Deuce had left the pack, and after Taliesin had beckoned him to go see her in the cabin. Once there she whispered dreams that had faded into a nothing. He had never thought that she would have left Phoenix Valley to begin with, but now here he was, his only child that stuck around was gone along with his mother. The male knew that his place wasn’t in these lands any more. They were at her side even if that meant making the pack that she wanted and dreamed of. Lucifer would follow her to the ends of the earth. Though he knew that with his father finally back that he wanted him to join in whatever trip and ideas that Deuce had, he wanted that family that he dreamed of. He gulped as he moved to where his father was living at in these lands, hoping that by the time he was ready to return to Deuce that Noah would have agreed to join them. He couldn’t leave Phoenix Valley without the grey male agreeing to join him.
The black child stood shifted for the first time since he came to these lands, he always feared that if shifted and held his head up to high, or looked to happy Iskata would find yet another way to cut him down and make him once again feel like he was not welcomed with in these lands, but however letting him know that if it wasn’t for Deuce he would never have been there. She must have found odd pleasure in making him feel like such a lesser. His claws stretched out as they formed a fist as he knocked lightly upon his father’s door. Pulling his hand back away he traced the scar upon his chest, the last thing that he would ever had connecting him back to Summer, his long past mother. ”Dad? You awake?”
Since the attack on Iskata, the grey giant had gone very quiet, or quieter than normal. The only reason he had joined the pack was to help her protect their families. And what had happened? He had barely agreed to stay and be with family when Iskata was attacked by the one he hated. Holding a grudge was not in his normal practice but for Ahren, he made an exception. Noah flat out hated Ahren. It seemed like no matter where Noah went, the cursed demon found some way to hurt those under Noah’s protection.
The fire had long since died and the once proud grey giant lay on a dusty rug, staring into the cold ashes. A long night of patrolling had not made any difference. He was not making a difference. He had failed once again. Now the one who he had pledged to follow was no longer leading. The new pups that had taken over were young and bothersome. It humiliated him that his life had come to this: failing friends and taking orders from cubs. What would Grampa Flamethrower or Dad have said? Noah sighed miserably. Life was not what he had expected it to be. Nothing had turned out like he had expected.
The door did little to move him.
“Come,” he said without bothering to get up or even lift his head.
That was his father’s voice the one that told him stories while the black pup was slowly entered into a dream land, Noah was his only father, he once had never taken a foster like father. Lucifer opened the door to see his father laying there like a beaten dog, and not the happy but proud male that he knew him to be. He was sure that that attack was holding him down. ”Dad?” The boy moved closer to his father as he got down onto his knees. ”Dad…I’ve come to see you and well to ask you to come with me.” Lucifer knew that without his dad in the pack that Deuce would be leading the pack alone; surely she must have known that, or she would have requested that she stayed there with her. The black male stretched out near his father in the shifted forum as he took his head and nudge his father lightly. ”I’m glad you did come back to ‘Souls, I know it’s not how you left it. This place...These lands are not what Bleeding Souls was like. Coyote’s able to run free, come and join any pack they want. It just makes me sick, after a stupid coyote killed Shadow, and made Deuce miscarry I promised then and could never trust another coyote...Half breeds I don’t like but I can learn to trust them. Like Jefferson…he’s not that bad…I guess.” The black male rolled onto his side propping his head up with his hand. ”Deuce wants to make a pack…I told her I would join…but I can’t leave you. I won’t leave you. I love you dad.”
The breeze from the opened door brought the tell tale scent of his son. Strangely, a year ago the scent would have caused him tension. Many things had changed since then. His reaction was among those changes. His ears pivoted in interest and his slid his head round to watch his son approach. A single thump of the tail welcomed the young wolf.
Go? Go where? He lifted a brow in slight interest. If it was a hunt though, he really didn’t feel up to one. The night’s patrol had been long and hard. The old fool had been running himself into the ground trying to maintain the borders and ensure the safety of the pack.
Noah returned the nudge with a small huff but there was no anger behind it, only simple acknowledgement. Although it bothered him that he had become so lifeless, Noah was struggling to maintain what little he had left. The place was sucking the life from him and only the need to keep his family safe kept him going those days. As Lucifer recapped their woes, his eyes began to cloud again. He needed not the reminders of the troubles of the lands. They were always ever too present in the forefront of his mind those days.
The mention of Deuce leaving and Lucifer along with her caused the first real reaction from him. Noah lifted his head as if waking and looked at his dark son. There was nothing left for them here. In fact, there had never been anything for Lucifer there aside from Deuce. Noah did not want Lucifer to be trapped there. It was no life for Lucifer there. If Deuce was truly leaving, Noah wanted Lucifer to go with her.
“Go. Yeh shouldn’t be trapped here on my part. Go be with her.”
The black male shook his head as he gave his father a soft nip upon the shoulder; he was being foolish and old. He sat up and folded his legs looking back to his father. ”I won’t leave without you. You know that!” The black male pushed his purple tinted bangs out of his face, brushing it back into the trio colored hair. He wanted his father to join the pack that Deuce was dreaming of. The child reached out and played with the fur on his father’s coat. ”I waited to damn long for you to come back, just to walk away now. If it means staying here in these lands, and not being happy I will. You’re my father, I need you. “
Noah couldn’t help it. He stretched out and relaxed when Lucifer played with the grey fur. Noah had always been a gentle should and felt the most relaxed with pups nibbling or pestering at him. He would never admit to it though. Having Lucifer around had been good. They were finally catching up on some much missed father and son time. It pained him that it might end sooner than he had hoped.
“Yer grown. Yeh ‘ave ta lead yer own life. I refuse ta stand in yer way.”
Noah stretched again and sat up slowly. His joints complained and he knew he had overdone it the night before.
He knew there was nothing left for him there and he knew he had felt trapped ever since Iskata stepped down. Yet he did not want to get in Lucifer’s way. The poor lad had a right not to be hampered by the old wolf. Old.... Noah sighed. When had he become old? Sparked by anger at the way his thoughts had turned, Noah stood and shook himself. Damn it! He wasn’t old!
“Does she know you ask me this?”
The black male shifted down into the four legged mode, as his father shifted about. Lucifer hated seeing this. His father was one day going to join his mother and he...He couldn’t deal with that. The younger male stood up onto all fours shaking his coat, trying to shake the pain that came with shifting. ”What is wrong with you? My father, the great protect of all would have jumped at the chance to try something new, you at one point gave up a life of complete freedom to live in a pack. To be with his children, he didn’t care if they were grown or not. “ The black boy nipped at his father’s tail. He wanted to get his father fully wound up and ready to play and be youthful again. ”If she didn’t think I wasn’t going to ask you think I would still be here…in these lands that have held me captive?”
“Der’s nothing wrong with me,” Noah grumbled, a bit irritated by the question.
His eyes narrowed as he followed the impertinent pup and listened with increasing annoyance. Lucifer was pushing his buttons and he didn’t like it. What made him more sensitive to it was the fact that Lucifer was making some solid points and touching upon Noah’s pride. He was a protector. Perhaps not a great one but he was still a protector.
“Twice actually,” he said quietly but still a bit grumpy. He had no regrets giving his life over to raising his pups and protecting them. He was simply not in a good mood from the recent events. He reached around and nipped at Lucifer but careful not to actually catch any part of the boy.
Captive? Sometimes that was exactly how Noah felt. How had they gotten to that point?
“I didn’t raise you and yer sister ta be captives. Yer free lad.”
Lucifer was always a tad bit over jumpy about being nipped at, but he figured that his father was just playing with him. The boy jumped to this paws with a yip letting his tail sway side to side, as he smacked his lips he jumped towards his father licking at his face, he knew that his father seemed more testy since he came back but there was something that was wrong with him and he was going to find it out…no matter what. ”Don’t lie to me old man you’ve been more test then your normal self” The black boy’s tail hit side to side as he tried to play with his father, something that they really never got a lot of. ”I made the choice to come here…to be with Deuce, and Deuce has left but I won’t leave without you. She wants you to lead the pack with her. Just think Dad, Alpha…you know you can do it.”
He had sworn to protect his son. It was on that basis that he had come into this new pack. Now the boy was moving on. Part of him wanted to go with the boy but he also wanted to give the pup his space.
Noah dipped his head and pawed blindly to ward off the licking. It was a bit more of a playful gesture than he was use to letting his son see. Maybe it was just pity for the lad or maybe it was that Noah was sick and tired of how things were. Lucifer had changed and Noah had truly begun to appreciate that. It looked like they might finally have a normal relationship... whatever normal was.
“I’m not old,” he snarled, instantly losing his playfulness and stood up. The subject was rather a touchy one for him. Again, pride was a big factor.
“ ‘ave yeh lost yer mind?” he said, staring at Lucifer as if he had been licking toads or drinking swamp water.
Lucifer jumped back with a squeak, ducking his head down, once his father had snarled, but as soon as the words came to his ears, the black male laughed making a bee line back to his father.”Then get up and quit mopping about like you’re about to die.” He knew Noah wasn’t as young as he was back when Lucifer was a pup but it wasn’t going to kill Noah to liven up and enjoy life, Lucifer would always be there to take care of him in his golden age, even if the male wouldn’t let him. ”Yes dad, I am! I’m mad that coyotes and hybrids are allowed to do whatever they want and never pay for it. Iskata children look more like filthy coyote’s then wolves. They are sicking. Thank about it…one big family, you, Deuce, her pups, and me. Think it’s almost like a dream. Its how a pack should be. Elder running the pack, the younger members being taught by the older members. Think about it Dad…I’m going to stay in these lands for as long as it to take to make you come with me. You have always made sure that I was taken care of, for once let me do the same for you, beside there will be pups there that you can play with.”
Noah’s eyes lit up and there was a triumphant laughter in them when Lucifer squeaked and jumped. Noah might have been leaving his prime but he still had it.
“I’m not acting like anything,” he grumbled but partially knew Lucifer was right. Noah wasn’t about to admit it though.
“Watch it lad,” Noah warned. “Iskata is an old and trusted friend.”
Yes, he wasn’t happy with the way things were going but it wasn’t her fault. It was Ahren’s fault. Noah hated Ahren.
Noah’s fur bristled at the label elder but not as much as it had when being called old. Elders were respected and dignified. Still, it would take a lot of getting use to. The prospect of pups and raising his grandpups appealed to him though. It wasn’t like he was being of any use where he was and he had sworn to watch out for the boy and his family.
“I’ll go with yeh lad ta see her but I make no promises.”
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OOC:
Lucifer pounced after his father, trying to get the old man to liven up some, he hated seeing his father so down over all of this, he loved him so and hated seeing his acting this way. The male gave a playful growl after he pounced after the male. He laughed puffing up his chest, ”You’ve got at least something right. She is old, but I don’t trust her she’s evil.” Lucifer looked at his father squarely in his eyes. Lucifer didn’t like the woman but had to respect her for what she was, or once was a leader of the pack in which he lived in. Lucifer nipped at the grey male’s paws, with a laugh. ”Do you think your old bones can keep up with the trip?” He knew that his father could do it, but with how he had been out and saying things about how he couldn’t take another wild trip.
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Noah knew the boy was only trying to cheer him up. And though it was heart warming to see the lad finally actually want to connect with him, Noah was not in any mood to bounce around. Being sore and stiff was only the tip of things. It certainly did not help any.
“She has been there fer me fer many seasons. I trust her with my life,” Noah sad flatly and made it quite clear the topic was to be dropped. She had been a friend in some of his darkest hours. He refused to hear any ill about her.
Noah ignored the nips as he would have ignored them if Lucifer had been an energetic cub. He stretched and headed outside. The cold air refreshed his lungs and he breathed deeply. An owl in the trees lifted it’s head and regarded them curiously. Noah pretended it was no there.
“Call me old once more lad and yeh’ll see what these old bones can do.”
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OOC:
He was thankful that his father was no longer moping around, also that he was willing to see what this new life could offer him. The black male stepped to the side and yawn stretching his legs out. Looking over to his father, the male tipped his maw up with a laugh as he jumped back to his father’s side, going for his shoulder blade, short quick nip, as he would try to push the taller male down. Lucifer was still a child at heart and was willing to play all day long if someone would be around to play with him. Follow his father out-side, the young male jumped towards Noah’s shoulder blades again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t hear you past the cracking of all those old bones.” It was bliss having his father back around again, they could finally do everything that he wanted to do and learn.
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Noah walked down the steps, shook a bit more and started off in the direction of Lucifer’s recent paw prints. It seemed as best a bet as any to head in. The trip might do him some good. In the very least it would be good to see his friend again. It had been far too long. He had lost touch with far too many of his friends. Sadly, given his age and age of many of his friends, losing touch could possibly be perminant. His trip north had shown him that much and had left him grumpy and short tempered.
Having Lucifer frolic like a care free cub wasn’t helping either. Tired of his son’s jabs about age, Noah whipped around surprisingly swift for someone his size and age. He made a grab for the younger wolf and had ever intention of literally sitting on the pup until he settled down.
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