Answers That Were Before Denied

[Layl]

It had taken many moons to reach the place Layl now tread, and now that she had reached the looming gateway leading into the Vale, the pearly fae began to feel a great apprehension writhing in the pit of her stomach. Her cyan hues slowly roamed from the foreboding, to the great trees at the entrance and finally to the freshly dead crows that hung limply and leaking life’s blood from the stained branches. Layl’s blue tinged tassel lowered as did her head, shoulder blades now protruding as she began to sneak forward, darting swiftly passed the entrance until she was consumed by the shadows of the thick canopy above.
Auds were perked and straining to listen for any faint or subtle movement that may determine her untold fate, yet nothing but silence filled the air around her. Though Layl was long limbed and had a very sleek build that was simply perfect for a quick get away, she did not have the strength or body build of a fighter – her only hope was to hear a warning and bolt out of harms way. Having a pearly pale pelt did not help, especially under the shadowy canopy for unlike most varg she did not disappear in the shadows well enough to stay hidden.
Her blue tinged hackles began to rise with unease as she continued down the well paw trodden path that no doubt lead to her destination, and suddenly she began to wonder if it really had all been in her head, had it all just been a figment of her imagination and she was making a mountain out of a mole hill?

And then that uncanny recognition began to envelope her mind. Slowing herself to a halt, Layl’s head rose and she looked back and forth, scenting the area carefully before her eyes widened and she took a few steps back. She had been here before. Shaking her head violently from side to side she tried to wipe it from her mind, there was no way on this earth that she had visited the Vale before, there was just no plausible reason for it. A whine escaped her muzzle as her long legs began to tremble slightly.

What’s wrong with me? This can’t all be in my head, it’s just not right…

She whispered quietly to herself, still standing where she stopped, her tail now tucked firmly between her legs and touching her underbelly. Too stunned and afraid to move on, something else inside her head seemed to foresee who was waiting at the end of the path. It had been the image of a white wolf; her body covered in scars and her eyes a scarlet hue. Was that the seer that awaited to see her fortune and answer the questions that she’d long wished to ask someone who could respond?
With the fear that was now thrashing inside her innards, Layl was frozen solid and unable to move…neither back the way she came or forward towards her destiny.

(it came to me as I was writing this that I’m pretty positive Lyft actually came to the Vale back at the start…maybe back on TS1 when she was searching for answers on Lunacyn her sister. Obviously it would have been Mayan she met, hence the vision. If she didn’t then oh well it’s in the past and I can make it up! Just makes for good RP)

[Cinder]

The night was slowly coming. Fenris’ white light was gradually tainting to orange, streaking the clouds above with gold and crimson. The spring air went from pleasantly cool to cold, bringing with it weak wind leftover from the passing winter. Laid out on her back in her clearing, Cinder watched the sky, shivering with anticipation of the coming night. Like all wolves, she loved the shadows, and was looking forward to leaving the Vale for while, and perhaps stalk a newborn fawn or rabbit to fill her empty belly.

She sighed and rolled over in the dirt, suddenly feeling all the more restless.

Someone is coming, she decided. Her Seer’s Eye clicked on a moment later, confirming her suspicion. Deep within her mind, she saw a young female varg treading the path to her home. Her white and blue-grey bristled fearfully on her hackles, and she gazed around her, as if suddenly remembering something terrible, yet long forgotten. Cinder’s head tipped in interest. What could she seek here?

Cinder rose to her paws on thin, branch-like legs, and, not bothering to shake the dust from her matted pelt, began to walk down the worn path to meet her visitor. As she walked, the usual question, which surfaced at every visit, entered her brain. Would she me frightened of me? Many a wolf, even the brutes, often hesitated at their first sight of the Fortune Teller. Though still young, her voice was as raspy as an elder’s. Her body was painfully thin, and her hip, spine, and shoulder bones were clearly outlined against her pelt. Her fur was thin and unkempt, a smoky grey color streaked with “tiger stripes” of ashen black. Even her eyes were abnormal, for while one shined a common yellow, the other was a dull shade of darkest amethyst.

But what scared many was her face; the right side of which was nothing but a criss-crossing of scar tissue from the end of her muzzle to her mane. It was all that was left of her old pack: a cruel, Balkar-like family, who lived for no reason but to destroy. Her father, the Dragga, had hated her since birth, because she had refused to take part in the violence. At only two months of age, he set the entire pack on her to tear her to shreds. She escaped, but with half of the skin bitten and clawed from her face. Soon after, she had stumbled upon the Vale, where Mayan, the old Seer, had taken her in as a daughter. They lived peacefully until Mayan’s disappearance. And, not long after, Mayan’s gift had awakened within Cinder, and the young Kerl became the new keeper of the Vale.

The memories washed over her in a wave, but evaporated as the white pelt of the wolf came in sight far along the path. She seemed even more fearful than in her vision. The name came to her as she got closer –Layl- but she felt as if there was another name she went by. Cinder’s interest flared up again. There was much more to this varg than the sleek, ridged, body crouched on the path. Cinder padded up to her, slowly, hoping not to frighten her.

“Welcome, Layl,” she said, giving her tail a friendly wag and hoping that the action would ease some of the visitor’s fear. “I am Cinder, the Seer of the Vale.”

// I'll definatly consider that in the thread. Sorry for the delay. //

[Layl]

Time passed and all Layl could think of was how damned familiar the scenery and scenario was, yet she couldn’t think for the life of her why. The powerful image of a white pelted drappa covered in blackened scars and burning crimson orbs came into her mind’s eye and the vision terrified her to the core. It scared her so much so that she was in fact rooted to the spot and unable to move. Even when an unknown yet earthy scent began to tickle her nares on the breeze, Layl couldn’t go to flight; she simply stood where she had frozen and trembled uncontrollably.
Only a few moments later the scuffing of rough paws upon earth came to her alert auds and her blue tainted muzzle swung round in the direction of the sound, cyan hues wide with fright as they roved the shadows for any tell tale sign of a monster. And, not so surprisingly, the shape of a varg came into view, and eventually the faemme’s fearful appearance came into clear sight.

The new seer of the Vale, or so it was believed, was not as large as the vision in Layl’s mind. Her pelt was a brindled grey – very odd for any varg to carry – and her eyes wore separate colourings. Yet these strange factors were not quite as prominent as the fae’s horrifically scarred face and muzzle, which was completely void of fur and was in fact made up of only scar tissue, ragged and clear of all gentleness.
Layl tried her hardest to tear her eyes away from the Seer’s gaze, but she found herself captivated by the oddity which stood before her, and though she continued to tremble, the quavers were no longer as violent. And despite her tail still sticking firmly to her underside, it twitched with a clear sign of curiosity. Layl had never met this being before and yet despite the terror of where she was and what she could learn from the Seer, she felt oddly captivated and a wash of calmness was suddenly running through her veins.

As the faemme approached, she slowed to a halt leaving some distance between the two. A slightly hoarse voice escaped her disfigured muzzle, Layl figured it was due to being secluded all alone within the Vale and having no other beast to speak to, and to accompany her friendly tone a gentle wag was also offered. Despite feeling fearful by the fact that Cinder already knew her name, Layl pushed it to the back of her mind as she realised that it was true – this was in fact the Seer of the Vale.
A forced smile took over the pearly faemme’s features as she bowed her head low in respect to the elder bitch. Finally she managed to avert her eyes to the earth, focusing now on her paws rather than on her scarred face.

Greetings Cinder of the Vale. I am sorry to intrude upon your space without so much as an offering for my questions. However I hope that you will accept a hunting trip in return, if you feel that my questions are worthy of answering.

She growled lightly on quivering tones. It had only just then occurred to her that to bring a peace offering would have held her chances far higher in getting her questions answered in return. So now she only pleaded to the Gods that this beast was as friendly as she seemed.

(Sorry it took me so long, and sorry also for the crappy ending. I wasn't sure what to do >.< )

[Cinder]

//sorry for the wait, been really busy//

Upon hearing the fearful answer to her greeting, Cinder allowed a smile form on her muzzle, but it softened as Layl averted her gaze to her paws. She could feel the waves of alarm radiating from the young female’s body at the sight of her horrible face, but Cinder wouldn’t allow herself to feel shame for no longer than a moment.

Lowering her head to match her visitor’s eyes, the Seer nudged Layl gently.

“No offering needed, my dear. A true Seer welcomes all to her Vale, and opens her services to any kind heart,” she said in a tone meant to reassure. She hated it when her appearance made it difficult for other vargs to entrust themselves to her. She felt as if her face betrayed her duties to the Vale, and to the promises she made to Mayan all those seasons ago. And it only made it harder for Cinder to look at her own reflection at the end of the day.

But that didn’t matter now. There was business to attend to. She gave Layl another nudge, and lifted her head to speak once more. Her eyes caught a large murder of crows flying above the dead canopy, their hoarse cawing echoing through the thin mountain air. The sight of it stirred something deep within the Seer, a sort of dark, primordial secret.

“I understand your fear, Layl,” she said, “but there are much more terrifying things in this world than me, the Vale, or even the powers of the Sight that I can touch. Trust me on that. But you will not find those things in this place- not at this time, anyway.”

She lowered her head again, her two-toned eyes shining with sincerity. Then, she turned to the dark path that lead to her clearing.

“Come, now. Let’s see how I can help you.”

[Layl]

(No worries, took me long enough to get back to you so it's all fine!)

A soft nudge woke Layl back up from her cowering state and her gaze shot up once more to meet the two-toned eyes of Cinder. Her muzzle, despite being scarred and distorted, had softened into a friendly smile and one that was truly meant to relax the fearful faemme. The Seer’s appearance was indeed frightening to the Listern born faeme, yet her words were true indeed that within the world more terrifying things were to be discovered yet. Layl had a horrible feeling that she was about to discover one of said horrors, and was feeling the sudden urge to simply turn around and go on life without knowing the answer to her question.
Yet this was not to be the case, for Cinder now turned and began to lead the way back into the heart of the Vale, encouraging Layl to follow with her soothing tones. With a skittish bounce, the pearly faemme scurried after the brindle Seer, her tail still remaining tucked firmly between her legs and her head up and alert, cyan eyes darting back and forth with worry as to what could leap silently from the shadows which surrounded the two.

After several moments of silence, Layl forced herself to relax slightly and came up from behind Cinder to walk further by her side; head now low so that it was beneath the brindle hued fae – knowing that she was the dominant one out of the two and it was of course her land Layl was trespassing on. Looking up she offered a nervous smile to show appreciation, her tall body moving awkwardly as she held it slightly lower to the ground than what she was used to.
A light, quivering growl escaped her chest as she averted her eyes once more, looking down at the earth as it passed swiftly beneath her with ever paw step. A question burned her lips, and without thinking it broke out in a mumbled rush.

Will this hurt?

(awful reply, sorry >.< )

[Cinder]

The walk to the clearing wasn’t a long one, though, sometimes, the uneasiness of her guests made the journey seem longer to Cinder. Even as she walked behind her, she could feel Layl’s uncertainty like a storm cloud hovering low on the horizon. But the scarred femm paid it no mind; there was no point in telling Layl that there was nothing to fear. After all, they had yet to search Layl’s mind. Who knew what they would find?

The sound of Layl’s pawsteps quickened, and she turned her head in time to see the blue-tinted female bounding to match her pace and offer her a weak smile of appreciation. Cinder observed that the younger wolf had relaxed somewhat, though the light of nervous apprehension hadn’t left her eyes. The Seer offered up a smile of her own in return, then turned her eyes back to the path. The massive cobweb of trees that surrounded their path had begun to thin very slightly, allowing the faded light from the clearing beyond to shine in rays of gold.

Cinder smirked. Even a place as dead and foreboding as this could still have beauty.

“Ah, we’ve arrived,” Cinder announced, and lead Layl from the trees and into the small open space she called home. The ground was dusty and rocky, with a dandelion bursting up here or there. Bones from past kills lay scattered about; tiny femurs and ribcages from rodents or birds, and most recently, a rabbit. The mountainside rose up before them like the massive wall of an impenetrable fortress, the boulders of which containing a special footpath that Cinder often used to reach her favorite outcrop. She swished her tail as she saw it, reminding herself that she had no visited it in a while.

“This is where I live, Layl,” she explained, “my home.”

Near that path lay the entrance to her cave; the huge black mouth of a stone-grey face. It had looked like the nothingness of death when Cinder had first beheld it, and she suspected that Layl might have that same impression of the place now. Cinder lowered her head a bit, motioning to the cave with her paw as a dog might when ambushing a bird for its master. “And there is my cave, where I carry out my readings. And don’t worry, it really isn’t as dank as it looks from out here.”

She chuckled good-naturedly. Even the most seasoned traveling Varg could testify that the Vale’s cave was one of the most beautiful in the land. If one only had the courage to look within it. Kind of like the she wolf who resided there…

Cinder took a step forward, then turned her head to look back at Layl.

“Well… Are you ready, Layl?”

// my apologies for the ridiculously long wait. I hope we can continue this. //

[Layl]

True enough, the heart of the Vale was not too far away from the entrance, and at last the warming sun was beginning to break through the canopy above to shed some light on the scene before her. The lanky faemme still felt incredibly anxious, despite the obvious knowledge that the she-varg leading her was nothing like the Tsinga of the old stories from Larka’s day. She was warm, kind and very comforting; not that it could change the prospect of what was about to happen - questions answered.
On entering the clearing, Layl slowed to a halt and allowed Cinder to move on ahead. Lowering her head, tassel still quivering between her legs, she pulled her ears back and glanced fearfully at the scattered bones which littered the Seer’s ‘home’. She knew very well that they were all lera and held no scent of varg, but it wasn’t the most humble of places to live. Yet, Layl resisted the urge to judge even inside the safety of her mind; she herself was still only a Kerl so had no home at all - and any home is better than no home at all.

Slowly making her way towards Cinder she avoided looking at the ground, keeping her eyes now focused on the Seer before her. Cyan hues following the direction in which Cinder pointed she attempted a smile in response, gulping down the new lump of fear that she felt lodge in her throat. Any cave was dark and had walls, why should this one be any different? Closing her eyes tightly she pushed the idea of being trapped and vulnerable out of her mind, knowing that she came here for a reason and if she was to succeed in retrieving answers she so longed for, she’d have to go through this hellish experience.

Words suddenly broke the silence and her eyes opened sharply to see Cinder looking at her with a friendly smile. ”Well…are you ready, Layl?” she asked her at last, making the moment final as she was ready to lead the petrified Kerl into her abode and work her magic.
Pulling back her auds, the pearly faemme nodded her head slowly, forcing her legs to move forward and towards the cave’s looming mouth. It was now or never, and why waste the journey she had taken to reach this point? Whether the news be good or bad, she’d at least know the truth to her existence.

I’m ready…I think...

((sorry for my late response deary >.< I do hope we can continue this =) ))