Sacred Grove I don't want to be alone

we built this house on memories

Treyah Tainn

Draven's howl, the blood, so much blood and the scents of two wolves she held nearest and dearest to her heart... but nothing else. No cat, no bear, it made no sense. Hastily she had asked @Garmir to return to the den to watch over her siblings as she raced in the direction of the call. Something was wrong, so very, very wrong and as her paws ate up the earth between the Draw and the grove the cold night air burned her nose and throat, all but blinding her to the trail she was following. Not that she needed her nose to tell her which way to go.

She knew this woozy strangled feeling, the stars dancing in front of her eyes as she struggled to draw air but she wasn't about to stop for a break down now, the one thing holding her together being Draven's knowledge of herbs, and the hope that maybe he could fix whatever was wrong with them, surely both of them were out here right? And they had to be close now so she slowed, deep gulping pants quickly advising her that only Maera was out here, Maera and Draven and the anticeptic tang of whatever plants it was he had managed to find. "Mae? @Maera! Are you here? @Draven?" She didn't bother to hide the panic in her tone.

She’d never been more grateful for a wolf’s appearance than when Draven had appeared to patch her up, and she was doing the best she could to remain calm and compliant with whatever course of treatment he saw fit to provide her with… she heard Treyah’s voice in the distance a part of the way through the patching of the wound, the putrid smell of herbs had masked her scent until she was within shouting distance. “I’m here, Treyah.” She commented gruffly, her ears perked up as she shifted, wincing at the pain. There was a part of her that still couldn’t believe that this had happened.

There was panic, which meant Treyah probably had not run into Kerb who no doubt needed medical assistance of his own. She’d done a fairly substantial number on him too. She took a deep breath, her eyes close. “And here I thought none of you were going to want to talk to the Wicked Witch of the West after that.”

we built this house on memories

Treyah Tainn

The voice reached out through the shroud of night and her shoulders sagged, though Treyah was still reeling. "Thank goodness, there was so much blood I thought a cougar had breached the borders but I couldn't smell a cat anywhere!" She had been awoken by Garmir delivering news of his scouting trip before Draven had called, and was still battling the haziness of sleep. She still had no idea that Kerb was equally battered probably somewhere within their own territory, alone. "What do you mean not want to talk to you? What are you doing out here, what happened?" She fussed as she moved in closer to press her nose against Maera's temple worry clearly lining her face. What could she possibly be missing that everyone else seemed to already know?

Treyah didn’t know. The realization dawned on her as the Slayer woman closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She asked what happened and she looked at him. “A cougar didn’t attack me… Kerb did… and so I fought back.” She said as she looked at the woman. “I told him I was leaving… couldn’t sit by while he slept with loners and fell in love with you.” She wasn’t stupid, and the love was gone. It had been for a while. She shifted, though she visibly winced at the pain that it had caused her. “He slept with some trashy loner out by what used to be our old spot… I caught the scent and so I warned him… told him not to do wrong by you like he had by me… and he didn’t like that very much.” Of course, she knew she was somewhat to blame.

She hadn’t been the most subtle with her hint. The poor girl was so worried, and she could only imagine what would happen when she saw what Kerb looked like as well. “We both just got so angry… and I didn’t recognize who he was anymore… I haven’t for a while, Trey…” She honestly had no idea how the woman would react to learning about it. Maera fully expected her to side with Kerb, because when it came down to it, Maera was just the thing he cast aside when he was done with her. "I know I coulda been nicer about how I said it... but it's a little too late for that." Conversation wasn't her forte and everyone in the pack knew it.

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

i wear my heart for all to see

Treyah Tainn

Kerb did. Not for the first time that night she felt the bile rise in the back of her throat, but this time she managed to swallow it back down, the bitter burn of it barely enough to distract her from what came next, and she was leaving. Treyah's rump hit the snow with a heavy thud, her head dropping lower with each word, the weight of it all finally catching up with her. So she was it now was she? Was any of it even worth fighting for anymore? But the hits just kept coming.

Her front legs slipped from beneath her as Maera mentioned the loner, and Treyah knew there was only one place she could be referring to as their old spot. Her mind was reeling and at the end of it all, it was all her fault wasn't it? "Mae, I thought it was going to be you two, I've always just been filling in, with the kids, for you. What am I meant to do now?" She was barely treading water with her head about to slip under at any moment, the earth rocking beneath her body as the now familiar tightness constricted her chest. "You guys were meant to have pups, we promised each other, just one litter." Her voice was coming in shorter and shallower gasps. "And dad's gone, Garmir lost his trail in an avalanche, I shouldn't even be here, I should be out looking for him!" Tears were pricking behind her eyes, dull claws clutching at the ground like it was about to throw her off. A shudder ran down her spine. "Where are you going to go?"

Upon the news that Maera had delivered, she noticed as the alpha collapsed in the snow and Mae found herself frowning. She worried about Treyah, and if there were any way she could force herself to stay in the pack, she would… but she couldn’t stay in the Draw, or anywhere near it for that matter. Treyah’s confession caused her features to soften slightly. “I’m sorry Treyah… if there was any other way, you know I would have taken it.” She sighed softly shaking her head. “Lacey’s disappearance broke me… it broke him too, and it’s our own faults.” She murmured, gulping before she glanced up at the stars.

Treyah mentioned how it was supposed to be her and Kerb who had the pups, not Trey, and with Triell’s disappearance and the news that she had just learned Garmir had brought back to her… the girl was not handling it well. “Take a couple slow deep breaths.” She coached softly, compassion hinting at her features as she offered the girl a soft nudge with her muzzle. “I know this pack was your parent’s legacy Treyah… just remember it doesn’t have to be yours. You can choose your own path.” She wasn’t saying to just up and leave, but she wanted to remind the woman she had a choice. She shouldn’t have to bear all these responsibilities. She asked where Mae was going to go and she thought about it for a second. “I’m not sure… I want to find Lacey, but if it helps at all, I’ll search for your father as well. Triell and your mother meant a great deal to me.” They’d been family when she’d had none… just as Kerb had once been.

“Promise me one thing… no matter what you do, or what happens, watch yourself.” She no longer trusted the man that Treyah was leading beside.

we built this house on memories

Treyah Tainn

At Maera's direction she tried to slow her breathing, but it was hard to gather enough air while she continued to pant. She burried her muzzle in the snow and tried again, gradually her breathing slowed. She knew that Lacey's dissapearance had been hard on them, it had been why she had thrown her all into finding the girl, but surveying the extent of her companion's injuries left her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. What on earth had be been thinking?

She remembered the way he had exploded at the younger wolf, but that had been a stranger, this was his mate. "I'd really appreciate it, I was going to go to the Bend to see if he was with my sister once the snows cleared a bit but now..." Well now she wasn't so sure she could. "I'm sure she'd be happy to have you if you find yourself in need of a place to stay, just mention me to Aponi or Serach and you should be fine." She tried to muster a smile but it was, for the first time in her life, beyond her. As for her choosing her own legacy, well it was something she'd have to think on, talk over with the others. "Just, try to find a way to let me know where you settle down. I'll miss you Mae, it'd mean a lot if I could still come and visit some time."

She took Maera's words of warning to heart with a nod. She didn't ever want to feel this blindsided again. Maybe this was how her mother had become the way she was?

Tossing Draven in here but feel free to skip him, he will just be milling around healing

Draven had left Maera briefly just to get more herbs from what he had managed to stockpile in where the infirmary would be once he dug it out. The ground was still too frozen for him to hollow out the hole until the spring and so he had to make-do with what he could do. He had made a shallow divot in the ice and snow and put what was still growing in it and after calling for Treyah the man had promised Maera he would be back soon.

Coming back with a mouthful of crushed needles meant to help with the pain from the gash in her leg he paused when he heard voices. He had been gone for longer than he wanted, but it still shouldn’t surprise him that Treyah had made it back to the alpha before him. Was she still the alpha? What did all of this fight mean? Anxiety swept through his stomach but he did his best to ignore it, now was not the time to be worrying about pack politics, now was the time to worry about healing.

He only caught the end of the conversation but his heart sunk farther down towards his anxiety filled stomach. Moving into view he dropped the crushed needles in front of Maera, his expression sullen. ”So you’re leaving us then?” He didn’t know what happened but he knew that she shouldn’t have to leave because her mate attacked her. Her mate should have never attacked her.

Treyah’s request was simple, and Marea smiled and dipped her head. “Of course, Trey… you’re one of the few people I give a damn about.” There was that lack of social skills coming out to play! She offered a pack out past the mountains, one that had ties to her family whom Treyah was confident would take her in. “I’m going to try and find my daughter before I settle down anywhere.” She did tell her, making sure she understood that for a time, Mae would likely be in the wind. “But I’ll come visit you, from time to time.” She promised again. There was a bitter sorrow she felt in leaving the others of the pack – Treyah, even Draven though she did not know him well, and the odd one, Garmir… the two kids.

Draven asked if she was leaving them and she nodded. “It’s not my home anymore.” She confirmed softly. “I have to find Lacey… this worry, guilt, it’s been eating away at me since she first went missing… I should have left as soon as she disappeared to find her.” Perhaps then, none of this would have happened. Perhaps she and Kerb would still be happy, and they could have avoided this fate. It was too late for her to dwell upon these things. What’s done is done.