Blackfeather Woods i'm known for being quite vexing, just forewarning you

@Kove

 

Things had been rocky, she knew. Whether it was her or him, she did not know and it did not matter. Never had they fought, yet never had they had any reason to; no reason in which to quarrel as husband and wife did. It bothered her, and unlike she should, she felt oddly detached to be truthful. She did not want to, for she loved Kove and yet something, something was not as right as it should be. Something misplaced, undetermined yet ignored and overlooked. The woman refused to believe that it was unfixable, yet, she could not help feeling unloved in the way she wanted to. Nemesis had bore his children, and such prizes they were, and yet, knowingly to her he had sought out solace elsewhere in the form of someone so unlike her. The horrid thing was, the woman could hardly bring herself care, if she did. 

Traveling at slow pace, the sought out her husband yet roamed to nowhere; taking sweet time strolling in hope that she would not be the first to come across him, rather the opposite. It was not that she actively ignored the man, but simply, avoided his presence where it was not necessary. The woman was a monster, and yet, Kove was the only one who could put up with her. 

Since the birth of their children, he had not been given the opportunity to spend some quality time with his wife. They were either to watch or teach the children, or they were being pulled away from one another by their other responsibilities. She was a leader within the pack, and he the Priest; his role as a guardian contributed greatly to his separation from her, too. Whenever he was away from his family, he was patrolling the borders, working to ensure that everyone was kept safe. The thought that someone might slip passed him someday and harm them had always motivated him to be extra watchful, which usually meant spending far more time lingering around the outskirts of the territory than he probably should have. Yet, he’d not viewed his actions as an issue. Always was he acting with the best interests of his family in mind, and so why should he feel bad for that? He didn’t, but he was made to feel regretful over the fact that he had not been around to support his lover as often as he was made to believe was necessary.

With another patrol completed, Kove had been making his way through the woods at a moderate pace. The wind moved against his back, blowing his scent forward, which he wasn’t the least bit concerned over. Blackfeather was his home, which meant he had no reason to worry over what might be out there to catch his scent. Those that lived within the forest were known by him, and not beings that he felt as if he should fear. It was because of that, that he’d not caught Nemesis’ scent prior to seeing her. It was only when his eyes had landed on her form that he’d started to slow, though his approach had continued until he was near enough to touch her—which, should she allow him to do so, he would reach out and run his nose along her cheek. “Nemesis,” the Inuk greeted. The expression that she wore was concerning, but he’d attempted to look passed it for the time being. “I’ve wanted to see you.” He loved their children, he really did, but often was it that he desired a moment alone with his wife.

She did not deny him the touch he sought, but she remained frigid; the shimmering pain in her eyes the only indication that she had not completely adapted to the cold mask she showed only to the strangers that lurked outside their borders. As he spoke, she found herself internally cringing for there was so much she wanted to say, to yell, but could not bring herself to do so. He was blissfully ignorant of her emotional dilemma, and in hindsight, she preferred it stay that way. Except, it could not. "But you haven't," How could she not blame him? What was the cause of his ignorance towards her when they shared the same bed each night? Perhaps it was not simply his fault, and maybe it did not matter. Truthfully, she missed him more than she cared. When the stiffening awkwardness of her form begun to feel misplaced, she sighed, leaning in to bury her nose within the folds of his neck. With that, she no longer found the need to feel angry, as if simply by his touch her problems drifted away. Except, they did not and no sooner was she brought back to earth. Pulling away from the enticing trap of his scent, she cast her eyes away, unable to fully let herself fall once again. Yet, she knew what would occur. He would ask her what was the matter, and she would be unable to answer; she did not know herself well enough to do so. Silent, she awaited his response, both wishing it would not come and desperate to hear him speak.

His nose had found its way to her cheek without trouble, and there it had lingered until he’d spoken. As soon as the words had started to leave his mouth, he’d pulled his head back slightly to watch her, though his ears started to fold back as he noticed the look in her eyes. Kove loved her to the point where, at times, it hurt to be away from her for too long, so seeing her in distress left him with a heavy feeling in his chest. Again, he’d reached out for her, but stopped before he’d the chance to make contact. Her words made him freeze, realization having set in. She had a point to her words: he hadn’t gone looking for her recently, but that didn’t mean that he’d been any less interested in her. The ghost’s heart still skipped a beat when he saw her, and he’d surely melt at the sound of her laughter, so it was impossible that he was no longer drawn to her. And yet…

“I haven’t,” agreed the Inuk, but was quickly silenced by her touch. Kove wasted no time at all, having started to lean into her the moment she’d reached out, only to find that she’d never intended to remain there. It bothered him when she’d pulled away, but it hurt knowing that he was the one to blame for her response. Frowning, he’d lowered his head so that he could better see her eyes, and it was in that same stance that he'd remained even as he spoke. “Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll do everything I can to fix it,” he told her. Should she not pull away, he’d move nearer to her afterwards, offering his shoulder with the hope that she’d rest against him. “We’ve both been busy, but I don’t want our work to come between us. Tell me to stay with you more, and I’ll do it.” At this point, he’d probably even go so far as to ditch their kids with some sketchy babysitter if it’d make her happy.

"I do miss Qilaq," Peering eyes turned away. It was something that had been weighing on her mind for some time, though had been pushed to the back of her thoughts to avoid the grief that would come with it. To her knowledge, the girl was dead, and though she was sure her disappearance had nothing to do with Kove, her husband had been as equally responsible for the child's survival. Something had happened, she was sure of it; the unresolved issue was one that had put a block in her mind for some time. Perhaps it was the same block that had put a strain on their relationship; the woman was eager to believe it was and not purely by her own ignorance. "Do you?" Of course he did; the inquiry was a scapegoat to find what was buried underneath. Never would she outright admit to any problems, not even to whom she shared the problems with. Her pride was far to grand to submit to ideas of personal failure; failing to be the wife she was supposed to be, burying her problems under the distraction of her kids. It was something she admitted to nobody, not even Kove; yet another problem among the many that had surfaced to her.

Ears were pushed forward as he eagerly awaited her answer, impatient as he sought to discover exactly what it was that troubled her so. He’d been absent, his time being spent more so at the borders and beyond than with his wife, which was a routine that he believed very well may have created a rift between them. For the distance, he sought closure, a way to turn back time and take them back to how it’d been when their relationship had just started—or perhaps he longed for what he’d had with Scarlett, for all the affections that had come before their downfall. Whatever it was that he desired most, it wouldn’t quite matter if he could not find a solution for the current issue at hand, which was the distress of his lover. Something he’d thought himself to have been the only one playing a role in, but ended up being proved wrong as she uttered a name he hadn’t heard in quite some time—Qilaq, their missing daughter.

Heaving a sigh, the Inuk nodded and turned his head so that he could gaze through the woods. “Of course I miss her,” was his response, simple and blunt. “I made a deal with a traveler so that he would keep an eye out for her, but I haven’t heard anything back yet.” It was only natural for him to consider the worst of fates every now and again, but never did he stick with them. Thus far, his thoughts had always found a way to snake back around and declare the child to be alive and well, taken care of by some other family. It was what he wanted for her, given that it was far better than accepting that she might have perished. “I don’t doubt her ability to survive,” the man stated, still refusing to look towards Nemesis. “If she’s still around here, then she’s alive.” Alive and waiting to be brought back home. It bothered him, knowing that he could not travel the lands in search of her, for his duties kept him there within the woods.

After minutes of silence, simple nods, the woman could hold it no longer. She could not skate around the truth nor cover it by useless small talk. “We have grown apart,” Her strained voice broke the air; she did not meet his eye. “I no longer feel like your wife,” It was the simple truth, no matter how harsh. There was little point in beating around the bush at this point, their interactions had come to awkward conclusions and little to nothing at all did she have to say to him besides the comings and goings of their children. It was not what she wanted, nor what she believed he did. Perhaps, had she been the person she was today, she never would have agreed to their union. The possibility was highly probable, she could not deny. It did not mean she regretted anything, however, the woman was ambitious; she desired a partner of the same quality. She, the instigator and he, the peacemaker. The dark woman needed someone to keep up, not settle for her unruly ways. However, it did not shake the fact that she deeply and wholeheartedly loved him.

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The topic of their conversation shifted, transitioning roughly from their missing child to their relationship. He sought her eyes, to lock his gaze with hers, but was not given the opportunity to do so. With her gaze averted, he could only watch her and wait to see if she might look at him. And when he could wait no longer, he glanced elsewhere, focusing his sight on the space beyond her. For a long moment, he was silent, unable to decide on how he wanted to proceed. She had a point; they no longer operated as a single unit, and a part of him even doubted that they ever truly had. When he looked at her, there stirred within his chest something, but he wasn’t too sure anymore that it was love. With a lengthy sigh, he reached out to her, hoping to run his muzzle through the fur along her neck. “I don’t know what you want,” he admitted. “Do you want to continue to be my wife? To spend more time with me?” He pulled himself away, returning to his previous spot where he then sat. His eyes, void of emotion for he had hidden it all away, rested on her, urging her to look up—to look at him.

“I don’t know how to care for you,” was his reasoning, voice low. “I didn’t look for you, but you haven’t looked for me, either.” It was the truth, a realization that he had made himself blind to up until that point. He had cared for her once, and perhaps he still did deep down, but she offered him nothing to allow for those feelings to grow. She was not Scarlett—she did not operate in the same manner as the now lifeless albino, nor did she offer to him the same affections. They were husband and wife, but he could feel as little love from her as he was sure she felt from him.

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