Red Fern Forest 6 Degrees of Seperation

First, you think the worst is a broken heart. What's gonna kill you is the second part

The torn male howled out in frustration as he reached his destination. It was the den where Rosealia had been staying while he was out looking for potential pack members to give his pups a bright home. She was gone, barely a scent left to her and he wondered how she could do this to him. She was supposed to be with him forever, and she ran away while she bore his pups. Fate was cruel to him this day, so he had to go off; no he simply couldn’t leave after this for he had to fix the issues. He had already called upon Ace and Capella to go with him to form a new pack and his entire plan collapsed. How could this happen? He would have to find another pack and not be burdened?

And the third, Is when your world splits down the middle. Fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself.

He knew that he would need to face Capella and Ace to explain the situation. That would however, leave a bad reputation of Rosealia for @Capella and Ace to witness and live by. Yet at the same time, they deserved to know the truth about everything that had happened here. His fur was bristling, anger for whatever had happened and his eyes were clouded with a mixed anger and sorrow. He raised his muzzle and released a howl. One for anyone he had recruited. He called for Ace and Capella, they needed to know about it all and they all needed to come up with a plan. Perhaps they could find a pack to join. Perhaps they could find another female, and raise a pack still, with Capella stepping in for Rosealia in the case that she returned. Only time would tell, but they needed action now. There were only two words that could possibly get picked out of the howl. Rosealia's gone. The pain made it worse.

Fifth, you see them out with someone else. Sixth, is when you admit that you may have fucked up a little.

(This post was last modified: May 01, 2013, 01:21 AM by Shade.)

Capella had been scavenging through the ferns, looking for something to bring back to Shade. She caught the scent of a hare, and though it wouldn't be a big kill, there was no sense in letting it get away. They could hunt bigger game later, but this would do for now. She was hot on the trail when she heard the call. It was broken, filled with emotion, and it chilled her to the bone. Something was very wrong, and she was concerned for her new leader. She took off in a full run, allowing his howl, and scent to pull her in the right direction. That's when she caught the words, but she wasn't sure if she heard them right. She had yet to met Rosealia, and she was already gone? It couldn't possibly be. She called out to Shade, letting him know that she was on her way to him. Hopefully he would take some comfort in knowing that she would be there any moment.

Her yellow eyes locked on his shape in the distance and she slowed her pace. The stress of the run showed itself only in her constant panting. The ever present scent of Shade filled her nostrils, but the one belonging to Rosealia was barely lingering. She knew she had heard him right before the words left her mouth, but she needed conformation. "What happened?" She questioned. Her tone filled with worry and confusion. If there was no alpha female, how could there be a pack? Was she coming back?

(This post was last modified: May 01, 2013, 01:28 AM by Capella.)

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Shade heard the call back, he hoped Ace was too in the area and had found his sister. He looked completely horrified as Capella arrived, something had to have happened to her, and surely she wouldn’t have just run off without telling him where she was going. He knew Rosealia and she wasn’t like that. “This is where she was, the scents and trails are extremely faint. She wouldn’t have run off like this, something must have happened to her. My mate is gone and so are my pups.” He said, rambling off on some distant tangent about how much he was worried. He hoped she would come back very soon or everything they had worked for would be gone. He would have left the Ridge for no reason and he wouldn’t be here right now. So what were they going to do?

“There are no scents of anyone with her, nor any sign of a struggle, no fear in the scent. She left on her own, but why? She knew I was gone to find wolves that would follow us so why would she leave me in the best?” He said, knowing he had to remain strong and proud for the entire process. “We need a plan, and we need one fast. I-I just don’t know what to do.” He admitted to her, his tail flicking from side to side, he was obviously worried. He looked straight at Capella. “What do we do?” He asked after he took big breathes to calm himself. The afternoon sun of a coming spring warmed his back. This was the perfect place for the entirety of whom he had recruited and it was gone. He had little trust in her coming back as he leapt to conclusions of her leaving. She had broken the man’s heart forever more.

What would happen when Ace found them? Would they be able to find more wolves to support them and still raise a pack, perhaps another pack would take in the three wolves? He would have to talk it over with the wolves he now trusted.

(This post was last modified: May 01, 2013, 01:50 AM by Shade.)

Capella watched her leader. Only a fragment of who he was when they met. It was strange how quickly everything could change. She knew what it was like to lose the ones you loved, and she sympathized with him. Though she wasn't likely to see her family again, there was still a chance for him. Her ears laid themselves against her head, and she shuffled herself closer to him. She let him ramble without interruption, because sometimes it was what had to be done. You had to say it out loud, to really put it into perspective. "I'm so sorry Shade." She whispered, and dipped her head slightly. She wasn't even sure if he was paying attention to her, and if he wasn't then she wasn't bothered, because he was suffering.

Having what you consider an alpha, unsure of what to do was a first for Capella. Then again, so was the whole situation. His mate left him of her own accord, without any explanation, while carrying his pups. It was strange all around. His question came as a surprise to her. She honestly didn't know what to do. It wasn't like she had ever thought of a back-up plan for this sort of thing, but she couldn't say that. He was asking for help, and if nothing else, she was going to help in any way she could. "I don't know either. We could keep finding recruitments, and keep trying to build the pack." She paused. "Or we could join another pack." Regardless of what they did, it wasn't going to take away his worries, or his pain. She knew he had worked hard to come this far, and for it to all be lost?

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Shade tried to keep calm, but the sudden news had flustered him. Joining another pack seemed like a key resource as a backup. But for now, it seemed like he should recruit more members. “I have no one to be my leading lady, I mean, I’ve never heard of a pack where the leaders were not mates.” He said, completely ignoring the fact that Elettra’s pack wasn’t like that. It would take quite a few more members to create a pack of his own, one where he would have a female beside him in case that Rosealia returns. That was his last hope, it was that Rosealia would return and take her place at his side. If she did that then all would be {mostly} normal. Things would never be the same.

The simple fact that he reminded himself was that if Rose every returned, he would never be able to trust her again because she had run without a word. He never knew a single wolf who would torture another in such ways. If she returned, he would scold her because of how deathly worried he was about her. She was his mate and she ran off, she wouldn’t be his mate anymore. Not unless she returned with a good reason as to why she left pregnant. There was no sign of another wolf so it was obvious this was of her own free will. He was single once more.

He had to remain loyal to those he still considered family. His fur now laid flat on his back instead of bristling he glanced at Capella and knew exactly what to say. "Unless the members do not arise in such causes, we shall raise a pack. On the likely chance we cannot find the support to raise a pack, we shall go and seek one out. I feel a deep betrayal tonight, but it must be pushed aside for this plan to succeed. We cannot fall and we must tell Ace what has happened as soon as we can.” He announced as his final words on the matter. It was the best he could do.

The heat of the sun wasn't enough to warm her body. She'd had so much hope for this little band of loners. They were supposed to create a pack. This was the place they were supposed to call home, and now all that hope was lost. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Rosealia just left her mate. There had to be a reason. One wouldn't just leave without a word. Capella looked again to Shade. He was right. It wasn't something she had ever heard of either. Then again, she had only ever lived in a pack consisting of her immediate family. It could just barely have been called a pack.

Capella's head fell below her shoulders, and her tail remained stiff on the ground. Were they going to be separated? Was Shade going to run off on some mission to find his mate, leaving her alone once again? There was so much uncertainty in a situation she had been sure of. When Shade promised her a home she hadn't envisioned so much hurt and loss.

His decision was strange to her. Even though she had suggested it herself, she didn't know how it was going to work. "The problem still stands that there is no alpha Shade. How will we raise a pack and gain new members without an alpha female?" She questioned, hoping he would have an answer to qualm her fears. "We need to find him." She agreed. It was important that he knew about their loss, and the struggles they were going to face.

(This post was last modified: May 01, 2013, 03:29 AM by Capella.)

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Shade muttered the words, the words that solved all her problems. “I’m an idiot, I know of a pack who had been in this situation before, the pack I came from with Rosealia. It was the one with that weird wolf when I first met you, the Ridge wolf whom left without giving. Elettra, their alpha, has no mate; just a really trusted friend is her alpha male. It could be a similar situation, where until Rosealia returns {if she ever does which I hope she does} than you could lead.” He offered, as if it were a breakthrough for his plans. Capella could lead until Rosealia returned, the idea was genius.

Shade looked at her to see how she would respond. “What it was is Elettra formed a pack with a man named Koda, whom was mate to a member of another pack. Since Elettra had no mate he became the lead male and when it came time for breeding season, she went off and found a mate, I never did find out who it was though.” He told her. He hoped she agreed to the idea, which made it much easier. If not than they could kiss that idea good-bye. “Joining another pack could be a backup.” He also offered up if she were uncomfortable. He definitely trusted Capella, which were the only thoughts rushing through his head. The ideas, he did not yet know of Shadowstorm’s death, so he figured he could get her to follow them. They had himself and Ace. “Of course we would have to find a few more males and females for a steady pack, but we would have time and who knows, maybe Rose would return.” Those were the last words he said of the matter.

The idea was pure gold to him; he could imagine it, raising the pack. Than Rose would return and they could have pups, perhaps she would bring his currents pups with her too!

It was as almost as if the words were going right through her. She could understand them, but she couldn't put them together. He was asking her to lead next to him until Rosealia came back? What if she never did? Would Capella continue on leading the pack in her place? The whole idea made her nervous. She had never led anything before. Wolves would be entrusting themselves to her. She would no longer be looking solely to Shade to figure out her problems, but to herself as well. This had been among the strangest days of her life, and she didn't know what to do.

She nodded after every sentence, showing her acknowledgement, but not giving him an answer. It was a lot to think about, and she was nervous. How could she lead a pack? Then she looked up at Shade, seeing a spark of hope in his eyes. It was the remnants of himself before he found Rosealia gone. It comforted her and she had no choice but to say yes. Who was she to deny him that hope? Capella could learn what it meant to lead by watching Shade. She could give this to him, as he had given her a place to call home. They would both go off and recruit wolves. They would find Ace and tell him. Maybe he would even help. The three of them could do it, as long as Shade remained strong enough.

"If you think this will work, then I will lead next to you Shade, and when Rosealia comes back, I will happily step down. Of course if they were to fail, she was sure they could find a pack to accept them. She just hoped Rosealia would come back soon.

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Shade was proud as she said yes, and would agree to step down in the chance of Rosealia’s return. If the female were to return, than the torn man would be a whole of what he once was and she would have a safe place to stay. If she did not return by the end of the summer, he could no longer call her a mate or a friend. All he would be able to see in her was the pain and suffering she caused. He held his head high, perhaps they should go, and maybe launch a point to find Ace from. Perhaps he lost his way and traveled farther into these lands that were new to him and so many others.

He would search the surrounding areas and search; perhaps he would stumble upon a loner or two to recruit? He would try to recruit them all, for all he could do is try. He would hope to succeed and join together a larger and close knit pack that would protect each other. After all wasn’t that the goals of every single other pack around here? Even Elettra’s pack was close knit and well protected, though surely with his leave and the possible leave of Narimé, there were wounds. Unless Elettra had recruited others there was only Tempest left as the only hunter.

He wondered about one thing, was Capella truly leader material, she had to be. It would have to be that way until his love returned to him. If she ever returned that was. “We should depart, I know where to search first, this entire thing is messed up and it needs to be fixed. We’ll find the support needed.” He said with a confident tone.

Her stomach tied itself in knots. This was more responsibility than she had ever had before, and she was terrified of letting Shade down. She couldn't let the slight look of hope in his eyes be for naught. She would pull through for him, and do whatever she could to keep that hope there. Once you lost your hope, you lost everything, and she knew that from experience. Her posture straightened with an attempt at seeming bigger, stronger, better than she was. From now on she would have to carry herself as an alpha would. At least until Rosealia returned to take over for her. When he looked at her, she didn't want him to have any doubts. She had to be strong for both of them, and only hoped that Shade would be strong too.

She stood up, and allowed her tail to wag lazily back and fourth. She offered him a smile before letting her words flow out. "I'm right behind you." She was going to follow him wherever he planned on taking her, and she wasn't going to question his decisions. After all, he offered her a family when she had no one.

Though her mind wandered back to Rosealia and why she left. Maybe she was afraid that having pups would change something between the pair, and she didn't want to stick around to find out? Maybe the closer she came to motherhood the more paranoid she was and in turn went to go look for new recruits of her own? Whatever the reason, she knew it could have nothing to do with Shade's parenting skills, as she felt he would have made a great father. She just hoped he knew it too.

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