Shadewood Caught like a fly In a web of your lies

@Takara! 

It couldnt be true. The words kept playing on repeat in her mind. He wouldn't do that...he wouldn't do that...he wouldn't do that. Yet the image of the speckled nursing child, one that looked like an even mixture of Issun and Takara kept shoving the fact that he did into her brain. She lay inside of her den, cuddling Deku and fussing over him hoping that her boy would distract her. It partially worked and she almost had herself convinced before she thought about how he had told her to stay put and then by the time she had gone to Takara he wasn't there, only the briefest of his scent remained upon the entrance to the den. Why had he not wanted her to go to her friend when she had called for Takara to come to her? Why had he run off from the woman's den so quickly if because he saw the living proof of his betrayal?


Then there was Takara. The woman who had seduced her into friendship and then provoked even deeper feelings only to screw her mate behind her back. She had known Takara loved Issun but she hadn't thought such a sweet woman could be so...sneaky. She choked back a sob and instead placed a quick lick to Deku's nose hoping to get one of his delightfully happy squeaks.

set for May 1
@Orochi as meantioned.
phone post

come stop your crying, it will be alright.

she had gotten up early the morning, tucked her only living child into the furs and feathers that she had gathered weeks ago and began the ceremony. the bard buried them next to Minori's pale daughter, Ayani. marked their graves just like she had for a child that was not her own, Ayani's grave had a smooth and pale stone that had a soft shimmer to it when the sun hit it. Tenko got a jagged rock that held a color that reminded her of rust and fox fur. Aimi's stone was smooth like Ayani's but it was black in color, just like her fur. and lastly, the twin of her living child. the pheonix, Ooyori, his rock was blue like the hottest fire. they were haste markers, trinkets she had stored in her den, things she found pretty. when she had more time she would add more decorations but for now this would have to do, she sang softly for the children born into this world without a chance at life before she turned from them.

just take my hand, and hold it tight.

she knew what she had to do, she had to fix the mess that she had helped to create. tears still stained her cheeks as she first allowed her rather vibrant child to have his morning meal, he was not going to like what was about to happen next. as it was, he had noticed her small absence and though he was new to this world, he had a pair of lungs on him. with a sign she leaned down and gripped her little child in jaws, gently but firmly. though he remained mostly limp like she had always seen with puppies, he made sounds of distaste and what might be called rage. takara's ears flattened against her skull as she exclaimed his protests, it was a good thing that their birthing dens were so close to each other.

I will protect you from all around you.

with gentle steps she approached the den that held Minori and her son, Deku, Orochi making it impossible to go unnoticed. now she was in a predicament, how was she to ask permission to enter when she had a rather angry puppy in her mouth? one answer, you don't. huffing she curled her tail between her legs and made it clear that she was in submission to the woman that she was invading, a woman she had come to love.

I will be here, don't you cry.

she breached the entrance before she gave a soft whine before she curled herself into a corner the best she could. setting down the angry child and nudged him to her belly, only once he latched on had his sounds quiet down. how could he be so loud, she had wondered before a depressing thought crept into her mind. he's making up for his missing twin. it was then she looked over at the beautiful ebony woman, "I.. I'm sorry for just barging in.. he's.. the pair of lungs on this kid." she tried for humor but she she kept her head low and showed nothing but submission to her, hoping she couldn't be kicked out.

cameo!

talk about a bad morning.

orochi had just woken up from his nap as hungry as ever. but no need to worry! there was an endless supply of milk not an inch away from him. the boy tried to locate the food with his tiny snout, swiveling one way and another. he found it eventually and when he got ready to drink it was ripped away from him. then to add insult to injury, he was tucked into something that was definitely not as warm as mom.

to get up so early in the morning, to work so hard just to get some breakfast, only to have it taken away. ‘displeased’ didn’t even begin to cover his feelings. no he was pissed, angry, enraged. the ear-piercing screams made that clear.

the ground started to rumble and orochi’s cries ceased. it was good old mom, back again and ready to give him his meal. about time. 

ah yes, he’d fill himself till he popped and then he’d sleep for days. but the waiter seemed to have other plans. once again he was picked up. orochi protested of course, but there isn’t much you can do with a weak little potato body. so he was carried into the cold world against his will.

the two stopped at another warm place. the boy was quick to dig into his meal when he was placed down. the other new faces were ignored. rude. well actually, who could blame him? he was just a blind, deaf, potato after all.

She knew who it was the moment she heard the angry squaling. This kid sounded like the most pissed off newborn she had ever heard before but luckily she could recognise the tone as a pup who wanted the warmth of a feeding. Despite the maternal instinct to let Takara feed Orochi or to do it herself she curled her lips over her fangs in a silent snarl and licked them slowly to show her distaste and then turned to groom Deku, occasionally growling to show she meant her business.


When done grooming her son she turned to Takara intending her expression to be cold though she only looked distraught and hurt "He does. Feed him. He wants more to eat" she said this coldly at the least and motioned for the far side of the den away from her. She then lay her head on her paws pretended to ignore Takara for as long as she could bear. After a torturous ten minutes she spoke up in their home language "He looks very similar to Issun. Did you and my mate create him?" her voice was cold and detached but she moved piercing seafoam eyes to meet Takara's "Don't lie to me Takara. I know what I'll believe either way and it's not in your or Issun's favor. I want to know it all" she gave up on japanese halfway through, not feeling it.

don’t mind me just stirring the pot

after he ran he did not go back to his family. he couldn’t look at them, he couldn’t look at anyone right now. the baby’s cries were stuck in his mind. it made his skin heat up, his movement clumsy, his stomach churn. issun was sick. takara, the baby, everything. it was all sick. a mistake. a mistake. a mistake.

he had stayed at the edge of the keep all night, just staring at the sky, trying to forget. but he couldn’t stay forever, he had a family to care for. that’s what he kept telling himself. it’d be more accurate to say he had a name to keep clean.

when the sun peaked over the horizon the warrior was already on his way back to the den. he tried to steady his breaths.

don’t lie to me takara.

everything stops. his footsteps, his breath, the beating of his heart. no it couldn’t be. she didn’t tell her. she didn’t know. she couldn’t know.

right as minori finished issun appeared from were he was hidden. there was a dumbfounded look on his face, one to hide the pure terror. “takara?” he walked in between the women, with his backed turned to minori and facing the new mom. “what are you doing here? ” he glances at the pup, but only for a moment. the sight of it stings and he’s forced to look away. instead he stares into her eyes. there’s a plea hidden in them.

She focused on the woman, her eyes piercing into Takara's face since the female averted her gaze. The posture was what kept her calm as well as the fact that she was nursing a child. She breathed in....then out....then in again just as Issun entered. She watched as Takara's expression became sad and resigned, a bit of fear showing. She didn't like that, she didn't like seeing Takara frightened and sad, it was wrong. Another thing that was wrong was that Issun hadnt even greeted her, had just brushed her aside and went straight to Takara. "She is warming up. It's cold. She's my guest and we need privacy. Get out" she hissed as she stood up careful not to jostle Deku as she placed herself in front of Takara "Unless you have something to say to me Issun?" for a second her voice broke and the pain came loose, her eyes begging him to just come clean, to tell her what had happened instead of acting like she was stupid.

when he spoke, she caved into herself, tucking the baby close to her bosom. like he was some predeator. like he’d lash out at any moment. this upsets him. takara, his dear friend from the very beginning. that little girl that would play with him, laugh with him, cry with him, was now cowering at his feet. issun took a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. my have times changed.

things had been going downhill since they stepped foot into this damned forest. and all the troubles came tumbling on issun’s back. but he kept calm through everything, for his own sake. but the weight was too much to bare now.

“no.” he turned to minori and held a stern gaze. “whatever she has to say to you...” he whipped his head back to takara. his eyes wandered to concealed baby once more. he turned them up quickly and his brow furrowed. “...she can say to us.”

he does. feed him. he wants more to eat.

her words were cold, harsh, and well earned. there was a silent threat with a flash of teeth and a lick of her dark woman's lips, then she was ignored as the angry child finally silenced his cries. it was a deliberate dismissal, a show that what was blossoming between them had began to wilt and shrivel or maybe it was already dead. the panda colored child was groomed extensively, she would not be surprised if he gleamed in the sunlight after a washing like that. 

pale eyes watched as her friend continued to ignore her, her head laying on her paws, her gaze averted until the silence was too great. just as she had opened her lips to break the silence minori did it for her, bright green eyes looked at her and she looked away. it was obvious that she was being submissive to the woman and when she spoke again, well, takara's ears pinned to her skull so hard that she started to feel pain form the simple motion. 

"he looks very similar to issun. did you and my mate create him?"

"minmin.." she began in the same language, very softly, before the woman continued to speak. don't lie to me takara. she was not going to lie, there was no use in trying to do this issun's way. she could tell her friend the truth and then leave her child with her, she could leave and be out of her life. she could go somewhere, or.. well.. the thought of taking her own life came again just as it had so frequently lately but as she opened her mouth to tell the story she was cut off by the presence of the one wolf she did not want to see right now.

takara, what are you doing here? 

her tail curled over her child, hiding him from the man that was his father. her body curved around him protectively as fear leaked out just a touch, he acted clipped towards her. he had been so harsh after their dance, after the deed that she had tried to prevent. this was the first boy she had ever felt love towards, this was the boy she had played with and laughed with. this was the boy she challenged his father for, and yet, yet there was a new rift between them and it was no longer minori that was causing it. 

she could not say this with him here, he would discredit her. he would make her look worse in the woman she loved eyes, nothing good would come of his but if he was not here.. maybe she could leave here without minori hating this child, so that she could love him like her own child when takara was no longer of this world.

she is warming up. it's cold. she's my guest and we need privacy. get out

minori stood up and takara automatically let her tail fall away from her child to cover the little boy that was just displaced by his mother's sudden movement. she kept her body curled over her own child but her fluffy tail touch deku to keep him happy and warm, minori had stepped in from  her and she could only look at the woman's backside in confusion before issun turned the entire situation on her. "issun, i am pretty sure your wife asked you if you had anything to say to her. not if if i had something to say." she spoke softly but there was an edge to her voice, a sound of pain. a sigh came then as she touched her nose to her friend's back leg. if he did not tell her, she would but not like this. "i think she told you to get out..."she then said weakly, still touching the dark woman as if to tell her that she would not lie. her forehead pushed against her slightly as she tried to control her breathing, she would tell her everything. tell her how she tried to leave the forest, how she tried to make sure this did not happen, how it was still her fault, how she would leave, how she would leave orochi with her.. everything.. just.. just not like this..

Everything was so wrong, so wrong and it was a situation so messy that she wasn't sure she could fix it. She looked back and forth between Issun and Takara her ears going back as she kept herself between them, not entirely being protective on purpose. Her gaze finally fell upon Issun and remained there, void of any emotion as his words slapped her silly. The response from Takara was met with silence and she slowly exhaled. "If nobody is going to be honest let me say what i think. Based off of...how..how similar that boy looks to the both of you and by the two of you acting so damn strangely, I say that I've been betrayed by the two people I never thought would do it" Her voice was unstable ice, it trembled and quaked. She took a few steps backward and lowered her nose to touch Deku, to ensure he knew she was still there. 

It was for him that one emotion resurged and that was anger "My son doesn't need this stress. He's easily..easily upset. If we can't discuss this like the family i thought we were then one of you needs to leave" she looked down and gently took Deku from beneath Takara's tail, laying down and tucking him back to her side where he belonged. Her eyes watered and tears dripped down her face as she thought of how Deku was supposed to be the beginning of a fresh start and now everything was more messed up than it had been before.

with each passing breath, a new stone was being placed on top of him. each word that came out of takara’s mouth wrapped around his throat and closed his windpipe. it was clear what she was doing. she wanted issun to lie still and watch her tear apart everything he worked for. his wife, his son.she had broken. but he hadn’t. he’d rather die then let this mistake tear him away from his family.

that’s what that boy is. a mistake. issun refused to claim him. he was not his son, nor would he ever be his son. that’s what he’d been repeating to himself after that fateful day. it warped his mind to the point that he believed this to be true. so he took great offense minori’s accusation.

“how could you say that?” his voice was level, but there was an undeniable flame in it, sparked by stress and desperation. “how could you even begin to think that?” takara and the children faded from existence. it was dark. there were only two souls in this place. “you are my one and only, i thought that was clear. but i guess not, since you want to assume i’ve fucked around behind your back. with my own damn friend.” he gestures in her direction, but does not make the effort to look. “are you still scared she’ll take me away from you? is that it? well my feelings haven’t changed. i love you not her. i wouldn’t even dream of doing anything with her.”

every word that minori spoke hurt her, her tone broke her heart. betrayal, yes. that was what that dance had been, what this child had been. tears prickled at her pale blue eyes as she closed them, the words on the tip of her tone before someone she had grown up with spoke. his words were even but held desperation, the things he spoke felt like that day all over again. 

with my own damn friend

a bitter and painful laugh came from her throat then, it was unexpected and surprised even herself as she listened to his lies. oh, how he had fallen. how could he do this to the woman he claimed to love, how could he be so harsh to not just minori but her. sadness filled her voice as she spoke, pain vibrated in every word as water finally spilled from her gaze. "friend.. is that really what i am?" she choked on her own words, she did not feel like a friend. not any more. he no longer treated her that way, he had not let her stay in the woods that day but would he prevent her today? could she finally end all of this and walk away? could she leave her only living child with minori and she still accept him once she told her the truth?

i cannot lie. 

"minmin..." she almost sobbed, her voice still shaking when issun was finally done with his lies. "..it was an accident.." she confessed so quietly that maybe no one could hear her before moving, she uncurled herself from the child she had found love in. as she got up he made sounds, not screaming. thankfully. she whispered softy so that only she made sure it was only for the beautiful mother's ears. 

"I am sorry..." was the first thing she uttered, "i love you.." that was the last thing she said before she picked up her child and ran out of then den, she could not listen to issun's lies any longer. she.. she could not lie.

-takara's exit with orochi-

She was a warrior, she didn't flinch.

But she did when Issun snapped at her, his voice holding a heat that she had never heard from him before. It made her even more sure that he had done wrong because why else would he use such vehemence against her?

"It was an accident"

Her ears flattened back and it was then the whole world shook, spun and crumbled beneath her. She couldn't look at Takara as she ran from the den. Instead she fixed Issun with a gaze so devoid of kindness and affection that it was like she was staring at a stranger. "You've gone mad Issun. You aren't who I thought you were. I gave you everything....I gave up everything" she paused and in her mind she thought I gave up Corvus for you but she had enough sense to withhold that. She snorted and shook her head all the emotions snuffing out all at once "It's funny really. Me and Takara... we've grown close. If you both had just asked me I probably would have agreed instantly" she said this bitterly and then looked up making sure to meet his eyes "Maybe even participated. But now you've gone and made a giant mess of things. Just looking at Takara she almost confessed it all. I know Issun and you've gone and made it worse by lying. You can get out or I'll leave" she said this firmly her voice wavering.

there. it was all said and done. the fur that stood on flattened and his heavy breath began to cease. for a moment he was calm. the silence that fell lured him into a false of comfort. everything was going to be ok.

but then she spoke. it was not a long speech, nor was it loud. just three simple words that tore his claim apart. his body tensed again as he watched her leave.

issun did not look at minori. he stared into the depths of the forest with a clouded gaze. her words were drowned by the ringing in his ears. fine. he mumbled when she was finished. go on then. just ignore everything i said and listen to her. without another word, he vanished into the trees.

"I will! You coward!" she snapped and screamed the words after him, flinching when Deku woke at her side and squalled clearly startled and frightened by what was happening. She choked on a sob and shakily ran her nose down the soft baby fur along her son's back "Hush baby it's okay" she cooed and broke down, sobbing rough broken cries as she tended to her baby.