Thicket of Secrets a shot in the dark, but i'll make it

For @Ash only.
Backdated to 3/18 because of this thread. Night time.

So many emotions were playing together within her chest, jumbling up and intertwining until she could not tell what was what. She was pretty certain that there was plenty of excitement there, for despite having put off the reunion for so long, nothing was truer than Nineva having missed her family more than anything in the world. Possibly just as dominant, however, were fear and anxiety. What if they didn't want her back, after what she had done to them, after the way she had behaved? What if something had happened while she was gone, and more of them were missing, or things had gone horribly wrong for her mother and Yuka? So much waited ahead of her, but still she marched bravely on against the possibilities. Whatever laid coiled within the thickets, she had to face it. No more running, no more hiding, no more lying.

She was a Hervok. It was time to start acting like it.

As much as she missed her siblings, Nineva did not howl once close enough. Hoping that luck was on her side, she instead attempted to pick up Ash's scent alone and find him first. There was so much she needed to speak with him about, privately, before she could reconnect with @Korrin and @Rose. But then, right after (so long as they did not hate her for what she had done), you better believe she would be singing her heart out for them to come out from wherever they might be so that she could lavish them with hugs and kisses.

Her heart picked up into an even quicker beat when she discovered that favor did indeed smile upon her. Her father's scent was fresh within the air along the southern border of the pack, and she pursued it feverishly.

"Daddy?" she called, unable to keep childish hope from her voice. Please be happy to see me too. Please.

Sleep never came easy to him at night so instead of laying on his ass and doing nothing, he patrolled the boundaries, not wanting a sleazy wolf to slip under their paws through the night. Surely, they would probably step on multiple thorns, unfamiliar with the thicket terrain and would flee but there was no such thing as being too careful. It hadn’t been too long since his sister had stepped down from her position as alpha and he was glad that she had decided to do this for herself. Secret Woodlands, while their membership had been unstable throughout the years, had acquired a female lead that had stuck with them year through year and had not abandoned them, keeping them strong when all else seemed to fail. And Nina knew that when her health was failing, it would not be long before the pack failed with her. And so she passed the torch. Ash was proud of his sister but it did not stop him from worrying about her. He wanted to know what was going on. His wife’s excursion was taking far longer than his likely and Nineva was still missing. He knew that he could not take every day to look for his missing daughter, now that he knew she was safe, thanks to Nina, or figure out what mission his wife and step-child was on, but it did not make him yearn for the truth any less. So motivated to his thoughts, he barely processed the child-like voice that sounded the back of his mind. The only thing that made him pause was the increase of his heartbeat. Turning around, his mossy green eyes seeking out the form he thought he would never see again. The large brute was quick to make his way towards his impish daughter, his eyes misty. There no hesitation when he embraced her, a shaky, relieved sigh escaping his mouth when he touched her. His little girl. "Nineva…", he paused for a moment, his voice filled with think emotion, "I’ve missed you so much, my darling girl."

ALP-Stock @DA, Della-Stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

Her father materialized at her beckoning, and her tail lifted with anxious wagging. It was difficult to read his features, but she braved the possibilities and did not falter as she rushed toward him. The girl was far too grown now to fit herself under his chest and atop his paws as she used to, but that didn't stop her from seeking that comfort all the same. She buried her face into his fur and breathed in deeply, a scent that was every bit home, just as Yuka had tried to explain to her so long ago. From on him she could take in @Korrin and @Rose as well, and her elation was so great that it did not click within her conscious mind that Narime and her eldest brother were now completely gone from her father's guardhairs.

His words caused her to squirm with glee, bushy tail thumping the ground heartily. There was not a single thread of anger within his voice, and her relief caused her to nearly forget that she had a voice of her own.

"I missed you too, dad," she whimpered. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. It was so stupid and selfish of me to leave like that."

(This post was last modified: Apr 06, 2016, 03:41 AM by Nineva.)

He felt no anger towards his little girl, just relief that she was back by his side. Her reaction to his presence was reassuring and he was glad that their bond had not been torn over the months of separation. For weeks he had searched endlessly for her, only to turn up empty, his heart heavy. His saving grace, once again, had come in the form of his sister. Ash's ears cupped forward when Nineva began to speak and he felt his heart sink when her words came. While he could appreciate her apology, he did not care for it. He wanted to know what happened over the time that she was gone, where she'd been and what she had learned from her experience. And most importantly to him, if she would return to their family, to Secret Woodlands where her blood kin were. He swallowed thickly, a strained smile on his lips, "There is no need to apologize, my dear. I am just so glad that you are doing well. Now tell me...what have you been up to all this time? Where have you been?" He made himself comfortable, looking towards his daughter. He was quite curious. After all, he had searched and was unable to find her every single time. The little Hervok learned how to hide well and Ash wanted to know exactly where she had been hiding this whole time.

ALP-Stock @DA, Della-Stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

No need to apologize? She tilted back her head to look up at him, brows drawn together in confusion. How could that possibly be? Was he putting too much faith in her, assuming that there was some redeeming factor to the story of why she had run away? Or was it really all that different when it was your own blood, did being related give you a mulligan? She wanted to know, needed to know. It was her parents' justice system that dictated her own, and this grey area was insufferable.

"But--" she started, but she sushed herself before the word could even be finished as her father continued, unwilling to interrupt him and then, certainly, to ignore his questions. That she was uncomfortable was obvious, her gaze falling down to her paws that played with the dirt absently.

"I um..." she began, a sigh chasing the words. "I went to Grizzly Hollow. Well first I... well I tried to go home. I was... I was so upset that mom left us, and... angry. So I tried getting there but I almost fell into that sinkhole and Kenelm saved me. I told him that I didn't want to go back, that I wanted to be at the Caverns but he explained that we wouldn't be able to live there so we went to Grizzly Hollow. We... I lied to them. But then Veho found out, so I came clean to them, but I didn't... I don't know why I didn't come home. I thought, you'd all be upset with me, and I thought... that if I came back, I would be stuck here in the thickets forever. I wanted to bring the Caverns back, and Kenelm was going to help me, and then I was going to come get you guys and you could come home too."

Her eyes raised to take in how he was reacting to all of this, but only momentarily; they dropped again as she muttered "I'm a liar and a deserter dad."

(This post was last modified: Jun 19, 2016, 04:04 AM by Nineva.)

Mossy green eyes were trained on his daughter, waiting to know where exactly she'd been hiding. Ash was aware that Nina had known of her location but kept it from him, for his daughter's good and she had given him a hard talk about how children needed to make their own choices. They had argued but the man had come to see his sister's reasoning. Nineva would accomplish no good in life if he was controlling every aspect of it for the rest of her life. He just wished that she would remained with her family for a little while longer before going off to do whatever the hell it was she did. It was so, that his ears pricked to attention when she began to speak. He kept his face neutral as she spoke, not wanting to upset her and wanting to know the truth at the same time. It did not surprise him to hear that Nin returned to the Caverns, he often felt that yearning but he knew that it was his duty to remain within the thickets and that his sister would wonder where he was if he did not return, especially with all the recent accusations that had been flying around recently. What shocked him the most though, was her confession about her location. She was only a few territories away, not far from where he had searched tirelessly for her, for days on end. Again, he would not admit this aloud to her, for he did not want to upset his daughter. She meant the world to him, as did his other two charges, and he was just happy to know that she was safe. Ash was unfamiliar with all of the names that she mentioned but he would be sure to find out more about them later and so he committed them to memory. Mossy green eyes took in the growing figure of his dear daughter. It hurt him to know that she felt like she didn't belong with her family but he was happy that she felt as if she found a place elsewhere and was making a name for herself. The last words she said, however, stuck with him. The first thing that he wanted to do was argue back and tell her that it wasn't true but that would have been a lie. She had deserted them and had it been any of his subordinates or even Narime that had deserted him he would have pushed them out of his life and tell them to figure it out themselves. He evaluated his daughter silently, jaw tense and gaze intense. His voice was strong when he spoke, "That's true. But right now you're being truthful and you came back." He sighed softly, his visage hard, continuing, "Family is very important to me, Nineva. It upset us all greatly when you left and it just relieves me greatly to know that you are alive, do you understand?" The russet-hued man looked towards his daughter for some kind of sign of whether or not she understood or not. Slightly hopeful now that she was here Ash spoke again, "Have you decided to return to The Woodlands?" Mossy green eyes held a hint of hope within them. At least now he knew where she was and where he would be able to find her, especially since the pack had a standing alliance with Grizzly Hollow.

ALP-Stock @DA, Della-Stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

That's true fell harshly upon her ears, despite her father's gentle voice. Yet the admittal was also auriferous, and it did not take many moments further for her to feel a subtle gratitude that he had said it. It was the truth, and after all the lies in her life, honesty had become something the girl very much treasured. Coddling only stunted growth, and that her father saw this too reverberated its truth and only made her feel all the more close to the man. It verified too that she could be these things without imprisoning herself within them. That was her past, and her father's words told her that she could step out of the cage she'd built for herself into a different present and brighter future. She would not let the opportunity slip by.

Tears now dripped from her eyes, but that was all. There were no sobs, no shaking, no hitches of her breath and words. Her chin lifted and her eyes hardened with determination as she assured him, "I do."

She understood what he was saying, and she understood where she stood; with him, with her family, in life. Nineva had come here not only to correct the wrongs of her past, but to ask her father what her next choice should be. Now, she knew for herself what she needed to do. The hopeful lilt in her father's voice affected her, but she did not waver. If he understood all of this, then he would understand what would come next.

"No," Nineva answered her father, voice gentle for that single syllable. "I love you, and @Korrin and @Rose. If I came back now, though, I would just be repeating my mistakes."

It was a consideration she'd already had, but it had been crowded by many others and it had been difficult to tell what was right and what didn't matter so much. Knowing that she still had her father's love and acceptance helped to clear the air, and the path that needed to be taken was now much clearer to see.

"Grizzly Hollow took me in when I had nothing to give them. I will not leave them until I have repaid that. With interest, and I'll do it the right way, not... not like I did to the Woodlands. To you."

This was more than just explaining to Ash what she was thinking. Speaking it aloud, she was making a vow.

"Dad I'm... I am going to bring the Caverns back, as alpha."

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity