He was tired. He had told his daughter at the meeting, that he would be leaving the pack. Not that he wanted to, but he wanted to be alone.. Wanted to be free.. He was tired of the depression he kept dragging himself down into. However he hadnt left yet, and.. he didnt quite want to yet. First he wanted to see how Shezaam did, and once he was sure she was safe, he would go.
    
    He looked over at his mate inside the den, and wondered where he had gone wrong. She seemed to be changed.. or humbled by the death of her son. Of course that was a very..humbling experience. He sighed, padding over to her and nosing her.

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Her eyes were red and sour from the lack of sleep. Her nose crusted from never leaving the floor of her den. It could have been old age- but it was more that she had just given up on life itself. What had she done to her family, her kids all hated her. Her pack wanted her dead because of it. And most of all she really missed her son. Why did she not spend more time molding him to be a good pup as a child. Instead she was too busy plotting with the lynx that lived up in the mountains. Damn her life to hell.

She gave a small roll of her eyes as if she was trying to look up at her mate. But the energy she wasted from not eating kept her from doing much more. She was sure to die soon if she didn’t change the way she was acting now. But that was okie with her. She would make up for so many things that had gone wrong.

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He sighed, breathing on her nose, a whine emitted from his throat.
    "Come on now, Twist.. You have to get up. You have to eat something. Else you wont survive the trip when we leave." He said, and he was trying to be compassionate. He did love her after all..  But he was still hurting, and she needed to take care of herself.
    
    "You need to stay alive."

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Her heart welled and her tear ducts tried to cry. They had long dried a few days ago. She only emitted a small whimper and tried to scramble into a sitting position. She then collapsed back onto the ground after a few tries, her ribs giving a large heave from the air that was compressed out of them. “Can’t move…just too weak…” Twist curled herself into a ball turning her back on him. He too would be much better with her dead. He could find a mate that loved him and didn’t try to fill his head with terrible ideas of power and hate. “You should just go.”

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"If I leave you will die." He said, voice stern as if he was talking to a pup. He didnt want to leave her to die, and he wouldnt. His own conscience couldnt do that to her. He would have to be stern, to get through to her.
    
    "Twist. Now. Get up." He said, voice still demanding. He used his muzzle under her chest and began to push up. He could help her if he needed.
    
    "If you can get to the water, I can leave you there to hunt. But Im not leaving you in the darkness any longer."

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Her paws scrambled onto the ground once again trying to support herself. She really did try, just for him. But it really was impossible for her to even hold up a fraction of her own weight. She again collapsed onto his muzzle heaving harder then she did before. “I can’t lift myself up.” She said with the clearest honestly she had even spoken in her long life. She had just let her body go to waste for so long nothing was working the way it should. It was even worse since her pads had gone soft and so ever scramble against the cold rough floor sent them bleeding every place she touched. The pain was beginning to demand more then even she could tolerate.

--------------------------------

He snorted when she fell on his muzzle, and a small frustrated growl was emitted. Damn it all to hell. What was he supposed to do? He knew that the pack had returned from a hunt a few hours before, and had fallen a large deer. There were still remenants, and he knew that he could likely get her a bit. He shook his head with disdain, and left the den.. Gone only a few moments to grab a mouthful of the meat, and return to her.
    
    It hadnt taken long, but he felt like it took forever to get the meat back to her. He dropped it at her muzzle, and his eyes were demanding.
    
    "Eat."
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The meat was an overpowering scent into her weakened nostrils but she couldn’t even tell her body to stop before she had eaten it all. For it seamed starvation was far more over powering then her depression. Almost ravously her mouth salivated asking for more. Oh how good the meal tasted! She had forgotten about such things. The bi-gone days where she could eat first and take enough to fill her belly. Her rough tongue caressed the floor scraping off everything and anything that was left. So much her own tongue bled from the abuse she was giving it.

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He looked at her, and knew she'd need to stand. Bringing water to her would not be possible, though being they had once been the alphas.. they had the best den closest to the stream that ran right through the packlands. He nosed her again, and hoped that the meat had given her a bit more strength. If she stood, she'd be able to get more food as well.. He knew she wouldnt be okay overnight...but he would do what he had to.
    
    "Come on Twist.." His voice softened, though it was only out of love. He still tried to hold the stern tone.
    "C'mon.." He urged.
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Her tongue stopped and she lolled it back into her mouth carefully as she could trying not to damage the additional scraping she had added to it. She again once more pushed her body up onto weakened paws. But this time she stood, everything aching below. This wasn’t going to last very long and she knew she couldn’t hold herself up by herself. Slowly she tipped her body onto Waz’s leaning most of the weight of her starved body onto his. She might be able to make it a few steps this way. Long enough that he could take her too the waters edge- where he assumed he was leading her. She sighed wasn’t that where Alas had told her, her daughter died. Right at that edge. He dry tears welled in her ducts again.

“Quickly…” She whispered out feeling her knees buckling.

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He walked with her, supporting her frail form with his weight. He was a large, strong male and had always been. He wasnt as old as she was, not by far. He was a good year younger and so he was still the older male, but he was in his prime one would say..
    He helped her to the waters, and eased her down to lay on the shore line. He licked her muzzle, and then turned to drink at the waters himself.

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She didn’t drink first, instead she eased her bloody paws into the water letting the cool liquid heal the damaged she had done to them. Then with what seamed like the last of her effort she sunk her muzzle in and just let the water rush down her through. She couldn’t really lap at the water with the pain. But she could feel some of it trickle down to her stomach and wash into her eyes where now the dry tears seamed to flow freely with the liquid that replaced them.

“Thank you for being so kind.” She gurgled not lifting her muzzle out. “I don’t deserve it.”

----------------------------

He shook his head, sitting and looking over at her.
    "Youre right, you probably dont Twist.. But because I love you I cant abandon you. You cant help who you love." He responded. He was not going to let her believe this was all okay.. Not yet. He would have alot of healing to do and it just wasnt done yet. He sighed, and layed next to her, snuggling into her neck and sighing. He knew theyd be sitting there awhile.. After all she was having a hard time moving, and once she got her fill of water he knew the energy would slowly ebb through her body.

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Twist felt something twinge at her heartstrings again. He loved her still? Even after all the rotteness she had done to him. She honestly couldn’t believe her ears. Perhaps they heard wrong because she was weak. But reviewing her memories she had heard him right. He still loved her, and she still loved him. If he would have her after all this trouble anyway. She would do anything he wanted to make it right. Leave and never return to these lands if he demanded it. He really was the only thing left in this world she had.

“I will follow you wherever you ask….” She paused and pulled her head out to look at him. “If you still want me with you that is…”

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"You know that I do." He said, voice still that demanding tone he had seemed to keep. He never seemed to lose it anymore. He had been so submissive that the world had taken its toll on him. Now he made sure what he felt and thought was heard.

"Things will change, but you know I wont leave you here.."
He didnt add that it was also because he knew some of the pack might kill her for her betrayal. He was now in charge of her safety.
"Rest up, Twist.. We have a long trip soon."