Stone Circle Thank you

@Stark

Valette was feeling a bit better. The hurt of Keoni's death was slowly fading into the background. She still thought of her daughter but she couldn't mourn her for eternity. She had a pack to run and tasks to do. However, today those tasks could wait for a moment. Valette was very grateful for Stark. He had been there for her. She didn't even need to talk to him. She could just sit in his presence and not say anything in particular. It was nice that she could have him as company without having to explain herself.

Valette had caught a meal for Stark as a thank you gift. She was good at hunting so it came naturally to her to take down a prey for Stark for all his support. She had two hares that she carried in her mouth. She went to track him down and offer him the meals. Once she found the male she approached him with a muffled chuff. She placed the hares at his feet and wagged her tail. "For you, as a thank you for all your support lately," She spoke to him.

 

Enough time had passed by that Stark didn't feel like he was betraying Valette by hanging around. He stayed close to her den just in case she needed something - at least when he was free. He still hit the border daily and would run down small game. Today the tables had turned and Val brought him something. Stark offered a smile and bumped his head against her shoulder. "You didn't have to go through all that trouble for me."  Stark offered warmly  

Valette smiled when she found Stark. "It was not that much trouble," she admitted. Then she realized that such a thing might sound bad. Or not the way she liked it to sound it to him. "Not that it was no effort at all--- But eh... What I meant to say is that I don't mind going through the trouble for... you," she spoke, perhaps a bit shyly. She liked that he looked after her. She missed someone in her life. The female felt comfortable around him.

She nudged the meals closer. She really wanted him to know she appreciated it. It made her feel safer. "Thank you for making me feel better." Perhaps giving him a meal was not enough. Valette hoped it would. Perhaps next night she should offer him to sleep in the den with her. Was that weird? Would that be bad? She wasn't with Steady anymore...

 

Stark couldn't help smiling as Valette stumbled a bit over herself. She had done something nice and unexpected for him, and the effort was appreciated by the dark lambda. When she nosed the meal closer Stark took the opportunity to place himself next to her, near shoulder to shoulder with her. He reached over to lick her cheek without even thinking about it. "I'll only accept if you're joining me." Stark said as firmly as he could. 

The idea that someone other than Banner seemed to benefit from his presence made him happy - but it made him realize things too. He'd been able to focus more on smaller relationships - really built them up with a few people rather than spreading out amongst the pack. It had felt like he was stretched too thin almost in the keep and this was better. More indulgent at any rate. "I'm just glad you're feeling better...but i hope you aren't trying to rush yourself." Stark admitted. He didn't want Valette feeling like she had a timeline. It was different losing Steady - losing an Alpha. No one would fault her for taking her time and the pack would surely support her. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind he sounded like he was being patronizing. Fussing over her the way he was, trying to find that thin line of caring but overbearing. It was probably too much - probably annoying her but she was too nice to say anything. Stark reached over and began grooming her scruff, teeth gently combing through her pelt. "It's good seeing you up and about though."  he added after a moment of just indulgent touch, simple social grooming wasnt too bad, right? 

Valette couldn't help but grin like a happy teenager with a crush when Stark settled next to her. She automatically leaned against him. Which was 'rewarded' with a lick over her cheek. Valette chuckled softly. "But it is your gift!," she exclaimed. Though she didn't really want the kill to go to waste and it was a sweet gesture of the male. That was for sure.

Valette shook her head. "I am not. I like doing the work for the pack. It makes me feel better and productive. I like the connection with others as well. It helps to process what happened," she admitted and then quirked up her lips. Strangely enough, having lost Steady and her mother before Keoni died it made her cope with the loss a bit better than before. Valette rested his head against him when he started to groom her scruff. It was such a nice touch. She missed that. The female realized that she didn't mind Stark touching her so kindly like this.

"That feels nice," she admitted in a whisper. She hadn't been groomed in a long time. It was nice that someone spent some quality time with her. Often she felt dirty, as in just overworked-no-time-for-looking-nice kind of way. Though Stark taking the time made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Since her muzzle was close to Stark's chest she started to groom him as well. The kill forgotten in Valette's eyes. She licked over his coat and teeth groomed over his chest. Though she didn't realize she was grooming over a mark she couldn't see.

 


Stark just grinned at her as she settled right against him like she belonged there, protesting his own rules. "There's two; one for me and one for you. It's perfect." He said with a hum. It was just like they'd planned a nice meal together but it might have just a coincidence. "I understand that," He said quietly, still tucked close enough that he could feel the wind hit his body as he shielded hers. It wasn't a negative feeling in the slightest bit and in his own way he could play protector and give her something she desperately deserved. "It's part of being a leader and a good person too. Makes you who you are." Stark said, offering her a little smile. "Giving back to the pack like that - it makes those connections stronger. And when the pack is connected, it makes it easier to take care of each other." Stark knew how that felt; he'd tried to forge the same relationships inside of the Keep after all. 

His eyes closed as she in turned fussed over him, blue eyes vanishing for a moment as he stopped looking into the hazel-green of her gaze. "It does," He agreed - and it wasn't until he felt her tongue drift across the knarly scar beneath his fur that he tried to keep hidden so well. His body stiffened, and Stark drew back just a slight bit, not completely stepping back from her. It felt like a flash and the pain was there again - the brutal way the large stick had been driven into his chest, the way he'd been kept captive when it had happened. 

"Did...were you hungry?" He asked quickly, trying to distract her before she realized what was there. 

Valette almost felt flustered with all the nice compliments from the male. Stark had his way with words. Valette nodded. She liked to think that Easthollow was doing alright. Though she also wanted to give others credit. She couldn't have done it with the help of others. Which were exactly Stark's words. It was easier as a leader when you were involved with the pack. She could only agree with it. "I agree," she spoke with a smile.

Valette liked grooming Stark but she could feel the sudden tension in his body as he stepped away. Valette's ears flopped back and for a moment she thought she had done something wrong. She was only grooming him. Though he didn't step fully away, so maybe she was doing alright? She battered her eyes at him in confusion for a moment. She wondered what had triggered such a reaction.

"Umm, not starving but I could eat," she spoke in return. Her eyes falling on the two meals. She took one of them and went to lie down with the prey between her paws.

 

It wasn't his intention to make her uncomfortable but the memories that hit him - they were like waves threatening to pull her under. There was no escape for him, not at the truth of it all, and when the nightmares began it was almost like flipping a coin to see what he'd be terrorized by. The memory of being impaled or the memory of Octavia's loss - either way, both rattled him to the core for different reasons. He tried to pretend he didn't notice the way she looked at him in confusion but he couldn't truly. He knew what she was asking of him, swallowing thickly before he dropped his gaze meekly. Stark didn't typically back down - a trait that he'd struggled over in becoming just a subordinate after leading for so long. This was different however. He'd never challenged Valette or her rule - nor did he intend to, he thought her an immaculate Alpha, but this was a different response entirely.

He swallowed again when she picked one of the hares and settled down with it. He plucked the other one up, reclining near her - close enough that his hip touched hers as he began to eat. He appreciated the effort that she went through for him and wanted to be sure that she knew it. "Next time, I'll bring dinner." He hummed out as he paused to lick the blood off his maw, blue eyes drifting over her for a moment. 

Valette watched Stark curiously as he had gone quiet. Valette was a bit surprised that the silence wasn't uncomfortable to her. The female rather liked the silence. It wasn't like she preferred it but she was fine with it either way. She dipped her head at Stark. "Only if I am allowed to help you track it. I am trying to gain my mastery in tracking," she admitted to him.

Valette was quite motivated to get her hunting levels to the best. The female profiled herself as a Deerstalker and Tracker. Now she couldn't do much scouting anymore she might as well work on her tracking specialty. She started to eat her meal. She shifted closer to Stark and hummed softly while eating. She was happy.

 

Stark had never felt intimidated by the silence. It felt intimate, swallowing them both up, but comfortably. He wasn't afraid of it - not like sometimes things could overwhelm. Stark was happy for the fact that they both seem equally comfortable near one another as well. As they ate he occasionally looked over at Valette, just settled strangely like this was how it was meant to be. "We'll go out hunting sometime then - maybe scout the area too, just check for any changes." He didn't think anything was different however there was always that chance and Stark knew that if he could be more use to the pack he wanted to be. "I'd like to take up a more official role as an Ambassador for Easthollow. I'm good with my words - and you know I've got the experience." Stark said after a moment. He could help in that regard and it might make things better for Valette to have another presence in the pack to lean on. 

"We can kill two birds with one stone; we'll work on your trade and knock some stuff out for me on the way. How about that?" He asked hopefully - they could both be sure to take care of one another along the way, after all. 

Valette smiled. She liked that. Their trades could work really well together. She smiled at Stark and dipped her head. She really liked that they could do those things together. Valette enjoyed her time spend with Stark. "Oh that is good to know! I do have some packs I want to know about and perhaps create a better bond with," she spoke with a nod. But that would mean that she would have to miss him from time to time. That saddened her.

"I like those ideas and at least with the two of us we can try and hunt bigger game. Not that it might work but we can learn from it," she spoke. She really wanted to master all her trades. She couldn't wait to learn more about hunting, or at least, find out and discover things. She loved to find out and learn. It was the same with the bison. Not every time it went alright. Especially, since she never learned to hunt them but after trying several times they did manage to take one down, recently.

 

Stark was still impressed with the fact that he felt so comfortable around Valette. Impressed and scared. Occasionally he watched her eat, focusing entirely on her in an almost possessive way. "You just say when - Nanook and Nikai can watch the kids, we can sneak off for a little trip. Work and explore, two birds with one stone snd all." Stark didn't pay attention to how it sounded - that he was fitting himself right into the family and making a home for himself there. 

" I'd like to know more about your life before Silvertip." They had talked some about recent history - Stark had known her when she lived on the mountain. He wanted to know more - to learn about her. He was curious, and probably lying to himself about why - at least for the time being. Eventually he would accept his feelings, but admitting them to her might be different. 

Valette really liked that idea. She would have to ask Nanook if she would like to watch the pack for a few days. She was certain the female would. Valette nodded. "I am sure they would like to watch the pack," she spoke with a nod. She didn't realize, as she was busy eating as well, that Stark often watched her. She just felt like it was an coincidence that he was looking at her when she looked at him.

"Oh? Um, it wasn't so exciting or nice. I was very different back then. Still known as Desna," she admitted. "My mom and dad separated when we were only 6 weeks, or something like that. I went with my mom to a different pack. Phoenix Maplewood. She died when I was a few months old. My sisters left. I didn't meet up with Nanook until much later. I felt cheated by life. Everyone I was close to disappeared and I was very bitter. I then started to travel on my own, thinking it was better to be by myself. I lived that way until I ran into Steady, whom I already knew though my mother, that there was more in life than living alone, and then I joined Silvertip."

Valette have him the short version but enough to give him some idea of what happened with her life before Silvertip. She was also curious about Stark. "How about you? Before the Keep?" she asked. Leaving the conversation open for if he had any questions about her story.

 

Stark listened closely to what Valette was saying; they'd never spoken that much about her past. She knew about his at least in the Wilds. Before that was chaotic, the story wasn't exactly exciting either. He'd disagreed with his father (to put it mildly) and after his mother died Stark left. He'd roamed and forged a family for himself but they were scattered now. Stark often thought of Rhodey and Happy, wondering what they were up to. He hoped they were safe. He thought of Pepper often too, but, he could never let himself think too much about her. It got to be like Octavia. Almost an obsession, some whispered memory of his past and the mistakes he'd made. 

"It sounds like we have too much in common." Stark admitted. "It's become easier to keep everyone away - I've got Banner, and I've got you, but....it would be too much losing either of you." He said quietly. Stark didn't know how Valette would feel about his admission, even if it was light it was still a huge thing to admit that he valued her that much. 

"I never got along with my father. He was obsessive with my other sister, Captain, she was perfect. I lived her in her shadow and never measured up. When my mother died I left - I wandered and made my own little group, I kept myself from getting too close because it seemed so easy to lose people and be hurt by them." He didn't like to admit his weaknesses. "For awhile I had Banner and Rhodes, my best friend, with me at the Keep. I wish he'd find us here, but, there was tragedy at his home pack - I'm assuming he returned to them." Stark couldn't fault him for needing to be there for his family after all. 

"I feel like this is becoming home for me. No matter how much I'd like to say otherwise, I've come to enjoy being around you and your children too. I don't think I could wander away after winter." Stark admitted with a small smile.

Valette didn't realize how much she had in common with Stark. She listened carefully to his story. She had never lived in anyone's shadow but he could understand that it hadn't been fun for him either. She instantly nodded when he said that he had her. "Yes, you can always come to me with things," she instantly spoke and scooted closer. She liked him to know that she was there for him.

It pleased her, even more, to hear that Easthollow was becoming a home for him. Valette had forgotten about the fact that they might leave after winter. She let out a relieved sigh. "Oh! I'm glad," she spoke and offered him a smile. "I would be very sad if you would leave us," she admitted to Stark. She hoped they both would stay as Banner meant a lot to Stark. Valette hummed and then glanced curiously at his chest. He hadn't liked that. She wondered if she should ask about it now they had a heart to heart.

"Did something happened to your chest? It didn't seem like you liked me touching you there. If you don't like it, then I won't come near it," she sweetly offered to the male.

 

Stark was surprised how much Valette seemed to light up at the idea of him staying long term. That made him happy; as attached as he was to his sister she seemed happy there too and maybe it would be perfect for them. With Valette seeming to be fond of them both it was even better. He smiled as she moved a bit closer, finishing off his meal so that he could move too and let her rest against him if she chose to. 
"Well I'd hate to break your heart," He said with a smile - teasing her a bit. In truth it made his heart stammer to think that she might honestly miss him; maybe it wasn't so foolish for him to get attached to her and her family. 

When she asked about his chest Stark gave a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. "I try to forget about it." Stark admitted quietly, leaning over to nuzzle into her scruff. He laid his head across her shoulder - it was a good excuse to not have to make eye contact while he recounted the story. To date she was the only one who had asked him about what happened to him, no one else had ever questioned it or seemed to notice. he thought he'd done a good job hiding it but apparently she'd gotten that close and been that thorough. "I was captured by a rouge band. They attacked me, held me down - impaled me with a large stick. I had to pull it out of my chest. I think they just wanted to watch me die." Stark wasn't sure what the point had been and to this day still didn't understand. 

"I ran into a pack that took me in and healed me, I hunted for them and protected their borders through winter before I started roaming again and eventually ended up here....the rest is history, as they say." He knew he was lucky that he'd been saved and hadn't died from infection - he had to think there was a reason he had made it. 

Valette heart would probably be broken if Stark would leave them. Then she might have imagined that she and Stark were becoming closer. But he told her that her pack was his home and that he wasn't going to leave. So that meant that she hadn't been imagining her and Stark becoming closer. Valette listened to Stark when he started to explain about his chest. She frowned slightly, mostly in worry. It sounded like a very severe injury.

"That is horrible that they did that to you," Valette spoke worriedly. She placed a lick on his muzzle. "I will be more careful next time," she spoke to him with a firm nod. "But I'm very for that pack that they saved you," she then spoke and shifted closer to his side. The female didn't realize that Stark had overcome such a heavy injury. She was extremely glad that he survived it.

 

No matter how hard he'd tried it felt like he was tying himself down. Down to Easthollow and to Valette - and he felt Banner was settling in as well. His worry for his sister was always a high priority but he never wanted to crowd her. Like with Valette it was a weird dance of being present but not too overwhelming. He didn't want them to grow sick of his presence after all. Stark gave a little sigh at Valette's lick his eyes turning to meet hers even if he didn't lift his head from her.

"I don't know why they picked me, but, I'm still here, so I've got to think it's for a reason." Stark explained. It was some aspect of his hero complex, always trying to carve out some spot and role for himself. "It doesn't hurt me anymore... It just .. I can't forget that pain, so sometimes, it's almost like I'm reliving it again. My mind just does it, sometimes when I'm asleep." Admitting a weakness was one of the worst things to have to do, so, hopefully Valette would know how much he trusted her by opening up this much. 

Valette liked to think so too that Stark was here for a reason. She nodded in agreement with him. She selfishly liked to think that he stayed alive for her but then again this all happened before they met and before she was even with Steady. Perhaps someone's life is already sketched out before they start living it?

"I cannot imagine the pain but I can understand that you remember it," she spoke in return to him. "Oh no! When that happens you can come to my den," Valette spoke with a firm nod and nuzzled against him. "Does it help when someone sleeps with you?," she asked. Maybe it didn't even matter if she was there or not. It did seem a good opening to spend nights with him as well.

 

Talking about the ordeal he'd gone through only made his anxiety spike. The assurance that it was Valette did make him calm (slightly) and his lips twitched in contemplation - he started to say a couple things one or twice but stopped. "Honestly, I'm not sure." He admitted to her query. He didn't know if it helped much. "I still wake Banner sometimes." He admitted sheepishly, "And I'd hate to scare the kids." He didn't know if any of them had heard him when he had panicked out in his little guard post. 

He sighed softly and nuzzled into Valette, trying to calm himself. "You make it easy to forget things that have happened. I worry sometimes - I feel guilty that I haven't even thought of Octavia as much in awhile." He admitted as he looked towards the ground. He didn't want to admit it; the shame rose up in him and made it harder to meet her gaze. 

Valette quirked up her lips and then shook her head lightly. "The kids don't sleep with me anymore. Or well sometimes they do," She admitted but... she could kick them out. They were getting far too big, and even though she loved someone to snuggle with, she rather wanted that someone to be Stark. Though, perhaps she would have to talk with Steph and Ezra soon if this thing with Stark was going to turn out how she wanted it to turn out.

"Oh, yeah," she agreed softly. "I have the same with Steady but then again. He died last spring and I'd like to think he wants me to be happy. But it is still hard," she nodded in agreement. "Just because you think less of her doesn't mean you have forgotten her. Perhaps it means that you are starting to heal." While she said that to Stark as advise she realized that she could learn from her own words as well. Damn!