After the meeting finally over, she had left Tlarx to attempt to socialize with the other Poison Path members to go sulk in the den with the abandoned puppies. Although she spoke a lot about forgetting about the past and moving on, she could take her own advice at the moment. She was teetering on depression. Luckily, she had the puppies to look forward to. As she got closer to the den, the trees separated to form a tight circle around the entrance. She stopped for a moment, letting everything sink in. The soft chirping of young birds in the protection of the pine trees. The small fauna playing around the bases of the trees, in the safety of the mother's watchful eye. Everything was serene. Until the sound of the puppies started to linger into her ears.



She got moving again till she had to dip her body to slid into the small entrance of the den. There curled tightly together in the middle of the floor were the two cubs. Datura and Belladonna. Her slick muzzle reached out to nuzzle the two noisy children before she settle herself around them. The three of them laid in a tight ball or support and comfort. Her head rested on the ground, gazing at the two beings inside the tight ball. "I'll always be here for you." She whispered to the young children. It seemed like the world just stopped and everything was alright. Bella let out a content sigh and nuzzled closer to her warm, pale underside. Datura stretched out his tiny paws and curled around his sister protectively while nuzzling into her tail.



She could literally stay here forever if she could. Escape from her worries and stay with the children. Life would be so easy. Nothing to worry about or figure out. Simple. Easy. However, life wasn't that forgiving. Life went on if you liked it or not. Soon enough, her eyelids closed and a light sleep took over. She just wanted to be alone, but the only one she wouldn't mind seeing would be Tlarx or perhaps even her dark furred second.

Her light slumber turned into a deep sleep as the exhaustion of her body and her mind set in. Her sleep was peaceful for the most part, but soon her worst nightmares came back. May it been the stress or the depressed mood she was in, the nightmare of her father came to haunt her dreams. The day that her father tricked her into going with him on a hunt, but ended up brutally beating her until she was unconscious, replayed throughout her sleep. No matter how hard she tried, she could not wake up. It was as if she exited the life or reality and entered her own hell.



Thankfully her beloved came to her rescue once again. His deep voice awoke her from her nightmare and she jumped violently snapping her eyes open. Snapping her fiery eyes on him, with the similarity in her father's and Tlarx's coats she mistaken him for her father. Frightened and still in a daze, she let out a snarl and the fur on her nap bristled. She was on her feet ready to meet the jaws of her father. Like a flick of a switch, she was out of her frightened daze and she realized who was really at the entrance of her den. "Tlarx..." She breathed with a sigh. The cubs had noticed their ball of warmth was gone and she nuzzled them softly, before approaching her dear. She nuzzled his neck affectionately and gave him a lovely lick on the cheek before backing up to see if he could fit in. They sure will have to do some remodeling of the entrance soon.

She felt bad for snapping at him when she saw his expression and he disappeared from her view, but it seemed he soon forgave her as he began to try to get into the den. Indeed the den was quite small, but if they managed, they could all lay in here comfortably. She watched a few laughs trickling out every once and a while until finally he was in all the way. He returned her kisses and she landed a good one right above his eye. She encircled her little balls of love and laid down, comforting them with her warmth.



She looked up at the burly man as he spoke in a hushed voice gazing at the cubs. "They are. So beautiful." She said staring at them with affection in her eyes. Having been in heat also when Naira was impregnated, she still was able to produce milk enough for one of them, but for now both of them were still able to feed of her. Bella seemed to be hungrier of the two and soon she was nuzzled against Athena's breast feeding. She was quite surprised that Datura was hungry yet with his loud screams. "Datura," she said, nodding towards each of them as she said their name, "and Belladonna." She stared at them for a a little while longer before glancing back up to her mate. "Were you adored like this?" She wondered out loud. She always wondered if other wolves were adored when they were first born. To her father, she was a nightmare, however, her mother adored her, but never showed that affection in front of him. She never felt the true feeling of love when she was younger, but she's learning now.

He soon laid down besides her and she was content again. He smiled and agreed with the names. She watched him touch them and she spoke again, "Their mother and father named them after flowers. Naira was an expectational healer, one of the best, and she had an obsession with flowers." She looked up at Tlarx briefly before looking back at the cubs. She could almost feel his chocolate gaze on her as he began to speak. She momentarily looked up at him, realizing how different their lives where. It was flip-flopped.



As she expected he asked her about her younger years. Clearing her throat softly, she looked up at him for a moment, "My life wasn't cheery and loving at all. From the moment I was born, my father hated me. He saw one me as a useless life form that he needed to get rid of." She said, venom seeping into her voice. She couldn't look at him anymore, instead looked down at the cubs at her belly. "My mother loved me, but she never showed her affection for me in front of my father. She feared that he would become violent and take his anger out on her or her two sons. Instead, she let him take it out on me. But later on she found out that it wasn't going to just be me that he beat on." She said, glancing up at him again.



Her eyes began to become sorrow-filled as she fast forwarded her life a few months. "My father was a deceiving fox. He always told me I was a useless runt. That I would be failure and nobody would love me. Soon enough, those thoughts were drilled into my mind and I never forgot them." She looked away and stared at the entrance of the den for a moment to collect her thoughts. Thinking of telling him everything was one thing, but actually doing it was another. She continued on however. "One day he tricked me into him being nice and him actually wanted to spend time with me. He told me he was going to teach me a few hunting tactics and took me out of the territory. I was young and didn't see past his lie and I happily obliged." She looked back him, her fiery eyes piercing into him.



"It was the biggest mistake of my life. He tackled me too the ground and viciously attacked me. He broke my back leg and left me unconscious. I was told by my aunt that he ran home soaking wet and said I drown in the river. My mother never went to look for me, instead I was found by an elderly wolf named Hope. She cared for me and taught me everything I know." She said, a smile creeping on her face as she thought about the elder wolf and all the times she had with her.



"She died after I recovered, but I was filled with revenge and violence then. I found were my father relocated the pack and found out from my aunt that she saw him kill my mother in the dead of night. I never heard from my aunt since then. My father got a new mate and were happily leading my old pack. My brothers, smart-fully left and I soon found my revenge." She said, looking away shamefully as she said the next part. "I killed both of them in their den while the were sleeping." She refused to look at him. She got it all out, but she was afraid that he'd shove everything back in her face and leave. Her eyes settled on a small pebble by her left paw.

She continued to stare intently at the pebble at her feet, while still having an ear swiveled towards him. "Athena, it's ok....." As his sympathetic words came out in his usual deep pitch, she managed to a look at him. His warm, wet nose burrowed into her nape and he continued. "I'd have done the same thing, honestly." She didn't know if she should believe that since she always looked down upon her past with regret and shamefulness. All she could do was shake her head, but she didn't argue. Killing is not something you do willing, unless you're doing it to defend someone or you're not in the right state of mind. But, wasn't she doing it for someone? For her mother? Or even herself?



Silence was granted for her to collect her thoughts for a moment while he must have been collecting his. Was she really as strong as he made her look? Or was she just that good at covering up her emotions? She had taught herself, from a young age, to keep everything to herself. Now she was a master of deception. It was rare to see raw emotion from her. It could be even considered a privilege to see such a sight. "Those who can live with their past are the strongest." Did that really include her, however. Or was it really those who can hide their past and forget about it are the strongest. She hasn't entirely forgiven herself for taking two lives. One of which was particularly innocent, while the other was just sick minded.



"But what if ones past is not justifiable. Killing an innocent being is not right." She said, looking up at him. She can't forgive herself for what she did, but was it possible for her to move on from it? Or was it too serious of a crime to forget and she'll have to live with the regret for the rest of her unjustifiable life?