Thread: The Wolf, the Forge, and Love Forbidden - Raivh & Abovetheroses

Everything was a blur as he ran, racing against what he knew to be a very limited amount of time. He could hear the hounds barking frantically as they gave chase. His lungs burned. It had been a great deal of time since he'd ran at a dead bolt as he was. Every nerve in his body was pulsing, scolding him for the immense exertion. Adrenaline was what drove him onward. Suddenly, the hounds stopped, and so did Ahren. Skidding to a halt, his head jerked around, ears forward and alert as he listened carefully. Luca's frustrated shouts met his ears. His large black nose twitched as he sniffed at the crisp air around him. Musk. There was Elise, and then there was a very strong male musk. The scent was faint but growing closer and fast. Before he had time to reflect back on his memory of the scent, he heard a blood curdling howl rip through the forest. Ahren snapped his head up, watching as a group of ravens took flight, screeching their displeasure to anyone and anything in the vicinity. His hackles started to rise and he took off running again. By the time he reached the area that still reeked of man and mutt, there wasn't a soul to be found. No trace of blood was on the leaf covered ground in front of the rocky slope that led up the base of the mountains. Ahren! His eldest brother's voice boomed in his thoughts, and before he knew what was happening, he felt the impact of the alpha against his side. Ahren was sent rolling, tumbling over and over again as his limbs thrashed about, claws digging into soil, rock, and roots, until finally, he found his footing. Had he not been taken by surprise, it might have been difficult for his brother to topple him as he had. Stamping his front feet against the earth, assuring himself of his footing, Ahren's nose crinkled up, prying at black lips to fold back and reveal a menacing snarl. Aldred kept his head held high as he advanced fearlessly toward his younger brother. The look on the alpha wolf's face was one of complete disdain. What are you doing close to the mountain's, little brother? Aldred began to circle Ahren, hackles standing on end, blue eyes sparring with those of the other wolf, wide and fully alert. Ahren lunged in Aldred's direction, but the older wolf dodged out of the way and spun around, face-to-face with his brother. They were so close that their noses nearly touched. Searching for Elise. Ahren's wolfish brow lowered and he snapped his jowl at Aldred, scraping his front teeth over the alpha's nose. Aldred didn't budge, despite the blood that began to pool and trickle down from his nose. There were many scars there, many fights won against both wolf and man. She doesn't need your saving. Aldred's ears flashed back, irritated that the man so opposed to aiding Alden and himself in retrieving her before this wretched day had decided to become the hero. I was waiting for them here all night. Well, now your wait is over, Ahren said, having returned to his human form, naked as the day he was born. His chest was heaving, winded after sprinting for miles to reach this point only to be ridiculed by his older brother. Square shoulders glistened with sweat against the lowering rays of the sun receding against the western horizon. You can go home, knowing that you saved her life. Clenching his fists together at his sides, the muscles in his forearms tightened. Every bit of contempt Aldred held for Ahren was reciprocated tenfold. In all these years gone by, Ahren had seen his eldest brother three times. The first was when their mother died. He'd come to Ahren, promised to take the boy to see her one last time before she was placed on the pyre to join their ancestors. The second was when their father was beheaded. Ahren had been there that day. He'd watched his father fight against his restraints and die a beast as he'd always been. The third was when he and Alden approached him last night to warn him of Elise's capture. Go on! Ahren bellowed, throwing a hand in the direction of the mountain's where he knew his brother and his pack resided, high up on the peaks where it was extremely difficult for man to journey due to the harsh and unpredictable weather. A guttural growl reverberated in Aldred's chest, growing louder until he opened his maw and issued a dangerous threat between two males of their kind. Ahren rolled his shoulder's forward, thick muscle dancing beneath his skin. Aldred, however, relaxed his expression and dropped his tail, looking gray, old, and tired. Without another exchange between the two, he turned and left, leaping up the craggy precipice from where he'd earlier emerged. Ahren stood, tense and full of bitter rage that radiated throughout his body. He watched until he could no longer see his brother, and then he too turned and took his leave, walking back in the direction he'd come. He needed to find the clothing he'd left behind before he could return home. It was beginning to snow, and he needed to stoke the fires of the forge as well as those in his hearth for the night.