Ooc. [WC: # || Points: #]

Kiara was sick and tired of everyone around her getting hurt. It was bad enough when Amy marred her beautiful coat and left her infected with the virus. It was bad enough that she only had two months left as a true wolf and had only told one other canine of her affliction. It was bad enough that she still had nightmares about Amy's meniscal laughter. Even so, that dog had stolen her son, hurt Fayne, and most recently, injured Tharin.

One day, the silver male had returned with a puppy in tow and wounds all over his body. There were vicious knife blows all over his back and one particularly nasty looking tear that spread over his belly. When Tharin walked, there was an obvious limp. However, the worst of the injuries was his ear. The appendage was gone, leaving only a bloody stump. To make things worse, the pup that Tharin had returned with was not Kohaku, but a stranger.

Kiara could barely bring herself to look at the little female. She reminded the young mother of how her own son was still trapped, how Kohaku was still in danger. But Kiara couldn't hate the pup, nor could she hate Tharin for not returning with Kohaku. Yet, for some reason he seemed to be avoiding Kiara. Ever since she had joined New Dawn, Kiara and Tharin had slept together and spent most of their time together along with Lucia. But since his return, Tharin had gone out "patrolling," leaving Kiara to wake up with only a cold spot beside her.

At last, the alabaster wolf couldn't take it anymore. When night came, Kiara left her sleeping daughter and followed Tharin's scent trail, hoping to find him and force the injured male to sleep. He needed to rest and recover. Kiara couldn't afford to loose him too. He had become a fact in her life, an irreplaceable part of her existence.

Ooc. [WC: # || Points: #]

It hurt. Everything hurt. Seeing Tharin bloodied and injured, seeing some strange puppy that had been rescued instead of her son, seeing her pack mates, seeing her own body littered with scars. All these terrible things, and they were her fault. Augustus's words rang through her mind as she searched for Tharin: "Did you see Tharin? You did that to him." Although Kiara had originally denied it, he was right. If Kiara had just stopped Amy when she had the chance, if she had gone after Amy like she should have, none of this would have happened. Kiara needed to take responsibility, but no one would let her leave.

As the alabaster mother approached her friend, he whipped around, eyes blazing and muscles ready to attack. Kiara froze, her body dropping as she assumed a submissive position. A gentle whine emanated from her lips as Tharin relaxed. His words came out in a worried tone, and Kiara brought herself up again. Sure, he was dominant over her as was natural, but it was time for the mother to be a little aggressive against her friend. Kiara strode forward, going to nuzzle Tharin and give him a wolfish hug. "Time for bed."

It was funny, the arctic wolf felt like she was acting like Tharin's mother. He was so much bigger than her and basically her age. Most of the time the two wrestled like puppies and treated each other like litter mates. So, telling him to go to bed in her "mom voice" felt awkward, but funny.

Ooc. [WC: # || Points: #]

The two connected again, nuzzling each other for the first time in what seemed like months. Kiara missed that, their physical contact. As a social animal, the snow wolf craved physical interaction from her friends. It was natural to nuzzle and nudge. The distance that Tharin had placed between them, the distance that Kiara had allowed, had been excruciatingly painful. He was her best friend, her protector, her pack mate. How could she have let him get hurt? How come she couldn't protect him?

Kiara was trying her best not to aggravate Tharin's injuries. He wasn't respecting his own body, so he didn't need her making things worse. Sapphire orbs traced the injuries until finally they wandered over his missing ear. The she wolf's own ears flicked back and she looked down at his feet as he spoke. His words were serious and blunt. She knew his desires and respected the strength that he had. But pushing himself was stupid, especially with all the injuries he supported. Kiara drew herself up again, she needed to be forceful. "Your not helping anyone in your condition."

The young mother moved around to Tharin's hindquarters. As gently as she could, she pushed her head against his hip, trying to physically drive the male back to the den. "You need to rest and heal. Lucia, the pack, and I are worried about you. I'll help patrol if need be, but don't push yourself. Please." His injuries were her fault, they were brought about because she wasn't strong enough. The least Kiara could do was make the silver male rest.

Ooc. [WC: # || Points: #]

Kiara hated herself for not being able to leave the pack and look for her son. However, Agustus had been right, it was a suicide mission and for her to even attempt it was beyond stupid. On top of that, she had become the cause of so much pain and suffering. Tharin's missing ear was only the tip of the iceberg, but it was what hit her hardest. Her friend, her pack mates, were suffering because she wasn't strong enough. She would have to change that, but taking care of Tharin came first.

With her gentle nudging, the silver male took a tentative step forward. Tharin nodded as his warm amber eyes looked back at her. Thus, their slow track back to the den had begun. Kiara took her place by Tharin's side, staying at his shoulder as both a symbol of submission and to prevent him from trying to turn around. He was badly hurt, and his slow pace only made that more obvious.

Sapphire eyes glanced to the side, taking in Tharin's wounds. Kiara had done that, it was her fault. With a soft snort, a decision was made. She too would portal the boarders. Even if other tried to stop her, Kiara had to do something or else she would go mad. Leaning over slightly, Kiara gave one of Tharin's wounds a gentle lick. "I'm sorry Tharin."

Ooc. [WC: # || Points: #]

Hurt and surprise shadowed Kiara's mind when Thairn flinched away from her gentle touch. She had tried not to hurt him, but his rejection felt like a kick in the gut. The arctic female drew away; letting her head, ears, and tail droop as she walked. Tharin's injuries and fear were her fault. Kiara knew she needed to snap out of it. She had to be strong for Lucia and Tharin. She had to take responsibility for her mistakes.

It was obvious that the silver male did not understand Kiara's meaning behind her apology. She glanced over at Tharin with guilt laden eyes. "Not about stopping you. I wont apologize for that. Just... I'm sorry...for everything." At that moment, all the white wolf wanted to do was crawl up into a ball and disappear. She didn't want to see Tharin's limping or feel her own pain. She wanted to run away, back to the arctic where her puppyhood was. But despite her wishes, Kiara forced herself to remain by Tharin's side. It was where she belonged. Or was it?

Sapphire eyes looked up at Tharin, wondering if perhaps her presence wasn't welcome after all. They weren't mates, but being next to him felt right. Why? It wasn't love, at least, not the way Noah had described. Her heart didn't race like Shiloh used to say and she didn't really care to do anything intimate with him. Yet, Kiara couldn't see her life without Lucia or Tharin. Did Kiara think of Tharin like she thought of her daughter? No. So, then what was he to her?

Ooc. [WC: # || Points: #]

White ears flicked back and her fluffy tail curled between her legs as Tharin growled and nudged her. The male's bronze eyes blazed fiercely as he spoke to Kiara and she almost believed his words. Kiara returned the nuzzle in a halfhearted fashion and continued to walk in silence. As the pair of wolves drew closer, Kiara could feel Tharin's and Augustus's words conflicting. One wolf blamed her while the other claimed she wasn't at fault. But Kiara felt like there was so much more she could have done. She could have ignored her instincts and gone to New Dawn. She could have left Lucia with Tharin and tracked Amy down. She could have done a lot of things... but didn't.

On top of the issue with her son, there was also the issue with her own body. Amy had infected her with the virus and Kiara knew that her time on four legs was growing short. She had been told that it would take four months for the virus to take hold of her, and that time had dwindled down to almost nothing.

Sapphire eyes turned to Tharin, wondering what he would think of her when she did shift. The den wasn't far off, but Kiara had to ask. "Tharin...I, what would you think if I became a luperci?" Kiara didn't want to say that it was inevitable, but she at least wanted to be prepared for his reaction.

Ooc. [WC: # || Points: #]

Tharin studied her for a long time, his amber eyes scrutinizing her moves and words. He didn't blame her for his injuries, but Kiara couldn't figure out if that made her feel better or worse. Her best friend was injured and she shared the same amount of blame as Amy. The young mother couldn't bring herself to return Tharin's gaze and waited until he was satisfied enough to turn away.

Even Kiara had to admit that her question was fairly out of the blue. It was random, and Tharin didn't know the context. He didn't know about her secret, but soon everyone would know. The silver male stopped unexpectedly and Kiara didn't realize until she was already a few inches ahead of him. Turning back, she looked at the large male with worried eyes. The arctic female let out a worried whine as Tharin moved to lie down. Once again, his piercing gaze held Kiara and she looked away. As expected his words didn't really bring any comfort, just another reason why becoming a luperci would be a horrendous ordeal.

In need of a more physical form of comfort, Kiara decided to lie down next to Tharin. She moved slowly and carefully to prevent harming him further. Her small body ran along his larger on and she laid her head on her paws so that she didn't have to look at him directly. "I don't want to a shifter." It was a wish that could only be granted through a miracle.