Her dark mood was not helped by the rain. Naniko felt like she'd been walking for days when it had in fact only been hours; the storm clouds had followed her to the city, dumping buckets of rain over her head as she traveled. She had run part of the way but was now walking, feeling sluggish, paws getting caught in the mud every so often. Savina had implied that she was a bad mother...that wasn't true at all. Her kids had moved away, half of them...but two had stayed there with her. They had wanted to be with her in Crimson Dreams. Just because Savina's pea-brained pup had gotten into her backpack...it was an accident. If she'd have had a knife in the bag would the pup have played with that too? The woman hadn't taught her children to respect the belongings of others...but Naniko was the bad mother here?

She growled under her breath as she went, beginning to enter the city. She didn't care where it was...she just wanted some sort of shelter from the rain, a place she could stay in for a while. She had her backpack and a few other things with her, but she didn't need much. She had the skills of an experienced wolf, a leader. Or...a once-leader. That part of her life was over now, probably for good. Fuck it. Maybe she wasn't cut out for all that leadership crap anyway. People always complaining to her, coming to her for help. What had she gotten out of it? She was a nobody now.

She entered a tall white house, shaking her fur out and going to sit down on one of the couches. Her knees felt like jelly. She was so angry...it was what had fueled her entire journey here, that angry feeling. But now that she was at her destination she felt nothing but defeat. She couldn't go back there, not yet. She wasn't the leader of Crimson Dreams any longer...they had taken it over. Where had her life gone? She was stuck here, now, away from her family and everyone else that she knew.

The woman slumped down on the couch, her head in her hands. Her life was over. She had loved every bit of being a leader, of helping people out and being that dependable wolf. What was she going to do now? Her shoulders shook as she held back tears. She had hated crying before...she'd cried so much when Conri had left, when he'd come back...and then when he had been chased off again. She was tired of it. But she couldn't fight it off any more. She was alone, no one was there to witness it. She sobbed into her hands, doubled over, tears dripping down to the scratched, dusty floors.

600+



He wouldn’t have guessed that he would be back here so soon. His last visit had been an impromptu way to clear his head from the heavy thoughts that had been plaguing him. When he returned home from that trip, he expected to remain within the territory for some time. But instead of relaxing with family at the manor, he was picking his way through the city. Rain poured over him, the storms just as relentless now as they had been a week ago. The way the tall buildings seemed to loom over him now worked with the rain to dampen his mood further. Ehno was on a mission now, one that he never thought he would take up.



It was only hours ago when he had bumped into his hysterical sibling back at the mansion, though it seemed longer. Savina told him about what had happened to his niece, Cambria, and the drugs Naniko had apparently kept in the mansion. Naniko’s reaction to the incident shocked and infuriated him. He didn’t think that their gentle leader would be capable of such behavior. Ex-leader, he had to remind himself. The very idea of Naniko no longer presiding over the pack bothered him, and he chose not to think about it. Instead he focused on why he was there. He had decided to follow Naniko to wherever she had run off to, intending to talk some sense into her. There would be tension within the pack lands now; that much he knew. But he was also aware that there was nothing he could do about it, save for letting time heal the agitated emotional wounds Crimson Dreams now suffered.



He sighed, staggering the steady panting his breathing had become. The white-hued woman had a significant head start on him, but Ehno knew that if he wanted to catch up with her, he would have to go as quickly as he could. The sooner he found her, the better. Naniko’s behavior hurt the family of Crimson Dreams in more ways than one. Her behavior was hard enough to swallow, but now they were looking at loosing a leader and a friend. No matter how angry he was, the Chief Sergeant knew he had to try to keep the situation from getting any worse, however he could. So after exchanging words with his sister, he hastily set out into the rain, intent on following the pale lady’s scent while it was still fresh. He ran nearly the entire way, slowing his pace only a few times before arriving at the edges of Halifax. He slowed then, knowing that running through a place like this would only throw him of the trail that much easier.



He had nearly caught his breath when he arrived at a tall white house where her scent was strongest. The Marino did not hesitate as he pushed open the door and stepped into the relative darkness of the house. What he saw was a woman on the verge of giving it all up. She was vulnerable, and Ehno could not in good conscience let his anger get the best of him now. That hot, angry feeling within his chest subsided, and it was replaced by a tight, squeezing feeling of worry. He slowly approached her, carefully sitting beside her on the old couch. He carefully moved to put an arm around her shoulders. “Naniko…” he murmured, his tone sympathetic, but not entirely so. Part of him still wanted to yell, to reprimand her for her actions, but he knew the time for that was not now. If he did that, he knew it would only alienate her further, and all of the members of Crimson Dreams would be without one of their precious friends. Above all, he wanted to help her, and he knew that letting his anger get the best of him now, while she was at her breaking point, was not the way to do it.

When I rp my character as angry I feel angry sometimes oO Ehno could maybe convince her to return to the pack in our next thread? Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself XD but maybe in a couple weeks ^^;


She hadn't even known that she'd had a tail, someone following her all the way from Crimson Dreams, she had been so focused on getting to the city. Rainwater dripped down from her fur despite the shaking that she had done to rid herself of it, pooling on the floor and dripping down through the cracks in the wood. This place was so old, so gross. She had worked hard to keep the mansion looking good despite all of the old carpets and dusty curtains. She wasn't used to these kinds of conditions. She'd built Crimson Dreams up from the ground after what had happened to her, had learned to depend on others again with the help of Anu and Savina. Now she would have to start over again, start all over. Not by choice. They'd done this to her.

Naniko didn't know what the pack would think. It was one mistake. Pups got into all sorts of dangerous things, there were dangers all around them. But they would see her at fault because Savina and Anu would tell them so. Crimson Dreams was her home, and she didn't want to leave it...but she didn't see how she could stay. She needed time away from everyone and everything, at least for a little while. She didn't know about leaving the pack completely, but if she was going to be hated or chased out then she couldn't stay there. She would have to stay here, and go back there later when no one was around. Try and stay out of everyone's way, to be invisible.

She didn't look up when she heard the door open. She was through with arguing with them; if they had come to chase her further she didn't know what she would do. She was tired...too tired to run any more. And she wouldn't argue with them. She had done something wrong, and she knew that. But she didn't understand why she had been demoted because of -one- mistake. Savina and Anu had taken things too far. She didn't look up, certain that if she did she would see the new leader and sub-leader standing above her. "This is my house now. Go back to your lands and tell your members how horrible I am, how I endangered the life of your pup."

Naniko couldn't smell who it was; her nose was blocked up from the flood of feelings that had come over her. She felt a pressure beside her on the couch and finally looked up, her face now blank of emotion. Why had he come here? "I thought you all hated me now. I didn't mean for any of this to happen"

Haha. XD That's fine by me. Whatever works out best. :] 300+



Ehno was grateful that the hours of travelling had allowed him to cool his head. It let his anger subside, allowing him to fully analyze the situation. He still felt shocked and betrayed at the actions Naniko took, but there was a mixture of something else in there, something akin to worry and pity. Whatever that drug was, that white powder Savina had mentioned, it had changed the white she-wolf. This wasn’t anything like the Naniko he knew. It was as if he was loosing a good friend. As he looked at the woman sitting beside him with tears staining her emotionless face, he felt like he may have already lost her. Something in his chest tightened, some strong emotion tugging at his heart.



He hated to see Naniko like this. The self-deprecating words she threw at him and the emotionless mask in place on her features was nothing like the friend and Commander he knew. But it was because of these changes that Savina and Anu had chosen to pull the pale lady from the tiers of leadership. He winced slightly at her words, though he wasn’t sure why. “We don’t hate you, Naniko. But we are mad and disappointed, and we’re left wondering what the hell happened to the leader we all loved!” Emotions swelled in his chest, mixing his anger, disappointment, and worry into one powerful force. This charged his words, making them more forceful than he intended. The chocolate-hued male didn’t regret his outburst though, as it was one hundred percent true.



“I know you didn’t mean to. You wouldn’t willingly let something like that happen.” He paused for a moment, unwavering amber gaze locked onto her emerald orbs. “But it did happen. And you have to face up to it.” The words carried a much firmer tone now, but they weren’t exactly harsh. He was testing the waters now, trying to determine how stern he could be with her without angering her further. Her reaction would determine how he would handle this situation next. Ehno wanted her to cooperate, but he could only be so hopeful.

Savina was far too critical, too quick to judge and make punishment. It wasn't a good quality in a leader; a leader had to be understanding and had to take in all sides of things before they made their decisions. She could remember her talk with the then sub-commander about Leroy staying there after what he had done. People made mistakes. It was like Savina never made a mistake, like she was perfect or something.

"You're her brother. I don't understand...unless she sent you here to spy on me or something. Did she?" She questioned. If Savina had, then she would try her best to stay away from Ehno too. She was surprised that he had come here...but were his motives friendship, or was he working for Savina? "I just don't get why you would have come here. I know I shouldn't have left it on the floor. I know that. But this? This is too much...for them to team up and take control. I can't even believe it." She spoke in a monotone, her eyes going back down to the dirty floor again.

"I can't face up to it. I can't do it right now. I can't. And I can't stop using that powder...you have no idea how good it makes me feel. After all the shit that's happened? I need it." She did feel that she needed it. Her day didn't feel complete without it any more.

Her words caught him by surprise, painting him as a spy in some conspiracy against her. He could never imagine his sibling using some underhanded tactic to further wound the white-furred lady. Ehno was especially shocked by Naniko’s mistrust of him. Everything she said so far told him that she had lost her trust in everyone around her. Had their once great leader really fallen this far, becoming this addiction-fueled shell of her former self? “I would never do such a thing, and you know that’s not something Savina would do either.” The Chief Sergeant shook his head once more, this time out of disbelief of her words. “They did this for your own good.” He was aware that she would never admit this now, not so soon after the event. But he hoped that in time she would reevaluate that opinion of hers.



“Don’t you see this, Naniko? This isn’t you, not at all.” He leaned forward, trying to catch her drifting gaze again. “This powder stuff has changed you. It’s no good!” The man was frustrated by the complete dependence on the drug she displayed. His chest heaved in a frustrated sigh. He pulled his thoughts together, trying to compose his argument as clearly as he could. He searched for words that would get through to her. “You don’t need it, Nani. And you can face this. This has gone too far. Are you just going to give up? Throw away everything worked for, everything you’ve built up?”

What did she know about Savina any more? She didn't know that the woman wouldn't have sent him; she had only seen Savina so angry once or twice in her entire time of knowing her. But it didn't seem fair to her...that they were able to just take everything away from her like that. It was her pack, she had made it. She had allowed Savina and Anu a home with her, and they had thrown everything back in her face.

"It doesn't feel that way to me. Now I'm out here...away from everyone. My own children." She shook her head. "Ehno, what am I going to do? You are one of my closest friends. And you say I don't need it, but you don't know. My body craves it like nothing I've ever felt before. I can try...but I don't know. I don't know if I can come home again. Do you think I can?"

The rage that had fueled him the entire trip to the city was now forgotten, tossed somewhere into the back of his mind. He would rediscover it later, and deal with it as the situation demanded. But right now was not the time. Right now, all he saw was a friend that had fallen from grace. She needed a hand to help her back onto the right track, else she could be lost forever to those who loved her. Ehno felt his lips pull back into a slight frown as Naniko mentioned her children. He thought of the girls back in Crimson Dreams and the boy Haven, who would no doubt learn of this eventually, and wondered how they would handle this turn of events. He wanted to help the woman before him for them, if nothing else.



She asked him then, what she should do. Her uncertainty served to further display the drug’s affect on her. It was holding onto her like a vice, controlling her wants and needs until she spiraled away from who she once was. “I think you can do it. I have faith in you.” He carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, a physical sign of his support. “You won’t know unless you try.” If she could at least try, then there would be a chance. Giving up and continuing on this path would never give her the chance to set things right again. “Do it for your home. Do it for your family.” His amber eyes shone strong with his support, but they were also pleading for her to take the chance.

End this one soon? i'm not sure what else we can have them talk about or do :o


She wasn't ready to admit that she was wrong to anyone yet, but she could see part of the other leaders' points of view. Not everything, though. It wasn't fair that they had given her that ultimatum. Maybe she would try and do it just to spite them, to show them that they'd kicked a great member out of their pack. Or maybe she just wouldn't come back. She'd have to have a good reason to come back.

"They're all back there, though, and I'm here. But...maybe they'll visit me. You'll come back, won't you?" She asked. Naniko hadn't been alone, truly alone, in a very long time. She didn't need anyone checking up on her every day, but it would be nice to see him every once in a while. Ehno was a good wolf.

Shore! That works for me. 300+



He regretted seeing things this way. When he awoke that morning, he assumed it would be just like any other day. The Chief Sergeant would have never guessed that something like this would befall the quiet pack. He never would have expected to see his little niece hurt, nor his sister so worried. He never thought that he would be sitting in this dusty old house having this conversation with Naniko. Everything had happened so fast and his mind needed time to process it all, to sort through his feelings and deal with them all one at a time. It was cowardly and selfish of him, but he wished that this was all just some sort of twisted nightmare. He wanted to wake up and find everything the way it was before. He was willing to bet they all wished that to be true. But life wasn't that simple.



"Of course I'll come back." He remained silent for a moment, simply sitting there beside her and letting his thoughts wander. It was still hard to comprehend all that had happened within a single day. He thought about his niece and wondered how she was doing. It was then that he realized that he should probably be heading back to Crimson Dreams soon. His trip out here was spur of the moment, nothing but his emotions urging him forward. He knew he would be needed back at home. "I think I should head back," he muttered, amber gaze glancing at his ex-Commander. Ehno stood and took a step forward, pausing to glance back at Naniko once more. "You'll be ok on your own here?" he asked, a hint of concern in the question. He knew she needed space, as did he, but he wanted to be sure that she would be alright.

She was so glad that he had come now. Talking to him, even though they'd only talked about her indescretion, had seemed to help. Ehno was a nice guy, one of the good ones; he only wanted to help her. The next step would be her deciding if she wanted to help herself, though...if she wanted to go back home and be with her family and pack despite what had happened.

"I'll be okay. Thanks." She said softly, standing up and looking toward the door. She'd fill her time up with something. Perhaps she would run into Sabeen, and have someone else to talk to and share her worries with. "Thank you for coming. I'll talk to you soon." She held the door open for him.

One last replyyyy



His mind was a swirling torrent of thoughts, playing and replaying the events from the past day. First and foremost in his mind now was not a flashback but a thought of hope. If felt like all he could do no was hope. If he wished hard enough for things to return to normal (at least as normal as they could become, after all this) maybe it could happen. Naniko could return home and Cambria would recover just fine and everyone could just live happily. Nani was a good friend, and he didn’t want to have to think of her as someone who would carelessly harm a pup, even if this whole disaster was just an accident. It was probably for the best that he was leaving now, so that she would have time to think things over.



Ehno followed her to the door, nodding in response to her parting words. “See you soon,” he said, then turned and walked out into the rain. He longed to return home as soon as he could, but he kept his pace leisurely for the moment, ignoring the ever-present rain that clung heavily to his pelt.