Fallen Tree Cove Simply trying to Breath

@Kajika

Solas had woken before everyone else and had slipped out of the den. There was dew on the ground and the sun was just starting to rise. A few stars still twinkled but they would soon fade away but for the moment they remained. The stormy male didn't really have a goal in mind for the day other than to keep out of everyone else's way. Maybe he should go hunt outside the territory it would be a brief change anyway. He shied from the idea though and instead he found himself meandering to where his father was buried alongside one of Namid and Vespertio's departed pups.

Walking over to the graves he sat down in front of them and stared. He didn't want to admit it but this grave was the only tie he had to this area. He had talked to Tagg but he still felt a bit unsure if he should stay or go. He was leaning more towards staying but he could still feel the tension that rested in his shoulders. A sigh escaped his lips as his ears flicked to pick up the sounds of birds starting to chirp. Right now though he didn't want to think about that. At the moment he didn't want to think about anything he just wanted to sit in silence and simply breathe and try to relax.

He could hear a squirrel in bouncing through leaves, a bird's warning chirp, and the familiar sound of water as it lapped against the shore. The sun was slowly warming his pelt and Solas closed his golden to enjoy the warmth. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stay like this all day but for the moment he was going to try and enjoy it as much as he could while it lasted.

(This post was last modified: Oct 23, 2017, 06:39 PM by Solas.)

He'd been tossing all night in his den as his worries had grown over the past weeks. He was starting to see why Vespertio had needed to take a break from it all. The dark leader had his worries before but they were nothing like now when he was the last in line for decisions and to know what to do in certain situations. Now it all rested on his shoulders as Muses seemed to have gone missing from the territory. It was disappointment to be sure as he'd thought she would have been a good match for Fallen Tree Cove. He supposed not all wolves could he like Moonshadow.

Finally just after the sun had started to light up the forest Kajika decided to leave his den and start his morning routine. He hoped that once he'd gotten started with his duties that it would help take his mind off everything. At least maybe in the knowledge that he was doing something would provide the alpha with some relief.

He'd started his patrol but as he came to the path than led to where their fallen members rested Kajika caught the scent of their newest member. He found that odd considering he didn't believe the man had any knowledge of the area. The dark leader didn't have really any knowledge of the man. He decided it was high time he got to know their newest member. Following the path Kajika soon found the man on Anthem’s grave and Amber eyes flicked to the grave of Namid's lost child and his past Love. The dark man a short moment out of respect for the fallen before he approached the man. “What brings you to this place,” he asked quietly.

(This post was last modified: Oct 24, 2017, 01:30 AM by Kajika.)

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The silence was bliss while it lasted but it was broken far quicker than he would have liked. The sound of someone approaching made him tense but he didn't move otherwise or acknowledge the other. If they wanted something from him they could say something. If they were here to be with the dead he wasn't going to break there mourning just to see if they were here to speak to him. Maybe they would leave without saying a word. That would be nice.

It seemed that small bit of hope was going to be crushed as the other wolf spoke. It was a voice he hadn't before. Solas figured that it must be the King of this place then because as far as he knew Tagg was the only other male wolf in the territory and this was most definitely not him. Opening his eyes Solas turned his head to look at the stranger that led him and the rest of the pack.

Now why had Solas come here? The silence was the main reason but he could get that just about anywhere. Why had he come to this specific spot? I came to see my father. He responded finally. And to enjoy the morning silence. It wasn't like he was here to mourn but maybe it was more to feel closer to the tie that held him there even if that tie was held together by a thread.

Why are you here? Solas asked tipping his head to motion to the area around them. Had he come here to mourn then or to speak to the stormy male?

It wasn't often that Kajika came to the place the cove wolves had chosen as the last resting place of their members. As he looked at each grave he could remember the moments that had brought them to this place. It saddened him to think about them and about their loss within the pack and how each death had an effect on the members. Anthem he could remember finding Nathaniel in the snow and the former guardian hidden by it, the rainy night in which Namid had given birth to the lost child that lay next to Anthem. Lunette's sibling and it made Kajika wonder if she knew that she had lost a sibling that night. Then there was Des and how he’d found her murdered and made the promise to one day find her killer.

His Amber gaze rested in the young male as he asked his question. That was what had brought the alpha here and to have a chance to talk with the newcomer. However as the man came to rest his eyes on the leader Kajika was taken aback for a moment. It felt as though once again he was looking into the eyes of the guardian once more. He shook that thought away as he knew the truth and that was that Anthem was dead and buried.

The man's answer explained his eyes and how they seemed so much like Anthem's that for a moment he thought he was seeing a ghost. “I didn't realize anthem had a son,” stated the alpha, “I am truly sorry for interrupting your moment,” he said genuinely. Kajika had to wonder if Anthem knew he had a son and secondly he did understand the man's need for some time to himself. The alpha was brought from his thoughts and wondering by the question being returned.

“I felt it was time we met,” he said looking around, “I realize the venue isn't ideal but I was passing and caught your scent.” It probably wasn't the perfect time but it was a necessary conversation anyway.

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Solas wasn't aware that there was another member of pack buried here but if he looked a bit harder he would see the other mound. Yet, at the moment his focus was the wolf that had approached him. The stormy male knew that he looked like his father. What he didn't know was that though his eyes were a different color than his fathers that his gaze was similar. He noted the way the other seemed to be taken aback for a moment but he didn't focus on it. It had happened before it would happen again if he continued to meet wolves that had known Anthem.

The first thing to come out of the other males mouth was to state that he hadn't been aware that Anthem had a son. One of Solas ears flicked to the side. That's no surprise since he didn't know either. I originally came here to find him. Solas told him before his gaze drifted back to the grave as he accepted the other's apology silently. He wondered what his father would have done if the pack had begun to lose members. Would he have stayed or have gone?

Solas let his gaze drift back to his Alpha. He had wanted them to meet for the first time. Guess now would be the time to introduce himself then. Well if we're doing official introduction my names Solas Coldheart. He told him not moving from his sitting position if the other wanted to change their 'venue' then he could suggest it otherwise the stormy male was going to try and sit longer to enjoy the sun on his back.

Seeing the male that reminded him so much of Kajika’s packmate had taken him back to better times in the pack. Long before so much tragedy had befallen them. He remembered meeting the former guardian after his arrival in the cove and how nice the man had been. Kajika stepped closer to the grave, it had been a big loss to the cove when Anthem had been found. Even though he hadn't known man well his death had affected Kajika too. However, he knew the Guardian's death had been harder on some than others.

As for Anthem having a son Kajika’d had no idea about it so finding out was something of a surprise to him. As the young man spoke he learned that the former second hadn't known either. Momentarily he wondered what the man would have done had he known he had a son and concluded that he would have been a good father to the boy. “I'm sorry that you found his grave instead of him. I believe he would have liked to meet you as well.” Kajika said those words sincerely because it was what he truly believed.

While the venue wasn't ideal for first introductions the dark Alpha was only wanting a few minutes with the man. “It's truly a pleasure to meet you Solas, I'm Kajika Tallis.” The leader introduced himself, “I'm glad that you chose to stay in Fallen Tree Cove.” He said glancing to the grave for a moment in thought before turning back to Solas. “Do you know a lot about Anthem?” He didn't know what the young man had been told and what he hadn't but he was willing to share anything he could.

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There was a moment's pause as his Alpha took in the new information. It wasn't common knowledge seeing as how the few wolves that were aware that he was Anthem's son had up and left the pack. Would it change the other's view of him if they knew? Probably but Solas didn't want to be compared to a man who he hadn't even known, no matter how much his pelt matched the deceased man's. If his father had been the beta then he must have been rather close to the leaders at the time or strong enough to take the position or perhaps both reasons were true. The stormy male hadn't been made aware of how it had happened.

It's not something to apologize for. If anything it would be my mother's fault for not seeking him out. No matter how clean he wanted to keep his mother's memory it was probably true. If she had tried to find Anthem perhaps when Solas had been old enough to travel the two of them could have met. She hadn't though and there wasn't much that he could do about it now.

His Alpha introduced himself as Kajika and Solas dipped his head briefly in greeting. He left the remark about staying alone. His thoughts had been on leaving on and off for a while now but he had still remained. He wasn't about to promise that he was going to stay either. Who knew what the future would bring?

I know that he was beta, he died from the cold, liked pups, and seemed to be trusted. Solas responded giving a brief summary of what Namid had told him upon there first meeting. There was probably more to it than that but how much more? Did you know him? Solas asked eyeing Kajika. What information could he give that would help Solas understand his father a bit better?

The amount of loss the cove had suffered in his time with the pack was sometimes too much. Kajika preferred not to think about it which was probably why he didn't come to the burial place often. His eyes drifted the the grave of Des and he thought about how he had found her, how angry he had been when he had discovered she'd been murdered. The fire that had once burned with the new responsibilities of leader, he could no longer go searching for a phantom murderer. He still wanted nothing more than to hold up his promise to her but he had a pack to worry about now and with winter coming he had to be ever present for them.

The dark alpha was sorry that the man in front of him had never known his father. He felt Anthem would have been proud to know he was a father and would have wanted to teach his son everything he knew. At least Anthem had seemed the type, Kajika was aware he could be completely wrong. He gave a nod of understanding as the man spoke, “I suppose she had her reasons but I think what matters is are you angry with her for not seeking him out?” It wasn't a question the alpha expected and answer to. That was for Anthem's son to decide on his own if he hadn't already.

Introductions were made between the two men but Kajika was curious. Had Solas only come to join the cove to get to know his father better or was he planning to stick around. The dark alpha was hoping for the latter, he didn't much like the idea of Anthem's son being on his own. Solas was a grown man however and was free to do as he pleased.

“All of that is true except the last part. He was very trusted and the day he was found was a hard day for the cove,” he spoke a sadness in his tone. He still remembered that day, coming upon Nathaniel and the look on his Alpha's faces. He hadn't been sure they would recover from that but they had or they at least seem to have. Maybe Anthem's loss still weighed heavily on them both and that was why they weren't in the cove. “I didn't know him as well as Vespertio and Namid but he was here when I joined the cove. He was a good man, kind. I still remember the day I first met him.” The dark Alpha smiled at the memory, he wished he'd been able to get to know the guardian better.

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If he had known his father how would his life have changed? Would he have been part of this pack or perhaps the three of them would have travelled until they had found somewhere to there liking and settled there? Or perhaps they simply would have continued wandering and seeing what the world had to offer. Solas knew that he would have simply been happy to have been around his family. That option had been taken from him seeing as he didn't know if he had more family yet.

Kajika questioned him about being angry at his mother and Solas let out a bark of laughter. I can't be mad at her she raised me on her own from day one. When prey was scarce she would feed me before herself. Maybe the reason why she didn't search him out was that she was simply more worried about keeping us alive. The stormy male responded with a shake of his head. He might be upset with her and for a time he might be angry with her but he could never stay that way. Not to someone who had done so much for him.

Solas listened intently as Kajika explained that the only part he had been off about was how much Anthem had been trusted. He had apparently been a well-liked on top of being a very trusted member. Of course, the two wolves that had known him the best were gone now and Solas didn't have the urge to find them simply to ask questions about his father when there was someone else who had known him in right here. Maybe not as well but Kajika had known him.

Could you tell me about when you meet him? Solas questioned wondering if he would be digging too much into the other's past. He was curious though as to what Anthem had seemed like upon first meeting. Also when I first met Namid she mentioned that other wolves related to Anthem had sought him out. Are they still around?

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity