Firefly couldn't quite pin down her feelings as she crossed back into the familiar territory of Black Thorn Downs. She was...happy to be home. Well, the closest thing to home she had ever had. But there were many other reasons for the young wolf to be unhappy. In the first place, there was the shame she had to face now. At Black Thorn Downs, she was lucky and she should have realized that. She had good leaders and good friends. She was well fed and learning so many things about scouting and fighting and herbs. She was even beginning to learn a thing or two about boys, the silly creatures that most of them were. But it hadn't been enough for her. She had joined Black Thorn Downs because she knew that winter was coming. She had gotten separated from her mother and her brother and she needed somewhere to stay if she was going to survive. Of course, she wasn't exactly disappointed to have the opportunity to go on an adventure all by herself, but she never could have imagined what she was going to find. A home, a family. Something more real than what her mother had offered her. And that is exactly why Fly left. Yes it would have been safer and smarter to stay with Minka and Tokino through the winter and then go look for her mother in the spring, but would she ever really leave? If she stayed with the Down wolves for that long, if she got that comfortable, how would she ever convince herself to leave them? Fly knew that there would have been a thousand excuses to postpone the search for her mother and brother, which is why she had to go right then and there. Impulsive and reckless, Fly never stopped to consider the devastation that winter could bring. It had been a very, very difficult season for her and it wasn't until the snow started to melt that she was able to make her way back to the Downs, the home she never should have left. She walked with her head and tail low, feeling defeated and wrong. There was no way for her to even guess what Minka and Tokino would have to say about her leaving without a word. No telling what Kova would think of her. Fly wasn't even sure they would take her back. Sure, she had grown into her build a bit more over the winter. She was taller now and a little more filled out. Thanks to her hunting skills she had not starved, though prey was scarce. At first glance, she probably looked like a perfectly capable wolf. But one look into her dull brown eyes told a story of a wolf who was hardened by a harsh winter and on the brink of giving up on any belief in the word 'family'. After all, her mother had refused to take her back. She had refused to acknowledge that it was only an accident, that Fly had sacrificed everything to come and look for her, to make it right. That had been in the middle of winter and Firefly spent the rest of the winter alone, barely able to survive. If her own blood could refuse her shelter in the middle of a devastating winter, why would the Black Thorn Downs Alphas take her back now? Fly knew her future was dim, but she pushed forward with the tiniest light of hope in her heart. Finally, she reached the border. The land seemed bare now, but Fly knew that it would be filled with beautiful berries and plenty of prey in just a few shorts weeks. It would be a beautiful, plentiful home. One she probably didn't deserve. Trying not to think too hard about all the reasons she knew she should be turned away, Fly tilted her russet head back and howled. A pang of sadness pierced her heart and clipped her howl short. She should be crossing this border without suspicion. It should be her border. Too bad she had messed it all up. "Speech" |
Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |
![Pack Pride](http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc465/meymard/blackthorndowns-1.png)