Oak Tree Bend turn to stone; lose my faith

AW -- @Maksim should respond first.

After Maksim had instructed Naia of her responsibilities during their absence, the honeyed she-wolf had whisked her newfound mate away to the regal mountains, a newfound panic to her step. Her belly was beginning to swell with the life within her, and as much as she desired nothing more than to rush across the steep slopes of the mountain that had already granted injury to her, she held more caution to her steps now as she had scaled the grandeur landmark. There was an urgency to her though, and her eyes would worriedly skim over her mate as she sought reassurance -- they did not have much time, and she wanted to be well settle din to their den at home in Cut Rock River -- but she could not put her family aside. They likely believed her dead.

And so, as the days passed, she would become more skitterish as they drew closer. The mumblings of whether or not they would understand had dared to press past her lips at one point or another, and she could see the disappointment on their faces as she told them she would not be returning to them -- the Tainn's had once more been abandoned. And yet Corinna had wished this life for her.. and told her one day she would want cubs of her own. She had not understood at that time, but now, with the strength and warmth of her mate at her side, she had finally come to accept this inevitable desire.

They stood then, on the borders of the all too familiar Bend. Spring had graced itself upon the lands, and relief would flood her only when the scent of those she loved would flit past her nose. Yet something was very wrong, and light frown furrowed her brow as the scent of her mother and Fenru were much fainter than they should have been. Shifting her weight, her shoulder pressing to Maksim's in silent reassurance, Kisla tilted her muzzle up, beckoning her family forward her for reunion.. and answers.

sparking up my heart

KING OF CUT ROCK RIVER

IF YOU DO NOT FIGHT YOU CANNOT WIN

“@Naia,” he had begun as soon as she had finished greeting the agouti regal. “I'm sorry for placing this upon your shoulders so suddenly, but there is no other way it can be done. I'm escorting Kisla across the mountain range, to visit her family for a while back in the eastern valley.” He had licked his lips, gauging her reaction for a brief moment before he continued. “As you are the second highest ranking member alongside Taras, in our absence your word must uphold the pack.” It wasn't an easy task, but it had to be done. Kisla needed closure and Maksim … well, he needed to make sure she was safe. “We won't be gone for too long. Several days, perhaps.”

They had crossed the mountain, the king making sure his honeyed love was safe from potential dangers and environmental hazards. If she slipped even a fraction, his eyes were on her. Sure, he was being a little over dramatic but the fact she was carrying his children—their children—was a good enough reason to justify it. Not only that, but if she were hurt he'd never forgive himself for allowing it to happen.

When they finally arrived, he felt Kisla shift and lean into his shoulder. He craned his neck down, briefly flicked his tongue out against her cheek. He was here for her, whatever may come. Maksim only hoped that they'd understand, wish her happiness for her future within Cut Rock River. Kisla had not abandoned them, after all. She was merely moving through to the future.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Oh this will be fun :D

Winter was slow to relinquish its grasp, but today was nice enough. Serach, at least, wasn't complaining. With a grunt, he rolled on his back, rubbing the scent of grass into his own. Satisfied that he smelled especially earthy, he hoisted himself up to his feet. Lowering himself into a bow to stretch his back, his head jerked up violently as he heard the howl at the borders. It was the first in a while, but this one was special in other ways. His breath caught in his chest, and his brain froze, unable to process it. He had given her up for dead. As the realization set in, Serach's butt began to wag, his tail barely containing his excitement. With an eager woof, he bounded off towards the borders. Kisla was back.

The youth pushed himself to his fullest extent, unable to contain his desire to see his sister. So when he finally skidded to a stop in front of the pair of wolves, his salmon tongue rolled out of his mouth and his sides heaved as he tried to catch his breath. But his tail wagged eagerly behind him, and his pale eyes had lit up as they looked at his sister. He had eyes only for her, and he was relieved to see that she was unharmed and not well. "Kisla..." he blurted. "You're not dead!" Unwilling to wait for even a response, he barged forward, fully intent on tackling his sister to the ground with affection.

His presence brought great comfort to her – the gentle caress ignited a new-found bravado to her and she inhaled sharply, her form stiffening in sudden eagerness to be reunited with her family. Her eyes would trail up to regard Maksim, tipping her muzzle up to touch her nose to his cheek reassuringly – was he nervous to meet them? Afraid she would change her mind and wish to remain here instead? As if to remind him that she was his now, she leaned further to his touch, closing her eyes briefly as she waited.

It would seem she did not have to wait for long. The pale form of her brother came to view soon, bounding with an exuberance she believed could only exist in youth. The sudden ache she felt the moment he came to view drew a sharp exhale of breath from her – what she would give to take Serach with her.. to be the uncle to her unborn children.

Serach she breathed out then, her voice strained with emotion as she pulled forward then, her creamy paws dancing upon the ground as she moved to close distance between herself and her brother. His words stung – of course they had thought her dead. She could not respond – not because there was no simple way to answer such a statement and the pain they must have endured with that belief alone, but because the boy was rushing her. A bark ushered past her lips as a grin formed, her own figure bowing down playfully as she awaited the contact of her brother – the familiar embrace as they had played when he had been younger.

sparking up my heart

you guys can skip maksim, he won't have much to contribute until later on (?).
so it's just a short one this time.

KING OF CUT ROCK RIVER

IF YOU DO NOT FIGHT YOU CANNOT WIN

Maksim, too, closed his eyes briefly. The subtle body language Kisla displayed was more than enough to reassure the River king that she wouldn't leave him. She was his, he was hers … hopefully nothing would change that. The heavy thud of paws alerted him to the arrival of one of the Oak Tree Bend wolves, and his green eyes opened to see a pale boy bounding towards them—no, towards Kisla. There was an air of enthusiasm that just radiated from the adolescent, Maksim smiling ever so slightly as the boy blurted her name, exclaiming almost in disbelief that she wasn't dead.

The agouti male felt Kisla pull away from him, and he watched silently as the honeyed woman danced forwards to meet her younger brother who was charging towards his sister, his intent obvious; an embrace. Hopefully not a rough one, the Baranski felt himself tense at the thought she might be knocked a little too hard. The boy—identified as Serach by Kisla—was big, after all, and his mate was carrying pups. In an attempt to keep himself from stepping forward defensively, the larger wolf scanned the surrounding area. He was expecting more Bend wolves to step out from behind the trees, to greet their missing friend, sister, daughter … yet, for now, none came. It seemed it would be only siblings for now.

Reclining to his haunches, Maksim sat and simply watched the brother and sister. The agouti regal wouldn't interrupt the reunion, not until Kisla introduced him.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

@Sceral, @Triell, @Jessie might want to make an appearance?

It had been months since Serach had felt this kind of adrenaline rush. Recently, his days had been filled with one disappointment after another, and it was hard to find a reason to be happy. Seeing Kisla had trigged those emotions, and his surge towards her was a reflection of that. For once, he managed to not trip over his awkward paws. Kicking up dirt, he closed the distance between the two of them with ease, each step accenting her scent in his mind. Before they collided, Serach threw himself to a stop, rearing up on his hind legs to bring his forelegs down onto Kisla's shoulders. With his sister's head stuck in his embrace, he licked the top of her head in greeting before disentangling himself and returning all four paws to the ground. Head pressed against Kisla's cheek, he crooned into her neck, tail wagging wildly above his back.

"I've missed you," he blurted once more, stepping back so she could see his wide grin. Tongue rolling out of his mouth he panted, but that did not stop the smile from reaching his eyes. "You're home! Finally! We all worried! Triell and Sceral will be so excited to see you! Where have you been? Are you okay?" His mouth ran a thousand miles an hour, and it was only when he finally came to a stop that he took the time to notice that Kisla had not come alone. Eyebrows raising, he tilted his head in curiosity - a trait he had taken from his mother. "Who are you?" he asked, not quite as excited as he had been before. Looking back at Kisla, he stared at her expectantly, waiting for all the answers to his many questions, both asked and unasked.

Life at the Bend had been quite slow for her recently. Most of Jessie's time was spend looking around for new trials and trying to give her company to Nayeli, who seemed to be getting ever the more bored the more she had to stay close to the den. The woman was never one to complain about her role in the pack, but socializing was differently not high on the list of things she wished to be doing with her time. Besides, her long past friends were all gone now. Triell remained, but they had never truly been that close; they just had a mutual understanding. Luckily, Hotei had returned, and still, the only way they truly communicated most of the time was with small touches and nods. She did not mind the silence though, it gave her more time to process her own muddled thoughts and allowed her to comprehend what others were doing much easier.

All things were calm, so she had not been expecting a familiar call from their borders, and truthfully, her heart sank deep within her chest. Kisla... What were they to tell her about her mother? Swallowing her cowardice, Jessie was frozen in her spot for several moments before she slowly starting making her way towards where the Tainn had called. She wanted to see family, and though Jess wasn't exactly blood, she had lived with Kisla for quite some time and she deserved to be present. The gray woman had not expected the scent that hit her when she got close enough to the general area of where Kisla had called. It was what caused her to increase her pace. She had also not expected to see another male there, and immediately the Swiftpaw let her eyes roam over his form hesitantly before allowing her gaze to turn towards Kisla. It then dropped to her stomach before moving back to see her face. Clearing her throat from her shock, Jessie stepped towards Serach slowly, her jaws opening to greet Kisla, "It is good to see you are well, Kisla." She gave the best tight-lipped smile she could give to the other female, waiting for other pack members to make their presence known.

Dawnthieves.de, somestock @ DA & candyhorse @ DA - Table by PuppyThief

This cloud still hangs over me

The Tainn held hope the missing would return to the realm of the oak trees. He had after all made his way back, among others like Hotei, and Ruiko. Triell often believed Fenru and Kisla were the most likely to, as they had the most reason to return to the Bend. And yet, he refused to live with a blind faith all would come so easily home. Ice had had reason to come back, and Triell still had not seen nor heard anything of the pale wolf. That man had been one of the more loyal members, and reliable leader they had had. Any more he worried his friend's fate was likely the same as Corinna's. What would have really kept him so long? There was a stubbornness not to think of any of them as dead. There had been enough funerals for the dark idea to thrive strongly in him. So it was with slight surprise, and happiness the call of his niece broke through his cloudy thoughts. Swiftly he ventured through the forest to answer.

The sudden gait he had began to slow. She would surely have news for them, and Triell had a terrible tale for her. He was not in a huge hurry to share what had happened here in her absence. With a forceful shake of his head, moving his paws more rapidly, she needed to know. The uncle really did want to see for himself that Kisla was all right.

The dark wolf slipped between tree trunks, Serach's voice helping in find the group. Sure enough his bright eyes beheld four wolves. Three of which he knew instantly, and the fourth he questioned, much like Serach. The leader was suddenly caught between making his position known, wanting to chase the stranger, and the other part of him knowing Kisla would not just bring any stranger home. Hoping to reach middle ground he held his head and tail erect, while letting his orange eyes carefully drift between niece and her companion. Slowly his dark banner began to wag, and a small smile showed. "It is good to see you Kisla." He stood apart from the group, giving her a moment to answer her brother's questions as they were likely everyone's. He did his best not to stare to intensively at the fellow beside her.

Serach – the words that spilled from his mouth brought a smile to her features that she had not held in so long. As much as she loved her brothers – Fenru, Sceral.. there was something about the pale boy in front of her that caused her heart to twist protectively. He was excited now, but she did not doubt that the news she gave him would not be met with such eagerness – she was home, yes.. but only for a visit.

“I have news,” she murmured with a smile, her eyes trailing back to steal a glance at her mate as he waited – ever patient, ever vigilante. She did not share her information just yet, instead her muzzle lifted as she inhaled sharply – only then did it truly strike her that Corinna’s scent was not mingled upon the borders of her home, and a questioning glance was given to her brother.

Jessie appeared then, stirring a wag of Kisla’s tail – the silver female’s eyes touched upon her belly, and like an experienced woman of her age who had witnessed such miracles before, she seemed to know what part of the Tainn’s news was. Moving forward as Jessie settled beside the yearling, her ale honeyed muzzle tipped upward to bump the grey cheek affectionately. She had never been close to Jessie.. but Jessie had been a member of the pack for as long as she could remember, and somewhere in there, she had become family.

Triell was next to arrive, and a flash of impatience smoothed across her features. Where was Fenru? Corinna? Yet excitement propelled her forward, pressing her face in to the swarthy chest that had held many of her tears. “Uncle,” she sighed, feeling as if she was awaking from a dream. “I have missed you. Where is mother?” She was aware of the glances that were given to the handsome Baranski, but there was one wolf she was holding out for.

sparking up my heart

It was not lost on Serach that his sister did not answer his questions. Instead, she turned her attention to the other Oak Tree Bend wolves who had arrived to welcome home their long lost member. Jessie arrived first and Kisla drew away from Serach to greet her. The youth took the time to stare down the stranger who had come with him. He smelled like Kisla, but also of many other things. He hadn't encountered too many loners in his lifetime, short as it was, but instinct told him that the wolf who had accompanied Kisla was not a random lone wolf. Apparently he was news, whatever that meant. Wrinkling his brow, he turned to follow his sister, only to stop when he saw that she had found Triell. Tail wagging at the sight of his uncle, Serach was about to offer his own greeting when Kisla cut him off.

"Where is mother?"

Inside his head, the world went silent - the only sound was the rapid beating of his heart against his chest. She didn't know. She had not been there, when winter had beaten them down. The memory of that fateful winter day made him visibly distressed, his tail and ears both flattening against his body. His eyes looked back and forth between Jessie and Triell, frantic and pleading. The boy loved his mother dearly, but right now, all he could feel was pain and resentment. He was resentful that this happy reunion couldn't last so long as the shadow of his mother's death hung over them, that this memory would also be a bitter one. But Kisla deserved to know too.

Taking a deep breath, Serach audibly cleared his throat. "She...um..." another breath. Forcing himself to look at Kisla, he broke the news as best as he knew how. "There was a blizzard. It was so cold....she didn't make it." He looked at his big sister, the grief clear in his eyes. Fenru was supposed to find you, to tell you, to bring you home. I bet you don't know that either.