Haunted Wood Are you ready for what's to come?

@Sebastian

Aviana made her way North, the river to her right. She had just entered the forest and her gaze darted this way and that, looking for any signs of wolves. The wind that came from her left let her know there was a pack nearby, and she made sure to steer clear of it, choosing to hug the bank of the river. 

Her posture was hunched as she traveled, always in a submissive pose, and ready to run if she had do. She was a flighty creature, prone to jumpiness. It had been some time since she had left home, and she had no intention of ever going back. Her mother passed, her father left, and her Uncle... Shutters went through her body as she tried to push the memories back. She had no idea of his death, or that the pack had disbanded. 

She lived her life on the run, and it showed. Her body was thin, and her ribs showed. She had come into the barren lands a few days ago, and it sure didn't help her cause. She had no idea what happened here, or why it looked like everything was just growing back. It didn't look like a fire had spread through the lands, or any other natural disaster at that. The trees still stood, and the soil didn't look upturned. She wondered as she wandered, taking in the scenery.

Sebastian was very keen on finding bigger prey. He liked to track any signs that could possibly lead towards a prey, no matter the size Sebastian was quite desperate to find something. His pack was suffering and he was going to need to provide for him. The male headed north this time because he went south last time and that didn't help out.

They were in a dip of the landscape, a sanctuary almost. The large male made his way through the forest, with his nose low to the ground. The tracks were old and he doubted that he would find anyone. The tank of a male had lost its brutish size, he had gone more to a slender young man with long legs. Kind of what he looked like in his teens.

Sebastian caught another trail, a fresher one, which meant someone passed through here. The male frowned lightly and then decided to follow it. His eyes fell on an average sized female. Her coloring looked familiar to him. His curiosity was spiked. The male revealed himself with a chuff, stepping closer, tail up. Though his head was low out of curiosity.

Aviana was still trying to figure out what had happened to the land here. It just didn't look like anything she had ever seen before. Her gaze moved side to side, looking for signs of life, as her ears swiveled. So far, so good. Even if the silence meant no food, it also meant no other wolves. Aviana hadn't made one friend since she left home so long ago, and while she was accustomed to it, it did get lonely sometimes.

Her loneliness was about to come to an end. A chuff behind her had her tail tucking under her as she turned swiftly to face the object of the noise. She took a fraction of a second to verify that it was a wolf, a male at that, before turning to run. She didn't bother to take in any of his features. Ever since that day, she hadn't let any male near her. She didn't think today was going to be any different. If she could outrun him, she'd be fine.

The young alpha watched how he basically frightened the female into a run. Her tail tugged between her legs and without a second glance. Even though he was not experienced yet, he could tell that this female was quite of a recluse, or at least, very shy and timid. His pale eyes glanced over her frame, which only happened in a fraction of a second before going after her.

His own conditions weren't great either, and if he would chase her full speed she might get frightened even more. "You don't have to run from me! I am not going to hurt you!," he called out after her. Maybe Sebastian's strong scent frightened her too. The male slowed down, not wanting to deplete his energy levels to a wolf that might not want social contact in the first place.

She ran, feared for her life even though he had shown no aggression. Since that fateful day, she had not trusted a male, and as the weeks wore on, she learned to simply run when she seen one, not giving them the chance to do anything, good or bad. Not hearing his words, it was the voice that reached her ears and stopped her for the first time since she left home. 

Abruptly, she halted, her ears perked as she turned her head, though her body remained facing away, in case she had heard the voice out of desperation and not reality. Her gaze found him as he slowed down. It couldn't be. It felt like she hadn't seen him in forever, their time spent together worlds away from what she know knew as real. Seb? she said cautiously. She still didn't really believe it was him, but hope had her glued to the spot she was at.

Sebastian hadn't seen his sister in so long, even though her coat pattern was familiar to his eye he did not recognize her right away. Her voice was soft spoken but he did catch his name. Sebastian perked up his ears at hearing his nickname even. The charcoal male stepped forward, nose sniffing her out. Yet of course she didn't smell of thorn ledge. That scent had faded by now.

"Yes?," he asked, sounding curious. She knew him but did he knew her too. His pale eyes were glued to her. She had his pale eyes, or well, their father's to be exact. The male looked surprised. Was this? He could not believe it. His tail started wagging. "Avi?," he called out, though it was quite soft because he didn't dare to believe it.

The male made a move towards her, and she increased the distance between them by twice as many steps. He hadn't responded to her yet, and she still didn't trust what she heard. She was about to turn and leave when he spoke again, confirming his name. She turned her gaze on him once more, taking him in. Her eyes filled with tears, hope and fear creating turmoil within her. She wanted so badly for it to be him, but it had been so long that she simply didn't believe he was here.

And then he spoke her name. Her heart swelled in her chest as she gave a brief nod confirming that it was her. Hope was winning out and she took a step towards him. Her body remained hunched down with her tail tucked deeply under her. She hadn't approached a wolf since she left home, but this was Sebastian: her brother, her protector. She could still trust him... Right? Fear came in the forefront, and though it stopped her from going further, she didn't run either.

Sebastian watched her eyed fill with tears. The male lifted his muzzle a bit, wanting to comfort his sister, technically his older sister by a few minutes. She nodded, which mean that it was her. Sebastian's tail grew super excited and swayed. He was clearly pleased and happy to see his sister.

She looked so hesitant though, it made his tail sway less exciting. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Avi. Why did you vanish?," he asked softly, sitting down so it might be less intimidating. Even though he was skinny he was still a large male. "I won't hurt you, sister." Her sister was back! He hadn't seen her in so long!

Out of the corner of her gaze, for she refused to lift it very high, she seen his tail wag. Had hers not been firmly tucked under her, he would have seen it shift from side to side. It had been so long since she felt any type of happiness, and it felt foreign to her. 

He assured her in his familiar voice that she had nothing to fear. Logically, she knew that. He had never done her wrong, and had always been there for her. But, she couldn't answer his question, not yet. She had never voiced what happened to her, and wasn't sure she ever could. In her heart, however, she knew that if she had stayed, if she had told Sebastian what happened to her, he would have protected her. 

He sat down instead of coming towards her, telling her again that he wouldn't hurt her, and she understood he was allowing her to make the decision. After a few moments, she began to close the distance, a little hesitant, but then a little of her sureness of him seeped in. She sat down next to him and allowed herself to lean into his familiar form, tucking her head under his. She hadn't felt safe since the day before she left home; not until now.

Sebastian smiled as his shy sister approached him and eventually dared to sit next to him. He nudged her with his nose and then laid his head against hers. "Good to have you back," he whispered to her. Sebastian sat there, leaning against her too. Which might gave off a wrong picture. He was already mated after all.

Sebastian inhaled softly. She was so different. So timed and so scared. She reminded him of Aduin. His pack! She would be perfect for it. But first he wanted to embrace this moment. She would be a good fit, Aduin was already so much better and more confident. He was certain that would be the same for Aviana. "I've missed you," he spoke. He was not sure why she left but he had always been glad she had escaped their uncle's wrath and craziness. He always believed she had made the smart decision.

*laughs manically* here comes the wife XD

Pearl decided to go out a little after Sebastian left, leaving Val in charge for the time being. She diverted from her mate's path for a while, to see if she would be able to find anything else he might've missed. When that proved futile, the pale female quickened her pace to catch up to Seb. She followed his scent, which was soon mixed with another, which naturally led to faster, worried trot. Pearl didn't really think he would be in danger, but they were all weak from lack of food and some loners could prove to be dangerous.

She was instead greeted by a very odd sight. Words to describe what was going through her brain would probably be going along the lines of "what the frickity frack whippity whap smickity smack is going on here" 

Her hackles rose in natural jelousy, not that she suspected he would ever cheat, but the situation seemed to suggest otherwise. She cleared her throat with a bit of a growl, and called out very confused, "Ehem, what in the actual frick Seb?" 

I can't stop laughing XD

Sebastian snuggled back into her, and Aviana began to let her taunt muscles relax. She inhaled his scent, trying to memorize it since he didn't smell the same as he did in their family pack. She didn't quite smile at him, but there was a hint there that said one day she might. I can't believe we found each other after all this time, she wondered aloud. She hadn't even been looking for him, thinking he was still back home. 

She was just about to question that very fact when a voice sounded behind them. Aviana jerked away from her brother, and without even a glance, her fear was back full force and she ran from them both, her tail tucked and her body hunched, just as before. Whatever peace she had felt was now gone as she increased the distance between herself and whoever it was that had showed up.

Sebastian's head jerked up when he heard Pearl's voice. Instantly his heart dropped and he turned his head towards her. Though Aviana was quick to stumble and run off again. Not giving a good impression of this whole situation either. "Pearl!!," he let out. "It is not what you think! I promise!," he let out. He looked a bit torn between going to Pearl and going after his sister.

"Avi! Come back!!," he called out and then his ears dropped back, looking a bit sad. He turned to Pearl, maybe Avi would return like she did last time. "That was Aviana, my sister! I ran into her after not seeing her for like... 1,5 years!," he explained to his mate. He let out a soft whine and licked her jaw and muzzle. "Don't be mad at me. I would never cheat on you! I love you.," he spoke, sounding so cute with his soft sorry whines and apologetic wagging of his tail. "Though you did scare my sister. She is a bit of an Aduin case I think. She didn't speak much." Sebastian always talked a lot when he was not sure what to say or do in awkward situations.

Super hilarious XD

"I can't believe we found each other after all this time," came the drifting voice of the female. "I am going to tear you apart and feed you to my fish" came the near-voiced thoughts of Pearl. 

The female darted off, only confusing Pearl further. Sebastian claimed it wasn't what she thought. "Well what do I think, Seb?" she turned to him with a wide-eyed, closed mouth smile that suggested someone was going to die.

Then it was revealed that in actuallity it was his sister. Weell then. Count this as one of the most confusing days of her life. When she saw his expression drop, she wanted to make it better despite what her entrance had been like. He attempted to comfort her and rectify her doubts, and for some strange reason it worked. Relaxing, her tail slowed from it's angered whipping state. He sounded so adorable, she couldn't stay mad at him. "Alright, I'm sorry, I just had no idea what was happening. Do you think we could find her?" she asked, peering into the forest where she had disapeared.

Aviana did not stick around for the conversation that followed her departure, nor she even glance in their direction as she heard her name called through through the forest she was running through. She simply ran, dodging half bare trees. The further she went, the darker it seemed to get, and the more lost she felt. She slowed to a stop after a glance behind her deemed her alone. Stopping next to a tree, she looked around, her heart pounding in her chest, fear gripping her. She didn't know which way to go, only that she couldn't go back the way she came. 

Suddenly, a dead branch fell from the tree above her, landing squarely on her hind end. She let out a yelp and ran further into the woods. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a hollowed out base of a tree and darted in, shoving her body inside of it and curling up. It really wasn't quite big enough for her, but at least nothing could come up behind her. She let out a sob, her chest heaving with both emotion and exertion. She had found her brother, and felt she had lost him in the same moment.

Sebastian was pretty frightened by her look, after all Pearl could be really scary if she wanted to. Sebastian have her another lick and after explaining she seemed to turn around. The male was quite relieved, though he did feel bad for his sister that he hadn't went after her. Maybe they could track her down, her scent might be fresh.

The large male looked at his mate. Frankly he would be mad and upset too if he saw Pearl close with another male outside their territory. Sebastian might have attacked that male. Sebastian realized that they might needed to give descriptions of their siblings. Sebastian would need a lot of time describing all his siblings. Oh boy. "It's alright, Pearl. We could---" He was interrupted by a loud yelp. It was clear that it was Aviana. Sebastian didn't need to look at Pearl to know that they were going to find her.

He rushed forward towards the sound, pretty keen on finding her. He was not going to lose his sister again. Sebastian sniffed the air and slowly tracked her down. It was quite easy to spot her in the hollowed out base! "Avi!," he called out. "You don't have to be scared. This is Pearl, my mate. She likes to meet you too."

Pearl continued to try to see where Aviana had gone while Sebastian was talking. A yelp sounded clearly through the trees, cutting him off. She determined she'd just follow and let him do the talking, considering how bad she might've scared the female. If Aviana was anything like Aduin, then it would be better if she just shut up.

They soon found her, luckily, huddled in a tree hollow. Pearl hung back, kind of reluctant to see how Seb's sister would react to being found again by the small white wolf of anger. "Hi, I'm really sorry. It was a misunderstanding." she said, loud enough for her to hear but in a soft tone.

Aviana hadn't even known what hit her. She just knew it was sudden and it hurt, so she ran and stuffed herself into the first hiding spot she could find, not realizing she wasn't really hidden at all. Memories flashed through her mind, as if that day was happening all over again. Her name was called. Her Uncle was coming for her. They were supposed to go hunting together. She didn't know she was the prey, but in a completely different way. She whined, trying to shove herself further into the tree, the wood digging into her back. She had no where to go, no where to run, and she could her him getting closer. No, no, no, go away, she whispered, her eyes closing tightly. Suddenly, the area wreaked of urine. Aviana wasn't able to control her bladder with her fear taking over her mind so thoroughly. 

Her flashback gradually ended, just before her Uncle got to her.  She heard Seb's voice, his comforting, soothing voice, and then a females. Her eyes opened, her gaze searching for her brother as she fully came to realize she wasn't at home anymore. She was safe. Her gaze cut across to the female that was there. She doesn't look angry, Aviana thought. She shifted her eyes downward as her own stench reached her nose, her head lowering in shame, knowing they would smell it, too. I-I'm sorry, she said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Sebastian approached the female, even though she soiled herself. He was not backing off from her. He could not imagine letting her go like that. The male stepped forward with care and placed a lick on her cheek, a brotherly one. "Avi," he spoke softly. He wished to know what happened with her, and what made her so unsocial and shy. He looked briefly at Pearl, but he was pretty certain she was going to agree.

"Avi, why don't you come home with us? Pearl and I have our own pack. You can live with us if you want that," he offered to her. Maybe the promise of a home would do her good. Though he did wonder if her attachment to him was going to interfere with him being mated to Pearl. He would have to see. He looked at his sister, he disliked seeing her so frightened. Something must have happened to her.

Pearl simply hung back, leaving the siblings to their own matters. Sebastian offered her a place in the pack, which she nodded happily to. In her state, Aviana wasn't very likely to survive long, and the female was frankly worried about her. 

She didn't mind at all that Avi had soiled herself, she would be a little scared as well if she had seen herself barge in like that. Pearl genuinely wondered what had happened to the girl.

His voice was soft and she welcome more of it. It had been so long since she'd been under his protection, and she needed it now more than ever. He offered her a home- his home- and she glanced to the female, watching her nod before turning her attention back to Seb. 

Her heart continued to pound in her chest. She wanted so badly to go back with her brother, but fear made her pause. What if he had bad wolves in his pack? What if they came for her like her Uncle had? Logically, she knew not all wolves were like him, but the fear made her reality distort until it was the only thing she could feel. 

Now, looking at Sebastian, hope began to creep in. He was leader now, he would know his wolves better than anyone, right? He would not allow someone like that into his pack, she was sure. She had to be. Because where else could she go? She had been running too long, and her body was tired. Slowly, her head moved up and down, silently accepting his offer.

Opening her mouth, her voice squeaked. Can we- can we go back to the r-river before we go? she questioned. She wanted to let it wash her before she went into his pack lands.

Sebastian stood close to her. His tail was gently swaying though his posture was that of an alpha. Sebastian had grown over the last few months. He understood that wolves needed leadership and the longer he was the alpha of Broken Antler he realized that he liked having this role.

He was a good follower too, but leadership was fitting well too. The large male helped her to her feet. "Of course," he assured her and steered her to the river. He looked at Pearl with a smile. "You will like your new home, Avi. Everyone is really nice. We are a family a real one, not like thorn ledge. Everyone has morals," he explained to her.

Sebastian was happy to have her back. He hadn't seen her in so long though he was still curious what happened. He had the feeling that this was also the reason why she left. Sebastian decided not to push her.

Pearl smiled back at Sebastian, who was handling his sister really well. She didn't speak a word, but rather walked along side them to the river in silence. Perhaps if she didn't speak, Avianna would feel more comfortable with just her brother. 

Pearl wondered about what would've happened, though, if she hadn't barged in like that. Or why she ever could have thought Seb cheating on her was possible. It wasn't normal for her, and she hoped that she and Avi could just forget about it and just be friends.

She walked silently to the river, on the opposite side of Sebastian, her gaze shifting to see that Pearl was on the other side. She seemed nice, and Sebastian liked her enough to make her his mate, so she couldn't be bad. Although, the anger Pearl had voiced earlier was still fresh in Aviana's mind, and she made sure to keep her distance from the female and not anger her more. They reached the water, and Aviana waded in slowly, letting the running water cleanse her body.

[inden]When she was finished, she shook off the excess water and followed the Alpha pair to their home land. She was unsure how she would feel when she got there, but with Seb there, she honestly felt she had a chance. Her body was worn out from running for so long, and it desperately needed a rest. Her mind was in need of repair, as well, but only time would tell if it ever really healed.

We can archive here, or fade with you guys' next post! (I just said you guys'. OMG my grammar needs a recheck XD)