Silver Creek life and livelihood

@Spring I'll start! :3

By nature and purpose, Shreya spent so much time teaching and not much time learning. What was there left for an old wolf to learn? Well, plenty. About her surroundings, about the world in general, and about the always-changing psychologies available to her. But she was mostly interested in learning about the people around her, and it occurred to Shreya then that her meetings with her Alpha had always been very focussed on advice and development.

So this afternoon she put her snout to the ground in an effort to track down her young leader and do some learning of her own.

Spring stalked low on the ground after a skinny rabbit nibbling on the grass.  She had tracking it for a little while now, taking many precautions to not spooke it.  Now she was here though and ready to catch it.  Carefully, slowly and quietly Spring got closer, until she just had to make a bite to it's neck to kill it.  Spring darted forward.  She aimed for the neck.  She missed.

Ugly words bubbled at the tip of her tongue wanting to be let out and for a moment she considered it.  Yet she didn't for certain reasons, something including her Father.  Spring stayed quiet and bit her toungue.  She sat.  The agouti stayed like this for around five minutes until she noticed a grey figure in the distance.  Is that Shreya?  Spring wondered for a moment, it looked like the older female even from this distance.  She stayed where she was until finally she stood and began to make her way towards her subordinate and friend as curiousity overtook her.

"Hello Shreya."  Spring called out, when the distance between them had closed a little bit more.  "How are you?"  Spring then asked as a follow up question, curious as to what Shreya was up to.  Did Shreya wish to give her another lesson?  That was what Spring expected, but she wasn't entirely sure, so she waited for Shreya to speak.

As she neared the female, Shreya properly regarded her, taking in each speck of her appearance. The large scars — where were they from? The mottled coat — from which side of her family had she inherited it? And the ebbing expression of frustration on her face, which emphasised the fact that she was perhaps not as young as she looked.

Afternoon, Shreya greeted, and dipped her head respectfully. I'm chipper, she replied. But more interested in how you're doing. In fact, if you have a moment I thought it about time I get to know you better.

Spring was glad to hear that Shreya was in a good mood to day, feeling cheery and lively as she had said: "Chipper."  Yet when Shreya began to ask about her past, as she had hinted when she said when that she wanted to get to know Spring better, Spring stood still for a few seconds, images of her past flying fast through her mind, painful, pleasant, sad, joyful and so much more.  For a moment mixed emotions shone in her eyes, but then she blinked and held it for a moment, willing the memories to go away for now.  The blink only lasted a few seconds though and when Spring opened them back up, she was suddenly scared that she had appeared as weak in front of Shreya.  So she tried to cover it up.  "I'm sorry, I thought I felt something in my eye, I believe it's gone know though, whatever it was."  Spring lied, trying to make her lie sound as true as possible, yet if Shreya had been paying close attention to everything she would probably know what was really going on.

Spring took a deep breath and sat down slowly.  If Shreya wanted to know about her then why shouldn't she tell her?  The memories were painful, but then she had already spilled her past to two wolves that she did not trust.  Of course she had told Laika a bit, but that was two against one.  She didn't want to make that mistake again... but Shreya was someone that she trusted, someone that she really, truelly trusted.  She had once trusted Reek and Esaro at one time though.  Could she really speak of her past again?  After two wolves that had betray her knew?  Then again no one knew her whole story, the whole truth.  Maybe it was time now, time for the whole true story.  Plus Shreya would never betray her anyways... right?  Spring trusted Shreya much more than she had trusted both Reek and Esaro anyways.

One the inside Spring was moe scared and nervous than she had ever been in her whole life, but on the outside she forced herself to appear calm, bended her features to fit how she wanted to feel.  So with some hesitation Spring began to speak.  "What would you like to know about me Shreya?"  She asked, calmly.  Hoping on the inside that she had just heard Shreya wrong and that Shreya just wanted to know how she was doing today, not about her past.  Deep down though Spring knew what Shreya was asking, that it was time to tell, no matter how much it hurt.

Ah yes, there we go — the expression of someone with a sad past who'd just been asked to share it. Spring had managed to maintain some degree of stoicism at the proposal, but Shreya could see her heart sinking slightly in her eyes, and that was when she remembered that there were a lot of wolves out there with sore pasts. It was precisely why Silver Creek was a gathering of lost lone wolves, rather than an established family pack.

Having come from an established family pack herself, she wasn't used to tragedy, though it did have some part to play in her own life at the moment. She was helping raise two young girls who were pretty much orphans.

She followed Spring's example by sitting down, and decided to make no comment on what she was quite certain had been a flicker of sadness. She'd respect Spring's outward facade. How about your childhood, for a start, she suggested. Where you grew up, and what it was like being a pup there.

Shreya asked about her childhood, where she grew up, what it was like being a pup their.  Her childhood had been great, excellent... except for two days, two fateful days.  ALthought hat day had not been the day of the tragedy.  For the tradegy had happened after her childhood.  Before Spring spoke she decided that she would tell Shreya a lot, but leave a few bits and pieces out of the story... just in case, because you could never be too careful.

Spring took a deep breath before starting.  "My childhood was good in that pack... it was called Starlit Hills.  My Mother's name was Shima and my Father's name was Pine Lake."  Spring took a shaky breath, but was not ready to stop yet, now that she had started.  It wasn't to any of the harder parts of her past yet afterall.  "I had three littermates.  Their names were Illea, Kalik and Taverik..."  she trailed off at Taverik's name, "Taverik was a stillborn.  He never got a chance to live."  Spring then explained to Shreya, to further determine why she had trailed off.  "I have four older siblings.  Kii, Natshe, Ven, Fluer and Amber as you might already know.  They all left when I was a pup though, to go off and find their own packs."  Spring paused here to give herself a moment to think before continuing.  "I come from Yukon, Canada, along with my other siblings... it was where Starlit Hills was located.  It was nice up there... peaceful for a while at least.  We spoke in both French and English and were a family pack... but then the first hit came.  Kalik... my brother..."  Spring faltered here, as she remembered that terrible day as though it had only happened yesterday.  "Kalik was taken by these... these animals.  They are called Humans.  They snatched him one day... we never saw him again and to this day I wish... I wish I would have done something."  Spring stopped here, taking a few shaky breaths.  She no longer cared if she appeared weak.  Shreya was someone that she could trust and no one else seemed to be around anyways.

Spring cast her gaze around her surroundings, wondering if she should continue.  After a couple moments she ultimatly decided that it was not time for an intermission just yet.  "When Kalik was gone, my whole pack was devastated.  We should have known that it was time to sharpen our senses and be more prepared... but we weren't.  None of us.  A pup that could have been apart of the packs future was gone, it was just suddenly so gloomy.  So we were punished for our sadness, because only two months later."  Spring paused for a second, taking in another shaky breath.  "An earthquake hit our grounds and rattled us.  Two were killed, their named were Hail and Yula, but Lilac... my cousin was separated in the quake.  She was only six months old..."  Spring trailed off, her eyes falling to the ground.  It was sad for her to tell her story, but it felt much better to let it out to someone that she trusted, rather than keep it in.  She paused for an intermission here.

Shreya was glad she was seated, because she could tell from the off that she was in for a good story. And no good story could be heard with aching paws. So she sat comfortably and listened with interest as Spring started upon a tale that began with some curious names, and reminded the old wolf that she was already acquainted with a member of Spring's family: Amber, her sister.

The idea of speaking another language was especially interesting to Shreya, who had lived a fairly secluded life and had heard of French while out on the road but had never spoken a word of it. It seemed that one who could speak two languages was a talented soul indeed.

Humans. Even Shreya shuddered at mention of these fabled creatures. The earthquake was a less daunting thought, but even more tragic. There's nothing worse than the loss of young ones, she sympathised gently, thinking of Milo. It seems your losses are with you still, she observed. Perhaps they always would be. Is that why you left Starlit Hills — to find Lilac?

When Shreya gave her sympathy it felt good and she accepted it.  There had once been a time when she would have despised sympathy, but know it just seemed like a comfort.  The sympathy showed that Shreya cared.  Shreya was right about something too, the losses were still with her and they always would be.  When Shreya asked her if she left to find Lilac though Spring shook her head.  "I think she's dead."  Spring responded in a quiet voice.  "Maybe she's not, but if I had been in her position I would have died.  Still it gives me no closure to not know what happened to her, same for Kalik."  Spring informed Shreya.  "Sometimes though I wonder if I should have gone looking for her."  Spring paused her, getting ready to continue her story.

"Soon after the quake, the pack knew that every single one of us remaining had to get back into shape.  At this point Illea and I were just over six months.  We were starting to contribute to the pack, picking up small prey when we could, while I learned about the art of healin from my Mother Shima, who was a very skilled Medic.  She taught me the difference between posions and cures, how to stop bleeding, how to treat an infected wound... how and what yew berries could kill.  While my Father taught Illea the best ways to scout and survive alone, because for some reason Illea always dreamed of being a lone wolf, fending for herself.  It was wierd... very wierd.  So as she learned this talent, I learned the art of healing."  Spring told Shreya, then paused here for yet another intermission in her story.

She imagined that Spring had gone through this months (maybe even years) ago — the worry, the regret, the wishing she had done more. No doubt remnants of those feelings lingered, but there was no real discussion left regarding what to do about wolves who'd gone missing so long ago. That's a sensible conclusion, she said quietly when Spring said it was likely Lilac was dead (though she couldn't even guess at what the humans had done to Kalik). It was a hard truth, but Shreya was a very honest individual. At six months old, Lilac would have been very lucky to survive on her own in the wild.

Spring moved on to the next chapter, explaining how she'd started as a healer. This was another interesting little tale, for Shreya had actually heard of Spring's healing abilities from Esaro before she'd even met the woman. Ahh, she said as she learned of this. So looking out for others has always been in your blood.

Shreya had said it herself, just the other day: Spring led from the heart.

Spring looked down ather paws regretfully as Shreya spoke.  Her tail gave one wag when Shreya obsevered that looing out for others had always been in her blood.  "Thank you Shreya."  Spring responded to her friend genuinely.  She hadnt really thought of this till now.  Was helping others really ingraved into her blood?  Her DNA?

Spring stayed quiet for a little longer before once again resuming her story.  "As we grew Illea left when she was about a year to go off on her own path, while I stayed in Starlit Hills as the last remaining offspring of Pine Lake and Shima in Starlit Hills.  I was soon promoted to Beta when I was nearing two years, that's when I met someone... his name was Zander."  Spring had never told anyone this part of her story, but she felt that now was the time.  "Me and Zander bonded... rather quickly.  Soon I was..."  Spring trailed off here.  She had lied to herself so many times about this, so many times to where she had actually began to believe it.  She had told herslef that this did not happen, but it had.  It really had and it was terrible, oh so terrible.  "Soon I was pregnant."  Spring finished quietly, guilt rippling acrossed her face.  "As soon as Zander heard..."  now anger knitted into Spring expression, anger for that wolf that had caused her such troubling times.  "As soon as Zander heard he left me... I never saw him again."  A couple shaky sobs fell from Spring but she didn't notice.  She should have been smarter... she should have been smarter.

Spring wanted to stop here, she wanted to throw herself off a cliff and never wake up, but she had to continue, she just had to.  "The p-pups were born..."  She stuttered, with another sob.  "Two were stillborns, but I still gave them names Jaycee and Marlin.  Still one was living a breathing, living baby girl I named Hazel."  Another sob excaped Spring.  "About two months later I was out hunting for Hazel, my sweet sweet baby and someone else too..."  Spring trailed off here, ehaving another sob.  "One of the members of the pack was starting to act strangly after being bitten by a raccoon.  I never caught any prey that day."  Spring had begun to whisper now and was now sobbing as she spoke.  "I suddenly could tell that something was really wrong, because I heard this noise, like a scream but so much worse.  I ran back to the pack and they were all fighting eachother.  It was madness.  Like a civil war.  In the midst though I saw H-Hazel... my sweet baby... d-dead."  Spring stopped here and began to sob her heart out.  She knew that she should have noticed, but she hadn't and so many were dead, because of her so Spring thought.  "Wolves began to die day by day, while I scavenged for a cure.  I was l-lucky... I was never harmed... I was the sole survivor their.  My M-Mother was the last one to die, she was about to k-kill me but then she fell at the last moment and died just like that."  Her sobbing intensified.  "I left that day.  I l-left Starlit Hills behind forever."  She told Shreya and then began to sob, taking another intermission for herself.

As someone who'd heard and told plenty of stories in her time, Shreya was grateful for the structure. They'd had the childhood, the growing up, the tragedy, the necessary adapting, the beginnings of a trade, and now they were on to coming-of-age. Spring, it turned out, had been a leader in her home pack as well as this one — and, inevitably, had fallen for someone. Shreya had always assumed that Spring's lack of mate had been due to sheer lack of males in the pack, but perhaps it was down to a broken heart.

But it turned out there was quite some twist to the tale. Spring was a mother — another sign that she was older than she had at first seemed to Shreya.

And then, true tragedy. Spring sobbed out the final conclusion of Starlit Hills, and Shreya listened with wide eyes, having never heard such a sad story in all her years. Spring, I can't even imagine what you went through, she murmured sadly, and took a step closer in case the younger female wanted a shoulder to lean on. It's a tribute to your strength that you've lost so much only to rise so high. And you've kept your head on your shoulders, she added as an afterthought. Staying sane after all that... I don't know if I would've.

Spring still sobbed, but listened to Shreya grateful to have a shoulder to lean on.  She listened as Shreya spoke about how amazing it was that she had stayed sane.  She probably would not have stayed sane if she had not met Laika though, meeting Laika had helped her gain her full sanity back which even Laika probably did not know, but without ever having met Laika Spring hd no idea where she would have been right now.  Probably dead.  Her sobbing slowly ceased and she summarized the rest.

"After that I found Laika, we travelled together for a while, until we were separted one day in a snowstorm on a mountain.  I fell off a small cliff and lost my tail tip to frostbite and then soon after that was attacked by a bear, I only escaped the bear because I found a smaller hole in the ground, which I could fit into but the bear couldn't.  I treated my own wounds.  Then I arrive in the Teekon Wilds and found a mountain pack first, being clueless of borders due to my hunger I tresspassed.  I got away alive, but I got a scar on my muzzle from the Alpha female of that place.  After that I found Phoenix Maplewood and was accepted by a wolf named Ukko, who your probably don't remember since he left before you came, but he was the Beta before..." Spring's lip curled at the name, "before Tavi.  I met a wolf named Ishi, who I think I might have actually fallen for, but he was mauled by a cougar and I saved him, took him back to his pack called Lost Creek Hollow and have never seen him since."  Spring paused hear in her rambling to take a deep breath, before continuing.  "Then Phoenix Maplewood left the Maplewood and went to Silver Creek.  You know the rest."  Spring finished.  She felt lightet now that she had told someone about her past.  She looked at Shreya gratefully.  "Thank you so much for listening."

It was news to Shreya that Spring and Laika had been out on the road together before coming to Phoenix Maplewood, but on reflection she could have guessed that. Those two were close, after all, and Shreya could never remember one without the other. It seemed fitting, then, that Spring's first act as Alpha had been to officially acknowledge her friend as her right paw.

Shreya gave Spring a reassuring nuzzle to comfort away her tears, but shortly they were on to the next chapter of the story, which was eventful and full of adventure. Snowstorms, mountains, cliffs, frostbite, bears, near-death experiences... then exhaustion, trespass, fighting. And finally her time in Phoenix Maplewood, which had clearly affected her heart in more than one way.

Spring may have been half Shreya's age, but she'd certainly led a more eventful life.

"Thank you so much for listening." I'm glad I did, she said genuinely. And given how exhausted I feel just from hearing it, I can't imagine how you feel from telling it, she said with a wry smile.

Spring listened to Shreya, but now she was thinking.  Thinking about the pups.  Her pups. Would things have been different if she had been more careful?  Protected Hazel with everything that she had?  Put that first sick wolf somewhere more isolated and faraway...?  What had Hazel been thinking before she died?  Had her poor pup been scared?  Or had she gone down bravely?  Spring would never know, at least not in this life.  How had she just pushed her offspring off of her mind?  Marlin, Jaycee and Hazel.  It was just cruel.  Sick with herself and wanting to throw up, Spring began  to turn.  "I think I'm going to take some time for myself tonight... thank you for listening though Shreya."  Spring told her friend.  Then with renewed grief plastered onto her face, Spring turned and began to make her way towards her den.  Suddenly though Spring paused, remembering one more thing.  "I'd like to keep my pups between just you and me for now Shreya.  No one else in the living but you, me and possibly Zander know about Marlin, Jaycee and Hazel."  Spring choked out her pups names, but then without listening for a reply from Shreya, Spring left to go back towards her den without turning back.

When Spring made it to her den she did not fall asleep, ratehr stayed awake, flopped on her den floor with sad eyes starring at a wall in the den.  She wished that she could bring her pups back and possibly even start anew.  Her past had been troubled of course, but did she really have to have her pups taken from her?  Her sweet little innocent pups?  Spring sobbed for a while and thought about Starlit Hills, but most of all she thought of the pups that she had once wanted to forget.

Fading Here.  Thanks For The Thread!  :)

Thank you too!

Shreya watched the poor thing, and felt a little guilty but at the same time enlightened. Hearing about all this had been a worthy experience — draining, yes, but full of insights into the leadership, their modern pack, and of course Spring herself.

Not a word, she promised to keep the story to herself, having never had an intention to betray the girl's trust.

Later, Shreya visited Spring's den to invite her to come and spend a few hours with Indra and Laurel, either to play with them or else to cuddle them while they snoozed. Shreya suspected Spring could do with a bit of that.