It had not been enough -- they had lured her here to lay claim upon lands and now shunned her without further instruction. What was she to do? Simply live her life in the peaceful setting of the Teekon Wilds -- birthing children until she became so fat she could no longer see her paws? No. She would have none of it.
The air was crisp this day -- the sun beat down upon the lands, though no warmth touched her. Winter still clasped the land with its silence and demand, yet come spring, she knew life would stir once more. Perhaps in the womb of one of her pack mates as well -- a child she would guide to the ways of the gods, despite their parents protests.
Ranging along the creek now, her gaze scanned the area. The water ran swiftly -- harshly, as it swept to lands unknown to her.. she had not fully followed the creek to its end yet. Yet a harsh splash caused her figure to tense, and as her eyes fell upon the silhouette of pale snow, the great bear wavered in Lethe's vision. "Atka," she croaked, her frame falling to the snow now, her muzzle pressed against the cold blanket upon the ground as she stared. "Atka, you have left me."
Silence met her then. Her breath intook sharply, the pain in her chest at this abandonment searing her more than Koios' death had. Her eyes shut tightly then. "Come," the voice whispered -- had she not listened so intently, she would have missed it over the roar of the rushing waters. "Come back to me."
Lethe's eyes would snap open, and the splash of water washed over her then, indicating to her fully what the god had meant. She rose then, sullen in this contemplation. She had never feared death -- not as much as she had feared heartache. Her pause was only for a moment. Enough for her eyes to take in the land around her -- to revel in the touch of the wind as it swept past her pelt. Then, tilting her muzzle up, she released a call. It rang her single goodbye to her pack.. to her family, Lecter, Clarice.. Jinx. To her fiesty redhead, Fox. To the sullen warrior, Njal. To Thorne, and Sparrow. Even so, she knew only Lecter and Jinx would truly understand the meaning of this goodbye -- her purpose here was unknown, but it had been laid to rest now.. just as she would.
Without another word, the she-wolf moved to the edge of the creek. The rushing waters would not give mercy, and before fear could prickle along her spine, Lethe shut her eyes and allowed herself to fall forward. She would feel the searing pain of her body meeting the sharp rocks below, tattering as the current would sweep her harshly down the creek. Her lungs burned as water began to fill them, and yet a soothing came over her quickly as her body numbed her to the pain.
Lethe Styx was no more.
But it was calm. It was too calm. Fish did not slide through the belly of the river - they did not nip at the surface bugs or take sips of the oxygen, which Njal had witnessed on a few occasions. Today the river was empty. The water was rushing by without it's usual fervor. Or maybe he was imagining things? Njal was not one to believe in serendipity; he saw the river as exactly what it was. It's emptiness perplexed him, and that was all.
Until he heard a crunch.
Almost coy in his manner, Njal turned his head and watched the nearby rocks and snow. He waited in this stance for a good few minutes before shuffling along, his head down and body once again prowling. There was a series of crunches that came from afar, so he picked up speed, in time to see a strange badger-like creature hulking along beside the river. The man was curious but he was not stupid. A badger was a formidable enemy to any wolf. Volatile creatures that did not fear the wolf in the slightest.
The badger turned it's head as if to regard him, and that was when Njal saw the odd blue of it's eyes. Shining like the lake on a clear day, or the sky when the clouds were vacant. His hackles naturally rose and Njal felt a chill, which he mentally attributed to the snow around him. The badger did not linger. It moved almost too fast for something of it's species, and Njal tore after it.
Despite the flat land, the Russian lost sight of the creature as it drew close to the water. At first he thought he saw it walk across the current, in to the rocks, and vanish. There must have been a hollow there or -- Wait. There, on the rocks. Njal drew himself up to full height as he approached water now, his nose eagerly sniffing and ears twisting, and he searched for recognition amongst the rocks. There was something here - something familiar, something wolf. It was broken and wedged amongst the stones, pushed by the current as if the river itself wanted to present it's new found plaything.
Lethe.
Njal's breath hissed from his snout as he reared his head, and took a step back.
There was no mistaking the Alpha of Swiftcurrent; her body was water-logged and limp, being tugged at by the hungry river. Rivulets of water pulsed over her body while Njal watched, stricken and silent, without a thought about what to do.
He lifted his head next, and let out a mournful call to the rest of his family; he couldn't deal with this find on his own.
She would have expected Sos to lead Lethe astray in hopes of claiming her strong spirit for His own realm... But never Atka. Atka was the Bringer of Light and Giver of Life, the Mother Bear. Compassionate, but also dangerous. Perhaps that was why Jinx had always misunderstood Her, and underestimated Her. Hers was the power to give and take with ruthless intent. Sos' was the power to take: take life, take success, take fame, take fortune. Rarely did he give anything but enlightenment and mercy, when it was earned.
Jinx did not go to the call. Even when Njal's voice rang out over the creek, clearer and urgent, she did not respond. She didn't care to find her former leader's body. As much as Lethe and Jinx had butt heads, and as much as she was pissed she never got the chance to prove her worth, Lethe was Shearwater. She was family, and one of Koios' closest confidantes when he was alive. Because Jinx was so spiritual, and not taken with physicality so much, she thought it an insult to grieve over Lethe's body. The body was nothing but a shell in which the spirit resided... But Lethe's spirit was released now, and was everywhere and nowhere all at once.
Jinx would quietly grieve where she was, and construct a small circle of stones in the centre of which she would bow her head and pray for Lethe's deliverance into Sos' lair. Her soul was strong, and would bring the Dark Lord much pleasure. He coveted His souls so dearly... And though in life He threatened wolves with the promise of stealing theirs, in death, Jinx believed Sos was a benevolent ruler. She did not move from here until Fox's claiming howl rang out over the land, summoning them... And though she swore with acidic tones at it, she heeded it with a steely demeanour.