The beginning of the End (pack split thread)

He sat up along with her seeing obviously she didn't need help. He just stared at her, though his stare moving back out towards the woods. Coven and Molly's scent would have already dissipated by now... so tracking them would be even more difficult. Though, as she started to speak, he turned back to her, his eyes widening as she said Bleu and Bandit had left with them. Their own pups left? why? With Coven of all people?! He let out a soft growl, annoyed even more so now. Then came her pleading... the thing he expected from when he first ran back to her. "Fine, so Bleu and Bandit ran off with them... that's their choice, though I can't possibly see why, but you expect me to just do nothing? Because of Coven my own sister's pups will have to grow up, never knowing their own father, it's his fault she's the mess she is now, that Blitz now lays dead in a pool of his own blood, but you want me to do nothing but sit back? How could you ask me that? What kind of brother would I be if I did that?" He asked, looking at her.

It had been a lazy day today; the pups were being bothersome. Hell, they were barely pups anymore at a year old. Terah still thought it was good to keep a good eye on them, especially Bleu and Bandit. Dante and Dakota were her favourites, the sibling pair being very close and protective of each other. Teras was the unlucky one, and Terah amused herself by the similarity of their names. But still she knew he would be a special one, having no special partner in crime or such. Terah was glad she'd spent the last year here with that job; it made life interesting, she never got mad when the pups pranked her. But today she just relaxed, nearly falling asleep when she heard an assortment of familiar growls from the centre of the dens. The old wolf jumped up immediately but got to the dens slightly too late. Rayne was mourning over the newly dead body of Blitz, and the others had run off. "Where has everyone else gone to in a time like this?" Terah walked over to Rayne and sat beside her, giving a comforting nudge, however comforting that may be. Terah spotted Dakota just by them, throwing up. Worried, Terah almost got up, but she saw Dante two seconds later, and figured Rayne needed the company.

Dante had been out hunting, since he knew his sister was too. He was an alright hunter, but he felt his strength could go towards being a warrior. It didn't fit his family lineage, but he felt like he could do better. Triumphant after a successful fight with a small rabbit, he paraded right back to the dens, only to see his sister with vomit on the ground. "Dakota!" He ran up next to her and nudged her, but he then saw what she saw. He kept a calm face but on the inside he was panicking. Blitz had been one of the wolves he looked up to in the pack; he was the alpha! What would happen now?! He let out a little whimper as he stepped closer to Dakota.

Laek was out hunting as well; she had heard the cries, but before she could get to the dens, she encountered Tessa and Sib. Tessa seemed to be injured and Sib seemed to be angry. Did this have anything to do with the growls she heard earlier? Laek shook her head and ran up to them. "Tessa! What's wrong with your paw?" Although assumptions could be made about the close thorn bush, it didn't hurt to ask. It took a moment for Laek to realize she had intruded a moment, as she pulled her ears back. What in the world had she missed?

Certain growls and cries caused Pravin to bolt from the Eastern Forest border right to the dens area. He couldn't have cries like that echoing through the territory of his land. Yes; he was okay with calling Silverlight his land now. He had been the beta for little short of a year. He'd gotten attached to this pack, after having so much to do with it. It wasn't what he expected when he first arrived, but oh well! The familiarity in the voices wasn't comforting either. Pravin's form thundered into the dens area, only to stop short at the sight of Rayne, Terah, Dakota, and Dante. Most importantly at the sight of his fellow leader, dead and bleeding on the ground. It was an upsetting sight, Pravin emitting a small growl in response.

((Antero continued - with time lapse - from here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t117p15-back-to-the-beginning-open#2416 ))

It had been interesting, wandering the borders here for so long. Why the hell had he stayed in these lands? It wasn't to keep track of Pravin; although Antero always took the chance to see what his half brother was doing. Antero was just waiting for something to slip. The cries from the centre of the lands did not worry him, as he traveled along to borders. The caves were up ahead, and those were always a good place to sleep. He had made a home in there, in a den with an already made bed, as if some other wolf had slept there before. He didn't mind really; they never returned. But today was different. New scents had invaded his cave, and there were two wolves right there! With a small growl, he walked up to the two males. "Say! What are you doing here at my den?!"

Dakota nearly fell against her brother for support when he came over, soon finding herself shaking and sinking into a crouching position. They were barely a year old. Neither of them was prepared to deal with something like this. Where was there mother and father when they needed them the most? She trembled even harder now, her eyes frozen on Blitz's cold form until suddenly, the shape of her father blocked her view. "Dad!" She cried, abandoning Dante's side and leap at her father and bury her head in his fur. She had always looked up to their father, even if no one in the pack seemed to like him. He and Dante were her heroes, and all she wanted to do was hide in his fur and wish this all away.

Casanova saw Blitz's body right away when he arrived at the dens, but he instantly noticed his petrified children and moved to their sides. However, he had barely reached them when Dakota bounded to his side and burried her face in his fur. "Dante. Help me get your sister to the lake. She doesn't need to see any more of this. And neither do you." He said, trying to keep his voice steady and calm to keep the young wolves calm as well.

Molly jolted in surprise at the sudden appearance of a new male wolf, but she didn't really need to move, since Bleu's defensive snarl echoed through the makeshift den as a response. She found herself shifting slightly to look up at Antero, blinking calmly and glancing up at Bleu and then back at him. "It was my den first, hun." She said softly, not having the energy to fight with him right now. Hopefully Karbon, Coven, and Bandit would take care of it.

Karbon snarled instinctively as Antero showed up, placing himself between the other male and the females automatically. "Who the hell are you?" He demanded, glancing back at the surprisingly calm Molly and the still snarling Bleu. "Keep your distance from the females, and you won't get hurt. It's three against one here, and your odds don't look too good." He threatened, taking a threatening step toward the other male and glancing around to see where Bandit and Coven had gone. By their scents, not too far, but just in case, he wanted this male to know they were here.

Tessa lifted her head and jumped slightly at the appearance of Laek. "Laek! I'm fine. Well, I hurt my paw, but I'll be alright." She said, dreading the news that she had to spill on the other female. "Coven killed Blitz." She said softly, tears swimming in her eyes as she did her best to hold herself together. But alongside her friend and fellow mother, she couldn't hold it in. Even with Sib there, she found herself seeking comfort in the other female. But she didn't know how Laek would react, so she didn't move at all.

Dante couldn't keep his eyes off the dead Blitzen and the mourning Rayne. His emotions shut off, and he really couldn't feel the pain that he knew was hitting Dakota. All of a sudden, he saw his father blocking his vision. Dante's gaze broke as he looked at his sister breaking down into their father's fur. Casanova ordered Dante to help get Dakota to the lake. He nodded, but looked just around his Dad one more time. The image became ingrained in his mind before he turned around and nudged Dakota. "Come on sis, you heard Dad." He tried to push her in the direction. He knew Cas was right; it was nothing for a pup to see.

Antero appreciated that the injured female had politely explained that it was her den first. That explained the bedding that was left. He nodded and was about to speak when a black male stepped up and took up a protective stance. Antero couldn't help but be a little offended; yeah, he was a brute, but he simply growled. He had not shown any intention for attack other than that. "I'm Antero; I've been sleeping here for good a year, I think I have reason enough to want to wonder why the hell you all are here! The nice little female there was good enough to explain! I have no intention of hurtin' any of you! Threaten me anymore, maybe I will!" Antero nodded to Molly in thanks for the explanation, and peaked inside the den, taking note of the growling Bleu. "I fixed up that bed a bit, it might be a bit big for you now." Antero softened his voice to talk to Molly, but turned back to glare at Karbon. "Guess I'll find a new den." He wanted to spit right at the other wolf's paws, but he merely turned towards the direction of the falls.

Laek was glad to know that her friend was okay, she was just hurt in the paw. Injuries to the paw were never that bad, so she knew that her friend would be fine. But then Tessa spilled the news; Laek had stepped into a moment, and it wasn't quite the news she wanted to hear. Laek could clearly see that Tessa was getting emotional, so she stepped forward and leaned into her friend, giving Tessa the mental and physical support. Laek herself couldn't quite process it. Blitz had been her friend for so long, but Coven was one of her great friends here. She knew that Blitz and Coven have been at it for a while, but for death to occur?! Laek couldn't take it, so she simply tried not to think of it.

Terah wasn't sure what to do when Rayne didn't respond to her nudge. Casanova had shown up and was trying to take his pups away from the scene. Pravin had crashed into the area, growling his clear anger. Terah only knew that she couldn't do much. She lay down beside Rayne and groomed the female's fur for lack of anything to say. Behind her, Pravin was prepared to call for a meeting, but he would let Rayne mourn. But afterwards, he would keep the body here and have the meeting. They needed to talk. Badly.

Leading up to this point in time; Bandit had only tagged along with Coven, Molly, and Karbon because of Bleu. However, now as he stood there watching her growl at some unknown stranger, who had the worst timing of all history, the shock of the situation was starting to settle in. There was something in the way she protected Molly that made him angry because even though he had only glimpsed Blitzen's dying form, it was imprinted in his head as he had stared and studied the scenery for hours. Bandit growled at his sister not being able to help the sadness, anger, and surprise that was welling up inside him. How could she be so protective? "Bleu, what are you doing? Why are we here? We need to get back to mom and dad now!" He couldn't just leave their parents like that, leave Rayne like that to just wallow in mourning. Coven and Molly had lost nothing, and from where he was standing they were pulling of some serious cowardly and selfish shit. How could Bleu not see that? His face crinkled as he tried to understand what was up with her. "I understand Molly's been a significant figure in our life Bleu, but look at her. She just let her supposed life friend, alpha, brother die in a pool of his own blood without even a second glance. I'm not betraying our parents like that. Coven and Molly have made their choice, we're not going down with them. Bandit side glanced Coven to make sure he wouldn't get mad at his words then stepped back to see if Bleu would come with him. They were just yearlings and Coven didn't even like them! What the hell were they going to do when Molly was fine to be on her feet and Coven didn't need them? They were the odd ones out.

KiRae walked quickly into the dens, His ears pinned against the back of his head. He'd seen two fight and the kill. He'd watched it and he never helped. He could have done something to help, yet he stood by and watched. He let out a sigh as he heard the murmurs of the pack as he approached. Pausing at the edge of the dens, he looked into the groups, seeing nothing but the chaos, the seperation. Taking a deep breath in, the silver wolf stepped forward again, his head lowering. KiRae never felt like he was really a part of the pack. He met a few, but then he'd leave the pack alone for such a long time, for no real reason. He walked around for a while, hoping to run into Fallon, or someone he knew, but the chance didn't seem to stong at this moment.

Dakota followed her father and brother mutely, hiding her face in her father's fur and doing her best not to look at Blitz's frozen form. Soon she was away from the scene, and although she was still shaking, she was slowly pulling herself together. "What?...Why?...How?" Was all she managed to stutter awkwardly as she sank into a sitting position to stare, bewildered and frightened at her brother and father.

Molly smiled at the new male as he spoke, shrugging slightly and glancing at Karbon. "Calm down Karbon." She said softly, glancing at Bleu at the same time that Bandit arrived. It was surprising and at the same time, completely expected that the young male blew up. She didn't hold it against him, and nor would she hold it against Bleu if she left. She watched silently, keeping her opinions to herself and her eyes on the young pair.

Bleu's growl ceased almost instantly as Bandit started to flip out. What the hell? She simply stared at him as he ranted, her muzzle parted in surprise and confusion as she fought for words. What should she do? She loved her brother, and she'd never been apart from him, so she couldn't bring herself to not follow him now. She glanced back at Molly, who seemed rather calm, yet remorseful in a way. But the older white female said nothing. "Calm down, Bandit. I'll go with you wherever you want to go." She said softly, her ears flat against her skull as she moved to her brother's side, licking his chin and looking around at the other wolves for only a moment before her eyes returned to her brother's face.

Laek couldn't understand how grateful Tessa was for the physical comfort, something not even Sib had offered her when they had found out the hard way. She crumpled against Laek and drew comfort from the contact of her friend, still fighting to hold herself together, yet barely able to keep the panick and fear from overtaking her. What would happen now? Where would they go? What would happen to the pack? To Rayne?

Xerxses was out on patrol, unfortunately in the furthest place from the dens. There was no way for him to hear the snarls of anger or yelps of pain. He had taken Teras with him today, mostly because the younger male wouldn't stop nagging him about warrior training and crap. Either way, they had no idea what was happening, and they wouldn't find out until they returned to the dens later that evening.

((Molly/Karbon/Coven/Antero continued here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t147-rebuilding ))

Bandit sighed with relief as his sister stepped up and joined him. He hadn't realized how is heart had been racing and how he had held his breath while awaiting her response until he released all his tension. Bleu had seemed so set on her decision to leave he was worried and dreadfully certain that this was going to go in a whole different direction. Bandit frantically returned the licks and nuzzles, showing his nervousness and discomfort with the whole situation. He didn't like the image of seeing his sister dead within a few short months. Knowing them, all the food would go to the pups and themselves, leaving Bleu to survive off of scraps as the inferior; and they both knew they weren't the best at hunting just yet. "We can come back if they desperately need us. Just call Molly, we owe you that much. Bandit lowered his gaze, averting Coven because he couldn't exactly promise the male anything. They didn't see eye to eye and he had just killed the alpha who happened to be Rayne's mate. Bandit didn't know how he felt just yet about that. Rayne was blood.

Without another word the yearling loped off in the direction of the pack, ears facing backwards as he listened for his sisters footsteps.

KiRae sighed softly again, he looked arond around, it not taking too long until he found Cas. He quickly padded over to the male, his ears flattening, but a smile came across his muzzle. He nodded as he came up to the wolf. "Hey, Cas." he said, flattening his ears sideways now. "H-how...are." he paused in mid-sentance, hesitant about what to say, but finally he continued. "How are you?" he asked softly and lowered his head respectfully. THe silver wolf looked back up, waiting for an answer.

Bandit was headed back to the dens when he picked up on their parents scent. He slowed his pace down a bit, nudging his sister, then veering off in the trail's direction. When they happened upon the small group Bandit called out to his mom as he saw her limping, then rushed forward to greet her. "Mom, what happened?" he whined softly ignoring his dad and licking his mother affectionately. Go figure she would get hurt while on his fathers watch. Bandit looked back to his sister then back again to his mother questioningly.

KiRae looked over at the pups, nodding slowly. "Y-yeah, it..i have no doubt, loosing anyone isn't easy..." he said, his tail flicking back and forth slowly. "I'm sorry." He added in a whisper, He gave a soft sight and turned his head to the male. "Whats going to happen now?" He asked, "What are you going to do now?" said without realizing it, not wanting to pry into it, not now at the very least, biting his lip, he looked back at Cas' pups. "Sorry, didn't mean to..." he said and gave a soft whine escaping his throat.

He looked over the male, watching his reactions. He lowered himself down to the ground, "It'll be ok." he said when he recognized the fear in Cas' eyes. He was silent as he wathed Dante and Dakota down by the water's edge. "I'm sure..." he said, his voice was hesitant, but still held strong optimism. He pawed the ground slightly, thinking about what he'd been watching over the recent activities. "If you need anything." he paused, keeping his eyes forward. "Anything at all, I'll be here, I'll help you out." he said, finally KiRae lifted his head and met Cas' eyes again.