Virtuous hearts; Tirisfal Valley

Robin & Ali

A strong howl broke the wind, and Ali understood - someone, not yet of the lands - had found this fem. Ali couldn't smell Cardinal herself, but she heard her daughter speak, and knew it was true. She turned to Doctor. "I probably will have to use your supplies. I haven't stocked since last autumn," she replied and turned to Jewel. "I'll see you at the dens... Keep an eye out for your brother, if you can..." She gave her a quick nuzzle and then loped uphill to the higher dens. Her powerful legs trudged through the mud as if it were snow; her mixed breed gave her this extra exertion of strength.

She reached the top, the rain coming down in cold sheets. It was a good thing her winter pelt hadn't fallen off yet, the rain washing away most of the mud stuck in her fur. She was not yet drenched, the water sliding off of her as if it were oil, her outer coat hardy and made to be water-resistant, keeping her undercoat warm and dry. Her eyes shifted to the white fem that stood outside the dens.

"Please. As a healer, I urge that you come inside. We have an injured fae on the way, and who knows what other damage the storm has done. I would hate for you to get sick," Ali said, her voice stricken with exhaustion. She moved onward into the den, now significantly quiet compared to the terrors of the outside world. She briefly closed her eyes, exhaling, her muscles aching, and when she opened them again, she found Robin. He was nestling the whelps.

"Oh thank Fenrir," she sighed, coming near and nuzzling him. "I had thought someone forgot about them... Thank you, Robin."

The sunset-hued bru looked up and nuzzled her in return. "No problem, love. Settle down and rest. I'm keeping the pups warm, but you could probably do a better job," he smiled, his genuine personality seeming to return. Funny, how things could be easily forgiven when danger struck. "I have a little something I'd like to talk to you about, too."

"That will have to wait," Ali replied, nosing the pups as she did so, sniffing them for any scent of sickness. She was unable to tell at the moment, but once they were completely dry or awake again, then she possibly might have been. "Jewel and I found an injured fem... Cardinal's taking care of it, and Jewel went with Doctor to look for anyone else... Have you seen Robbie?"

Robin's face fell and his ears laid back in sadness. "No... I haven't."

Ali's heart dropped. "Where could he be?" she asked in an undertone, wrought with worry. "I... I hope he's all right."

"As do I, Ali," Robin said, kissing her cheek. "He's a brave boy. We'll send out a search party the moment the hunt is over, okay?"

"Okay," she replied, leaning into him. "I'm going to collect some herbs from Doctor's stash and wait for the fem to arrive. I'll see you then."

He nodded, and she went to the back of the dens, where Doctor kept his reserves. She nosed out poppy seeds as a pain reliever, comfrey to prevent infection, and a stick's worth of spiderwebs to clot the wound, be it severe. In the back of her mind, she thought about Jewel, and how she could watch her mother in action...

Doctor listened to what Jewel said and turned back to Alaina. "I think you should go to where the others in the pack are headed so you can prepare enough herbs to at least aid the healing a severely bleeding wolf. I'll leave her care to you, and I'll get more herbs if we find out she needs more. Jewel, come with me to Cardinal and the new wolves to see what other assistance they may need and we'll bring them to safety. If anything serious comes up, Alaina, I'll ask Jewel to send you a message so you can prepare for that. I don't know what materials you have in your den, but feel free to go through my stocks."

He nodded at them and traveled as fast as he safely could to Cardinal's side. "Shoot..." He said as he approached. It didn't take a healer to tell what stage of pregnancy this wolf was in. "Can the both of you manage to get her to where Alaina will be waiting?" he questioned Cardinal and the unknown male. This was not the time to ask her how soon she'll be expecting- they have to get the herbs ready now. Hoping Jewel was following him, he said, "Jewel, could you go tell your mother to get some herbs to aid with the later stages of pregnancy and for birthing, and that I have some in my stocks if she doesn't have any?"

((A bit rushed, but I have something I need to do soon))

Cross' snowy auds picked up on all the sound that was going on outside of the safety of the den she and Nicolai were in. She wondered if it was even close to being safe for them to go back out there. She sighed and her azule optics opened, the first thing she saw was Nicolai. He was watching her...why? "You're watching me sleep now?" She barked out a laugh and continued "Think it is safe to go outside yet?" Her lyrics were sweet. Nicolai looked far off in another world, she wondered if he was going to stay here or if he was going to leave. She sighed, he had asked her to talk about Nikolaos and Solara earlier, and she had evaded the question easily. "You asked me about Nikolaos and Solara earlier Nicolai..." Her voice trailed off for a moment as she moved her gaze to not be at him "... I met them a few months ago in another place, and they were searching for you as you are them now..." She brought her gaze back to him and waited for him to ask her some more questions.

Nicolai watched her awake and laugh. As soon as she started talking about Nikolaos and Solara though he leaned in a little more, his cerulean pools watching her for any signs that she might be lying to him. He highly doubted that she would lie to him, afterall she had no reason to do such a thing. She had been raised right by his grandmother, as twisted as Moira could be she knew that fatales were not to lie. "...So they wanted me huh? .." His mind wandered for a second before he continued " .. I guess I am just going to let things go with them, Angel would not want me to seek out and kill my siblings...Mikalai on the other hand... thats exactly what he wants.." His voice turned a little cold as he was talking about his father. He hated him with so much energy sometimes that it tired him out. Exhausted him even. He sighed "What did they do Cross?"

Cross took in his cold lyrics and she shuddered and continued to look away from him. "Not anything in particular... Just continued to ask me question after question and even bit me... but nothing life threatning..." She rose and made her way out of the den unexpectedly. She did not care that it was storming outside, she just wanted to be alone. She hoped Nicolai understood that and would leave her alone. When she got outside the rain was still pelting at her, she shivered. She loved the rain almost as much as she had loved the snow. She sank back onto her haunches, her snowy pelt getting matted with the rain and her paws matted with mud. She simply just sat there, her auds on alert and her mind racing...

Nicolai watched as she suddenly got up and left. He took the sign that it was best to just leave her alone. He allowed his mind to wander, when his father first told him about her ... he had been happy. That was when his heart was still as dark as his pelt. His mother had the pure hearted nature that she tried to pass onto him. It didn't take very well, as he still would not reside in a pure pack for very long. His optics used to change to a little more crimson than blue, but that was so long ago. His cerulean optics danced around the den and he waited for her to return..

Jewel

Jewel would nod to her mother and then press forward when suddenly there was another with the fea. She could see it through the torrents of rain. A familiar scent would come to her then as she paused. Cardinal. "Cardinal has them mother...." She would say and wagging her tail heavily through the rain. "We should head back if we can...." She would say sounding very adult and then hoped Robbie was ok. Her ears pinned against her skull and she would move back toward her mother.

She pushed into him and he looked down at her swollen belly. Lord help her. He pleaded and kept walking
following after the brute who had come to show them the way. Where was her mate? Where was
her family. She was going to give birth to a litter of pups here in these lands without anyone
around, and now, he just wanted to get her out and into a warm den so if the time came he would
be able to assist her in any way possible. He moved forward more, climing, stepping a bit behind
her and pushing her onward...

Serenity looked down at the female when she came closer, he pressed himself into
her and smiled. "It'll be okay, can you feel them coming?" he waited a moment
and soon enough there was a brute before them shouting over the storm. Serenity
unless closer couldn't hear but he got the feeling they were to leave. "Come Love" he
bent his nose down and touched her cheek. "We're going to a den" He smiled warmly
to brighten her up. He didn't know if she could hear him specially over all this but
once to higher grounds maybe he could introduce himself better and hope this
poor female get the shelter she needs. He took a step waiting to see if she'd move
with him, if anything he could lop her over his back and carry her, with this other
brutes help so he didn't drop her along the way and injure her further or himself to
for that matter.

The white ghost of Jabbar's past. He walked through the storm, he had heard of it slapping havoc in
Hamara but he had hoped it wouldn't come here, his hopes were shattered though. He could feel the
panic though, that type of drum in the ground that pulsed through the dirt, dry or not, and up through
your pads and into your body where you yourself feed off of the emotions from everyone else.
He could feel the rain, he could feel the panic, the fear, the praying hope for help. He put his nose
to the ground and inhaled the scents of this pack. Alpha, wasn't present, or her scent was lingering but
very far away. Now there was the scent of males and females but he wasn't looking for the familiar scents of
the lands, he was looking for the reason all those scents sent the panic filled call through the mud that now encased his paws. Searching, searching, searching... he found it now and it wasn't too far off. He was
coming, just don't panic. Eyes lifted, the golden orbs nothing like the fallen king, the only similar
feature was that of his brother was his blood.

This wasn't why he was here though, he was drawn here either by something or someone.
As he walked though he came upon the source of the panic and the main reason blood
glinted along the ground. "Fae. I'm Serenity. Don't fear help is coming." His head shot up and he
howled into the storm as loud and powerful as he could. He wasn't a wolf of this pack, he didn't want
to touch the female least she be someone important and shame fall upon his shoulders
that he touched the kings mate or something of that fate. "Here" he came closer though and stood infront of
the falling rain the shield her from it just slightly. "If you need to lean you may lean on me. I don't
want to cross a boundary of comfort for you miss, I'm just here to help" He smiled to her.
His white teeth were gleaming, as if they hadn't touched meat in a long time, but it's just that.
Since being in Jabbar he had fasted since the murder... the murder of his own father...

Ooc:|| Okay, So NOWWW I'm bringing in Serenity... yep now...

The wind picked up, and Alaina prayed that nothing beyond a small flood would strike their homeland. She briefly remember a terrible storm that had happened in the Black Pearl, years before Jewel was born, and how it had claimed a life or two. She couldn't ponder long as Doctor returned her bark, padding over. "There's another wolf out here!" she shouted over the rumbling thunder. "I don't know where, but Jewel says that they might be hurt. Do you think we ought to help them?" A sharp bark that was not hers nor anyone else's then met her auds, and she turned towards the sound. Indeed, she could now smell the blood. How badly hurt were they? And why didn't they come towards them? Was it possible that they were stuck in the mud?

She nosed Jewel in the side. "Lead us to her, you noticed her first!" Ali said loudly, hoping that this possible rescue wouldn't be in vain. But before she could encourage Jewel any further, she looked over her shoulder at Doctor, blue crystals seeming to glow in the darkness. They were going to rescue this lost soul, right? But... With all that had been happening recently... She didn't know, but she would wait for Doctor's signal. He was beta, afterall.

Robin's howl rippled in the wind, calling for help as well. When he lowered his maw he found Cardinal bounding towards him. "Exactly what I was thinking," he replied. The pups were still relatively small; they would be able to carry two at a time, thankfully. He picked two up by their scruffs, knowing that he had to slow his pace, fearful that he would drop one of them. His long legs plodded through the thickening mud, the lake flooding and rising well above his ankles. The pups whimpered in his grasp, crying for their mother and yearning for warmth, and Robin knew that he had to get them to a dry place soon. Being so young, they could catch their deaths out here.

He reached the higher-grounded dens, where two of the newcomers were already settled. He carried the two pups to the back of the spacious den, where hopefully the warm, dry earth would soak up their drenched forms. Robin's own fur was drenched, dripping and leaving wet footsteps where he walked. He panted, walking towards the mouth of the dens, where he briefly let the rain wash away the mud that clung to him. He then went back inside, having had a shower of sorts, heading to where the two pups he had brought were. They huddled against one another, whimpering, and he laid down next to them, his body releasing more warmth than theirs could combined. He licked the icy rain from their gentle coats, and soon enough, they were buried against his ribs.

He suddenly felt very guilty about the argument he had had with his wife. Where was she? Had she gotten stuck in the mud? If so, he prayed that Doctor would find her. Find her and Jewel. Bright, Nuri, Silent, Nephritides, Koda... They couldn't possibly lose another one, to death or to abandonment.

Cross relaxed as the wind whipped around her. She smiled as she saw Nicolai, he had made it safely "Nicolai!" She barked, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear. Her tassel swayed back and forth as the wind whipped it around. She made her way closer to him, the rain pelting her snowy dial. She shivered, she was really starting to get cold. As she finally got close enough to him she spoke again, "Nicolai! Lets get into a den.." Her voice was sweet as it usually was.



Nicolais cerulean pools finally found her form and his auds heard her cuff out his name. He watched as she moved closer to him, his mind wony form wandered onto the dreams he used to have. The dreams used to make him blush and now that it seemed like a reality it was hard for him to believe. He knew nothing was going to happen between them... "Yes lets get into a den..." His voice trailed off and his ebony form made his way into a nearby den, but before he submerged his way into the warmth of the den he turned back, looking to Cross, waiting for her to join him.

Cross smiled as she followed Nicolai. She knew everything that was in their past might make them sharing a den a little awkward, but she knew it would allow them to keep warm. She did not try to raise her maw once more to call out to the others, she knew no one would hear it this time. She wasn't even sure anyone had heard her first call. She climbed into the den, her feminine frame slinking by Nicolais frame easily enough. Once she got to the end of the den she immediately laid down, the tiredness she felt ached throughout her entire body. Now it was time for her to rest, she didn't even wait to see if Nicolai joined her or not she allowed her body to fall into slumber immediately.

~~~~

Nicolai watched her make her way into the den and he followed her without hesitation. He shivered as he made his way into the depths of the den, his body was truly beginning to fail him. He may only be almost 5 years old, but he knew it was almost time for him to quit wandering around. He lay down next to Cross who was still shivering even in her slumber. He wrapped his tassel around her and lay his dial close to hers. He felt like her big brother now more than any other time, it was about time that he had figured out what she was to him. She was like a sibling to him and he was very happy that he had figured it out.

((4, I believe. Two pups each mother. One pup is wandering in the lands, though))

He turned, hearing Alaina's voice. Soon after, Robin was summoning for help. He only hoped Cardinal or someone else could aid him. "What's wrong?" he nearly had to yell to be heard over the roaring wind as he approached. Doctor didn't know how high the waters were going to rise, but it was clear that the lowest areas might go past their ankles- not a very comforting thought. Jewel was with her, but neither appeared to be stuck. But if they weren't stuck in the mud, why were they still here? His eyes scanned the area while waiting for a response.

She was doing what she did best, running. She knew Nicolai was not far behind her, her nares could still pick up his scent. The rain was falling thicker and thicker and the wind that came with it chilled her to the bone. She wasn't sure if anyone else was following her, all she knew was she wanted to be safe. Cross allowed her mind to wander, she was thinking about Nicolai and how they had been betroved to one another. She knew that was not going to happen, but still her heart ached slightly with the love she had once held for the brute. Her cerulean optics remained on the path, but it was still hard for her to see. She slowed down, and hoped maybe by doing so Nicolai could catch up to her. She wondered if that was a wise idea, afterall, she had been running from him. Now, she wanted to be with him again. Something pulled her to him, but she knew it was beyond out of her reach. She rose her maw to the sky and called to the others in the land, she knew she was getting close to where Doctor had told her to go, and now she wanted everyone to know where she was...



Nicolais charcoal auds picked up on her call easily enough. She was close and now her scent was getting stronger. His thick pelt covered him well, but still he felt the chill that was in the rain. Spring had not hit yet, which meant winter was still in full swing. He raised his ebony maw to the sky and joined in on her call, he was waiting to see if anyone else would call. He picked up his speed...He wanted to talk to her more and see what she knew about Nikolaos and Solara. His call ended, but he picked up his speed. His curiousity was getting the better of him. He went back in his mind to the night where his father told him about Cross, he told him about how she was to bore him many children over the years. Nico picked up on very soon that she was unhappy with what his father had planned for them. He sighed as he ran, his midnight pillars still carried him with ease. He was getting too old for this, and after this storm passed he decided it might be best for him to go back to where his father was. His birthpack was going to be his last place. This was not to be his home, but he knew he had to talk to Cross some more. He had things to tell her, things about their past that would help her to be a little more at ease.

Nicolai came to where there were some dens, he stopped almost dead in his tracks. His cerulean gaze danced around the clearing and waited to see her alabaster form.. She was someone he needed to talk to, he cuffed out a bark. He called to her, to Cross. He knew that Moira was dead, but Cross did not. He knew that telling her such information would calm her. He wanted her to relax, he wanted so much for her. Him being here, would only complicate things....So his decision was fully set in his mind, as soon as everything was done he would leave. He would leave her be, let her live her life without him being here...
ooc: Okay really bad....

Alaina paused mid-step, her coat now very muddied and drenched with a cold rain. The weather had not fully blossomed into spring yet, so the wind was freezing and the water chill. Her ears perked and she inhaled the wet scents of the forest around her, and caught a small whiff of another wolf, swirling around in the tempest winds. "I think you're right," she said loudly, thunder cracking the sky again. She released a few barks to announce her presence, hoping for a returning bark, for it would be much too difficult to locate this wolf by scent alone. It was even getting difficult to see, the rain like a thick, grey sheet, covering everything. She weaved between the trees, paws splashing in the marshy ground, light on her feet; no need to get stuck. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw Doctor, probably looking for them.

"Doctor!" she barked, hoping to get his attention. It was one thing that they were trapped in a storm, but it was another that there was a wolf they didn't know in their midsts. A part of her also feared him running off by himself - they had to stick together in these kinds of situations. Her blue hues checked to make sure that Jewel was still at her side. "Can you still smell them? Where are they?" she asked. Two heads were better than one, afterall.

Meanwhile, back at the main lands, Robin nodded to Doctor's agreement. While Doctor went on a search for wolves on the outer regions of the territory and Cardinal dealt with organizing the pack at the dens, Robin bolted off on a quick sweep of the inner regions. He in particular headed for the woods that he had last seen Robbie in, though it was incredibly difficult to track his scent in the pouring rain, now seeming to disappear. He came to a clearing that he thought he had run to, only to discover that it was now completely flooded. "Robbie!" he called out, but no response. He sent up a short howl for him, his voice carrying on the winds, but no face that was identical to his showed. Robin clenched his teeth; it was no doubt now that Robbie had fled the lands altogether. "Dammit Robbie..." he cursed aloud. "Why do you have to be as impulsive as me?"

Turning his back on the flooded clearing, he made a sweep of the area. Where was Chimera? He thought she had been back with Cardinal, but he must have been mistaken... And what about Nephritides? She hadn't left, had she? And while he thought about Nephritides, a shocking discovery struck him - the pups! With a burst of speed he sprinted for the lower-kept dens where the puppies lay. The water was getting high and he didn't know where Bright had gone, either. Little yelps came from the inside and he knelt in, grabbing them by the scruff, though he couldn't carry them all in one go. He was able to drag them out and place them on a tree stump that was high enough from the flooding waters, but if they didn't move soon, his actions would be in vain.

Robin then threw up a howl, for either Cardinal, Doctor, Nephritides, or Bright. Somebody needed to help him; he couldn't do this by himself, and he couldn't just take one pup up to the dens at a time. That would be much too time-consuming, and the whelps were already alone as it were. With Nuri and Silent having gone missing for the time being, they were the future of the pack. They were the lives that could not be lost. No. He would not let death get anyone of his family ever again, bloodline or not.

~~Nicolai~~

Nicolai was getting so close to the packs kill when the betas call hit his ebony auds. He sighed and his stomach growled at him with hunger. He shushed it and padded towards where it looked like the land got higher. His cerulean optics noticed Doctor and Cross, he changed his direction and made his way towards them. He got close enough to wait for Cross to move, and he would follow her and the other male.

~~Cross~~

Cross dipped her tiara to Doctor, saying that she understood what she was to do. Her azule optics danced to the other snowy brute, who still had not spoken his dubbance to her. Soon though, her gaze fell upon Nicolai, he was back. She sighed, she had hoped that he had taken off. She rose off her haunches and looked to Nicolai, she parted her raven kissers "We are to go to the higher dens Nicolai...follow me..." Her sweet voice trailed off and she took off. Her form disappearing in what was left of the snow and the fog that covered the lands now from the storm. She did not turn her gaze back to the others, instead she just kept her cerulean gaze on what lay before her and her pillars did not protest her weight...

~~Nicolai~~

Nicolais midnight tiara dipped, but when he brought it back up she was gone. He cuffed out a small laugh to himself, she had always been the faster one in the pack. He picked up her scent and his charcoal mitts hit the ground, he was heading after her and the truth was, he could follow her forever. He had always loved her, but he knew that he did not want another mate. After what had happened with Ayashi and his father he had vowed to himself that he would never take another to be his mate. He sighed to himself and just kept following the scent trail she left, his ebony form easily seen and his tassel flowing behind him...

[ooc: CRAPPYYYY >.< someone find my muse please...I wills give out a reward to anyone who finds it...]

He watched Robin approach, agreeing with his words, "Help anyone struggling in this storm, but stay safe. Your family and the pack need you. I'll send Cardinal to help directing the others, too, so call one of us if something comes up." Turning to Cross and Serenity, he instructed, "Go to the higher dens where we'll wait the storm out and we'll deal with introductions later." Turning away, he listed his head, a loud, strong howl that broke through the storm, as the winds temporarily lessened for a brief moment and thunder wasn't sounding. It told everyone in the lands, guest or pack member, to stop whatever they were doing and go to the dens on high ground and wait there.

Hopefully some of them were already headed in that direction. He ran in the direction he last saw Cardinal and saw him. Catching up, he said, "Cardinal. Robin and I are making sure everyone makes it to that den area safely and stay relatively organized. You can help with that, or join the others and help them settle down. Not sure how long we'll be waiting this storm out..."

He nodded towards the other, and moved through the muddier parts, the more prone areas to flooding to make sure no one was stuck...

Jewel would look up at her mother, with two toned eyes. One blue, one green, and blink them before nodded. She knew they didn't like fighting...especially in front of them. "S'alright mom." She said softly not wanting to talk much more about it. She would sigh and then look up at the sky as the winds picked up and howled. She nodded at her mother's words and then would take pause.

A new scent would waft to her nostrils, blown on the harsh winds. "Wait...mom." She would say and glanced toward the edge of the territory. "Do you smell that?" she would ask. It was the scent of a stranger.

Robin leaned into his daughter as she nosed him, accepting her kind gesture. "You should probably get out of this rain," he said softly, the drops dampening his own white pelt. "I wouldn't want you getting sick." He kissed her on the top of her head as she walked away, and he turned to the great Tirisfal Lake sitting out before him, the surface rippling as drops began to fall. He raised his gaze to the sky, dark and ominous, a piercing white scar of lightning ripping it in two. The storm was going to be bad.

Putting his troubles and family ordeals aside, he approached Doctor. Robin was still the Advisor, and he still had duties to take care of, and that was assist the Alpha, who, at the moment, was Doctor. "I don't know how bad this storm is going to get, but as an Advisor, I'd suggest bringing everyone to the dens on the higher ground," he said, maroon optics swiveling at the new wolves. One smelled distinctly different and was absolutely drenched; Robin guessed that he must have been caught in the oncoming storm already, so he probably had an idea of how bad it could get. "I know we might be safe over the mountains, but I've learned to never second guess Mother Nature."

The rain began to come down harder and the earth became slick and muddy. Ali was protected by most of the downpour by the generous trees of Tirisfal, but still the drops fell upon her multi-hued coat as she wandered near the creek, on the search for a turtleshell. Auds perked and she turned her head to see Jewel, asking if she was all right. Her old self-defense mechanisms kicked in and she smiled, burying her feelings and thankful that the rain hid her tears. "I'm fine, Jewel. I promise," she replied. "I'm sorry that your father and I had to fight in front of you. We have very different views on certain... things. But come now, we should get looking for a shell. Who knows, a turtle might come out and we may have the opportunity to grab its shell for ourselves."

Just as she was about to continue her search, a terrible crack of thunder roared in the black sky, and a howling wind whipped up, the forest around them aching and creaking. Ali braced herself against the harsh winds, though it was only a random pulse; the moment the thunder faded, the air became still. The fur stood up on the back of her neck. "Maybe we will look later, Jewel..." she said, casting her blue eyes to the sky. "I don't like the way this storm looks... Come, let's go to the higher grounds."

Ali flickered her tail for Jewel to follow, and in silence her mind began to wonder... Where was Robbie?