Prologue

For @Inali

His time in Whisper Caverns had been short but he was enjoying every moment of it. Whenever he tried to do something, he always found that it was time for him to commit himself to something else, more likely another duty that he had to perform as an alpha. Ash found that he didn’t mind the familiarity of his leadership duties, preferring how busy they caused him to be, and the familiar weight of the pack depending on him. He definitely liked the feeling of others depended on him and liked that he knew that he could save lives and give the guidance that some wolves would seek. He hadn’t however, gotten much time to get to know his new pack mates as well as he should have. He found himself getting more familiar with the caves beneath the earthy territory above him. The Secret Caverns was a great way to feel like he was up in the mountain for a little bit, but it was also extremely easy to get lost, which was why he found his way down there much more often so that he could get use to the new area. Today he also found himself back in the Caverns, his scent weighing heavily in the area.

It was much colder down in the caves though, which didn’t affect Ash too much. He was use to the bitter cold of the mountains, but he also knew that down here, he needed to make sure the icicles above him didn’t come crashing down upon his head. He liked it there though, it reminded him of home, and found himself visiting quite more often: selfishly even. With a soft sigh, Ash moved towards the area where he knew there was an opening in the cave, his large head looking upwards towards the starry night above him. He always snuck away during the night, after making sure that Namara was sound asleep next to him a safe. As much as he loved her, he wanted to keep this place to himself for right now, for if they were ever to get into a quarrel he didn’t know where he would go to cool off where he knew that she wouldn’t look for him. Letting his mossy green eyes reflect from the stars, he was mournfully reminded of Belladonna was again, and his tall frame slumped slightly towards the cave floor before his head turned towards the small pond-like area near the opening, a small, sad smile portrayed on his lips as he imagined his little girl running around on the ice and calling out to him, ”Ash! Ash! Ash, come on! Come on the ice with me!” She was giggling to, a sound he wished so dearly to hear again.

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

Everything was new to her. As a scout, she loved exploring, especially when it came to a new place. She had thought that she had explored every nook and cranny of her pack territory, but as she padded through the Secret Cavern, it was obvious she had been wrong. Up on normal ground, she had explored the caves. It had been naive of her to think there was no caves underground.

It had taken a little while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the caves, especially when she started getting deeper. But it was all worth it. Her exploration of the caves had been wonderful.

She was now nearing the entrance of the caves, and now used to the contours of the cave, she was running a smooth jog. A bit preoccupied watching the ice crystals up on the ceiling of the cave, she completely missed the view of the large bulk on the ground, who was deep in thought. His scent overpowered her senses as she crashed into his large form, literally tripping over her own feet. And with the help of his body that created a huge obstacle, she flipped over his form.

With the momentum of her speedy jog, combined with her shock and his large bulk, her petite form landed in flop of limbs and snow a couple of feet ahead of him. It would've been hilarious if it was another person. Come to think of it, it was still kind of funny. As she replayed the image of her epic fail, a small giggle passed through her maw. Snorting snow out of her muzzle between chortles, she questioned the lone man to know if it was truly him or not. "Ash?"

The Hervok had grown quite use to the familiar sound of silence. After many of the wolves that he loved had passed or disappeared, it had been the one thing that had comforted him in the passing years, especially when he had once been traveling alone. And it seemed as though now, his reign would not end yet. First he had been the king of the mountains and now he was once again king…but of what, the caves or the forest…or both? He sighed gently, continuing to listen to his Belladonna whispering things in his ear of her fears and passions. The brown ruler had not anticipated being interrupted and it was why when Inali crashed into him, that he had let his guard down and let out a rough ‘omph’ in response to her small body connecting with his. Immediately, he straightened out and let the strong, invincible look he had perfected cross over his features as he looked over his new subordinate, remembering how she had not hesitated in following his orders when he had just arrived to her pack. Ash liked that and knew he might be able to find a friend in this small girl…maybe.

He looked over her body to make sure that she had no injury, which was the reason he was silent so that he did not have to ask for her well being. In the mountains, nothing had been treated seriously unless it was physically noticeable, so Ash had no reason to ask if she hurt because there were no open wounds, which was good considering the harsh winter they were going through. Flicking his tail slightly higher but remaining in his seated position, his ears automatically flicked forward when a giggling laugh kind of thing left the other female’s mouth. Confusion was evident in Ash’s mind, but he did not portray this to her…perhaps she had hit her head a little too hard and was left with a concussion…she remembered his sister had spoken of that once when it had come to Namara’s injury. Clearing his throat, he responded, <b style="color:#261a36 ">" Yes, it is I…are you…alright?" Ash let his tail flicker back and forth as he looked upon the creamy woman in front of him and patiently waited for her response.

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Table by PuppyThief

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

Speech.

The young woman tried to shake her head to clear it, but it just made the fuzziness worse. Deciding to just sit still and wait it out, the girl stopped moving her head. Inali heard his words, and by that time, her head had begun to clear. Opening her maw, she spoke to lessen his concern. "No need to worry. Tip top shape over here." A small chuckle escaped her maw at her own silliness. To get rid of the last of his fears, she nimbly stood on her feet. Easily falling into her natural gait of grace (not considering her loss of balance that happened moments before) she walked back into the cave. She layed next to him, making sure to leave enough space for it to be comfortable for both of them. "There's something I should probably tell you..." Inali trailed off, briefly breaking eye contact to gather her thoughts.

This news concerned his sister, so he had a right to know. Hoping that she wasn't laying this information in the wrong paws, the scout opened her maw, meeting his green eyes with her own. Her posture lifted, slipping from the role of playful packmate to the role of confident scout, ready to tell her alpha the news - good and bad. "Before winter truly had a chance to set in, I took advantage for one last scouting trip. I traveled to Secret Woodlands, where your sister, Miss Nina reigns." Respect could be heard in the woman'a tone as she began to talk. She now considered Nina a friend, but she was also a wonderful leader and mother. "I am sorry to say that I am the bearer of bad news. This was meant for Sloane and Narime, but now, you are my alpha, and so I bring this to you. Koda, her mate, has left. Due to memory issues, she said. Hollow has stepped up as leader." She stopped, giving him time to absorb the news. She didn't just want to throw this all at him in one go.

After some time of patiently waiting for the appropiate time she deemed to be respectable, she once again opened her maw."There is more, my King," she spoke in her gentle, soft tone. "She had three pups - Ashton, Danica and Tacoma. One, Tacoma, perished. Not only was Nina dealing with it hard, but Ashton and Danica as well." There. It was done. All the news she had stored up, out there to be recieved. Laying there silently in the dark of the shadows, she added one last thing. Not as a scout, but as a pack mate and prospective friend."I apologize for being the bearer of bad news, but if there was is one consolation, a little light in this dark of news - Ashton was named after you Ash." You could hear the smile in her voice, the love that she held for a boy she had only met once. Inali always had a soft spot for children and nothing would ever change that. The woman stayed in her sphinx like position on the ground. She stared ahead, into the shadows of the darkening evening. Inali waited for Ash to give her some sort of reponse, whether it be anger or just plain nothing. She could deal with both. She was a master at keeping silent when in the position of being someone's personal punching bag. If that's what it would take for her new leader to feel better, than so be it.

Sorry for keeping you so long! <3

He was glad to hear that his subordinate was not injured, and gave her a tight lipped smile in response. He found that he could enjoy the company of this young woman, even if he preferred the presence of his beautiful mate. When the light mood suddenly turned into a more serious nature, the man's lips relaxed into a neutral, comfortable place, his mossy green eyes staring at Inali with reassurance and safety put into his eyes. Surely if she was in trouble the Hervok would be able to protect her...it had, after all, been his duty for a year before he had been proclaimed an alpha. And now, he was an alpha once more, with a much softer heart and kind words to share with those around him. Though he had no doubt that he could spiral back into the dark phantom that he was would return. The darker side of the man never seemed to fail him and he highly doubted it would fail him now.

He pricked his ears toward the woman to show that he was, indeed, listening to every word that he said. Feeling a warm feeling flow through him at the mention of his dearest sister and he felt his body relax slightly, but tensed up once more. Koda had left his beautiful sister, and after Ash had so convincingly threatened to kill him should harm befall his sister? Surely, his disappearance had rendered her distraught and the thought made him very angry. His nose wrinkled in disgust and he was even more devastated to find that one of his sister's children had not made it, but it was nice to know that he was, indeed, an uncle. At the sound of good news, Ash looked up at the creamy colored female and tilted his head in awe at the words that she spoke. His sister, the one he had attacked not too long ago, had named one of her children after him, the bastard that had scarred her still beautiful face. Looking away from the woman, he took a shaky breath and replied in a strong tone, "Thank you very much for telling me this. I will have to go see my beautiful sister when I receive the chance too." He nodded his head, as if agreeing with herself.

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Table by PuppyThief

Speech.

The various emotions that went through Ash's facial features were intriguing to say the least. First there was anger, then disgust, then devastation and finally awe as she mentioned that Ashton had been named after the man beside her himself. He looked away, and she did the same. She heard him take in a shaky breath, and Inali waited patiently for him to regain his composure. Most men she knew didn't seem to like showing their emotions much, and it seemed that Ash would be another wolf joining the list. His voice came out strong though, as he finally spoke his thoughts. Turning back to him, a soft smile graced her muzzle. Nodding at his decision, she opened her maw to throw in her two cents. You're very welcome, and I'm sure she would enjoy that very much after what has happened." Facing forward to look at the darkening sky, the frozen river a couple metres away from them seemed to shine in the light of the moon.

It was truly a mesmerizing image. The beauty of the scenery seemed to hide the dangers that could very well happen. Like, the ice cracking and you falling into the icy depths. Did she think of this as she stood up to head outside? No. Inali walked slowly outside, her body moving in sync with the slight breeze. Walking up to the river, she slowly put a paw on the frozen over lake. Placing her other paw on the ice, she just as slowly moved her whole body onto it. Digging her blunt claws into the ice for a measure of balance, the woman slowly slided. It was a bit frightening at first, but she soon got the hang of it. Not as graceful on icd as on land, the woman kept on sliding. Her laughter was soft a first, but then it grew louder and held a joyous ring to it. Finally stopping, she looked at the entrance of the cave. Her tail wagging and a grin on her maw, she opened her jaws and playful words spew forth. "I know you want to join, Mr. Live A Little!" Chuckling at her inner child, she waited for his reaction while she was standing in the middle of the iced over lake.

The man watched her closely, the only indication that he had heard her words was the brief flick of his ears. She seemed to be thinking about something for some time before going towards the ice and before Ash could say or do anything to stop her, she was off. He watched in horror as she skidded over the ice and called back to him, his body tense and uncomfortable. Her taunting voice reminded him of Belladonna for a moment, which almost got him to step out, but then it was gone and Ash was once again remembering his little mountain princess. How he had adored her and her him. Biting his cheek gently, he shook his head at the creamy woman ahead of him, a small smile twitching on his lips as he watched her.

Eventually, he called out to her, "As much as you may value getting yourself injured, I can afford no such luxury." His voice was teasing, but he was also serious. It was the middle of winter and if he were to get injured the pack would be in much trouble. He was the male lead, and with that he needed to remain healthy and fit, something he was right now. Since winter had arrived he had lost a little bit of weight, but that had been with everyone, as this winter was much harder than it had been in the past. Now watching the young woman in front of him, he waited for a response.

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Table by PuppyThief