Ankyra Sound lost

AW, set in AS, nighttime, after Caiaphas' disappearance, maybe @Reek or another ex-AS wolf? :) (but others are welcome too ^^ )

Caiaphas, the Siren Queen, was gone. She had fallen into depression after Kevlyn, one of the youngsters of the Sound, had passed away; and now she was gone. Pantaleimon was unsure what this would mean for the future of the pack, but most of all, she wondered if there was still a pack. Caiaphas' markings were growing weaker and weaker, and there was no real candidate to seize control; it seemed that a chunk of the Sirens had returned home, too, leaving fewer and fewer wolves behind.

Pantaleimon had always been firmly reined in, and it panicked Pan to know that she might be on her own. What would she do? Go back home? The thought made her unhappy. Problem was, though, Pantaleimon had no idea what did make her happy. She did not know what to do. Pantaleimon had since long felt as though she was a Siren, born into the right culture, though in the wrong body. This was why she had never betrayed the Goddesses she held in such high esteem, for though her fate was a sad one, it felt as though it was the fate she was supposed to have, the life she was supposed to lead. That is how she had always felt... Up until now.

Now there was a chance for something new. Pantaleimon sat upon the beach of Ankyra Sound's remnants, a territory now barely protected by Caiaphas' dominant scent markers, a territory now barely a pack, and let out a soft indecisive sigh while she stared out onto the ocean, the moonlight reflecting calmly in the rolling waves.

Her departure was no surprise to the ragged wolf. Everything had crumbled to pieces in the weeks following the failed raid.  The pack had been thrown into the fire of tribulation and, unfortunately, didn't make it out unsinged. The sound was only a hollow shell of what it had once been as of the others had already left to head back to Themyscira Coast.

Reek, to say the least, was emotionally torn by Ankyra's fate.  On one hand his obligation to serve the sirens was over, which pleased him greatly. However, on the the other, the only semblance of home he had was now gone.  In spite of his bitterness toward petty servitude the ragged wolf knew that staying with a pack beat the ever-loving shit out of starving on the road.  Though, at this point, Reek had conceded that returning to the wild was his only option.

One last walk for old time's sake.  He would miss it, that was for sure.  The scent of the salt in the air, the sight of the glowing dinoflagellate caught in the current, and the sound of the raw power of sea were all savored by the bastard as he slowly strode across the sand.  The figure of the white male could be made out in the faint blue glow across the beach.  Reek couldn't help but be surprised that he stayed. "Pants!" He called over the crashing of the waves. "You're still here?"  Reek quickened his pace to reach the other male. "Wynter and I are leaving tonight," he began as he placed a paw on the other's shoulder.  "Should reach the mountains by dawn if we play our cards right.  You should come too."

One of Pantaleimon's ears flicked back when she heard Reek's familiar voice, and a brief smile broke over Pantaleimon's face. Reek sounded surprised that Pantaleimon was still here... But where would she go? Pan did not wish to go home, not only because she didn't want to, but also because she had been sent away, ditched because she was useless -- what would they say were she to return so soon, just because she had nowhere to go? But to abandon the Goddesses...

As Reek reached Pantaleimon, she looked around to look at him. Pan smiled sadly as Reek said that he and Wynter were leaving for the mountains. "I..." Pantaleimon looked back at the ocean with a broken smile. "S-someone said I could c-come to this pack, in the south, but I... I don't know, it's..." Pantaleimon frowned. "I d-don't know if I could live on a... a mountain." Pan looked at Reek, the only wolf that she had truly bonded with in her short time in Ankyra Sound. She still couldn't decide whether this chance at a fresh start was something good or bad.

The fact that Pantaleimon was still at the sound came as a pleasant surprise to the ragged wolf, who had wholeheartedly believed he would have returned to Themyscira along with Minthe, Spyridon, and the others.  Reek was overjoyed that the other male would choose his freedom (however begrudgingly he did) instead of returning to a life of servitude by choice.  Reek grinned knowing that it would be good for the other to get out and see the world.

Lucky duck.  He already had a pack lined up and a new home to shoot for.  Even though Reek still had Wynter, the idea of turning back to the road with no clear end in sight was disheartening.  "You should go there Pants," insisted the bastard with a twinge of morose.  No pack would have room for all three refugees, but Pants had a shot on his own and Reek knew he should follow through on it.  "More than likely they wouldn't have room for all of us, so it pains me to see you go friend, but this will be good for you.  Maybe, we could reconvene sometime. We're heading south too, but the mountains are only a starting point so we can figure out what's next."

Reek told Pantaleimon that she should go to Redhawk Caldera, and Pantaleimon still hesitated. However, from what Reek had told her, Pantaleimon knew that the world was not simply filled with packs to choose from; this would be a good opportunity, a good chance, and maybe Reek was right. Maybe it was too good to pass on. There was another reason that Pantaleimon hesitated, but she would not share it with Reek. Maybe that was just an excuse, too; maybe she should just do it.

Pantaleimon just looked at Reek and smiled meekly for a moment. Reek really had made Pantaleimon's life a better place, from teaching the ocean's tongue and therefore feeling useful for the Sound to being helped to choose a free life when options presented themselves. "Thank you, Reek," Pantaleimon mumbled softly, and she briefly touched her nose to Reek's shoulder in a rare display of affection. "It's c-called, uhm... Redhawk Caldera, I... I think. W-When you and Wynter are settled, you... you should visit sometime." Pantaleimon smiled again, however wry, feeling terrified at the thought of ending up alone in some other pack. But at the same time she knew she needed to take this chance and go for it; it was Redhawk Caldera or a life of servitude among Sirens again.

Reek beamed with his usual happy smirk, however the sads tugged at his heavy heart.  Goodbyes tended to be far too sentimental and much too final for the ragged wolf to particularly enjoy. They tended to feel like a drawn out death-sentance or friendship's funeral: all in all, a terribly sad occasion.  Pantaleimon had been his friend, possibly his best-friend (apart from Wynter, of course) that he had found in Ankyra, or anywhere for that matter.  The prospect of leaving him behind left Reek feeling shallow and empty.  However, he was genuinely happy for his friend's opportunity.

"They'll be lucky to have you, any pack would be," he returned as Pantaleimon touched his nose to Reek's shoulder.  Out of all of the wolves of the coast, Pantaleimon would be the one he would miss the most.  Nevertheless, Reek's mood significantly lifted when Pantaleimon made the suggestion for Reek to come visit at the new pack.  Though, Reek didn't know how long until that would be completely possible, as his situation was largely up in the air and being pulled out of his ass at a moment's notice.  "I promise that'll be the first thing I do once I get settled,"  said the ragged wolf in earnest.  "You better introduce me to all your new friends Pants."

Pantaleimon shared a sad smile with Reek as Reek said they'd be happy to have Pan. She wondered if it would be true -- she would be dreadfully confused at first, she would need time. Pantaleimon knew she had qualities and knew she could apply them towards a pack, but how would they deal with Pan's background? Pan was not sure, but maybe it was time to find out. It really was time to find out.

"Thank you for being my friend," Pantaleimon softly said as she looked at Reek. In silence she watched the ocean then, watching it dance before her. "I will miss the ocean most of all..." It wasn't that Pan would not be able to visit anymore, but it would be different. Others beside her would not see in it what she saw, they would not worship it alongside her as they dipped their bodies into Mother Sea's warmth... It would be different.

"It was my pleasure Pants," grinned Reek.  Though, the bastard believed it should have been him thanking Pantaleimon instead.  He had been a true friend in Reek's short time with the sirens.  When he was met with a general hostility from the others, Pantaleimon had always greeted him with kindness which the bastard appreciated greatly.  He was a friendly face in a hostile crowd, and one Reek would never forget.

Reek nodded in agreement when Pantaleimon said he would miss the ocean.  Sure, it was pretty and all, but the sentimental value of it is what pained Reek the most about leaving.  Although he had fulfilled the promise he had made to his mother, it still felt like giving up and an insult to her memory.

"My mother," the bastard began. "She used to tell me these stories.  You know, the basic stuff you tell pups to get 'em to shut up and sleep.  But, my favorite ones were when she would talk about where she was from, down by the sea.  Now, the stories may not have meant much... and most were probably fabricated anyway, but for me, it was all I had.  They were the only things I ever looked forward to.  Every night, I'd curl up beside her and she'd just talk for hours until I eventually fell asleep.  She was my escape from the day to day hell-hole that was my life. Jessa was a goddamn saint."

"As I got older, I made her a promise," he continued, smile faltering.  "I'd see it for myself someday.  I'd set off on my own and eventually settle down near the sands she called home.  But, I never really put much thought into it.  I told her we could go together, leave the river pack and never look back, but, she refused.  Said she was too old to travel, and that just killed me because I know she wanted to."  

"She died Pants, died right there in front of me.  It was out of nowhere.  An aneurism took her and it took her fast.  One minute she was fine and then —" the bastard paused as he struggled to regain his composure by taking a deep breath. "She just, fucking ceased to exist.  I never told you why I came here Pants, I haven't told anyone, but when I look out at that water I see her.  That's what hurts.  It's like losing her again." 

Pantaleimon listened as Reek told her about his past. Pan wondered quietly what had been so terrible about Reek's life, that the only thing he had to look forward to were his mother's stories. He had not grown up among the Sirens, after all, but somewhere away without the ocean, without the deities. Pan listened to the story build up, ears falling against her head when Reek mentioned the part about his mother dying. Pantaleimon was not sure what was appropriate to do; show compassion by a nudge or kind word, or just remain silent respectfully.

Pan didn't understand why Reek had come to the ocean, not fully. But she supposed it was like when you thought something would be great, and then it wasn't really. Reek had thought the ocean would be great because of all the stories his mother told him, but now that he was here it only reminded him of his dead mother.

Although she wasn't sure why, the story made Pantaleimon feel a little less lost. Almost forgetting this was Reek's moment of grief, Pantaleimon hastily pressed a nose to Reek's shoulder to show her sympathy for the loss of his mother.

Though she was not sure how long it would take, Pantaleimon relished being on the sandy shores alongside Reek for now. Maybe because she wanted to pretend that they were still part of a pack, and that she did not need to do something that was really difficult for her... Or maybe simply because she enjoyed spending time with Reek, and she knew it'd be the last time in a while before she would see her dear friend again.

if you want to we can fade this with your last post, unless reek has more to share :)

Gotcha! I'll fade here!  I'll start up a new thread in RHC soon!

     Pantaleimon had always been a wolf of few words, however the silence the two shared after Reek had finished resonated far louder than words ever could.   It was in Reeks nature to embellish the facts and details, twisting his words and stories to fit the situation.  However, in this instance, Pantaleimon received the rare truth from the ragged liar.  A true testament to their friendship.

     "You're a good friend Pants,"  Reek said softly with a slight, half-smile as he nudged back into Pantaliemon with a brotherly bump of the shoulder.  Of all the wolves of Ankyra Sound, Pantaleimon was the most like family.  Or, at least the closest Reek had ever had... and circumstance was a cruel bitch to pull that apart.  "Thanks for listening— and for everything else," he added to his friend.  The language lessons Pantaleimon offered may have never progressed very far, but Reek was still grateful for the time that he had put in and the patience that he had shown. 

   "Wyn's waiting on me.  I shouldn't keep her waiting," continued Reek after a long pause.  He turned away from his friend and began to walk.  "Αποχαιρετισμός αδελφός," he clumsily called out in the language of the sea as he turned he head back to Pantaleimon.  Deep down, Reek knew he'd see his friend again.  But, 'when?' was another question entirely. One that Reek didn't have the answer to.  With his head hung low, he ascended the cliff and back into the unknown.