Spotted Eagle Mountain And life will always be la vie en rose
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For @Bronco. Other tags for reference. 

Kept it a bit short, just to get us going. Hope you don't mind! :3 

After giving brief warning to @Germanicus of her brief trip, Alstroemeria parted from view of the canyon.

At a steady, purposeful pace, the scarred woman trekked a path that would lead her up further into the mountains. It was there she sought a collection of herbs that were not to be found anywhere but the rocky steeps. They were not all a dire necessity, but they may have been useful later on.

The venture wasn't intended to be extensive, but she refused to leave until she'd come for what she sought.
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With the winter cold settling in, travel became a bit more arduous but it was worth the effort. He felt it was important to keep up with Killdeer, perhaps now more than every since he'd seemed so troubled when Bronco had told him about Teya. He needed to be consistent in his parenting if he wanted to prove to his son that he was still very important, even though Bronco had begun to start another family in Brechelient. 

As he neared the range where he usually called out for his son, he caught a scent that made him freeze in his tracks. He carried on forward once he assessed the wolf's scent, and determined that she smelled of none other than the pack of Mereo. No trace of them. But for her to have settled in Mereo- what were the chances?

His nose was faithful, and he followed his sense of smell until he could spot her, dark against the snow in the distance. Still even this far away, he knew it was her by the telltale glint of her teeth, forever unmasked by those who had caused them both so much harm. His heart shuddered in his chest. He exhaled. 

"It's...You."
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"It's... You."

The woman nearly jumped, heart thudding within the columns of bone.

A voice came close, but she not yet seen the figure that stood but a distance away. 

Alstroemeria's figure jerked towards where the sound originated, muzzle pointing directly towards the man. She was stricken with confusion for only a moment before it dawned on her. Could it be? Yes, her memory hardly failed her. It had to be!

I-... At much as she tried, no words would come. She swallowed, mouth turning dry.

What could she even say? They had history together, yes. But it felt like so much time had passed. They had parted. And yet, here they were, standing face to face.

Her pelt burned. Her scars began to ache, though they had healed long ago. Still, she knew not what to say. So she looked to him, a childish plea in her gaze for him to speak and break the awkwardly growing silence.
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She saw him and recognized him, and he felt fear creep in beneath his skin. He couldn't smell the Hunters, and saw no sight of them nearby- but if both of them were in the same place now, how unlikely could it be?

"Are they here?" He asked hastily, his hackles lifting. He flicked his tongue anxiously over his lips. She smelled of Mereo- but Mereo was where Fennec and Killdeer were. He'd done everything to keep them from following him here! "Did they follow you?" He did not mean to sound so serious, but at the same time, he needed to know. She was a victim too- bent to their will- but just the sight of her reminded him of the darkest moments of his life. He needed to know that it would never happen again.
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Eventually, he spoke. But they were not words she wanted to hear.

"Are they here? Did they follow you?" 

The urged questions jabbed at her like pointy stones. After everything that had happened, she thought it all had been put behind her. Only in this moment did she begin to truly remember it all.

N-no... She mustered, close to a whisper. 

Col-.. Ali began, stopping herself when she realized that wasn't the correct name. Bronco... they aren't here. I haven't seen them since we seperated.

It was the truth. She hadn't. But would he believe her, even after all this time?
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He'd frozen, but when she spoke to him, those muscles that had been so rigid a moment ago began to shake under the sudden push of adrenaline. His mouth was dry, but in their words was an assurance that left his brittle nerves a little room to recover. He shook more, now that he did not need to be ready to flee. His body remembered it- the pain, the starvation, and the constant running. Every trick in the book he'd had to pull to get them off his trail, and now-

now he stood here, facing another victim. Possibly the only one left, aside from himself, who had survived the last rebellion. 

"Bronco," He affirmed. "Colton...Was what I went by, but I'm Bronco. And...You...You're sure?" He felt small, still, terrified that perhaps they were both wrong. If she hadn't seen them since they'd last crossed paths...That would put them perhaps a year or more out of harm's way. "I'm sorry, I...I've been so worried they might find their way here." He admitted.
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She watched as his body shook, feeling like her own body was ready to do the same.

But she pushed the memories away. She couldn't go through that terror again. The amount of nightmares she'd had since then... only recently had they vanished. They couldn't come back again.

Alstroemeria lips curved into a small smile as he reassured his name. It was good to hear his voice again. Maybe she'd missed it, even.

I'm sure. She replied, tone firm. She was sure. And since her recent admission to Mereo, she felt safer than ever before.

Besides, Germanicus would protect me... and you, I'm sure- if he knew... But she hadn't told him. There was still time. If they ever returned to find them, the two of them would be safe under watch of Mereo.
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He cleared his throat, which felt painful and dry. This long after...There was no way that they'd come here. But if they caught scent of either Alstroemeria or him, surely a search would occur. He felt a bit more insecure knowing that she was even here, living so close nearby. Both of them were high on the list of wolves to be hunted and killed, for what they'd done in their escape attempt. 

She, however, had faith in Germanicus- too much faith, it seemed. 

He flattened his ears and shook his head. "No, not me." He admitted. "It's....Complicated, but I'm sure he's probably warned you, but I'm...I'm not welcome at Mereo." He said. He paused. He wasn't sure if he should tell her anything about Killdeer or Fennec- he'd done everything he could to keep their names and location a secret when he'd been a captive. But Alstroemeria wasn't one of them. She'd been a victim too, just...One who had been used to draw in more victims. 

"My...S-son lives there. I...Had a misunderstanding with Germanicus, when I came to visit Killdeer and...So I'm not welcome. But I visit, around here, about once a month so I at least get to see him without causing any issues at the border." He said. "But I...I think you'll be safe here, since it's...Military."
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On the subject of Germanicus, there was something more of Bronco that she did not know.

Ali tilted her head a bit to the side as he explained he wasn't welcome in Mereo. She wasn't sure why until he admitted something had occurred there.

The two men had a grudge. But she had not figured the imperator would be one to hold such things.

But.. i-if you can't... She couldn't even finish the sentence, for a small croak interrupted. Tears threatened to streak down her cheeks but she held them in.

If he couldn't come to Mereo, did this mean they would be separated again? They couldn't... not after finding each other after all this time.

Will I see you again? The scarred woman uttered softly, almost pained to be forced to ask the question.
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"Hey, hey," He said, attempting to soothe her. He stepped forward, but would not get too close. It was as if the cloud of shared trauma was toxic; he feared getting too close to her. He pitied her, for having gone through what she had. And with him being here now...Those memories seemed to be coming back to her just as they were to him. 

He shouldn't have brought up Killdeer. Not when he knew she'd lost her children to them. Not when they'd been murdered in front of her. 

"I just do what I can. I come here, and Killdeer meets up with me. It's not that far, I just live over on the Caldera in Brecheliant," He said, gesturing vaguely. "I'm lucky to have him...This close." He said. 

Her next question caught him by surprise, and he faltered. Seeing her brought back memories he'd been trying to suppress. Still...He sensed that while this was painful for them both, maybe it would help. "If you want. But this is really as close as I can get. I'm just trying to respect Germanicus' boundaries."  He said softly, with a nod. He thought of his current attachments in Brecheliant, which kept him tethered, though he could make time for Alstroemeria, if she needed, in the way he made time for Killdeer as well. He begrudged the man for making him remain at a distance, as though he was a threat, but holding a grudge wouldn't get him visiting rights. 

"Listen...There's something...I saw, and I think you should know..." He trailed off.
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This would be an interesting moment to have someone of Mereo randomly pop in, LOL.. just to see Ali crying her eyes out and Bronco there thinking on what to do to get her to shut up XD

He moved a bit closer, changing his tone resemble comfort. But she couldn't help but shuffle backwards, almost falling over. 

She didn't fall, but instead crumbled to the ground. The tears gave way, rushing down her cheeks endlessly. As much as she wanted to make it stop, she couldn't. For many moments, the air was filled with sobs, and nothing but.

Alstroemeria had never felt so lost, than in this moment. Her children, lost. Her past, a horror story. Her heart, broken into a million pieces. There were so many things she wished to be returned to her, but none of it was possible.

Bronco continued on with more words, but she didn't hear any of it. It wasn't that she didn't care, but that she couldn't put an end to the sobbing. 

After a few moments, she looked to him, hoping he could make it stop. But was there really anything he could do? Unless he could rewind the past, they were stuck like this.
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Mature Content Warning


This thread has been marked as mature. By reading and/or participating in this thread, you acknowledge that you are of age or have permission from your parents to do so.

The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: trauma recall, self harm

Seeing her in distress made him panic. Her limbs gave out, and she was suddenly in hysterics, sobbing. He'd not failed to notice that his approach had potentially triggered the action, so he came no closer- instead, he backed up, but he settled down onto the ground as well, making himself smaller so she would see that he would be no threat. He never had been- and never would be. 

He had to convince himself not to share in the distress. He had to push his own triggers aside, as she was in a much worse state, and he was the cause of it. But he couldn't let himself get caught up in the thick white haze of anxiety that crept in and screamed intrusive thoughts into his brain. He squinted and flattened his ears. The rushing of sound inside his head was like a busy street. He was frozen, disabled by indecision. One voice screamed at him to comfort, but another told him not to touch her. He didn't want to be touched. Touch was bad. Touch was pain. And this wolf, who'd seen him go through the worst of it- she was right here.

He couldn't call out for help, nor could he force himself to his feet to run away and leave her like this. Shivering, he tucked his tail, and set his chin on the ground, as though getting himself closer to the ground might help him hang on in some way. Amid the voices rushing inside his ears and the sounds of her sobs, he found himself completely lost. Mindlessly, he began to pull at the fur along his forelimb, at first absently chewing at the fur there before he began to pluck strands of fur out. The small spike of pain was the only thing that seemed to stand out amongst the thoughts that hissed at him, and the sound of her pained breaths. It was pain, but it was the only thing that felt as though he could control at the moment.
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She was not the only distressed by the memories. For both, it had nearly been equally harsh. She could not say her experiences were the only poor ones— it would be unfair.

Though she could not yet put an end to the sobbing, but they did grow faint, occasional with added sniffling. It was when she noticed his erratic limb biting that she grew quieter, now whining for him, rather herself. She wanted him to stop—to stop hurting himself, but she couldn't find the words to say it. Each time she tried, she choked.

The feverish whining continued, cheeks wet with tears. Ali felt guilty now. Her breakdown had hurt them both. He had only tried to comfort her. So now she felt it right to do the same by him.

Slowly, she crawled her way forward. Close. First, her nose tip touched his. Closer. Then her muzzle brushed against his. Closer. And eventually, she pushed away the voices that told her no. Pushing forward even more, she drew her crown beneath his chin until her head entirely blocked him from reaching his legs. The aroma of iron— it stung her nose, but she remained there. 

A soft whine pursued, tail thumping ever so gently against the earth. Could he hear her plea now?
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He tensed when she came closer. This whole meeting reminded him of what things had been like as a prisoner, one who was repeatedly cast out into the wild and hunted until he was caught, again and again. A toy, for sick wolves that hunted wolves for sport. So when she moved closer and closer, the conscious part of his mind retreated, leaving behind only wild animal, though his body did not move. 

He froze when she touched him, pushing her head between his muzzle and his legs, where he'd plucked the fur from his skin. He gritted his teeth together. She was too close to his neck. Too close to his throat. And she was not his wife. 

He jerked back, and stumbled as he put space between them. Her quiet whine did not move him to gentle, she stayed back, a frightened colt with the whites of his eyes showing. He was not angered, but deeply unnerved. "You need to stay safe. Stay with Mereo, they'll...Protect you." He said. He stepped back. "I...Need to go. If they come back...If the hunters come this way...I need for you to tell me." He said. "Okay?"

After all, he had promised himself to protect Fennec and Killdeer- and he still would. But he would also need to protect Teya, now, and their future together.