Es/Justyn/Roan?;; Stray Dog

[Paint]

You're staring at the same old view
Held on fast--it became old news, and I
I'll be gone 'fore long
At least I'm gone now
Hallelujah for that

Esmerelda was running, running like she loved to run full pelt down the sloping outlands. This valley was so beautiful and although she was sure the two pack lands were much larger, No Man's land was good enough for her. Es liked being a loner more than anything else right now, it felt so right to be free and wild.

Now you know what you lost
Now you are the thieves that you pardon
Search for need that will never come
Hallelujah for that

She knew very well, she'd heard the vague stories, of the broken wolves who had come from Empyrean Valley. She knew some of them felt grief with their losses- but Esmerelda had never felt so alive before. Maybe she was never cut out for pack life; it didn't suit her to have ties to anyone.

There's more for their own now
It's time for me to forget
I don't need a reason to, so
So long
Stray dog
You're only joker, no
Joker no more

Being out on your own was a lot less dangerous, she felt, as well. Sure, the occasional mental loner who would try to rip you apart. But you could always just run. Run somewhere new and start a new life, no strings attached, no one to cry about or say goodbye too.

Oh, to each their own
But when you can call on your mind
Just crying to hold back tears sometimes
Wasted, wasted
Before you forget what you came here for

For Esmerelda, the earthquake had struck at a point in her life when it would do no lasting damage. She loved her mother, her father (despite his illness), her siblings and cousins and everyone inbetween. But just because they were gone didn't mean they wanted her to wallow in grief. They'd had their shot at life, it had been beautiful to have them around- but there was nothing she could do about what she'd lost.

You need to see the signs
And you need to stop wasting time
And selling the same damn story
Story that you heard before
And I waited for you but you were long gone

She refused to waste time wallowing in self-pity, killing herself from the inside out just because she'd lost a lot. She hadn't lost everything; she was still alive and that was enough for her. She was a simple being. She needed air in her lungs and masses of land to travel across and she was content. Happiness came in jumps and strides and she would accept it when it came but not mourn for it when it went. She skidded to a halt, panting heavily and loving the burning feeling in her lungs as they tried to return to normal. Her legs quivered and she stayed still for a moment, appreciating the view laying before her as the valley stretched out.

Stray dog
You're only
Only stray joker, no
Joker no more
Stray dog

[[Midnight]]

Justyn was just an idiot. A stupid, foolish yearling who thought he was bad-ass enough to get around any obstacle. He lived through adolescence pretending like he had been treated so horribly that nobody could even imagine the pain he had been though, and he told himself that he only needed to be angry and vicious to survive. And that he needed no one.

Months later, one conversation had quickly shattered most of that little charade. A conversation with the daughter of his worst enemy had shown him that he wanted to care for something more than just himself. He'd start with Rose.

After having a heated discussion with Duke just hours ago, Justyn had gone to sulk in the shadows and think over his life - both past and future. A lot of what he said to Duke might have been bluffs, even Justyn still wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but he did know one thing: if Justyn took down Duke, Rose would go with him. Justyn didn't want that. He was too attatched to her, he felt a sense of loyalty to her even though she might be an expert manipulator who probably knew she could win him over. But then again, maybe that wasn't her plan from the beginning. Maybe she wanted another friend, too.

Either way, Justyn felt more lost than ever, but also more alive than ever. He had choices set before him and decisions to make, but that just meant that he might have a life filled with meaning after all.

Climbing up the hillside, his powerful muscles rippled and burned underneath his skin as he struggled against gravity. One nice thing that he had inherited from his parents - particular on his father's side - was his size and strength. Hopefully he didn't have a mind-eating disease, though, that'd be a real bummer.

As he panted for breath and blinked dust out of his hazel eyes, he stopped in his tracks and took a moment to regain some stamina, looking around the area with little interest.

No Man's Land was boring. Falling Moon was ugly. At least by now he had gotten used to it, though. He shook grit off of his pelt and took another step forward.

This time, however, he stepped on a loose rock and felt his leg quiver as it moved underneath his paw. Before he realized it, he had lost his footing and went tumbling down the hillside, letting out a loud and painful whine when he landed on his side.

"Crap, dangitt," he cursed under his breath, feeling stings from cuts all over his bruised body.

[Paint]

Although Esmerelda was already still, she felt a pause in her mental buzzing as she heard the sounds of a scuffle and some loose cursing. She glanced back, up the sloping ground, but figured the wolf making the sound was hidden behind the big clump of bushes behind her. Curiosity, as usual, got the better of her, and Es began to pad up around the rock.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting- a clumsy loner, maybe, or a runaway pup. What she was most definitely not expecting was her younger brother.

She was so unsure at first that it was him. Her vivid green eyes widened and her breath sucked in down her throat in shock, and she fell completely still and silent. No, it can't be Justyn. Not my brother, the storyteller always getting in trouble... she thought, trying to take him in.

He was a lot bigger, that was for sure. He'd inherited Caerwyn's muscles, but she could see her mother's long muzzle there as well- thickened slightly by Justyn's gender, of course. He was the same colours, though- black with a grey underbelly and if she looked closely, brown eyes.

She was in such shock that she just stood there. He probably wouldn't recognise her, she was much slimmer since she lost her puppy fat and taller, too. She'd never had her mother or father's colouring, and her green eyes had always been out because no one in the family had green eyes- except Caerwyn when he went crazy. She pushed the thought from her mind and swallowed loudly, still partly obscured by bushes.

She stepped out into view and crept forwards only slightly, they were still a large distance from each other.
"Justyn?" she called, bewildered.

[arbie]

He needed to get out. He really needed to get out. He probably spent more time in No Man’s Land than his pack’s, but that didn’t bother him. He enjoyed No Man’s Land, it was different from the empty space that was called No Man’s Land back home. Heh, back home. He had to admit, there were more places to go here, and the weather was nice… It just didn’t take away the nightmares he had sometimes, the sound of screaming of names and the rumbling feeling beneath his paws seemed so real, even if his paws weren’t even on the ground while he slept. It was an odd feeling, but Roan was lucky these only happened sometimes and not every night. He wasn’t tormented as often as some others might be.

He wandered around No Man’s Land, deciding that he would feel better with a bit more space to breathe. It would help that he could see far ahead in the Outlands, too. He headed in that direction at a leisurely pace, deciding there was no need to hurry. He had no one to meet, he had no one to meet him, so it was all good. He trotted rather happily, which surprised him, through the barren area, thinking he would have complete silence. Well, that thought was soon banished when he heard what sounded like rocks falling and a bit of bad language.
Confused, yet curious in case the wolf was hurt, Roan made his way towards the source, not knowing what he was going to see.

He was standing a few feet away from Justyn, and was standing opposite Esmerelda. His heart was stuck in his throat, his mind buzzing with questions and he suddenly felt like collapsing. He stared at the two wolves… Their fur colour, their eye colour, they looked just like-No, they couldn’t be. They were dead, they were gone, they were with Midnight in a happy place… But when he heard the name Justyn, Roan gasped, finally making a noise.
“You two…” he said, gathering himself. He could only stare at them both for a while, “Esmerelda. Justyn… This isn’t right.”

[[Midnight]]

It was bad enough that he had let himself trip and fall at all... But for someone else to see it? How embarassing.
While the dust around him started to clear, Justyn cleared his throat and brought himself to his feet, feeling a small trickle of blood seep down above his left eye. Other than that, he was completely uninjured aside from a couple of bruises and an even bigger bruised ego.

He was still preparing to look up at who had called his name; it was clearly a feminine voice, but he didn't recognize it. At least it wasn't Rose.

When he looked up with a small pout, he froze.

If the looks didn't catch him right away, the scent did. All around him swirled the sweet, nostalgic smell of his litter days, before his eyes had even opened or he could walk.
She had gotten older, but he knew who it was he was who was standing right in front of him.

"Es...? Ezmerelda?" he squeaked, feeling his heart pound inside of his chest.
Was he dreaming? He had been sure that there was no one left, not one family member alive... He took a small step forward, but something stopped him.

Another voice. This time much more familiar.

"Roan and Esmerelda?"

Perhaps, maybe they had lived through the earthquakes and had found each other! But how? How could he have never known?

[Paint]

Esmerelda's head was spinning.

It was actually Justyn. And then... Roan. Roan was suddenly standing there as well as if some force had brought the lost siblings back together. Her jaw dropped open as she searched for words. She looked up into the sky as if searching for an answer.

There was no coincidence this big, surely?

She couldn't believe this was by chance. Somehow, the wolf spirits had brought them back together. Again, she stammered for words and shook her head. She stepped forwards, and then back again, and froze. She was absolutely dumbstruck.

"Roan?" she choked. She remembered him very, very well- he'd been an adult at the time of the earthquake. "Justyn, Roan... you're both dead," she stumbled over her words and abruptly sat down. "Where have you been for the last year?" she suddenly demanded, as if she'd just taken her head out of the clouds.

[arbie]

ooc|
This is a private board, wolfstar... I think we'd all be grateful if you deleted your post.

bic|
He stared at Justyn. Something was different about him, and he knew it was something bad. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm himself down. His body wasn’t shaking or anything, but on the inside he was exploding with happiness. He had relatives! He had a half-niece and nephew! It made his heart swell with pride that they had somehow managed to survive, and the first thing he did was smile at them both from that realisation. Roan looked from Justyn to Esmerelda, finally settling on the female. She was as beautiful as her mother, and he hoped she was proud that she took after Midnight. Roan was thankful at least one of the children survived… No, not one, two! He had to remember that. He glanced at Justyn, then looked back at Esmerelda.

“I could say the same for you, but you’re both standing right in front of me!” he said back, the obvious feeling of happiness showed in his voice and now tall, perhaps even proud, stature. He grinned at them. His smile slowly faded when Es became a bit serious, and Roan glanded at Justyn. Where had he been?
“I… I had travelled with them.” he said, gesturing to where the Falling Moon land was now. He would happily call the Falling Moon ‘Falling Moon’, because it had the same leader. Duke, the devil, really, “But what about you? What about both of you?! How did you survive?”

If they survived, did this mean Midnight survived? … no, not possible… If she did survive, then the others would have survived as well. Kazu and Pitt. Oh how he longed to see then step out and greet the three happily. How he longed they could be a family again. He forced a smile again, looking at Justyn for an answer to Es’ question.

[arbie]

ooc|
It says 'Es/Justyn/Roan' in the title, I thought that would have been a good sign ^^;

[[Midnight]]

Justyn's head was spinning was so profusely that he had to sit back on his behind for support.
For the three of them to stumble into one another like this was a huge coincidence. It must have been one of those "once in a lifetime" miracles... It definately wasn't magic, though, magic didn't exist in this valley any longer. Just coincidental situations.

It took a long pause before he registered that Roan and Esmerelda were now waiting for him to explain himself. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, unable to take his eyes off of his sister.

She had grown so much that it was strange to be looking at her... Like he was looking into the future, even though this was the present. The vague memories of her that he had stored away were of when they were just a few months old, just beginning to understand the world.
Now she was fully grown, gorgeously beautiful... Alive.

He wanted tears to come to his eyes, or just some other reaction besides shock, since that would have been the natural thing to do. But all he could do was stare blankly at her green eyes like an idiot.

He turned his head slightly in Roan's direction but his eyes didn't move. He was never... Particularly close to Roan. But he remembered how big of a softy he was, and how much he had loved his mother and his father, also Roan's brother. From the smell of him, he was still sticking around with the new Dancing Stars - that didn't surprise him.
But it fanned some of the angry flames in his heart, and caused it to ache with familiar pain.

Finally, he recovered from his vulnerable, unsuspecting state, straightening his neck slightly and standing back on his four feet. His eyes were soft, but his voice was slightly stand-offish, since he hadn't spoken affectionately towards anyone in ages.

"Yeah, I'm... Alive. I've been around. I can't believe I never ran into you guys... This is so wild," he said, looking from one to the other.

He probably should be embracing them both with wolfish hugs, crying his eyes out, and smothering of them with happy licks. But neither of them had done that yet, either, so maybe he wouldn't be picked on for that.

He thought about what he was about to tell them in order to explain where he had grown up after the quakes. If Ezzie and Roan were still the same as they had been back a year ago, they wouldn't be happy to hear his story. Just an understatement.

"When the earthquakes had finally disappeared... I wandered alone for a few days. It was only a matter of time before I was going to die, but... Someone found me and took me in. So here I am," he said coolly, the look in his eyes suggesting that it wasn't an easy task to be alive here today but he had survived with pride.

[Paint]

Esmerelda was thoroughly weirded out, but she was also ecstatically happy. Now that the shock had worn off, she launched herself at Justyn and gave him a big lick on the cheek, then doing the same to Roan. Her brothers were alive! And yes, she did count Roan as a brother, just as much as Justyn.

"I can't believe it!" she cried, grinning enthusiastically. "I was wandering around for a year thinking all of us were dead! Except me, of course, I didn't think I was dead."

She laughed, the sound beautifully melodical. Suddenly she couldn't stop moving, bounding around, positively bouncing from paw to paw.
"Roan! Tell me your story!" Es exclaimed, almost demanded, when a strange scent entered her nose. Ah, wait, that must be the new Dancing Stars scent on him. She smiled at the thought, and then looked towards Justyn.

She sniffed in once and then froze. Why did he smell so different? Instead of bouncing around, her muscles quivered- she was still but part of her was always still moving. Her brilliant green eyes watched him carefully. He couldn't be...

[arbie]

Roan’s lips twitched as he looked at Justyn. He wasn’t too pleased that he seemed strange, like he was hiding something. He wasn’t the best at seeing if someone was trustworthy or not though, so he forgot about it. Roan felt slightly awkward, so he didn’t go and lick them both on the cheek just yet, he wanted to know he could trust them both. He looked from Justyn to Es quickly, trying to make it look like he didn’t trust his half-nephew. He smiled at Es and returned the gesture.

He nodded, agreeing with Es when she said she thought they were dead. It was a nasty thought, but seeing them… Well, it made him feel almost angry. He hardly knew Esmerelda and Justyn, so why did THEY have to survive? Why couldn’t it have been Carmine, or Midnight, or, or, or… He didn’t know who he wanted to see. His mind wandered to all his friends.
“My story? All I did was travel with the survivors… mainly Falling Moon.” he added bitterly. He glanced at Justyn, catching the odd scent. It certainly wasn’t the new Dancing Stars, and it couldn’t have been the loners either. His eyes widened a bit at the realisation , and he looked at Es, wondering if she noticed.
"What about you, Es? And... Who found you?" he asked, sitting down.

[[Midnight]]

Justyn stiffened when Esmerelda attacked him like a love bug, planting a big, slobbery kiss on the cheek. It had been some long, long months since he had been touched like that.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, he shifted his weight and turned towards Roan, watching him curiously. Ezzie seemed happy to see her family alive and well, but Justyn's uncle seemed a bit uncomfortable, just like he was.

The scent wafting off of both of the wolves were completely different. Roan had traces of Dancing Stars lingering with him, although the sent had changed a bit now that Caden was the new leader in a new valley. But it was still one hundred percent recongizable considering he had grown up with it.
Esmerelda was clearly a loner, with no pack odor and just the smell of trees and wild flowers swarming around her in a cloud.

Well, at least the attention was off of him and back on Roan. With no smile but a curious stare, Justyn watched Roan and wondered if he'd give a long, historical speech, or just a simple answer.