you have no idea just how reasonable i have been

@Archon! Thanks for your patience!

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Edith had taken a quick nap in a blanket of celosia argentea flowers, just as the sun descended from its highest point in the sky. Her morning jaunt had been fruitless, and she had nothing to show for her morning of hunting. Wanting to curve her frustration, Edith had sought the flowers to calm her nerves with their sweet smell. They had done their job, and she had relaxed enough to sleep.

While napping, a storm had blown into the area, darkening the sky like a foreboding shadow. The golden foliage was a stark contrast to the sky overhead, and the difference caused the plain’s vibrancy to increase tenfold. The clouds rumbled overhead as the wind carried the storm into the area, but the noise went unnoticed by the sleeping wolf. Edith continued to sleep, blissfully unaware of what was coming.

Lightning struck just behind the flower patch, hitting a young oak tree that was just out of reach of the tree line. Edith jolted awake, her heart leaping out of her chest, and she scrambled onto all fours and whirled towards the tree. Flames licked the trunk, spreading down towards the roots as it spread.

Edith backpedaled clumsily, her ears flattening and her eyes growing wide as she watched the fire. She needed to run, but her disorientation had other plans. She tripped over herself and fell backward into the dry grass with an oof.

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^^The best thing about Elkshire, Archon was finding, was the religion - that of course being the very obvious reason that they were named: for their love of elk and all things that sported bone-paws, and antlers.

Archon liked to spend a lot of time with the Elk and other herds that there may be, just studying them and watching them; not getting too close for them to think they were being hunted, or to be spooked by a new boy lookin’ at them, but also close enough to study them.

The main reason he liked Elkshire and the herds, because if Hawking’s antlers could fall off, then so could theirs, and Archon had a growing supply of Bam Bams! Though none would top the golden antler from his friend - he still liked to watch for fallen antlers, to collect them in his den.

He had not found one today, but that was okay - it was still a good day to Archon. He decided that he would explore a wee little bit, as this was his second home - and found himself at the edge of the Range, where he’d taken to sleeping under an oak tree.

The clouds came alive ahead, screaming and roaring, though Archon was a moderately heavy sleeper and didn’t stir until lightning had struck the tree that he was lying under, sending Archon into a panic. He glanced up, and woah, the tree was on fire!

In fact, the entire tree had split open, and Archon could see the flames from the crack of the tree, all the way up to the top, where it seemed to come to life and just settle there. Growing, festering, like his love for -

Archon could not help but to stare at the red-orange flames, as they seemed to consume him. His eyes grew wide as he glared up and down the tree, as he slowly took a few steps back. Something told him to run, but oh… the flames were just so pretty..

^^

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Edith noticed Archon through the dust and debris that she had kicked up during her blunder. She couldn’t understand what he was doing and why he had a death wish. So, in a rare and fleeting lapse in pity, she called out, ”What’re you doing you moron—MOVE!” Edith wouldn’t risk her life for this stranger, even though she was fairly confident that he was apart of Elkshire. His pelt (save for some pale imperfections) was brown like hers, though she didn’t remember meeting him, and she presumed that he was a newer addition to the pack.  

She wondered if his stupidity stemmed from the sins of his ancestors—that his lack of awareness was his flaw. Edith could only assume this based of the color of his coat.

Now that she had her footing, Edith scooted back a few more steps, distancing herself from the yearling and the fire.

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^^It was almost as if the fire had some sort of trance over the boy as he continued to stare, not realizing he was putting his own life in danger until the tree started to crackle, but thankfully a voice from the heavens above called to him - calling him a moron at all - and commanding him to move.

She had snapped him out of his trance, and Archon shook his head a few times; just long enough for the realization of the entire situation to slap him in the face. The pretty tree was dangerous, and the amount of smoke and debris from the tree along was beginning to make his eyes water.

He blinked, taking a few more steps back and bolted as one of the branches began to sway, and would have hit him if his savior hadn’t called out to him.

Running towards the other canine, Archon paused for a moment to shake his coat of debris and glanced over at her with wide, curious eyes.

“Hey! Are you okay??” Archon asked, never minding that he was the one in actual danger.

^^
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Archon finally snapped out of his trance and realized the situation he was in. He reacted with urgently and ran towards her, his eyes wide.

”Hey! Are you okay??” he asked.

Edith took a step away from him. His lack of awareness was startling, and she had quickly jumped to the conclusion that he had some loose screws rattling around in his noggin. She knew she had to proceed with caution.

”What is wrong with you?” she countered, coughing. The wind had begun to carry the smoke and debris closer, and Edith’s eyes began to water. She wiped the tears from her watering eyes; something had gotten in them. ”Thank our High Elk that he had mercy on you this time,” she added with an edge of venom, irritated by his foolishness and the blurred lines of her vision.  

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^^The girl took a step back from him and Archon was quickly reminded of the time that Hawking had done the same thing. There was a bit of a disconnect there, as Archon wasn’t really sure why a total stranger would do such a strange thing, and he merely blinked up at her with wide, innocently curious eyes.

What was wrong with him? “Oh,... um… you know.. ” Archon muttered, brokenheartly, stepping away from her with lowered ears and a look of sadness. Was there something truly wrong with him?? Surely, his Ma would have told him by now - wouldn’t she have? Or Hawking? Maybe even Warwick??

“I.. I guess I don’t know.. ” Archon muttered, licking over his lips and lowering his head with a whimpered sigh, as he moved to sit down several, several feet away from her as he glanced back over the pretty fire.

^^
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I'm so sorry she's the worst. I thought this thread was going to go an entirely different way. D:

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Edith knew what was wrong with him. ”It’s not your fault entirely,” she wouldn’t shy from the truth, ”not all of us are destined to have the High Elk’s blessing.” It was the natural law and order of the world. There were those whose colors had been stripped away. ”You are cursed—destined for hell’s eternal fire.” 

”You’re a part of Elkshire, right?” Edith had never confirmed her assumption of Archon’s alliance. There was something to say if he was devoted to Elkshire; he attempted to save himself.

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^^To be honest, Archon didn’t give a flying fuck about this High Elk nonsense. He had already been blessed by Hawking, who was deemed as Divine, and that was good enough for him. The lights of his coat were gray, though, and not white - not that Archon was aware of the secondary part of Elkshire’s religion.

Even so, nothing could falter Archon’s love for his mother, who sported a white coat. So when Editch told him that he was cursed, Archon stopped. He no longer cowered, and instead gave an annoyed sigh.

He could hear Warwick’s voice in his head: a sinner is anyone touched by evil. Anyone bad, really. Welp, that chalked it up to Edith as a sinner, and that was that.

“So it’s true then, that this pack is infested with sinners, especially if you’re one of them!!!” Archon would say to her, looking her directly in the eye and then he turned to run away.

Would this make the second time that Archon had left Elkshire? Find out next time on Elkshire Chronicles.

exit archon if not stopped

^^
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Archon acted as Edith had expected, knowing how sinners acted when ousted. He denounced the pack, accusing Elkshire of housing sinners, and shook her head. ”Most of us are not stained by The High Elk,” she countered, though she knew her correction would fall on deaf ears. He was destined to follow the darkness—to live a life less then.

Edith returned to The Elk’s Crown once Archon was out of sight. Although she was eager to tell her mother what had happened, she believed chores to be more important. Still, as she went about her duties, she couldn’t help but wonder what the fallout of this would be.

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