Alsander

Alsander paced along the outer edge of the lake, watching the starlight dance on the rippling surface of the water. The moon?s light cast a gentle pale glow across the land, silvering the male?s pale, misty grey fur, setting the bright white blaze from nose to forehead alight, stark against the silver gleam of his grey fur. Mismatched gold and green eyes searched the land beyond the borders of the pack restlessly. It had been ages since he?d seen her. The dainty, small frame of snowy fur and pink, albino skin, with those enchanting cherry-blossom pink eyes haunted him. Had she survived the quake? Surely she?d made it through? Oh Luna please let her have made it through. The only thing that had stopped him from charging out to find Io was the duties he was responsible for in the pack. Checking the pack for anyone missing or wounded in the earthquake, hunting, helping his aunt carry herbs during her last ditch efforts to stock her herb piles as much as she could before the winter months settled in. Patrols were a daily thing that with the size of the territory, took a few hours. From early, crack of dawn morning, to two hours after noon. And then it was training. By the end of the day, he would be tired, and end up in fitful dreams-- no, nightmares, more like, where Io was crushed under falling boulders, or swallowed up by gaping jaws of stone and fire, never to be seen again. He was in no doubt that he was in love with the albino healer. She?d enchanted him from the moment he?d set eyes upon her in Erani?s den during the siege of Valhalla. The gentle strength under a shy demeanor had attracted him, as well as her attentiveness to her craft as a healer. And now? He was afraid of losing her, never seeing her eyes again, or hearing her voice, with its gentle song. So he had taken the day off, requesting it of Erani, personally. Surreal, his Father, and Sarak took the day patrol, while Erani gave him an understanding smile and gave him the day to himself. He?d spent the better part of it roaming through the mists of Druids Moor, sniffing out flowers that would still be blooming this late in the year. Most had herbal uses, which he though Io might enjoy. A gift which had more than one use. Now he paced the edge of the territory, tail swaying indecisively. What if she didn?t see him in the same light as he did her? He wanted nothing more than for her to be at ease around him. What if he ruined that? His mismatched gaze turned to the bouquet of Calla Lilies, Heather, Alpine Asters, and blue Iris, their colors bright under the silver moonlight. While the Calla Lily had no herbal use, Erani told him, it meant a great deal of what he wanted to convey to Io. Her great Beauty, her purity, and her innocence. Finally, he settled his haunches to the ground, forcing a stop to his pacing, and tilted his head back in a long, gentle howl, that he hoped would reach her ears, wherever she was, and bring her to him.

She had hit her head during the quakes, of that much she was certain. Ever since she was prone to headaches, and her dreams had felt more like reality than reality did at times - but things were piecing themselves together. It wasn't hard to figure out that she wanted to see Alsander, but remembering just where he resided was a bit difficult. Following the stars West had helped her a great deal, but besides heading in the right direction for a time, finding the plains had been difficult. The little albino would struggle for days, avoiding the desert in her current state out of pure instinct with a dash of common sense.
She was on the right track, she thought - as the landmarks that she ran into were familiar to her. Slow strides would carry her through the wilds of the greener western territories. The stars twinkled overhead, giving her a smidgen of peace of mind. The sounds of the night surrounded her as well, crickets, owls, tree frogs that signaled the presence of some sort of body of water - it was all lovely, and all familiar to her. Perhaps she was close? She wasn't sure... not until she heard his howl join the night's chorus. The little woman would smile slightly, and her pace would quicken as she headed in his direction. That call was for her, wasn't it? He had been thinking about her too? Io was surprised, but hope fluttered in her chest because there was never a time that she had been looked for too. Of all of the time that she spent searching, wandering, praying that she would find someone from her past - she was rarely looked for, thought about herself.


Finally she would pass a break in the trees, and end up looking over the glimmering lake. Wolfpaw lake looked more lovely than it had in her memory - and the brute that was standing over it did as well. Io would stare a moment, a moment's hesitance, before edging closer to the male. Her smile grew, from the little nervous curve to something that reflected the happiness that she felt seeing him again. "Alsander." Her voice would utter his name into the chilled autumn air, and she would sigh. "Are you alright?" She would realize then that she had not been speaking too often as of late - eloquent in a sense of tone and gentleness, but there was a certain awkward quality that was very blatantly there as well. "You are alright?"

Alsander

For the longest moment, or perhaps only a few heartbeats, there was nothing. Alsanders heart began to fall, before a moon painted figure became silhouetted in the Rogue side of the lake tree-line. The walk, the sway of hip. It was her. No other could entrance him just by appearing. His heart jumped as she approached, not missing a thing, from the stare that lasted a moment, to the beginnings of a smile. Heavy tail began to sweep across the shore as her voice called his name. Dammit, this had better not be a dream. He could hardly hold back the happy whine that bubbled in the back of his throat. In her voice he sensed the quality of awkwardness, and his already perked ears pressed forward, to the limits of their moorings, practically quivering. Was he already ruining it? No, she?d looked happy to see him. The leash snapped free of his grasp, as she spoke again, inquiring as to his wellbeing. He closed what distance there was between him, desperate to reassure himself that she was indeed there, solid and real. So he gently attempted to embrace the small Albino healer, nose seeking to press against her nape. Thank Luna, but she was real. Some of the tension he hadn?t realized his shoulders had held seeped away, almost with a shiver. ?I?m fine. I was more worried about you. When the earth shook , I was terrified, and I was scared that you?d maybe been killed in it. But I couldn?t go to find you. Valhalla had a few injuries, and patrols take hours?? The rush of words that escaped him trailed away on a deep sigh. ?I?m so glad you?re alive.? His heart would never have recovered if she hadn?t lived.