Duskfire Glacier What we aint got

back dated to yesterday, new comers welcome to greet this guy!

Rain gently poured from the sky, hardly making a splash in the existing puddles of water on the ground but the sky sharply contrasted the gentle nature of the rain. It blotted out the sun with its onyx colors while thunder rolled in the dark and left small streaks of lightning to replace the suns glow. Rye was sure snow wasn't far behind him, he had been lucky enough to out pace the storm but as the winds began to pick up he knew he'd be caught dead in the middle of it if he wasn't careful. It didn't sound like to bad option, what if he laid there and accepted it? Accepted that he lost his family, accepted that he was not a good man, not a good husband. 
While the storm brewed behind him Rye felt the air being syphoned from his lungs, his legs wobbling from the weight of his burdens and his eyes blurring with tears. Weeks of searching for his family turned up no results, not a hair or a scent found to belong to them. The weight of his legs grew as he approached the boarders to Duskfire, his head held low. A plethora of unfamiliar scents slammed into his nose, stopping Rye in his tracks, until he found the one familiar spoor in the bunch. @Lane, his head lifted and he searched the boarder for her but saw nothing. The hotah wondered if he could just walk in the territory as if he hadn't been gone for a month. A brown paw hesitantly lifted to step but stopped before it made contact with the ground. He sighed, would the man be welcomed back after returning alone? Rye lifted his muzzle and howled. He would soon find out.

The rain seemed a perfect backdrop for the mournful howl that cut through the glacier.  Asphodel, having little else to occupy her time, made her way to the border to see who was knocking. Perhaps alpha man with the big name would be there. Perhaps she would find another fool at the borders... or something more interesting.
But what she found was just some man, looking travel-worn and sad. Hello, Asphodel greeted, looking him up and down. Handsome. Probably as stupid as alpha man. Can I help you? Likely he was looking for alphas, but it was polite to offer, at least.

Rye's voice filled the air, and Lane went running. It didn't matter that it was raining, or that she's had every intention of spending the rest of the afternoon snugly tucked away in Greyfall Caverns with Wayfarer, quizzing her on traveling herbs. Lane ran for him because Wintersbane and Tzila were dead, and he was the only one who could even come close to understanding what that meant to her. 

When he came into view standing beside a wolf with ivory-and-russet markings, Lane's heart would leap into her throat. Imaq! She let loose several joyful barks. She ran harder, and the rain and wind picked up and she neared. 

When she was close enough to see that the other wolf was not Imaq, Lane slowed her pace. Realization and intense disappointment rushed over her immediately. As she approached, the emotions she wore were a heartbreaking mixture of relief, pain and defeat.

She cruised past the stranger without even a glance. It was irrational of her to blame the woman, but Lane was seething with anger at her for the simple fact that she wasn't Imaq and she should have been. Lane needed her to be Imaq, and she wasn't. So Lane ignored her, because she didn't trust herself to speak to the woman without screaming at her to go away.  

Tears stung in Lane's eyes as she swiftly embraced Rye. "We need to stop meeting like this," she whispered, joking despite her tears. Would Rye recall the last time they embraced in the rain, with tears running down Lane's face?

The rain would fill in the silence as he waited for someone to greet him but it would not occupy his mind as he would like it to, in the rains stead memories of Imaq and their son projected themselves into the tree line ahead. Ghostly remnants of their existence brushing against his fur, his wife's hugs, kisses and, caresses; their sons playful bites and nibbles. He leaned into the phantom touches, hoping his love would magically reappear to hold some of his weight like she used to. Hawkeyes welled with tears as a stiff, cold tree held his body instead, with each drop of grief would Rye sink lower into the snow. There he let himself sob for only a moment, knowing it was only a matter of minutes before someone would show up.
Wiping the tears with his forearm, Rye stood back up and waited. An ivory figure emerged from the trees, the mans heart skidded to a stop, he felt it bunch up in the back of his throat. Words formed but they could only queue behind his heart, the hotah stepped forwards and prepared to rush to Imaq. As the freshly formed tears fell he saw the truth, it wasn't his wife. The heart sank deep into his chest, trying hard to find the strength to keep a steady beat. The unknown female approached and greeted Rye, questioning how she could help him. "Imaq?" He stammered uselessly, the lagging words finally able to be spoken. Confused as to what to say next, the man stayed quiet, until another voice (or bark) cut into the silence.
Rye peered beside the stranger to see Lane high tailing it towards him, at first the man thought he was in deep trouble but once she embraced him, his worried faded away. Rye didn't hesitate to tightly hug back, small whimpers emitting from his chest as another round of tears streamed down his face. He missed her, he missed his home. Lanes words earned her a soft chuckle from a sore heart, it had been the first time in a month since any positive emotion crossed his brain. "That we do." He responded, still vividly remembering their first embrace.   

skipping asphodel since she's fallen inactive.

She heard the whimpers and felt the heaving in his chest. Oh, Rye. She hugged him harder, until finally both of them were ready to let go. 

The little joke did its magic, lightening he mood just enough for what had to come next. 

Heaviness resumed its place upon Lane's features. "Rye.. they haven't come back," Lane reported, voice full of sympathy. Obviously Rye hadn't found Imaq and Sikuliak either. Lane hovered, ready to come in with another hug if he seemed to need one. 

"There's more bad news, I'm afraid," she would tell him in a soft voice. She would wait until he indicated he was ready before she put any more upon him. 

The rain fell harder, slowly soaking through Lane's topcoat. Belatedly remembering the other woman, Lane glanced toward her, but found that she had gone. Probably off to seek shelter from not only the storm, but also the intense pain emanating from the grieving pair.

His body shuttered, wracked with another sharp voltage of fear and pain as Lanes initial words parted from her lips. Air hitched into his throat, a failed attempt at a sob as the last bastion of hope told him what he already knew was the case. Still, her affirmation tore him into shreds. The females invitation to close the gap was readily taken and Rye embraced her again, holding on tightly as if to never let her go but eventually he had to, for she announced further bad news. His already sullen features shifted into apprehensive confusion, what more could life have instore for him? "Tell me." Rye said, voice lightly cracking, his gaze momentarily averted.  

asphodel has exited the thread <3

Dude looked pretty crestfallen at the sight of her, which didn't do a whole lot for Asphodel's self-esteem. Imaq? he said, which could have been a foreign language or a name or an insult for all she knew, but she didn't get as far as asking — because someone else showed up, and it was like Asphodel stopped existing right then. Zero acknowledgement. And it looked like they were crying? What the fuck?
O...kay.

oof, sorry @Asphodel! i feel bad about this. <|3 it's not her fault she looks so much like Imaq! :( let's start a thread soon so lane and asphodel can actually meet.

Lane swallowed heavily. "It's Tzila and Wintersbane. They're dead." The words hung between them for long enough that the rain picked up, pelting them with icy drops that crystallized upon their pelts. "Wintersbane was struck by lightening and died of his injuries. Tzila.. followed him willingly, in grief. Poison." Lane's gaze was fixed upon her paws as she reported the news. Fat tears slid down her cheeks, mixing with the freezing rain.

He braced for the news, his body tensed as if a grizzly was rushing him, the mans feet rooted more firmly to the ground with his shoulders scrunching. 'It's Tzila and Wintersbane.'. Lane did not need to finish her sentence for him to know his friends were gone. He swallowed hard, the thoughts of never being able to speak to them again nauseated him. He shoved what bile came up back down. Regret seeped into him like a poison, the very same poison he had with Imaq. Never enough time spent. He should have said goodbye before leaving. Rye couldn't understand why he was so foolish, had he not learned from his families disappearance that time was precious?

It was quiet between the two, the heavens poured above them and melded with Hotahs tears. The only hint of dire grief crashing into him with the force of a landslide was the subtle rise of his snout and the shell-shocked glare he wore. Learning why Wintersbane died trembled his lip but Tzilas cause of death erupted him with a sobs. More regret poured into his already brimming cup and sent the excess out through tears and cries. Had he been there to watch over Wintersbane, would he still have his friends? 

"I'm sorry Lane," He grimaced, fighting back a sob. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, for them," He breathed. "For you." 

Hearing the sobs of the already-broken man was gut wrenching. Lane felt like she couldn't breath, as if the iron fist of fate was clenched mercilessly around her chest. 

Little did she know, Rye was asking himself the same questions that played in her mind day in and day out. What could I have done differently? What if I had tried harder? Could I have given more? 

She squeezed him tight. If only she could squeeze the pain away. 

Apologies tumbled from Rye's lips, and Lane shook her head. "You were exactly where you needed to be. There was nothing else that could have been done. ..For either of them." Lane pressed into him once more. 

Wintersbane's care had really just come down to pain management, especially in the last few days. His injuries had just been to devastating. And Tzila... well, from what Ensio reported, it sounded like she had been unstable for a while. Tzila had always had her demons, she had admitted that much to Lane. If she could not find happiness in living for her beautiful, perfect boys, then there was simply none to be had. 

"Come on," Lane ushered him into the territory. "Let's go home." She turned to lead him toward the caves. She would find him something to eat and a place to rest.. a place that wasn't haunted for him, as his family's den would be.

Weary from his travels Rye made no fuss about following Lane back into this home. Despite knowing what laid ahead of him, the inevitable return to his den, he would stay for a while. Do his best to stop himself from breaking down in others presence. Now knowing he wasn't the only one grieving he needed to give more consideration for others, and be Lanes shoulder to cry on whenever she needed. Just as she did for him. The future looked bleak but for the time being Rye begrudgingly pressed on.