Empress Riffle decade

Light Rain
46.58 ° F, 8.1 ° C
the time has come unfortunately. this will be only one post from me, anyone and everyone is welcome to find her for reactions. do what you see fit and thank you so much for letting me play this old queen <3

On this very day.

Ten years ago.

It had been very similar to this day, actually. The soft trickle of rain a relief. It had been a relief for her mother too in the worst of labor pains. Now it was a relief to a disorientated, dehydrated woman well beyond her prime. Truthfully, she had been well beyond her prime for years now. How horrible a thing to watch her whittle away.

Once a matriarch of great reign, now a woman who could barely carry herself.

The drought did no favors, it hindered her even further. Delirious thinking more common than not and it most certainly damaged already faltering vitals. It was a wonder she had hung on. Perhaps there had been some type of grand desire. A feral yearning to see the next generation once more, to see the legacy she would leave behind. Yet she was too gone for that. She could no longer tell which generation was which. Nor did it matter in these moments.

What once had been a ripe location for water was now bare as bones.

Bare as her bones.

"I have missed you," She whispered to nobody, to a ghost. The figure of her husband on the other side of the rocks. His presence a welcoming relief. Enough to calm a usually frantic heart.

"They're all grown now...I think all of the girls don't need me anymore." Mumbled, staggering along the words as she sunk to her rear. She could hear his returned words, she could feel the soft kisses of reassurance on her crown. She had always been powerful in the face of everyone but him.

Soft, pitter-patter of a heart.

"Will you swim with me?"

She could hear the ocean, the waves roared in her ears and pumped the last bit of blood through her veins.

She felt nothing. She felt everything.

When the moment finally came, it was gone just as quick. She fizzled out knowing nothing but love and knowing that she had left something worthwhile behind — even if she could not remember it.

Archer Valle

Archer hadn't been home from the mountain long, and upon his return he'd been horrified to find there was even less water than when he'd left. The current light rain was appreciated, of course, but it wasn't nearly enough to sustain them. He kept searching, hoping to find something closer to home than the falls.

Today he found something, but not what he was looking for.

At first he thought she was asleep when he spotted her, pausing to make sure it was Katna. He trotted over to her. "You shouldn't go so far," he scolded gently, nudging her shoulder. She was cold. Archer froze, them poked her a little more urgently. She hadn't yet started to smell like death, not like that other guy Eros had found all those months ago. "Gramma?" he said, then louder, Gramma?"

Of course, she didn't move. Archer sat back, staring at his Grandma's body with shock. He'd known she was old and heading this way, probably sooner rather than later, but it was something else to have it happening now. Something else to be the one to find her.

Eros was going to be devastated. Archer was sad, of course, but he knew his littermate had been closer to Katna, and the older boy was always the more emotional of the two. And what about Da?

Archer finally tilted his head back and let his mournful cry pour into the clouds above.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Sharlee had just returned to the backwater from her search for water. It had become so scarce and she was worried. It was starting to look like they might not make it through this ordeal. Even prey was getting hard to comeby as well. Most of it deciding to leave the lore in search of places where water was plentiful.

She slowly made her way through the trees toward her den. Normally she would have gone to check on the new mother but this year she couldn't bring herself to do so. The tawny Valle woman had kept her distance from the den. She hadn't even gone to the birthing. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. To sit and watch it all unfold when she felt the way she did about her own situation. It might be selfish but Sharlee was to the point she didn't care much, wasn't she allowed to be selfish sometimes?

She was stooped in her tracks when she heard the mournful cry of her nephew. She didn't know what could have happened to cause him to sound so sad especially when it didn't sound like his call came from the direction of Vanadis' den. She had to find out so she ran through the forest to where Archer had to be. Again she was brought to a dead stop when she saw what had caused the sorrow in her nephew.

All she could do was stare at the lifeless body of her grandmother.

The young leader had been a dedicated father for the last few days. He had hardly left the outside of the den that contained Vanadis and his three new children, only going to fetch his mate anything she needed. Even in those situations he usually called for another pack member to come and guard the entrance. He could not risk a desperate predator trying to go after the pack’s most vulnerable.

When Archer’s mournful call echoed across the territory Viorel was immediately torn. Instinct warred within him, should he answer his child, or stay here to protect Vanadis? The dark wolf paced back and forth in front of the entrance, irritated and not sure what was the right move. Finally he let out a shaky sigh, peaked his muzzle into the den and promised Vanadis he would be back quickly.

He let out a short burst of a call, calling for Vayko to come take his post, and promising his son he would be there soon.

The second that his yellow eyes landed on the scene before him he knew that it did not matter how quickly or slowly he had gotten here. Nothing was going to make this any better. The leader knew the moment he saw his grandmother that she was gone, he felt sick. Viorel closed his eyes hard as fatigue swept through his body, he couldn’t do this right now. But he had no choice.

Viorel moved forward, brushing his flank against Sharlee’s as he passed before reaching his son and pulling him into an embrace. He didn’t know what to say.

Archer Valle

Archer stood still, gazing at his gramma with pained eyes. It was the drought, he decided, that had taken her. She might have lived long enough to meet the next round of Valles had the water not disappeared. Clearly she'd been here looking for something to drink, and the trip had taken it's toll on her. It wasn't fair. Who was going to go next? Nobody else in the family was so old, but his newest siblings were so tiny and helpless and his ma couldn't make the trip to get water on her own anymore. She relied on the rest of them to get her moisture. What would happen if the Falls dried up too? Could they make the trip up the mountain to the lake? Archer knew Sanguine Cove's borders didn't cover the entire shoreline, but how would they feel about the Backwater wolves taking their precious resource? How could they get it down the mountain without whatever medium they used drying up?

Aunt Sharlee's arrival interrupted his internal rambling. Archer flicked his ears to recognize her presence but didn't look up. He bowed his head and pressed his nose into Gramma Katna's neck. He hoped wherever she was now, she was happy. Maybe she was back at the estuary, swimming in the endless waters they'd loved so much. Maybe-

Da's scent suddenly enveloped him and the yearling was pulled into an embrace. He turned his face into Da's shoulder and breathed deeply. It would be okay; Da wouldn't let anything bad happen to them. They would figure out what to do. "I'm sorry Da," he whispered into his fur, trying to comfort Da even as Da was comforting him.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Looking down at her Grandmothers lifeless body Sharlee couldn't understand. She blinked a few times seeing but not really seeing the scene in front of her. Archer was there, he'd been the one to bring her there. Katna laid there. Sharlee didn't want to believed she was dead, "Grandma Kat," she whispered, "You have to get up. We have to get you back to the den." She spoke to Katna as if she hadn't comprehended that the older woman was gone and couldn't hear her.

She hardly noticed when Vi showed up. She felt him brush against her as he went to Archer but it didn't register either. The Valle woman felt incredibly small. Like a puppy again as she slowly closed the distance between her and the form of her grandmother. She stood for a moment in front if her. The thought that rhe woman had to be sleeping crossing her mind.

Sharlee crouched down onto her stomach and crawled forward to lick Katna's muzzle. She whined as she scooted closer to press her head against the woman's neck. "I'll miss you Grandma Kat," she whispered against her fur as if the truth had finally sunk in. Raising her muzzle into the air she howled a sorrowful song for their lost grandmother.

The call had risen first from his nephew and then again shortly after from Viorel. He made his way quickly, breaking into a spring to arrive in front of his grandmother’s lifeless body. He froze, staring at her. He had been living in a perfectly formed bubble. His family had surrounded him… he had a girl he cared for very deeply… and that bubble shattered in front of him with her still form. He could not help but more forward, nudging her gently as if it would wake her as the denial crept over him. No. Their cooky crazy grandmother was a staple part of the Backwater… she could not be gone.

He collapsed, letting his limbs give out so he could plop down next to her, hearing his sister’s words which allowed the realization to creep through the denial coursing through his system. It wasn’t supposed to go like this. She wasn’t supposed to die. Sure, she was old, but she was the head of the Valle family… she was his Grandma Kat. His sister raised her maw and called a sorrowful song but he just sat there and stared at her, completely numb.

Vayko Valle

This is Viorel's exit

The father felt Archer lean into his shoulder and it was all Viorel could do to stop the tears. He needed to be strong now, strong enough for his son, and strong enough for the pack as they mourned. They couldn’t fall apart, not now, not after everything. Eyes softened at his son’s words and he murmured back, ”Me too Archer, I’m sorry too.” His voice was strained as he tried to swallow the lump that was forming there.

Despite all that was going on in front of him, the scent of Vayko made him panic. He had called for his cousin to stand in front of the den, and if he was here that meant that Vanadis was vulnerable. He looked over his shoulder, blood frozen as he saw the tawny form come into view. Yellow eyes widened, whites visible as he sidestepped away from the yearling at his shoulder, and his cousin mourning the body at his feet.

”Vanadis.” He croaked as an explanation, his feet already pulling him away, back to his mate and newborns. He ran as fast as he could - which was not that fast to be honest - only pausing once as Sharlee’s mournful song reached the air. Viorel stopped, only for a minute, to lift his salt and pepper muzzle into the air and joined her, voice harmonizing in the immeasurable grief, a loss that could not ever be recovered.

He would tell his mate everything when he got there, but he needed to make sure she was safe.

Archer Valle

Archer knew his father must be struggling, but as always the patriarch kept it together - until Uncle Vayko arrived. The sudden absence of warm fur caused Archer to stumble as his Da murmured something about his ma and vanished. Archer stared after him in shock for a long moment, attention only returning to his grandma when Aunt Shar released a mournful cry. Da's voice joined her in the distance, and though Uncle Vayko remained silent Archer too tilted back his head and allowed his voice to join the sang farewell.

When he finished he slowly padded to his uncle's side and brushed his shoulder with his nose, hoping to offer some semblance of comfort before turning to his aunt. "I'll help bury her," he murmured, although he wasn't sure where they would go - just that they couldn't leave her here.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

The numbness fell over him, his eyes gazing at the lifeless form. All he cared for at the moment was the ability to mourn his grandmother. He heard the name, the explanation from his cousin but it still had not clicked in his mind that Viorel had called for him to stand watch over his wife… in his mind, it was not a role he needed to perform. Archer offered to assist in the burial and those were the only words to reach him, his gaze coming up as he offered a silent nod at first.

It was a reminder that he still had a job to do. “I think near the fallen log by the pack den?” He suggested, though he sought the yearling’s opinion on the location as well. That way she was close to those who had loved her so fiercely, who had tried their best to look out for her time and time again… “We should do so soon…” He turned his attention to his sister next. “Shar… will you help us?” He asked softly, looking for that support, that mutual grief that they could help each other through just as they always did.

Vayko Valle