Thicket of Secrets Olympus Has Fallen

Ashanti Aranna
Maybe my heart isn't that whole

Sorry for the wait, I am a terrible person X(

Ashanti was there as Nina asked her to find lavender and Asha knew why. Nina was distraught from the loss of her son and the lavender would calm her nerves. She went ahead and got up, running towards the herb stores as she hoped that there were some in stock. It would be difficult to find them with the cold weather fast approaching. When she did reach the herb stores she was displeased to find that there was none left... but surely there had to be some in the area? She ran around the territory belonging to Secret Woodlands in a frantic search of the flowers and lavender that Nina had asked for. The flowers were easy to find, the lavender was a bit tricky!

She had been tracking the scent of lavender one she was sure that she had enough flowers for Nina. The lavender she did eventually find, she carried them all back gently and set it down next to Nina. "Sorry it took me so long Nina, I had to find more lavender, we were out of it in the stores..." She said, looking at the motionless body of Tacoma. "Is there anything else I could get you Nina?" She asked, desperately hoping she could be of more help, she felt as if she was completely useless and she didn't like that. Her eyes were filled with sorry for the leader of Secret Woodlands. She would surely be not herself for a while after this event. Who knew when she might even recover?

A cry echoed throughout Secret Woodlands land, putting Eva on edge. This was a familiar voice, and after a few moments she registered it as Nina. Immediately taking off from her hunting position, the girl raced towards the source of the noise. When she arrived many other wolves were present also. Instinctively Eva's eyes wandered over the group, landing on each of the pups in affirmation that they were safe. Three out of four were there but... where was Tacoma?

The sudden realization caused her own anguished cry to be expelled from her jaws. All the air was gone from her lungs and her mind strained itself trying to figure out what had happened. Eva took some steps forward, immersing herself in the crowd. As she came closer her fears were turned to realities. There was the broken, twisted body of poor Tacoma who died before his life really began. A whimper came from Eva as she looked at the poor prince. The position of his body was completely unnatural and horrifying and sickening all at the same time. Tacoma's eternally happy face was nothing of the sort and it seemed completely unrecognizable. Turning her gaze upward, the anguish on Nina's face caused Eva to go weak, feeling dizzy. All she wanted was to embrace Nina and cry her own tears as she thought about the great times she had with Tacoma, as she wallowed in her own form of grief....

Before she did anything her good eye moved to Danica, Bane and Ashton. Bane appeared to definitely know what had occurred, similarly with Ashton who had a steely look in his eyes that scared Eva more than anything. Danica figured it out more slowly than the two boys, and the expressions on her small face presented this better than words ever could. It was the look of a child who saw death too young in their days, and this was a curse that every wolf in the Hervok family tree had to face. But this did not mean that any of them had to go through it alone,

Eva could not take it any longer. She bounded towards her sister, tears streaming down her face, and pushed her head into NIna's side, and then the rest of her body. Words escaped her- what could you say in this situation that would amount to anything? Eva knew that Tacoma would be in a great place in the sky, along with their kind ancestors that would teach him the ways of heaven. A grieving mother would not want to hear this, but this was the only optimism that Eva had left. "We will make it through this together, Nina. I promise you that."

"speech"

SECRET Woodlands

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

(This post was last modified: Nov 11, 2013, 03:28 PM by Eva.)

His gaze remained dull, fixed on the lifeless pup. There was nothing he could have done, nothing at all, he was nowhere near them. Nothing.....nothing.... nothing he could have done. His mind was stuck in a loop until he saw Azariah, with the sight of her he merely walked to her, his eyes glazed in pain and almost blind he padded to her side by scent more than sight. When he reached the golden she wolf, he pressed gently into her, still dull eyed and staring over her shoulders into nothingness. Silence thundered in his ears between each and every word anyone spoke, finally he found his own voice. "I couldn't save him Azariah, I was at the border. Koda goes missing and Tacoma dies, I just couldn't do anything about it."

His voice was low and dull, crushed as he was, Hollow felt a numbness sink into his heart. Tacoma wasn't his child but it sent images into his mind he thought he had banished. Cane, his and Simaea's brother, the only of the three that hadn't survived the attack that took Hollow's parents. He looked upon Tacoma and saw Cane lying next to him, bloodied and dead, cold, lifeless. It was so much to hold in till at last Hollow gave in and buried his face in Azariah's neck fur. He just wanted to hide away in her fur forever now. But he stole one last glance at Tacoma before whispering loud enough for Azariah to hear, "Maybe Cane will take care of him." As stricken with grief as he was for the pup, Hollow couldn't remember if she even knew the name he had said.

Iopah held herself near Nina. Several feet separated the quietly observant second and her leader. While the gray female was not right beside Nina, she could easily stretch out and rest her muzzle against Nina's side if needed. She watched as her family gathered. Each new arrival and subsequent discovery bit deep. Her ears pinned back in sympathy each time. Every so often her gaze would quietly return to Nina, waiting for any reaction. Nina had not acknowledged her presence, nor anyone else's. The lack of response didn't bother Iopah. If she had been anything more than wolf it would have. It was simple concern that made her glance to Nina.

Finally Nina reacted to a pup and Iopah exhaled in relief as she became aware of everyone. Io blinked in surprise at her request. She was not a healer; The subtle properties of herbs was beyond her.

She watched Ashanti hurry away and in the pause her eyes went back to little Tacoma. Iopah felt useless. Rage, anguish, and helplessness bubble under her surface until finally she had to step back. She felt like she would break apart if she held still for any longer. Iopah was shaking as she turned from Tacoma for the last time. She muttered something vague about the borders and then slipped away through the thickets. By the time she reached the borders she was at a flat-out run. She took a moment to catch her breath, not noticing that her shaking had finally stopped. Iopah needed space to mourn. As she started the circle around her home she came to terms with the fact that the Thicket wolves had lost a cherished pup.
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This is Io's exit unless somewolf follows her.

Look Out!

A bear has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

There was so much movement around her but she still did not pay attention to a single word muttered to her. The woman, now broken, wished to scream her sorrows out but knew that if she did so, the children would be frightened and that was the last thing that she wanted to do. Nina was glad that Ashanti listened to her order without question and waited for the young woman to return while she looked over her son one last time. The golden brown woman’s ears were slicked back across her head, her single eye glimmering in the little light that they had within the thickets. Her son’s body was completely broken and she was thankful that his eyes were shut because she was sure that if they weren’t she would have lost it. Whenever someone died, she had never liked that far away look they would get, like they were in a different world. Her thoughts were broken by the entrance of Ashanti, and once again, Nina did not hear what the girl had to say. But when her apprentice lay the lavender by her feet, Nina nodded slightly and started to spread it around Tacoma’s body, making the area smell less like death plagued the area. Leaving one last lick to her first-born’s head, she turned away and gathered the children (including Bane) and herded them back towards the den. Never had Nina seen the children look so lost and helpless…except for Bane…the strongest of the three remaining children no doubt. As she took in the face of her broken princess and the emotionless Ashton, Nina knew that this was never something she ever wanted them to experience ever again, but there were some things Nina couldn’t stop and most of the time, that was death.

{End}

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.