Everything New Again

[HondaRaycer]

Curiosity was what led the grey brujo o' three pistons to explore the deserted human village. After his gunshot wound, which was ages ago, but still stuck in his mind whenever it was going to rain and the old injury acted up on him; he swore he never wanted to see humans again. Their pack territory, what humans called a village, was worth exploring to him. So onward he loped, his gait giving him away as a tripod, to the village.

'Pon the edge of the village, he paused. It was too quiet. Not a animal was stirring, no birds chirping, no insects scurrying. It was weird. He looked about with his hazel eyes showing caution, and dipped his crania to the earth, sniffing for signs of recent enemy activity, be it human or otherwise; anything that would cause this eerie silence. It was slightly past noon, and the sun was high overhead. The lead colored brute's ears faced this way and that to search for any sounds, but to no avail. He couldn't just discredit the utter silence in his mind. :: Something's got to be wrong. The earth is never this silent. Never.::

At this thought, he backed up till his rump brushed a bush, then turned and scooted beneath it, orienting himself to where he could keep an eye on the ruined remains of the human dwelling to see what the problem was.

[Keeper]

Chase moved through the ruins, her mind focused on the grim task in front of her. She stopped and looked into space, her mind lost. Icyen, where are you? She sighed and looked down agian at the Earth between her paws. Don't worry, he'll make a fine alpha. He doesn't need you to watch over him. She snorted and shook her head. If only he knew how hard it is. She lifted her dial to the stars and looked at the stars, her eyes filling with tears. Why must love be so hard? She thought.

[HondaRaycer]

((Wow, from midday to night that quick? I'll play along ))

Stagg lay in the bush until the orb in the sky sunk 'neath the trees. He still didn't see anything. When the stars began peeking from the twilight, shedding their blue covers and shining coldly on the earth from their velvet playground, he still didn't hear anything. The brujo was growing restless, just ataying there. But he'd made up his mind to find why the village was so silent. Not even a cricket chirped.

Then an unexpected rustling sent a shot of adrenaline through his system. :: Wha. . .who?:: He looked hard, and made out the shape of a wolf padding into the village. He couldn't tell who it was, or if he/she was member of the pack. The stranger paused, staring at the gound and then at the sky. Stagg could've sworn they were gonna howl. But they stayed silent.

The adrenaline was making him restless, so he scooted from under the bush, a swish of leaves accompanying his bush escape. He heard the noise he made and froze; staring dead at the intruder, wondering if they'd heard him.

[Keeper]

ooc- sorry!!! lol

Chase froze, then quickly spun around, her auds high.

"Icyen? Is that you love?" she asked tenitivly, stepping foward, her orbs filling with tears.

But she recoiled as the figure remained motionless, for if it was Icyen, he would of recgnized her immediantly.

She growled angrily at the wolf, her orbs narrowed, auds back, daggers unsheathed.

"Who are you?" she boomed, breaking the silence of the terra around her.

[HondaRaycer]

:: Me? Iceyen? Love? Huh?:: Stagg was confused now. It was Chase no doubt, by her voice and the way she referred to Iceyen. And when she started growling and boomed her question, Stagg flattened his auds. :: Maybe she was supposed to meet him here. Whoops.::

"Calm down, it's just me. . .Stagg."

He moved t'ward her a bit, putting him in the village boundaries. Auds perked again, since he still didn't know what the cause of the silence was. He sniffed the earth again, picking up Chase's scent now, and the faint smell of bear. :: Uh oh.::

He was whispering now, jumpy, and looking all around him, listening for the approach of a bear.

"I. . .uh. . .haven't seen Iceyen. Not for a long time."

Stagg could've been mistaken, but hadn't Iceyen just up and left. And wasn't Chase his mate. :: Wow. . .it's kinda cold to just up and leave your mate like that.:: As he thought that he noticed the glimmer of bright tears in Chase's eyes. He glanced away quickly.

[Keeper]

"Stagg? Oh thank godness it's you." She breathed, for Stagg was a wolf she could actually trust.
She bit her lip, about to materilize into tears when Stagg mentioned Icyen, but strongly help them back.

"That's my problem... I... myself haven't seen Icyen since last spring." She looked away into the mountains, then back to Stagg.

"I'm leaving the Moors, to find him." She bit her lip, remembering Keeper. "I'm not for sure if I will br coming back, though." She added as a silvery tear trickled down her cheek.

[Breeze]

Feathers ran to Chase, her orbs glimmering with sadness and fear. No! Don't leave, oh please! I'll never manage without you, and the whelps love you! I too know the feeling of being left... it happened to me. I miss him so... Feathers trailed off, her orbs mournful. "I never found him again. Sometimes... sometimes you just have to move on..." Feathers looked up at Chase, her eyes like a reflection of Chase's emotions. She knew the grief, loss, and the aching.

[Keeper]

"Feathers? What are you....? Where's Blue and Ghost?" she asked, her thoughts coming to her sharply. The pups must be at least a year old now, they'll manage. She thought quickly.

She sighed and shook her head, her heart aching. "Feathers, you don't understand." She looked away quickley towards the mountains. "He's out there, somewhere. And I have to find him." Knowing this was going to be hard she turned to Feathers and licked her quietly on the maw. "I'll try and come back as soon as I can.", but inside, she knew it was a lie. She turned to Stagg and sighed. "Stagg? Can you do me a favor? Can you keep an eye on Keeper? And help him with his new resposibility? Please?" She gently licked him on the maw, and without waiting for their response, she turned and leapt into the coming dawn, a silver streak edging and finally blending into the terra around her........

[HondaRaycer]

:: Chase, leaving the moors? To find someone who abandoned her?:: Stagg started to protest, but the swift entrance of Feathers, a fae Stagg had never seen, stopped the response from ever leaving his maw.

Stagg watched Feathers' desperate plea with Chase to stay. ::Why would her mate leave her? Was he stupid?:: He thought this in response to both Iceyen leaving Chase and whoever Feathers' mate was to leaving her.

He stayed silent as Chase told Feathers she felt like she had to find him. Stagg wanted to say that no male was worth wasting that much energy over, but kept his peace. When she turned to him, his countenance dropped. Chase was the beta to him, and now she was asking him to watch over Keeper. :: I've never even met the brute, and now it's my duty to watch over him?:: Stagg did have the whole 'fatherly' thing going on, but it was usually with wolves that just needed a chance, like Ash or Ryn: Neither of which he'd seen lately. This time Stagg couldn't help but protest.

"But. . .but. . .me?" He spoke, however Chase had already darted off, per'aps never to be seen again. His hazel eyes followed her form until she disappeared with the line of trees.

Now he turned to Feathers, puzzled. "What does Keeper look like?" He had no idea who to look for.

[Breeze]

Feathers orbs were wide. "I have no idea!" she responded anxiously, shifting from foot to foot. "I probably never met them, since, well, when my mate left, three of my pups were slaughtered. Ever since then I've been afraid of new wolves, especially brutes, since those were the attackers." She looked at him and added "But since you are a friend of Chase, and Chase is my closest friend here, I trust you."

[Taint]

A rustle in the bushes edging the abandoned village announced another creature's presence. The foliage began to part as a ebony muzzle protruded from the green, followed by a large cranium of the same hue, a pair of intelligent emerald occuli piercing the skull. The head rotated slowly, and as its kind gaze rested on Feathers a smile streched the black muzzle and a fully grown male wolf emerged from the bushes.

Bullet dipped his head to Stagg, then turned to Feathers with a warm smile. He glanced behind her and a small frown creased his brow.

"Hello Feathers! Where're Blue and Ghost?"

He asked, reffering to the femme's two cubs. He cocked his head quizically as he awaited an answer, emerald gaze darting around the village in the hope of finding the two whelps.

[HondaRaycer]

:: Eh. . .yeah, us guys can be pretty cruel.:: Stagg thought, but kept it to himself, for now a black wolf was emerging from the bushes, one he'd not seen before. The raven brujo dipped his maw to Stagg. Stagg wasn't used to getting much respect. He just kinda lived on the fringes, and talked to whoever, whenever. He tilted his crania sideways in a quizzical way, studying the male for future reference.

When Bullet referred to Blue and Ghost, Stagg finally spoke up. Chase had mentioned them, and now this new brujo mentioned them.

Who's Blue and Ghost?" He inquired of Feathers. He'd no idea that the fae in front of him had pups. She'd just told him her litter was killed by some heartless males.