Secret Woodlands Words of the Past

Although Eva had not come in contact with others of Secret Woodlands, she did understand her duties and regularly patrolled the territory. The thought never crossed her mind that she might actually meet a stranger wolf, or a bear, or some other unsavory character, so fear was not instilled in her through those means. If this ever did happen the girl would have no idea what to do, but it would be a bridge to cross when she first got there.

So far these walks had been uneventful, filled with her own racing thoughts as she jogged in the free air and ran wherever she liked. Checking in occasionally with @Nina was no hassle, but most of the time the Hervok enjoyed time all by her lonesome, which was what she was used to all of her life. Caring for herself was easy, but hopefully over time she could come to terms with the fact that she was expected to work as a unit with others, and be willing to talk to them at any time. Despite the fact that she had been accepted into such a family, fear of rejection still coursed through her veins. It had been lessened in due time by the kindness of others she had met on her travels but never fully disappeared into the warmer summer air that surrounded her now.

The day was a beautiful one, with a light blue sky and wispy clouds that seemed to wrap around one another in tight embrace. An occasional light wind rustled through the leaves on the trees and her own light brown fur, providing a necessary chill to escape from the sun's heat. The grasses were green and the plants were sprouted, or in the process of doing so. Eva's thoughts were in a good place, a happy place, as she thanked Nina and Ash and all the others for taking her where she needed to be.

With these thoughts in mind she continued on her walk, tracing the Secret Woodlands line of territory and keeping herself in the shade of the trees. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and she had not seen a loner wolf since her arrival and acceptance in Secret Woodlands. Due to the fact that nothing needed her immediate attention, Eva's thoughts drifted back to her older sister. The girl had been mulling over some questions that she could ask about the family past, since it seemed Nina's original story had scraped away only the first layer of the history of the Hervoks. She wanted to know more about Nina, Ash, her father, her mother, and any other possible siblings she could have. What was pack-life really like back there with her father? Were there others? What was the history of them?

Understanding her family provided her with an insight that she never had as a child. The two year old yearned to know more about the family life that she had never been allowed to participate in. As a younger wolf it was only a game: keep to the shadows, hunt for yourself, don't let anyone else know you were there and, most of all, never meet your father. Eva felt like a spy then, a secret covert operative that knew the darkness better than light, and who could live on her own whenever she needed to. After she'd learned the truth of it all, the fun and games faded leaving her empty. Eva wanted to understand her mother's reasoning and to know why she missed out on it all... And she figured Nina knew the answers.

She hadn't had a real talk with Nina ever since she had been accepted, with the pups coming and all the other important events that left no time for telling stories. Now the pups had been born and Eva had beautiful nieces and nephews that amazed her every time she laid eyes on them. Perhaps now it was time to learn more... and to have the ability to ask questions when she had always held her tongue. Sitting down and laying beneath a tree nearby, Eva had made up her mind. Lifting her jaws to let out a howl, asking Nina to come, she then allowed the song to end and waited patiently for the leader of Secret Woodlands to arrive.

(This post was last modified: Jun 22, 2013, 07:24 PM by Eva.)

After the pups had been born, Nina had all but been den bound, though she had not minded, getting out to stretch her legs every once and awhile had not sounded too awful to her. She had encountered many visitors for the passing months, and had been quite shocked when a member from Whisper Caverns had graced her and crossed the territory…with her allowance of course. All in all, things had been going quite well for the pack, though the woman longed to see Sloane, her good friend, again, she had pushed such thoughts away, preferring to stick to happy thoughts about her family that she had with her. Nina’s steadily growing pack did not disappoint her and she was in even better spirits when the sound of her younger sister’s voice called through the woodlands for her.

A happy wag followed with the call and with one last glance back at her pups, sent out a howl for Koda to tell him that she would be going to meet with someone. With a small grin on her golden brown face, she made her way towards her brown pelted sister, ears flicking every now and again, looking at the changes that summer was bringing with them. Apparently, according to Azariah, the herbs were growing nicely this year and each wolf within her pack that had any knowledge of herbs was doing fantastic in gathering them. With this thought in mind, she gave herself a mental note as to ask her little sister which skill she would like to be titled as…being as she was no longer a yearling, she was sure that her sister would have some clue as to what she was skilled in.

Finally making her presence known, she asserted some dominance, but did not really bother with it. This was her sister! With a small grin planted on her beautiful, one-eyed face, she approached Eva, her words coming out softly and calmly, "Eva! It’s so good to see you again! I hope you are settling in well." Nina glanced around to the thickets surrounding them, knowing that this was where she felt safe…this was her home. She knew that was not why the young woman had called her, and she spoke her thoughts, tilting her head in the process, "But that’s not what is on your mind, is it? Please enlighten me."

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

Moments passed, though Eva was never really afraid that Nina would not appear. Her sister was reliable, and always seemed to be around when other pack mates needed her. Hopefully she would not be too distracted by her pups, for the Hervok sister did not want Nina to come when she had other things on her mind. Absentmindedly Eva's ears twitched back and forth, listening to the sounds around her. Knowing she was still on guard duty, the girl figured she could not let her guard down, especially when the pack leader would be coming. She watched waves of grass undulate in the light wind of the day, and listened for the telltale bird song that all was well.

Her mismatched eyes were pulled away from the environment when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking over, Eva smiled when she realized it was Nina after all. She looked well and full of energy despite the birthing ordeal she had to go through in the recent past. Although she stayed in a submissive position due to the nature of Nina's dominant role, Eva did wag her tail in delight at Nina's arrival. It had been a while since she had met with her, and there seemed to be much to discuss. "It's good to see you again too, sister," Eva replied with a shy smile.

Nina's curiosity then showed through. Clearly there seemed to be no real reason for the call. There were no predators or strangers, and everything was still. "I have some questions.. about our family." Eva replied quietly, still keeping eye contact with her sister. They were mirrored in that way; they both had light brown fur with grays, and only one good eye. It would seem pretty clear to anyone else that they were related in some way. "Of course if you're busy... I don't want to impose if you have other duties..." the girl added quickly.

(This post was last modified: Jun 28, 2013, 11:31 PM by Eva.)

It seemed as though a visit from her sister had been exactly what the two wolves had needed from one another. The pretty woman in front of her looked almost shy, which did not surprise Nina considering what Eva had told her about what her childhood had been like. The alpha had not had so much luck when it had come to her mother. As she had been the woman’s first litter, it was no surprise though. Livinka had not known what Marcus was going to do to them, but she had grown wise and decided that it was time for her to protect her offspring. For all she knew, all of her sisters had gone to join their father’s side, Nina being the odd one out, just as she always was. Now that her sister was in front of her though, she was not surprised with what was being asked. Of course Eva would want to know more about their family’s history. It would not have surprised her if Livinka had simply put the Hervok girl on a simple do don’t ask basis.

A small smile graced the mother’s lips as her sister spoke to her again, a small laugh escaping her mouth as she answered, "I always have time for family, Eva! But before we start, I must know, what do you expect to major in within the pack? We all have a certain set task that we do, along with everything else…but I need to know…what do you specialize in?" She wagged her tail behind her, once they both got business out of the way, they could communicate with more personal issues. She would never not have the time to speak to her sibling about anything she needed to talk about. Even if Nina so happened to be busy, she could make time to do what she had originally set out to do later. Family always came first, even if they weren’t blood.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

Nina seemed happy enough that Eva had called, causing her to relax a little. The howl had not caused her to become angry, and it seemed that both sisters had wished for some kind of meeting since their first. Nina's next words took the girl by surprise a little. She had not put much thought in an actual job in the pack; she just did what needed to be done, various little jobs. The subordinate did not really know what she was good at... "I can hunt and I can patrol...either is okay." After all she was not aware of how all of this pack life worked. She was used to taking care of herself, not working as a single unit.

Next the female tried to think of what to ask her sister first. There were so many questions to ask, so much family history she did not know, so it was hard to pick one query. As she pondered this, Eva waited for her sister to respond with any advice or a job that the leader thought would be best for her. Although she enjoyed being all by her lonesome, she was ready to do her best for the pack, which was essentially her vow to herself and Nina when first joining. Everything else went on the back burner until Secret Woodlands was taken care of... even herself.

(This post was last modified: Jul 20, 2013, 10:25 PM by Eva.)

The golden brown woman sat their calmly; patiently waiting for a reply that she was sure would come from her sister soon. Meanwhile, she let her gaze wonder to the thickets around her, content in the area that she knew was her home. So far she had come from being a simple subordinate healer to being on the top. Nina could not say she regretted anything that had happened in her past to lead up to this point, she knew that whoever was up above had a plan for her and she would do whatever was needed to be led in the right path. Eva’s soft voice brought her out of her thought for a moment, considering what she said. The woman’s mind drifted for a moment though, remembering the time that her voice had been so soft and now all it contained was pride and strength. She had certain softness to her voice, but it was definitely not volume wise.

Flicking her tail behind her, she turned her green gaze back towards her smaller sister, giving her truthful opinions to her, "I think you would be a fabulous Huntress…your body is built for speed." She then sat down, making herself all the more comfortable in front of her smaller sibling. Wagging her tail against the ground, she tilted her head in curiosity, wondering what Eva wanted to know about their family. "So…what do you wish to know about our family?" A small smirk was on her face as she looked at her sister. She would answer each question with as much information and as truthfully as she possibly could. She knew that her truthfulness had been one of the things that attracted many of the members with Secret Woodlands to them. Hopefully, she could just help her sister out though. She had nothing to prove to her family they were just going to have a civil conversation.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

Eva smiled, happy that Nina had found some kind of advantage for her. Hunting was something she always enjoyed- the thrill of the chase made the meat taste all the more fulfilling when you caught it yourself. Surely she could use up her free-time to catch a decent amount of prey for the pack and the pups. Her body was thin with barely any muscle, so of course fighting off predators as a guard did not seem like a good job for her. Hunting, though, could certainly work out. It was relieving to have an actual job description, in a strange way. It cemented the fact that this was her family, and she had a purpose in it, like every cog in a well-oiled machine. She felt accepted, wanted, and even needed. Eva knew just then that this was the right choice after all. Nina always made her feel welcomed and comfortable. "Great," the girl replied, making sure that her leader knew that she accepted the position willingly.

Then the chat changed from business to family. Nina was ready to answer her questions, any that she might have. What could she possibly ask first? "Do you know how mom met dad? Why didn't she leave if he was so awful?" This question had been plaguing her ever since she first began to seriously think about her family's past. What kept the ties between her mother and father strong enough that her mother did not leave even when her daughter, or multiple daughters, were in danger because of her father's wrath?

The mother was highly pleased when she heard that her sister easily accepted her words of advice for her role and was happy that she had one more thing crossed off of her things to do. She then waited patiently for the on slaughter of questions that were to come, but when only a few registered to her ears, she had to make sure that she was indeed listening well enough. The thought then occurred to her that her sister was not much of a talker, unlike herself. She took a moment to reflect on the question being asked before eventually answering, her glimmering emerald eye looking directly at Eva. "Our father found her on a way back from a quest he had been on…she fell for him…and believe me when I say love is a powerful thing…or in his case tool and weapon. She learned from her mistakes though. She couldn’t deny him, but she could lie to keep you safe."

It had been one thing that their mother had not been able to do for her and her other littermates, but Nina was overjoyed that she had found her mistake and corrected it when Eva and her litter had come into the mix. She was curious about this though, for she was sure that if Eva had other siblings than they would have come with her…meaning that perhaps Mother had only had one child in her last litter and if she had produced even more Hervok children after Eva had left. Overall, she was glad her sister was with her now and that she was safe. Giving a kind smile to her sister, she nodded her head in permission for the other woman to continue with her questions.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

Eva listened quietly and intently, looking at her older sister as she began to speak. Nina did seem to have all the answers, as wise as she was. The smaller girl dreamed of having the exciting and rewarding life that both of her siblings had. Maybe someday she could prove herself in a way that would make her mother, Ash, and Nina proud. Eva's multicolored eyes opened in surprise after hearing her similarly-furred leader reply. The answer she had been expecting was one that told a tale of her mother being forced to stay- whether for her daughter's or her own safety. How could mother be in love with such a horrible wolf that father had been described as? The girl's brow scrunched as she thought of this. Never will I fall in love, the small wolf decided to herself, her tail wiping against the grass that grew beneath her paws. "I'm glad she did that..." the young Hervok murmured. Sending her away was to keep her safe- the female knew that now after all this adventuring and everything she had been through. Every night as she looked at the stars Eva saw the eyes of her mother, and the words that came from her jaws were ones asking for forgiveness.

Nina's nod encouraged Eva to continue with her own questions regarding the family past. "What other stuff made father so bad?" In her own mind other than sending Ash to hunt you, echoed, but the Hervok dared not voice that aloud. Nina seemed as happy as could be, but inside could be an interior that still ached from the lost of a good eye and had a feeling of bitterness left within. Her own one good eye she looked upwards at her sister, waiting for a reply while also thinking of the duties she was now expected to fulfill. Her partial blindness had made her depth-perception a little off as well as her field of view. But over time, with much practice as a youngster, she'd managed to adjust her hunting tactics and become an expert at hearing things that were useful to her or just plain off.

The golden brown woman loved watching her sister as she listened so intently to ever word that she spoke. Some of her patients or even others that she had tried teaching in the past did not listen as well as she did. Every word that left Nina’s mouth was something that Eva would take into deep consideration. She fought the small smile that was threatening to come over her lips when she heard her younger sister speak of how she was glad their mother had protected her. It had taken a little while for the girl to figure it out but in the end the facts had won out, thank goodness. She remained serious though, knowing it was no time for her to express her inner most thoughts. Those were only for a select few and though Eva was definitely on that list, some of her emotions were better left hidden. Sloane had been the one on the highest of the list…even higher than her mate was. She missed her best friend, but hopefully things would turn out better. Letting her ears prick forward, she thought about her sister’s question, trying to come out with a reasonable answer.

It soon came to her though, she knew another reason why father “seemed” so bad, when in reality he did not seem bad at all. Now what made him bad was a completely different story and so Nina continued answering the questions, "He lied…a lot. It was why Ash didn’t hesitate to try and kill me. It was because our father made up the worst lies he could about me and beat them into Ash’s brain. His thoughts about me were pretty much instinct by then, seeming as we are not that set apart in age." There was also the fact that their mother was not in the Hervok clan. She was still on her own but apparently their father had been able to find her again, but this time she had made the right decision and had rightfully sent the young woman to her. She would try to make Eva feel like family the best she could and she knew the only way she could do that is if she let herself be normal while she was with her sibling.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.