Innocence

[Angel]

Angel sniffed curiously at the scent mark. Her heart skipped for joy as she recognised the smell. Wolves! Her little white tail wind-milled happily behind her, her whole body swinging from side to side. She stopped, confused, as her nose picked up another scent. More wolves?

Angel planted her rump on the ground and cocked her head to the side. They were different wolves, no doubt about it. One smelt of the forest and swampland, while the other smelt more like grasslands, only without the grass. She grinned cheerfully and her tail began to thump on the ground. It didn’t matter that there were two different packs. That was a good thing! The more wolves there were, the better.

She hadn’t seen another wolf in such a long time. She barely even remembered what they looked like. Angel didn’t get lonely, but it would be good to have someone of her own species to talk to. She had made friends with a young deer she’d caught but it had run off when she'd let go of it. A crow had provided suitable companionship until she realised that it was only after her food. One day, she’d kindly offered an injured fox some of the rabbit she’d caught, and he’d taken off with the whole carcass. Angel had giggled happily as he ran away. She didn’t mind at all, and thought it hilarious, despite the fact that she was barely more than skin and bone.

Angel swished her tail delightedly at the memories, making a flat patch in the long grass. The breeze picked up, playing joyfully with her long white fur and making the lake ripple as if it were alive. Angel let out an excited yip as she darted off after a leaf that was being blown across the ground.

She pounced clumsily and landed with a splash in the water, missing the leaf by a mile. She burst into a fit of laughter and batted at the water with her paw, watching as the droplets arced out over the surface of the lake. Angel ducked her head under the surface, snapping playfully at a curious fish. As the frightened fish zoomed away, she blew bubbles after it, delighted by the way they vanished when they reached the surface. She pulled her head out of the water and looked around as if searching for them, yipping in confusion when they were nowhere to be found.

To a bystander, she would look just like a pup, despite her two years. Her behaviour was that of a very un-adult-like wolf.
Angel grinned and dived back into the water.

[Deleted]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/aoxtll.jpg,true] Meridian happily bounced along the border, one eye fixated on her dragonfly friend while the other was searched for any signs of wolves. She wasn't exactly on border patrol; the little pup was still much to young to fully understand what such a grown up task was. The little bundle of white fluff was looking for her new friend Terror. The last time she'd run into the vicious, older pup had been when she had crossed into another territory. Having been encouraged to seek him out again (thanks to a certain, invisible insect), she had found herself poke around Salen's outer limits. This time, however, she was much farther south than where she'd first crossed the border. The Drarynough rippled quietly in the background, a gentle lullaby during her daunting quest. Meridian would have continued to follow the dragonfly's lead, chasing after it without a care in the world. The sounds of splashing, however, drew her attention from it's lithe form. Averting her gaze from the delusion, she turned just in time to see an older white wolf dunking her head in the water. The puppy giggled, forgetting her delusion for a moment as she watched the other wolf play. When finally the stranger broke the surface, the Tundra-Mack. Valley mix bounded closer, little tail wagging in excitement. "Hiya!" she chirped, stopping only when she was a few inches from the female's side. "Whatcha doin'? Dat's not how ya swim!" Her soft giggles filled the air as she looked up at the stranger with wide, curious eyes. A happy grin was on her face, and around her the dragonfly that only she could see fluttered happily as it too took interest in this strange, childish creature that had trespassed on their lands.

[Angel]

Angel surfaced to find a pup bouncing happily in front of her nose. “Hiya!” the little she-wolf chirped “Whatcha doin’? That’s not how ya swim!”
Angel could stop herself from giggling as she splashed the cheeky stranger. She was glad that this wolf was so friendly and curious. She didn’t know what she would’ve done if the first wolf she’d met had been threatening and dangerous. She paused, confused. There was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind, something she knew she ought to remember. It was something important…

Angel grinned and ignored it. She bounded out of the water and up the grassy bank, tripping over her own paws in her excitement before she finally made it to the top. “Who are you?” she asked as she crouched in the long grass, sweeping her tail from side to side like a cat. She opened her mouth again, sucked in a deep breath, and launched into a torrent of words.

“My name’s Angel. My parents were called Koia and Marrus. Have you heard of them? No, of course you haven’t, silly me. I’m new to this island. What’s it called? Does the island have a name? You’re the first wolf I’ve met here. I smelt your scent over by the border. Which pack are you from? How old are you? I think I’m two now…”
She trailed off, wondering whether that was right. If it was, that meant that she was an adult wolf. Angel jumped happily to her feet at this realisation then darted off towards the trees. She glanced back over her shoulder, inviting the other wolf to a game of chase. Chase was fun. She wondered briefly whether the pup would be able to keep up, both physically and mentally. Her brothers had always teased her about her short attention span; it was a pity that they had left her when they were so young.

Of course, Angel couldn’t know that it was her who had made them leave: Chais, because he was afraid, and Jerboa, because she’d killed him.

((OOC: Worst post ever. I’m so sorry))

[Deleted]

ooc: -pats Jay- it wasn't an awful post. xD and your posts'll get better the more used to playing Angel you become.

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/aoxtll.jpg,true] The pup's tail wagged happily, a large grin on her face as she giggled. The stranger had just splashed her playfully. Considering playing in the murky waters of the Drarynough was one of her favorite pastimes, Meridian couldn't help but be amused. Her fur fluffed as she shook away the unexpected droplets, her laughter ringing out as she followed the other white wolf up the shore. When the trespasser laid down, the child took it upon herself to better investigate this wolf. Her dragonfly friend lead her in a bouncy, oblong circle as she trotted around who she now knew to be known as Angel, inspecting every part of the other female from a short distance. Words buzzed around her head, a few of which she did not recognize. There were too many questions for her young brain to process. Instead of answering them, her own introduction was a string of words just as cheerful as Angel's. Stopping in front of the stranger, she stood with impish pride as she puffed out her chest and grinned like a fool. Her delusion rested prettily on top of her head. "M'names Meridian and I'm fwee, no... four monfs old and dees are Papa's lands and... HEY! Where ya goin'?" Still developing, she hadn't quite mastered how to pronounce her "th" sounds yet. That didn't stop her from trying though. And when the other wolf had risen mid-sentence and bounded off, she'd only grown confused and more curious. Seconds later her invisible dragonfly was chasing after Angel, which meant only one thing. Meridian was going to follow. "Wade up!" she called out, panting slightly as she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Several times she tripped over her large paws and stumbled. Each time, however, she only resolved to run faster. At last she'd managed to catch up to her delusion and her new friend. Well, she more so ran into her new friend. Misjudging her own speed, Meridian ran right into the back of Angel. With an "oof!" she tumbled, landing upside-down at the base of a large tree, a stream of giggles tumbling from between her jaws. The dragonfly fluttered around Angel's head, its rapid movements an expression of his own amusement. Happily the pup yipped out, "Caught ya!"

[Angel]

Angel leaped through the trees, joy curving her lips into a smile. It was fun to run. She loved how everything raced past in a blur, giving her that sense of freedom. Her paws stretched out in front of her, then came back close to her body, repeating the constant rhythm as she ran happily through the woods; a carefree pup once again.

Speaking of pups, where was that little white one she’d just met? Angel turned her head to look for Meridian. Big mistake. Pain lanced through her body as she crashed straight into a large tree. Dazed, she was only dimly aware of the second bump that announced Meridian’s arrival.

“Stupid tree!” she cursed under her breath. She could feel the anger inside her struggling to break free. Anger, pain and embarrassment all fought inside her, yearning for freedom.

But the pup… she was giggling. She was slowing Angel’s angry thoughts with her contagious laughter. It was almost impossible to be in a bad mood; Angel felt a smile begin at the corners of her mouth. “Caught ya!” Meridian’s cheerfully innocent words buried the last of the unwanted emotions, squashing them down until there was nothing but happiness left.

Angel shook her head in mock despair, ignoring the aching bruise on her flank. “Ah, fine, you got me...” Her ears drooped and her tail fell lifelessly to the ground, paws scuffling the leaf litter as if she was embarrassed.

Angel’s eyes suddenly brightened and she grinned, as if she'd suddenly remembered something. “Now it’s my turn!”
She swiped at the pup playfully, aiming the blow so that it missed by a whisker. Bouncing onto her feet, she winced slightly but quickly covered up her pain with a wide smile.

“Are you gonna run, or are you gonna make it easy for me?” she half-taunted, lunging forwards as if she was going to strike.

Angel was only aware of the white shape in front of her. Nothing else mattered. This was the first wolf she’d seen in a long time; she wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to play.

[akela]

The pups were at the age where they could start exploring and didn't need their parents around all the time; but Akela's past had made her suspicious and rather paranoid and pessimistic; she was overly cautious, always believing that the worse could happen and because of this fear she had she always felt it best to keep an eye on the pups. Even though the knaves were gone and could do no more harm; until they were fully grown they were vulnerable and Salen had become a family to Akela and she couldn't bare to loose any of them. Her parents were gone and her siblings; if they were still alive were somewhere out there far away. Her original family was gone and it was painful; but Exodus and the kind Mikko had rescued her from that loneliness and given her protection and the only way she could repay that kindness was to protect Salen's future.

She wasn't certain where Róvanfaer or Kodiak Black was and she hoped that they were with one of their parents or that one of the other pack members were keeping an eye on them but she had managed to pick up the fresh scent of Meridian. Meridian had a certain knack for finding trouble; she was a quiet wolf and Akela often worried about her. Something about the young wolf reminded her of herself. After her parents were murdered she had been so quiet and had tried to act all grown up and Meridian was very mature for her age. And after the pup had crossed borders to another pack she often worried about the pups curiosity and where it could lead her.

Following her scent she sighed as she realised how close to the border Meridian had been; but as the scent grew closer she started to catch the scent of another; someone not from her pack. Panic began to flood her and she picked up the pace, if there was an intruder here then the young pup could be in danger and she couldn't allow anything to happen to her. What would Exodus and Denali think if something happened to Meridian which she could have prevented? Starting to pick her pace up into a run she soon spotted the stranger wolf and anger soon masked her fear as she saw the wolf about to lunge at the innocent pup. A snarl escaped her lips and she ran at the wolf, teeth bared as she went to tackle the wolf and protect the young pup. The intruder would not lay a paw on Meridian, she would make sure of that.

[/size]

[Deleted]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/aoxtll.jpg,true] Meridian only giggled more at the Tundra's mock embarrassment. Her little tail wagged happily behind her as she righted herself, crouching low to prepare for another attack. She wasn't going to let Angel get the upper paw if she could help it. A determined little pup, she was going to win this play-fight at all costs. Wouldn't it just be grand to tell her brothers' that she'd managed to beat an adult? She bet neither of them could say the same. But alas, the tables were turned anyway; Angel went on the offensive. The pup leapt back nimbly, dodging the playful swipe with some grace. Her soft laughter was nearly ceaseless throughout the entire ordeal. She was having a great deal of fun. When Angel went to lung, however, Meridian was briefly distracted by her dragonfly friend. The imagined creature was fluttering around her head annoyingly, trying to get her attention. Before the little female had a chance to see what it wanted, another figure burst onto the scene. Ducking as the larger female leapt in front of her, she found herself indignant. They had only been playing. That was no reason for her pack-mate to get so angry. Rising to her paws, Meridian glared up at the familiar face, a sour pout on her maw. "Akeeeeeeeelaaa!" she whined, dragging out the female's name. "You're no fun!"

[Angel]

Angel was lunging for Meridian’s legs, aiming to trip the her new friend up, when a powerful blow knocked her right off her paws. “What the…” She didn’t get to complete the sentence before she crashed heavily into the base of a tree, a protruding root sending agonising pain through her body as she landed on her already bruised flank.

Angel was hardly aware of the petrified screech that erupted from her maw, frightening away a bird in the branches of a nearby tree. She was hardly aware of her attacker scrabbling away from her body, freeing her of the weight that had been preventing her from breathing. She was hardly aware of Meridian’s protesting whine as the pup assaulted the older wolf with an angry glare.
All Angel could feel was pain and confusion. It was overwhelming her, struggling to get free again. She couldn’t stop it. This time it was too much. Too much pain…
Angel lost control.

~~~

She rolled into a crouch, ears flattened against her head, staring wide-eyed up at her attacker. She didn’t know what was going on. Two strange wolves stood opposite her, one bristling with aggression, the other looking indignant. Should she know who they were? Were they her sisters? Were they enemies? Thoughts rushed past in a blur, confusing her baffled mind further.

And the pain; it was terrible. Her bruise throbbed and she could see a stream of red liquid weaving a path down through her dirty white fur. It would have been a blessing to die right then. The pain was killing her. Exaggerated, like all her other emotions, it paralysed her body with fear. Only her eyes moved, flicking from shadow to shadow, trying to determine whether there were any other threats nearby.
Everything suddenly seemed so dark and mysterious; she was positive that something was going to leap out of the shadows and viciously murder her. She shook her head frantically in denial, trying to focus on something else.

A strong breeze ruffled her fur and sent leaves scattering everywhere; the normally pleasant sound of wind whistling through the treetops was igniting her fear of falling branches. Her body seemed to move of its own accord, scuttling away from the tree she’d crashed into, darting around the small clearing, hopelessly looking for somewhere safe.

The mist seemed to creep in from all around her, spooking her with thoughts of suffocation in the thick substance, running blindly through the trees, falling into unseen holes and drowning in hungry bogs.

Angel startled at the hoot of an owl, unleashing a short unearthly howl, much louder than the first. It seemed to echo in the quiet woods, reminding her of the malevolent spirits that her brother used to tell horror stories about.

She rushed in a mad panic across the clearing towards the wolves; remembering just before she reached them, that they had been the initial cause of her fright. She tried to turn and run, but she couldn’t. Her feet seemed glued to the ground. No matter how hard she tried, they wouldn’t move.

Tiredness was washing over her, sweeping her along in the growing current. One of her eyes drooped shut, despite her best efforts. “Please don’t kill me” she murmured as she swiped feebly at the wolf in front of her. Angel collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

[akela]

The stranger wolf was surprisingly easy to knock over and she felt her weight overwhelm the older wolf and she watched as the wolf crashed into the base of a nearby tree, crying as she did so. Unsure as to whether or not the wolf would get up and fight back she kept her teeth bared putting on the scariest face she could to make the stranger wolf believe she was any sort of threat. She wasn't any good at fighting; she had a scar on her shoulder to prove it but if this wolf thought she was a good fighter then perhaps they would run off and leave Salen.

The protest from the young Meridian didn't calm her down; if anything it only made her more angry and frustrated. Was this pup so naive that she would put herself in danger like this? What was fun about almost being killed? "I'm trying to protect you Meridian, there's no fun in getting hurt." Turning her head to the young wolf she poked her lightly with her nose; hoping that the affectionate gesture would make Meridian realise that she was only looking out for her and that she cared for her safety. Meridian was still so young and knew very little of the real world and the dangers it held; she had come so close to being hurt and didn't even seem to realise it. Perhaps it would be best to talk to Exodus about this incident; he needed to know and maybe he would be able to teach the young pup about the dangers of intruders.

Looking at the stranger wolf she perked her ears up; the wolf hadn't moved so Akela decided that she must have lost consciousness and if that were the case then Exodus could deal with her. "Come on, lets go home." Nudging Meridian with her nose she started to head towards the mines; hoping that Exodus would be there, and if not she would simply call for him and let him know where the intruder was. A howl distracted her from her path and she turned to see the intruder awake, as she ran towards her Akela stepped in front of Meridian; protecting her from any harm that this wolf may cause. But the wolf soon stopped; begging not to be killed before collapsing at her feet. Growling she considered ignoring what the wolf had asked and removing the threat all together; but she knew she wasn't like that, but what should she do? Lifting her voice to a howl she called for Exodus knowing that he would have to knowledge and experience to deal with this. "Exodus, an intruder tried to attack Meridian, they are unconscious now, I don't know what to do; please meet me besides the lake."

[/size]

[flea]

The Drarynough sounded like dreary. Well, it was a dreary, creepy place for anyone to visit. Growing up in Acerbus, Flea had been accustomed to the ominous areas; she feared nothing in particular. Her only fear was to lose the love of Exodus, her father figure and the one she truly had respect for. As of late, actually ever since Akela joined the pack Flea felt like a shadow. She wasn't a pup anymore, Aleka had filled the void of Exodus's love for children. And recently, he had children of his own. Flea no longer existed in the pack, she rarely showed her face around the other wolves in Acerbus. She was only a shadow, being dreary in Drarynough.

Her creamy white pelt contrasted against the dark greens and grays of the forest. Flea blended with the fog however, and her monochromatic eyes of brown and green joined with the colors around her. Flea had been alone ever since the new arrivals have showed their faces into this world, voice of Exodus never called for her. It was true, she had come to the conclusion that she was no longer wanted in the Salen pack, and since that was the reason... Why was she still here?

A vague, yet familiar voice carried in the forest. It was Akela, howling to her adoptive father figure Exodus. That father stealer, Flea had always been bitter towards the other white yearling. Flea only saw the pups once since they had been born, and she knew right off the bat that they were also her replacements. Flea was the baby, she was the loved one in Exoduses eyes. She hated Denali for ever conceiving his children and birthing them... Why was this happening to her? Flea knew Exodus would come as soon as he heard the news of his beloved child being attacked by another wolf who trespassed onto the territory... But she didn't know what to do.

Flea emerged from the brush, multicolored orbs glaring daggers at Akela as her lips formed into a snarl. She spied the fallen white wolf, and the white pup as well. It was a freakin' white wolf fest! Go back to the arctic areas of which you belong in! She screamed internally. She was supposed to be the only white baby in Salen! "Akela..." Flea growled in a lowly tone, charcoal claws digging into the soil beneath her. Flea wasn't going to attack, she hated violence, but she also felt so much hatred and betrayal... Her heart was growing heavier every moment she stared at Akela and Meridian. She couldn't do this anymore.

She was nearly an adult now, not a cute little puppy and therefore she was useless to the Salen pack. "Tell Exodus... Goodbye." Was all the femme said. She backed away back into the bushes, her fierce and angry expression fading into a sorrow, regretful one. But she had to do it, the solitary life was best for her. Heck, she might as well go back home where she originally came from. Flea would ignore all words said behind her back, like 'Where are you going?' and "Why are you leaving?' Flea didn't want to answer, she didn't have the answer. She just wanted to be gone, she had been replaced and there was nothing else that could be done.

[silver]

The howl went up. The second it registered in the wolf’s ears, silver optics went wide with fear. Seconds later, they narrowed to slits flashing with a furious anger. Exodus’ black lip curled back over his gums in a vicious snarl. Seconds after hearing the howl, the black beast took off at a canter. With grace and ease for his large form, Exodus sailed over fallen logs, splashed through murky puddles, tore through the undergrowth and bushes. Nothing would stop him at this point. Thankfully the Alpha had been out and about making things were in a fine order. In mere minutes, Exodus swooped out of the trees and came to a sliding halt in a small clearing. His eyes zeroed immediately on the stranger. Giving a deep throated growl, Exodus paced toward the she wolf with his intimidating slow and powerful gait.

With his head bent low and his eyes piercing through the mists, Exodus’ threat worked little on an unconscious being. Coming to a stop above the wolf, the Alpha glared down at her form and nudged her roughly. Angel did not stir. Exodus growled and stepped over her without care. “What happened here, Akela?” His eyes were not looking at her. Instead, the silver orbs sought out his lone female daughter. Coming to a stop above her, Exodus gave her a lick on the head and sniffed. He smelled no blood nor did he see any. She seemed to be fine.

Heaving a mighty sight, Exodus turned around to peer at the intruder to see if they had gotten to their feet yet. Frowning and seeing no movement, his attention went back to Meriden once more. “Where you out here all alone,” Exodus asked angrily with a stern gaze. Sniffing at the air, the brute caught the scent of Flea. “Akela, were you and Flea watching Meriden?” Things were not piecing together. Akela and Meriden were present, Flea was not. There was an unconscious female intruder laying on the ground. So… What exactly had happened?

[Deleted]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/aoxtll.jpg,true] An annoyed, childish snarl rumbled in her throat as Angel fell unconscious. They had only been playing. Why did Akela have to go and hurt her new friend? The answer only made her snort. Defiantly she batted her paw at the nose of the full-blooded Mack.Valley. Behind her the dragonfly rested upon the limp form of the fallen Tundra. Meridian could only glare as she was nudged a second time. She refused to move at the insistence they return to the dens, her feet planted firmly on the ground. For good measure, she held her head high and raised her tail straight up in the air. It was a posture she'd watched her father hold many times, a signal of dominance. As the alpha's daughter, she wasn't about to let some lowly pack-mate push her around. Age didn't matter. The pup had decided she was the boss, and at her delusion's urging she held her ground. Well, she did until Flea walked onto the scene. Meridian was baffled by the sudden appearance and swift departure. Her puppy eyes blinked as her dragonfly wizzed passed, chasing after the oldest pup of the bunch. She would have followed after Flea too had Akela not still be blocking her path. Growling again in frustration, she barked out after the retreating form, "Papa's gonna be mad!" Speaking of Papa, Exodus's gruff voice signaled his presence. The pup's mood lit up immediately as she bounded towards him, forgetting her wandering delusion for a moment. She had more important matters to attend to right now, like getting Akela in trouble. "Papa! Papa!" she chirped out, snuggling into his chest affectionately as he licked her on the head. Situating herself between his front legs, she stuck her tongue out at Akela before butting into the conversation, making her two-cents known before anyone else had a chance to speak. "Stupid Akela hurded m'new fwend! Me an' Angel was juz' playin'!" Chuckling softly, the nonexistent dragonfly settled itself back upon the unconscious one's body to sit and watch, amused.

[Angel]

Angel swiped a paw at Nalèv, giggling as the blow knocked him onto his back and into an especially muddy patch of ground.

He growled irritably at his sister, stalking forwards in preparation for his own strike. Angel laughed loudly as Nalèv pounced on her, pinning her to the ground with his front paws.
“You think that was funny? Don’t you mess with me, sis. I know a thing or two about fighting” His voice was an angry hiss as he leant down and opened his jaws to nip at her neck.

Before his puppy teeth could bite into her flesh, his weight was thrown off her and Koia was standing protectively over her little pup. Angel swiped at Koia’s front leg grumpily, still thinking that it had been a play fight. “Why did you have to interrupt our game, mama?” she whined. Koia turned to Angel and nudged her gently “I’m trying to protect you, darling. There’s no fun in getting hurt” She began walking up the hill towards the dens. “Come on, let’s go home”.

Angel yipped in fright as her mother’s image burst into a cloud of thick black smoke which filled up her vision until she found herself in another strangely familiar dream...

A long howl pierced through the darkness of the night, awakening Angel from her peaceful slumber.
“Olixer, an intruder tried to attack Avelyn, they have deep wounds and are unconscious, I don’t know what to do. Please meet me by the border of the Great Snow Lake.”
Balasi’s howl finally came to a stop.

Angel staggered out of the den, curious about the strange new wolf. She sniffed the air, easily locating Avelyn and the others. Racing down the path, she briefly wondered why she hadn’t picked up the smell of blood. When she reached the clearing, it became obvious. There was no intruder. Avelyn and Balasi stood calmly side by side, waiting for their alpha to arrive. Angel steeped into the moonlight, confused.

Avelyn’s eyes widened in recognition and she let out a little yelp of fear before she got her voice under control. “Oh, it’s you, Angel” she snarled, annoyed at seeing her there. “I hope you’re happy about Vahda’s death”
Avelyn turned away and began stalking away towards the treacherous snow fields.
“You can’t go there!” Angel cried, frightened for her pack-mate’s safety “It’s dangerous; you might die!”
Avelyn glanced over her shoulder at the little pup and narrowed her eyes “Better out there than in this dump. I’d rather die of the cold than get murdered by a freak. Come on, Balasi… We’re leaving”

Balasi smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, Angel. I know it’s not your fault, but this being in this pack is too dangerous for us” She frowned sympathetically “Tell Olixer… Goodbye”

She turned to catch up with the other she-wolf and Angel was left alone, sitting by herself under the snow-covered trees.
Her vision faded once again...

“What happened here, Koia?”
This time, Angel was in the shadows, watching her mother and father talking to Olixer, the alpha.

A fourth body lay to the side, brutally slashed and lying crumpled on a large blood-covered stone. Angel recognised the features of Vahda Vin, Avelyn’s former mate, and realised that these events had happened before the last ones.

Olixer’s voice cut through the cold evening air once again, determined to get an answer from Angel’s silent mother. “Was she out here all alone? Koia, why weren’t you and Marrus watching Angel? You know how dangerous she is by herself. If you don’t get control over that monster, I will have to get rid of her. She has caused too many deaths already”
Angel shivered in the shadows, her vision beginning to blur once again...

It was as if a video was being played backwards in fast motion. Her parents and the alpha backed out of the scene and the sun rose back into the sky.
Finally, the world was still again and Angel found herself looking at a fully-healed Vahda and a younger version of herself, sitting together on the rock.

“Your papa’s gonna be mad” Vahda said to Little Angel in a strangely high-pitched and puppyish voice. Little Angel frowned “Papa?! Papa? Papa’s not gonna be mad at me, is he? I don't see why I'm not allowed to go out by myself. Chaise can go wherever he wants. You don't think he will be mad, do you?”[/b] her brow scrunched up and she looked worriedly over to Vahda. He laughed at seeing her comical expression. “It’s not funny!” Little Angel protested, beginning to get annoyed. The brute only laughed harder. “Awe, you’re so cu…”

In a flash, Little Angel was at his throat; ripping the life from him with her tiny, but sharp, teeth. Her claws slashed at his flank, tearing deep gouges that spilled crimson blood. Vahda had hardly any time to fight back, only managing to inflict a tiny wound that was nothing to what she was doing to him.

In a couple of seconds, it was over.
Her cousin lay gasping his last breaths, lying crumpled under Little Angel’s bloodstained paws. A gasp came from behind the real Angel, and she turned to see Olixer staring wide-eyed at his son’s body.

“Stupid Angel; what have you done?” he cried out in disbelief.
Little Angel grinned, greatly pleased with herself. “Oh, nothing, great and mighty alpha” She leapt down from the rock and slunk, like a cat, towards Olixer. “He’s m’new fwend. Me an’ Vahda was juz’ playin’ Do you wanna play too?”

A confident chuckle was the last thing Angel heard before her world went black yet again.[/i]

Back in the real world, Angel lay still as a statue, oblivious to everything going on around her. When she awoke, she would remember nothing of her dreams.

[akela]

Why was Meridian being so foolish by putting herself in danger like that? A growl was all that could come from her lips as the young pup put her paw to the fallen room. She was so shocked by the pup's actions...if the wolf had still been awake she could have gotten seriously hurt. It was as if the young wolf was trying to defy her and not do as she was asked. No matter how many times she had been nudged and urged to leave the pup just stubbornly stood still. She did find the pup's dominant stature rather amusing but she couldn't laugh in case Meridian decided that this meant she had won.

But her attention was soon distracted from the young Meridian when she heard a snarl come from the bushed near to her left and her spirits lifted as she saw Flea. She had always liked Flea and had done all she could to befriend the wolf; but these attempts had sometimes been met with hostility and she had found that recently she had been seeing less and less of Flea. "Flea, it's good to see you." Akela had no idea that Flea hated her and was completely unaware of why Flea was here. She had no idea that Flea felt betrayed by her arrival and the birth of the pups; perhaps if she had Flea's next words could have been prevented. "Flea! Wait" She was leaving? Why? Where would she go? Salen was where Flea belonged... she couldn't just leave.

She stared in disbelief at the bushed area where Flea had said her goodbyes, she wanted to chase after Flea but for some reason her legs weren't moving. Perhaps it was because she had a duty to look after Meridian and stay here till Exodus came. When that happened she hoped Exodus would do all he could to get Flea back; after all he cared for Flea as if she were one of his own so she could only imagine how upset he'd be if he knew Flea was gone. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long and Exodus was soon with them trying to find out what happened. Akela opened her mouth to talk but the young pup ran to her father giving her account of what happened, did the pup really think that would work? There was nothing fun about what she had seen. "I was patrolling the border looking for Meridian when I saw the intruder about to jump at Meridian, I rushed into help and the wolf hit her head and fell unconscious."

She didn't know what exactly to say about Flea but it couldn't be avoided; no matter how much she wanted the event to have never been. "Flea just came and went....she wanted me to tell you goodbye." Her ears went back as she looked at the ground, full of guilt. "I'm sorry I tried to stop her but she just left."

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[silver]

Meriden was the first to speak up. The off white bundle plowed over to her father crying out his name. When she was settled between his front paws, the black wolf peered down at her questioningly. After she had spoken, Exodus heaved a heavy sigh and turned his bright gaze upon Akela. “Well, Akela, is this true?” His voice was more curious than anything. The brute hated to be left out of the know of things. Akela’s words only furthered his misunderstanding of the whole situation. Bringing his brow together in a displeased frown, the black alpha turned to peer at the white wolf lying upon the ground out cold.

Growling to himself, he shook his head; however, Akela went on. Her words did not register at first. Frowning, Exodus asked, “Come again?” But before Akela could explain further, the brute backed away from Meriden. His eyes were cold and hard. “She just… left?” He questioned with a frown. Confusion was etched into his features. “She didn’t come talk to me. She just left.” The edge and hurt in voice no doubt would cause the two females to panic slightly. In all his time of Alpha, Exodus rarely allowed his emotions to show, yet here he was unable to believe what he had been told.

Snarling, Exodus turned his back on the two and stepped forward slightly. “Meriden, back to the den. Find your mother and stay with her as you should be doing.” It was an order. “Akela, sit for a while and see to the other female. When she awakens, send her off. Afterward, finish your patrol.” Exodus’ eyes flashed as he stalked forward, a snarl was upon his lips curling them. A stabbing, searing pain stirred in the alpha’s heart. His lungs were not working properly. Things weren’t cooperating. This hurt almost… almost as much as his past life had. But he could not break down and let the feelings flow freely. He was an alpha. He could not show that other side. Exodus must be strong. Flea’s leaving without saying goodbye stung him hard, but he would have to accept it and move on. There were other important matters to attend to.

Exodus halted all of the sudden and turned around, his eyes gazing at the brush. Lifting his snout, the brute sang out in a pained howl. Should you wish to return, Salen will always be your home. She would hear the message and would know. Flea could return whenever she felt like it. Exodus knew he couldn’t stop her. She was older now. If she wanted to lead a life different than that of a Salen pack member, then so be it.