Post by Therdde on May 3, 2010 11:35:52 GMT -5
Characters:
Cael - Male Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Wooded Terrain -
They say that time heals all wounds, but as he approaches his cubhood home, Cael wonders if the scars are equally easy to heal? It's not that he has anything against Amaranth, or those who inhabit it, but there are so many experiences and emotions wrapped up in his past that have all tied themselves to the mountain underpaw. He has spent time away, far away, but felt the need to come back just once and speak with one very important individual; someone who deserves to hear the words in his son's mind. The hard winter has begun to ease, and Cael's travel has brought him to the thick woods, knowing that he will find his father among the trees sooner or later.
Cael's journey might be made longer, but for the fact that Kein has been working hard to establish his presence in these wooded lands once more. With two of his daughters expecting cubs, they will definitely need the territory. Besides, it's not as though he had a great deal of choice, since many of the members of the tribe have been staying this far north, even throughout the winter. As he walks, he is quiet, but his scent is thick here. Cael's is less so, and Kein has not yet realized that his son is near.
You see? He knew. As he moves through the trees, Kein's scent becomes stronger, and his son follows the trail with measured steps. He pauses at a particularly large tree, eying the freshly clawed bark and watching for a few short moments as the sap begins to well up in the broken ruts. "Recent," he mumbles to himself, tail tip twitching a few times before his paws point him in Kein's most likely direction. Cael issues a quick, deep chuff, one to simply establish his presence, and then a second to call to his father.
At the first sound, Kein's ears perk and he stops walking. Though he could tell the general direction of the sound, it is not until his son chuffs again that Kein begins, somewhat cautiously, in that direction. Certainly, no one who meant harm would announce himself like that, but the chuff was distinctly masculine, and Kein does not announce himself quite so openly. Not when he has no idea who he is approaching, since he cannot catch Cael's scent through his own.
"It's me." He offers after a long silence that passes after his announcement. What with his father's hearty re-establishing routine going on, he's not surprised that he doesn't come bursting through the trees with glee and joy at another male so openly encroaching on his territory. In fact, he could be somewhere in the woods, watching him; whatever Kein makes of his son's return is only for Kein himself to know. Deliberate motion catches his attention, and Cael turns his head and body to face the oncomer, lifting his chin in silent greeting.
The boy's voice, for that is always how Kein will likely think of his son, is familiar enough to be recognized, and Kein is not surprised that he immediately feels relief. Relief not only at that it is not some stranger who walks his territory, but also at that Cael is alive, and so Kein is no longer so cautious in approaching Cael. Once Cael is in sight, though, he stops. His expression shows no aggression, but he knows, well enough, how he started to feel towards the males around him once he came into adulthood, and he knows that it is unlikely the two of them will ever be close again. Still... "Cael. I had worried. I'm glad to see you well." Perhaps the chieftain wouldn't even say that much, were it not for the fact that it was Kein who last sent Cael away from Amaranth, on a mission to watch over his sister. Who knows what troubles might have befallen Cael since then, and Kein would have had every reason to blame himself.
There is a moment of hesitation, a moment where hundreds of memories flood into his mind, experiences both good and bad. So many moments, and here another one begins. The thought passes by him and he sighs quietly, though a smile graces his muzzle. "Maul's well?" he asks, curling his ears forward. Once she was back he'd left again, and what he'd found once he'd left caused him to stay away until now; and it will cause him to leave once business has been concluded. He's not sure what else to say, and so, for now, Cael says nothing.
"She is. Thanks, I'm certain, to you." Of course, having Maul around has never been easy, but Kein would be in mourning still if anything had happened to any of his children, especially his daughters, while they were away, and Kein's gratitude is genuine.
"Good," Cael nods a few times, eyes awkwardly trailing off through the trees as he thinks; he'd broken himself of that cubbish foolishness of fidgeting and squirming under pressure, but for that brief second he was a boy again, standing under the stern gaze of his father. He laughs lightly, a short 'hmph' and shakes his head, "I came back to say goodbye. Seems pretty backwards, though." The boy shrugs and looks at Kein, smiling; there is no bad blood between father and son, for Cael knows that Kein taught him so many valuable lessons.
"I told you the day would come when you'd be ready to be on your own." Kein wouldn't bring this up, but for how Cael seemed to insist that he wanted to live in Amaranth forever. Certainly, Kein does not allow anything but pride to show. His son has clearly done well enough on his own through the winter. "I appreciate the chance to see you again, though. And I suspect your mother would appreciate it more, if you could manage to go through the territory to find her, before you leave for good." Cael would always be welcome back. He always has been. But Kein has some experience there, too, and if he had not been called back by the shamaness, at the time, Kein probably never would have returned to these lands, either. Not once he had it in his mind that he was leaving.
"I remember that," Cael laughs, a smirk curling the corner of his muzzle; he had been so insistent that he would never leave, that he would protect his mother and father from all the evils in the world... Part of Kein's stubborn streak has indeed lived on through his eldest son, and the two of them are likely to find it funny. Cael certainly does. "I'm off south, so I might see her on my way back through, but if I don't... would you tell her that I came?" Not that he'd have to ask, he knows that. "There's a valley beyond, and further on a forest... bigger, older than this one, it feels. I found..." Cael stops and looks at his father's face before drawing himself up and nodding firmly. "I found Mythri and her father there." He'd been so sure that he would kill Revan, and yet when they met, he did not. "She and I have taken territory there." The boy laughs then, twitching his tail. "I think she'd very much like cubs."
Kein is, indeed, amused, right up until... Kein looks abruptly away from his son, and he stands in silence for a moment. Of course he wants his son to be happy. He even entrusted Maul to Mythri's care a couple of times. Her father, though... With pain in his voice, Kein finally speaks. "Perhaps it is better if you don't see your mother, then. If you have that scent on you..." Kein is not close enough to tell, or perhaps he is, but his own scent is drowning it out. He would sooner see his mate upset because their son could not stop to see her than see her upset because their son has been living with the male who caused them all such pain, though. "I will tell her you were here, though."
"Dad, you can't hold onto that..." Cael begins, but stops abruptly and turns away. He won't get angry at him, but when he met Mythri's father he had no desire to outright murder him as he thought it would. Truly, as he told Revan, he left Amaranth in Amaranth. "Besides," he throws back over his shoulder. "He's gone." Maybe he shouldn't have come, maybe he shouldn't have mentioned it. "I thought you should know, anyway," an unsaid and hurtful end to his sentence is left unsaid. He shakes his head, not wanting to leave just yet but not knowing anything else to say, so he stands there with his back to his father, trying to figure out what to do.
Kein looks back to his son. There is anger in his expression now, and the idea that anger may be what is last shared between them hurts at least as much as the idea that Cael is living with his mother's attacker. Speaking to Cael's back, the chieftain growls, "I have never taken that fight outside of my lands. I can't much say the same for him. Don't presume to tell me what I can't hold onto, what I can allow on my lands." Kein forces himself to take a deep breath, to try to pull the anger from his voice. "I wish you the best, Cael. You and Mythri both. Just... remember what his penalties for 'failure' are, and be careful. Please."
"He's gone, Dad," Cael returns, still not moving and not turning around, ears flattened after the warning hidden under Kein's growl. "The only thing left of him is what you remember." He sighs and settles on his haunches, bright eyes saddened but unwilling, or unable, to look at his father again. "When you forget, he will finally die." A long silence from him after that, then, "I hope you do... I'd hoped we could talk without... without," Cael struggles for the word, then gives up with a dismissive wave of his paw, "... this, but I guess it's just like old times, eh, Dad?" Two thick-headed boys.
Kein continues staring at Cael. Although Kein knows Revan has been gone for a long time, knows that he has no reason to return, he knows himself, and knows that he will always have reason to doubt that Revan will never return to finish what he started. His son's assurances that Revan is "gone" do nothing to allay that worry that he will probably have until the day /he/ dies. With tightness in his voice, the older male replies, "Yes, well... I believe I may have told you about that, too." It doesn't matter how much they want to get along, for whatever reason. Cael is far too much like him for that to be possible, especially in the long term, and apparently even in the short term.
"Well," Cael whispers, mirroring Kein's tone of voice though it comes from sadness rather than anger. He paws at the snow, flicking the melting water away with his toes, and then silently frustrated he stands and walks stiffly away. Kein's son doesn't get too far before he stops, turns, and sees his father far away from him and he speaks around the tightness in his chest. "Tell mom that I love her. And tell the Maul monster I said hi." Then he turns again and moves off, south, and begins the long trek down mountain and through valley to the deep forest beyond. "Bye, Dad," he whispers, head low and he moves through the trees.
Kein cannot help but feel like this is not how a last meeting between him and Cael should have gone, and he can't help but hope that they'll get a chance to meet once more, to fix that. All the same, Kein only nods when Cael asks him to speak to Nayeli and Maul, hopefully in time that Cael can see it. He then remains still while Cael leaves. He has no desire to follow the boy at any distance. Of course, he has no desire to remain here, either. After some time, when he's certain they won't be bumping into one another should Cael stop for whatever reason, he sighs deeply and then abandons the northern border, frowning as he walks along.
Cael - Male Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Wooded Terrain -
They say that time heals all wounds, but as he approaches his cubhood home, Cael wonders if the scars are equally easy to heal? It's not that he has anything against Amaranth, or those who inhabit it, but there are so many experiences and emotions wrapped up in his past that have all tied themselves to the mountain underpaw. He has spent time away, far away, but felt the need to come back just once and speak with one very important individual; someone who deserves to hear the words in his son's mind. The hard winter has begun to ease, and Cael's travel has brought him to the thick woods, knowing that he will find his father among the trees sooner or later.
Cael's journey might be made longer, but for the fact that Kein has been working hard to establish his presence in these wooded lands once more. With two of his daughters expecting cubs, they will definitely need the territory. Besides, it's not as though he had a great deal of choice, since many of the members of the tribe have been staying this far north, even throughout the winter. As he walks, he is quiet, but his scent is thick here. Cael's is less so, and Kein has not yet realized that his son is near.
You see? He knew. As he moves through the trees, Kein's scent becomes stronger, and his son follows the trail with measured steps. He pauses at a particularly large tree, eying the freshly clawed bark and watching for a few short moments as the sap begins to well up in the broken ruts. "Recent," he mumbles to himself, tail tip twitching a few times before his paws point him in Kein's most likely direction. Cael issues a quick, deep chuff, one to simply establish his presence, and then a second to call to his father.
At the first sound, Kein's ears perk and he stops walking. Though he could tell the general direction of the sound, it is not until his son chuffs again that Kein begins, somewhat cautiously, in that direction. Certainly, no one who meant harm would announce himself like that, but the chuff was distinctly masculine, and Kein does not announce himself quite so openly. Not when he has no idea who he is approaching, since he cannot catch Cael's scent through his own.
"It's me." He offers after a long silence that passes after his announcement. What with his father's hearty re-establishing routine going on, he's not surprised that he doesn't come bursting through the trees with glee and joy at another male so openly encroaching on his territory. In fact, he could be somewhere in the woods, watching him; whatever Kein makes of his son's return is only for Kein himself to know. Deliberate motion catches his attention, and Cael turns his head and body to face the oncomer, lifting his chin in silent greeting.
The boy's voice, for that is always how Kein will likely think of his son, is familiar enough to be recognized, and Kein is not surprised that he immediately feels relief. Relief not only at that it is not some stranger who walks his territory, but also at that Cael is alive, and so Kein is no longer so cautious in approaching Cael. Once Cael is in sight, though, he stops. His expression shows no aggression, but he knows, well enough, how he started to feel towards the males around him once he came into adulthood, and he knows that it is unlikely the two of them will ever be close again. Still... "Cael. I had worried. I'm glad to see you well." Perhaps the chieftain wouldn't even say that much, were it not for the fact that it was Kein who last sent Cael away from Amaranth, on a mission to watch over his sister. Who knows what troubles might have befallen Cael since then, and Kein would have had every reason to blame himself.
There is a moment of hesitation, a moment where hundreds of memories flood into his mind, experiences both good and bad. So many moments, and here another one begins. The thought passes by him and he sighs quietly, though a smile graces his muzzle. "Maul's well?" he asks, curling his ears forward. Once she was back he'd left again, and what he'd found once he'd left caused him to stay away until now; and it will cause him to leave once business has been concluded. He's not sure what else to say, and so, for now, Cael says nothing.
"She is. Thanks, I'm certain, to you." Of course, having Maul around has never been easy, but Kein would be in mourning still if anything had happened to any of his children, especially his daughters, while they were away, and Kein's gratitude is genuine.
"Good," Cael nods a few times, eyes awkwardly trailing off through the trees as he thinks; he'd broken himself of that cubbish foolishness of fidgeting and squirming under pressure, but for that brief second he was a boy again, standing under the stern gaze of his father. He laughs lightly, a short 'hmph' and shakes his head, "I came back to say goodbye. Seems pretty backwards, though." The boy shrugs and looks at Kein, smiling; there is no bad blood between father and son, for Cael knows that Kein taught him so many valuable lessons.
"I told you the day would come when you'd be ready to be on your own." Kein wouldn't bring this up, but for how Cael seemed to insist that he wanted to live in Amaranth forever. Certainly, Kein does not allow anything but pride to show. His son has clearly done well enough on his own through the winter. "I appreciate the chance to see you again, though. And I suspect your mother would appreciate it more, if you could manage to go through the territory to find her, before you leave for good." Cael would always be welcome back. He always has been. But Kein has some experience there, too, and if he had not been called back by the shamaness, at the time, Kein probably never would have returned to these lands, either. Not once he had it in his mind that he was leaving.
"I remember that," Cael laughs, a smirk curling the corner of his muzzle; he had been so insistent that he would never leave, that he would protect his mother and father from all the evils in the world... Part of Kein's stubborn streak has indeed lived on through his eldest son, and the two of them are likely to find it funny. Cael certainly does. "I'm off south, so I might see her on my way back through, but if I don't... would you tell her that I came?" Not that he'd have to ask, he knows that. "There's a valley beyond, and further on a forest... bigger, older than this one, it feels. I found..." Cael stops and looks at his father's face before drawing himself up and nodding firmly. "I found Mythri and her father there." He'd been so sure that he would kill Revan, and yet when they met, he did not. "She and I have taken territory there." The boy laughs then, twitching his tail. "I think she'd very much like cubs."
Kein is, indeed, amused, right up until... Kein looks abruptly away from his son, and he stands in silence for a moment. Of course he wants his son to be happy. He even entrusted Maul to Mythri's care a couple of times. Her father, though... With pain in his voice, Kein finally speaks. "Perhaps it is better if you don't see your mother, then. If you have that scent on you..." Kein is not close enough to tell, or perhaps he is, but his own scent is drowning it out. He would sooner see his mate upset because their son could not stop to see her than see her upset because their son has been living with the male who caused them all such pain, though. "I will tell her you were here, though."
"Dad, you can't hold onto that..." Cael begins, but stops abruptly and turns away. He won't get angry at him, but when he met Mythri's father he had no desire to outright murder him as he thought it would. Truly, as he told Revan, he left Amaranth in Amaranth. "Besides," he throws back over his shoulder. "He's gone." Maybe he shouldn't have come, maybe he shouldn't have mentioned it. "I thought you should know, anyway," an unsaid and hurtful end to his sentence is left unsaid. He shakes his head, not wanting to leave just yet but not knowing anything else to say, so he stands there with his back to his father, trying to figure out what to do.
Kein looks back to his son. There is anger in his expression now, and the idea that anger may be what is last shared between them hurts at least as much as the idea that Cael is living with his mother's attacker. Speaking to Cael's back, the chieftain growls, "I have never taken that fight outside of my lands. I can't much say the same for him. Don't presume to tell me what I can't hold onto, what I can allow on my lands." Kein forces himself to take a deep breath, to try to pull the anger from his voice. "I wish you the best, Cael. You and Mythri both. Just... remember what his penalties for 'failure' are, and be careful. Please."
"He's gone, Dad," Cael returns, still not moving and not turning around, ears flattened after the warning hidden under Kein's growl. "The only thing left of him is what you remember." He sighs and settles on his haunches, bright eyes saddened but unwilling, or unable, to look at his father again. "When you forget, he will finally die." A long silence from him after that, then, "I hope you do... I'd hoped we could talk without... without," Cael struggles for the word, then gives up with a dismissive wave of his paw, "... this, but I guess it's just like old times, eh, Dad?" Two thick-headed boys.
Kein continues staring at Cael. Although Kein knows Revan has been gone for a long time, knows that he has no reason to return, he knows himself, and knows that he will always have reason to doubt that Revan will never return to finish what he started. His son's assurances that Revan is "gone" do nothing to allay that worry that he will probably have until the day /he/ dies. With tightness in his voice, the older male replies, "Yes, well... I believe I may have told you about that, too." It doesn't matter how much they want to get along, for whatever reason. Cael is far too much like him for that to be possible, especially in the long term, and apparently even in the short term.
"Well," Cael whispers, mirroring Kein's tone of voice though it comes from sadness rather than anger. He paws at the snow, flicking the melting water away with his toes, and then silently frustrated he stands and walks stiffly away. Kein's son doesn't get too far before he stops, turns, and sees his father far away from him and he speaks around the tightness in his chest. "Tell mom that I love her. And tell the Maul monster I said hi." Then he turns again and moves off, south, and begins the long trek down mountain and through valley to the deep forest beyond. "Bye, Dad," he whispers, head low and he moves through the trees.
Kein cannot help but feel like this is not how a last meeting between him and Cael should have gone, and he can't help but hope that they'll get a chance to meet once more, to fix that. All the same, Kein only nods when Cael asks him to speak to Nayeli and Maul, hopefully in time that Cael can see it. He then remains still while Cael leaves. He has no desire to follow the boy at any distance. Of course, he has no desire to remain here, either. After some time, when he's certain they won't be bumping into one another should Cael stop for whatever reason, he sighs deeply and then abandons the northern border, frowning as he walks along.