11-10-2021, 11:48 PM
@Célnes would prob get a kick but if no one responds ill make it a RO since it's a fuckin monster LOL. All italicized dialogue comes from real threads in a past life. Please please please do not match post length for this :superlaugh:
Time had been oh so kind to the young boy. He was strong and adventurous, body willing, though as the months passed he would learn what it meant to hone one's skill. Remus and his own mother had made sure of that, and with praise, his ego only grew. Freedom to linger and roam as he pleased was also something he and his siblings had begun to experience, though not without limitations of course. Curiosity would grip him as it did every young mind, and often did he find his paws carrying him to the edges of the crown where the forest broke way to burnt fields where the elk roamed in the open air.
Above all else, it was peaceful, a tie from his ancestors strung him to the will of the herd. Often did he watch them with wonder, the migrations around the field and the way the king of them would stand and watch. Even if he hid, it felt as if those eyes were on him, though the hover of their gaze did not choke him like those of his own kind might. Today had been no different as he laid beneath one of the trees at the outskirts of the field. He did little to hide himself, more interested in lounging about for once as he felt more tired than usual. He would allow the sun's kisses to sweep his hide, the soft sounds of the world around him lulling him into a deep afternoon slumber.
Calhoun's sleep would not last long though, distant voices stirring him as he blinked groggily deciphering where he had fallen asleep. Though what surrounded him was not the golden fields he had initially rested in, but a forest long since charred by a flame. Ash and soot lined the ground and as he stood in a mild panic, he would find blackened marks along his side from where he too had lain amongst the wreck. He knew not of what it was or what had happened, the concept of fire and the destruction it brought lost to the innocence of his youth. The young boy sucked in a breath, caused by the rising fear of the unknown until he was interrupted by a series of coughs almost as if he had inhaled the billowing smoke that once rose here. By the time he had finished he found himself parched, paws careful in his first steps before he took to the woods in search of his family, of anyone, and more importantly water.
Well, he hadn't found his family, but it seemed he was granted half his wants, or perhaps it was only what he needed. As walked, his next step hit water, the liquid swelling around his paw as he looked down to the now muddied puddle. Confused he looked up only to find that what was charred was now replaced with the swell of life. Green sprouted from the treetops and lined the forest floors. Another step would bring the beginning drops of rain, and as he pressed on a downpour would come. Briefly, his mind flashed to the time he had been herded to the caverns with his siblings while their land flooded. Almost excitedly now he called out, sure that he was close to home and all he would have to do is rejoin his family and wait out the storm, though no one called back.
"This forest is neutral territory"
Calhoun turned, startled by the feminine voice at his ear, though once more as he turned to look, no one would be there.
"Are you hunting...
in the rain…?"
This time he spun in a circle, his hackles rising despite the way his fur was now weighed down with the on pour of rain. He braced himself for what would never come, the curl of his lip ready to intimidate whoever now toyed with him. “No.” That seemed silly. Why would he hunt in this weather? Most of his food was provided as well, if he wanted food he could just grab some from a cache. “This is Elkshire. Show yourself!”
"He will guide us to the right land eventually, Cousin."
This time the voice that called sounded...like his mother? Immediately his lip would drop, his brows scrunching in confusion as he stepped forward again. “Mother?”
"The High Elk will be pleased for his word to be spread."
"High Elk... forgive us for our sins..."
"May he bless you all."
One by one the voices filtered in, though aside from his mother, they were voices of strangers. He picked up his pace again, racing through mud and water until the land changed again. Rock shifted underfoot along with the rise of different trees, no longer bogged by water as flowers sprouted and the smell of elk filled his nostrils. For a moment he thought to see a ghost, the blur of a wolf so pale against the foliage, though as he turned back to look it was gone save for the rustle of leaves.
“Mother?!” A soft breeze trickled through the trees, promised whispers carried by the wind, though their words were largely inaudible compared to the voices of before. They pulled at his ears, an unknown push to follow into the brush until he saw the shadows of wolves against the face of a rock.
"Let him stand before the apostles!
Only the High Elk may determine his worth, but let his followers speak."
A man's voice came now, louder than the garbled voices that had begun to fill his ears, and with it a pain that shot through his skull. Calhoun winced, his head feeling light as he wavered on his paws.
"Come"
He grunted, eyes shifting to find a figure at long last standing by his side. The form was blackened and scratched with shadows much like a mistake on a test that could only be scribbled out with pen, though in the gaps there were still parts he could make out. A lightened brown highlighted with creams, and atop it all was the glint of red that peered from the darkness.
"The High Elk waits for none."
“Who are you— Where is mother?” Though he had sucked in a breath to puff his chest with his demand, he would not be answered. Instead, the stranger's gaze only lingered until the shadow turned and moved, his head swinging back to look once in a brief pause ensuring that he too would follow before he moved and disappeared...and of course, Calhoun followed.
"How much do you know of our culture?"
Though he couldn't see the man, his voice still rang loud, almost as if it was coming from his own head. Something felt wrong about it though like this man's words were soured. “I know of the apostles...of the High Elk.” Hadn't that been all? Well, every family had its secrets, he knew well enough that he did not know everything. It was only recently that he overheard his mother speaking to @Warwick of their sibling's pre-told sins. She had good reason though, didn't she for not sharing? She wanted to help them avoid their fate. For Warwick to aid them.
Excuses easily made for a young boy to justify what he couldn't understand. After all, how could his mother be anything but good? The figure still hadn't shown himself again, but an itch at his neck suggested that he was still watching him. Calhoun's ears flattened, unsure where to shy his gaze as he found his voice again, “And— that sinners are stripped of their color.” The elken boy did not even know of sin, but the words had been burned to his memory.
"There is time to prepare you."
“Prepare me for what? What is all of this? Where is everyone?”
"If an elk with a white pelt is to appear, we kill them on sight, even if they are an apostle."
Once more he was ignored, almost as if he was never heard in the first place. Had he not been answered before he might have actually believed that to be the case too, but whoever this was only seemed to care about whatever he seemed to be going on about. At long last though the figure would return...or, er, a figure. This one had been masked further than the last, almost as if he was made of the shadows entirely. He blended with the woods which had now darkened considerably as the sun sank along the horizon. All the boy could make out was the peer of yellow from what he could assume was another's face.
"Tell me now, Calhoun: is your loyalty to Célnes?"
He looked on confused by the other's meaning. Of course, was the answer that bubbled instinctively. She was his mother and his pack was his home. His family. Who else would he be loyal to? Though the concept of loyalty was much lighter in weight from the perspective of a pup. Before he could answer though, the last man's voice rang again, his presence suddenly noticed once more at his side.
"Just because we do not see eye to eye does not mean that we do not know where our loyalties lie. Those who grew up with me know this."
"I did not grow up with you,
and so I cannot take your word."
Calhoun looked between the figures as he desperately tried to process what was arising. A standoff had begun, though no sooner had it started would it end, as the yellow eye figure dispersed into the shadows. He looked to the other that had answered for him, though he too was quickly eaten by shadows as the dark marks stretched out filling his vision with black until it was only he who stood amongst a void.
"Dear cousin—
be still."
Another man's voice came and after the frantic sway of his head to scan his surroundings would he spot the source. A white elk stood, far taller than any he had seen before, its gaze blank and all-encompassing. Atop its head was a crown far mightier than those of home, only to be adorned with another set atop its shoulders.
Something about the creature almost looked like it had been more than an elk, but the rest of the features were hard to decipher otherwise. It opened its mouth, though it did not move like how one would normally speak. Instead, its jaw just hung agape as the voices of before echoed like a recording.
"The time is now."
Again he heard his mother, but it was only a beast that remained in her place.
“What's the meaning of this?”
"What's the meaning of this?"
To his own surprise, his voice was echoed as well, though it was not just his own that had come through. Distinctively aside from his voice was the male from before who guided him, but he too was absent. A pounding reached his chest, almost as if he knew what would come next, but he didn't and he couldn't explain it if he tried. The two stood there, one boy, one elk as no other words were shared. Instead, it was silent, save for the pumping of blood in his ears.
Then when it felt as though there would be no end, the beast charged.
Pain stabbed him, coursing through his body despite never seeing the elk reach him, and then even the elk faded to black.
Calhoun awoke with a yelped start, his head and heart pounding as he raised his head only to find his vision dizzy. The boy gasped, greedily taking deep breaths as his tongue hung from his maw in rapid pants. Red eyes quickly scanned his surroundings as the familiar soon came to view. The distant mountain, the golden plains, the herd. It was all there, it was all the same. He was...fine?
The boy quickly shifted his gaze down to his chest, his sides, his paws. All was there, perfectly intact save for ruffled fur from his start. Had... had it all just been a dream? The elken boy swallowed, his throat already much drier than usual as he tried to process and replay the events in his head. It had all felt so...so real? The reds of his eyes drifted, not really looking for anything in particular until they crossed the elk.
The king of the herd still stood there, and despite his munching, Calhoun could feel his stare once more. What in the High Elk's name...
Above all else, it was peaceful, a tie from his ancestors strung him to the will of the herd. Often did he watch them with wonder, the migrations around the field and the way the king of them would stand and watch. Even if he hid, it felt as if those eyes were on him, though the hover of their gaze did not choke him like those of his own kind might. Today had been no different as he laid beneath one of the trees at the outskirts of the field. He did little to hide himself, more interested in lounging about for once as he felt more tired than usual. He would allow the sun's kisses to sweep his hide, the soft sounds of the world around him lulling him into a deep afternoon slumber.
Calhoun's sleep would not last long though, distant voices stirring him as he blinked groggily deciphering where he had fallen asleep. Though what surrounded him was not the golden fields he had initially rested in, but a forest long since charred by a flame. Ash and soot lined the ground and as he stood in a mild panic, he would find blackened marks along his side from where he too had lain amongst the wreck. He knew not of what it was or what had happened, the concept of fire and the destruction it brought lost to the innocence of his youth. The young boy sucked in a breath, caused by the rising fear of the unknown until he was interrupted by a series of coughs almost as if he had inhaled the billowing smoke that once rose here. By the time he had finished he found himself parched, paws careful in his first steps before he took to the woods in search of his family, of anyone, and more importantly water.
Well, he hadn't found his family, but it seemed he was granted half his wants, or perhaps it was only what he needed. As walked, his next step hit water, the liquid swelling around his paw as he looked down to the now muddied puddle. Confused he looked up only to find that what was charred was now replaced with the swell of life. Green sprouted from the treetops and lined the forest floors. Another step would bring the beginning drops of rain, and as he pressed on a downpour would come. Briefly, his mind flashed to the time he had been herded to the caverns with his siblings while their land flooded. Almost excitedly now he called out, sure that he was close to home and all he would have to do is rejoin his family and wait out the storm, though no one called back.
"This forest is neutral territory"
Calhoun turned, startled by the feminine voice at his ear, though once more as he turned to look, no one would be there.
"Are you hunting...
in the rain…?"
This time he spun in a circle, his hackles rising despite the way his fur was now weighed down with the on pour of rain. He braced himself for what would never come, the curl of his lip ready to intimidate whoever now toyed with him. “No.” That seemed silly. Why would he hunt in this weather? Most of his food was provided as well, if he wanted food he could just grab some from a cache. “This is Elkshire. Show yourself!”
"He will guide us to the right land eventually, Cousin."
This time the voice that called sounded...like his mother? Immediately his lip would drop, his brows scrunching in confusion as he stepped forward again. “Mother?”
"The High Elk will be pleased for his word to be spread."
"High Elk... forgive us for our sins..."
"May he bless you all."
One by one the voices filtered in, though aside from his mother, they were voices of strangers. He picked up his pace again, racing through mud and water until the land changed again. Rock shifted underfoot along with the rise of different trees, no longer bogged by water as flowers sprouted and the smell of elk filled his nostrils. For a moment he thought to see a ghost, the blur of a wolf so pale against the foliage, though as he turned back to look it was gone save for the rustle of leaves.
“Mother?!” A soft breeze trickled through the trees, promised whispers carried by the wind, though their words were largely inaudible compared to the voices of before. They pulled at his ears, an unknown push to follow into the brush until he saw the shadows of wolves against the face of a rock.
"Let him stand before the apostles!
Only the High Elk may determine his worth, but let his followers speak."
A man's voice came now, louder than the garbled voices that had begun to fill his ears, and with it a pain that shot through his skull. Calhoun winced, his head feeling light as he wavered on his paws.
"Come"
He grunted, eyes shifting to find a figure at long last standing by his side. The form was blackened and scratched with shadows much like a mistake on a test that could only be scribbled out with pen, though in the gaps there were still parts he could make out. A lightened brown highlighted with creams, and atop it all was the glint of red that peered from the darkness.
"The High Elk waits for none."
“Who are you— Where is mother?” Though he had sucked in a breath to puff his chest with his demand, he would not be answered. Instead, the stranger's gaze only lingered until the shadow turned and moved, his head swinging back to look once in a brief pause ensuring that he too would follow before he moved and disappeared...and of course, Calhoun followed.
"How much do you know of our culture?"
Though he couldn't see the man, his voice still rang loud, almost as if it was coming from his own head. Something felt wrong about it though like this man's words were soured. “I know of the apostles...of the High Elk.” Hadn't that been all? Well, every family had its secrets, he knew well enough that he did not know everything. It was only recently that he overheard his mother speaking to @Warwick of their sibling's pre-told sins. She had good reason though, didn't she for not sharing? She wanted to help them avoid their fate. For Warwick to aid them.
Excuses easily made for a young boy to justify what he couldn't understand. After all, how could his mother be anything but good? The figure still hadn't shown himself again, but an itch at his neck suggested that he was still watching him. Calhoun's ears flattened, unsure where to shy his gaze as he found his voice again, “And— that sinners are stripped of their color.” The elken boy did not even know of sin, but the words had been burned to his memory.
"There is time to prepare you."
“Prepare me for what? What is all of this? Where is everyone?”
"If an elk with a white pelt is to appear, we kill them on sight, even if they are an apostle."
Once more he was ignored, almost as if he was never heard in the first place. Had he not been answered before he might have actually believed that to be the case too, but whoever this was only seemed to care about whatever he seemed to be going on about. At long last though the figure would return...or, er, a figure. This one had been masked further than the last, almost as if he was made of the shadows entirely. He blended with the woods which had now darkened considerably as the sun sank along the horizon. All the boy could make out was the peer of yellow from what he could assume was another's face.
"Tell me now, Calhoun: is your loyalty to Célnes?"
He looked on confused by the other's meaning. Of course, was the answer that bubbled instinctively. She was his mother and his pack was his home. His family. Who else would he be loyal to? Though the concept of loyalty was much lighter in weight from the perspective of a pup. Before he could answer though, the last man's voice rang again, his presence suddenly noticed once more at his side.
"Just because we do not see eye to eye does not mean that we do not know where our loyalties lie. Those who grew up with me know this."
"I did not grow up with you,
and so I cannot take your word."
Calhoun looked between the figures as he desperately tried to process what was arising. A standoff had begun, though no sooner had it started would it end, as the yellow eye figure dispersed into the shadows. He looked to the other that had answered for him, though he too was quickly eaten by shadows as the dark marks stretched out filling his vision with black until it was only he who stood amongst a void.
"Dear cousin—
be still."
Another man's voice came and after the frantic sway of his head to scan his surroundings would he spot the source. A white elk stood, far taller than any he had seen before, its gaze blank and all-encompassing. Atop its head was a crown far mightier than those of home, only to be adorned with another set atop its shoulders.
Something about the creature almost looked like it had been more than an elk, but the rest of the features were hard to decipher otherwise. It opened its mouth, though it did not move like how one would normally speak. Instead, its jaw just hung agape as the voices of before echoed like a recording.
"The time is now."
Again he heard his mother, but it was only a beast that remained in her place.
“What's the meaning of this?”
"What's the meaning of this?"
To his own surprise, his voice was echoed as well, though it was not just his own that had come through. Distinctively aside from his voice was the male from before who guided him, but he too was absent. A pounding reached his chest, almost as if he knew what would come next, but he didn't and he couldn't explain it if he tried. The two stood there, one boy, one elk as no other words were shared. Instead, it was silent, save for the pumping of blood in his ears.
Then when it felt as though there would be no end, the beast charged.
Pain stabbed him, coursing through his body despite never seeing the elk reach him, and then even the elk faded to black.
Calhoun awoke with a yelped start, his head and heart pounding as he raised his head only to find his vision dizzy. The boy gasped, greedily taking deep breaths as his tongue hung from his maw in rapid pants. Red eyes quickly scanned his surroundings as the familiar soon came to view. The distant mountain, the golden plains, the herd. It was all there, it was all the same. He was...fine?
The boy quickly shifted his gaze down to his chest, his sides, his paws. All was there, perfectly intact save for ruffled fur from his start. Had... had it all just been a dream? The elken boy swallowed, his throat already much drier than usual as he tried to process and replay the events in his head. It had all felt so...so real? The reds of his eyes drifted, not really looking for anything in particular until they crossed the elk.
The king of the herd still stood there, and despite his munching, Calhoun could feel his stare once more. What in the High Elk's name...
the staff team luvs u