Lost Lake Gangstas Never Die

For @Ava only.

Daytime. Slightly Cloudy. 80 degrees F.

Ever since the big standoff between the wolves of the Lore and the devil pack, Ash had been dying to go and see what awaited for the wolves on the other side of the mountain. Unfortunately, throughout the time, Ash had been too busy to do any real investigating. First the battle had ended and Ash had tried getting Poison Path back on track. Athena had then become pregnant and the Guardian had devoted his whole being to protecting her and the lives growing inside of her. Shortly after had come the aftermath of Eden deserting the pack; leaving their leader to deal through heartbreak…again. Throughout this time, Ash had helped her the best he could and realized along the way, with the help of the voice of Treena, that he would be the best fit leader to stand next to Athena’s side. After that he knew he could not leave the territory until a few weeks after the children had been born, and eventually…finally, Ash had gotten some free time and had decided to follow some familiar and unfamiliar scents down the other side of the mountain.

It took him a day or two to finally get towards Sierra Hills, the beautiful red rock stunned him to silence the first time he had seen it. He simply stared in awe at the sight before him for several moments, taking in the beautiful landscape around him. These hills were almost as beautiful as the mountains themselves…perhaps even more so. He would easily understand why a wolf would want to make their home here in these beautiful parts. Shaking himself out of his daze, he started going in the direction towards Secret Falls. He knew that he would not go any deeper for the time being; he needed his rest anyways. So taking his time, he started in another direction, paying attention to the res terrain that he stood on.

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

Without a doubt she did relish these hills. The red stone felt so uniquely her's, even though she knew for a fact she shared this place with at least one nasty wolverine - but it made no difference to her. Elegance surrounded the night-cloaked lady as she sauntered through the paths, imagining her fiery eyes were as red as the stones whenever she stalked Sierra Hills. The shadow, the witch, the guardian of the night: all these things she'd been on the rare occasion before but whenever she was here she was them, always. Something about the strange rocks set a power to her blood that she rarely felt in the daylight. No wonder she spent so much time running these paths.

Besides that, strolling here eased her mind. She hadn't really figured out yet if the Mountain of Dire was closer to her home than these Hills were, or which one she preferred yet. On one hand she'd been born of the Mountain, a true wolf of the Lore following her time in the Dire paths. And yet she'd fled, and upon her return become something different many times. Now she was here, on the other side, a wolf of the shadowy and wild rapids that explained her nature very, very well. Her roots were deep where the mist sprayed on the rocky banks - but how could she deny the appeal of these rusty rocks?

The feelings ebbed and flowed, wanting to be there when she was here and vice versa. Perhaps it was possible for her heart to be owned by two places? The stars could attest she'd left some part of her heart in Bramble Falls that frozen night when she and Kade had reunited, always beating with that waterfall like it did with their secretive hideaway. Maybe all her numbness had just been a gathering of love and now she had a plethora to give away. Maybe it was being here that caused her to feel so very much of everything.

Ava wasn't certain, but she wasn't bothered with it either. Her muscles contracted and released in a steady pattern as she climbed the foothills, her black fur gaining a healthy coating of red dust. Abuzz with her very essence of being she didn't have time to contemplate herself so deeply. All she wanted to do was feel it, and feel it deeply - so she continued to climb.

♥ Allie

(This post was last modified: Jun 22, 2013, 08:00 PM by Ava.)

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Eventually, the large man found himself moving slower and slower, instead of rushing he found himself taking in the beautiful scene in front of him. For once he did not find himself being called away from his time to himself or having other duties to attend to. If he wanted, he could patiently wait until the stars peeked out from the sky. At the current time though, Ash had no problem in watching the white clouds above him move slowly, every once and awhile covering the sun and causing a shadow to wash over the lands. It made the red color that graced the rocks seemed even richer than they really were. He continued on for so long in the comfortable silence that felt so comfortable. Of course, some conversations with those he knew well were comfortable enough that he would actually tolerate them and other times sometimes he just wanted to push the other wolf off a cliff.

Today, Ash had not been expecting to run into anyone, especially someone that he knew and had, truthfully, been longing to see again. At first, he was sure he was seeing things, so he blinked his eyes several times to make sure he was seeing right. A dark pelted female with flecks of red in her coat was climbing through the hills, the familiar fiery eyes familiar to him. Her small form seemed to be accustomed to the hills that they were on and he could not help but admire her for a few moments. Clearing his throat and shaking his head out of a daze, he started forward, letting out a bark in greeting to his friend, hoping that it was truly her that he was seeing and not some look alike. As Ash grew closer he soon realized that it was, indeed Ava. Tail wagging behind him, he comfortably sauntered up to her smaller form, his booming voice greeting her, "Ava! So good to see you."

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

Though she had not smelled his approach she was not caught off-guard, his voice familiar as it traveled through the open air. A small smile curled across her muzzle as she turned toward him, waiting until Ash had made it to her side before starting again. This time her movements were care-free, taking her time with each long stride. Ava was incredibly happy to find that there was plenty of life on this side of the Pass as well, with familiar and new faces to be found if only she moved a little bit past the rapids that bordered her family's home.

"It is good to see you too, Ash," she countered, letting her amber stare linger on his form for a moment. He seemed to be doing well, as evidenced by his cheery greeting. There likely wasn't turmoil Lakeside either, seeing as he was over here investigating these amazing hills rather than over there doing something or another. The lack of trouble in the air filled the dark she-wolf with a feeling of lightness, absolutely pleased with the situation at hand. She turned her gaze back on the path she had been following.

As the path they followed began to slope downward Ava gripped the red rock with her paws and prompted nonchalantly, "What's new with you?" It had been some time since their last encounter and she was certain many things had happened between now and then. Shit, the last time Ava saw Ash she was still a lone wolf too cowardly to seek out her true love. There had been so many steps in between her descent of the Mountain and her current place on western territory, Queen of the Rapids, and mother of four. The inkling to share her life with someone who she knew cared about it was hard to swallow, but she had asked him first, and she was particularly curious about it as well.

♥ Allie

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Do Ash's new avatars suite him well?

It seemed as though his friend was just as happy to see him as he was her. It felt like forever since they had both last seen one another and to say she smelt different was a…understatement. In a way, she kind of smelled like Athena…meaning she was a…mother? He almost wrinkled his nose at the thought. It was not that Ava would not make a good mother, it was just the fact that his best friend was a mother, which was an odd thought to him. Ava had taken wonderful care of Datura when he had stayed with Poison Path. The thought brought a heartbreaking memory into his mind of Belladonna and himself playing around within the territory, trying to see who could beat the other. Ava’s question snapped him out of his daze though, his mossy green gems gleaming at her.

The Guardian did not know how to answer the question that Ava threw at him. So much had happened since they had last seen one another and he figured he shouldn’t bombard him with his life too much, so he decided to just give her a skeleton. "I’ve been doing pretty alright. Accepting my place as alpha within Poison Path…Athena has had…uh…someone else’s children, as the man was going to become alpha but bailed before the children were born…so now I’m staying where I am, probably going to take her on as my mate…" he pauses then. Ava had been one of the ones that had happened to have some clue of his relationship with Treena, and Ash had never forgotten the woman he had once been in love with, and probably still was. She was usually screaming in his head, but today she seemed to want to be silent.

With that thought in mind he continued on, "Bella is gone…and I guess I’m still trying to coop with her leaving. Bella and I were…close." Ash was sure that Ava knew this already as well, but it did not something he was going to fail to put out in the open. This was what was going on with his life, but in current time he was much more interested in what was going on with her. "I’m honestly much more curious about what’s been happening with you. It’s not every day I run into my best friend and find out she smells like…this." The Guard spoke jokingly, winking at the black woman to let her know that he was playing around with her. He did, however, want to know what she had been up to.

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

yes! I do like them :)
PS how do you feel about a little subterritory discovery??

Sanguine Sands - On the southeastern end of Sierra Hills runs a gorge that's difficult to spot without the right altitude. The south end is blocked off by great slabs of broken rock. What happened to cause it is uncertain, but it effectively and abruptly ends the gorge. The northern end curves west while the walls gradually sink down to become uniform again, though it curiously runs out sooner than one would think, pointing toward Cold Water Creek. Though the water that carved this tall trench has long since disappear, it left behind a strange coating of deep red sand. When the sunlight streaming through shines on the path just right it glitters like freshly spilled blood. There is no path that leads directly down to the red sands, but if one looks closely enough there is a series of steep trails and ledges that, with some confident leaps, will lead to the crimson depths. larger image

Though he had been sparse on the details (that she fully intended to pry out of him) he still highlighted numerous ways in which things had changed. Ava could not help but feel sympathy for the large man. It seemed stability was a thing for the bottom-dwellers, as the Mountain packs surely knew nothing of it. It was difficult to wrap her head around how many things were different. Ash had embraced Leadership, Athena's most recent mate had followed Tlarx's footsteps to abandonment and done him one better by leaving the white wolf with a litter. Belladonna was no longer part of their pack, by what means she didn't dare assume, but perhaps the most curious of what he'd said: probably going to take her on as my mate.

"That sounds... intense," Ava commented though the word did not seem to do his plight justice. "You'll do well as a Leader. I'm glad you've come to accept the title." She served his compliment with a genuine smile. Ash was incredibly loyal and fearsome to boot, the sort of authoritative figure Poison Path was desperate for. But... "I have to ask... how long has that Athena thing been going on?" Just as Ash's mind had gone to Treena, Ava's had too. The she-wolf had never re-appeared, but Ava knew well that true love did not die so easy. Was he falling for Athena? A little workplace romance? Or was it a code of honor he had to serve?

The shadow-coated female feigned a look of offense as the tables turned for her, though the expression was short-lived. "Oh, a lady never kisses and tells!" she chided him, her vibrant eyes ringing with good humor as she cracked a smile. Of course, she would tell him, she just couldn't resist a little teasing.

As the path descended Ava noticed something several meters from where they were. A distinctive gap in the horizon stood out, carved through the red rocks as though it were holding some kind of secret. Ever curious, the night-cloaked Queen caught Ash's pale gaze, signalling her intention with one mischievous look before she turned away and began to lope forward. Long strides propelled her across the hardened terrain; as she came closer she could recognize there was a deep rift in the terrain. She could see layers of sediment, all variations on a shade of red, leading down into an impressive gorge. Careful not to come too close to the edge the black she-wolf slowed her gait to a curious, if not cautious saunter, craning her neck forward to peer down.

The sight shocked her, at first. It looked as though a great war had been fought and a river of blood ran below - but she could tell whatever was down there was not liquid, though it was a shade of red she didn't expect to see anywhere but flowers. She returned her gaze to Ash, unpausing their conversation. "Tell you what. You help me find a way down there, and I'll tell you all about Darkwater Rapids." Of course she had to slip him a little something, a taste of what could come, otherwise there was no point in the game. Why want something if you weren't interested?

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Sounds fabulous!

Her answer to his ramble brought a twig of curiosity to course through him causing him to cock an eyebrow at her in question. With her continued response, he began to relax though. He had not gotten much feedback for the pack or Athena and he was beginning to wander how well he was doing with his obtained, deserved role. A soft, murmured thank you was a response to her praise, but her next question caught him off guard, and his mossy green orbs watched her with certain intensity. The whole Athena Thing had been brought to his attention many months ago and he had not been happy. Hearing her now, he swallowed and answered the black woman in front of him, "Of my knowledge…it has been going on since a little bit after Naira returned. It has gone on long enough." He got his point across quick a brief, his tone implying that what he said was all he knew and did not feel like breaching the subject anymore.

After his question was asked and Ava replied he stared at her in mock outrage, a teasing glint in his eyes as he stood up tall, as if offended and replied, "Well alright then, Princess." The large man replied to her in a teasing tone, having no way of knowing that she was actually Queen of the lands. As they moved, he glanced over to see his past partner’s look and followed her willingly, curious to see if they were both going to get into the mischief they always ended up getting one another into all of the time. When they arrived at the dark woman’s intended destination Ash looked on in shock. Beneath them was a pool of what looked like blood and the Guardian almost took a step back, but remained rooted in his place. The voice that resonated next time him caught all of his attention and he was soon facing the smaller girl next to him, his ears pricked forward to hear her words. Darkriver Rapids, eh? Curiosity was already pricking at Ash’s paws and so he nodded his head at the challenge before getting to work.

His eyes scouted for any places where there would be easy access to the area, but from what he would see, there was nothing that could help them. Clearing his throat, he mentioned towards the edges of the red hills, speaking calmly to Ava, "Perhaps there is an entrance over there that we can’t see?" Mentioning her forward with his large head, he started towards the edge and started to descend, but what he found when they neared an area disappointed him. Instead of a hole or entrance area that he had been hoping for, instead he ended up getting a ton of red rocks, of which looked like they had been cracked and possibly fell from some unknown case. Grumbling with himself and slightly aggravated, he turned to his friend, "Juuusssst kiidddding." His tone underlying the unneeded sarcasm added to the situation.

(This post was last modified: Jul 17, 2013, 06:16 PM by Ash.)

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

( You've got an unclosed <i> tag up there! )

She flicked an ear at his dismissive response. Still rather curious Ava minded her tongue, almost wondering why he would bring it up in the first place if he hadn't wanted a discussion. Then again, perhaps it was just one of those things you had to say out loud to make it real. Or maybe he just wanted to tell someone, and that was it. Either way she excused his callous tone, unfurrowing her brow. Her edacity for gossip would have to go unfed today.

Ash, however, seemed just as pleased at their discovery as Ava was. She lifted her head before she got too dizzy peering down for so long and followed the motion of his gesture toward the end of the gorge. Allowing the burly male to overtake her she followed suit. Just kidding, he said a moment before she peered ovr to find that there was no easy way down. Pursing her lips with disappointment, her honey-toned eyes lit with determination. They were two intelligent wolves with more than enough capacity between them; nothing was going to stop them from getting in to that pit.

"You're on to something," she observed. Though the slabs of rock were too steep to allow them down they could still leap on to one or two. On the other side of the gorge the interior walls were grooved with ridges that would fit them - perhaps in a single file line, but they could manage. If it got too thin or too steep, they'd have to find another one. But it was manageable... not to mention it was an adventure as well. Grinning at the idea of a good old-fashioned thrill the she-wolf stepped toward the edge closest to the blocked-off end and sprung forward, her toes tensed for the landing though she found the rock was more stable than it appeared to be. Her tail swung with excitement. "There's no real path, I guess, but we can damn well make one."

(This post was last modified: Jul 08, 2013, 07:38 PM by Ava.)

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The large Guard was definitely disappointed when found out that the entrance that he thought he had managed to find was non existent. He knew that the pair would be able to find something else though. Ash found it easy for Ava and him to get along, as they had been friends for quite some time now, and Ash found it extremely easy to talk to his friend. On a normal basis, the alpha would try to stay away from some of his pack mates, some of them reminding him of former loves, while he knew others did not like the presence of wolves in general. It had always been a difficult thing for Ash to process; knowing that his own social need for others grew day by day and knowing that some others would barely speak a word or make their presence known in the world to those around them.

When Ava did speak up, the man's head swiveled in her direction, his ears pricked towards her. It would always be the woman's brain that attracted him to her. Back in Poison Path, when she had been there, the two were like the dynamic duo. Ava was the brains, whereas Ash was the bulk. They made a great team and for a short time, Ash had been in a blissful state of happiness. At the time, Treena had disappeared, and the brute had done anything he could to get his mind off of his beauty. His friend had been one of the reasons he had decided to coop. He had no doubts that he would be able to move on now, and so he watched in amazement, as the small black form of Ava jumped down.

Anticipation crawled under Ash's skin as he looked down to where he hoped the woman had landed safely and seen that she had done so, a small grin breached his lips. Hunching his muscles, he took a giant leap towards where his friend had landed, gratefully returning to the ground safely with an omph. Wagging his tail, a mischievous grin crossed over his lips. He spoke softly, a teasing lilt in his voice, "You would be the one to find something like this, Ava." Laughing softly, he looked back towards where he was sure that another safe landing was and launched his body at the next rock. Gratefully, this one was sturdy as well, but in the back of his mind, he couldn't come to think of what were to happen if they made one mistake.

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

Ava chuckled warmly as the mottled man came to join her on the rocky protrusion which began their way down. Though his grin was cheeky Ava could not help but to be flattered by his statement. His friendship was unyielding even despite her betrayal. Fearsome exteriors aside he was a good man; if there was anything she missed about Poison Path around the time which she'd taken off it was him as her equal. Regardless they were both in better places now: Ava free of toxicity and at the helm of her own family and pack, Ash risen to the top of the place where his roots had dug deep, and both of them finding love. Yes, that was better.

Ash continued downward, aiming for another slab that jut far enough and seemed stable enough to serve their purpose. Nothing gave under his weight as he made contact with the rock, prompting a confident grin to adorn her muzzle as she followed him. From there her amber eyes sought the next step downward - which would prove a bit harder than the first two steps. There was another rock slab leading down, but the angle to jump for it was just... risky. They could very well miss the ledge and continue down, and then the sands wouldn't just look like blood. Giving a shudder at her own morbid mind the dark lady snorted and continued scouring her surroundings, not one to give up so easily.

As luck would have it she spotted a little pass down the side of the gorge, like passageway carved just for them. From there they could easily reach the slab which was not so accessible at their current position. Happily she swung around and lurched forward from the rock, closing the short gap with ease. The pass, however, was narrow, and it was not until she'd jumped on to the next rock that she returned her attention to her burly companion. "My mate, Kade Attaya, and I have forged a pack together near the rapids fed by Secret Falls. It's a lovely place, serene and mysterious." Her voice did not betray how dreamy her thoughts were when she considered her home. Though Ava loved the mountains - she did, indubitably - the shadowy thicket that hid them away on the rise above the vicious waters was perfect for her, her friends, and her family.

And speaking of such... "Mace, Rowan, Quil and Cinder are their names," she provided without pause, her wide grin making it obvious who the subjects of her last sentence were. Not only did she reek of motherhood, but she exuded it as well, her strong posture and her toothy grin the epitome of a youthful matron. Of course, she paused then, curious to hear Ash's reaction.

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