Aint no sunshine when he's gone

[Jasper de le Poer]

Jasper

It was terrible. Completely and utterly terrible. He'd searched the lands of his new pack, avoid his father and aunt as best as he could, and in all of that wandering he hadn't picked up on Gin's scent anywhere. Now this was a problem in itself. It had been Gin who he had really come to these lands for, almost certain that he would be nowhere other than with Misery. Now that he knew that wasn't the case, only awful things filled his head. Had Gin gotten lost in their travels and the adults had been unable to find him or, even worse than that, had Gin died and Misery had decided that she would come here to try and forget her heartache? Clutching the ragged white rabbit against his chest, the blonde de le Poer child climbed his way to the top of the nearest hill, ignoring the surroundings for the time.

It wasn't until he reached the top of that hill that he took notice that the area looked just as dead as he felt. The grass was nowhere to be seen and he knew it wasn't because of the oncoming cold whether, and what trees lined the area were gnarled and dead. Two toned eyes moved around the area for a moment, taking in the sight of the desolate place, before finally, as if he'd just given up, he plopped himself down to the ground, legs outstretched in front of him. "No Rusalki, I don't think I could have just missed his scent." His voice was sad and he hung his head to further show that sadness. Despite the attempts that his friend made to ease him, he still felt simply awful. Both arms shifted, his hands tight around the rabbit even as he sat it in his lap.

Endy

Endymion had been intent on staying in Jaded Shadows, staying home, as much as he could, to be with his family. But the urge to explore the 'Souls lands pulled him away from the borders and to the neutral territories. It was a sobering experience, especially since he had been on cloud-nine since arrival. The children were beautiful and lively, and the pack seemed to be thriving. It was almost too perfect. He feared that he would become too comfortable, to blissful, and then something would go horribly wrong. So, the russet wolf decided that a short sojourn would be fitting, just to lower his head from the clouds. And so he went.
Ames de la Mort was about as neutral and as neutral territories went. It was a stark change from the vivid green of home. For some reason, the young man liked it. He had always been the odd child, anyway; fretting over an injured rabbit instead of seeing it as a potential meal, naming it after his father, etc. That person seemed so far away. It was back when he idolized his father, of course. Fathers, he corrected himself. Back then he didn't know what Salvaged was capable of, or what he had done. And he was too young to understand that 'good' fathers actually lived with their children. It was in the past, however. Salvaged was gone, and most likely, Thorn was too. He would just have to move on.
Ascending the hill, the pensieve wolf spied a rather bright creature seated atop the dead earth. Ironically, a toy rabbit was clutched in the other boy's hands. Smiling slightly, Endymion advanced calmly toward the dejected looking stranger. "You alright there?"

[Jasper de le Poer]

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Jasper wouldn't have ever suspected that anyone would find him, curled up and cuddling with a creature that wasn't even alive. Had Jasper not fallen on so many hard times in his life, he might have been ashamed to be found in such a fashion, but as the other wolf approached he found that he was not and, instead, he only gripped the stuffed rabbit even tighter. What could he say to the question asked? Could he tell this stranger that he was in love with his cousin and had only come here to find that said cousin was nowhere to be found? Certainly not. "I'm fine." He finally managed to say, though his voice was quiet and shaky. Not only was Gin not here but his mother had not been seen nor heard from ever since he'd caused her to leave. His siblings were lost within the expanse of the world and his only two friends were a rabbit and a Russian ghost that had been murdered many years ago. "Just checking places out." It was a good excuse, especially for someone who'd only just made this place his home. "My dad used to live here but this is my first time, I followed him here." It was a sad thought, really, that the de le Poer boy had to sneak around and stalk his father for fear that he might be found out. What had compelled him to chance things with his father, the man that had smacked him across the room that day? It was Gin, it had always been Gin. Sighing quietly, Jasper finally released his death grip on the rabbit, leaning himself forward some. "Jasper de le Poer." He offered his name in greeting, figuring that it was the least he could do.

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[Endymion Russo]

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The light colored male was around his age, or younger, but it still seemed on the peculiar side to be clutching the stuffed animal as he was. Endymion’s smile remained, however, as he sat a foot or so away from the stranger. He didn’t sound fine, but the amber wolf figured he should take his word for it. Running his fingers through his reddish hair, the young male nodded as his new acquaintance spoke, listening rather intently despite the queerness of the situation. The de le Poer name was common among those in the Bleeding Souls territory. That fact was something Endymion recalled. He inclined his head briefly at the other, Jasper, politely.

“Endymion Russo," he returned. "Nice to meet you.” The pirate-son shifted to an Indian-style sitting position, observing his counterpart calmly. "What's his name?" he asked, glancing pointedly to the stuffed rabbit. It seemed dear to the de le Poer son, so he figured he might as well get a name from the thing, too.

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[Jasper de le Poer]

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The rabbit, it seemed to go everywhere with the young de le Poer, so much that one might think that it was a beloved toy from when he was a pup. That wasn't the case, though. It was a hard thing to explain, which was why he often played it off as if the rabbit was his own, things were easier that way. Back home, across the sea where he and his family had grown up, his cousin Gin had grown with them. Gin, much older than he, a child that only spoke German, had a stuffed cat. Gin, the cousin that he'd tormented so badly, beaten, and then fallen in love with. The rabbit was a gift for Gin, something he'd taken great care in buying, only to find that Gin was gone when he wished to give him the thing. It was his fault that Gin had disappeared, just like his mother. "He doesn't have a name. He was a gift for a friend but..I haven't seen that friend in a long time." He finally admitted it, which was much easier than he had been thinking, though the thought of complication lingered just on the edge of his mind if there was any more inquiry toward Gin. He'd only ever told his closest sister that he was in love with their cousin, he couldn't explain that to a complete stranger. "Have you lived here for long?" It was an innocent question, perhaps the other male could help him to better understand things. "My family used to live here but I grew up across the sea, it's very different from here, I don't understand a lot of the stuff around this place."

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[Endymion Russo]

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sorry for the wait.

"Oh," said he, plucking a blade of withered grass from the ground. Endymion had a rabbit friend once, though it wasn't stuffed. The little thing had been injured (probably by some unlucky hunter in his pack, now that he looked back on it) and he couldn't stand to see it in such a state. The little boy had taken it to Fat1n, pleading with her to heal the poor animal, and she consented. As she patched up the little creature, Endymion had declared that its name was Thorn. It was an apt name, considering it had fled the pack den as soon as it was able to, leaving the amber boy without his pet. It was one of the most disappointing experiences of his life, and he never made an attempt to have a "pet" after that.

"I actually just came back," said the amber w0lf, running his hand through his hair. "I lived here until I was a year old, then traveled to my mom's birth tribe. I met a lot of family there. It was great." Pausing, he smiled to himself, plucking a few more grey shoots of grass from the earth. "I've never been across the sea," he conceded, placing his elbow on his knee and propping his chin up with the palm of his hand. "Is it nice there?"

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