Sex: FemaleShe had been informed at one time of Maksim's reign in a place called Cut Rock River. She had held an anger at Rook for forcing the man she had considered a father and his family to move so he could claim back Grizzly Hollow. Quil had vouched for hi though, and if Cinder had ever been loyal to anything in life aside from herself, it was her sister.
She stood now, her paws placed meticulously to the side of the rushing river as she callously looked down to its depths. The tawny man was long gone, and any scent or hint of a pack gone with it. She hadn't expected him to return -- she didn't even know where to look, and in truth, would not stretch the matter. She had searched for her sister for months now -- Quil had all but evaporated from the world in seemed. Her own reality had been a harsher one -- taken from her home in Grizzly Hollow and forced to a pack that had desired to use her as nothing but a slave that looked down upon women.
Their first mistake had been taking her. Their second had been leaving her in the servitude of one of their heirs -- she had left him behind and a trail of blood with it.. but they had not sought her out. She couldn't lie -- it had hurt that she had not affected them enough to seek revenge on her. She had considered her gift to them would have encouraged nothing but bloodlust and rage.
She had all too easily slipped from their grasp after her carefully laid plan, and yet her brief return to Relic Lore had told the tale of her sister's absence.. and she too flitted away once more from the land, this time on her own accord. But Quil remained elusive, and Cinder couldn't chase her down forever. Instead, she joined a pack, and when her next set of plans had not gone as well as her previous, had decided the pack simply didn't deserve her, and had left.
Now, with only questions burning in her head, the swarthy girl knew she would need to seek out Grizzly Hollow and her sister's ex-mate. But for now, as the sun began to settle in an afternoon sky above her in the forest, she waited -- a fire consumed her very being, and someone would pay for years wasted.
@Rook Lyall would regret the day he had lured the Attaya girls from the borders of Willow Ridge.
Veho hadn’t exactly meant to drift back to the cedar forests so soon before the sabbatical was over. But he had gone north, and now it was time to go east. It only seemed right to swing near the river and offer Ophelia the chance to return back to the pack if she was tired of scouting. At the moment, the youth was off doing her own thing – the medicine man required a rest, and they would be back on their way (if it was indeed they). There was family in Fallen Tree Cove to visit. The male stood, stretching his toes in a low bow. About to call for his daughter, he paused – there was someone else in the wood.
A scent he knew; similar and foreign all at once.
Other thoughts vanished as he pressed forward, tracking the river’s edge as the sun fell from the sky. In the distance sat a shadow of a wolf. A ghost, or a wraith? Veho couldn’t believe his eyes as he hurried forward, woofing softly to the other animal.
“Cinder?”
The last trace of her had been blood, and yet here she was. Without Quil? What had happened? Where had she been? “Is that really you? What happened?”
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Her eyes remained upon the water, even as the scent of another came to her. Grizzly Hollow was a distant memory to her in many ways, but she could not mistake the scent of cedars, even despite being surrounded it. What pleased her most was the scent itself was masculine – and vaguely familiar.
She glanced up as the masculine scent became a masculine voice, and her eyes fell upon a silver male. She paused a moment, her bright eyes studying him with dawning comprehension. She had never officially met with him – she had mostly seen him in passing, and had noted how Rook had always smelt so strongly of the male, but he was familiar – and even now, after the time that passed, his name sprang to mind – she always had a knack at remembering the names of handsome males. “Veho?” She tested the name on her tongue, noting how despite everything, it came out like a purr.
His question stirred her ears to flicker upon her head, and she felt the sting of it so soon after being back within the Lore. “I was taken.” She spoke it now, withholding the bitterness in her voice from the fear she had felt on that day and many months after.. until she had taken control of her life once more. But no one had looked for her. No one had come for her.
Cinder Attaya had proven though that she could only rely on herself. “A group of wolves took me.” What she did not speak flickered in her eyes though – Quil.. Rook.. no one had come for her.
Veho moved closer to Quil’s sister, confirming it was indeed a wolf that stood before him and no specter. The male slowed to a halt a few paces away, unsure how his presence would be greeted. He’d barely joined Grizzly Hollow before the dark Attaya had disappeared, it seemed – it was hardly the basis of a friendship. While he harbored no ill will towards the woman, that didn’t mean it went both ways; the alpha was not looking for a fight.
His ears fell backwards.
“Who?”
Had Azar been lurking in the forest far longer than he had been aware? Was it the demon who’d attacked Pip and Duckweed? How long had his pack been in danger?
“We looked. I looked. But the blood ended in the marsh--” Veho huffed a heavy breath. He shook his head, teeth grinding in frustration. Surely not a compathy of whatever she’d felt at the time, but she wasn’t dead, or gone, and no one had rescued her. He wasn’t alpha at the time…but he should have looked harder. “—that shouldn’t have happened, Cinder. Grizzly Hollow failed you. And for that, I am sorry.” It meant nothing now, in the aftermath. He knew an apology couldn’t help her now. “What do you need?”
He took a step closer to her, and alerted by it, she took a step back with a fluid jerk, her brows lifting up as she studied him curiously. What did he care what had happened to her? He questioned her – asking her who, and she pursed her lips, about to ask him why it mattered – she had taken care of it. But then he mentioned something – that they had looked for her. A scoff formed in her throat, but it died quickly as he said he had looked, and she felt the surprise flicker upon her slender features briefly. “You looked?” She paused then, withholding the frown that was tempted to storm upon her features. “Why?”
He mentioned that Grizzly Hollow had failed her – yes, she wanted to agree, but she could not place the blame other than upon her sister and Rook Lyall. They should have been the ones to look – so why had this man before her bothered? She, who he had not truly known.. Why had he looked for her? “I need to know where my sister is. And why she isn’t with Rook.”
It was partly true – and hesitating now, she took a step toward him, her muzzle swinging downward slightly in a fashion of compliance. If he could hear the venom in her tone when she spoke the name of the Lyall boy, it was possible he would rescind his possible offer to what she needed – and she could not have that.
Why?
What a strange thing to ask. “Because you went missing without a word. And then we found blood.” His brows furrowed together, head tipped to one side. No, he was not alpha at the time – but why wouldn’t he look? She was part of the pack. That in and of itself was reason enough to look. Now, things had changed since then, since he had become leader, since so many others had left – but back then, things were clearer. Of course he looked.
Unfortunately, the inevitable question came. Where is Rook? The moon and his stars all alight – the source of many problems – and he hoped, after the recent verbal sparring match before his sabbatical, the man he could trust with his problems in the future. But he would see how responsible the Lyall was, once he returned to Grizzly Hollow after visiting his own sister.
“Borden’s passing was hard on Rook and Quil both – they took a leave of absence to return to Renegade’s Reach. As I understand, they split up from there. Rook returned, on and off, and he said Quil wanted to find you – but whether or not that was her intention, I do not know.” He rolled his shoulders in a tired shrug. “Tomen was here until recently – he has decided to do some exploring on his own. But Rook has returned to Grizzly Hollow.”
He is on probation.
He is expecting pups with my co-leader.
He is acting alpha while I tend to business elsewhere.
But nothing seemed appropriate, so he studied Cinder instead. He raised one brow. “He is not in charge, if that is what you seek.”
He seemed confused by her question – and it only occurred to the young woman then that she had perhaps stumbled upon a decent one – a wolf who actually cared about others and proved it with actions, rather than his words. She hadn’t seen one of those in a long time.. a decent specimen. She did not voice further opinion on it though.. he mentioned the blood and her eyes flickered to the waters before her, studying them thoughtfully as she suppressed any thought of that day. She did not linger on that terrifying day. She could not.
Her question drew an unexpected answer – Veho just didn’t stop surprising her, did he? Rook and Quil left for a break – while she had been taken away. Her sister had left her, supposedly looking at the traces of her blood and deciding then was as good a time as any to take a vacation.
Her nose flared at that – the hurt skimming her eyes as she made to repress it, to allow a stoical mask to slide over her. The pain was there though.. how could it not be? Twice now, she had to be the one to find Quil when Quil decided to leave her behind. In that moment, any desire to actually seek out her sister died within her, and Cinder officially considered all of her family dead to her.
No worries – she thrived without them and would continue to do so. “I was looking to find my sister. They say it’s always best to look at the last place you know you left something. Grizzly Hollow seemed as good a place as any.” That was true – perhaps the most honesty she had given him now. “I’d like to come home.”
“Ahh. Unfortunately, I cannot help you with Quil’s location.” Perhaps Tomen would return with some information about his mother, but the male rather suspected such would not be the case. But the second request? That, he could most certainly oblige. “However, I would be happy to welcome you back to Grizzly Hollow. Reliable wolves are something we could certainly use more of.”
The silvery male paused them, the corner of his mouth twitching. As happy as he would be to invite the Attaya back to her home, it would be rather selfish of him to do so without informing her of the changes first, wouldn’t it? Grizzly Hollow was not the same place she’d left – willingly or otherwise.
“But before you make your decision – Grizzly Hollow is mine now. I was seeing to our allies, at this particular moment, and allowing my daughter to check in at home, but I will be back within a week or so. However, you must know, there has been a lot of…selfish behavior lately, and three of my female subordinates will be having litters this year. Well – two. Rook decided to take up with the female leader.”
Veho’s cool explanation was plenty to give away his thoughts on that matter. “And while it is being handled, and rules will be a bit stricter, it is not fair to let you assume things as they were. They are not. However, I would very much like it you were to return. I would be happy to have--”
Dependable wolves. A familiar face. A friend.
“—well, I would be happy to have someone I could count on, I suppose. But it is up to you.”
It was as if perfection had gift wrapped itself with a bow and fell right in to her lap. Veho explained the circumstances of Grizzly Hollow, and she maintained a neutral expression – Grizzly Hollow had never been fully established even when she had been a member – Rook was aiding his ailing father and insisting they all use aliases to hide from the many enemies he had established for them.. the fool. In fact, Veho, even while handsome, suddenly became all the more intriguing as she pondered just what sue he would be to her – whether for her own entertainment, or to somehow exact what Rook deserved for ruining her family even further.
He wouldn’t be home for a week, and she canted her muzzle, her eyes bright as she tried to appear slightly confused by his words. “Would you like company, or is this a trip just for you and your daughter?” The words were like a purr once more – this time, an alluring smile teasing at her lips as she studied him rather openly. “Otherwise..” She loped forward now, swaying herself as she closed the distance between them. Attempting to sidle up beside him, pressing her swarthy pelt against his silver and teasing the fur of his nape with her nose and preening teeth, she would then draw back, lest he pull away. “I’ll need to smell like you, or they won’t accept me back.”