Re: The Winter Den

[Guest]

Mahina watched the fight unfold before her. Dakota left her mark on Spirit by taking half the she-wolf's ear. The brown female attacking Soran and leaving him with a wound that would certainly impair his hunting, and Silver intervening before fleeing the scene. She glanced to Kanae, then to Spirit, to Soran then Dakota. "No Kanae." Mahina stood up, her legs still wobbily from the shock of utter heartbreak. "It's my fault." She walked over so she was standing next to Soran. She buried her face into his fur. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I never deserved you as my mate, I never learned to accept that I may never have you in my life as I once did, not after I left and returned." She pulled her face away, her gaze was down and looking at the snow. "I'll never accept the torture, but I can't let it kill Spirit. If it kills me, then that's how it will be."

[Dakota]

Dakota moved silently, her head low. The occasional droplet of blood slipped from her jaws, finding its way to the already stained snow. Her paws moved with loud crunches as they compacted snow together with every step. She moved away from it all, towards the cover of the trees. Turning her head back, to look at all the other pack wolves, her jaws parted and her tongue slipped out while she panted. Her golden eyes watched every single wolf, shifting to each one. A smile seemed to play off her bloodied maw. How was it she had attacked two wolves and recieved fairly little injuries? It made her think. Why had no one stepped in, to kill her off? To finished off the loner that was hurting their friends? Because it wasn't a loner hurting their friends, it was Dakota. A beast of burden and one that should have never come back. Perhaps she should attack another and see if anyone put up a fight then. Pink flesh swiping across black lips, Dakota made no move towards anyone, simply putting distance away from one another. "What now?" she asked, the faint smile vanishing from its place on her muzzle. Black gums covering red teeth, Dakota waited for somewhere to begin again.

[Soran]

Soran nearly pulled his gums as Kanae approached and began cleaning the blood from Spirit's ear. The white she wolf had been bloodied for a mistake he had done, and it was his job alone to clean it up. He was the reason Spirit, even Mahina now suffered wounds both inside and out. Soran deserved no remorse for what he had done, but that didn't mean others didn't deserve it. But, perhaps something good would come of this... future friendship could repay what was lost.

The male watched with a blank stare as Dakota turned to sit alone. Of all that she had lived through, he couldn't blame her but knowing the fierce bronze female as long as he did, she didn't need pity. But before be could say anything further, a familiar scent came from behind and buried itself in his fur only for a moment. Listening to Mahina's apology put him at a loss for words. He wished he could escape to the hunting grounds, like he done so many times, but running would make things worse. "Mahina..." he began, forcing out the words he knew would come sooner or later. "If not mates, then perhaps friends." he said, feeling his reply was insufficient and probably wouldn't help the case.

(lame...)

[Guest]

"Mahina..." he began, forcing out the words he knew would come sooner or later. "If not mates, then perhaps friends."

Mahina shook her head. She would still have to see Soran and Spirit together every day, she would still be consumed by heartbreak from the inside out. She would still be tortured by it, still be torn apart. "No Soran." She backed away from the male. "I can't live with the torture it will give me." She turned away from everyone, and with head hung low, she trotted up the hill and towards Dakota. She walked beside her old friend in silence, unable to think of what she could possibly say to Dakota.

[Soran]

Soran closed his eyes and a bitter expression crossed his face; of course he had expected this, even if Mahina couldn't live with it, it would not be fair to Spirit to deny her happiness just so things to return to how they were before. That wasn't even a possibility from the start. She must have expected things would never be the same. His tail flicked aside a piece of bloody snow and he realized the frozen air had helped numb the pain in his shoulder. He didn't need to look at it to know it would come back to haunt him later, so he left it alone.

((eh...))

[Spirit]

Spirit flinched as she felt she felt something begin to clean her wounds. She turned her head to look over at Kanae. She listened the she-wolfs words and by the time she finished Spirit couldn't think of how to respond to such a statement. While no words came forth she offered her friend a silent thanks.

She turned her head once again as Mahina approached the small group. While Spirit had found herself hating the female earlier she couldn't help but let her rage melt away. Was it really right for her to hold a grudge over this? While it upset her, holding onto anger wouldn't solve much. She sighed, looking down at the ground as Soran and her conversed. When she heard the retreating sound of crunching snow she knew Mahina had left but she kept her eyes on the snow between her paws.

Spirit could feel Soran as he shifted slightly; she remained looking down. Maybe if she stared at the snow long enough when she looked back up all the blood would be gone and everyone would be free of wounds. But she knew it wasn't going to happen. Her gaze flicked up as she looked at Soran, her expression unreadable as she tried to take it all in.


[ Lame.. ]

[Dakota]

Dakota heard the footsteps behind her, but could not smell who the follower was. Blood coated her lips and maw, making it to where her nose was completely overwhelmed with the smell. Her golden gaze turned slowly, finding Mahina at her side, walking with her. The silence before was enough to make Dakota's jaws tighten once again, this was truly unbearable. So, the female did what she did best, cracked a joke. "What did one wolf say to the other?" Dakota's dry throat made her voice cracky and unstable. Before saying the punchline, her head leaned towards the snow, tongue pulling in a few clumps of it to give her mouth some water. "Howl's it going," the female finished, starting to chuckle in a small way. It was the only true joke she could think of. Her other one was "What did the wolf say after he got kicked by an elk? Nothing, he was dead." and somehow, Dakota did think that joke was appropriate at the moment. The female stumbled as her paw slipped on a scary piece of ice, causing her to falter. She regained her footing, moving closer to Mina so that her fur touched hers. If she fell again, Dakota would make sure it was on Mahina. A faint smile played on her face.

[Guest]

(Wow, where to even start....)


Ninja enjoyed the snow. His feelings began to emerge from his body in ways that even he couldn't explain. The snow, and winter for that matter, made him happy. His eyes glanced at the area, looking for someone to talk too. He sighed, seeing no one that caught his eye. Ninja got up and walked a few steps and then settled down into the snow, watching everything.

[Guest]

"What did one wolf say to the other?" Dakota's dry throat made her voice cracky and unstable. Before saying the punchline, her head leaned towards the snow, tongue pulling in a few clumps of it to give her mouth some water. "Howl's it going," the female finished, starting to chuckle in a small way. It was the only true joke she could think of. Her other one was "What did the wolf say after he got kicked by an elk? Nothing, he was dead."

Mahina's lips quivered into a small grin at Dakota's jokes. When the female stumbled on some ice, Mahina reached out her muzzle to help her up, but Dakota found her own solution by making sure she would fall on her if she went down again. Mahina watched the snow in front of her. Deciding to crack a joke or two of her own, Mahina looked towards the nearest tree. "Why do wolves hate trees?" She flicked her tail, searching her mind for the answer. "Cause they stole their bark."

((Lame joke, but it works ))

[Dakota]

Dakota stared at Mahina for a long time, acting as though the joke wasn't funny. Unable to keep the straight face any longer, she started to laugh once again. Her laugh was deep this time, uncontrollable as she let all her tensions melt away. After it started to hurt her sides, the female started to regain her composure. "I needed that," Dakota replied, a large grin splitting apart her muzzle. "I also need to talk to you," the fae spoke quietly, the news already starting to make her hurt. "Where," she started to talk, but chocked, flattening her ears and stopping her walk, "Where are my pups?" the female breathed. Her golden gaze shifted upwards to catch any emotion on Mahina's face. Any sign that something had happened to them, and she would catch it. One simple sign would crush Dakota. She begged the gods above to not let Mahina show any sign of her pups' demise. "I only came back to take them with me. I've found a nice territory for myself, just big enough for me and them. I figured I needed to make it up to them. How's Cherokee? He always looked like his father. And Atita, the littlest one, with her shy attitude. Faylon! The one that looked like my mother," the old female started to babble, her words gradually fading.

[Skye]

The snow had finally stopped falling from the sky. For many days, it had fallen from some endless reservoir in the blue sky. Yellow tinged clouds finally vanished to another location due to the western winds. Even though the snow was firmly packed onto the ground, the scent of moist earth wafted up.

This is it, Altair thought as he looked down from a large hill. Trees surrounded him from all sides but he could see movement in a clearing below. The shapes were blurred; he could not discern any specifics about the wolves.

A flash of excitement rushed through his veins. He was so close! For many a day he had travelled to find the Winter Den. Many wolves warned him against coming to find the Banishing Winds Pack, but he paid them no heed. Altair needed this pack. And maybe, just maybe they would find that they needed him too.

This would be his first taste at belonging somewhere other than in captivity. He wished to be like his father; he desired a freedom that was so often described to him. There were so many things he wished for himself but he did not know if all his ambitions would be completed.

A breath deflated from his lungs as he started to walk down from the hill. Only a few more minutes and he would be where he needed to. However, to a wolf as eager as he it may take a small eternity.

Which it did.

When he finally came upon the clearing, his colourless eyes widened with disbelief and his ginger coloured pelt bristled with shock. Blood stood out against the winter's snows. He did not know what happened here, but this was not what he had planned on encountering. What did he plan on seeing when he first arrived? Packmates whose arguements were settled with words and not violence? He was not completely sure but this was the last thing.

To his immediate left, silver coloured fae sat on the white carpeted ground a pool of blood below her. The bright crimson fluid flowed out of her throat and he winced slightly. To see a fae with such a wound caused a pain in his heart.

"What happened here?" He muttered, his voice deep. Disgust and disappointment coloured his tone but he tried not to make it too evident.

(Horrible.)

[Maiara]

Maiara heard it happen. From a distance, up on her perch, seperate from the world, she had heard everything. The faint echoing snarls of the fight. But perhaps her mind knew that it was best she didn't view the brawl. The former leader that she seemed never able to live up to, lost to anger, attacking one of her closest friends. No, she couldn't allow herself to see it. She'd turned a blind eye without even thinking about it. She was the alpha of the pack and yet she had chosen subconciously to block out the scene. And she only realized that something had occured when silence fell and the fight had come to an end.

Looking up, she saw what her mind had tried to save her from. Deep red, a color of anger and rashness now splattered the clean snow, no longer an innocent hue. Forgetting any conversations that had been occuring, she bolted from her post, leaping down from the fallen tree and across the snow in an instant. The female took everything in slowly. Soran, his shoulder torn and bloodied, muscle showing through shredded skin and pelt. Spirit, throat crimson and her ear...her ear mauled, half of it lying in the snow. Mahina, and that familiar bronze coat stood out in the distance. No strangers stood in the clearing to take responsibiliity for the fight. No one but her own pack members were to blame for this.
"Is this what things have come to?" She shouted, her voice bold and accusing. "Are you all such savages that you would tear apart your own friends?" Maiara's fur bristled in disgust. She held herself tall and imposingly. It was as though all pity for any innocents had drained out of her, through her paws, into the bloodstained snow. More choices had been made, and it seemed that none here had reflected any insightfulness. All of these wolves had borne witness to the fray and all were to blame.

"What happened here?"

The alphess heard muttered, a stranger in the corner of her eye. "Whoever you are, it is not your place to say, so be silent," she snarled.

[Silver]

Silver emerged from the trees, visible now that she was out of the shade. Her pale green eyes stared at the crimson stained snow with sadness. She studied the newer male, seeing from his posture he meant no harm. Her eyes warmed ever so slightly, showing she had calmed with the knowledge that no more harm would come to the pack or it's members. She walked past him, into the clearing, staring at Maiara.

"I'm sorry, Maiara... I should have stopped it before Dakota sprang. I wasn't... I wasn't thinking straight. " She said, looking at the alpha solemnly.

[Dakota]

Dakota winced as the voiced filled with authority spoke through the silence. Her head rose, golden gaze finding Maiara, angered by such actions. She prepared a witty retort, only found her tongue twisted inside her mouth. Looking to find a new wolf entering the territory, the fae let out a defeated sigh. She looked towards Mahina then stepped towards Maiara, head high. "The only savage is before you, Maiara. This whole situation is my blame, it was completely my fight," she explained, refusing to let her words falter in the presence of Maiara. She flicked a glance at Silver, she didn't need to speak now.

[Skye]

The alphess heard muttered, a stranger in the corner of her eye. "Whoever you are, it is not your place to say, so be silent," she snarled.

Altair turned his eyes to the fae who had spoken. A bloom of anger appeared in his chest but he held it off. He would never hurt a fae even if his life depended on it. He knew he had to put a leash on his anger otherwise there would be dire consequences.

"I apologize for any inconvenience," he said in a tone that showed his sincerity. His voice rumbled in his chest deeply and he lowered his head in shame. "If there's anyway I can help, just tell me. I will do anything I can."

Once again, the heavy scent of blood swirled in the air. What had happened here? He lifted his head again and looked at the injured wolves. A dark brown male sat not far away from the silver fae with the neck wound but the brute had also recieved a jagged laceration on his shoulder. It was a horrible looking wound.

Splashes of blood decorated the snow in intricate patterns. They led the way towards a bronze coloured fae. She must have been the one in the fight. But who was her initial target? The silver fae or the brown brute? Altair wondered what her motive had been. It may have been jealousy or anger. There were too many factors that could have been in play before he had arrived.

"But may I have the knowledge of what happened?" He looked in the tan coloured fae's eyes. His own showing curiosity and his tone suggested that he wished he could help. He wanted to help so bad that he attempted with some talk that worked on most females. "I'm sure a pretty fae like yourself would not want to have all this to deal with without any form of assistance. I'll do anything to lessen the load of your troubles."

[Maiara]

"I'm sorry, Maiara... I should have stopped it before Dakota sprang. I wasn't... I wasn't thinking straight. " She said, looking at the alpha solemnly.

"The only savage is before you, Maiara. This whole situation is my blame, it was completely my fight," she explained,

Maiara's eyes found Dakota's as she approached. Sure enough, the color of rust stained her muzzle, giving the fae a dark appearance. She nodded silently, her fur still on end, her mind still buzzing with fury and disappointment. She could gather that Dakota had returned and attacked Soran and Spirit. Why the two of them specifically, she couldn't guess. Now she knew pieces of the story, but short answers would not suffice.
"Explain." the alphess demanded of someone, but her gaze remained locked with Dakota, trying to determine what the female's intentions could have been in, not only returning, but in attacking as well. She ignored the loner off to the side, he was indeed an inconvinience. Perhaps she would be more easy to talk to later, but at that moment, she was not to be distracted from discovering what had occured in this shameful clearing.

[Guest]

((One trip to town and you guys give me a book to read D: ))

"Where are my pups?" the female breathed. Her golden gaze shifted upwards to catch any emotion on Mahina's face. Any sign that something had happened to them, and she would catch it. One simple sign would crush Dakota. She begged the gods above to not let Mahina show any sign of her pups' demise. "I only came back to take them with me. I've found a nice territory for myself, just big enough for me and them. I figured I needed to make it up to them. How's Cherokee? He always looked like his father. And Atita, the littlest one, with her shy attitude. Faylon! The one that looked like my mother," the old female started to babble, her words gradually fading.

"I left before they dispersed. Soran knows, but I'm more than positive they dispersed. You would have to ask him for the exact story." As Dakota turned to adress Maiara, Mahina winced as her friends took the blame. The situation was between Spirit, Soran and her, and Mahina's own despair had dragged them into it. Had she just accepted the fact Soran didn't love her, none of this would ever had happened, they wouldn't be standing here now, not in this situation. She turned to face the alphess with Dakota, and with head still hanging low, she spoke to her. "No Maiara, it was my fault. What happened was supposed to be something between Soran, Spirit and I. I gave Dakota the okay to attack Spirit, I let rage a despair control my actions."

[Maiara]

"No Maiara, it was my fault. What happened was supposed to be something between Soran, Spirit and I. I gave Dakota the okay to attack Spirit, I let rage a despair control my actions."

Maiara shifted her gaze to Mahina. Something between herself, Soran, and Spirit. A thought sparked in her mind. A theory on the base of the conversation she'd had with Soran...about choosing one of them. He had made a choice.
"Why?" she inquired quietly even though she already had predicted the answer, curiosity mingling with her rage, making her voice soft but dangerous. To be burdened with a breaking heart was understandable, to unleash the emotion of that heart, powerful and volatile like a splitting atom, was another.

[Skye]

She turned to face the alphess with Dakota, and with head still hanging low, she spoke to her. "No Maiara, it was my fault. What happened was supposed to be something between Soran, Spirit and I. I gave Dakota the okay to attack Spirit, I let rage and despair control my actions."

"Such emotions are difficult to control," Altair said lightly. He wasn't sure if he were allowed to speak but perhaps his words would help soothe something, anything. If he were playing the right cards, punishment would lessen. "Not one wolf is able to control it. It is impossible due to the violence of it all. After all, those emotions are the second most powerful."

He stood completely upright, his pale amber eyes showing that he had concern for the fae who claimed she was at fault. She was small--all wolves were small to him--and compact but she had the muscle mass of a warrior, a fighter. He tilted his head clockwise in a thirty degree angle.

Altair looked at the carnage again. A piece of the silver fae's ear was still laying on the snow with blood slowly running out of it. The wound was still fresh; he instantly felt horrible. If he had arrived earlier maybe he could have stopped it.

He noted that a white fae was gingerly cleaning the silver female's injuries. At least someone was helping clean up the situation. Others would probably join in too and Altair would help if he was admitted to the pack.

[Guest]

"Why?"

What was the answer to that? She was stupid? Yeah, that was the only true answer. Letting Dakota almost kill Spirit? She could have stopped it, she could have stopped it all. Mahina lowered herself to the ground, eyes closing. "I don't know Maiara, I don't know."

[Spirit]

Spirit looked around her, hearing Maiara step into the situation to get it all under control. She rose to her paws, her eyes finding a new face in the clearing, a male. She stood silently, just watching the wolves as Maiara tried to figure it all out. She could feel the male's gaze kept coming over in her direction. Though it was expected. The snow around her and Soran was still coated in with their blood and their wounds were... well they did stick out quite a bit.

[ Eh.. ]

[Soran]

Soran's ears perked instantly as Maiara seemed to materialized from the trees and into the clearing where they lay. He recognized her expression of disgust at the crimson stained snow even before the words had left her mouth. At once, blame seemed to pass between Dakota and Mahina as they attempted to cover what had happened. Who was really to blame if any of them?

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an unfamiliar male that had seemed to slink himself into the territory. An unwanted intrusion; his need to help them only made things worse, he had no room to voice his opinion here. He felt the need to speak up, but felt it best for Maiara to handle it, it would be easier with her position as an Alpha.

"No Maiara, it was my fault. What happened was supposed to be something between Soran, Spirit and I. I gave Dakota the okay to attack Spirit, I let rage a despair control my actions."

Before he could recover and voice that the blame could not be determined, Mina's last words had began to sink into him. She had given Dakota the okay to attack Spirit... it was unacceptable. Suddenly, he found himself shaking, not with sadness that had plagued him earlier, but with a new anger that he had rarely used. "You gave her.. permission?" He asked, a bitter snarl creeping into his voice that he never would've guess would be used against Mahina.

[Silver]

Silver grasped a large fallen branch in her teeth, pulling it in a sort of a carriage like way through the den a few times, the snow, mixing, became only a light pink that was less noticeable and disappearing by the moment as new snow covered it. The smell of fresh blood, surely, would attract unwanted predators.

"Maiara, I'm going to scout the area and check for anyone who was or is interested in the presence of blood. Hopefully, only coyotes. Hopefully..." She called out, dropping the branch next to a tree. She turned to walk into the forest, then, walking at a comfortable pace and smelling the winter winds that whistled through the forest.

[Skye]

He asked, a snarl creeping into his voice that he never would've guess would be used against Mahina.

Altair caught the sound of the snarl in the injured brute's voice. Such a thing was not acceptable. No male should ever threaten a female. Even though Altair did not know the fae who claimed that this entire ordeal was her fault, he stepped forth so he was wedged between the opposing male and the she-wolf.

He lowered his great head so his eyes were level with the dark brown brute's. He was far larger with his three and a half foot height (which is impossible for the average wolf and should be edited ;)); he needed to lower himself. Anger brewed deep in his chest but he held it in check. For now. He would not initiate the first attack but if needed be, he would defend himself.

His amber eyes showed that he was not afraid and he didn't wish to fight. Rather, he wished that words would dismiss this. Hopefully his intimidating size would help though it has been known to scare wolves so bad that they attacked out of fright.


"Careful," he spoke in a soothing, calm tone to the brute opposite of him.

[Maiara]

"Not one wolf is able to control it. It is impossible due to the violence of it all. After all, those emotions are the second most powerful."

"Careful"

"Silence!" Maiara demanded, the extra voice being just one too many. She couldn't think. "Whatever you want here, the chances of your obtaining it depends on your silence." she growled, not even giving him the curtesy of eye contact. As they had been a moment ago, her eyes were trained solely on Mahina. Silver spoke about scouting a bit, she replied by nodding mutely.

"I don't know Maiara, I don't know."

Maiara listened, her face showing only the unchanging blankness that had been on her face when she'd arrived to the aftermath. Whatever disdain she felt, she would not show it on her face. All the rest of her body language described that clearly enough.

"You gave her.. permission?"

Repeated by Soran, the true sickness of such a madness driven action set in properly. It was entirely unacceptable. Her eyes were as her face was, blank and dark,
"You must have had a reason," she said in an even, morbid tone. The peace that should have been ensured at the winter den had been splintered and spattered with shadow and violence. Although no death had occured, even more of her trust in Mahina had bled out onto the snow to lay with the rest; it was as good as thought someone had died.

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