Secret Caverns Time of Reconciliation

@Ash

Speech.

Inali slowly entered the caves. She had now wandered through the dark corridors so much that her body knew instinctively where to go. But even though her body was moving in a steady pace, her mind was far away. Deep in her memories. Simaea. Her very name made Inali's soul ache. How had she not noticed? The days had been getting steadily warmer, but there was a bad feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. Something had been telling her that winter's fury was not done with them yet. And she had been right. The late season blizzard had caught them all off guard. Simi had been right there. Why hadn't she payed closer attention? But there was nothing she could've done. The force of the blizzard had not let her see a paw she put in front of the other. Sighing gently, the woman blinked away the memories. There was nothing she could do. Simi had already been in bad shape, and with being lost in the blizzard...Inali shuddered just thinking about it.

There was small hope that Simaea was still alive, but Inali clung to that hope with every fiber of her being. Without even noticing, Inali entered one cave in particular. This was the cave that held so many memories. Their blossoming relationship had been taboo, but that hadn't stopped them. This was where they had shared their dreams of the future, their hopes, their growing feelings. If Inali closed her eyes and thought hard enough, she could still smell Simaea's scent lingering in the air. Herbs and dirt...with a mix of her own unique perfume. Oh Simi, I miss you so much. Laying down in a sphinx-like position, Inali breathed, letting the memories of their time together engulf her. Short time as it was, their time had still been precious and she would hold the memories forever.

He finally felt like he was losing his mind. The threat of his family leaving hovered heavily over his head...and now...now his dearest Namara was gone. She had left and now Ash was left governing a pack that he didn't know if it was going to survive or not. Their numbers were already low and knowing of Minka's plans made his heart even heavier. He trudged through his lands, his head hanging lower than usual, once again in mourning. Clenching his jaw tightly, he glared at the ground in front of him, his mossy eyes sparkling in anger. He knew he had Narimé by his side, which was good if she was to be his partner in the long run. The brute now knew enough about his life to acknowledge that he would never be able to have anyone love him. Treena, Belladonna, Athena, Namara...all gone now. Sighing and shaking his head at the realization, the Hervok moved toward the caves, his large form moving quickly towards where he had been many times by himself before. Inali had only happened upon him once, and it was highly unlikely that he would find himself jumping in on her again, especially considering the choice she had made.

Things had been tense within the pack, and the man wished that it would become quite the opposite. Life had been much easier when others would do the right thing, but Ash could understand why they were angry after the decision that Nari and him had made and freely vocalized for everyone. Huffing softly under his breath, the large man descended into the darkness, his dark form blending in easily to the shadows. It just so happened, that he did see Inali and he had to blink a few times to make sure he was not just imagining things. She looked much more unhappy than he had ever seen her, and even though he was slightly angered by the voice she was making and heartbroken over Namara, it was his duty as her alpha to make sure that she was not ill, even if she would be leaving them. So from the shadows, he called out to her, his presence almost ghostly, "Miss Wayha, you do not look well, what is bothering you?" His voice boomed throughout the caves and echoed, giving no indication of where he was or how long he had been standing there, even if it had not been long, and he still did not step out from his mask of solitude. Everyone was much safer when they couldn't see him.

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Dun dun dun

Speech.

She had not been expecting him. So deep in her memories and misery, her subconcious determined as a threat. Faster than she had ever moved, she was back on her feet. Hackles raised and a snarl marring her usually kind features. At that moment, she didn't see him as Ash. She percieved the deep tone as Jak's or Louie', the brothers that had tormented her sice the day she was born. She had promised herself to never be afraid of them again. She would he strong. But her mind quickly caught up to her instincts, and she rose from her crouched position of attack. She was not under a threat...at least not now. Hackles lowering, her eyes lost their spark of hate and filled with innocent confusion. "Ash?," she questioned. She shook her head, trying to remind herself that she was safe here. She was not being cornered by her evil, older brothers.

Continuing, her tone was genuinely apologetic. "S-sorry. I thought...I thought you were someone else. I'm sorry." The petite woman took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her eyes roamed in the dark, not able to pinpoint his exact location. His question just now registerig in her brain, he woman chuckled. But it wasn't a happy chuckle. It was a bitter one, showing her true misery. Her tone was dry as she spoke. "Nothing's wrong. Except, aparently the Fates just love screwing me over. They don't seem to care that I thought...that I thought I could finally see myself with someone for the long run. Instead, they send a fucking blizzard." In her anger, she didn't realize that Ash could possibly know that Simaea was lost in the blizzard as well, along with Namara.

The brute remained in the shadows, his mossy green eyes trained on the pack of his traitorous subordinate. The memory of the pain he had gone through when he had first found out of what Minka was planning ran deep within him and he could almost not bare to think of anything, not even the Wayha in front of him leaving. All he had craved was family, and now that Namara was gone Whisper Caverns was the only thing that Ash had left. Minka had assumed that he would be alright with her taking his new family away from him when she had literally promised him a tight knit pack with wolves that would be loyal until their last breath, but from what Ash had seen the only wolves that exemplified such actions were the pups, and they were the most curious of minds from what the Hervok had learned in the past.

He watched the girl in front of her turn with fright, and the man couldn't help the small smirk that twitched its way onto his lips. It didn't take long for the girl to calm down though, and Ash watched her as she addressed him, seeming confused as to why he was there. He almost stepped forward, brows furrowed in concern, but he stopped himself, reminding himself of what her choice had been. Remaining in the shadows, he listened to what the woman had to say, most about heartbreak, something that Ash could relate to from many times in the past. Blinking his eyes at the woman in front of him, he allowed his voice to boom into the caverns, keeping his location, still a secret from the gathered, "Yes...that hollow feeling in your chest....I feel it too. My dearest Namara has also been taken by such a....storm." He looked away from the woman, his green eyes focused on the wall closest to him. He did not have to fear showing his emotions here, merrily due to the fact that Inali would not be able to see him.

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Speech.

His voice thundered through the cave, agreeing with her. She sighed softly, for there was nothing to say. They had both lost, and now they both mourned. Now it was up to them to determine their own future - whether it was to wallow in their own misery or prove to not only themselves but to everyone that they could stand strong in the fury of the storm. She let silence consumed them, and soon the woman was absorbed in her own thoughts once more. Maybe it was time to explain her reason for leaving. It wasn't only because of Minka, her reasons were deeper than that. Even if she didn't make him believe that this was the right thing for her in the end, she would've gotten the guilt off her chest. She hated to be looked at as a traitor, for the woman was anything but. Laying down in a sphinx-like position on the ground, the scout laid her head on her paws. Deciding what to say.

"I'm sorry, you know," she began. "For leaving." Taking a soft breath to steady her nerves, the woman continued to speak in the darkness/ "All my life I've just wanted to belong. My own father hated me, and to this day I know no reason why. I was the runt of the litter, the only girl too. My older brothers were the epitome of perfection in my father's eyes...while I...I was the little girl that never got daddy's attention. To him, I was...nothing." It was the first time she had ever spoken of her past to anyone. In her words, pain was laced throughout. No one deserved the emotional and mental abuse she had gone through in the hands of her brothers and her father. No one.

Sighing shakily, her voice came out strong as she regained her composure. It was easier to speak when she pretended that no one was listening. But this was no time for a sob story. "So I left. I left when I was a little over a year old and wandered throughout various lands as a loner. It wasn't until I was two years of age that I stumbled upon Relic Lore. I meant Minka and in time, came to Whisper Caverns. These caves..these lands...they had become my home Ash, and I swore to myself that I would never leave. But as Winter set in, everything good seemed to just fall apart. Sloane left, Nari got lost, Titan dissapeared, you really just came out of nowhere, then Malia died. This pack was crumbling Ash. Taking a breather, the woman continued. "No matter how hard I tried, this place no longer felt like home. In fact...it was turning into my own personal hell. Yuka was really the only thing keeping me here, torn between deciding whether I should stay or go. But now that my decision has been made, he hates me." Her clear voice broke slightly, but she quickly regained her composure as she finally finished her monologue. "So you see, I can stay here no longer. This place burdens me with too many memories. And call me a selfish coward Ash, but I choose to leave the place that only serves to bring me pain." Happy that she had finally spoken her piece, the woman waited for his response. She didn't think the man would hurt her, and on some level, even trusted him. But she knew nothing of the man in the shadows, so she had no idea how he would react to her words. Nevertheless, she was prepared for anything. Or so she hoped.

(This post was last modified: May 19, 2014, 08:19 PM by Inali.)

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It seemed he would once again return to what he had always been good at in the first place, listening. He knew that he had not been sighted and had no complaints about his current position. He watched the woman from the distance and listened about her painful tale, one similar to his own. But there was a definite difference, whereas Inali was running from her misery, Ash remained with it. He had lived without family since he was old enough to fend for himself, on hunt for his sister, who had, in the end, turned out to be a true angel. Considering everything he had done, he deserved the harsh things that had become him. Gone through heartbreak four times and no doubt to go through it once again. He remained silent though, not willing to admit to the girl of his own hardships and continued to listen to her words. When she mentioned the boy, Ash almost huffed softly, but held it in, not willing to reveal his location. It was quite clear that Yuka was important to her, and her leaving would affect the boy harshly.

He didn't like tearing wolves apart from one another, especially when they had a special bond that was hard to break. The Hervok had seen it when Minka had made such announcements. It had seemed as though the young Thorben boy had immediately detached himself from the lovely female in front of him. Knowing that Inali would not appreciate silence from him, he spoke, in slightly softer tones, but loud enough to distort where his location would be, "I see....the boy....I will keep an eye out for him, but I think it best to cut ties with him. Trying to make arrangements with others that will never work is pointless. I, too, am sorry it had to be this way. But it's for the best. As you said...I should not want my family crumbling into pieces. I am here to keep an extremely stable foundation....and that it what I shall do." He remained silent then, awaiting the other woman's response.

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