Hideaway Strath When our fears came to life

For @Leigh. Been meaning to do this for awhile now but j got lazy. Was supposed to be a few days after the 'sacrifice' happened but for your timeline sake you may choose when although it's not meant to be a 'major' thread or anything.

Hemlocke had waited patiently for the decending of the sun. He followed the ray of light where it entered the little hollow which he rest, moving closer and closer to the entrance as the sunlight pulled away. Soon, the hellhound was released upon the world and instead of simply wandering, watching, stalking, he saught out to do something specific this time.

 He didnt search for herbs where he would rest them near the medical den @Dove was reworking on. No, he saught out Leigh, hoping to help sooth her pain after what had happened at what he knew as 'the sacrifice'. He had not been there, but he knew in far too much detail what had occurred. Hemlocke could imagine a same reaction himself if he wasbt struck still as a statue instead. 

After some time, he found her scent, followed the trail...she was ahead, but he didnt see her yet. He didnt know either, what exactly he would say or do, but just that he wanted to be there for her through it.

That works with Leigh's timeline just fine! ^_^

Ever since the execution Leigh had been restless. The only sleep she managed to get was only after her lids were too heavy to remain open, and she slipped away unintentionally only to wake up confused.

For now the woman found herself wandering quite frequently. She had tried to avoid Kynareth as much as she possibly could, and although he'd find her anyways a part of her thought that aimless walking might keep her hidden. At least long enough to think for awhile.

Now she had come to a stop and taken a rest. Seated in the middle of nowhere, Leigh was too exhausted to keep her senses sharp and realize the hellhound was close behind. Hemlocke had been good to her ever since his arrival. They hadn't spoken much, in fact, the woman hadn't truly spoken with anyone besides Kyn. But in the small instances where they crossed paths all of their interactions had been pleasant or neutral at the least.

Her eyes were focused on something far in the distance. No matter how good or bad the hellhound's advice may be, she'd appreciate the company. He was one of the few wolves who hadn't participated, whether than be by choice or chance. But regardless of reason, Leigh found it easier to speak with a wolf who hadn't murdered an innocent.

She was still in her placement within their woodland, a place he felt, much more beautiful then that which they had left behind. Not only a woodland, but with wetlands not far filled with herbs and fungi for their medicines, and mountain terrain still for good cover and storage away from the elements. A perfect little hidden paradise and within it he would come slowly at the side of Leigh. 

As he nears, he rounds to her side, keeping a safe distance should she not want someone so near. I... His groveled tones came out, slow with hesitance as per usual whilst he fought the right words to say though his mind constantly flooded with words left unsaid. I'm so sorry I couldnt be there. She, who took the mantle as a bit of a guide during their travels, knew like anyone else why he had not been there. 

Large paws shift, toying at the earth as he breaks his bloodied gaze from her and out to the mountain view around them. I just thought it was a bit of a gathering, a happy celebration for our new home. His large ears fell back, knowing the scenario had been anything but happy. He missed out on it, sure, but now more then ever he was glad for it. He just wished that Leigh had missed out on it too.

Leigh was unsure how exactly she felt. On one hand she welcomed the company and wanted nothing more than some comforting words. But on the other, she simply didn't feel like talking. There was still so much she wanted to say, but her mind was far too exhausted to string together long sentences.

"As did I."

Her responce to the hellhound's last comment was short and simple. The woman had also thought the meeting would be in regards to their new home. Perhaps in some disturbed way it was. A 'welcome home' celebration.

She sat silently for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Leigh didn't want to seem rude and thought giving a proper reply would help ease the tension.

"It isn't your fault you couldn't come. Even if you had been there, with all the madness going on, I doubt you could have stopped it either."

The she-wolf's face was rather stale in appearance, neutral and stiff. Though a certain sadness remained within her eyes. She knew that if she sat ten wolves down and explained her situation, at least nine would tell her to leave. And yet she couldn't bring herself to do such a thing. Maybe Hemlocke would give her some answers.

"I'm not sure why I'm still here. Well, actually, I mean, I do, but I'm not sure why I think that's a good enough reason to stay."

It was quaint then, that he would come to her. A man who more often then not simply stared and watched others from afar or who could follow them behind on their patrols as though silent support should anything go wrong. He had always valued the life of others over himself after all. Hemlocke could sit quietly next to her and be completely fine by that, but this night he would speak with her if to help her try to move past the tragety which had occured.

She was silent for awhile and he found himself turning down on thin hips to settle to the ground next to her. Dark eyes looking out over the beauty which was their new home. Then, she spoke and he of course would listen. 

The hellhound could agree with her, that even there, the two of them (one smaller then most here and the other nearly blinded by day) against all of the pack wouldnt get very far. He wondered then why she had decided to still stay. She knew but didnt say and so, Hemlocke offered his own reasoning first.

I thought when I came here, maybe I could make a difference. Do good for those who usually are only met with wrongs. See the good in them, where they gave me the chance by seeing it in me. And he did see the good in them...in @Derg with how delicate and caring he was to @Arlette, though he had not formally met the girl. In @Nyra, who was born into similar circumstances as he and @Dove who healed those sick of mind and spirit. And Leigh, of course... I dont know why Donovan does what he does and I dont condone it, I never could. I would have fought him to protect that girl that day, if I could. But when I came to the cannon, I came to die... and he found reason for my existence.

He breaths a heavy sigh, turning away from the woodlands and to her, to meet the full features of her delicate, sweet face. Why is it you stay?

Though Leigh wasn't directly facing the hellhound, her attention was focused purely on his voice. For now she didn't want to bother with the stress of eye contact. To some it was a sign of respect, but for the woman it was an unnecessary gesture. And right now she was too tired to even turn her head. But she listened nontheless, and offered a small nod in agreement.

Why is it that Leigh stayed, despite everything that had happened? It was one of the biggest mysteries of the universe.

Perhaps it was those like Locke himself. The friendships she had built and didn't want to leave behind. Perhaps it was survival, for Leigh knew how difficult it could be as a lone wolf. Or perhaps it was denial. Maybe she couldn't bear giving into the truth that Kynareth, the first wolf she met since arriving, was now a monster.

"I can't say for sure.."

Her voice softened to a whisper, and even after considering all the possibilities she still couldn't pinpoint an answer. A real answer.

"It's like there's something telling me to stay. As if something is going to happen and I need to be here for it. And despite now much I want to leave, the world has other plans for my future."

And though her reasons were far different then Hemlocke's own, he was thankful that they could settle next to one another as opposed to facing one another. Looking to the wolf you spoke with could mean respect to some, though looking directly in their eye can mean disrespect or threatening to others. Hemlocke, who more often or not shied away from others, did often so because he did not like being stared at-though many times in his life he had been, granted the very obvious differences he held from what was a true wolf. If he wasn’t gawked at because of this, it was because of his very tell figure, yet just as much so leggy, with sharp bloody eyes who only and ever was seen in the night. And, more so not speaking often and only seen in such night, had sometimes had been thought as not even real. Alas, his own self hatred by his upbringing had much to do with his insecurities. Thus far, Leigh, Nyra & Donovan had been given the most of his time when it came to actual conversation.

She never questioned what he had said. Why he didn’t see the good in himself, why he had come to be killed by the Saints. Maybe she thought best not to prod him. Maybe she didn’t care. Either way, his ears would perk high to her own words and then the slightest of smiles would touch his inky lips. The Gods speak to you. If only he too, would have been seen by them, been given some sign that he was on the right path. He assumed he out of anyone however was deserving to be pressed to an extreme when it came to tests of faith.

They do not often speak with words, but pull you, direct you with your very emotions. Like a gut feeling, or prickle at the back of your neck. Or with visions, some may brush away as simply dreams or nightmares. The Gods see all, know all. They have a path laid for you and you must choose to take it or turn away it. He didn’t speak much, but when you got him going about religion and remedies, there you have it.

Excuse me, if you do not believe... Some did, some didn’t. Donovan he was not so certain of though Hemlocke had spoken to him of them before. Whether or not there was Gods or there wasn’t, Donovan didn’t give to shits because he wasn’t going to have someone have control of his life-a concept that was really not his to disagree or not to but something Hemlocke would not argue, either. Though Nyra believed in such evils beyond the realms of mortals, as did Derg, who had once shown fear at the thought that Hemlocke could have been a protect of evil. Either way, Hemlocke was here, trying all that he might that even if the Devil himself had seeded his mother, he was not the evil which he had been thought to become.

The Gods spoke to her?

As much as Leigh appreciated the hellhound's oddly comforting words, she wasn't entirely sure if she could bring herself to agree. The woman was a nobody. Yes, she contributed to the world here and there, but picking apart the specific language and tone Hemlocke used when speaking of religion, he would have definitely been a better wolf to receive the messages of Gods.

So why would the Gods choose her instead? It was only until her ears captured the following sentences did she begin to understand. Ah, so they didn't pick wolves to be special. They instead guided wolves through their own individual lives. If only they had spoken to the woman sooner. Maybe things would have been different.

Locke spoke of a gut feeling, a tingling, a dream or even a pull. Leigh knew exactly what the wolf was describing, for she had felt it along the way to Teekons after leaving home. It was like a tugging on her heart, and if she dared stray away from the path it lied out for her, it'd bring her great pain. Could the Gods not afford to be just a little nicer with their messages?

"No no, it's alright. I definitely believe, but, what you call the Gods is what I call the red thread."

It sounded, to put it simply, a little stupid. Comparing higher beings to string? Hoping to avoid any potential insult, Leigh decided to speak up once more and explain.

"Where I come from, some wolves at some point in their life feel as if they're being pulled towards a certain direction. So we call that feeling the red string of fate, as if it's actually connected to our hearts and something is pulling on the other side."

The she-wolf couldn't tell if her explanation helped. Maybe it just made the concept sound even dumber. But, too late now. Might as well finish her little lecture and completely destroy her dignity.

"It's often used in situations involving one wolf meeting another. But that doesn't mean it can't also pull you to something else. And if it is another wolf, it could simply be a friend. I suppose in my case it decided to kick me to the curb and give me Kynareth."

Half of her was joking, the other half, not. The moment Leigh had stepped foot in this new land, the tugging stopped. Then the first wolf she met was Donovan Azura. And for a while they were indeed friends, but in her experience, the thread's mission was to bring a wolf to something beneficial. All it had brought her to was plain. A trick. Unless it wasn't. Maybe the woman was mistaken this entire time, and she wasn't pulled to Donovan like she originally thought. Maybe, instead, she had been pulled to Donovan because of something he could give her. At least that thought made her feel a little better. Her fate using Kynareth as a puppet.

Perhaps it was helping Nyra? Well, no, she ripped a beating heart from an innocent's chest. Maybe, just maybe she was brought here to fix Kynareth? No, fuck that. Or was it someone like Locke? A friend? Someone who could help her through a tough time like this? Sure, but, why the fuck couldn't they just have met somewhere else? God, oh why god did the Saints have to be involved?

Leigh objects any dislike for the conversation, stating that she did believe in a 'higher power' or forces which were beyond the realm of wolf and earth. She called it 'the red thread'. His head tilts, large ears cupping forward, curious. She explained, the name coming about from the 'pull' which they were both referring to. An invisible connection between the wolf's very insides to that of which they were destined. He figured if they were both correct in their beliefs, the red string, as it were, was the cord which the Gods used to tug them along which way they wanted their mortal puppets to turn. For Leigh, she thus far had not seen the good in it. The Gods were tricky that way. Sometimes it was trials of pain before finding the pleasure. Sometimes, it was simply cruelty, karma, for a wolf's former bad choices. 

Which it was for Leigh, he didn't know. 

Hemlocke couldn't help the small chuckle, a deep note from the depth of his barreled chest. Maybe Don just happened to be standing in the way, being a big oof and all. A friendly smirk and then, Look beyond one wolf and look to the individuals you live among as a whole. Like you said, you might be here because something will happen. I'm sure you'll know it when you see it. She wasnt a closed minded wolf, this was certain in her belief that there was more then just what meets the eye and there were greater things far from a wolf's full understanding. After all, the world was a big place, but the skies above? Endless. Limitless. 

You can stay here, find out what it is you need to do for yourself or be it you need to do for someone else. But your not trapped here. Not like often he had felt in his life which went far beyond just the Saints. He was limited to the night hours and so with it, forced to make sure he had a place to hunker down away from the light of day. A vampire needed his crypt. Get out of these walls for a bit, breathe freely.

The day hadn't been great and yet Locke managed to bring a smile to the woman's lips. The hellhound was kind, but he was also understanding and willing to listen or even accept other's opinions and thoughts. It was refreshing, to meet such an open wolf. And she was glad he agreed with her theory.

Indeed, Kynareth easily got in the way of things, and perhaps this was just a case of him hiding something behind his back. Unfortunately Leigh still had to suffer through conversations with the alpha to get to whatever she had been led here to do.

"I suppose you're right. I can't bring myself to leave, not forever, especally since I now have people I care about here. But perhaps a few days to myself might be nice."

Figured we could wrap this up and have a newer one sometime soon? January will be slow for me though just fyi!

She seemed better, happier then when he had first come to her side this night. The sudden knowledge of that made the half-breed's heart flutter; to know he was doing some good here in this pack. He had originally thought he had come to The Saints doorstep to die but the Gods had a different plan for him. Hemlocke had come here to live, to find a means to his life he had not yet discovered. Maybe, hopefully, the Gods had not given up on him just yet. Maybe some of them were rooting for the little antichrist. 

When you do go, would you tell me of your travel? He spoke, curious still of the world around him, though he had already done quite some traveling in his young life. If you, he hesitates a moment and then shrugs, Need me, for anything... I'm always around. There is a small sheepish smile tossed to the pretty little wolf before he then turns and makes his way into the gloom.

Sure, of course!

It seemed the meeting was coming to a close, though Leigh listened to the last few words exchanged with a smile. There was indeed a happiness of some sort swirling in her heart, but the internal conflict still hadn't left her mind. Still so much to think about, still so much to decide. The woman was still even unsure whether or not she'd travel, and if she did, where she would end up.

But it seemd Hemlocke wanted to know of her adventures nontheless, and she'd be pleased to share when she returned home. Nodding in response to the hellhound's request, her smile only widened at his parting words. Regardless of how Locke thought of himself, Leigh knew, she truly knew he had a kind soul.