Secret Woodlands That's Why They Call Me Loyalty.

SW Wolves pleez

So many things had happened, and at such a rapid pace, the pups were growing, Ashanti seemed to finally be returning to normal. But there was more, New members and one very important one missing. Koda, he had wandered off as far as Hollow could tell. What was even more was that Hollow had essentially taken over as alpha, every wolf came to him with problems, if it wasn't Nina. The dark wolf had been feeling the pressure too. His coat, though sleek, hadn't grown in as quickly as it should, with the approach of winter, his coat should have already been thicker. In fact, some days Hollow thought it had grown if anything, thinner. Still that was the least of the Woodlands wolf's troubles, the most pressing matter now was ensuring loyalty from others, with the sheer number of wolves that had left already with the pack still so young, He had to ensure their devotion.

The scents were thick on his fur of the blackberry fields, the dark leader had just come from there still deep in thought. Even if he were holding together how long would it be before he cracked? Would Koda ever return? What if they accepted more deserters? Hollow shook his head as he trod through the woodlands. Silently to himself he wondered how @Bane and @Ashanti were doing today. whether or not they were getting along, he had yet to ask @Nina if she had successfully brought him home. The dark male still hadn't been able to go and check. The same went with Ashanti, he was back to near constant border patrols with only Iopah and Nina to help. @Azariah was available but Hollow knew she wasn't much of the patrolling type, not to mention her healing duties kept her very busy.

With all of this weighing heavily on his shoulders the young wolf sighed and flopped down near a tree, ears down and eyes half closed. What I wouldn't give to go back to chasing deer with Sloane. Hollow remembered solemnly how much he missed his friend, more like a brother to him than anything, like an older wiser brother. Hollow missed him dearly and began to consider a visit to Whisper Caverns, Sloane would no doubt be happy, and Simaea would be thrilled. Maybe I should go for a visit. The young males ears perked up a little at the thought, now at least he had something to look forward to.

<3 Loves Hollow

Asha had been wandering about, worrying about her son and how he had grown to what she felt was a severe dislike, maybe even a hate, for her and the fact that Hollow had told a lie. It wasn't really a lie though, the man had told her son that his father had been sick. Nina had told her that he had died in the war, and both of them were true.Hollow had told her that the evil black man with the eyes had been killed in the war against the evil death disease. Whereas he had been a sick and evil man in himself. Though he did not die from sickness to her knowledge. She saw nothing wrong with Bane not knowing that he had been the effect of an evil sin. It would break his heart.

She found herself looking up at the stars again, like she had when she had talked to Azariah. But this time, it was the scent of the man whom she saw to owe her her life, and Bane's really. Her voice was a bit held back, shy almost. "Hollow?" She let out the small and soothing call to the black man whom she had in her sight. She too had noticed that the scent of Koda had started to fade, and therefore, Hollow would be leader, or at least in Koda's place until things worked themselves out. "How have you been doing?" She called out again, looking at her paws as they prodded at the grass. She wasn't normally shy.

(This post was last modified: Sep 14, 2013, 02:42 PM by Ashanti.)

Hollow sighed as he stared at the sky even with the slight lift in mood he still wished he could feel weightless. As much as things were going fine for the pack, Hollow knew that he was too young for this, he was afraid of it and he began to wish he could grow wings and fly away from it for a short while. Of course he was not lost in thought for long before he heard a soft call. "Ashanti?" Hollow spoke softly to the foliage in front of him. Her words flowed into his ears like water as he turned his head over one shoulder to see his friend staring at her paws. "I'm okay, things are just a little harder than they seem." The leader spoke honestly for in his mind it was what was owed to Ashanti and the pack, honesty.

The dark male gazed at the teacher for a moment. Something seemed off, but then, ever since Slyscar things were off with Ashanti. However today it would seem was unrelated to that entirely, in fact, lately Ashanti seemed almost normal. "Something wrong Ashanti?." Hollow asked tentatively hoping she would let him in more easily this time than she had last time. With the ghost of a cockeyed smile he remembered all the venom she had when he tried to help her the first time. Hollow doubted very much that she would be as cutting and dismissing as last time. "If you'd like to tell me, that is."

Asha had a small smile to her, she missed talking to her friends, Hollow, Sloane, Nina. She missed having fun and being happy all the time. With Koda being gone, that meant that Nina and Hollow were very busy with leading the pack. Sloane was all the way across the lore and it had left her lonely for a time. He asked her if something was wrong, and she nodded, approaching him a bit more, her tail lowered since he was still higher in rank. "I'm really worried about Bane. He's been told so many things... and I wasn't there for him when he needed me most. I feel like I failed him. It wouldn't be the first time I failed a man or in this case a boy I truly cared about." She said with sadness.

She was unsure if Micah was even alive, though he liked to be called Bane, Asha had taken it as a task the past few days to try to remember his name, and so she did. He had been Micah, and she would introduce him to her son if he ever saw her again. She missed him with all her heart, but she couldn't let that get in the way of her duties to Secret Woodlands, and most importantly to Bane. She had been quite rude to Hollow last time she needed help and he offered it, but her mind had slowly started to forget the traumatic events that had occurred. It was her thoughts that kept the memories alive. When she looked at Bane, she no longer saw that evil brute as she once did. She saw Micah, Hollow... and most importantly, she saw a boy who was growing up so fast.

Hollow listened attentively to what his friend had to say. It was true that Bane had been in a very rough spot, and now with all the turmoil within the pack the boy may slip through the cracks. Left to his own devices only being steered by his mother whom couldn't always be there to give him direction. Hollow started to feel that if Bane was not taken care of and taught, that he was a good boy, that he didn't have to be angry at everyone he would turn out like his father. So Hollow very much understood Ashanti's concern with her son. Hollow also knew he had promised himself that he would help, and he was failing miserably. With a sigh he spoke up, hoping Ashanti would like what he had to say.

"Maybe I could take him on a border patrol soon and tell him the whole truth. Beginning to now, everything." Before Ashanti could reply, Hollow pressed on. "He deserves to know, even though it will hurt, maybe if he is told sooner rather than later he can cope with it." Hollow fell silent hoping against hope that Ashanti would understand where he was speaking from. After all Hollow's life started with tragedy and he knew it. Maybe the same would be true of Bane. Maybe he was a much stronger child than he had been given credit for. after all, there was some Ashanti in him. That in itself meant strength and heart, at least in Hollow's eyes it did.

"Cope with what?" The words would ease from the child's lips in a near stumble as he moved out from the thick brush which made up he majority of his homeland. As a child, it was easy to creep about throughout the foliage once you were able to learn your limbs enough to maneuver them properly. As he grew, he was able to fit into the long, lanky legs he had been birthed with, easing throughout the territory of his home in a stalking manner he was practicing as an art of wondering the pack's borders formed within him, likely from the venturing Hollow had done with it whilst he was very young.

Returned from his run outside of the pack lands and into the heart of the blackberry fields, he had spent much of his time alone, alone as he had been used to being alone within his birthing den what his mother was not there attending to his most basic needs of survival. Needs, which he no longer needed now that milk was not on his supply list, only gained from his mother, but already chewed food and smaller scraps within the caches he was able to gulp down that any wolf in the pack was able to supply for him. @Nina, for the time being, had been his life-line where he held no other. His mother had held secrets from him and kept her distance (so now he was keeping his own) and Hollow had outright lied to him. Without knowing anyone else in the pack, Nina was really the only one he could turn to. Fitting enough, as she was the Leader of this gang and all....

Shifting on his large paws as he approached them further, Bane could only look at them in wait, wondering if what might spill from their jaws would be more lies or finally, now, the truth. Since the lies had all been hopeful and sweet talk, Bane could only assume he would learn the truth as something horrible and painful, as his father's death was as it stilled brewed within him, leaving a pit of questions and disappointment. Standing before them now, he had not ever resembled his father move, only heightening with his age. His coating was deep, though not the near black it was as a child, but a deep chocolate of his fathers. His eyes, bright and burning orange to match further to his father's appearance. Still, despite it all, he was his mother's son.

BANE Aranna

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

Ashanti paused when Hollow spoke, she wasn't going to let Hollow tell him, if Bane was to find out, he would be told by his mother and her alone. Asha knew that the leader was right, and it was better that he be told by his mother, who truthfully loved him very much. "No Hollow." She said, breathing heavily and leaving a good length pause before speaking again. "I am going to tell him, I am his mother and he deserves to hear it from me-." She was cut off with her son being right there. She was almost a bit shocked because she hadn't expected him to be there. She went over to him, giving him a quick lick on the head.

"You know you had me worried sick. I was so scared that someone else had found you and harmed you that I couldn't think straight.... but anyways my child. I have to tell you something. Technically Hollow didn't lie to you, and neither did Nina. The story I'm going to tell you might be terrible, but it is the truth and you have to remember that no matter what, I will always love you." She started off telling him. She wanted to make sure her son wouldn't hate her for what she was going to tell him. She was trying to think about how to tell him. "Bane, honey, your father wasn't the best wolf around... he was sick, and he did eventually die in a war. He was killed by a few of our own pack members to my understanding. I had never met him before what had led up to me having you... and well... he did some terrible things to me. The only good thing about them was that I have you now. I want to say sorry for staying so far apart from you at first... its just you have his fur color, his eye color. I just needed a bit of time to get over it. You understand right?" She told him with a soft motherly voice.

(This post was last modified: Sep 24, 2013, 04:54 PM by Ashanti.)

He was silent for a time, falling into his own habits in this. Often when he was scolded, he fell to silence, unwilling to argue with the only parent that he had and without back-up from any other sibling. He still felt as though Hollow had lied, after all, making it seem like his father had ran off and could have still been alive. Nina's words had been on a certain death, though he held his tongue, listening despite having stepped away from his mother's touch out of sure bitterness towards her.

Further lies on Hollow's part were revealed. He was no great warrior that Hollow made him out to be, but 'not the best wolf around' according to his mother. A sick name, as mentioned, having died in a war. But what war? With who and why did it start? Knowing he was killed by a few of his own pack-mates, wolves that he had still yet to really know besides Nina and Hollow, his golden burning eyes instinctively locked onto Hollow. Had he killed his father? "What war? Who are fighting, why?" He spat the three questions quickly, harshly in interruption of his mother as he directed then to Hollow (a guardian, so surely he had been there to know) as his ears twitched to hear his mother further. Now, as Ashanti finished, Bane huffed, more confused then ever before. He was, after all, but a child. "No. I don't." He spit flatly. "If he did terrible things and was a mean wolf, why did you two have me then?" Hopefully his question would be understood. After all, having seen Nina and Koda, having children meant falling in love, meant being a mated pair and deciding to have children. If his mother did not like his father so much that seeing him as a memory of his father hurt her so much she stayed clear, then why was he here in the first place?

BANE Aranna

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

(This post was last modified: Sep 24, 2013, 06:13 AM by Bane.)

[Wall of speech is wall of speech, sorry for kinda hijacking the thread @Hollow :c Posties for us all?]

It almost pained her when Bane started to question her, her eyes panged a sadness when he pulled away from her. "Its not that... well it is. Your father, he was a bad man, and he threatened everyone with the sickness he carried, along with the others that he was with. He was never part of Secret Woodlands and when I had you, it was my first and thankfully last time meeting him Bane. Do not be mad at Hollow for your father's death, if he were alive, he would never be welcomed around here because of what he did to me..." She trailed off, it didn't sound right to her. "Its very difficult for me to dwell on memories I try to forget my son, but I think, I need to tell you a side story before you get the wrong idea about your name like so many have." She mentioned, hoping at the end of this he would understand everything and give her just a second chance to be an actual mother.

"I never knew your father's name, nor does anyone who fought in the war who still lives. But I know my best friend's name. I can't believe that he is dead, he isn't, I know he had made it out. Part of Aranna history, our history goes back to my old home in the mountains... in that home, was a pup who had lost his way, his name was Miccah, but he preferred to be named Bane. He introduced himself to me, and we were, we still are in love. He looked just like you, black fur, but he had a blue eye color like your Uncle Hollow, a little darker maybe. He disappeared when... when there was an attack. But I hope he finds us one day, so you can meet him. He is the nicest wolf and I think that you could call him your adoptive father maybe. I just wanted you to know that before I told you what had happened." She told him, hoping her side story wasn't too confusing.

"You see Bane, when I met your father, I was simply looking for herbs, training to be a healer for Secret Woodlands. Well I ran into your father, who pretended to be lost and confused, but when I turned to leave after an awkward conversation. He attacked me, and eventually.... made it so I would have you. I ended up passing out from shock because it all happened so fast, and all I know is that the only, and I mean only good thing from all of that was that I now have you. I love you Bane, you know that right? None of us wanted to tell you, because we weren't sure how you would react, especially when you started to ask about your father. But you deserve to know what happened and I am sorry my little one, that I have not been a good mother. If it wasn't for your Uncle Hollow finding me curled up in a ball afterwards, I probably wouldn't be here today."

Hollow held his silence as Ashanti explained herself to Bane. His heart twisted and broke for the boy, the weight of what he was learning must be heavy, even painful. But Hollow knew he had to be told somehow, someday that his father had been a ruthless and terrible wolf. The poor child could either break here or he could rise up and be strong. Maybe prove to everyone that he would never be the same, Hollow had almost blurted out that he had been there and watched Bane's father die, but hopefully the boy would not press at that particular issue. If he did then Hollow would have to tell him that there was no way Slyscar had survived the mass of wolves that had torn him apart. He would leave out the satisfaction he felt and the stone cold face he had watched with.

The relief at the death of the vengeful wolf, and all other manner of good things that had happened with his fathers death. Instead he gazed upon the scene as it unfolded only adding few words. "We care for you Bane. You are a good thing." Maybe if luck held the pup would not see his words as empty, especially after his lie. The Woodlands leader was silent again and watching. Hoping, holding his breath, preparing for the worst and wishing only for the best for pup and mother alike. Which would be the best interest of the pack. Please He thought, Please see that we love you Bane, even if you are not my own.