The beginning of the End (pack split thread)

Bandit hardly returned his sisters affection as he found himself lost in some deranged thought. Only to be snapped out of it when Pravin finally decided to speak. "You've got to be kidding me...." he said aloud, but mainly to himself. Blitz wasn't dead ten minutes before he wanted to talk about stepping up to be leader. Really? What kind of look was that? A bad one, he answered himself quietly. This was kind of ridiculous. He was glad that his dad spoke up and that Bleu seemed to be sharing his opinion on this one. At least he wasn't alone. Not wanting to cause any trouble however, he spoke calmly in agreement with his sister and dad. "They are kind of right Pravin. An alpha has fallen, and you stand over the unburied body right now claiming that you're stepping up to lead. It hasn't even hit some of us that we've lost a leader yet." Besides, who wouldn't want to mourn Blitz at his grave? As far as he knew everyone was going to go. If they did Pravin couldn't stop them. Bandit knew he would be there.

Cici nuzzled Fallon as they found a place to settle down after being pushed away from Blitz. She laid her head over the females back and cried softly until Pravin spoke. Only until Fallon had spoken up did she know her choice. Pravin had been the first welcoming face she stumbled upon here, and Fallon had become a close friend. Xerxses was the closest to her after that, and even they weren't exactly considered friends. Which of course meant that Fallon was all she had. Pravin and Xerxses she happened to know. There was just one problem, with the pups all grown it had left her out of a job. Her contribution could only be put forth if she followed Rayne or found where Molly had gone. As Cici contemplated she wondered if she had what it took to slide her way into a healer position.

(Khalessi and Inferno from: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t144-the-return#2430)

Khalessi remained silent as she walked back to the dens with Inferno. She couldn't admit that she was a tad bit nervous, so instead she kept Inferno close yet added some distance for comfort. She had failed to realize that the person calling for a pack meeting wasn't Blitzen, but that was probably because she knew Pravin was beta, and sometimes they did call pack meetings. Perhaps it was just her being in denial to the obvious true. Whatever the case was, she definitely hadn't expected the sight she saw only a few minutes later. The earthen floor of the den area was hard packed dirt from being trekked over so much. It was the first thing she had noticed, all the different prints that led to a high volume of wolves. Much higher than she had expected, she couldn't even count all the full and half swept away paw marks on the ground. Blitzen had been busy with new additions, and it was apparent in the large group of wolves that was gathered towards the center of the area. There were so many that she had to rethink her approach, because intruding on a pack meeting was not to be taken lightly by the many members she didn't know. Khalessi lifted her head, peeking around some of the forms to see if she could spot any familiar faces. Many of them were ones she had encountered while a loner, which was disappointing. When she spotted a bit of white fur through the thick crowd, Khalessi's ears perked and she instantaneously burst into a trot. Although graceful, those standing within the group could have perceived it as an aggressive charge. None of that mattered to her though, because she was almost certain what she had seen was Blitzen. When her eyes made complete visual contact the female stopped on a dime, ears perked and eyes wide as a small growl escaped her throat. Khalessi was in shock.

Inferno could hardly believe that his quick trip for a final look at the Meadow had ended up as a journey back to the pack alongside Khalessi, who the pack still thought to be dead. Actually, in the time that had passed, that statement had become untrue. The Silverlight pack had grown tremendously in the time even since Inferno had left. There were many members now who'd never met the pack's former beta...there were few who knew Khalessi as a pack mate. Blitz, Chaos, Molly, Fallon, and Inferno had been it. Khalessi was a stranger, while Inferno was a rebel. What were they thinking?

But there was little time to mull over consequences, especially for arriving at a time of gathering, because the wolves were deep into the pack lands and almost at the dens. Khalessi had much to share with Blitz anyway, and that was a reunion Inferno had hoped for since he'd discovered that the former head hunter was still alive, almost a whole year ago. As they approached, the copper-hued wolf was in no hurry to rush in and face the pack and leader he'd abandoned so long ago, so Khalessi trotted ahead alone while the male took in information about the wolves in his view. Initially, the idea had been to assess who was new, who was gone, etc., but the monumental mourning, distress, and anger even in their faces had him lengthening his strides to see who's death could cause this much turmoil. His heart knew before his eyes saw. When the male reached Khalessi's side, she was still growling, her eyes fixed on the lifeless form of Blitzen. The trio of Pravin, Sibirskiy, and Xerxses - who was just a younger-looking Blitz in appearance - fanned tensely around the body. The body...Blitz.

Inferno, still keeping himself aware of the Three and Khalessi next to him, took a step forward and lowered his head to gaze across the small clearing at Blitz. Ears perked in respectful attentiveness, the male solemnly looked over the body of his once best friend and leader. After a silent moment in his own world, Inferno lifted his head and looked to Pravin, whom the wolf assumed was the new leader. His intent to ask permission to step closer to Blitz (not yet to ask forgiveness for intruding on the pack lands) dissolved as it registered quickly that a lop-sided authority was exuding from each of the Three. Though he had not been present for the debate before and didn't understand exactly why they were at odds, the wolf could easily pick up the fact that Pravin did not have absolute power here. Inferno's former shadows of apprehension vanished immediately.

Cici's companionship at the moment was so necessary. Fallon nudged her nose into Cici's cheek briefly before settling down and laying her head on her paws, too spent to cry just yet, but adopting Cici's quiet sobs as her own.

Fallon flicked her ears back at Sibirskiy's outburst and raised her head from her paws to glare. She found it too hard to see where his thinking was coming from to continue to try to understand for more than three seconds. He was definitely making mountains out of molehills here. Starting a fight over Blitz's body over showing respect for Blitz? Really? The female huffed and shook her head, starting to get angry as this escalated. For once, though, the usually big-mouthed wolf kept silent, though she was obviously seething at this ridiculous debate. No matter what Sib said, his challenging Pravin's decision to gather the wolves for the purpose of choosing a new alpha was blatant disagreement with the notion of Pravin being leader and getting to make those calls. He had turned this into a status battle without even realizing it!

Suddenly, Fallon's attention was snatched by a magnificent white female moving into view, her progress into the den site obscured from Fallon's view by the huddled bodies of wolves. The hunter's jaw dropped wide open. A spirit! Khalessi! The red and black female smiled, a bittersweet blend of nostalgia, grief, gratitude, and love. She'd seen a spirit once before - with Blitz - and now Khalessi had come to visit the fallen alpha...perhaps lead his spirit frolicking to the meadow? It was a beautiful thought, as beautiful as Khalessi's bright form. Seconds later, Inferno joined the white wolfess, and Fallon's heart sank like a stone with the mortifying realization that Inferno must have passed on as well. Her head flopped heavily onto the ground while never moving her eyes from the pair. At least she had gotten to see those two again, and Blitz would have a pack, even if not with the living wolves of Silverlight.

KiRae flattened his ears as he listened to the pack, the arguments over Blitz's body, Decisions of what to do after. He stepped backwards. He didn't know what was going on, before, he never had to deal in things like this. He bit his lip, looking back at the exit, then around at the filling den. As the events continued to unfold, he saw Cas react to a few of the higher ranked wolves. He looked down and shifted his weight from paw to paw. He felt uncomfortable with all that was happening. He looked up at the leaders of the pack, and moved forward, coming up beside Cas.

Almost as soon as she had started growling she had stopped; eyes glued on the Blitzen corpse laid out in the center of the pack meeting.Get up, she urged her former alpha, eyes sparking with anger and sadness all at once. Get up! At this point in time Khalessi was hardly capable of noticing the varied reactions between the different members of the pack, but as that small sliver of hope she had been holding onto died out she was left to return her attention to them and became sick with the large amount of strange faces around her. She didn't recognize any of them, which was also a chilling truth she had to come to terms with. However, it was all too much at once and the white wolfess turned her head around to look in the direction of the meadows where they had originally come. As Inferno stepped closer to view Blitzen, Khalessi solemnly turned around and ambled out of the pack dens without another word. It would be safer to mourn alone, and she would have to visit his grave when they finished burying him and saying their own goodbyes.

Cici finally managed to lift her head as two new wolves came storming into the vicinity. She shook slightly, fearing them before for a moment before she noticed that no one seemed to mind their presence too much. Though she didn't know them, or had even seen them before, she calmed down a bit, but kept watchful eye just in case they tried to pull a trick on the pack.

Bandit wasn't sure what to do. Even his response to the older strange wolves was lacking in alertness. At this point in time just too much strange things were happening at once making the yearling extremely lethargic and withdrawn. It was starting to feel like a dream, and he honestly was starting to believe that's what this reality was.

Fallon lifted her head slowly, ears perked, as Pravin acknowledged the two new wolves. The way the beta reacted, with recognition especially toward Khalessi, sparked a formerly unfathomable hope in the female. Pravin stepped back and Inferno moved closer, lowering his head to touch his nose to Blitz's head. Fallon watched with wide, unblinking eyes as the white wolfess turned away and left, and immediately once she was gone, the red and black female jumped to her feet and moved purposefully to Inferno, gingerly pressing her forehead against his neck, scenting and feeling the flesh and fur that proved to her that the male was alive. There was another scent, too, that Fallon picked up from his fur. Old, but familiar - it was Khalessi! She was alive, unbelievably, as well. Blitz's death and the resurrection of Khalessi and Inferno was too much for her at the moment, so with shaky steps, Fallon backed up and sank to the ground, holding back sobs as Pravin announced that they were going to bury Blitz now.

At Pravin's declaration, the coppery male looked up at the male who'd succeeded him in the pack. Inferno stayed where he was; Blitz was big enough that it would take more than one wolf to help move him, and Inferno was making sure he was a part of that group, no matter what Xerxses had to say about it.

Xerxses got to his feet as Pravin said that it was time to bury his brother, and as the beta began to move forward to carry the deceased alpha, he moved forward as well. He carefully gripped his brother's scruff in his jaws, lifting his head and releasing it so that he could slip under the large white form which was only barely larger than his own, and hold up the front half of Blitz's body with his shoulders. Then he waited for Pravin and Inferno to help, since they both seemed to be the ones most eager to carry the dead leader. He was doing a surprisingly good job at controling his anger and horror at his brother's death, but that was his way - holding everything inside. It's how things had always been.

Tessa moved out of the way as Xerxses lifted his brother onto his shoulders, nudging Sib's shoulder gently and moving to sit beside Bleu and the boys. There was nothing she could do here but follow the procession, so she waited patiently, mourning their leader silently as she sat beside Teras and leaned lightly against his form - which was now larger than her own - as she watched her mate.

Bleu looked over at her mother as she approached and leaned against Teras, surprised that her tattle tale brother had grown so much and looked to be a promising warrior. It was rather impressive to her, as well as confusing, as to how his transformation had happened. Had she been to busy causing trouble to notice? It was odd, since she had always seen Bandit to be the powerful and protective one, yet here was Teras - the one who she had once thought of as weak and pathetic - bigger than her and even beginning to pass their father in size. How had she not noticed? But soon her eyes wandered to her aunt's form. The poor alpha female was in terrible shape, and the young female got to her feet to move to the pregnant female's side. "Come on Rayne, I think he would want you to lead the procession to the graveyard. Can you manage? I'll help you." She said softly, licking her aunt's ear affectionately and hoping that this would give the white female a feeling of purpose as well as a distraction from the body they were about to bury. She glanced at her father, as well, hoping that he'd help her get Rayne at least moving towards the graveyard.

Cas wanted to help carry the alpha, but he knew his smaller form would do nothing but get in the way of the larger males who carried him now. Instead he decided to take his children on ahead and begin digging a grave for the white male, as to do something useful in this proccession. "Dante, Dakota, come with me. Laek, would you like to come help us dig as well? KiRae?" He asked, hoping that he'd have at least some help in digging their deceased leader a proper grave in the graveyard before the larger males managed to carry him all the way out there. Blitz had been one of the only wolves to accept him here, and he felt like he at least owed this to the late alpha.

Dakota looked up at her father as he spoke, as well as when Dante licked her ear. The three males looked like they had carrying the alpha under control, so she got to her feet to help her father. "Yes daddy." She said softly, feeling more like a tiny pup than ever as she moved to her father's side hesitantly, missing the feeling of her older brother's warmth and comfort already.

The silver wolf looked up as he heard his name. He paused and though over what the male said, He lowered his head and looked over at the alpha's body, the larger wolves lifting him up to carry him. He'd been kind to KiRae, anything beyond the silver wolf could compare. He felt like it was the least he could do for Blitz. Looking back up at Cas, he gave a soft smile. "Of course, I'll help." he said hardly above a whisper and stood up.

(( Pack Continued Here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t150-goodbye-blitzen-continued-from-pack-split-thread#2496 ))