Hush Meadow if we loved again I swear I'd love you right

@Ash I jumped the gun, but post whenever you have time(:
Notes: Dated a few days after her thread with Zaru, so around 10/16. Also if @Narimé or @Rory wanted to jump in, that's fine, just let Athena and Ash talk it out for a couple rounds(:

It was time. Athena had her members set and she no longer had any need to stay beneath Ash and Narime, besides spending time with her daughter, from a distance that is. Ash needed to know this time, where she was going and why. They needed to have one more ‘talk’ before Athena broke away from him for the last time. Her move away from him would seal their fate. They would no longer have the future that she hoped for. She could feel that he had already moved on and it was probably only her that was lagging behind. Now, she knew how she felt and accepted it. She still had feelings for him, but she was forcing them away. This wasn’t their time or the right place for them. They had their run before and now it was time for them to part. Even if deep inside her, she really didn’t want to leave him again. He was her longest friend her in the Lore, but perhaps their friendship doesn’t have to end only their love for each other.

If she could approach him in the right way, perhaps Ash will accept this easily and maybe there was a chance that they could stay allies and friends. She was leaving her daughter with him and no matter what had happened between them, she still wanted the best for both of them. If @Rory was more comfortable with Ash, she would be willingly to leave her with him because she knew that he would take care of her like he had her. She would be in good hands with him. And Athena wasn’t going to force her little girl to follow her to a whole new place that would possibly dampen her progress in her social skills that she lacked in. It would be too traumatizing, but no matter how much she wanted to stay here with her, she needed to go.

That was why she was seeking Ash out this crisp, fall night with the stars high above them. She traveled to where he usually slept with Rory and just passed by the mouth of the den as she traveled back into the woods to wait. She knew he would come, eventually, curiosity taking over. She was sure he wanted to talk as much as she did and now he had the chance to speak his mind. And her as well.

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2014, 05:09 AM by Athena.)

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

The father watched with an ever patient eye as Rory slept, her slender form rising and falling peacefully, for the first time in what felt like months. Due to her malnutrition, she had not had the correct body mass for a child her age. Now that she was back under his protective wings, she had regained what had been lost and was soon going to gain what she would need for the upcoming winter. Ash had felt the familiar guilt that trickled into his heart whenever he thought about the child's mother, Athena. She had once been Ash's lover and the man still held her close to his heart, but the Guardian knew that this time he needed to keep Aurora's well being in mind. When the alpha considered the last reaction from the encounter, he had decided that it would be best that the child stay close to him, where he could keep an ever protective eye on her. Something that would certainly cause a problem as she grew in age. Of course, the scares that Ash had in the past when it came to his adoptive children did not help the situation. But he swore to do whatever it took to keep Rory under his protection.

His own thoughts were interrupted by a presence that he knew well. He sensed her before he had actual proof that she was there. His spine tingled expectantly, in remembrance of how close the pair had once been. He lifted his head from its resting position and looked towards the entrance of the den that he had picked out, his mossy green eyes searching for the familiar pure coat of his former love. Making sure that the children would not stir, Ash arose from his position, maneuvering gracefully towards where the former white queen would be. The last time that the brute had seen her had been when she had been bloodied and unkempt. Today, it seemed that Kassander had done a considerable job patching up what had been missing from the woman.

Even with many scars adjourning her body and a missing eye, she was still a beauty to behold. Still, the man had to remind himself to keep breathing, but on the outside, he was the stoic, emotionless man that she knew all to well. And as he looked at her now, his heart gave an aching pull to comfort her, but he could not make himself do so, for obvious reasons. Their time for loving one another was at an end and Ash knew that quite well. Now the Hervok had other obligations that he had to fulfill, just as he had almost had to back then. So with an internal sigh, he allowed soft words to pass through his lips, in hopes of keeping Rory asleep, "You look much healthier now...I'm glad that Kassander could help you." He decided to start out with a compliment, remembering how angry and disappointed she had been in him when he had barred her daughter away from her. A sin that he felt deep within his heart, but had no wish for it to resurface.

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Still can feel you kiss me love
Still can see your brown skin shine, shine
Still can feel you kiss me love
Come on and drive me wild
Come on and drive me wild
Come on and drive me wild
Still – Matt Nathanson

The gentle breeze wrapped around her, giving her comfort that she needed. She knew this conversation was going to be hard on both of them. They both have such a deep connection with each other and have faced so much adversity in their relationship. Their relationship, ever since the disbandment of Poison Path, has been constantly in the state of repair, but hasn’t quite completely bended yet. Both of their hearts had been broken and it felt like they could never be fixed again. And she knew that any progress that he has made in bending his heart where she broke it, would be crushed. However, she had to do it for the sake of Rory, Narime, and herself. If she didn’t leave and create her own home, she would want to challenge Narime to stand beside Ash, like she had for so long. Narime didn’t deserve that. This was her home, the home she created. She was already stripped of her right and Athena wasn’t going to try to strip it away from her again. Rory needed someone that she was comfortable with and wouldn’t be frightened by. She knew Ash loved her and Athena knew that he would take care of her. She hoped that she could still see her, but only by Rory’s terms.

Her mind ran through so many scenarios where Ash grew so upset with her decision that he barred her from ever seeing Aurora again or where he chased her off like a traitor. Athena knew that he would be upset, but she hoped that he would understand. If there was anyone on the planet that would understand her, it would be Ash. They both knew each other inside and out, but lately she was unsure. He went through so much and she felt like most of it was all her fault. How much anger was still there? He was always one to bury his feelings, so what if she hit a nerve and he blew up at her? Their friendship would be over and any thought of ever seeing Rory again was gone. Though, Athena still had some hurt buried within her as well, she wanted to make sure this meeting didn’t turn a sharp turn that would ruin her future with her daughter or Ash.

The breeze graced her with the scent of Ash fast approaching and she turned to face where he was approaching her. She was a gapeseed as she gazed into his mossy green eyes. Oh, yes she still loved that man, but her head was telling her the opposite. Her breath caught in her chest as this was the first time in a long time that he willingly came this close to her. They tried to avoid each other, but she knew that he saw her always outside the den, guarding over Rory. That was as close as they got to each other. Now, he was feet away from her, his usual stoic face gazing at her. As he looked over her scars, she never turned away to hide them. Athena wasn’t ashamed of them; she wanted him to see them. To acknowledge what she went through and what she still goes through every day.

His words were soft as he started the conversation off light. Smiling slightly, she answered with a halfhearted laugh, “Too bad he couldn’t save everything,” she said. It was obvious to what she was talking about, but a pain in her heart was a reminder that this wasn’t much of a joke. Her life was immensely more difficult now that she only had one eye. She had to rely on her other senses to make up for what she lost. Her smile faded as she turned to a more serious note. “How is she doing?” She asked even though she watched her constantly, it wasn’t the same. She couldn’t feel her heartbeat every night. She couldn’t try to ask her herself. She was still an outsider in her daughter’s life; she was just a shadow in the bushes.

(This post was last modified: Nov 08, 2014, 04:20 AM by Athena.)

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

The male took a good amount of time evaluating the other woman's body. Ash was sure that Athena knew that he was looking at her, and he knew that was not bothered by it. They were, after all, star-crossed lovers. He wanted to know how she was...he really wanted to talk to her, but he knew that their time for that was way past, and right now there were more important things to discuss. He knew that it must be something serious if she needed to talk to him while he was attending to little Rory. She was so young and winter would soon be upon them. She would need much more caring to, and more focus on her social skills. If Ash had only been a father long ago and never let Eden remain by Athena's side, things may have gone differently and they would have had a chance. Once again, his former love, Treena, crept into his mind, and Ash was once again reminded of how much fate went against him when it came to love. He had that particular emotion shoved in his face a countless number of times since he had entered the lore. It almost made him want to return to his former profession, where there was no such time for such a thing.

Her voice broke through his thoughts though, and she once again had his devoted attention. Her words brought an ache to his chest and though he was tempted to once again break eye contact, his determination won over, and the worst that happened was a slight purse of his dark lips. He wanted to be able to help her, but he also knew that his heart didn't belong to her anymore. He sighed, his ears flicking towards her as she asked about her daughter. The fur along his spine tingled with unease but otherwise he remained calm. He debated on how to answer and decided to go with the truthful answer. The complete truth, "She is getting better. Not as strong as I would like her to be, but a work in progress. Her heart beat is strong and she has regained some much needed fat. Every day is better." As he spoke of the child, his voice grew more tranquil, the child's effect on him quite obvious to those around him. He wished things could be different, but Rory was one of his top priorities right now, and that wasn't going to change.

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She watched his eyes rove over her, but this time the chill that usually came with his wondering eyes, did not creep through her body. They had lost their spark and both of them knew it. Hardship and tragedy broke the two of them apart and there was no way for them to bend their broken pieces. They were too far gone to save each other. Her own eye gazed over him as well, but not much of him had changed. He was still his strong and muscular self, but that was only on the outside. The inside of him was a different story. She knew he was just as broken inside as she was. They were connected indefinitely because of the hardships they had faced together, but their time for love was over. She knew she couldn't love him like he deserved to be. He needed to find someone new, someone that he didn't face so many hardships and broken hearts with. No matter how much she wanted to love him and be with him, she knew they couldn't. The world had broken them and no amount of love could completely bend their broken pieces.

There was a unsettling silence that followed her words about her daughter and she wondered for a moment if Ash wouldn't tell her anything. But then his gentle words broke through the silence. She was indeed getting better with each day. Athena was very thankful for the way Ash protected her and hoped that it would always stay that way. In time, though, Athena hoped that some day her daughter could come back to her and understand why she was doing this. She hoped that one day her daughter could love her as much as she loved her. “Please tell her how much I love her everyday.” She whispered, her heart going out to her Aurora. “I wish there was another way, Ash. I really do,” she said, her eyes finally going back up to meet his mossy eyes. “No matter how much I wish I could stay here with you and Rory, I know its for the best. Rory is afraid of the sight of me and I don't want to hinder any progress she's making with you. And you don't need me around to remember all the pain we went through and the pain I caused you. I think I'm going to go back to the Lake.” She wasn't sure what was going to come next. He could react with anger like he usually did, but he had to understand that it was the best for the three of them. She hoped that he would allow her to leave peacefully and they could be on good terms like they should. So then Athena would be able to come see her little girl, but Ash was sometimes unpredictable. And right now, she didn't know what he was going to do.

(This post was last modified: Dec 10, 2014, 04:36 AM by Athena.)

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

The alpha remained silent, waiting for some kind of confirmation from Athena that would signify that she understood what he was saying. He feared few things and losing Athena had once been one of things that had terrified him once. But that was no longer the case, his fear was now directed to something much more close to his heart now...and that included more than one lady. He would never tell his former lover this though, knowing that it would be a crime to love more than one woman at once. He had, unfortunately been culprit to the sin more than once. Actually, it was constantly a thing, his heart still caught up on Treena, a woman he still held dearly to his heart and had so much to thank her for. For showing him how to love. He use to be a monster and she had turned Ash into someone that he could end up being proud of at the end of his life. When Athena spoke, he remained silent, not knowing how to respond to her plea and certainly not promising anything to her. Aurora deserved better than what had been given to her and he wanted to be able to give her the life that she deserved, not one that had been dealt to her with fate. However, as Athena continued to speak, Ash's thoughts got pulled away towards Rory's future, and instead towards that of his pure white Queen. He shifted easily, not knowing how to respond to what she was saying. Of course, Athena would always be able to work her way into Ash's heart and so it made it hard for him to be able to make a decision about their future, especially since Nari's attitude towards the situation had not been presented. So clearing his throat, he said the only thing he could think of, "Your relations with the pack is up to Narimé. I suggest you take your plans to her...I hope you find happiness Athena...especially since I was unable to give it to you." He attempted to give her a smile, something he was sure looked sour upon his lips as he waited for a response.

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