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Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone;
I'll be waiting.
She had buried Gabriella along the shore so that the child would be able to look out at the beautiful scenery. For Ryan, it had always been one of the most beautiful places in Inferni, and she didn’t think it would be right to bury the child outside of the borders. She wanted her to be able to be near the family Ryan had come to discover, even if she wasn’t physically alive for it. Ryan believed the child’s spirit would linger and be grateful, though. And it was all she could hope for.
She knitted the young Valkyrie a snug pocket to lie inside of. She had every intention to travel towards Crimson Dreams in order to find Savina. She hadn’t spoke to the girl in what seemed like ages and she needed to be able to divulge her not-so-little secret to someone she could trust. Since neither of her parents were around, she hoped she would be able to find someone to be happy for her (even if the child had been a mistake) and that that person might be the Italian girl.
She wrapped up the tiny pup and placed her gently inside the thick wool pouch. A strap came down over her shoulder to hold her child close to her chest. She was only a few days old and Ryan had a feeling she shouldn’t remove her from their den, but she just couldn’t leave her alone there. She wasn’t sure what else to so. So with Val close to her chest and Ryan’s thick woolen cloak covering them both, she made her way to Crimson Dream’s borders to call out for Savina.
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The onyx form of the Lt. General leaned against the railing of the porch of the mansion. Her scarf was wrapped around her neck and the coat she had found on her last visit to Halifax helped the cold from biting to harshly at her skin. Her breaths came out in small puffs. Emerald eyes scanned over the snow blanketed land of Crimson Dreams. Silently she thanked the gods for helping them stay strong and safe. Their numbers were probably the only thing protecting them from the wrath of Inferni. Maybe she was being overly dramatic, but from the eyes of an outsider the clan would have reason to attack them. She had gone and attacked one of their members. True, she had her reasons. That member had taken her friend captive and abused him. Regardless, war was the last thing she wanted for her home.
As a call split the air her head perked up. It was Ryan, she knew in an instant. Savina's heart quickened in her chest. Did she know? Was this some way of Inferni trying to take revenge? She pushed those thoughts from her mind. No, Ryan was a sweet girl. She wouldn't do anything like that. Calming herself she walked from the house out towards the borders to greet her friend.
As the reddish brown form of the coyote came into sight a warm smile bloomed on her lips. Suddenly she was even more glad of her coat; the sleeves would hide the majority of her scars from the fight. "Ryan!" she called out. "It's good to see you!" There was some kind of...pack or something hanging from her shoulder. The femme gazed curiously at it, though held her tongue. She didn't want to be nosy. If Ryan wanted to share what it was she would.
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Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone;
I'll be waiting.
Even before any words let her lips, Ryan was relieved to see the beautiful Italian girl at the borders. She wasn’t here for anyone else and was grateful that no other passing member had answered her call. The smile on her lips reflected this, and she moved forward towards Savina as if to give her a hug, before realizing Valkyrie was held snugly at her chest. "It’s great to see you again, too," Ryan told her. For some reason she felt as if tears would brim in her eyes; tears of relief, of comfort.
"Do you mind if we go inside?" She asked, referring to Crimson Dreams' borders. "Maybe somewhere warmer." She knew it was a bad idea to have taken Val away from the warmth of their den in Inferni, but she felt as if it had been necessary. She wanted to be able to tell Savina all about her daughter, but knew their safety came first. It wasn’t a good idea for them to stay in the cold much longer, as the trek itself had been long enough.
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[html] PP yay walking! 
As her friend moved forward, it looked to hug her, Savina opened her arms wide to embrace her. But before they were able to hug Ryan hesitated and stopped. Maybe whatever she was carrying close to her chest was delicate and could be broken. That was probably it. It seemed that the Inferni coyote was really happy to see her. More so than she would've expected. But that was great! It only made her smile widen all the more.
An invitation to head into warmer quarters was always welcomed by the Mediterranean wolf. "Of course! The mansion is nice and warm, we won't even need our coats there. It isn't very far." With her hand she beckoned for Ryan to follow her into the heart of the territory. She clutched the coat about her waist, the chill beginning to really settle in.
As they reached the steps of Haven Manor she bounded up them and held the door open for her guest. "Come inside!" As she entered, the warmth of her home washed over her. Tail wagged contentedly as she took off her scarf and coat, not even thinking that now the scars that riddled her arms and chest would be revealed. "Is the common room alright? Or do you want to go somewhere more private? My room is upstairs."
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Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone;
I'll be waiting.
The mansion sounded so welcoming and Ryan smiled eagerly when Savina offered that they could go there to talk. Silently, she told Valkyrie to hang in there. She knew the walk wouldn’t be too much further and then they would be inside the warmth of the large estate. She wrapped her arms around her frame, hugging the woolen cloak closer to her body with intentions to keep the pup safe. "That would be great," Ryan told her appreciatively as they headed off towards Haven Manor.
When the reached the mansion, Ryan bounded up the stairs right behind Savina. "Oh wow," she commented as the warm air rushed the greet them. She moved inside, feeling secure enough to remove the cloak. When she set it aside, Valkyrie offered a small squeak before falling silent again. "The common room is just fine, Savina. I’ve got someone for you to meet," she replied enthusiastically, as they moved into the room. She made her way to one of the pieces of furniture and took a seat upon it. Unslinging the strap from her shoulder, she gently set the pouch with her daughter inside down upon her lap. "This is Valkyrie."
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At the squeak, Savina's head shot around, looking for its source. None of Naniko's pups were around and they were too large now to make such noises. How odd. For the moment she dismissed it however. The thought that it could have come from the small bundle her friend was carrying didn't even cross her mind. But at Ryan's words her eyes grew bright with excitement. She followed the younger girl over to the couch and knelt down in front of her. It was now obvious that her friend had a puppy.
As the tiny bundle squirmed around in the coyote's lap the Italian wolf's tail swept the floor. "Oh Ryan! She's beautiful!" Instinctively, even though she was in optime form, she gently nosed the pup. Valkyrie must have just been born, she was still so small and had closed eyes. Had Ryan become mates with that man she had talked about the last time they saw each other? She'd hadn't even had any idea that she had been pregnant. "So I assume things are going well for you and your man then," she joked. Looking at the tiny thing she found the maternal urges rising in her chest and tugging at her heart.
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They don't tell you what to say
when your whole life has gone to hell.
She was pleased to find her one and only friend to be so eager to meet her daughter. Ryan had such an appreciation for the Italian girl and her kind words. She had always been such a sweetheart to Ryan, and she held onto that now. Especially with the way things had crumbled with DaVinci. She needed someone like Savina in her life.
"Thank you, Savina. I’m sort of clueless about this mothering thing, but I’m trying my best. She had a twin sister too, but she didn’t make it," her tone grew solemn there for a moment, but she added a smile. "I buried her at one of the most beautiful places I know – the shore. I’m sure she would have found it pretty too." She stroked Valkyrie’s back through the pouch, cradling the pup in her lap. She seemed so small still and it was a wonder that she would soon grow to be a curious, wriggling puppy. "Well actually," Ryan started, when Savina mentioned DaVinci. She didn’t want to have to admit her faults again, but she needed to get things off her chest. "Valkyrie and her sister were a mistake. I drank too much one night in the mansion, and I slept with another man. A guy from Inferni. There’s nothing between us at all. In fact, I’ve avoided him since then, but it’s ruined things between me and DaVinci. I can’t blame him. He must feel so betrayed." She cuddled Val closer, in place of the comfort she would have received from Davinci a few months ago. "I don’t know if he knows about Val - Hybrid, I mean - and I’m scared to tell him. I feel so lost, Savina. I just want to try to be a good mother for my daughter."
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At the news about the other pup that had been lost her eyes took on a sad light. It was never easy to lose a pup. She had witnessed that happen to the people she cared about far too many times for her liking. At least Ryan still had one of them to hold on to and love. "I'm sorry Ryan...that's tough. My sister miscarried her first litter, it destroyed her." She wondered if she would ever set eyes on Ghita again. Somehow, she didn't think so. "That's a good place. I love the shore as well. She'll be able to look at it forever." A dark slender hand placed itself reassuringly on one of her friend's. "And as far as being a mother, I think most of it is just instincts. Follow your heart and you'll do great." The de le Poer girl was a kind and loving soul. There was no doubt in her mind that she would make a wonderful mother.
The next words that came were admittedly a bit of a shock. But then again, even the nicest people were capable of making terrible mistakes. Savina was, she had proven that. Kansas had made mistakes. Naniko as well (though she did her best not to think about them together, it still made her stomach churn). Once again, alcohol seemed to be a major player in this mistake. It only reaffirmed why she had promised never to drink it, and why her mate had promised never to do it again. "Well, everyone makes mistakes Ryan. You know...Kansas made a mistake when he was drunk too. It was before us, but when I found out it was still hard. And...I did something really stupid too recently. I broke a promise I had made to him and hurt him, betrayed his trust. But we worked through it. I'm sure that DaVi-" Suddenly the lines and dots connected in her head. That jerk she had met in Phoenix Valley was Ryan's man? She didn't know what to say, a somewhat dumbfounded look on her face.
The shocks just kept on coming it seemed. At the mention of Hybrid her eyes grew wide and somewhat scared. Suddenly once again she was incredibly aware of the nasty pink scars that ran across her arms and chest. The femme pulled her arms back against her, trying her best to hide the scars, but it was of no use. "H-Hybrid?"
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They don't tell you what to say
when your whole life has gone to hell.
"I hope your right," Ryan responded, smiling gently at her friend while she stroked Valkyrie’s back. "I hope there are some motherly instincts in there some where," she joked with a soft laugh. She felt much better now that she was here with Savina and someone could actually appreciate this new life. Though the little girl’s sister was gone and their lives had been unplanned in the first place, Valkyrie deserved no less love. Ryan planned to raise this girl the best she knew how.
Savina’s words about her own mistakes were reassuring, but then a look on the Italian girl’s face threw Ryan off. What was wrong? She stumbled on DaVinci’s name and then seemed to nearly choke out Hybrid’s. "Yesss," Ryan answered hesitantly. "Do you know him?" Suddenly she was afraid that there was more than she was aware of. She cuddled Valkyrie closer to her as if someone might snatch her out of Ryan's arms. "Wh-what’s wrong?" She could tell by the way her friend had recoiled that their conversation had managed to turn sour.
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Gods, what a mess she had suddenly turned this more or less pleasant conversation into. It had just been so unexpected, she hadn't had time to gauge and think about her reactions. They had been knee jerk and now she wasn't sure how she was going to get herself out of this. She couldn't lie though, she was not someone who lied. Though going and saying what was directly on her mind wasn't the best course of action either. "Well...I ummm, met him...the other day..." Her encounter with the Sadira hybrid had been less than favorable. She had promised Iskata to give him another chance, and she would, but the way he had treated her had just outraged her.
Savina couldn't believe that that horrid coyote was the father of Ryan's child. It was obvious that her friend was not too thrilled about that fact either. "I wouldn't tell him that Valkyrie is his. Who knows what he'd do to her. He's a sick person Ryan." Whether her friend knew that or not, it needed to be said. Her eyes darted away. While her encounter with Hybrid had been intended for punishment for what he had done, she was as much to blame for the fight as he was. "That stupid thing I did...it involved him. And these are the scars to prove it." She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "He did horrible things to my friend. I was so mad that I just lost it. I...I don't think I can come visit you at Inferni anymore. But that doesn't mean for a second that I don't want to see you." Watery eyes looked back at Ryan. Her brash actions just seemed to keep costing her things.
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They don't tell you what to say
when your whole life has gone to hell.
She had met DaVinci? But she didn’t seem so thrilled… What had he done now? She bit her lip, mixed feelings swirling in the pit of her stomach about the hybrid boy. She loved him, of course, but she was still angry at him. She had no right to be, since all of this had been her fault, but she couldn’t help it that she was still a little hurt from the bump their relationship had suffered.
She let DaVinci fall away from her mind for the moment, and listened as Savina continued. At her words, Ryan gently settled Valkyrie on the cushion of the couch and moved towards the Italian woman to scoop her in her arms. She needed the friendly embrace just as much as she thought Savina did. How could this world have played such cruel tricks on them? "I can’t believe this," Ryan said, now too trying to fight tears that threatened to fall. "I’m so sorry about everything, Savina. I’m so sorry." Inferni seemed to be taking away the things that she loved, while at the same time being the one place that she felt like she belonged to. She couldn’t take this tension anymore. She didn’t understand why she had to keep dealing with these horrible situations. "Everything will be okay in the end," she told Savina, but really, to herself. As she released Savina from her embrace, she smiled through tears that had fallen against her cheeks. "I won’t ever let Hybrid lay a hand on her. And I’ll be sure to bring Valkyrie to Crimson Dreams, so long as we’re welcome. And I’ll make all of this work. I can be a member of Inferni and still have friends outside of its borders. I can make a life out of this. Don’t worry, Savina. Everything will be okay, won’t it?" But the tears falling now were also for DaVinci. Would he ever want to take her back?
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She really hadn't been sure what kind of a reaction she could expect from her younger friend. Would she understand? Savina hoped that she wouldn't be hurt at all by this. Would she be mad that she had attacked a member of her clan, despite the fact that she didn't view him favorably? All these questions and apprehensions flew through her head as fast as a twister, but as Ryan left the couch to hug her they were all quieted. She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, holding her close and tight. "It's...it's alright. It was partially my fault too. I should have stopped to think..." All the "should haves" in the world weren't going to take back what she had done. She needed to realize that and stop beating herself up so much.
As their embrace broke the Italian femme saw that tears had fallen onto Ryan's cheeks as well. Mustering a small smile she gently wiped the moisture from her friend's eyes. They both had been having rough times, but they weren't going to let it tear them apart. "You'll always be welcome here. Both of you. Even if you just need to get away for a little while. I'm just sorry that the burden has been put on you to always travel the distance." There was a good amount of land between their two homes. She hated not being able to do her fair share. But she knew that she couldn't risk going near Inferni. If Hybrid smelled or saw her that would be it. "Yes, Ryan. Everything will be okay. You're strong. It all will work out somehow." Savina rubbed the fur on the coyote's arm reassuringly.
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They don't tell you what to say
when your whole life has gone to hell.
She would have been lost without Savina. She knew it. The Italian girl was really the only person she felt like she could confide in, and things had been like that ever since they day that they had met. Even then Savina had eagerly listened to Ryan’s qualms about her father and had offered her comfort and support. Ryan had never met such a lovely person as this woman.
"Thank you so much, Savina. For everything, really. I feel so welcomed here and I’m glad that things can stay like that even after all that’s happened between packs." She turned to the couch to scoop Valkyrie into her arms. "I’m so glad that I have you as a friend," she told her with a smile. She peered down at her daughter, wondering how she was fairing. At a tender age of only a few days, Ryan worried that she would get tired out or too cold or something bad would happen. But it seemed that so far, everything was alright. That thought put her at ease, and she smiled through drying eyes.
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[html] I <3 Ryan and Savina :3
From the day she had met Ryan in the forest she had felt an instant connection to her. She felt that they were very similar. The de le Poer girl was one of the sweetest people she had ever met. So soft and kind. She was so mature for her age. There were probably many that age that would have abandoned an unplanned litter. While Ryan was unsure of her abilities, it was obvious that she already cared deeply for Valkyrie. Savina knew that she would be a wonderful loving mother. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind about that.
Emerald eyes shimmered with emotion as she looked at her dear friend. "You are so welcome Ryan. You never have to thank me though. I treasure our friendship so much, I would do whatever I could for you. It doesn't matter where we live or what others may think, I'll always be there for you." Savina may have some reservations about Inferni, but honestly they were mostly derived out of concern for her friend. Ryan was safe there, she knew, but she couldn't help it with her being surrounded with creatures such as Hybrid. "As am I, Ryan." Her large smile had returned to her face as the tiny pup was brought back into sight. "She's going to be beautiful. Just like her mother."
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They don't tell you what to say
when your whole life has gone to hell.
Ryan beamed, stroking the little girl in her hands. "Thanks, Savina. I bet she will be too." She couldn’t wait ‘til Valkyrie was old enough to run around on her own, and her personality would truly start to shine. She wondered if DaVinci could ever forgive her and would want to meet the little girl. And with the advice from Savina, Ryan figured perhaps it would be better not to tell Hybrid. At least, not now.
"I think we should be heading back. I don’t want to keep her in the cold for too long. She’s so small I’m afraid of her getting sick." Ryan rose to her feet, wrapping the strap of the bundle around her frame so that Val hung close to her. "I’ll come back again soon. Maybe when she’s old enough to stay out longer. I’m really glad I got to see you again, Savina." She moved towards the front door of the mansion and pulled her cloak back over her frame, hiding the tiny pup beneath the fabric. "Until next time," she said with a little laugh, hugging her friend and turning towards the door.
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[html] Shore!
Watching Ryan tenderly stroke her daughter filled Savina with a strong warmth. Someday she wanted to experience that too. She had always hoped that one day she would be lucky enough to be a mother and start a little family of her own. Though until recently that hope had been nothing more than a fantasy. The femme had never had any suitors before Kansas. But now that the two of them were mates, perhaps her hope would finally be realized. Though she had yet to talk to her beloved about such things. Part of her was a little nervous to, afraid he might not want that. Though she tried her best not to be so pessimistic.
"Of course. I understand completely." Savina also rose to her feet and followed Ryan towards the door. It seemed to her like their reunion had been all too short, but she understood. Valkyrie was probably no more than a few days old. To keep her safe and warm was of the utmost importance and she wouldn't question her friend's thoughts. "I would really like that. That time will come before you know it," she said smiling. Naniko's pups had shot up almost overnight it seemed. "I'm really glad you came Ryan. Have a safe trip home." The Italian fey hugged her friend tight and then watched as she and her daughter set off back towards the clan.
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