Fallen Tree Cove how hard I try

@Namid
March 24th, Heavy Snow, 17F/-9C
Note: Draven and Neha have bred but nobody knows since she does not yet smell pregnant

Ever since his visit with Alastor and his mother Draven had felt lighter. Gone was the burden of the grief he had been carrying alone, unconsciously grieving the loss of not just his mother but all his siblings as well. Now though, now he had at least his brother back and that was a good enough start for the dark yearling. However, even with the lightness that was left when the weight had been lifted the Leigh felt pulling of guilt in the back of his mind. Namid had always been so kind to him, taken him in and healed him, taught him about herbs and treated him as nothing short of a son and now he was leaving.

Not only was he leaving but he might be taking Neha with him, he hoped he was taking her with him. She had not given him a straight answer, but had agreed to at least make the journey with him when Alastor came so that she could meet the others and consider the offer. That was if Alastor would allow her, but based on the man Draven had seen he doubted this would be a problem.

Dreading the conversation that was surely to come the yearling had brought something of an apology gift; a fat fish hanging from his jaws. He had followed her scent along the borders until her pale tawny form came into view and he hesitated for a moment. He respected her so much and didn't want this conversation to hurt her but he knew in his heart that he belonged with his brother. She would understand wouldn't she? Picking up his pace he caught up to her, dropping the fish by her paws and dropping his ears back and lowering his tail in greeting.

I have loved the stars too fondly

It honestly was pissing her off to no end how the snow refused to leave. It was nearing the end of the season and trudging further into what should have been spring yet it was still clinging on like an annoying burr. Perhaps it was the fact that the winter had been one of the hardest of her life, but she just wanted it to be done and over with. She’d been trotting along the borders, making sure that everything was intact and orderly when the scent of the dark boy lifted into her nose. She paused, turning with a curious gaze as he came forward. Her brows creased as she took in his posture, a large fish hanging from his jaws and a distinctly apologetic look to his face. What had he done?

But, she was never one to make assumptions so she kept her mind open. A friendly smile curled upon her lips as he approached, a wag settling onto her silver dusted tail. “Hello, Draven. Can I help you?” she asked, allowing her form to lower into a sitting position. The situation already felt...ominous to her. Her heart did little somersaults in her chest, worry filling the space but a small, deep breath pushed it away. She waited and she listened.

To be fearful of the night

Draven felt only worse when he saw how friendly Namid was when she greeted him, a smile on her face and a tail wagging behind her. Placing the trout down by her paws the subordinate smiled a little sadly, an unreadable expression behind his green eyes. She and this pack had done so much for him when he had been just a child running away from a past that seemed like it was a stone weighing him down, threatening to drown him. Now the weight was gone, and he was ready to make amends with everything that had happened and he couldn't do that here. Still, that didn't change how hard this conversation was about to be.

Taking a breath to steady his nerves he smiled again, this time the sadness clear on his muzzle. "I want to thank you Namid, for everything you and your pack has done for me over the last year. You've been kinder to me than I could have ever hoped for and I will never forget that. But, I have something I need to speak with you about and I can only hope you know how much this hurts me to even say." He stopped then, letting the silence sink over them as he waited for some kind of response or signal that he should continue. Oh god, his heart pounded painfully in his chest, this was so much harder than he thought it would be when he had asked Kino if he could join him. The woman before him was like a mother figure, she had done so much to fill the hole that had once been his heart and it killed him to have to tell her that he was leaving.

I have loved the stars too fondly

Sure enough his expression turned sad and her heart gave a painful s queeze. Her intuition told her where this was going and as much as she wanted to wish it wasn’t true she had to face the facts; Draven was leaving. She wasn’t bitter when she thought it was only natural. She had come to think of the dark man as a son even if they didn’t talk all the time. Namid’s track record with her litters seemed to be pretty consistent with them leaving her at some point. She couldn’t be mad she reminded herself, he was not obligated to be with them. He was an adult now and of course he would want to expand his horizons. Fallen Tree Cove was frequently a rest stop for those who would eventually seek something greater.

The woman moved forward and embraced the man, squeezing him tightly. “I care for you deeply Draven, you have grown so much from the boy that I rescued on the mountain. I have been honored and so proud to watch you do so. No matter what you have to tell me I will always be here for you,” she said, pulling away with shining eyes but an encouraging smile on her maw. Oh how her heart hurt.

To be fearful of the night

Draven had been hoping that this meeting would go as painlessly as possible, and now he was realizing just how naive that had been of him. Every second of this was painful, like his heart was punishing him for following his wants rather than pack law. Of course, this wasn't exactly what he wanted. His true wish would have been to combine the two packs, the one budding underneath his brother's rule and the one he had come to know as home. But that was impossible and he knew it. Alastor's Sahalie wanted to create and lead her own pack, and Namid's home was here at the Cove.

The queen's embrace was unexpected but far from unwelcome. Wrapping his own head and neck around her shoulders Draven pulled her as closely as possible, her words comforting him more than he thought possible. Pulling away so he could look her in the eye when he addressed her, "When I went to visit my mother I reconciled with my brother who I haven't seen since I was a child. He's starting a pack of his own and I've decided to go with him when it's time for his pack to start. I came to talk to you today because I would never leave without your blessing and I didn't want to disappear into the middle of the night." The green eyes looked older than their age with the sadness held within them. Besides losing his mother this might have been the hardest thing that Draven had ever done.

I have loved the stars too fondly

She was happy to have her hug returned as Draven had always been a reclusive and private boy in their borders. It was nice to know that he had seemed to grow as fond of her as she had of him. Yet, at the same time it made her heart ache all the more. He was a reasonable boy as she knew him, however, and she knew that he had to have had a good reason for wanting to leave them. He pulled away and she did as well, her attention focused on him and his words and her expression ever understanding and gentle. Even if her heart was breaking she needed to be strong, she needed to let him go with the knowledge that he had somewhere where he was loved and cared for not the image of a wounded woman. That image wasn’t befitting a queen at all.

When he explained her brows rose in surprise. The pair hadn’t spoken much about his life before the Cove and she hadn’t felt the need to pry. The wolves of the Cove all had their stories to tell and their pasts, but as a sanctuary they could go there and relinquish those holds if they so chose. Unless a wolf came forward to speak about themselves they weren’t known to stick their noses in each other’s business. But, a brother! My how she wouldn’t mind meeting him, even if she wasn’t one to prey. She couldn’t help but picture another handsome young man with a pelt dark as night. Perhaps he had golden eyes, or maybe even a shade of orange. Wouldn’t that be interesting!

“Thank you for coming and telling me, I know this cannot be an easy thing to do. I am glad that I get to know where you are, and that hopefully you are safe and happy where you are. Congratulations on your reconciliation. Family is always important and I would never dream of keeping you from him. You have my blessing to go. But, I would like at least a few visits every now and again if you will not be going very far. I would love to know how you are doing and what your new life is like,” she said with a bright smile, her silver dusted tail swishing behind her lithe frame.

To be fearful of the night

@Namid

The embrace seemed to last longer than Draven had thought possible given it was only a few short moments in duration. It was one of the most bittersweet moments he had experienced in his young life, Namid had truly become like another mother figure for him and he would always be grateful to her. It broke his heart to see the sadness in her eyes that she was trying so hard to hide from him, but he knew better than to address it. Wolves were a proud breed of animal, and even the most open of them needed their moments of privacy with their emotions.

At her words he smiled, ignoring the lump that had lodged itself high in his throat and threatened to cause his sadness to spill over. "I believe they're going to the east, and I would love to visit you a couple times a year. Thank you Namid, for everything that you've done for me." Truly he had shown up on their borders broken in more ways than one, broken in bone and in heart. All of the pack had been kind to him but the mother had been so patient and gentle in her approach that the holes in his heart had begun to fill with hope for the future instead of despair.

But how could he put all of that into words? Draven wasn't sure that he could.