Stone Circle transcendence

There was something different in the air that day. Murdock could taste it, even though he'd been finding it increasingly difficult to draw breath, as of late. Winter was ending, and with it, so was he.

The sun was warm on his back that afternoon, and there were birds chirping that he was sure he hadn't heard in months. The breeze was soft and peaceful... he was tired, and it seem that now was a perfect time to nap.

The man shut his eyes, listening to the sound of the birds. It seemed to grow more and more distant as a peculiar ringing reached his ears. It might normally be an unpleasant sound, but like everything about the moment, Murdock simply found it soothing. It helped to lull him into a deeper sleep than he'd had in weeks, months, years...

A tiny smile remained etched on his face. Perhaps he did not need to wake so early as he usually would the next morning. Perhaps he need never wake again.

Valette was glad that the weather was giving them a break. The female was trotting through the territory when she caught Murdock's scent. Valette tracked it. She wondered how he was doing. The last time she saw him he couldn't breathe so well. When she saw the male she noticed that he was sleeping. Aww, that was cute, he had a smile on his face.

Valette thought he was dreaming peacefully but then noticed that there was no breathing or not even a twitch. Valette frowned and nudged him. He didn't wake up. "Murdock!!,' she called out and tried to wake him up. When she realized she was no more she tipped her muzzle and let out a mournful howl to the pack.

one post cameo!

A sad frown passed Nikai's face when he heard Valette's howl. He remembered when they had found Murdock coughing and he'd not seemed so well; that was the last time Nikai had spent any time with him. He hadn't thought things were going so terribly awful that he had died though, so it came as a shock to know that Murdock was no longer. There'd been so much loss lately...

Nikai lifted his nose into the air and howled along with Valette; it was a mournful song to respect and remember Murdock for who he was.

it was not that she was ignorant to the fact that Murdock was much older than she was, nor was she deaf to the fact that, at times, his breaths seemed to drag themselves in and out of his lungs. it was when she turned the corner and saw Valette nudging her sleeping mate that she paused, and unease settled heavy in her gut. 

the mournful howl had her skitter forward, ears folded down and eyes wide. "stop!" she bade the woman as her howl filled the air with its terrible formality. she moved beside him, paying no mind to the coldness of his pelt and instead poking him, prodding him, preening frantically the fur behind his ear. "you didn't try hard enough - you can't -" she fell silent, actions becoming more fevered as Murdock's head lolled to the side, his flank still as she peppered his face with increasingly desperate nips and kisses.

Valette turned her head when she heard Poppy call out stop. She watched the female with a sad frown and stepped back to let her say goodbye to her mate. She thought at least that the dog was together with the male. The only good thing coming from Murdock's death was that she didn't need to worry about them breeding. Valette was quite startled by that thought, and perhaps a bit ashamed, that she very quickly pushed that thought away.

"I'm sorry, Poppy. I think his breathing issues got the better of him. He will be buried in Stone Circle with Keoni," she spoke. Though Valette knew that nothing would make her feel better right now. The loss of a mate was horrible.

just a cameo, tag if you need / want a response 

Stark was caught off guard by the howl as it rang through the pack lands. Another death.... Nikai joined the mourning cry and Stark lifted his own voice out of respect for this lost pack mate. This time, he shifted his course through Easthollow and headed towards Valette. When he arrived he saw the dog prodding and pushing at him, his heart going out to her. He had accepted Octavia dying as he had been there for her and the slow process. This seemed different. 

Stark took his spot as sentry until it was time to move Murdock to his final resting place and dig his grave. He might not have known the male, but, he'd be there for his pack. When it was all over Stark would wait for Val - knowing the unfortunate task of comforting Steph would need to be soon. 

Since this was before she was taken

Her mind was slowly returning to it's normal state though by no means did the grief leave her. She supposed the shock of her run in with Lonzo and Onyx at the borders was what snapped her from her clouded haze of disbelief and insanity. She still cared for the fox pup in private but now she knew there were things Valette needed to know for the safety of the whole pack. 


She was about to be up and moving to find the alpha female when the mourning howl made her pause. She frowned and a sadness filled her gaze. She hadn't known him well at all and had held a disliking for him from their first meeting but she still felt sad for his parting.From where she sat she added her voice to the chorus of mourning and then stood up to leave the den. She tracked the sound and came upon the sad scene of Poppy nudging at Murdock's lifeless body. Slowly she approached until she stood a respectful few feet away "I'm sorry Poppy...I can help you bury him when you're ready if you'd like?" she offered in a gentle voice. She had never lost a mate because she'd only ever had Mawk but she did understand what loss felt like.

Steph's focus for the past several weeks had been on the weird collar that hung around her neck. She had started to get used to the weight, but every time she tried to run, it still startled her. It was obvious now, though, that it wasn't going to harm her, and so her fear had turned into annoyance at the object. 

She wasn't far from her mother when Valette's howl rang out. Steph's breathing stopped when the message was read, loud and clear. Murdock had passed. For a moment, Steph's world stood still, as if she was waiting for time to reveal that this simply couldn't be true. Her young brain struggled to comprehend that she not only had lost her sister, but now the only father she had ever known. 

She stood, then, and trotted to where some of her family stood. She came to a stop as her eyes took in Murdock's still form, and Poppy attempting to wake him. It was obvious that the attempts would be futile, but no one tried to stop the grieving mate from her loss. Steph approached his body, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked to Poppy, her eyes filled with sadness for herself, and empathy for Poppy. As awful as this was for Steph, she knew Murdock's mate would take his loss even harder.

Steph settled near Murdock's hips, lying down on the ground and pressing her face against him. He still smelled like himself, but the warmth was already receding from his body.