A wide ravine where a shallow, gentle river flows. Years of drought and silt deposits have built this area into a fertile delta. The river remains low and dry most of the year, staining its waters brown and creating muddy shores.
Caedwyn answered that he hurt everywhere, but as she continued to gently inspect him, she discovered that perhaps besides his pride, he had come out mostly uninjured, or at least it seemed that way at first glance. She did remain partially suspicious of his injuries as he continued to rest in a lay, conveniently not getting to his paws just yet. Or, more rationally, perhaps he was just catching his breath and letting the shock of the pain ebb away. His humor made her believe more and more in her more rational explanation she'd come up with. "Yeah, he's a dick like that, as you can see." she retorted to his comment of the tree appearing out of nowhere. "I'm sorry Caed. I thought you saw the nod. I guess that's something I'll have to work on, learning how to communicate with you better with my body. I guess, really, we are still learning one another." While there were many factors that contributed to the failed hunt, Enya blamed herself the most for the failure. It had been her failure in communicating with Caedwyn that had gotten him hurt.
To Caedwyn's question of whether or not she'd been successful in bringing Buck down, "I can't bring him down. We are linked. But... it's weird. I used to be able to feel his presence, his emotions and even understand him. I should have known he was there in the clearing, and yet I hadn't a clue until you went for him." Caedwyn shifted to his paws and Enya let out a sigh of relief. His legs all seemed to be working, though perhaps sore. She stood to let him inspect her wounds that had re-opened. "I'm fine. It's nothing life-threatening. Don't worry about herbs. I've had worse." Like her hind leg nearly being torn off. "I'm more worried about Buck. We had him. We had him. He had fallen limp in my grasp," She lifted a paw up to her neck where she'd inflicted wounds on herself while simultaneously holding Buck's neck with her teeth, "but I couldn't command him. He resisted every attempt. His defiance won out. Even if we had restrained him, he had given up. You saw it, right? How he laid there limp? He'd given into his prey instincts. He was ready to die. You understand what that means." She knew Caedwyn was smart enough to put two and two together. "I had to let him go. I didn't have a choice. Now, though, he's out there, running wild. He's aggressive because he's mad. He's vulnerable because he's alone. He's a prime target for predators." She needed to figure out what had stopped her bond from linking with Buck. She also needed to figure out how he had even ended up here. If he could recall, would it be possible to go to the world of her own? Would she be able to continue searching for her children? Was it possible for them to find her? She prayed to Tsillah the answer was yes.
Weariness overtook Enya as the adrenaline from the hunt and fight waned. Her legs ached. Her shoulders, neck, and back all ached. She yawned, her jaws wide and her forked tongue curled, then closed her muzzle. The day was full of twists and turns. She wondered if it was done, or if there was more in store. She let herself fall into a sit, but she didn't dare let herself relax. Buck was still near. He could have a change of heart and charge the pair at any given second. She stayed alert for crashing underbrush, or her Buck's grunts and groans. A thought struck her and she chuckled as she spoke her thought out loud: "It's never a dull day with me, as you can tell."
Caedwyn watched anxiously, his eyes darting over Enya as she began to answer his questions. She didn't immediately say she was fine but instead apologized for somehow miscommunicating with Caedwyn. He simply shook his head in response. "No, it's fine," he said reassuringly, not wanting to interrupt her. His body relaxed a little when it seemed she wasn't going to suddenly shout "I'm dying!" or "get the medic!" at him, which he was grateful for. He straightened a bit, moving to a sitting position so he could listen while she explained more about her connection with Buck. His tail gave a small waggle when she reassured him that she was fine (finally) but it grew still once more as she continued. Somehow her familiar had defied her. Caedwyn had already connected the lines that Enya now spoke about. His eyes followed when she moved her paw to the injuries on her neck.
She was connected with Buck. The bond itself was worrisome but even more given that Buck was a prey animal. Sure, he had horns and hooves, but many creatures might attempt to harm him. Looking to Enya, Caedwyn felt a twist in his stomach forming. If something terrible should befall Buck, Enya might suffer the same fate - given how they were connected. Caedwyn couldn't have that. He wouldn't. Enya was right. Buck was a prime target for predators. He sat quietly, mulling the situation over. He was angry that of all creatures, Enya was somehow bonded with something so vulnerable. But he knew he had no business commenting on that. He'd never had a familiar and he didn't know much on how such bonds worked. He wasn't mad at her about it. Hell, he wasn't even mad at Buck. He was just mad that she was in danger.
"It's never a dull day with me, as you can tell." She chuckled and he let out a sigh with the breath he'd been holding. At lease somehow she could see the humor in the moment. He returned her comment with a meager smile, not wanting his worry to show too much. He leaned forward,, pushing his nose under her jaw and rubbing the top of his nose gently under hers.
"We'll figure this out," he said before pulling away to be able to look into her face. "Do you feel up to going after him? I don't like the idea of him wandering around out there like this and you getting hurt; but we don't have a plan and no way to safely contain him right now. Hmmm..." Caedwyn let out a frustrated grumble as he thought, his brow furrowing and ears flicking backward in annoyance. This damned deer was such a nuisance. It would be easy to just kill the beast but that definitely wasn't an option. The damned thing was making everything difficult by not submitting to Enya's will. "I don't want to lose the opportunity to catch him, but if he already resisted you once, now may not be the time. Maybe we should see a shaman about this?" His ears flicked forward with curiosity and his eyes came alight with a little hope, and he watched Enya's face to see if she approved of the idea or not. "They might know a way to restore your connection... and if not..." he paused, debating whether to allow his thoughts to escape his mouth. He wasn't sure how Enya would react to what he was really thinking.
He took a breath and his tone grew more serious. "... and if not, we must find a way to break the bond."
Caedwyn leaned in to rub his nose beneath her jaw, to soothe her. It was odd, him making such a gesture. She wasn't used to it and yet as he brushed against her, she felt a wave of tension melt away. A simple brush of affection was such a powerful tool to have at one's disposal. When he pulled away, she wished that he hadn't. "We'll figure this out" he boldly proclaimed, she was sure, to try and reassure her. She couldn't see a solution ahead of her. If she couldn't control Buck with her Will, how was she possibly supposed to keep him safe? The adrenaline from the hunt and the fight waned, yet her anxiety and fear grew as she realized the situation she was now in. The lands were full of predators lurking in the shadows. Someone could kill the Queen without even meaning to. She could die in any given second while he was roaming out there free. He wasn't safely tucked away in the walls of her old Kingdom. He wasn't wearing his collar she had made for him. He was a wild stag and had no indicators that he was bonded with Enya.
"Do you feel up to going after him?..." Caedwyn spoke. She shook her head no while she sat trembling, aching and exhausted both physically and mentally. The longer they sat there and didn't hear Buck rushing through the brush to charge at them, the more and more relaxed Enya's body became. She had to relax. Her muscles ached from the tension. He suggested they see a shaman, and Enya found herself thinking back to Ember and wishing she were here to help her. "Chasing him is no good if I can't control him. There's no telling what he will do to resist me." She feared he'd leap right off a cliff if given the chance rather than submit to her Will. Seeing a shaman was a good idea. The problem was Enya didn't know any Shamans in this new kingdom. Maybe they could somehow send the word out to the Kingdom they sought to rule... but that would take time. Time was something she didn't necessarily have.
Caedwyn then said something that brought her back to focusing on him. She blinked for a second, watching Caedwyn with disbelief at what he had suggested. How had she never thought of such a thing? She had always viewed the bond as permanent. In truth, however, she wasn't sure how the bond really worked. She could be panicking over nothing. Buck could die and absolutely nothing could happen to her. She figured that was far from the truth, though. "I don't know. I mean... I suppose it's a possibility. I just don't understand why he won't obey me. Have I gone soft? Am I becoming weak of Will?" What did that mean for her worship of Tsillah? Would she be consumed if she died again? She had tried to keep humor involved in the situation, but as the reality of the situation sank in, she was finding it hard to breathe.
She was right. Chasing them would do little to improve their situation if Enya wasn't able to control the beast, and Caedwyn didn't want to make things worse by persuing aimlessly. That's when mistakes happened. The sooner the buck calmed himself, perhaps the deer would come to his senses and allow Enya to reconnect their bond. It was wishful thinking but Caedwyn didn't know what else to do. His brow had furrowed in troubled thinking when Enya asked him a surprising question. Soft? Weak of Will? Caedwyn's face became visibly confused. How could she think that? What about this situation had made her think she'd gone soft? The confusion quickly turned to rejection. Caedwyn was rejecting that notion entirely.
"No." He said sharply, lifting his head up and looking directly to her. He may not have had much authority to speak on the subject but his tone left no room for disbelief in what he was saying. She certainly wasn't soft. Well, at least not in the sense that she meant. "You are anything but soft." he continued in an almost scolding way. He meant it to reassure her. How dare she say such things about herself! He took a breath and let his voice settle into a calmer tone. "There is magic in this realm that is beyond our understanding. That has nothing to do with your Will or mine or even Buck's - if deer have such things. There's something at work here beyond our control. You can't blame yourself for that... The fact Buck is here at all proves it. Some part of your bond to him must have summoned him."
Caedwyn finally let out a sigh, letting go of the last bit of sharp energy he'd held and leaned in toward Enya, pushing his nose gently under he chin. The touch was small, not wanting to aggravate any of her wounds.
The look of absolute in Caedwyn's eyes stilled Enya's racing thoughts. It hushed the murmurings. 'She will devour your soul.' they whispered to her. 'You are failing her' they tried to coax. They failed as Caedwyn's voice boomed within her mind. His tone was firm, harsh. She kept her gaze locked onto his, feeling through it the disappointment Caedwyn had in her speaking in such a manner about herself. He was right. She was not soft, or even weak of Will. She was a follower of Tsillah, and this was but another trial for her to overcome. She could lick her wounds, both physically and metaphorically, but she couldn't give up on the fight.
Enya sunk down from her sit back into a lay. She wished her legs would stop shaking already. Geeze. "You're right" she muttered as he lowered his muzzle to gently touch her chin. She leaned into the gentle touch for a moment before she pulled away to yawn once again. "I'm going to have to figure something out. If physically restraining him won't work, and he refuses to abide by my Will, then I must figure out another way." The idea of him freezing up again in her grasp, or him flinging himself off of a cliff to elude her repeated in her mind, yet this time the thoughts were not so strongly accompanied by fear. Instead, she was trying to reanalyze the situation and explore a different outcome. "I don't think he will fall for a trap. You doubt if deer have Will, but I can tell you with certainty that they do. Have I ever told you the story of my reawakening?" She was fairly certain that she had not.
Nor did she wait for him to answer. "When I died, I saw a black void before me. It felt like it was swallowing me into nothingness. I tried to fight it. I couldn't. No matter how hard I willed my body to cooperate, it did not budge. I was immobilized by the void. I wondered to myself if the Void was Tsillah, so large and all encompassing that I could not bear witness to the ultimate reality that is our holy She. Perhaps it was. Perhaps it wasn't. I don't know if I ever will know, or eve if I want to know. If it was her, then she was both beautiful, admirable, and absolutely frightening. I always wondered what it would be like to be paralyzed in place, not of an element, but of just one's sheer existence.
Anyways, I digress. I was trapped, until suddenly one moment I was not, and around me suddenly was swirling lights of an immeasurable amount of colors. It suddenly struck me that I felt the sensation of falling. It was the oddest thing, going from feeling nothing to feeling something. It was overwhelming. Then, suddenly, there was a flash and there I was, laying in a field with deer corpses scattered about me. Three, to be exact, and there was Buck, standing there staring at me with a fury and hatred I have never seen before in a prey's eyes. It was during our battle for my second life that our Wills clashed and became intertwined. I saw it, visibly, with my own two eyes. You are correct. There is mysterious magic enchanting this world. Mysterious does not always have to remain as such, however."
With her story told, she readjusted her position only to groan in discomfort. "Caed, can we go find a place to settle down for some rest? I'm not sure how much longer I can keep pushing my body for in this condition, let alone how hard you've been pushing yourself in yours."
She was right. Simply trying to force him into submission hadn't worked. They'd need to find a different way to deal with Buck. She mentioned that Buck wouldn't fall for a trap but Caedwyn bit his tongue at the comment. Sure, the beast seemed more intelligent than usual but Caedwyn wasn't ready to rule out trapping him as an option. They would simply need to be more clever than Buck us. "Have I ever told you the story of my reawakening?" Her reawakening? Had she told him this before? He couldn't remember. She had told him some things about her past and arriving in the Realm, but this seemed different. He quietly shook his head, giving her an opening to elaborate before he lowered himself down to lay next to her.
"When I died, I saw a black void before me. It felt like it was swallowing me into nothingness. I tried to fight it. I couldn't. No matter how hard I willed my body to cooperate, it did not budge." As she began her tale, he couldn't help but be reminded of his own brush with death. He too had felt that void. That darkness and nothingness. It felt so long ago now, thinking about it. Those years ago, he had offered himself to Tsillah's mercy, to Tsillah's wrath. He'd felt the pain of dying and the bitter embrace of her cold darkness. It was hard to imagine that he had felt such animosity toward Enya back then. He could hardly imagine now how his heart was so different than it was now. His own arrogance and ego had put him on a collision course with Enya. And of course looking back now it seemed inevitable that they would have fought the way they did. Her strong-will wouldn't have allowed her to tolerate his actions, and his misguided attempts to prove his worth to her forced him to make all the wrong choices. It was almost amusing seeing how things changed. There was definitely a power beyond their understanding that pushed and pulled at the world. Was it the Will? or maybe that was Tsillah herself.
He continued to listen quietly as she continued, going on to speak of how she had awoken from Tsillah's death. She had awoken much differently than Caedwyn. Where Enya had gone to the beyond and back again, Caedwyn had only touched the surface of the dark waters of eternity. Where she had found her Will entwined to Buck, Caedwyn's touch with death wrapped in pain. It had been a pain he'd never felt before. Not only had his body been broken, but so had his will to live. And yet, Tsillah hadn't taken him. Enya described the lights and colors that surrounded her. Tsillah's grace. That must have been what she saw.
Her words made a vision flash to his mind. A memory of that day he'd almost forgotten. It was the moment Tsillah refused to take him. He had heard a voice calling to him. Pleading. He had thought it was Tsillah at first, but he was wrong. When his eyes had finally opened, it wasn't Tsillah waiting there to take him. It had been Enya. There was a mysterious similarity to their stories. Enya's will had been tied to buck, a sacrifice of deer souls to bind them together. She had awoken to find Buck. Caedwyn had awoken to find her. He had been too broken and blind to see it back then. Maybe, all this time Tsillah had been pushing him toward her.
"There is mysterious magic enchanting this world. Mysterious does not always have to remain as such, however."
His eyes dipped for a moment. Maybe... Tsillah had given them both a second chance. "There certainly is," he said softly, then raised his eyes back to meet her face. "You're right. This situation with Buck is a mystery, but there must be someone out there who can help us figure it out." He paused suddenly, as she shifted and let out a discomforted noise. The adrenaline had made him forget his injuries for a moment but now with them laying there and the energy of the fight with Buck gone, the numbing effect had waned. His side gave an unpleasant sharp pain when he moved wrong or took too deep of a breath. It didn't seem to be anything life-threatening, but it was unpleasant. "Oh course!" he said quickly. She was in worse shape than he was. He felt a bit guilty getting lost in his own thinking rather than considering that he should find a safe place for them to rest.
He'd even lost track of the time! The sky overhead had turned a soft murky-gray color. The shade it turns just before turning pink with the sunrise. The stars had all faded and a wet dew had settled on the grass; but the birds had not yet awoken. It left a still quiet in the air. With a little wince, he got back to his feet. "Can you walk a bit?" he asked with concern. "My den is near here. If-if you want to go there? We can rest there and get out of the open." He felt a little unsure inviting her back to his den. Their adventure had kept him up for over a day now, but he wasn't sure she'd want to come back to his den. Were they even ready for that yet?
---
Speech.
ooc. feel free to say no to going to the den; but if they do, I have some ideas for when they get there (nothing weird).
As Caedwyn laid beside her, Enya instinctually leaned into him as she told her tale. It was when he pulled away and grunted out of his own pain that she realized she had even done so. He rose to his paws and she followed the gesture wincing as her body ached from the prior fight. While physically she hadn't sustained many open wounds outside of her neck, Buck had still been tripped. Her neck had still been punctured. She'd fallen multiple times, both as herself and as Buck's mirror. "It will have to be a slow walk," she muttered as she took a step forward.
Enya's gaze looked skywards as she noticed the shifting of the daylight. Morning was well on its way. She wondered if Buck was already settled down somewhere in a thicket nursing his own wounds that he had sustained. She wondered if he had a doe with him to help him feel better. Likely not. He'd always complained to her about how the does would never socialize with him because he stank of predator. 'If only you would have just listened' she thought sternly, chasing away feeling sorry for the creature by feeling angry towards him instead. 'Then you wouldn't need a doe to care for you. I'd have you healed up and tethered to me for every step of the way. Maybe that's what I should do.' Stupid Buck. If he had just been any other deer they would be feasting right now instead of going back to his den with a growling stomach.
"Sorry, the promise of a meal suddenly being taken away has my stomach upset." Her stomach growled and rumbled again as if to emphasize her point. She wondered why Caedwyn was nervous suddenly to invite her back to his Den. "I would much rather rest in the safety of your den over being exposed out here where Buck may suddenly spring from the underbrush at any second for round two." At mention, she swung her head left and right, pausing each time to look and listen for the crashing sounds that came with a large Stag charging at two wolves. Nothing. Not even the song birds of the morning had begun their rituals yet. "Unless... I mean it's clean right? I'm sure you keep a well-kept den. A King can't live in filth, after all." She smirked at him as she continued to limp along. "I'll just have to be the judge of that when we get there."
Caedwyn nodded to her in agreement. He wasn't planning on going anywhere fast. He wasn't sure if he had the energy for that kind of pace anyway. And when she mentioned food, Caedwyn had suddenly become aware of how hungry he was himself. His stomach gave a well timed growl and he gave a little embarrassed smile toward her. But she was right. They needed to get out of the open. Caedwyn didn't know much about Enya's familiar but the deer had managed to fight off both of them. He wasn't sure what sort of thing the beast might do next. And if any damage done to the buck hurt Enya... it would leave Caedwyn in a difficult situation if they needed to fight the beast off again.
He stepped closer to her, pushing his body next to hers for support. "You can lean on me, if you need." he offered, glancing over at her as he began a slow pace to move off towards his den. He was glad to hear she had accepted his invitation and his heart relaxed a little.
"Unless... I mean it's clean right? I'm sure you keep a well-kept den. A King can't live in filth, after all." His jaw opened held agape in a shocked expression and he replied with an obvious tone of feigned indignance. "How ever could you think something like that?... accusing my den of being sup-par..." he jested in mockery. "I'm sure my Queen will be quite pleased at the state of things when we arrive. Although..." he paused for effect his head lifting slightly to let him look down at her. "I'm not sure you'll pass the inspection at the gate, covered in blood that way. Perhaps we'll need another bath?" He waited for her response but grew amused at his own antics, letting out a snicker and shaking his head in laughter. They were both a sorry sight. She had blood dried in the fur of her neck and he had little splatters all over him. Not to mention the bits of tree bark and grass stuck all in his fur from when Buck had thrown him into that tree.
He let out a sigh and looked ahead. In only a few minutes they had arrived. "It's here, just ahead," he said, slowing a moment to allow her to get her own footing if she choose before he stepped away from her. "Just there," he motioned as he took a step forward to show her the entrance. Two large boulders rested against each other, a small triangular opening between them at the base revealed he had dug a tunnel underneath. "Uh... after you?" he said, pausing at the entrance.
If she ventured inside, the tunnel would open to a larger burrow that had been filled with soft pelts and dry leaves. The chamber was spacious for one wolf, though most likely very cramped for two - as it had been meant to hold only Caedwyn. To the side of this main chamber was a much smaller one - a shallow hole rather than a second room really. In here was a multitude of trinkets and various items that had been collected: bones, interesting sticks, a few gemstones, some scrolls ... among other things.
Enya immediately took up his offer to lean on him. The initial contact made her wince as sore muscles were touched against his, but once she found her spot on his side, she used it. The comfort he offered her made her smile to herself. His retort made her soft smile grow as he faked offense at her words. "Your Queen will just have to see for herself.", she added during his quick pause, before he opted to suggest a bath before bed.
As tired, sore, and hungry as she was, somehow, a bath sounded like the perfect thing to do. The water would soothe her, heal her, and there was a chance that it might even feed her. Going to bed clean, healed, and fed sounded much nicer than going to bed covered in grime, aching, and hungry. The idea was put on hold, however, as Caedwyn pointed out the entrance to his den. It was a good spot, as it took her a moment to find the entrance even with him gesturing towards the general area. He suggested she step inside first and she turned to smirk at him, "No last second tidying up you want to do first?". Without waiting for his response, she slipped into the burrow.
She could immediately tell that Caedwyn was a larger wolf than she. The entirety of the burrow and attached den was larger than what she'd dig out for herself. It made it feel both roomy and exposed. She peered at the actual contents of the den its self and nodded approvingly at the pelts and leaf litter that made up the floor cover. She continued to scan the burrow, making loud "Hmm. I see. Interesting choice." phrases as she pretended to criticize his den. Her teal gaze then spotted the smaller den attached and she shoved her head that way to take a closer look at his hoard. Instantly, she missed having one of her own. "Oh! Is this my gift?" she suddenly exclaimed, turning her head back towards the entrance of the den as she scooted to the side and made herself comfortable, allowing him enough room to enter his own home. "How thoughtful."
He gave a little awkward smile when she moved past him. When she asked if he needed to tidy up first, he suddenly had a moment of doubt. His den was in perfect order of course but the question made him question his own memory on the matter and he felt a pang of panic ripple through him. Well, maybe I should have..." but the thought was cut off as she barged right into the den without waiting for an answer. Which of course made him panic even more. He scrambled in after her, coming to a halt in the tunnel that led from outside to the den-chamber. He hadn't planned on making the den big enough for two. So with her inside, there really wasn't too much room for him to be in there without cramming up on her. So instead he waited awkwardly with his ass hanging down the tunnel behind him and only his nose sticking into the main chamber.
She was doing an awful lot of inspecting. Of course he'd expected her to look around before setting in but maybe not this much? He watched anxiously as she made little comments. Interesting choice??! What exactly was interesting? He was trying to see but somehow every time he tried to look closer her body was blocking his view. Suddenly though, she seemed to go a little deeper in the den. "Oh! Is this my gift? How thoughtful." He didn't need to see to know what she was looking at. Simply the fact she had suddenly found another foot or so of room told him that she'd stuck her front end down in his treasure hole.
"Oh wait! That's not..." he stammered, cramming himself the rest of the way down into the den. His instincts told him to stop her from looking at his secret trove of things, but as he crawled up next to her, he suddenly realized that wasn't a good idea. He literally had to crawl on top of her to get into the den-chamber. The den was probably spacious for one but for the two of them - the space was questionable. He was straddling on top of her though there wasn't enough room to stand, so really he was crawling right against her with his back pushed up against the ceiling and his belly rubbed against her back. In the couple seconds he'd moved over her, he was hit with the realization he had done so without even asking her.
"Oh I - Uh...." he stuttered, his voice sounding obviously flustered. "Uh, s-sorry... lemme just move over..." he tried to wriggle to the side of her now, perhaps making things worse in his desperation. His paws were stepping here and there and he was praying that he wasn't stepping ON her. When he'd finally managed to crawl to the side of her, his body was still pressed against her due to the small space. Though at least he wasn't on on top of her now.
"I.... uh.... sorry. " his face was right next to hers. He looked away, the red hue of his face fur hiding the flush of embarrassment. "Oh um... yeah... so... that's my hoard but ... obviously ..." he was talking fast, with little awkward pauses in his words as he tried to think what to say. "... well, what's mine is yours?"
