Sex: FemaleEver since Vaeta had returned from her unannounced scouting trip, Nina had been pleased to hear of the news of her father's scent being found near the mountains. At the news of her former alpha's appearance, the mother was quick on her paws to let the pack know of her departure for a few days before leaving. She was now on the mountains near Lost Lake, where her brother's back once was, and had decided to take a break to think about what she was going to tell @Ruiko. Nina had not spoken to him since he had announced that he was leaving Copper Rock Creek with his mate and children. At first, the woman had been crushed and angry at them for what they were doing, but it had always been their decision with what they were doing with their life. If they had not left, Nina would have never become alpha of Secret Woodlands, and she wouldn't have the foundation and family she had now.
Secretly, Nina hoped to be able to speak on peaceful terms with the man when she found him, which was still going to take quite a few days, but the Healer knew that it had been quite a long time since she had laid eyes on the Tainn. He could certainly be a different man that he was back then. The Hervok knew that she had certainly changed since their last exchange, which was...at least a few years ago. The thought never crossed the golden woman's mind that they had really been gone for that long. She had certainly grown since then and she was proud of the growth and connections she had made throughout the lands. Trying to clear her mind of her thoughts for the future, Nina bent down and took a quick drink from the icy lake, hoping that someday soon she would come into contact with her former superior.
It made no sense – one night she had been by his side, the next she had simply not been. Aeylen’s disappearance was a mystery to him – had she left of her own accord? Gotten lost? Or had something terrible happened to her? Ruiko had tried to track her and came up with nothing – the days had turned to weeks, and then weeks to months. An emptiness had crowded his heart at his loss, and once more, Relic Lore had taken away another of his loved ones. Ruiko Tainn had no other option but to consider himself a widower.
He had greyed the past few months with his grief. His once large and robust figure had thinned almost as drastically as during the harsh winter months of famine, and there was a dull hollowness in his cheeks and face. The day found him straying along the mountain slopes and away from the pack lands – solace was what he sought, and with each step, he felt even older than before. Time was ticking by, and it seemed impossible to believe that four years ago had been when his brother and he had maintained their family from the burning flames that had licked at The Wildwood and then laid claim to Swift River.
The chapters of his story seemed endless, and yet there would be no happy ending for the once regal creature. His mate was lost, his best friend a betrayer. Corinna was dead and now, Triell, who he recalled as clear as day as the small cub was now leading the pack with two children of his own.
If anything, Ruiko could only claim that time was cruel, and fate was but a mistress to the devil.
As he wandered, he came closer to a lake. The scent of water brought him from his reverie, and it was then that he noticed a figure beside it, drinking from its depths. The tawny form would have reminded of Aeylen, but her fur was not as full. Yet there was something enticingly familiar about her scent..
She would have seen the figure out of the corner of her eye if it hadn't been for her blind side. Even if she had become accustomed to her eye being shut, the mother still had disadvantages. She had been so use to staying inside of the thickets, that sometimes she forgot that she still had to protect herself and be alert of her surroundings. And so, the woman continued to sit their in oblivion, her head only turning to look at the path that she would be taking, and that was when she saw him. It was almost hard to mistake him, but it had been so long; it was the only reason she hesitated. Never had she seen another wolf as large as Ruiko, and pair that with his familiar pelt and pale eyes; his portrait was complete. Still, she did not know how much Ruiko had changed over the years, and Nina was hesitate in taking a step closer, her single-eyed gaze narrowing, as if trying to piece together a complicated mystery.
Surely she had changed from the timid, shy woman she once was. She was still a woman of few words, but she was confident in vocalizing herself know and she knew she would be able to defend herself, Sloane had made sure of that. She spoke calmly, her voice coming out strong and sure, ”Ruiko.” It wasn't a question but a simple statement, and she watched him closely, wondering if he had ever thought of Copper Rock Creek as she had often wondered about Ruiko's family. Nina wanted to see his reaction, if he even remembered her, which was something that she was clinging onto hope that he would. Otherwise, her trip would have been, almost, completely pointless.
He studied her for a few moments – confused by the female’s presence and how achingly familiar it seemed to him. She looked to him then – his golden eyes cast over her slender form, and her one good eye.. he knew that singular eye, from the very depths of his soul and from bonds that had once been forged almost as strong as blood.
Nina,he returned within moments of his own name spoken, and he stilled his large figure, not daring to move closer to the woman he had once known.She seemed untouched by time, as if he was looking back at her but two years ago, a loyalist who had taken care of his children and guarded the pack borders above and beyond what others had done – Kanosak, Kashikoi, Volkan, Kinis, Sloane, Pakuna… Aeylen. Yet as she was before him to shake him back to the past, he noted she was also very different – but she was now a stranger and he could not place why, or how.
It has been some time,he murmured, his emotions reigned in. Somehow, conversation that had cone come between the two so easily was almost forced, and he felt his muscles remain tense at her presence – Copper Rock Creek had been displeased by he and Aeylen’s decision to depart from the valley they considered so tainted by loss, and yet none of them had stayed to maintain it. Instead, they too had left one another – but he did not blame them. Only felt a stir of confusion to this decision when they had been so adamant to sticking together. Perhaps, without the bond of puppies to care for, the pack had simply drifted apart.If he closed his eyes, he could still smell the fresh water of the creek, as it clung to his pelt so long ago. And perhaps it was the reminiscing he suddenly felt, but he did not see nor scent the cougar that now prowled around the corner, its eyes glinting toward the pair.
The woman watched her former leader closely, noting his tensed body posture and intense gaze. She remained at a comfortable distance from him, not wanting to make either of them feel completely uncomfortable. When he spoke, it was as if they were back at the Creek and once again the Hervok was bowing respectively towards him for taking care of her and allowing her to stay with them. Things had changed though...many things had changed. Those things being that she was a mother and an alpha now. She nodded her head at his words, responding strongly, ”It has been...I hope you have been well.” It pleased her to know that he remembered her, just as she remembered him. At first, there had certainly been bitter memories at Aeylen and Ruiko's departure, but as time went on, she had accepted their decision. It had been the point in their lives where they had just needed to move on. And that was exactly why Copper Rock Creek had disbanded. The members had needed to move on and start anew, which is exactly what they did.
As much as she wanted to speak with Ruiko and tell him of her successes, it would not be. For as the wind blew fiercely, she could smell the scent of a predator. And as she turned, her golden form tensed, she watched the cougar as it made its way towards them. Instinctively, her head lowered to protect her throat and her tail curled between her legs. With her ears pinned back against her head and her lips pulled back to reveal her canine's Nina let out an aggressive snarl. Hopefully, if Ruiko was still able to, they would be able to stop the cougar.
He studied the she-wolf – she had changed much, not physically.. but the way she held herself. The way she looked to him now. Nina had been a true confidant in his days of Copper Rock Creek.. she had always been one to keep the borders under tight reign, and had some of the most exceptional healing knowledge he had come to know.
Whatever could have been spoken between the two shifted, and as he saw her tense, his gaze drifted from her to look in the direction she cast her good eye now. The wind only then whipped past his nostrils, causing them to flare as they tantalized a deadly mistake on his error – the cat was closer than ever now, and as eye contact was made, it seemed to know its chance was now or never.
The large male tensed even further then, his paws digging to the ground as his ears slid back. A ruptured snarl escaped his loosely open jaws, and as the cougar leapt forward to barrel toward him, the tawny wolf met the blow with only one thought on his mind: survival for both he and Nina.
But the cat’s weight bested his own, and pushed back, his muzzle lowered to snap at his opponent’s throat, feeling his teeth graze flesh, but more importantly, the burning of his own – a great paw had swiped down, striking him to the side as its own teeth pierced in to his shoulder, pulling away fur and sinew. A snarl escaped him then as he twisted away, his golden eyes flashing as he propelled forward to move in to the feline and knock it from its paws.
The flurry of motion was something that might have been impossible to witness -- the blur of golden and cream pelts against one another, the snarls that would rip from the wolf's jaws and the yowls that would escape the lynx. The ground spotted itself with blood, and only when Ruiko's jaws clamped upon his opponent's jugular did a shrill shriek escape the beast -- but it was soon drowned with a gargle as its life ebbed away, leaving the golden wolf victorious.
He felt the creature slump, and with a snarl to reveal his displeasure and pride, the male took a step back — and then stumbled. The adrenaline that had coursed through his body had hidden it well, but now, his gaze sunk down to see the obscenely large gash upon his side.. and the blood that stained his fur a deep crimson. Blinking dazedly, he glanced sharply up, his gaze seeking out Nina before he felt his forelimbs slump forward, unable to hold his weight anymore. His jaws opened to speak, but nothing came out except a low grunt before the large beast fully fell to the ground.
His eyes were bright as they remained upon his old comrade, and with a shudder that wracked his body, he realized this would be his end.
"My family," the male managed to rasp, his voice soft with the strength it took to speak — but before he could finish, the light of his eyes would fade.. and Ruiko Tainn would move no more.
She never was one to engage in a fight unless it was needed of her. And so when her former king launched himself at the beast, Nina continued to watch, her single emerald eye watching the scene in agonizing stillness, her heart pounding fiercely in her chest. She did not know what to do, and while she could see that Ruiko was certainly receiving quite the beating, there were no signs of extreme damage. The man, in the end, was victorious. But with every victory came a cost. The Healer watched as her friend, if she could even call him that now, made eye contact with her. In one swift motion he was down and Nina was standing to his side, her green eye filled with familiar pain. She had loved Ruiko at one point, when they had been a family. It pained her greatly to have to see his demise.
In an act of sympathy and perhaps comfort for herself, she pressed her nose into the curvature of his neck as he took his final deep breaths. He muttered two words. Words that Nina would never forget before he passed. The mother laid beside the large man for quite some time, her single eye taking in the bloody mess that was lost lake. Tonight the lake would be stained red. She knew that she should have returned to her pack then, to tell them of what had happened, but Oak Tree Bend deserved to know what happened to their pack mate. And she had already told Koda that she would be gone for quite some time. They should consider her wishes and know that she would return. So with one last parting kiss to Ruiko's cheek, Nina made her way towards where Vaeta had described the area. Hopefully, she would be able to find what she was looking for and soon depart.
