Sex: MaleEven though he was exhausted and too weak to do anything, Mercy felt a great deal of regret when he was told to stay in the communal den and do nothing. He did not like sapping the strength and energy of the pack without being able t give anything back, and he still felt that it was his duty to take care of Aponi. He didn't want to leave her side, even if she was in the company of her own family. For some reason, he trusted her with no one else, even though those who lived here all cared greatly for her...It wasn't enough. Being apart from her made him feel anxious, particularly when he first opened his eyes to see that not only was he in a completely different cave than the one he and Aponi had taken shelter in, but that she was gone."Aponi?" He asked, lifting his head. He was alone. He didn't even recognize the communal den at first, because the only thing his eyes searched for was the dark colour of her fur, tinged with flecks of white. "Aponi?" He asked again, his coarse voice louder this time. It didn't echo in the den, and he was answered by silence, minus the drop of water that fell onto the floor. He inhaled deeply, but he couldn't smell her, and it was then that he began to worry. Struggling, the crowchild found his way to his feet and began to stagger toward the den's entrance- only to be blinded by the daylight when he got there, and had to squint his eyes shut. He gritted his teeth and leaned against the den's entrance for support, waiting for seconds to pass so that he might be able to see in the light.
It seemed as though the pups would recover- @Aponi, having been carried the last leg of the journey back to the den, was already up on her feet and had gone out for a walk with Karpos. Sagacity did not approve of the girl going too far, but she was quite sure she'd put enough fear into @Karpos that he would not take her too far away from their communal den. She liked the fact that the boy had a bit of fear whenever he greeted her- it would keep him respectful. And now that her son was back, Sagacity felt stronger, more like herself. She'd gone out to scout for food for a bit, but found herself unable to find anything substantial and unable to stay away for very long. Her son had been exhausted when he'd made his way back- walking on his own, toothpick-like legs after having done everything he possibly could have done to keep Aponi safe.She was surprised and disappointed to see him standing at the mouth of the communal den when she arrived back, and though he had his eyes squinted shut- a sure sign he'd only just reached the light, she moved forward to block his path. "Back in the den with you," She said, reaching out to touch his muzzle with hers, and she moved close enough that there was no way he could get past her. She was going to be a deadbeat mom for a while, until she knew that he was able to go out on his own be able to and fight lions and tigers.
The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the form of a wolf walking toward him- and though his vision was fuzzy and he'd only opened his eyes a crack, he knew who it was. It was his mother. His tail waved once to show his respect- and to prove that he was happy to see her- he didn't budge from his place even when she moved in close enough to intimidate him into going back into the den. He'd become a very different wolf while out in the wild with Aponi. He loved and respected his mother, but he couldn't give up on his task, so he held his ground. Politely, he lowered his head a touch,to show that he meant not to disrespect his mother, but he humbly refused to budge from his spot."Aponi," He squeaked, and cleared his throat. "Oh, mom," He said, as though it had just occurred to him once again that this was who was standing in front of him. And, in fact, he'd only just realized where he was. He was home. He was back in the den- and he remembered, now, seeing Aponi in the communal den as well- and it was a new memory, not an old one from before their disappearance. They were home and they were safe, he remembered that now...But Aponi wasn't there, and he had a much stronger instinct that begged that he find Aponi, rather than that he should follow his mother's order. "Aponi, I have to find her," He pleaded.
She'd expected to see him react the way he might have normally; the Mercy she knew would have made a goof out of himself to greet her, licking her cheek, nipping at her shoulders, and politely moving back inside the den, as obedient as he'd ever been since they'd moved to the Keep. And she still saw a tiny bit of that boy inside the bedraggled and starved young man before her- but she also saw something different. He lowered his head, true, but she noted now that his shoulders were still higher than hers, and while his posture was subservient, the young man before her- albeit thin as a rake- was larger than she was. Perhaps as large as his father, if he had more meat on his bones. But more than that, the young man who stood before her wasn't willing to budge; he had an allegiance to another wolf now.He was just confused, she hoped, because of starvation. He greeted her again, and looked a bit surprised- but he persisted that he had to find Aponi. Though he was being stubborn- something Sagacity absolutely hated- she took pity on him now and chose to be understanding instead. "She's out for a walk with Karpos. They won't go far, and they'll be back soon." She said. The tone in her voice meant that only Karpos and Aponi would be allowed to go out for a walk. "She's been eating more than you. She'll be fine; now you have to take care of yourself," She said, and gave her son a nudge- one firm enough to dictate that she'd made up her mind.
His ears lifted when his mother spoke in a reassuring voice. He was able to open his eyes slowly now, as they adjusted to the bright light. He looked at his mother's features- she had a bit more silver on them now, than she'd had before, and he couldn't help but feel guilty for that. Nevertheless, though she looked drawn and tired, there was still a softness to her, even though she was obviously not budging from her order.Truth be told, he felt a pang of jealousy when his mother mentioned Karpos' name. How was she so sure that Karpos would protect Aponi? How could she be so sure that Karpos could find the way back if something happened? Mercy didn't trust him- not because he'd never trusted Karpos before, but because he trusted no one other than himself to be Aponi's keeper, even though his mother was right- Aponi was healing up well while he was still being stubborn and refusing to eat unless he'd been absolutely sure that Aponi had eaten before him. She was the princess and he was her guardian; her life would come before his.
His mother nudged him, perhaps a bit too roughly for the boy's spindly legs, so he stumbled and turned around, walking solemnly back into the den. He nosed around in the floor for the softness of the nest his mother had made him and he flopped down in it, his nose still pointed toward the den's entrance; he would wait and watch for her until she came back.
He was reluctant, but he turned and walked back into the den. Sagacity watched him go in and followed her boy, allowing him to choose where he wanted to lay down before she lay down beside him. She set away growing his coat, pulling leaves and twigs from it still though it had seemed like she'd been doing this for so long. In truth, she also found that her son had lost a good deal of his coat- the quality of his fur was dry and dull, and he needed a better diet to help him put on a new coat. He was likely shedding because of the change in temperature as well, but the coat that would become his summer coat was still short and coarse. He would need a great deal of food and grooming before he looked anything like a proper wolf again.She tickled him lightly behind one of his ears, a gentle motion which would normally have had him squirming and giggling, but now seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever. Her son was colder than he had been before, but she knew the warmth and brilliance of spring would bring him back to her. He still accepted her doting touch, and looked more like himself when Aponi was around. He watched for her now, she knew. "Nova missed you," She said. She liked both girls- Aponi seemed to have been tamed a bit while she'd been gone, and had grown up quite a bit. Nova had wilted while Mercy and Aponi had been gone, and Sage knew that she would need time to recover as well. For now, she had to allow Aponi and Mercy to heal- and knew she would have to convince her son to give Aponi some space. "Why don't you ask her when she comes home this evening if she'll go to the stresm with you tomorrow?" She asked, hoping that some time with another wolf his own age- not necessarily Aponi- would help him heal.
Mercy barely felt the touch of his mother's tongue on his fur, even when she tweaked his tufts of hair here and there, pulling a bit of debris free as well as a few locks of dry, dead fur. He simply stared straight ahead, and inhaled deeply so he could still catch a small whiff of Aponi's scent, from when she'd been there earlier. She wasn't gone; she was just out. And Karpos wouldn't dare lose her, or he'd have the entire pack- primarily him- breathing down his neck. He bristled slightly, but under his mother's smoothing tongue, it wouldn't have shown. He stared and felt his eyes become dry, but couldn't dare blink until it was absolutely necessary. He wanted to be awake when she came back- but he found himself growing tired again in the gloom.His mother mentioned Nova's name and one of his ears finally flicked. Nova. He couldn't believe, now, the change in his relationships. Nova had been his playmate long ago, and Aponi had been like a thorn in his paw. Now, though, he couldn't imagine going anywhere without Aponi and didn't really care whether he spent any time with Nova or not. He shrugged one angular shoulder at the prompt, though, and heaved a sigh. He knew he should do what his mother asked him to, but it wasn't something that terribly interested him. He didn't care if Nova was alright- she hadn't been lost. He wanted to be alone with Aponi- alone with her, but safe and sound.
Her son was yet again ambiguous with his reply- and she was not pleased to see this. She nipped his shoulders gently, but with two of her canine teeth just to make a point. Poor Nova had been worried sick, and had nearly starved on her own while living with the pack, half because food had been scarce and half, she knew, because she'd been worrying herself thin over her lost brother and sister. "Don't shrug," She said in a low tone. "Nova missed you." She said. She nuzzled the spot she'd just nipped, but didn't fawn over him. He was starving, but he would need to be strong and would have to think of others besides himself and Aponi. And it was then that she remembered something else; something she knew which would wound her son as well, but it wasn't a secret she could keep from him."I have some bad news for you, son," She said quietly. "You and Aponi weren't the only ones to go missing." Her voice caught. While Mercy had been her most cherished love, it did not mean that she did not feel pain as well when she thought of those who had disappeared. And she knew one of them meant more to her than Mercy, and the other meant more to Mercy than he did to her; but he needed to know, nonetheless. "Faol is gone. I think you knew he was scarce, before the hunt, but he hasn't been seen since shortly after we came here." She said, though she knew she was saving the much worse news for last.
"And Crowe. He left around the same time we lost you and Aponi." She said.