drooped tail carriage, the aversion of her eyes. It was like a dance really, a dance of ages that had lasted through eons of brotherhood and commitment. It was both the trust and the dedication that made such small gestures mean so much. In her eyes he found the same lonesome feeling that emanated from his own soul. For his every fiber sang a solemn song in the absence of his mate. So many questions lingered, so much uncertainty. Would she return to his side as surely as she had disappeared? Or would she fade into eternity, leaving him with only a remembrance of a newly blossomed love. He missed her… oh how he missed her.

“I too… miss my beloved mate. The forest morns her absence Cloud, I feel it ache for her as I do. Tell me, do you think I should have followed an uncertain trail into the wilderness in search of her? My mind says no, but my heart says yes. Alas, she is a strong, capable wolf. Capable of choosing her own path, but I cannot fathom her reasons for leaving so wordlessly. I fear for the pups, for they miss her direly, though they grow more and more each day, and no longer rely upon their parents. Still… they wish her presence; they seek her loving eyes upon them.”

Lightly his gaze turned from her own, seeking out the solace of the forest shadows as they loomed amongst one another. He realized he had begun to ramble. But the need for the expression of what was bottled inside had been too great. Did she think him foolhardy for thinking so vividly from the heart instead of the mind? Gently he shook his robust bodice, feathering out those lengthy sinews of snowy white as he sat rigidly upon the rich inky soil. He turned back to her then, more composed, seemingly more thoughtful.

“I have been considering the migration of the pack from these lowland flats. The pups no longer need to be shielded here for safety. Only days ago I witnessed a fair sized herd of caribou following in the hoof prints of many other herds, progressing up into higher elevations. The terrain of course is harsher, but the bounty more plentiful. I think it is time my sons and daughter know the feel of our vast wilderness and the fruits of its womb. But alas… it is not solely my decision to make. And should Larka return to find us gone and worry set in… I just do not know. These things weigh heavily upon my mind these days Cloud. Tell me of your thoughts; I value your words if you will share them with me.





Place a name upon the night, one to set your heart alight
and to make the darkness bright
Paint the sky with stars

[Kaziph]

Cloud saw the sorrow on the majestic white wolf's face; it made her own heart bleed in unison, for she too knew the pain of missing their leader. Perhaps she longed for Larka's companionship in a different manner, but long for her never-the-less she did. Her muzzle dropped toward the earth as he spoke, but her bright blue eyes remained fixed upon Atka's face. Within their depths there was encouragement, a strong sense of survival gleaming from the dark crevasses of her inner being.

When the brute finally stopped speaking (for it was a good speech he gave), Cloud offered forth first a sigh. She knew the answers to these questions, but she also knew that they would hurt herself and the clan in her uttering them. It was for the best that you stayed when you did, dear friend. For if you had vanished, what would the rest of us have done? She blinked, thoughtfully, and then turned her away toward the north.

I have scented the migrations as well, and though I ran along the outskirts it did not feel right with Larka's presence there as well. However, the clan must survive. One day, surely, she will return to us? Cloud had not been a member long enough to know the stories behind Larka and Carrick, and the forest in general. She did, however, have a good sense of the history of the place simply from the doleful whispering between the trees.

I think it is best, Leader, that you call the wolves together. We should move north, but rase our voices as we go so that, perhaps, our dear Larka will hear us wherever we are. She didn't want to leave the summer den, but the pale fem knew that the clan had to come above her own objections.