Silver Creek Do I Know You?

Amber didn't know what to do with herself. Perhaps it was just hormones, maybe her own guilt catching up to her, but she no longer felt safe here in Silver Creek. She'd spent many a night crying over a lot of things - how she'd treated Heston, the lie to Dag, her lack of faith in Day, how Heston had rejected her, all her bad feelings with Spring, and the lack of a bond between her and the rest of the pack - and the only thing she could think to do was leave. She would wait a little longer for Day here in the Hinterlands, tell Dag the truth and see what he'd do, and then search out the Silvertip pack if it came to it. 

The morning came where she'd decided to leave, and for a while, she procrastinated. Filling in her den with rocks, sticks, dirt, bones, anything she could find was the first - once that was level with the ground, but forever holding an almost grave-like look, she set off to hunt. Not for herself, not until there were two sizeable fish placed next to her old den - she hoped Spring or Heston would find them, but decided whoever did could claim them. Only when she'd eaten a fish to herself did she finally depart the site for the last time, but when she did it was not without a few tears. Amber knew full well what she was leaving behind: the only family she knew to live, Spring and Natashe, a friend in Heston, Shreya, Casmir, Laika, Rowan and anyone else she could've bonded with. Rowan's two pups now had one less wolf to protect, feed, or teach them, not to mention the ones Spring or anyone else might one day have.She was also leaving behind yet another place she'd pledged loyalty to, felt truly at home - and that hit her harder even than realizing just how bad she'd fucked up. 

She padded on slowly, tears soaking her face, tail dragging against the earth - but she tipped up and let out a waivering, sorrowful howl to the two wolves who meant the most to her - Spring and Heston. She could only hoped they didn't run her out before the Ciel got to apologize. Even if she felt she had to leave, she had to make sure she and Spring weren't on bad terms - Amber fully intended on sending someone to inform her sister of the birth, extend her an invitation to visit them if her new alpha accepted it. Sitting on the border, facing in and looking one last time over the lands of Silver Creek, Amber waited - her shoulders sagged, and her head and ears were low, tears still streaking her already dark fur. 

@Heston I figured she can do her apologizing in this thread to both him and @Spring ?

Hover for translation.

She howl chilled her to the bone.  Something didn't feel right, but no matter, she began instantly making her way towards it's caller, her sister: Amber.  Yet the thing that really bought her attention was that Amber had not only called for her, but Heston to.  What was this all about?  She was still unhappy about the argument with Amber, yes, otherwise Amber wouldn't be at the position of Omega, still she hoped her sister was alright.

Upon reaching Amber she noticed that she was sitting on the border.  This worried her and she made her way towards her sister, finding herself slipping into worried and rushed French.  "Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?"  Her gaze slipped over Amber and she let out a tired sigh, keeping to French to keep this conversation more private and personal for now, just between them.  "Est-ce à propos de l'argument? Si elle est que je sais et je suis désolé les choses venaient à cela. Il est juste que... avec mes expériences passées, je ne veux pas que quiconque vous blesser Ambre de la même façon que j'étais blessé..."  Her worried gaze flickered over her sister.  Something felt terribly wrong and yet still some of that anger from the argument still boiled within her.  She needed to ask, find out why.  "Pourquoi avez-vous pas me dire qu'il y avait deux...?"  She whispered softly, hurt touching her words.

It was her sister that came to her first - Amber wasn't even sure @Heston would show up - and the shadowy fae flinched back waiting for another rebuttal. When the rush words of their language came out, Amber was stunned, but nonetheless followed suit, easily willing to talk things through with her sister like this. Tears still soaked her fur as she spoke, softly and quietly - flooding with sorrow. 
 
                                "Cela ne concerne pas l'argument - Vous étiez dans le droit, ce jour-là. Je vous remercie de faire de votre mieux pour prendre soin de moi comme je l'ai échoué à regarder après."

Hanging her head in shame, a sob escaped Amber - she blamed herself for the loss of Spring's puppies. If she'd have stayed home instead of selfishly traveling, she could have been the mate Spring needed - she could have hunted, she could have protected the family. Things would have been okay, Amber was so SURE. But she hadn't been, and they weren't - nobody could do a thing about it.

The next comment brought her ears cupping forward in surprise, but her deep ocean eyes lowered to the earth in shame. Heston must've told her. Much as she'd wanted to hide it, it seemed that her mistake was catching up to her - this time, she would not hide from it.

"Je ne l'ai pas dit à personne parce que j'avais peur - je ne pense pas que l'autre homme reviendrait pour moi comme il l'avait dit. Je l'ai fait ce que je pensais était juste à côté de mes enfants .... Mais mentir est pas ce que je devrais leur enseigne, ils ne devraient pas être des enfants bâtards. Voilà pourquoi je vous ai appelé ici: je pars, Spring. Je dois trouver Grayday et de faire toute ma famille, pour mes enfants. Je ne vous aime pas moins. Enfer, je l'espère, vous arriverez à leur rendre visite une fois qu'ils sont nés."


Glancing up to her sister in pause, Amber whispered her next sentence - she didn't want the wolves of Silver Creek to think her bad for this. She wasn't a bad person, she wasn't some floozy - she was a woman with dreams who did what she had to. Hell, she'd be okay if Heston and Spring were the only ones to know.

                                                                                                                                                                              "Juste .... Assurez-vous que personne ne commence à me appeler une prostituée. S'il vous plaît, Spring .... je l'ai fait ce que je pensais être juste."

A whine escaped her when she discovered Amber was leaving and all the anger fled from her.  She didn't want to end things with her sister on good terms whether than bad, although if it were her choice Amber wouldn't be leaving at all, while even though Spring did not like the direction that the argument had took.  Amber was her sister.  A sister that she would miss.

"Je veux que les choses pour nous de mettre fin en bons termes plutôt que mauvais. Bien que je n'aime pas le sens de l'argument est allé, tu es toujours ma sœur et moi ... je veux visiter quand les chiots sont nés, mais juste s'il vous plaît me promettent une chose Ambre. Si quelque chose semble erroné, si votre vie ou la vie des chiots sont en danger, vous trouverez votre chemin de retour pour moi ... Je veux juste vous et vos enfants à être en sécurité."  She finished with a sigh, wondering what had happened what had actually triggered things to end up like this in the first place.

Sorry for the delay!

Though he had been making an effort to avoid Amber for a time, he would not ignore her calling for him. He'd wanted to give her time to cool down, to calm herself and gather her thoughts. And the same for himself. If she was calling, perhaps she was ready. Admittedly he didn't understand why she was also calling for Spring, and he wondered if she knew yet that he'd ratted her out unknowingly.

He was not close when the call came, but he rose and set out at a brisk pace. When he arrived it was obvious that Spring had been here for some time before him. The conversation he entered was not one he understood, not a language he knew. It was vaguely familiar, the sound of the words. He thought that wolves in surrounding packs might have spoken it, or some form of it. It wasn't something he'd ever learned though. This relieved him slightly, for he didn't truly feel he was interrupting the sister's conversation.

He lingered apart from them a moment, and when Spring's voice died down he continued forward, announcing himself in the lull of conversation. He glanced between the two females, reading the sadness on them but not understanding. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but so much had gone wrong lately. Between himself and Amber, between Amber and Spring. It sound stupid even just inside his head. He dipped his head to both of the women before him but turned to address Amber first. "What's going on?" It seemed the safest thing to ask.

Amber's words seemed to sober Spring, and the alpha responded more gently than she had in months. Her request surprised her, but at the same time it brought her relief - this WAS the Spring she knew and loved.

      "Je suis content que vous voulez continuer à les voir: je vais envoyer un messager dès que je vais dans le travail. Si jamais je pense que mes enfants sont en difficulté ou même pas heureux, je ne serais pas hésiter à les amener tout droit ici."

It was then Heston appeared - she'd begun to think he was to upset with her to come - and his hesitation reminded her just how mean she'd been. Even when he'd come closer, there was a moment nobody spoke, but he eventually asked what was going on.

                                                                           "I'm leaving, Heston. I'm wrong to keep my children from their father, to give up before even trying to find him - I'm going to tell Dagfinn what I did, and my family will be whole.... You're more than welcome to come and visit with Spring, when I send for her after their birth."

Her mind felt like a mess with sudden knew questions that forced themselves into her mind.  When she left who would be here to lead until she got back?  Laika?  Her former Beta had stepped down while she was on the journey but of course Laika would lead for her when she had to leave... if she came back.  If not Saena?  A nervous shudder ran through her body as her thoughts only got louder and louder.  She turned her head just noticing Heston as he spoke, adressing Amber who responded with a similiar response as Spring had gotten, only this time in English.

"D'accord."  Was all she had in her to say.  Just a quiet whisper of the French word.  The Alpha's tail drooped and a sad, distant look hovered in her gaze.  She wished Amber's mate or whatever could've just stayed here at Silver Creek.  It would of made things so much simpler in Spring's opinion.  Amber was pregnant too after all.  Why should she have to travel to a whole other pack during her pregnancy?

Her response was not at all what he was expecting. He frowned and shook his head slightly.While he was relieved to hear that she would tell Dagfinn that he wasn't the father, he didn't want her to leave. "Will they take you in? His pack?" His voice was filled with concern. Perhaps he didn't agree with her decision, but that didn't mean he wished ill on her or the children. "This isn't because of me, is it?" He said, hoping he hadn't given her the wrong idea. "We shouldn't have argued like we did, but I didn't want you to leave Silver Creek, Amber." He looked towards Spring, but from the expression on her face she had already accepted her sister leaving.

"If someone needs to go, I can. I'd rather you be safe with your sister, and for your sister to have you. I don't want to, but I will for both of you." He had turned to look at Spring as he spoke, the "I don't want to" seemed more addressed at her, but for the next part he turned back to Amber. "Couldn't he come here? The male? With or without me here." He didn't like the idea of losing Amber's friendship. He'd miss joking with her, their teasing and playful games. He also didn't like the sadness that filled Spring's eyes, the way her body seemed to droop. He wished he could fix it, for both of them, but it was clear that there wasn't an easy fix for this.

Spring's acceptance was a breath of relief, but at the same time it was like a blow to the heart directly. Not that she was upset there was no more fight, she was upset any of this had to happen at all. As the woman drooped, Amber reached forward and ran her muzzle along the length of Spring's face, murmuring softly.

                 "Ne vous inquiétez pas, chère sœur. Ce n'est pas la fin."

It was then that Heston spoke - at once, she turned to face him, brow furrowing in confusion and irritation. How dare he try to leave Spring, too? Losing one is bad enough - why would he even suggest that? Spring was hurting enough from Ambers decisions, she would not allow this.

                                                                          "Don't be a fool - I love you both with all my heart, I love SILVER CREEK.... Leaving would only hurt Spring more, with or without me here. But this isn't about me. Its not about you, about Spring, about the Creek - it's about my pups and the life they deserve. I don't know if the pack will take me in, but I've gotta find Grayday to at least try, try to have a complete family."

She was struck silent by the very last question - couldn't Grayday just come here? That, she didn't know how to answer. Grief overwhelmed her, then, and a sob wracked her. The ebony woman shook her head, eyes squeezed shut as if holding back her misery.

                                                                                                                                              "I'm so sorry. To both of you.... I've been acting horribly lately. I didn't mean to push you guys away, or break rules, or be a... a... A bitch. But this is how I fix things - if they accept me, I hope both of you will come meet the pups in a few months."

She didn't like it when Heston suggested leaving and a brief flicker of hurt flashed through her gaze for a second. He wouldn't actually do that would he?  She loved her sister for obvious reasons, but for some reason she found herself unable to imagine the Creek without Heston and his endless flirt and jokes.  His last question really caught her attention.  Why couldn't this guy come here.  If he really respected Amber wouldn't he jut let her stay with her family?

Amber's French words were listened to but she didn't continue in their language any longer, Heston's questin had nabbed her away she wanted to her Amber's answer.  She first listened quietly, stone still, as Amber told Heston he was a fool for entertaining the idea of leaving for her.  Yet Spring noticed that she never really answered Heston's question, instead seemingly trying to move away from the question, instead telling them how sorry she was.

 "Amber you didn't answer Heston's question," she pointed out with a small frown.  She wondered if this Grayday as Amber called the second guy, the real Father had even asked her to come to his pack.  Did Amber just want to leave Silver Creek and didn't know how to say it?  She did her best to hide the thought as soon as it came up.  No, no... of course not.  This Grayday had to be the one who wanted to steal her away.  Right...?

He didn't want to leave, even as he spoke the words they fell with hesitation. He just didn't want to break up a family, sisters, if were in his power to keep them together. It became quickly apparent though that he wasn't the reason she was leaving. And with that, the tension and the fear of his offer being accepted fell from his chest. Amber lashed out at him, her words snappy but loving. "I would never leave Silver Creek, or your sister, unless it was better for her. I swore my loyalty to Spring, my friendship. She's stuck with me now, whether she likes it or not." He looked to Spring, the faintest flicker of a smile rising up at his joke, before it vanished.

Amber began to sob after he asked if the male could come here, and he watched her sadly. "You're forgiven Amber." He said softly, forgetting as she cried that she hadn't answered his question. It was Spring's voice that made him realize and he looked to her, hearing the vulnerability in her voice. She was worried Amber wanted to leave, he knew. The idea hurt him too, but certainly not as much as it would hurt Spring. 

"Surely it makes more sense for him to come here? The alpha is your sister, traveling can't be the best while you're pregnant..." The male was being selfish, Heston thought. Unless he was alpha himself in this other pack, why would he not come and care for his family? He was bias, of course, wanting to keep Amber here for her friendship...but also because he didn't like the hurt in Spring's voice.

Heston reassured her that he wouldn't leave, but it wasn't enough to quell her soft, hiccupy sobs - not even telling her she was forgiven help, not when she held so much on her shoulders. Her eyes opened to face the ground, sapphire pools of sorrow and guilt. Now that the bad feelings could be put to rest, she could realize that this wasn't the best idea: going out in the middle of Fall, pregnant, to find a man who might not even want her, leaving behind a pack lead by her sister that guarenteed her familys safety, with a willing mate in Dagfinn. 

Her sisters jab of a reminder made Amber visibly wince - in truth, she hadn't thought about it until right now. 

                 "I don't even know if he wants me, Spring - he said he'd come back, but he hasn't yet. I owe this to my pups to try and find him; I have no idea what'll happen when or if I do. I wasn't sure how you would even react, if you'd let him here after all my shit...."

She listened to them both but Amber's words stung.  It wasn't entirely Amber's fault that those words stung her though, it was just that those words sounded so familiar to her.  She took an uncertain step backwards as memories flashed. Through her mind.

After Zander had first disappeared she had believed that something had happened to him, he would come back for her, he would, he would still love her.  For two weeks she had searched until finally she had given up and she accepted the truth.  Zander didn't want to start a family, not with her at least, maybe not with anyone.  All he had wanted was a pleasure, to own someone, to own her without ever having to start a true family.  He just wanted her body... And then she had gotten pregnant.

She didn't want Amber to fall to the same fate.

"How do you know he'll be there for you Amber?  Even if you do find him.  Wouldn't it be best for your pups to be among family?"  She took deep breath.  "I just don't want you to go down the same path that I did.  Yet I am not you so while it is your choice I personally advise you that you may not find what you're looking for.  You may find nothing at all."  She examined her sister with a nervous gaze hoping that Amber understood where she was coming for.

Heston fell silent as Amber answered. He disliked how vague her heading out after the male was, disliked how little she knew of the future. What could he do though? Maybe the male had gotten caught up somewhere, maybe he did want a family. Maybe he'd come walking up the border the very next day. Either way, it would be wrong not to try to find him. He still thought it was the male's fault, that he should be the one to seek her out. He might not even know she was pregnant, though. Maybe he thought it'd be okay to stay how, unknowing of his children growing.

Heston was torn, which was one of his least favorite emotions. Spring spoke after a moment and he looked at her as she spoke, realizing how painful it must be to watch her sister go through something so similar. "It won't be like that, Spring." He said suddenly, stepping towards her. "Even if Amber goes and he's a coward and runs from his responsibility," His brow furrowed at the very thought of the male doing such a thing. "She still has you, has us." He looked to Amber again. "And you'd come back if anything was wrong, if he wasn't accepting or good to you or anything, right? You didn't have anyone to help you, Spring, but Amber does. And you do too, if you ever needed it. I'm here for both of you now."

Spring's words, while already accepted, were a spash of icy water in Amber's face. Heston came to her defence, but the dark woman was shaking her head. 

                        "I don't know that, Spring, but would you rather my kids grow up without a father?"

Despite this, Heston was right: if her knight in shining armor turned out to be a frog, she would always have a home. She would always have a family. Towards him, she nodded, flashing a thankful sapphire gaze. 

                                                              "Heston's right. If anything goes wrong, I'll always have a family to come back to. C'mon, do you really think I would stay with someone who didn't deserve me or my kids?"

She tried a light joke, stepping closer towards Spring and reaching out for a hug.

She listened to them both speak but still found questions lingering about how this might not be the best decision.  When Amber leaned in to embrace her, she accepted it but still found herself upset with her sisters choice.  It was just all to sudden.  A terribly laid out plan and so she wasn't going to be shy pointing that all out.

"Even if you do find this Grayday and go to his Pack, how do you know that he won't just go off with some other women he thinks he loves and aboundond you and the pups, because after all she was so quick to mate with you Amber.  How do you know he won't do the deed and go off with someone else when he gets the chance?"  She eyed her sister levelly, waiting to see what her sister would say to this statement.

Amber seemed thankful for his words. He didn't like the idea of the children growing without a father, but he also didn't like the idea of a pregnant female going into the unknown. Especially a pregnant female who was his friend. He winced at the harshness of what Spring asked, but she was right. What if the male was just as quick to abandon Amber as he had to mate her?

Sure, she could leave him but she couldn't leave once the children were born. Not without risking them. Winter was around the corner, she wouldn't be able to return home until next Spring if she wanted to. Pups couldn't walk through snow and cold for long, could they? Admittedly he was clueless about the limits of pups, but it sounded like a bad idea.

"You need to check in with us." He burst out suddenly. Then, realizing the demanding nature of his words, he spoke again, softening it. "Once the children are born, or once some time has passed...send someone. Send the male if you can, so we can know who he is." His eyes flashed for a moment, darkly thinking that it'd be better to know the face of who they'd need to hunt down if Amber got hurt. "But send someone to us. If we don't get someone after a certain point we'll know something's up...and we can get you back." He looked to Spring, to see her approval of this.