For the first few days she had been deeply upset and angry. Not just at the world for taking such a young soul away from them but at her daughter for leaving. She had not been there for her son during his dying days but Nina had and she could see and feel the energy being sucked out of him as the pneumonia took full hold on him. It was a losing battle and no matter how hard Nina fought for him, there was no more fight in the little boy, because he didn’t have his mother to care for him. While Nina had remained with the pack, it became quite clear to her that she needed to let another know of what happened. Nina had made it clear to everyone that Danica was not to know about Daniel and if she showed up, she was no longer welcome. The only wolf allowed to interact with her was Miccah. She trusted the Guardian to get the job done without question, knowing that it was what was in the pack’s best interest.

About a week after his death, Nina informed @Mirren that she needed to take a trip to meet someone about Daniel’s death. Luckily, nothing had been questioned, and Nina had quickly departed, promising that she would return as soon as she was able to. Her tail flicked high above her back as she traveled towards where Gent’s pack was. Had it not been for Danica’s need to go there, Nina would have never known where it was. Luckily, Nina’s mistrust of her daughter was actually turning out to be quite useful and it would give her an opportunity to speak with Minka again. It did not take as long as she was expecting her trip to take when she made it to the pack borders. As she remained a safe distance away, she took a deep breath, lifted her head back and let out a calm call for Gent. While she was anything about calm on the inside, hopefully this would show him that she had come here on peaceful terms and would not be bombarded with questions from others. She knew that he was close to Daniel and deserved to know the truth about his death. And so, she waited.

Nina hated to be the barer of bad news. Unfortunately, it was one of the costs of being an alpha. She waited in silence, her single eye downcast until she heard the footsteps of another. The golden brown dame rose, her chin lifted slightly as she waited for Gent’s arrival. At least, I hope it is Gent.  When he eventually arrived, Nina could appreciate that he was just as stony as she was. He knew why she was here. While he might not have known the exact reasoning, Nina could tell that he at least had an idea. The alpha took no time to get to the point, her voice soft, "It is Daniel… Danica disappeared from the pack for a while after Daniel came down with pneumonia. I did everything that I could for him, but after a few weeks the sickness proved to be too much for him… Daniel is…Daniel is sleeping now, Gent."

The words caught in her throat and she found that it was hard to get them out. Moisture formed within Nina’s single emerald gaze but her voice remained stony. Nina felt a large amount of anger towards her daughter. If Daniel had just had the love that only a mother could give her child, maybe he would have been alright. She did not voice these concerns aloud to Gent though, keeping them silent. After all, if her daughter did need somewhere to go, Nina was assuming that she was coming her. Again, Nina spoke, "I also came to inform you that Danica is missing…and will not be allowed entry into Secret Woodlands ever again." Her voice was firm and she watched for the other man’s reaction, hoping that he would get the point without her having to spell it out for him. She wanted him to take care of her daughter if Danica should need any help.

The King in front of her was almost as emotionless as her own Knight. Almost. However, the dark king seemed to have the same kind of problem that her dearest brother had, keeping all emotions out of his actions and eyes. On her way over to the Crest pack, Nina had acknowledged that she had time to grieve for Daniel’s death and would continue to do so once she returned back home. This visit was for the time the King needed to grieve and the Hervok woman had long since decided to accept this. After all, death was a hard thing to deal with, Nina was well accustomed to this. She had seen all those she care about die or leave her, perhaps she should have been used to it by now. The golden queen remained silent as Gent finally spoke. Her news had obviously brought him misery. And while Nina did not want to cause him harm, she knew that it would have been best if she had been the one to tell him what happened. It was what she would have done for any patient who died by her paw had it been their wish. Even though Nina did not know how close Gent and Daniel had been, it had obviously meant something to the Crest King. Otherwise, he would never have come to seek her blessing to see her daughter in the first place.

His plea, however, caught her off guard. Before she had left, she had instructed her Knight to ensure that Danica was chased off on sight. There was to be no communication between him and her as long as she got nowhere near Secret Woodlands borders. She could make no promises to Gent and told him as much, "I cannot promise anything. My Knight was instructed to withhold communication from her and if she has already returned by the time I get back, then I will not be able to deliver that message for you." She harbored quite some hatred towards her daughter. Not only had she caused an unnecessary amount of trouble for her pack, but she had also left her son when he had needed her the most.  Nina had never left her children behind and could only assume that such an example had been set by Koda. At the thought of her ex-lover, the female’s blood boiled but soon came to a cool at the mention of the information that Gent gave her. While Minka and Nina had been on shaky terms due to the Woodlands’ alliance with Whisper Caverns, the Hervok had respected the woman and two of her members had been exceptionally close to the woman. It hurt her heart to know that she would have to inform both of them, one whom was her son, that their former alpha had died. She spoke her condolences to the other man while her mind instantly went to work. It would be foolish of her to bring up an alliance for their two packs right then, it was not a good time, politically nor emotionally, but it was an idea that Nina had in her head and which she would build on in the upcoming weeks. She sat down, needing to relieve the pressure on her back leg. It had taken some time for her to come up to the Crest pack and it hurt her formally injured leg from years ago. Her stiff joint was always a reminder. Sighing softly, she looked towards the king and spoke, "I hope you can make my daughter happy. After all that she has been through…even though I am quite angry with her, she at least deserves that…and she will never find it within Secret Woodlands. All it will do is remind her of all that she has lost." What Nina was really trying to say was, Her banishment wasn’t only for the good of her pack, it was for the mental health of her daughter as well.

She dipped her head to Gent’s response towards her daughter. Even if she was infuriated with her daughter’s choices, she still wanted what was best for her, but Nina wouldn’t and couldn’t jeopardize her pack for Danica. Everything seemed to be in order when the Crest alpha once again spoke up. The golden brown dame lifted her head slightly at the mention of Hudson. The man had been quick to flee once Nina had found out about his relationship with her daughter. He had always been a coward and his unwillingness to help her daughter made her angry. She told Gent as much.

"He disappeared…just like the rest of them…" the end of her phrase was directed at herself more than the other man. Blinking, she once again trained her single eyed gaze on the other man. Gent had, in a way, gained her respect highly. While she was unsure of how long his reign had been, he seemed to handle everything quite well, especially the stress. Looking to reassure him more, she continued, "I can ensure that if he attempt to return, he will be terminated personally." Her tail lashed angrily behind her, not bothering to hide her displeasure with her former member. Nina took every disappearance personally, but she knew better than to go out and look for every one of them. She always had to think about what was best for the pack and that usually involved her staying with her pack. Perhaps, she would have Gent’s support in the manner of Hudson’s fate should he return.

When she finished speaking, Gent’s body movements and next words held her full attention. When he spoke, her ears flicked toward him surprised by his words. It wasn’t very often that she heard such things from her pack mates. There was something special about hearing it from someone that she had not helped rise from the ashes. She dipped her head at his words, acknowledging his thanks but not finding a need push his gratefulness any more than that. She knew that with winter approaching it would do her no good to stay away from home longer than she needed to, especially with her aching joints. She was quick to end their meeting.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Gent, despite the circumstances. I wish you well in the upcoming months." She dipped her head towards the other male before turning away and making her way towards home. She had made sure to notify her pack that she was going away. Miccah, no doubt, had done his duty and Nina highly doubted that her subordinates would disobey her wishes when they were so directly associated with her blood kin. She hoped that one day Danica’s sanity would return to her and Nina would be able to rekindle their relationship. But even after Nina’s year of care, Danica was still unwell. The Woodlands was not the place her daughter needed to be in and she was that that Gent was able to acknowledge the truth as well.