Sacred Grove chasing after shadows

Backdated to the day after the cubs have come out of the den

<i>Early morning - overcast</i>

Gone Tomorrow

Disappointment fell across Corinna's shoulders, and her green eyes peered out into the rather dreary morning. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, and life was starting to awaken. But the she-wolf was restless from a night void of sleep. The previous day's events had not left the leader with an easy mind with which to rest. Instead, she had left the gathering wondering why her mate's calls had not attracted the attention of their oldest daughter. Kisla's pale body had been missing at the welcoming of her new siblings, and the mother, though preoccupied with her new litter, was not so focused on them that she would not noticed. Rihael and Fenru had made an appearance, which made their sister's absence even more noticeable. The reason why had haunted Corinna's dreams, which only enhanced her sour mood.

Forcing herself up from her resting place beside the newborns, Cori stepped out into the day. Stretching her forelimbs, she took another glance around, hoping that the pale female had made an appearance. But Kisla was nowhere to be found, so with a low woof to alert Indru that she was leaving, the River leader set off, away from the pack den. She hoped that a confrontation would not occur, but in the event that it did, she did not want her latest cubs' first introduction to their sister to be one involving yelling. So putting the pack den site to her rear, Corinna set off in search of the lost Tainn child.

Cori's trek took her to the territory borders. Kisla's scent was not particularly strong, but it was present. She had passed by here at some point or another, though when, her mother had absolutely no idea. Coming to a halt under an oak tree, she peered out, hoping for some kind of sign or signal. Finding neither, she threw patience to the wind. Tilting her head back, she called out to Kisla, her tone sharp and demanding. There would be no ignoring of this parent, not today.

Kisla regarded the river precariously – had it always been so disturbing? The rushing waters caused her stomach to clench tightly, and the she-wolf found herself taking one more pace back from the monster waters. She had recalled in her early youth how exuberant and excited the river had made her – the roaring presence of the waters had given her pride at such a land mark and ease that the pack had such a bountiful resource. Now, all it did was bring her shame and fear. Closing her eyes briefly, the yearling could still feel the desperate burn of her nose as the water had plugged her air passageway – the sharp pain that uprooted in her chest as she had kicked out for oxygen just before suddenly peace had blanketed everything and the world had gone dark.

Sometimes she wondered if she had actually died in those waters, and that she was in some form of hell.. forced to live with a tightening fear that twitched at her every muscle every waking moment of the day. Did the world go black when you died? Or was this what had awaited her when she had stopped breathing from the water?

Corinna’s call stirred the she-wolf from her reverie. Flicking her tawny tail, Kisla’s eyes that perfectly matched her mother’s shifted in the direction of the cry, knowing this was not just a request of her presence, but a demand. Without much more hesitance, the yearling turned her lithe frame, making her way through the foliage to greet her mother.

Corinna stood by a tall oak tree, the silver of her pelt glinting with a beauty that Kisla only dared to be jealous of. Lowering herself, the girl maneuvered her way closer to the Leader, lifting her muzzle to lick the chin of the pack’s matriarch. No words were spoken – her quietude was simply an invitation for Corinna to question her, though Kisla already held an idea of what this was about.

sparking up my heart

Gone Tomorrow

Without a doubt, things were anxious today. Not only for the Swift River leader, but for the earth as well. The clouds above churned, rather ominously, and tilting her head back, Cori imagined the feel of raindrops on her face. It would rain today, she was sure, so hopefully Kisla would make an appearance before the storm broke. The rain was less of a cause for worry now that their den had been moved further away from the River, but the memories of fishing her daughter out of the murky water had not faded in the mother's memory. While she had become preoccupied, she would never forget the fear that she had felt, knowing that she could potentially lose one of the most precious things to her.

That same angst was mirrored in her heart now, wondering where Kisla had been the previous day. It didn't sit right with the family-oriented pack that one of the older Tainn siblings hadn't made an appearance to see their new siblings. It wasn't right, and in some ways, felt just as bad as it had been bringing Kisla herself out into the world without a pack to greet her. What was a pack if not family? Reflecting on it now, that was what frayed Corinna's nerves the most. It was the absences that were not proceeded by goodbyes that wore her down and made her worry. Burdened as she was with newborns, she did not have the freedom to track down Kisla should her daughter have gone missing.

But her worry that Kisla had left them completely was lifted when her familiar scent wafted by in the wind, strong and fresh. it seemed that this time, her daughter had been close enough to hear the summons and was making the wise choice to answer them. Adjusting her gaze, Corinna remained still, looking in the direction that the scent had come. And when Kisla finally arrived, green eyes latched on greedily, not leaving the yearling for even a moment.

Licking her daughter's forehead even as her own chin was licked, Corinna whined a low greeting. The reason she had called was not a happy one, but that did not alleviate the happiness of seeing one of her children. "Kisla," she spoke, breaking the silence between them, her voice soft. "Where were you yesterday?" This had to be an expected question, but it was the one that needed to be answered for this conversation to start.

Kisla was aware of the gaze that was placed upon her as she entered her mother’s vision. Glancing up, green eyes met the twin gaze of Corinna, and Kisla lowered herself even further to the ground as she slunk a few paces back, awaiting for the silver matriarch to speak her mind.. though the Yearling already knew what this was about.

Reclining to her haunches, Kisla’s pale cream tail wrapped to her paws, her eyes falling upon the Leader’s cheek to avoid a challenge. Both ears flickered forward at the challenge, and Kisla bowed her muzzle, a soft sigh emitting from her. Multiple excuses came to her mind: she had been detained by a stranger at the border.. she had been in the middle of a hunt.. she had been outside pack borders at the time and hadn’t been able to make it… Yet Corinna had raised her more proper then that, and the female allowed the truth to slip past her muzzle, albeit reluctantly.

“I wasn’t ready for them,” she murmured, feeling a burn press to her cheeks to what she assumed was shame. It wasn’t that she did not want her younger siblings, nor did not love them. No, she felt truly unworthy of them, and it terrified her far more than meeting another simpering she-wolf at the borders with the intent to kill or falling in to the river she called home.

sparking up my heart

Gone Tomorrow

Corinna had raised Kisla and her siblings almost entirely on her own, at least for the first couple months of their lives. There was no doubting the amount of respect that Kisla, Rihael, and Fenru had for their mother, who had worn herself ragged to keep them alive. The recreation of the pack in their first autumn and winter was the first time that the cubs had truly seen their mother as a leader, in addition to their mother. When Corinna had announced that she would be giving birth once more, well, that had been utterly foreign to the three youths of the pack. So having Kisla shrink away from her mother, refusing to meet her eyes, well it was slightly different than what the mother expected, though she knew that this was the proper way to go about it.

Gray ears perked at the sound of Kisla's voice, low as it was as the words found their escape. Tilting her head to the side, Corinna made no attempt to hide her confusion. Kisla wasn't ready? What did that mean? Corinna had made every effort that she could to not facilitate jealousy between her two litters, but it was very possible that she had failed, given how the newborns had needed her attention every day, all day for the past month. "Ready? What do you mean, Kisla? They've been looking forward to meeting you. I talk about you, Fen, and Rihael all the time." The harshness had slipped from the mother's voice, replaced with genuine concern for her doppelganger daughter.

She listened to Corinna’s words – the words spoken of a true mother who could see no wrong in her children. While the silver she-wolf had meant to coax Kisla, relax her and welcome the idea of her siblings, she only lowered her head more, feeling the flutter of panic that pressed to her chest at the thought of such young and innocent cubs eager to meet her. “I’ll fail them,” she whispered, her eyes now steadying upon the pale cream of her paws so she would not catch the reaction Corinna would hold to these words.

Her failures in life had always been taken on by the pack. Marsh had saved her the fateful day the strange she-wolf had come to their borders. Corinna had pulled her from the angry waters of the river when it had betrayed them and flooded their home. Now, she was no longer the cub of the pack. The one to be protected. Now, it was her turn to do the protecting.. and Kisla Tainn knew she would fail. She could not even look after herself.. how could they expect her to look after three innocent lives? In turn, she would fail her family. "I'll fail you," she whispered, pushing herself farther from her mother's reach.

sparking up my heart