The season had changed so suddenly, from the beautiful, abundant summer to a dismal, wet autumn, with seemingly nothing in between. And like the drastic change in season, Esarosa felt like the happy contentedness of pack life had been ripped away from her without any notice, to be replaced with a dispiriting solitude. A solitary life hadn't made her feel so unfulfilled since she'd left her birth pack before her first birthday - but since finding stability with a group of wolves she'd grown quite fond of, everything felt wrong now that they had dissolved. How was she supposed to replace that feeling of belonging? As she wandered the valley, which she so adamantly refused to depart from, the sun moved from one end of the sky to the next, rays of light breaking through the stubborn clouds. The rain had finally let up, and it was then that she began to notice a familiar scent trailing through the tall grass. Her nose wrinkled up into a grimace as she recognized who it belonged to. Of all the wolves to find, did it have to be the brat? She wondered if she should just turn and run the other way, but deep down she knew she'd be relieved to see the boy, even if the only greeting he had for her was a glare. Anything would be better than remaining alone for even one more day. So she followed his tracks through the grass until she could see his black figure, dappled in gold, ahead of her in the distance. What was he up to? Esa bounded through the grass, which soaked her coat, leaving an uncomfortable wetness seeping through to the skin. A slight shiver ran through her, although it wasn't very cold out. This had to be the wettest place in the west! As she finally caught up with the boy, she called out, "Hey, kid! You're still here?" Oh, she knew she'd get a sour reaction, but she'd be glad for anything that seemed familiar right now. "Speak" "Listen" Think

Well, he was a year old now, and still all alone. When the pack just seemed to up and vanish without a trace, Itri had been utterly lost. Mithras had offered him a home and a family without even knowing him, and now it was just gone. Once again all the adults left, proving to him just how much they sucked. He knew he shouldn't have trusted anyone, and just went off on his own again. He was better on his own, cause he was a big tough boy. At least that is what he kept telling himself. Sniffling, he snuffled on his paws as he sat down in, his coat soaking wet from his trek through the grasses. The young boy just stared across the valley, gazing at nothing at all. He didn't know what to do with himself, he felt even more lost and hurt than he had before. He knew it was a bad idea to join this stupid pack in the first place. He was about to stand up and leave when he heard the grass shake. His hackles rose as he turned to look at who it was, his necklace bouncing against his chest. His silver eyes narrowed as he looked at Esarosa, a huff leaving his little maw. He was kind of the last wolf he wanted to see, and yet... there was a part of him that was thankful it was her who had found him. She seemed shocked that he was here and he slowly nodded his head. Raising himself to all fours, he had every intention to just run away from her. But ever so slowly the tears gathered in his eyes, and he was taking tentative steps towards her instead. When he was about a foot away from her he raced towards her, shoving his face into her chest. He sniffled as he buried his whole upper half into her soft fur. "Everyone just keeps leaving me. Are you going to leave me too?" he asked with a small sob. The stubborn, spiteful boy from before was gone. Now he was scared and alone all over again. "SPEAK"

Art by Fox

Esarosa prepared herself, leaping backward half-startled herself, as he whipped around quickly, his hackles on end as though he expected to be jumped by a stranger. As recognition entered his eyes, Esa couldn't help but to grin as he narrowed his silver eyes at her, a huff escaping his maw. It was just like she thought it would be. Ready and willing for a sharp remark, she fretted internally as he rose to his paws, looking as though he was about to take off. Was he going to run away from her? Maybe she shouldn't have been such an awful tease to him. It had all been in good fun, like the banter between siblings; she hadn't meant anything from it. She wanted to say something, but instead she remained silent, readying herself for the sting she would feel as he turned to leave her behind. Nothing had prepared her for the tear-stricken look in his eyes as he began to move toward her. Wait, wasn't he leaving? A gasp escaped her as he closed the distance between them, pressing his head into her chest - she was frozen for several moments, unsure of what to do. But when his voice reached her ears, his words like that of an abandoned pup, she couldn't just stand there and do nothing as her heart melted for the boy. "Itri!" she cried out, surprise evident in her voice. She reared onto her hind legs, wrapping her forepaws around his neck in a welcoming embrace while her snout gave a firm nuzzle behind his head in a very sisterly gesture. She was so glad she'd kept looking for him, even if he could be a pain in the butt. He was like a little brother - sure, he could get on her nerves, but he needed her now, in a way she'd never been needed. She couldn't let him down. Right now, she couldn't even remember what she'd found so irritating about him. As she let go of her embrace and dropped down to all fours again, staying close to him, she sniffled and said, "H-hey, what's with all the tears?" Although it was clear she had waterworks of her own going on. She smiled, even as her emerald eyes welled over with tears, her tail waving behind her. "I'm not going anywhere - I've been looking for you!" she told him - okay, she wouldn't mention that she'd been contemplating whether or not to run away, but she didn't regret that some higher power had somehow forced her to follow his trail. "I don't know where everyone else went, or why they're gone," she continued, sighing sadly, although trying to stay strong in front of Itri, "I guess... not every family is meant to last." She shrugged, not knowing what more she could say. Argead was gone. She felt lost as well, but glad she'd reunited with this boy. If they couldn't be part of a real family, maybe they'd just have to make their own, broken as it would be. "Speak" "Listen" Think

The older woman had gasped as he pushed into her chest, but he didn't pay any mind to that. He was used to pushing down these petty emotions, it was a relief to get at least some of them out. He refused to budge from his position, even as his tears soaked her black fur. Esarosa called out his name and pulled him into a hug, making him whimper and push further into her. Itri melted into her embrace, wishing that she would never, ever let him go. When she did, he sniffled and slowly backed up, looking down at his paws. His ears were flat against his head as he tried to put up his tough guy act again, but it just melted away. He didn't want to be alone all over again, so soon after finding a place where he felt like he belonged. As he looked up at her he realized that she was crying as well, but still managed to smile. He just frowned, his lips pulling further down as she asked what the tears were about. "I'm not crying.... my um... um face is leaking," he whispered, raising up slightly to poke his nose at her own tears. "Your face is leaking too, maybe it's all the rain," Itri suggested, nodding his head to solidify his words. It was all the rain, it was soaking into them and it had to get out somehow. That's why they were crying, 'cause otherwise they would be full of all of that water. When Esarosa said that she was looking for him, his ears pulled forward as his head tilted to the side. She was? He thought that she didn't like him, she was always teasing and bothering him. Sometimes he felt like she was trying to piss him off. So... why would she spend her time trying to find him? He sniffled again, bending down to rub his face against one of his legs. His face was all itchy from... leaking. He was glad it wasn't raining now at least, he got all itchy when he was wet. But... she said that she wasn't going anywhere. When he was done itching he looked back at her features, hope shining in those silver eyes. Itri didn't want to be alone anymore, even though he was fighting against being with the pack for the first bit, he had grown used to having other wolves around him. And her, she had always been lingering somewhat near him. The constant company without really having company. If that made sense. There were wolves around but he wasn't forced to interact with them, that and being in a pack just felt a lot more safe. Now he felt exposed. When the woman spoke again he swallowed hard, nodding and trying to ignore the pounding in his heart. He had learned from a young age that not all families stayed together. "It would have been nice to know, you know... Instead I just woke up and they were all gone," he said softly, shuffling on his paws. How could they just sneak away without a single word? It felt wrong, and there was something in the back of his mind telling him that there had to be something else. A dire need to go somewhere, or maybe something had happened and they had to run and help. He didn't know, and probably would never get an answer. "What are we supposed to do now?" he asked, depending on Esa to have some sort of direction for him, for them. He wouldn't be leaving her side any time soon. "SPEAK"

Art by Fox

Esarosa smiled at the boy as he backed up and looked down at his paws - his tough, silent exterior showed for a fleeting moment, before it melted away into sadness again. His frown was pulled tight, even as he tried to answer her, making an excuse for the tears. She had to chuckle slightly. "Yep, it's just all the rain," she said as she shook herself, trying to get rid of some of the water. She smirked when he looked at her with his ears pressed forward, after she said that she'd been looking for him. He looked a little confused. But that was okay, because she was pretty confused with this all as well. She had no family out here, but certain wolves started to feel like family after a while. It used to mean so little to her... being on her own and making friends here and there had been enough for so long. Now she wanted stability. Her emerald orbs met silver when he looked at her with hope in his eyes. Now she had to make sure she kept her word. As he finally spoke, Esarosa nodded her head solemnly. Indeed, it would have been nice to know where everyone went. But their leader and his family had disappeared, and everyone else had dispersed without a single word or effort to keep the pack together. Maybe a group of wanderers just wasn't the right mix to glue a pack together. "Something must have happened," she said with a shrug, not truly knowing the answer, "It's not normal for so many wolves to disappear like that." It was vague, but that was all she had to say. Now Itri would ask what they were supposed to do next. She looked down at her paws, silence falling over her for several moments. Was he depending on her to know? When she looked back up at him, she realized that he was waiting on her. She blinked, then sighed. "For now, we just stick together," she suggested, tail flicking from side to side, "We'll see if we can round up anyone still lingering, although... I haven't seen signs of anyone else." She didn't want to admit that she felt a little defeated - she wanted him to be able to depend on her. But she didn't really know what to do. She'd always led a solitary life, and never had anyone depend on her like this, to make decisions for them. Could she even do it? "We'll make a home of our own," she declared, with doubt in her heart, although she tried to sound convincing, "Maybe... we can be the ones to create some sort of stability, for ourselves and for others. We can keep an eye out for others like us that don't have a home. Would you help me Itri?" Despite the serious nature of their meeting so far, she had to laugh slightly at herself, and she finished by asking, "What do you think Itri, could I actually be a leader?" It was a long shot, and she wasn't really the responsible type, but maybe now was time to try and grow up, just a little. "Speak" "Listen" Think