Blacktail Deer Plateau Well, your left hand's free

@Minori

His mate's sickness was weighing heavy on the alpha's mind as he made his way to the borders for a morning patrol. It was cold, but he barely felt it as he moved through the trees, his coat more than capable of sheltering him from the winter air. Being distracted helped too. The duties of leading the pack were less spread out now that Liri was quarantining herself until she was sure she wouldn't get anyone else sick. He understood and appreciated her for it, but he missed his partner and felt slightly overwhelmed by all of it.

Upon arriving at the borders, Kavik turned and began to follow it north towards the mountains, deciding to run the eastern part of the territory this morning and maybe end his patrol with a trip to his spot to sulk for a bit before he had to suck it up and press on with things.

How long had she been back? She couldn't tell anymore. The whole time had been so in and out, so hazy and mixed up that she honestly still had very little idea if she was officially sane or not. She had confused Issun for Tadashi, confused so many others around the pack for her soldiers back in Japan. Her brain still seemed to have a few pieces missing and misplaced but at least her wound had healed enough for her to hobble around. She had slowly been working back up to patrolling again, wandering the borders and marking because she wasn't stupid enough to attempt to hunt quite yet. today she wandered the eastern borders and she hadn't noticed much change except that Thorin's scent was stronger and Liri's....well Liri's seemed to be fading away from the borders. This caused her great concern and she made it a note to seek out Kavik whenever she could catch his scent, unaware that he was actually somewhere behind her catching up.

He wasn't long into his patrol when he caught Minor's fresh scent. She appeared to have just passed through where he was, and her trail lead along the borders ahead of him. He quickened his pace to catch up with the dark woman, wanting to check in and see how she was doing. 

She came into view eventually and with a deep chuff, the alpha came up behind her before moving to her side to walk next to his packmate. Minori, he greeted with a dip of his head. He was glad to see her out and patrolling; it was a good sign that she was healing okay and that there had not been any permanent damage. Well, he hoped so anyway.

At the sound of her name being called she turned her head and gasped, eyes going wide as for a few seconds she recognized him as her father before her brain fixed itself and she exhaled slowly. She cleared her throat, ears flicking back and twitching with embarrassment as she tried to figure out what to say. Deciding to just pretend she hadn't acted all strange she dipped her head in greeting "Kavik...I was just looking for you. Liri's scent...it isn't very fresh. Is she alright?" she asked her voice laced with concern.

The gasp from his packmate drew his eyebrows together in concern. He was about to ask her what wrong, but then she was speaking, asking about Liri's scent fading from the territory. He sighed, dropping his gaze to the ground before speaking. Liri is very sick. She won't be able to see anyone for a while, he explained solemnly. I'm sorry. I know you guys were close, he offered gently, hoping she wouldn't take it too hard; she already had enough going on with her head injury. Her question did make him think he ought to have a pack meeting to inform everyone so they wouldn't get worried about her fading scent like Minori had. He began walking again, needing some kind of distraction from the heavy subject.

Her brows drew close, a troubled Expression on her face as the news sank in. Liri was so sick that she couldn't move around to leave her scent...that left Kavik and Ruenna in charge. "Has Ruenna been tending to her? I know Liri is a healer herself but..." she trailed off and followed after Kavik, her gait still a bit stiff. She fell silent and sighed softly, turning to study Kavik's expression "I'm sorry, I hope she gets better. You must be worried" she said gently, trying to comfort the male. She remembered how she had felt when Issun had come back gravely wounded and unconscious on the borders.

He slowed a little, waiting for Minori to catch up. She won't let anyone near, he said first, an exasperated sigh following his words. She only lets Ruenna leave food and herbs outside the den she's locked herself away in, he finished. It was endlessly frustrating; he wanted to take care of her and make sure she didn't suffer alone, but she refused to let him in. She said they couldn't afford for both alphas to be sick. He understood where she was coming from, really, he did, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. It was like his will to get up every morning was locked away in that den with her. He looked away, a nod of his head answering her comment that he must be worried.

After a few seconds of silence from the alpha, he looked back to his packmate. How are you feeling? he asked next, concern furrowing his brow.

She could see that it was frustrating to Kavik, the fact that Liri left him no choice but to sit around and let her handle her own illness without help. Minori frowned and looked at the path ahead of her, worry and sadness dragging her down even further. She could see why Liri would do such a thing though, if she had caught the illness so easily then surely everyone else who made contact with her would too. Her respect for the Alpha female rose even higher. "She's selfless...It must drive you mad to not know how she is doing and not be allowed near her but it would be bad if both of you got sick." she said, a gentle tone in her voice that could be taken as sympathy. When Kavik asked if she was okay she tensed up, ears immediately flattening for a few seconds before she sighed and lifted them up again. "In physical health I am getting better. Another week tops and I should be able to attempt a hunt without tearing the wound open. My head..that's another situation. I seem to have a few things wrong there but it's slowly going away" she paused and looked at the sky, now mostly blue instead of the many colors of the rising sun. "Emotionally I am not so good. Many...confusing emotions between me, Issun and Corvus...I fear that I was the reason Issun ran from the Plateau. He was the reason I left for a bit. Poor Corvus is just in the middle of it...I don't know what I feel and how to handle it" she said and trailed off. "Kavik....how do you know when you love someone?"

She was very selfless, always; it was one of the many reasons he had fallen in love with her. It didn't make this any easier to swallow, though. No, we can't both be sick. It would not bode well for the pack, especially now that winter is upon us, he answered, his expression darkening a little as despair settled in his chest like it always did when he spoke of his sick mate. 

Kavik was glad to hear that Minori felt better physically. It must have been hard for her to not hunt, so he was glad she was almost well enough to go back to her normal activity. He grew concerned when she informed him of her issues with her mind. I'm glad it's getting better. Have you talked to Ruenna about it, though? He certainly had very limited knowledge on healing and usually deferred to his mate. Since she was out of commission, that left the beta. He felt bad putting the packs health on Ruenna, but he didn't see any other option right now. 

Minori went on to explain that she wasn't doing so well emotionally, offering some details into what had been happening between her and Issun and Corvus. It seemed like a stressful and emotionally taxing situation. The alpha could relate since he's been in a similar situation recently. The thought of it was even more painful now that Liri was sick like it just amplified his already ever present grief over not having her at his side. Minori's question took him a little by surprise, and he wasn't sure how to answer at first. Well, I imagine it's probably a little different for everyone, but I knew I loved Liri when I realized there was absolutely no way I could ever live without her. She is the only wolf I can imagine being at my side. I would do anything for her, no questions asked. His last words were quiet and pained. It was hard to talk about without thinking about how much he missed her, but he hoped it helped give Minori a better idea of what love looked like for him. Maybe she could apply it to her own situation.

I'm going to go ahead an archive this! I'm just trying to clear out some older threads! Please feel free to reopen it if you want to finish it. I don not mind at all! <3