Heartleaf Creek fragments of the past

O O C | all welcome c:

speech, thoughts

It had been a couple of days since her initial drop-off, and Italia had been making her way through the snowdrifts as best she could. Now that she had met at least one other wolf who, albeit hadn't been in contact with her family, was kind and pleasant at their first meeting, she found confidence within herself even more so than she had before. She could smell them now, unsure if those were the markers of her fellow comrades, but still keeping the belief that it was them while she continued onward.

She was afraid deep down that something drastic and dreadful could have become of them. Would she be walking into a massacre? Or even worse, not finding them at all. She looked to the sky, clouded and stagnant it was. It was a chill afternoon, although, the wind had died down and she was able to continue her journey without being completely blinded. Lia decided it was best she makes her presence known, not wanting the others to think she was a trouble-making rogue. Her muzzled lifted and she rang out a searching cry, the noise echoing off of the surrounding valleys.

The Valle woman was out and about doing the usual and also taking in the fact that spring was upon them. She wasn't sure she wanted to spend much time in the territory at that point. The pervious season had woken something inside her. Having the pups around and feeling it inside her that Maybe she wanted some of her own. She knew the rules though and knew that she wouldn't be allowed. Itnwas best she just stayed away from it all.

Sharlee had found herself wandering around the creek. Wandering might be the polite way of saying she was actually moping. Her ears perked when she heard someone calling through the trees. She thought that maybe she should go find out about it. So with a sigh she loped on the direction it had come from and what she found was a bit of a shock. <b>"Italia?"</b>

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speech, thoughts

It was only a few moments before she heard someone's voice coming from her left, her tail immediately curling under her and her ears lowering. She didn't know who it could be, that is until she turned and saw the figure some meters away. She had a kind face, yet a quiet demeanor. Italia recognized her but couldn't exactly place who the girl was. She had to have been one of the yearlings who had been taken, and, to Italia's knowledge, there were only two of those at the time.

"Could that be... little Shar?" she questioned, unsure if she was correct on the matter. If it was her niece, she had grown over the past year quite a bit. It was hard for Lia to come to terms with her missing the growing up and maturing of her sister's children. She wondered if there was any resentment towards her on Amondi's part for her not being in their lives as she had promised to do so before.

(This post was last modified: Mar 02, 2022, 09:36 PM by Italia.)

Though she hadn't been very old when she'd been brought to the lore Sharlee still remembered her family members. So when she saw her she knew exactly who she was and that fact gave her some misgivings. After all she was the sister of Modesto and after what her aunt had done Sharlee was still struggling with it all. However she remained polite as she should being a Valle.

When the woman recognized her she smiled amd nodded, "Its me," she confirmed, "Its been a long time since I saw you last," she commented. It had been over a year she'd venture to guess. In that time so much had happened, too much in Sharlee's opinion. It was also not lost on the Valle woman that maybe Italia had run into her mother so of course that would be the first thing she'd want to know. "Have you seen my mom?" She asked since Sharlee didn't feel the need to hold this back.

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speech, thoughts

A smile fluttered to Italia's cheeks at the confirmation. She had known deep down that it could only be her, but, she just had to make sure. A long time it had been indeed, Lia recalled as she had been stuck back at home with Iounia until she was taken. She grimaced at Sharlee's remark, nodding along, "It has been much too long since I've seen you last, " her ears folded. She was proud of her niece's growth and could tell she had blossomed into her own. Her yellow eyes met the orange ones of Sharlee.

"I was hoping to find mother along with the rest of you, " she said, a slight gasp emitting as she let the words leave her lips. Had they not been in contact with her this entire time either? She was horrified to think that she had been separated from the entire family. Italia stepped closer to Shar and wagged her tail. "Did most of you ever come back together again?" she inquired, hoping to at least be assured they had been able to take care of each other.

Modesto really screwed things up. Sharlee didn't want to believe that Italia was like her, that she too would be disgenuine. She wanted to trust her but there were things that couldn't be ignored. Like the feeling her brother had about their father and what Sita and Modesto had done. She resolved to remain cautious for now. The tawny Valle woman did offer her aunt a soft smile, no reason to be rude after all. "Have you been in the lore all this time?" She asked. Sharlee had no real idea about when all of the Valles had come to the lore, they kind of seemed to keep just showing up.

Her head tilted slightly as she listened to Italia explain herself. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell Italia that bad news about the others but she knew her aunt needed to know. She nodded, "Some of us are her," she stated. The question was where to start. She decided on the beginning. "Vi and Vayko decided to form a new pack and I chose to stay as Vi's advisor and I suppose I'm Vakyo's too. Grandma Kat is with us as well as father and Vasco. Modesto was with us for a time, she's been banished. Sita was here for a time had a pup and left without her." Sharlee did her best to keep her feelings on the matters of Sita and Modesto out of her tone.

Eros had been eager to meet the call, the song claiming familiarity despite it's clear novelty. Maybe it was someone from that new pack, or maybe there were others still coming to their forest to be their friends. Whatever it was, the young man was excited as he barreled through the thawing brush to make his way to the howl's origin point.

He slowed with huffing breaths as he neared, not yet seeing them but able to begin to hear voices. His Aunt Sharlee was there he quickly figured out, and his ears pressed forward to catch her words while his hefty frame continued to part the dead flora littering Heartleaf's floor.

...she's been banished. Sita was here for a time, had a pup and left without her.

The happiness inside of him abated hearing those words, but Eros appeared all the same, as though he'd heard none of it. He grinned at the stranger, tail wagging behind him.

"Hello!"

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2022, 04:35 AM by Eros.)

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speech, thoughts

Italia could tell that Lee's mind was racing. She knew that there was a hesitant nature about her, her demeanor cautious even though she was face to face with someone of her own family, her blood. She wondered why her niece held something against her. They hadn't seen one another in a year, so she had hoped that it wasn't because she was absent from her life. It wasn't her fault they had taken the others first... Oh, if only Sharlee knew how much she had waited to see them. She perked her ears at the question. "The lore... No, dear. I've been in the estuary with Iounia. We... evaded the ones who took you, for a while. They finally caught me with some trap that they had put venison in. We were so hungry, and I knew it was a risk, but... " she trailed off, turning her head for a moment.

Looking back, happiness fell over her as Sharlee began to speak, detailing that most, if not all of them, were there. "I'll need to speak with Viorel or Vayko soon then, I suppose, " she said with a blissful smile. That brief moment of peace and comfort ended when she mentioned something of Modesto being banished? Not to mention Sita just up and abandoning one of her own young? The thoughts could almost not even begin to be comprehended by Italia, as she could never imagine any of her siblings going against their pack.

What's more appalling is that they were going against their mother! She shook her head in embarrassment, piercing eyes falling to the ground. Before she could respond to Sharlee, another voice chimed in, a male's to be that. He too was a tawny color like Sharlee but he was noticeably younger. "Greetings, stranger, " she mustered, unknowing of who he was. She could tell he was a true Valle, though. It was something about them that was immediately recognizable. She gave him a smile, though, it was not distracting her from the anger that her sisters had caused. She turned back to Sharlee, and Lia's voice hissed as she asked, "Now... what did my sisters do?"

It was news to Sharlee that Italia had been in the Estuary all this time. She believeD that they'd all come over together and had been placed in different places in the lore. So what had once been a theory was now proven true by her aunts words, "So it was the two-legged creatures?" she asked. With that answered now the only question left was why? "It might have been a risk but it's one that led you to your family." At least what was left of it. "Before you ask we haven't seen Lounia." Sharlee answered the question she was sure Italia would ask next.

Sharlee nodded when asked about speaking with Vi or Vayko. "You should probably speak to them both," she provided, "But I must warn you the welcome may not be as heartwarming as you might want." Both her brother and cousin were still sour over the events concerning Sita and Modesto. She knew that at the very least Vayko was in the same place she was concerning the older generations. It also didn't help that Italia was direct sisters to Modesto and Sita.

Eros voice brought her attention to the boy. Sharlee would have rather he not show up and meet yet another family member that could end up like the others. There really wasn't anything to he done since he and Italia were trading greeting. "This Is Eros son of Vi and Vanadis. Eros this is your great aunt Italia." She introduced them to each other since they were family and she supposed they had the right to know each other. Her attention came back to Italia when she spoke. "Sita showed up pregnant. She stayed long enough to have the pup and then she was gone without a word leaving her behind. She played the caring aunt and mother well enough we all believed it. Modesto pretended to like the choices that had been made in starting the new pack. Then we later found out how she really felt along with things that need not be said." Sharlee wouldn't go into it especially with Eros standing there.

Eros was met with perhaps the most lackluster greeting he'd ever received in his life. Blinking between the two adults, it briefly occurred to him that perhaps he was somewhere he shouldn't be, that maybe this was a private conversation. The thought was swiftly dismissed. They were discussing his family. Kid or not, he had every right to hear what was being said, in his opinion.

This Is Eros, son of Vi and Vanadis. Eros, this is your great aunt Italia.

Oh! That gave him a second wind, his smile growing bright once more as he re-appraised the stranger. She was great, huh? Well, if Aunt Shar said so, it had to be true! ... so why were they back to talking so mean? His time in the conversational spotlight was already over, and as much as he felt entitled to witnessing what was spoken about his blood, every bit of it was making his skin crawl.

By the time Sharlee was on her last sentence, his frown was evident.

Then we later found out how she really felt along with things that need not be said.

She stopped there, and maybe he was wrong, but Eros couldn't help but feel it was because of his presence. He wasn't sure what possessed him to do it, perhaps it was his encroachment into adolescence, but he spoke in a tone uncharacteristically cold upon his tongue while gifting his aunts with his first cuss.

"She called gramna a whore and said we shouldn't have been born."

That had been the claim as he'd understood it, anyways. His ire didn't lie with @Modesto, though.

"You can just say it. You practically already did."

(This post was last modified: Mar 17, 2022, 04:14 AM by Eros.)