Whisper Marsh Codes and Keys

(For Narimé)

The dark body shuffled around like a lost soul. Confused where to go or what to do. She most certainly was hoping for a pack to live in but she wasn't rushing it. She first needed to get use to this area. She remembered being somewhere this way on a scouting mission once. Though the memory of it was all groggy and fogged. All the memories of Pitch Pine Trail life seemed to be like dreams. Find love with @Ace, seeing @Karpos and occasionally Adsila happy, having company with the chipper @Naia, they all seemed like dazed dreams. As if they were just some summertime memories that faded through the cold months of winter.

Yet the winter was gone and it was time for her to move on. Pull herself together and get a new and improved life. Maybe she could become a scout again, live in some wonderful pack that wouldn't leave her. Scrunching up her face a bit she breathed in the air. It was the early morning, which meant plenty of travel up ahead for the female. Although she wished to be eating and resting instead of traveling and bounding around, she had found enjoyment in her walks through still foreign lands. Of course one day she wished to know these lands like the back of her paw, but for now she would have to become familiar with the lands. Perhaps even become one with the land. If it was to be called home she found all belief to know the land and love the land.

The gray wolf was rooting around the marsh searching for something that might help her headache. A long time ago a black wolf by the name of @Triell Tainn had taught her about an herb that would help for certain aches and pains. She was unsure of whether the plant would help her headaches, but it was worth a try looking for it.

"Hellebore...hellebore...where are you..." Nari swung her aching head back and forth hoping to find the plant growing someplace in the wet marsh despite the chilly late spring. The mud sucked at her long legs, but just like four long stilts Nari's amazonian legs kept her above the wet and helped her to travel through the muck.

She had traveled from the south end of the marsh northwards for some time before finding a small patch of growing plants on a shallow wet area in the middle of the marsh. As she looked around this wet area Nari was able to spot more patches of bright green new growth in other shallow spots dotting the higher end of the marsh. Nosing around the plants who had not grown enough to grow flowers, Nari growled looking for her hellebore.

She had no idea another wolf was nearby while doing this. The she wolf was too intent on settling the ache in her skull which had dogged her for more than a week now.

"Yes! Finally I found some.." Nari pushed her nose around the base of a hellebore plant glad to know that it was growing this early in spring. The plant was small, only just growing as the ground defrosted and the water was freed from ice.

Taking a leaf into her jaws Nari paused remembering a warning someone had said to her. That plants could kill, but she knew that this was a medicinal plant. The silver queen was simply unsure of how much to eat. Gingerly she sat herself down and began chewing on the end of a single leaf. She waited patiently for something to happen, for any of the pain lancing through her head to go away.

"Hellebore...hellebore...where are you..."

The voice seemed familiar. Yet she couldn't put a face to it. Peering around for a few moments she looked for the wolf making the sounds. Though she didn't have to search very far to find the suppose source of the sound. A large, silvery, strange female. Approaching her slowly was what she planned to do. She had no idea that this woman was the same woman she met with last August for Shade. Back when things were simpler and life was more dandy than it was now.

Creeping closer to the silvery woman, Silver stopped moving for a moment. It was then, when she could see the face of the woman, who she learned who it was. Narimé Lagina Thorben. A name that was hard to forget. With some type of hope Silver wished that Narimé would remember her too. Barking softly to announce her presence she offered a small smile. Trying to show she was friendly and of no harm. "Narimé, is it really you?" She prayed that perhaps she could gain a friend. Although she was a cold heart, it was sometimes lonely without any friends or family. Since most of them she lost through the disbanding of Pitch Pine Trail. Which she still blames herself for to this day.

Moving herself only a two feet closer to Narimé, she showed herself hoping to give all the hints possible as to who she was. Though it was left up to the silvery female to remember her.

(This post was last modified: May 12, 2014, 10:24 PM by Silver.)

The pain had begun to dull in her skull as a bark brought Nari out of the comfortable silence in her mind. Opening her eyes and turning her silver head quickly to spot the oncoming wolf, Nari narrowed her eyes on a familiar shape traveling over the muddy ground closer to her. The black fur of this wolf coated in silver triggered a memory of Shade and his pack. Yes, this is his... she was a scout for him. Nari thought quietly as the she wolf came forward. Tipping her head up Nari looked over the woman.

"Narimé, is it really you?" Silver's voice echoed out over the stiff grasses and water plants dotting the marsh. Quickly Narime stood up trying to hide her weakness, the head injury she had, and tried to look as strong as she could. Her tail edged into a neutral position while her head rose proudly above her silver shoulders.

"Silver, I believe?" Nari greeted the woman with a curt nod. The other she wolf looked like she had bee dragged backward through a thorn filled thicket. Her fur was unkempt in places and the woman was obviously underweight. Twitching her nose Nari scented the air coming from the darker woman and realized that there was no trace of Pitch Pine Trail scent on her. A sure sign that the pack had disbanded.

"Has life been rough miss?" Nari let her body relax a bit sure that the other she wolf wasn't much of a threat. The gray queen didn't look down on Silver for being one of Shade's subordinates. It was even possible that Silver hadn't known about Shade's crimes. Instead she saw the woman as an opportunity. Silver had been an accomplished scout last she knew. With her pack in shambles, Nari was willing to put her faith in Silver to be loyal. If, the she wolf was even looking for a pack to join.

"Yes Miss, Silver is the name." She smiled wide, happy to know that Narime did in fact remember her. At least remembered her to a point where she remembered her name.

Though her smile faded quickly when Narime asked if her life had been rough. Of course it has been. Though she didn't expect her silver colored friend to know about much. "A bit more rough then I would like. Slade died, Pitch Pine Trail is gone, lost my only love." She could have gone on forever ranting about all the bad things in her life, but she wouldn't. "I hope your life has been much easier, and the pack is fairing well. Any interesting news to share? It's been a while since we last spoke so I believe we have some catching up to do." She looked to Narime with soft eyes. Silver was almost dying to hear good news. It seemed she had heard so much bad news that she couldn't help but search for someone else's good news. Even if it had nothing to do or effect her. She just wanted to hear something happy.

Shifting her weight she moved herself into a sitting position. She trusted Narime enough to be able to relax for once. Even though this female was not her best friend, maybe one day they would be, she was willing to call her enough of a friend not worry about her actions. Honestly, it felt good to have someone she could call a friend.

Nari let a certain calmness take her over as the plant she had ingested finally started to work. Though when Silver sat down and also relaxed Nari craned her head downwards and wagged her tail a bit on the earth.

"I hope your life has been much easier, and the pack is fairing well. Any interesting news to share? It's been a while since we last spoke so I believe we have some catching up to do." Silver's words made Nari's fur bristle a bit. She was still angry that because she had tried to help Shade and Pitch Pine Trail in the beginning she had lost her mate, her son, respect from her pack, and her leadership for a time. Now how to explain that to Silver without making the woman angry?

"My story starts with Shade and your old pack, and even before your pack was started... Do you mind me telling you the whole thing without being interrupted? I would like you to hear this truth from me and not Lady Elettra or some other wolf who would have you killed for an injustice you didn't commit." Narime wouldn't tell the whole tale until she got approval from Silver to go on, because if Silver didn't like what she was saying then the she wolf would have to deal with it.

Besides, telling the whole true story was the only way Nari could tell Silver of the woes she had experienced with her pack. If only to confide in someone so that she could get her frustrations out even.

(Thought a short post would be better than none!)

She noticed the way Narime's fur slightly prickled. It made her ears lay back the slightest bit. She had certainly said something wrong to upset the female, that much was obvious. But her ears perked back up as Narime spoke. Before her old pack, Pitch Pine Trail? Although she was curious why they needed to go that far back she didn't ask questions. Silver knew it must be important for Narime to tell such things to her.

"I don't mind you telling me at all, Miss Narime. I actually prefer you tell me, as I feel like you're the last wolf who's words I can trust." It was honest. She believed Narime to be the only one who hadn't wronged her in some way. Getting comfortable Silver figured it would be best to be relaxed, especially if she was going to be told about something that happened a while back in time. Besides, who knew how long this would take for Narime to explain?

The gray woman nodded then took a moment to figure out where she was going to start in the story. Should I go all the way back to When Sahde first joined Willow Ridge or no? She thought quietly hoping that Silver would be patient with her.

"About two and a half years ago I first came to Lore and joined Willow Ridge. Shade Slayer and Rosealia, Shades mate, joined shortly after I did and for a long time we served under Elettra as loyal subordinates." Nari started her story while trying to make certain parts of it descriptive but short. She didn't want to lull Silver to sleep with her voice.

"A long standing rule in packs is that only the alpha pair breed, although Elettra granted permission for her followers to take mates even outside the pack." She paused to collects her thoughts before continuing. "Our alpha male position had always been a bit stressed within the pack for one reason or another, and so the alpha male changed twice before Shade was lofted into the lead male position next to Elettra." Shifting her silver body to lean on her left back leg, Nari got herself more comfortable upon the ground.

"Not only did Shade breed with Rosaelia instead of Elettra, but he left the pack completely running over the mountains to escape our leaders wrath." Nari looked to the ground with a sad and angered look flashing through her sparkling blue eyes. She had loved Shade like a brother, and it was still hard for her to think of him as dead.

"I had taken a mate that spring too and asked Elettra if I could leave to start my own family. She granted my wish, and I know that she would have done the same if Shade had also asked for permission to leave. Even as alpha male she would have given him his freedom. What hurt us the most was that he bred and ran away from his duties without telling anyone. It was very much a crime that to Elettra was punishable by death." She snarled out the last word before smoothing out her muzzle once more.

"I didn't know about his betrayal. Shade had only told me that he was starting a pack over the mountains and nothing else. So then he collected members and started Pitch Pine Trail." She moved her gaze to the sky wondering if Shade would be angry with her for telling the truth.

"To Willow Ridge any wolf in Pitch Pine Trail is a traitor, but I only believe that Shade and Rosealia were the traitors. I do not condemn you or any other wolf from Shade's old pack for his crime. I want you to know that Silver... " She let her eyes flow over Silver's form before moving them to a nearby tree for simple courtesy.

"Shade and I spoke about forming an alliance, which you know of, and decided a time and place. However when Shade did not show up for the meeting I got worried. Some time later I traveled on a mission to your pack, though I didn't know the way. That's when I found out Shade had died and that Pitch Pine Trail was in shambles. So I headed back home over the mountains, though the snow was deep by that time. I almost thought I wouldn't make it over." Nari sighed as her thoughts collected themselves and she knew that she was getting close to the bad parts of the story.

"When I got back home Minka had taken over as lead female, which was to be expected because she was second and I had been lost for some time. Though I did warn the pack of my mission before hand I still had to take second position till my health returned." Nari let her hackles rise and fall slowly showing the bit of annoyance she had for Minka's leadership. "Upon returning I also found out about my mates disappearance, my son's dangerous travels, other pack members disappearances, and the fact that a new lead male was standing beside Minka..." Nari paused unsure of how to control the emotions raging across her features. "I lost my mate, the respect of my packmates, my placement, and almost lost a child all during the time of that mission to help Shade which ended in failure anyway..." Nari let a small growl slip past her teeth as she thought of the dark wolf she once called brother. Because of him she had almost lost everything she had worked so hard to get.

"I confronted Elettra about Shades death ready to kill her for killing him, but once I found out about how and why he left the Ridge I had no reason to hurt El. She did almost exactly what I would have done in her situation. I... I hope you understand Silver. Shade was my pack mate, but more like an older brother to me. I looked up to him and trusted him, but to have that happen.. was ..ridiculous. " She confessed slowly while lowering her blue eyes to the dirt. Nari shook all over then realized what she was doing and cleared her throat while standing for a moment to shake her whole frame. After that the queen took a few deep breaths to calm herself and hide away the insecurities that moments ago had been showing plainly for all to see. Holding her head still now and stiffening her body to look calm, Nari continued.

"So... yeah, that's what has happened to me this past winter, and it sucked. Present day problems include two traitors from my own pack named Minka Leigh and Tokino Lagina. I accepted the fact that Minka wanted to leave to start her own pack, and I encouraged it too. Tokino, my uncle, had even stated that he would not be staying for long within my pack, and has many times said he was leaving soon. So when he said he would leave beside Minka as her mate I was also fine with this and encouraged it. " Nari started getting flustered again just thinking about the pair of wolves who had left her own pack. "However they proceeded to stay within my borders to breed and tried to recruit members for their pack from the rest of my own subordinates. THAT I would not accept. I was injured while attempting to drive Tokino out of the territory for being a smart-ass. Then Ash, the lead male beside me now, helped to kick them out while I received care for my injuries. Hence the reason I was munching on hellebore before you noticed me. I was treating the headaches from a concussion I got in the fight." Narime tipped her head to the side trying to indicate the bump on her head. Then she sighed heavily unsure if she had thoroughly bored Silver yet.

"Sorry about that rant.. I had to get that frustration out... It was really getting to me before." The gray wolf then finally shut her mouth and let Silver edge any questions in.

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the snow. Hunt Opportunity

It was a lot to take in. It was most certainly more than she was prepared for. Her whole heart, at least what was left, shattered. Her emotions didn't know where to go. Was she to be angered or sad? Understanding or argumentative?

Shade was the betrayer. She didn't want to believe it. She shook her head as if trying not to believe that. Had that meant she had been following a liar? Once again she felt a spur of emotions. Her ears pinned on her head upset at what she heard and upset in her past decisions. It made her think about Karpos and Adsila. Were the two Slayer children aware of what happened? Were they aware that Elettra wasn't the evil one? It made her cringe to think about Shade's killer not being the evil one, but Silver trusted Narime's words.

She was quickly pulled back into Narime's words. She spoke of not only one, but two traitors. Minka Leigh and Tokino Lagina. Silver didn't know either of the wolves but she assumed they played a big role in this rant that was to happen. She only felt a bit of guilt as Narime spoke of the two breeding in Whisper Caverns. That should have been obvious that Narime would get angered over such things. As Whisper Caverns was Narime's own pack. So Silver could nod slowly in understanding over that. Though it seemed things got worse for Narime. The traitors also were taking members. It caused a sour taste in her mouth.

As Narime came to an end of speaking Silver assumed it was safe to speak, to get everything out. "I-I don't know what to say. I thought that Shade was the good guy and Elettra was the evil one. Though I guess you need two sides to a story to understand who plays the real roles." She sighed softly looking down the the ground. "I wish I could make things right but it's too late for that." It was far to late. As Shade was dead and she was sure Elettra would never want to see her face.

"I'm sorry for your loss too. I can't really understand what all you've gone through on a personal level, but if there is anything I can do to help you and Whisper Caverns just let me know." This brought another thought to her head. With the loss of members Narime would certainly be in need of another member, right? Silver could offer her paws to help the pack too. That was if Narime was willing to accept her in and take her offer. "Perhaps I can be of use to you and Whisper Caverns? I can provide my scout skills to your pack. I only ask that you allow me some time to do a few things. I promise to return back to you." She offered the idea with a shy smile to the silver female. Silver wouldn't mind if her idea was shot down or not really, she just thought it was time to do something with her life with a place she could call home.