Fallen Tree Cove Time ticks on

For @Vespertio
Late morning. Cloudy. 12*F, -7*C

She had put this off long enough. If he wasn't going to come to her, then she would come to him. Neha's lips pursed together to form a thin line, fully formed ears flattening momentarily. While she understood that Anthem's death had been particularly hard on her father, and that he needed his space, she could not help but feel agitated. Not because of the way he distanced himself now. No, that was not it. Instead, it was due to her perception that she felt father and daughter had never formed a proper bond, like the one she shared with @Cernan or @Namid. Her mind was left filled with dozens of unanswered questions, ones which for once, she kept to herself. Was he too busy as a leader to make time for her? Or maybe was he not a 'daughter' type of father? Perhaps even worse yet, had she as his first born, disappointed him in some way? The very thought of such a possibility shook the growing Princess to the core.

Taking matters into her own paws, as she was quite used to doing even at her early age, Neha jumped down from her resting spot, which had been a large rock, on which she was attempting to warm herself. The weather had other plans though. A thick blanket of gray clouds dominated the sky today, allowing for little or no rays of sunshine to break through. Oh well. Sitting around was boring anyways. She would much rather be buzzing about. As her long legs set her body into motion, traversing through the snow with minimal difficulty, her skin grew warm within minutes. Warm brown eyes narrowed in thought, darting left then right. Thinking of where her father could be. He was most likely on border patrol, as his scent was often the most prevalent there. Taking a guess, Neha turned south and headed for that border.

She not only wanted to track Vesper down to try and get some sort of bonding going, but also for knowledge. As a heir to the pack, she needed to know how to watch the perimeters of the territory. What to look for, both good and bad. How to ensure everything was in it's place, that all the caches along the way were filled and not raided. Where to mark, and how often. An hour into her search had turned up nothing, but as she walked along a well worn hunting trail close to the border, a distinct set of large paw prints in the snow caught her eye. But no large tawny wolf was in sight. A sudden bitterness rushed through her blood. Had her father taken @Cernan or perhaps @Aleister out hunting again, and not her? She had eventually gotten word about the expedition between him and her youngest brother. While happy for her golden sibling, Neha could not help but feel left out. Just because she was a seemingly dainty girl didn't mean she was incapable of being molded into a fine huntress! Huffing softly, she paused for a moment, debating on turning back while keeping her eyes peeled for her dad.

An entire moon cycle had passed overhead since the dismal discovery of Anthem's body upon the rouge outcrops, yet the emptiness that plagued Vespertio refused to relinquish its iron clad grip upon him. Signs of such agony were made visible by the tawny brute. Border patrols happened less frequently, meals skipped entirely; sometimes days at a time, fur distressed and void of its usual lackluster sheen with lack of proper grooming and social interactions with his family and subordinates became ghostly if nonexistent at all. In truth his woeful behavior had come to damage not only his physical appearance, but what little bond he had with his trio of children. Neha suffering the worst of them all.

Today the princess of the cove would no longer stand idly by to such deplorable distancing, rather taking matters into her own paws to begin molding one of the most sacred bonds a wolf could be bestowed with; a bond with their parents. Snow crushed easily under the limber limbs of his daughter as she pursued in his tracks along the southern border, the agouti king having come to rest just outside the visual distance of his pale coated child when she paused her search for him. A rust tinged ear twitched mildly at the sound of crunching snow, but paid the noise no thought. Creamy haunches lowering to sit upon the frozen ground.

Molten gold irises lifted towards the veiled fiery king now mid height into the cloudy, brilliant painted morning sky, a blurred orb marking its ascent towards high noon. Brows furrowed momentarily in the wake of a moments thought, a swift shake of a mighty skull dismissing whatever idea had crossed his mind before a slowly deteriorating embodiment rose to all fours again. Turning back the way he came Vespertio gave pause upon spotting the pale form of his daughter, golden gaze narrowing slightly to ensure it was indeed her against the equally pale backdrop. "Neha?" A tired voice called out. The corner of his leathery lips tugging back into a faint smile, although the elated emotion fell short of reaching his goldenrod eyes. My how quickly his daughter had already began transforming into a near likened image of her mother.

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

It did not take long for her father to grow alert to her presence. Her head snapped up, ears pricking when the familiar but rarely heard voice of her dad called out to her. It took her only but a second to pinpoint the tawny form in the distance, to which she immediately came. Her legs carried her slowly across the spanning distance between them at first, gradually easing her into a jog. One might think that she was elated to see her father by the way she was trotting towards him, but no smile graced her lips. Neha kept her face a blank canvas, earthy toned eyes locked steadily onto the amber ones of Vesperito.

Only when she came within a few feet of the man she hardly knew, did she allow the traces of her emotions begin to filter onto her face, and in her eyes. "Dad..." She began softly, a little too quietly. "Where have you been? All this time?" Neha was well aware of Anthem's death and how it had affected her father, but that was not what she was referring to. She meant before the time of Anthem's passing, before the turmoil. Her facial features grew tense, jaw set as her tail lashed slowly at her heels. Why had he not bothered to form any sort of relationship with her or Aleister? What did she mean to him? All this time, she had bonded with her mother and Cernan, but rarely her own father. She wanted that to change, but Neha wasn't even sure it could. The only way to find out was by confronting him head on, even if it meant stepping out of line. So, she waited for the first of his explanations with an expectant look in her eye.

(This post was last modified: Feb 07, 2016, 11:25 PM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

Whatever elated reaction the tawny brute may have been expecting from the pale coated princess, Neha had another method in mind to use in greeting for her father. No swift bounds of energized limbs came gallivanting toward him with an exposed coral tongue. Not even the trace of a smile was visible on those inky lips, instead soft spoken words brushed along the inner confines of his russet audits that should have been shouted granted the emotion that fueled such questions. Instantaneously audits splayed back to rest upon the back of his skull, goldenrod irises surveying the face of his daughter for any indication as to what had roused such a confrontation. His own facial features contorting into a look of utter confusion.

Greeting the cold earth with the thick winter fur of his haunches, a creamy hued skull angled to the side in response to the sudden development in her physical appearance. A silvered tail lashed like a slowly uncurled whip at her rump, the muscles outlining her jaw visibly contracted with tension. All signs pointed toward anger, but the foggy ocean within Vespertio's mind could not for the life of him allow the poor wolf to piece together what he had done wrong to earn this conversation from Neha. "What do you mean, princess? I've been right here." Unbeknownst for the time being to the patriarch, simply being here would be proven to be insufficient for the growing woman standing rigid before him.

 

Neha wasn't sure if she should be confused or offended by her fathers response. Confusion. Of course he wouldn't understand in what sense she had meant. Knitting her brows together, she drew her lips into a tight, thin line. Mirroring him, she lowered her haunches to the cold ground. She shook her head, sighing. She would have to outright spell it out for him, then.

"No, Dad. That is not what I meant." The words were forced, but not unkind. Laced in her voice was a blend of hurt and disappointment. Her averted eyes finally found his amber ones again, into which she peered solidly. "I feel like I don't even know you. Like you don't even know me." How could she explain this, without getting riled up? The Princess did not want to lash out at her own sire, despite how utterly frustrated she truly was. She did not want to do something she'd regret. @Aleister was but a ghost to her, flitting about their home doing who knows what. @Cernan was her buddy, whose company she enjoyed, but the two needed a break from each other now and again. And @Namid paid enough attention to her, but Neha was growing more independent and explorative by the day. "I know you are busy, Dad. That these months have been hard..." She avoided bringing up the subject of Anthem's death. "But...what about us...?" She pressed, swallowing a lump in her throat which had since built up with the onset of emotions she was beginning to experience.   

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

Slowly with each turn of the rust laced wheel the cogs clicked into place, revealing to the tawny male just what exactly his daughter had meant by her words. He was a ghost to her. Realization dawned for Vespertio like a whirlwind, golden hued optics blinking away the last traces of confusion that remained upon his previously stoic countenance. It was in the wake of this great realization that dread and guilt began to gradually seep into the pit of his stomach, gnawing at the already figuratively worn hole depression had leisurely concocted the past few months. "Neha.." He began, fumbling for the right words to say in that moment as her name faded off his ebony lips into a hushed whisper catching the hard swallow that followed her words. But, what could he say to make it alright? There was no lavish excuse superior enough to condone such a detrimental mistake. He had failed her thus far as a father.

A burdened sigh shook the downtrodden shoulders of the man as it left through flared nostrils. Molten gold irises absorbing the emotions playing across Neha's pale complexion before dropping remorsefully to the snowy ground at their paws. "I'm so sorry, Neha.." A pause as his gaze lifted back up to meet the warm chocolate shade of his daughter's. "I had no idea I created such a negative impact between us. I never meant to keep you in the dark.." Creamy limbs rose to all fours, easily closing the distance between the two wolves to drape the length of his muzzle over the young girl's shoulders, pulling her slender frame against the confines of his chest with a small chin tuck while allowing the coal black point of his nose to brush against a patch of pale fur. "Tell me how to fix my mistake." Eyes squinted shut firmly as the regret ate its way deeper into being, the raw emotion of his struggle evident on each word uttered. He couldn't fix what happened to Anthem, but this, this he could fix. He would fix, for the agouti man couldn't bare the thought of losing his baby girl too.

 

Sitting before him, ears folded back, she watched her father through hurtful, expectant eyes. What would he say? How would he react to her expression of these emotions? A part of her honestly felt as if she didn't really know what kind of a man her Dad was. It felt so wrong. A father and daughter were supposed to be close...not distant, like this.

As regret, sorrow and guilt flooded into his voice, onto his handsome features, the Lake Princesses face softened, ever so slightly. He was sorry...he said it. And she believed him. As he reached out to pull her close, resting his muzzle over her shoulder, she pressed her forehead against the warmth of his chest, cherishing this moment, one of which she had rarely experienced before. "It's okay Dad...it's not too late." She had forgiven him, but Neha was not going to forget his mistakes. It was up to him to prove to her that he did indeed, love her as he so claimed. And she was giving him that chance.

Pulling away from the comfort of his embrace just so but a few inches separated their coats, Neha peered up him through warm brown eyes. She did not have to think long, or at all for that matter, on what her response was to be towards his request. Of how he could repair the damage that had been done over the months. "Simple. Just...be there. Spend time with me. Teach me what you know." She stepped forward, closer, her eyes bright with thirst for knowledge. "Tell me who you are...who I am. Where I came from." That would be a good start. As a Vuesain and a potential heiress to the throne of the Lake one day, it was only appropriate that Neha knew of her lineage. Of what her father, Vesperito Vuesain had gone through into making this kingdom and the life they knew now.

(This post was last modified: Mar 31, 2016, 03:18 AM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

A small sense of relief washed over the tawny male as his daughter welcomed his embrace, unsure if the child would even accept such an action; if he even deserved a response, considering his present failures thus far, but he was glad none the less feeling the outline of her forehead press into the warmth of his chest. His hold tightening for a moment before @Neha began to pull away slightly, her words allowing his ears to lift from their buried position against the back of his skull to hear what she spoke as their eyes met. It was then she laid out on the table the first steps he would need to take to patch the holes he burned in their relationship by his unacceptable behavior.

A small nod was offered before he pulled back from her frame entirely to return his larger frame to a seated position, another sigh leaving through his flared nostrils. If she wanted to know who she was and where she came from then he would inform her, although, the Vuesain patriarch was not entirely proud of his past and what was needing to happen for him to become the man he was today. "Alright. We'll start with learning about my history and yours." This would be a long story and hopefully she would have the patience to sit through it all and more so not judge her father for what he would possibly reveal about himself. Reflecting on his past he now saw how wrong he was growing up, mind clogged by his rampant emotions from the lack of affection adorned on him by his parents. Eventually this led to his manipulation of others to earn the affection he thought he so deserved. Similar to the way he had unintentionally neglected his daughter before him. Yet that would all change starting today.

"That sounds like a good enough place to start." She agreed, with a small tipping of her head. Knowing that the tale and the information spun within it was to be a long one, Neha was prepared. Even if it took all day and into the night, she would gladly stay by her fathers side, just for the sake of being with the man she yearned to get to know. Playing with her brothers, or sharpening her hunting skills could wait.

With such a long tale ahead of them, Neha figured they might as well get comfortable. Rising to her paws, she sent a questioning glance back at her agouti father. Would he be coming along, or was he content where he was? Another sweep of her golden brown eyes shortly picked out a tall, thick spruce tree, with plenty of room to spare under the boughs. Two wolves would fit nicely underneath, and the extra bedding of pine needles would be a welcome change from the cold snow. Chuffing softly, the princess nudged and nipped at his chin, a new bounce in her step as she beckoned Vesper to follow her lead. Then, once they got nice and settled, the story could began. The mending of their bond, sealed.

-Fade-

(This post was last modified: May 18, 2016, 11:59 PM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.