Greatwater Lake God Damn it, I miss you.

If Burke was really honest to himself he was a sad little puppy. He missed Meldresi terribly and there wasn't anyone he could really admit that too. The pups would get worried where their mother was. For the new members it wasn't any of their business to know. And that would only leave Grimnir, Lusa and Ohen. The first two were busy with their young and Burke hadn't seen Ohen in forever. He was definitely going to tell him that wasn't something his alpha appreciated. With enough wolves back at Black Feather the alpha felt like he could leave the territory for at least a few hours. As a Beta he was used to much more freedom, now becoming an alpha whole his mate went missing he was basically a dog on a leash. That leash was tied to BFW. 

Burke didn't mind it, he felt at home and he had everything under control. Member count was up heigh, caches were filled and the borders were patrolled. Even the three teenagers had returned from Bearclaw Valley to his happiness. He missed them terribly too. Currently, the charcoal grey tank of a male was only missing his mate. Compared to the longing he had before it was a bit less, but that didn't mean that the Dark King was worried. Meldresi's scent was fading and he disliked that. Frankly he didn't even smell mated to her anymore. It bothered him greatly. Instead of sitting at the borders being scoured by the summer sun the alpha male figured he might as well take a swim in the great lake and check for Meldresi's scent over there.

Misty was getting some sun on her pale white pelt, patrolling the borders of the woods when she noticed Burke's scent leading towards the lake. It was fresh, and it was only going one way, which meant he was probably still there. Even though she was new in the pack and hadn't learned as much about the Alpha as she would've liked to, even she could tell how heartbroken he was. She had heard a lot about his mate, Meldresi, the dark priestess of the Blackfeather Woods. Since Misty wanted to learn more about the mysterious female and the Alpha, she decided to see if she could join him, whatever he was doing and learn more about the Alpha couple. She started out towards the lake at a steady running pace. When she arrived, she spotted the tank-like male right away, trudging along the border of the lake. She slowed her pace to a trot and sat down by the lake, a small distance behind him. "Is it alright if I join you, Burke?" She asked shyly, ready to run if he lashed out at her. Even if he was heartbroken, he could still be aggressive towards his pack, or any wolves for that matter.

Dating the thread a bit forward since this was actually before Misty joined :)

Burke looked up when he heard a quiet voice. He knew the owner of it. Though frankly he wasn't really feeling like having any company. He wanted to look for his wife. The last time he went to sulk Ayana came after him. Surely, she was very nice and tried to help him but there was only one Meldresi on this world. She was his everything really. "Sure," he spoke, he couldn't really deny the female. He could but he wanted to be there for his pack mates. He wanted to be a good alpha. An alpha that had members in his pack that weren't afraid of him and would come to him with their problems. 

Burke walked forward at the same pace, close to reaching the big lake. He was surprised to see that it was half empty. It seemed to storm took a lot of its water away, weird because BFW seemed to be flooded with it. There were dead fish everywhere. Great. This wasn't really helping to get his mood levels rising. "It seems to storm came through here," he spoke to Misty, though technically he was only speaking his thoughts out loud. "Great," he grunted and made a 180 degree turn back to Black Feather. He wasn't going to bathe between the dead fish.

"I heard about Meldresi." She said sadly. "I was wondering if you would allow me to help you locate her. You're not going to get any better until you're with her again, so there's no point in me trying to cheer you up." she put her nose to the ground, sifting through all the different scents to find Meldresi's. Even though she had never met the female, her scent was on Burke and all over camp, so, for a hunter like Misty, it wouldn't be as hard as some of the prey she had tracked with Skyshire, her former mentor. "How long has she been gone?" She absentmindedly asked the male, trying to narrow down the scents she had to sort through.

Burke looked at the female who just complete ignored what was happening around her and went straight to something very personal to Burke. The tank of a male was certain Meldresi's scent wasn't in his fur especially after he went through the foul water of the swamps to save Damien, and with all the rain and current dried mud in his fur. But hey, maybe she had a super nose on top of having eyes like a hawk. Burke's ears flattened because he didn't /want/ his personal problems become a pack problem. 

"I hope you realize you crossed a very big fat line. I am not going to discuss my problems with you. Not yet, to say the least," he spoke, surly the female was young a mere teenager that probably longed for romance and fantastic fairytale reunions but Burke was convinced that wasn't going to happen. If Meldresi survived this storm, and that was a big IF. She wouldn't be in a good health condition. Burke would need to care for her. "She had been gone long enough," he growled, clearly not very keen on sharing it with the newest member of their pack. What was she expecting?! Him to cry out on her shoulder. No.

Misty wasn't all that surprised when he burst out like that, who knew how much anger he was penting up inside himself. "I didn't ask you to. Unlike your beliefs, I care more about finding her than listening to your problems. I function that way because even though I need love myself, I care about survival. It seems like the pack is nonfunctional without Meldresi so my number one priority as a newcomer is finding the Alpha female. Don't worry, I'm not telling anyone else in the pack. I'm not that kind of wolf. I can go alone if you prefer. I work better on my own anyway. I think of it as a mission, not a favor or anything personal. Deal with it." Wow, the last time Misty had said that much or been so cold was when a loner challenged her for her territory, before Skyshire had come into the picture. She had been a stubborn, mean little pup. How she had changed since then.

Uh oh... You just pissed him off... Badly.

Burke bared his teeth as she spoke more and more. Hearing from someone who just joined that his pack was 'Dysfunctional' instantly hit Burke like an insult. He had been working around the clock to keep the pack running. He was the Beta before, but often Meldresi was busy with other things, so he had been running this pack for quite some time. As a workaholic Burke was, one doesn't like to call the work he worked hard on to be 'Dysfunctional'. He instantly charged at her, actually intending to grab her and push her down back into submission. She had the lowest rank and still she managed to talk to him like that?! She had a lot of nerve.

Burke wanted her against the ground. This female clearly wasn't used to being in a pack. Burke had accepted this female because she showed promise but he wasn't going to let her openly disrespect him and his pack. They just worked their way thought a freaking tornado and then she has the guts to call his pack not functional!? He was proud of his members how they worked together and saved all the members of Black Feather. There were no words to describe his rage. Especially her last words 'Deal with it'.

Who did she think she was? He would give her a mission when she earned one. He didn't trust her before but now he was definitely not offering her a mission when she talked about Black Feather like that. How she was talking now fell not in good graces with Burke. Especially not that this little know-it-all was going on about Meldresi she hadn't even met. She didn't know how the pack worked with Meldresi, she just made assumptions and that got Burke really mad. It was impossible for her to know. Burke intended to actually hurt her for her for what she said, trying to sink his teeth deep into her scruff. She needed to know her place, wolf-style.

oh crap. (Runs to get popcorn and security blanket and hides in panic room while intensely watching rp) I'm considering having Misty have no recollection of her outburst and apologizing. She could be hypnotized when she gets mean and could have gaps in her memory. nvm, that would be worse. I also didn't mean to have her piss him off that badly. Why does everything go wrong?! DX

Misty's ears flattened against her skull as she let out a small whimper. She jumped out of the Alpha's path, inches away from destruction. She felt so bad. She hadn't meant it like that. She only wanted to help. Burke was heartbroken and she had overstepped badly. She wasn't in a position in the pack to make those kind of judgements. She was only being honest about her observations. Sure, she didn't appreciate his attitude towards her, but she was new in the pack and she had to earn respect. The most important thing I was trying not to do, anger anybody that I needed to steer clear of. Great job, Misty, you just pissed off the Alpha. You're so dead. "Burke, I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into me. I never act like that. I was totally out of line."

You shouldn't hide from the consequences by making up a condition. Having to deal with the consequences makes it more fun to RP! :) Plus Burke just showing her basic dominance. He isn't going for the kill... yet. ;D

Burke let out a growl when she spoke but then dropped his lip back over his teeth. His ears were still flattened and the tank of a male was still on edge but at least he had covered his teeth. What he just showed had been more effective than any word he could have spoken to her. His pale eyes stayed on her until he slowly got back to that calm state he was usually in. "As long as you realize that," he spoke sounding still a bit agitated. Burke might have lashed out but that was only because he wanted her to remind her of her place. Next time he might go for drawing blood if she would forget again. 

"You might say you are sorry, but now you can work extra hard to prove to me you actually are sorry." Burke let out a snort. Basic discipline, it felt good to let that out on Misty to be really honest. It wasn't like she couldn't come to Burke to tell him that she was unhappy about something in the pack. He was a counselor, and he would listen to her. But to have her plainly insult the pack she was accepted into only a day later didn't set well with him. "Just so you know, you can come to me if you dislike something about the pack, or someone. But please, don't start a day after arriving here. It makes you sound like a brat and ungrateful."

breathes into a bag and rocks back and forth in the fetal position, shaking with fear and whimpering... Jk, but that was still a little scary 

 Misty relaxed and looked at the ground, fidgeting with her paws. "Yes, Burke. Sorry Burke." She said quietly, still recovering from the horror of almost being killed. If that's how he reacted to honesty, she never wanted to step out of line again. She didn't even want to make a mistake. Had coming to join the pack been the wrong choice? Should she have stayed with Skyshire, where she was loved and felt comfortable and safe? No. Skyshire had been the one to convince her to join the pack, and there was no running back to her now, not if she wanted to survive. She shakily took deep breaths to try to calm down, but nothing could help her cope with the fact that she had almost been killed.

Burke is a bit of a creep, yes, but everyone has its qualities. :P

Burke nodded courtly. He would lash out but after he did he didn't held grudges. He had pushed her back into her place and she had accepted that. The problem had been dealt with and it was over. Burke looked around at all the rotting dead fish that the tornado sucked off and rained over the place. "There is nothing for us here," he spoke, and then nudged her shoulder with his nose to signal her to walk with him. "Let's return  to our home."

Burke had sounded calm and normal again. His docked tail held high as he walked back into the direction of Black Feather. He didn't get to have his swim, and mud was still sticking to him. He might go to Otter Creek for a wash then. Burke wouldn't feel clean after bathing with rotten fish everywhere. Plus if he would go through Black Feather he would have a reason to at least put Misty to work, or at least let her hunt something for injured Lusa.

great, now Misty feels depressed and alone : ( 

Misty nodded, breathing still a little shaky. She got to her paws and slowly followed Burke back towards the dark forest where the camp lay hidden among the shadows. There was no way she was getting missons anytime soon. No way in the Astros. How could she have been so stupid? She had just guaranteed her position as the lowest ranking wolf in camp for a long time. She felt more alone than ever. Burke couldn't really be considered a friend, she hadn't made any friends in the pack, and she was far away from the only friends and family she had ever known. Misty the outcast was a better name for her than Misty the pack wolf. What had she gotten herself into?

She is only one day in the pack, she will make friends ;) Plus Burke only corrected her he doesn't hate her. Oh yes, making this thread take place before the training thread with Cyn&Ayana :)

Burke walked with her back to Black Feather, walking together usually created a bit of a bond but the young girl seemed very shocked by his display of dominance. It made him wonder where she came from and how she survived for so long. Even Parents would correct their teenagers this way, it was very normal. But Misty seemed shaken to her core, so much even Burke wondered if she ever got any correction. A soft sigh left him. "Why don't you go to Lusa and ask if she needs anything," he spoke. "She is in the Infirmary Cave. It is just straight to the North form here."

Burke was glad that he hadn't threatened with her leaving BFW because then the girl might be even more upset. "I'm starting a training, I want you to be there too. Keep your ears alert for my howl," he nodded courtly. Hopefully that would soothe her a bit. God he was really softening, Burke disliked it. On his way now to Otter Creek. Maybe he would find his mate there. 

- Burke Exits - 

[ooc]yes, Misty is a moody, traumatized little girl. but she's my bby and i'll love her till she dies. I also feel like her theme song, if we needed to have one, would be Brave by Sara Bareilles or Fight Song by Sara Platten. I'm still deciding tho. She also has a bit more grown up version mix of Rainbow Dash's and Fluttershy's voices.[/occ]

Misty nodded and headed off towards the Infirmary Cave. She wasn't that shocked about him lashing out, it was the cause and the intensity of the outburst that had scared her. None of her friends, not even other loners yelled like that, even for a reason like Burke's. Sure they fought and battled, but Misty had only been in a couple fights, and someone had always stepped in to help her before it got too serious. How was she going to survive pack life if that was just a medium sized outburst about honest opinions? She had never had that kind of experience before and she had never been so close to the face of death before, either. She never wanted to feel like that again. She was going to do as she as told and not upset or anger anyone, especially Burke.

She stopped and looked back over her shoulder, watching as the Alpha padded away. Even if she barely knew him, she felt bad for him. She didn't pity him, she just knew how he felt. Her littermates and father had disappeared in her first few days of life, her mother was killed by her own brother when she was only 3 months old, and her brother had dropped her off in loner territory to fend for herself. Even if she had gotten to experience a family, it wasn't a real family. Misty's whole life after that point had been built upon the fear that she couldn't trust anyone ever again because they might hurt her. Her whole trauma filled life was worse than what she had just experienced with Burke, but it wasn't as terrifying. Misty wondered often what her life would've been like if nothing had gone wrong, if her childhood was one of happiness and joy. She definitely wouldn't be in a pack and she could've been a tougher, stronger wolf. But she couldn't alter anything in her past, but she could choose how her future unfolded.. She was going to do everything she could to survive and become a stronger, better, and tougher wolf.