Stonewatch Timbers The Demons Come Out in the Best of Us

For @Gent

For the first few days she had been deeply upset and angry. Not just at the world for taking such a young soul away from them but at her daughter for leaving. She had not been there for her son during his dying days but Nina had and she could see and feel the energy being sucked out of him as the pneumonia took full hold on him. It was a losing battle and no matter how hard Nina fought for him, there was no more fight in the little boy, because he didn’t have his mother to care for him. While Nina had remained with the pack, it became quite clear to her that she needed to let another know of what happened. Nina had made it clear to everyone that Danica was not to know about Daniel and if she showed up, she was no longer welcome. The only wolf allowed to interact with her was Miccah. She trusted the Guardian to get the job done without question, knowing that it was what was in the pack’s best interest.

About a week after his death, Nina informed @Mirren that she needed to take a trip to meet someone about Daniel’s death. Luckily, nothing had been questioned, and Nina had quickly departed, promising that she would return as soon as she was able to. Her tail flicked high above her back as she traveled towards where Gent’s pack was. Had it not been for Danica’s need to go there, Nina would have never known where it was. Luckily, Nina’s mistrust of her daughter was actually turning out to be quite useful and it would give her an opportunity to speak with Minka again. It did not take as long as she was expecting her trip to take when she made it to the pack borders. As she remained a safe distance away, she took a deep breath, lifted her head back and let out a calm call for Gent. While she was anything about calm on the inside, hopefully this would show him that she had come here on peaceful terms and would not be bombarded with questions from others. She knew that he was close to Daniel and deserved to know the truth about his death. And so, she waited.

It was a voice he wasn't expecting to hear, and certainly one he wasn't prepared to hear calling at his door. The king was able to place the sound as Nina's, queen of the thickets, Danica's mother. The woman who hadn't seemed to be very fond of him at all. As he drew near to answer the summons, her scent laced its way through the tall timbers and infiltrated his lungs, confirming her identity. No, his mind whispered as his stride quickened. Please... not anyone else...

Fear coursed through his body as his imagination ran wildly ahead of him. For the king could not foresee any reason for this particular woman to travel to his borders, alone much less, other than some breed of ill fortune had befallen Danica. And it must have been grave, for surely otherwise the blonde youth would have been knocking at his threshold herself. It was all he could think of, and the closer he drew to his domain's end, the closer these thoughts came to being pure reality within his head. So convinced was he, that the king nearly changed his course, turning his back to whatever news Nina might have and refusing to answer her all together. Yet despite knowing that he could take no more loss, Gent pressed on, for he had to know.

When she fell within his sights, he slowed his pace and eventually drew to a stop with a considerable distance still between them. He could not be close to her, could not allow her to clearly see any emotions that might place across his dial.

"Nina," he greeted, pale eyes assessing her thoroughly, taking in all the clues they could. "Is something wrong?"

Nina hated to be the barer of bad news. Unfortunately, it was one of the costs of being an alpha. She waited in silence, her single eye downcast until she heard the footsteps of another. The golden brown dame rose, her chin lifted slightly as she waited for Gent’s arrival. At least, I hope it is Gent.  When he eventually arrived, Nina could appreciate that he was just as stony as she was. He knew why she was here. While he might not have known the exact reasoning, Nina could tell that he at least had an idea. The alpha took no time to get to the point, her voice soft, "It is Daniel… Danica disappeared from the pack for a while after Daniel came down with pneumonia. I did everything that I could for him, but after a few weeks the sickness proved to be too much for him… Daniel is…Daniel is sleeping now, Gent."

The words caught in her throat and she found that it was hard to get them out. Moisture formed within Nina’s single emerald gaze but her voice remained stony. Nina felt a large amount of anger towards her daughter. If Daniel had just had the love that only a mother could give her child, maybe he would have been alright. She did not voice these concerns aloud to Gent though, keeping them silent. After all, if her daughter did need somewhere to go, Nina was assuming that she was coming her. Again, Nina spoke, "I also came to inform you that Danica is missing…and will not be allowed entry into Secret Woodlands ever again." Her voice was firm and she watched for the other man’s reaction, hoping that he would get the point without her having to spell it out for him. She wanted him to take care of her daughter if Danica should need any help.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

His ears quivered with apprehension as they pressed forward, rigidly standing at attention atop his head. Each word pounded against his eardrums with violent force, reverberating throughout his skull and eliciting the deep emotions that he so despised. As she finally spoke that final sentence, the euphemism used did nothing to ease the storm it unleashed within his heart. Bile rose up in his throat, and his lips pulled back as his snout wrinkled. It was a mixture of disgust and grief that momentarily took charge of his features and overwhelmed his glacial sights until he forced everything back down, determination gluing that solemn mask back onto his visage.

It was clear that if Nina could not have helped the child recover, then the sickness could not have been stopped by anyone's paw. Yet the timbers king found within himself the trembling, gnawing need to blame and for a moment, this wrathful onus fell upon the shoulders of the one-eyed woman before him. It was through his best efforts that such emotion was kept separate from what played across his features and within his pale optics, but it existed all the same inside of him. Perhaps if Gent had been made knowledgeable about Daniel's death through some other means, this accusation would have solidified into a sentencing, and the beast could have rested easy with the phantom of control and the funneling of his anger. Yet it could not be ignored what it had taken of the thicket Queen to come to him with this news. That she had thought of him at all was significant, much less that she had taken it upon herself to personally make the trip, and alone nonetheless. It was a measure of respect, and thanks to it, Gent found he could not maintain the illusion that Nina was to blame for what had befallen his godson.

@Danica was the next option, but this consideration was given even less time than what had been unfairly doled unto Nina. As much as he had invested into the girl, as much as he thought of her, the little sister he never had, it was impossible for the leviathan shade to cast her into such ill lighting. Thus he sought to blame those who had so viciously upset her life, who had damaged her so severely. @Titan, @Koda, @Hudson... the ones who had abandoned her when she had needed them most. And in this list, Gent couldn't help but bear a portion of the blame himself. He should have visited more... no, he should have convinced her to come to the Crest, to bring Daniel so that they both could live under his constant protection.

This reverie of thought was abruptly disrupted when Nina spoke again, disintegrating the assumption the king had made that Danica had ever returned from her absence. Missing? He had suspected perhaps she had taken another spontaneous trip to the creek for a few days, to clear her head perhaps or take a break from the hardships of single motherhood. To still be gone... he frantically wondered after the timeline, attempted to track the days since he had last visited with them. What if she hadn't gone by choice? What if something had happened to her? And if not, what the hell would keep her away? It did not matter that Nina declared her barred from Secret Woodlands. She had a home here, and Gent would find her to tell her such. He would bring her home, and they would get through all of it, Daniel's death, the demons that plagued her, Minka's death...

Minka's death. No, he could not go searching for Danica. He could not leave the Crest, not in the state it was in, not with his children so wounded, his subordinates so lost... The realization hit him hard, just as Daniel's death did, for it was not a past event that he could not control. This time, he had to choose to turn away from her when she needed him most.

A whine escaped him before he could stop it, and the king looked away.

"I'm sorry," he uttered, and it was indistinguishable how much of the sentiment was formality versus heartfelt, yet it mattered all the same. "Danica still has a home here. If you could tell her so... when she comes back..." She had to come back. She had to. She would return to Secret Woodlands, and if Nina could only direct her to him, if she could do him that one last favor... "I wish I could leave to find her, but," the king swallowed hard, his throat gumming up as he felt obligated to admit his own misfortune. "Minka has passed, Nina. Five days ago. Natural causes."

He couldn't know what this would and would not mean to the woman before him. The extent of his knowledge concerning the relationship between Nina and Minka was the near-war, and he assumed them to be strangers, unknowing of the ties with Whisper Caverns. Perhaps Nina would be happy of the news, a boon for her brother back home, but Gent anticipated that she would not much care either way. Regardless, he felt that it was necessary to give a reason why he could not bring her daughter back to safety regardless of how angry the thicket queen was with her surviving eldest, and too that if Nina had come all the way to import intel, she deserved to be rewarded with a tidbit as well.

The King in front of her was almost as emotionless as her own Knight. Almost. However, the dark king seemed to have the same kind of problem that her dearest brother had, keeping all emotions out of his actions and eyes. On her way over to the Crest pack, Nina had acknowledged that she had time to grieve for Daniel’s death and would continue to do so once she returned back home. This visit was for the time the King needed to grieve and the Hervok woman had long since decided to accept this. After all, death was a hard thing to deal with, Nina was well accustomed to this. She had seen all those she care about die or leave her, perhaps she should have been used to it by now. The golden queen remained silent as Gent finally spoke. Her news had obviously brought him misery. And while Nina did not want to cause him harm, she knew that it would have been best if she had been the one to tell him what happened. It was what she would have done for any patient who died by her paw had it been their wish. Even though Nina did not know how close Gent and Daniel had been, it had obviously meant something to the Crest King. Otherwise, he would never have come to seek her blessing to see her daughter in the first place.

His plea, however, caught her off guard. Before she had left, she had instructed her Knight to ensure that Danica was chased off on sight. There was to be no communication between him and her as long as she got nowhere near Secret Woodlands borders. She could make no promises to Gent and told him as much, "I cannot promise anything. My Knight was instructed to withhold communication from her and if she has already returned by the time I get back, then I will not be able to deliver that message for you." She harbored quite some hatred towards her daughter. Not only had she caused an unnecessary amount of trouble for her pack, but she had also left her son when he had needed her the most.  Nina had never left her children behind and could only assume that such an example had been set by Koda. At the thought of her ex-lover, the female’s blood boiled but soon came to a cool at the mention of the information that Gent gave her. While Minka and Nina had been on shaky terms due to the Woodlands’ alliance with Whisper Caverns, the Hervok had respected the woman and two of her members had been exceptionally close to the woman. It hurt her heart to know that she would have to inform both of them, one whom was her son, that their former alpha had died. She spoke her condolences to the other man while her mind instantly went to work. It would be foolish of her to bring up an alliance for their two packs right then, it was not a good time, politically nor emotionally, but it was an idea that Nina had in her head and which she would build on in the upcoming weeks. She sat down, needing to relieve the pressure on her back leg. It had taken some time for her to come up to the Crest pack and it hurt her formally injured leg from years ago. Her stiff joint was always a reminder. Sighing softly, she looked towards the king and spoke, "I hope you can make my daughter happy. After all that she has been through…even though I am quite angry with her, she at least deserves that…and she will never find it within Secret Woodlands. All it will do is remind her of all that she has lost." What Nina was really trying to say was, Her banishment wasn’t only for the good of her pack, it was for the mental health of her daughter as well.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

She continued to say things he did not want to hear. Yet even as her words effectively spoke no to him, he was thankful for her direct honesty, writing deeply and clearly within his mind that she was reliable, and he was finding this to be more valuable than cooperativeness nowadays. Thus he simply nodded, dismissing the request altogether. Perhaps Danica was lost too. Perhaps for the sake of everything else resting so heavily upon his shoulders, he should accept this as a sad truth. Yet his soul felt unrest at the thought, and he decided to ponder it another time, perhaps with @Raela for consul, if he was willing to bare his emotions so rawly to her.

Nina's solaces for Minka's death was met with an even smaller tip of his muzzle, and while she reclined, he remained standing, his mind far too busy to even register such a notion. His pale eyes were upon the ground as the thoughts whirred behind them, contemplating all that he had allowed to slip through his paws, all that he could and could not still hold close, how to tell the difference and how best to move forward. When the woman before him spoke up again, he was pulled from the reverie.

"She'll have a fresh start here," he agreed, leaving off the if I can find her to bring her home stipulation. It didn't feel necessary to speak such negativity aloud, for he felt it certain that Nina very much was realistic about such chances. A stretch of silence then continued, before he felt compelled to ask, "What about that Hudson? I thought he was... taking care of them."

She dipped her head to Gent’s response towards her daughter. Even if she was infuriated with her daughter’s choices, she still wanted what was best for her, but Nina wouldn’t and couldn’t jeopardize her pack for Danica. Everything seemed to be in order when the Crest alpha once again spoke up. The golden brown dame lifted her head slightly at the mention of Hudson. The man had been quick to flee once Nina had found out about his relationship with her daughter. He had always been a coward and his unwillingness to help her daughter made her angry. She told Gent as much.

"He disappeared…just like the rest of them…" the end of her phrase was directed at herself more than the other man. Blinking, she once again trained her single eyed gaze on the other man. Gent had, in a way, gained her respect highly. While she was unsure of how long his reign had been, he seemed to handle everything quite well, especially the stress. Looking to reassure him more, she continued, "I can ensure that if he attempt to return, he will be terminated personally." Her tail lashed angrily behind her, not bothering to hide her displeasure with her former member. Nina took every disappearance personally, but she knew better than to go out and look for every one of them. She always had to think about what was best for the pack and that usually involved her staying with her pack. Perhaps, she would have Gent’s support in the manner of Hudson’s fate should he return.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

The answer came swiftly, and Gent could not stop the scowl that flashed across his muzzle before disappearing. He recalled his only meeting with the boy, how aggressively he had been met at the border of the Woodlands upon returning Danica and Daniel both safely home from the latter's birth. Where had the self righteous man been when Danica had wandered off, when she would have been trapped and alone, vulnerable to the entire world, giving birth to her son in the open? Yet he had dared to bare his teeth to Gent, to challenge his right to be with them. He'd talked a big game, but clearly hadn't been able to back it up. He was one of the men within Danica's life to earn a large portion of this blame the king so viciously yearned to dole out.

Nina's reassurance pulled him from the memory once more, surprising yet relieving him all the same. They were of like mind in regards to the runt, it appeared, and he was thankful for it. Another nod was passed from the man to the woman, a silent promise seething within his eyes that Hudson would receive no mercy from the blueblack leviathan either.

"Thank you, Nina," he spoke then, the words nothing but genuine without being thick. "For coming to tell me personally. I won't forget this favor."

When she finished speaking, Gent’s body movements and next words held her full attention. When he spoke, her ears flicked toward him surprised by his words. It wasn’t very often that she heard such things from her pack mates. There was something special about hearing it from someone that she had not helped rise from the ashes. She dipped her head at his words, acknowledging his thanks but not finding a need push his gratefulness any more than that. She knew that with winter approaching it would do her no good to stay away from home longer than she needed to, especially with her aching joints. She was quick to end their meeting.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Gent, despite the circumstances. I wish you well in the upcoming months." She dipped her head towards the other male before turning away and making her way towards home. She had made sure to notify her pack that she was going away. Miccah, no doubt, had done his duty and Nina highly doubted that her subordinates would disobey her wishes when they were so directly associated with her blood kin. She hoped that one day Danica’s sanity would return to her and Nina would be able to rekindle their relationship. But even after Nina’s year of care, Danica was still unwell. The Woodlands was not the place her daughter needed to be in and she was that that Gent was able to acknowledge the truth as well.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

While the relationship with their own allies may be frayed as if schmatte, Gent found the irony of this foundation being laid between the Woodlands leader and himself to be, for once, a pleasant surprise. Perhaps the scuffle within the Cedarwood Forest had been his and Sagacity's fault, technically, but it still seemed to have been quite the sign that should have been heeded. Whereas Hollow's benevolence and the thicket pack's offer of teamwork to the wolves of the Keep had rightfully given him doubt about the war that Minka had thought to start. It only ached that Minka could have known this too, benefitting from the shedding of her treacherous 'friends' and finding solidarity with their neighbors.

"Same to you," he replied with a final nod, before he too turned to return to his own duties amongst his pack lands. He felt something that must be his heart aching behind his rib cage, and he yearned to seek out @Raela, though for what he did not know. None of her honey words could resurrect Daniel or bring Danica home, and yet he did not want to return to his patrolling alone. His friend's presence alone would at least ward off the cold that threatened to crawl under his skin and pierce deep within.