Backdated to the 1st of November!
@Steady
When Valette rose in the morning the world was covered in a thick fog. The female wolf stretched herself and then with one glance she knew that she was not being able to observe the der herds in the meadow. She couldn't see a thing. The beta did want to be useful for her pack so she decided that she would give marking the borders a whirl. The young female causally trotted to the border unaware what happened there.
She started working her way around the forest until she reached the edge and followed that. They didn't take up the whole wood after all. Her mind was casually roaming about random things when she suddenly smelled blood. She was quick to track it, being the hunter that she was. The fog slowly made way, showing more. Was that a body? She wondered why someone would make a kill and leave it at the borders instead of in one of the caches.
She approached it, as she did she realized that this was not a prey. A gasp came from her lips and she froze in horror as she recognized the body. The mutilated body. there was no head, but she did recognize her body shape and color. Althaia. Valette's mind instantly went to the children. She howled for Steady instantly, making sure it sounded alarming. They failed in protecting her. Valette knew Steady was going to take this personally, feeling like he failed. The pups. Where where her pups? They would need to look for them!
Steady didn't like the fog. As a guardian, it completely worked against his vision and made it so much harder to see far away. Plus, the moisture in the air seemed to make scents harder to follow. He growled, as if it would scare away the low-lying clouds. It didn't.
His heart seemed to stop when Valette's call rang out. It sounded different; urgent. He immediately kicked off with his back legs, and fogged be damned, he ran as fast as he could, dodging trees as they came into view. He spotted Valette, though he was much closer since it was hard to see in any real distance. The smell of blood hit him and, assuming it was her, nosed her to see if she was alright. His hackles were raised in alert, but he found nothing. Until he stepped to the side and the body came into view. He didn't seem able to register it at first, as if his brain flat out refused to. He stepped forward, and, confirming who it was, growled lowly. His teeth flashed in anger at the condition of her body. Not only did they kill her, but they took her head—as a prize?
Steady swallowed thickly. As the pack's only guardian, he felt it was his responsibility to keep all of his family safe. Althaia and her pups had not been with them long, but he felt just as responsible for her as he did the others. And he had failed her. It was a long few minutes before Steady could bring himself to look to his Beta. Do you recognize the scents here? he asked. As Valette had been to many of the packs, maybe she could identify who did this. He lowered his head again, sniffing around. As a new, familiar, scent reached him, he couldn't believe it. Witchhazel was h-here, he said to Valette, his voice breaking.
Valette could hear Steady approach, after all hearing such a call and heading too it didn't make one very stealthy. It would probably have even the other way around. The girl flushed lightly as the male instantly came to check upon her. It was sweet and she rather liked that. Though the small moment was soon disrupted when Steady found out the real cause of the blood scents. Valette shook her head lightly, when Steady asked if she could recognize any smell. "I don't know, the scent of blood is overwhelming," she admitted. Though the tracker rechecked and gave it a good sniff. The female looked over the body too but soon the visual and the scent of blood made her unable to smell more than blood and Althaia's scent.
"Why would anyone do this?," she asked. There were so many questions in her mind right now. She looked at Steady with a light frown. "Do you think this kill is an unfortunate event? Or did you know if she had enemies?" The female blinked when Steady smelled Witchhazel. She hoped it was just her scent in her mother's fur, but maybe she had been taken too. "We should look for her... And... the others. Oh no Steady. Her babies. Who is going to look after them? They were still nursing right?"
He frowned as Valette pointed out that any scents other than the blood were hard to pick up, but he couldn't argue with her. He lowered his head to the ground, hoping to find something they could track, but it seemed pointless. When Valette began to ask questions, he lifted his head to look at her. It was clear she was upset over this, and Steady moved to her side to try and comfort her. As a Guardian, Steady had been in fights, so blood didn't mean a lot to him. However, he had never seen it in this amount, either.
When she came here, she told me some of a troubled past. I knew she was running from someone, but I don't know who, he confessed. Looking back now, he wished he would have asked more questions, pushed Althaia to tell him more. But, it would have caused her pain. And he had no idea this would happen.
At the mention of the pups, Steady responded immediately. I'll take care of them, he said. I think they're old enough to start eating regurgitated meat. Though their mother's milk would be good for them still, they may be able to survive without it. He hoped, anyways. They need to be kept in the heart of the territory, and not allow anyone to come into the territory unless they are a member of the pack. No visitors, he said.
He looked back to Althaia. She needs to be buried. Her body is going to attract everyone within a few miles. You don't have to help if you can't, he said. He wouldn't blame Valette if she didn't want to do. It was a hard task for anyone.
Valette disliked the idea that she had been running from someone and that she had been found. The female felt a bit unsafe, but she would never admit that to Steady because that might hurt his feelings as a guardian. She hoped that the one that had murdered her wouldn't come back for them or maybe bring his or her's whole pack and start a war. She was worried. It was clearly seen on her face. She was not a fighter herself she was more of a provider. "Let us hope they don't return."
Valette nodded. It made sense seeing that Steady took care of Adeline too. Valette never had too much interest in being a parent for Adeline. "No visitors. Got it," she repeated first because it was important enough. Valette sucked in some air. "Well that does make sense for you to raise them, and I of course will help with that. I am the main hunter so I will bring you meals and such," she decided instantly. She couldn't let Steady provide for them alone they were a pack. Valette was briefly worried she had to learn how to fight.
She let out a soft huff. "Of course I will help," she let out, toughening her voice. "Um.. though.. You can move her," she admitted. She rather preferred the digging part. Valette looked with worry at Steady I really hope they don't come back here. I don't want to lose anyone,"[/b] she admitted to him. Valette then trotted to the tree line where the forest started and started digging by the roots of a tree. She would be good nutrients for the soil around the tree and the tree itself.
A corner of his lip rose as Valette voice her hope that they didn't return. He hoped, too, but if they did, they would have to deal with him. He would make sure of it. While Althaia had not been a member of their family for long, that didn't matter to him. He was taking this personally, since they had the balls to do it on his borders.
He gave her a nod. I appreciate you helping out with them, he said. He knew he should show more gratitude for her for that, but right now, they had business to do. He nodded again when he was placed with the responsibility of moving Althaia's body. He was bigger, stronger, and it would be easier for him. He paused as Valette expressed again the hope that the murderer wouldn't return. It would be a long time before Steady forgave himself for this happening and putting that fear into Valette.
He grabbed the body by the skin of her shoulders, and began to drag it to the spot where Valette was digging the grave. When his Beta was finished, he pushed the body, as gingerly as he could, into the hole. He paused then, looking down at Althaia. I'm sorry I failed you, he said, his voice barely above a whisper. But, he knew he would do what he could to not fail her children. Then, he began to shuffle dirt into the hole to bury Althaia.
Valette firmly nodded and then went to the tree line to start digging the female's grave. She wanted Althaia's body to feed the trees and their lands, not be fed on by other predators. The female eagerly started digging wanting this body to be gone from their borders. She didn't wish to think about it too much because it worried her. The young female worked with a merciless pace to pull up the ground. When Steady came with the body she stood next to the grave. "Hopefully you are at rest, Althaia."
Valette didn't even catch Steady's soft words. The female helped Steady with getting the dirt back over the body till it was fully covered. This was better though it felt wrong to burry her without her head. She slowly shook her head. "I'm going to clean myself in the river. Feel free to come with me but I do understand if you need to go to her pups or well, your young now." The female felt dirty and hot, and wouldn't mind to cool down.
Steady did his best not to look at the body directly, as it only reminded him of his failure. Instead, the images in his mind were of Althaia, alive and well. He had heard that some wolves believed in some afterlife, that when a wolf died, a part of them went somewhere else so that they could live on in peace. Steady wasn't sure it was true, or if he really believed it, but if it was, he hoped Althaia was there, along with the rest of his lost family.
At Valette's words, Steady craned his neck to look try and look at himself. He couldn't really see, but he could smell, and he smelled like blood and death. Looking back to Valette, he said, I'll come with you. I don't want to go see the pups smelling like I do. He turned to head that way, assuming they would walk side by side. Steady didn't have much to say, as he was still processing this turn of events. What would he say to the pups? How was he going to convince them that he was their parent now? He didn't know.
Fading with yours? Or we can take it to the river! ^_^
Let's fade here! :D
Valette could smell all the grime and death on Steady too and she disliked the smell heavily on him. It reminded her of the smell that her father was carrying and it was not something that she would encourage him to wear more often. The female walked with him to the river, both in silence. It was quite a shock what happened at their border. Valette hoped that her kids would be okay. Perhaps she should go ask around for WitchHazel.
The dark colored female was glad when she could step in the cold river. She could mentally let all the worries be washed away by the stream. Hopefully their pack would be safe from danger. But she would do anything to fight for them. Perhaps she should ask Steady teach her how to fight...
- end-