Sacred Grove sigh no more

It had taken her weeks to heal up and even weeks to get back. Her heart had ached with every second spent apart from Ruiko, but she had tried her hardest not to pine for him. It was not as if she had tried to <span class='word'>abscond</span> from Swift River. She had gone for a hunt and had found a weak doe ready for the taking. Unfortunately she had traveled quite far from the Wildwood and hadn't been able to howl for Ruiko's help when the lynx had attacked her. Ranger still bore the angry red scars across her right shoulder and neck from it's vicious fangs and teeth. Lucky for her, however, that she had strayed closer to another pack than she had imagined. They had killed the lynx, and while wolves didn't often eat other predators, it was winter and the meat was not going to waste.

Ranger had fed upon the meat of the lynx and the doe as she healed. Finally she was well enough to come home, but the scar that ran across the front half of her body was only now just sealed over, and it ached as she moved. But she had to get home, to see Ruiko and explain. Ranger's usually proud and even stride was broken by the limp of her foreleg. The limp would go away once the skin fully healed. It would take her a few months to get the function fully back, but she was walking and could even run a little. At least the wound didn't weep blood anymore like it used to. The scab had completely come off and now it was just pink puckered skin, not quite beautifully healed, but healed well enough.

As she approached the border, she stopped. Ranger wasn't going to assume Ruiko's feelings for her after all this time and wouldn't trespass. After taking a few minutes to compose herself and stretch out her aching muscles, she lifted up her muzzle for Ruiko, a hint of pleading in her voice. Then she waited.

(This post was last modified: Feb 06, 2011, 04:20 AM by Ranger.)

She had disappeared, and instantly Ruiko had hardened all the more for it. He only blamed himself fir trusting so carelessly.. for caring too sonly. The only consolation to the male was that he had never spoken his feelings for the she-wolf aloud to her or anyone, and so the day Ranger’s scent began to fade from the pack lands was the day Ruiko Tainn had pretended that she had been no more than a temporary member that had come, used their resources, and then slunk away without a second glance. It was far easier to move on that way.

Just as life was beginning to take on a trend of normalcy with Indru and his siblings slowly returning, a sudden cry that shot across the cold winter sky stirred a curl on his lips. It seemed impossible to him that she would dare return, and yet.. he knew her voice. With a grunt, the regal male lifted himself regally, his tail lifted high as he prowled to the direction of her voice.. He moved swiftly, uncertain of what to say, or if he would say anything at all and simply chase her away from the lands.

It wasn’t until he finally found her and his eyes fell upon his tarnished angel that his anger smoothed away to concern.. which then melted back to anger at the idea that another had done this to her. He stared at her for a moment, his gaze taking in the angry wounds and his features hardened. “Who did this to you?” His tone was quiet.. demanding.. coldly furious. For certainly he would hunt them down and he would kill them for daring to touch her.

She knew he would be angry. Their blossoming relationship had been a big step for both of them, though their feelings had never been spoken of aloud. Ranger knew that her absence would have been a low blow to Ruiko's heart. However stoic and hard he seemed on the outside, he was really a very tender wolf emotionally, at least in her short experience. If her aching heart was any indication of Ruiko's feelings, he had missed her too. As soon as he came into view, she was afraid that he would be angry. A flurry of emotions went across his face. First anger, then concern, and anger again. She braced herself for his anger, but it was directed instead at the culprit.

<b>"A lynx."</b> That was the easy answer, but it was definitely more complicated than that. <b>"Do you remember the the day I went hunting for us and your siblings?"</b> How could be forget? That was the day she had disappeared. <b>"I traveled farther than I thought. I found a doe and went after her, but a lynx was already going after it, as well. We fought and it won. Luckily there was another pack nearby that heard our scuffle and came to my rescue. They killed it and took me back to their home. They nursed me back to health, Ruiko, and without them I would be dead."</b>

A lynx had done this to her. It was almost a disappointment to him that the creature had already been killed, for while it was not a wolf as he had initially suspected, he would still have sought down any creature that dared lay a paw or fang on her and let it know it had made a deadly mistake. He listened, his paws digging in to the ground as he refrained from moving forward to inspect her wounds, for while she had clearly been taken from the pack.. from him, he still could not grasp if he could trust her or not.

Guilt had suddenly coursed his figure though, weighing heavily upon his chest. He should have looked for her harder. He shouldn’t have assumed she had abandoned them during that hunt.. “I’m sorry,” he said suddenly, his tone serious and deep as it rarely was. Ruiko rarely apologized; his pride never let him. “I should have looked for you harder.. I thought you left.” His resistance to trusting her was fleeting, though the tawny regal still composed himself to stay back. She had every right to be angry at him. He had failed her as a leader. He had failed her as a guardian. He had failed her as a potential lover.

Ranger stood silent and still as he apologized. She had never heard the words from his mouth before. Indeed, most alphas did not apologize openly to their inferiors. She had never accused him, eve inwardly, of not coming to find her. Their relationship had been rocky at best and she knew he had to take care of his family first. She was not part of that select group, and probably wouldn't be, but she understood the bond of family. <b>"It's okay,"</b> she said softly, taking a step forward and lowering her head, ears slicked back. She wanted to touch him, to reassure him that it was not his fault she had been hurt and cared for by another pack.

But she didn't dare go any closer than that one step. She was exhausted by the long trek home. It had taken her weeks because she had to stop every few hours to rest and eat, to keep her strength. But she was finally here and she hoped Ruiko would allow her to return. <b>"I would never leave you,"</b> she said honestly. This was uncharted territory for them, but she wanted to let him know how she felt. <b>"I will never leave you willingly. I will fight to stay here with you and your family."</b> There were new scents making up the border on which she stood, but those questions could wait until later. She needed water and rest. <b>"I'm sorry I made you worry, or made you angry. I never meant to leave you."</b>

She moved forward hesitantly, murmuring words of forgiveness that he felt were completely undeserved. Indru would have trailed after any wolf of the pack that went missing. He would have went after them, and made sure they were okay before giving up on them. She had suffered for it – another pack had saved her, not the pack she had once decided to make her home. He didn’t deserve her.

And yet she seemed to think he did; her words caused his bright eyes to focus upon her features once more. Ranger was large for a she-wolf; her muscle was solid and yet she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, even with her body tattered and torn. He swallowed thickly, unable to say anything in return for the moment. Instead, the regal male moved forward, closing the distance between them both as a low and protective growl released from his throat. Briefly, the male rubbed his muzzle to her cheek, though it was only a momentary touch before he bent his muzzle to explore her wounds.. especially the one on her chest. “You should rest,” he finally uttered, inhaling her scent sharply. "You're home now."

Ranger was glad that he closed the gap between them. She closed her eyes as they touched; she reveled in the feeling of his nose exploring her wounds, knowing that their closeness was her greatest <span class='word'>desideratum</span>. It was easy to see how much she cared for the male, though she wasn't sure how to tell him. Her attempt at sharing her feelings had clearly not fallen on deaf ears as Ruiko welcomed her home, but she didn't know how he felt about her. She would save that for another day, perhaps after she was fed and rested.

The warmth of his muzzle on her cheek lingered as he stepped back and stated that she was home. Ranger's eyes opened and she nodded and followed him. A pressing feeling was beginning to grow in her chest, a sensation she had never felt before. It was not a heavy, painful feeling; rather it was a pressure of anxiety and worry. She thought she knew what it might mean, but she didn't want to dwell on it any more than she had to at the moment. She began to walk back into her homeland with as much pride as she could, though she knew that her gait was broken. She didn't look so regal now. Pushing away the humiliation she was feeling for herself, she walked into her home as well as she could, glad to have Ruiko at her side once again.

<b>"I smell more wolves,"</b> she commented softly as they walked. She didn't want to stay in her own den alone, but with all of these wolves here now, Ruiko wouldn't want to compromise himself with emotion. <b>"Has your family returned?"</b>

It was painfully obvious to him as she moved how badly she had been hurt for the dark she-wolf’s once graceful gait was now hindered by a limp. Ruiko felt his ears press back to his skull as he glanced over her quickly once more, the worry quite clear within his bright amber eyes. He kept his pace slower than normal – not just because she was injured, but because he wanted to steal the few moments of quit he could have with her before they came upon the others. Already, the idea of Indru, Damascus, or Avalloc even giving her a second-glance caused a frown to briefly flash over his features, and the tawny male realized he was loathe to share her.

“A few of them,” he responded quietly, his eyes now scanning the land before them. He was only regretting now that Niija was not among them, for she would have aided Ranger in her healing. “Indru has returned.” There was a tenseness to his tone, and he knew she would understand what it could possibly mean for his brother to be back.

With her strange gait, Ranger was feeling far from <span class='word'>daedal</span>. But with Ruiko by her side she felt immeasurably better. The electric connection they shared pulsed between them as they walked and Ranger's exhaustion was masked by the energy that flowed into her from the man beside her. She was still unsure of their relationship, but she didn't mind. They were together now and that was all that mattered to her. The frown that creased his face caused a mirrored one to appear on her own; whatever he felt, she did too, inexplicably.

She could tell he wasn't happy that his family was back, but not just because they were back. Indru was going to try to reassert his claim on the pack that Ruiko had led through the drought. Yes Indru thought he was doing the right thing by leading the pack to greater water sources, but Ruiko had stayed behind and had built the pack from nothing. Ranger knew exactly where she stood on the matter. <b>"I have never lived in Swift River under his rule,"</b> she began softly, turning her eyes toward him. She could tell he was upset about the whole ordeal, but she had to make sure he knew how she felt. <b>"I will not accept his rule. I will stand by you. You need only ask and I will fight by your side."</b>

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2011, 04:11 AM by Ranger.)

He was almost relieved by Ranger’s words, though he would never admit such. The she-wolf was precious to him; a gem he wanted to explore further. Indru seemed far more interested in females who were of a more delicate nature, and as such, Ruiko wasn’t worried about his brother forming affections for the dark warrior. But jealousy was a strange thing, and he felt satisfied that she was his. Canting his muzzle, the tawny regal gave the ebony girl a nudge to her cheek, releasing a soft sigh. “He is entirely in his right,” he murmured softly, realizing she might not understand this as she hadn’t met his brother before. Indru was a leader by nature as well, just as he was. “We’ll figure something out.”

Ruiko fell to silence then as the two finally came upon the main pack den. No one was in sight, and the leader was unwilling to wait. Leading Ranger back to her old den, the male settled himself in there with her for now, willing her to rest and heal while he protectively curled against her, his own thoughts hindering any chance of sleep.