Hearthwood River coffee black - Printable Version

Hearthwood River had not been quiet, but she had. There was tension in the air – but the honeyed she-wolf could not bring herself to ask what it was about. Nothing seemed the same any longer, but Lekalta tried to focus solely on healing, for the moment. @Lachesis had taken good care of her – of course he had. But she didn’t want to stay in the infirmary forever. She couldn’t. She hated having to rely on him. To rely on anyone.

Her wounds had healed over for the most part. The infection was gone, but the scars would remain. Still a harsh pink, the fur around them was beginning to turn a pale silver – a color they too would fade to, she believed. Lekalta had never been one to dwell on appearances.. not really. Perhaps that stemmed from the fact that she had never had to worry about it before – her pelt had been flawless, her eyes bright. Now, littered with the scars that served as a reminder of her mother’s death, she had never felt more ragged or ugly.

She walked with a slight limp from her ankle – the wound still healing, and slowly. The harsh winter air didn’t help, though it was still mild for the time of the year. It would likely only get worse. She tried to maintain an air of elegance as she snuck away from the healing den, seeking out the river that was the namesake of their home. The waters swept past, and the tawny Baranski stared in to their depths, her brows furrowed in distant thought.

Inna was trying despite the feeling that it was completely useless, that no matter what she didn't he result would be the same. She'd been hunting earlier in the morning and had managed to bring home a rabbit which she'd placed in one of the caches. She had only just finished up a border patrol and was on her way back to her den to find her daughter. Inna wasn't sure she'd find her there but she knew where to look if she wasn't.

A lot more of Oksana's time seemed to be spent with the man Reid these days. Inna couldn't help feeling that it was probably best for the pup. Still she was there and she was trying with her daughter too. Inna only saw it as just another step in her daughter leaving no matter what she tried to do for her. She still had the hope that things would get better and that Hearthwood would he her home again.

After working all morning the Raven had grown thirsty and wanted to make a stop at the river before returning to the den. She wasn't expecting to see the tawny figure of her sister there. Inna had noticed the physical changes in her sister, the scars that reminded her every time she looked at her sister what happened. She'd chosen not to speak of them, to bring pain to her sister. Lekalta had already been through so much.
“Kalta,” she said quietly as she approached her from behind. “I'm glad to see you out. How are you feeling?”

The familiar voice washed over her, but the honeyed woman was unmoving. An ear flicked in the direction of the sound in acknowledgement, and at Inna’s question, she felt a wry smile pull at her lips before she tilted her muzzle back to study her sister. Inna had changed – Lekalta had not questioned why yet, though she knew she should. They both had lost their parents. They were the only remaining Baranski’s loyal to the home their parents had built. Lekalta was not a fool to believe it meant she had an inheritance to these lands.. but she sure as hell felt a surge of fierce pride, knowing that despite the tough times of the River pack, they had been the ones to truly stick to it.. despite their own timeouts.

“Suffocated,” she finally answered with a gentle voice that indicated the fatigue she felt. She felt like she was drowning, trying to adjust her life to what it had become. Even worse, living in the infirmary and with @Lachesis tending to her only furthered her sense of uselessness. Her feelings for him had become completely skewed, and now she wasn’t sure if she still felt that allure of a teen girl crush, or if she simply felt she was just a burden to him. She did not voice it, but she had no intention of returning back to the infirmary den for further medical attention. She needed to mingle once more with her pack members.

But for now, that was not what set at the forefront of her mind. Her bright green eyes took in her littermate – her milk twin. Shifting her weight, holding back a wince as she put too much pressure upon her injured ankle, she grimaced, her tongue slipping past her lips to aid in the sudden dryness she felt. “Tell me what’s wrong, Inna,” she softly coaxed.

In the time after her mother's death Inna had worried about Lekalta more than she had ever admitted. She wanted to look for her but responsibility to Hearthwood and her daughter had kept her from it. Maybe if she had gone she would have been able to bring her sister back sooner. It was a guilt that she would have to live with for the rest of her life and she could only hope her sister would forgive her. “I know that feeling,” she said with understanding in her tone. She herself had been feeling suffocated but it was becoming less.

Lekalta had been in the infirmary den since her return which had probably been the best place for her during her recovery. She knew Lachesis would take good care of her sister, he cared for the tawny woman just as much as Inna did. She was glad to see her littermate out and about, it made her presence more real in Hearthwood and that she would be okay. Inna wasn't sure what she would do if she lost Lekalta too.

A worried expression appeared on her dark features when she saw the wince on her sister’s face as she shifted. Lekalta's question kept her from asking right then but her shoulders sagged. “Everything Kalta,” she said looking at her paws, “I don't know how much Lach has told you but everyone found out who Oksana's father is and it's just gone down hill from there,” she then met the green eyes of her sister, “Lorcan is Oksana's father.” There was so much more she wanted to tell and so much Lekalta needed to know.