Secret Woodlands sadness and sorrow

They were gone. To where, he did not know, but over the past few days, only to lengthen over each passing moment, Hollow and Ashton's scents became less and less present within the pack lands. Nina was pregnant, surely by the children of Hollow. How could he abandon her to leave the children fatherless? Fatherles as he had been growing up - as Bane had. How could be allow them to indure the same suffering? Bane's teeth ground together at the thought, a deep and growing growl seeping into the crisp morning air. And Ashton? Likely he had left as his intentions had been too. But he had told Nina that he would be leaving with Bane. Bane felt betrayed, abandoned. They would no longer be traveling partners and he could only assume Ashton wished to be alone. ...Bane was the only one left. The only child from the previous year to have 'survived'. Tacoma died, Danica had long been missing and now Ashton up and left. Bane felt absolutally horrible for Nina, who lost not only her mate and children from the previous year, but lost her mate already for this one and was left a single Leader and a single mother...like his own mother had been. Bane's growl now shifted, turning into a whine as he padded around the pack lands, moving in the direction of the pack den. Soon, that whine turned into a howl. He sought the attention of Nina and Nina only, wondering of her well being and only hoping for the best.

BANE Aranna

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No matter what she told herself, it was always hard trying to put on a fake smile for everyone around her. Nina knew she had to be strong for her pack mates, they were her family, a family that she hardly knew anymore. Only a few of her members she was sure she could trust, and one of them wasn't even her current partner. Miccah, had proven his trust worthy of her pack....that was clear enough when Ashanti had left them, but even professionally the Hervok had never fully gotten along with the other man. She would have to try and accommodate the new change in leadership. She knew that it was going to be hard on her, with Hollow gone, but she knew that with the lives growing inside of her, they would need her to be strong to. She had Mirren...she had her little Bane, whom she considered one of her own, and she had Iopah, and Kashikoi. Some of the founding members had returned and remained, the mother only hoped that it would be able to stay the way it was.

Lowering her head, she stifled a dry sob that was trying to rack through her body when the voice of a child called out to her. Lifting her head off of the ground, Nina turned in the direction that Bane had called her from, her emerald eye glimmering in happiness. He had, indeed, not left her and Nina clung onto the hope that she would be able to convince the boy that it would be alright for him to stay with her, the remain within the pack where he could grow and Nina could watch over him. She set off into a brisk trot, wanting to see the boy again, and when she did, she couldn't help but immediately gone over to him, her head moving so that she could touch his forehead affectionately, her jaws parting to speak, ”How have you been, dear one?” She tilted her head slightly, stepping slightly away as to give him some space should he have desired it before giving the boy room to answer.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

He encircled the area around the pack's den, refusing to leave until he came what he was looking for - Nina. She had over time not only turned out to be a true Leader to him, someone worth trusting and following, but a sort of a mother figure too where else his true mother had remained distant for most of his life. Did she feel the same way towards him or was he simply the orphan she found herself feeling sorry for? Though he wondered, he remained silent of the subject. He would not ask. Would not force her to say the truth that may hurt him. He would never be Danica, Ashton, or Tacoma... But oh, he could try.

Only when the scent of food stir him as he neared closer to the hollow in the ground of their pack den did he shift his direction, arching around the back of it and a bit up the rocky landscape there. A deer, abandoned, yet fed off of by a lynx. It had obviously eaten what it could but the small cat left plenty for the wolves which lived here. Bane began nosing at it, yanking off a few chunks of meat and swallowing them quickly down just as Nina made her arrival. His head fell low, tail too as it swayed lightly behind him. He pushed into her touch with a happiness, his tongue jutting out to lick at her cheek and the wrinkled up, sealed bit of flesh where an open eye once had been. "As good as I can...with Hollow gone, and Ashton." He hated mentioning it but it surely was not like those two wolves were gone from Nina's mind. Surely that memory was hanging over her head the same as he and when she took a step back from him he assessed her face to see how she reacted to this subject. Hollow, Ashton, and Nina were really the only wolves Bane knew in this pack...and now there was only her.

BANE Aranna

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There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

It was good to see the boy again, as she too viewed him as her son. He had been such a sweetheart and a fighter throughout this year, and Nina could not have been more proud of him. Bane had been doing so well and the Hervok woman couldn't have been any happier for him. As their muzzles touched, she allowed him to give his own affections to her before she pulled away. When he spoke, she felt the familiar pain of remembering that she had found out that her last son and lover had disappeared. That damn storm had taken them away from her, and as much as she had clung onto the hope that Hollow would return to her, he never came, and it made Nina lose faith in her own love for others. Had her love not been enough for them? Constantly she struggled with just wanting to be enough and now that it was here, she just didn't know what else she could do.

Though the sadness was not on the outside, she could feel it eating away at her insides and it was hard to do such a thing, knowing that it was unhealthy for her and the bodies growing inside of her. Taking a deep breath, she turned her single-eyed gaze back to Bane, giving him a sad smile in the process as she spoke, ”Them not being here...it wounds me deeply. I feel like someone has clawed my heart out of my chest. But I need to stay strong, for you and for the rest of out family. Especially now...that there is going to be a new lead male.” She spoke the words softly, her emerald eye staring at the boy in front of her, that had grown much larger than her. ”No matter about me....how are you faring with their disappearance, dear one?” She truly was concerned about Bane. Not only had he lost Ashanti, but he had also lost his foster father, Hollow, as well, including Ashton, who Nina thought was a friend to the young man. She didn't really know how he was feeling, as the Aranna had adapted quite well to not showing his emotions.

Her heart was ripped out, torn. Torn in a way that Bane had been when he found out that his father was a mad-man, had raped his mother and then was hunted down for him and his followers crimes. Torn growing up in a birthing den alone. Torn by a distant mother who ended up looking her mind and running out on everyone in the pack she had cared for. It was different, he knew, being in love and loosing that love... but he could still grasp some aspect of it. A whine caught his throat, his golden eyes soft for his Leader. His brown muzzle reached out as he scooted closer to her so that they sat side by side. He touched his muzzle to her belly, moving it over the lump of clustered children there. "The new Lead male can be strong for the pack. Use your strength for the pups...and for yourself." He breaths deep, pausing a moment in the comfort of having his cheek rested at her side.

"It hurts..." He sighed, lifting his head then to look over her features. He did not want to seem a threat of dominance to her, but he wanted to see her, all of her. "Ashton and I, we were going to travel together. The memories here.... my father, mother going mad, Hollow gone, Ashton... The memories haunt me here." And due to it, if it was not obvious already, he was not happy here. He loved Nina so, if only her, for the rest had ran off on them. But he was miserable. "I do want to go, I do...But not if your not okay with it." He pauses, hesitating. "Not if your not okay." Just tell me that you need me, and I will be there for you....mother. And in this way, perhaps he would be there for Nina far more then her own children have been, having all left in one way or another - because Bane, above all, knew what it was like to be parent-less. He would never overlook Nina or be ungrateful for having her in his life.

BANE Aranna

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At Bane's words, Nina could only have mental argument with herself. Miccah certainly was not a trustworthy alpha, at least not to her, and she couldn't help but worry about the future of her family. She tried to clear her mind from her doubts as the boy in front of her began to speak. It pained her to know that he was unhappy here, in a place where Nina had attempted to make him feel as much as home as possible. She listened to what he had to say though and quickly found it absurd that he should think such a thing. Nina knew that she practically preached selflessness, and it was so deeply obvious with Bane's tender words and touches that he was trying to keep her together, just as much as he was trying to keep himself together. She could definitely see him being a great role model in the future. Giving her own affection nudges to him silently and mulling over the best way to communicate her answer, Nina finally spoke, ”You mustn't worry about me. You must do what makes you happy, and in turn, that will make me happy, my dear child.”

She stood in silence for several long moments, her single emerald eye staying on the young man before her. Such a hard life he had lived since he had come into this world, and he was much of a fighter. If he ever were to be a father one day, Nina wouldn't be surprised if he was a great one. Clearing her throat, she spoke again, in kind tones, ”But, if you ever wish to return here, or visit, you will be openly welcomed by me. And you definitely will come to visit me.” The end of her promise headed some tease into it, as she playfully nudged his shoulder to lighten the mood. She definitely didn't want him to feel obligated to stay with her, especially not after her own past on the matter. Bane deserved to be happy, and if that meant leaving, then she would allow him to leave.

(This post was last modified: May 30, 2014, 10:41 PM by Nina.)

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

His happiness meant her own happiness and as the words left her mouth he could only hope that they were true, not just something she had put together in order to make him feel better about wanting to leave the pack and thus, leaving her behind. He could only hope she was not just saying this, that she was lying to him. He trusted her far too much for him to think it was possible. After all, Hollow had once lied to him before in order to try and make him feel better. Nina had never done such a thing. She had only told the truth, even if it hurt, and he respected her much for that. "I'll never forget you." He spoke in honesty and with it, promising her. A nudge she offered him and her words in a teasing manner causing a delicate smile from his features. His eyes of brightly orange hue would flutter, every so often stealing a glance to her face in order to capture her features before casting downward respectfully once more.

"Have any ideas for names?" He spoke, trying to shift the conversation to something more pleasant. It would seem that in time, he would be leaving, but for the moment whilst she was pregnant Bane had every intention to try to care for her as best he could - be in guarding or storing small bits of food into the caches. He sits, his muzzle pointing out into the direction of her belly as he looks down to it in wonder.

BANE Aranna

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They sat in silence for a few moments longer, her single eye sparkling as he spoke. She truly would be happy if he was granted happiness. The heavens knew that with all the boy went through he deserved some of it in his life. She spoke softly to his words, a light smile on her lips, ”Nor will I forget you, my dear child.” She nodded with her words. The mother would definitely be sad with Bane leaving, but she knew that in the end she would be pleased that she had set him free and into the real world. Never would she want to burden him with herself, especially not at such a young age. He was not even a man yet and already making individual decisions for himself. She could not have been more proud.

With his next question, Nina's eyebrow raised slightly, an amused smile on her face as she glanced down at her swollen belly, her muzzle moving over to smooth down her fur. Hollow and her had never had time to decide on names, with his disappearance and what not. Sighing softly, she turned her gaze to the boy she viewed as a son, his honest opinion mattered to her greatly, ”No...Hollow and I...we....we never spoke of names. His....disappearance, was too soon for me to determine if I was pregnant or not. Do you...have any suggestions?” The mother looked towards the dark boy, her emerald eye shining at him. She did truly wish to see the reaction her question got out of him, and to know his opinion.