Dancing in the Dark

She chuckled softly at his comment. Good. She didn't want him to fall and not be able to get back up. And if he did, there was a chance she wouldn't be able to really help him and then she'd be forced to send her companion back to Winterfell to get help. But they made it without incident, and when he shifted closer to her, she did the same until their fur touched. The night was still and quiet for the most part and only the sounds of the ocean washed over them. She turned to the old man at her side, a warm smile on her face and warmth in her old, tired eyes. "You are right, Feli. Our stories are not over just yet...but I feel we are nearing the end of our chapter."

It didn't feel strange when she put a bit more emphasis on the word our. Time had been somewhat kind to her, and fate had made sure to give her ups and downs. And when he asked if this was the place for one of her chapters and if she'd share with him, she slowly nodded before turning to look out at the water again. "Yes..." She said softly. Very few knew of her story here. Those that had been there during it were dead. And those she told were scattered around the lands.

She took in a deep breathe before quietly exhaling. She trusted him for this. They had been spending the remainder of their time together and she considered him someone important in her life now. "This...this is the place where I last saw my family. I was a yearling at the time. Standing here on the beach, playing with my siblings and my parents...and then one day...my parents just...vanished." She shrugged a little. It seemed to be a common thing. For parents to just vanish and leave their children behind without a word. "I was left to care for my younger siblings, and a couple others born in the same pack, while my littermates went to who knows where. But little by little, they too, disappeared. I stayed here for some time even after, and the day I decided to leave was the day that even now, I don't know that I regret it or not."

The memory of the vile woman who had kidnapped her and enslaved her all those years ago rose up, but she didn't shudder at the thought of her anymore. "When I left this place, I was tricked by a mad woman. She got my guard down and attacked me. That same day...I became a slave. She took me captive and I sat in a dark room with another slave for a while. We were forced to fight in their war against a pack my father used to be allied with, but a pack that also had borne members that betrayed us when they challenged for our home." She knew at the time the old Valhalla were friends, but she didn't know the circumstances or motives behind the ones who stole her home away. All she knew was that the pair Eos and Syrinx Adravendi had started all of the chaos and the downfall of her family. Of that, she was sure.

"I and another slave, Gretel, were forced to fight in a war, only...the wolves we were fighting against recognized us as captives and we were freed. After that, I had been traveling alone after I recuperated, and for a long, long time I wanted nothing to do with anyone. I searched everywhere for my family but I could not find a trace of them. When I eventually returned, I found friends...enemies...someone I thought loved me. Or at least enough to stay after having my first litter. But...he left. Just like everyone else. And then my second mate passed away from sickness...also leaving me behind...but it wasn't all bad I suppose. I had a pack. My children. A few I consider trustworthy..." She shook her head and shot an apologetic look at him. "I'm sorry, that doesn't matter. I've tried so hard and so long to forget about some of these memories but...I can't. I feel perhaps they've made me who I am today but...I just wish it hadn't been so hard sometimes."

She leaned into him for warmth, and for comfort. So much had happened in her life. She had over a decade of history she could talk about, but the most important ones that she felt had shaped her were the ones that started here. How would things have turned out if her family had still been here? If they had never left? If she had never left? She had grown to accept the life that she got. But she did often wonder how different things could have been if she had chosen different paths. "But...I think one of the better things that could have happened to me, too...is meeting you." She gently moved to press her muzzle into his neck, feeling his warmth and breathing in his scent. They weren't long for this world, but at least they could spend their last moments together.