AT LAST! She is far-far away from the borders. xD
@Kove and of course Xan too if you feel up for it!
In the end, finding the dark pack her father lived in wasn't too hard to find. She could see the dark forest between the open plains of snow from the mountains. With the help of Leo's directions Desna had traveled forward. Surprisingly the girl was not that nervous. She was however uncertain what she could expect from her father, and if her brother was still here. She was most definitely sure that Xan was going to be mean to her. She expecting nothing nice from him to be honest. Still he was her brother, her only one at that, and she was not here to pick a fight. Just to see her father and to tell him what happened. She knew if it was the other way around her mother would probably be sad with that news, though she wasn't so sure about her father, again. In this moment she realized that she barely knew her father. She even lost the ability to speak his inuit language. Desna had no motivation to refresh her memory on that language.
The teenage girl slowed down into a walk when she reached closer to the forest. She could smell their scent, but the border was probably a good. She was a good 30 feet or more from the border, not feeling like getting up right to the edge of it. She looked around with interest, these woods were so different than those of the maplewood. Desna threw her head back and howled for her father, requesting his presence. After she did, the young female sat down, her tail curled against her not fully reaching her front paws. All her baby fat was gone and from under that fat quite a lovely female had grown from it. She was not as petite as her mother, bigger and stronger with a normal size for a female of her age. She would be around average in height. She was alert bracing herself to run if needed.
The borders had practically become apart of him, his presence hardly absent along them. He had alternative intentions, of course, wishing to run into Nemesis every time he set out on a patrol. After getting his feelings for her out in the open, he felt more at ease. His life had finally settled back to normal, thoughts of his previous life rarely touching his mind. Of course, he missed his daughters and wouldn't mind seeing them, but seeing as not a single one had sought him out yet, he doubted he ever would. Unlike him, they actually knew where he was, since Scarlett knew and he doubted she wouldn't have told him. Kove, though... he hadn't the slightest clue as to where they'd gone, unfamiliar with the northern most reaches of Teekon. His journey would be too long, and he didn't wish to stay away from the woods for any longer than necessary. Rather, he didn't want to keep away from Nemesis for any longer than necessary.
Once again, the borders had claimed his time as he trailed along them, remarking them and keeping a lookout for any unwanted company. He had expected any number of things, perhaps a strangling coyote or two, but none of which he'd thought he'd encounter had arrived. No, instead there had come a howl, one that was requesting his presence. The voice was not one he recognized, but even so he did not ignore it. In fact, he was quick to respond to it, his pace quickened up until the point in which he was close enough to look the wolf over. At first, he hadn't recognized her, for she'd grown quite a bit. After a second or two had passed, however, all the pieces clicked into place. "Desna..." He was uncertain whether or not he should approach, and so he kept some distance between them. Not enough to make conversing difficult, but just enough to give the both of them breathing space. "You came." There, he smiled, offering a wag of his tail to show he was glad to see her. Little did he know that it was a message she'd come to deliver, rather than the want to join him.
Xan had started to spend much of his time down within the tunnels, wishing to learn what secrets they held and become fluent in the art of navigating them. It was tricky, sometimes, but he made due with what he had. It was fun, too, learning the various passageways. Every now and again, however, he needed to leave them. To touch base with the above ground world once more and use his eyes in the brightness. He'd departed from the tunnels recently, leaving through his sleeping quarters and beginning a search for Kove. He had a few questions to ask, and was certain the elder Inuit would be able to answer them. His first stop was the man's den, which was empty. Next stop was the borders, where he'd caught a fresh scent. The boy followed it, leading him out of the territory and a fair distance away. He wondered what had lured the other out, but once he had found him, he'd realized why he'd left.
The young albino was, perhaps, a bit quicker to recognize his sister than his father had been, if only because he'd met with Nanook awhile back. He was aware of their changes in appearance, their growth, but it didn't make actually seeing her any less shocking. Desna had always been the largest of the children, never lacking in the weight department. The girl presently across from his dad just didn't look the same, but even so, he knew who it was. He approached slowly, quietly, unable to find many words to say. Was she actually there? "Did Nanook send you?" It seemed like the most logical reason for why she had come.
Desna didn't have to wait long until she saw the white figure of her father. For the girl he had faded a bit from memory, but seeing how he walked towards her instantly old memories came flooding back. She pushed herself to her feet instead of sitting down. Once she saw his tail wag she decided to return the curtesy by wagging it too in greeting. Her face looked a bit tense but that was only normal since she had never approached a border before and she had been warned about this one. The young female inhaled softly when he at least recognized her. She was about to return something but she then saw Xan approaching.
She tensed a bit more and stepped one step back. She did not know Nanook had seen Xan. Her frown came on her face and then she shook her head. "No, she did not," she spoke to her brother. Nanook had left her, and Sesi too. She thought her and her sisters would stay together but clearly that had not been the case. Desna then looked at her father again, looking from Kove to Xan again. Xan had mother's eyes and it kind of hurt Desna to see him. Her ears fell. She wanted to tell them, how she was all alone. But then looking at this forest it did not appeal to her. "I actually came to deliver a message, or well, that doesn't sound right. I came to tell you something," she announced, letting them mentally prepare.
Shortly after his own arrival, Alexander had made an appearance. He wondered if the boy had been curious to see who it was calling for him, or if he'd had other reasons for being there. No matter, his presence was welcomed and the elder was glad to see him. Their family was not whole, but it was a start. Though, in the back of his mind, he knew better than to get his hopes up. Desna had always favoured her mother, she wouldn't just abandoned the woman who'd raised her. Even still, he forced himself to believe that there was a chance she might remain there with them, even if it was only for a short period of time. Such thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind as he noticed a tense look on her face, an expression he'd ended up smiling at. "You can relax," he offered, having a feeling for why she appeared uncertain. "You're far enough away that no one should have a problem with you being here." And, if they did, he'd handle it.
When Xan had asked something, the man's ears perked in curiosity. He had not been told of his son's encounter with Nanook, which made him frown slightly. Little time was left for him to question the younger male, however, as his attention was pulled back to Desna. A message? Judging by her demeanor, he suspected it was not something good, but perhaps he was wrong. It was the first time they were together since the valley's demise, so maybe she was just nervous. No matter, he gave a nod of his head. "What is it?"
The fact that he'd not mentioned his meeting with Nanook to his father had never crossed his mind, he'd simply voiced the first thing that had come to mind. The answer given was not what he'd been expecting, however. "Are you here to stay with us then?" The question was delivered quickly, a hint of eagerness to his tone. The fact that she'd moved back upon his arrival hadn't even registered within his head, nor did he really notice how her ears had fallen back when she'd looked at him. He had failed in bringing Nanook back to the woods, but maybe Desna was there to replace her. When she'd finally revealed her reasoning for being there, though, his hopes were wiped away.
Xan's mouth clamped shut, jaw set. If she was only there to deliver a message, then that meant she wouldn't be staying, right? Why come at all then? He doubted whatever she had to say was important enough to journey all the way to the dark woods.
Desna nodded slowly when her father told her to relax but she didn't really. She was still on guard. "I heard stories about this place." She had heard them from Leo after all and he had lived here himself. Desna forgot to ask why he had left these woods, or maybe she had and she had forgotten. The girl decided to focus on her conversation now. Then Xan asked if she was going to join. Her ears popped forward in surprise. "You want me to join?," she asked, founding it rather surprising that Xan even wanted her around, but then his face turned sour and Desna thought she felt for one of his tricks. She shuffled a bit back and looked away, ears fallen back.
"Well, Mother died," she spoke and then dared to look at the two lost family members. "Cougar attack," she let out sadly. Her hazel eyes falling to the ground. "And don't count on Nanook or Sesi returning anytime soon. They both left me after mother died. I tried to look for them but they are not in Teekon anymore I believe. Mother's death was too much for them." Desna looked sad when saying all the bad news. Desna had the feeling that Xan was going to hate her more now, just because she was the messenger. Tears popped in her eyes when thinking about that.
It did not shock him that she'd been told stories of the woods, assuming them to have come from Scarlett. "You can't believe every story you're told," he'd pointed out, wishing to get her to ease up. To him, Blackfeather was home. There was no danger lurking in the shadows, no hidden beasts lying in wait... it was just home, the place he was there to protect, and the place that housed his family. Though, he knew, much of his family remained absent from the shaded forest. That was something he wished to change, in due time.
The message was delivered with minute finesse, the contents of it being enough to have him left speechless for a moment. Prior to their downfall, he'd always assumed that the day Scarlett died would be the very same day he died, too; whether it be literally or metaphorically, he'd never bothered to decide. That, however, was not the case. He was still very much alive, walking the earth and breathing in the air. Kove felt sympathetic towards his daughter, realizing just how much she'd lost, but when it came to her mother he just couldn't bring himself to care. The shock had caused his stomach to churn for a second or two, but after it'd settled, everything was fine again. To him, it would always be her own fault that she'd been met by such a terrible fate. Her fault for leaving, rather than staying to fight.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he'd eventually said, gaze shifting to Alexander briefly, but then flickering right back to Desna a moment later. "I know you loved your mother and sisters, and I know how losing them must feel—I wasn't much older than you when I lost my own parents and sisters, you know." Perhaps Kove knew far too well how it felt to lose one's family. "Are you doing alright?" His words were directed solely for her, Xan having been sent to the back of his mind for the time being. He could deal with the boy better when they were within Blackfeather once more, when a strong front didn't need to be put on.
She had toyed with him, or so was the way he'd seen it. Visiting, but only to deliver a message, and then humouring him by questioning if his intentions were true or not. "I want my sisters back," he'd muttered, somewhat begrudgingly. "You're my sister. Give us whatever message you have to share, and then stay." His expression hadn't softened in the slightest, but there was a silent plea in his gaze. While he'd always been loath to admit it, he could deny their relation no longer. He couldn't keep hiding away what he truly wanted, he needed someone to understand. Xan had wanted for Desna to be that someone, to be the one to understand what he wanted and to answer his wordless demands. But rather than that, there came news of disaster.
"What do you mean she died?" he questioned, staring at her with a mix of disbelief and other unreadable emotions swimming in his eyes. "She couldn't have died... you're only trying to trick us, right? To show that you'd fit in well here?" He wanted to make excuses for her words, rather than let himself accept the awful truth. His mother was dead. She had died at the claws of a cougar. She had, in his mind, died with the belief that he hated everything about her.
Desna stood before her father and brother but slowly became more and more confused. The girl listen to her father's words. He talked about that he was sorry, and that she loved her family members. But never did he speak about him loving her or missing her. Frankly she had expected him to be more upset about it. Steady was only a friend and he was all choked up about it. Her father didn't even seem phased. He really must have hated her. Desna's face frowned in her confusion looking mostly towards the ground. This might be confused with sadness, but she had peace with her mother's death. She half missed her father's question, an not really in the mood to tell him how she was feeling. How would he know?
Then Xan made her look up by the words he said. She felt a bit of hope at first but then it took a few moments to break down that bit of hope again. Desna instantly looked hurt as Xan spoke like that. "You thinking that I would lie about such a thing is insulting," she instantly hissed, hurt by his words. "I would never lie. Mother taught us better than that. If I would do that I would be no better than---" She stopped fishing that sentence. She didn't want to be like Nanook, pushing others away because they hurt her. Desna looked up at both. "I'm fine," she spoke generally to the both of them. She had been alone without her family for a long time. Even though Xan might have some care for his mother's death seeing how shocked he was, Desna felt stupid for even traveling all this way to give this information. Clearly her father couldn't care less and Xan was thinking that she would lie to make him feel hurt. Like she was that horrible. She looked upset and hurt at the same time. "I'm going to go home," she then spoke, not really feeling like staying.
The man's ears had shifted back upon hearing his son speak, seemingly trying to grasp at straws. Kove had always assumed Xan didn't care for his mother, that the bond between mother and son had been severed the very same day she'd walked away from them, but it began to dawn on him then that that wasn't quite the case. Angry he must have been, but now, after hearing of her death, he seemed distraught. A frown had since settled into the man's features, pulling down at the corner of his lips and causing his brow to furrow. Then came the words that were tossed back at him, the crushing of the boy's blind hopes, to which the Inuit had felt he'd needed to intervene. "Desna, there's no need to use that tone with him," he'd stated, fiery gaze never leaving her.
"Why are you so quick to leave?" he'd asked as soon as she'd said something about returning to her home. "You're alone there now, aren't you? Why don't you stay here with us, join the pack and stay for a while?" He wanted his family back together, for his children to live with him in the woods. It made sense, he believed, that they all be together. He didn't want for them to remain separated any longer.
She wasn't lying, and that was what hurt the most. Perhaps he would have felt better had he been left to think his mother was still alive. That, somewhere far off, she was living her life with his sisters, and that was that. Of course, such a thing could be only a dream, but now not even that was permitted to remain intact. "I..." He didn't know what to say, how to respond. His throat began to hurt, feeling as if he'd swallowed a rock. Still, he allowed no tears to fall, blinking them away time and time again. No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't let himself break down there, or anywhere. The boy needed to remain strong, or to at least act as if he was.
"You..." He paused once more, his voice failing him. "Were you there with her?" Somehow he'd managed to get the question out, voicing that which lingered on his mind. Had his mother died alone? Who all had been there? Had they even tried to save her?
Desna bared her teeth a bit at Kove, not out of aggression but wanting to get her point across. She was serious about not liking to be talked to in that way. Xan had no right to talk to her like that, state that she was some form of liar. She looked right back at him, her gaze as fierce at him. "No," she spoke shortly to the man that was her father. It was not the one she saw as a father. She had found someone else to fill that role for her white father. "You two are not going to like this, but I am going be honest here. I don't see you as my family. I grew up with another pack, I have my own believes, and grew close to other wolves. I don't even know you, Kove. I know that is your name and that you are somewhere from the North with your other language I forgot. Xan, you have never been nice to me. That is what I remember of you. You being mean to me, telling me that I was adopted like Leo. How awful is that?," she spoke to them both, not sounding angry. She was very open about it. "I do not really feel like getting to know you. Maybe later. For now you are welcome to visit me, and I assume I am welcome to visit you two, but I currently do no see you two as my family. Others have filled that role. I just lost my mother, I want to explore more of these wilds, and that means I don't have the time or energy to be in a new pack, learn the new rule, get to live with two wolves that are related to me but I do not even know. Have no one I feel close with, and most of all, leave behind the wolves that I do see as my family. So, no. Unfortunately I won't be joining you," she spoke with a small nod. It was clear that she did not meant to offend them, or mostly, hurt them. She was like stated before being honest. Not being that must of a pleaser as her mother was.
Densa cleared her throat, looking at Xan now seeing that he had asked a question. "Yes, I was," she spoke in a softer one. "In fact I was the only one there. She did not want to live anymore. She stopped eating and most of all fighting for her life. What I think happened is that she thrived on doing well by others, and knowing bits of what happened in her life, mother was bullied terribly you see, she probably thought she didn't do anything right. Losing you and Kove, feeling like she failed again was probably too much on her...." Desna paused. "The cougar attacked at a most vital part. She was starting to pick up her life again, she wanted to be a medic, expand her caretaker trade. But when looking out for herbs in the wetlands she was attacked by the stupid cat. What I know, she tried to pick up her life several times. I think being beaten down and punched to the ground, quite literally, broke her fully this time. It was sad to see her like that. But in the end, she wanted to go, she had peace with it. She couldn't get up anymore to show the world what she was made up. She kind of gave up..," Desna ended on a sad note. "Yet, I learned from it. I am going to choose for me, hence why I am honest with you two about joining this pack. I am not ready for that step, and I am going to choose me and mourn the loss of my mother with the ones I grew up with. Hopefully you have respect for that."
Kove had not taken well to the baring of her teeth, aggressive or not. While he did not return the gesture, his ears had pushed forward and his posture straightened out considerably, bringing him to his full height. He stared her down as she went about her speech, unable to accept some of her statements. "Whether you see us as it or not, we are family," he'd returned. "But I guess I can't expect you to understand that. Your mother's example of a family wasn't exactly ideal, so I can only assume what lies she told you about us. By blood, you cannot replace us, and even in spirit you will eventually see the error in your choice." The Inuit was done with the conversation, truthfully, but not yet with her. Someday, he believed, she would return to them. "You'll come back someday, I know it. Whatever wolves you've tried to replace your true family with will never be enough." They never could be enough.
When she'd answered Xan's question, going on to explain what had happened, he remained stoic. He blamed Scarlett, still, and most likely would until the day came in which he took his final breath. From him, she'd taken his children. From her, she'd taken her own life. He could see it in no other light, for the fact that she'd been too weak to carry on through life stuck out above all else. "She was never strong," he'd murmured, shaking his head and turning away. "Head back to whatever place you're now calling home. When you've come to your senses, I'll be here, waiting." A part of him wished to embrace her, to comfort her and make sure she returned safely, but he could not bring himself to do so. Desna had chosen her path, and so now he could only wait for any number of twists and turns to lead her right back to him—right back to her family. Without a proper farewell, he'd started walking away, heading back to the woods from which he'd left in order to meet her.
Last post from me. Also, this got a bit weird, aha.
Xan had hung back while his sister and father exchanged words, his own mind processing everything that was said in the meantime. Though her intentions had not been to harm either of them, he felt confident in his conclusion that Kove was hurting, even if he didn't show it in the same manner as another might. It caused the boy's ears to lay flat against his crown, uncertain of what would come from it all. He wanted her to stay, too, but understood that she didn't want to—and he felt that it was mainly his own fault that she didn't. "I didn't know any better back then," he'd voiced, attempting to defend himself and give her a reason to stay. "You weren't adopted. You're my sister, and I don't..." He had to swallow, then, nervously. "I don't want you to go again." His words, of course, were useless. It was painfully clear that she had already made her decision, and that her mind could not be changed. For the second time in his life, he would be losing his sister. One would think the pain wouldn't be as bad the second time around, but it seemed to be worse.
The details relating to his mother's death hit him hard, too, choking him up inside. "She shouldn't have given up," he'd managed to get out. "She should have fought harder, she should have come back for us." Their family should have been reunited, even if it would only have been a brief exchange. It was by then that Kove had said the last of his words and turned to leave for the woods, causing the albino's gaze to snap back and forth between the two of them. In the end, he would go with his father, but not before lingering around Desna for a bit longer. He was silent for awhile, before having finally taken a step in Blackfeather's direction. Before he could complete it, however, he'd spun around and closed the distance between himself and his sister, attempting to touch his nose to her cheek before pulling away on impulse—after all, he didn't want to risk being met by teeth. "Please come back soon, Desna. I promise I'll be a better brother the next time we see each other." After that, he lingered, listening for whatever she might have to say, and then offered his goodbyes before heading back towards the looming forest. No doubt, he would someday search for her, so that perhaps he could do what his parents had never been able to, and bring together their family once more.
Desna hated how her father spoke about her mother. The girl was certain she would never return to him. He disgusted her. The girl stepped back, not even listening to all he had to say. She had more compassion for her brother though. She looked at him and nodded.
"I will one day, but not here, by the great lake perhaps," she spoke.
"Bye, Xan," she then wished to him.
The girl didn't even gave her father another look. It was clear that it all had been his fault. Her mother had been right to leave him. He was clearly deranged, and his own culture. She would make sure to never return here. Kove ruined that just now for Desna. Talking bad about the mother she just lost made her feel sick. Desna ran off, not planning on ever returning here ever again.
- end-
Thank you for this! :O