Broken Timber Pines Forever in a lifetime

@Iopah !!!

Once a king, always a king. He repeated the words over and over to himself as he walked an unfamiliar path toward a smell from pure memory to where he had left his wife and two children. The trip he'd discussed and planned out with Iopah was supposed to have only lasted one month, and with any luck he was to have allies in tow, but instead the wary king had gotten himself injured and horribly lost. With time his injury had healed, though not completely, and it was apparent that he was hurt in more ways than a favored hind leg--his pride had been damaged as well. He had hoped that time had not taken his home and family from him, and he feared for the worst as traveled the last mile before the border to his, expecting what he'd worked so hard on to be gone but the stench of Broken Pines was still strong. He had no idea what he would say, nor how his wife and children would react to his reappearance but he was thankful for the opportunity to let them know that he was alive, injured, but well.

He knew how hierarchies worked and if there was still a male wolf in the ranks, his right to his position had long since been granted but he would work on that later, right now his first concern was Iopah, he needed to see her. His mouth felt dry, lips cracked and the breaths he took in were long and labored but once he settled to his haunches, finally reaching his home, he felt a renewed sense of energy and lifted his head slowly. His bones ached in places they never had before but he ignored the natural instinct to shift into a more comfortable position for the simple act of howling for his woman; she was the only face he needed to see. He hoped, that in this message, his daughters would recognize his voice and know that daddy was finally home but he was not yet ready to face them. He wanted to be sure that Iopah would allow him the chance to return once more to his place in the Pines. As the song drifted through the dimming sky, he wondered how much had changed since his disappearance and how much harder he would have to work to repair the damage from his departure.

@Koda! <3 <3

It was not like with Ember's return; Iopah did not hear the call and pass over the significance. That voice was one she had argued with and crooned love words to; it was one she had both scorned and longed for, in turn. She knew every nuance of Koda's timbre, and was familiar with the very best and the very worst of the man it belonged to.

Night was coming and the Pines' queen had made her one last pass, circling around the meager few remaining wolves that she held close to her heart. The sun dipped lower and the sharp shadows started to soften into early evening. Iopah returned to the main den, letting the familiar scents of Nova and Arion, Yuka and Nalda reassure her. Her eyes passed over the nearly-grown form of her eldest daughter and the woman turned to her own sleeping area, extending a paw to soften the earth.

Her paw froze, nails tracing the surface, as the call stilled the air in her chest. She spun, slunk under the budding-out branches and broke into a run - sleep all but forgotten. The woman didn't make a reply, not sure what kind of emotion it would hold and not wanting to draw the other's attention. She had to see him first, even if she didn't know what kind of greeting she would give, she had to see him. As the border came into a sight, a soft whine finally fell from her mouth.

@Iopah !!!

He sat with relative patience, though his eyes were frantic in search of her, he needed to be sure that he had not come back for her too late. He needed to be rest assured that she had waited for him as he had her. Their bond had been sealed the moment they had confessed their love, and upon the birth of their first litter Koda was sure that no other wolf would suit him as a queen, there was only Iopah and she was all he wanted to see. He sensed her before he could see her, the smell she held a strong memory of what he had missed in the coming months since his absence and he began to shift in his spot, anticipating the sight of her pale coat. Her whimper sent him in a frenzy, similar to a dog having seen their owner after hours of being apart and the whip of his tail wagged strong behind him as he ran in her direction, not wanting to wait any further for this reunion. He was not sure how she would react, knowing his wife to be temperamental, but he got what licks he could  get to her cheeks as the full weight of his bulky body knocked against her, rubbing his stench off on her as well as reclaiming hers as his own; the Reinier couple were finally together again.

He had missed breeding season, his return had come around the incubating stage and for a moment he circled her, studying her physique and paying particular attention to her scent. He had to be sure that she was not carrying the seed of any others, the fact would crush him completely. When no scent of child came from her he felt the breath he'd been holding release and he walked toward her slowly, another soft whine along his lips before he lowered his large frame so that his stomach was shown to her. In her presence he was that of a bulky teddy bear and she had complete control over him, it was in this instance that she could inflict what anger she held for him, and he could not hold her  accountable for her feelings. He had deserved it after unintentionally deserting his family.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

The whine had an immediate response. Even before she could see him, Iopah could hear Koda's reaction. Her ears swiveled rapidly as the woman tracked his as yet-unseen approach. This was what she had so desperately wanted all those lonely March nights, but she was on edge now that it was here. So much had happened and so many had left, and all of the stress of the post two months wouldn't just vanish like that.

She was left no time to process and plan out a greeting; mere moments after catching sight of Koda his full weight knocked against her. Shoulders squared, she braced herself against the impact and his affections. While Koda licked and greeted, Iopah quietly put up with it. There was too much unsaid for her to do the same. As he backed up to survey her, the emotion started to leak through. Her ears flattened, blame evident for her current lack of condition.

When the action finally stilled and he was compliant in front of her, she shivered - torn between wanting to curl alongside him or unleash her anger. The latter won out. "I didn't want to to go and you did anyways." She lunged forward, letting her teeth click right above his plush head. "I looked for you, just like you asked! What happened to you?"

Sucky! D: @Iopah

 Like her, he could not wait to feel her touch. They had been nearly inseparable before his departure and now there laid before them months of catching up to do--he wanted nothing more than to spend what little time he had with her as if it would be their last. He felt Iopah grow still beneath his bulky form and he craned his neck to look into her eyes, knowing that she had braced herself for the impact of his imposing form. When the whimpers and whines had died down he realized that there was nothing left for him to do than explain what had happened to him since the departure and he couldn't gather the words to explain to her why he had deserted for those few months. 

Embarrassment and guilt overcame his bulky form as the silence built and he shifted to his stomach in order to view her properly, but now he struggled to form words that would explain his disappearance. He knew that no amount of words would make up for leaving her without a trace, and when her teeth clenched onto his thick head he did not wince but his body immediately tensed just enough to numb the sensation as he watched the fire burn in her golden eyes--he had deserved that attack.

 "You were right to worry Iopah, I should not have left." he paused, knowing that his wife had been right on more than one instance and he should have been smart enough to have kept his family from worrying. The aftermath had shifted the paradigm of their pack and left him injured. "It was a cougar, attacked me in the dead of night. Winter made it desperate, hungry and foolish. I was only lucky that hunger also made it weak and I left with an injured hind leg." he showed her his limb which had finally begun to regain sensation and attempt to bare weight. "You never gave up looking for me?" his voice was soft, hopeful that she would assure him that despite having messed up she continued to have faith in his return back to her.

(This post was last modified: May 17, 2016, 07:36 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

It was fine!!

It wasn't the feel of Koda between her jaws that made Iopah pull back. She was still sick enough with emotion (frustrated with Koda and worried over Bracken) to be seeing red. It was his acquiescence; the complete and utter lack of resistance to her anger that finally broke through the red haze.  Iopah fell back to pace around him, the gray tip of her tail quivering like an agitated cats. Her eyes flicked from the scenery - a forest they had claimed side-by-side - to study him.

As his story unfolded, her pacing circled closer. A nose hovered in search of any lingering trace of the cat; a tongue outstretched to carefully cleanse his mending wound. The woman hummed a noise of sorrow for what had happened to him and the pack in his absence.

His hopeful question drew a soft growl from her and Iopah took a step back, not able to look at him. At the moment she simultaneously loved and hated him; her thoughts firmly on what had happened in his absence. "I did look." She answered softly, voice earnest and apologetic. "I looked for too long." She could not blame Koda for Ember and Bracken leaving and did not want to lay it on him now, there was no question he would learn soon enough anyways. "I needed to be here, I needed to stay and keep those that remained safe." The woman drove her blunt nails into the dirt, silently wishing she had been here to keep her own daughters safe.

Probably the most Koda has spoke in a long time XD

@Iopah <3<3<3!

His head moved slowly to one side, lowering his maw in total submission as soft whines flowed from his mouth, eyes closing in anticipation of both her touch and earthy scent as she came near him, no doubt worried and frustrated over his return. It had been his idea to leave, despite her wishes, and his many nights of convincing her had been the only way he could have left her side without her constant worrying. The swelling confidence in his abilities had clouded his mind and he had left them in the hands of the second while alone she watched over their growing daughters, waiting patiently for him to return. The thought made him whine louder, longer, and his eyes closed tighter with hopes of putting this mistake behind them--he was home now. He jumped when her cold nose brushed his injured leg and before he could gather what was happening she had begun to lick at it, forever concerned over his wellbeing, what had he done to deserve a wife so loving?

"I'm fine. My heart aches more than anything Iopah. I am so deeply sorry for hurting you. her kind act had given him the green light to assume that approaching her would not cause an angry outburst on her end, and he gathered to his full height slowly, easing toward her with the carefulness of a child. He knew that any wrong move, or word, could cause her to see red and he needed her to understand that he knew where she was coming from,"I appreciate everything that you did to keep the Pines together. The pack is even stronger, loyalty wise, because of you." the words would most likely fall on deaf ears, but his words were sincere. She was the rock of Broken Timber Pines, and he was happy to be back in her presence.

When she mentioned her search for him, his saliva grew thick in his throat and ears flicked backward in guilt--how silly she must have looked to expect him back when others had most likely considered him dead. He had expected for her to never give up looking for him, and her faith had been the reason for his determination to return back to her--he could not fail her twice. "Listen, I will not blame you if you decide to no longer claim me as your mate--it would be valid. I embarrassed you, and for that again, I am sorry. he paused, the thought of her leaving him caused a rock to hit the pit of his stomach and it cramped horribly; what would he do without Iopah at his side?

" If you will have me once more Iopah, I will not desert you. I will do whatever it takes to make things better for us again, what ever you ask." he turned to gaze into her yellow eyes, searching for a glint of discomfort. She had been strong in his absence and it showed in the glare that she had given him, it was a burning desire to probably leave him where he stood but he was hopeful in what they had built together would show through in their courtship--could she really leave him where they stood? "How much do the girls know?" Finally, he was quiet long enough to give her the time she needed to think things over, the promises and the opportunity for them to continue on where they had left off--could they? 

(This post was last modified: Jun 16, 2016, 08:02 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.