Secluded Spring these are darker days

The rabbit that hung from his jaws was a prize he should have been proud of to offer his mate – within her belly stirred the life they had created together, and the tawny Leader had become even more protective of her and his home than before; something he had never thought possible. Yet Kinis’ disappearance, and the trail that had lead nowhere left him empty. Something, or someone, had taken his younger brother from him, and the pain was like a raw knife pressed to his gut – he breathed the pain, he slept with the pain. He had let the youthful male down, and under what should have been a far more careful watch, something had spilt his brother’s blood on his lands.

These thoughts were unbearable to him, and so he sought his duties harder than before for distraction. Aeylen hadn’t gone hungry a day yet, and the cache’s were filling nicely. The borders were ensured of their scent, and the rounds he did brought little scent of any outsiders. His duties and distractions could only take him so far before the pain would ebb away at him. The emptiness that had come upon him with Kinis’ absence.

The large wolf prowled toward the direction of his home – each day he subconsciously scouted the lands for any other clues to where the Yearling could have been taken.. each day he came home without any answers, and each night he would rest in the embrace of his mate, even soothed little by her. The sun that beat down upon the male seemed to only prove to be a spotlight – a light that revealed to the world the failure he was. He had failed to protect his pack, and he had failed to protect his brother.. and now, it seemed, Kinis had paid with his life.

In the sunshine of day a golden brown she-wolf trotted around looking at her surrounding. She had recently joined Copper Rock Creek pack and the lands here were gorgeous, but she still hadn't met everyone and seen everything. Her winter coat had finally shed off and she was cooler than she would have been on the hot day. Perspiration matted some of the female's fur due to her morning run and she panted slightly. Now was time for business though. Looking for herbs definitely and maybe finding a small animal here and there. Her small carcass of elk was secured firmly in her jaws as she walked forward. Her bag could hold a good amount of things and kept water out of the question, thank goddess.

As the emerald eyed beauty made her way through the territory, making sure she kept in the boundaries she scented the air. Lavender, willow, enlightened empress, and was that a hint of another Copper wolf? With another sniff of the air she determined that the wolf was definitely from her pack. It was slightly different though. She couldn't classify the scent with the name. Aeylen...no. Kanosak...no. Pakuna...no. Kashikio and Volkan...definitely no. Then who was it? With swift, light steps the female ran towards where she felt the scent was strongest. Pure curiosity was overcoming Nina as she padded through the area. With a quick sniff the scent got stronger, as she rounded the corner she saw a larger male with tawny fur. From the distance she was at she couldn't see his eyes, but from his build he was obviously more dominant. Everyone was more dominant then her at the moment.  

The female signaled her appear in a short howl and crouched down slightly pinning her ears and tucking her tail in between her legs as a sign of submission. Since this wolf didn't know her she supposed she might as well offer her name. Tilting her head slightly downward she said in her soft voice, "Nina Hervok." She hoped this larger wolf didnt attack her. Otherwise she wasn't sure how this encounter would turn out.  

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

The quiet of the land around him was soon interrupted by the presence of another, and as a green-eyed she-wolf made her way toward him, the regal male lifted himself, his muzzle rising and his eyes regarding her stoically. The she-wolf dropped to submission, eliciting her name to the quiet air, and without a returned greeting, the tawny Leader stalked forward to the stranger. His nose bent slightly to sniff at her, taking in the scent of the new pack member. Aeylen was present on her fur, and the Leader was satisfied that his mate must have accepted her officially.

Bending his muzzle down, Ruiko made to grip at the female’s snout very gently in acceptance to his pack before his tongue would smooth out across the fur and skin to illuminate any of her worry. “Ruiko Tainn,” he finally offered in return as he pulled back, his eyes studying her momentarily. “Aeylen accepted you, I presume?” The question was more for a conversation starter, and the tawny Leader was hesitant to become close to any of his pack mates.. after all, it seemed that after their acceptance, only a few days would pass and they would leave.

The smaller female waited patiently for the male to respond but when none came she became nervous. The feeling was there, biting away to her nerves one by one. The nervousness she felt quickly filtered away as the larger male approached her and gripped softly at her snout in acceptance to the pack before smoothing down her fur with his tongue. The male seemed respectable enough and apparently wasn't one to jump to conclusions. He finally offered her his name, Ruiko Tainn. The female made sure to keep the male's scent and picture in her mind.

His next words didn't shock her, yes Aeylen had accepted her, he hadn't and she didn't think anyone else could. In a respectable manner the female bowed her head and spoke softly, "Yes, sir. Aeylen accepted me awhile ago. Kanosak, recruited me." Yes, the younger male had recruited her, but after awhile she hadn't seen him. Actually she hadn't talked to him since joining the pack, but she had seen Kashikoi, a younger wolf that she had taken a liking too. She had slightly taken the wolf as her pupil and she felt a slight bound with the pack when she had done so. The female hadn't planned on leaving anytime soon, so she listened to what her leader had to say, he was wiser than her anyway.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

“Kanosak is a good wolf,” he mused, his gaze flickering over the female to regard the horizon. His Second had been scarcer as of late, but that did not mean his duties were not being fulfilled; besides he and Aeylen, Kanosak and Volkan were the two wolves he considered to be higher driven to their loyalty to the pack, though it was perhaps that they were more pro-active than the few others they had. Wille was always willing to scout the borders as well, while Kashikoi made it clear he was willing to learn all his pack mates could teach him.

But where did that leave Nina, the wolf he had not yet met?

“Do you have any specialties, Nina?” The question was casual, and yet it was also the tawny wolf attempting to bridge the distance of strangers to acquaintances with the little dove. She was an older she-wolf – something Ruiko was pleased to see, as she could offer far more insight to their younger members.. and perhaps when he and Aeylen’s litter was born.

When The Tainn spoke again she nodded her head in agreement. Kanosak was indeed a loyal wolf, and she appreciated that.  Though she hadn't seen the male that had brought her here yet from what she had heard he was a nice wolf, one that took his role seriously. Loyalty was big with Nina, if one wasn't loyal then they should remain a lone wolf. Blinking her eyes she watched the older, larger wolf closely. Did she have specialties? Healing most definitely, but she was alright at almost everything else. Tilting her head slightly at her leader she answered truthfully. 

In a soft voice she said, "I specialize in healing, but I can hunt and am a decent fighter if I need to, but I prefer not to attack others, Ruiko." Her time in the pack had been short, but she enjoyed it. Most of the wolves she had met in the pack were decent.  She knew Aeylen was expecting now, and she had made sure to keep a careful eye on her leader.  Many things could go wrong when pregnant and she would make sure her leader could have the best care that Nina could possibly give to her. Figuring she might add something else she spoke quietly, "I am in the process of teaching ,young  Kashikoi, some herbs. He is pretty determined to become to medic."  

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

I'm so sorry for the stupidly long wait you had for this. <33

Ruiko regarded the she-wolf quietly, surprised to hear she was well knowledgeable in the art of healing and also teaching young Kashikoi as well. “It’s nice to have a medic around – Kanosak and Volkan went to the Hollow pack to learn a few things from their medic, but they are still new to the skill.” Had he known Kashi had been interested in learning as well, he likely would have allowed the young male to go with them at the time.

“Aeylen will be birthing her first litter this year,” he offered her, wondering if this was something she knew already if his mate had been the one to accept the she-wolf within their ranks. Naturally, as it was his and his counterpart’s first litter ever, he was nervous for her well-being, though he did not speak such things. It made Nina’s presence all the more precious to him, however. Aeylen was a treasured gem to him – and while he wanted cubs of his own to pass on his name, he needed her more than anything else in this world. Her safety through the entire process was imperative to him.

(This post was last modified: Jun 10, 2012, 02:43 PM by Ruiko.)

 The mention of her two friends didn't shock her but she did miss the fact that she hadn't seen Kano since joining. Disappointment fluttered through her. The male had not shocked him by mentioning another healer but was pleased that she wasn't the only one in the pack with healing abilities. His next words did shock her though. Each time she heard of this she was surprised. She had seen slight signs of pregnancy from the female but refuse to believe it when she had first encountered her leader. Now she knew she would work even harder to ensure Aeylen's health and of course the health of the little pups growing inside of her. The thought of having mini Ruiko and Aeylen's running around brought a smile to her face. 

Speaking in a soft voice she said, "I will make sure to keep an eye on her. And of course insure the little angels grow healthy as well."

Nina spoke seriously as she conversed with Ruiko. The mignon sat carefully her fluff tail wrapping around her paws carefully as she stared at her leader. He was respectful and she knew that she would respect him and equally give him her loyalty. As would she give it to his sons and daughters. Her emerald eyes studied him for a moment before decided anything about this man. He did not seem evil but she found it easy to believe if anyone messed with his family then they would have hell to pay. The thought was comforting. 

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

One last reply from you and we can archive this? :)

While Nina’s words were soothing, there was only so much reassurance the regal could gain from a wolf he more or less did not know. Still, the words were appreciated. Compliant to her promise however, the tawny male gave a nod, his eyes drifting back to the path that lead to his den with Aeylen. He could only hope she was resting now; thus far she had refused to give way to pregnancy, and as it was her first litter, he worried there would be complications or she was exerting herself too much.

“I should return to her now,” he murmured, his muzzle sweeping in the direction he had placed the rabbit between his forelimbs. “She’s likely hungry now.” If anything could be said for the large Tainn, he had at least been keeping his mate well fed, at many times offering her his share of the meal and only telling her little white lies about how he had eaten while out earlier. Blinking, the male gave a nod to the newly joined she-wolf. “Copper Rock Creek is lucky to have you, Nina,” he offered before lowering his muzzle, his jaws gently gripping the hare once more. With a nod to the female, the Leader continued along his path, eager to check on his mate and unborn children.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/NinaTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 312px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; text-align:justify;">It seemed as though her words brought no peace at mind to the other male, but she could scarcely tell, she wasn’t good at reading others. Soon her leader seemed to be quite distracted with his own thoughts. A bright smile came over her face at his first words though. Of course he was worried about his mate and her own well being. She didn’t expect anything less from the older male and with a brief nod to him, she continued to listen. His words made her flush at the slight praise, she was not used to it, though she supposed it wouldn’t be bad to have a little compliment here and there.

She could only give last minute advice before he turned away, "Thank you, Ruiko. Don‘t forget to look after yourself as well!"

And with those final words she lifted her muzzle and sniffed the air. It was time to see if she could find Kanosak or Kashikoi and see them on their way again. She hadn’t seen the younger male in awhile and Kanosak she had only met once and it had been before her joining. Her tail wagged in pleasure and soon she was off, to continue her journey.