Further on up the Road [Open]

[Deleted]

Her guiding star was lowering itself less than gracefully beyond the horizon. How long had it been since she had seen the lands of Shyia? Surely it had been an eternity at least, the ivory canine found it difficult to believe otherwise. The small trip that she had planned transformed into some sort of crazed adventure that she had not wished to take. The shaman felt consumed with worry about Toiro and their pups that she had left behind. If only she could have foreseen the disasters that had lay before her; if only she had chosen to stay back. There had been no desperate need for her to part ways with Airila to go on such a failing quest. Had she stayed, she could have proven substantially more useful; Alas! the femme knew that dwelling upon the past would do nothing to change it. At least she was back safely, the familiar scents of her family caressing exhausted senses. Emerald optics floated along the ground in an attempt to locate any of those close to her heart. They had not forgotten about her, right? Nor fallen dreadfully ill? Shaking her pale crania lightly, the lithe creature forced such thoughts from her existence. Everything and everyone within Shyia would be just as they were before. Nothing could have changed so drastically that the once loved Arctic femme would be shunned - well, that is what Aludra tried to convince herself.

Shivers raced up her spinal column, causing the female to halt her pace for a moment; yet, she would not rest for long. Time was of the essence now, her family could not possibly wait forever. If she did not return soon, then maybe she would just become a distant memory. Water began to fill her vibrant eyes, memories flashing through her brain faster than she could process them. 'Does he even remember...' the small female wondered about Toiro as their initial meeting passed through her. She could almost feel the sand beneath her paws as she awaited to meet her future lover. In those days she had been nearly silent, horrified with the thoughts of letting these wolves in to her heart. Fear had always consumed the Arctic wolf; yet, she had somehow managed to find a way to overcome it every time - even when she had thought it impossible. A year ago the female would never have believed this to be her future. A slight smile twitched across her lips, this world could be so crazy. It was full of wondrous mystery and pain all in one disturbing place. Flickering her eyes upward, the female caught a glimpse of the first stars of the night. Their winking gaze filled the lone one's soul with warmth, at last she was back where she belonged.

While her heart thumped wildly within her chest, the female forced herself onward until the trees dwindled off. Still she caught sight of no one, not a single canine had crossed her path. As the terror swelled in her lungs, the female nearly turned back. If something had happened it may be better if she never saw the destruction. Something wouldn't allow such foolish behavior to take control, a driving force grounded the creature to the soil beneath her. Muzzle lifted to become the highest point on the femme's slight body, and from it a majestic sound departed. It was a song that her love knew quite well, something she sung for him. Although the sound was lovely, there was a hint of loneliness behind it. An overwhelming sense of urgency and pain, the female knew she had likely worried everyone sick. In truth, the sight of her was not going to be of much reassurance to any of those within Shyia that set eyes upon her. The already petite canine had lost a substantial amount of weight for she had never been a skilled hunter. Really, it was still a miracle that she had lived long enough to make it to Shyia in the first place. At least her coat still glittered with silver as the drops of light hit it, it brought life back into her fragile silhouette.

After lightly shifting her weight for several minutes, Aludra opted to recline to her haunches. At least then she could not buckle herself until all consciousness was lost. Maybe if she did fall lifelessly to the ground for a few moments Toiro would be there when her eyelids flickered open. As dreamy as the concept sounded, she knew that was far too risky of a route. Should no one come to her call she would need to press onward in order to investigate. She made a promise to always be there for not only the Alpha and their pups, but to Airila as well. They were her family and would hold her undying loyalty. Audits swiveling eagerly, the femme began to whine softly. The feeling of loneliness was creeping over her, she had never felt so lonely - not here.

Yet, the female needed to push the doubt from her mind. 'I am only exhausted, things aren't nearly as strange as they may seem.' Oh how she hoped that was the truth.

Ooc| I feel like this sucks. ><

[Toiro]

As Toiro sat by himself on the large rock which he and his mate had discovered seasons ago, he couldn’t help but feel a little lonely. He missed Aludra terribly; hopefully she would be back from her herb-gathering mission soon, or he felt as if he might die of heartache. He never stopped thinking about her, yearning for the feel of her fur against his. A soft sigh escaped him as he raised his steel grey gaze towards the evening sky, picking out a few of the glimmering lights from the darkness. Was she, wherever she was, looking at those same stars…? Some wolves felt that that thought made them feel closer to their absent loved ones, but for him, it just made the feeling of separation worse. All he knew was that she wasn’t there beside him; she was out somewhere in the loner lands, not resting safe in the territory the Airila pack had claimed as theirs.

But then suddenly a beautiful melodic call broke the quietness of dusk. The large grey male instantly recognised it as Aludra’s song, but his eager happiness at her unexpected arrival was soon quelled by the tone of pain and sadness in her voice. Toiro’s heart lurched in his chest as he leaped to his paws and began sprinting down through the forest towards his lover. It was heart-wrenching to think about what could possibly have elicited such a lost and lonely howl from the lovely femme. What could have happened to her to make her feel so distraught? Had her herb-gathering mission somehow gone terribly wrong? If anyone had hurt her – anyone at all – he would hunt them down and…

There she was. Aludra, the shaman of Airila, the mother of their four adorable pups. She was home at last, sitting right there in front of him! The male’s grey eyes devoured the form of the wolf who had been separated from him for so long (save for her image in his dreams and memories). He noticed that she appeared rather skinny and malnourished – and immediately resolved to catch her something to eat as soon as possible – but apart from that, the white she wolf thankfully didn’t appear to be injured.

Still, it had been foolish of him to let her go out of the territory all alone; next time she needed to find herbs outside their borders he would send at least a wolf or two to keep her company and to help her get enough food. Maybe Toiro was being a little overprotective of his mate, but he felt that it was deserved, especially when she returned from her journey looking like this. He would do anything to make sure she was safe and happy.

“Aludra…” His voice almost broke as he spoke that word which held so much meaning to him. Gently the large alpha approached, burying his nose in the fur around her neck in order to drink in her soft sweet scent. She was really home… Finally able to accept that this was the truth and that she was not merely an apparition brought on by his intense longing for her, Toiro’s tail began wagging and as he drew back to look into her beautiful emerald eyes a smile broke out on his maw. “My love.”



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[Deleted]

The shaman had greatly missed her family, even though she had not been gone for too long. It was strange how she had went from barely surviving on her own, expecting to never have a family, to having a pack that she would gladly give her life for. Although Toiro and their pups held tightly to her heart, the other members of Airila were of equal importance to her. Without all of them she would not have become this strong. Time certainly flew by and Aludra could almost sense that one day she would be upon her death bed thinking the exact same thing. That was likely not anytime in the near future; yet, she was a reflective creature, often thinking back upon her life. The pack she was born into seemed to be from another eternity, even inside of her skull it was nearly impossible to believe that she was the same fragile femme as before. Life was such a beautiful mystery.

Emerald optics darted across the horizon line, her heart thudding with excitement at the hope to see a wolf that she knew. 'Will it be one of our pups? My dearest Toiro?' but the same old panic still existed, even when she tried not to entertain it. Something bad could have happened to all of them, something terrible - even if she had been here, her lack of strength could not have saved them. Shaking her delicate frame slightly in an attempt to shed the panic, the femme waited as patiently as possible. Only time would tell, it revealed all things to those that could maintain their composure and learn how precious patience could be. Behind her rump, the female's tail wiggled slightly; it was a mixture between excitement and nervousness. 'Calm yourself, silly one. Your family will be here, just as they have been.' A light smile tickled at her maw at the mere thought. Despite her doubts, she knew that they would be here.

And there he was, the brute whom she had so willingly given her heart was fast approaching. The beating of her tail instantly escalated as the femme felt a surge of energy embrace her. Lack of food had been cruel to her; yet, that did not stop the power of love for the Alpha. It seemed to take him ages to approach her, but Aludra knew it would be wise for her to remain where she was. After all, over exerting herself would lead to nothing more than the inability to perform essential tasks not only as a medic and useful pack member, but a mother as well. They had four little ones to care for, even though they were hardly little anymore. Inside of her mind and heart they would always be the little pups that were suckling her; she knew from the moment her eyes first settled upon them, that she would walk through the cold embers of hell for them. Hopefully, her offspring had knowledge of their parents' endless love for them.

Ears swiveled as the voice of Toiro soothed them, how she had longed for it. Eternities could not separate her from the sensation of bliss when this brute was around. "My darling, Toiro," she whispered to the brute as she returned the compassionate nuzzle. At last the Arctic canine felt complete again, back where she had always belonged. "I am so sorry my love, I never expected to be gone for so long." Plans had been changed without Aludra's willingness during her travels and now a feeling of slight betrayal had etched it's way into her being. The femme never wanted to cause anyone trouble, but felt like she had. Perhaps when she had requested to join Airila her insecurities had been cleverly disguised, whereas now they were likely not. "I hope I did not worry you and the others - has all been well?" her voice had swelled with concern, not only for the large brute before her.

After the words had forced themselves from her lungs, she found her face once more buried into his neck. His scent filled this place; however, nothing made her feel quite as safe as when he was pressed against her. Pulling away slightly, her tongue caressed his neck and cheek fondly; it was the only way she could express her true happiness at them being reunited.

[Toiro]

Toiro stood drinking in the sight of his beloved Aludra, like an addict determined to get drunk on the giddy joy of their reunion. It was just so good to see her again, to see her beautiful familiar face gazing at him with those gorgeous emerald green eyes. “You are forgiven, my dear. I am merely happy that you returned safe and sound, although you do look as though you need some rest.” He understood that she would never have delayed returning to them on purpose; something must have kept her away, and he was content to wait to find out what that was once she had settled back into the pack and was ready to share the story of her journey.

“Everything’s been fine here in Shyia. Boringly peaceful, in fact.” Toiro joked, grey eyes sparkling. “Although a few of the newer wolves have left the pack – Amyntas, Averice, and Ophelia – we have also aquired a couple of new members in your absence so our numbers are stable enough. And our pups seem to be getting bigger every day.” The grey male smiled fondly at his mate, really very happy to have her home at last. Now his world was perfect once more, and he could relax knowing that his family was safe.

Aludra’s lover had been a little concerned about the slight tone of worry in her voice, but when she again buried her head into the fluffy fur around his neck, he decided that she was fine, probably just a little exhausted from her travels. There really was no need to worry, especially since the two wolves were back together again. And now that she was home, Toiro felt confident that they could get through any challenge life presented them with.

Aludra then removed her muzzle from his fur, though he was relieved that she didn’t move away entirely. Shivers passed down through the alpha’s body as the beautiful white she wolf licked his cheek and neck, reminding him of the wonderful time the pair had spent up in the mountains the day they had conceived Jadir, Swan, Kujo and Xerxes. The male momentarily felt the instinctual urge to show his love for her again, but knew that Aludra definitely needed to recover a good deal before that could happen, so shoved the feelings down. Still, her weak condition didn’t mean that he couldn’t love her in other ways, and he certainly intended for her to know that none of his feelings for her had dulled during their separation; if anything, they had grown.

After a long moment of allowing himself to be caressed by her gentle tongue strokes, Toiro finally pulled away. “Come... Let’s get you back to the dens so that you can see the others for yourself. They will be over the moon to know that you’ve returned.” Toiro had no doubt that the rest of the pack would welcome her back just as warmly as he had – except for the members she hadn’t met yet of course – and their pups would be especially excited to be reunited with their mother. The large grey wolf moved to Aludra’s side in order to offer support for her, as he was worried about how she would handle the steep rocky climb up to the dens in Lerelm when she looked so thin and fragile. The loving male was determined to get her all the way home safely, even if that meant he had to carry her part of the way (though he was hoping she was strong enough that it wouldn’t have to come to that). At least their path through the Xayar forest should be easy going, so for now Toiro could simply enjoy the company of the wolfess he loved.



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