{ d I z Z y } Styx | Meg

[Sivoncé™]

^{A heavy sigh echoed from the lungs of a young Sheeran she-wolf, her eyes empty except for a swimming sadness in their hazel depths. Her walk was a slow pace, but not at all leisurely. No, there was a purpose to this walking through her ravaged homeland, through the felled, charred trees and ash-marked earth. There was a purpose for coming to see the horror that was now home sweet home. And a few more goals, too, that she kept within herself.
A light breeze ruffled her ruffled pelt, messed by scratches and three long gashes over her cheek, proof and curses from the recent battle in the camp. It could've been just any normal fire, just any normal battle between fueding packs. It could've so easily been...but to say that would mean forgetting the mess of evidence that was littered all inside of her, inside of every Sheeran, inside of every wolven heart within the Valley of Endless Winter. This forest, nothing but crisp, incinerated remains, could've been growing back to be stronger. It could've been....but with the world spinning and everyone dizzy as right and wrong were flipped and toyed with, who was there to clear the smoke, the mists, the fog all away? Who was there to clear this haze and bring some reason to a world that was suddenly so unfair, unreasonable...
What was the difference between light and dark when the sun barely reached her now, even in the open, ruined expanse that was once an herb healer's paradise. What was the difference between night and day? The same answer. And....life and death? Color is what lights the lives of all wolvenkind, but how could there ever be so many brilliant hues and shades if there were no black and whites to lighten and darken the bases? How could they get by if there wasn't an alternative?
She sighed again, coming to a stop and sitting on a blackened, hollowed log.
How can anybody see straight if all time does is spin us faster and make us dizzier?}

[Kismet//Accalia]

Styx walked silently through the weeds. His head was low for he did not want to be seen right now. Everything felt a lot differently today. Maybe because it was of the recent battle. The wind blew a scent of another wolf. He wasn't very familiar with the pack, but he could tell it was a friend, not foe. He was the wolf sitting on a log. At first, he wanted to say hi, but who would reply to a 'hello' right now anyway? He could always be quiet and just go sit next to the wolf. He shrugged and slowly stalked next to the log.

"That was a pretty scary battle, eh?"

[Sivoncé™]

^{Meg's ears twitched slightly as another wolf approached, but as she drank in the scent -- carefully, so as not to snort ash into her lungs -- it was clear that this was a Sheeran wolf -- Sheeran with the faint scent of something else, a loner. She blinked, searching the mists until she found the form of Styx, a new addition to the neophyte den from the free-roamer lands. She wasn't sure if he knew her name, seeing as Lirenia hadn't introduced Styx to everyone, but rather introduced everyone to Styx. She winced as he mentioned the battle, eyes sad.
"I was in the healer den when it started....I had a thorn in my paw, which made it hard to train properly. I was being a little clumsy, I guess. But anyway, Lilly Pad and Adrian weren't around...and this shadow just fell over the entryway and...." She shivered. "I'm only a neophyte! We're both only neophytes! And you know what? The rest of us are just wolves...those things are....well....who really knows what they are? I'm lucky I got out, and I very nearly didn't. If we're losing wolves already, how do we even stand a chance?" She sighed, pink suddenly flooding her cheeks as she suddenly realized she'd just ranted to a stranger.
"Er....sorry. I'm Meg, by the way. You're Styx, right?"}

[Kismet//Accalia]

Styx blinked a few times. "Um.. yes.. That was some battle. Very scary one at that. I'd rather be alive and away from the battle than still be fighting." He tried to smile, but he knew it was pointless. Nobody would be the same anymore. Not even himself.

[Sivoncé™]

^{Meg looked at Styx, gaze still retaining that haunted look that most wolves had now, but also a small element of curiosity. "You're an interesting character, Styx. You can say exactly what most wolves are afraid to say in so few words." She offered him a weak half-smile and shrugged. "So...how's your training going?" She asked, feeling like their first meeting was dampened by the aftermath of a rather intense battle. He's a denmate now...might as well make friends.}

[Kismet//Accalia]

"My training? Well... I was bit by a beaver... and my mentor didn't warn me until after I was bitten. I guess I really haven't done anything." Styx looked down at his paws. "Did you do anything except get a thorn in your paw?"

[Sivoncé™]

^{Meg felt a little better that she wasn't the only one getting nipped at, though she was still certain she was the world's biggest clutz. "Well, I did get some tracking training in, and I know how to hunt smaller game. It's really the battle practice I haven't had any experience in yet....and I really should work more on hunting, too. I guess my tracking will come in handy especially now....but we're needed more than ever, and it's going to be so hard to train around here from now on...." she woofed, thinking.}

[Kismet//Accalia]

"That is true..." Styx was still looking at his paws. He flipped them over to look at the soft pads. It felt weird to actually have a conversation with someone. Especially someone who wasn't his mentor. "The only thing I've been training in is fishing. Although I do hope to do some actually hunting too." If the beaver doesn't count that is.

[Sivoncé™]

^{Meg looked somewhat excited at the prospect of fishing. "The waters are probably just as affected as the rest of the territory....but maybe some of the fish are still around. Well, whatever the case is, we have one more place to check for prey than any of the other packs now....if there are any fish left, that is...." she woofed.
"Hey, I have an idea! Since we're both learning different things, maybe we can swap lessons once in a while....I mean like teach each other what we learned so we can work and train faster," she contemplated, a slow grin on her face.}

[Kismet//Accalia]

"Um... yea, sure. I guess. I didn't really learn anything much except stay away from beavers." He grinned. Even though it seemed weird, that was one lesson both of them could use one day... or not.

[Sivoncé™]

^{Meg's grin morphed into a small laugh. "Well, then, I've never seen a beaver, so maybe I can benefit from that lesson. What do they look like?" She asked. Her mentor had never really spoken to her about beavers...in fact, she'd never heard of them before Styx had told her about the creatures. Hm....maybe it's something big and scary. Like we don't already have enough of those things running around the valley....or maybe it's something small, unexpected.....like that stupid thorn....}

[Kismet//Accalia]

"Well, it's small and brown. It has buck teeth and it lives under a pile of sticks in the water..." Styx shrugged. "It's small, but deadly. I'm just glad it didn't break any bones."

[Sivoncé™]

^{Me opened her eyes wide and nodded in serious affirmation. "Wow! Sounds scary....well, I'm definitly glad I know not to run into them now. It's good that you told me this before I started swimming sessions with Reason! Oh, I almost forgot to ask, who's your mentor?"}

[Kismet//Accalia]

"My mentor? Um..." He thought for a while before he remembered. "Her name is Natalia I think."

[Sivoncé™]

^{"Natalia?" She repeated, more to herself than to Styx. She thought for a moment, recalling the rough but brilliant white femme. Natlia had been a warrior for about six moons already, and though the fae didn't have much for family besides her brother Solaris, it was apparent she loved pups. She also seemed to have a liking for younger wolves in general, even though they irritated her sometimes just like everybody else. "Well, she's definitly clever, but she can be kind of...tough around the edges. I'm sure you two will get along fine. The beaver lesson does sound like something she would think of doing, though," she snickered a bit, nudging his shoulder lightly. "Hey, not too much harm done, right?"}