Broken Timber Pines Lost and Found

For @Eirian. Sorry this took me so long! My lack of sleep and the week caught up with me. <3

It had only been a short while within the pack before his mother had disappeared. At first he was angry, assuming that she had left again without warning. She had put their mission on hold and at risk. It was already hard for them to go into this mission with only the two of them, the chance of their covers being compromised, a viable fear. Yuka had done his best to stay under the radar, but had done what he could to acknowledge others around him in passing and do what he could to pull his full share.

Within the first few weeks, the power shift had been noticed. Koda was obviously missing and it, no doubt, but a strain on Iopah’s mental health. Eirian, a man who Yuka had not formally met, had taken on Koda’s responsibilities. Since his mother was now missing, and his head had cleared, he knew that something must have happened. She never would have leaved, especially without telling him. Narimè knew how he felt about abandonment. And so, he found the trail of his new alpha.

Luckily, it didn’t take him long, and as he made his way through the mountains, he was reminded of Ash and his tales of his former Kingdom. How ironic that here he was. The man followed Eirian, finding it rude to call out for a man he hardly knew. As the alpha’s scent got stronger, the Thorben quickened his pace, his amber teal-flecked eyes dilating. Confrontation was never something that he wanted to deal with, but he reminded himself that he was doing it for his cover and his mother’s good faith, should she ever return. So as he approached the form up ahead, making noise to make it clear that he meant to be heard, he spoke, "Good evening, sir… Do you have a moment?"

Now i'm sorry for the wait, I thought i'd already replied >.<

A coal black nose pressed into the hole along the base of an exposed tree trunk, nostrils snuffling as his sense of smell attempted to detect if anything lay claim to the minute den. Only a creature as small as a ground squirrel or famished fox could make use of a hole this size, but Eirian's interest soon came to pass finding nothing inside. Instead the sound of a steady footfalls against crushed vegetation and snow from behind piqued his momentarily deflated interest, golden russet skull lifting and angling sideways over a charcoal streaked shoulder to determine whom had decided to seek the temporary patriarch.

Fiery citrus orbs spotted @Yuka's movement against the ivory and gray-scale backdrop before the young adult's deep voice rumbled against his eardrums, causing a single audit to flick curiously. "Good evening," The tawny man returned the casual greeting while creamy limbs adjusted to face his advancing subordinate. Some time had come to pass since the boy and his mother; a contrasting gray shaded female by the name of Narime, sought refuge among the Pines's pack members after finding their borders, yet there was no hiding the fact the already mysterious woman had just as mysteriously vanished leaving the poor boy under their care. It was a curious predicament, but one the Asurn male paid little mind to. "What can I do for you?" He asked, a creamy pair of brows quirking skyward a fraction while his tail offered a subtle wag at his flanks.

(This post was last modified: Mar 17, 2016, 06:27 PM by Eirian.)

The alpha male was polite in his own greeting and Yuka made sure to dip his head in respect for the man. Hopefully, this would not go too awfully. His mother had high hopes for him in that he would be able to adjust socially within Broken Timber Pines, despite their assignment. Yuka swallowed hesitantly, an unpleasant knot forming in his stomach as he looked into the orbs of his alpha. Abruptly, he avoided the man’s gaze, embarrassed. He did not know how to approach this and so he went for the rather blunt approach, his amber teal-flecked eyes aimed at the ground.

"Something happened to Narimè. She would never do something like this." He took a chance and stole a quick glance up and added quickly, "I’m not asking to leave to look for her or for a search party. But if she does return, I can promise it is with good reason. Would you allow her to return?" It was true that they had not been within the pack long and Narimè, if she had left, had not proven her worth to the Pine wolves and that could impact her future should she return. It was up to Yuka to fix the mess she had made and if she ever returned, then they would be able to continue with their mission. But for the time being, he was to remain as undercover and do what he could to determine their weaknesses. Unfortunately, he was already at a disadvantage.

Thank you TABs

With a small dip of his head in respect the marred face youth went on to confess his worries and reasoning for seeking out the russet patriarch, a pair of equally russet hued ears listening attentively to everything uttered. It was not an unknown fact to Eirian by this point in time that the silvered maiden, the boy's mother, had become missing shortly after their acceptance. The woman's perfume all but faded completely from the well kept borders. According to her son, though, such behavior was not something common to occur without a logical reason. Yuka was not asking for a search party; as if they had enough members to even make such, to scour the landscape for the missing subordinate, but he was in a way pleading for her secured placement within the pack. Eirian could respect the loyalty the equally young male portrayed, but in regards to Narime's placement he could not offer a solidified yes. There were too many unknown variables to make such a decision.

A methodical hm reverberated against the Asurn's chest, citrus gaze holding the amber and teal-flecked of Yuka's as he contemplated his words before granting any sort of answer upon the subject. Their time together here was indeed short and with little work ethic on both fronts provided thus far to help plead their case, the chance of the silver female being re-accepted so readily seemed awfully slim. Eirian could not speak on Iopah's behalf how willing she would be in all of this to allow a possible deserter re-admittance. Familiar, or not, but the boy sought answers and it was only fair as leader to provide what he could. "It's hard to give a definite answer with so much left unknown. I do not know the true nature of your mother, but should she return to our borders her story will be heard before a decision is made." And you better hope it's a damn good one he tacked on mentally.

His heart beat uncertainly in his chest as he stared into the amber eyes of his new alpha. The former prince was now reduced to begging for something he wasn’t even quite ready to believe. Iopah had done nothing to prove to him that she was of the wicked nature but in Yuka’s mind he knew that he had to follow Nina’s code. After all, his mother and Nina were of the closest of friends and his male guardian was counting on him. It was no struggle for him to remain silent while he waited for the other man’s response, his russet ears strained forward for any word of his appeal. This was truly a test for the young lad. Social matters were never something that he engaged in and when he did, it never ended well.

When Eirian did respond, Yuka had to contain his sigh of relief. While it was not a definite ‘yes,’ it was something that the Thorben could work with. If his mother had left for her own rendezvous well… "Thank you, sir. I can assure you that if her disappearance was merely for pleasure then I will be right by your side driving her out." There was no need for Narimè’s disappearance to completely ruin their mission. Yuka needed to gain their trust and the best way for him to do that was by doing his duty. It was what he had been doing since he could remember, protecting his sister, protecting his pack mates, doing what he could for the safety of the pack. And he knew that if it came to it and Nari returned and she was not granted admittance, then it would give her a chance to get back to her husband and get Yuka some damn reinforcements.

Thank you TABs

I suck </3 Figure they can just chit-chat for a bit so Eirian can get to know him better

A small hint of a smile graced Eirian's face listening to the marred face boy admit he would help to drive out his own mother should her return prove the whole ordeal was personal to begin with. Nodding his head, a small glint glimmered behind his citrus gaze. "I do appreciate that, but for the best let's hope that isn't the case upon her return." A minute or two of silence filled the gap between them as Eirian paused to ensure the boy hadn't anything else on his mind he would like to discuss. Content there was nothing left to say on the matter, an idea struck. "If there isn't anything else you'd like to discuss, care to join me for a patrol of the borders?"

Normally the Asurn wouldn't care to hold the company of such filth for so long, but considering his role of leader now it was the wisest decision to begin getting to know each of his subordinates. The sooner he could earn their trust the better. Pausing after his invitation, a creamy paw rose from the snowy ground as his body pivoted toward the nearest marker that would need to be refreshed. Charcoal dusted banner continuing its pendulum like motion behind his flanks to further entice the boy into joining him. Perhaps after a small casual conversation the two of them would discover that the two of them had similar plans in mind.

Inali would never do something this wretched. Yuka felt a twist in his gut as he said those words and guilt as he looked into the guys of this man. Thus far, he had no reason to believe that any of these wolves had done anything wrong to deserve the misery that Nina had described to him. Eirian was not even on the list of names that the Hervok woman had given him. He was not a betrayer to Secret Woodlands. None the less, it was the mission that he had been sent on and he knew that if it had been Ash that had sent him on it, there would have been no hesitation. The only thing that held him back was the thought of Inali. If she knew, what would she think of all this? She was a pillar of light and hope in his world and he knew that she would disapprove of all of this. Especially now that he was going solo and could possibly be in danger if he was compromised.

Thoughts of his position were interrupted when Eirian spoke again. It seemed that Yuka had won him over. The Guardian in-training gave a curt nod of acknowledgement to the man's words before letting a silence pass between them. This was the purpose of his meeting and he would be happy to be dismissed then. His alpha, however, invited him for a patrol. For a moment, Yuka was stunned and did not know what to say. Instead of responding, Yuka opted for a simple head not, getting to his feet and following the other man. He would need to be careful with what he said around him, just in case he misinterpreted something. Eirian couldn't think that Yuka had anymore personal ties to the Woodlands wolves that he already did. It would already be given that he did due to Nina and Nari's friendship that was believed to be terminated. Hopefully, he would not mix up his story but if they did not talk on their journey, he would be thankful. Yuka doubted he would be that lucky.

Thank you TABs

Slowly the two males began the trek around the borders of their home in silence, the double impression upon the snowy ground behind followed by the trail of prints their paws now left in the powder sign enough to their little meeting of sorts. For a few minutes the copper hued leader allowed the silence to persist until the sound of the frozen landscape surrounding them became too much of a bore. There was only so much chirping from the flocks of woodland birds that stayed during winter Eirian could handle. Adjusting his head toward the side slightly to catch a glimpse of the marred faced boy at his flank, his lips finally parted to begin their casual conversation.

"So how have you liked your time in the Pines so far?" It was a cliche opening question that made the man want to cringe, but in all honestly the man wasn't one well versed in the art of conversation. His being was built and groomed for the art of pushing around his brute strength to flaunt his physical power and asserting dominance in any shape or form he could, not twisting words to play head games with another and definite not for making casual small talk. This would prove to be an interesting experience for the both of them.

They traveled in silence along the borders and as the silence reigned on, Yuka found himself relaxing around the presence of the other man, appreciating his respect for this peace. They fell into a steady rhythm, one the Thorben usually had to do alone and didn't particularly mind this one. However, when the man turned back to look at him, the russet-hued boy had to force himself to keep moving. Even if the man was looking at his face, it didn't matter here. None the less, he felt his throat tighten considerably. He didn't like the thought of anyone seeing the monstrosity that was him and so consumed by his paranoia, he barely heard the other man's question, breaking their peaceful silence.

The creamy man could feel the tension returning to his shoulders but mentally reminded himself to remain calm in this situation. He needed Eirian to survive in his mission, especially if Koda ever returned. Narime was no longer here as his backup and he had no way of contacting Nina back in Secret Woodlands. He took a deep breath, trying his best to keep his voice steady, "It's fine. Peaceful." Boring. Nothing happened within the Pines and while he did not particularly mind it, the lack of activity made it hard for him to get any information from anyone about the pack or how he would be able to infiltrate the family. Amber orbs eyed the other male as he walked before speaking, "How long have you been with the Pines?" His voice was blunt and deep. He was simply curious though he did want to know how much longer he had been there than himself.

 

Thank you TABs

So sorry for the horrible wait! I think one more post from both and we can call this a wrap <3

It's fine. Peaceful. was the marred face boy's blunt response and internally Eirian could feel his stomach begin to slowly clench and his saliva glands begin to salivate in warning of what was to come. He wanted to wretch as the dragging conversation made the male grow more uncomfortable after each passing second that turtle scooted by them, but a single swallow of the pooled liquid on his tongue subsided the desire to relieve his stomach of its content. Boring was more like it in the copper male's mind after watching the same routine take place day in and day out. They'd all wake up, mosey about doing fuck all of whatever it was they deemed important, ate and then went to sleep. It was so mundane and depressing it made the skin beneath his fur itch for some form of excitement, some form of lively action to break the repetitive chain of events.

Eirian's pace slowed a fraction as the ear closest to @Yuka flicked sideways to catch his rebuttal question of how long the copper male had been living among these abominations. Too long he wanted to retort, but his facade of being the doting leader in their time of distress kept his tongue pressed firmly to the roof of his mouth. Halting all together once the duo reached another stump along the border's perimeter in need of a fresh piss coating, a rear leg lifted to fulfill its wish before answering the hanging question. "My best guess? A few months now and near the beginning of Autumn. The leaves were beginning to shift to a fiery coloration if not already beginning to fall and crumble upon the ground when I first found these borders." It was a more elaborate answer than the one Yuka had gifted, but hopefully it would liefly sate whatever part of his brain birthed such a question in the first place. Maybe enough so that both males could go back about their business. Away from each other.