Alya sat within the mouth of the dens, her wispy form only wavering with the light breeze that flowed in. Her eyes were transfixed, unblinking, upon the one she called Puppet. A better part of the evening had been spent outdoors watching Irirangi busy herself with a bunch of plants. Now that they were home, it was clear to the former Iranian that her Maned host had no idea what she was doing. "Having trouble, Puppet?"
A growl was the only response given. Long, slender paws continued to poke at the pile of gathered vegetation, ghostly grey eyes refusing to meet the probing gaze of the spirit. As a shaman's daughter, Irirangi should have known plenty about the herbs that littered the island. Unfortunately, because so many of her days had been spent conversing with the dead and now acting as Beta, much of her knowledge had slowly faded away. It was still there, trapped someplace in the recesses of her memory. For the life of her she just could not seem to recall it.
Irirangi huffed, causing a few of the smaller leaves to scatter. There was an assortment of colors and textures gathered at her feet, each important in some way. But the harder she tried, the more difficult it seemed to discern their significance. Frustration was building with her, and the soft chuckle of Alya did nothing to calm her mood. Why did this have to be so complicated? She thought she'd try and help the pack since they'd never had a successful Shaman. Clearly that was a stupid idea now. What good were herbs if no one knew what they did or how to use them? Kicking one last time at the pile she turned her back on it and sat down, casting a glare in the ghost's direction. Irirangi did not enjoy being mocked for trying to do something nice for her family.
The winter months on the Occasus differ none than any other seasons in the desert. It was still hot, but duties had to be done. He made his routes across the sandy terrain, marking it for reasons to keep trespassers at bay; however no strangers have step foot on Zahir lands in quite some time. It was a mundane ritual, the pack usually scattered and minding their own business. It was a rare occurrence to have a pack dinner, pack meetings even. Vee often wondered if stepping off the throne of Alpha and handing it to his son would liven up the pack a bit more. But what really troubled Vee was loneliness. He'd felt lonely after Avani had died, but it was only recently that it began hitting him deep. He craved the companionship of a female wolf whom he could love and share affection with. But these days, wolves like Avani were hard to come by.
A pale paw stepped into the familiar crimson hued cavern known as Isdyn's Deep. The place where the pack could rest and feel at ease, it provided the best protection in Zahir lands. Away from the scorching heat is where Vee decided to go. He had marked the land of his scent and deserved some well deserved rest. He was quenched from his short detour at the river, and satisfied with hunger for the most part. However, Vee just looked terrible on the outside. His ribs were beginning to show, hollowness in his face and the red of his eyes grew duller with time. He wasn't aging, he was still a young brute in his prime. But depression was getting the better of him.
The albino looked around, but he smelt Irirangi in the cave before he even arrived. It had been a while since he'd seen the Maned fae, for a while he was concerned she left all together. But that was just in his delusional downer mind set; normally Vee was a happy wolf. He approached the tall wolf with silence in his step, his head hung lower as if giving the Beta more superiority than himself. "Does something trouble you, Irirangi?" The white wolf asked, frowning as his eyes traveled to the pile of vegetation on the cavern's floor. Vee wasn't sure what she was doing with herbs, he vaguely remembered her mentioning about being related to a Shaman, but he didn't know she was one herself. "Irirangi?" He repeated, often having to remind his pack to look at him when they speak. He didn't have ears for himself, unless the ghost of Alya wanted to be the messenger.
Glaring at Alya (which to others looked like she was glaring off into space) unintentionally morphed into glaring at the alpha. His soft steps had caught her by surprise. For a moment, Irirangi's expression softened. Vee looked like crap, underweight with a face twice his actual age. The loss of Avani still haunted him strongly; it was something he was unable to shake.
Iri herself still refused to believe their alphess dead. To be so lost in a land so foreign, she would have expected to meet the Ethiopian's soul. But Avani had never drifted back to their homeland. She must not have held on the way Alya did, but still, the spirit had not even returned for one final goodbye. Maybe that was partially why the Maned female was so bitter. She'd watched Avani break Vee's heart without so much as a little closure.
Alya had been right when she'd appointed that little female as alpha. The Iranian had wanted to watch the Ethiopian fail, and fail she had. Sure, she hadn't counted on Vee stepping up to the plate. She liked Vee though, even if he was holding the position she still longed to have. He was a good leader, and if he ever managed to slip out of his funk he had the makings of a great one. It took a lot of guts for a fluffy, albino wolf to make his home in the lands that should have been his mortal enemy. Now if only he'd use that courage to move on.
But back to the matter at hand, Iri's glare shifted from the ghost and the alpha, returning to the pile of herbs. A part of her was waiting for her piercing silver gaze to light them on fire, but such magic was outside her realm of abilities. Head still turned away from the alpha, her response held a bit of unintended venom. "Just my memory." When Vee called her name a second time, she realized her mistake.
Now that she and Alya were no longer of one body, they were back to their original disadvantages. Vee was the only other soul that could hear Alya's voice while her own was left mute to the deaf albino. With a huff she rose to her paws and turned around, glaring past Vee rather than at him while she tried to more properly articulate her frustration. "Apparently the only thing I'm still good at is arguing with dead things."
Nope. Iri wasn't bitter at all. Especially when the deceased Iranian again cut in to mock her. "Puppet's a little put out because she's forgotten the teachings of her youth. Really, she's got no one to blame but herself." The dark chuckle seemed to echo, eliciting another discontented growl from the Maned female. Alya remained smug though, trotting over to sit next to Vee. Now there was a match if Iri ever saw one: an alpha unfit for the desert taking orders from an alphess who no longer lived.
His pale ears cocked back against his head as the Beta gave him an intentionally harsh glare. The Alpha (whom didn't act much like an Alpha these days) took a step back, but hesitantly approached the maned fae again, sitting a few feet away from her. His eyes focused on the plants at her paws, meeting to her face as she mouthed the words of her memory. He didn't understand, but questioning may not be a good idea to ask a femme who was not in the happiest moods. Then again, who was? For a moment, Vee glanced around the cavern again... It felt so cold and empty, where was everyone? However, he could understand that his pack wasn't fit enough to run with a lousy Alpha like himself. They probably ran off to find a better, more functional pack to join.
After his brief scan, his eyes locked back on Irirangi's narrow snout as she spoke again. He flicked an insect from his ear, wrapping his brain around the words she spoke and replying with sorrow in his slurred tone. "That isn't true, you--" The voice of Alya cut him off, for a second he forgot about the ghost ever being around here; despite living in the lands for over two years. The albino brute sighed as Alya's words registered in his head, glancing off in the direction Irirangi glared past, but seeing nothing but the dust particles hovering in the cavern.
"Some things are forgotten, while others remain forever. I want to forget most events in my life, but I cannot. If you're patient, the memories will return..." Vee wasn't here to lecture, or dread about the past. He had only one wolf who ever gave him advice, the same words flickered in his memory as the image of the old albino he grew up with mirrored his vision. Vee was a replica of that wolf, he wished that wise male was his father... Perhaps he was. That is what he wanted to believe anyway. Red orbs solely watched the tall female stride and sit down next to him. This pack was his true and only family he ever really had. He had to grow out of this self loathing and care for the pack. "Have you seen my son?"
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