Stone Circle Will I ever be good enough?

I think this would make the most sense for @Steph and/or @Greyback to respond to? Not sure :'D

Valette was relieved when Greyback had returned. As much as she wanted to shove him into Ira's face and show her that she was right, Valette refrained. Ira would find out soon enough that her father had returned. The dark female decided that it was time that she spend some time with Stark. She would visit him as often as she could, usually once a day. She was not sure what was wrong with him. She knew that he was weakened and not very responsive. She left him food or tried to nudge him towards the river. There were good and bad days. She hoped today was a good one...

Valette approached with a freshly caught hare. Her days were often about balancing her attention between being the pack's alpha, a good mother, and a caring mate. It felt as if she was always on her feet. Luckily she was young and in the prime of her life, she didn't feel exhausted just yet. Valette lovingly popped her head inside the den, expecting a black shape on top of the bison skin. Except, there wasn't one. She dropped the food. "Stark?," she called out. The den felt cold as if there hadn't been someone for hours. The female reversed and looked around. Stark was never too far from the den. "Stark!!," she called out louder.

A frown fell on her face. Slowly shock and confusion were mingling. The ground around the den was hard enough to not have any tracks. She pushed her nose close to the ground. A faint scent. It could have been old. She moved to the river but the scent stopped there. One pawprint in the mud, was this all she got? Valette stepped into the water but on the other side, there were no footsteps, no scent. Her heart sunk deeper in her chest. Did... Did Stark just leave? Her ears fell back. No. Stark wouldn't leave her. Would he? Or did his past haunt his life too much for him to be happy... with her? Valette started to move through the water upstream, after a few steps she changed her mind. Stark was weakened with illness, upriver might be too difficult. She jumped on the muddy bank and started to run downstream in a full speed gallop.

Maybe she could catch up with him she could change his mind. Perhaps he was just being silly and stubborn self. She should stop him if she was able to. She ran next to the river, her limbs stretching out under her until she was far past the border and looking over Wapun Meadow down below. Valette slowed down into a trot before she completely came to a stop. She was panting harshly and her eyes were wide set as the fear was settling in. There was no sign of Stark. He was gone. Valette's ears fell back, before determination set in. She let out a long howl, a howl to come back to her. She then perked up her ears to listen for a reply. The alpha female followed by sounding the same howl, more desperate this time. The same thing happened, no response.

Valette realized that she was trembling and that she was feeling unwell. She literally felt sick to be abandoned. She turned on her heels and rushed back into the safety of the territory. Perhaps he did travel upstream, thinking that she would think he would choose the easy way. Valette traveled upstream into Easthollow but her hope and determination dwindled as she traveled further when realization settled in that he left her. Stark vanished. She stopped walking, that familiar feeling of abandonment suffocating her. Why did these things happen to her? Why was she never good enough? Why was she so unlucky when it came to mates? Valette turned away from the river. Why was she trying to find someone that didn't want to be found?

Breathing was becoming a bit tougher and her head was starting to throb. Automatically her legs started to move. If only she could run away from these emotions. Her legs brought her to the stones, her beloved stones. She always went to them when she needed comfort. She threw herself against Steady's stone, the tallest of all the stones. The sun was setting which she would normally found beautiful but now couldn't wait to be over. It would mean that this terrible day was over. Within the comforts of the stone circle, the female let the loss catch up with her. The tears started to flow, something she didn't want. But she knew that she had to let them go if she didn't then she knew that later they would come out anyhow. The sounds of her sobbing filled the air.

She wished she had Nanook with her or any of her children. Perhaps she should seek her older children out in need of comfort. Oh, her children. How was she ever going to tell Merrit, Keen, and Arlette? That was something she might not be able to do at this moment. She wasn't even sure if they would be sad. The sobs slowly became quieter into sniffles. The dark female curled up at the base of Steady's stone in a tight ball mourning the loss of Stark. As always, instead of going to others, she would find comfort by just hugging herself tightly. Valette was used to it being left by loved ones. She just needed to cope with it once more.