The clouds had been overcast when he had called for his alpha, and now they wept the beginning of winter rainfall. Soon it would be snowing but for now the wet sky-fall trailed downwards onto the bloodied snow and the body of who the crimson gore belonged to. Bane weakly raised his head and tried to shake away the blackness on left side and ignore the pain of his shoulder. The Talutah wolf let out a hoarse cough and lifted his head to look at the bloodied mass the was once his left eye laying in the snow. It could have been worse... Bane struggling to stand and succeeding after considerable effort, his shoulder leaking gore down his left foreleg. "Tahlia..." Bane rasped in sorrow. "Guess saying sorry doesn't work these days."

Was Loccian around? Did the healer leave before or during the maiming? He couldn't remember, the sensation of his eye being ripped away the only thing going through his throbbing head. Both eyes were now scarred, both shoulders were now scarred, Bane leaving behind him red droplets as he sought out his mate. The elder still had energy, and he would only use that energy to find the one he loved. The overpowering scent of blood rendered his nose useless, so he couldn't scent his way home, Bane doing the next best thing. The Talutah wolf tilted his head back and howled, the cry of the wolf echoing across the land of Seracia towards the one he loved, the ghostly call ending with a choked up sob. He would try to not cry when his mate came. Besides, the sky was already doing that for him.

?When coming from you, it means nothing, especially after your little games as of late.? Though it still held a cold tone, Loccian was gentler than before the maim. After the man had blacked out the woman had gone to fetch herbs from her nearby store, along with collecting water with some moss and a rabbit, she had them sitting nearby for when he woke so she could clean him up a bit before seeking the woman he had unfortunately mated with. She would remain sitting just a few feet away as he tried moving, to find the woman, but the Ambassador was blocking the path which lead towards their den. Within moments he would call for her, but instead of showing sympathy the woman would sit there still as a statue. ?Sit so I can fix you up for her, but you will not be taking another step further. You are a rogue now Bane.? Her gaze would soften a bit on him, just wanting him to stop and accept her healing, to finally just give up on this game he has been playing. He was too old for this, he needed to just settle down. She remained sitting, eyes focused on him, serious, while her tail lay over her paws and ears remained on him, waiting for his response. Either way she would not let him go any further, would not leave him till he was outside of the borders and a good distance away. "normal. talk. think. you." Awesome image by Canttina <3

Walk | Talk | Think Paws moved swiftly through the wood as they carried the mother wolf along, nimbly cutting a path toward the call that had roused her out of her den. Dark golden eyes stared ahead intently, nervously, blinking occasionally from the odd rain, while her thoughts still lingered behind with her pups. The sound of the howl had come about unexpectedly, stilling each of them at the familiarity of the voice until it quieted down. The young ones might not have realized the severity intoned in that call but Tahlia had, and as much as she knew she ought to behave in a composed manner for her children even she had heard the sternness in her voice as she warned them not to leave the den after she did. They were unfamiliar with the pack lands, at least to her knowledge; the last thing she needed was to return to find one of them missing. She had not the slightest clue what she would find once she came upon Bane, but the tone of his howl had set her on edge, filling her with anxiety and dread. It had not been happy. It had not been healthy. Deep inside of her, she could sense something amiss, something that she could not entirely fathom just yet. Her fur was damp with the rain by the time she found him, but it was not him that she saw first. Sitting within the snow, back to her direction, was the healer Loccian, the line of her form resolute as she stared at Tahlia's husband. The russet and black she-wolf practically stumbled to a stop, rather ungracefully, as she realized that her mate was not alone, feeling the constraints of her upbringing reign in her natural reactions. Tight lipped, she resumed her pace and padded forward along Loccian's left side, coming around her to properly greet and see her husband. The way she found him now was certainly not the way she had last seen him. Red littered the ground and snow, striking an immediate contrast to both his peppered grey pelt and the slush. It matted into the fur upon his leg, leading to a new gash that seemed fresh and painful just to look at. Worst yet was his face, scarred already but worse now with his left eye missing and nothing there but the bloodied remnants to signify how it had been lost. "Oh, Bane." Her heart constricted, a mixture of repulsion and despair overwhelming her and causing her to hesitate across the distance that separated them. What had happened to her steadfast veteran, scarred but not broken? Why did he look this way, so weak and tattered when he should have been whole and strong? She turned her gaze rather questioningly toward Loccian but though her gaze was soft there was a hardness to her expression. Whatever had happened she had not liked. A whine rose within her throat but she dared not give it voice, taking a moment to school herself before she addressed Loccian with a quiet, slightly shaken tone. "Is...is he going to be alright?" It was perhaps wrong to ask the question of the healer and not her husband himself, perhaps insensitive to, for the time being, avert her attention from him. But she knew as soon as she let herself speak to him, tried to find out what had happened, to fully take stock of his current state of being, her composure would slip. It was already tenuous as it was, and in front of Bane himself it might have been fine but she felt distant from Loccian, not close enough as friends to feel comfortable revealing the true extent of her emotions and especially knowing the healer's opinion of her relationship to her mate. So she tried to keep a hold on them, for pride's sake, and watched Bane while wishing she knew whether it was safe to reach out and touch him without causing him undo harm.

Bane swiveled his head more to the left, his only eye fixing upon Loccian. "I've been getting better, just not as much as any of us had hoped it seems." The twice banished Talutah wolf limped over too Loccian and sat as she commanded, asking solemnly when mentioning his new status, or lack thereof. "So that's the direction of where my family is... and all would have to do is get by you... but no, I'm not going to kill you, it would be a waste. Such raw talent as a healer, packs need them now that war has broken out." Bane gave her a lick on the nose, almost impulsively, but also in thanks as she cleaned him up. "That might have been uncalled for and I might get a nip, but I do know when to show and give thanks. You've been good to me in the past and I thank you Loccian, truly. As much as it means coming from me right now."

A breathy sigh was given as he turned his head to look at the Seracian healer and glance around her at the sound of slushed snow parting by a hurried pawsteps. The cavity where his left eye used to be continuously leaked bloody streaks down the left side of his face. Here comes Tahlia. "Hey you..." Bane spoke at her remark, watching his love tense up at his ragged appearance. Tahlia questioned Loccian, the wounded lupine noting her distress. He needed to tell her, tell her before Loccian could let the news slip out.

"Loccian, don't. I'll tell her... Tahlia... I have something important to tell you, and I want you to be strong, know that I will always love you and that you can find me just beyond the packlands." Bane shifted his stance slightly at the sudden wave of dizziness passing through him, the blood trickling off of his muzzle contributing to his lightheadedness. "Come closer. Tahlia."

She would just gaze at the man as he spoke, waiting for him to sit so she could clean him up before Tahlia approached them. Loccian might not have liked the man too much, but she was nice enough to try making him presentable to the woman. When he did sit she would reach over and grab the water soaked moss that had been waiting, starting to clean off the wounds on his shoulder, squeezing the moss then rubbing it gently downward. She would listen while she did this, a low growl rumbling in the back of her throat at the mention of not killing her. He forgot, he was still in Seracia, and she was sure Maverick would have no problem inflicting more wounds on the man. He was lucky she at least was helping him before he left. Though she wanted to ignore what else he said, the woman just couldn't, she wasn't that cold. He would do something she would have never expected, licking her on the nose. Eyes would narrow on the man, but she would not nip at him, just listen as he thanked her, which would result in her dipping her head. Now that his shoulder was cleaned up she would set the moss down and pull out bits that were soaked in water and his blood, but as she did this her ears would twitch at the sound of footsteps approaching and soon the scent of Tahlia would flow into her nose, and her voice reach her ears. She would not answer right away, jut put the moss back together and look over to Bane, hr told her not to tell Tahlia and that he would. She gave a nod before moving back over and began to clean off the blood running down the left side of his face from his eye, getting half of it away to about around his cheek when he asked his mate to come closer. With that Loccian would pause her cleaning, taking a step back to give them a bit of room, once he told her she would move back in and continue to clean him up. "normal. talk. think. you." Awesome image by Canttina <3

Walk | Talk | Think It difficult for her seeing him like this. She knew he was no young buck anymore. She knew his strength and body had its limits, that he could not simply bounce back the way that he used to before she had met him, that even he had been humble enough to acknowledge these frailties to her on occasion and never tried to convince either of them otherwise. But it was so easy to forget at times. He never really let on as he romped with the children, or when he turned his playful antics on her in order to draw her out of her uptight shell. Sometimes she could almost imagine that the age gap that separated them was not quite as wide as it truly was. Faced with him in this state, however, it hit home harder than ever before. Could he continue to recover from such bouts with physical injury? Nothing was said regarding her inquiry from either of them, which did not make her feel any better - how was she to know the severity of the wound when she was such a poor healer herself? Tahlia could feel her sense of urgency and worry beginning to grow as she glanced between them, watching the calm and quiet healer as she picked up her moss and cleaned at Bane's wounds upon his face. Oh, how difficult it was going to be to get used to see him with only one eye. Surely he must have felt incomplete without it too. But he said nothing about his condition, about his injuries, about any of it. Instead, his words came about like a warning, heavy and foreboding and ominous. She hated the sound of them, could only feel her anxiety rise with each assurance that he made while simultaneously stirring her thoughts into a frenzy of questions. Her tail twitched behind her as she tried not to fidget noticeably in place, an expression of discomfort and worry slipping across her face as she was instructed to come closer to him. A part of her - the stubborn, selfish part - almost wished to defy him, to demand answers instead. But with a glance at their company as Loccian politely distanced herself from Tahlia and Bane, she merely did as she was told. Her paws were quick as they carried her toward his side though she refrained from reaching out and touching him right away. She longed to, truly, to provide comfort for the both of them, but without knowing if any other injuries lurked beneath his peppered grey coat she feared to do so without knowledge would have risked him further harm. The whine that she had managed to stifle before slipped out airily, her ears pinning themselves as she made herself look into her husband's remaining blue eye. "What happened, Bane?" she whispered in a rather shaken voice, trying to keep as much privacy between then as she could. "Who did this to you?"

The twice banished wolf's left foreleg twitched and stung from Seracia's best healer having cleaned it how she did. No fault of Loccian's certainly but the drying blood had to be remoistened and roughly struck out of his white-grey pelt's punctured and torn up flesh before it dried. Tahlia was staring at him now, and Bane stared back at his mate while observing the way she attempting to remain regal in appearance. Loccian's administrations had moved to the ragged strips of flesh hanging over his eye, Bane's vacant eye socket blinking away at her more gentle cleaning before she withdrew the moss suddenly to distance herself away from the two mates. Bloody tears feel along his face as his body tried to clear his lefts eyes blocked vision, an eye than lay strewn across the snow to stare up at the drizzling sky pulped and unblinking.

Bane stared at Tahlia for a moment, his tongue darting out to lap away the blood trickling down his muzzle skimming off the fur of his chest and leg. The fear of his was that should they'd embrace and he say what had happened and she'd recoil much like the time he asked her to become his mate. It was hard, and there was no real easy way to say it without emotions or shock. Tahlia's whine did it in for him, Bane releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, speaking so that everybody present could head what had happened and answer Tahlia about who did this to him. "I've been banished... and I've no reason to say that who said so, because we both know who it was. It was me." A sense of vacancy suddenly overcame him, a dawn of realization that he had no worth or place in this land anymore. The blood tears and rain spoke for his sorrow, and a quiet and ghostly toned howl echoed across the forest to say goodbye to Seracia.

Loccian would sit there silently, holding the moss in her jaws, waiting for Bane to spill the news to his mate. Her eyes would however narrow as the woman spoke, whispering to the man, asking what happened to him and who did such a thing to him. The Ambassador was right there, she could hear what they shared even if the spoke in hushed tones. To her surprise though Bane would tell Tahlia it was him, giving a call to the place he had once called home, quiet, ghostly... it would not bring emotions from the woman though, she had to remain collected, not give in to the man's games. Carefully she would slip forward, dabbing at some of the blood oozing down his face, getting most of it up to his eye before stepping back once again to re-separate the bloody moss from the clean bits still left. She could admit one thing though at this moment, the man was finally taking some responsibility, she just hoped he would keep doing so by remaining away from the Kingdom. "normal. talk. think. you." Awesome image by Canttina <3

Walk | Talk | Think He had seemed almost reluctant at first, eerily quiet after he had initially greeted her and up until she had finally crept close enough to have a quiet moment with him. What she had viewed as evasiveness vanished and in quiet terms the answer she had sought had been given. The news was like a physical blow, even worse than the sight of his new appearance had been. "Banished?" The echoing word was whispered by the Seracian fisher, her mind struggling to come to terms with what this meant for her, but more importantly for their family as a whole. They were being torn apart, her husband stolen from her just as the last one had been. And worse yet, she had actually grown to care for this one, had actually been granted her family with him. What would the children do knowing their father was no longer allowed home? What was she to do having to raise them on her own? And, perhaps most shocking for her, he took the blame himself. He refused to name names, to label any one member of the pack responsible for his current state other than himself. It would have been so easy for Tahlia to displace her anger on anyone of her pack mates, to look to them as the reason for her husband and the father of her children being taken from her and her young. To know that Bane owned up to it left her with no one to blame but him, and she was conflicted. He was her mate, her husband; he was not supposed to do anything to jeopardize their family. He was supposed to watch out for them, to keep them safe, to be there for their children and see them into adulthood with her. He was supposed to be right there at her side for as long as he could be, just as she had vowed to be for him. And now he was banished. She had thought herself incapable of being angry with him - even when he became a nuisance he had never been anything more than annoying - but her temper began to flare. For a moment, she was incapable of speech, struggling with her mouth slightly agape while her husband released a howl to stretch across the territory in farewell to those he left behind, and knowing that somewhere out there her children - their children - would hear it too finally helped her find her voice. "How could this happen? How could you let this happen?" Her tone began to rise, forgetting almost that the healer was still nearby. "We had everything here. Everything. We could have raised our children happily. How could you throw all that away?" She had more to say, so much more, but Loccian was there again, stepping between them to try cleaning at the bloodied male's face. Drawing in a swift breath, Tahlia forced herself to look away, blinking against the rain but also against tears. This was horrible! This was worse than losing her husband through death because of sheer stupidity. This one would live but at a distance, estranged from his family because of his poor choices. She glanced once at the healer as she drew away again, wishing that she had decided to stay back or even left entirely to allow them the privacy to speak openly. It was bad enough that the pair needed to have this conversation in front of someone when Tahlia would have much rather spoken to Bane alone, but to have Loccian stepping in, especially when she could feel her words getting heated, was aggravating. By luck, she managed to steel her tongue from saying anything irritable and continued to refrain from it, certain that anything she said in her present state would only make things worse than they already were.

Pinned ears heard his mates painful reiteration of his current status, Bane sensing Loccian move up to dab at his face, an involuntarily scrunching of his muzzle at the painful compression but otherwise remained still. The healer withdrew just as Tahlia began breaking his heart in two with her complaining. A blank look was on his face as his mind fought to make good of the situation and keep his relationship with his family, only a few coming to mind. Loccian could be killed, and they they could flee while making a stop at the den for their pups. Pursuit would be a definite action and Seracia would pursue them to the ends of the earth. Bane couldn't do that, Loccian... despite her actions in this he still couldn't hold any real anger. She had been a nice packmate to be with when their paths crossed... and if he never went hunting with her he would've never met Tahlia. They could leave as a family. No, the outlands of Seracia were dangerous for wolves with the war going on. Safety in numbers, and he would not compromise his pups or Tahlia's well being as a sustenance provider for their family out on their own. He would have to learn how to hunt again with his disability and that would take time, time where his young would go hungry or something happening while was gone.

Or he could leave by himself... ya... that was doable. He could leave kills at the border, watch and guard the neutral perimeter of Seracia from the northern packs. Like the wars in the what was now the ashlands, it would just be like younger times, time where things were simpler and had a straight path in the trail. The trail was now spread about around him, and those trails led to more trails, and so on... until they ended with death. The remaining eye looked down at his paws while he though of these options even as Tahlia finished ripping him a new one, and she had every right to do so.

"I didn't have everything Tahlia... I didn't have control, no control of my age. I was compulsive, always was, and I couldn't wait for Alena and my young to make their choice whether to live here or not. I wanted one badly... after... after my first five died while I was away. They always died when I was away. With Alena in Amenti I was afraid that since I was not with them, they would die. I blamed as myself not being there, and by me being there I could watch over them and see if it made a difference if any of them lived. I am old Tahlia, you know this, I've been alive since the time of the two-legs. And with a mate and pups I finally felt complete." Bane had hardly noticed that the sky had shifted to an early snowfall, a fell wind blowing in through the trees.?"One more question because I have to leave or Maverick'll come back and take my other eye... do you still love me?" A chuff was given and he shifted his forepaws nervously. Tahlia...

He was just digger a bigger hole for himself. Loccian would inwardly sigh, Tahlia was becoming more and more upset by the man. After everything that had happened, they had a ice little family, and he went and fucked it up. By now she had cleared out the blood moss, but feeling as though they should be given a bit of privacy, no matter how much she hated it, Loccian would leave for a bit. She would pick herself up. "The herbs will help with your eye, eat the two on the left, crush the three on the right and rub it into the wound." Wasn't too hard. With a sigh the Ambassador would then push the last mouthful of clean moss towards the man then grab the bloodied bits and walk off. Bane better be grateful for the privacy, after everything he had done, had she not been so nice, she would have attacked him for not leaving the kingdom after waking up. -exit loccian- "normal. talk. think. you." Awesome image by Canttina <3

Walk | Talk | Think The aggravated she-wolf continued to look the healer's way and watch as she backed away from Bane and pulled at the bits of moss she had used to clean his wounded face, doing her best to pick off the bloodied pieces and leave only what was clean behind. It was her way of distracting herself, though it was a poor means of distraction. She could still hear her husband speaking, trying to explain himself as she blinked again against the bad weather and steeled herself from openly crying. She did not want to cry, not even if she had been solely in the company of her mate. No, she wanted to yell, to scream, to cry out against the injustice that had been done to her and the dreams she had been clinging so tightly to, to all the plans that were now long gone and lost to her. Twice now her world had been turned on its side, and both times by the foolishness of her mates. Had she done something wrong to deserve this? Despite her anger, when her mate began to pose his question and mentioned their leader a little touch of shock spread through her. Maverick. Of course! Though she was unfamiliar to the full extent that the young wolf's dislike for Bane went, she knew he had never approved of him and, just like Loccian, seemed to wish better for her. Although, considering that Bane had been so keen on doing things his way and not the way of the pack, it was little wonder why. But they had been too late. Tahlia had already committed herself to him, had already grown to care for him and his rebellious, carefree nature. And just as she could not change her feelings for the man she could not sway the twinge of resentment that stemmed from the thought of the King doing this to her mate. A simmering breath was drawn in as Tahlia dared to draw her eyes away from Loccian and her work to once again regard Bane and his bloodied features, still roiling underneath the surface with anger and upset. She said nothing as the healer spoke to her mate and issued him a few directions regarding the herbs that she had laid out for him and then proceeded to walk away, leaving the pair alone at long last. Bane's question seemed to hang in the air in the absence of the healer, Tahlia taking her time about answering him. Let him wait and worry and fear that her feelings had changed, that she could possibly turn her back on him like the rest of the pack. But in the end, she sighed, clenching her dark golden eyes tightly shut as she growled and pressed her forehead into his chest. "Oh, you stupid, selfish man," she grumbled, "Of course I love you." She stayed like that for a moment, simply resting her head against him as the anger began to dissipate. When she spoke again her voice was softer, considerably more resigned than before. "How will we do this? The children? Us?" She did not say it, but the thought of Bane being gone for her and their family brought her great worry. He was so unlike herself, so set on doing things on his own terms. Would these new arrangements change things in his eyes?

Bane adjusted himself in the thinly surfaces mud and saw Loccian explain the combinations of herbs she left him and lay a bit of clean moss for the banished to use. The skin of the left cheek continued twitching even after a wince was given with the eye that was no longer there, the herb combinations being glanced over. When he looked up again Loccian was meandering into the tree line, the male letting out a heavy sigh at her departure... he would have to leave soon or risk death. He didn't want that, not in front of his Tahlia. The one whom he'd given his heart too pressed her forehead against his chest and confirmed for him what he had asked, that she still loved him.

A whitening foreleg wrapped around her back partially and brought himself closer to her so that he could comfortably nuzzle the top of her damp head as his mate growled her answer into his chest. "Good, because I still love the one I love." Bane rumbled, the two wolves stayed like that for a moment, a few droplets of rain mixed blood falling onto his mates head.

"We do this little bit aways from one another. You know where I'm gonna stay Tahlia? Right in the den Nako was born in. I will protect you still. I'll leave kills by the border... and if you ever need me even in the most direst of circumstances I will pass the line to help you. I do not fear death, but do fear for the wolves who will try and stop me." A determined scowl chiseled into his features as he thought of his poor packmates and if they should get in the way of him. "I should get going... I'll need to use these herbs first." A haughty look was given at the various plants and roots Loccian had left before a few moments were spent eating and applying them. A glance was given at Tahlia ands sigh given, Bane looking up at the rain clouds for a moment before slowly setting off towards the border.

Walk | Talk | Think The woman released a shuddering sigh, nuzzling more closely against her husband as he drew her near with an encircling paw. So much she wished they could remain this way forever, snuggled close with the pups running and racing and playing around them. It was how things were supposed to be, part of the vision she had had for herself and her future that she had still thought possible of coming true. They had been so close, even been given a small taste of that life, before things had suddenly gone wrong. Now everything was complicated, their family broken and divided, forced to live apart from each other. But he still loves me, Tahlia thought hearteningly, trying her best to take what comfort she could from knowing that. Only an ear flickered as Bane continued to speak and answer the question she had asked, further tearing away at her worries and fears by confirming that their new arrangements would do nothing but put a little distance between them physically and no more than that. She still had her mate! He would not abandon her and the pups, nor would he relinquish any loyalties he had to her in search of a quick fix while he was away where she could not be with him. She would not, in truth, be a single mother. It was enough to bring a prickle of tears to her eyes, and she was grateful that he continued to speak without breaking contact, having been adamant about keeping her fears to herself and reluctant to give up that charade now. If he had known she had had her doubts...she could not imagine how it might have torn at him more than the physical pain he was already under. His promises and plans reassured her considerably, enough to the point that by the time he began to draw away in preparation to leave she had mastered her expression and was no longer on the verge of tears. The road ahead was no doubt difficult and would test them both, but she felt better now having to face it, confident that they could pull through. She allowed herself to draw away from him as the scarred, greying wolf turned his attention to the plant pieces that had been left behind for his wounds, quietly watching as he carefully assessed what was there with his single functioning eye and used the plants as they had been intended. Tahlia remained silent as he worked, watching and waiting and thinking to herself how much she would miss him always being right there at her side or just there out of sight awaiting her call. She could not bring herself to think of how the pups would receive the news just yet. And just like that it was time for him to leave. His wounds were patched up with the remnants if the plant that had been rubbed against them and the others had been consumed. Now all that was left was for him to go. Bravely, for him, she met his gaze straight on, commanding herself not to waver or weaken at the loss she could already feel within her daily life. He let his blue eye travel skyward before taking those first steps toward the border, heading out on the journey he would make alone. Oh, how much she wished she could follow him, to join him out there in the wilds where he was destined to spend his days. But it was no life for the children. It was dangerous, deadly given the upcoming season, and she was sure Bane knew full well the risks he was taking out there and the risks their children would be spared from. On impulse, she jumped to her paws and trotted along his right side to press herself closely against him as she nuzzled him one last time. "I miss you already," she whispered, lingering at his side though she, too, needed to go. "We will come see you, as soon as we can." With the promise of a family visit, Tahlia have him a soft kiss against the side of his muzzle before turning and loping away, not daring to look back or to think about how she might break the news once she got back to the den. -Exit Tahlia-

A light headed shudder ran through the now twice-banished as he stored away the sensations of Tahlia's nuzzle. That sign of affection would no longer be a daily touch he could enjoy or request with the distance they would have between themselves but Tahlia and Bane were strong wolves, the bond they shared unbreakable even in death. And as he mucked through the runny mud he rubbed against the side of his mate as she did to him, warmth being shared and a growl of appeasement hung in his throat while they approached the Seracia border edge.

"I miss you too my Tahlia, I'll look forward to the day when you come to me again." Bane responded to his mate's words as he turned around and sat down in the rain soaked earth, the side of his muzzle tingling from her love nibble as she quickly left him. Bane closes his remaining eye and mimed a nuzzle of his own at her departing form, a sigh being given upon loosing sight of her. Rain dripped off the sides of his head and he tossed his head with a low aroo. A den was already selected in his mind, the place along the river where Alena reared their young. A quiet place when winter came and the waters froze, a place where a wolf can be alone with his thoughts.

-Bane is exiled from Seracia-