Secret Falls Runnin'

This is a joining thread for both Ash and @Namara. <3 @Ava

It had not taken Ash or Namara long to realize that they were all gone. One day scents were fresh and alarming and the next the only two that remained were them. It was then he realized how much he had been played. Putting his heart out on his paw obviously had not worked out for him and just like that he had returned to his hard exterior. Immediately after they had called it quits for Poison Path Ash had made the instant suggestion. The one that made the most logical sense to him, and still did. There was no doubt behind them though. Ava… From the very beginning she had been the only one that had not left him, along with Namara, but still in its truth Ash had known the other fairly longer than he knew his pack mate…or former pack mate now. His best friend could help him, he could love her…not in the way he had loved Treena or had almost allowed himself to completely love Athena…but more like a sister, one that he could rely on and could actually view as a sibling…and not one he had willing tried to kill.

It did not take as long as it had the first time to get back towards where Ash had found Ava before and though the temptation had risen within him to show Namara the beautiful site that Ava and himself had found…he held against it. That was their place and until someone else found it, but it would still always be their place. He did not stop until he was sure that they were both near the borders. Obviously have taken the leader role due to their past ranks, Ash lifted his muzzle slightly and let out a long, bellowing call, clearly making it obvious that he was asking for Ava’s presence. Blinking his eyes, he turned back towards the smaller woman beside him, his mossy green eyes asking the question all of in itself. Are you ready? they seemed to ask. This would be their new future if everything went according to plan and now, there would be nothing holding them back from their….friendship. Now they did not have to hide all the time…or well, she didn’t.

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

They left. As strange as it was, Namara had not wanted to go, she had come to love the mountain, even if it took so much from her. Somewhere she had grown to love it, in some strange way. It had captured her heart, and it felt strange to be leaving it all behind. Namara had searched for Elliot high and low and caught no scent or sight of him. So in the end she had to hope he had left with Athena. It still felt strange even though she had been not too far from here a short time ago, when she had searched Jessie out. But her mind rolled right over that meeting and Namara was more concerned about right now, Ash's call made her shiver.

Once more Namara would be at the mercy of another, little did she know, she had actually met Ava, whether or not Ava remembered would be a different matter entirely. Already the she wolf was wondering why the border scent was pricking at her memory. She shuddered, and with her ears flat to her head and her eyes steel and emotionless she pressed herself to Ash, knowing full well that she would look uneasy to anyone else. But Ash would be able to tell she was genuinely afraid for some reason. Why would a scent scare me? She began to question it unaware of the memory that accompanied it. Soon enough she would know. Soon enough she would be catapulted back to a day she wished never happened.

Even more so was the fact that Namara knew nothing of this pack or it's inhabitants, she was merely acting out of complete trust for Ash. The she wolf trusted his judgement completely and knew already that Ava was the name of it's alpha and that Ash had known her for a long time. Which as far as she was concerned was a good thing for Namara surely had no friends here other than Shade really. But she could not have separated from Ash. So here she was, standing in a land she had never seen, on the doorstep of a pack she didn't know.

The blackened she-wolf had been steady in to her work for the day when her presence was requested at the border. She lifted her head, putting her inspection of the pack caches on hold to address the beckoning. Only a moment was required before she recognized the voice, a faint smile drawn upon her dark visage as the night-cloaked lady of the Rapids adjusted her schedule and set en-route to meet her Poisoned friend at the edge of her territory. She was uncertain for the reason of his visit, though she entertained the idea that maybe he was bringing Elliot and Aphrodite along to play with her four.

As she drew closer her smile waned; something in the air was not right. There was another with him, a she-wolf who's scent Ava could not place, and though she could smell it was definitely Ash at her border there was something weird about the scent of Athena and the other wolves that had been woven into his pelt with his pack marking. One thing she knew for certain was there were no scents of pup to be found on the wind as she began to hurry forward, though she had to hold on to the notion that they'd come for some pleasantries and not trouble.

As she broke through the treeline, both wolves coming in to her line of sight, Ava slowed her hastened gait and lifted her tail cautiously over her back. Ash she knew and trusted. They were friends, and she had no doubt he would respect her territory. The other, however, was a stranger. Distracted by her observation of the mottled she-wolf it wasn't until her amber eyes sought the green pair of her friend that she realized what was so off about his pack scent: it was fainter than she recalled it being. For what reason?

"Ash," she greeted, her tone light and stretched with a smile despite her confusion. "What brings you to my border?" There was a hint of jovial sweetness in her question, erring on the side of optimism. Her amber stare shone with the question as she passed her gaze between the two, hoping everything was alright.

art - threads

While he waited for his friend, he allowed Namara to take comfort in his presence, letting her scared form lean into his bulky, large one. Thankfully, it did not take long for Ava to appear from the shadows, something both of them had been good at…well, all the time. It took all he had in him not to break down in front of the woman as he bowed his head in respect for her territory. He knew how protective she was over what was hers; it was something both friends had in common. Hoping that Namara had fallen in suite, he raised his head again, keeping his tail close to the ground, trying to hide the sadness in his eyes. Unfortunately, Ava had known him for awhile now and it wasn’t as easy to hide such things from the woman. She would understand with only a few words from him, the heartache, the tearing, the unbearable hole, he never had to worry about her judging him and it was why they had both come today. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound strong and hopefully it worked, "They are all gone…left. Namara and I were the only ones left…We…we were hoping you had any openings for you, Your Majesty," he paused then, letting his words stink in before continuing, "I already have complete faith in you and both of us still long for a family…and well, I already consider you my family."

By the end of his confusing rant his voice was soft, very unlike the teasing tones he had used a few weeks ago or the leading one he used when he was in charge. Of course he had no doubts that Ava, along with Namara would notice this. And just as the emotions flashed over his face, they were once again gone, hidden behind the mask that had taken so long to perfect. The truth was easy though, even though on the outside he would appear like a complete emotionless bastard, he was always fighting to stay in control and even then sometimes he didn’t want to. There was then always the times where he would snap, a distant memory with him and Namara reminded him of such when she had pissed him off enough to the point where he had pinned her and made her submit to him. Things would be different here, if they were accepted though. They didn’t go without saying that Ash wouldn’t challenge his way up…because he would, except for the alpha position. That was Ava’s mate and he did not wish to cause her any disrespect, and somehow, Ash was sure she knew this. Hopefully, their friendship would be enough to take them into consideration. Ava knew how much Ash had put his heart on line due to his confessions with their last little fiasco, and now that his heart had been crushed, he was sure that she understood. They had a way of understanding one another that no one else even knew.

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

Neat how things work out isn't it?

Silence deafened her, Namara felt the same irritation that she had when she had throw herself to Athena's mercy. But this time was different, this time, there were no questions as to what she wanted. Plus Ash was there, and just that calmed her nerves further. Her ears flicked as Ava materialized from the trees and her head dropped low as Ash's had, her ears still lie pinned to her skull an ever present sign of her discomfort. Almost as if she had been scolded badly, after all her whole life had been ripped away piece by piece since she arrived in the lore. The only saving grace was Ash, he was steady, even if it was chaotic, he was still always there.

Namara listened intently to Ava's words and Ash's response before offering her own words. Her ears were perked now and her eyes wide. That voice! Namara knew that voice, it had been on the mountain the day she fell. Ava was the fuzzy black form nameless in her head, the female who had tried to stop everything. "Y-you were.... there! On the mountain, you told them to stop... if you hadn't been there I may have never made it back to Ash." She spoke in disbelief, as the memory flooded back into her head. She may well have died without Ava's interruption Namara could owe her life to this she wolf. It seemed to Namara that this may come together better than she could have ever imagined.

For a moment she considered if it were meant to be this way. Maybe Poison Path had been there for them both when they needed it, and once they had each other they no longer needed that pack. Now they were on the paths to where they truly needed to be. It seemed ridiculous but Namara thought it could be plausible. Maybe not true, but it would certainly explain a lot of events. But it still not make Ava accept them both. Namara had to hope that she would say yes, so she simply said "Thank you."

sorry for the delay!

The smile that had been hinted at along her dark lips disappeared quickly, leaving behind no ghost of its return. Gone? Ava had no knowledge of the pack's prosperity before the fact, but she knew how easy it was for something to be there one day and disappeared completely by the next. A deep sadness filled her chest, listening to his heavy words with a quiet anger bubbling beneath the somberness. Surely he did not deserve these hardships that had been handed to him one after the other for the entire last year. She knew how much he had devoted himself to Poison Path, and now there was nothing. Yes, it angered her - but she kept her feelings in check, remaining stoic so that he might as well.

Her tail wagged gently at the mention of family. Family was all she had. Family was Darkwater Rapids. She would not turn away any wolf in need, much less her friends. Their respect was well appreciated, though she relaxed her stance to let the pair know they were welcome here. What the she-wolf said next, however, threw off her alpha-like demeanor and posed instead a quizzical expression over her dark face. You were there, she said, but not in accusation. Furrowing her brow into a frown Ava pieced together the memory as Namara spoke, eventually realizing what she meant about the mountain, and who exactly was them.

The quickest replay of the avalanche, the tension, of a mottled wolf thrown from the mountain and nearly dead at the feet of Athena - recognition dawned in her amber gaze and she smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Yes, Namara, that was me," She confirmed softly. She was taken aback to her gratitude, but in a good way. Certainly she never thought she'd see anyone from that horrid encounter ever again, and yet here was the one who'd come out worst of all - alive and well and at her doorstep. "You're welcome," she responded as she too considered the irony (or whatever it was) of it all.

Eventually, though, Ava realized she had yet to answer Ash. In his current state she didn't want to keep him in purgatory any longer, sure that his own undeserved self-punishment would be sufficient enough. Passing her gaze between the two, she made her invitation clear. "This is my home, Darkwater Rapids, and I would be happy to offer you a place in it." More than happy, even. Ava very much wanted the two to come and purge their poison within the misty scope of their territory. The shadows could heal them, she knew, if they would give it a chance.

art - threads

Their chattering resonated hollowly up ahead, bouncing flatly from the twisted trunks of the moss-lined trees and their deeply hued leaves. Despite the more recent additions to their ranks, it wasn't often that strangers came calling at their borders. Even through the shadow-mottled forest his silver eyes could see the small group clearly. Ava, her back to the direction from which he silently approached, a dark furred male and a tawny she wolf. He knew nothing of Ava's explorations─she certainly didn't need his permission to take time for herself─or the old friends she'd always had and he'd never met. It wasn't so surprising, then, to hear the easy tone in her firm voice as she conversed with the pair, affirming a question he hadn't quite picked up on. Emerging from the undergrowth of the forest just as his mate's offer was made, the leader's ghostly stare fell upon the wayfarers pointedly and questioningly.

The leader's wide paws fell soundlessly upon the ground as he found Ava's side, the dark plume of his tail curled high over his back; beneath a silvered ebony coat, his muscles were thick and as hard as if cut from stone, and the even planes of his stoic face were expressionless. His eyes slid over the two of them with a glint of interest, if only, at first, for the fact that Ava had chosen to extend them such a ready invitation by the time he'd arrived. "Ava?" There was no malice or judgment to be found in his tone, only the unspoken greeting meant for her and a question of who these strangers were and what had brought them to the borders of his home. Where his speech addressed his queen so did his eyes address the tawny pair, quickly settling like iron and fire upon the male. They may have been friends of his mate, but to the king they were only unknown.

(This post was last modified: Aug 30, 2013, 03:04 AM by Kade.)

Ash was exhausted as it was and it was hard enough for his exterior to come off as it was, completely and utterly emotionless. Ever since the throne of Poison Path had been threatened the brown man had been thrown punches left and right and had successfully dodged most of them or regained his footing, but this time the blow had been critical and he had fallen. The man was still down and he appreciated the way Ava was acting. She had her mask on, just as she had perfected months ago. He had not expected Namara to speak up during this exchange, but when she did confusion threatened him. He had no knowledge of his friend knowing Ava and from what he could tell she certainly did not recall her name. Perhaps they had just passed by in the mountains, but he felt there was much more to the story than he knew, which again, wouldn’t surprise him. He could have been in a dark place at that time and not known the whereabouts of anyone at that time. As the rest of Namara’s words processed, he began to realize what she was referring to and a flash of fresh, hot angry boiled inside of him causing his chest to burn with fury.

He did not let it show on the outside though and attentively waited for Ava’s response to his words, anticipation building up inside him as to what was to come. When she answered, relief tugged at Ash’s heart. Inside of his face softened, he graced the woman with another bow, "We would be honored to serve beneath you and yours, Milady." He was sure that Namara had never seen this side of him before, considering he had always been the one pulling rank over her and the others within Poison Path. Things were going to have to be different here and Ash would have to adjust. Things might have gone downhill from there if Ash had not mastered his self control, for when another man approached it was all Ash could do put tense at the presence of another. The way he held himself, it was obvious that this was the King of Ava’s lands. For a second the two men locked gazes but was quickly broken by Ash, who forced himself to look away from the man. He knew how to pay his respects and that was what he planned on doing, no matter how hard it was going to be for him.

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

Namara waited on breath held, she did not know how well Ava remembered the encounter. That was the only reason for her momentary tension, Ash had never known that Namara had seen Ava on the mountain. He never knew she had been there, not to mention, she had said, "made it back to Ash". It had been a slip of the tongue on her part but Namara still hoped that he would not draw any attention to it. Ava's response was one that the silver-eyed she wolf was grateful for, no explanation to why, no question. Ash had no emotion displayed upon his face, so Namara knew that meant he felt something. When Ash's emotions started to flow he always froze up. Turned into a wall, Namara wasn't one to give up however, one day she would know and he would take his wall down.

She merely nodded and extended her slightly cockeyed fore paw and dipped her head instead of prying his eyes. Just as a male approached and spoke the she wolf's name in a quizzical way. Must be her mate/. She thought in silence, head still lowered, She turned towards him and lowered further as Ash spoke. Waiting, waiting for his answer. Namara wanted nothing more than for this to be over, for better or worse, she could feel irritation building, she just wanted to know the answer. Namara was not a wolf to remain at the mercy of another, she began to hope dearly that wherever she may be, others could put up with her headstrong ways.

this post is subpar .___.

No sooner than she had given her proposition did Ava realize there was another on his way to the serotinal gathering, whose power might very well best her own in allowing Ash and Namara a shelter from their proverbial storm. She turned her head to Kade's approach, taking not of the curl of his tail as it rose over his straightened back and the respect it commanded over the two she'd intercepted just recently. A hint of a smile played along her dark lips at this exchange, hoping it might bode well on an important opinion.

Instinctively she leaned toward her mate, letting her eyes flicker briefly between the two former Poison Path wolves and the shadowy King of the Rapids. Kade's quiet prompt was given a moment of regard, trying to choose the gentlest words to convey the reality though she had never been any good at sugar-coating bad news. "Poison Path has disbanded," Ava said simply, "Ash and I are old friends, and I defended Namara once. In wake of their tragedy I've offered them sanctuary here with us."

She had every intention of allowing the pair within their ranks, but Kade's opinion had equal power of her own. After all, nothing was non-negotiable between the King and Queen, or so she did believe. Hopefully Ash and Namara had picked up on the extremity of his influence. Regardless she waited patiently on his input, not nervous but anxious to see the severity of his opinion.

art - threads