Thicket of Secrets [M] Make you do right, make you do wrong

Mature Warning added cause we are going to be doing some serious swearing in this thread

thread starts inside SW borders, will finish beyond the borders
a couple posts of Koda and Iopah being "friendly", then Danica and Firefly can pop in

It had been nearly seven days since the blizzard had come and gone. Snow still covered the ground thickly, piling up in large drifts where the wind had willed it. Iopah padded through the snow with the sun slipping down low behind her. She followed in the tracks of her pack mates blindly, too weary for anything more than that simple navigation. The sun was nearly gray on her pelt by the time she made it back. With a sigh she rounded a snowy hillock the storm had left behind. The tracks she traced over were not enough. There should be more prints than this and Iopah was acutely aware of the absences. The storm had not simply left snow, it had taken as well.

Just like last year, it had taken two of them. For six days, since she realized Pacem and Aideen were lost, she'd been searching. Making ever widening circles around their land. This shouldn't have happened. She'd made sure to teach the boy how to find his way back and Aideen knew the land as well as Iopah did. It didn't seem to matter. Tonight, just as the previous nights, she padded back empty handed.

The shadows had lengthened into night when Iopah finally approached her sleeping spot. She circled once, then let her weight sink into the wolf-shaped nest. A light gray tail pulled over her nose to leave nothing but coarse guard hairs to weather the night. Her sleep was anything but peaceful, filled with familiar faces that vanished with her slightest movement. Every turn left her more and more alone. In her sleep she whined softly, the sound barely audible through the dense plush of her tail.

(This post was last modified: Jun 14, 2015, 02:24 AM by Iopah.)

His expression was neutral as he circled the borders of Secret Woodlands with his nose cast to the ground and his ears alert for the sound of anyone; he half expected to hear pleading voices in the wind. He'd been searching for them for days now, wondering what could have caused them to stray and hoping that eventually they would return without harm but he was wise not to keep his hopes up, Winter was a cruel woman and took what she pleased. Inwardly he grimaced, a look of concern laced his features as he looked for what felt like the millionth time beyond the borders of his home, catching not even the faintest scent, and circled back toward his warm and cozy den. Those around him could not see his worry, he was as emotionless as he could manage to become to remain strong but inwardly he felt ready to lose his mind over their disappearance; he couldn't afford another death.

He hoped to clear his mind with the warmth of Iopah at his side, he had known that she'd taken it upon herself to go searching for them as well and each night as they returned back home he could sense that her search for their scent was becoming fewer and farther between. He grew worried over Nina, having lost one of her sons, and feared for the stability of the pack from losing such a valuable member as Aideen, this could not have happened at a worse time. He approached the den slowly, his senses were alert to the company of Iopah in the den and he shook his pelt long and hard, as if to be rid of the feeling of guilt, before he entered the mouth of their den. His eyes fell on her quickly and a warm smile played along his maw as he watched her sleep, her soft tail curled so innocently over her nose, she had always managed to return back to the den before him and each time he felt so selfish waking her to lay next to her. This night was different though and he listened with perked ears as soft whines pushed past the thickness of her tail, approaching her he laid down slowly to lick her forehead, a sign that whatever nightmare she was having would hopefully disappear not that he had come home. "Io..." he whispered into her ear, licking it next before burying his head into the side of her face. He was thankful to have her at his side and felt the weight of the pack fall from his shoulders and he pushed closer into her lithe form.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

-a gentle little nudge for @Danica to save Io from making a fool of 'erself- lol...

It was no use. She could hear them all around her. Voices that she knew, either years or moments ago. All her family, loved ones and friends, trying to tell her something. Each time she turned, to hear better or see them, their voice would fall silent. One by one, they were vanishing. Finally she stopped turning, meeting each familiar voice with only a pleading whine that carried through from her dream state. She was crouched, trying to ignore them all, when something brushed against her. Something whispered to her in a voice she loved, and the sleeping wolf whined once more. The touch came again, gentle on her face and then with enough force alongside her that the dreaming wolf braced herself. Iopah turned to look at the ghost, expecting it to vanish like the others.

It was just as dark inside the den as it was in her dream, but there was enough light to reflect off Koda's pelt. Her chest heaved in a dry sob of relief. Finally someone who didn't vanish before her very eyes. He was curled against her and Iopah pushed firmly back into him, wanting to be sure he truly existed and the dream wasn't continuing. It was the cold air clinging to his fur and softness of his undercoat as she wedged closer that convinced her. He was real and she was awake.

She couldn't articulate her relief and joy at that realization. In the darkness of their den, she followed the green in his eyes to press the bridge of her nose into the crook of his neck. She drew back to face him, draping a pale foreleg over his shoulder. Face to face, with their backs to the walls of the den, she looked up at him. Her slender leg was almost lost in the denseness of his fur. "Everyone was vanishing," The dream seemed to lurk in the shadows of the den, blurring with the reality outside. "You can't..." Even with his reassuring warmth under her leg, she couldn't finish the sentence. "You just can't."

(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2015, 05:34 AM by Iopah. Edit Reason: Will not tag both for some reason.... )

He drifted into a light sleep, the sound of rushing wind and the chill of a brewing storm outside rocked his thick pelt as he shuffled closer to Iopah and he found that she too had closed what gap remained between them. He enjoyed this space, the opportunity to share her just as much as she was beginning to share him and it showed in the way that they shared each others company. They were becoming more and more inseparable as the days went on and he was beginning to like it that way--he couldn't fathom her disappearing on him as so many others had. Her feminine voice caught his attention and he lifted his head sleepily, looking around the den and the faint darkness that engulfed it, he sought for her face and the familiar warmth of her pale gaze and when he found it he couldn't help expressing a smile before pressing his tongue against her delicate face.   "Nothing could separate me from you. " he started, searching her face as his gaze grew more serious, "It's unfortunate that we have lost so many due to the weather, already its beginning to be a tough winter and I'm afraid that it could rip this pack apart... " he had hardly shared his fears before but Iopah was different, she could be trusted and he was sure that she wouldn't judge him for being evenly the slightest unsure of what could happen.

Clearing his throat, he shifted his weight and relaxed when he felt her heat radiating through his plush coat, she was a beacon of hope left for this pack, to him anyway, and he was sure that with her by his side, there was nothing that he couldn't overcome. Allowing his head to fall slowly to the ground he inhaled deeply before pulling his foreleg in closer, tighter, and felt that with it she too came closer to him, so much so that the two were mere inches away from each other, nose to nose, and he would have it no other way. He waited with renewed patience for her to react to his actions and before she could speak any further he kissed her affectionately to assure her that what he meant held merit, he would not leave her, not unless the fates took him from her.  "Iopah...I love you." it was perhaps the first time he had admitted these feelings to her and the timing couldn't have felt any better, he needed her to know how much she meant to him, he only hoped that she felt even half of the same emotions he did.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Love, quite a strong word. Love was that feeling of closeness, the willingness to sacrifice yourself for someone else. It was a powerful emotion that could overcome many things; fear, anger, pain, and so on. A light wolf sat outside of a dark den, her ears pressed forward. Her eyes shined with curiosity and face displayed confusion. Danica had been ease dropping on the love birds for a little while now and enough to stir her emotions. She'd remained as silent as mouse in order to pick up any details she could. Not to mention the possibility of being caught...the embarrassment of sneaking around was quite a shame.

Finally her frustration met it's peak when her father told Iopah three little magical words. She allowed her presence to be known with a whimper. "Love?" She whispered frowning as she peered around into the den. She rose from the ground and stared in bewilderment at the two as they fondled one another affectionately. The cuddly scene caused tears to swell at the edges of her bright green eyes. "Mom....betrayal?" She asked more to the wind than the two wolves within the darkness.

With a sudden jerk of her body Danica turned running from her confusion. Paws hit the ground roughly in fast rapid movements. What she had just seen, was it unforgivable? Was it as wrong as her heart told her? Or was she just a foolish little girl following her feelings and not her head? She whimpered softly to herself as a few more droplets stained her cheeks and hit the ground. If this was betrayal then Koda had hit two marks, one more and he was out of the ball game. Her life. Iopah though! How could she?! Out of all the wolves she knew she wouldn't of excepted the beautiful woman to ever hurt her like this. *Mark one,* she thought in pain.

Delicate paws only carried her so far before her leg begun to ache and her body heave from the rush. So she slowed and begun pacing, catching her breathe but not fully calming down. Danica was rigid and tense, her movements taunt. 

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@Koda @Danica
-snickers- tongue tied Io...

It was darker now. In the gloom of the darkened den and coming storm there only the random glint of light off their eyes and the sense of touch. She could feel the weight of his foreleg on her side, secure and real enough to push the dream farther from her mind. It pressed tighter and closer even as the male's great head lowered, and she did nothing but quirk dark lips in curiosity. Her body dragged and scuffed across the cold earth towards him and her lips parted slightly as she tried to figure out what he was doing exactly.

Finally she stopped, her body snugged up tight to his, noses touching. There was a quiet pause. Iopah waited in the silence, curiosity mounting. Finally she turned to him, mouth opened and prepared to tenderly pry his thoughts loose. He meet her suddenly, the display somehow not expected in the solemn dark. Her breath, whatever words it held, came out in a relaxed rush. The kiss ran over her and she could only think of how content, how happy— Love, he said. A breath was held in, but she stayed close, surprised her heart had no objections to the term. A salmon tongue ran over dark lips, the only sign of her butterflies. "I've never, I don't think I've ever-" Embarrassed, her head pushed into him. Why were the right words always so hard to find? "But, I think I love you." In fact, she was sure of it. She sighed into his think winter coat, content with simply knowing.

A whisper of something pulled her attention away; a slight movement lifted her head away. Someone was running, fast hurried footfalls. Iopah rose and, with a perplexed glance back, stepped out of the den. The scent was Danica's and the huntress could hear frenzied movements. The wrong sort of concern gripped her, thinking only of the girl's frequently slipping mental state.

It was easy for the Woodland huntress to follow her. Twisting through the darkening evening, following the tracks and faint sobs, fearing the state she would find the girl in. A pale figure emerged in the murkiness and she slowed, calling out cautiously."Danica?" She stepped closer, edging around the pacing girl to search her expression. "Did something happen?"

If you guys would rather me not post here PM me and I'll have this deleted. Though I thought he could be an okay replacement for Firefly not being here ;)

Unitas was being his usual self. Snooping around checking up on pack mates while wandering about the territory. He mostly kept out of the business of others, though if the dark Hervok heard a juicy bit of gossip he might stay to listen in. Such was the ever curious mind of the trickster. He liked having information, and he liked gossiping about such information. Sometimes though the boy would keep the secrets he heard. However, his mental notebook of juicy gossip was at an all time low. The dark wolf had stayed in the shadows away from his pack mates for too long now. Tas loved being alone as much as he liked having fun with his family or pack mates, but sometimes he would be gone for long periods of time. Yes his scent would be left where he had wandered throughout the territories just beyond the woodlands, but the wolves of the thickets would scarcely see the young male upon his short return trips home. Having decided that he wanted some companionship, Unitas had headed back towards the thicket of secrets. He liked traveling during the night time mostly, but dawn or dusk often worked for the youth as well. Whenever the shadows were at their longest and darkest he found traveling in secret was easiest. The snowstorms of course hadn't helped traveling at all. Having learned a few tricks from pack mates had helped the dark Hervok to deal with the snow. He'd make a snow den when things got too rough,but for the most part the wolf was proud that he could stand against the storms by his lonesome. Even if that meant making trips back to the pack lands every few days to eat from the caches. The boy was traveling now. Wandering the thickets was what made him happiest, and nothing could take that giddy feeling away from him. Even if he were to be bullied or attacked by some creature he would have a smile on his face while he was running away. It was while he nosed through some snow along the trunks of the trees that Tas smelled a hint of Koda and Iopah. However the very fresh scent of Danica was what made his head yank upwards. Those satellite ears flew forwards and sideways listening as the she wolf crashed through the snow. He could tell where she was headed just by the sound of her snow crushing paw steps. Curiosity drove at him, and quietly as he could Unitas padded through the snow towards the creamy silver she wolf. Danica was not somebody that he was horribly familiar with. He'd heard her name spoken by his mother Nina a few times, and he'd been shown her scent once by one of his pack mates. Apparently Danica was his sister somehow. Even though she had been gone from the pack for a while Tas noted how she was still welcome in their lands or something like that; like he really cared as long as she didn't eat up his food. His pack mates didn't chase her out or anything so Tas simply ignored her rare scent trails most of the time. ,p>This time however he was intrigued as to why she was running. If she was running after one of his rabbits Tas would surely show her a piece of his mind on the matter. Even if he let her have the food, Unitas would surely try to get a small piece of it through begging or perhaps by stealing a small bit. However as he slunk closer he noticed her paw steps slow. She was walking now, but it sounded as if she weren't exactly moving anywhere. He hid in the shadows as her cries filtered through the trees and brush. Now he was really interested in her predicament. Why was she crying exactly? He paused a far enough distance away to be hidden as long as the wind didn't shift and take his scent to the Reinier girl. Then the wolf flinched as he heard Iopah's hurrying paws and concerned tone. The black Hervok stooped low to hide in the thick brush and shadows while trying ti listen in on the conversation between @Danica and Iopah. "Speech"

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The intimate moment he shared with the agouti huntress made his heart thump at a rate of a million miles per hour as he sought to get even closer to her, as if she would disappear from him at any moment. He didn't think that he could feel this way losing his relationship with Nina and after begging for her to forgive him and being turned down, he accepted the fact that the two would probably never become anything other than co-workers once more. Now that his heart was free to choose another of his liking, he felt that he had fallen hard for the huntress and although he had tried plenty of times to pull himself backward, there was no denying that the woman had taken apart of him with her, a part that he was comfortable with sharing again. He listened to her words with alert ears and turned to her with a smile when she responded, the fact that she was tongue tied made him feel a flood of butterflies fill his stomach as he stared long into the eyes of his future mate. He knew that she would forever be his' and wondered how the rest of the pack would feel about their unity--at this exact moment he realized that he did not care.

"Thank you." he answered, unaware of what to say next but knowing that anything other words could spoil the moment that they had taken the time to build. He found that there were times that he spoke way too much and others where he could not find the words to speak at all, this particular moment was best left with very few words and instead he leaned into her once more to kiss her delicately on her cheek, sealing the affection he felt for her in this moment, and creating memories that could be shared with their future generation.

No sooner did the kiss leave his mouth did he hear a sound and looked to find that someone had been watching them in their most intimate time, and though he felt a bit embarrassed to have been caught in a vulnerable moment, he found himself more concerned with who had been spying on him. When he followed the huntress he found his daughter in a distraught state and felt the pit of his stomach grow warm with uncertainty, he had not expected her to see them together and although he was not embarrassed of his love for Iopah, he was aware that Danica knew only of he and Nina. He sighed deep, moving toward his daughter in hopes to console her but no words seemed suiting for this moment, instead he allowed Iopah's words to linger in the wind and waited for the pale girl to speak. He could feel in the background another set of eyes watching them and when he lifted his head to sniff the air, he found it heavily of the woods, considering no other wolf was small enough to hide in the woods then the pups he figured it was one of Nina's brood hiding as well--this meeting officially grew awkward. "Show yourself" he voiced to the hiding youth and waited for the figure to make himself known.

(This post was last modified: Apr 20, 2015, 12:02 AM by Koda. Edit Reason: Keep forgetting to add tags! )

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Danica turned on @Iopah with a fire in her eyes, anger blazing like bright flame ignited by matches and logs. Her hackles spiked up as she snarled out her words as best as she could, "You." It was obvious that at first she was trying to refrain from yelling, but as her fierceness increased so did the volume of her voice. "How could you?! What about my mother, you filfthy little traitor!" She shouted, listening to Zonta's words, agreeing with them, and repeating. She spat out so harsh it seemed her words would've killed the woman if physically possible.

"I-I, I trusted you. I loved you, I thought highly of you. Maybe even saw you like an older sister or aunt, and here you are telling MY FATHER that you love him?! Do you even realize? What about mum? Huh? Ever considered her? How about the fact that he-" She pointed towards @Koda with her muzzle, "Left me. Left mom. Left Ashton. LEFT TACOMA!!!" By this point some tears had leaked from her wet green orbs. Then she turned her hate to the Reinier man snapping in his general direction and said in the coldest voice she could manage, "If you had been a better dad, he would still be here. Both of them! I'd still have my big brothers, mom would be happy, and we wouldn't be a broken family! I wouldn't look at my birth home with so much hurt and disgust! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM? TO OUR TACOMA, TO OUR ASHTON. MY BROTHERS! MONSTER!" She screamed in a raging fit, looking as if she'd explode.

She didn't know how to control herself at this moment and continued to blow off steam, "I MISS THEM SO MUCH AND YOU, YOU RUINED OUR LIVES! AND HOLLOW, WHERE IS HE?! NO ONE HAS TOLD ME, HE WAS MORE OF A DAD TO US THEN YOU EVER WERE!!!" Her tongue slipped in and out of her clenched, bared, fangs much like a snake. Mirroring her was the dark wolf who only existed in her mind, but she was much more deadly looking. With narrowed eyes and eerie white pupils like daggers.

When Koda turned his attention from her, to @Unitas she sprung forward, snapping at the air around him threateningly. "I'm not speaking to the trees here, Koda." She growled, demanding him to listen as her tail lashed cat like behind her. With her short span though she herself was back to Iopah, "Why?" She asked in the most rational tone she had used so far. "Just why? I thought you loved us...and my mommy, I thought you were friends?!""speech"

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2015, 12:54 AM by Danica.)

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so... this post got away from me @Koda @Danica @Unitas
WARNING: Iopah is very upset and is going to say heavy/angry things. Apologies in advance... I still love you all!

She was still leaning forward when Danica spun around. The memory of the night they'd returned to the thicket together was at the front of her mind. It seemed that she was confused in the same way and that she needed help. In her mind Danica was still the shy pup under her mother's belly. Iopah thought she was helping. Her muzzle was only inches from the girl as she spoke and everything began to fall apart. Gold eyes narrowed in worry, then confusion as Danica started her angry tirade. The emotion was recognized instantly, but not it's source. Iopah drew herself back slowly to avoid overwhelming her, eyes all over her face for an explanation. The blaming words fell into just the right order for it to click, instantly Iopah knew. She was still on the outside, but shaking in rage inside. Blood pounded in her ears, the deafening heartbeat the only thing that held back her rising indignation. She glared at Danica, feeling her fury burn the sockets from inside out, willing Danica to shut up before they crossed a one-way line.

"I loved you too!" She flung back as the line sped away and out of sight. Her tail rose with her voice. This girl was not a pup, some child hiding under her mother any longer. Iopah was going to treat her like the spoiled adult she was. "She already knows! Not everyone has to be as miserable as your mother!" Her hackles rose and fell in waves as she yelled back. "This is not a fucking prison and your mother is not God!" She watched the tears fall and her lips pulled back in satisfaction, but if Danica was't done then neither was she. The past weeks, months, and years hit her all at once, there was no stopping. "You left! Damn it Danica, you left too!" She wanted her every word to hurt, to choke the stupid woman into silence. And Iopah had years of history to back her words in truth.

Danica turned her attention onto the male and Iopah watched her with eyes as hard as metal. It was a terrible thing that happened, but she listened with the opposite of sympathy. Tail lashed wildly and a low growl rose in her chest to interrupt. "You think bad things only happen when someone leaves?! You are not the only one to lose a brother! To lose a sister!" The lines were obviously blurring in her mind. Danica's pain was mixing with her own and, in her hysteria Iopah, didn't even notice the slip-up. She plowed on, there was no slowing this train wreck.

Her normally low and throaty voice was stressed. It cracked as she cried out "If you cared why did you leave? I had to search for you and Hollow by myself! I had to search for everyone alone!" Of course, who could forget? It was the basis of this whole argument, the aspect that had drawn Iopah and Koda together. At one point they had all left her. She shuddering, openly crying now, and as likely to snap at the male as his daughter now. She was a mess of pain and knee-jerk reactions; when Danica sprang for Koda she was right on her heels. She aimed for the shoulder, putting all of her 95 pounds into knocking Danica off her feet and away from Koda. That never would have been ok, if Danica thought anything excused laying teeth on a pack mate like that then she deserved to get shoved into the dirt. She panted, looking down at Danica, and answered slowly. "I did love you." Before.