Larkcall Lowlands the warmth once felt

There a part of him that felt bad about deceiving that young woman back at the lake, but he still felt it had been necessary. What remained to be seen was if that would come back to bite him - how could he even begin to explain it? Perhaps only with the truth. He’d felt hurt and abandoned. He needed to know.

Jethro had moved quickly to the north, hoping to be there waiting by the time that young woman he'd met along the lake got back to the falls to deliver her message.

Look to the north, if they still wanted to find him. And if it was Finley who came, he hoped she would think to head towards the lowlands. If she did, she’d find him near the same area he’d found her last winter. Where the spark had been discovered, where they’d started.

Now it was time to see if things could be rediscovered, put back together again. He hoped so. The dark one hoped more than anything to at least have his family back - leadership or anything else be damned.

For now though, he waited quietly in the area where Kingsfall faded into the lowlands, seemingly unbothered by the breeze that blew the grasses about, or a gentle, cold rain that’d long since soaked him. Jet was still except to scan the horizon for any possible movement.

-- for @Finley maybe, if you've got time?
set around 3/23. taking a few liberties here but can edit if things don't go accordingly in the other thread

Look to the north. That was the message that Nadine had passed along from a man called Jethro. A man that she had been looking for ever since he had disappeared. Now, here he was, supposedly, in the place where everything had begun. Part of the Lennox woman was still guarding her heart, imagining scenarios where this was a wolf who was pretending to be her mate for some twisted reason, to get her alone for better or worse. Still, even with that image in her head she had not hesitated to immediately begin the journey to the Lowlands.

By the time she arrived she had a stitch in her side and was slightly out of breath. She had moved faster than she thought her aging legs would be able to go, or at least she carried that speed for a lot longer than she thought she could have. When he came into view it almost felt like a mirage, she had pictured this moment a thousand times since she had seen the blood in the snow. It felt like this couldn’t be real.

She felt winded, so her voice was breathy when she called, ”Jethro?” Was he real? Or was this some kind of trick? Maybe she would wake up in just a few minutes, but that was okay, because she had right now. Green eyes welled with tears, ”is this real? Are you really home?” She moved forward to embrace him enthusiastically, never once thinking he might reject her.

In a blur of speed and motion, a figure emerged from the forests of Kingsfall, heading in his direction. It was a moment he’d thought of many times since his forced departure in the middle of winter, and yet now that he was finally here, it felt almost surreal. Where once there would’ve been excitement and elation to see her again, there was now just a stoic calm. At least, that was what Jet projected outwardly.

Internally, he was anything except calm. He felt himself swinging back and forth between love and happiness, to a burning sense of anger and betrayal. But he wouldn’t display those things, not until he’d heard what she had to say.

Finley ventured forth, closer, a trio of questions posed. She moved forth for an embrace, which while he didn’t reject it outright, the dark one did not return the gesture and was quick to pull back. ”I don’t know yet. If this can still be my home,” he answered softly, trying but failing to completely mask the pain he felt.

”How’s Atty? How’s our girl?” That was of course the first question he had. He needed to know she was safe.

It was only when she felt him stiffen and step away rather than embracing her back did the mother register that he had not reciprocated her enthusiasm. Something about him felt different, cold. She stepped back herself, eyebrows furrowing over eyes that showed a deep hurt and confusion. Why was he acting like this? I don’t know if this can still be home. At first the only thing that came out of her mouth was a quiet sort of croak and then she asked, ”What do you mean?” He wasn’t sure if the pack he had built was still his home, where his mate and child lived?

Then he changed the topic, and she wanted to give the quick response of she’s good, growing every day because that was expected, but it wasn’t true. Ears pressed against her skull and she offered a small shrug, ”She’s doing the best she can, she misses you.” Then she added, ”we look for you almost every day.” It was with a sinking realization that she had come into this thinking that it was a dream but it was turning into a nightmare. Suddenly she wished desperately that she could wake up.

Jethro had come home to them, but she didn’t recognize the man before her.

The warmth of her embrace and the hurt subsequently displayed by the lack of any affection given from him in return was clearly genuine. It sent a lightning bolt of pain and regret through Jet, for thinking that they could just abandon him. Finley and Atara weren’t the so-called family he’d had before. They weren’t even close.

His face contorted in pain, sadness, moisture that had nothing to do with the rain gathering in the corners of his eyes.

”I thought, that you just left me to die.” The words left him at just barely above a whisper. It wasn’t done yet though. She misses you. We look almost every day... A huge part of him wanted to run to her right now, yet there was still something holding him back.

”Then how.. why didn’t you find me? All that blood, the coyote..?” That’d been perhaps the most frightening moment Jet’d ever had, realizing all he had to lose.

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2024, 03:46 AM by Jethro.)

A sharp whine escaped from the Lennox woman as she shook her head hard at his words, she wanted to say that they would never do that but he was already asking another question. She blinked hard against the rain only to realize that it didn’t truly clear her vision because it was tears and not weather that was making everything blurry. Sniffing once to try to compose herself, she offered, ”I followed you after you didn’t return when you were supposed to, I…I found the blood and the coyote bodies.” It had been horrifying, still haunting her nightmares and even now the thought of it made her stomach churn.

It felt like a bad excuse now, even though it was honest, ”I kept following your trail afterwards but the weather turned and swept all trace of you away. I tried to keep looking but eventually I had to turn back and hope that maybe you had circled around and would beat me back to the Falls but you weren’t there.” So they had looked, her and Atara, sometimes separately and sometimes together. The pack had been altered and she had expected that they would also be keeping an eye out for any sign of him.

Had he been gone when Flair? ”I wanted to send out formal search parties but Flair came back ill from her scouting trip and she isn’t getting any better….I’ve been doing my best just to keep everyone alive.” She sounded broken, and it was clear on her expression just how exhausted she was. She didn’t want any of this, she was happier before.

A sharp whine left Finley, the noise further piercing through Jet’s heart like an icy dagger. The emotion alone was proof enough that he’d been wrong - so very wrong to think like that. He knew it, and probably didn’t even need an answer to what he’d asked. But Finley provided one anyway, and it was just further evidence.

She had followed him and found the blood and coyotes. But the weather had turned, as it was so often prone to doing amid winter, and had covered his trail. Jethro didn’t think it was even possible for his face to further contort, but it did. Green eyes squeezed shut, head bowing in shame and hurt.

But Jet forced it back up, settling his gaze on her.

”I.. am sorry, Fin. So sorry.” It felt like he’d been saying that a lot lately, first at the cove, and now here. And just like back there, it was wholly inadequate this time, too. ”It’s just.. I thought for sure I was gonna die. I should’ve, and in those moments, my mind.. went to dark places. I was angry, wondered why no one was there when I needed it.” And that’d hurt. The feeling of abandonment had been very real, even if he now knew, and should've known that it was misguided.

”I wouldn’t be here if not for the help of some.. others. Then weeks passed, and when we never saw anyone, I thought.. maybe you’d all moved on." A soft breath escaped the dark one at that.

”Can you.. ever forgive me?” He questioned softly, a tentative note of hope in the question. The former leader took a half step forth, almost ready to go for the embrace he’d turned away from earlier. Jet didn’t really suppose he’d blame her if she couldn’t though.

(This post was last modified: Apr 02, 2024, 03:15 AM by Jethro.)

The mother still had some reservations, a hurt in her heart that she had not expected upon being reunited with Jethro. She had spent so long looking for him, so many moments imagining what it would be like to see him again and she had never imagined this would be what it felt like. But, ever the people pleaser, she smother her own feelings down into a twist in her gut and smiled softly, tentatively towards the dark male. She would really cry when she was sure she was alone and nobody could see it, but for now she would hold it together.

Blinking away the last of the tears that she would allow herself for now, she nodded, ”There’s nothing to forgive. You were scared and fighting for your life, but I hope you know now that we would never move on. Atara and I, we would have kept looking for you forever if we had to.” The last few months felt like she never stopped looking. Every moment of every day between her new responsibilities was spent looking for someone, for Ryder, for Caspian, for Jethro. More and more it felt like she was actually looking for herself, or at least all the pieces that she had lost along the way.

She couldn’t meet his eyes, knowing if she did that it would betray the emotions she was trying to suppress. She couldn’t hide it from him forever, but she was afraid that he might take off if she looked like she had reservations.

A nod. Nothing to forgive.. fighting for your life… kept looking forever if we had to. Each word brought even more hurt, the sort that wouldn’t fade easily, if ever. He should’ve known. The way Finley refused to meet his gaze too indicated something else. A hesitancy, perhaps. Or pain that she didn’t wish for him to see.

Jethro chose to take what seemed a risk in that moment, and step forth to provide the embrace he hadn’t before. Gently pressing his face and neck against hers, if she’d allow it.

”I do, but that’s not an excuse,” he murmured. He wanted to believe those words. He at very least believed Finley meant them, but that didn’t make it right. Jet tried to put himself in her place; losing her sons, then him, being forced into a leadership role, and now this.

That was one of the things he’d come to admire about her; possessing a grit and determination to keep going, putting on a brave face for others. But she didn't need to do it here, not for him.

”You know.. you don’t have to be strong, right now. It’s just us here. Whatever you’re feeling.. let me share it.” He couldn’t take back what had happened now, but he could still try to make it better. Ease some of Finley’s emotions, let her cry or vent or even yell at him, whatever she needed.

They’d already been through so much - the birth of a daughter and burial of her brothers. Founding a pack, raising Finley's two sons prior. And.. come to think of it, hadn’t they first met right around here nearly two years ago, now?

There wasn't any need for disguised emotions or secrets, good, bad, or.. anything in between.

(This post was last modified: Apr 05, 2024, 03:45 AM by Jethro.)

We can fade and archive here, or on your next post with Jethro!

The mother had wanted to keep it in, keep herself together until she was in private and could have a breakdown alone. That had been the plan, that was how she dealt with her emotions. But, then Jethro gently pulled her into an embrace and his scent washed over her and she had missed it so much. His words were the final straw and Finley could no longer hold them back. Her whole body trembled as the tears began to fall, gasping for air between sobs as she lowered her head to bury her face against his chest.

She tried a few times to speak but couldn’t get any words out past her tears and so resigned to stay silent. The Lennox woman wasn’t sure how long she cried for, or exactly when they transitioned to laying down next to each other, but eventually her eyelids grew heavy. Her throat felt raw, and her vision was blurry and she could no longer fight the exhaustion off. Curling in tighter to Jethro’s side she whispered, ”I love you.” Before slipping into a deep sleep on the wet ground, the rain had finally stopped falling.