Her goal had been to get as far away from these damned woods as fast as possible, but fate had different plans. Only a few hours run from Oak Tree Bend, her flight had been stopped by violent stabs of pain, potent enough to make her lose what little food was still left in her stomach. Dread rose in the expectant mother as the cramps continued, her breathing fast and shallow, vision darkening from the growing panic. It was such a haunting irony, for her to have lost everything for these pups, only to lose them too.

Eventually the pain had subsided, leaving her with only hollow fear and no one to turn to for reassurance. Not that she would have been any better off in the Bend, with no healer to seek out - or so she told herself, trying to supress the bitter sting that her aunt’s rejection had left. Not daring to push herself anymore, in the hopes that somehow, just one of her children had survived, the pregnant shewolf moved through the ghostly forest at a much slower pace, until night fell, and she was forced to seek shelter.

A small hollow beneath a fallen tree became her makeshift den, and when she woke up in the morning, too exhausted to even think of moving on, its purpose was extended. Soon several days had passed, and the ousted wolf had remained within the same forest that she had sworn so fervently to leave. She dared not travel further, having felt a small stirring below her heart, giving her fresh hope.

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She knew the risk of course, while she was far enough from the Bend borders to avoid patrols, most of Spectral Woods fell under their regular hunting grounds. But at least she was fairly certain Aponi had been too close to bursting to travel any such distance; She probably has her precious pups by now… The thought was bitter as bile, yet it held a sweet note of supremacy: But not mine! The growing lives were making a stir of themselves even now, confirming her triumph - however foolish it might be. She’d given up everything for them already, now she would keep them alive or die in the process.

It was with these thoughts in mind that she had begun to consider moving on, to exposed here with her aunts threat still hanging over her head. But too late it seemed, as the sound of approaching paws came before she had time to flee her cheap shelter; time to pay for her caution. As the wolf outside came closer, Nalda pressed as far into the back of her hollow as she could, ears lying flat against her skull. She prepared to fight, baring her teeth and hissing snake-like, all too well aware of her own pitiful state - unless it was a random loner come to investigate, rather than a former pack mate, it would hardly be a fair match.

But hearing Serach’s voice, of all, stunned her for a second, somehow, she’d never quite imagined it would be him, despatched to take care of the loose ends. And the tone of his voice especially confused her, not to mention the question. She shook her head, risen hackles dropping limply back against her neck. “Serach?” Her voice was hoarse, show clear signs of weariness except her attempts to hide it; “How’m I..?” She shook herself again, giving a small snarl of frustration; “Come t’ finish th’job?”

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There was no point in dragging this out, if it was gonna end in a fight, the cornered shewolf would rather get right to it. Serach was of another mind though, his words plainly dismissive. “Issit?” She hissed back, even as a sigh of relief escaped her, shoulders sagging. It was true, she wouldn’t make the blonde man for a murderer, but she also wasn’t about to underestimate the wrath of the Oak queen; “‘poni made’t very clear what’d ‘appen if A’stuck ‘round.” Her voice was still raspy, but the underlying bitterness could be heard clearly in its weary tones. Yet she was somewhat emboldened by his tentative approach, daring to stretch her her head forwards and peer out of her hollow.

Still pressed cautiously back into the dirt, Nalda squinted up at her former leader, ears lifting ever so slightly to listen as he spoke. Her brows furrowed at the explanation, a wrinkle of her nose at, what she took as, the implication of her idiocy; Don’t think I didn’t try..! But she remained quiet, letting him continue without interruption. And now her forehead uncurled, eyes widening in no small amount of surprise, hearing that the two alphas might not have been of the same mind at all. The finishing comment made her snort lowly; Family! And what has family ever gotten me, other than misery? Yet, if it meant the king was willing to reconsider her sentence, she wouldn’t brush him aside.

Uncurling a little more, the russet woman creped forwards enough to get a proper look at the other wolf, raising herself up onto her elbows in a slightly more comfortable position; her swollen belly no longer scrunched against the floor. She was still prepared to fight, but if Serach would rather talk it out, then she would hardly protest. “A’know a’fucked up,” not a concession she made easily, but if it would help her cause she was willing to stoop to at least that bit of grovelling; “An’A’ wasn’t expectin’ t’be welcomed back with’no pun’shment. But A’ can’t…” She paused at once surprised be the sudden rush of emotion, and unsure whether to let it show. It was her natural instinct to remain guarded, to keep her true thoughts hidden from everyone around her, but here and now, it might actually help her cause to show a little vulnerability. So she took a deep breath, looking into the golden-green eyes with the slightest quiver of her lip; “A’int givin’ them up!”

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She noted his drifting gaze, quirking a brow, her own eyes never straying. He seemed oddly cowed, despite his favorable position, completely uninterested in brandishing his power, unlike Aponi. But then, he’d never seemed the type to do so. Not for the first time, Nalda was left to wonder what had brought the two of them together in the first place, when they were so very different - and if Aponi had simply joined up with Serach in a grab for power; Why’s he still around..?

Yet here he was, promising to protect her. Russet ears flicked ahead at the passionate words, though one quickly fell back again, uncertainty; ‘Make her see reason’..! That didn’t seem very likely. If there had been no room for negotiation, surely there was even less for a hollow appeal; Not next to that ego! The queen of Oak Tree Bend had grown imperius on her throne, it was hard to imagine that she’d stand for any kind of opposition; And then what? If it came to a real confrontation between the leaders, her bet was that the outcome would not weigh in her favor.

At his plea, she couldn’t help but tsk a litte, looking into those ernest, green eyes with a good amount of skepticism; ‘Home’... In the end, the notion meant very little to her. She’d been adrift for most of her life, born without a pack, and moving into them only of necessity - the Bend had given her a good position in life, but with the new circumstances, would it still? Or would her children be born into the same kind of life as she had? Whatever she chose, it would be to give her pups the best possible chance, she’d given up everything for them and she would make damn sure it paid off!

Finally, after a long, thoughtful silence, she breathed deeply through her nostrils, still holding Serach’s gaze. “And ‘f she doesn’t?” The dark shewolf asked, voice low and steady; “See reason? Wha’then?” The protection of the pack would be a huge benefit, but only if she could be sure it was safe.

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Indeed, family was the root of all her deepest scars, and yet she kept yearning for that connection, some primal instinct that even her coldest, hardest logic could not kill. But now, she might have an opportunity to secure a bond like that, free of the fickle whims of other wolves; with children of her own, she could make sure that they remained tied to her - they would be her everything, and she would be theirs!

But only if she could keep them alive. And with her prodding, even Serach recognized that that might not be possible within Oak Tree Bend. Yet he pronounced himself willing to defend her, and Nalda was surprised to feel a small stirring at his words, blinking up at him, just once; Why..? She might have asked the question out loud, if his attention hadn’t been drawn away so suddenly. Watching him spin on the spot was equal parts amusing an unsettling, prompting her own nostrils to flare and take in the scent of deer with a painful pang to her stomach. She’d been doing her best to ignore the tantalizing smell up til now, trying to suppress the acute hunger ravaging her body.

So the question made her click her teeth in annoyance, seeming like a vicious taunt in her state. But then she noticed it too, the sneaking stench of something else following behind the doe. Daring to move a little further out of her hide, the pregnant shewolf got to her feet, hackles bristling anew as she sniffed even more intently; “Yeah, A’ do.” A sour taste rose in her mouth as the heavy musk grew stronger, goldenrod eyes darting between the trees to pinpoint their enemies’ approach. “Guess y’ll get’to prove tha’,” she stated, matter of fact, eyes locking on a bank of shadows between the trees, growing quickly darker. The deer’s trail passed right by the two wolves, putting them squearley in the way of the coyote’s, now emerging out of the fog.

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