Duck Lake youth is wasted on the young

meant to be an outrider thread :D

Because you'll never be as young as you're right now, his voice rang into her ears making its way into her brain. That was what her beloved daddy, Freud, had told her the day he had taught her and her sisters how to swim. At first she had been afraid to leap into the water and had told her father she would do it when she was a bit older. It had been a nice day, at least it seemed that way in Cara's memories.

They had gotten up early to go with daddy to a little lake near the den they lived in. Ophelia and Dianne, her sisters sent from hell had groaned and moaned all the way there, while the even younger version of Cara trailed along happily after his father's feet. After a bit of arguing Cara finally took her father's well given advice and jumped in, breaking the shackles of fear that had held her back.

It wasn't often that the beige yearling thought about her childhood, considering it wasn't such a happy time for her, yet seeing this small lake in front of her made the long repressed memories come afloat again.

"I'm still younger than I'll be tomorrow" she mumbled as she dipped her toe on the water ever so slowly, while the crowd of ducks gather around cheered her on.

Hey! No need to match the length. I got carried away.

Kaname made his way to the Rising Sun Valley to enjoy the peace and quiet. He paused by Duck Lake, enjoying the cool of the lake breeze, laying down in the soft grass, thinking back on his own youth. While Cara, unbeknownst to him, was thinking about a childhood memory that related to the lake, so was the dark brown male, though his was darker.

There was a test that the assassins dealt upon young pups to cull out the weak, the ones unwilling to be ruthless, the compassionate. He remembered his mother, father, and a few of the high-ranking members of the assassin band bringing the year's litters to a large lake. The alpha was holding a large duck, maybe a goose. He tossed it towards the center and instructed them to go and get it. The first one to reach it would keep it for his or her own family.

The pups, of which there was ten, scrambled into the water. His sister reached the waterfowl, crowing happily as he helped her bring it back. He remembered feeling his paw touch something as they paddled back. When Kaname turned to look, he saw it, no, him. His little brother, floating in the water, eyes open, the little fish already nibbling on his pelt. Only six emerged from the lake that day.

He blinked, as he heard someone mumbling nearby. Was it Itzal again? Or some other voice. Luckily for him it was neither, only his young packmate stepping into the water. What was Cara doing here? "Ah, hello Cara." he called to the pale yearling.

hey <3

The young maiden stepped cautiously into the water, naked of any preoccupations or concern she waded into the deeper end of the lake. Slowly the water level covered her chest and back like a mantle that rid her of her aches and torments. Since Silvertip had become Ourosboros, the promising yearling felt like her talents were going to waste. Jinx hadn't given her any special missions after the island's discovery, instead he snow queen had shifted her attention to Mordecai, who quietly ripped her of her status as Delta.

She was aware of the exhaustion Jinx had fallen victim of after their scuffle with the Isle wolves-- Cara had not been exempt of it-- but she was a jealous young girl that fed of the attention others gave her. The spotlight had been her cradle, and now the lack of recognition was driving her crazy. That was why she had strayed so far from the Ouroboros, searching for a well deserved rest.

Exactly what that a dip in the lake could offer. She had not yet been able to reach the centre when a voice --very rudely--interrupted her. An annoyed huff escaped the yearling's lips as she lifted her face to see who was calling her. Kaname. The chocolate coloured assassin, and one of the few wolves she could call a friend. "Kaname," she greeted back, still quite upset by his interruption. "Our paths keep crossing over, again and again"she barked with a feeble smile. If she didn't know better she would've thought he spying on her.

Cara responded with an annoyed tone, obviously perturbed that he had spoken. He didn't mind, he wasn't going to do much. "Indeed they are." He yawned, showing off his fangs, stretching his legs out nonchalantly. Now fully spread out, he watched Cara with half-lidded eyes. He really felt like taking a nap right now. "You wanted some peace and quiet, too?"

Gazing for a moment into his icy blue eyes, Cara felt a shudder climb along her spine. He wasn't the best looking wolf, nor he was the ugliest; he was just one of the bunch. He had never really caught her attention before but today there was something different. Or maybe all the quacking from the ducks in the lake was starting to cloud the yearling's judgement.

"Did you follow me here or was it a coincidence we both ended up in the same lake?" She mused with a curious tone. Then as he stretched, she took a moment to paddle deeper into the lake, turning to look at him over her shoulder once his voice rumbled again. "Yes, I think all of us need a break right now" she answered through gritted teeth. Besides wanting to get a little rest, the yearling had wanted to leave the Ouroboros for a while just so she wouldn't have to look at Mordecai or Sitri..the males that had taken her spot in the upper tier. Was Kaname doing the same?

Is it just me, or are we both Epsilon?

"I guess it was coincidence. Or fate, if you believe in that nonsense." He said, almost murmuring his words. He knew that Duck Lake was one of the best places to take a nap, away from other wolves. The only thing that might disturb you would be the ducks, but they tended to stay away regardless.

"I especially need a break from Sitri and Tyrande's little romance." Though they were actually friends, Kaname knew how friendships between a male and female ended, and that was usually with pups. He shuddered as he thought of what that could look like.

His eyes fixed on Cara as she paddled deeper into the lake. "But you must be angry about Mordecai and Sitri getting promoted, right?" They had been friends(?) for a while now, and even if they weren't close, he still knew what Cara was like. She was an ambitious young lady, always striving to reach the top. She must have been angry when she learned that Mordecai and Sitri were promoted over them. He was angry too, he liked being Gamma.

I noticed too D:
haha Cara's subtle flirting

Her pale eyes fell upon Kaname again, this time raking through the muscles that rippled on his shoulders. Coincidence made more sense than fate, still Cara did not believe in either. The reason didn't matter as much anyway, he was here now and that was that. Whether he had been sent by the heavens or by any other being, it didn't make a difference now.

Her ears perked at the word romance left his mouth, in the same sentence as Tyrande and...Sitri. She didn't know there was a thing between the two --which there wasn't--, someone's jealous, she though while she allowed a childish giggle from her mouth.

She was about to pester him with questions of Tyrande when he shot out a heart stabbing question. Leave it to Kaname to bring a storm cloud onto a clear sky.She'd have to gossip later, now her improvised spa day was officially ruined. The happiness was sucked away from her face and replaced with a somber frown. Of course she was mad. Furious even.

They had appeared out of nowhere (Mordecai -- Sitri was already there she just hadn't noticed him) and trampled her dreams to hold the highest rank of the upper tier. It was just not fair! She had poured her heart out to get the spot as Delta.. and there was no way to complain now. Jinx had grown fond of them, and now that she was...sickly it was certain ranks would not change any time soon.

"You're reading my mind now?" she spat, though her anger wasn't directed at him but at the pair of males that hovered over them. "Yes I'm mad, and so are you don't play nice" she barked while raising her brow at him.

Kaname's eyes flashed as Cara giggled a bit. What? Does she think I am jealous of them? In a way he was, but not in the way most people would think. He was upset that Tyrande of all people can get someone to like her. And yet, after weeks of being in Silvertip/Ouroboros he still had yet to get very close to someone. Sure he and Cara were friends, but when was the last time they ever had a one-on-one chat like they were now?

He felt bad when Cara's face turned sour upon mentioning Mordecai and Sitri. The assassin enjoyed her happiness. It gave her a pleasant look, while her anger on the other hand...

"I was trained not to show most of my inner emotions. Especially the strongest ones, so I apologize if I do not look as angered by this deposition as you are." It was a force of habit now, and he really couldn't help it. He wasn't playing "nice". "Especially at Mordecai." his teeth ground together. "I hunted every single day for this pack, for a longer period of time than he did. And yet, he's the one leading a hunt."

Kaname and Cara. Cara and Kaname.
It didn't sound bad actually. Though it would take a lot of convincing and begging the bitch princess to settle, let alone agree to have pups. Yes, she had a particular interest in the brown man and she suspected he thought the same of her too. But neither of them had acted on it, probably because both of them were as arrogant.

Kaname regretted causing her frown, but the damage had been done. The image of Sitri and Mordecai's face irked the young girl to no end. Her hind legs kicked furiously as she swam towards the edge, she had no desires of beong in the pool anymore. After pulling herself from the water she took a moment to shake her whole body in order to rid herself from the excess of water. Then she turned to Kaname, nodding her head vigorously to show she understood his pain. "I know, I don't understand either, we deserve to be at the top", she barked through gritted teeth. She had once thought of the assassin as her enemy, and had even confessed to Jinx her desire to hold his rank.. but those thoughts had changed now. Kaname was no longer her enemy but her greatest ally.

The assassin leaned back in a futile attempt to stand clear of the water that splashed upon him. The white yearling had scrambled out of the water, her face a mask of anger. She growled through gritted teeth, complaining that they should be on the top, not Sitri and Mordecai. He sighed. "It might be because Jinx isn't feeling well that she promoted them. Her judgement might be a little hazy." He had noticed Jinx's illness during the pack hunt. While the alpha discredited any notion of disease, Kaname knew a sick wolf when he saw one, even if he wasn't a healer or a blasted toxicologist.

Thin threads of silver fell off her coat and into the ground, she was still dripping wet. Though the sun, even hidden behing the clouds would dry her off quickly. Kaname's conforting words did little to calm the stubborn girl, she knew Jinx was ill, and though she didn't know what the illness was she thought it wasn't reason enough to promote them.

She gave another huff followed with a lash of her tail before settling down near him. Now that all the steam had gotten out of her thick skull she could speak to him with ease."We could climb the ranks again, though with Jinx running around ill I doubt she'd notice our ardous working.." she complained while pursing her lips.

Kaname sighed softly, thinking back to what he saw and smelled from Jinx. He doubted she would get better. A part of him wondered if their unofficial queen would die. He heard of a disease that could be transferred from bites, that causes the inflicted to drool and go mad. The bite on her leg, the saliva dripping from her lips, and her constant twitching was a huge hint. That was part of his reasoning for coming up here. To get away for a moment.

"We should wait for her to get better......or die." He murmured the last part gently, but it was loud enough for Cara to hear. Jinx might die, it was possibly, but he wasn't sure. He and the whole pack would have to wait.

Cara had never come across a sickness like such. Her mother had fallen victim of illness when she was just a little pup, but the disease that took her was nothing like Jinx's. The pale yearling was a complete ignorant of such things, she had believed Jinx when she had said it was just a nasty spider bite what caused her twitchiness and excessive drooling.

Though she had to admit, her worry had increased over the past few days. Not even Lecter seemed to have the situation under control. Jinx was beginning to frighten her a bit to be honest. She wished she'd get better, but never for her to die.

The yearling's mouth gaped open as he sputtered the last word. Die. Why was he saying that? The naive wolfess pricked her ears in disbelief. "Die? I-Is she that bad?", she asked with an unusual tinge of worry in her voice. No. Who'd take over? No. No. The queen couldn't die!

"I've heard of a disease," he began, hoping that Jinx's symptoms did not match up to the traits of this disease. "That is transferred by bites, sometime similar to what Jinx has on her leg." He wasn't sure if it could be transferred by arachinds, however. "It drives the inflicted mad, making them forget everything. They get twitchy, often attacking anything they see, and they drool. A lot." There was a sense of dread in his chest. Was Jinx really affected by that disease?

"It often ends with death. Either by paralyzation, dehydration, or the creature gets itself killed in its madness." He looked back up to Cara. "However. This could just be a spider bite, but I've never heard of a spider bite that has done that before. But either way, stay away from Jinx for now. If it is this disease, she will give it to you if she bites you or gets her saliva into your eyes, nose, or mouth."

Cara listened carefully as Kaname began to list out the many symptoms --all present in Jinx's check list-- of the weird disease he claimed to have taken over the Ouroboro's queen. Her muscles tensed when he said I'd take only a bite from her beloved queen to put another wolf in that state. She had held onto the hopes that all that was happening to Jinx was the effect of a spider bite that would heal quickly under Lecter's care.

But.. the old shaman hadn't done anything yet --or if he had it hadn't worked. Though according to Kaname, there was a chance that no matter what the expirienced madman did to heal her, her soul would be reaped. "I hope you are wrong, Kaname", she barked while casting her eyes to the ground, where a small puddle of water had formed around her feet.

The assassin sighed, feeling a bad that he got his friend in this state. "I hope so too." he murmured, looking genuinely sad. After all they had been through, through the traitors, the war, the move, it would possibly end like this. What a way to go. The dark male stood up then, and nudged Cara's muzzle with his own.

"But we came here to relax, no? We shouldn't be focusing on such things. Besides, it is out of our control. Whatever happens happens, but I will make sure I will make it out of this unscathed." He flopped back down, feeling unsatisfied. Was that enough to perk the younger wolf up? He doubted it, to be honest. He wasn't good at motivational speaking. But he hoped she would at least try to relax again.

If she weren't wet, she wouldn't have an excuse for the tears that rolled of her cheek merging with the water that dripped from her coat. Cara was not one to show her emotions openly, her heart was inhibited from onlookers eyes, but she couldn't help but feel sorrow seep into her bones. She took Kaname's comforting nudge with a smile and a rumble in her chest, like a cat's purr.

He was right. It was out of their control. She nodded silently as she felt no words were needed for him to understand she agreed. Following her nod she laid down beside him, Cara wasn't good at sitting and waiting but it was true, they could not do anything for Jinx now. "Lecter will be our Alpha", she murmured setting her chin on her paws. She knew the madman's leadership wouldn't last though, he was old and frail even more so after Jinx's illness.