Post by Curiosity on Mar 24, 2010 17:01:45 GMT -5
Characters Involved:
Haze, male wolf
Nakaiah, male wolf
=== Trickling River ===
Cold. Cold. Cold. Nakaiah treds carefully along the length of the river, his pawsteps slow for once in his life. Everything happens fast for him. If he was wise, he'd step up his pace, warm himself up, but his mind is elsewhere right now as his eyes focus intently on the moist dirt beneath his paws. Alone can be described in so many ways, but Nakaiah sees himself as the best description. Always gets what he wants. Never takes 'no' as an answer. But when you live for yourself, 'yourself' is all you end up with, apparently. The cold seeps through his thickening fur easily; the wolf shivers once, stopping his walk altogether. What's the point?
The chill of early winter is enough to penetrate even Haze's mountain-bred pelt, though perhaps it's been thinned out somewhat since he started spending his time living in the warmth of the lowlands. The former Lazuli alpha is, once again, peering into his reflection in the still stream's surface, perhaps seeking guidance as both halves of his family attempt to fit together as one; the rest of Cerulean is sleeping or hunting a little further west along the river. Lost in his thoughts, he doesn't notice the other stranger's approach, his senses not quite what they used to be now that he's just past the peak of his prime.
His eyes drill into the dirt between his paws, glaring as if that /exact/ plot of earth caused all his problems in life. Stomp. Stomp. There, punish it with his claws and maybe he'll feel a bit better. But no.. nothing. Nakaiah stares in silent concentration for another few moments before uttering a long, heaving groan of discontentment. "Why /me/?" he calls to the unfriendly gray-blue sky, his eyes following the clouds with resentment. He grunts once more, angry at nothing and everything at once, as he begins his trudge onward once more, his eyes lifting forward instinctively. He was taught to pay attention at all times, right? And he's remembered his wolfpup lessons. Apparently, these lessons come in handy sometimes, for just as his brain trains his eyes to scan the area once more, Nakaiah catches sight of a form, closer to the water's edge, not far off. A wolf. A male, from it's scent. And.. what causes Nakaiah now to stare with perked ears.. a familiar smell. Though /how/ he knows this smell is extremely beyond his understanding.
At the sound of another, however, the former alpha is immediately alert again, pushing himself up into a ready stance, searching his surroundings with pricked ears and open eyes. "Who's there?" He may not be an alpha anymore, and these lands may not be his pack's official territory, but old habits die hard. Movement catches his vision, and a cold breeze blows his way, carrying the other's scent, and causing the Viridian-born wolf to freeze in place. He knows that scent. That's...his scent. Lark's scent. His pup's scent. But it can't be...can it? "...Nakaiah? Is that you, son?" Haze's gaze is a veritable window to his soul, exposed now in this moment of raw emotion, at reuniting with a pup thought lost to the fate of nature.
The other wolf notices him. Nakaiah halts abruptly again, this time his posture clearly on-edge. The other lupine is obviously older than he is, so Nakaiah could easily outrun him if he had accidentally stepped onto a strange pack's grounds.. maybe he had been so oblivious that he crossed a border and this wolf would sound the alar-.. wha? The wolf said his name. And - son? Nakaiah cranes his head to the side minutely as he studies the older male cautiously, intense curiosity and bewilderment obvious in his expression. ".. Dad..?" This can't be a joke - the look on Haze's face shoots that theory right out of the sky. This is.. real. "Where is.. where have you.." Questions fog his mind, shooting like crazed bullets, one after another seeming more important than the last, but he finally settles with an unreadable silence.
Haze could ask the same questions of his long-lost son. Taking one step forward, then another, and then loping into a run towards the boy, the older male reveals a rare side of himself as he presses himself up against the younger wolf in an affectionate embrace, his chin laid protectively over Nakaiah's neck and shoulders. "I thought you were...gone forever. Like your brothers and sister." First Nakaiah got separated from the pack and lost to the wilds, then the sickness that claimed the other two boys...and when they lost their only daughter that fateful day, Haze and Larkspur were left in shambles. The devastated mother never quite recovered from her great losses, either, and Haze was barely able to suppress his emotion enough to continue leading the Lazuli, if half-heartedly. "I..." The normally quiet wolf certainly doesn't know what to say in this situation, struck speechless by the rush of emotions spinning through his head.
The normally /outgoing/ wolf is at a loss, as well, his emotions running rampant. As his father moves towards his body both pushing him forward, as though he can't move fast /enough/, and pulling him back, resricting his steps. Then, suddenly, he /moves/. Really moves, and for /someone else/, for the first time in his young adult life. As the wolves meet, Nakaiah curls his head around the other's, returning the tender embrace just as firmly. The selfish, troublemaking, self-seeking personality crumbles away in a second as all he can think about is the past he lost with Haze, and his mother, too! "I know - I.. didn't think I'd ever see you again.." he finally manages, his throat tight and constricted. He can only imagine how his parents must have been dealing with the separation, if /he/ had been so lost amongst it all. Then the realization of what else Haze spoke dawned on him. "Gone.. like my siblings? What.. happened to them?" Nakaiah isn't quite so sure he wants to know.
That's right, Nakaiah was the first they lost...he wouldn't know that his littermates were no longer with them anymore either. The brindle-furred male hesitates, stepping away to meet his son's gaze, then answers with a solemn sigh. "Onyx and Maska, they got sick soon after we lost you...and your sister, Dyna..." he trails off then with a swallow, looking away. "Your mother...she's still at home, with her family. I'm only here to meet with the former members of my family pack, Viridian..." Anxious for a a different break-away conversation, Haze gives a brief explanation of what's happened to Lazuli since. "We've decided to come together, as one pack. We're Cerulean, now...and I'm no longer alpha."
So much information at one time. The younger male shakes his head, looking up into the eyes (of his long-lost /dad/, of all things), unable to remove the look of disbelief from his face. "I don't understand." Nakaiah looks at the ground suddenly, his paws shifting subtly below him. He thought /he/ was the only one who changed. But it looks like everything changed with him. Everything that mattered, everything that was supposed to be /set/ and /sure/.. even the packs! They /joined/? Never in his young life had Nakaiah imagined the packs of Silver and Silvan, and Felstride and Storm, to /come together for good/. "I really don't understand," the younger male restates, looking up again at Haze. "What happened to the packs? What happened to /everything/? I.. I.." Haven't been around. At all. And he's an adult now. This is.. "This is insane," he finally breathes, his eyes reflecting his overwhelmed mind.
Haze's breath catches at his son's questions, feeling at a loss for how to answer him, and feeling like a less than perfect father as a result...but can anyone blame the misfortunate wolf? "Things change, Nakaiah. Sometimes for the worse...but sometimes for the better." Haze has lost, yes, but he has gained, too...such as the reborn son standing before him now. "It's been a long time, Nakaiah. What...two passes of the seasons, now? Many things change with the seasons, son, but you will always be welcome home, no matter where that happens to be. You're with family again." The valley-born male offers his sole pup another nuzzle of paternal love before pulling back and speaking once again. "Your mother...she's not the same," Haze finally admits the unsaid, not truly wishing to have spoken it aloud, but not wanting to hide anything from his long-missing son. The former alpha remembers his mate in much the same adoring light as their children, but ever since the loss of their pups, neither of them have been quite the same. "But perhaps, if she sees her son is returned, she will be better. We will see when we're back home in the prairie again."
"I was.. afraid of that." Nakaiah's head hangs ever so slightly, tilting to the side as if heavy. What mother /wouldn't/ be hard pressed by all this drama? "I didn't want her to have to worry," he utters in a low tone. He didn't want his dad to worry either, but.. "Dad?" The son looks to the side, distractedly. "I've been on my own so long. Hah.. I don't even know how to be in a family anymore. I may /have/ families, somewhere." There, he said it. Nakaiah knows he's not a father's first choice, by any means. He's a heartbreak, a tease, a flirt, a jerk. He's seduced females and deserted them, leaving them believing he really cared. "I don't think Mom wants me to come back, now," he choked out in a bitter laugh.
He may have families? ...Oh. That's right. His son's not the pup he lost anymore. He must be, what, two and a half years by now? He's a fully matured adult at this point, a time Haze can remember himself. He opens his mouth to reply, but then Nakaiah's forced laugh catches his words. "...You're wrong, Nakaiah. You're our son, you're /always/ our son, no matter what. It'd kill her to know you came back, but didn't return to her." Haze pauses again, then speaks up once more. "We're all older now, son. Please...stay." They're certainly not old and frail yet, but they're certainly not getting any younger. And Haze is no stranger to feeling as an outsider, even among family.
Nakaiah mmms out loud, but otherwise goes quiet. He'd never actually admitted to himself that maybe.. he's left something behind. But, he's just now been accepted again into something new, hasn't he? Just like his father commented only a few moments ago - he's lost, but he's also gained. "Maybe," he amends at last, regarding his mother. "I know she would.. hate that. Hate me." He pauses, but then looks again at his father quickly, correcting himself. "Not /me/, but the things I've done." Nakaiah doesn't even know if Larkspur /could/ hate a beast, itself. Here comes the main point. Ready? "Could you.. not tell her?" The younger male narrows his eyes slightly, ashamed for attempting to cover something up. "I just.. don't want to hurt her."
Haze might have looked happy, for once in his recent years, after reuniting with his thought-dead son, but this last request causes his expression to fall once more. "I..." he falters, before taking a breath and trying again. "All right. Just...please. Stay. We've already lost you once...don't let us lose you again." The deposed alpha isn't too proud to beg, even his own child.
A long breath is released as the son's head leans down again, his eyes to the ground, as he lets his forehead press against his father's shoulder. He wants to stay, really. He missed them! It's just all /so/ much. Nakaiah couldn't stand being accepted back, only to be sent off again. Though really, Haze still has no idea, and Nakaiah doesn't care to let on any more. As long as his mom has no reason to worry? It's all good. With a quiet smile, the wolf closes his eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of his family.. /his/ scent.. coming off Haze's fur. "Thank you," he finally replies. "I would /love/ to come home, Dad."
"You're home now, Nakaiah," Haze murmurs reassuringly into the younger wolf's ear, as he might have when he was still a pup. "It's great to have you back." He pulls away after a prolonged moment, and turns back towards the west. "Come. I'll bring you to where the rest of the pack is staying, at least until we start heading back south again." Waiting for his son to follow, the brindled wolf then trots off towards where he left the others.
Haze, male wolf
Nakaiah, male wolf
=== Trickling River ===
Cold. Cold. Cold. Nakaiah treds carefully along the length of the river, his pawsteps slow for once in his life. Everything happens fast for him. If he was wise, he'd step up his pace, warm himself up, but his mind is elsewhere right now as his eyes focus intently on the moist dirt beneath his paws. Alone can be described in so many ways, but Nakaiah sees himself as the best description. Always gets what he wants. Never takes 'no' as an answer. But when you live for yourself, 'yourself' is all you end up with, apparently. The cold seeps through his thickening fur easily; the wolf shivers once, stopping his walk altogether. What's the point?
The chill of early winter is enough to penetrate even Haze's mountain-bred pelt, though perhaps it's been thinned out somewhat since he started spending his time living in the warmth of the lowlands. The former Lazuli alpha is, once again, peering into his reflection in the still stream's surface, perhaps seeking guidance as both halves of his family attempt to fit together as one; the rest of Cerulean is sleeping or hunting a little further west along the river. Lost in his thoughts, he doesn't notice the other stranger's approach, his senses not quite what they used to be now that he's just past the peak of his prime.
His eyes drill into the dirt between his paws, glaring as if that /exact/ plot of earth caused all his problems in life. Stomp. Stomp. There, punish it with his claws and maybe he'll feel a bit better. But no.. nothing. Nakaiah stares in silent concentration for another few moments before uttering a long, heaving groan of discontentment. "Why /me/?" he calls to the unfriendly gray-blue sky, his eyes following the clouds with resentment. He grunts once more, angry at nothing and everything at once, as he begins his trudge onward once more, his eyes lifting forward instinctively. He was taught to pay attention at all times, right? And he's remembered his wolfpup lessons. Apparently, these lessons come in handy sometimes, for just as his brain trains his eyes to scan the area once more, Nakaiah catches sight of a form, closer to the water's edge, not far off. A wolf. A male, from it's scent. And.. what causes Nakaiah now to stare with perked ears.. a familiar smell. Though /how/ he knows this smell is extremely beyond his understanding.
At the sound of another, however, the former alpha is immediately alert again, pushing himself up into a ready stance, searching his surroundings with pricked ears and open eyes. "Who's there?" He may not be an alpha anymore, and these lands may not be his pack's official territory, but old habits die hard. Movement catches his vision, and a cold breeze blows his way, carrying the other's scent, and causing the Viridian-born wolf to freeze in place. He knows that scent. That's...his scent. Lark's scent. His pup's scent. But it can't be...can it? "...Nakaiah? Is that you, son?" Haze's gaze is a veritable window to his soul, exposed now in this moment of raw emotion, at reuniting with a pup thought lost to the fate of nature.
The other wolf notices him. Nakaiah halts abruptly again, this time his posture clearly on-edge. The other lupine is obviously older than he is, so Nakaiah could easily outrun him if he had accidentally stepped onto a strange pack's grounds.. maybe he had been so oblivious that he crossed a border and this wolf would sound the alar-.. wha? The wolf said his name. And - son? Nakaiah cranes his head to the side minutely as he studies the older male cautiously, intense curiosity and bewilderment obvious in his expression. ".. Dad..?" This can't be a joke - the look on Haze's face shoots that theory right out of the sky. This is.. real. "Where is.. where have you.." Questions fog his mind, shooting like crazed bullets, one after another seeming more important than the last, but he finally settles with an unreadable silence.
Haze could ask the same questions of his long-lost son. Taking one step forward, then another, and then loping into a run towards the boy, the older male reveals a rare side of himself as he presses himself up against the younger wolf in an affectionate embrace, his chin laid protectively over Nakaiah's neck and shoulders. "I thought you were...gone forever. Like your brothers and sister." First Nakaiah got separated from the pack and lost to the wilds, then the sickness that claimed the other two boys...and when they lost their only daughter that fateful day, Haze and Larkspur were left in shambles. The devastated mother never quite recovered from her great losses, either, and Haze was barely able to suppress his emotion enough to continue leading the Lazuli, if half-heartedly. "I..." The normally quiet wolf certainly doesn't know what to say in this situation, struck speechless by the rush of emotions spinning through his head.
The normally /outgoing/ wolf is at a loss, as well, his emotions running rampant. As his father moves towards his body both pushing him forward, as though he can't move fast /enough/, and pulling him back, resricting his steps. Then, suddenly, he /moves/. Really moves, and for /someone else/, for the first time in his young adult life. As the wolves meet, Nakaiah curls his head around the other's, returning the tender embrace just as firmly. The selfish, troublemaking, self-seeking personality crumbles away in a second as all he can think about is the past he lost with Haze, and his mother, too! "I know - I.. didn't think I'd ever see you again.." he finally manages, his throat tight and constricted. He can only imagine how his parents must have been dealing with the separation, if /he/ had been so lost amongst it all. Then the realization of what else Haze spoke dawned on him. "Gone.. like my siblings? What.. happened to them?" Nakaiah isn't quite so sure he wants to know.
That's right, Nakaiah was the first they lost...he wouldn't know that his littermates were no longer with them anymore either. The brindle-furred male hesitates, stepping away to meet his son's gaze, then answers with a solemn sigh. "Onyx and Maska, they got sick soon after we lost you...and your sister, Dyna..." he trails off then with a swallow, looking away. "Your mother...she's still at home, with her family. I'm only here to meet with the former members of my family pack, Viridian..." Anxious for a a different break-away conversation, Haze gives a brief explanation of what's happened to Lazuli since. "We've decided to come together, as one pack. We're Cerulean, now...and I'm no longer alpha."
So much information at one time. The younger male shakes his head, looking up into the eyes (of his long-lost /dad/, of all things), unable to remove the look of disbelief from his face. "I don't understand." Nakaiah looks at the ground suddenly, his paws shifting subtly below him. He thought /he/ was the only one who changed. But it looks like everything changed with him. Everything that mattered, everything that was supposed to be /set/ and /sure/.. even the packs! They /joined/? Never in his young life had Nakaiah imagined the packs of Silver and Silvan, and Felstride and Storm, to /come together for good/. "I really don't understand," the younger male restates, looking up again at Haze. "What happened to the packs? What happened to /everything/? I.. I.." Haven't been around. At all. And he's an adult now. This is.. "This is insane," he finally breathes, his eyes reflecting his overwhelmed mind.
Haze's breath catches at his son's questions, feeling at a loss for how to answer him, and feeling like a less than perfect father as a result...but can anyone blame the misfortunate wolf? "Things change, Nakaiah. Sometimes for the worse...but sometimes for the better." Haze has lost, yes, but he has gained, too...such as the reborn son standing before him now. "It's been a long time, Nakaiah. What...two passes of the seasons, now? Many things change with the seasons, son, but you will always be welcome home, no matter where that happens to be. You're with family again." The valley-born male offers his sole pup another nuzzle of paternal love before pulling back and speaking once again. "Your mother...she's not the same," Haze finally admits the unsaid, not truly wishing to have spoken it aloud, but not wanting to hide anything from his long-missing son. The former alpha remembers his mate in much the same adoring light as their children, but ever since the loss of their pups, neither of them have been quite the same. "But perhaps, if she sees her son is returned, she will be better. We will see when we're back home in the prairie again."
"I was.. afraid of that." Nakaiah's head hangs ever so slightly, tilting to the side as if heavy. What mother /wouldn't/ be hard pressed by all this drama? "I didn't want her to have to worry," he utters in a low tone. He didn't want his dad to worry either, but.. "Dad?" The son looks to the side, distractedly. "I've been on my own so long. Hah.. I don't even know how to be in a family anymore. I may /have/ families, somewhere." There, he said it. Nakaiah knows he's not a father's first choice, by any means. He's a heartbreak, a tease, a flirt, a jerk. He's seduced females and deserted them, leaving them believing he really cared. "I don't think Mom wants me to come back, now," he choked out in a bitter laugh.
He may have families? ...Oh. That's right. His son's not the pup he lost anymore. He must be, what, two and a half years by now? He's a fully matured adult at this point, a time Haze can remember himself. He opens his mouth to reply, but then Nakaiah's forced laugh catches his words. "...You're wrong, Nakaiah. You're our son, you're /always/ our son, no matter what. It'd kill her to know you came back, but didn't return to her." Haze pauses again, then speaks up once more. "We're all older now, son. Please...stay." They're certainly not old and frail yet, but they're certainly not getting any younger. And Haze is no stranger to feeling as an outsider, even among family.
Nakaiah mmms out loud, but otherwise goes quiet. He'd never actually admitted to himself that maybe.. he's left something behind. But, he's just now been accepted again into something new, hasn't he? Just like his father commented only a few moments ago - he's lost, but he's also gained. "Maybe," he amends at last, regarding his mother. "I know she would.. hate that. Hate me." He pauses, but then looks again at his father quickly, correcting himself. "Not /me/, but the things I've done." Nakaiah doesn't even know if Larkspur /could/ hate a beast, itself. Here comes the main point. Ready? "Could you.. not tell her?" The younger male narrows his eyes slightly, ashamed for attempting to cover something up. "I just.. don't want to hurt her."
Haze might have looked happy, for once in his recent years, after reuniting with his thought-dead son, but this last request causes his expression to fall once more. "I..." he falters, before taking a breath and trying again. "All right. Just...please. Stay. We've already lost you once...don't let us lose you again." The deposed alpha isn't too proud to beg, even his own child.
A long breath is released as the son's head leans down again, his eyes to the ground, as he lets his forehead press against his father's shoulder. He wants to stay, really. He missed them! It's just all /so/ much. Nakaiah couldn't stand being accepted back, only to be sent off again. Though really, Haze still has no idea, and Nakaiah doesn't care to let on any more. As long as his mom has no reason to worry? It's all good. With a quiet smile, the wolf closes his eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of his family.. /his/ scent.. coming off Haze's fur. "Thank you," he finally replies. "I would /love/ to come home, Dad."
"You're home now, Nakaiah," Haze murmurs reassuringly into the younger wolf's ear, as he might have when he was still a pup. "It's great to have you back." He pulls away after a prolonged moment, and turns back towards the west. "Come. I'll bring you to where the rest of the pack is staying, at least until we start heading back south again." Waiting for his son to follow, the brindled wolf then trots off towards where he left the others.