Ocean's Breath Plateau So drop a bomb on all the things we dreamed about

Tags for ref, making some assumptions <3 All welcome!

She'd been busy since finding @Carlisle, ensuring that her son was fed and comforted, rarely taking eyes off of him. But he did not seem inclined to part from Moontide again. After a few days, Marina began to relax. Something like acceptance settled over her; a bitter thing, the realization that she may never see her daughter again. She would not stop searching, not ever. But it was time to begin the painful trudge forward.

She started to think of the future.

@Chakliux; she had come to love him, she realized. She'd come to see in him all of the things she desired for her own future.

All but one.

Marina idled through the plateau, nose dipping to take in the scent trails running across it. But she was deep in thought. Her desire for marriage had gone unanswered over long months, and now, and now —

One of three; more, perhaps, if he ever asked her as she sometimes wished he might. Her heart raced at the thought but it lurched, too, so painfully that all the butterflies in her died and fell into something heavy at the pit of her stomach. He was stability, he was safety — but he was not the only one, was he? Her thoughts turned then to @Rodyn, unbidden; freshly a widower, maybe not even of a mind for marriage any time soon. She would never ask it of him.

But in him she saw a need that she did not see in Chakliux; a space unoccupied; a future secured. There was no passion in her for the alpha, who she had never meant to see as more than a friend, and maybe there never would be.

Still, it was Rodyn she looked for now.

Passion had only ever led her astray.

Pelt of burnished fall moved through the pack lands. He made the trip more frequently as the boys no longer needed him as much. And they would be home and settled back in the borders of moontide sooner than he had imagined. HE wanted to be sure their borders were safe and they had a comfortable and warm den to bed down in.

It was on this day he was moving some of the stuff he had pulled into the den. Those that had been ruined he had buried, far far into the forest. But most of it was fairly good. IT had taken him sometime to dig out the den and pad it down.

Rodyn's mind had not gone to marriage of any kind since Samani. And he doubted very much it would. He stubbornly refused to think of the future. His only concern the here and now. The way the world worked, how his children were raised, and his grief so fresh, he still woke up at night in tears.

It was outside the new den that Marina would find him. Smelling of sand and animal furs, but the den was finished, it was comfortable and cozy, perfect for his growing family and with room as they grew or for more that needed a temporary home if the need should arise.

She found Rodyn at a new den, and it was obvious why he'd moved. Her heart ached to think of it. But Marina said nothing of Samani, not wanting to stir up his grief again; instead she greeted him with a chuff and a smile.

I found Carlisle, She announced quietly, leaving it unspoken that Brockleigh remained missing. Marina's smile faded quickly, but she cast an approving glance over the new den. It looks good. I bet your sons will love it. Her voice was soft, and she fell silent then, wanting to give him the freedom to decide their topic of conversation. Grief was a fickle thing; she didn't want to impose on the process.

Rodyn didn't like to think to deeply on why he was picking out or had picked out a new densite. He knew why and it hurt.

Yellow eyes fell upon her and he dipped his head. Hello.

A smile at her news though the implicstion one was still missing was there. He chose to focus on thr positive.

I am glad you found Brockleigh. Truly it is wonderful news.

He looked around with a smal ldose of prode, but apprehension still lay there. I hope so. They may not understand it all and chsnge will probably unsettle them. But i am hoping for the best.

If you need any help... She hesitated, studying Rodyn's features for some kind of reaction. Being a single parent isn't easy. But I'm here for you - all of Moontide is. Heph had been such a help through her own ordeal; Marina was certain the alpha would have no shortage of support. Yet she felt she owed him on a personal level — him, and Samani. They had taken her in when she had nothing, nothing but the promise of a burden for the future in the form of fatherless children.

And I think you'll be a wonderful father, Marina added, and meant it. He was everything a father should be. His sons would be in good hands.

Still she couldn't help but ache to think of how terribly unfair it was. Samani should have been here.

He offered her a warm smile. Thank you, Marina. I will always take help. The boys are lively and sometimes more than I can handle. He laughed then softly, proudly. They were a lot, but he loved them.

He would take the help from Marina. She was kind and helpful and she had been a good addition to their pack. There were no regrets that he and Samani had allowed her entry.

A small smile and a warmth across his cheeks. I hope you are right. A boyish smile then, unsure and a little self conscious.