Silver Creek i told her that i loved her, was not sure if she heard

all welcome bc it's on the borders but for @Casmir tagging everyone else for visability.

It is with a heavy heart that the pale girl travels to the Tuktu Hitherlands once more. She had told @Osprey and @Dante of her departure, but otherwise slips into the night without a trace. She has not been promoted any higher-- but to her it feels like she has been given an entirely new rank with entirely new responsibilities. She already worries that she will bug her Beta and Dante with questions and concerns-- and that she will not be able to live up to Lasher. She tries to push the negative thoughts away, but they crawl through her mind like vines and take hold of her sanity. 

Forcing them back for a few seconds more, the snowy princess tilts back her head and howls for Casmir. Her tone claims it's urgent, and she begs him to come quickly. 

SOB

Saena was gone and Spring was queen. those were two realities to which Casmir had to become accustomed. anger still roiled in his gut, frustration also, but he was happy that Laika had been promoted. she was loyal to her friend. the Mayfair boy, unfortunately, was only loyal to his family, and that now meant Indra and Laurel. 

he was quite surprised to hear Aria calling him, and also to find that her voice no longer hurt him to hear. the urgency sparked the need to run in the boy, and so he did, racing on his lengthy limbs to where she stood. "hey, what's up?" he inquired, searching her face.

"Casmir." 

The boy came forward quickly, and the girl rushed forward to him, stepping quickly over the borders without waiting for an invitation. She went straight for his embrace, thankful to seem him after her long, lonely journey. After a few heartbeats, she leans backwards, her white eyes searching his for a moment. "Your father... has.." she stops, taking a deep breath. "Lasher has died of a heat stroke," she says. For a moment, she's just as okay as she was when it happened. Devestated, sure, but mostly just in shock. As the words fall from her lips, it because more of a reality to the girl, and she struggles to retain her composure in from of Casmir-- who has more of a right to be upset than she does.

Hope you don't mind me slipping Laika in here! <3

Laika's white ears pricked as a howl rang through the territory. She lifted her head, intrigued as to know who was there. She carefully began to pick her way through the territory, getting more and more anxious to find out who was there. She arrived at the scene to find that Casmir was already there. The stranger was a white wolf, not unlike Laika herself. She padded closer, only to bristle as the strange female stepped across the border unbidden by Spring or herself. To her surprise, she embraced Casmir and Laika found herself wondering if she was family. 

Now, she was close enough to hear chunks of their conversation. She was about to open her mouth to say something when the white she-wolf started telling Casmir about his father. "Your father... has.." She tilted her head, worried for what might come next. She feared the worst and the worst was delivered. Laika knew absolutely nothing about Casmir's father, she didn't even know his name! But she did know that Saena's disappearance had upset him enough, and depending upon how close he was with his father, this would break him down too. She hung back, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, but stayed to make sure this stranger didn't head deeper into their territory -- and, although she didn't want to admit it, to make sure Casmir was okay. Laika was already on edge with her stepping across the borders, but she guessed she had come to deliver the news, and for these circumstances she would allow it.

whatever Aria had come for, Cas wasn't expecting this, not in a thousand years. he was numb to Aria's touch -- he stared beyond her shoulder as her words reverberated over and over again in his head. 

he wanted to run.
he wanted to cry.
he wanted to scream, and break things, and shout at Aria for making him deal with the utter magnitude of the fact he would never see his dad again; he wanted to blame her for it; he wanted to blame someone for it. 

tears welled in his eyes as his body shook with anger; he glared at the ground, trembling, until he dissolved into a single sob. Casmir Mayfair lifted his head to look at Aria, his voice surprisingly steady despite the twisted expression he wore. "Thank you for telling me. I'll be home to visit as soon as I can."

if he had been sure that she would allow it, Casmir would have stepped forward to embrace her, to comfort her. the girl had loved Lasher too, after all. they all had.

"Casmir..." The girl begins softly, her voice quiet and broken. He speaks, but he does not react how she thought he would, and she almost cringes at his lack of emotion. "Casmir," she repeats as he comes near her. She nuzzles her head into him, preening gently at the fur along his neck in comfort. "I'm so sorry... Lucani and Eilidh and.. And Deirdre... And myself we... We all tried..." She pauses between words, struggling to get out a few without taking a huge breathe to avoid a sob. 

She nuzzles against him again before she moves her head to his should and rests it there. It is only now that the pale princess realizes there is someone else here, but she only stares for a moment before averting her gaze and burying her nose in his soft fur. 

A tiny twitch of her lip could be seen once the girl embraced him. What was this feeling... jealousy? That she was all buried in his fur and comforting him, but not her? No. Now was not the time to be jealous. This other wolf could be family anyways! She shook her head and stared for a moment, catching the eyes of the female. They locked gazes for a split second before the other girl merely looked away and buried her nose in Casmir's fur. 

Laika stepped closer, her eyes trained on Casmir once again. His voice was oddly emotionless, but his eyes showed it all. All the pain he was going through at the moment. "Casmir-," was all she could muster. It hurt her to see him like this. She couldn't even imagine how he felt.

because Cas could not, Aria swept forward to nuzzle him. he heard what she said but was unable to respond. he merely closed his eyes and leant against the strength of her slim frame, inhaling her scent, laying his muzzle against her neck and relaxing into his grief.

a sob surfaced but he swallowed it when he realized Laika was near. "hey," he muttered hoarsely. pulling away from Aria, he regarded the two with equal fondness, but was suddenly struck with an overwhelming need to be alone, and so he slid into a quick trot that swung into a run and Casmir was soon gone from view.

The woman seems to have affected Casmir-- somehow. After he realizes she is present he bolts, and Aria's fur begins to bristle harshly. "Casmir! No-- Cas!" she yells, hesitating to chase after him. This is not her home, not her territory. She cannot run willy-nilly through it, but anger begins to fill holes that grieving has left, and she can't help but let out a snarl. "God Damn it, Casmir!" she howls, "You can't run from every fucking problem you encounter!" 

But Aria has no bottle for her anger, and her frustration is short-lived. Regardless of the white strangers response to her anger, she collapses onto her haunches, her shoulders hunched and her head hanging low. "I can't do this without you," she blubbers through sobs, hardly understandable-- even to the trained ear.

Laika's eyes grew wide as Casmir darted away once he saw her. She couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault, but those thoughts disappeared when she saw the white female shout after him, clearly angered. Laika was about to step in front of her and tell her to leave when the girl collapsed and weeped, mumbling something she could not understand.

God damn it, why were wolves so complicated? She felt bad for this wolf, sure, but she felt worse for Casmir. She had no idea who this wolf was, how could she have much worry for her? She wanted to find Cas, but she also wanted to give him space. She sighed. She'd go find him soon. "Are... you okay?" She asked the wolf before her, stepping closer.

When the other females steps towards her and offers a bit of sympathy-- even if it sounds somewhat hesitant-- Aria refuses it. She sucks in a deep, sniffly breath and shakes her head quickly. "Not in the slightest," she responds quickly, and stands. She stares at Laika with glassy, white eyes and squints for a moment. "Sorry for intruding," she says, "Tell Casmir I wish him the best." 

Without another word, she turns and pads out of the territory. She holds a respectful posture and pricked ears, but once she's out of sight she collapses again into a heap of sobs and cowards for the rest of the evening.

sry gotta add some crazy in there every now and then. Amelia these two should meet up again in dif circumstances ;p <3

Laika watched as the white woman looked at her, snapped her reply and told her to wish Casmir the best. Then, she turned and slipped away, exiting the territory and walking out of view. "Okay," she mumbled, staring after her even when she could no longer see her figure limping away.

She turned and searched the treeline. Okay, she thought. Let's find Casmir. With that, she heading into the woods at a swift lope, peering into the depths of woods for the boy.

Totally! I love Aria