Whisper Caverns but darling, stay with me

Meant to be a read-only, but you may reply/add a reaction if you wish. <3

March 10th; Morning; Light snow showers.

"Jayse?" he had whimpered. "J-Jayse?" Borden pressed his nose and lips to her temple, letting loose a soft whine. Since her inclusion into the ranks of the Cavern wolves, the Lyall patriarch's fits of hysteria - being constantly plagued with the idea and notion that he was not where he should be and obviously not with the loved ones who should have been with - had seemingly ceased. Having her near was almost like having a place in a harbor in the midst of an ongoing hurricane. She was the fulcrum in which he gravitated towards when the world sent him for a whirl. Even if he still mistook a number of his pack mates for his own children and sometimes forgot what he was doing or where he was exactly, at the very least, the stretches of clarity seemed to come more often than not and last much longer than they had before.

 

He shakily stood up now, smiling in case she opened her mismatched eyes to stare up into his grizzled face. "@Jaysyek," he whispered, licking the points of her ivory ears. "I think... I think I heard him. He's there." Now, what Borden had meant to say was that he thought or, rather, believed Rook had finally come calling. It was time. He could feel it in his aching bones, pulse through his veins, vibrate in his chest, and ring in his ears. There was no doubt about it; today was the day. The day he had waited oh-so-patiently for since his last-born son's departure.

@Narimé had known this day would come soon enough, remembered the promise that Rook had once given her - that in trade for Borden's (and now Jaysyek's) leave, he would offer her and her kin an alliance that would continue to honor the ties that had been established long ago. And, in exchange for looking after his father and giving his mother peace of mind, Rook would see to it personally that their resources were replenished.

Now, whether the two women had also discussed this arrangement beforehand, Borden was oblivious to it. All he knew in this very moment was that he wanted to move and head to the northwest where he knew for certain the territory was more familiar. His tail wagged as he continued to nuzzle her and lavish her with kisses all along the bridge of her muzzle, the emergence of his more playful side begging her to rise and get a move on. "Please," he crooned to her softly, affectionately bumping his nose with hers one last time before pulling away and stepping out into the gently falling snow, "Let's go home..."

Had his arthritis had not advanced this far, he might have leapt or even skipped into the fresh snow. Instead, he ventured out into the open, casting one more glance to his beloved before setting off on muscle memory alone, drawn as if by an invisible string to where he knew Grizzly Hollow laid in wait for him.

Titan had taken the time to rest whenever Borden decided to rest. The dark Thorben was keeping a keen eye on the older male to see if there were any improvements in his behavior or health. He had grabbed the fungus that had been growing on the birch tree just outside of WC territory; the very same tree that had supplied him with the bark to make a cast for Xetor. At first he had fed only tiny amounts to the Lyall hoping to god or gods that it wouldn't kill him. Seeing the older wolf wake up and alert with no implications after chewing the fungus had calmed Titan's nervousness about the mushroom. He still had no name to call this fungus, but at least he knew that it wouldn't kill a wolf if he ate bits of it.

Titan had increased the amount of fungus given to Borden slowly over time to test whether it was having any ill effects on the male. However, nothing bad happened. The dark Thorben was both surprised and hopeful, but he wouldn't truly be happy until he spotted good things happening to the elder wolf caused by his fungus doses.

The white she wolf who was unfamiliar to Titan made him a little nervous throughout this whole time. He didn't know her connection to Borden or Rook yet, but he had caught Borden softly calling for her a few times. He had the feeling that Jaysyek may truly be her real name. However as he was not overly confident about this Titan kept from talking to the older woman. He was always respectful of her though. He just hoped that she didn't have a problem with his treatments on the older male.

Right now Titan was stirring at the soft noises that meant Borden had awoken. Sneezing out of his sleep, the dark wolf blinked at the tiredness in his eyes before rubbing his nose against his foreleg. It wasn't until he heard "Let's go home..." that Titan sat bolt upright to see Borden standing near the white she wolf. The older male then began padding away which had Titan pulling himself up to pad after the elder Lyall. He grabbed his chunk of fungus which was larger than a wolf's head before following Borden's trail.

"Where are you going? " He asked around the fungi in his mouth. He had just about caught up to the gray man. Borden had set his course northwards heading directly for the marsh and the cedarwood forest.

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

It's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

There was no Bishop. No Renier. No Ryvet. No Calla, and no Taima. The only child of hers she had seen recently was Rook. That had been quite some time, before the earth had started to warm. Why she was certain where she could find him again, she did not stray far from Narime's lands. She wanted to do something in turn for the pack that had cared for her family, so she was often out hunting. Which was more or less looking for signs from ravens that something may have not made it through the winter. If she happened to be lucky she would be able to outfox a rabbit. Mostly, she kept beside her dear mate trying  to hold onto what was.

Warmth surrounding her, she had fallen into a heavier sleep than usual. It seemed since they had been united again the simple closeness helped to keep him stable. Maybe, she was imagining it, he seemed to recall her more frequently. Or least her presence familiar or not was enough to help strengthen what remained. First was not sure she was hearing her name in reality or dream land. Cool nose to side of her crown, with a light thrum brought her eyes open in a flutter. "Hmmm?" Sleepily, she replied, meeting his pale stare. There was glimmer of something, and wait, he was standing. Why was he so beamish. A little worried this meant he was going to leave, she was about to attempt to stand. The soft brush of her name upon her ears kept her in place. This was her Borden. What he told her next, made her body freeze. It must be Rook he was speaking of for none other would make sense. She supposed he really could have called to them and yet Jayse was hesitant. It seemed too good to be true. She knew very well she could not have it all. Could they all go back home?

Swiftly, he began to work his charm, eliciting a tumble of laughter by the wiriness of his whiskers and gentle kisses. There was no real logic to hold her back. If he wished to travel to the Hollow than she could not deny him his request. She could see it in in his eyes he felt it was time. Raising up with a smile, she followed him. "Lets.."

It would appear another would wonder what they were doing. "We are going home," she told the young wolf.

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