Secret Falls Take refuge in your reasons

@Enoki

Iopah lifted her head as the rain started, first craning overhead to look through the canopy then glancing behind her. It was only a light rain shower, but the sound of water running down tree trunks and striking the dry ground was enough to drown out the sound of her travelling pack. The pale wolf hesitated, wide belly hovering over the ground as she considered exploring further or returning to their mundane safety.

She took in a deep breath filled with dampness and growing things, and decided to continue just a bit further. It was more a streak of independence than a need to explore; between the width of her belly and the number of eyes that watched her, it was getting impossible to do anything unnoticed now. Cream feet pressed into the dark loam and head tucked under every low-hanging branch and into narrow crevice. Her actions were decidedly searching, though Iopah herself had not yet drawn notice at what it meant. There was no urgency to it yet, her searching/exploring was more cathartic than anything. The rain dripped from her pelt to the pine-needle strewn floor and Iopah felt her annoyance go with it. Her mood was as unpredictable as ever, but (as the weeks counted down) she was finding it harder and harder to stay irritated. They were family and her pregnancy-altered state of mind could not let her stay angry with them.

A sharp and unexpected noise drew her head back in sudden surprise, ears swiveling to catch the low rasp. The frog held still for a long moment then took a single bound from its damp hiding. It was over before it hit the ground. Iopah awkward reclined to her haunches to enjoy the slimy snack.

"Speech."

With a quiet crack of thunder the rain began to pour down to the earth below. Clouds as black as the night itself rolling overhead with its heaviness of water waiting its turn to fall. It was a light rain, but enough to begin dousing nearly everything beneath the lush canopy of trees ripened with their new set of leaves winter once tore away, including the two toned pelt of Enoki. Pausing sluggish steps the dark amber tinting of her optics glanced up at the pitch black night sky, a few water droplets collecting on the tiny hairs of her before beading down to drop onto the forest floor and its inhabitants of pine needles and other plant like debris. The points of her ears rotating forward to listen to the rumbling before disinterestedly turning away as the dark crown of hers lowered back down towards the ground. Sound masked by the sound of rain trickling over vegetaion, her paws continuing their journey to a destination nobody knew. Not even herself.

 

A certain sadness had come to envelope the dark coated woman the past couple days as her wandering paws took her thinning frame over miles of lands both familiar and foreign. The pep that once kept her tail risen neutrally behind her in good spirits now hanging limply behind black haunches without so much as a wag. On top of it the rolling pillows of black rain clouds disguised under the cover of darkness did little to help the funk she found herself in. Slowly the falling droplets of liquid collected on the tips of her dirt caked fur until the weight was too much for the strands to handle, slithering down the hairs along her haunches like a miniature river to her mud clad paws. A heavy sigh broke past the dark curtains of her lips as her movements went on, only showing the mildest bit of emotion when a new sound other than thunder filled the soft velveteen of her audits.  

A croak of a frog invisible to her line of sight echoed off the surrounding plant life and she half expected to hear the crashing of leaves from its hopping, but the sound never came. Instead she heard the weight of something much larger and heavier than a frog break a various number of twigs. Halting the Ashrelle woman. Had it not been raining the woman would have scented the slowly approaching Barberi woman, but alas the weather for the day left her nose all but useless until it decided to let up. Unnerved by the sound all motion was halted and ears pricked forward, a low chuffing sound breaking out onto the air. Last thing she needed was to run into a pissed off bear or something.

@Enoki

A low rumble of thunder announced the change in weather. Gold eyes lifted skyward as misty drizzle turned to driving rain. The whole forest seemed to sigh as it took in the first rainstorm of the year. Thin rivulets ran down branches to be sucked up the thirsty earth. Now, Iopah could feel each drop strike her pelt. She punctuated each gelatinous and languid bite with a scowl. It wasn't the weather she protested, rather the risk that it might cut-short her little jaunt. Iopah was of the firm opinion that her pack-mated worried too much about her. It was just some rain, nothing to be worried about. It wasn't like she'd lost the ability to walk on wet dirt, for chrissake. The last frog-leg was just disappearing down her throat when Iopah heard the chuff. All of a sudden, she was worried.

Iopah crouched in her spot, eyes wide as she scanned the forest. Her widening belly pressing into the wet dirt was a reminder and dark lips peeled back in fearful warning to the intruder. Simultaneously, her unborn children were a disadvantage and the only thing worth protecting. She would have flung into a fight or slunk away like a coward just to save them. But, which option now? She held still and waited for nothing. Ears slicked back and hackles prickling, Iopah finally rose and hastily made for the way she'd come. Her back barely rose over the unfurling ferns; her belly scuffed the dirt, but she knew it wouldn't harm the pups. She had no interest in finding this other wolf, but couldn't help in looking around suspiciously.

If Iopah hadn't recognized Enoki she would have kept going, if she hadn't been so surprised she would have stayed hidden. It was so unexpected that she rose over the fern-cover to stare. Several thoughts occurred to her in quick succession: Enoki was a friend despite their crappy history, that it was strange for her to be so far from Elettra's willows, and Enoki belonged to Elettra... aka Someone-Who-Sided-with-Nina. Oh, shit. Iopah took a step back, wide stomach forging the way in reverse. Her gold eyes were dark with unease, alternating between Enoki and the safest escape route. The rain was a low roar now, she didn't bother trying to talk over it. There was nothing to say anyways. Her heart fell, Enoki was her enemy again. "Please leave, I can't fight you." She begged, taking another step away.

(This post was last modified: May 05, 2015, 03:29 AM by Iopah.)

It was no pissed off bear. That much she could tell through the curtain of falling rain that blurred her vision, making it slightly difficult to tell exactly what anything truly was. Leaving the world an array of distorted shapes and shades of color. Blinking away droplets of water that collected on the lashes lining her amber optics the slits of her eyes narrowed in an attempt to gather a better picture of the motion suddenly happening in front of her. Just over yonder where the sound of breaking twigs had resonated from a light coated form rose above the collection of ferns. A form that Enoki knew all too well. Standing alert and very much at unease was Iopah Barberi. A friend despite family history wanting to prove otherwise and a would be enemy if the piebald woman was still a member of Willow Ridge. A familiar face regardless of either facts. There was a ray of sunshine in the form of fate and luck shining down upon Iopah this day. Enoki was not here to fight.

Continuously the pouring rain darkening the world around them and dusted everything in a glistening new layer of moisture which was greedily absorbed by the various species of vegetation desperate to quench their thirst after a long winter's hibernation. Even going so far as to force the woman with a mismatched pelt to shake off the liquid. Flinging tiny specks of rain water in every direction in a futile attempt at drying herself off. Stilling her frame no motion was strong enough to break the chains of her emotions keeping her tail hung limply behind her. Inside she thought she was gleeful to see the woman again, but the emotion just couldn't push past the stoic expression on her muzzle. Everything seeming off about the Ashrelle woman whom normally was quick to show her good spirits.

It was the sound of Iopah's voice though that did manage to stir a sense of motion. A small swivel of her left ear to catch the words rolling off the begging woman's tongue. At first confusion washed over her features at what on earth she could be meaning by not wanting to fight. Then it clicked when her mind withdrew a conversation previous had with a creamy girl who unbeknownst to Enoki happened to be Koda's daughter. The very man the pale coated wolf had betrayed Nina with in order to procreate. The most basic details was all the swarthy woman knew of the situation. They had betrayed Secret Woodlands, betrayed Nina. Anything else was a secret still. "I'm not here to fight you." Came her rebuttal, distributing her weight more evenly from the left to the right. All the while making no attempt to advance forward and close the distance between the two wolves.

@Enoki

Only minutes ago the rainstorm was something Iopah complained at, now it was a curtain she happily hide behind. The dark beads of water came down sideways, whipped into visible gusts as the storm continued to empty over the two wolves. She could feel the rain seep into her back and flatten the fur along her expanding sides. If the rain stopped or she came closer there would be one less secret.

For a long time there was no reaction. If it wasn't for the meeting of their eyes, the pregnant woman would have assumed Enoki hadn't seen her. The rain was nearly loud enough to drown out speech and fierce enough to trick the eye. Iopah was given ample time to worry over the forest. She searched the gloomy shadows for whoever else Nina and Elettra might have sent after them; her eyes dancing back to Enoki's amber in apprehension, then confusion. The forest swayed only under the weight of the rain, not a pack of wolves laying in wait. Why would only Enoki come after her?

"I'm not here to fight you."

Both of Iopah's ears swung to the piebald and she took one last skeptical glance at the forest before fixing her gaze on Enoki. It made no sense that she would have come for another reason. Iopah searched the black and white form for a clue, anything to give her an indication of intention. It was dim and difficult to see through the driving rain, but she could tell something was wrong. There was hardly an acknowledgement, Enoki seemed impassive. Friend or enemy, there should have been some flicker of emotion. Iopah shifted in turn. She still had two weeks to go, but her hormones were already in full-swing. The same hormones that kept her from staying angry, were the same that sent her checking after every pack mates that showed a sign of injury. The maternal instinct was strong in her. Without thought she took a concerned step forward, calling out "Enoki?" Another confused sweep at the landscape then back to the misplaced Ashrelle. "Why are you here? What's happened?"

A concerned step forward and maternal laced words of worry were countered with a hesitant step back and the flattening of ebony audits. A small motion that could easily go unnoticed under the cloak of the rain falling from the skies. Continuously soaking the females and further exposing the swelled sides of her friend. No ground being gained nor loss for either party with the shifting of bodies. The two questions spoken by the lighter coated woman floating around her head as the darker woman struggled to come up with a reasonable answer for each. What was she doing here? All she seemed to be doing these days was meander around aimlessly. Going wherever her paws led her. No acceptable answer came, though, but an unexpected and pitiful whine did fill the hollow of her throat as amber optics caught their first real glimpse of the impregnated Barberi.  Drawn to the rounded sides.  

A pang of jealously struck at her heart, toying with her vulnerable heartstrings that already found themselves barely hanging on. A few fibers away from snapping completely. So life had bestowed a blessing over her former enemy and now friend with the gift of creating new life. A priceless treasure the piebald woman found herself without this year(again). Opposite of what she thought would be the case. That rendezvous with Heigen had been so blissful, but alas the events of that day came up empty handed and empty wombed. This is what had happened to the two toned woman. This is what was wrong with her. Having gawked long enough at her expanded sides the bright amber optics angled up to meet the golden sun tinted pair of Iopah. A heavy sigh breaking the thinned lining of her lips as the first signs of emotion finally danced behind her eyes. Defeat.  

But how could she explain what had happened to her? Could she bring herself to, no pun intended, rain on the expectant Iopah's parade with her tale of love gone wrong. Risking the chance of ruining the precious opportunity the woman before her was graced with. How selfish could Enoki be? Was it even love to begin with or just a spring fling in the eyes of the earth toned man that had a way of orchestrating his words to woo her so smoothly. The Ashrelle a fool for believing such joy could finally come into her life. "I'm a fool.." she muttered out subconsciously, gaze falling from the light pelt to the dark drenched soil below.

It was the first time Enoki had ever backed away from her It was more surprising than finding her in this water-drenched forest. Even when Koda had been breathing down her neck the Ashrelle had held her ground. Clearly something had changed. Rainwater ran in her eyes as Iopah stared in shock. She made no further attempt to approach and stood uncertainly. The rain continued, an ominous touch to a somber reunion. There was no reason to seek escape now, while something else completely held them back from the easy greeting she might have expected.

Fine, she won't go closer, but neither was she leaving Enoki to her problems. A thin whine was further evidence that something was wrong. Pale ears flickered bashfully as Iopah awkwardly lowered to a sit. Finally seated her gaze lifted back up, the golden orbs glinting in all of the darkness of the rain. The only answer was the close scrutiny of her form. It took a moment for the object of her curiosity to dawn and Iopah looked away in embarrassment. Did Enoki know that if the universe had spun in another direction it would have been her nieces and nephews carried in the Barberi's belly? Iopah was anticipating something besides the heavy sigh and confession.

The amber gaze fell away and Iopah sighed in turn. Nothing else was forthcoming, despite an attempt to catch Enoki's eye. "They are Koda's," She started out softly. "We broke a rule to create them and Nina banished us." Perhaps the piebald didn't want to hear any of this, perhaps she would break the hum of rain with her own grief. "Now we are homeless and enemies of everyone we know." She had nothing to lose but a friend in keeping this secret.

Iopah rose and shook rain off, then tilted her head questioningly at Enoki. "It can't possibly be worse than that." She prompted as she took methodical step forward. Tell me what's wrong!

(This post was last modified: May 17, 2015, 02:57 PM by Iopah.)

The motion from the sun eyed woman caught her adverted gaze as they lifted up warily to ensure the woman hadn't taken a step closer again. Instead finding the woman had taken to a seated position, further revealing the current state she was in by the rounded sides protruding at her rib cage from the change in body posture. The Ashrelle remained silent, though, as Iopah began to speak. Only barely filling her in on new things atop ones she had already come to know from the man's daughter. Information the patchy woman had guessed at with the vague words Danica had muttered. Enoki knew Iopah was deemed a traitor to the woodland wolves now and most likely to all the allies as well. Including her home, Willow Ridge.

Listening intently a twinge of guilt stabbed at her gut upon the realization that her problems were far less troublesome than that of her friend. The piebald woman was merely facing heartache and a love not meant to be. But the tawny woman? She had found love, lost the only other family she had come to know since their days in the states and now was forced to watch her back with every step taken in order to protect the ones yet to take a breath in her abdomen. Could Enoki be any more selfish in that moment in time? Her problems were childish at best in comparison. This time the step forward by Iopah was not met with a retreating step, the ebony haunches slowly lowering to touch the sodden earth below instead. "It's not." She spoke shortly. Finally allowing her gaze to meet that of her friend. Watching the woman as she shook while mulling over the words to say about her problems. In truth they didn't seem worth telling. So she had experienced a spring fling. That didn't mean her life was over.

Taking a deep breath her story began. "I thought I found love like you have clearly found, but I was wrong and blinded by my personal desires and the ticking of my clock." A metaphor for the time left the woman had in producing another generation. Unlike males who remained fertile their entire lives. A woman had seven to eight years at best to reproduce. Enoki, being in her fifth year now was getting close to her deadline and could feel the change in her body. Joints weren't quite as agile as they once were. "A man I thought was the one, but it was nothing more than a spring fling. I was led on like a fool." ears flattening against her skull her gaze once more dropped to the soil for a spare moment. Shifting back up to Iopah. "But regardless of the situation you are in. I am not your enemy." 

OMG, either Enoki or @Mordacai HAS to have kids. I already want to ship their kids together!!! It would be so bittersweet and perfect, Kele dies on Io, but their descendants end up together

Ears swung forward tentatively with the forward step, a thought suddenly occurring to her. Things might not have progressed to them being enemies, but would the situation allow them to remain friends? Perhaps losing a friend was simply the price for not gaining gaining an enemy. Despite how much Iopah didn't want it to be true, there was nothing she could do in this moment to change it. Their shared history had made both women headstrong. Iopah could no less change Enoki's mind than another could change her own.

Iopah didn't chance a step closer yet, but continued to wait. Her ears flicked with each wind-blown gust of rain, pulled to her skull as thunder sounded in the distance. Clearly the storm had no intention of giving up anytime soon, a conviction that Iopah shared. It seemed such a little thing, inconsequential with everything that had happened, but this woman was the only part of her past left. Iopah was not willing to forsake her friendship with Enoki so easily. It was a relief when Enoki finally responded, even if the statement was not very warm or detailed. She offered an encouraging smile and perked her ears to listen over the rainstorm.

Over the course of the explanation her ears lowered to an angle that had nothing to do with the rain. Someone had courted Enoki, then her abandoned her. There was little detail offered, though enough was spoke for Iopah do understand all she needed to. Someone had wronged her friend. "Then he was a fool, certainly not worth your time." Iopah might have been homeless and heavy with child, but there was no mistaking the indignant glint in her eyes. "I hope you gave him a piece of your mind before he left? Her tail lashed softly in the rain as Enoki answered.

"Good," She said earnestly to Enoki's statement, "Because I will never be your enemy again." Whatever else might happen between them, it would never be that.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity