Wolf RPG

The world was strange without Meldresi being around. Surely Burke had been alone with Meldresi missing for a month, but then he was sure she would return to her home. Now he knew that she would never return. The male sat in the spiderlings' glen. He was a single father with two pups to raise and a pack to run. The pack wasn't as big as it used to be, but at least they had members where he could count on. The large male was a bit at loss which was a rare thing to feel for him. Burke always knew what he wanted. He just needed to put everything in line mentally. 

Burke was very keen on staying close to Kendra and Pietro. He wanted to make sure he wasn't going to loose anyone else. He decided to at least dig a den. Then the pups could always go inside if they wanted to. Yes, that would be good to focus on now. The large male instantly started digging after inspecting the glen for some good places. He settled by the roots of a tree. Burke knew that there was already a den somewhere close to the glen but an extra den would be better. Just so he could clear his mind.

The world around her seemed to be in a state of mourn. Gray skies, chilling winds, nothing seemed to reflect any flicker of euphoria. She wanted to feel something, anything but her conscious just simply wouldn't let her. All the moons of restraining feeling had paid off, even when she needed it. She hadn't personally known Meldresi that much, but nobody would compare to the priestess. That much she knew. While those could weep and wouldn't stop, a single tear couldn't suffice what the ache in her soul felt. 

Yet, while other mourned, it was her duty to carry on. Meldresi had helped her greatly once and if death hadn't met her, she would have many more times. Nemesis would do what she promised and put all her might, her sheer will into doing right by the pack and everyone in it. It was the least she could do. 

At the sight of Burke, what was left of her heart pained. She was a judge of emotions but never could console them. What did he feel? His mate was gone, a lone father and the weight of being an Alpha on his shoulders. She couldn't help but to let out an inaudible low whine, only heard by her. Whatever he needed doing, she would help. Pitching in was her vow, if anything. Walking up to the Alpha, her voice was surprisingly soft, the lack of frigidness in her voice startled her. "Hey" She had no experience consolidating with others, nor approaching others with any amount of compassion, yet she had to say something. "Need some help?" She decided, realizing the fact that Burke would talk on his own time, if he wanted to at all.

Burke had not cried yet. He wasn't sure if it was going to come soon or if it was expected for him to cry, but he was emotionally to blocked to let any of his feelings out. The male was trained to be always calm and assertive. He was not one that would spill his feelings to others. Some might call him frigid and self centered but secretly Burke was far from that since he thought of his members first, now as a single father he also had to put his children before himself. He had to be strong so they would grow up in a good home. He was so in thought that he didn't hear Nemesis approach. 

Burke jerked up once she suddenly heard someone talk next to him. His head a bit covered with dirt as he looked at Nemesis with a light glare. He didn't mean to glare at her but he was more frowning at himself that he didn't hear her coming before. Nothing against her of course. "No," he let out. "Ever seen two wolves dig a den before? It wouldn't work you would be in my way," he spoke and then turned back to the good hole he dug already. The entrance was forming and coming together. It was quite difficult to dig a den that would fit his size and not collapse. He was used to it.

At the tone of Burke's voice, her instinct was to back away from the male. The glare had been a warning that she had fully understood yet she would not be swayed. She had never expected or even thought that Burke would talk so coldly, under any circumstances to her but he was breaking too, not resilient to the heartbreak of loss. It was better her than another that could actually be impacted by his tone. He held the pack on his shoulders, their rock who always thought of others before himself. He was allowed to feel sad, angry, frustrated no matter how much he suppressed those feelings.

Yet, she lowered her eyes not wanting Burke to expand on his temper.  "I'm sorry, about Meldresi" She said, in a more calmer tone than before even though she knew she had nothing to be sorry for. Yet, it was an extremely rare sight for her to even utter the words, not ever having apologized for anything before. Somehow, it had felt right. 

After a little while, she broke the impending silence."She helped me one day, I thought I was going insane" And it was true, the urges to kill kept her up nights upon nights until Meldresi had somehow made her open up and seek help.  "Even though I was depleting her herbs for the coming winter she told me I didn't owe her anything. I promised her, or myself, that I'd do anything to help as she had so greatly helped me. More than she will ever know" A sniffled sigh followed her heart drawn words as she would promise the same thing to Burke, in the time that everyone needed each other. It wasn't clear to her why she was confessing these thing to the Alpha, other than the fact he was a counselor. It was as if a fragment of her still beating heart had pumped some soul into it, with the ability to speak without a frosted tone once more.

Burke stopped digging for a moment, his ear turning towards her as she spoke her sorries about Meldresi. He stepped back and actually plopped down on his butt for once. He looked at her with his pale eyes, listening to what she had to say. Burke was still a counselor and he knew that he promised to always be a listening ear, even when the topic was his deceased mate. The large male nodded slightly as Nemesis spoke about Meldresi. She did a lot for this pack, healing members, being there for them. Burke too but in his own way. 

"She saved me from death, once," he suddenly spoke. He never really told members about his 'bloat' incident. It was almost embarrassing that he died because his stomach was full off gasses because he ran too quickly after eating. It also had something to do with his age, but still. "Yet she couldn't save her own life," he spoke with a light scowl that wasn't directed at Nemesis at all, she would probably know that. His mate was pretty remarkable. She was the only one that had stolen his heart, the first female he was in love with. It took him a good 5 years before that ever happened. 

"We would grow old together... And you know.. be the most grumpy couple here in Teekon," he let out. He was actually looking forward to the age where he could sit back and complain about things, it sounded amazing. Now the pack still needed him, he didn't want to step down from alpha just yet. "I appreciate the loyalty Nemesis," he spoke to her and he meant it, his voice was sincere and not calm and reserved. He could be nice, if he wanted to.

Nemesis sat silently as the cold tone gradually left Burke's voice, replaced by the one that she knew to be her Alpha. The scowl she understood, while Meldresi did countless wonders for others without hesitation, she wasn't able to save herself. The fact made her turn a bad eye to Fate, who had maliciously plotted the end of the Queen. 

She suppressed a chuckle as Burke painted an image of himself as an elder, prompting about Blackfeather complaining about this and that with only Meldresi to shush him up. The thought shrouded a gray cloud of sadness over her soul as the image of Burke alone in his elder years pained her to think of. 

Her attention was spiked as Burke directly confessed his appreciation of her loyalty. She had never expected to be thanked for simply existing as she should, but the idea was nice, conformation that her efforts were recognised. The matter of loyalty was one she took seriously, for her loyalty never wavered from those she pledged it to. "Thank you, loyalty is not something I take lightly. There's nothing I wouldn't do to help this pack, nor anything I wouldn't do to contribute to it's success" She met his eyes, her honesty shining through them. "You're not so bad yourself" She chuckled lightly, trying to at least lighten the mood.

Burke looked over her with a curious expression when she spoke about how much she took her loyalty serious. He knew he could trust her word because she was a member for a long time now, she was around to stay, he couldn't say that for everyone. Some were damn leeches. "I've never been bad technically," he pointed out. Sure he had his grumpy moments or moments that he really wanted to kill and tortured but Burke, in his opinion, treated ever pack member fairly. He would be harsh on them in the beginning but secretly he did care. With the storm he made sure everyone was safe, and everyone looked to him at the time to arrange things. It was why he was alpha, if an alpha didn't care that one could never be a good alpha. 

He looked over Nemesis. "There might be something you can do for me," he spoke then. "I don't want my pups to grow up without being close to a female. Kendra especially. I don't want you to be her mother because, to say it bluntly, you probably never will. No once could replace Meldresi... But you could be her friend, and Pietro's too. I have times when I need to do patrols. Maybe you could step in and watch them for me? Hang out with them?," he questioned.

At first she had been eager when Burke mentioned something about helping, for there was never a time she wouldn't run her energy for the pack. But when the word 'pups' emerged from the shattered ruins of her hope, her body froze. Her eyes widened slightly, completely caught off guard. She knew there would be a time when she would have to interact with the young but she hadn't guessed she would be branded the 'Nanny' title, if anything. What Burke was asking was a sign of his trust in her, she knew that. But.. couldn't there be someone else to do that? Surely there had to be another female eligible to watch the children. Instantly, she realised there wasn't. She suspected Potema was picking up where her mother left off, Cyn hadn't shown her presence in a while... There was only her. 

Regaining her composure, she took an intake of breath. She wasn't a stranger to childcare, nor was she a professional. But she would never refuse a task, no matter the circumstances. She could deal with two kids. Couldn't she? If she had (somewhat) enough patience to deal with the boy Xan, two pups even younger couldn't be that hard. All they did was poop and sleep, according to the information she had collected from general knowledge. "Of course. Though I can't say I am any expert on babysitting, I'll do my best" Thought she wondered what kind of influence she would have on children, she certainly was no role model for good behaviour. But, if Burke thought she was capable, she had to at least show him she could handle responsibility.

Burke was pleased to hear that she was willing to do the task. The alpha male needed someone extra around and their big sister hadn't been seen for a long time now. Maybe she already left to those witches or mages. Burke couldn't be too certain about it. He hoped she would say goodbye to him before she would leave. He would miss her. She was his little princess, surely he had Kendra now but she was different compared to Potema.

"I don't expect you to be a master at it, Nemesis. I am just glad I have someone that could watch them. I don't trust the new ones with them yet," he pointed out. "And the others are mostly male," he explained with a sigh. "Not that males are bad, but maybe some female influences would be good too," he spoke, not even wanting to talk about Meldresi being gone. He had just settled into being a mate, and actual mate, and now he was alone again. She was basically his first love. He couldn't forget her. She made him care about other things.

Nemesis nodded silently, agreeing to whatever this foreign mission asked of her.
She doubted she would be any good influence on the young, in the eyes of any ordinary wolf. Sure, there were attributes needed for their upbringing but a wholesome outlook was not something she was guaranteed to provide. All she could promise was a good turnout in the eyes of a Blackfeather wolf. Burke had mentioned being a friend, something she was a stranger to. She could be a mentor, someone that another looked up to but a friend.. now that was foreign ground. Yet something about the situation intrigued her. She would watch little ones grow into whatever the would become, and her influence was possible to change their perspectives to a greater level. But she couldn't mess around, this was serious for once. Burke trusted her, something that she had never expected from anyone. 

She could only agree, the new ones were not to be trusted just yet in her perspective. Venus showed great promise to the morals and ethics practiced in the Dark pack but some others were cautioned. Even Cyn seemed to be lacking in the 'show your face' criteria. But, she would not judge. She knew the girl was facing troubles of her own.

"I'm not sure what kind of influence i'd bring, as you may have noticed, i'm not the best role model" She replied, truthfully. She didn't want to ruin whatever morals Burke hoped for them, even if they were unlike what Blackfeather taught. She wouldn't blame him if he wanted his children to grow up with a healthy mind, unlike the misfits and lunatics that roamed the woods.

Burke looked at her with a hint of amusement. Still it seemed like she was a little insecure in that department. "I am not asking you to raise them. Just look after them, and if they get in trouble help them. They will talk soon and say the most silly things and you will have to try and understand that. Be supportive to them I guess. They will know the pack is with them," he spoke. That was at least how he visualized it. Burke glanced to the side. He would have to go back to them soon. 

"I'm sure you will do great and if it doesn't work for you tell me. I will find someone else. There is no shame in it. But then please consider that motherhood isn't your thing. I don't really feel like having a Lusa 2.0 who abandons them to explore outside of Black Feather," he pointed out. If Burke would set one foot outside of Black Feather he made sure he had at least two wolves on baby sit duty.

The way Burke spoke, the task seemed harmless at the most. It was true, motherhood would never suit her nor would it be something she looked for in her future. But something about having the pack surround them made her feel something greater than her own ambitions. She wouldn't fail them or their upbringing. Plus, there was no one like her to do such an important job, she persuaded herself.

Giving a small shake of her head, she thought back to the dark female who had run off with her insane mate after a length turn of horrible events. No, she would never do that. If she did end up having children, she would never abandon them no matter the circumstances. As mushy as it sounded, she was loyal to the bone. "No, I will be capable" She quickly replied, not wanting Burke to get the wrong idea about her uneasiness. "Besides, children can't be that hard" She shrugged innocently, even though her judgment was based purely off of what she hoped.

Burke nodded, pleased with her agreeing to this. "That is all I wanted to ask," he spoke with a hum on his lips. With that, and with Nemesis highly underestimating how difficult pups could be, Bure decided that it was his time to leave. The large male would let the female find out herself, it would be a good thing. Luckily it seemed like she wasn't planing on having pups of herself. 

"I will let you know when your help is needed, thank you Nemesis,"he spoke in goodbye and then trotted off back to what he was planning to do at first.

Nemesis bowed out, parting ways with the Alpha. Her mind did not focus on the task being brought to her but the responsibility that came with it. She had promised her loyalty, her dedication and ultimately her life to the success of Blackfeather. But what if something happened, something that could only be blamed to her. She greeted the challenge with open arms but the consequences of failing worried her. In her own way, she was protective. No doubt on day with the pups and she would lay her life down for them. And her moral being was threatened by it. Such notions would make her soft to them, a way of weaknesses. 
But, she had a job and her paranoia would not determine her ability to fulfill it.