Secret Woodlands From Peasant to King

Hope this is okay. I wasn't sure how to play it out.

The blizzard had been unexpected. One moment, he was making his rounds around the borders, the next he could barely see a paw he put in front of the other. He wisely seeked for refuge, hoping that his pack mates had his same idea. The blizzard, though it had ended as quick as it came, was disorienting. When Miccah thought he was heading to thw safety of the pack den, he had actually windered out of Secret Woodlands borders. When the blizzard released his fury, he was surprised that he was miles from home. When the black furred beast arrived home, his first priority was to check thay his pack mates had not fared a fate such as his, or Fates forbid, a worse one.

It had been days since that frightening event, and his worry instead of diminishing, grew. Most of his pack mates had been accounted for, for he had either met them on his rounds on the borders, or scented their strong mark on the borders he guarded daily. But there was one man he neither saw nor scented as the days passed. His King, Hollow, was nowhere to be found. To say he was worried was an understatement. Even though there was now signs of spring, it was still winter. There were still no signs that prey was coming back to the Lore. Miccah wondered if he was overreacting. Maybe this was all in his head. But he did know one thing. If Hollow didn't show up soon, Miccah knew it was his duty to step up and be Leader. But could he do it? Could he lead this pack as strongly as Hollow had? He had been trained to become a leader since the say he was born, for he was the first born of his father's litter. Back then, Miccah knew what was ahead of him. At least, for a little while. In his early Yearling days, his world had fallen apart at the seams in a matter of what seemed like seconds. Now,in this moment in time, what would be the right path to take? In the midst of his worries, he knew there was one woman that could give him the answers he so seeked. Or at least, he hoped. Raising his head, he howled for his beloved Queen.

"speech"

(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2014, 08:33 PM by Miccah.)

He was gone. Like a fool, she had believed once again that she could love without the consequences of it leading to heart break. Once she had made a mistake, and once again she had believed in her own foolish fantasies of happiness. The alpha tried to push such thoughts away, reminding herself that she was to be selfless...she had many wolves to rule over and if they had an alpha who delved into her self pity and a new alpha male that was still adjusting to his new placement, then the pack was to be in shambles if everyone didn't start working out their problems. The woman sighed before getting up and pacing around the den area, her shoulder muscles flexing with every movement. What was she going to do? Usually, by now, she would have everything figured out and ready to go; she should have had a plan...but then...her mind was filled with fog and if she thought on something for too long, she would surely get the aches in her head.

It was when the call from her former Second resonated through the air, that Nina stopped in mid-step, her head swinging in the direction that Miccah was calling from. It was her duty to provide guidance when need be and that time was now. Clenching her jaw, the woman moved with eerie grace towards where the man's call had sounded from. Nina did not wish to think about the new role that this man played in his pack. The loss of her dearest Hollow was already too much to bare and she didn't know if she was mentally prepared to have this conversation with him. None the less, as she approached the scene, she rose herself high, keeping her posture much taller than she usually would in the presence of another. Truth be told, she didn't know Miccah that well, and though he had done many great things for the pack, she still did not trust him...personally. Clearing her throat, she spoke firmly to him, ”Is there something you wish to speak of?” her single eye stared at him shamelessly as she waited for his response, curious as to what he had called her for.

It didn't take long for his queen to appear from the thickets, grace shadowing her every step. She was a regal woman, and from what Miccah had noticed, didn't shy away from a challenge. Again, she did not dissapoint, for she skipped the preliminaries and went straight to the point. All the while holding his gaze. Miccah was not one to back down, and he kept her gaze, his blue orbs not flinching from her stare for a second. Opening his maw, his kind baritone rumbled from his chest. "Nina," he began. It was slightly odd, for he had grown accustomed to the 'Miss' he usually used when in her presence. But they were now equals, and he hoped she saw it like that as well. Continuing, "As you have probably noticed, Hollow is gone. Along with Ashton. I have searched, but they are nowhere to be found." His eyes shut briefly, regret crossing over his features. His mind still plagued him with the "what if's". What if he had searched harder? What if he would've kept a better eye on Ashton? Even though the boy was close to becoming a Yearling, he was now still a child.

His eyes snapping open, Miccah cleared his throat. "It is my duty that because of his disappearance, as former second to rise up as Leader. A pack, no matter how united it is, can not succeed with just one strong leader." He chuckled lightly in memory of something, his shoulders finally relaxing and his body moving so that he sat on his haunches. "Mother always told me two was better than one," he muttered more to himself than for the tawny woman in his line of vision. Growing serious once more, the black beast spoke. "I will not fool myself into thinking I will rule as greatly as Hollow had. I will have to learn to carve my own way into my new role as leader. Hopefully not alone. I hope that in time, we will be able to hold a strong friendship." Finally, the man shut up. Miccah had said his piece and now it was Nina's turn. He held no notions of romanticism in the near future, for his heart still beat for Ashanti, and no doubt Nina continued to hold a flame for Hollow. It didn't matter that their respective partners were gone physically, for they were still there emotionally.

She stared blankly at the Second in front of her, a single-emerald eye dull and lacking the flame that once held its spark. Her lover was gone and she knew that she was going through a much harder time than she let on a majority of the time. She didn't want to deal with business right now, she wanted to deal with her pain and heartbreak so that she could, once again, take care of business. It was why her lifeless look turned into a cold glare as Miccah spoke. She certainly didn't need a reminder that her son was gone along with her love. He's right, she thought silently, he will never be as great as a ruler as Hollow was. She remained silent though and tried to politely listen to what her subordinate had to say to her. She knew that she would have to get use to their new relationship, but Nina honestly did not like the thought of it. When Hollow had risen to power, they had not had to have discussed it, the transition had just happened and the two of them had ended up fitting quite well together.

The Hervok felt as if Miccah was making even worse than it had to be. When he was finished speaking, Nina finally took a moment to breath before she let the bombshell fall. She figured that it was better to tell the truth than to lie, ”I don't like you and I don't trust you. It's going to take me awhile to get use to.....this.” When Ashanti had left, Nina knew that she had put most of the blame on Miccah. If only he had come earlier to save her from being raped. But the alpha knew she was mostly angry at herself for what she had not been able to do. She should have been able to protect Ashanti, as the woman was like a daughter to her. Alas, there was not much Nina could do anymore though, for she was once again expecting and she knew that the amount of traveling she would be doing would be close to nothing outside of her borders.

He waited for her answer with patient eyes, but what he received was far from what he had expected. A cold glare and words that washed over him like a bucket of ice cold water. For a moment, all he felt was the flash of heat of his anger and his body instinctively tensed. But as soon as the anger came, it left. She was right. Sure, he respected her and knew she was a good leader, but he held doubts. How would they manage as co-leaders? Relaxing, the man took a breath and let it out slowly, not wanting to say something he would regret. "Duly noted," he spoke briefly. He looked at her, calm washing over him. "But there's no time like the present, correct?," he threw back at her. This wouldn't work if they could barely communicate. She was angry and in pain because of the disappearance of her lover, and he understood that. When Ashanti had left, all he felt was anger and pain. He hadn't wanted to deal with anybody. At this point, he had looked away from her. He was staring at the cluster of thickets all around him, fixing his eyes on one point of the clearing. "Since were speaking cold, hard truths at the moment, here's mine - as much as we'd rather be with two very different people at the moment, we can't. Right now, we have to focus on Secret Woodlands as a whole, and that includes your future pups." His gaze drifted back to hers, his blue orbs staring unflinchingly into her one-eyed emerald gaze. His voice was an even rumble as he continued, a slight challenge in his words. "What's it going to be, Nina?" He wasn't Hollow, Miccah was his own person. And Nina needed to know that.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

She continued to glare at the man in front of her, even after he met her gaze at level. He had no right coming here to telling her such things, especially not when Hollow had just recently disappeared. She never should have counted the dark man's love for anything. Nina knew it was too good to be true, for another man to love her as much as Koda once had. No one would ever be able to love her in such a way, not even her own children. It just seemed to be the way that Nina was treated in the world. She gave out love to everyone who needed it and that truly needed something, and in return she received death or loss. When she was confronted with a problem, she dealt with it, and right now, Miccah was her problem.

When he finished speaking, the woman seemed to rise more, making herself taller and look more powerful than she already was. In a deadly calm voice, she spoke, spitting the words out carefully, ”You will be the lead, and if someone challenges you, and should I trust this wolf, don't be surprised if I support it. My children will be born and Mirren will help me raise the children. He is a strong, independent, mature young man and I trust him with my life. I have known him since before he was born and he is like a son to me. Is there anything else you would like to discuss, Mister Achesila?” She continued to glare at him, her gaze never relenting.