God Bless The Broken Road

Walk | Talk | Think

She had kept the children close during the challenge, fearful of the pack's history with wars and fights, and dreaded the worst. Erani might have been their Alpha, fit enough in mind and body to rule and lead them during peace time, but she was past her prime. She was large but not as a fighter was large, and she could only assume the one who intended to take their pack had trained and prepared appropriately for the task. How would the tender-hearted, elderly healer cope against an adversary mostly likely younger, most likely faster, than she had been in some time? All it had taken was Leon's silent return and she had known the answer.

Her grey and white paws stepped carefully through the marshy terrain, watching and listening closely to Cador and Vaishya as they followed. It was not entirely hospitable ground, and she was ready to pick either up if any suggestion of a struggle was given. So far the going had been slow but good; she just did not know how far her mate intended to lead them.

Birdsong called out and greeted them, as well as the occasional rustle of wings on tree limbs. There were worse places, Ash thought, that they could have ended up, and with the bitter desert their neighbor for the longest time she counted them lucky to be here instead. Leon was a few strides ahead but as she caught up she saw that he had set Ashelia down. A part of her worried the girl would try pouncing on either of her other siblings and could not see it going well after the walk they had endured. She stopped only when she was at Leon's side and nuzzled him back as he said they would stay here. Ash nodded, knowing the decision to be the best under the circumstances, but now that the headlong run from potential danger was over the severity of their loss hit her stronger than she would have liked.

Clenching her eyes shut, Ashtoreth pressed her face firmly into the fur of Leon's neck, her ears tucked and her body folding itself against his side. Their home was gone. The safe and practical future she had hoped to give her children was gone. They were alone, on their own, and it terrified her. "What are we going to do?" she whispered, her voice wobbling with tears that she wished would go away. She had her pups to think about; she needed to be strong for them. But for the first time since their birth she did not feel as if she was strong enough.