Fallen Tree Cove A Million And One Answers

Set just a couple hours after Moonshadow rejoins the pack

Molten gold eyes focused on the path ahead intently, gaze searching the changing foliage at eye level and bedding of dried pine needles below for the familiar dark silhouette of Moonshadow not even a couple hours into her return from wherever her paws had dragged her since the day she popped up missing. Vesper had told himself repeatedly since she arrived at their borders to wait before seeking the young woman out and interrogating her for an answer as to why she left them. Deserted them ringing more true in his mind after one too many run ins with wolves that did just that after he opened his home to them, his heart in regards to a specific case. Moonshadow, Nathaniel up and leaving them in the dead of night like the one-eyed woman  before him. Nearly the entire pack at one point in their earlier days. Athena not once, but twice now leaving the pack she wanted so badly to form, only to throw it all away and leave the Vuesain to pick up the pieces left in shambles and glue them back together. He had managed to make it work, though, rebuilt the crumbling castle surely destined for ruins into a kingdom all his own. No longer did the scarred face, ivory coated woman hold rights to call this pack her doing. Now it was purely his.

A sound in the distance brought russet tinged ears forward, eyes narrowing to better scan the horizon where a dark figure moved along the glassy blue backdrop of the lake's glistening surface. At first by color alone his mind tried to decipher just whom it was from the distance between himself and them, Draven, Kajika and Moonshadow all holding such similar pelts and likeliness in size that one couldn't be sure until you were right up on them. The only true definitive difference being the shade of their eyes. Draven bore a pair of emeralds, Kajika an amber pair as bright as the newly changed leaves surrounding them and @Moonshadow a set so colorless like that of mercury. Woofing, the agouti patriarch strutted forward to quickly close the distance, prepared to begin prying an answer out of the woman should it indeed be her he stumbled upon. "Moon?"He called once he grew closer, the scent of her perfume revealing whom it was before her eyes did.

(This post was last modified: Oct 06, 2016, 05:02 PM by Vespertio.)

OOC! Out of character comments here

The scent was fresh as it filled her charcoal nose. Home she thought pleasantly smiling to herself. This was her home now, this is where her loyalties lie. The ebony woman had made peace with the fact that her birth pack was long gone and she couldnt dwell on them any longer for if she did she would  jeopardize the one that had taken her in - again. Vespertio's words ran through her mind "Don't let this happen again. I may not be so lenient next time." Ashamed about running off without warning, Moonshadow went to what had become her favorite spot, the rock overhang by the lake.

How am I going to explain my running off without seeming disloyal she thought worriedly. She hadn't meant to; one day while patrolling the borders a faint scent had caught her attention. vaugely familiar, as if thw one who it belonged to was buried deep within her memory. Since she was unable to place the scent she started her patrol again. Until the realization hit her full force. Kindle! Her older brother whom she had been so close to as a pup. She bolted after the scent in hopes of finding her previously presumed dead brother. She scoured the area around FTC as well as outside relic lore. With her finding nothing she tried to find her way back to the lake. It had taken longer than she would have liked, but the long trip gave her plenty of time t scold herself for running off; and give up the hope of her birth family being alive and well that she had held onto for so long

The midnight she-wolf was upwind and so caught up in her thoughts she hadnt noticed her alpha approach her. Hearing her name startled her and with a jump she looked towards who had said her name. Vespertio had called her, probably wanting an answer to why she had run off she thought. With the recognition of her alpha the woman dropped to the ground just as she did a few hours before. Her ears drawn back so far it almost looked as if she had none. Her tail was tucked beneath her and her eyes were at his paws. A gulity whine escaped her inky maw before she spoke quietly. "Hello sir" her voice barely above a whisper but filled with regret. She was prepared for whatever punishment he had and would accept it no questions asked for she knew she would have to earn his trust again, as well as the rest of the packs.

Sure enough the agouti patriarch was met with a pair of mercury hued eyes after uttering a shortened version of the younger woman's moniker. Immediately the ebony female hunkered down toward the ground in a full state of obedient submission realizing whom she was in the presence of, a soft issues whine escaping her inky lips before uttering a whispered hello sir that was saturated in regret. One could not not pick that up listening to those two short words. The soft spoken words warranted russet ears to pivot forward some degree, mentally running through what needed to be discussed between the two of them. After their conversation today @Moonshadow would have to work on breaking free of her naturally submissive role and grow comfortable standing tall among her pack mates, more specifically carrying herself as an equal at his side.

With her return to the lakeside territory she became the only other female within the pack capable of filling in for Namid until she recovered enough mentally to reclaim her rightful place as queen. Regardless of what reasoning he was about to hear to explain her departure, Vesper needed her help and the Vuesain felt better about having a wolf he at least knew leading at his side versus a complete stranger who's intentions were a mystery. "Stand." He spoke, his tone soft despite the small trace of underlying animosity he still harbored about the situation. The past was the past and as much as it stung having a subordinate reopen old wounds they needed to move on if they wanted to keep this pack thriving. "We need to talk. Walk with me?" Molten gold irises lingered on Moon's darker complexion a few seconds longer before turning his body to begin following the shoreline of the lake, taking note of the high tide slowly beginning to wade itself back out with each step, paws sinking slightly into the softer sand that bordered the aquatic world from their terrestrial.

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

OOC! Out of character comments here

The agouti patriarch stood tall before her. Bracing for the worst the dark woman awaited his answer. She was caught off guard by the softness of the single word that was spoken. "Stand". She did as she was told but make sure to keep her head lower than his she wasn't about to make matters worse for herself. Her ears only slightly raised above her school and her tail moved so that it was only slightly tucked beneath her due to guilt. Her silvery eyes remained low to the ground until he spoke again. "We need to talk. Walk with me?" Silver irises found his golden ones and with and now she agreed, even though it wasn't really an option for her to decline.

Walking with her off of wasn't how Moon had imagined this conversation going. She expected to be scolded and maybe even nipped at and given a task as punishment. Yet again the ebony women didn't know much about how her alpha would respond in such a situation for had never come up before. The fact that she wasn't also being questioned by the lake queen left her to begin to feel confused. She shook it off however remembering the pups and Namid most likely being with them. The woman followed Vespertio as he walked the shoreline. Her pitch black figure followed at his flank appearing as if she was his slightly larger shadow. The woman watched a large cause easily walk through the shallowing and water and pebbles. When she first arrived to the lake she hadn't been used to the tiny pebbles along the shore and would often get some stuff between her toes. Since then she's learned to almost glide over them making sure not put a lot of weight in each step. The woman had come a long way since being accepted into Fallen Tree Cove. From an under socialized almost skilless yearling to a selr functioning valuable adult that has proven herself as as willing to fight to protect her pack. Little did she know she would become an even more valuable member.

For now Vesper was content to let the silence linger between them as they followed the natural curve of the cove that their name paid partial homage to, mentally picking and choosing various ways of going about all that needed to be discussed in a short period of time to minimize the risk of confusion. Yes, he was still ticked off about her desertion, but didn't her reappearance say something about her character? If not at least a fraction? Charcoal hued brows knitted together for a moment while lips pursed in deeper thought, rounded ears listening to the soft lapping of the water and the faint scrapping of their nails against the tiny pebbles underfoot. The Vuesain male also quite the master now at avoiding the small rocks from becoming lodged in his pads with each stride.

"Why?" He started vaguely at first once finally deciding the silence had gone on long enough, molten gold irises shifting from the soft blue hue of the lake to settle on the silver pools of @Moonshadow's eyes, holding her gaze steadily while silently hoping she would do the same in turn. This was one of many things she would need to become comfortable with if she was ever to rule smoothly at his side and earn the respect as a leader not only from himself, but the rest of the pack as well. "Why did you leave?" He stated more bluntly this time, a hint of his anger charring the outer layers of his words. Golden gaze leaving the ebony facial features of the wolf beside him to focus on the more fiery coloration of the distant treeline, awaiting whatever answer she chose to feed him. Be it truth, or a lie.

OOC! Out of character comments here

The splashing beneath their feet was surprisingly soothing to the she-wolf. While still on edge and filled with guilt she accepted the sound eagerly. It reassured her that this was her home - now and forever. She wouldnt ever even consider leaving this beautiful paradise. Small splashing interrupted the serenity causing Mercury irises to search for the origin of the sound. There was a small pool filled with fish that got trapped from low tide a little ways away from them. The midnight woman made a mental note so that she might be able to come back later to fill the packs cache.

The silence between the pair was finally broken with the dreaded question of why. Wincing slightly at the curtness of the word Moonshadow met the golden gaze that fell upon her. Her naturally submissive self and the guilt thay swirled inside her caused her eyes to dart away and back again. He was still holding his gaze so hers remained as well as she shrunk a bit toward the ground. Luckily for her Vespertio didnt hold it much longer for he looked away from her as elaborated his question.

An almost inaudible whine came from the inky subordinate as she picked up on the anger in his voice. "I - I hadn't meant to sir I really didnt." She explained desperate for him to believe her. "I was doing my daily border patrol when I came across a vaguely familiar scent. At first I didnt know what it was but then it hit me. It was that of my older brother whom I have thought to be dead like the rest of my birth pack." She sighed looking at her feet. "I dont know what came over me. That hope of seeing them again pushed itsself to the surface and I followed the scent. I know that is no excuse for what I did and I deeply apologize. I know now that this is my home and my family and the past is the past. They're not coming back..." Her eyes had half way filled with tears. Mostly tears of regret but some from finally letting her blood go. She nor anyone else could do anything to bring them back so theres no reason to hurt the one she has now.

Super sorry about my late reply!!

His head did not turn toward the ebony female at all when the faint sound of a whine began her explanation, the only indication that he had even heard the nearly inaudible noise being the small rotation to the ear closest to her. A simple whine; although the quiet noise spoke volumes about how the younger counterpart felt, would not suffice for an answer to his question so it was with some relief that she had not relied on that alone to excuse her actions. It started out exactly how he had expected it to in his mind. That woeful I hadn't meant to which was so easily dismissed after hearing it a million and one times before. Whether the woman meant to or not didn't change the etched in stone fact @Moonshadow had done it anyways.

Vespertio continued following the outline of the lake in silence while digesting each new piece of the puzzle she offered him, ears eventually adjusting themselves to splay backwards against the dusting of charcoal that covered the back of his neck marking the beginning of his darkened agouti pattern. So it was family that drew her away and a small twinge of sympathy tugged at the strings of his heart. Had he not done the same when his eldest son had gone missing and let even the smallest lead to their son's whereabouts drag him beyond the boarders under his control? A small sigh escaped his lips and the molten gold of his once more sought the swarthy features of her face, the glistening of early developed tears yet to acquire enough weight to bead down her cheeks warranted a frown to taint his own face. Despite the anger that smoldering within his chest Namid had come to mold the once villainous brute into a man of compassion and understanding.

Side stepping toward her smaller frame he allowed his shoulder to connect against hers for a spare moment in the form of a small bump, brushing the top of his creamy muzzle against the darker complexion of her cheek. "I forgive you and I understand." He spoke softly, his voice void of the anger that it formerly held. "But you should have came to Namid, or came to me. Had you done so we could have helped you search instead of you just running off. What if something bad had happened to you out there? Nobody would have known." And what he said was true. How could anyone have helped her if nobody knew where she was let alone that she was in trouble? "But I'm glad you're back and I'm sure @Kajika will be pleased to see you again." The touch of a smile adorning his lips at the mention of the teacher in training which reminded Vesper about the second reason he had sought out Moonshadow. Asking her to temporarily replace Namid as the lead female.

OOC! No worries :)

Growing in size the welling tears were quickly blinked away. There was no use for them, they wouldnt solve anything. Her guilt was overwhelming almost unbareable, but his movements reassured her. The bump of his shoulder against hers and the brushing of his muzzle along her cheek were comforting. Something she hadnt felt from someone else since she was a pup. However it was his words that extinguished most of the guilt "I forgive you and I understand". They were free of the anger that filled them before. Black audits swiveled forwards and silver eyes found their golden counterparts. Shining with tears once more only these ones were of releif and gratitude. While he may forgive her, it was going to take a while for the dark woman to forgive herself.

Yes she should have sought out him or Namid before taking off. She knew that after giving up on the trail. If she had done so then she most likely wouldn't have gotten lost and wouldnt have been away from the pack for so long. Dark ears fell again as Moon looked back at her paws that glided over the smooth pebbles. She hadnt thought of anything happening to her. The young woman had come to put the needs of her packmates family before herself. The lake king was right however. If something had happened to her no one could have known or helped. Thhs making her useless to them. A small sigh left her as her tail flicked once at her own stupidity. "Yes sir, you're completely right. I should have come to y'all but I didn't and I will always regret that. I promise you I will never do it again. I will always let you or Namid know if I'm ever going to step foot outside the borders. I owe both of you that respect as my alphas".

Her tail began to wag ever so slightly at the mention of her teacher/mentor. The beginnings of a warm grin tugged on the sides of her face. Due to the seriousness of the conversation she didnt dare allow it to grow. Maybe she would seek him out after this. Maybe she needed a lesson in not running off she thought. Yet again this talk could be her lesson by filling her with guilt she has learned to never do such a thing again.

An auburn ear rotated sideways to catch the sigh that fell from her lips, a sign in itself that she had known him to be right with what he had said before her words further proved such. She went on to announce she wouldn't be foolish enough to try something like this again and now it was the agouti man's turn to release a sigh, relieved to hear those words fall from her inky lips, but once his ears picked up on her last statement a small frown marred his already withered features. "Actually I'm the only alpha right now.." Vespertio began, letting his molten gold gaze meet the silvery hue of her own before glancing away toward the glistening surface of the lake both out of embarrassment and contemplation about how to go about asking her a very serious question.

Another sigh passed over his lips and cream limbs halted along the shoreline, deciding they had wandered far enough away at this point to conduct this part of the conversation in privacy. "While you were gone Namid had stepped down from her rank as Lead Female at my side. Ever since spring and the loss of a pup she hasn't been the same. I can't run this pack alone." He paused, letting Moonshadow absorb the bombshell of information he was starting to feed her. "Sadly Neha is not of age yet to be able to take over for her mother, nor do I believe her ready for such a task. I know this is a large task to ask of anyone, but I'm out of options for someone I can trust at my side." A pause before Vesper settled his gaze once more on the ebony female. "Can I trust you to help me?"

(This post was last modified: Nov 05, 2016, 02:49 AM by Vespertio.)