ardent

Forgotten



Callisto

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Female
gems
106
size
Medium
build
posts
254
player
Anais
06-25-2015, 12:00 AM (This post was last modified: 07-11-2015, 11:10 PM by Callisto.)
Walk | Talk | Think

Callisto never imagined that she could feel anymore confused and conflicted than when she had given in to a sudden desire to seek out the children she had been forced to have a year ago. Leaving to find them had been possibly the stupidest thing she had ever done to date - on a list that seemed to be growing by the day - and yet it had still been one of the most demure outings she had ever had. There was no sign of her children or the twisted, demented family she left them with near the S.S. Antiox. In fact, everything was instead covered and claimed by a pack, one that knew nothing of the sibling pair or the demon who kept them there. They had vanished without a trace, with no evidence left behind as to what became of them. Her children were gone.

"Well, it has been a long time," the cat stated, once more offering her opinion when the already distressed healer did not ask for it. Really, she could never keep her mouth shut and her thoughts to herself. Callisto half expected doing so might kill her if she tried. "There's no telling what happened to them." It was funny how her tune changed. First she had been so convinced that the kids were dead, that their derelict father was likely long gone with his "little pet" and their first litter, and if she had to make any guesses about how they had met their demise her guess was on the older kids. But now, after learning they had no story to go off of and seeing how Calli reacted, she had tried to offer whatever reassurance she could. As if it might make a difference.

"Just shut up." The typical sharp sting was absent from her voice, and honestly she struggled to feel it at all. She should have washed her hands entirely of the whole situation that she had walked away from, of the children, the demon, and any responsibility she might have felt playing a part in their lives. But this, knowing that she would never have her answers, knowing that she had no way to alleviate the guilt and find any type of closure for what had happened, made it all worse. Miraculously, the cat had nothing to say, and so Callisto continued to walk ahead of her in silence, following the familiar path back toward the heart of the Redbud Nook and her hidden cache of plants she had stashed away within it. She could not say yet what she planned to take, or if she even had anything that would work, but she fully intended to raid her stores for something - anything - to overcome the maddening sense of guilt, anger, and depression that she felt when she wanted most to feel nothing at all.




Jakart

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
65
size
Large
build
posts
102
player
06-25-2015, 01:22 PM (This post was last modified: 06-26-2015, 12:33 AM by Jakart.)
Jakart lounged on a snow covered log, feeling significantly more free than he had ever known. His sisters were in a pack, his brothers making their dens close by as they then branched out for a few days of exploring whenever it stuck their fancy. The grey male shifted his head to the left over his crossed forelegs, gaze sweeping across the overgrowth the young forest sought to sprout up from and return to it's once taller state if the shattered trunks were anything to go by. The days went by as he looked out for Callisto ever since they had parted ways.

The male's cheeks warmed at the memories of the she-wolf, even if she was a bit cold and standoffish he was personally flattered that she had come up to him and let him help her in a private manner once trust had been established. It was not such a simple conquest going along the lines of hump and dump but to Jakart it had been something more. Trust had been exchanged between him and Callisto, even if that trust had involved harsh words and a certain understanding needing to be achieved between the two wolves before things eventually took it's course.

Now he was waiting for Callisto where they had last met, atop the fallen log he had first seen his ebony friend a few weeks ago. So far nothing the last few days, even as he ducked around tree stumps and caught faint whiffs of her scent a few times he still hadn't given up hope that she would return. He sat up suddenly, nose giving a twitch at the scent that grew more and more prominent with the breeze that blew towards him. Callisto was nearby! Jakart spread his paws and hopped down from the log, snow crunching with each step he took towards the scent of his friend. Jakart ducked underneath a fallen log and scooted tightly around a tree trunk, catching sight of the ebony she-wolf heading straight towards him. The male beamed at seeing the healer. "Callisto." He would call out, pleased to see that his waiting had paid off.



Callisto

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Female
gems
106
size
Medium
build
posts
254
player
Anais
06-26-2015, 12:26 AM
Walk | Talk | Think

As she got closer to her store's cache of herbal remedies, she tried to recall everything that she had saved. The majority of what she had once had been left behind in her quick abandonment of Ebony - Yfir - and what she had thought to take were only the bare essentials. Disappointingly the depressed healer could think of nothing that would give her the effect she desired, though she was too stubborn to give up hope yet. Maybe...maybe some combination could do the trick. Maybe she still had options available to her.

Her thoughts were thoroughly distracted as she tried to mentally combine plants that she knew she possessed to see if she could feasibly reach her desired results, when she heard a voice, one now familiar to her, call out her name. Silvery blue eyes lost their distant stare as the black and grey wolf lifted her head to fix her attention on Jakart, and the moment she did a sudden onset of panic and dread overcame her. Oh god, he was smiling. Was he possibly even more happy to see her this time than during their last two encounters? Did it have anything to do with her taking advantage of him last time? Please don't let him have gotten the wrong impression, Callisto prayed to whatever or whoever would hear it. She was not the kind, lovable type; she hated to think that she might have accidentally created another Maximous because of her hasty actions.

She sighed with a sluggish, weighty shake of her head, once more realizing that she had underestimated the severity of her bad luck, and made herself speak. "I don't know why you're here," - though, given their last meeting, that was not entirely true - "but now's not a good time." She still struggled to regain the sharp, stinging bite that was so often in her voice, and her words felt flat, listless, telling much more about her mood than she would have liked. Callisto realized it too, but the words had already been spoken and her dismal condition already made clear. With nothing to be done about it, she did not pause or act as if she would linger around her unexpected, unwanted company, but continued to walk toward her designated cache tree, the quiet cat still trailing along behind her.




Jakart

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
65
size
Large
build
posts
102
player
06-26-2015, 04:19 PM
Jakart's tail gave a slow wag, smile turning into something more neutral. Callisto looked... defeated. She sounded exhausted, speaking with a shake of her head and uncertainty as to why he was here. The male mulled over in his head as to why he waited here for the female to appear. Was it truly because his sisters had joined a pack and he now had free time? Or was it more personnel, but in wanting to be in the company of his friend? He didn't mind his brothers one bit but Callisto was a change of pace with how she acted. How she treated him with a certain standoffish posture.

And she was a once-mate. Which was fine with the flighty male, he had no problem keeping emotional distance between them. Their one time fling was a happy medium that he wouldn't mind undertaking again. They had after all enjoyed themselves. But now was not such a time, Callisto had said as much as she continued to walk past him. Jakart glanced at the cat with concern, wanting to pull the companion aside but he remained quiet. He looked back at Callisto's retreating form and slowly made his way behind the dark furred duo as they went up to a tree. Jakart recalled that he had inspected it before, probably even saw it during there last meeting. With a nervous breath he walked up beside her. "Can I help you with anything?" The grey male hushed with concern. He truly cared about her right now, worried about that the wolf he wasn't seeing wasn't the same wolf he saw the last time they met.



Callisto

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Female
gems
106
size
Medium
build
posts
254
player
Anais
06-26-2015, 06:31 PM
Walk | Talk | Think

Jakart went ignored by Callisto, but the cat offered him a puzzled stare, brow raised in question. If he had intended to try again with her mistress, and especially if he was suddenly beginning to fawn over her, the feline believed he would be immensely disappointed. Knowing what she did, witnessing what she had, she knew better than to think the black and grey healer would respond to such sentiments well on any given day, but today in particular was horrid. Give it up, sweetie, she's not interested, she wanted to tell him, to talk him down from whatever had caused him to be here upon their return. But as he glanced her way, concern written across his features, the cat merely took a cue from her mistress and offered a cold, unanswering shoulder. There's nothing for you here.

She could hear the second set of heavier paws fall into line with her and the cat, but the healer stubbornly fixed her stare on her tree and the little nook at its base. Desperate, she stopped before it with her head lowered, sniffing at what lay within. The cold seemed to have gotten to what rested atop the others, but she was unsure how much of it was still usable. Carefully she dug at the snow that covered the earth before the little nook, opening a piece of earth that she could use to spread out her cache, and with Jakart's quiet, concerned words in her ear Callisto began drawing her plants out carefully with gentle grey paws. "No," she answered, stubborn and stern as she set her brow and continued to check what she had. Mild things. Safe things. Nothing that, given what she knew, might put her out of her mind for a while, even combined.

A sudden snarl wrinkled her nose and curled her lips as she cursed. "Damn it!" For a moment, her rage was back. It threatened to tear apart the plants she possessed, to take her anger out on this meager stash of useless remedies in order to alleviate her pent up frustration. But just as quickly as it seized up on her, it was gone, dragging her mood and mind down even further than they had been previously. Everything felt hopeless; she had no idea where her biological kids were, would never know, and now her hope of setting it from her mind for a while was gone. Callisto hung her head, shoulders slumped as she stared at the pathetic excuse of a healer's cache she had, still angry but so exhausted with it all. I really am cursed.




Jakart

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
65
size
Large
build
posts
102
player
06-27-2015, 12:01 AM (This post was last modified: 06-27-2015, 12:03 AM by Jakart.)
Jakart stood beside the she-wolf as she stopped at the base of the tree. The way her grey paws gingerly scraped away at the snow. Curious, the male stood beside her and peered over her shoulder as to what she was digging up. Herbs. He saw the wilted petals and dried roots of the medicinal plants, sensing the she wolf's growing out burst with the way she denied his question. His ears pinned back at the sight off all the herbs spread out, most looking as useful as kindling to a forest fire. Damnable winter. The temperatures had spoiled the plants. Though some dried ones, though he didn't which, could still be used right? Held under the tongue? Was there was some moss to use over wounds? Sandalwood to squeeze over burns? His mismatched eyes tried in vain to point out some sugarcane but there was none.

When she shouted he flinched noticeably on his rump. Jakart whined and cast a worried glance at the feline to try and see if the cats gaze held any nonverbal hint that had driven his once mate to this state. This was not the Callisto he had gotten to know. The Callisto he had experienced and had been pleased for a stolen moment together. The ebony females shoulders visibly slumped, Jakart brushing his shoulder against hers as he adjusted himself. "Callisto," The male began, foreleg sliding across her back, tightening into a comforting embrace used all to much by his siblings in the weeks after his parents deaths. "I want to help you. You just gotta tell me what I have to do. I'll get my brothers if need be. You just tell us what to look for..." Jakart trailed off in an anxious breath. If she didn't want his help then why should she want the help of Nako, Kalios or Espirit? If she'd just tell him he was sure his brothers wouldn't mind now that his sisters were in a pack. He didn't know with her any more.



Callisto

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Female
gems
106
size
Medium
build
posts
254
player
Anais
06-27-2015, 02:46 AM
Walk | Talk | Think

The cat too flinched as Callisto made her outburst, but unlike Jakart she remained silent. She caught his eye again as she stood off to the side, away but still a part of the group, and only shook her head minutely when he seemed to silently ask for her input. Don't ask. Whether he understood or not, she could not say, though she could see plain as day that her mistress was in a really rough spot. Whatever the healer had thought to find here was obviously missing, and it must have been considerably important given her reaction. Maybe she should set off herself and try to find something that might be of use, no matter that her plant knowledge was minimal and completely untrained. There had to be something that could be done.

Jakart had a similar idea, though unlike the cat he voiced his concerns and ideas aloud in an attempt to be helpful, but overall they went ignored. The moment Callisto felt his foreleg reach up and around her back, she tensed, her shoulders hunching upward and her body growing rigid. No. This was not what she wanted. She did not want his pity or his concern, she did not want him to show any consideration for her at all. She wanted him to stay away, to be left alone with her grief and guilt so she could find a way to deal with it on her own. She needed no one, was capable of shouldering the weight of her life without help, and just the possibility of having that burden lessened by the kindness of someone else made her feel incompetent and weak.

But... Slowly, with a visible and tangible hesitation, the tension began to ease from her frame and she settled into his embrace. Perhaps she still had some options available to her for consideration. It was wrong of her to think as she did, to entertain the idea of seeking Jakart's distraction another time, and particularly given the fact she was still unsure whether he had begun to harbor feelings for her that were keeping him around. But, beneath her self-reliance, she was curious what it might be like to let someone else take the role of healer for a change and be healed in turn - and, if not healed, then at least given a time to forget what ailed her in the first place. Callisto drew her eyes up and away from the plants that still lay scattered at the base of the tree to glance sidelong at Jak from the corner of her eye. How badly might he misunderstand her sentiments toward him if she suggested it? Would the temporary benefits be worth the after effects?

With nothing else to turn to, she turned to him, reaching out to press her cheek into his chest and breathing in deeply his scent. Brothers and a hunt for a plant. No, she did not want to draw others in. Only him. She shifted, turning slightly so that she could press her face into his neck, and after a moment placed a tender kiss there. She lifted her head, letting her muzzle travel the length of his neck as she tried to persuade him, offering another kiss and a nip against his jaw when her eyes finally met his. There was still a visible distress in them, her condition too severe to hide, that pleaded in its own way for respite. "Take me," she commanded - begged - as she looked into his face, her voice no more than a whisper. She hoped he would; she hoped he would allow her to forget her problems for a while.




Jakart

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
65
size
Large
build
posts
102
player
06-27-2015, 04:49 PM (This post was last modified: 07-04-2015, 05:18 PM by Jakart.)
Jakart felt her tense up at the embrace, fighting the urge to bring his leg back down. But Callisto didn't say anything, and so he didn't move save for him loosening his grip a bit. And the strange thing was that he could've sworn that she was relaxing against him. Callisto looked away from her spoiled herbs and caught the sight of her staring up at him as she settled her check against his chest. The grey male drew his head back to stare a her, what she was doing, still not quite believing it all. Was she flirting with him? And yet she continued these signs of affection, of want, Jakart's heart fluttering when he felt the kiss placed against his neck, her muzzle roving further up until their eyes were met. He saw the pain. He saw himself last winter on a fjord next to a mimosa tree, carving antler leaving his jaw the rest on the grave of his parents.

Callisto vocalized her want with a whisper, for him to take her. Jakart didn't know what to say. That if this bond they had was remaining right where it was despite the physical actions between the two of them. Were they still just friends even after all they had done between themselves. What she asked and what they were about to do? Jakart couldn't absolutely say what their relationship was at this point, his foreleg clutching Callisto against him as he gently brought her back down against the snow. The tree offered some cover, nobody save the cat could bother them while he complied.

Her words played over and over in his head, their meaning clearly establishing certain requirements. Jakart's breathing increased as he brought himself over Callisto, hind legs straddling just behind her own. A shaky breath was hushed over the she-wolfs muzzle as his hips hungrily squirmed against Callisto's rump. Instinctively he found her, and with a hard thrust of his hips he began the first motions to take her. Just as she had asked.

-Fade to Black-



Callisto

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Female
gems
106
size
Medium
build
posts
254
player
Anais
06-29-2015, 06:44 PM
Walk | Talk | Think

There was a moment when Callisto thought he might refuse her. The look on his face struck her as confused, even concerned, as he looked down at her, as if he might have been questioning her intent and whether he ought to comply. She wanted very much for Jakart to agree, that desperation visible within the depths of her silver-blue eyes, and though she was aware of its obviousness the healer could not bring her gaze from his. She could have pleaded and begged that he say yes and maybe it would have worked better in her favor than her simple, straight forward demand, but she bit back any further words that she might have added. She was desperate to feel something other than her pain, yes, but not so desperate to stoop to that level.

He was kind enough not to give her a chance to test that resolve, and after a moment the paw around her back tightened as Jak moved to lower her gently onto the snow. This time she was more compliant, allowing him to situate her on the ground and growing expectant as he brought himself over her. She remembered from their first time how it would go, this new-styled union that was so odd to her, and so she was much more relaxed this time around, her anxiety replaced with anticipation. Off to the side, the cat continued to observe the interactions between the two wolves, and seeing where it would lead she knew it was time to make a quick exit. She questioned the choices her mistress was making, rolling her eyes at the complications she could see forming, but now was not the time to voice them. As she shook her head slightly and wandered off, she told herself she would bring it up later.

With Jakart above her, Callisto’s spindly grey forelegs reached upward and around him, wanting him close, wanting him to offer her mind something else to focus on for a time. Trusting her judgment and what to expect, she welcomed his distraction without restraint as he moved to accommodate her request.

-Fade-




Jakart

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Male
gems
65
size
Large
build
posts
102
player
07-11-2015, 11:04 PM
Jakart looked off his side and the female laying next to him. It had been nice for Callisto to let him help her, benefiting the she wolf far more than he would ever know. He looked back and saw the remnants of her herb cache and toward Callisto in thought. Winter was over and yet it's grip was still ahold of the land. Chances of finding anything helpful in a dying forest were slim, but that could be changed. Jakart knew of a place right next to Donostrea, a pack his sisters were now members of. His muzzle ventured forth and nosed Callosto's cheek. "I um, I know where there are lots of herbs if you want to come back with me. It's right next to a pack, a gulley. All sorts of stuff for someone like you there." Jakart then simply set off in the lead of the she wolf and paused to wait for her to catch up, taking his friend to a place where she could find a place to pursue what she loved. He'd ask his brothers to not disturb her. She, like him, liked the peace, he quiet of ones work. And they'd both find it there.

-Exit Jakart-



Callisto

Loner

age
5 Years
gender
Female
gems
106
size
Medium
build
posts
254
player
Anais
07-12-2015, 04:32 PM
Walk | Talk | Think

It had done the trick. Her thoughts no longer centered upon the children she would not be able to find or the wolf that she still feared. Instead, Callisto considered the male at her side, an unlikely companion who seemed to be making a habit of being there to help her whether she wanted help or not. She still could not label what he was to her but could no longer deny that she was beginning to trust him despite her misgivings in doing so. It was awkward ground for her, new and not yet traveled as trust was something she rarely, if ever, handed out, particularly now that she was on her own, and though it made her feel somewhat off balance she did her best to at least appear indifferent to it.

As she stood, her silver-blue eyes continued to look his way, spotting the shift in his own gaze back toward her uncovered and pitifully stocked cache of medicinal plants. Thinking of those pathetic plants, so useless and hardly worth keeping, reminded her of her initial problem to the point that the look on her face dropped momentarily - she should have known better than to think her reprieve would be long lasting - but help was here.

Jakart stepped toward her again, the soft press of his nose to her cheek causing her eyes to blink slowly as he offered her a new suggestion. He knew of someplace that she might like, a gulley filled with herbs that she could find a use for. With a little frown, her gaze finally turned to the dug out hole at the base of the tree, eyeing her plants as she considered Jak's words. New plants would be incredibly helpful, and soon spring would send everything blooming into full usefulness again. She was not that very attached to this new wood either, so leaving would be easy. And after everything else bad that had happened recently she seriously doubted a trip to this gulley could possibly make things worse.

The black and grey wolf ignored the cat, who had reappeared and stood off to one side, still looking irked, and stepped to the base of her tree. From her stores, she grabbed only a few plants, salvaging those that had lasted against the cold and might last longer still, and turned back. Jakart already stood a couple paces ahead, apparently waiting while she gathered her things. With her jaws carefully shut around a small bundle of plants, Callisto walked toward him, the cat trailing slowly behind, and fell into step as he began to lead, hoping - trusting - that this gulley he spoke of would be everything that he made it out to be.

-Exit Callisto-