Red Fern Forest Lost more than we saved

@Yuka! So sorry for the wait... and for accidentally deleting that slack conversation....

The relief at having Ember back was only short lived. There was only so many times she could ask about the other daughter and only so many times she could bear hearing that the other had not wanted to return. Eventually she had stopped asking, but the awareness festered in her mind. Ember's presence was a balm, and there was most certainly a wound that it was covering.

In the early dawn, Iopah rose from her sleeping place -whispering a promise to return shortly to her daughter- and trotted quietly to the borders. She couldn't just forget about her younger daughter, even if that daughter would rather be elsewhere. Idly she followed the scents, sifting through those of prey and rival predators; there was the occasional scent of a Bend wolf, but none she particularly recognized.

The toppled cedars gave way to crimson ferns before Iopah noticed the direction she had taken. She was well beyond the Pines' land now, but seemingly not alone. There was a familiar scent interlaced with the fronds. Iopah paused and lifted her head, hoping to see Yuka's familiar bulk. She knew so little of him, and without his mother he was nearly a stranger to the Pines' alpha.

He was a light sleeper. It worried him that he still heard nothing of his mother and his mission was going no where. What did his family think back home? Did they miss him? What were they going to think if he returned and Narime was no longer with him? The truth was, he did not think that he could bare to return. Yuka felt that he knew Ash well enough to know that he would lose his sanity should Nari not be there to guide him on his path. The Hervok male tied his sanity to a woman and the Thorben man had only caught glimpses of Ash's anger; it was not something to be trifled with. But Yuka also did not want that hate to turn onto Nina or worse, Inali. In the early morning, after he marked the borders, he would leave the territory to find solace in his own solitude, to reflect on what he could do on his own. The wolves that were members of the Pines seemed harmless and Yuka had no desire to take them down or make their lives a living hell. Thus far, they had done nothing wrong.

The Thorben knew that what Iopah had done was wrong and it had made Nina feel betrayed and extremely angry and hurt. Yuka just didn't understand why it hurt so much to the point that she felt the need to send him out all the way over here, to leave his family behind. And now...Narime was gone too. His ears pricked. Someone was approaching. The man turned on his heels, adjusted eyes easily finding the small figure that was making its way towards him in the darkness of the morning, Iopah herself. Clearing his throat, his deep baritone rasped softly, "Ma'am, is there something wrong? Why are you out so early?" He was aware that Ember had returned, Yuka would have thought that the mother would have been tucked away with her daughter.

Thank you TABs

She heard his voice so infrequently that at first Iopah didn't recognize it. Her ears folded back with mild embarrassment at the unfamiliarity at she closed the distance. When the mother and son had first arrived, Iopah had kept them at a cautious eye on them. They had recent contact with Nina, and after Miccah and Aideen's visit there was no question they knew where the out-cast wolves had claimed land. They had done no wrong, but they were another connection to Nina that Iopah would have rather not formed in the first place.

With everything that happened after Narime had vanished, her suspicions hadn't time to fester and she regarded Yuka with a curious expression. For all she knew he was as in the dark as her, looking for someone without a clue where they'd gone. "Probably the same as you." He seemed to have the same preoccupation with the borders as her. After a moment, she shrugged -not bothered if Yuka would admit any similarities or not. "I'm worried about them, can't sleep." There was so much she had to do and find that she didn't even know where to start. "It's quiet out here, I've always liked the ferns. They were Bracken's namesake, after all.

She seemed off put by him. He couldn't blame her though. During his time with the Down wolves, he had only spoken with her briefly, usually pertaining to pack business. Yuka stuck to himself, feeling like an outcast because he was an outcast among them. He did not belong with them. The fallen prince watched as she approached him, his head dipping instinctively to mask the scarred half of his face. He words reached him and he internally grimaced. If only you knew what I was thinking about. The russet-hued man made no comment to her, but it wasn't needed. She continued for the both of them. It seemed she still held fear in her heart over those lost and Yuka knew it was useless. He had more than enough experience with those that had left and none had returned. Those of which included his father. As she mentioned the ferns, Yuka looked at them, silently acknowledging what she said.

He allowed them silence for quite some time, his eyebrows furrowed as he considered her words. Finally, he spoke, "I can't worry about them..." he paused for a moment before continuing, "If my mind is on them, then I can't do my job here." His mother had taught him that, indirectly. He had seen how when others left Whisper Caverns, it would bring her down. But then, when Ash came, everything changed. He hardened her and taught her how to be strong, at least, that was how Yuka observed it from such a young age. He turned his head fully towards Iopah now, his voice gentle, "You miss them though, don't you? Every single one of them." He was being delicate, not mocking and was truly curious. She seemed like she cared about everyone that went missing and the Thorben man couldn't imagine what kind of a burden that would be to bare.

Thank you TABs

The few words he spoke held weight in the cool morning air. It seemed the Thorben male dodged his words even less than the Broken Timber Pines queen did. When he replied, her eyes went instinctively back to the fern forest - utterly unable to shed the concern that Yuka already had. How? She wanted to ask. What could you possibly think of that would leave no space for your lost family Iopah couldn't form the words to get the reply out. She shrugged and looked away, the action a clear indicator of her ability to feel the same. "Thank you," Whatever reason had led Narime away, obviously wasn't important to her son. "Thank you for staying to help me."

"There are a lot of wolves that I have lost," or left behind. Perhaps that was the reason for their difference of opinion: simple age. Perhaps eventually Yuka would have too many lost wolves to forget about them all as well. "Some are dead now, some live somewhere else, but they were all my family. That wouldn't change or be forgetten so suddenly. "There must be someone that you miss." It wasn't a prying question, he could answer or not.

When Iopah spoke again, she was thanking him for remaining with her. For being loyal to her. If only she knew what he had been sent to do. However, as he spent more time within the Pines he was having a harder time finding motivation to finish his mission. They did not mock him for his face here and they were not gentle with him for it either. Without his absentee mother as backup he had no way of accomplishing what they had been sent out to do. Young amber teal-flecked eyes settled on the smaller woman in front of him, listening to what she had to say about his question. While she did not directly answer him, what she had to say made enough sense to him and he nodded towards her. Family, it was such a complicated word and Yuka had come to acknowledge that he only considered a select few his family and that was the stretched difference between Iopah and himself. She was so trusting and the Thorben couldn't understand why.

Her last words, however, hit him in his heart and he silently contemplated her words bitterly for a moment. He did miss someone and he knew exactly where she was but there was no way that he could reach her. With a reluctant sigh, he responded, "When I think of Inali, I miss her. But I can never see her again, she lives in Secret Woodlands." The bitterness in his voice was real. While he knew that he couldn't deny Nina's wishes he had not liked that he had been taken away from Inali in the process. She was much like a mother to him and he missed her more than anyone, even his brother. When he spoke again, his voice was smooth again, "But as I said, my mind does not stray often. It's a distract from the present." Ash had taught him better than that and it would be disrespectful to his teacher to get off track from where he was.

Thank you TABs