Golden Glade Shadows In The Night

Aspen kept her head low ears flat as her brothers closed in, taunting her. This feeling was all too familiar for her. She gave a desperate glance over to her parents but they didn't seem to care. When did they ever. " Convel......Onai .....Please...please don't do this... They ignored her plee and continued to push her closer and closer to the corner. She tried to fight back snapping at both their legs but she was small compared to them, she wasn't growing fast enough to keep up with them. Convel opened his jaws and lunged....

Aspen woke with a start, another nightmare. They were being relentless these days and she couldn't understand why. She was finally happy here at the gladend but still her mind tortured her with the memories of her past. The constant beatings of her brothers though they never left scars still terrified her as a youngster and eventually she ended up being kicked out from there pack at barely 8 months old. With little to no knowledge of the world. 

Aspen could never understand why her family treated her the way she did, she had not done anything to wrong them as far as she was aware. 

Aspens heart was racing and she was pretty much frozen in place. She stared at the stone walls of the den she shared with her mate. Desperately trying to calm down.

@Charley here is the poor girl

Charley was a notoriously heavy sleeper, known for sleeping like a rock even through the heaviest storms and leakiest dens. But when Aspen startled in the dead of the night, his body responded to her softest of gasps. Both eyes snapped open, even the ripped up one that resembled... well.... Nothing. It was simply a wound, a pale pink gash scored where his eye used to be. Only one moved, flicking to Aspen as a choked whine fell from his throat. He could feel the tension in the air and the rigidness in her frame, and though she was already laying along his underside, he shifted close and put his foreleg over her. 
                       "Shhh..... It's okay, my goddess. I'm here." 

Aspen had calmed slightly and caught Charleys glance towards her. She moved her head to look at him as she felt his paw reach over her back. Aspen let out a whine and shifted slightly to bury her face into his fur. 

She hated these nightmares. They were tormenting her while she was sleeping and while she was awake. Who'should bright idea was this, and just when she was she tatting to be happy again. She hadn't had nightmares in again while but appears they were back for some more fun. 

" Charley, I-I'm sorry I woke you..." she managed speaking softly. She had regained control of her breathing but the images still vivid in her mind.

Charley kept a soft tone, gentle as always with his Queen. But when she apologizes, his ears splay back and a snort bursts through his flaring nostrils. 
                  "Don't be silly, Aspen. As your husband, it's my job to be there for you and keep you happy."
He would have no nonsence of sorry for it, either. The King was true to his word, and intended to finding out what was wrong and how he could help his wife.
                                  "What's the matter, angel?"

Aspen nodded at charleys almost instant retort when she apologized to him. He explained he was meant to be there for her so there is no use in apologizing. She managed to curl her lips upwards slightly offering him a small smile. 

He asked her what was wrong and she took a deep breathe before speaking. " For a while after I was kicked out of my birth pack, I had constant nightmares of the way they treated me and the things that I had witnessed as a puppy,  they went away after a while once I was settled into my second pack, but they abandoned me. The nightmares came back. When at larksong and after meeting you....they went away again, " she spoke pausing for at minute to collect her thoughts. " [b]For some reason unknown to me, they're back again, and they are quite bad, sometimes I can end up feeling quite sick afierce them,[/b]" she finished letting out a sigh. A breathe she didn't realize she had been holding. 

She sat quietly for a few moments before shifting to stand. " Think we could go for a walk Charley? Maybe we can talk about court stuff, or if you had anything in mind in particular, I just need to get my mind off this..." she said as she stood up stretching slightly.

apologizies for the coding issues phone posts

She accepted his words and in turn told him what was wrong: he was glad there was such trust between them. She even smiled, and proved him more proud to help.
Aspen then told him about nightmares, ones that her brothers abuse had caused. A growl rumbled from his chest, and inwardly he swore to sink his teeth into both of them if the King ever came face to face with them. Sure, he'd helped them go away, but now they were back.... Was he doing something wrong?
                  "I wish I could help you better, love."
She stood, though, asked if they wanted to go for a walk to clear her mind. It was a perfect time for him to tell his wife of the change he'd been wanting to make in himself. First, though, he got to his paws and led the two of them at an easy walk out of the tunnels. When they were out in the warm summer night air, he spoke quietly to her, motioning for her to lead. 
                            "I do have something to talk to you about, angel. Nothing bad: I just think with all the changes in my life I need one more thing to truly be free of my past. What do you think of the name Alder?"

Aspen moved through the tunnels that weaved through the mountain side heading for the open summer air. It was a gorgeous night for a walk not too hot but not too cool and not raining. Which it had done quite a bit of lately. Aspen took a moment to glance over to Charley as he signaled for her to take the lead.

She knew exactly where she wanted to go. The clearing that contained a pretty good thinking rock, it earned that title the first time she saw it when she ran into Shalon in the woods. Its open there with a clear view of the sky, a wolf could lay there for hours just thinking about whatever was on their mind. It was perfect.

Charley mentioned actually having something he wanted to talk about with her and immediately he had her full attention as they trailed through the trees. He explained that it was nothing bad just that he had been thinking with all the cahnges going on in his life he wanted one more thing to be truly free of his past.

A new name. Alder. Alder. She smiled softly as she liked the way the name sounded when she repeated it in her head. "I think it's perfect," she said softening the last word ever so slightly. It was true, the name was perfect. Something about it just suited the masked male. "May I ask what made you choose that name?" she asked with her usual tilt of her head.

She led him, and the King followed without hesitation, massive paws smacking down on the earth with audible thumps. They came, eventually, to a clearing-one of the few places in the Court in which sky could be seen- with a rock jutting out in the center, one that looked like it would be an amazing place to sun bathe.
When he spoke, Aspen listened, and Alder had a thought that he was lucky to have such a woman in his life. She understood, as with everything, and only questioned why that name. 
          "It matches you, my angel: I figured since I was gonna be, y'know, spending my life with you, I might as well embrace every part of it. That and, well, you've gotta admit it sounds all wise, distinguished. I mean, compare the two: King Charley, or King Alder?"
Bumping his shoulder into hers ever so gently, reaching out to nibble her ear, Alder laughed.

Aspen couldn't help the smile as Alder mentioned that now his name matched hers. That it did, when she was born she had been named after the Aspen trees and now Alder wanted to embrace the nature of it all and chose another tree for himself. Alder. 

"I'm honoured that you thought of me when you decided to change your name, and it truly does sound perfect," she stated a bit more relaxed than she had been when she first woke up. She chuckled when he mentioned that it also sounded a lot more distinguished than Charley. "King Alder," she repeated letting the name roll off her tongue. "My king." she stated nuzzling her head into his as he reached out to nibble her ear.

Aspen seemed to have forgotten about her nightmares, and that was good; it was even better that he'd made her happy again. She agreed with his name choice, too - god, he couldn't have picked a better wife for himself. In fact, he told her so with a wink... or a blink, unless she payed attention to the dramatic cant of his head and the coy grin spread across his inky maw.

                       "Not as perfect as you are for me."

Saying it made it all the better - King Alder. Coming from her angelic voice, well, it sealed the deal. He never did nibble more that once or twice - she turned her face into his and he returned the nuzzle, placing a few licks on her crown.