Topic: Done?

WilliamBlackmoon

Date: 2014-05-27 00:28 EST
William craned and cracked his neck while standing on the porch of the Inn. It had been nearly a year since he had been there. It was there that his daughter, Winter, had slapped him in the face when he refused to help her pack of Guardians. It was there that he had run into his ex-wife, Cayt, and stumbled through an awkward conversation with her.

Now he was done.

He had resigned from his diplomatic post. He had taken the Guardians by the reigns and crushed the Darkness that had been closing in on the Pack. He had righted the wolves and made some amends with his daughter and restored some of his pre-glory/hateful/darker/malevolent life.

But now what"

There was always his other daughter, Aurora Blackmoon. She was more of a stranger to him than Winter was.

He bared his canines and inhaled the scent of the common room inside. Nothing familiar. William wandered inside, his broken gait lightly tapped his strides out of rhythm. The Inn was a bustle and the atmosphere seemed almost electric.

So he stood there, just inside of the door, looking painfully alone- he hadn't gone anywhere without his wolven escorts in decades. There was no regal attire or common attire. He almost looked like a transient. He looked nothing like he should have looked. There was nothing about William that tied him to anything from his past.

Not entirely true. There were three things: his fiery, violet eyes, his black, demoness-of-a-sword, and his silver healer's circlet that sat freshly above his brow.

William made his way to the bar. Not many regarded his presence. A few ladies glanced his way and he gave them a sickenly-sweet smile. A bar stool was found and found William atop.

Keep, he mind-spoke to the blonde behind the bar.

She twirled around and met his gaze with a smile. He approved. He approved very much. His eyes rather blatantly sank from her gaze, across her bountiful and beautifully deep cleavage, to hear slender waist then back up again.

"What can I get you?" she asked.

Something strong, William replied with his thoughts. He still had such a difficult time speaking in public. He had spoken to Winter and to Cayt. This woman was neither.

"Anything else?" she asked before blushing at his hungry gaze.

We'll see, he winked, grabbed his ale and drank heartily.

A roar erupted in the common room and he turned to see two men battling it out over a mug of alcohol. Yes, he was home.

WilliamBlackmoon

Date: 2014-06-02 23:46 EST
The morning had come quickly, far too quickly for William. He groaned and rolled over on the hard floor. His muscles ached from age and his body protested against any form of movement. He made a note to check with the barkeep about an additional bed though he'd prefer a completely separate room.

William sat up and stretched before glancing to the two women sleeping in the bed. He bared his canines in distaste. It was no secret that Nightfell, the demoness tied to his soul, preferred the company of women. She claimed it was because he was a man and in turn his urges became hers. William preferred to believe she did it because she knew he didn't approve, a way of pushing his buttons. There were a lot of things about that woman- demon- he didn't approve of.

"Leaving so soon?" the blonde barkeeper from last night asked sleepily as she nuzzled against Nightfell. "Surely you'd like to join us now, no' I was disappointed you didn't take part last night."

William ignored the comment, and the women, and finished dressing. With his silver healer's circlet resting upon his brow, he left them to their sin. Maybe he would just find a place to live on the outskirts of town. He really did like the place, perhaps that is why he always seemed to come back every decade or so. Yes, he was going to find something simple where he could live out his life and hopefully mend some of the wounds he made in his past.

The common area was deserted except for a burly barkeep washing down tables and some guy passed out at a booth. William gave a nod to the barkeep as he made for the door. He paused for a moment to look back at the staircase that led to the rooms above. His nose wrinkled at the thought of turning to see Nightfell following after him. She wasn't so he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.

The morning light seemed different. It was softer and the air was cool. He looked around for a moment and remembered the last time he was on the porch. It was a year or so ago, and his ex-wife Caytlin Benn"et was there. It wasn't the most pleasant conversation but it wasn't the most brutal either. It had been true and honest but nothing close to the beginning of closure he had hoped to provide her- and himself.

William ran his hand along the top of the banister near a swing then stiffened. His bright violets darkened as he looked around uneasily. He bared his canines and slowly eased his hand down to the scabbard at his side, finding it empty and cursing the demoness for not following behind him.

Show yourself, brother, William sent harshly with his mind.

"You know I hate that," his older brother said as he appeared from around one of the Inn's corners.

I know, William replied. So why are you here, Ro"

"Just passing through," Roanoke smirked then stepped onto the porch and pushed his way past his brother.

William growled at his brother's passing. Roanoke stopped and looked at William over his shoulder and smiled.

"Tell Cayt I said hi if you see her,? Roanoke said then disappeared into the Inn.

William grit his teeth together then took a deep breath. He turned his attention to the beautiful morning around him and thought that finding a place on the outskirts of town would be nice. He hoped his brother was in fact just passing through. If not, he'd make sure Ro wasn't around for very long.

WilliamBlackmoon

Date: 2014-06-04 23:13 EST
William strolled through town, trying to put his brother out of his mind the best he could.

The relationship between him and Roanoke was certainly mind-boggling. They fought while growing up, like brothers did, but when William fell ill and was taken by the Guardians, things changed a little. He thought Ro was envious of the gift of life he had been given and eventually William convinced the Pack to convert his brother. As Guardians, they formed a strong bond. They fought side-by-side, tooth and nail, against the Darkness.

It seemed like there was nothing they couldn't do, no army they couldn't defeat. But when Yoshi fell ill and William was made PackLeader, the brothers began to grow apart. They fought and bickered about tactics. Ro thought that William had become too soft and diplomatic. William thought Roanoke had grown blood-thirsty. When Winter, William's oldest daughter, started to run with the Pack, things got worse.

Roanoke became more of a father-figure to her that William did. She idolized her rambunctious uncle. He was by far the strongest of the Guardians but lacked the composure needed to Lead the wolves, hence the reason William was promoted instead. There were times where Ro took on the Leadership while his brother sorted out some mental issues. Eventually the main Pack was turned over to Winter when William left and Ro served as her counsel.

A shriek pierced the peacefulness of the grand morning and turned William's attention to a group of kids playing near the entrance of an alley. There were at least a dozen of them. Short, lanky, young kids, speeding around like chickens with their heads cut off. He took a moment to admire their innocence the frowned as he continued on. Their innocence would be cut short soon enough. The world was hard on children, all-too-often making them grow up before their time.

William surmised that a third of them would be parentless in a few years and if they did not have any older siblings, they would be taking care of their younger ones. Of those left, he figured they would be dead in a decade or less. Whether it was disease or famine or murderous raiders, something would send them to an early grave. It was sad, too sad, but that was life- real life.

He thought about the children and about his daughters. They would be his first order of business after securing a place to live. Firstly would be Aurora. She lived closer than Winter did. William had no idea where Winter would be anyhow. She'd have the Pack hunting somewhere, chasing down the leftovers of Darkness that escaped in their grand, should-be final war.

Ro' Suddenly his thoughts centered on his brother. He wondered why his brother was here. He should have been with Winter, after all, she shared a stronger bond with him than with her own father. That was William's fault. He traded the love of his first-born daughter for honor and glory and the Pack.

William stifled a growl as his thoughts turned a bit darker. He twisted his head to one side to pop his neck then detoured into an alley to cut across town. Suddenly something struck him in the back of the head and the world spun into darkness.