spit the dark

@Anastasia
I tried leaving this pretty vague, so you can play it out immediately after our previous thread or as a separate day :-) <3<3<3

It felt so surreal having Anastasia back, yet everything fell back into place. It was almost as if they had never gotten separated, and they had returned back from the mountain together. It was only just recently that the nightmares about her disappearance had stopped reoccurring frequently. They had plagued him nearly every night, but prior to her reappearance they had only been visiting weekly as opposed to nightly. However, since her return they had vanished (hopefully for good). Little had been spoken about her time away from Cut Rock; he was curious to what she had seen, and who she had encountered during her absence.

He was curious as to how Maksim would react to her return. Prior to their departure to the mountain XIX had thought that the two were going to end up as more than just pack mates. The alabaster healer knew that his leader had also been upset over the loss of Anastasia; the entire pack had suffered a loss when XIX had returned without her. Lachesis had blamed himself repeatedly for their separation. He should have stopped the trip… he should have done a better job of staying close to her… he should have looked harder for her… For many months regret and self-loathing fueled the slender male, and consumed him. He had withdrawn himself from the pack and turned to medicating himself for the constant (mental) pain he had felt over her absence.

Capella had helped him – until she, too, had left. There was still no explanation as to why she had abandoned him; and so quickly after they had professed their love to each other. Their relationship had rivaled the one he shared with Anastasia, and then she vanished, throwing it all away. A heavy lump filled his throat at the thought, and he quickly swallowed it away. He would not allow his thoughts to linger on the sunflower-eyed girl – she had left him and he would not allow himself to think of her.

Then there was Bastet, the exotic female that he had nursed back from the brink of death. She had made a home within Cut Rock since her recovery – and had nestled her way into Lachesis’ heart. She had been there for both of the losses he had experienced, and had pushed him to continue on with his life. Just like Anastasia, he was indebted to Bastet for all that she had done for him. A soft frown creased his maw as he wondered how the raven-coloured female would react to Ana’s return. The thought troubled him, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

stick with those who stick with you

“I cannot shake the feeling,” she says but pauses momentarily as if trying to decide if it was worth bringing up. To be here meant everything to her after all the traveling and asking around she had done to find her way here and she didn’t want her best friend to think that she was not happy to be back where she belonged. “I can’t shake the feeling that things have changed,” almost to the point that this place didn’t even feel the same anymore. Cut Rock River still clicked in her mind as ‘home’ but things seemed to have shifted. While Anastasia had always welcomed change and adjusted to it naturally, this time it was a little more uncomfortable. If anything she just wanted things to go back to normal, even if normal seemed out of line. “What of Ace?” Or Silver, or any of the other Trail members that she had known in the past few years. Occasionally she would dream about them and even though she never saw their faces, she recognized their voices. All of that had urged her to keep pushing towards Lachesis, Maksim and the life she had here. Anastasia didn’t have another home to go back to aside from this way and why stay far away when all she had ever imagined was here? All these doubts in her mind she tried to keep from XIX—she didn’t want him to see that she was fearful of the changes and the way that things might be now. That perhaps everyone had moved on without her.

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

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It was a surreal feeling to have the soft-eyed female next to him once more. He had not forgotten her warm, comforting scent or the brightness she got in her eyes when she looked at him. He had held on tightly to the thought of her returning – he had refused to believe that the mountain had taken her from him. Despite her soft exterior, Anastasia was tough and was capable of surviving anything that was thrown at her; the blizzard and mountain conditions had been no exception.

Her voice had stolen his attention once more as they walked toward the River, his pale gaze meeting her cerulean pools as she spoke of her worries. A soft frown fell onto his lips as he nudged her shoulder with his own. “Not much has changed,” he responded encouragingly. Kisla had taken the position as leader beside Maksim from Astra and the two became mates shortly after, which resulted in three puppies being born last spring. “There are some new wolves, but most of the members remain the same. A few wolves left, without a word,” he added in a soft voice, his mind trailing to Capella as the words skipped off his tongue. Although a new relationship had blossomed with Bastet, he could not help but wonder what became of the sunflower-eyed girl. Where had she gone? Why had she left? Did she still love him? Was she even alive? Of course, XIX held onto the idea that Capella, like Anastasia, was a survivor, and that she was alive. The lanky healer refused to believe that harm had come to the petite girl, and that perhaps someday she would return to Cut Rock River.

The next question to come from his blue-eyed dove caused his expression to uncharacteristically harden. “I have not seen him since we left Pitch Pine Trail – I do not know what happened to him. Or of Silver.” Without her having to voice her thoughts, XIX knew that she must curious of what happened to the other Trail wolves if she was asking about Ace. Lachesis, truthfully, had almost forgotten about Shade’s replacement, Ace. The slender healer had never been close with Shade’s successor, and did not think of him as a suitable leader when he took over the Trail. Silver was another wolf that Nineteen was not fond of; he did not care what happened to her, or where she was. All that mattered to him was that they did not cross paths again. “The Trail wolves scattered, as far as I know. Capella found her way to Cut Rock River after Karpos.” He did not mention her absence, as her name had left a bitter taste in his mouth. As much as he missed her Nineteen was still angry at her for abandoning him, especially when their relationship was just beginning. 

(This post was last modified: Apr 02, 2015, 07:53 PM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you

When her icy partner mentioned that nothing, or ‘not much’, had changed she feels that somehow that’s not true. Everything around her felt so different. The air, the smells, the wolves… there were obvious changes that had been made but perhaps him living here he hadn’t noticed them. “As do they all,” leave without a word that is. Sometimes it could not be helped such as her situation but she was here now and the past was behind her. Talking of the time that ate away at her was bitter and unwanted, so she chose not to delight Lachesis in the boring details of her forced vacation. “That’s too sad… I do hope that the two are happy,” and safe but surely if they were safe then they would be happy. Last she knew the two were happy together leading Pitch Pine Trail but apparently they had scattered and disappeared, leaving the pack to disappear much like herself. “I’m so sorry to her about Capella. She was a nice girl.” Anastasia was at the very most sad that she had left Lachesis when Ana had already been pushed out but on the other paw she was glad that that left Anastasia with more time to spend with him. Perhaps it was only when it came to him that she felt selfish and needy. The desire to spend as much time as possible with Lachesis because he was the most comforting thing she knew. It was he who could rattle her core, shake her down and leave her bare, she not having to worry about opinion.

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

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As much as he had wanted to mourn Capella’s disappearance, Lachesis had not allowed it to consume him like Anastasia’s had. Losing the blue-eyed dove had almost destroyed him; he could not let that happen again, not when Cut Rock depended on him as a healer and loyal member. As devastated as he was to lose Capella, he could not deny that he was also bitter about it. Anastasia had left him against her will – they had been separated by a blizzard – whereas Capella’s absence seemed to be by choice. He had tried to follow what been left of her trail but there was nothing… she was gone, without a word; without an explanation. He did not know how he would react if she were to return to Relic Lore… he did not really want to think about it. He just wanted to focus on Anastasia’s return; she was back, and that was all that mattered.

“Guess she just needed to figure out what she wanted,” he responded with a heavy shrug and tight lips, his words holding double meaning as he avoided Ana’s cerulean gaze. “There have been some good changes: Karpos found a lady friend, and I found an apprentice,” he added suddenly in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, a lob-sided grin sprawled lazily across his maw. He also knew about Karpos’ future plans, but he was not sure now was the right time to enlighten Anastasia. She had just returned, and he did not want to mention that Karpos was thinking about leaving to start his own pack. Refocusing his attention on the alabaster female, the smile remained on his lips; it was still hard to believe that she was finally here. And he would not allow her to be whisked away by the forces nature once more, or any other force.

(This post was last modified: Apr 17, 2015, 12:03 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you

<div align="justify">All that time she had spent with Pitch Pine Trail she had adored had strengthened her, had her growing around all of them and loving each and every one. Even Lachesis who she really had grown to admire and cherish but even as she sat there she couldn’t but wonder about the future. Even though he had told her many things she couldn’t help but feel like there would always be another story that would pop up when he remembered it. Stories about those that she didn’t know or didn’t know <i>yet</i> and the part that scared her the most was that she didn’t have any of those stories to tell him. Anastasia had stayed here and there in a few packs but mostly with those who were kind enough to allow her passage in, feed her and entertain her, before sending her on her way. There was that one pack… but she had luckily gotten away before things could go sour. 

<b>“An apprentice?”</b> she asked, somewhat confused by the notion but it only took a few moments to realize that perhaps he had gotten his healing tasks done to become official. <b>“Oh, are you a healer for the pack?”</b> she asked with high hopes that he had pulled up on that duty as he had fully intended to do almost a year ago when they had spoken about it. Perhaps Anastasia was just estranged by the fact that Lachesis was no longer the stuttering yearling but a blossomed adult, but it was odd to be beside someone who she had last known to have no idea how to function but now he seemed completely healed of his awkward capabilities.  </div>

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It was with Anastasia’s question that Lachesis realized he had neglected on telling her the good news – the naïve boy had assumed that she had already known. Which was ridiculous, considering she had been away from the pack for far too long. A smile broke across his maw as his plume wagged softly behind him, as he nodded quickly in before responding verbally. “Yes,” he chirped excitedly; he was proud to share the news with his closest companion. He had remembered their conversations many moons ago about trying to figure out where he would “fit” within a pack, as he wanted to make himself as useful as possible. He had almost decided to become a fisher, as his talents within the water were nearly just as good as his healing abilities. However, after much discussion with Ana, he had come to the conclusion that his medical knowledge would be much more useful within a pack. XIX would always be able to fish for his pack, but a healer did not come around very often – for some reason wolves were not interested in learning about plants. Lachesis was lucky enough to find an apprentice within the pack so quickly – he had been worried about who his successor would be.

“It happened last spring,” he started, excitement still bubbling around his words as he spoke. “Karina, one of the River children, is my apprentice. She already knows much more than I did when I was her age,” he commented, unable to hide the pride in his voice. It was remarkable how much things had changed in Ana’s absence… as elated as he was about the changes in his life, XIX was also quite sad. Sad that he had not been able to share the highlights in his young life with his blue-eyed china doll…

The glimmer in his eyes dulled as he observed the pale female beside him, his lips dipping into a frown as his gaze tightened with concern. “Are you alright, Ana? Do you want to rest – are you hungry?” Now that she had returned to him, XIX did not want to let her out of his sight. He also felt an overwhelming desire to ensure that she was safe and tended to; she was far too precious to him for her to be lost once more. He had barely survived her first disappearance… a second time? Lachesis did not know if he would be able to handle it.

stick with those who stick with you

A healer; her precious, most amazing friend had become a healer for the pack and was obviously doing so well that he had even managed to snag an apprentice for himself! Anastasia beamed, proud of XIX for becoming what he was today and being all that he could be for the pack. It could not have been easy for him for her to be gone but he had picked up his strength and continued just as she had continued to find the woods again. All there time spent together and the moments shared had never prepared her for all the changes but she was desperate to try. To fix everything and anything that had been broken in her unexpected time away. 

While she had not a clue as to what other children were within the pack she could only assume that in her absence Maksim and Kisla had become a thing. It seemed only fair that Anastasia received the brutal blow of love unrequited – to be gone for so long had destroyed whatever hope there was. “I don’t know – this is a lot to take in,” she pauses and shakes her head, “a good thing but I’ve just missed so much. I … I came back stupidly assuming that everything would be the same and that’s my fault.” Finally, she admitted her deepest feelings and the only thing that was keeping her from really feeling overjoyed with the changes. Where did Anastasia Starklen fit in now? Instinctively she lowered her head and pursed her lips, guilty for even admitting to such sadness.

(This post was last modified: Jun 24, 2015, 08:13 PM by Anastasia.)

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@Anastasia -- we can wrap this up here if you would like? or you can post one more time and we can archive. we need an updated thread please!!!!!!!!

It upset the long-legged healer to see his closest friend so upset, especially when this was a joyous time. Although they had spent months apart – many weeks of those months spent searching for her – she had finally returned to him. They dynamic duo had come together once more, and this time there was nothing that could separate them. Lachesis would do whatever necessary to ensure that she did not leave his side once more. He had already lost her once… and then Capella… he could not stand to lose Anastasia once more. Even with Bastet, it was too much. There was no way the ebony lady could pick up all the pieces once more, Lachesis would not allow it. She had already done so much for him when he had fallen apart; it was not fair.

The tender female’s voice broke his thoughts, only further troubling the male as his pale orbs fell onto her. “Things have changed, yes,” he agreed softly as he nosed her cheek once more in an attempt to comfort his worried friend. “But I am still the same. I am still your Nineteen, and I will help you readjust to River life one step at a time.” It made his heart tremble to see his closet confident so rattled, but XIX would do whatever necessary to ensure her reintroduction to Cut Rock went without any hiccups. “Let us go rest, Ana,” he insisted with another soft touch to her cheek and a gentle smile across his dark lips. Without another word, he gestured for her to follow him as he led her toward his den/infirmary, where she could rest her weary paws and get the nutrients she needed.

stick with those who stick with you

It was more stressful than it needed to be and she knew that she was making it ten times worse on herself for thinking the way she was. Anastasia had always had a very comfortable life here in Relic Lore and it had been stupid from the beginning to think that things could be the same. Lachesis, however, would always be her rock and she knew that he would be there for her in times of need. All along it had been him that she had traveled back to find. Nineteen that had been in her daydreams, dreams and even nightmares occasionally throughout her entire "lost-process" and she would die before ever falling prey to leaving again. Everything in her will told her to stay put with him -- to suck all the doubt up and just believe that things could be okay. 

"Yes, I suppose you still are my Nineteen." That much had been a given and she would be a moron to believe otherwise so she tenderly touched the closest part of XIX that she could reach and picked herself up. Legs were a little weary but ultimately she was just ready to go somewhere and rest. To be safe in her home and have some moments to share with Lachesis. How could anyone want to be anywhere other than with your best friend who had never done you wrong? From the beginning they had been close but there was always room to grasp for more. "Yes," she responds with a slow exhale, "resting sounds good." Resting up would do her a world of justice if she was going to fight through another close to sleepless night. Maybe even a good meal once she was all rested but she had to stop her pre-planning there so as to follow XIX back home. 

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