Underground Sea a dustland fairytale

@Ace <3 - and it starts dun dun duhhhn

She had yet to truly have a long conversation with Ace (anything more than a hello) since she had risen to power nearly a week and a half prior. The fact was they had both been swept up in their jobs to stop and talk but things had declined a bit for Aes so she figured she would tag along to see what Ace was doing that day. Perhaps they could go hunting or something. That reminded Aes that she had to tell Ace about her cousin residing within the pack. Perhaps Ace would be a bit nicer - oh who was she kidding, he was a giant teddy bear. She had to admit that her flirtacious relationship with Ace felt different than it had with her formerly best friend Rainar. Perhaps he had always known Rainar was trouble.

Her wandering had unknowingly pulled her away from pack territories which was an almost certainty that she'd never find her friend. Perhaps he too would wander but she continued to fail to notice it as she pondered what exactly was different about Ace. She was positive that even her gut instincts had now known about the evil that Rainar had held so why was her relations with Ace so different than what she had felt for the other man. There had certainly never been any romance between her and Rainar and as far as she could tell, which she was fairly clueless with, there wasn't any between herself and Ace. Her heart told her otherwise but she had long since muted her heart. Perhaps she needed someone to turn up the speakers on it.

@Aesire

It had been a week and a half since Ace has seen his new friend around. Well, he had seen her, but they hadn't conversed with more than a 'hello'. He supposed it was because they were both busy with their own tasks of making sure the pack would survive throughout winter, but he missed being in her company. Being with her was like taking a break from life, and he felt at ease when he was around her. Maybe that was the cause of his sudden decision to leave the pack territory and explore the nearby cavern that he had previously seen but never entered. Quickly padding towards the entrance, the first thing Ace saw when he entered was a vibrant blue lake and a small trickling waterfall spilling fresh water down from the rocky walls. The cavern was dimly lit, and he had to strain his eyes to pick out the definite shape of a wolf.

Padding closer to the wolf he inhaled deeply, his tail wagging and a smile gracing his features when he realized it was Aesire. Barking softly to announce his presence to his friend, the Silver Male slowly sidled up next to her, gently bumping her should with his own. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He commented absently on the pool before them, focusing his gaze on her face instead of their surroundings. Ace smiled warmly as he stood next to his friend, drinking in the peace that he felt while he was around her. It was so relaxing, to not have to worry about whether or not they will survive to the next day.

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@Ace <3

Aes had barely noticed the dark grey man sneak up behind her until his words sent her pelt on edge. She turned to be face to face with her best friend but instead of acting rashly in defense, a wide smile grew. She was glad to see him and she nodded before turning her gaze back to the perfectly picturesque display in front of them. “It’s breath taking Ace. How have you been?” She asked out of a blatant curiosity as she kept her gaze focused on the sunrise. She tried to keep the heat from rising to her cheeks in a blush but she was not fortunate enough to be able to say she was successful. Her tail swayed side to side in perfect rhythm with her heartbeat which was beating faster than it should.

Her emerald eyes gazed at her reflection in the underground sea and she saw Ace beside herself from what felt like the clouds. Was that what they both looked like? Did she really look that confused and nervous? It made her worried that she had somehow gotten it all wrong. She took a deep and calming breath as she tried to keep her emotions in check. She was failing miserably with remaining calm and prospering in the pack. She thought of all of the things that she had to tell him about. There was the fact that her cousin Heigen was a member of the pack and that she had become leader. There was the fact that most of the women in the pack disliked her and sought to get their greedy paws on the crown themselves. She had much to be worried about, even in the presence of her rock and best friend.

@Aesire <3

His tail wagged happily when Aesire turned to face him with a wide smile on his face, showing her appreciation and happiness at him being there. It felt good to be wanted and loved again, after everything bad that had happened to him lately. Meeting the earthy hued female was like a rainbow shining brightly in the sky after a particularly horrible thunderstorm. Friendship was one of the greatest gifts of life, and he would cherish it forever. Always and forever. "I've been very busy preparing the pack for winter, there hasn't been much prey around recently and it worries me that we won't have enough food to survive till spring. And maybe I've been just a little but lonely without my friend." He smiled warmly at her as he spoke.

Gazing at their reflections in the Underground Sea, the Silver Male's brows furrowed when he noticed that his friend was looking all confused and nervous. She seemed worried, and he wasn't sure if it was just about winter or if it was something more. He heard her take a deep, almost calming breath and turned his head to look at her real face, instead of the image reflected ahead of them. He wanted to know what she was thinking about, to know what was making her so worried about something. "Is something the matter, Aesire?" He asked softly, his voice almost pleading with her to answer him with why her mood was subfuscous. It worried him to see his friend worried.

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@Ace <3

Ace spoke his own worried and for the slightest second she had hoped that her defenses had held up and she did not appear as worried as she thought she had been but then he asked if something was wrong and she knew she was cracking under pressure. The fact was leadership was far more stressful than she had hoped it would be but the tension among herself and the others had probably made it worse. She looked up and let her eyes close for a few seconds before she opened them again and looked at her friend. "Ace, there was a tournament for the right to rule beside Phineas as queen, though not his queen obviously - I won it all by beating a woman named Myrrhis and a woman named Aestyn in a series of spars but I don't even know what I'm doing. I thought I could do it but I just don't know." She thought about providing background but she was too confused to think about it that way.

While her mind was still weighed down it felt like a ton had been lifted from it. She cleared her mind a bit. "The other ladies of the pack don't like me. I can feel the tension whenever I'm around them and it's only a matter of time before I'm challenge again. In fact, I'm surprised @Aestyn hasn't challenged me again already." She admitted the fact as she leaned her head onto Ace's shoulder. She hadn't been thinking, it had just been a natural reaction. She wouldn't have told him about it and would have kept up her charade if she didn't trust him with her life.

@Aesire <3

Looking into Aesire's emerald green eyes - they briefly reminded him of his long lost sister, Jasmine - the Silver Male listened silently and attentively as she told him what was going on in that pretty little mind of hers. So that was where she had run off to after they had sparred, to go to this tournament to see who would win the female leadership role. It didn't surprise him that she had come out on top. Her attacks had been ferocious yet calculated as they sparred with each other, and it helped that she had such a large weight to through around. He was happy for her that she was now the lead female, and remembered to the time where he was briefly the lead male of Pitch Pine Trail before its untimely downfall. When she told him of being confused as to what to do, he smiled, gently touching his side to hers. "I was a leader once," he said gently, "if there's anything you need to know I'm sure I'll be able to answer any questions you have." He'd do anything for her, anything that she asked, because that was what friends did for each other.

However, when she spoke of the other women in the pack acting aggressively to her - as was natural - his fur bristled slightly, even though it was to be expected. Just thinking of the others being spiteful to her... it riled him up that they had the chutzpa to do so. It didn't matter to him that this was natural behavior for females, but that fact that it was all towards Aesire set him on edge. When his friend leaned her head on his shoulder, the Silver Male rumbled softly, liking the feel of her fur against his and the close distance between them. "I'm sure they are all just jealous you won the tournament and the role of lead female. Tension in the pack would have happened no matter who won, but I'm sure you'll be able to stand your ground against them." Ace felt the burning desire to help his friend in any way possible, even if it was just to calm her thoughts about her predicament.

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@Ace <3

She could hear and practically feel the protectiveness that had come with her words about what had been going on with the gals of the pack. It was impossible to tell how Muerda had felt about it as she had opened up and let out very few emotions. Another thing was she had never met Desdemona so Aes had no idea how she felt about it. Seraphina was a rival to her and already did not like her and Aestyn hadn't been too friendly after the tourney - probably because she had lost, so she determined that Ace was right. She let out a small deep breathe at a slow pace before tilting her head up to look at her friend. His words had caught her interest. "You've led a pack before?" Curiosity stained her voice as she wondered what had led her friend to leave this pack he had led. Perhaps fate had not been kind to him. She knew that feeling.

A slight tang of jealousy had plagued her when he had mentioned leading. Did that mean he had a mate and he had led beside her or was it something similar to her and Phineas where they simply led side by side? Perhaps he could enlighten her as to what had happened. She looked out on the water, keeping her head where it was, hoping he did not mind as he had not said anything. Their sides met and she fought back a smirk. The flirtatious war that had been going on for quite some time had come to a halt for this particular encounter and for good reason - these were very serious matters.

@Aesire <3

Ace chuckled softly when his friend curiously asked if he had actually led a pack before. Yes, he had, but his time of reign had been brief, only three months. He had taken over Pitch Pine Trail when his best friend and leader died after running into Elettra, the one and only matriarch of Willow Ridge. Though it had always been in his best interest to lead a pack, taking over from Shade had been one of the hardest things he'd ever do in his life. It meant he was acknowledging the passing of his friend, the one that had brought him to the pack. It reminded him of his family when the rogue band attacked. That had been one of the worst days of his life, if not the worst.

Looking sideways at the earthy hued female, Ace smiled. Maybe it would do good to tell her of his past, as friends often did. "Yes, it was called Pitch Pine Trail. I stepped up to lead when my best friend and the previous leader died from his wounds after a fatal run-in with the matriarch of Willow Ridge. I lead beside Anastasia for a while, it was purely platonic, and after about a month she left the pack to go join another. There was a wolf in the pack, her name was Silver, and we... well, I was interested in her, to say the least, and she was interested in me." He paused, hoping that Aesire wouldn't think too differently of him after he voiced about his crush on Silver. That was long gone now, however, the love had since faded. "We led together for a bit, but when Winter came around everything started to crumble and the pack disbanded. Silver and everyone else was gone, so I, along with one of Shade's pups Adsila, went to Magnolia Glen where I met Phineas. And then I guess it all leads to where I am now, here with you." When Ace finished his speech he was silent as he waited for all of the information to sink in.

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@Ace <3

A certain sadness accompanied Ace's tale as he spoke of death and leadership because a friend had died. She plastered a frown upon her face as she looked at him, removing her head from his shoulder for the short time with a soft whine. "I'm so sorry Ace, it must have been difficult to lose a friend in such terrible ways." Her words were meant for comfort though it had been quite a while since this friend had died. "Where is Silver now? Did an ill fate take her too>" She couldn't help the curiosity to learn all she could about Ace's love interest and she began to wonder if there was anything else there behind it. She would like to think it former because Silver left him.

She wished she could tell him her tale right now but he would look down on her forever and that was what stung. If she told him the truth about it all then she would have lost a best friend. With a small sigh she looked back at him, her head once again resting on her shoulder. "Ace, where is the young princess? I'd very much like to meet her - I know what it's like to lose a family." She looked towards the sturdy and stable Guardian with just more curiosity filling her tone. She was a leader, yes, and she had never heard of Adsila before how. Was the young child still a part of the pack anymore? Was the princess of Pitch Pine Trail in Silent Moon Plateau?

@Aesire <3

Aesire's words were comforting in a way the none other's were. They were spoken in a way that made it seem as if she had felt this kind of pain before, or was even still feeling that pain. He managed a weak smile in return, one that barely reached his silver eyes which betrayed the deep sadness he felt. So much hurt had happened to him in his life; he had lost practically every wolf he ever cared about, and it was starting to com to a point where he began to think that maybe he just shouldn't open his heart to others, lest he feel that pain once more. His hopes and dreams always began to evanesce before he could truly appreciate them, and he was sick of it. However, there was only one thing holding him back, and that was the comfort he felt from Aesire, something that trumped feeling nothing at all. "For a long time I thought she was gone, but not even two weeks ago I ran into her by Lost Lake. There was no love lost between our interaction." Ace turned his head away to look at the glassy wall, remembering the encounter like it had been yesterday.

Looking back at Aesire when he heard her sigh softly and gently lay her head back on his shoulder, a small smile lifted up the corners of his lips. Even without trying or knowing about it she could make him smile. "Adsila?" He said softly. "Six months before Magnolia Glen relocated here in the mountains and became Silent Moon plateau, her brother appeared at the borders to take Adsila with him to Cut Rock River on the other side of the mountain. I knew I had no hold over what she did and let her leave, and since then I haven't received and word of how they are doing but I know that they are safe in their pack." He did miss Adsila, like a father would miss his daughter. Even though they weren't related by blood, it was the relationships that decided how one felt about another. "I'm sure if we went to Cut Rock River we cold meet both Adsila and Karpos."

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