Silver Creek Ain’t no mountain high enough

@Laika

For the morning hours Spring found herself patrolling and remarking the borders of Silver Creek.  Along the way she picked up some of the scents of the new possible recruits, no intruders though which she was more than satisfied with.  As she walked she never ran across anyone, but that was fine, because Spring actually felt it comforting to have this time by the borders to herself.  It was calming to be alone as the sun beat down on her back.

At noon Spring stalked quietly across the ground as she hunted a rabbit, her eyes trained on the fluffy creature.  She darted forward and killed it with a quick bite to the neck.  For a few moments Spring stared triumphantly down on her kill before eating.  The meat of the rabbit was juicy, and Spring could tell that the conditions of the meat had improved by far since the famine.  She finished the rest enjoyably.

Now it was night and the stars shone in the sky.  Spring walked through Silver Creek finding herself for the hundreth time admiring it's beauty.  For the first time since Spring remembered, she found that she wasn't as pained by the memory of her offspring and their horrible ends.  Soon she found herself under one of the silver maples, staring quietly into the stars as she wondered absently if her children lay up there.

Laika couldn't sleep. She wandered out of the den that she and Cas shared and glanced around the territory, admiring it's beauty. Her silky, white tail swished from side to side, blue eyes glancing to the sky in wonderment. She wondered if Octavia was up there, dancing in the stars and looking down on her with a loving gaze. 

Soon, the scent trail of Spring caught her attention. Spring. The wolf that was so very dear to her. They had spent countless nights side by side, taking care of each other and also finding the right roads in life. She followed the trail with a waving banner, paws light and elegant. 

Soon, she found her friend gazing at the stars just as she had been moments before. She shot her a warm looked and aproached, brushing against her in greeting and settling down beside her. She nudged Spring's shoulder as her tail gently thumped the ground. "How're you doing Spring?" She asked softly, not bothering to ask the question 'what are you doing up so late?' The alpha looked so peaceful that Laika never felt the need to. 

The water bubbled by lazily and Laika found her eyes following the ripples as she darted past her paws. The liguid gistened in the moonlight, and she gazed at the moon's reflection that danced in the light. It was so beautiful, and if Laika looked closely, she could have sworn to see a wolf's face. She pulled her blue eyes away and focused them on Spring again, waiting for her reply.

A little while longer Spring was alone, staring quietly, peacefully up at the stars.  She wondered if when she herself died would she go up there.  She wasn't sure, but she hoped that where ever she went once she died that she would get to at least be with Hazel, Jaycee and Marlin again.  Who knew though, maybe there was nothing after death or something unexplainable.

Spring turned her head and focused on Laika at the sound of her friend's voice.  She smiled lightly eyeing her friend with pleasure as her wistful gaze tunned in on her.  She blinked before turning her attentin back to the stars.  "I wonder what's up there in the stars.  I wonder if they look down on us."  She murmured quietly to her friend, not explaining who they was, because she was sure that Laika would be smart enough to figure out that one on her own.  

Although Spring was not a religous wolf, she still had her own beliefs despite that.  She didn't believe in a or any god, but she believed that there was something out there that was bigger than them all... just something that could not be explained... not yet at least.  She believed that she would one day reunite with the members of her family that had fallen to fate, especially Hazel, Marlin and Jaycee.

Laika listened to Spring with pricked ears, getting that same feeling she recieved when she told her friend about her and Casmir. She was hiding something, she knew she was. Spring's mess-up was all she needed to know for sure. The she-wolf had voiced her opinions of wolves up in the stars to Laika many times before, why did she say what? Did she mean who? It was hard to tell with Spring.

"You mean who?" She ventured, going out on a whim. She knew Spring was hiding something, and she knew that Spring could feel she knew. Laika had no idea if whatever she was hiding was a tender spot for her or not. would she lash out at her? Would she cry? Would she be perfectly fine with it? The white wolf didn't know. "I-I think there's something your not telling me here Spring. I don't want to force it out of you, so if your comfortable talking to me, please do." 

She didn't know whether to be hurt, angery or feel nothing at all. Spring had told her all of her secrets, or so she thought. Maybe there was more to the alpha than what Laika knew, but she couldn't be mad for that. There were plenty of secrets that Spring didn't know about Laika. Even Casmir didn't know. She thought about Casmir quickly and decided he should know. And if she had too, she would pry out his story too. A small smile formed on her lips as she thought about more time with him, but she kept all her attention on Spring.

The soft moonlight made the snow white girl glow silver, and her blue eyes shine. It made Spring quite striking as well, and she gazed at her moonlit pelt for a split second, tail swishing from side to side and stirring blades of grass and fallen leaves.

As soon as Laika asked her if she was talking about a who, Spring went dead silent.  She suddenly wanted to tell Laika everything, every bit and piece of her story, but she couldn't, she wouldn't tell anyone her full story, not know at least.  She would tell them the most important part now though.  A sad uff excaped Spring's muzzle.  Although she was unsure to tell Laika everything, she would tell her friend about her pups.  Laika deserved to know.  She had a right to know as Spring's Beta and closest friend.

Her eyes stayed steady, both sadness and guilt echoing in them, but not as strong as before.  The Alpha began to speak.  "I had pups once Laika.  They were named Marlin, Jaycee and Hazel...."  Spring trailed off, catching her breath before continuing.  "Marlin and Jaycee were stillborns, both boys, Hazel wasn't, my daughter lived until the rabies came... then she too perished."  Spring gulped.  "I was too late to save any of them."

Laika listened, eyes growing wide. Her mouth nearly dropped to the floor with excitement and happiness until the sad huff left Spring's mouth and the sad part came. Spring had had such a horrible background with the whole rabies thing. Hearing that Hazel had died from the horrid disease made her heart break even further. "Spring.. Im so sorry! I wish I new" she pulled her friend closer, almost in a hug and set to grooming her shoulder.. anything to comfort her. 

Shorty short

Laika sympathetic reaction was normal, nothing unusal, but she easily fell into her friends embrace.  "I miss them."  She whispered quietly to no one in paticular.  Although the pain was not as bad as it once was, sometimes she found herself wishing the Hazel, Marlin and Jaycee had all survived and that she had been the one to perish.

She closed her eyes.  "The Father... Zander," she spat out her old mates name like it was a curse, "he left before they were born.  He just didn't want to be a Father I guess.  It's one of the name reasons, next to how he betrayed Saena why Reek drives me insane."  Spring informed her friend in a steady, yet slightly angry voice.

Laika listened with a sore heart. She had no idea what Spring had been through, even after traveling with her for so many months. Laika learned that you could never know everything about a person, no matter who they are to you. 

She sighed, finally understanding why Spring hated Reek so much. "I get it." She said.

She glanced down as Laika said that she got it to hide her reaction.  Maybe Laika thought she did, but you could never truelly know the pain until it happened to you.  It was like a disease.  You thought that you understood it but when it hit you, you wondered; why you?  "It makes me fearful."  Spring whined quietly.  "Fearful that I might fail Indra and Laurel too.  I have already failed three pups, I don't want to fail even more."  She told her friend.  Although she felt like the pups liked her, you never knew.  Hazel had been taken from her so quickly, she hadn't been there to save her when she should have.  She didn't want that to happen to the Redleaf pups.  She just didn't think that she could take another case of that.

"Sometimes I wonder."  Spring began again.  "I wonder why it happens.  Why they are taken.  Why I didn't die instead of my pups."  She paused to take a shaky breath.  "Marlin and Jaycee never had a chance, I should have been more careful during the pregnancy... and Hazel.  I should have been there for my d-daughter.  I should have been a real Mother."

She gave a sheepish smile as the air around them began to buz. She knew what she said and Spring had reacted to it. She shifted her paws and just let her friend rant and rave. That's what she was here for right? 

As the alpha continued speaking, she thought about Indra and Laurel. What if they were taken away? It would be like this happening all over again for Spring. She wouldn't let it happen, she couldn't! What would take the girls away anyways?

Laika was silent as her ranting continued so when Spring was finished she was quiet too for a while, suddenly feeling out of place.  While she would love to stay in the comfort of her friend she wasn't sure that she wanted this awkward moment of silence to last much longer either.  Maybe it would be best to just take some time alone right now.

"It was nice talking to you Laika, but I think I'll take some time to my den now."  Then with that Spring turned to make her leave to go do some thinking away from company.  If Laika asked her to stay then perhaps she would but some time to herself as selfish as she knew it was was wanted by her.