Secret Woodlands and i've fallen through the air

Adult thread while the children play. For @Aideen @Miccah & @Raela only. Did my best to eliminate unnecessary transitioning. Let me know if any assumptions aren't okay.

The children had been left to their own devices, by now grown and independent enough to not need chaperoning; especially while safely within the borders of a trusted pack. Introductions had been quick and smooth before Gent and his mate had wandered after the Woodlands monarchy's beckoning. A visit that was much overdue. There was still plenty of getting used to one another that needed to be accomplished, and he was certain that the duo would be interested in hearing of the hijinks taking place in the Lowlands.

Yet from the time they arrived to the silence that had now enveloped the quartet, Gent could sense that something was wrong. From the moment he had stepped into the pack's territory, it was noticed that Nina's scent was not present. His mind had swiftly undertaken the assumption that she was no longer assisting in securing the borders, and felt certain that deeper in signs of her existence would be found. Yet still nothing met his nose or eyes, and worry was beginning to infect his heart. It didn't help that there had been something peculiar that glimmered through Aideen's eyes when she'd first seen him.

A distance away from the children now, Gent felt it safe to speak without smaller ears listening in. His glacial gaze passed to Raela once before locking onto Aideen and Miccah's opposing frames, and he cut to the chase.

"Where is Nina?"

(This post was last modified: Dec 11, 2016, 01:36 AM by Gent.)

Note to self: This is before Bella's death.

Aideen Athesila Mixed feelings had coursed through her when she heard the familiar voice beckoning at the borders. She had been looking forwards to the Notch wolves' visit, seeing Raela again and meeting their children, but with recent happenings, she knew the reunion would not be entirely happy. Still she offered the party a smile and warm greeting, focusing on the pups as everyone was introduced and lead to the den site where the young ones could play in safety. She couldn't hold Gent's gaze for very long though, she dreaded the news she would have to deliver, knowing it would hit him as hard as it had the Woodlands. So she took the lead when they left the children, figuring there was no use in beating around the bush. It was a short distance to the spot where Nina had been lain to rest, next to Daniel, the grave inconspicuous under the fresh powder. She gave the small knoll a fleeting look, biting her lip before she turned around to face their guests, gathered now in the small clearing. She was left no more time to ponder her wording as Gent openly asked, and it was probably for the best. Aideen sighed heavily, again only meeting his eyes briefly before she had to turn away. Instead she shifted slightly, moving a paw to gently place it on the grave. "Here," she said, voice threatening to crack as she again lifted her gaze to the dark man and his wife; "Nina passed away one moon ago." Word count: 254 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

 

(This post was last modified: Dec 28, 2016, 05:39 PM by Flair.)

PLOT WITH ME!

@Miccah ?

For a while she'd begun to wonder if the kids would be too tired to really meet and even play with the litter that lived here in the woodlands. Fortunately, they all seemed to have perked up in the presence of these new faces, at least mostly. There was a small bit of concern in her heart of course, for letting them go off to play nearby, but there was trust between these packs and her babies were getting big. They would be okay.  

Raela too had noticed the very distinct lack of the old matriarch's perfume as they'd approached the markers, but like Gent she knew it was very possible that the aging woman was simply not making the trek to the territory's edge any more. Nina could be den-bound even, for all they knew, but that thought was also worrying. Her stomach had begun to sink as soon as she'd spotted the look in Aideen's eyes, and her hesitation when the group drew to a stop. Something wasn't right. 

In a fashion very typical for her husband, he skipped any buffering speech or idle talk at this point. She could hear the concern in his voice, though it wasn't nearly as obvious as it was on the Notch Queen's face. She was fully expecting then, to hear that Nina was badly hurt, or doing poorly in some fashion. She'd not expected to hear that the one-eyed former leader was dead.

“Here,” Aideen had said, and in that moment, even as her Golden eyes searched reflexively for a wolf-like shape, she felt the knowledge in her gut. Raela flicked her gaze toward the petite woman immediately, ears flattening back in shock and sorrow. The news of death wasn't exactly a foreign thing at this point in the Notch matriarch's life, but it had never lessened in its gravity. There was a familiar weight to her limbs all of a sudden, as if her ribs were made of stone, and her legs of spring growth. Her brows drew together with horrified concern, eyes flashing from the slowly breaking Aideen to the spot she had mentioned. Could this really be? 

Her jaw parted slightly, but there were no words she could offer them now. Raela dropped her head and tail; eyeing her mate with another equal helping of anxiety for what this would do to the black mammoth. Swiftly, the Alphess turned back to her woodland counterpart, still in shock. "What happened?" Her voice was thin and frail; quiet like the beating of a small bird's wings. She could feel the chemicals rising in her blood, her heart beating faster in her flattened ears; torn in the direction of every grieving soul beside her. What fate had befallen the old queen?