Lost Lake We will rise

@Aleister I put that Chan told Nash Neha appeared to leave on her own free will, but if Cade comes back saying nah then I'll edit and change it.

Nash had been quiet lately and hadn't seen a lot of his fellow packmates, but even he noticed when the ever-elusive Neha finally disappeared. He'd been worried, sure, but she was usually hard to find so he tried not to worry himself about it until Aleister started calling for her. Nash could hear him for miles around the lake, and the fact that Neha didn't answer was bad news. Very bad news.

And then Aleister stopped calling. Chan told his brother Neha left of her own accord.

Nash knew Aleister had to be devastated. His sister was gone and had clearly left without saying a word. Experience told the Eastfall boy that meant she wasn't coming back.

He was afraid for the future of his pack, now that he'd finally found them again, but most of all he was afraid for Aleister. Nash hurt for him. He felt his pain. They'd both been abandoned by their siblings before. So he would help.

Nash set off down the lakeshore to find his leader.

The pain was still there, lingering as he went about his days. He couldn't let himself fall into the dark pit of self-destruction that he allowed himself to do so many times throughout his life. Aleister was a different man now. His sister had been a steady rock within his life, but now he had to learn how to fly and thrive without her. Clearly, she had other plans for herself without his presence, so he had to learn to live without her. The Vuesain had done it before and he had to do it again for the sake of the ragtag group that stuck behind him.

Laundering along the lakeshore, he decided to take a rest upon the large boulder that overlooked the lake they called home for the time being. Today, he decided to just take a breather instead of visiting the surrounding areas around them. With his legs casually stretched out before him, his head was high as his mismatched gaze looked over the Lake in silence.

 

Nash hadn't gone far before he spotted Aleister laying on a large boulder at the lake's edge. He paused, impressed by how regal the Vuesain looked as he surveyed the lake. This was certainly a king, presiding over his kingdom. A sense of pride welled up in Nash's chest; this was his king, his leader.

Nash began moving again, though this time at a steady walk instead of a trot. He didn't want to pounce on Aleister, after all. He was sure his leader would hear him approaching; it was a quiet day, after all, and the lake was still and beautiful. No wonder the Vuesain had chosen this spot to watch from.

"Mind if I join you?" Nash asked as he reached the boulder, pausing to look up at Aleister. He was here to be a support, after all, not force his company on him.

Aleister certainly was going to need some time to get into the gist of being a leader. He definitely did feel all that comfortable with it yet, but he was going to do what he promised. Promising to bring back the legacy of their birth pack was what he was setting out to do and he was happy with those that surrounded him.

As he was resting, one of those wolves approached him, his mismatched gaze looking fondly upon the ebony Eastfall man. Aleister was happy for Nash’s constant presence and friendship. Nodding at his question, “Of course Nash, join me up here,” he offered as there was plenty of room for the two of them and then some. He didn’t want to seem ominous to one of his closest companions.

If Aleister seemed pensive, Nash wrote it off as grief, or missing his sister. He could understand that. That's why he was here, after all, even if his own sister had disappeared ages ago. He smiled as his leader invited him to join him on the rock, and the ebony man lithely jumped up to settle down at Aleister's side.

He let the silence between them stretch for a moment before saying, "The view from the lake is good over here."

Nash had always loved the lake; he was glad he was able to make his home here, where he was born. He was glad his mother and father had met here, and settled here to have their family. He was grateful to Aleister's parents for allowing the Eastfall children to be born at all.

"It's weird to think of my parents here, years ago... it's been empty for so long."