Nightingale Palisade I'm broken now

For @Gent this is where they will find Tokino, a link so what he will kind of look like is here: http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/butyric-fermentation-20-to-50-days the image is graphic so please don't look if you're squeamish. 

April 25th, Just after Dawn

The pack had officially lay claim to a mountain to the west a few days before and while with so much physical work Minka went to bed exhausted she had awoken before the first rays. Something was turning in her stomach, an uneasy feeling that her mate should have returned to them long before now. The female had decided to take matters into her own paws, knowing that Tokino had been headed back to the ravine and had went searching for him. The expectant mother had known better than to leave their new territories alone, especially given that the male had not returned as planned. So she had roused the dark man that was their newest member and yet one of their best asset and requested his aid.

It had still been dark when they set off and while the sun had risen over the horizon it was still low enough to paint the world a warm orange hue. They moved as swiftly as Minka's swollen belly would allow them, which was much slower than her usual confident pace. For the most part they were silent, both alert looking for any signs of the patriarch but not enough so to be awkward. The alpha had already grown to trust the man she walked with, it had been through his knowledge of herbs and the way he saved Lugh that Gent had already gained full approval from the female.

Suddenly the stench of death grew strong and the leathery nose wrinkled in disgust, whatever it was had been dead for a long time. Slowing her steps Minka wanted to push fast as quickly as possible from the corpse, her pregnancy making her stomach much weaker than she liked to admit. That is until from her peripheral vision she caught sight of unmistakable silver fur. Stopping dead in her tracks Minka could do nothing but stare, while the body was withered away the fur that was still present was undeniable. Tokino. Suddenly bile raised in her throat and the woman gagged, her whole body shuddering as it heaved up the contents of her stomach. It just couldn't be true.

for the life of me, I cannot believe we'd ever die for these sins

He had been waiting for this day, when they were to discover what became of Tokino. He hadn't, however, expected to be the one to walk by Minka's side as she sought the fate of her lover. It meant a great deal to him that she chose to request his help alone, perhaps a sign of good things to come given his intentions. As most events were shaping to be within this pack, he knew these moments would be crucial no matter what lay in wait for them below the bluffs of the palisade. Thus he remained stoic their entire journey, highly attentive to any possible signs of the Lagina patriarch and also closely monitoring Minka's condition given her swollen stomach.

As they unwittingly approached the site of Tokino's violent end, the stench of death and rot filled Gent's lungs. He pushed the rancid air back out from his chest with an indignant snort, and picked up his pace, something deep within him wanting to be there first, to perhaps even keep Minka from seeing if it indeed turned out to be the pack's lost leader. From the corner of his eyes he saw Minka's movements cease entirely, and turned swiftly, following her gaze to lay his arctic blues upon what was left of Tokino's corpse.

Two competing emotions hit him as he found himself staring, soaking in everything his senses could tell him about the situation without drawing closer. He knew what this would mean for Minka and her child, as well as any of the other Crest wolves who had bonded with the man. The small part of him that was capable of compassion dully ached for them, but burning far more hotly, something he could never let others know of, was a sense of triumph. That highest rung on the ladder of Round Stone Crest's hierarchy was now wide open and begging to be taken. The yet-to-be-born children would be fatherless, a role he could strive to step into, leaving only Kova to be bitter if he was to steal away the Lagina birthright for his own future offspring. Minka would most likely be vulnerable, looking for comfort... Minka.

Gent's ears swiveled round to capture the sound of the Leigh woman's retching. The acidic stench of it only fouled the air further, and the blueblack brute suddenly hated everything about this moment. Amazingly, that small lot of compassion won out within him. He stepped forward to come between Minka and what was left of her now-former lover, effectively blocking the sight from her eyes. Gently, he attempted to shepherd her back, out of range of the horrid smell. Words were expected, but he could find none. Never before had he been in the position to comfort, yet he wanted to dearly, but how did you quell such emotions?

I won't be held responsible
she fell in love in the first place

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2015, 04:00 AM by Gent.)

When her stomach was finally empty the woman stood shuddering, her whole body feeling so cold it was almost numb. Inside her cubs turned in protest, kicking at her sides in reaction to her heaving and quaking. Golden eyes stared unwavering at the corpse of her mate, tears streaming down her tawny face and splashing onto the ground haphazardly. There was no sound to it, just a silent disbelieving stare, this couldn't be true, Tokino couldn't be dead. Part of her wanted to move forward, to check the body to prove that this wasn't the man that she loved, just another poor soul with a similar pelt. Part of her wanted to run away, run back to the territory so she could pretend that she had never seen this. Most of her just wanted this not to be true, she wanted this to be a pregnancy hormone fueled nightmare that she would wake up from in a panic but everything would be normal again.

Nothing would ever be normal again.

Suddenly the part of her wanting to move closer won out, she could prove this wasn't true she just needed to get closer. As she went to move forward suddenly Gent's dark form was before her, gently trying to move her farther away, couldn't he see he was going in the wrong direction? THAT WASN'T TOKINO. With a garbled cry that held no words just sheer grief she attempted to shove past the man, rushing forward towards the corpse.

Now that she stood directly above the body she could deny it no more, the markings were unmistakable. The body might have been sinking in on itself, but the fur was platinum grey and the blue eyes stared unseeing into the distance. Once more her whole body shook, but this time it was with the sobs that ravaged her whole frame. The world went blurry as the tears clouded her vision, she gasped for air intermittent the sobs.

Nothing would ever be normal again.

click!

He hadn't expected her to fight so hard to get close to the decimated remains of her mate. Wouldn't distance be what she should want? Gent didn't know. He couldn't know what a healthy response to death might be, couldn't know what it was like to be driven by pure love and devastated by true loss. The man stiffened as Minka pushed past him, fur bristling as there was no other word to describe what he was feeling than utterly uncomfortable. There was not a single plausible idea of what to do to help her entering his mind, no matter how frantically he searched. Time was all that could soothe her now. Actions, words, none of them could pull Tokino's decomposing body back up from the soil and into something living, they couldn't erase all of Minka's memories and emotions and the pain that was tearing her apart with its sharp, unforgiving claws. Only time could dull them, slowly push them aside for something new and alive, and time was out of his control.

This whole situation was out of his control and he hated that even more than watching Minka suffer. A deep breath filled his lungs, and on the long, slow exhale he turned to once more face what remained of his alpha. Tokino's eyes were still open, the vivid sky blue they had been still piercing even under the cloud of oxidation. They should be closed. Gent approached, brushing his side against Minka's ever so gently, simply a silent reminder through the thunderstorm of her grief that he was still right there. His heavy charcoal paws came to rest beside the fallen luminary's caving head, hesitant for a lengthy moment before one glided through the silt and pebbles that covered the ground, pushing them out of the yellowed grass and in a small hill over Tokino's ghostly stare, effectively closing the man's eyes for a final time.

With that minute ceremony over, he once again felt the weight of how completely useless he was in this situation fall upon his shoulders. Her crying was auditory now, tears racing to crash upon the ground as raw emotion choked her every breath. Something of an apology began to form within his mind, but the thought was never completed and would probably never making it up his throat much less hit the air. Instead, he moved a final time, closer to Minka. Gent pressed his forehead against her shoulder, before draping his neck and head over her nape. He hooked his chin to lightly pull her into him in some semblance of a hug. If she needed to cry, he would let her cry, whatever she needed to do to let out her grief rather than keep it inside to poison herself further. He simply wanted her to know that he was there. That whatever she needed, she need only say the word.

There is a rabbit\'s nest nearby. +1 Health

The world was a blur of colour and shape through her tears, everything distorted and blending together as if it was melting. Through the clouds she saw the dark form of Gent move towards her mates corpse and felt her hackles raise instantly. For a brief moment her muscles tensed beneath her pelt, ready to lunge forward and fight the man away from Tokino's body. The hurt and confusion and pure grief welled within her pushing her towards lashing out in anger at even seeing her subordinate near what had been her partner. Lips curled back to reveal the pink of her gums and her bleached fangs before Minka realised what the man had moved forward to do. In just a minute the blue eyes went from staring at nothing to closed for their final time, they would never open again. Never again would she wake up to see Tokino watching her and their children sleep, or argue in their stubborn way over what was best. Never again would she feel his embrace or hear his gruff voice calling her name or watch him play with the pups after they were born.

Once again the world blurred until she couldn't make out her surroundings, it didn't matter, the only thing she wanted to see was Tokino alive again. If she couldn't see that then it didn't matter that she couldn't see anything, there was no point in seeing this cruel image. A sudden warmth over her nape and shoulders made her jump but as Gent pulled her closer with her chin Minka melted into him embrace. Her whole body began to quake again as she let the sobs roll through her, consuming her whole being like she was being pulled under water. The waves just kept coming like every second she might get a breath another one crested over top of her. Craning her neck so she could bury her face into the dark fur of Gent's chest she gasped, "I can't do this alone, I can't raise my pups alone." How could she ever raise this litter who would never know the warmth of having a father? How could that be the world that they lived in?

click!

She continued to crumble before him, and he was utterly worried that if it continued, there would soon be nothing left of her other than dust, and how could he carry that back to the pack? Yet nothing else changed but the intensity of her sadness, and he was given no options to stop the madness. Thus he remained still, holding her tightly, hoping it was enough for him to be the glue to hold her pieces together. It wasn't until her shuddering breaths forced out such panicked words that he was finally given something to grasp on.

"You aren't alone," he emphasized, words strong with purpose. "You have an entire pack behind you."

It wouldn't be the same. He knew that just as she did and there was no need for him reiterate that pain. The pups would not know their father, she would return to being alone with her thoughts at night. Yet that was a infliction that would fade with time, until it was nothing but a dull scar hardly noticeable amongst thick, healthy fur. Whatever she needed, whatever the children needed, would be tended to all the same by each and every member within Round Stone Crest. He would see to it personally that this occurred, that neither mother nor litter wanted for anything.

"You have me," he murmured into her pelt, perhaps not audible. It was a promise that did not need to be heard to be kept.

(This post was last modified: Aug 10, 2015, 10:16 PM by Gent.)