Werewolf x Tamiko-chan
Gareth x Mozelle
Gareth x Mozelle
He had forgotten to eat. It was funny how a person could do that. Sure, he knew he was hungry. But he had been putting it aside for the past two days. And maybe the two days before that, although he was vaguely aware of some small meal here and there. A mouse? Gareth couldn?t remember. Already the faint indentations of ribs were showing on his chest, but he was lax on caring about them yet. He felt strung on one certain mission- walk, walk... he was completing a trip his father had done in a year in a month's time. This considering however, Phib had taken many detours on his way, and Gareth had the soft trail of an old companion of his to follow. It was slow going, but he was in no rush. He had nothing but bad news to deliver.
For someone familiar with the Hrothmund gene, right off one might have found the small structured male to be a bit of an irregularity. For one, he was average sized. He was not big, nor long, nor muscular, nor carrying any sort of the traditional gene for an imposing image as his family did. Neither was he black- he had been the only one of Khadda's litter to share her soft golden color, rather then the ebony blackness of the father. On a closer glance- he was not well spoken, and he stammered on occasion. He had a gentle expression which was so foreign it might have been a defect to his blood. He had his mother's gentle timidness, and even in his walk he seemed skitterish.
And such were his thoughts as he stepped into the forests of Shaoilin, his ears flattened against his head as he carefully peered about the thick carpets of grass the field held. It was somewhat swampy, and his paws were quickly becoming covered in mud. But he did not notice so much. Perhaps that was the only comparable trait he held with his family- sheer stubbornness. Small bugs were agitating his ears, and wincing he swatted at them- the flesh of his ears still swollen from their recent wounds which had left them disfigured.
Faintly, he snorted and shook his head. "Bother." He spoke faintly and snapped at a fly, licking the end of his muddied paw. "Better to get this over with-"
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Raw Bones. Randomly that old wolf had popped into her mind. The one who had been a traitor among allies, a threat amongst a warm and loving home. The one who had sired Silver's last litter, the one that would kill her. Thinking of Silver now made the Mau-colored female lower her head in sorrow. The long-gone female had been a sourse of comfort and reassureance for Mozelle, yet now she was gone. However, in spirit, she believed, Silver was still alongside her.
And that was why she lifted her head and continued on her journey. Where her destination was, she didn't know however. There was no family here, no associations or allies. No one here she longed to visit. So why was she still here? Being with her daughter and the rest of her family would probably eat away at her lonesome sense, but then it would most likely also bring heartache. Seeing her children again would mean she'd think of the one who sired all of them: Kapu. And heartache she didn't want.
So, stuck in a rather delicate situation, Mo simply trodded onwards. For now she would ignore the nagging feelings at the edge of her mind and slowly continued on.
Soon enough, she came to a small stream. Violet eyes glanced over the calm waters for a moment before she sat down comfortably, her tail curling about her paws. The fluids were taunting her, attempting to coax her to take even a small sip. Yet she was distracted by something else... someONE else.
A wolf. Brown and showing some ribs, it seemed. Hm. Randomly Mozelle woofed, not really meaning to but just simply unable to help it; socialization was necessary for life.
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A woof caught his ears, and Gareth felt thrust from his thoughts. At once he shifted and turned, his eyes somewhat widening at the sound of another so close. They were a sharp, pale green color- perhaps the only thing he had inherited that was the same. His ears flattened considerately- although on one side there was not much to fold, and politely woofed back, the end of his tail shaking. It seemed a bit rattley however, as if it could only force itself to sway a few times before atrophy took in.
Already wolves! He thought to himself, but could not help somewhat smiling. He had been without company for so long, save the occasional vagrant who had pointed him in the direction of this place. Had it not been for the slight sorrow he felt buried in his chest, he would have been ecstatic at seeing another. But the hole in his being kept him quiet, and remembering it even seemed to make him sink someone. It was enough to make him sick really. It would be like... repetition, he imagined. Telling his father that another one of his children were dead, and that once again, Gareth was still alive. He didn?t know if it upset him more that he was the one still living, or the fact that his brothers kept leaving him to do the telling.
"Hello-" He spoke softly, his voice smooth but he made an attempt to make it sound respectable. As if it was too much for him, he nervously chuckled and shook his head. "Uh, sorry- am I interrupting you?"
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Steady eyes watched the other as he seemed to hear the woof. It had been soft, and she hadn't been quite sure whether or not it would have bene audible by others, especially him. So when he spoke out to her, the words almost alarmed her mind and nearly sent it into a panic frenzy. Luckily, though, she had been watching him and so had kind of seen his mouth move.
"Hello," she mumured in response, slowly rising to her soft paws that were weary with travel. "No, nothing at all. I simply came here for a drink." Lie. Well, sort of. Mo had meant to take a drink from the little stream, but then Gareth had happened along and had distracted her thoughts, leaving her now one-track mind with something new to ponder over and wonder at.
Moving slowly towards the male, as he seemed only a little spooked and she didn't want to upset him, the mostly gray female flicked her ears to the side. They were normally perked upwards and high to show her position, but she had learned to control her body now.. in these lands her former power meant nothing to the wolves occupying this place.
Finally coming within several feet of the newcomer, Mozelle stopped and blinked. Now that she was up close, she could being to count his ribs. From far away he had seemed thin, but she hadn't expected it to be quite this... progressed.
Yet she spoke naught of it, but rather simply observed him with those strange violet eyes of hers...
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"Drink-" he remarked, and peered over at the water. He was thirsty, but he had forgotten about that. But now that he had remembered the motions of drinking, he felt his tongue swollen in his mouth and he was eager to taste the coolness of water upon it. "Actually, I might have so water- I mean,-" He trotted towards it, his tail shifting behind him. "No matter, you don't mind do you?" He lowered his head before she could answer however, as the thirst took over and he deeply swallowed. It was cool, but not cold. He had rarely tasted water that did not bite the throat on it's way down. Gareth was so surprised with this that he kept drinking, forgetting momentarily that he was in the presence of another wolf, or female. Perhaps instinct had kicked in, for who knows how long it would be until he remembered thirst the next time.
But after a few more swallows his body relaxed, and he managed to settle. He sat still and shifted his ears, before turning back towards the female. "Sorry- I've been walking, for a while-" He stammered, shaking his head. "I look terrible, I know. Sorry." He had a habit of apologizing without need, but he did so unflinchingly. "- I'm Gareth. Did you say your name? Sometimes I'm hard of hearing, well- recently I have been, you know-" He remarked softly, and shook his head.
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Mozelle watched the male as he moved towards the water and lowered his head to take a drink. He seemed to lap up the water for ages and ages, but she minded not. He smelled foreign, and she suspected that he was a traveler from some far off land. It seemed that many wolves nowadays came from somewhere else. But then it always mixed in some new varieties and made things a little more interesting.
When he mentioned his name, she snapped out of her trance-like state and her ears perked forward slightly. "Gareth. Simple name, I like it," she murmured, looking off into the distance instead of at him for a moment or so.
Then she blinked and glanced at him, noticing once more that he was quite skinny and that his ribs were sticking out. Violet eyes flashed with something then suddenly held sorrow. She wasn't all there, apparently. But a minute later she snapped back out of it, and blinked once more.
"No, my name was not said. I'm Mozelle." Simple as that.
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He chuckled somewhat and glanced out of the corner of his eyes. "Well, I never needed a really big name I suppose." Another soft, but somewhat nervous laugh. "I'm a pretty simple person." It was not so much that he was actually nervous- but he always felt a kind of anxiety in conversations. He was not well spoken, and typically he could get easily buried in conversation. Not only that, but he was a bit embarrassed really. About how he looked, his reason for being there, himself in general- everything was pretty embarrassing, he supposed. It was in Gareth's mind that he was not the person he should have been, and that always filled him with caution.
"Mozelle?" He remarked, flicking his wounded ears. They throbbed somewhat but he was so used to the dull pain that he didn?t notice. "That's a pretty name." he flushed, for in addition to being awkward in conversation, he was awkward around women as well. All far too pretty, he had decided. "I'm sorry, I didn?t think you had said it. But I sometimes forget, or, my ears don't hear-" He furrowed his brow. "Well, I'm not deaf or anything. Not even really all that hard of hearing, but sometimes I just...miss..." Talking too much on one subject. End subject. And he did.
"You from around here, Mozelle?" He questioned. He rather liked her name, it was interesting to say.
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Mozelle smiled warmly at the other, the sorrow in her eyes gone for the moment. "Big names sometimes get in the way," she commented mysteriously. What she meant, perhaps not even she knew. But perhaps she did. Nothing was ever clear to her anymore, though. Not since she had become a 'new wolf' and started almost completely over.
"And it's always good to be simple, you never have to worry about many things," she stated, again mysteriously. Her eyes clouded over once more as the drifted off into thought, though her ears still slanted his way to listen to his words. Everything registered, she just didn't look like she was all there. Which was often the way she was now, now that she had all of this free time to simply sit and ponder.
"Why thank you," she smiled, glancing at him for a moment before looking off again.
"No, no, that's alright," she replied softly, coming finally out of her weird state of mind. Her eyes cleared up and she finally seemed attentive. "Sometimes it's hard to keep up."
Then, when he asked her if she was from around here, Mo sighed and looked down at her paws. Should she tell him? Ever since she had renamed herself and attempted to get rid of all of her past memories, the ones that haunted her mind.
"No... not from around here. I'm from far north," she stated simply, not giving much else away besides that.
"And you?"
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He licked his paw, the bottom of it still caked with mud and dull blisters. So far to be walking, that it felt like some eternity. But it hadn?t been, and that was what worried him the most. "The same, I believe." He remarked with a grin, although it faded all too quickly when he remembered the severity of his mission. He liked being happy too much- he supposed he should be more serious. But it bothered him that he could not adapt to his forlorn state.
"I'm from the north east. I've been traveling quite a while- actually, I'm looking for my father." He remarked. "But...I'm in no hurry so, I am taking my time. But how far north were you from? It was pretty miserable where I could from, but it's all I really ever knew, so I didn?t realize how destitute it was until I saw all the green here."
He glanced downwards, and shook his head. "And this, practically a swamp. I've never seen anything like it."
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"North east?" she echoed, blinking at him a few times. It took her mind repeating the words a few times before they actually sunk in and gained meaning. "Did it snow all the time here? I came from so far north that the stuff never seemed to stop in its descent," she replied, chuckling softly to herself. It really was a wonderful place, and the severe cold was the main reason she had such a thick coat, and the reason why she felt so comfortable around the snow and such cold.
Hmm.. Gareth was looking for someone as well. Hopefully he would have better luck than herself. Yet he was looking for his father, not a mate of some sorts. She didn't know why that mattered or anything, but it was just some little tidbit she found interesting.
"I wish you great luck in finding your father," the female whispered, looking up at the sky with clouded eyes, as if her words had more meaning than they appeared to hold.
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He shook his head somewhat in thought. "It snowed a lot... but not nonstop. It was always a light snow, and coldness, but we didn?t get much rain or snow at all. Occasionally a light snow in the late summer, and autumn but..." He sniffed somewhat and furrowed his brow. "Always cold anyways. Sounds like we're far away from home." He remarked, faintly chuckling as he lowered his eyes.
He was surprised a bit, on really how long it had been. Gareth felt a sort of exhaustion flooded across him, but he knew it was just dread. He didn?t really want to find his father, in all honest. But he knew that it was his duty to Phen to atleast tell him he was dead. Someone had to know anyways. He hadn?t been able to locate Phen's mother. Phen had never spoken much about her, and he never remembered Phib mentioning her either. Although the latter not so very surprising, for he knew his father also had a pension for women in any regards. But so strange- when he had returned from Azalea's pack, it had already gotten wind that Phib had left- and over some woman? Well, that wasn?t what everyone said, anyways. But it was what a few of them said. He had asked Jaden, but his old friend didn?t seem to be of any use. Even Jenna was at loss for their friend's reasoning, and he had left it to that. It made a hell of a walking distance for him, in any case. Had it not been for Cassidy's prior travel, he probably would have taken longer.
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Mozelle nodded, blinking again in the male's direction. Why was she completely out of it? Shaking her head for a moment, she then blinked again. She murmured something, but it seemed incoherent and full of no meaning.
Then she looked at him again, hoping that her mind was done with its taking over and killing her thing.
"Were there humans in your area?" she questioned softly, remembering Willow Pup and all of the good she had done for the wolves of her family and pack. She had saved two of their pups, even if she had kept one. And she had always looked after the wolves and made sure that the other two-leggers hadn't messed with the Avalik Pack. She had been a strong ally and friend, one that Mo had been devastated to have lost.
And all the while she was thinking about Willow Pup, little did she know that he was thinking about the second wolf she had ever met when she first arrived in these lands: Phib. If he had merely said the name, she could have most likely taken him straight to the black alpha, perhaps. Though that probably wasn't what Gareth had wanted...
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"Humans?" He asked, his ears shifting slowly. "No... I've never seen a human before. There was a small tribe down the mountain... but I never went there." His father had, he noted. But of course, that was his father. Gareth frowned somewhat. He never did anything really worth telling any sort of story for. Unless that story was about all the bad luck he seemed to get himself into. "Why? Are you looking for Man?" Her voice had seemed soft... almost wistful when she had asked, so he did not assume that she had bad relations with the Man. But, he supposed he wouldn?t know until she told him otherwise. "-I mean, some people... like of them... I suppose. I never knew much about them when I was little. We didn?t go there, and they didn?t go near us. My grandfather was some sort of bad spirit to them."
He was pretty much a bad spirit to everyone, Gareth reflected.
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The spotted female nodded, watching the other closely after she had asked him that particular question. Some wolves she had met along the way despised humans like there would be no tomorrow. Others barely knew what the things were. Yet so far, she hadn't found anyone who valued them as closely as she had.
Sighing slightly when Gareth didn't really satisfy her with his answer, she merely turned her head away for a moment. But then, she thought again, he probably couldn't have helped it. If the humans had purposely stayed away from his former pack, then she believed that they had a good reason. Perhaps not everywhere the humans had such great effects on the four-legged beasts.
"Hm? No, I'm not looking for them. I knew one, though. Willow Pup. She was such a sweetie..." Suddenly her eyes clouded. Kapu had been the one who had introduced the two females. He was the reason she ever really trusted Man in the first place.
Shaking her head afterwards, however, Mo decided that it wouldn't do to dwell on the past. Too many things that could make her upset. Best not frighten this kind male with her taunting memories.
"No matter, though," the female finally said, turning about to face the brown one once more.
Presently, she sat down and blinked at him for a moment. Should she tell him who she was really looking for? Perhaps...
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Gareth frowned softly, and flattened his ears. Or what was left of them, but they made good efforts at folding for her. He could not understand the situation which had caused her to grow silent, but he realized that he had probably said something that had brought up bad feelings. He had thought, until she disclaimed it, perhaps she was looking for a human. He had heard, albeit scandalously, some wolves took human alphas. He really had no opinion of the matter. He had never even physically seen a Man before. Nor had his mother, and he had never asked his father about it. All he knew is that they were hairless except on the head, and sometime they ran around in other animal's skins.
"Oh..." He spoke softly, his pale green eyes shifting. "I am sorry- I do not know her." Gareth felt encouraged to ask more, ask her about Man in general- but he restrained himself. Not only was it rude, but it obviously was not a conversation topic she was interested in.
Sheepishly, he smiled. "If it's a matter to you, then there's no reason for it not to matter. I really am sorry though that I don't know her." He remarked, as if that helped. He knew he had a habit of apologizing for everything, but he figured that he might as well get used to it. He had a feeling he'd be apologizing quite a bit in days to come.
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It hadn't really been him that had said something that had brought up the bad feelings. In fact, she was to blame for the whole thing. It had been her who had brought up the subject of humans, and her who had talked about Willow Pup, which had in turn led her to think about the one who had introduced them, her former mate, the black and regal male who had ruled as king over a vast amount of land. If only he hadn't disappeared...
Blinking again, Mozelle brought herself out of her deadly thoughts. Too often did they overtake her brain and cause her to wallow in memories. Too many times she did this, and soon she would have to learn how to resist. For now, however, she merely focused on Gareth.
"Oh, don't be sorry, dear," she murmured slightly. "You couldn't have possibly known Willow Pup. She lived in a stationary pack, never moved too far away from her den, it seemed. And with me being so far north, I doubt anyone in these parts would really know her." Her eyes clouded agian, but this time she had the will to fight off the impending feelings. So instead, she smiled warmly at him as he apologized once more. He looked so sweet and innocent when he did that.
"But I don't think it much matters," she randomly said, blinking at him. Perhaps he just didn't understand because she hadn't relayed her full story to him. A sigh. "Willow Pup.. I was merely remembering her. She has nothing to do with what I am here for."
And she let her words fall at that. She had changed herself, and so thus wouldn't let her story flow freely. But if the male asked, maybe.. just maybe she would let him in on the secret. Her violet eyes shined as she invited him to do so.
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He felt an odd feeling come over him. Something like sadness, and it burned at his heart. He did not know what had happened to this female, but he had a feeling that perhaps their reasons for being in the woods were not all that pleasant. He never would have asked, if had it not been for her eyes. For a moment, she looked almost surreal. He had never seen anyone with violet eyes before- and they made him feel all the more unfortunate for not being able to help. He always wanted to help others... but he never seemed to be able to do something right. It would be better if he did not ask, Gareth supposed. But those eyes were drawing the words out of his throat before better judgment could tell him otherwise.
"And why are you here??" He spoke, his voice soft but a bit saddened as he uttered it. The moment he had said it he regretted it, and proceeded to apologize. "I mean, I'm sorry- it's none of my business." Gareth shook his head and snorted. "I-" He furrowed his brow, and laughed softly. But it was half heartedly. "I have a habit of saying things?I shouldn?t..."
But already he knew that if she said something, he would be obligated to return the favor. Could he actually put it into words? Oh! Why did these things ever have to happen? Nothing should happen to sad eyed ladies, and those who never went looking for unhappiness.
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Unaware of the power her strange eyes had on the stranger, she continued to look straight at him. She felt slightly rude for looking at him so, but she couldn't help it. His kindness reminded her of someone, and his scent was slightly familiar too. But how? Never before had they met, she was sure. Mo would have remembered if they had, for sure. So why was his scent tingling her nose so?
Attempting to figure out the mystery, her eyes continued to look unblinkingly at him. That is, up until her keen ears had detected a noise, one which was his voice. That brought her out of her daze, and she blinked randomly at him.
He had asked her why she was here, her brain clicked in remembrance. But then he apologized for prying. Smiling softly at him again, as she was warmed to see such a kind and thoughtful male, Mozelle simply shook her head.
"No need to worry, my friend. I don't mind in the least. You are curious, and it's understandable." With that, she settled back onto her haunches and thought for a moment. Yes, yes.. why she was here. A touchy subject, but one she felt shouldn't be quite so kept up inside now that she hurt every time it came to mind. The female had heard of wolves going mad with strange and distorted feelings. Such an outcome for her didn't promise to be pretty.
"I'm looking for my mate... or was, anyways. He's been missing for a little more than a year now, and I fear he's lost to me." Her eyes clouded, but she kept her feelings in check.
"He's pure black, with a scar on one of his shoulders. His right one. I'd never forget, no." The spotted wolf smiled to herself, remembering his sleek coat and regal poses as alpha of their pack. Those days were over, however, and she feared she'd never be able to feel that same way again.
Sighing, she turned to look at Gareth once more. Still slightly smiling, she added on, "But I try not to worry too much. He's out there, I know. And surely he'd have a reason for leaving me so......"
Silence. And she thought.
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The story sounded so familiar that for a moment Gareth's mouth hung open. Was she talking about his father? It seemed to peculiar and similar that he was left speechless. Their was such a pull in this that he could not break away from it, and his mind had to slowly work itself out of the little chasm it had built. No, it was impossible, he decided. He had heard this female his father had run off with was smaller, and blind. This female didn?t look anything like an omega either. In fact, he already felt subservient to her, if this said anything as to her prior rank. He felt a strong spirit despite the sadness, and he lowered his eyes in acknowledgement of it. "I'm..." He could not say anything for another moment. He was not good with words like other wolves. When he became emotional he could not conceptionalize what things to say. Gareth realized he had to say something those, so he forced himself on. "I'm very sorry to hear that, Mozelle...I'm sorry that it happened." He apologized, as if he had been able to prevent it all. "A year?"
Say something else! He thought suddenly, but he couldn?t. He let the words hang there for too long. A year. How coincidental they were, and they didn?t even know it. A year was a phrase that meant a lot to him as well. But not so much in the same way. Don't let it hang there, he thought. "So long...I hope... that nothing has happened. My father used to say that we never say goodbye?so that when people vanish we always expect them back." But maybe that wasn?t good either. Were they always to be a people haunted by their dead? For wolves, it was so easy for one to go and never understand the reasons behind it.
"But?I suppose that isn?t a good thing to say either. I know no one would leave you without a reason-" He remarked, with a soft nod of his head.
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Clueless as to the going-ons in the other's skull, the female continued to sit there and think. Kapu and she had been so happy together, so why had he randomly left? There was no blood where he had been laying, saying that he had not been killed. Yet there were no pawprints to give away that he actually ran away. Somehow, though, he disappeared. It had puzzled the pack and still it was puzzling her. Though, she thought that perhaps the pack would have forgotten by now, Amy must have had puppies in the year's time Mozelle's been away. Strorm Call would have made a fine father.
Sighing as she thought about possible grandpups, she then stepped out of her thoughts and into the real world. Blinking slightly, she looked over at Gareth just in time to hear him speak.
The other spoke with his heart, she noted. Though he seemed to think that whatever he said wasn't right, whatever he said was always from deep down. It wasn't just something thought up at the last moment to attempt to make her feel better. It hurt, but she admired it. Not many could do that when confronted with an emotional wolf who had lost almost everything.
Smiling at him to say she appreciated it, Mo then said, "You are kind, Gareth." Some silence. Then she spoke again. "Yes, I'd think that Kapu would have had a good reason for leaving... but I'd never imagine him being gone for this long. He was well-situated in our last pack, held the alpha position actually. It was just that one day..."
The area had smelt like humans. Suddenly something flashed. Had Willow Pup Julie's pack turned on their friendly wolf one? No, no... impossible...
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Gareth shook his head slowly. He perhaps knew better then some how fast things could change. He had been at the fall of two packs now, and was almost beginning to wonder if he was inevitably the cause of the world's demise. But in any case, he had seen how fast regimes could change, and how quickly others were ripped from us. His father and grandfather had seemed able to accept that. But he never had found it fair, and it wrenched his heart to think about someone waking up and finding their lover gone.
"I think sometimes things happen that we'll never really know until the end," Gareth spoke, his eyes somewhat lowered. "But, I am sure no one would leave his pack like that. Pack comes first before anything. If something had happened... I am sure he had a good reason for leaving."
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Mozelle understood how fast things can change, for sure. She had been with her parents one moment then off making puppies with Kapu the next. Of course, that had been her own choice. But this, it was just too unexpected and horrible for her to really bear. They hadn't even a chance to say anything to each other before he left. That was just plain unfair.
Suddenly something flashed again. Kapu had never been the one to leave so abrubtly. He was never mysterious, and everyone always knew his intentions. So why had he left so randomly from the spot that smelt of human males? Perhaps it was because...
"He didn't have a choice," Mo randomly blurted, her eyes clouding again. She hated to admit it, but too many things pointed to the humans. No pawprints, but strange human prints, and the smell of them was all over the scene! There was no use in attempting to avoid it now.
"Humans took him, Gareth. I now understand. He didn't choose to leave.. he was forced." The last of her words cracked slightly as her eyes watered up. Humans had taken her beloved! And she had trusted them!
Randomly she curled up in a ball and hid her face beneath her bushy tail. The female needed comfort, but there wasn't much anyone could do now.
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Gareth had a hard time deciding if he had made things better or worse. Considering the female had been fine a few moments ago, he quickly took it to heart that he had been wrong, if not cruel, in ever asking. But in the same breath he knew that there was nothing really to be done... and that made him feel even worse. Had he been some great wolf, he might have said something like 'well, then I'll help you find him.' And had he been great, he would have achieved it too. Great wolves did things like that. Not because they were particularly good people all around, but they had that mark of greatness that fate so adored. But he was not such a wolf, and he felt disheartened that he could only sadly nod his head in response to the female's comment. He couldn?t even say anything particularly comforting.
"Man..." He had to stop himself from asking about her human friend. Perhaps that was Mozelle's revelation- had her human friend betrayed her? It would not have been the first time he had heard of such a tale, although it still surprised him and burned at his heart. "I'm so sorry... that it happened like that, but please don't be upset-" He padded over towards her, flattening his ears and sheepishly tucking his tail between his legs while sniffing affectionately at her head. "I don't think anything can ever make things like that better? but... if man did it... I am sure they will be sorry for it. Someday."
"Man..." He repeated, and sat down beside her, feeling his own shoulders heavy and pained. "Maybe your Man friend will look out for him...surely she must know him gone-" he whispered, although he didn?t know if it would aid her feelings.
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Mo felt horrible for getting all upset and topsy-turvy on him, but she couldn't help it. She had never really been able to handle stress well, and there had always been a pack there to support her whenever she was sick or feeling down. Now that she was traveling and living alone, with no one about her, it seemed that things had only gone down-hill. And the unveiling of the humans' evil deed only fueled her breakdown.
But suddenly she lifted her head and all thoughts disappeared. Keen ears had detected the sound of sniffing, and violet eyes had looked up to see Gareth standing so closely to her that it almost hurt.
The last time anyone had been so close to her was when she had been with Kapu. And he hadn't dared let anyone else touch her. Not even his own brother, Zing, who often times stood accidentally too close to Mo and received a sharp snap at the neck as punishment. Some might have thought it smothering, their mates keeping them away from any other male contact for the most part, but she rather liked it. Showed that her life-long companion cared enough about her to be careful around other, mateless males. And so having one so close to her without the punishing jaw of her mate was really quite strange.
Yet she didn't want to offend the kindly gentleman, so she attempted to make it look like she had some sort of revelation.
"I'll tell Ryoku... and Phib," she finally spoke, rising to her paws and innocently pulling away from him as she seemed to sort of not respond to anything he had previously said. Blinking, violet eyes scanned him. That last move of his had made her uneasy, but she didn't just want to simply abandon the poor thing. So, hesitantly, the female asked:
"Do you want to come?"
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Breath rushed from Gareth's throat before he really could figure out what was going on. At once he realized a million things at first, and his brain had to shut down and process them all one at a time for him to even be able to comprehend the irony. First- this female knew his father. Not only did she know his father, but the way she had said it implied that they were far closer to him then he had realized. That alone made him want to throw up, and it took another bout of brain function to recover from that. And Ryoku? He hadn?t even imagined she'd still be alive. Or that there would even be an and between the words Phib and Ryoku. He had never heard of his father staying with anyone for more then a month. That was bizarre in itself- but it did send a shiver up his spine. Perhaps she truly was some sort of witch. Jenna had said it was a lie, but some of the younger females of the old pack had certainly implied it...
But oh, far too many coincidences and insanity. At once he shook his head again in surprise, and balked- "You know my father?" Oh, yes. That was sly, wasn?t it? He thought bitterly and snorted. "I mean- well, of course you do-"
Part two of his brain refunction. Of course such things would need to be brought up with Phib. He was probably the kind of great sort that could actually do things about problems. Gareth flattened his ears and shook his head, all the overwhelming feelings finally just fizzling down to- "Then I am closer then I thought I was..." He spoke softly. He'd come all this way, and still he was not ready to actually be here.
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Simply unaware to the inner turmoil she had caused by merely saying the name of the other's father, Mozelle looked at him like he might just be off his rocker a little bit. He seemed dazed, and not all that aware of his surroundings or the going-ons. Not that there was much going on, but she still thought it rather weird. This meeting had been a strange one thus far, and it was only getting more abnormal as the seconds ticked on. Yet, finally, Gareth seemed to pull himself around enough to speak.
Father?! Phib had mentioned something about children, but at this particular moment in time she couldn't quite remember exactly what it was. So this was one of the black male's own flesh and blood. Interesting. She had thought that all of his children had stayed back where he came from. Apparently he didn't know one had seemed to follow him.
"Y-yes, I know your father. Phib, if that's who you mean," she stammered, still not believing it. How did others have all the luck in finding their lost ones, and she didn't? Puzzling, for sure.
Shaking her neck fur, the female sat down once more, unable to really comprehend all that lay in front of her. So Gareth was one of Phib's sons. And brown. That meant that Ryoku wasn't the mother. She didn't seem to have any brown on her! Unless there was some random throw-back color? She had heard of those. Random single-toned parents producing one randomly and oddly-colored offspring. Not unnatural, she supposed. But ah, too much contemplating.
"Wow.. small world." Mo blinked, still slightly dazed, as she attempted to get in a joke of some sort, if that could even be counted as one.
"Do... do you not wish to, uhm, see him?" she murmured again, feeling as if she was probing her nose in something that would surely bite back. But she was curious. "If not, then I can always go alone. Or I can wait, really.. it's no big deal. I just.. oh, well, I don't know." The spotted wolf now appeared flustered.
And rightly so.
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"No...no, it's alright. I'm just a bit surprised." He spoke softly, his brow furrowing. Faintly he smiled. "I would find it even more surprising if it wasn?t so typical. You would think I would get used to hearing his name- but, I just never thought that down here... well, I suppose wherever he goes he's well known." He said that somewhat hollowly. It was very much like Phib to be well known. But this meant that after all the turmoil, he was not in exile. Gareth would not find his father changed at all, would he? He'd just moved on from the north, and made himself a new reign in the south. He should have known better but... he had hoped...
It wasn?t that Gareth didn?t know his father had faults. He knew he had many of them, and so did his father before him. But there was something about it that made him feel so terribly alienated. Everyone would always remember meeting Phib or Hrothmund. But Gareth? How many people even realized he was of their blood? Other then eye color, it certainly was hard to tell.
"If you will go to them... I suppose I must follow. There's no reason not to take you up on your kindness, You must forgive me... I'm not here on very good terms." He spoke softly, and shook his head. "He won't expect me, and he won't particularly be pleased by seeing me or be happy about the reason I'm here. I'm afraid I can't really do much more then trouble people."
"I'm a bit reluctant to go, I mean... But I must, so I suppose I shall. He...he isnt different is he? I don't suppose you'd know but..."
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Gareth had said it was alright, but was it really? He seemed a bit stressed at hearing the name, like it was a bad omen to him or something. Perhaps it was, what with his news and the fact that he wasn't anything like his family, but Mozelle was fairly ignorant of all that information. Thusly, she couldn't have possibly known the way he felt when she mentioned that name so easily.
"Well known?" she echoed, blinking at him rather stupidly. She had only been in these woods for a matter of weeks now, and still she had only searched out this area. Well-known wolves were not those whom she had come into real close contact with. Not that she would ever really be able to pick out the 'well-knowns' from the not. It just wasn't one of her talents. Only back home, when she actually had a position and was well-informed.
"Well, I surely wouldn't know anything about him being well-known. He was one of the first wolves I met, but I think that was rather a coincidence of location than him being well-known and so him being the first I happened upon." Did that even make sense? Oh well..
"My dear, my dear, I won't go if you don't want me to," she mumbled, bobbing her head up and down in a slight nod. She had only known this one for a little while, but already she was feeling attached to him. Such a kind wolf shouldn't go around being mistreated and all.
"And my news isn't all that important.. it's just some.. something I figured out. I've already told you, so it's not like I have to get to your father and tell him. It can surely wait, I assure you."
Then she blinked, wondering if Phib actually had changed. If he had, what was he like before? He had been quite kind to her that day they happened upon one another, even after she had mistaken the strong alpha for her old one. Coincidence, coincidence. "Well, he's kind to me, if that helps you figure anything out," Mo whispered, still watching the other with her violet orbs.
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Gareth shook his head again. "No, I'm afraid I have to go. I owe it... to both of them to go. My brother has died recently, and I thought that?he should know." His ears flattened, and carefully he let out a low sigh. This was not going to well. Just in general. He was totally ineffectual of making any sort of coherent conversation with the lovely female, and he could only imagine how it would be with his father. All of his family seemed to have such a way with words...
No, he supposed she was right. If he just happened to be there, it didn?t mean he was well known. But Gareth had an idea that it was far from a coincidence either. It didn?t bother him really, although it did make him feel terribly pointless. Why could he never amount to anything? All he ever seemed to do was report on sad times. It wasn?t even that he was disliked for being different- most of Gareth's anxiety was brought on by himself. It was hard to live up to a generation of men different then yourself.
"Oh- he would be, I don't mean to imply that he was cruel or anything. My father and I have not always seen eye to eye," Actually, they hadn?t seen much of one another period. "But he's always been a good fellow. Or at least, a good leader. He had already left when I got back... I'm afraid it's all confusing, but I don't expect to really ever know what happened."
"I don't think he shall be happy to see me though. Or at least hear bad news anyways. Not that I don't blame him." It was the second time he was delivering this message to his father. The first time had been for Thallen- and the thought of it burned his chest.
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Mozelle frowned slightly. It was always sad and depressing when a family member passed away. But then, things couldn't be helped, though they could certainly be grieved over. She remembered, now, when Silver had left the living to join her strong and intelligent first-mate, Amaroq. Kapu had howled like his heart would break, the poor dear. Ah, but then, such things shouldn't be dwelled on for too long. Some horrible side effects could kick in without warning.
"I am.. terribly sorry," she murmured, lowering her gaze so that she was no longer peering at the brown male in front of her. She just couldn't bear seeing him handle such horrible matters like this! It amazed her that he was even alone...
She silenced herself when Gareth seemed to want to speak again. She let him do so, as it would be rude to do otherwise. So it was a matter of views, was that it? Seemed typical with some strong and strict packs, though she couldn't quite fathom why. A family lived together, peacefully, and always looked after one another. Why was this Gareth seeming to look upon himself as an outcast of sorts? Or, at least, that's how Mo read his 'vibe'.
"Well," the female finally piped up, feeling her eyes travel back up towards his handsome face. "I will be there, if it makes you feel any better... or I could always leave, whichever." She wanted to support and comfort the other, but she felt it slightly out of her paws...
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Gareth never knew what had first set about the idea in his head that he was an outcast. For all that Phib might have said after the fact, it had been Gareth himself to start the notion that he was different. Maybe he had been jealous of Thallen all along- and yet, he hated himself for being jealous of Thallen. The first son, who's mother had abandoned before Phib had taken control of the pack- he had been the only one of the children that Phib had raised himself, and at the time it had been unheard of for him to do such a thing. Thallen had been very much like Phib- he was a bit gentler, and he was always funny, but he had been good and strong. Always getting himself messed up in fights- he had a face like a bull dog... but, he had loved his brother. And now dead, and Phen too now. But it wasn?t just them. Maya, Rosen- Four children dead, out of nine.
Perhaps it was a curse of the third generation. The power of Hrothmund was dying now? Or did the first generation simply suck the life out of the final one? But whatever the case was, the third generation had not done well. And not only with Phib's children- but Kahj's, and Azalea's- most dead, or vanished.
But he felt terribly touched that this female would feel considerate enough towards him to say such a thing, and he blushed miserably and tried to smile. If she knew his father, then she had to be quite great herself- he did not deserve such nice company. But he did not deny it either. Meekly, he looked up towards her and nodded his head. "Thank you... but, oh, I really am terrible?" He gasped, as if he was trying to break off the sadness. "Here I am moping, and you are just as sad- such stories... I am sorry. It's best we see him I think, and maybe I won't be so worried if I went with someone else. I am sure he'll be pleased to see you."
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Perhaps the people in other parts of the land had different feelings and different tastes when it came to personalities, strengths, weaknesses, those sort of things. To her, Gareth was a fully capable wolf who shouldn't have thought so lowly of himself. Even if he had been a real outcast, he was still alive wasn't he? That definitely said something about his survival skills. One did not merely get by on luck, the female had learned.
Feeling rather attached to this one now, though she wasn't sure how or why, she slowly padded up to him. For a moment, she merely blinked at him, her violet eyes clouded with uncertainty, though it wasn't meant for him directly. Finally, she touched noses with him, feeling that she had to comfort and assure him in some way.
"Well, then," Mozelle huffed, clearing her throat slightly as she backed off a foot then turned around, as if meaning to leave. "Let us not keep him waiting, hm?" she murmured, not really feeling all that wonderful saying it.
Yet then she thought of something better, lighter, that she could possibly say to him that would hopefully cheer him up:
"And don't you worry. If he does anything, I'll bop him upside the head, huh?" She smiled a toothy smile, wagging her tail at Gareth. She wasn't sure that she felt quite so comfortable with Phib as to do such a thing, but then she figured that she wouldn't hesitate to protect this one.
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