ardent

Let You Down



Crusade

Loner

age
-
gender
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gems
20
size
-
build
-
posts
70
player
05-25-2013, 06:20 AM



I met an old man,

dying on a train,

No more destination, No more pain

He said, "One thing before I graduate:"


~*~


The Autumn in the North was coming to it's dramatic closure. Every night seemed colder, ever snow fall seemed heavier, and every day was getting darker and darker. There would soon be a time when the sun only came above the horizon for a few hours, and the rest of the 'day' would be spent in all the stary darkness of night. Not that it made much difference to the wolves. If anything, Crusade had come to enjoy the darkness - for only in the gloom could the vibrant dance of the Northern Lights be seen.

Goodness knew, she needed all the beauty she could find these days. Her joys and sorrows always came in tandem; the birth of her first living children was accompanied by the slaughter of her best and closest friend.

At this point, she oughtn't to be surprised any longer. Perhaps she ought to long ago have completely walled off and shielded herself from emotions - much like Cifer had once said he'd half unconsciously learned to do. But no that wasn't her way. She would always be soft of heart and strong of character. All the same, it's likely the old wolf would've let herself slip off into numbness had she not had a bouncing bunch of lovelies that needed her heart, mind, eye, ears and belly fur to snuggle into. Bless all the darling little souls born in Glaciem this year, they were the only true joy in what no doubt would be Crusade's last year or two.

The Timber cross lay in the great pack cave on this day, her creamy belly pressed to the cool stone, her ivory and dusken fur ruffled by the winds which danced in through the mouth of the pack's lair. The nice thing about all the mothers having pups at once was that there was always someone to help out, and they were each able to take the rest they needed. Crusade was napping away this Autumn evening, when her ear twitched. The sound of pawsteps awoke her from her doze. For they were not just any pawsteps.

The old girl's head snapped up at once and her remaining eye trained on the entrance. Could it be?

"Cifer!" she gasped quietly, her voice all relief and happiness. In hardly a blink's time she was up and cappering towards her returned mate. Her creamy paws beat stiff but soft upon the cave floor and she pulled up without crashing into him this time. They knew eachother well enough to appreciate eachother's warrior gaze. At a glance he would be able to read the glossy, thick coat, fine, full stomach and weary gaze of a healthy, but busy mother. And in her glance, Crusade was able to see the trials her dear male had been through. He hadn't found his query, that much was cetain by the lack of blood and wounds, but, perhaps selfishly, Crusade was thankful for that. She still needed her mate, and their pups needed their father. The pair of them were getting a bit old to pull of the miraculous recoveries of their youth.

Crusade tapped her grey nose to Cifer's little dot of coal, and then brushed her face against his, letting her paws carry her close enough til she imagined she could feel his poor wounded heart against hers. She hadn't been in Glaciem when Asheni had been killed. She'd had her own self-righteous mission she'd been attending to in Amenti - so she was the last one to judge Cifer for being gone so long. She only wished she could've been there in the moment of discovery to be there for him. "Thank the Creator, the soldier has returned" She pulled back just long enough to stare into those lovely emerald eyes of his. "...Oh my dear... I've missed you so."

~*~


"Never let your Fear decide your Fate"