Black Thorn Downs The One For Me

Tokino sighed before dropping his body upon the earth outside of the very den Minka had birthed his first litter in. His hardened heart was cracked, it's pieces being held together by sheer will. Tokino was very close to giving up on ever finding Noble or Kova. They had been gone for so long now, and even with their age and size he doubted they would last much longer on their own. The only hope he had left was that the pair might be traveling together. Together, he knew, they had a chance at surviving.

The gray male missed seeing their little bodies curled up at their mothers belly. He dearly missed the time when they were small enough for him to handle. Longing to see even just a glimpse of their faces again, Tokino let out a long whine which slowly turned into a quiet howl.

He didn't care who heard his cries right now. In all honesty Tokino wanted someone to be there with him. Yet the one who would move his heart the most would be his mate Minka. The coming spring gave him hope that once more he would be blessed by the Leigh Lagina woman with more children to love and cuddle. Even though he worried for Noble and Kova, Tokino still wished to have more children to worry for. Only this time he would teach them more of the dangers that came with storms and cold. Maybe teaching them about this would help them where Kova and Noble could not be helped.

Quickly Kino pulled himself up. He stood there rigid against the small breeze while searching for the scent of Inali or Minka. The grand male wanted to cloak them in his scent again just to prove to the world that they were still with him. He had this need to mark his pack mates once more, or to howl with them all like when they first claimed their territory. Perhaps the need was just to show that they were still strong against nature. A united force. ,p>First though, he wanted Minka.

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

</3 The last Minkino thread, but I have one here for them as well:  http://relic-lore.net/showthread.php?tid=8804 I posted it a couple days before you did but I don't know if the tag went through. If we finish them both we'll have enough threads for me to claim lp for them being 'official' mates.

Minka wasn't handling her missing children very well. She was doing the best that she could of course, but the cracks that had began when they had first been gone had turned into cavernous ravines. Her hope was fading, now nothing more than a flickering spark a deep depression had claimed the mother. While she still led the scouting missions that she herself had ordered her heart was no longer in it, it was as if her whole being was surrounded by a thick fog. Minka often found herself seeking solitude, she no longer slept in the communal den but rather in her old birthing den. The woman knew she had to keep herself together, at least most of the time, in front of her subordinates she had to lead them through this hard time so when she couldn't she slipped away. Unfortunately this was becoming more and more that she couldn't hold herself together, physically she was growing thin and she was exhausted but mentally and emotionally she was ripping herself to shreds.

The Lagina spent all of her time in the territory seeking out small signs that her children had left behind, symbols that they had in fact been here. The small hare's hole that she had taught @Noble about so long ago, the bushes that Kova had first learned the dangers of the thorns and today the tree that her son marked his height on oh so many precious days ago. Laying across from it Minka stared at the primitive scratches without blinking, it was as if they had put her into a trance. Here was physical proof that the small life that she had carried in her belly had been growing into a strong man, a life that might very well be snuffed out by now.

Tokino's cries filled her ears and it shook Minka to her very core. Her mate had always been a strong man, a proud man so much so that it was rare that even she saw his softer side. It was only when they were in private, tucked away from the rest of the world that he let his guard down and showed her how gentle of a brute he really was. The fact that he was letting his grief so well known, letting the whole pack here him break could only mean one thing; he was giving up hope.

Minka heaved her tawny body from its place in the snow, her muscle protesting after being still from so long. Without stretching they were stiff as she began to make her way towards her mate but the woman cared little, physical pain was nothing compared to what she felt inside. Her pace was slow and by the time she reached where Tokino stood he had finished his howl many minutes ago. The Lagina was silent, she didn't need to say anything to convey how she was feeling, it was written clearly across her maw. The golden eyes looked dull and were sunken into her face, her whole frame seemed dishevelled, smaller somehow than usual. This is what happened to mothers whose children were gone, this is what happened to mothers when they didn't have anyone to mother.

If her children were gone was she really even a mother at all?

click!

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Tokino had gone silent now. He looked to be brooding on the outside, but he was still crying like a puppy on the inside. His paws were now wrapped over and around his eyes and muzzle as the gray wolf lay there tired and cold. He couldn't help but feel tired after searching through the snows and hoping for something good to happen for so long. Perhaps even his age was playing a factor in making the males cold tired paws ache worse than normal. Though Kino would deny that fully if anyone asked.

The familiar scent of Minka brought the gruff looking man out of his reverie. His fur wasn't well taken care of, as he had been too busy worrying about other things to clean himself often. So he looked nearly as bad as she did. He opened his watery eyes to see her approaching him with a tired look that mirrored his own. Reaching for her as she approached, Tokino licked her face and side lovingly. He hated to see her like this even more so than how much he hated himself right now for showing his weakness.

Greatly welcoming his mates presence, Tokino shifted on the snow and earth into a more comfortable position beside Minka. She was standing still, but Tokino gave a gentle tug on her belly fur silently pulling her towards him on the earth. He wanted her close to him as much as he wanted to be close to her. The gray wolf wanted to feel reassured by her warmth, her breath, and her heartbeat. He wanted to know that she was still bonded to him as he was to her. A slow whine crept out of his jaws as he pleaded with her to come down to his level and surround him with herself.

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

It sight of her mate covering his eyes and maw with his large silver paws was heartbreaking. It was like looking at a blown up image of Kova when they had used to play hide and seek games about the territory. Minka had taught him to cover his eyes so he couldn't see and count to 100 and use his nose to find both her and @Noble's hiding spots and vice versa. It had been a useful game, one that both entertained them and taught them necessary tracking skills. Now seeing Tokino's body mirroring the same position the mother was at a loss, was this what her son would look like if one day he had children of his own? Would he have played the same games with her granchildren as she had played with him?

Minka moved forward without conscious decision, it was as if she was in a trance. While she knew that this was her mate before her and not her son her heart ached in desperation that somehow it could be Kova. Soon she stood by his side, tears streaming down her tawny face as she couldn't delude herself any longer. Allowing Tokino to pull her down beside him the woman buried her face in the scruff at her mate's shoulder, her whole body shuddering with sobs now. Everything they had worked so hard for, everything that they had built had been for their children. Now it had all been for nothing, even if her whole world crumbled down around her it would be nothing compared to losing Kova and Noble. Nothing would ever compare to the grief she felt as she mourned the death of her children.

click!