Silver Creek I can tell you where I'm going but don't ask where I've been

The days had stretched on and on, winding and endless in the passage of time. Truly, Dagfinn had no idea how long it'd been since he'd met and courted Amber in the river (Too long, he thought, too long...), but his wanderings had eventually led him in the direction he knew her borders to be in.

Burke's assurances had kept him away, at first. He'd wanted to believe that leaving Amber on her own would be - maybe not the right thing, but - an acceptable thing to do. His conscience, though, had convinced him otherwise, and it was time to face the music. Time to see if anything had truly come of their close encounter. Time to follow up on all those promises he'd made to her, that lovely, dark-furred, blue-eyed girl....

Truly, it was not so bad a fate. To have a life filled with youth and laughter, to have a beautiful woman to stand by - their days apart had taught him that his future was bright, and it was right for him to go to her, whatever Burke seemed to believe. He was going to do the right thing.

When he reached the borders of Silver Creek, Dagfinn howled without fear in his voice, without reservation. With a jolt, he realized he was excited to see her mate once again, and excited to see what changes pregnancy had wrought on her body. He was excited to be a father, and he was happy.

Much as Amber had been traveling around recently, today was one of the rare cases in which she was actually home. Thankfully, too, because when the call of her mate rang out for her, the fae rushed to answer it first. She didn't want any of the Creekers finding him first and seeing his age - only Heston knew there was more than one male. 

Trotting into view of his smokey frame, Amber felt a grin split her face. When she got to him, however, she crossed the border and ushered him a couple yards away. Hormones of pregnancy leaked from her, her torso was bloated, and the fur of her belly was beginning to thin, but she was still far too early to have a real "baby bump". Amber was none the wiser about Burke and what he'd said about her, that he'd tried to make Dagfinn abandon her, and ignorance was bliss. Pressing into his chest with a warm greeting, she reached up and planted a kiss on his muzzle. 


                            "Hello, Dagfinn - what brings you to Silver Creek this afternoon?"

His beautiful girl came almost at once to his call, and immediately ushered him away from the borders. Dagfinn heeded her without question, easily allowing himself to be led away. It did not seem strange to him that he would not be welcome in the territory, and he was happy enough to see his pretty mate once again.

There was something different about her scent. Dagfinn couldn't be sure if it was the absence of her heat or the addition of something else, but he found that he liked it all the same. She was just as sweet-smelling, though her scent alone no longer woke in him the desperation he'd felt on that day. It was a welcome reprieve - he'd worried that he would always feel that way in her presence. To find that it was not so was a relief, more than anything.

"Amber," he greeted warmly, accepting her kisses and bestowing upon her muzzle a few eager licks of his own. "How are you? Do you feel different?" he wondered, leaning down a bit to peer sideways at her belly. No changes, as far as he knew - but then, he couldn't really remember what he belly had looked like. Just that it hadn't been too round. Looks the same, he thought with a shrug, focusing his attention back on her face. His breath caught silently in his throat as he looked again on her eyes - so beautiful and blue! He did not know exactly what shade his own were, but he knew that they could not be nearly so entrancing as hers.

Nothing was more beautiful than Amber.

She heard the howl.  Instantly the Alpha began to make her way towards it wondering who it might be.  A possible recruit perhaps?  So with that in mind she speed up her pace.  Silver Creek was in need of more followers after all.  Finally she arrived and stopped in her tracks for just a moment before continuing.

She felt like she was intruding in a way but ignored the feeling continuing onwards toward her sister and the male.  She did not know yet of this males true purpose of being here although she did have suspicions.  So as soon as she closed in the space between her and the pair she began to speak directed towards the male.  "Who are you?"

Dag's receptiveness to her was astounding, and it spurred her on as fast as it wiped away her guilt - she really did like the male, and was forever thankful that he was willing to help her from afar, even if she'd technically lied to him. To her, though, lie was a strong word for this situation - she'd never told him he was the only one, she never said THEY were going to have pups. They were going to become closer though, and if Day never came back then was she just going to lie forever?

His kisses over her washed away the worries crowding her mind - but before she has a chance to do anything her ocean eyes catch the approaching Spring as Dag is looking her over. In her rush to whisper to him, some of her words come out in her other language, taking more time - but she has rather missed the easy, flowing words of French.

               "That is the alpha of Silver Creek, my sœur, my sister Spring - she's not happy with my recklessness of finding a mate I don't know to father my enfants - children. We argumenté- argued-, I was more than rude and got rétrogradés - demoted - to Omega , but I believe it was partly for good reason."

Spring comes right to them, as is her right, and Amber falls silent before she can come into hearing distance - surprisingly, her body language does not turn to anger, but the broken way she'd left her sister in last time. Her tail goes limp, settling against the earth she sits upon while leaning into the smoky figure of Dagfinn. Her ears fall, and she presses her face into his shoulder, but her saddened eyes fall on the face of her once so familiar younger sibling. Her words are soft, and while she doesn't give his name - leaving the actual introductions to Dag - Amber points out what Spring was already told before.

                                               "This is the man I told you would be helping me with the litter."

Dag's ears twitched in worry as he listened to Amber's hurried explanation. Shame surged through him as he realized that part of Burke's warnings had been correct - he'd helped this woman disobey - or displease, at least - her alpha. To a wolf like Dagfinn, who had a high respect for authority figures, it was a terrible affront. Still, he could not find it in his heart to resent the sweet woman who now stood beside him. Instead, he would merely seek to make amends with Spring.

"Rouva," he said with a deep bow as the alpha drew near. "I am Dagfinn Ansbjørn III, devoted mate to your sister. Rest assured - I will work night and day to provide and care for both your sister and the pack that our children will be born into!"

His declaration was, perhaps, a little to vehement for a first meeting, but Dagfinn was a theatric fellow. He was passionate even just talking about the weather - of course his true interests would be spoken of with fervor.

Amber's reaction surpirsed her, as she had expected her sister to still be angry, yet she just wasn't.  Spring gave a slow nod at Amber's explanation her eyes then scanning the male.  The male who had taken her sister as his mate.  The first word rouva was foreign to her, but luckily every word after that was in the common tongue.  Yet she was curious to see him bow.  While perhaps it was a custom or whatever from wherever he was from, Spring wasn't too into bowing before your leaders.  She made no comment of it though.  

When Dagfinn, as he called himself, finished speaking she found herself wondering how he intended to care for her sister and their children if he was from another pack.  So she decided to ask him.  Perhaps he wanted to come to the Creek?  Either way Spring would stay wary of him.  While her sister seemed to have feelings for this male, Spring herself had had a terrible expierence in her past from a rushed relationship.  She loved her sister no matter what and just didn't want Amber to go through what she had.

"How do you intend to care for the children and my sister if you live somewhere else Dagfinn?  Are you interested in joining the Creek?"  She eyed him curiously with a hardened look in her eyes.  "I love my sister Dagfinn and I just wouldn't want her to go through any unnecessary troubles like I have."  Spring left it at that, awaiting Dagfinn's reply.

Worried as her news seemed to make her mate, he seemed okay to answer Spring with lavish words and promises. His bow brought a smile to her face, but it fell just as swiftly as it came. Refusing to meet Spring's eyes even as she spoke in her defence, Amber stayed silent - she would allow Dagfinn to answer this one, for she was curious to this herself. Spring hadn't seemed to realize he was too young to father kids - and if nobody was the wiser, maybe she could keep this up a while longer! Of course, ALL of this could have been avoided if she'd just asked Spring her standing on bastards - or if she'd have just asked her sister for a family in the first place. Still slumped against the side of her smoky mate, Amber turned her deep blue eyes up to him in question. She would not guide his decision this time - whether he was here or not was find by her.

Admittedly, the male was a little stumped at Spring's question. He knew that he'd hunt for his family and protect the from harm, but he hadn't thought about how his own pack might feel about that. After all the trouble Burke had gone to in consoling him, he had to imagine that they would be happy he'd gone back to see the lady of his heart. Still, he answered what he could while he tried to think of an adequate response to what he wasn't so sure about.

"I can hunt for her no matter what pack I am in," he said with certainty, knowing that he could provide what was needed for his mate and their young. He'd hunted in far less plentiful places, and in worse climates than these. "And if it will make her happy, I will stand sentry at the borders while she sleeps."

Could he really join the Creek pack, though? Burke had been so kind to him... but not to Amber. He'd said mean things about Amber. They'd hate him if they knew he'd gone back... if they knew he was wasting his energy here when he could be using it to further their pack. Something cold and unfamiliar grew in Dagfinn's heart, but he was still not ready to relinquish his esteem for the first ones to take him in.

"I cannot join Silver Creek just yet," he said after a moment, speaking to Amber and Spring both. "I have given my allegience to another pack, and they must... they must be notified of my leave."

The guy sounded a little naive to Spring when he said that he  could hunt for Amber no matter what pack he was in.  That he could stand sentry at the borders while Amber slept.    He just couldn't have a paw in two worlds though.  Spring just wasn't very sure how this current plan would work out successfully.  Then he went on to give her not a totally clear answer to her question which rather confused her.

He said that he could not join Silver Creek yet.  So did that mean that Dagfinn would want to join eventually or was he unsure as of the moment?  She eyed him curiously for a moment as if looking into a puzzle before she began to speak.  "I must say Dagfinn that I am curious what you mean by saying you can't join Silver Creek yet? Does that mean that you wish to one day join us hear at the Creek or you are currently undecided?"

Spring had not yet noticed Dagfinn's age.

Even to Amber, Dagfinn's words were niave - even if he was willing to go back and forth and hunt for her, to guard her at night, that would mean his own pack would lose everything he had to offer. If somehow he managed to do both, he would wear himself out and run himself dead - which would be of no help to anyone. 

While his rejection of the pack - for now - didn't really hurt all that bad, Amber was worried about what her sister would think. If she rejected this plan, or worse, Dag, what would she do? Joining his pack was always an idea - she had no idea that his alpha male was heated about this - but Grayday was her main worry. If he came back for her, none of this would matter: she would have a husband, a family, and somewhere to call home. 

Staying silent, Amber turns her attention from wolf to wolf as they speak. She has nothing to say yet, no reason to object.

Dagfinn glanced to Amber for help, confused and frustrated by how this introduction was going. He'd thought it a good enough plan, but now Spring was doubting him while Amber stayed silent, and all the reasons this was a bad idea came rushing back to him.

I have to get away from this, he thought, but he had to do his duty. Do what he believed his father would have done, what Dagfinn knew was right. Heräät karhu, tapaat karhun, Askel would say, and Dag certainly had woken a bear - Was this one bigger than he had the strength to fend off?

It took all the young male's strength to grin through the turmoil choking off his lungs, and to turn away from the very real part of him that want to just turn tail and run - his legs were long, and they would never catch up to him before he got back to his family, back to his Lotte and her comforting words and warm fur and fun stories. He'd thought that love would be like that - like a fairytale from his youth. He'd thought that he would be the hero of the tale, swooping in a saving the day and providing for the damsel in distress.

But he looked to Amber, and she was silent, and Dagfinn realized that he was the damsel in this tale.

"I don't know what to do," he murmured, broken. "Just - will you tell me what to do?"

He spoke the words aloud, to the conversation at large and not just to the woman who'd guided him thus far. He'd tried Amber's way, he'd tried Burke's way, he'd tried his own way and all had failed. Maybe Spring would be better. She had to be.

He asked her what to do.  At first Spring found herself unsure of the moment, unsure how to answer his question, but when she fianlly came down to her answer she knew she would not be changing it.  This would always remain her perspective whether or not Dagfinn didn't like it.  So she quickly shifted through everything that she had decided to say before she began to speak.

"Dagfinn I only have one opinion on this matter for my own reasons.  I believe that it would be best for you to come to the Creek and the main reason that I am saying this is that you can't be in two places at once all the time.  Eventually one way or another you will have to choose.  Family and a new pack or your current pack."  At this statement Spring raised her gaze to meet Dagfinn's wishing to hear what he would say to her statement.

Well thats cool, the reply I made a day or so ago never posted. T_T Sorry for the hold up! I've been sick and such - I really thought my last post stuck.

Dagfinn crumbled under the pressure - had Amber made the right decision in taking him as the father? The smoky male asked Spring what he should do - much to the annoyance of Amber. She didn't show it though, keeping a mask of numbness and general uncaring. It was an awful thing to do, consitering everyone (except Heston) assumed he was the father of her kids, someone she was supposed to love: the words she did speak were neither cold or warm, but fact, to her. 

                                      "You just do what you think is best for YOU."

Her eyes were on her paws as she sat beside Dag, just close enough for their fur to mingle, but not close enough to actually touch. Maybe it was just her hormones raging, but anger surged through her - the only thing to show it was the single lash of her tail.

Spring's voice was calm and steady, her words reasonable and not unkind. He raised a paw to step toward the woman but faltered as Amber spoke - not seeming to agree with her sister. Not seeming to disagree.

Dagfinn gazed between the two, heart heavy as he tried to puzzle through it all. What was best? What did he want? There was no easy answer. He wanted Lotte, mostly.

"I will... I will think about it," he said after a moment, tail swishing weakly as he tried to convey his thanks to them both for their input. For now? He just wanted to get away. It didn't matter that he'd just arrived, or that he hadn't gotten the chance to really speak to Amber.

With one last glance at the dark shewolf's belly, he turned and disappeared quickly into the trees.

She did not like his response.  As he turned away after giving a lame reply her hackles rose slightly, ears falling back against her skull.  This was not a Father.  No.  The was a boy.  It wasn't because of his age - which she had not noticed - that she thought this.  No, it was because of his attitude.  You could not be in two places at once.  His judgement just sucked.

Her head swiveled to her sister, slowly letting go of her angry posture.  "I don't like him."  She hissed.  "He does not seem like a true Father to me, he seems like a boy.  A naive boy who doesn't know how to grow up Amber!  He can't be in two places at once."  Then she turned abruptly and made her leave without a glance over her shoulder.  "Make the right choice Amber, do the right thing for your pups.  Don't make a mistake like I did."

Then she was gone.