[html] She should have left right away; her call should have said it all. But in the moments after that howl, she couldn't face turning away from that clan and the small pocket of family she had left there. She toyed with her hair, sighing softly as her eyes memorized the features of Inferni's promised land. Gabriel's scent was so strong here, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought of the boy. Golden child, he was. A son Kaena could be proud of. As if on her lover's behalf, Fatin had a great deal of pride for him. So much, that it hurt to think of slinking away into the night. It hurt to imagine she wouldn't be there, watching his family grow up. Already the wolves had waged war against Inferni, and she felt herself on the wrong side of the line, as usual.
Figeding slightly, the amber colored woman dropped her gaze to her feet, tears brimming her eyes. "I guess this is goodbye." [/html]
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indent He had been close, oh so close when he heard that cry. Gabriel felt his heart sink, knowing the only woman he trusted outside of his true family was leaving. It was at a quiet lope he came, four legs soft against the worn grass under his feet. All too soon, he found her. He heard her whisper, and moved forward, eyes clear and remarkably cloudy despite the empty look on his face. She knew him well enough to know he was upset. That this hurt him as much as it had the days he had sat on the edge of the forest and hoped, prayed, waited for any sign from his mother.
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[html] As soon as he approached a small, half-choked cry escaped her lips. "Gabriel..." She said softly, falling to her knees at his side. She hated being the cause of his pain, and wanted to hold him, comfort him....but how would that help? She was the one bringing his pain, she was the one hurting him. "I'm sorry....I...I don't want to see you hurting, but I can't stay.." She said. "The wolves gathered, and Dahlia de Mai is attempting to lead the packs against you.....I can say safely, I feel I made some enemies that day." Her voice was soft, intimate. She let him hear the pain in her voice, the struggle between wanting to find the family that had left her, and wanting to stay and protect the family that remained.
"What really happened, to start the fights?" She asked quietly, knowing that the two canines versions would be drastically different. [/html]
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indent Of all the things he had never wanted to see, it was this. Gabriel had seen his mother cry only once, and that had been enough to disturb him deeply. His jaw tightened, and he advanced, nudging her face with his scarred muzzle, hating the scars he wore and the guilt he carried. “Your safety comes first, Fatin,” he said, staring beyond her shoulder, even now ever vigilant. “They started this war. I don’t know his name, but their leader, he came here. He killed a woman and a child. I’m going to kill him,” he said thickly, voice shaking with rage. “I won’t let them get away with this anymore.”
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[html] As soon as their flesh met, she wrapped her arms carefully around him, holding onto him for strength as much as she wanted to give him comfort. She gently rested her head against his figure, knowing that each one of the scars that crossed his body was a painful reminder that he was a machine set to kill. "I still want to be here for you....and if I can be so bold, for my family. You and Foalin, the children...you're all I've got left here. My kids ran off, my siblings vanished....they've scattered to the winds themselves, and I wanted to find them." She explained why she felt the need to leave, why at this moment, on the eve of war, she had to run away. "Is he fool enough to accept a kill in the spirit of battle? Lace it with Sage, and he'll go down. It's poison to our kind." She said with a thin smile, an attempt at humor. She quickly sobered though, a long sigh escaping her lips. "Why is it always us verses them? My mother was mixed, and so am I, but it's not enough to matter. This is a pointless war. If bloodshed is needed, why not make it for a good cause? What excuse did he give for hurting those two?" Although, thinking it over, she realized if he had been given the chance to explain, he would have been dead. Gabriel was good about avenging his own. [/html]
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indent He listened to her, silent, taking everything in. His ears perked up at the mention of sage as poison, but Gabriel’s knowledge of plants was limited, and he marked the name down quietly. Perhaps, if that was what it took. Somehow. She also confirmed something he had never been bold enough to ask, admitting she was not a full wolf. He had guessed this from her coat and her size, but it was unimportant, in the long run. “They don’t give excuses,” he said quietly. “The ones that killed my brother and sister did not give excuses. When they cross our borders and kill our children, what are we supposed to do? I don’t want them here, Fatin. I don’t want that to happen to them.”
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[html] She understood - Skoll had hidden behind a clock of 'morality' but it was a horrible, wasted prospect. Fatin felt her blood boiling, a hatred for her own kind was silly when she was demanding equality between them. The children! Those precious babies didn't deserve to suffer at the hands of ones who would hurt them. She met Gabriel's powerful gaze, locking her emerald eyes on him. "What can I do?" She asked quietly, willing, as she knew he was aware of, to do anything to protect them. [/html]
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indent “Take them with you,” he said firmly, knowing it was the right decision in his heart. If not, then they would grow up in a world dominated by war, terror, and have to learn the terrible things he and his siblings knew. That was not the life he wanted for them. They could be warriors in time, but not like him. Not like his siblings. Nothing like them. “Take them somewhere safe. Teach them how to be good people. Tell them everything when you can.” He looked at her for a long time, seeing the face of the mother he had never truly had, and smiled faintly. “I trust you to know what’s best.”
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[html] She, for a long time, was silent as he asked her to take his children. What could she do? tell him no? deny him this only request? "I'll be traveling, constantly moving.." She began quietly, and then thought of Faolin. "What about Faolin? What will she say?" She asked quietly. She knew she would return as soon as it was possible, and the thought of the reunion of their entire family warmed her heart. "You know I'll do everything I can to keep them safe." [/html]
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indent “I’ll talk to her,” he said, keeping his eyes on her own. Faolin would understand. She knew what it was like. If she felt like she had to go with them, then he would not stop her—but he would not let them stay here with things as they stood. “It’s for the best,” he added quietly.
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