Nightingale Palisade The Dead Know Nothing

@Bane 

After her rendevouz with Naia, Inali had set out to the blackberry fields, the home that she had been avoiding. Her plan was to wait for the right time to approach Bane so she could not only say her goodbyes, but deliver the news of what Nina had wanted her to say to her son. She knew he would enjoy hearing from his mother during this awful time for the pack. But as she waited...all seemed unusually still. After a day or two of this unusual stillness, Inali finally gathered the courage to come closer to the borders. What she found, or better yet, what she hadn't found was surprising. She knew Minka and @Tokino had been planning to move the pack, but so soon? She roamed what used to be pack lands, making sure that they had indeed left. Scents were stale and Inali knew there was no use searching any more for proof that they were still there. Black Thorn Downs was no more. Inali immediately set out to find where they had gone. It took a while to come across a semi fresh scent of the pack's trail, but once she found it, the scout was determined not to lose it. They had traveled even farther north, towards elevated ground it seemed. It had been a long trip for them, though fit because of her duty as a scout, it wasn't too tiring with a few breaks to regain her energy here and there. Inali's paws moved smoothly over the rough mountainous terrain. She knew she was getting close for she was scenting fresher and fresher scents. But something distracted her. Among the fresh scents, there was a stale scent she immediately recognized. Her heart leaped joyously as she realized it was Tokino's. He had been gone for a couple weeks now on his search for Noble and Minka hadn't been the only one worried. Easily taking the detour, she concentrated on following the faint trail, leaving the Timbers and reaching another territory. That strong stench of death made her muzzle wrinkle and she briefly put a paw over her muzzle. Who had died? Morbid curiousity led her to the body and what she found made her body scramble backwards in shock. Oh, it couldn't be! But it was. Tokino, the man who had been her best friend, her father figure, lay still with lifeless eyes. Inali choked on a sob, grief already threateaning to consume her. Hadn't the fates had enough with torturing her? How could they kill Kino? How could they take him away from her? She looked away, not wanting to accept it. A lump rose in her throat and Inali suddenly couldnt breathe. Her heart hammered in her chest, double time, threatening to break once again. The woman whimpered, moisture lining her eyes. Not caring about the stench of death, she lowered her muzzle and nuzzled Tokino's grizzled cheek. Her form lowered, wanting to curl around him like a child. But she didn't. She pawed at his face gently, whimpering again. He needed to wake up. Tokino needed to wake up. He had a family, children that would soon be born. A pack. Minka needed him. Inali needed him. She shakily stood and her muzzle lifted to the skies, a howl of utter grief coming out of her maw. The world had lost one of the best men in the world. What would they do now? She didn't care who heard her outpour of pain. This was the only way she could express that her heart, once again, had shattered. ”Speech”

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His mission from his Leader had been plain and simple - find the body of Tokino Lagina and bury him. It had been Minka herself along the side of Gent which how found him dead in the first place, reporting back the information to the pack about his death, forcing the injured Lugh in the ranks and forcing Minka to suffer as a single parent. Bane had been asked by her to return to the location which he was found (explained and yet would take some work searching) and do the bidding of burying him which he accepted with a curt nod. He had been trotting along this unknown landscape for some time now and it was not until he heard the unbearable, painful sound of Inali's cries did he gain his barrings. After some time he was certain he was on the right track, Bane called out back to Inali - sorrowful, apologetic, concerned... A howl low and deep, eerie if only due to the fact that his calls were few and far between. He relished in silence yet now wolves for miles would hear him out. Soon he was upon his friend, a grim expression over his features as he moved up to the stiff, cold and sunken body of what was once Tokino. "She sent me to bury him...." He speaks ever so delicately to Inali, moving up to her side but not touching her, should she wish to be left alone.

Her head bowed as Inali finished her song of grief. She didn't know what to do now. Did Minka know? She deserved to know that her husband had perished. But how could Inali bear to face her? Minka hated her now, and there was no way Inali would be able to seek her out for an audience no matter how honorable her intentions. A responding howl broke her thoughts, one she didn't immediately recognize. Her head rose slightly after a time, in an attempt to seek the voice. But frankly, it neither mattered nor she cared who was coming. She wanted to be alone, to give herself time to get over the shock of Tokino's death. Encased in her own thoughts, she was surprised to feel a body come up beside her and the petite woman jolted slightly, for a moment her cloud of grief lifting so she could see who had come to her song. Her blue eyes held relief as she looked into Bane's familiar fiery orbs. He spoke, and his words made her realize that Minka already knew of the tradegy that had occured. She felt bad for the woman that she had once considered a sister. Still did, really. Minka hated her, but she didn't reciprocate the feeling towards the woman that would always hold a part of her heart. He stood a little aways, his movements seeming unsure. She didn't want to see him bury Kino just yet. When the time came, she knew she would not be able to aid him for she would not be able to take it. Inali moved towards him than, her form pressing against his chest, seeking his silent comfort. She loved how Bane was always so steady and calm, though he oozed a sort of quiet strength. She needed that now. Her usually expressive eyes were devoid of any light as she gazed up at him. For how could they shine in this horrid moment? "speech"”Speech”

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After a first jolt from his arrival that had broken her daze of grief, he would see the relief in her eyes and after a moment kept still as she came to him and pressed her small form against his chest. He was by far a large wolf and yet he was a tall one, standing well over Inali's own slight form. His head came down, moving the length of his muzzle over the back of her nape to rest there in hopes of comfort. His legs were stiffened, stance solid as a tight line of a frown formed hard over his lips as those burnt orange eyes glance to the sunken, hard corpse. His chest lifted, a deep sigh as he remained silent, and turned his attention from what was once Tokino only when Inali lifted her head to gather a good look at him. His muzzle moves, brushing his snout along the length of her jawline and then placing a small kiss at her cheek. He knew how much this was hurting Inali. Despite her recent banishment, she loved Tokino and Minka very much, becoming closer then Bane had ever thought to be with them despite nearly having spent a year of his life under their ruling. Inali had always been a very friendly, compassionate woman - a lover and not a fighter by a long shot. He wondered then if she would stay here whilst he buried the man, yet secretly hoped she did not. There was no use for her to watch him be swallowed by dirt, to be hidden away where no one would ever see him again. Which is particularly why Minka had sent him out here to do the job anyhow.

Inali leaned into the dark man's soft caress, needing the comfort and strength Bane was providing. She was so glad he wasn't pushing her away like she had so fearfully expected. What had Minka told the pack of her disappearance? She had probably spared no truth, telling the pack that was once her family that again, they had been betrayed. The petite woman wanted to just curl into herself and let the ground swallow her up, bury her to be forgotten like it would to Tokino. It seemed like everything was falling apart for the scout, and she didn't know what to do anymore. She wanted to give up, but Inali knew she couldn't. She had to be strong. Nina had given her mission, and she would go through with it. For now, the woman would have to bury her grief and buck. It was time to once again reclaim her peace of mind and to fix what she had broken. Looking at Bane, Inali opened her maw. "I will not be able to help. Come to me when you are through." The blue eyed woman knew there was no need to elaborate, for Bane would know she would be talking about Tokino's burial. Reluctantly pulling away from him, her gaze fell to the decomposing form of her heart's closest friend. Goodbye Tokino, she mentally bid farewell. With a bittersweet smile, she turned her back from the corpse and her gaze locked onto Bane's. Her tail wagged gently in a temporary goodbye as she moved across the terrain, taking her place at a nearby hillside far enough that she would not be able to scent the stench of death. She would not look, but the image of Tokino would be forever burned into her memory. "speech"”Speech”

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Finally, Inali speaks, rousing the silence with her voice as she had time and time again. She held a voice which he did not mind in breaking the silence he so very much enjoyed. However today, that happy tone was broken, choked up. He had never heard her before sound so down and her voice shattered his heart. There is a knot in his throat and he cannot speak, though nods sharply as he ears fall flat against his skull. His eyes met hers once more. He felt his vision cloud and the knot in his throat tightened - it was hard to breath. It was not until she left that he gasped, a silent cry out for his fallen Leader and the pain that the pack and all Tokino's friends would endure in his absence. Slowly Bane moved towards the corpse, stiffened limbs shaken. After a few silent moments of trying to get himself together, staring upon the remains of his friend, Bane began to swiftly dig out a hole next to him. Had he not been so hurt the task would not have nearly taken as long. It was odd that the young man would be faced with such a task as this and to do so alone. Though Bane Aranna was beginning to realize his life was full of trials. Between growing up as a newborn alone, with no siblings, no father and a mother who could not look at you. Only then to find out you were born of rape, to then know of one of the pack's children's death and wish it was his own instead. His first friend, Ashton, who ironically enough was his bully growing up as the outsider pup. Now he was burying the man he had on one paw respected, though on the other was the man who threatened the life of his very own (adopted) mother and her children.

It was hours later that he was finished as he paws pressed firmly into the mound of dirt that was now left the only reminder of this scene. His limbs quivered, tired and matted with dirt which yet still blended well enough with his chocolate coating. He sits until his pants ease and then he lifts once more, shaking out his coat and silently making his way from the scent of death to the much more pleasant scent of his friend. Still, she waits for him atop one of the various rolling hills. He moves to her, though holds back, looking upon her sunken form with apathetic gaze. He knows now that he loves her. He loves her and he loves Nina. Though Inali sits with a beautiful despair about her and Bane wants nothing more to make her whole once more, though knows he cannot...

@Bane

Though hours had passed, the grief stricken woman had not moved a single muscle. Her blue gaze had refused to stray from the scene before her, since the woman did not want to look and see in the distance the burial of her friend. 'Friend' seemed like such a small word to describe what the man had meant to her. He had been a friend, yes, but he had also been her King and a father figure to the scout. Remembering when she had first meant the man, a small smile appeared across her maw. Paw steps removed her from memory lane, bringing her back to the dark present. Glancing up at the dark man at her side, the warmth that had briefly appeared on her face dissapeared. Inali managed to gather enough strength to close the short distance between them and tucked her form into his embrace. Breathing in his scent, the woman felt a sense of calm within her soul for the very first time in who knew how long. Bane was offering his presence and his strength, and the woman drank of it greedily. Taking a few moments to compose herself, she looked up at the younger man. He would see just a little life in her blue eyes now. "When I went to inform Nina about...everything..she offered me sanctuary within her home if things went bad. She told me to inform you that Koda, Iopah, Camio and Nova are traitors of the Woodlands now. Betrayers because laws were broken." She eyed Bane warily. Was he close to these individuals? Wanting to soothe any pain he might feel at her words, Inali continued. "She also told me to tell you that she loves you very much. She is proud of the man you have become." Now a smile flickered over her maw, warmth beginning to seep back into her once dead gaze. Nothing made her happier than to see joy in the wolves that held portions of her heart. "speech"”Speech”

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(This post was last modified: Oct 30, 2015, 12:17 AM by Inali.)

She moved to him then, seeking his tall form as some sort of sanctuary, her tiny frame pressing up against his chest and neck. Bane took this silent opportunity to sit down, his front limbs offering a small shake from both the work they had done and the grim situation which he was in. Bane, as per usual, felt no matter of words would help the situation. No amount of 'sorry' would comfort, no false promises of 'it will be ok'. The sting was there, that empty hole - there. And, as far as Bane was concerned, the loss of Tokino would always remain, it was just something that would become more manageable over time. Same was the loss of his distant mother, or knowing his father was not only a crazed murderer, but a rapist, spawning his existence. No one ever 'gets over' these things, they just learn to live with it... And so he sat, silently, hoping only him physically being there for her was comfort enough.

After a while, she shifted so that she may look up at him through bluish-grey hued eyes. She spoke about Nina, that after all that had happened the woman had offered her a place to call home. Also, that Koda and Iopah, along with two others had been ousted from the pack due to having broken a law. From the past spring and the two couples being mentioned, it could have easily been obvious what law had been broken. He frowned, though did not speak up about it. He didn't know the third or fourth wolf she had mentioned and as far as Bane was concerned, Koda was a betrayer to his pack and his family the first time he had abandoned them. He smiles then, just slightly, to her next bit of words. He missed Nina so very much. Missed Inali. Missed those he could so very scarcely call nephews. Although the Woodlands had always been strangling to him, trapping him in his horrible upbringing, he was willing to accept it if only for those who lived within. "I miss you; I miss Nina..." He speaks with a heavy sigh. "I want to come back."And he would. It was just a manner of letting Minka and Kova know of his decision.

@Bane Let's finally wrap this up :p 
<3

His words made her form sag with relief and she pressed her face into his chest. Oh, the joy she felt was indescribable, but there was an ache of guilt within her heart. She should tell him to stay with his pack, but her heart would not be in her words. Bane brought her security, brought her comfort, and she selfishly wanted to keep him to herself. While everything was falling apart around her, he was the only solid foundation she had left. He was the only one still at her side, and she desperately needed a friend. Her words were whispered, muffled because she refused to separate from him even a centimeter, but all her feelings could be heard in the two words she spoke. "I'm glad." Not only would she recieve happiness from his coming home, but Nina as well. Especially now, the Woodlands matriarch would need all the love and comfort his presence would bring. She knew he would have to leave soon, for his mission had been accomplished. Minka would be expecting him. But for now, she would soak in his presence until the very last moment. The scarred woman wanted to follow him back, curl up around the woman who had been like a sister to her and help to heal her grief. But she couldn't. So sighing softly in defeat, Inali snuggled deeper into her Rock. "speech"”Speech”

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(This post was last modified: Feb 18, 2016, 01:41 PM by Inali.)

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health