Charred Ash Draw Promise What You Will

@Maera || Early Morning, Fog, 53 ° F, 12 ° C

 

The chill of the morning was enough to keep him in the den. A heavy fog lingered about outside and threatened to push into the darkness of the den. He rolled over stiffly to turn his back to the outside. Kerberos did not wish to rise with the sun this morning. He wanted to lay about and try to go back to sleep. He wanted to hide in the dark fur of his love and not face the responsibilities of the world. All in all, he wished to have an extremely lazy day.

Sleep did not come easy for him. He scooted around and shifted his legs about in order to find the right position. He squeezed his eyes shut in hopes that if he pretended to be asleep than he would really fall asleep. It was perhaps a childish thing to do but he had no other option in this moment. Without much luck to that method, he lifted himself and shuffled further back into the den. Curling up in a tight ball on the ground as yellow eyes peered out into the foggy world from a distance. He felt miserable and he wasn't positive why. A low whine left his throat, wondering if Maera was nearby.

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Maera had been out on an early morning hunt, unable to keep her eyes closed knowing what she was about to do. She still wasn’t sure how the rest of the pack would take it, though she was certain that they all had to have noticed the continuous strain on the alpha’s abilities to lead. She just hoped that all would go well. She had a vole in her jowls when she heard his wine, just barely close enough to hear it as her head poked into the den with a soft frown hidden under the food of the eventual breakfast.

She set the animal down once she’d headed to the back of the den, close enough to be in reach but not too close as to prevent her from pressing against his side as she settled down. “What’s wrong?” She asked softly, noting the way he’d whined, the posturing he held, and most importantly, the time of day. She pressed her nose against his neck, trying to offer silent support in the hopes she could coax words out of him, worried something might have gone wrong, that someone was hurt or that something had gone too far. She couldn’t be sure.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

 

When his mate drew close to him, he kept silent. When she settled down next to him he simply pushed his nose into the fur around her neck and chest. He wanted nothing more than to disappear within her grasp. Even when she asked what was wrong he simply took in a deep breath of her scent. Calming any unsettled nerves that ran rampant through his medium sized frame.

"I don't know." He finally voiced softly as he settled his head on her own paws. Kerberos simply wanted her touch. He could remember very vividly the last time he had wanted her so close to him but this time didn't hold exactly the same emotions. Of course, the spring time had been done out of love and this held love too but this time held unknown anxieties and tiredness in his yellow eyes.

A gentle sigh flowed past his charcoal lined lips. "I just don't feel well is all." He looked up at her for a moment before looking back to the foggy world outside the den's entrance. "Stay with me for a bit?" The tawny leader cooed softly to his ebony mate. Every bone in his body hoped she wouldn't object to his request.

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Maera let the silence linger after her question, giving him the time to relax, to think, and to mull over the question for an honest answer. She rested the bottom of her maw and her neck across the top of his as he continued to breath in her scent, resting his head on her paws as he finally answered the question, a soft whine of her own when the words “I don’t know” were all she received. It killed her to know that it wasn’t something she could just wave away like a wand. Just like she felt safe around him, she had this driving desire to protect him because she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

He tried to explain further, and it just cemented her position beside him, unwilling to move even if he didn’t want her there, his question completely unnecessary because she wasn’t going anywhere. “As long as you’ll have me.” She murmured against his fur in return, taking her turn to breath in his scent. Subconsciously she was looking for something that might point to the mysterious ailment that drifted across his mind, but a part of it was just a reminder that he was there, that this was all still real. Sometimes she couldn’t believe it to be true, even after all this time.

 

"Forever then." He whispered softly as his eyes closed and he simply embraced her presence. If Kerberos could, he would have his wife by his side every moment. Despite how badly he had wanted such a thing though he knew it wouldn't work. Even when it had just been them alone they weren't connected at a hip. They separated in the morning usually to go out and do their work. Kerberos knew they always returned to each other, though. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Kerberos wondered what it was that had him feeling like this. Lack of sun? Improper sleep? Perhaps a bad piece of meat? Whatever it was he wished it to be gone. At least he had his love by his side. Her dark fur and familiar scent acting like a comfort blanket to him. She was a blessing really. In his mind, they complimented each other perfectly. No one in the world would be able to convince him otherwise. Not to mention the beautiful life they made, their Little L. Lacey Rigel. Who would have thought he'd have a daughter or even a child in general?

"Tell me about your morning?" He asked softly as yellow eyes opened. Kerberos knew she had left the den early and of course, out of care and curiosity, he wished to know what she had done.

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The one thing she knew for certain was that no matter where Kerberos went, she would follow. That spoke volumes in her heart, because she didn’t just follow anyone. She wanted to keep him safe, to love him… it was indescribable in her mind. His words only confirmed that he felt the same, or at least similar. A grin caught her features, nudging his neck softly before he asked for her to tell him about her morning. It hadn’t been anything too exciting… like the adventures they used to go on, the new lands they used to discover between there and everywhere… sometimes the nostalgia she felt wanted to carry her paws away, but she had roots far too deep to let her budge.

She knew that what she was doing, everything she had done, made her happy, but sometimes her heart wandered to the what-ifs. What if they had never joined the Draw. What would their lives look like? It was never envy, of that she was certain because she did not want a world where their daughter did not exist, and their daughter existed because of the Draw… “It’s been mostly hunting… occasionally checking the borders for trespassers if I happen to be near one at the time… trying to keep an eye on Lacey from a distance, too.” She explained in a soft voice, glancing between her paws and the path ahead of her.

 

One day, his wife would work herself thin and to her core. It was admirable most of the time but other times he worried. She seemed so driven by the jobs some days and he wondered if she even thought while she did them. Was it beyond second nature? Kerberos had faith that she could do a full patrol in her sleep and not even know it. Of course, he was no lush but his dearest Maera would certainly but his work ethics to shame.

"Trespassers? Doubt we'll see any of those." He chuckled softly but truthfully it was worrying. The woods had been silent for far too long. No calls, visitors, trespassers. It was as if the world around them had simply vanished. Kerberos hadn't left home for some while that he honestly had no clue what was going on outside of The Wildwood. It was a shame but most everything he needed was right here in the confines of the well-marked borders. What was the point in leaving? Ah, well. Perhaps he ought to check on neighbors and scout for herds but still.

"She'll be fine, you know. If you're not dutiful watching her someone else around here is. Treyah, me or perhaps even Triell." The last male was elusive but mentioning their daughter hung around the dark Tainn's children he figured he might be watching her as well.

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Maera let out a soft and amused snort, though there was a soft edge to it and expressed something she tried to contain – worry, perhaps a little fear. “I almost wish there was one… some kind of proof that there is still life outside of the Draw.” Friend or foe, she’d die for a trespasser to come to the borders, only to give her the reassurance that they weren’t the last wolves on earth. Even the sky and the stars had a hard time soothing this worry. Sleep felt almost impossible. She was worried for not just their daughter, but for the other pups as well if they couldn’t recruit more adults.

“I know she’ll be fine… I just… I worry.” Like if she took her eyes off her for a long amount of time, it would somehow prevent her from being there when she needed her the most, or if she looked away for just a second, her daughter would disappear before her very eyes, and right under her very nose. It wasn’t a risk she felt she wanted to take. “I worry something will happen to her if I don’t know exactly where she is or exactly what she’s doing but I also don't want to smother her, or to have her resent me for it.”