Lost Lake wobble baby

Ava had never intended to come so close to her former haunt, that was the truth. There were too many memories, too many feelings that she'd fled from so hastily, why would she want to return? That business was buried, and it could stay that way, so long as she never returned to uproot it.

But it'd been nearly a week since the avalanche and the former Poisoned female had yet to descend the Mountain into safer territory. She was too weak to make it back down still and all she could find was scraps from scavengers, and once a cougar's kill that she managed to massacre before the giant cat returned for more. Mountain goat were far more fleet footed than they were back when she ruled the mountain - or at least it seemed so. She refused to believe that her skills had honestly depleted so rapidly, and yet with every other step on the ice-coated mountain the black she-wolf wobbled. So much uncertainty hung around her every movement that it nearly sickened her. Or perhaps it was that her old home, where she'd planted so much of her heart, was so damn close.

Ava had not intended to come this near, but she was already on the declining slope toward the valley that housed a trail of purple poisonous flowers. In truth it was not nostalgia at all that drew her closer and closer to the bottom of the valley. With food, she needed water - and there was one source whose location she could pinpoint without difficulty. What Ava would not give to be free from the mess of feelings that were gnawing at her insides with every step she took closer toward salvation. How she dearly wished she didn't know they still existed. At the time of her leave Naira had just returned, and Rhysis was nothing more than a rumor. It could've very well been that too much drama had been explosive and had wiped the Mountain of any of them and their constant war. But the world was not so kind - now she'd seen her former King and from here she could smell her old mark, saturated in the air. Poison Path was still around.

Every cautious step she took down the rocky path just made their scents stronger and stronger, and with each inhale the doom weighed more heavily on her heart. Oh, fuck it - Ava knew she was in their home now. Any second she'd see one, any second she would. The universe couldn't possibly allow her to drink her fill and leave on her own time... could it? The black-furred female could only hope, though she kept her amber eyes watchful on every turn of the way.

art - threads

The dispute with Naira had certainly rubbed Ash the wrong way, not exactly happy with the members that Poison Path had lost. Naira, Adonis, Rais, and Datura...all had left them, angry and sad. The disappearance of Chantille had also injured their hearts, and Ash had been desperately trying to get a grip on himself. Three of his closest friends gone... First Treena, followed by Ava, and then lastly Chantille. All of them deserting Athena, leaving the alpha hollow and in deep despair, the guardian loyally standing by her side in her time in need. He would happily step down when she found a suitable partner to replace Tlarx, who had also disappeared. His place was not that of an alpha and he knew this deep within his heart. The only other wolf that he would have spoken to about this would have been Belladonna, but he didn't want to put any more stress on her strong developing shoulders. It was why today, he was going to visit his favorite place in the mountains, where Ava herself had once perched as Queen of the Lake. It was his thinking place, where he could think and clear his mind. He had even gone as far as watching over where she had once stood, watching over her area, wishing she could take back her throne.

He took his time in going towards the area, not daring to skip his own patrol, and so before heading towards his safe haven he made sure to mark the borders heavily, his head lifted high and tail dominating. He was the highest ranking male for the time being, and, as much as it pained him, he had to set an example and be a leader to everyone else around him. It was his job and he wouldn't let anyone, especially Athena down. When he was satisfied with his work, he allowed his whole body to relax as he made his way towards Ava's old perch, his muscular shoulders flexing with every step. He had grown stronger...at least on the outside, and now that he was here, he wasn't exactly sure what to do. His once light green eyes had turned hollow, as though multiple parts of him were missing. Ash was just about to settle into his own thoughts on the throne that overlooked the lake, when a slightly familiar scent brushed against his nose. His eyes opened and the form appeared. The familiar black form of Ava was there...he could see her and scent her, she was no ghost.

His heart skipped a beat. The large brute didn't know what to feel, besides his heart swelling at the sight of her drinking from the crystal lake. She hadn't died...she was going to be okay. The male couldn't even feel the anger that he would have felt of betrayal. His partner, his best friend was okay and somewhat healthy. Before he knew it, his tail was wagging behind him, much like an excited pup. Ava was here!! In the flesh and bones. His large form pounced and he landed not far from her drinking form. He couldn't contain his excitement any longer. "Ava! Oh Ava, I have missed you so! Where have you been?" His mossy green eyes reflected his concern for her. He just wanted to reach out and bury his nose deep within her dark fur. Where had she gone?!

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

The scent came to her via the gentlest of winter breezes, its recognition chilling her more than the temperature could have. Ava froze as though the air in her lungs had turned to ice and spread through all her veins. Even if she wanted to turn tail and run - which she did consider feasable for a brief moment - she could not, absolutely chained to the mountain like she used to be. The dark female was entirely unprepared for who would follow, but there was no way her sea legs could compare to a wolf whose presence was high in the air and all over the stone paths.

In moments, he was within eyesight. Ash. Ava was by no means dainty, but she was a hunter. Even at her best she was packed with lean muscle, but Ash was a powerhouse. His form, leaping toward her, was terrifying to see even if his tail was sweeping to and fro. There was no bloodlust in his eyes, no outright desire to rend flesh from bone, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. As his form crashed beside her she shut her eyes, unwilling to watch if her former partner was going to throw her to the ground to repent for her sins. But the moment passed and she didn't feel the hot pain of teeth breaking skin, so she opened her eyes and watched as he exclaimed - what?

"You missed me?" Ava murmured aloud. She stood painfully still, her eyes wide and full of uncertainty. In his mossy eyes she could see nothing but honesty, but why? "That's not the Poison Path I was part of," she quipped back while averting her gaze on to the space between them. To her, it was ripe with tension and every breath that escaped her jaws only added to the pressure. How was that not what he was feeling? She was a betrayer, a deserter, a dishonored wolf. They'd pressed loyalty like a knife against their throats, so why wasn't hers being slit? Had something drastic happened?

Ava leaned forward to test the air surrounding him, amber eyes wary on his figure in anticipation of the slightest twitch of muscle to send her ducking for cover. In his coat she could smell Athena, Athena who had once been her other half - but where was Tlarx's scent? Naira? Rhysis? The children? It was all so muddled, and different, and Ava could not place a paw on what the nuances were now. The question formed in her mouth and sat on her tongue, clashing against her teeth to get out - but she couldn't push him for answers, not before she'd given him some.

"I couldn't stay here," she said, quietly at first. It was a fact that had driven her away in the first place, but she'd never spoken of it before. Lone wolves had no concern for her where she'd gone; it was difficult to accept that Ash genuinely did. Still somewhat uneasy, she lifted her head and glanced at him, watching to see what he'd think. "Rhysis found me, gave me a home and a life. Naira and Athena were closer to me than my own sisters had been. I had a power I'll never get back when we lived here, so closely on the mountain. Then they left, us and their children, and it was hard to get our footing back but we were managing." Ava tried to keep herself comprehensible, but to no avail. Her words began to tumble gracelessly, fueled by emotion rather than thought. "And then they came back, but it wasn't them at all. It was like everything I'd ever loved, tarnished. Ruined. Poisoned. With everything that had happened, how could I trust a damn thing anymore? How can you stay somewhere you don't feel welcome?"

Ava looked upon him sharply, fires burning within her eyes. "You can't," she answered her own rhetorical question. "So I didn't." There was more she wanted to say, a lot more, even, but she had to stop herself. Would he tear her apart now, knowing she'd left of her own accord? That it was voluntary for her uproot herself and leave everyone who depended on her? Just in case she tensed her legs, hoping the mountain hadn't changed too much in her absence that she couldn't find a route to save her.

art - threads

Passionate eyes watched the smaller wolf as she spoke to him, trying to explain, but only confusing Ash slightly more. He hadn’t known what it had been like before Naira had returned with her other child. Another trouble maker within the pack that the guardian had learned to loathe after he had found out of the horrid bite he had left on Athena’s leg. Other things hadn’t gone their way either. Many of their members had left and the ones remaining…Athena and Ash barely knew. Tlarx was gone, leaving Ash to take up alpha position, which he didn’t wish to take, and so, another lead male was going to have to be found soon, for the Hervok was not comfortable with the role of alpha, and he wouldn’t be able to do his current job as well if he were to remain leader. Ava’s explanation as to why she had left made sense to him, but it still left question unanswered.

Yes, the large male wanted to tear her to bits for leaving Poison Path the way she did, for they hadn’t deserved being deserted…in the right sense, the black lady was a traitor and she didn’t deserve to walk across her throne above the lake as she was doing right now. This was his land now, and though every sense in his brain was telling her to driver her out and to sink his fangs deep within her dark pelt and shake her, he couldn’t. His heart was telling him to relish in the time that they had together, for possibly one last time before she left again. He didn’t want her to leave…Treena had already done so, and he didn’t want that to repeat again. His mate was gone and he had thought that his best friend had disappeared too, and now she was back and possibly leaving again…why? Even has he asked the question to himself, he already knew the answer…it would cause her too much pain to stay in the mountains, where the pack they had was slowly falling apart, only being kept together by the stronghold of Athena, with the help of him and probably Steel. The large man wasn’t even sure who the new Second’s partner was anymore. Chantille…had also left.

Staring at Ava, he spoke, his face and eyes blank, “I once told you I would help you no matter what…and I know that this pack has caused you pain. Letting you go, would probably be the best…for you.” There he went again…looking out for other instead of himself. Yes, he definitely missed the girl, they had been partners and he had missed the companionship they had shared. But if being with them caused her pain…there would be no point in asking her to stay with them once again, knowing she would be in pain all the time if she did end up in Poison Path again, even if Ash did try to help her. It would do no good, it would probably cause her even more pain, considering what Naira had done to them. It was now his turn. To explain how things had ended up going between the two sides, and what Naira had done to them…how she had crushed Athena.

Taking a deep breath he began, “After you left, Naira apparently started a revolution against Poison Path. While she was still with us, she went behind our backs and gathered her own followers, two of whom were residing within our pack at the time. She first called for the children…and of course, when she called for the children, the rest of the pack was curious…and some of us…furious. The pack gathered, surprised to see how odd it was for Poison Path to be outnumbered by Naira’s team. There was a Swift River wolf there though, along with Rhysis, and another wolf, Rais. She took Datura, but Belladonna has stayed with us. Now we’re trying to heal the best we can…” Ash hadn’t done much healing himself. He had been too busy trying to take care of his duties and do what he could to try to make everyone else happy. He hadn’t had time to himself at all and it was becoming hard for him to get rest. The lake was his safe haven and it seemed today it was graced by its avenging angel.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

Diligently she watched her former equal consider her words, or at least she so hoped he was. The green-eyed beast held an unreadable steadfastness in his unrelenting gaze that the black-coated female could not predict what was to come next, but the reality was far from anything she would have expected. At least he could have reamed her out but there was no anger in the carefully chosen words that slipped between his teeth. Ava blinked and redirected her gaze to the ground for she did not deserve such a kindness, though she was not so self-depreciating that she would not accept it. Delicately she leaned forward to bump her nose against the burly male's cheek, grateful more than words could say for the man's understanding. A deep inhale grounded the she-wolf and, no longer fearing for her safety, her golden eyes did not wander from his face as he drew out the picture that followed her departure.

Ava frowned deeply, trying to imagine. Gathering her own followers, taking her children... It was clear by the way they'd formed Poison Path in the first place that the tawny lady would do anything for the safety of her brood, even betrayal. The black-pelted female would not say such a thought out loud but it certainly looked to her like their destiny had simply been brought around full circle. Betrayal was Naira and Rhysis' beginning and end - however absent he had been for the latter half though Ava was certain her lanky former King would probably have approved of the whole shebang. An amused smile hung on her jaw for a very short moment as she recalled the last she'd seen of Naira was a very nervous, small projection of the honey-eyed female's former self - but then that certainly didn't sound like the woman of the story.

"From what I remember of her, she is a woman with no boundaries when it comes to what she believes in," Ava muttered with as much humor as she could muster given the situation. It was really no different than the first time around, except back then the one they'd stolen from within had been Athena and her children had been currently unborn. Now she'd taken whatshisface and whoeverthehell and run off with Adonis and Datura... but not Belladonna? "She left her daughter?" Ava repeated, the shock evident in her tone. It seemed fitting to warn Ash then that that was not the end of their disagreement, but the Guardian probably already knew so she kept her tongue between her teeth.

It was not so simple, of course. The air all around the Lake was different from the way Ava remembered it. Scents were missing through the entire mixture and given enough time and care she likely could've pinpointed a few other deserters - but she wouldn't waste Ash's time doing such a thing. Instead the golden-eyed girl flicked and ear and gazed off in the direction of the famous nightshade path, wondering if she looked hard enough if she could see the dark berries. After a quiet moment she piqued, "What else? Does Athena still lead then?"

art - threads

I am a terrible person because I made you wait so long. I am so sorry! <33

The large brute watched his former partner’s reactions closely, deeply breathing in her scent when she nudged his cheek. He truly had missed her, having lost his mate to who knows what, and then to have his close friend ripped away from his paws. Her disappearance had wounded him, but now seeing her, it seemed that it made the pain from them leaving ease from his body. Getting out the tension that he had been holding up for the past months had not been easy and in the end it had resulted in him lashing out on a few of his pack mates. He listened to the silence that passed between them once he had finished his story, waiting for Ava to finally say something, and when the woman did, he was not surprised with her response. It would definitely be a shock for the bitch to leave her lovely daughter behind, thank the Gods that Naira had given her pups free will, for Ash was not sure what he would have done if Bella would have left.

With a soft snort he shook his head, “No. Bella chose to stay.” It was obvious by the tone of his voice the affection he held for the young pup. He did not know where he would be without her…though probably much colder than he was right now. Green eyes flickered back towards the woman’s black form as she spoke again, her question burning into his brain and his response automatic. “Yes…with me leading by her side,” he paused for a moment, considering his words carefully, “For the time being.” Ash had not wanted to become alpha male, for he found himself uncomfortable in the position. Much preferring to be able to sneak around and watch his pack mates, evaluating them for Athena, rather than having his presence known every step he took. It was a change, and not one he was fitting into nicely.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

it's okay :3

It was clear from what he'd told her that it was no less of a mess on the mountain now than it had been when she left, and she felt the pull to descend the rocky path in her chest once again. A grimace edged its way on to her expression. This was no way to live, truly. It was unhealthy to be surrounded by so much hostility, so much confusion. The animosity alone could suffocate even the strongest of wolves. During the avalanche she had seen first-hand the fight for dominance between Athena and Rhysis, felt the tension that poisoned the air in between the opposites. Wasn't it so much better to breathe clean?

Then he continued, and as the words left his tongue Ava came to the stark realization that Tlarx's scent was no where to be found on the man's brown pelt. In fact, so many were missing, and for a moment her mind travelled to the hardships Athena had faced. Naira, Rhysis, Tlarx, Chantille and even herself... all turn-cloaks, wolves who had sworn loyalty and then disappeared. Her dark lips tightened into a straight line as she reminded herself she had to leave. The Mountain could support life, certainly, but not the one she wished to have. But with everything the white female had to face, Ava found it somewhat humorous that she small she-wolf had become, after all, a warrior just like Rhysis had wanted, just like she had promised.

But it was no time for laughter, and Ava had little desire to further talk about the misfortune that Poison Path had seen within the last few months. With effort she wiped the sadness from her face and replaced it with a delicate smile, hoping that in wearing one she might feel it too, and focused on the green-eyed man beside her. "Surely there must be some benefits to being King of the Mountain," she responded gently. "Does leadership not suit you?" It was, after all, the greatest of control. Ava did not actively pursue such an end, but had she ever the means to it - why not?

art - threads

Knowing his former partner well enough, he knew that her being silent was never a good sign. Though perhaps things had changed for her since the last time they had spoken to one another. Surely he had much developing done with his overall personality since the past. He watched her face closely and when her sad expression turned into a smile, he couldn’t help but smile along with her. Now that she was back, he felt as though he would not lose all of him and he had a chance to regain himself once more, even if she was deciding not to stay with them. His brown tail wagged behind him, her words catching his attention. Quietly he pondered over her words, before giving his answer quietly, “It definitely has its benefits. But I prefer the shadows and being able to watch the poisoned wolves without them knowing…it is a way to know what is going on. With responsibilities as alpha, it is harder for me to do that now.”

He then looked around the lake, his mossy green eyes then landing on Ava. “Besdies…I already have a throne over the lake…I’ve been keeping watch over it for you…” His eyes glistened as he watched her. The dark woman had taken the Throne over the lake, before he had even joined the pack. It had been she who had gave him the interest of joining when he had met her while trying to get his mind off things. Poison Path was and still was a secluded pack, away from the others. Here he had found he could think. She had always reigned over the Lake, but when she had left, Ash had made it his daily duty to watch over the mountain, as if the Huntress had left it in her will for him and ordered him to do so. Now she was back and perhaps she wouldn’t return to the pack, but maybe she would reclaim her throne over the lake.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

His reasoning made sense. In fact, Ava had identified with it entirely at one point. There was a time when serving beneath Naira and Rhysis had given her everything she wanted. Her duty had fulfilled her. Whenever a loner made it down into the valley the Poison Path Lady Gang would find them in a heartbeat. The tawny Leadess and her monochromatic back-ups, a pretty trio packing sharp teeth and sharper wit beyond their dainty smiles and sauntering gaits. Nostalgia washed over her as she recalled those days, but were they better days than the ones ahead? She wondered. Almost absent-mindedly she nodded, thinking back to the day Tlarx had appeared as both Athena's mate and Ava's leader. The white she-wolf, for however guarded and brusque she was on the outside, made her attachments very quickly. Ava did not know how long the burden of leadership wold remain on Ash's shoulders, but it was certainly not her place to utter such a gossipy line as it probably won't last that much longer...

The next thing he said made her heart ache, golden eyes reflecting the heaviness she felt. Keeping watch over it for you, he'd said, and it wasn't until she tried to reply to him that she realized what it meant. Ava tilted her head and fashioned a sober smile for Ash, a delicate shake signifying what she was going t say. "It's all yours, Ash," she said quietly, meaning every word. "That's just not me anymore. I will find my own throne, this time." Her eyes swept along the Lost Lake, knowing that when she left this time she would drain the poison from her life, for good. Looking back upon the brown-furred male she swallowed her sadness and added, "You are more deserving of the title than I am." The strength of his devotion to this place could break her's at its peak in half within no more than a nudge - that was true. Ava's happiness here had been lost, but Ash's had been found, and all those rewards were his to reap.

art - threads

Her answer had not been the one that he had been expected but none the less, it made him happy. His large tail seemed to slam against the ground, causing a large thumping noise to rise from behind him and dirt to pick up. Tilting his head, he stared into her golden eyes curiously, still slightly worried about her well being. Was she really doing well…was she happy? Twitching his ears, he quickly realized he had foolishly not paid attention to the time. Glancing up at the sky he quietly cursed himself for not paying attention. It was time for Kamota’s run and he was suppose to make sure he had started on time. With a small sigh, he glanced back towards Ava, her words resonating in his head. In his mind, what she said was definitely not true, but he did not have time to dwell on it.

Quickly scrambling to his paws, he licked the woman’s shoulder gently before stepping away from her. With a quick sigh, he stretched and shook out his pelt before nodding to her. “I suppose to need to go check up on some of the activities going on within the pack. Until next time, Ava.” Nodding his head to her, the Hervok took off towards his pack territory, trusting that Ava would smartly make her way out, and not having time himself to escort her. Hopefully, she understood why. As his brown form disappeared into the nightshade border, he made his way stealthily through the shadows. He would miss Ava…but it was better for him to know that she was alright…instead of completely missing. Something was finally lightening up for the man.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.