Sex: MaleEros had attempted to wait longer as his father had wanted, but he hadn't shared entirely in his co-leader's concerns to begin with. Far more pressing for him was the lack of news about his brother and niece, and having already decided on his next course of action, waiting was eating away at him. Better to get it over with, and to not risk that one day more of waiting being the day a window of opportunity closed. What if they were up there? What if Ally was up there without Archer, and something happened to her before he got her back off that damned mountain? So he told @Viorel and bid goodbye to the rest The last time he'd made the ascent in search of his errant sibling, he had attempted to mask his presence completely. It had been only a matter of personal importance. There were marked differences this time. Eros approached the edge of the pack's territory, a place that had once been held fondly within childhood memories. Now? He hated being here with every fiber of his being. It took a moment to school his expression, pushing down the emotions these forests caused so that he could be what was needed of him in this moment. Tilting back his head, he howled strongly, ensuring the sound would travel far and clearly. An alpha of Dead Empress Backwater needed to talk with the Cove's own leadership. |
Ally was sticking close to the den, spending time with her sleepy grandmother while her scent changed. It seemed odd to her that her mother's mother was having more children, but she was a little excited to meet them.
She wasn't far from the lake when she Heard the familiar voice call. She didn't care that it was a message clearly meant for Nash. Without thinking Ally turned and was off like a shot, sprinting through the undergrowth, her eyes slight like they hadn't been in some time. She barreled past Nash, intent only on the owner of that voice. When she saw him she squealed in delight. "Uncle Eros!"
Nash was brooding. He might have denied it if asked, but he was brooding. He wanted to have handled things better but short of banishment he didn't know what to do.
His thoughts were interrupted by a call he wasn't expecting. His brooding tucked aside, Nash quickly headed for the border. Any doubt that maybe he'd mistaken the voice was erased by his granddaughter racing past him, squealing at their guest. He raised his eyebrows, a small smile playing at guys mouth as he watched the girl, and approached Eros with cautious friendliness. He hoped @Aquene might show up... she was the better diplomat, especially right now. But then, she's been tired of late and Nash wanted her to rest.
"It's good to see you," Nash said, then looked down at Ally. "She most certainly thinks so."
Aquene had been resting, as she tended to do often these days, and watching over Ally when she heard Eros’s call. Her curiosity was piqued, but also she saw an opportunity… perhaps Eros could better help connect Ally back with her father. Aquene had intended to travel down the mountain as fast as she could but given her current state, travel so far was not feasible, and there was the threat of an attempted murderer on the loose as well.
Ally and Nash both arrived first, Aquene making her way to the border and brushing her maw along her mate’s neck to greet him before offering a friendly smile to Eros. “Eros! I was hoping someone from the Backwater might find their way up here!” Motioning towards Ally as she did so to make her intent clear. There was little doubt that there were signs of exhaustion on her even now. Her actions not quite alert, her eyes drooping even.
“Is Archer with you in the Backwater by chance? Or do you know where he is? He came up here looking for Ally, but at the time she had not found her way to us yet… I was hoping to be able to reunite her with her dad. I was planning a trip down myself to you, but with my current condition such travel is not feasible for me.” Ally was always welcome in the Cove. Ally was her grandchild… but she also understood that the Cove was not home to the girl or to her father… and it hadn’t been to Kateri by the time she had been conceived.
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He recognized the voice instantly - of course he did! – every note of it resounded in his chest and made his aw ache. How long had it been? Since they had last come across one another? Leo had no count of them months, so much had happened in the time in between. But he remembered that day, finding Eros skulking along the borders, bringing bad news and little else. And yet, despite all that had come to divide the two young men, Leo felt his paws turn instantly towards the call. He couldn’t keep away, even if the call had been for leadership alone, he had to see him – and he was a guardian after all, it was part of his job to protect these borders, especially with the precarious situation between their packs. Even as he walked though, there was a strange nag at the back of the Vuesain’s mind, something about the tone of that howl, the demand in it irked him; An alpha’s attitude… He didn’t exactly rush forwards, but also didn’t dawdle, and so he happened to reach the border at about the same time as the others. Something pinched in his chest as he saw Ally run towards the burly man with naïve glee, though he wasn’t sure what. Then Nash followed after, offering a friendly greeting which made Leo’s ears flick up then flatten back; Doesn’t he suspect...? If so, the leader his it admirably, as did his mate who came forwards then, all smiles and courtesies. Leo hung back, visible over his leaders’ shoulders, but silent for now. He was muscle and teeth, should they need it, but he didn’t trust his tongue – not as long as the alphas were working diplomacy. However, he would keep his eyes fixed on Eros, a wealth of emotions smoldering in their depths. Thoughts ”Speech” |
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It was Ally herself that appeared first. Eros blinked rapidly, unable to believe his eyes. Never had his luck ever been this good. She shouted out at the sight of him, and without thinking he rushed forward to meet her. As though something might swoop out of the blue sky itself to take her away before he could reach her. "Ally!" She was so much bigger now, and it was most clear when he pulled her into a tight embrace. Already, the young girl was almost a yearling. So much time lost to all this drifting when she should have been home from her birth. In the smallest of whispers, myths and history mixed as he murmured, "thank you, Seph..." Nash's voice pulled him from these thoughts. He'd heard and scented the other coming after, but even with all the friction and judgment between them (and even with the majority of it coming from his side), Eros was not worried about any kind of aggression, especially in front of Ally. Still, the look he regarded Nash with could only be described as wary. He remained glued to his niece, and was prepared to encourage her to stay with him if the alpha asked that he back up those few yards past the scent marker. 'It's good to see you.' Eros' eyes narrowed slightly. He couldn't describe the feeling as mutual. Still, he now had exactly what he'd wanted, and they'd clearly managed to keep her safe for however long she'd been here. That was enough, for this moment. Before he could respond, though, another face appeared between the trees at Nash's back. Kateri's mother toddled to her husband's side with a smile. Their warm greetings were, in all honesty, becoming grating. His own features were flat, nearly neutral yet with a cold edge. Thanks to Archer, they shared Ally as family, but what they meant to Eros had not changed, and it couldn't be forgotten that Ally's own mother hadn't wanted her here with them either. Hoping someone from the Backwater would come up here, she said. Eros held back a scoff at the words. She fussed on about finding Archer, as though her part in this had not yet ended. "Nash. Aquene," curt greetings, a forced formality before answering the latter's questions with a succinct, "No." His brother would of course be the next on his list to track down, but only after Ally was safely home. Eros doubted Archer would want it any other way. His citrus gaze dropped down to his niece when he spoke again, fondness warming their pale color only when they rested on her. "He'll come right home the moment he knows Ally's there safe, though." Eros smiled for her, a promise indirectly woven through the words. When he lifted his head again to regard those before him, his expression was once more scrubbed clean of all sentiment. "This was all-," his voice cut off then with suddenness, eyes spotting something past the couple that caused them to widen subtly and his lungs to lose their air. He recovered only a beat later, continuing as though he hadn't just noticed Leo's presence and that everything inside of him wasn't suddenly ablaze at just seeing his face. Now, he looked fixedly at Nash and Aquene, refusing to allow his attention to drift toward their guardian. "that I came here for. Thank you for taking care of her." |
Ally was quickly met by her favorite uncle and leaned into his embrace, burying her face in his fur and breathing deeply. She had come to love her grandmother, but Uncle Eros smelled like home. It was different than her dad, but... almost the same. Close enough, for right now. When the embrace ended she remained by his side, glancing up sheepishly at her leaders as they followed behind her and greeted her uncle with warm voices. Aquene voiced the question she wanted to ask, and her shoulders slumped with disappointment. She hadn't known her dad was missing, but to hear he wasn't at home where she expected him to be...
Still, her uncle's cold tone took her by surprise and she looked up at him with a furrowed brow. Her dad hadn't exactly been warm toward the Cove when they'd come before, but he hadn't been like this. Something in her chest warmed when Eros said she was what he'd come for. While she knew grandma was going to take her home after she had her babies, it felt good to know her dad's family hadn't given up finding her either.
She stepped forward and butted her head affectionately against Aquene's shoulder and nuzzled into her. "Thanks for taking good care of me, grandma," she said. "Tell Uncle Galen I said thanks for bringing me, and Aunt Magg I hope she gets better fast, and you guys find who hurt her. I promise to come and visit, okay?" She stepped back, and then looked at Leo, standing to the side. She hadn't really talked with him much, but he was family and if there was one thing she'd learned in all this it was that family was important, and she'd only just learned just how much family she had. She bounced over to him, and if her step was a little exaggerated what did it matter? She bumped the side of his neck with her nose. "Bye Uncle Leo!" She returned to Eros's side and leaned against him.
He shouldn't have been surprised by the chill in Eros's voice, but he had hoped there might be a little less animosity. Nash glanced back as Leo joined them, though the guardian hung back, and the leader was grateful for the man's appearance. While Eros didn't fit Magg's description of her attacker and they didn't think the young man would so something like that... they couldn't rule out someone from the Backwater attempting to get some sort of twisted revenge. The difference was Sephrina's death had been an accident. Even if an adult had been present it might not have made a difference; there wasn't much one could do against a bear, and Chan had gotten the girl out of the water so fast...
That wasn't what he needed to focus on right now. Instead he allowed a wan smile as the girl said her goodbyes and returned to her uncle's side. Nash almost wished she would stay; Aquene missed Kateri he knew, and having her daughter here... he thought maybe it gave her hope of seeing her own eldest daughter again. But Nash knew his step-granddaughter wanted to return to her dad, and that the best chance of that was returning to the Backwater with the Valles. He looked to Aquene, ever the better diplomat than him, and let her speak.
Even now, she felt unstable in their presence… in public. Her emotions wavered, but it was different from the typical pregnancy hormones she had become accustomed to… perhaps it was the strain of her growing age… or perhaps it was simply how frayed she had become over all that had happened in the past two years.
His greeting was curt, and it took everything in her to not growl back at the response. Normally, such a reaction would have been expected, and would not have gotten to her. She was well aware of the stain that Sanguine Cove was in the eyes of those who had lost Sephrina. She lived with the weight of it everyday, and coped in her own way with how she had failed a child by not keeping a close enough eye on her. She didn’t excuse it or try to explain it away… and yet, in her current state, and the idea of her last tie to Kateri being ripped away from her pulled at her skin and ached at her heart.
It was a sudden influx of emotion, and yet as soon as it was there, it was gone. All that was present was the pain in her eyes that she doubted any besides perhaps Nash would notice.
“Of course. She is my granddaughter.” She stated, the gentleness in her tone lingering as he thanked her for taking care of Ally. She’d have done it for any wolf… a fact she had little doubt he once knew… but her granddaughter? Most of all.
And she didn’t know what else to say… not with how excited Ally was to be returning with her uncle… her throat felt dry, and it felt harder to speak.
I hope she gets better fast, and you guys find who hurt her.
The words snapped her back to reality, causing her to blink as she was shaken from her thoughts before she spoke once more and the exhaustion slowly faded, directing herself to Eros. “Please be careful on the mountain… there is a wolf out there who seeks bloodshed.” The words were slightly more panicked… not quite right for her, not her usual calm demeanor. “They attacked Magg… she lost her leg by them… I… please…” She felt a tightness in her chest.
Eros could handle himself, she was certain, but the idea of anything happening to her granddaughter or anyone else by the man who had already done this to her daughter hurt her more than she could imagine.
It was probably a good thing that he wasn’t expected to talk, as he wouldn’t even know where to begin, thoughts and emotions reeling around his mind, too fast for him to grasp. It was all he could do to hide his confusion as he watched the exchange, eyes flicking briefly to each of his leaders as they spoke, before returning immediately to Eros. For a brief moment, their eyes met, electricity seeming to crackle in the air as Leo’s breath caught along with his age mate’s. Then those piercing orange fires turned away, fixating instead on the Eastfall-Slayers, as Leo appeared to become air to his former friend. A lump of ice settled heavily in his stomach, ears squeezing tighter against his skull, but he kept his own gaze on the other, a guardian, if nothing else. And just like that, it seemed the exchange was over, Eros announcing his intent to whisk the girl away, despite not knowing where her father was, anymore than they did. Incredibly, neither of the alphas seemed to have any objections either, Aquene only offering a gentle reminder of her own relationship to the child as Ally made her goodbyes. Leo felt cold all over, his claws digging into the dirt as he silently gritted his teeth. Despite having disowned Kateri almost as soon as she’d left the Cove, everything that had happened to bring his niece here had left Leo with a much softer attitude towards Ally and he feared what might become of her and their budding relationship if she went back to the Backwater. Still, it was not his place to speak up if Aquene did not. All he could do was lower his muzzle to place a kiss on the pups crown as she bounced up to him, letting the touch linger as long as he could, eyes closing for a moment before they once again focused on Eros. With naïve joy, Ally made her way back to the Valle and Leo would seek to meet his eyes, once again trying to communicate a number of things all at once. Perhaps this could be their chance to reconcile? A shared relationship to bridge the gap between their packs. Though Leo suspected it was already far too wide, and there was a hint of challenge in his silent stare, not quite a warning, but a caution none the less; Nothing better happen to her under your care…! Thoughts ”Speech” |