Lost Lake truth be told i never was yours

Chan sat at the highest point of the shield-like ridge that encircled his valley residence, resting upon the snowy rocks and taking in the picturesque view. Unmatched eyes repeatedly scanned the forest and lakeshore, each clearing and every inlet, rememorizing it all. Occasionally, he even saw one of those he was thinking about, passing in and out of sight as they so diligently worked to make this place home, to call themselves a real pack.

In a way, what he had promised to stay for was nearing completion. Especially with their mother now here, it would no longer be abandonment for him to return to his life before this unexpected detour. It wasn't as simple as it had even been before, however. He'd already missed one parent's passing, what if he didn't make his way back to the Lore before their mother... ?

He hated thinking of it, and would quickly move on, usually to Aleister. Neha leaving had affected him so deeply, and Chan couldn't help but feel a certain pressure emanating from the other man. It made him feel obligated to stay, but was that something that would ever change? What of Lila, dedicating to the creation of the pack specifically because of Chan, and then he just ups and leaves it behind? Again.

It was his own fault. He should have been clearer with all of them from the start, and instead he found himself torn once again. Because as much as he loved these wolves, Chan knew this could never be a permanent home for him. It was just a decision of how to move forward in a way that was fair to them all.

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2021, 05:02 PM by Chan.)

Nash had been up for a while, just roaming the territory, checking caches, and testing the edges of the lake for signs of good fishing. So far it was still too cold. It had been a quiet month and he hadn't seen much of his fellows, though that was mostly his fault. He'd been out scouting or simply lying low. He'd been feeling... odd, lately. Like something was coming that he couldn't place. He'd never had this sort of feeling before, but it was the sort of feeling he'd expected to have before the death of his father, or the disappearance of a pack.

But he hadn't felt anything odd in the days leading up to those tragedies, so Nash tried to push aside the twisting in his gut. Maybe he was just psyching himself up over hunting again and was making himself nervous. Maybe he should just go out and practice on his own, to alleviate his anxieties. Maybe he should talk to someone about it, but they were all still reeling from Neha's abandonment. Nash didn't know how to cope.

Maybe that's what this dread was. Neha. She'd left and now what was going to happen to them? But the rest of them were still here, and they were still moving forward together, even though Aleister was clearly devastated by her loss.

On one of his circles around the shore, Nash glanced up in his brooding and saw the silhouette of his brother high on the ridge. The younger Eastfall's ears lifted and he turned to make his way up the incline to join his brother. He gently butted his head against Chan's shoulder and sat next to him, overlooking the small valley, if it could be called that. "You can see everything from up here," he said mildly.

(This post was last modified: Mar 12, 2021, 09:41 PM by Nash. Edit Reason: wrong info )

Last Chan had been able to see, Nash had been at the Lake's edge. That had been an hour or so ago, perhaps even longer now. He found he was losing his sense of time up here, sinking far too deep into his own head to properly pay attention. Tilting his head back, he went about gauging time by the sky above. Approaching foot steps pulled him back down to Earth, and the younger Eastfall was greeted with an earnest grin. Chan pushed back against the gesture affectionately, before at last returning his gaze to the valley that had preoccupied so much of his time this day.

"Yeah. I don't think I'll ever get over how beautiful it all can be."

Chan was quiet for a couple of seconds, then asked, "you on your way out?", wondering if perhaps Nash had decided to go scouting.

As always, Chan returned Nash's greeting with enthusiasm. It was a comforting ritual, bumping each other and grinning every time they could. Nash would never stop being grateful for having his big brother back. He finally had his family again.

He joined Chan in gazing out over the territory, enjoying the sparkle of light on the lake and the pale snow glittering in the trees. He thought he saw his mother moving around near the lake's edge, but he wasn't sure. Nash wondered if Chan had seen him doing his rounds earlier that morning.

He hummed an agreement about the beauty of their land; how had they ever been so lucky to be born here? This quiet place of solitude, of peace?

Nash glanced over at Chan when he asked his question and shrugged. "I've been moving around all morning and I saw you up here. I haven't really had anything specific planned." He was just incredibly restless. Dare he mention his unease to his brother? Chan would probably just tell him he was overreacting to Neha leaving, that everything was going to be okay. Better keep it to himself for now.

Chan smiled. He'd come up here just to check in with him then, huh? He stood up, and gave himself a good shake to reinvigorate. It was probably time to get a move on and do something else other than sit inside his own head. 

"Let's find somethin' fun to get up to then, yeah?" he offered with another lopsided grin. What they'd get up to he didn't know, but even if they just went for a run or explored a new outcropping, Chan would be happy just to spend some time with his little brother.

Nash returned his brother's grin and stood with him. "What kind of fun?" he asked. He knew that brothers usually got up to trouble - or so he thought - but he wasn't a puppy anymore. Neither was Chan, of course, but Nash would happily bet that his brother didn't have to remind himself of that fact as often as the younger man did.

He surveyed the territory. "Why don't we see if we can find anything cool?"

"Hmm," Chan hummed aloud as he thought, scanning his memory banks for the more interesting or mysterious spots the valley had to offer. Truly, at times it felt as though he had seen it all, but he knew that wasn't true. As his mismatched gaze wandered, finally something clicked inside of his head.

"I got an idea. Let's check on the eagles," he offered, a particular nest permanently marked on the map that existed within his mind's eye. It had been literal years since he'd last seen it, and had to wonder if it was even still in use. Chan swung his muzzle toward it's direction then set off at a trot, expecting Nash to follow.

Nash waited patiently while Chan thought, his own mind turning over ideas. He didn't much care what they did; he just wanted to spend time with his brother.

Chan came up with an idea first and set off, leaving Nash to hurry after him. "Eagles?" he asked, trotting up beside his brother as they walked. "Like, a nest? You know where one is?"

Nash knew where a few things were, but he'd spent most of his travel time looking at the ground, searching for any sign of his lost family.

Chan's muzzle bobbed along through the air as he nodded yes. It didn't surprise him that Nash was unfamiliar, and likewise would not be shocked to learn that @Moonshadow had purposefully never mentioned the nest due to what had happened to Chan in his yearling age. It certainly wasn't a place for pups to play, but two grown men could handle a little cliff edge.

"Yeah, at least where one used to be," he amended as they walked.

"It's off this sheer drop, in a dead pine that's yet to fall. I broke my leg trying to get to them once."

He purposefully left out the fact that he'd been pushed. Roland was a distant, dark memory that did not need to infect his younger brother's mind.

"That was when I was a kid though, it's not really all that dangerous."

If you knew what you were doing, that is.

(This post was last modified: Jun 28, 2021, 09:24 PM by Chan.)

I totally forgot about Chan's incident here...

Nash followed, hanging on his brother's every word as they walked. At the mention of a cliff edge, the young Eastfall began paying more attention to where he was putting his feet. He wasn't afraid of heights, but that didn't mean he wanted to fall. His caution was only enhanced when Chan mentioned breaking his leg.

"You broke your leg?" he exclaimed in concern. Nash knew very well that a broken leg could be a death sentence for a wolf - but Chan had had a pack to help him recover, and a mother that would have doted on him night and day. He could see that his brother was doing very well now. "I can't even tell."