Spectral Woods [BWP] Until the Day the World Stops Turning

For @Serach ~1 week after this

Her goal had been to get as far away from these damned woods as fast as possible, but fate had different plans. Only a few hours run from Oak Tree Bend, her flight had been stopped by violent stabs of pain, potent enough to make her lose what little food was still left in her stomach. Dread rose in the expectant mother as the cramps continued, her breathing fast and shallow, vision darkening from the growing panic. It was such a haunting irony, for her to have lost everything for these pups, only to lose them too.

Eventually the pain had subsided, leaving her with only hollow fear and no one to turn to for reassurance. Not that she would have been any better off in the Bend, with no healer to seek out - or so she told herself, trying to supress the bitter sting that her aunt’s rejection had left. Not daring to push herself anymore, in the hopes that somehow, just one of her children had survived, the pregnant shewolf moved through the ghostly forest at a much slower pace, until night fell, and she was forced to seek shelter.

A small hollow beneath a fallen tree became her makeshift den, and when she woke up in the morning, too exhausted to even think of moving on, its purpose was extended. Soon several days had passed, and the ousted wolf had remained within the same forest that she had sworn so fervently to leave. She dared not travel further, having felt a small stirring below her heart, giving her fresh hope.

Word count: 264
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(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2018, 10:22 PM by Serach.)

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

This is assuming that @Aponi told Serach that she turned Nalda away from OTB because Nalda was pregnant. He does not know that Aponi offered Nalda a deal or the details of Nalda's scouting trip. Also apologies for the delay on this. I promise I'll be much faster this week so I'm not holding up your plots. :)

Serach had not rested for more than a few hours worth of time since Kisina and Azra had been born just a few days prior. He rested only long enough so he would be strong enough to try and hunt, but his primary focus was now ensuring that Aponi was as well-fed and nourished as possible so she could produce the milk she needed to feed their newborn pups. It was one of those hunting excursions that had taken him so far out of the Bend. The scent of a deer had been strong in his nose and despite being a solo hunter, he had been driven by sleep-deprivation, desperation, and a bit of pride to try and take it down on his own.

It was while following that trail that Serach came across the familiar scent of Nalda. It gave him pause, and he debated for only a moment before he decided to follow it. Serach had been shocked, and then furious, when Aponi had told him that Nalda had returned to the Bend pregnant and Aponi had turned her away. Aponi had been clear about the rules, yes, and there was a part of him that understood her decision was only enforcing those rules, but all of that fell to the wayside when put in the context of what Aponi herself had done.

Following his nose, Serach was surprised when the scent actually became stronger. He was curious, but not foolishly so - he would not follow her trail for more than a few miles before turning back unless he found additional signs of her. After all, he couldn't be sure this wasn't the path she had taken after having been turned away from the pack's borders. The last thing he was expecting was Nalda herself, but that's exactly what he found. Nestled in a small hole beneath a fallen tree, he could see the familiar russet-accented fur. "Nalda?" he called out, slowly approaching. Aponi hadn't told him how prengant she had been, and there was a very real chance she was not alone in the hollow any more. "It's me, Serach. Are you alright?" It felt like a dumb question because it was, but he didn't know what else to ask instead.

no worries at all <3

She knew the risk of course, while she was far enough from the Bend borders to avoid patrols, most of Spectral Woods fell under their regular hunting grounds. But at least she was fairly certain Aponi had been too close to bursting to travel any such distance; She probably has her precious pups by now… The thought was bitter as bile, yet it held a sweet note of supremacy: But not mine! The growing lives were making a stir of themselves even now, confirming her triumph - however foolish it might be. She’d given up everything for them already, now she would keep them alive or die in the process.

It was with these thoughts in mind that she had begun to consider moving on, to exposed here with her aunts threat still hanging over her head. But too late it seemed, as the sound of approaching paws came before she had time to flee her cheap shelter; time to pay for her caution. As the wolf outside came closer, Nalda pressed as far into the back of her hollow as she could, ears lying flat against her skull. She prepared to fight, baring her teeth and hissing snake-like, all too well aware of her own pitiful state - unless it was a random loner come to investigate, rather than a former pack mate, it would hardly be a fair match.

But hearing Serach’s voice, of all, stunned her for a second, somehow, she’d never quite imagined it would be him, despatched to take care of the loose ends. And the tone of his voice especially confused her, not to mention the question. She shook her head, risen hackles dropping limply back against her neck. “Serach?” Her voice was hoarse, show clear signs of weariness except her attempts to hide it; “How’m I..?” She shook herself again, giving a small snarl of frustration; “Come t’ finish th’job?”

Word count: 317
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Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

It seemed Nalda was just as confused to see him as he was to have found her. She sounded exhausted, and he instinctively took a step forward so he could try and assist. But the small snarl and the accusation stopped him dead in his tracks. Eyes widening in confusion, he stood there quietly for a moment while his brain tried to process what exactly she was implying. If Aponi had threatened Nalda's life, this was the first Serach was hearing of it and the mere thought of it made his stomach turn. "What? Finish the job? Nalda, that's bullshit and you know it," he told her, voice earnest. He couldn't blame her if she didn't believe him, but he was going to try even though it unnerved him deeply that she even thought him capable of it.

"I was hunting and came across your scent. To tell you the truth I didn't actually expect to find you, thought you would have left the Woods completely..." he quickly explained. He still hadn't ascertained why she was still here, and he hadn't yet been able to rule out that she'd given birth. "I didn't...I don't agree with Aponi. I was furious when she told me - pack law or no, you're family."

There was no point in dragging this out, if it was gonna end in a fight, the cornered shewolf would rather get right to it. Serach was of another mind though, his words plainly dismissive. “Issit?” She hissed back, even as a sigh of relief escaped her, shoulders sagging. It was true, she wouldn’t make the blonde man for a murderer, but she also wasn’t about to underestimate the wrath of the Oak queen; “‘poni made’t very clear what’d ‘appen if A’stuck ‘round.” Her voice was still raspy, but the underlying bitterness could be heard clearly in its weary tones. Yet she was somewhat emboldened by his tentative approach, daring to stretch her her head forwards and peer out of her hollow.

Still pressed cautiously back into the dirt, Nalda squinted up at her former leader, ears lifting ever so slightly to listen as he spoke. Her brows furrowed at the explanation, a wrinkle of her nose at, what she took as, the implication of her idiocy; Don’t think I didn’t try..! But she remained quiet, letting him continue without interruption. And now her forehead uncurled, eyes widening in no small amount of surprise, hearing that the two alphas might not have been of the same mind at all. The finishing comment made her snort lowly; Family! And what has family ever gotten me, other than misery? Yet, if it meant the king was willing to reconsider her sentence, she wouldn’t brush him aside.

Uncurling a little more, the russet woman creped forwards enough to get a proper look at the other wolf, raising herself up onto her elbows in a slightly more comfortable position; her swollen belly no longer scrunched against the floor. She was still prepared to fight, but if Serach would rather talk it out, then she would hardly protest. “A’know a’fucked up,” not a concession she made easily, but if it would help her cause she was willing to stoop to at least that bit of grovelling; “An’A’ wasn’t expectin’ t’be welcomed back with’no pun’shment. But A’ can’t…” She paused at once surprised be the sudden rush of emotion, and unsure whether to let it show. It was her natural instinct to remain guarded, to keep her true thoughts hidden from everyone around her, but here and now, it might actually help her cause to show a little vulnerability. So she took a deep breath, looking into the golden-green eyes with the slightest quiver of her lip; “A’int givin’ them up!”

Word count: 415
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Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

Serach couldn't blame Nalda for not trusting him, but the sound of her hiss made his ears lay flat against the top of his head and his tail droop. He didn't want to believe her, but he had seen Aponi's wrath enough times now to understand exactly what it was she had threatened and he could understand why she was dismissive to his plea to the familial bond they shared. It made him feel sick to his stomach and ashamed, because no matter how strapped for resources the Bend might have been, they would have found a way to make it work and he truly did believe they were nothing if they did not honor their values of holding tight their family bond.

Despite her dismissive attitude, though, Nalda seemed to relax just a little bit. She shifted positions and his eyes quickly looked at her stomach, registering the tell-tale signs of pregnancy in the swelling. But she'd yet to give birth, although he was sure the day would not be too far in the future. Glancing around them, his stomach turned over again. This was no place for a lone wolf to hide her children away.

Listening to her, his shoulders sunk. Even as she raised her gaze to meet his own, Serach could only look at her for a moment before he averted his gaze down to his paws, so overwhelmed by shame that he couldn't look at her directly. It was bad enough that apparently Aponi had threatened Nalda's life, but to threaten the lives of her pups too? The hypocracy was almost too much to bear. "Never," he gritted through his teeth to his paws at first, before lifting his head and meeting her eyes again and repeating more firmly, "Never. I promise." He took a deep breath, trying to figure out what he would say to Aponi if he returned home with Nalda in tow. "I'll protect you - make her see reason. She broke pack law when she became pregnant with Lila and we didn't banish her then, I'll remind her of that." Nevermind what she had done this season, but Serach could not bring himself to admit that to Nalda; he was too ashamed of his own bruised ego. "Come home, Nalda," Serach finished, his tone turning it into a question of will you?.

There are fresh deer tracks, but there is also some coyote prints along with them.

She noted his drifting gaze, quirking a brow, her own eyes never straying. He seemed oddly cowed, despite his favorable position, completely uninterested in brandishing his power, unlike Aponi. But then, he’d never seemed the type to do so. Not for the first time, Nalda was left to wonder what had brought the two of them together in the first place, when they were so very different - and if Aponi had simply joined up with Serach in a grab for power; Why’s he still around..?

Yet here he was, promising to protect her. Russet ears flicked ahead at the passionate words, though one quickly fell back again, uncertainty; ‘Make her see reason’..! That didn’t seem very likely. If there had been no room for negotiation, surely there was even less for a hollow appeal; Not next to that ego! The queen of Oak Tree Bend had grown imperius on her throne, it was hard to imagine that she’d stand for any kind of opposition; And then what? If it came to a real confrontation between the leaders, her bet was that the outcome would not weigh in her favor.

At his plea, she couldn’t help but tsk a litte, looking into those ernest, green eyes with a good amount of skepticism; ‘Home’... In the end, the notion meant very little to her. She’d been adrift for most of her life, born without a pack, and moving into them only of necessity - the Bend had given her a good position in life, but with the new circumstances, would it still? Or would her children be born into the same kind of life as she had? Whatever she chose, it would be to give her pups the best possible chance, she’d given up everything for them and she would make damn sure it paid off!

Finally, after a long, thoughtful silence, she breathed deeply through her nostrils, still holding Serach’s gaze. “And ‘f she doesn’t?” The dark shewolf asked, voice low and steady; “See reason? Wha’then?” The protection of the pack would be a huge benefit, but only if she could be sure it was safe.

Word count: 356
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Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

Nalda tsked at him, and not for the first time since he had found her, Serach felt cowed. She was certainly the most realistic of the two - no doubt she thought his determination that everything would be okay incredibly naive. And it was, if he was being honest to himself. But Serach had built his whole identity around the foundation of family loyalty, and he could not bring himself to let it go. But "family" was not enough of an argument for Nalda, and her pointed question was entirely fair. He was asking her to take a huge risk, potentially putting herself and her unborn pups in danger if he wasn't able to make Aponi see reason.

"I might not be able to," he admitted, gulping down air as well as his pride. "But I can promise you that I won't let her harm you, if it does come to that." That he could absolutely do, even if it meant using his body as a shield. He wasn't able to think ahead much beyond that particular scenario, though, because the truth of the matter was if things turned physical and two Bend leaders found themselves pitted against one another, he doubted there would be a Bend left afterwards.

"I just want to you to be safe, Nalda. And if the Bend can't provide that, then I'll help to make sure you find a..." Serach's voice trailed off mid-sentence, his head tilting upwards to better scent the air. Deer. Perhaps the one he had been following earlier? His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed in concentration. Something had caught his attention and was setting off alarm bells in his head. He rose to his feet quickly and circled in place a few times trying to pinpoint the direction the smell was coming from. "Do you smell that?" He asked her quietly, peering into the woods towards his right (her left). There was something else besides the deer there, even if he couldn't see it just yet.

@Serach

Indeed, family was the root of all her deepest scars, and yet she kept yearning for that connection, some primal instinct that even her coldest, hardest logic could not kill. But now, she might have an opportunity to secure a bond like that, free of the fickle whims of other wolves; with children of her own, she could make sure that they remained tied to her - they would be her everything, and she would be theirs!

But only if she could keep them alive. And with her prodding, even Serach recognized that that might not be possible within Oak Tree Bend. Yet he pronounced himself willing to defend her, and Nalda was surprised to feel a small stirring at his words, blinking up at him, just once; Why..? She might have asked the question out loud, if his attention hadn’t been drawn away so suddenly. Watching him spin on the spot was equal parts amusing an unsettling, prompting her own nostrils to flare and take in the scent of deer with a painful pang to her stomach. She’d been doing her best to ignore the tantalizing smell up til now, trying to suppress the acute hunger ravaging her body.

So the question made her click her teeth in annoyance, seeming like a vicious taunt in her state. But then she noticed it too, the sneaking stench of something else following behind the doe. Daring to move a little further out of her hide, the pregnant shewolf got to her feet, hackles bristling anew as she sniffed even more intently; “Yeah, A’ do.” A sour taste rose in her mouth as the heavy musk grew stronger, goldenrod eyes darting between the trees to pinpoint their enemies’ approach. “Guess y’ll get’to prove tha’,” she stated, matter of fact, eyes locking on a bank of shadows between the trees, growing quickly darker. The deer’s trail passed right by the two wolves, putting them squearley in the way of the coyote’s, now emerging out of the fog.

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Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile