Lost Lake Temptation Has It's Own Song

@Drestig @Athena @Vespertio please allow Drestig to post first

She had not seen this coming. After her and Drestig's last meeting it was set. She was going to follow him back to his home, Oak Tree Bend. The dark female was obviously nervous. She had never met the wolves he lived with and she was unsure if they would take kindly to some strange coming home with their male second. Would they accept her? Would they run her off? Where would she be then...packless, lonely and cold. Winter was here and she wasn't so set on living alone for it. She was mentally praying to any gods that would listen to help her make this work.

The two dark wolves would walk onward side by side to her home, Fallen Tree Cove. Nervousness was still noticeable in her eyes and on her face. Surely Athena would understand though. They had such a great bond and the golden eyed woman didn't want this lift drop in the ocean to change things between them.

"W-we're almost there, I promise." Her words were accompanied by a weak smile. Her paws traveling to the borders that carried some of her own scent. How she would miss this place so much. Perhaps she could still take trips up here.

When they came upon the borders it was obvious she was shaky. Looking to Drestig her head hung a bit low. In an attempt to comfort herself she let her nose lighting touch his scruffy neck. "I'll call for them." By them she meant her alphas. Athena and Vesperito. Truly the two best leaders she ever had. Lifting up her muzzle to the sky she let out a long bellowing howl for her alphas to meet her at the borders. Her call rang of urgency. The quicker they could get this over, the possibly better things would be for them.

Returning her muzzle to its normal position she took a seat and took in a deep breath. Under her breath a soft, "Everything will work." was mumbled. This was it.

After her appearance in the midst of his despair, her strength helping him to recover from his shock, it had been clear to them both that they belonged together. Together how exactly, he wasn't sure, their agreement had been a bit fuzzy on the details, but together at least. The ebony man knew he needed her, her support to face the worst skeletons of his past, her soft touches and deep voice to carry him through the darkness that was threatening to swallow him up; and apparently she needed him too, though he couldn't imagine how or why, she was so strong, so confident; So beautiful! Never the less, she had agreed to come with him, even after he had divulged his deepest secret, she had said yes to leave her pack, her home and her friends, to come with him and help him do what he needed to do. And he was so thankful, so deeply humbled by her selflessness, it filled him with... With..? With what exactly? He couldn't put a name to it, but it was something deep, and strong, and warm, something that made him think he could do anything, made him want to do everything; For her! So they had set out to her home, to tell the leaders of their decision, taking their time to enjoy the trip and each other's company. He had said yes immediately, to accompany her to her, soon to be former, home, happy simply for the chance to spend more time with her, and also quick to catch the opportunity to put some distance between himself and what awaited him in Oak Tree Bend. Along the way, they had tried to put most of these heavy subjects aside, talking instead of small things, getting to know each other better and sharing stories from the short time they had spend at Pitch Pine Trail together, before the pack disbanded. And with every smile, with every fit of laughter, with every heartbeat, that warm feeling deep in his gut grew stronger. But now they had finished their trek up the mountain, and it wouldn't have taken much for anyone to sense that the ebony lass was tensing up; so with his eyes constantly on her, the Avalon had spotted it quickly. He did his best to sooth her, knowing that even with his support, this was gonna be hard; I can only imagine... He tried to picture if the situation had been reversed, if it was him, about to stand in front of @Triell to tell of his departure; I'm not sure I could even do that! And so he was reminded of how much stronger than him she was, and he looked upon her with warmth burning in his gaze; he would protect her, even though she didn't need it, even though she was plenty strong on her own, he would lend her his strength. At her first nervous words, he simply nodded, moving a little closer, brushing up against her as they walked on. Then they came upon the borders, and Silver brushed his neck lightly, whispering, probably more to strengthen her own determination than to tell him, that she would call for hear leaders. The dark lad nodded again, brushing his head along her shoulder for support before taking a small step back, leaving her to do this for herself. Her song rang out among the mountains, smooth and pure, even through her anxiety, and it made his heart skip a beat. He felt a strong urge to join her, the need to partake in her howl and let his voice mix with hers burning in his blood. But he held his tongue, this was her call, it was her task. When her head fell, she sat down, and he stepped back to her side, sitting down as well and pressing his shoulder to hers, offering himself as a pillar for her to support herself, should she need it; Though she won't! He heard her mumble, and turned his head, pressing his muzzle to her neck, stroking it up through her ruff to rest behind her ear; "Of course it will." He whispered into her fur, voice soft and steady, and touched his cold nose to the base of her ear; How couldn't it?! Word count: 716 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

Peaceful was the best way to describe the alpha male as he lounged around the dwelling cave that Fallen Tree Cove had come to call home, enjoying the offered warmth and escape from the dropping temperatures just beyond the blanket of leaves that hid their den from prying eyes. Beside him lay an ivory form tucked into the curvature of his body absorbing the added heat his thickened fur produced, her head propped against the scruff of his neck while the two lay there content in the moments peace and solidarity. Silver, the pack's second female was off on no doubt another scouting mission about the territory while Andromache made use of her time growing more and more accustomed to the land they now called home. This left Vespertio and Athena with precious alone time together that came rarely now that they had a pack to run and a territory to protect.

But even these moments had to come to an end and today was no exception. Disturbing the alpha's slumber a howl rang out on the crisp air, filling the den site and playing with the hairs on Vespertio's ears. Recognizing the pitched song belonging to that of Silver his head quickly perked in interest while his jerky movements jostled his ivory queen's head briefly. Constantly swiveling his ears with each note being deciphered it didn't take long for him to receive the message that both Athena and himself were being beckoned to the boarder lines. 'Why is she calling for us at the boarders?' He thought through a foggy mind as sleep clung on for dear life and his head turned to nudge his sleeping companion before slowly rising to his feet once her head lifted from its position against his neck. Confusion then replaced the sleep within his mind as he continued to figure out why she had called for both of them. Was there a recruit at their door waiting to be given the pack scent after babbling about what an asset they would be to the pack? Was there danger? The answer remained anonymous to the sandy male, but the urgency that rang within her howl did little to calm the nerves it awoke.

As soon as his body became more alert a quick shake of his pelt followed to rid the last bit if tiredness he still felt, a glance towards Athena revealing she had finally came to. With that he maneuvered through the canopy of leaves blocking the entrance, a shiver running down his spine the moment the cold air sucked the warmth from around him. What he wouldn't give to simply turn back around, reclaim the warmth and be lulled back to sleep for another couple hours and forget his presence was needed. But that was not an option now that he had responsibilities to attend to. Padding lightly in the direction of the second's howl it didn't take long to come upon her swarthy form that was accompanied by another swarthy colored form. So there was a recruit? This was good news for the pack who needed the able bodies. Closing the distance his pace slowed into an easy lope, tail and head raised high to indicate his place within the pack to the stranger settled at Silver's side until the small group was at a close distance where his pace came to a standstill. "Hello, Silver. Have you brought us a hopeful member?" He addressed his pack mate, nodding in greeting before switching his golden gaze to the wolf to her side.

Upon inspection the obvious facts were given as Vesper took a deep inhale of the strangers scent. Male, healthy and pledged to a...pack? This caused red flags to rise within his mind at this piece of information. This man's presence left many different paths of thought open for the lead male. Was he hear to pledge an alliance between their packs? Did he bring news of war? Had he left and now seeks safety within Fallen Tree? Or was Silver planning on leaving? Quickly his gaze returned back to Silver's scarred face, his done adopting a less casual tone and taking on more of a business one. "What was the reasoning for your call, Silver?" Now that he was able to take a good look at her he noticed the silent signals that radiated off her slender frame. She was tense with nervousness, her body pressed into his in a manor he knew all too well. She was using him for strength and that could only mean one thing. She was planning to leave when the pack needed all the wolves they could get. Abandoning the pack when they needed her most. This couldn't be good..

Cuddled together, the two alphas shared their warmth as the weather became colder and colder with each night. They needed everyone to pull their weight through the winter or else they may fail. However, she was confident in her followers. With the new arrivals of Kassander and Fly, it evened the numbers between the females and males, probably making Vesper fell a little better about himself. Silver, her unexpected best friend, was out scouting the mountainside, while Andromache was acquainting herself better with the ridges of the mountain. The White Queen was sure what Flyn was up to, but she was sure Kassander was out gathering herbs for the upcoming winter.

So, the two leaders took a few extra minutes of shut eye until they were interrupted by a howl. Once again the duty of the leaders of the Lake called. Through, she recognized the owner of the voice, that being Silver. Excitement flooded through her veins even through the grogginess of sleep still had a hold of her. With a nudge from Vesper, she soon took his cue and followed him out of the den. Running up to his side, she playfully nipped at his ears as her excitement that Silver was finally back overcame her sleepiness. A gentle laugh escaped her maw before they finally came upon the scene where Silver and another male stood.

A smile grazed her lips at the sight of Silver, “My darling, oh how I missed you,” she said joyfully before her eyes wandered to the sight of the male that stood besides her friend. Vesper's voice soon interrupted her joyful thoughts as he spoke what she was just thinking. He looked to be a healthy and would have been a wonderful addition until she smelled the scent that covered the stranger's body. He was of a pack? Perhaps there was a reason, her eyes wandered over to Silver. “Silver?” She questioned softly, Vesper's voice following hers, but his was a lot stronger.

She knew what was happening. Her body language said it all. She was tense and nervous, but her head was held low. Not in a submissive way, but in a defeated and sad way. “Silver, please no,” she said quietly before slowly making her way towards her friend. Bending her head down, she lifted her dark friend's head so they could look eye to eye like friends should. Her eye saddened as she knew how this was going to go. She was loosing another.

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

@Drestig @Vespertio @Athena Sorry this took so long! Hopefully we can shuffle this onward now!

The dark female wanted the company of her dark knight to be enough to soothe her anxious nerves. But alas, it wasn't enough. Had her head been lifted higher she may have seen the form of Athena and Vesper closing in on them. Only when the sound of footsteps and voices was heard by her pinned ears was when she looked upwards.

"Vesper," Her voice was soft almost like a child trying not to scare away a precious butterfly. "Athena..I missed you too." Perhaps her voice was even softer when she spoke the woman's pale name, if it was possibly to go softer. Everything seemed to freeze and go silent. No response was given to Vesper; only because she couldn't find the appropriate words to say. Though when the pale Moon woman stepped forward in offers of her caring touch the world would come crashing down on the dark woman.

The two women's eyes would meet. Colors clashing against each other. "Athena, I," Her voice so weary and drained of life. Saying goodbye was always the hardest for her. Maybe it was harder with Athena because she truly loved the woman as a true friend. "I still wanna help you.." It was all she could manage to choke out. The dark coated female wanted to help @Athena still. Whether she was branded a Fallen Tree Cove wolf or not her loyalty would always lay strongest with Athena.

"Please understand.." Her voice pleading like a young one. What was she to do? What was she to say? All she could do was pray to a god she didn't know that Athena would understand. Certainly Athena would, right?

He sat silent beside her, offering his warmth and strength while she prepared to do what was the hardest thing of all to her. Eyes closed, he pressed himself into her, willing their bodies and power to become one, so that she could muster the courage. Only when the sound of paws in the snow made his ears turn, did her open his lids, turning his fiery gaze to the approaching wolves, head still pressed into the dark fur at Silvers neck. Both of the newcomers had the posture of high ranking wolves; The leaders... One, the male, had a mixed coat, cream on the bottom and dark on the top, and he was taller than Drestig, but not with as much brawn bellow his need fleece. The female though, coming right behind him, was much more noticeable, he pelt was pristine, not marred by any hint of color, but her face drew all attention, several scars cutting through the white hairs, some looking to be older than others, and one cutting straight through her left eye, leaving it obviously blinded, a cloudy whiteness covering it; This has to be Athena. She spoke first, voice warm and happy. Keeping his eyes on the pale woman, Drestig lightly nudged his ebony companion under the line of her jaw, encouraging her to meet he friends greeting. Before she could move though, the man spoke, voice similarly cheerful as he asked his question. Drestig turned his head slightly, moving his eyes to meet the gold of the other's. He did not know what to answer, but it seemed he didn't need to either, as both of the Cove leaders used their noses to identify him as member of another pack. Again Athena was first to sound her voice; The brighter of the two..? Or the most dominant. And her voice was soft and caring, earning her favor with the Avalon, who knew how close his Silver was with the woman and how hard it was for her to leave. The male was far less gentle, voice growing colder as he addressed his subordinate demandingly. As her king, he was in his right, but that meant nothing to the protective Bend scout, his hackles tickling as he turned his eyes back to the more lanky man, a sparkle in their ember depths; Can he not see how troubled she already is?! If he hadn't felt a slight tremble run through Silvers body right then, he would have turned to fully face the two-colored alpha. Now instead, he turned his attention to the woman by his side, once more sliding his muzzle supportively through her ruff. "It's alright..." He mumbled into her fur. Then Athena drew his attention once again, speaking gently and moving slowly. With the slightest hesitation, Drestig stepped back, moving away from his dearest, just a bit, to let her have this moment with her friend. Silver's voice was so weak and vulnerable, it made his heart break. He rushed to stand by her side again when she faltered, pushing his head under her muzzle to lift it, once more whispering to her in a deep, warm voice; "Breath. You can do this, Angel, I know you can." When he pulled away, he turned to the Fallen Tree wolves, feeling a need to clarify his presence; "I'm Drestig Avalon, scout of Oak Tree Bend." His voice was low and unimposing, explaining only. He looked back to Silver; "But I'm here for Silver's sake, foremost." He put more stress on this, underlining that he was not acting for his pack today; Not primarily at least... He should like to come away from this with the foundation of friendship between their two packs, but even if that should fail, he could still inform @Triell of the new presence on the mountain; What's with all these crazy wolves anyway, settling up here?! But his most important task today was to help his Silver, give her the strength she needed to do what she'd come for. Word count: 670 Thoughts ”Speech”

AustriaAngloAlliance @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Don't mind Vesper's pity party. @Athena @Silver @Drestig

The change in body language from this dark coated man did not go unnoticed as the two locked eyes daringly for a moment's time, enough for Vespertio to see that spark that flamed within his fiery gaze. It was then that he wasn't to be surprised if the man held no real respect for the Cove male other that what was customary for their kind. Silver didn't and he knew it, he knew that she only put on the facade to please Athena who truly held the respect within the pack, even now as she offered the comfort that the man could not bring himself to show completely. But what they did not know was the fear deep inside chipping away at his foundation, the fear that his brother was right with his words of not being capable of having a pack to rule like he dreamed. How could he rule a pack if they didn't see him worthy of genuinely having their respect? Athena was the only one who believed in him.

Not wanting to reveal his inner demons fighting among themselves the Cove male gave a disguised heavy sigh as his ears twitched at the flow of words that left the swarthy pair's lips. First it was Silver who spoke, her words fumbling from her lips much in the way a young pup would plead for mercy from its parents asking for Athena to understand what it was she was trying to say. Then the pack wolf spoke his piece, offering only the basics of who he was and his reasoning for being here. 'Drestig Avalon. Oak Tree Bend.' He mentally stashed the name of his company and his loyalties should the need arise in the future that he would need to recall such information. But the man remained silent as he took a hint that this was mostly between the two woman to discuss, opting to take a few steps to the side to give the woman some space though never becoming out of earshot should he indeed be needed for some odd reason. Surely Athena who had experience in running a pack before could handle the situation. Vespertio was merely there for support at this point.

(This post was last modified: Jan 13, 2015, 02:29 AM by Vespertio.)