Oak Tree Bend Generational Gap

For @Ice and @Lena. Takes place after this thread. Assuming that Ice is with Serach.

Serach was still reeling from the shock. As the pair, father and son, left the borders in their wake, the younger of the two could not help but check over his shoulder every few paces to confirm that Ice was in fact behind him. It was a sight that Serach had never hoped to see, and there was a very significant part of him that was afraid that this was all a dream and that the next time he looked, Ice would be gone and Serach would be roused from sleep. But the scents on Ice's coat were real, as was the heat radiating from his body, and as the man remained in place every time Serach checked, slowly the worry that this was all his imagination was fading away.

Still, he wanted confirmation and he knew who he wanted Ice to meet with first. He would meet everyone in time, but as the leader paused to take stock of the mix of scents on the ground, he found the one in particular that meant more to him than all the others in this moment. The other wolf who Serach had never hoped to meet, nor even realized could even exist. Serach was tracking Lena in the hopes of being able to introduce grandfather and granddaughter, for as much as he wanted to keep Ice to himself, he knew that wasn't fair. He was certainly not the only Bend wolf to put a priority on family and he would not deny Lena the chance today.

The pair traveled inward, Serach leading the way as he picked up the distinct scent of his niece. They were headed towards the pack den, but not quite - Serach didn't want to open up that can of worms yet. So when they were still a ways off, he came to a stop. Smiling at Ice for a moment, the leader tilted his head back and howled, calling for Lena. He did his best to keep the excitement from his voice, but he wasn't sure if he was successful. Finished, he quieted. "Now we wait. She shouldn't be long."

So, so sorry for the wait.. I wasn't in a writing mood for quite a while. :c

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

And just like that—

—he was back, crossing the invisible line he had once left, so long ago; thought never to return, by those who remained. So few others did, after all, why should he be different? Of all the harsh lessons life had taught the wolves of Swift River and Oak Tree Bend it was that, inevitably, those you loved left, and more often than not, that was the last you saw of them, when one day you woke to find them a memory only, their scent long since cold and faded.

He saw Corinna in every shadow. He saw her mark left on every tree, bush, and stone they passed, a green-eyed ghost to haunt his return.

And each time Serach turned his head to look at him, he saw Corinna there, too, in some of the lines of his face, in his eyes, in ..his memory. And each time, Ice gave his son a little smile, dark lips curling up at the corners as he walked behind him. It felt both very strange, and very right, to have found Serach at the helm of Oak Tree Bend. Part of him had expected to find Triell leading it instead (and he'd been right, just a little, about that), but he supposed it made sense, in a way. And besides, was there anyone else he had wanted to see there? A stranger, perhaps, this Drestig?

No. He wasn't sure he'd be able to bear his pack in the paws of a man he didn't know, and he hadn't returned to start a war and cause fights—but his heart was wild and proud, so what else could he have done, had not Serach been its leader?

They stopped, blessedly still away from the most central meeting point. Serach's head tipped back and his voice called out for Ice's lost kin, and he found his ears flicking back for a moment. Part of him wondered, what would he do now, when he had reached the end of his current journey? He had found Oak Tree Bend, he had found out what had happened to his loved ones, and, well, what now?

You pick up the pieces.

He canted his head to the side after Serach had spoken, nodding slightly and eyeing his son from the depths of those silver eyes. "Serach..." he began after a moment, once again stunned by what his tiny, wobbling little son had grown into. Then he blinked, and watched the surroundings for signs of his mysterious grand-daughter (or, well, one of them, wasn't that what Serach had said?). "Before I stepped up to lead beside your mother, I served her as Guardian. I would like to do the same for you, and for the Bend."

Lack purpose? Give yourself one. He waited, to hear what his son would say.

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

-slaps down a post-

we yell to the windshield
“i'm finally home, i'm finally home”

Lena hadn't expected a call of attention today. Truth be told, she hadn't expected she'd ever be summoned for anything too important, aside from typical pack activities—hunting, scavenging, patrolling, that sort of thing. The fact that Serach was howling her name sent a chill of excitement down her spine. She'd been resting her paws after patrolling the borders, mostly to associate herself with the scent of Oak Tree Bend. If one were to follow their nose, though, it would probably seem that Lena had been erratically racing back and forth, which wasn't exactly a lie. Just not the whole truth. But now? Now there was a real reason to move!

Without hesitation, Lena leapt to her feet and took off sprinting with purpose. She wasn't going to ignore a call from her uncle, after all.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long for the youngest Donata to arrive on the scene, with not one figure standing in wait, but two. Chest heaving as she took a moment to catch her breath, Lena slowed to a trot, tail wagging behind her amicably. “Uncle, what's up!” She gave her typical, happy-go-lucky smile. “Got here as fast as I could. What'd you need? Aaannnd … who's this fella?” Peeking over Serach's shoulder, Lena's ears perked forward as she tilted her head to study the newcomer's (or so she believed him to be) features.

Off white. Silver eyes. Tell tale grey hairs just barely visible against his muzzle. Not a single connection was made in her head, and not even a guess. Just a curious stare. She squinted, hard, as if trying to find something to connect the dots through. Nothing sprang to mind.

Lena couldn't figure out any reason as to why she'd been brought before this stranger in particular, but that wouldn't change her friendly demeanor. Oh no, not in the slightest. “Hiya,” she chirped. “I'm guessin' you probably already know, but my name's Lena.”

art by kydnt, code by mimi

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

Every time Serach looked behind him, his heart was lifted to see that Ice was still there. A part of him still could not believe the the circumstances that had brought them together and he half expected the older wolf to disappear. But this was not a dream and the reality of being able to introduce Ice to Lena was making Serach giddy with anticipation. He had not gotten to speak to Lena much in depth, but her scent trails crisscrossing the Bend territory had made it clear she was making herself at home and familiarizing herself with every nook and cranny, just like her father and he had once done when they were kids.

As they waited for the youngest Donata to make an appearance, Ice broke the silence. Ear flicking, Serach looked over his shoulder to meet the gray eyes. "Before I stepped up to lead beside your mother, I served her as Guardian. I would like to do the same for you, and for the Bend." His lips curled into a smile, and he tilted his head in an affirmative. "I would be honored. It's been a while since we've had a Guardian. There's lots of yearlings here too, perhaps you'd be able to teach them something." Ice would soon find out that while the Bend was strong in numbers, it was also strong in immaturity and inexperience. All things that could be fixed with a patient enough teacher, though, or at least a voice of experience to observe.

Turning his head back at the sound of snow being crunched underfoot, his tail began to wag as the light gray and tan female approached them. She looked happy as ever, although he could already see the curiosity forming on her features. He grinned and nuzzled her ear in greeting before stepping aside so she would have a clear view of Ice. "Thanks for coming Lena, I have somebody I want you to meet. This is Ice," he said, watching her to see if there was any sign of recognition with the name. "He's mine and Sceral's father." He was in no mood to play games though, and happily let the bomb drop.

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

Part of him was worried, even though he didn't want to be; what if Serach said no? What if he said, prove yourself, remain here for a couple of months at least, and then ask again? Of course Ice wouldn't go anywhere, not when he'd just managed to come back—but his life had become like a broken bone, two ends out of alignment. To heal would be easier if he had something bridging the gap.

But in the end, his fretting was in vain. Serach smiled in response, and Ice felt the tightness in his heart ease. His son was.. sunshine, for lack of a better word. Chuckling slightly he touched his nose just behind Serach's shoulder. "One could hope so," he replied with amusement. Ice could be just as bad as a yearling, distracted and playful and all sorts of silly, but he guessed that wasn't what Serach really meant. Ice had more years than some of the rest put together, and not all of them had been peaceful. He had some scars to show for it, too, but it wasn't what mattered at that moment. He had his old job back, and more than that—he was going to meet what little of Sceral that was left in the Lore.

She came out of the woodwork, pale tan and gray, a bit more warm in color than her father—and her eyes were more like Serach's, for Sceral's hadn't been green-tinted, had they..? He had thought he would always be able to conjure up the image of his children, but.. the years had washed the colors from it, and it pricked his heart with guilt to know. Still, some of it was lifted by the radiant smile the she-wolf gave them, exuberant in a way he found himself hoping she would never stop to be. Stars knew a pack needed their own personal little sun, or it could get too dreary when food and numbers were thin, and leaders missing.

Any and all doubt was washed away when she greeted Serach as uncle, before staring at Ice himself. If she had been told stories of an almost entirely white, large wolf with silver eyes, it didn't click—not that he blamed her, really. There were probably more large white silver-eyed wolves out there, so he simply smiled back at her, dark lips curling up. "Hello," he replied quietly, tail wagging slowly behind him as he waited for Serach's move. And it came, swift and to the point, leaving no room for misinterpretation. His ears pricked forward, and once the words were out of Serach's mouth and he thought there would be no more, he took a couple of steps forward, aiming to touch his nose to hers. "Hello, granddaughter," he rumbled quietly, eyes twinkling.

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

we yell to the windshield
“i'm finally home, i'm finally home”

It probably didn't click with Lena immediately because, yes, there were a lot of great big white wolves with silver eyes all over the place, so he certainly wouldn't stand out too much in that aspect. And then it all came crashing down immediately, all the things she'd been told when she was a pup tumbling over her own feet.

“This is Ice.

He's mine and Scerals' father.”

Her jaw dropped and she gasped a little, frozen solid as her mind raced to pick up to the pieces. Lena looked up at him with wide eyes, her gaze not breaking from him even as he closed the distance between the two of them to touch his nose to hers. His words confirmed Serach's own, and Lena finally moved, if only slightly. Her eyes danced between her relatives, lips forming a small “o” as she did so. An uncle. A grandfather. Who else was going to turn up?

Her tail started wagging. Her front paws started tippy-tapping as anxious, wonderstruck energy filled her. This was Ice. The man who had inspired her father when he was a child, the man who had left with the intent of finding someone, and had never returned. The wolf who had conjured up such awe and hurt and love. The reason for pain, the kind that came hand-in-hand with missing someone so very much. Lena would certainly have questions for Ice, but that would all come at a later date, after the excitement exhausted her enough to give her a very good night's sleep and then some.

“Woah,” she finally whispered, and her nose immediately started snuffling, pushing through the fur on his cheeks and neck. She wasn't sure what exactly to say in this situation—it had been so very … unexpected. Not bad, not at all! But there had been no way Lena could have forseen this, no way any wolf could have. “It's … wow, it's so amazin' to meet you.”

Ice. In the flesh. In front of her. Sceral's presumed dead, but always admired and always, always missed, father.

art by kydnt, code by mimi

(This post was last modified: Jan 10, 2017, 06:00 PM by Lena.)

Watching Lena's reaction to Serach's oh-so-casual introduction made him chuckle. Flicking his pale yellow gaze to Ice, he wondered if that was how he had looked just a short time ago when he had realized the truth of who was standing in front of him. There was a wide-eyed expression, and her dark lips parted to make a silent "oh". For a moment, she seemed rooted to the spot and only freed from her shock and awe after Ice strode forward in confidence to greet her. It was only then that her cream and brown tail began to wag and her expression changed from shock to joy. Serach's own smile grew and his tail began to eagerly wag over his back; Lena's joy was infectious.

It wasn't lost on him that there wasn't much too say - or was there too much? - in that particular situation. He heard Lena's whispered greeting and he chuckled, stepping up to standing next to Ice's shoulder once more. "I can still barely believe it," he said, to no one in particular. It was a family gathering like none Serach had ever imagined because for such a long time he had imagined himself to be all that was left of that particular branch of the family tree. Watching roots and branches connect now was exhilarating in a way he couldn't have anticipated, and it made his body shake and hum with sheer joy. "Lena, you should tell him about your family. About Sceral and your mother and sister." Ice would want to know about his second son.

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

If somebody Ice had thought dead or lost had shown up before him like that, he, too, probably would've looked like he'd seen a ghost. It wasn't every day somebody walked out of your childhood stories, or even your memories, just to turn out to be hale and healthy—and not just a frostbitten bit of memory, a specter to haunt you and inspire your dreams. Ice didn't know what he had left behind. How much did his sons remember? How much did anyone else remember? How much had they told others? Sahalie, Triell's little girl, had obviously recognized his name.

And if Lena's reaction was anything to go by, she, too, knew who he was, who he had been—and she did not react with anger, with the bitterness of already bitter tales, steeped in somebody else's loss. Perhaps, then, Sceral had not spoken too ill of him.

To be fair—all of this was too good to be true. He did not deserve this love, this joy, Serach's chuckle and Lena's nose snuffling through his fur.. but they gave it, and he would not doubt it, and would not turn from their kindness with words of self-loathing. So he smiled, returned the gesture and inhaled all her scents, tail wagging and soul filling up with contentment as Serach stepped up next to him. "It's amazing to meet you too," he whispered into her fur. He had never thought he'd be the kind to grow up and lead a pack, much less have children, even less grandchildren.. yet here he stood, and his head flicked sideways to briefly press against Serach's shoulder.

"Yes," he breathed in agreement, silver eyes for a moment growing deeper and serious, but his tail did not cease its swaying. "Please," he added as an afterthought. He knew that children grew up and left the Lore—while Ice mourned the chance to have attempted to make things up for Sceral, he would be content to hear of him. He would be proud to hear of him.

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

Whoops; sorry I took so long to get to this! :x @Serach @Ice

we yell to the windshield
“i'm finally home, i'm finally home”

Whilst Lena would have been content to just soak in the fact that she was with her grandfather, it inspired further enthusiasm knowing that he was just as happy to meet her and be in her company. Being accepted by Serach and Ice, knowing that they had immediately taken a shine to her and acknowledged her as family … it was enough to make her weep. A small hiccup of a happy sob escaped her as her tail wagged behind her, mingled with incredulous laughter because who would believe it if she told them?

She tried to make words through the fluttering in her stomach, only to discover that they came out as jumbled giggles and whines. It couldn't be helped, and so she cleared her throat and sniffled a bit, murmuring a quiet “sorry” before sucking in a deep breath of air and trying to steady her new wobbling legs. “Sorry, it's just so … it's a lot of take in, y'know? I wasn't sure I'd find any of my dad's family—my family—but I never gave up hope not until—ah, but it's whatever! 'Cause here I am, talkin' to you both! It's like—it's like I'm in a dream.” The most she could hope for, though, was that she wouldn't wake up too soon; if she truly was asleep, just let her stay that way for a little while longer.

Lena cleared her throat, took a step back in an attempt to sort through her thoughts. They wanted to know about dad, and mum, and Amelié. “Okay, so uhm. Gosh, where do I start? Dad. He's up north now, a few weeks worth of walkin'. He's leadin' a small pack, family an' close friends. He's kinda the reason I came down south; I wanted to be able to prove somethin' to him about love. Ah, my mum! Her name's Anji. She always says I take after dad, but I reckon she'd give pops a run for his money. S'pose you'd both know more about what he was like when he was younger though, right?” Talking about them was causing an unwelcome, uncomfortable melancholy to bloom in her chest. What were they doing now?  Was she missed? Were they proud that she'd left the nest, even if it was only temporarily? That was even if Amelié had passed on the information that Lena had asked her too.

Ah. Amelié.

“My sister, she's … different, I s'pose. She's a little more serious, not much for goofin' around any more. She looks a lot like Serach, if you ask me—more silvery, though, like you, gramps.” She was impressed with how easily the familiarity rolled off her tongue. “I guess she looks like the both of ya.” And Lena herself was more like her mother and her grandmother; pale but still green eyes, with honeyed tawny fur. “I think she wants to lead, once pops and mum step down. She'll probably be a great leader, she's very focused!” Stern, but kind.

And I miss her. I wonder if she misses me?

art by kydnt, code by mimi