Stone Circle Ghosts of the past

backdated to 2/8

It had been spontaneous, his desire to travel to Easthollow. He had said goodbye to Aliac, let the leaders know he would be back and then set off. He had met a few interesting folks along the way and now here he was. He stood along the borders sniffing around, finding very little familiar scents along the edges. There was Valette and he was surprised to smell Nikai, his childhood friend. Mawk seemed to be gone and he wondered where Steph had gone. He lifted his nose not wanting to be caught creeping around and called for the woman he still considered his Aunt @Valette. He figured it was long long overdue to break the news of where Morningside had ended up and check in on how things were.

Valette lifted her head when there was a howl specific for her. She frowned, as usually there was a call for leadership not for her alone. She made it to the border. The female had not expect Sunny to be there. Valette's ears flopped back. Of course, she was pleased to see the male but she had thought that he was dead. If not, she had expected the message sooner. "Gee you're on time to let us know that you are still alive," she huffed, clearly irritated. "Do you have any idea how worried we have been!?," she glared. She had been worried but this frustration and irritated was mostly by the start of her heat. Her hormones were starting to act up.

Sunny Immediately noticed Valette's bad mood and lowered his posture, tail wiggling between his legs as he frowned and stared at the dirt "I'm sorry Val...everyone vanished and I was focused on making sure everyone was safe. I've been trying to get around as fast as possible" he looked up at her, ears laid back in shame. He knew he was super late but with everything happening, the move, losing Aviana, breeding season, dawn returning, he hadn't realised how worried she must have been. "Not much of us are around. Its Pema, me, Aliac and Faye. Everyone else left or..died. we're at Elysium"

Valette kept her ears held back as Sunny started to explain. She didn't understand why the male just came to them for help, they were allies for that reason. "I'm sorry that everyone passed away," she stated. It seemed that as a leader Sunny did not manage to keep everyone together. "Elysium, alright. I do know them," Valette spoke with a nod. But they were not official allies yet.

Valette knew about their upcoming festival but was not planning on going herself. "Why did everyone leave? How come they didn't stay loyal to you?" It was perhaps a painful question for the male but Valette wanted to know what happened.

Sunny nodded accepting her sympathies. She still looked rather unhappy with him and he felt a flare of annoyance rise up within him. Who was she to judge him? When her pack had never had the types of struggles Morningside had, at least not that he could ever remember. Her final question struck him hard and he stared at her wounded. "The fire killed everyone off or they simply vanished. I wasn't the leader then, Aditya was. I was only leader then because nobody else was around and it was...my job. Sebastian left because he was loyal to my father, the newcomers dispersed because no time had been given to earn their loyalty yet. Dawn...I don't know why she left but she's back around somewhere. I did the best I could trying to fix a mess that I didn't cause. We would have starved if we hadn't joined Elysium." he explained the scenario, feeling like she was trying to make him at fault for the fall of Morningside.

Valette could see the wounded expression from Sunny. But Valette felt that he wasn't a child anymore and that they could talk professionally about what happened. She did pity that things didn't work out but she felt that he didn't need the coddling a child needed. 'I'm sorry that you lost so many wolves and that Morningside didn't work out." She meant that. She wasn't judging him, she was just wondering how it came to be. "I'm glad that you found a home at Elysium."

Sunny breathed out a sigh and shook his head "I am too...however this was the only way with the mess things were left with. Someday I may start my own pack. Until then I want you to know that I still consider us allies. You're family to me Val and if you need anything, I'll do what I can" he said this genuinely. He paused for a moment and considered what else there was to say. He was starting to realise things were changing, the relationships he held with others weren't like when he was younger. He had originally intended to ask to visit the stones, to visit Keoni but they weren't true allies anymore and he wasn't sure Valette would be so welcoming of him being around her pack during this time of year regardless of the fact she had known him since birth.

The season. He curiously reguarded her and hesitantly opened his maw "Are you going to have babies this year Val? Me and Aliac will be" he said with a smile.

Valette slowly nodded at Sunny when he spoke. He stated that he might have his own pack one day, Valette wondered if he would settle at any of the locations Morningside inhibited. He continued to speak that he saw her as his family. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if I am your family why didn't you join us when things went south. Why wasn't the first thought after things went wrong to go the Easthollow?," she asked the male. "I don't take any offense that you didn't come to us but when you speak of family you haven't really treated Easthollow as your family," she admitted.

Valette didn't want to start a fight, as that was not in her nature. However, she was curious about what the male had to say about that. Perhaps it had been depended on other wolves. "Yes. I will," she spoke with a firm nod. There had not been a year that she didn't have pups yet. "Congrats," she spoke to him with a smile.

It struck Sunny that Valette thought he hadn't treated them as family. He wasn't a pup, she had to understand that he wasn't going to run to her anymore like he had done with her and Auntie K. "Because Val. I can't always rely on you and everyone else in times of trouble, I'm not a pup anymore. If Elysium hadn't come along and offered it, I had already considered coming to you. I am trying to become independent, to find my own new path in life though, I don't want to always rely on others for help. Elysium was a mutually beneficial situation, they needed more members, they were struggling as well. Aliac wanted to go there because she has a brother there. Aviana thought it suitable for her and Faye. It wasn't just me who decided this. " his tone was still warm though it now grew a bit tense and clipped with some exasperation, he was an emotional boy and being told he hadn't done well enough by his favorite ally wounded him.
"I have always tried to keep close and you know that. I came as soon as I heard about Keoni. I visit as often as I can But I have duties to Morningside's wolves over anybody else and I had to care for them first"


Now that he had finished that response he felt worn down, raw, exposed. "I don't know what I'm doing Aunt Val...I try but it's never good enough for anyone. I wish you a beautiful, healthy litter... I should get back" he said this in a softer tone, avoiding eye contact with her. He felt guilty and annoyed all at the same time and wasnt sure what to do. He only hoped that Valette wouldn't hold it against him forever. 

I think after your next reply I'll probably wrap it up! Tysm for the thread! I always love them

Valette didn't agree with Sunny and that he couldn't ask help. There was a difference in being independent and stupidly not asking for help. It seemed that others had decided the direction of Sunny's life, which she was okay with. She just hoped that Sunny had not asked help because he felt that he couldn't. "Sometimes life turns in a direction that is not expected," she returned.

"Keep your family close," she advised before he left. That was all she could wish to him. Usually, when a wolf was with family, a wolf was safe. She was an avid believer of that. She watched the boy leave. She was not sure where their relationship was going. She was still aunty Val so, perhaps she had not ruined everything with her harsh words.

- end-