King Elk Forest Love is the prize

I had to because of the turn of events :D

Laika's mind was whirling and a tear slid down her cheek. She let her paws take her where they wished and the led her to King Elk Forest. To the river that ran over shelves of rock and where the bud of @Casmir and her friendship was created. She didn't realize she was here until she sat down upon her rump, facing the crystal blue water. The tranquility of the place relaxed her and she slowly regained her bearings. Why was she such an emotional wreck? She was so happy that Spring had become the new Alpha, but Saena kept slipping into her head. Was she dead? Was she lost? Did something horrible happen to her? What about her pups? Her heart beat faster and faster as she thought about it and she forced herself to calm down. She had to stop thinking about this. What was done was done, and the pups where in good paws considering they had Spring, Shreya, Laika, and Casmir to look after them.

Casmir. She couldn't get that name out of her head. She shook herself, as if that would clear her mind and she slipped into the pool. The water was amazingly cool, heating be the sun and she paddled around in circles, hoping it would help her calm down. Really there was only one thing -- or person -- that would calm her thoughts, but she wouldn't admit it to herself.

three days. Saena had been gone three days and Spring had taken the Creek from her. what the actual fuck. the boy had seen his cousin before the coup -- of course she had been weird-acting and said funny shit, but why wouldn't they try and wait to see if she came back to herself?

Casmir Mayfair's loyalty was to his family, and that was Saena and her brood. no one else, and especially not a woman he knew nothing about. the whole world had gone mad, it seemed. he stalked angrily toward the glimpses of blue water he could see through the trees, hoping for a drink to to calm his hot and frayed nerves, and was immediately heartened by the sight of Laika.

"hey," he murmured, sliding into the water alongside her.

The pale women's thoughts were still whirling around her brain as the black figure waded up to her, murmuring a simple hello. She hardly noticed him. She didn't really realize he was there until her gaze focused on him. Her heart beat faster as she made eye contact with him and a long breath escaped her maw. "The world's gone mad.." Was all she could muster at the moment.

Saena was gone, the pups were alone. The pups! They would never see their mom, if Spring was correct. Never again! How horrible that must feel. She shook her head as she glanced at Casmir. "Hi." She then said with the largest smile she could muster, but it looked small and weak.

"yeah," the boy muttered, the extent of his ability to reason, to speak. without another word, he drew closer to Laika in the water and drew her into his embrace. it was for selfish reasons, he supposed, wanting to feel the touch of another so soon after losing both Aria and Saena, but more than that, the she-wolf had touched a chord in Casmir he thought was dead.

he lay his muzzle over her soaked ruff and was silent, his eyes closing as he struggled to support her in her pain even as he drew from her all that she would give.

Laika let him scoot closer to her and rest his head upon her shoulders. She buried her face in his wet chest fur and another long sigh escaped her. She missed Saena already. She couldn't help but wonder whether she was killed, or lured away. Maybe she was even lost. What if she meant to leave? Even in her crazy state, would she really leave her children behind? Laika doubted so, but then again, she wasn't Saena. Her stomach churned as the possabilities of potential reasons for her leader's disappearance whirled through her brain. She opened her mouth to speak to Casmir, but slowly closed it again. She didn't want to upset him. It probably hurt him the most, for Saena was his cousin. 

"Are you okay?" She finally asked, worried for him. She wanted to know if she could do anything to help the pain go away. He'd already done enough for her, for the mere presence of him calmed her thoughts enough to think clearly. "Is there anything I can do for you?" She could hear his head beating in his chest and she listened to it as she waited for his answer.

he had sort of half-feared that Laika would pull away, but she did not, merely moved closer and lay her head against him as well. relief bloomed in the boy and he felt closer to her than before, for in this weak time, Laika was there for him, no questions asked, and the sense of solidarity stung his throat with unshed tears. Saena was dearly missed, as was Aria, but this was now, and this girl might very well be Casmir's future.

"no," he finally sighed, pulling away and glancing skyward, hoping the tears would roll back into his head so he could cry them later. "rough week is all," Cas mumbled, stretching and wading out of the warm water.

The boy pulled away and admitted to her that it had been a tough week, but didn't go further into the topic. "Okay," she said. She guessed he didn't want to share, and she was fine with it -- however much she wanted to know about his troubles. She trailed him out of the water to the bank, standing a ways away to shake her pelt so she wouldn't shower him with unneeded droplets. Water flew everywhere, and when she was done, she was still dripping with water.

She padded closer to Casmir, waiting for him to do something... anything. She was too worn out to decide what to do next, and she just wanted to follow his lead at the moment. Perhaps that was selfish of her, for he was probably even more hurt that she was after all this.

i know this one is recent but we need an updated one! <3 fade here?

Cas wished he could tell her more, tell her about Aria and his homesickness, and how Laika herself made him feel, but he couldn't. he only had himself to talk to, and he only had himself to blame for that. Laika followed and Cas slowed so that they could walk together, finally parting his lips to murmur, "this is all i need."

a fond look to the pale girl followed; he hoped Laika had some idea of what she meant to him, even if he was too much of a chickenshit to say it.

Sure! So sad to hear about Lasher by the way! :'(

Laika listened to his quiet murmur and smiled. She cast her gaze to his, and she searched his eyes for a moment. It was the first time that she realized her true feelings for him. He meant a lot to her, and she wondered if he felt the same way. Their gazes met and it was pure fondness that was exchanged between the two.