Dawnlark Plains You left.

For @Reek ! @Tavi is welcome too! :D

As soon as Desna had arrived into the maplewood she had left again, not officially, but to find Reek. The girl had been quite upset with hearing that Reek had been kicked out. She still couldn't help but be a bit mad at him. What had he done to be kicked out?! Saena and Reek were an example to her as a powerful couple, and now he had left meaning that Saena's babies would grow up without a father just like what happened to her! How was she ever going to accept that?! Desna howled for Reek every few miles as she moved from the Maplewood to Silver Moraine.

She let out heart breaking howls seeing as they grew more desperate as she traveled further. She had already be weary from traveling over the mountains. But Desna was determined and she would not stop. Now she was on some plains, letting out another howl looking for Reek. Desna would not allow to be left again. Everyone in her life had left her now. First her father and brother, then her mother and then followed by her sisters. Reek was the only one she had and he left too.

Desna was already very sensitive to wolves she was close to leaving her and now the one she would never expect from doing so had disappointed her too. She did not know where to look. Maybe he went into another direction. When that thought hit her Desna stumbled over her own feet, slumping down in her tiredness. She had been running and searching continuesly. She let out another heart wrenching howl for Reek before resting her chin on the ground. She had held the tears at bay for so long, trying to be strong, yet being all alone the dam broke and the girl started to cry. The stress of being left alone again was too much on her, with on top of that all the anger and other emotions the teenager had been feeling it came out in ugly sobbing.

The north was practically an echo chamber; with howls echoing off the peaks that dotted the landscape, the noise was easily directed— eventually falling on Reek's ears all the way in the grotto. He heard Desna's howls from a'far and immediatly set out southward to meet her. With everything that had happened in Desna's absence, the confusion she must have felt must have been insurmountable. Of course, Reek felt it his duty to explain despite knowing the knowledge of the actions leading to his expulsion from the Maplewood would forever mar his image in Desna's eyes.

He found her on the plains, sobbing uncontrollably. It was with a heart full of guilt that Reek approached. Not only had he hurt his ex-mate and his future children, but he had not considered it's effect on Desna; the closest wolf he had to a daughter. He was solely at fault for her condition.

With head low, he inched forward and whispered, "Des, I'm here."

Densa was so absorbed by her emotions that she did not hear him approach at first. The girl looked up when she heard his voice. Instantly she jumped up and pressed her face into his neck. Desperate whines came from her throat, sounding like a wolf that had went through some emotional distress. The girl couldn't stop, though slowly she was comforted by his scent. The girl was still pressed against him. Really feeling like a child that needed the comfort of an adult.

"Y-You left me! I came back and you were gone!," she let out. But luckily he had heard her. The girl's voice had been a bit muffled because she still wanted to hide her face in his fur. "What happened? Saena has your babies and you are kicked out!? What about my promise to be a sister to them! You know how my father left and now you left too! I don't understand!," she let out in one big breath. She did not sound judging, mainly super confused.

Reek relished in the girl's familiar touch. Apart from Tavi, she was the last comfort from home he had left, however, Reek was unsure how long she would be willing to stick around once she learned the details involving his departure. There was no way to twist it; no matter how he retold the events, Reek would always be the bad guy. The respect and report he had built with Desna would be torn and tattered just as his mateship had— of that, Reek was sure. It broke his heart.

"I haven't left," he said, reciprocating Desna's affection with a fatherly touch from his muzzle to the nape of her neck. "I'll always just be a howl away from you." Of course, it was only pennies and peanuts in comparison to the time he had spent with her in the Maplewood. He would be scarce, but it was not his intention to abandon the wolves he felt closest to. Reek paused. "But, I can't stay in the Maplewood anymore Des." He could return, yes— but only when Saena dictated so.

"I really messed up," he continued, finding himself unable to relay the bitter details. "I broke my family apart and I can't fix it."

Desna snuggled closer to him. Her tail starting to wag in relief that she had found him. She was still a bit angry but when you are a teenager all these emotions would mix through your body. "But I didn't know that!," she let out with a bit of a dramatic flair. She had entered the maplewood thinking she would see him and then she heard he was kicked out. Reek could have been anywhere. Luckily she had found him though.

Desna pulled a bit away from him. "You can tell me," she then spoke. "I want to know. I am an adult now. I want to know to true reason. What did you do?," she questioned. Desna rather wanted to know the ugly truth than a fake lie. She did not like to be lied to. Her hazel eyes looked at him strictly for a moment, her tears almost blinked away by now.

What did you do?

Reek sucked in breath and shamefully bit down on his lip until he tasted a hint of blood. Of course, Desna deserved to know the truth of Reek's infideltiy, however, his first instinct was to feed the girl happy little lies so he could skirt around his own guilt. "I—" he began softly, voice hitching in his throat before he could continue. Reek fell silent. While she may have recently become an adult, Desna would always be the same little girl she had always been in Reek's eyes. He was unsure she would be able to process the terrible details. There was only one thing certain— Reek was sure she'd hate him when this was all over.

Before he could lie however, Reek realized Saena would not sugarcoat the truth to protect his reputation. The fact that she had come to Reek first was a blessing in disguise. If he lied and she received the true story from Reek's scorned ex-mate, the girl was sure to resent him even more. The truth -- the whole truth -- was the only option. Eyes downcast, Reek gulped. "Tavi went into heat." He was sure she'd understand, as he had previously described the hormonal implications. "I cheated Des... Saena saw and she threw me out." He deserved the punishement he received and did not fight it, opting to leave quietly. There was only one thing he would still fight for; the right to see his children after they were born.

Desna was not sure what she had been expecting but this was not it, if she was really honest. The girl let out a gulp. Her eyes were casted down as Reek told her. It sounded so bad, really bad. Reek had been unfaithful. It was not the best thing for Desna seeing that all the mated males she knew had left their mate or been unfaithful them. Desna felt herself a bit more hesitant to ever get a mate for herself. Still, that was all in the far future for her, at least that is what she thought. Desna let out a soft sigh and then looked up at Reek. She could see he was having difficulties with it as well. If only Desna knew that Reek was not the only one that had been unfaithful. Still, she did not know that.

"I forgive you, Reek," she then spoke and stepped closer and licked his cheek. "Only because you have been honest with me." Desna sat down and glanced at the dark colored male. What was he going to do now? What was she going to do. Desna froze a bit. "What... What do you want me to do? I promised to be a sister to your children but... you have been with Tavi.. does that mean she is having your puppies too?," she asked. "I... I am not sure if I want to be at Phoenix without you Reek. And seeing that Tavi is gone too?," she admitted softly.

He expected her to hate him. He expected her to shout; to tell him how stupid he had been to risk it all -- and lose -- over selfish desires. Having heard these things enough from his own internal voice, Reek braced for the criticism that his actions were sure to garner. However, instead of admonishment passing over the child's lips, she gave him forgiveness. Reek buried his face in the scruff of Desna's neck. "Thank you," he whimperd, nearly choking on the breath of a dry sob. Knowing that Desna could bring herself to forgive him, Reek wondered if he would eventually be able to fully forgive himself.

Leaving Desna behind was perhaps one of the hardest things to do. A part of Reek wanted nothing more than to offer her a spot among his wolves in the grotto, but he needed her back at the Maplewood. Now that he could not watch after his young, nor be the father they deserved, he would rely on Desna to be an intermediary between himself and his children. "I want you to stay with me Desna, but I need you there at the Maplewood." Reek found it even more painful to admit than to think. "Someone needs to watch over Saena. I need you to be there for my pups— someone needs to tell them that they have a father who loves them, and I'm not sure anyone else will." Of course, he would try to make that clear everytime he was allowed to visit, but with sporadic custody, this would be difficult to do alone.

Reek pulled his head away and paused before carrying on with a differnt thought. "There's a chance Tavi could be pregnant too," he added. So soon, there was no way to tell for sure, but there was a distinct possibility. Of course, if she was, Reek could at least be a proper father to his bastards to try and make up for his mistakes.

OMG! I think I melted! So cute!

Desna was just as surprised by Reek's reaction as Reek had been to hers. The girl let out a whine in return, because she really didn't want to be mad at him. Plus, Reek looked really guilty. Her father, when she visited him, didn't even look like he cared. That had been the difference, add to the fact that he had treated her like an adult. She liked that. She wanted to stand on her own legs. That was until he said that he wanted her at the maplewoods. Desna let out a soft whine, not really wanting to be away from him. Her ears fell a bit. Yet, she knew she had promised him before that she would be a sister to them.

"I...," she whispered. "I will be a sister to them, as promised," Desna spoke with a serious nod. "Though I can't deny that I will miss you, Reek," she spoke with a softer tone. The girl then smiled a bit sadly at him. Her tail wagged a bit, tiredness clear on her face from her panic attack and her travels before that. The young girl had been on some pressure, but, now she would be able to rest and help Saena with her babies, as promised. The news that Tavi might be pregnant too was not really that much of a surprise to her with what she heard from the story. "So where will you settle then? Where can I find you to tell about them?"

To know there would be one wolf remaining in the Maplewood with a positive image of himself gave Reek comfort. A part of him was sure his children would be raised to hate him from the moment of their birth. It had been Reek's greatest fear that his own pups would hate him just as Saena hated Peregrine or her biological father. This fear was now coming to fruitition in the wake of his actions, despite Reek's good intentions. Having Desna around his children to tell them otherwise was no simple remedy, but Reek was sure it at least opened the door for him to retain a relationship with those he had lost without thinking.

"I'll miss you too Des," he murmered, burying his face deep in the scuff of Desna's neck while he fought the tears that threatened to form. Having not considered the echoes of his actions, Reek now felt in a way that he was losing Desna too. Of course, she was welcome to visit the grotto any time, but the time they would be able to spend together was severely cut. "Tavi and I are claiming the grotto due north of here. Just keep walking until you catch my scent." Every fiber in Reek's being hoped Desna would come around and visit sometime, hopefully bringing news every time she came.

"Saena told me she'd howl for when the pups are born, but if she doesn't... please tell me," he continued. Reek had no reason to think she would go back on her promise, but heartbreak and spite did funny things to the mind. "Tell me— and I'll come back." No matter what he faced, he would see his pups. No matter what changed, he would always be their father.

Desna moved against him. It was tough on her having to miss the one she was close to, to live at a pack because he made a mistake. It did sound like something her mother would do, Desna would not let her be forced to do such a thing. She was a bit reluctant but seeing that she promised it she would keep her promise. Plus it made Reek clearly happy. Desna inhaled softly. "Good to know," she spoke, now she had some sense of the distance and would prepare herself for that if she would visit him.

"I will come right away when I know anything," she offered to Reek. "I will try and not make them hate you Reek. I am not going to promise anything..." She learned now how long promises could be kept up. "...But I will try." She then smiled at him. She rested her head against him. "I better get going then, before that one wolf I met at phoenix tells Saena I was back already," she spoke. She was sad to leave Reek but she knew were to find him, and she knew what kind of mission she had. It did start to feel a bit exciting. Plus, she was very curious about Saena's babies. "Anything else you want to tell me before I leave?"

Their meeting had only been a fleeting thing, but Desna's promise brought Reek more relief than he could imagine. With nothing more of value to say, Reek pulled his head away. "Okay," he said; eyes downcast with a mixture of grief and guilt. With parental instinct welling internally, Reek figured it was best for Desna to get back to the Maplewood before it was too late. However, it was painful to turn her away— despite knowing that she had to leave.

"Wait!" He said, eyes shooting back up; alert. "Can you send a message for me?"  Of course, there was no reason he felt she wouldn't. There were so many things the ex-alpha wanted to say -- mostly to his ex-mate -- that it was difficult to boil it all down into one simple message. "Tell Saena I still love her— and that I'm sorry." He knew this wouldn't even begin to repair what he had broken, but Reek felt he needed to say something to this effect.

Densa was about to leave when Reek called her back. She stopped and turned. Her ears perked up. She listened to his words and nodded. "I will tell her," the girl promised to Reek and then returned a sad smile to him. This was goodbye for now. Desna was planning on telling this information, only depending on Saena's mood. Desna did not want to fail Reek and get kicked out for showing more loyalty to Reek.

She did have a bit of a mission, not really believing that Saena would be 100% okay with her convincing her pups that their father was more than okay, and not a bad guy. She would also need to tell Reek some information about how they were doing. She felt a bit like a spy in her own pack. Alas, it had to be that way. Desna trotted off, trotting back home.

- densa exit-

Feel free to archive! :3