Secret Woodlands They Call Him King

For @Mirren

- Midday, Sunny - 73 ° F/23 ° C

Summer was definitely at its highest. The sun was beating down on the Thicket, its warm rays struggling to make it through the dense canopies. Just like at the height of winter, when the swirling snows got stuck on the tangled branches above, the Thicket of Secrets was now showing its worth to the wolves who called it home. Thanks to the many trees and bushes, the burning midday sun could not reach the forest floor, and the land lay in blessed, cool shade. Today though, on inhabitant of Secret Woodlands was looking for sun - she much enjoyed basking in the golden warmth, but at the moment, it was too hot even for her - no, she was looking for sun for another reason, the reason that was behind most of her tours through the land, she was gathering herbs.

She was starting to get control of the medicine stores, after many days of gathering, drying, organizing and storing, she was finally satisfied. Almost. Yet another review of her collection had revealed that she was low on Lavender Hyssop - unsurprisingly, since it was a plant that she'd used a lot through the winter against colds and chest infections, and it wouldn't surprise her if @Nina had ordained some of it to help calm @Danica as well. Besides, the flower worked best fresh, and it would be at the height of its flowering right now. So the dedicated medic had gone on a hunt, using her knowledge of the plants typical environment, and her trained nose, to search for the fragrant, purple flower.

But she knew she had to be lucky to find it within the Thicket, and sure enough, her search was bringing her closer and closer to the pack borders. This particular herb preferred more open, sunny areas, but it was known to sprout wherever some sunlight reached the ground. If she could help it at all, Aideen would largely prefer to remain within the pack land, she was evolving quite an aversion to crossing the border, feeling like every time she did, something terrible happened; The Woodlands need me! But they also needed her medicine, so if she had to leave the land to find her lavender, she would; I just really hope I won't!

Word count: 379

"Speech" Thoughts

Solitude.

It was exactly what he wanted and didn't need. Since his mate's disappearance, Mirren had focused his efforts on any and everything that would distract him from the fact  that the one person who was supposed to be around forever ─ the one who had vowed to never leave him ─ was gone. @Kite had vanished, leaving not a trace of herself behind to give him even a sliver of hope to hold on to. In the weeks following his daughter's birth, the swarthy man had searched for her, had tried to piece it all together, had tried to come up with any rational reason to explain why things had unfolded the way that they did. In the end he'd found and come up with nothing. Having never suffered such a loss (except for somehow losing his brother time and time again), trying to find his way back to a normal life was a slow and painful process. For once, it was he, the golden boy, who was left behind. It was he who was hurting. It was he who now suffered with what could only be a broken heart. And yet...he still ruled these lands, and it was his responsibility to make good on his promises, including the one he and Kite had made to raise Secret Woodlands from the ruin it had been not so long ago.

His resolution to do as he said he would was one of two things that enabled him to live a productive, albeit somber, life. Lyanna was obviously the other. In the back of his mind and in the bottom of his heart, though, were his dreams of Copper Rock Creek, and now more than ever did he thirst to return to the kingdom he was meant to inherit. With Kite gone, and even with Nina and Lyanna present to cheer him on, Mirren longed for his brother and sister, even for Ruiko and Aeylen. He tasted regret, sour on his lips, for the first time.

With the afternoon sun cast high in the sky above, the masked Tainn swept over the border he and his guardians had so routinely reinforced. With the thicket bathed in the most verdant shades of green, it was the shine of her auburn fur in the sunlight that caught his eye. Aideen. Like some of the others in the pack, he didn't know her on a personal basis, but he knew exactly who she was. A part of him wanted to leave her be, along with his curiosity concerning what she was doing and why she appeared as though she might be on her way out. As he perked up, craning his neck to get a better view of her, another part of him wanted to know what she was up to; there was something inviting about the sunny day and the way she seemed to be on a mission. In the end, it was the Leader in him that chose to investigate.

 "Aideen," he called to her, his voice low and even as he left his own path in the shade for hers in the sunlight, the warmth of the day soaking into his skin.

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice him until he spoke her name, head jerking up in surprise. For a moment, while her eyes struggled to focus on his burly form moving out of the shadows, she thought he was someone else. Her mind reared ass unwelcome memories washed over her, images of a time she had not thought about for a long while, and a wolf she had sworn to hate, and desperately tried to forget. But as the opposer crossed into the light, she realized her mistake, releasing a shaking breath that had caught in her throat. "Mirren." She greeted him with a pale smile, body naturally lowering into a submissive stance, tail falling low behind her. Her copper eyes traced over his body and she forced herself to notice every difference, all the details that made him stand apart from the man she had once loved. Mirren's coat was darker, the brown tones more saturated, and a full, black cape gracing his back. And the eyes were different too, a deep, smoldering amber, lighter and much more piercing than @Coal's had been.

Aideen met them briefly, quickly looking away again, awkwardly turning her gaze to her paws. She didn't know what to say - no, that wasn't true, she had a lot of things she wanted to say, what she didn't know was how to start. Mirren was a stranger to her on many levels, and yet she knew so much about him. She could only imagine what might be going on behind those brooding eyes, pain, sorrow, anger, helplessness, she knew them all, she had battled them too, though it felt like a lifetime ago. And though she wasn't sure how to feel about him on a personal level, she wanted to help. It was who she was, a healer, her heart drew her to those in pain and beckoned her to mend them, she could not bear seeing someone hurt without trying to help.

But now, as she stood before the man who was her king, her patient, and yet a stranger, she could not figure out how to begin. She felt awkward and even a little scared of the strong, confident male who was Nina's son, but she also wanted to get to know him, so maybe she wouldn't feel like that anymore. After a long pause, the fire pelted healer looked shyly up at Mirren, not quite meeting his eyes, and spoke in as calm a vice as she could manage: "How are you?" Her ears waved innocently, a faint heat spreading across her cheeks. But she forced herself to keep looking at him, if she wanted to be a healer, she needed to be able to speak to anyone who might be hurting; Even my king. Especially my king!

Word count: 468

"Speech" Thoughts

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