Secluded Spring Soul Searching

<blockquote>The <span class='word'>mensch</span> had entrenched himself in his duties since he had returned, pushing all the thoughts and wonderment of where the thriving pack he had left had gotten to back down. It didn't matter. He was still here. They would be fine. The deserters didn't deserve a place here and he was now far more vigilant on the borders. He was yet to encounter a loner bold enough to cross the well marked pack borders since <i>Rolu</i>. His name was dirt to the golden wolf. If he <i>ever</i> saw him again...

He was taking a rare break from his regular patrolling, simply watching the water gurgle over the reddish tinged rocks that gave their home its name. His thoughts began to wander to home. Not this home, but the one he had left behind. His siblings. His parents. He had smelled Naira here once, and knew she was in the area, but she had never made herself known to him and he began to wonder why. That battered, beaten and soaking wolf that seemed to have everyone so on edge hardly seemed a threat. He had said she was at Swift River. Perhaps it was worth checking out. He would be able to make the trip there and back in a matter of days. Just to see her again...

Volkan's scent was just as strong as his own and he had to wonder how the girl was taking the news of Kinis's disappearance. At least he was one wolf that didn't leave willingly. He hadn't seen her since they returned from the Hollow and had to wonder what was new in her world. Perhaps a little socialising would take his mind off his increasingly common dark mood.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: May 07, 2012, 12:07 AM by Kanosak.)

<blockquote>The clouds overhead seemed to reflect Volkan's spirits as she moved along silently through the trees. With a low posture and narrowed, desperate pale eyes, the wolf had spent her time doing anything to keep her mind off of <i>him</i>, and off of what had happened that day with Naira. That meant between visiting the soon-to-be occupied den and occupying the borders, Volk had spent her days skulking along through the dense overgrowth of the forest, mulling over her experiences, her mood worsened by the increasingly muggy heat. Today, though, the cloudiness of the afternoon provided some coolness, and she was glad for it.

Soon a very familiar scent crossed her path, and Volk altered her course slightly to make a beeline for its source. Despite having thought about Kano recently, and having met not one, but two of his sisters, Volk hadn't actually seen him for what seemed like quite a while. The pack's Second was probably busy, and Volk had been slightly detached herself from her pack mates, but she definitely needed someone to take her mind off of her crappy mood...

When she arrived she issued him a quick woof, approaching him swiftly and giving him a small lick beneath the chin. Soon enough, if everything went according to plan, she'd technically be his equal. But for now, she remained a subordinate, though a very aloof one, and she smiled wryly at him as she took a step back. The bubbling creek nearby looked undeniably inviting, and she crossed to it, choosing not to speak just yet. She had a lot to tell him, but where could she start? </blockquote>

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<blockquote> So much had changed in the short time they were gone and she was probably the only one who could relate. The others had been able to see the rest of the pack slowly trickling away... They had returned to a ghost town. It was almost as though they had caught each others scents at around the same time. A ready smile came to his face, one that had been absent since they had returned. It felt wrong to be smiling when the world was falling down around their ears but there was little else they could do about it.

Joining the wolf that looked so like his sister Ani, he returned her lick with one of his own and accompanied her to the edge of the creek. The constant gurgling was almost therapeutic for the troubled man. He never should have left. He was also content to enjoy the silence but she looked like she was about to burst with an information overload. <b>”Looks like you’re about to burst.”</b> he teased the younger wolf. Unaware of what sort of bomb he could be dropping on his own head.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Volkan welcomed his company, and bent down for a drink, his greeting bringing a smirk to her weathered-looking face. "Whaaat, I'm not Aeylen," she remarked, tongue capturing the last drops of water on her chin as she stood upright again. The day the pups were born would be intense, she knew, as if times weren't already hard enough for the Creek wolves. In all honesty, Kano was exactly right, and her smile faded after a second.

"There's just... a lot of shit going on right now, I guess," she admitted, dipping a colorless paw into the Creek slowly. Idly she watched the copper water flow around it, as though its color would stain her and finally restore some pigment to her fur. Curious, she withdrew it, eyeing the slight reddish hue it'd given her. "The pups coming soon, and Kinis..." at his name she trailed off briefly, anger flaring ever so noticeably in her expression. In the back of her mind, she <i>knew</i> it could've been one of those wolves from Naira's smelly pack who attacked him. Yet, it wasn't an accusation she knew she should go throwing around, and so she glossed over the issue for now.

A few seconds of silence passed, in which Volk stared at the water again. Then, she decided that it might be time to tell him about her meetings with his siblings. "I met your sister the other day, by the way," she told him, only then looking to his golden face. "Two of 'em, actually. Aniu, and... Naira. I dunno if you... knew they were here?"

She wasn't sure how he'd react to this news. After all, Volkan's own reaction to news of her own sibling had found her pretty poorly— though, not all situations could be that bad, right? Aniu, at least, had seemed desperate to find Kano...</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: May 07, 2012, 04:18 AM by Volkan.)

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poor oblivious Kano

<blockquote> A smile crossed his face at the mention of pups but vanished just as quickly with the mention of Kinis. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had actually been here... Although there was no scent of predator, wolf or otherwise near the border. He would know. He had checked the place often enough. Pulling himself from his internal conversation his ears flicked forward at the mention of his sisters... with a distinct pause between. His brows furrowed. <b>”They weren’t together?”</b>

It was unusual for the girls to separate. <b>”I smelled Naira on the borders in winter but she was gone by the time I went to track it, then I met a wolf she had apparently thrown into a river who said she had gone to Swift River...I’ll get there one day...”</b> he finished with a shrug. He felt bad for not tracking her down sooner, but she had a pack and so did he... but he hadn’t smelled Aniu anywhere. <b>”How was Ani?”</b> It may have been a little much to process all at once but he was was shocked that his sisters would encounter Volkan and not follow her back to see him. It was hard to get away, even harder now with pups on the way. Naira would find herself in the same situation at the River pack he was sure but if Aniu was a loner why wouldn’t she come here seeking a home? His head was spinning.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Kanosak's confused response caused her to shrug; no, they hadn't been together. Should they have been? As he detailed his brief encounter with Naira's scent and her apparent association with the River pack, she nodded slowly, her own thoughts swirling inside her mind. There seemed to be quite a lot about which Kano wasn't yet aware. Darkly she watched him, ultimately nodding at his last question, though it would be a moment before she spoke.

"Aniu's nice," she responded. Her encounter with her doppelgänger had been lighthearted, though Volkan still wasn't sure why Aniu hadn't followed her back to the Creek. The taller of the two females hadn't wanted to push anything on her new acquaintance, so she'd left it up to her to decide. "She seemed to be doing alright. We hunted some. I told her you were here, and that she was welcome to visit, but I guess she hasn't been able to find us yet," she mused, a slight hint of worry painting her tones.

"As for Naira..." she added, the change in subject marking a less-than-enthused change in her voice. Her tail gave a little flick as her mind worked out how to say what she had to say. However he chose to interpret the news, Volkan knew that it wouldn't be right to keep Kanosak in the dark about his sister's, well, doings. "She did go to Swift River, but now she actually leads another pack," Volkan admitted, her icy eyes finding Kano's seriously. "Wouldn't tell me what it was called, or where they're located. But... she's mated to my brother."

Even beyond the emotions that welled up inside her chest just then, which she swallowed, it was an awkward piece of news, and she watched him for his reaction. "He's... the Rhysis who came to our borders once. Looking for me." She wasn't sure just why it had suddenly been alright for her to say his name, and once it was out in the air, she felt some sort of weight lift from her shoulders. She supposed... there were more important things than her fear of hearing his name on her tongue. Still, it tasted disgusting, and so she scowled at the thought of her encounter with Naira that day, throwing her gaze to the Creek.</blockquote>

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Haha will find out the how with Ice later on ;)

<blockquote> He smiled as she spoke of little Ani. It would make sense for the two to get along. <b>”I’m sure she’ll find us eventually... Although I will keep a nose out for her.”</b> he responded with a smile. Her change in tone did not go unnoticed by the golden male and his brows drew together in worry. His ears flicked forward in interest when she mentioned she had her own pack now. He had always thought she would be the type to make it (although if he had known anything of the <i>way</i> she had left his response may be less candid) but at the mention of her brother... He didn’t even realise she had a brother...

But that name... He knew that name. The shivering limping dark male he had encountered in the blackberry fields...The one Naira had thrown in the river. There was more to it than casual sibling rivalry and a sudden wave of guilt washed over him. He suddenly felt like he had done something terribly wrong by letting the male go. <b>”I met him once. Warned him to stay away...I didn’t realise he was your brother...”</b> He was feeling guilty. If Volkan had told Aniu to stay away it would be gut wrenching, and there were very few fights siblings had that didn’t blow over...or so he thought. Maybe she was missing him as much as he missed his siblings?

Her scowl worried him and he inched closer to the younger wolf. <b>”What did he do to you Volk?”</b> He knew it was none of his business, but it clearly weighed heavily on the young girls mind, and she was his family now. </blockquote>

<blockquote>Volkan stared at the Creek, letting Kano work her words out. He apologized, and she simply shrugged, unable to fault him for what he'd done, or rather, what he hadn't. After all, he couldn't have known that the lanky black wolf lurking around the borders would be someone with such a price on his head. He'd done what he could. At his question, she exhaled sharply. While she liked Kano, if he thought he'd be getting this out of her, he was mistaken. It wasn't anything against him, just—

"That's not important," she concluded, well aware that she'd dodged his question. She hoped he'd understand, and even if he took it personally, she wouldn't care. Aeylen knew because she <i>had</i> to know. Naira knew because Volkan hadn't been able to keep her explosive emotions and memories to herself. But Kano? Volk shook her head, moving forward, stepping into the water slowly. Suddenly she felt restless.

"You did the right thing, is what matters," Volkan added, looking at him finally. "But if you care about Naira, you should... maybe try to find her, see how she's doing. I mean, she seemed nice, but, y'know. I told her she should be careful." That stupid, stupid encounter. Though she was glad for the knowledge she'd gained, and wished she'd been able to glean more information from Naira, the idea of <i>him</i> having <i>cubs</i> was absolutely... deplorable.</blockquote>

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<blockquote> Clearly it was important. But she had given him something to aim for. If Volkan thought there was something wrong with the wolf his sister was shacking up with, he felt a need to investigate. <b>”Swift River is south of here yeah?”</b> He didn’t know why he was asking her, maybe she had as little of an idea as he did. Beyond the Wildwood and his jaunt to Bramble Falls and the Cedarwood Forest, he had spent most of his time around the Spring and Copper Rock Creek. After all, once he had a home there was little need to wander far. There was far too much to keep him busy and close by.

It was a bad time to be leaving, so close to the birth of the pups. It could wait he was sure, but a niggling feeling in his guts told him there was more to it than she was letting on. Slowly the cogs in his brain began to turn. Had she left before breeding season? Was she carrying pups like Aeylen? The questions began to whir in his head faster and faster and his brows drew together tighter and tighter. He was beginning to grow more and more conflicted about the new information the longer he had to think about it.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Thankfully, Kano didn't press the matter. Instead, he seemed preoccupied with the notion of Naira, which Volkan was glad to notice. In that moment, she watched him. It felt comforting to know that she could at least share the secret of Naira's disgusting pregnancy with someone. It had been weighing her down, and while Kano probably didn't have the negative feelings about the whole ordeal that Volkan possessed, it was still relieving to be able to <i>tell</i> someone about it. Of course, it would probably be wise for her to tell Ruiko and Aeylen the news, too. Perhaps that was where she would go next, if she could find them.

"Directly," she responded simply with a small smile, though behind her pale eyes other thoughts were brewing. Standing in the water, with the red Creek ebbing at her slender ankles, Volkan turned to face the golden male, smiling softly, giving him a small nod in respect. "I think I should go tell Ruiko the news. If you go anywhere, watch your back."

Turning slowly, she gave him another goodbye nod before heading off swiftly into the forest, nose alert for any sign of her leaders. If the dark scourge of Relic Lore was going to be breeding, the wolves of Copper Rock Creek deserved to know.</blockquote>
Exit :]

(This post was last modified: May 23, 2012, 01:05 AM by Volkan.)

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