Oak Tree Bend Tell the World

@Jessie then @Triell - Hope this is cool with both of y'all, otherwise just shoot me a PM ^^

Home! The familiar scent of deciduous trees and dampness engulfed him, every leap taking him deeper into the forest he knew so well. Joy put a spring in his step, making him almost prance along the snow-covered underbrush, while he breathed in deeply, filling his lunges with crisp winter air over and over, searching for the smells unique to Oak Tree Bend. Any moment, he waited for the marks of Triell and Nayeli to fill his flaring nostrils, the notes of his pack mates mingled with the leaders' more apparent scent; Will Zera's and Darrah's be there? They would have grown old enough to possibly explore the borers while he was away; It's been so long..! Zera's scent will most definitely be there! A broad grin graced his face; oh it should be good to come home; Seeing the little buggers again! He hardly took notice of the grey shape moving along beside him, his own elation filling him too much to take note of whether she was equally happy to be back; he just assumed she was. No, his thoughts were filled with the things he had learned, getting ready to report them, as well as bubbling joy at the prospect of seeing his friends again, his family! And finally their scents filled his nose, Triell's familiar musk standing out clearly between the dead smells of trees and snow; almost as soon as he smelled it, he lifted his head to call for his leaders, glee echoing in hiss loud howl; "We're home!" Finally! Only as they got closer, did his brow begin to furrow; something was missing. As he'd expected, he could detect the pups' scents around the territory, their half year making them daring and wide-ranging, but where was their mother? No matter how deeply he sniffed, Drestig could not catch more than the faintest whiff of old scent left behind by the alphess, she clearly hadn't been near the border for months. And she wasn't the only one! Another scent had grown stale in the forest, though this one had been faint and fleeting even as the Avalon and his companion left, it had always been present, adding itself possessively to the smell-scape that was Oak Tree Bend; Ruiko... As they crossed the border, the black man turned his fiery gaze to his companion, looking at her with brows furrowed into a distinct frown; his eyes asking her a silent question; You notice this, what's up?! They slowed down a bit, waiting for their leaders to come greet them, and that was when he noticed the other scent, something new - which in itself shouldn't bother him, there were plenty signs of new members joining while they'd been gone - but something about it made his memory itch, his stomach tightening uncomfortably; What is this?! Suddenly he was feeling very anxious, and he couldn't wait for Triell to show up; What is going on here?! Word count: 489 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

While she was excited about the prospect of finally returning home, she was also extremely nervous and unsure of how her encounter with @Hotei would occur. She hoped that he would at least wait until she got business done with Triell before they continued on in their bitching sessions. However, the thoughts of her mate soon fled her mind as Drestig and her grew closer and closer to where their destination would be. She had grown to almost have an appreciation for his presence. There was no need for them to speak to communicate and the Tainn found their silence almost...comforting. He had shown great progress and had proven to her that he would eventually be worthy of obtaining the position of Scout. Of course, when he was finally given the role would be fully up to Triell and Nayeli. Jessie wasn't a huge fan of children, until they matured and got much older, but she was pleased to be able to tell that the children were alright and unharmed. It did, however, make her uneasy that there were so many unknown, new scents since they had left. It meant that numbers had grown and there were many new wolves for the traveling companions to find out about.

As they grew near, she found another disturbing thing. The once familiar scent of Nayeli was no where near the lands and as they finally crossed the border, Jessie's heart seized violently in her chest. She had the best nose in the pack and there was no denying the fact that Nayeli was gone. The pepper and salt colored woman's emerald eyes met those of Drestig. She shook her head soundlessly, not knowing what had become of her lady. Even with her partner's call, @Triell had still not arrived, and Jessie called out with a polite, "Sir." Her call echoed throughout Oak Tree Bend territory, wanting them to be able to get their portion of the trip out of the way so that their alpha could tell them what the hell was going on. It was unlike Nayeli to disappear...so something must have happened.

(This post was last modified: Dec 05, 2014, 02:12 AM by Jessie.)

Nayeli and Ruiko were still lost souls. Triell somberly walked along his borders, pressing his paws in both mud and snow. Any hope he had held was swiftly dwindling with each snow fall. But, it did not stop him from questioning if he should do more. If he should leave the Bend to find his mate, his brother.

It was the aroma of a vole, that drew his attention, and he aggressively poked his muzzle around the hole it had dug. About to dig, a powerful howl of happiness stopped him.. Drestig? It could only be the ink cloaked scout. He...he was really back. The leader fumbled for a moment, hesitating to bound to them. They were coming back to a changed pack. What would they think? Sucking in a breath, the brute raised his tail, and steadily set off to greet the returning Bend wolves. It was Jessie's howl, that caused him to raise his own muzzle, returning the call. He was on his way.

Stiffened stride he was certain where Jessie's voice had come from, and focused solely on it. Or at least he tried. The thud of his heart felt heavy, when his coppery eyes caught sight of the silver lady, and black wolf. A bark announced his arrival, but he did not halt. With raised head, and tail the leader stuck his nose to their backs, and flanks, checking them over. Then quickly brushed his head against their shoulders in affection, and to set stronger set of the Bend upon them. A step back, he looked between them, a quiet sigh falling from his lips. "I'm glad you are home," he spoke, keeping a firm voice, while he tried to smile. Of course they would know it wasn't a real one. Behind his strong mask, he was broken. Triell did not let his ears shift, he forced his face to remain serious to set the tone. "I'm sure you can tell, she's gone. We still haven't found out why she hasn't come back, or Ruiko. It can't be good. With you both to the west, and the arrival of winter we haven't done a thorough search either," he admitted, growing silent. Surely they had their own news, and questions. At least that was in the open.

The black male was patrolling the borders when he heard the call. He stood still, wondering if he should answer it, since he had called for Triell. It seemed that they were finally home, and though that filled him with a semblance of relief, it was like a switch had turned back on within him. It filled him with relief, yes, but as he heard the beckoning call of his mate calling for their leader, he felt that familiar anger boiling within him. He remembered the anger he had felt during that first week she was gone. She had told him nothing. Though, she never did really. He didn't know how they seemed to function together. It was like their relationship was poison, but they craved it all the same.

His paws moved on their own accord, leaving the route he was patrolling to head to the call. His yellow orbs remained frosty as usual, but his inner thoughts were all over the damn place. He reached them seconds after Triell did, and through his anger, relief and happiness broke through. It was good to see Drestig, since the man seemed to be his only true acquaintance, but it was an even better feeling seeing his gray vixen again. She was safe and sound. His younger brother spoke of Nayeli's and Ruiko's dissapearance, and his face grew somber. As he reached the group, Hotei stood beside Triell and nodded to the two scouts, offering his own silent 'welcome home'. His anger was pushed back, as guilt seemed to take its place. He would rip into Jessie later, but for now, he would tell them what he could. Opening his maw, Hotei rumbled, "I've done some searches of my own, but I am limited by my duty to the borders. Still, I have scented nothing." Absolutely zero had he found on his very brief outings outside the borders. The man clenched his jaw, letting his frustration show, but he forced himself to loosen it. Looking at Drestig and Jessie, he could.only hope that they had brought good news.

@Jessie @Triell @Hotei

As they continued moving and no one had yet to show, Jessie, seemingly growing anxious as well, lifted a call of her own, her usual formality lazing the beckoning tone. normally, the Avalon would have rolled his eyes at her, but at the moment he was too consumed by worry to care. Promptly, the grey woman's howl was answered by the familiar, booming baritone from nearby; He's coming! Drestig tried to calm himself, Triell would have answers, it would make sense; he hoped. Soon enough, the ebony titan showed up, a dominant bark greeting his returning subordinates. Drestig smiled, worries and scents momentarily forgotten as he hailed his friend and leader; "Triell." His voice was low and warm, and as the Oak Tree Bend leader renewed his claim to the homecoming scouts, the older male leaned into his touches, answering them by touching his snout to the man's jaw before he pulled back; It's truly good to be home! Then reality fell back around them. Triell's greeting, though surly heartfelt, was accompanied by a smile that was in no way convincing, and Drestig was once again aware of the missing scents; and the new ones. While the leader spoke, quickly giving his scouts a update on the current situation, Drestig kept his gaze focused on him, brows furrowed; Gone? How can they be gone?! Yes, Ruiko perhaps, but Nayeli?! What about the pups?! Triell finished, eyes showing clear signs of his dread, despite the secure tone of voice. Just as he dropped off, Drestig noticed another dark figure, appearing by his leaders side; "Hotei!" Pleased surprise lazed his voice and he flashed the scarred male a smile; though it quickly died out again, any joy of reunion killed by the somber situation. Hotei chimed in with his own addition to the search, and Drestig frowned slightly. Then after a few moments of silence, her looked between the two men; "I'm sure we can do something better now that we're home." He looked to Jessie then, both for confirmation of his words, and to further the conversation; as lead scout, he would leave it up to her to tell Triell of their discoveries; Or at least start out... Word count: 367 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

She shifted uneasily, closer to Drestig, her emerald eyes waiting to be graced with the sight of Triell. For some unknown reason, her heart sped up with the response from their alpha, comfort spreading through her from the familiar voice of her friend. He was quick to arrive to them, allowing him to remark them and tucking her head underneath his chin for longer than necessary, once again feeling like she belonged somewhere. She was finally home. It wasn't after he had come that Hotei also slipped into the area. Immediately the Tainn's eyes fixed on Triell, not allowing herself to look at him and knowing that she was surely get it later for leaving without notice. All that had mattered at the time was Drestig and her getting out of there as soon as possible, so they could return before the winter months. That had, luckily, been successful in not getting stuck on the other side of the mountain. As she continued to disregard her love, she fixed her gaze on Triell as he began to speak. Lowering her head slightly at the mention of those they had lost, she sighed in sadness, knowing she could enlighten their leader on one of the disappearances.

Her gaze moved to Drestig then, giving her the power to start on what information they had acquired through the land. Figuring she could put the man's mind at ease, as much as one could with death, with what information she had...she would start there. "Well..sir, Ruiko...is no longer with us. It seems that Lady Nina Hervok of Secret Woodlands was there for his death. Drestig found out this information when he traveled to the thickets, and it seems that they were attacked by a mountain lion and Ruiko didn't survive it. She sends her condolences..." She remained silent then, allowing Triell to have as much time as he needed to himself before they continued. For the first time since they had returned, Jessie dragged her eyes towards Hotei, knowing that Ruiko's death must have been hard on him as well.

They greeted him in turn there was stength drawn being united with his friends, the clarifacation they were part of the pack that had again swiftly changed.

It appeared another had come, and for that the Tainn was grateful. It meant his brother was closely watching over their home as well. Dark ear twisted to Hotei, and Triell tried to find comfort in his brother beside him. The words he spoke made it hard. Nothing. There wasn't anything to find, and it felt worse. If they would never know like with Volkan,Kinis, and Ice.

Drestig's offer was the best effort to raise his spirits. The Tainn wasn't sure he would let his hopes get high again. Jessie had surely found enough of the "lost", and they had just got back. Would he push his luck, sending them on another mission? "Yes, I was thinking the same. For now no one has been going too far. I want to be as ready as we can be for winter after the last one."

He heard a gentle sigh of Jessie's, and hesitantly looked into her emerald eyes. There was something terrible to come, but what would it be this time? The lady began, and everything entered his ears, but his mind took longer to register. Mountain Lion. Ruiko. Didn't survive.

Black and red dots began to smudge against his vision, and the world felt like it was beginning to tip. Hopeful to throw him off. The wolf tried to blink, to clearly see Jessie or Drestig, but they blurred and his body swayed. With a rough shake of his head, he caught himself, steadying into the side of Hotei. The leader swallowed as if that would help the hefty lump in his throat. Ruiko, just couldn't be gone. A heavy whine, he hung his head, feeling suddenly like he was made of stone.

(This post was last modified: Dec 31, 2014, 05:16 AM by Triell.)

Drestig greeted him with surprise, but it didn't hide the warmth in his tone. It was good to see the dark man again, and Hotei even allowed a small smile to grace his muzzle before once again it was smoothed into his usual stoic features. He looked to Jessie, not expecting a loving welcome for she wasn't a woman of public displays of affection, but a recognition of his existence would've been nice after being apart for so long. Mentally, he frowned deeply, annoyed with her actions of avoiding his gaze. He even felt a little hurt by her cold shoulder, but there was no way he would let either of those emotions shine through. But just to make her uncomfortable, he kept his yellow gaze steady on her form. When she spoke though, he had been expecting some sort of good news. He recieved anything but. It almost felt like he had been barreled down by a large boulder, that was the amount of his shock. Anger forgotten, as soon as he realized the meaning of her words, an ocean of grief seemed to consume the man.

His brother seemed no stranger to the emotion, for his form seemed to sway and Triell steadied his equally large form with Hotei's. He watched, almost detached, as his brother so easily shared his grief. Unlike Triell, Hotei's face was cold. He didn't like to show weakness in front of others that weren't his mate. But the grief wasn't lessening any time soon. Hotei tried to keep a solid mask, but his brother was counting on him to hold him up. But it was so hard, since Hotei didn't even know how he was still standing himself. But for the first time in a long time, Triell seemed to depend on him for some source of comfort and damn if Hotei failed him once again. He had already failed one brother, he couldn't fail the only one left.

The first cracks of his facade appeared as his jaw clenched, and his paws seemed to clench as well, making his whole form tensed. Ruiko was dead. He shut his yellow orbs tight, knowing he would soon break and there was nothing he could do about it. This one time was acceptable. Only this one time. The man slowly hung his head in defeat, the grief showing clearly on his face. His shoulders slumped as the news finally hit home, straight onto his heart.

He had lost a brother. He had lost Ruiko, forever.

Awkward Drestig doesn't know what to do... ^^;

In her usual, direct manner, Jessie delivered the blow, quickly and with now beating around the bush. Briefly, the dark scout in training wondered if maybe he should have told Triell himself, but he dismissed it, he wasn't sure he could have; and seeing the young leader's reaction, he was even more sure that he hadn't wanted to. Triell slumped against Hotei, hanging his head and whining in sorrow, eyes closed in defeat. For a few moments, the older Tainn remained still, stone faced like always - possibly paralyzed by the news, or maybe trying to stay strong for his brother - but then he too fell, shoulders hanging, face contorted in sorrow. Drestig watched them in their pain, feeling detached as they mourned for a friend and brother that he had never truly known. He wanted to help them, comfort them in some way, but he had no way to do it. Needing to turn his gaze away, he looked to Jessie, expression bleak, shoulders hanging slightly; his joy at coming home had disappeared completely. They grey wolfess, who had had time to process her sorrow, was keeping her composure so far, and Drestig met her eyes questioningly, not knowing how to proceed. With a heavy shrug of his shoulders, he glanced helplessly over at the two dark men and looked back to her; What should I do? He was lost in this, not used to dealing with the feelings of others, and certainly not familiar with comforting those grieving. He hoped that she, who had known them both for longer, knew of some way to support them that he didn't. Word count: 272 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

(This post was last modified: Jan 08, 2015, 11:06 PM by Drestig.)

@Triell  I am so sorry this took so long.

As Head Scout and she longest remaining member of the pack, Jessie took it upon herself to deliver the horrible news, knowing that if Triell had to hear it from anyone, it best be her. Her heart continued to crumble as she watched her dark friends both fall. Brilliant emerald eyes became hooded as she watched the scene in front of her. She was not lost in the art of comforting another when it came to loss, surely, their pack had seen it much more than any other. It seemed that when things began to go well, something just wanted to tear them apart. Briefly her eyes met Drestig's as she gave a brief shake of her head, signifying from him to remain silent for a bit longer. Gray head bowed and ears pinned against her head, the small Tainn approached her alpha and in a brief show of compassion and need for companionship, pressed her head into the alpha's bulk, giving him her silent support and letting him know that she was there and would continue to be there until someone killed her or took her away.

Desperate to bring light into the dreary situation, she spoke into Triell's ear, wanting him to find comfort in the fact that the Tainn line wasn't dying. "Kisla is well...she has pups, all of which are beautiful and healthy." Of course, Jessie was probably adding extra bits in there to cheer him up, for she hadn't exactly seen the children, but she could only imagine that with the Tainn lineage, the offspring would have been nothing short of perfect. She remained close to her leader, wanting him to acknowledge that he did have those who would always stand beside him, no matter what occurred. Other than giving him silent assurances, Jessie had no other hint as to what she was suppose to do.