Sex: FemaleSet at dusk, May 27th - light drizzle.
TW - loss of pregnancy, abuse.
__________
After this year’s failed breeding season, Aloysius had been quite displeased with the young wolf. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been so bad if the breeding hadn’t taken at all, but the fact that she had become pregnant and then lost the pups less than a moon later... Aloys had been convinced it had been her fault. And she didn’t blame him. Perhaps there were things she could have done differently to nurture the lives growing within her belly. Perhaps she just wasn’t meant for motherhood in the first place.
Her tattered, scabbed-up ears were a testament to her body’s failure and Aloys’ rampant temper. But it wasn’t his fault - no, it never was. Aloys was concerned with her and their group. Always had been. He was the lead wolf - had been in love with Mallow’s mother, before she passed on. It only made sense that he would take interest in one of her offspring, since she had never selected Aloys as a mate.
It made sense that Aloys was stressed. It made sense that he wanted children. It made sense that he was angry with Mallow for not being able to carry them to term.
They had a mission, after all. A mission that probably wouldn’t be completed in their lifetime, so they had to bear pups to carry on those beliefs and traditions. To find the beautiful lunal gates and enter the City of the Moon - Arcadia. Paradise. Nirvana. There were plenty of names for it, but the idea was the same. And Aloys was convinced that one of his bloodline would find it - if not himself.
Mallow wanted to help him find it, too... if he hadn’t exiled her.
That didn’t deter her search. The young wolf looked all over for hints or clues or anything that might point her in the direction of the heavenly lands.
But there was nothing.
Perhaps it had all been a lie... but where did that leave Mallow? It was all she had ever known. All she had ever been taught. But even if she were to find it now, it would mean nothing. Only a descendant of Aloysius could truly enter.
She would never be allowed near him again.
Morosely, the muddled brown wolf padded through the damp underbrush. She must look a wreck - she understood the fact that she hadn’t groomed well in days. With no one around to look good for or put on an act for, Mallow was free to let her guard down and allow herself to experience the heaviness weighing down upon her shoulders for a while.