Duchess had gotten settled into her temporary den inside Elysium which didn't take long. She didn't have many belongings or anything but she just wanted to know where she would be staying without wandering off and bothering the alphas again later. She knew she would spend some time outside of the pack too while she searched and tracked for larger prey for their pack hunt, so she decided now was a good time to reunite with Ricin.

She made her way out to the more common areas of the lake before she took a seat and let out a gentle call for Ricin. She was pretty eager to see him again, and she was sure he was to her too.

"Duchess"

Ricin is poking around the taller peaks of the island today. The need to explore has been making him restless and the almost yearling has had to fight the urge to strike off by himself. The need to find new and exciting things itching at the back of his mind. He tries to placate the desire and fills his days with climbing the mountains on the island and exploring every inch of his new home. Lately, the boy finds his mind returning to the lands in the south and the funny purple woman he had met while exploring. He remembers her kind face and dancing eyes, her willingness to answer all his questions even if she didn’t know the answers and the way she teased him.

As his dark tipped paws climb nimbly atop a tall peak, a sad sigh fills the air. Ricin turns his crimson gaze to stare out over the ocean, the rolling waves helping to calm the boy’s troubled mind. High above the land, removed from the cares of the world, a gentle call reaches Ricin’s ears, a gentle breeze carrying it up to where he perches. The owner’s voice is lost on the wind but it is unmistakably that the call is for him. For a moment, he tilts his head as curiosity tugs at him but then, the tall almost-yearling, swiftly and agilely makes his way back to the ground. Once his paws hit solid ground the curious boy jogs toward the common area near the lake.

The black and purple form that sits in the common area has Ricin’s paws slowing for a moment before his jog turns into a full-on sprint. Duchess had come to visit him! With a bark of pure happiness, the large boy bounds up to Duchess, stopping so he does not bowl her over, and throws his long legs around her. Gently, firmly, Ricin pulls the small wolf into a bear hug. Happily, he exclaims, “Duchess! I have missed you so much! How have you been? I was worried you wouldn’t come visit.” Light blue tail wags happily and the boy releases Duchess from his embrace. A huge smile rests on his lips as he looks at his friend, excitement bubbling in his chest to hear what she has been up to.


"Ricin Dauner"

Duchess felt this pent up happy and excited tension as Ricin laid eyes on her and bound to meet her. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time or maybe not even at all. Indigo had left The Hallows a couple times and his return was always met eagerly but this was an entirely new concept.

Duchess didn't move when Ricin went to hug around her, her paws carefully moving up what should could around his barrel and she hugged him tighter as she felt overwhelmed with emotions she couldn't express. Hugging him even while they hadn't known really all that much about each other, it had given her glimpse of what her life could have been like had her babies been born alive. She imagined them tall like Ricin, and of course striking in color. She hoped just as kind as he was too. She didn't show the tears she was feeling though, not right now.

She chuckled a little over his greeting, "I've been thinking a lot about you too, Ricin." She exclaimed with a smile that no one really ever got from her, only the young boy. "I'm better now." She spoke in statement still through that eager grin before tapping his shoulder to join her along a walk of the lake. "Has the real pack life been treating you good? I'm sure you're a great member."

"Duchess"

Ricin bows he head, as he gives Duchess the biggest hug, and uses his nose to ruffle the fur on top of her head. She hugs him back and, when he pulls away, he thinks he sees sadness on her face. However, as she gives a small chuckle to his eager greeting, the boy offers her a goofy, lopsided grin and the sadness is quickly forgotten. Ricin listens intently as she speaks, giving her a bright smile when she smiles at him. Better now? Had she been unwell? Before he gets the chance to ask his question, Duchess taps his shoulder and starts to walk. Ricin quickly falls into step next the purple woman as she asks how the pack life has been treating him. The statement that follows has the boy feeling bashful as he halting says, “Me… oh uh, I wouldn’t say a ‘great’ member. More ‘average’. Now, Chade is a great member. He hunts and fights stuff. Which, uh, well... pretty much everyone here seems to know how to fight.”

Crimson eyes glance over to Duchess as Ricin ducks his head in embarrassment. When he lifts his head back up, after taking a moment to compose himself, the blue boy finally answers her question, “I really like it here Duchess. It is nice to have a safe place to sleep every night. A place to return to when the day ends and being able to eat as much as my stomach wants! Did you know, I ate a whole deer yesterday? All by myself!” He laughs lightly, giving his skull a shake as he adds, “You should have seen Chade’s face when he found out. He didn’t think I could eat that much.” A happy smile makes a reappearance, resting comfortably on the boy’s dark lips. A thought crosses Ricin’s mind and he asks, “Have you ever been part of a pack Duchess? It is fun. Hey, maybe you could stay here! Then we could go exploring every day!”

Eyes dance with excitement at the prospect of having his friend in the same pack. Clearing his throat, Ricin finally blurts out, “Duchess, what was wrong? You said you’re better now… did something bad happen?” Eyebrows furrow in worry as he looks over the smaller wolf’s form, trying to see if anything is amiss.

"Ricin Dauner"

Her expression had turned more intent as he began to speak, talking so highly of his brother. But that didn't make him any less than, or the way Duchess saw it. "A pack needs many different skills and traits. I'm sure you have your own place here." She reassured him, hoping that he wouldn't think differently but him thinking so highly of his brother was so kind of him.

Duchess listened silently as he spoke about how much he loved living in the pack and the security it offered. She had never felt so boisterous as he was in front of her, she was much more quiet. But seeing him so happy and well for himself made her happier than he could have truly known. The smile on her face was not wide but genuine as she listened and giggled a little.

He asked if she had been a part of a pack before which she nodded and added, "I lived in the Hallows, about a year ago. And then a group of us traveled in a band." Her words were careful not to step on any harsh emotions she may have felt. They were no longer together. "I'm staying for the week, but I'll give it some thought." She suggested mostly because she couldn't tell him no. Her current lifestyle wasn't settling her down into a pack anytime soon, and she didn't want to go into details on that matter.

They walked along the lake's edge together, and Ricin had caught on to how she may have seemed a bit sad earlier. "I'm just happy to see you." She told him, but stopped for a few seconds before moving towards the lake's edge. She sat down and looked at her distorted reflection, and his too if he joined her. She could have sat like that in silence forever. But she finally got words to form. "I was supposed to have babies." She confessed, maybe a bit sorrowfully but she held it together for him. "And when I look at you Ricin, when I'm around you, it makes me feel like they would be just as happy and generous as you are."

"Duchess"

Ricin tries to play his brother up, he has always been more comfortable with Chade getting praise then receiving any. Light blue head bobs in acknowledgment to her words, before explaining about his life in the pack. His happiness seems to rub off and Duchess giggles, earning her a huge, goofy lopsided grin. Paws have a bounce in their step as they walk, his question about if she ever lived in pack has the boy tilting his head. Ricin tries to understand what emotions lay behind her words… is it sadness… anger? Duchess hides her emotions well and the blue pup is left pondering what she is hiding inside her. His inquiry about what is wrong is met with a deflect and Ricin stops when she does.

Something boils underneath the surface of Duchess’s well-placed mask and Ricin wishes he could help ease whatever pain lays beneath. When she moves to the lake’s edge, the blue boy is right beside her, taking a seat with the purple wolf. Crimson eyes gaze into the water, his reflection moving and distorting with every moment. There is a heaviness inside the wolf beside him and Ricin wishes he could help. All he can do is sit with her, offer his presence, and shoulder to lean into, if she wants it. Her voice speaks up, turning the boy’s head toward her as she utters sorrow-filled words.

He allows her to give voice to what is what is bothering her and his ruby eyes fill with sympathy. Ricin’s heart aches as she speaks of thinking they would have been like him and a sad, knowing smile tugs at his lips. If only she knew what he had lived through. As silence falls and Duchess grows still, the blue pup moves closer to her, aiming to wrap his long legs around her smaller form and pull her toward him. If she cries, he will hold her, allowing any and all emotions to spill out and down into the fur of his chest. Lowering his head, Ricin lovingly nuzzles the black fur behind her ears, whispering, “I’m so sorry Duchess. You deserve happiness. I am here for you.”

Closing his eyes, Ricin lays he head gently along the back of her neck and starts to hum a song. It is from his childhood, one bright spot in a pool darkness. His father had shared it with the pups as the snuggled into his broad chest, the deep rumble and sweet tunes lulling the pups to sleep. Sitting here, by the lake, Ricin holds Duchess and offers her a small piece of his past. His chest vibrates with the deep tones that pass his lips as a soft hum. Eyelids close as he hums to her, this simple act showing how much he loves and cares for her.


"Ricin Dauner"

It had been a long time since she had learned to not judge a book by it's cover. Ricin was big, his red eyes could have seemed scary to some others, but Duchess saw well past that. She knew Ricin was a sweet as he could be, no matter what he looked like. And he proved it even more in the way he reached out to her.

She didn't move as he grasped around her in a hug, her frame leaning into him as he offered his physical comfort. But she didn't cry. Something in her still held it back, like she needed to be strong for him. She still didn't know him too deeply, but she was acting much like a mother to her child not wanting to show that breakdown. He knew just a little of her inner turmoils, and the other half of it he didn't need to know.

Her eyes closed and she swayed gently as Ricin hummed to her, her silent breathing became steady and relaxed without her know that it wasn't. He wanted her happiness and while she may have wanted that too, she believed it was never meant to be. She spoke quietly to not disrupt his song, "And I want you to live beautiful, happy life Ricin." Without knowing his own past traumas, he was young and had a long way to go in life. She hoped he would never experience what she and Indigo had, and even if his life had been hard she wanted it to only be great from this point on. And sometimes that took his own choices along the way, as hers had completely devastated everything around her.

"Duchess"

Ricin holds Duchess gently, humming a song that never again rumble past his father’s lips. Memories swirl of times past and pain, not long gone. He feels the older wolf’s breathing even out and relax, a gentle smile the only sign he feels her relaxing. The humming continues as dark eyelids remain closed over crimson eyes, and Ricin feels joy in this simple act of kindness. Duchess’s quiet words have the almost-yearling’s lips pulling up into smile and he adjusts his hold on her smaller frame so he can bury her further into the soft fur of his chest, trying to hide this kind woman from the pain of the world around them. For a time, it is just the two of the them, enjoying a moment of peace so rarely found in the chaos of life.

All too soon the song comes to an end, the rumble dying away into nothingness as Ricin feels the weight of his past settle its burdens across his shoulder once more. Still, he doesn’t want to end the contact, finding comfort in the simple act of hugging someone he cares for. With one final, gentle squeeze, Ricin releases his hold and steps back, crimson eyes once more open. He casts his gaze out over the lake suddenly feeling much older than he is. A weariness settles over his frame as he slowly slides down to his belly, watching the gently ripples and small waves that form on the surface of the lake.

He settles his head on top of his paws and heaves a sigh, flicking his gaze over the purple woman for a moment before saying, “I hope we both have long, happy lives Duchess. We… deserve it.” Lips twitch in a semblance of a smile as his gaze once more drifts to look out over to the lake. A few moments pass before he speaks again, voice soft with longing and sadness as Ricin says, “I wish my mom had been like you Duchess. My mom… never loved me. She... said I was a waste of space.” Throat constricts as tears fill his crimson eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks and onto the shoreline around him. He feels so vulnerable as his longing for a motherly figure once more makes an appearance.


"Ricin Dauner"

Duchess stayed there with Ricin as he continued his song and ended it in the softest of ways. She too laid down beside him, a paw over his as the two shared a moment that was so different but also not very different at all. Duchess had lost children and Ricin had lost his parents. Not that Duchess had known about the loss of his parents. She could only assume, though whether it was death or abandonment she couldn't say and she wouldn't ask. She knew the feeling of being orphaned, but she didn't have the comfort of a sibling to fall back on. She was led down a darker path and relationship because of it.

A look of pain went over Duchess' face as Ricin had spoke about his mother. Duchess' paws curled slightly over one of Ricin's massive ones before one paw lifted to pull his chin up so she could look at him, tears or not, he wouldn't need to feel embarrassed or weak with her. "She was wrong." Some tears had filled her eyes too as she looked at Ricin like this, but she was quick to lean forward and wrap her short arms around his neck in a loving hug. The side of her cheek pressed into his scruff so he could feel that bit of squeeze she could offer him. It was easy to tell him he shouldn't have to live in the past yet she couldn't get it out from under her either. She just wanted him to live his coming days to the fullest. She never wanted him to feel the way she did. It wasn't only the loss of her babies.

"Duchess"

Duchess stays with him as he lays down, one of her dark paws coming to rest over his own. Ricin feels a kinship in the losses they have suffered and he regrets the fact that she does not have pups of her own. Sadly, he speaks of his parents, how his mother never wanted him and, as he speaks of the wolf that gave birth to him, the boy avoids looking into the purple woman’s eyes. He feels her dark paw curl around his and his heart constricts, guilt beginning to form at the thought of causing her more pain. She has so much that is dealing with, surely, she doesn’t need his sad story too. However, when he feels her other paw slip under his chin, Ricin does not fight her. Lifting his head, the boy’s ruby gaze locks with her own mismatched eyes and he gives a small start as he sees the tears that brim in them.

Her words are simple and he blinks in an effort to rid his hazy gaze of its tears. Duchess leans forward and wraps her short arms around his neck and Ricin buries the side of his face into her fur. Long legs snake around her shoulders and he hugs her while allowing the tears to fall unhindered. How doesn’t know how long he holds onto her or how many tears fall but, in the end, Ricin’s heart heals a little more. Giving a small sniffle, still holding onto Duchess, the boy asks softly, “Duchess, can I be your son?” The words leave his mouth before the boy even realizes what he has said. Ever since the boys had met Manea and her family, Ricin had wished she was his mother. But Manea has her own family and her own children. Duchess… well she doesn’t have anyone. He thinks they could both use the love and Ricin hopes against hope that she will be his mother.

"Ricin Dauner"