Blacktail Deer Plateau front flipped off the front of the moon

@Takara and @Minori mayhaps

issun had spent months in this plateau. he slept in it, hunted in it, fought in it, bled for it. and even still he couldn’t call it home. he came here with a promise to stay with minori until winter passed. there was hope that it could grow past that. he wished to think of this place as somewhere he could stay forever. he wanted to think of his packmates as family. despite the time he spent here, things were still the same. he was only here because of minori and that just wasn’t enough. he needed to do something for himself for once. he needed to leave.

that thought bought up a crucial question. would he go by himself, or with his friends? he had a good feeling takara would come even if he didn’t ask. they had just reunited and he was sure neither of them wanted to split up soon. with minori, he wasn’t too sure. he definitely wanted her to come with him, despite everything he still couldn’t push down the love he had for her. but she seemed so comfortable with her position here, he didn’t blame her. if he did manage to convince them to join him, he’d still feel incredibly guilty. they were short on members as it was, and liri’s sickness just made matters worse. still, his deserved to know he was leaving. he had promised minori that.

issun briskly trotted through the woods, looking out for either of the two.

she had not been here very long, she had just started to get to know the inner workings. it was a peaceful place that had seen the fall of their female leader, a place that was going through hardship but she actually doubted that she would ever feel at home here. it was nice but too differnt from her birth pack, too differnt fron the few nomadic packs that she had traveled with. a sigh escaped the girl as she began to sing to herself.

"I pirouette in the dark
I see the stars through me
Tired mechanical heart
Beats til the song disappears"

it was then, as she spoke the last few words that her friend came into view. she closed the distance between them and as the word disapears escaped her lips, she touched her nose to his. she smiled softly, her eyes warmed before she moved to embrace him. Her nose to the back if his neck in a hug-like motion, "you seemed troubled, what is on your mind?" she murmured, her voice full of concern.

he was led to takara by a tune that flowed through the leaves. as it got louder his footsteps got slower and he stopped when he spotted her chocolate pelt through the trees. there was something in the back of his mind telling him she wouldn’t come with him, despite his confidence that wouldn’t happen. issun took a deep breath and walked towards her.

he smiled weakly and rested his head on her back. “i’m leaving,” he blurted suddenly. he fell silent for a moment. “i’m sorry. i know you just got here but i can’t stay here any longer.”

he accepted her embrace but his eyes, his actions caused her worry to become something heavy on her heart. his words came and she relaxed under his touch, what had him so worried? did he think that she would not come with him, or did she not want her to come now that he had helped her become a member of this pack? she was now worried about this new revilation.

"you know i would follow you to hell and back right?" she spoke softly, choosing her words carefully. "issun, do you remember that night when we were kids? when i gave you the branch of white flowers?" she asked, curious if he remembered her confession when they were so small. "my feelings have not changed, i spent all these years trying to find you because i know what i want. i will be where ever you are." but now she had to say one last thing, her voice shook for this as she closed her eyes. "that is.. unless you do not want me to follow you anymore."

It had been a difficult night for her. Kavik's words kept echoing in her mind over and over again and she kept seeing their newest member nibbling all over Issun's ears, pressing against him while giving Minori the smallest of smirks. She had thought maybe going to sleep and chasing the thoughts off with dreams would work like usual but instead she had been plagued with dreams of torment. In the worst one she had been in a land surrounded by the pink blossoms of her homeland, they were falling from the sky and she was walking through them with Issun when one landed on her nose. Issun had chuckled and had brushed it off her nose with his muzzle before well...before touching her in the briefest way. That small touch had set something inside of her on fire, something she wasn't sure that she had ever felt before and she had pushed herself into his embrace. Then Takara showed up, calling Issun away with song and he had followed like she was the only thing he ever needed. It had done her some serious damage inside and she had decided quite suddenly she needed to tell him the truth.


She rushed through the woods, black fur blending quite well in the night as she tracked his scent. As she was moments from the scene she heard a female voice singing which drew her in closer and then hushed voices, first Issun saying he was leaving and then the female. Her heart hammered and stopped for a moment, breath catching. The one thing she shared with Issun, the one thing she thought was their thing, the thing that brought them closer together, and Takara had just stolen it from her. Her ears slowly flattened and her tail dropped between her legs as she slowly took a few steps backwards, unsure if she wanted to be a part of this at the moment. Gone was the warrior replaced with what she truly was inside, a girl with a damaged heart who had no idea how to play the game of love. She hesitated and thought things over before sucking in a breath and strolling out like she had simply been patrolling. She blinked once at Takara and glanced at Issun though she regretted it as her posture fell even further. "Good evening Takara, Where are you both headed? Sorry for eavesdropping" She spoke their shared language freely, a somewhat smug look taking over the pain that moistened her eyes and gave her a droopy look. There it was, her spark. It had reignited. Never would the warrior stay away for very long.

it took time to register all that she had said. yes, he remembered that day. she had confessed having feelings for him, but he never suspected that she still held those feelings. they were just kids, they didn’t know any better. she was one of his friends, still is. but his love for her was platonic and still was. his breath hitched in his throat. he didn’t know what to say, he didn’t want to say anything. he knew the feeling of unrequited love too well and he didn’t want to put that on her, but what else could he do? he didn’t want to lead her on, but he didn’t want to hurt her either. but that would have to wait.

before he could say anything, minori stepped into the light. his heart thumped wildly when she spoke. how much had she heard? he stepped away from takara to give minori his full attention. her expression was firey but her subtle body language told a different story. “im leaving.” he wasted no time getting to the point. “and i want you-” he paused to glance at takara, “both of you to come with me.” he held his breath, waiting anxiously for an answer.

he was quiet, his body still. she figured he was trying to remember all the way back to the times in his father's pack, in their birth pack. she was curious if he remembered that clearly, the time that she had called him out in the night. the moon hung so full, so bright. she had a branch of white flowers, a tree that her mother said held the flower of lovers. it was how you confessed to someone back in the day so she had followed an old tradition, she had placed the tree branch at his paws. her own paws and face scratched from the difficult time she had retrieving such things. before the memory morph, before he spoke again. there was another voice.

ah, the ebony girl with one marking over her green eyes. she was a pretty girl, slightly larger than takara but that often did not mean much. size was not everything. her actions and movements triggered something in the chocolate furred girl, she looked so dejected. why? as the two pulled apart she turned her attention to her as well, they all spoke the same language, that made things easier.

"you already know my answer but i will say it again. i will follow you, andas i promised,, you wont be able to keep me from your side." she smiled warmly, her warm smile was still there as she looked at minori.

Her eyes flew wide open like how a rabbit looked right before it was caught. For the moment Takara was forgotten, only Issun existed. He wanted her to come with him. He was leaving. If she said no she would lose him. Her breathing grew shallow for a moment as she imagined living her with the absence of Issun and the thought alone made a sharp, aching pain surge through her. Even so she thought of Kavik, of Liri and Corvus and Ruenna. How could she swear her loyalty up and down over and over again, make a claim for beta and then abandon them? Her brow furrowed and then Takara spoke and made her emotions all fucking spin and burn within her, causing something similar to a panic attack to happen. "I...I don't...I want....You sure you aren't just including me because I stumbled upon your moonlight whisperings?" For a few second she seemed to confused and torn, everything was such a mess until she couldn't deal with it anymore and she used anger as the outlet for escape. She snapped at Issun and ran off, leaving them behind and feeling ashamed for it.

POOF. Minori OUT.*Stalks*

takara had agreed to come with him, which was a relief. but then there was minori. her drawn out silence worried him. he feared the answer would be no, but it wasn’t. well, not exactly. she stumbled over her words, he didn’t know what to make of it. but her following sentence was clear. she’d heard it all and had assumed something that simply wasn’t true. “no! that’s not it i-” she ran away before he could finish.

“minori wait!” damnit, he’d done it again. she’d never forgive him after this. “i have to go after her,” he said frantically. issun began to dash in her direction. “meet me here tomorrow morning,” he called before disappearing into the night.

she had responded and watched as her friend seemed to relax just a little, it was the other girl was not not sure of. she reminded takara of a rabbit right before its life ended, eyes wide and breathing frantic. it was then she had realized what it was, it was a panic attack, well, the start of one. instead of answering properly she stuttered and stammered. and then, she fled, ran like a bat out of hell. issun respondedthough he did not run after right away, he told her first. "go". then he spoke about meeting him tomorrow, she would and she called out to him to let him know that. then, he was gone.