Jaded Shadows had been compared to a large family, both in structure and in a very literal sense. The pack den added a sense of closeness even to those not related to others by blood. All the wolves in the pack were not Tayui's blood relatives, but she felt far closer to a number of them than she had her own family. Granted, she and her relatives had never gotten along, but it was still nice knowing she really did have a family.


She shifted her weight, twisting her body so she was facing the male. She tilted her head at his question, exhaling slowly as she ruminated. There were a number of ways to answer, although Tayui was unsure if hers might be as simple as 'yes' or 'no.' She supposed that she had been an inhabitant of Ashen mountain for time, but she had not been born into the pack, which somehow made her want to say no. But the answer was far simpler than all she believed it to be. "This is my fourth winter here. I joined in the midst of a snowstorm, but the winds have since calmed themselves." She smiled, allowing for Valentine to interpret it as he wished. She did not know how long that might be, whether she might be considered an old dweller of the lands or simply someone who had found her place. It was a curious thing, perception.

Four years in the sense of a canine was quite a long time. Even longer when broken down to say “one thousand four hundred sixty days”; sixteen seasons; two hundred eight weeks. The mathematical idea of it all hadn't even really occurred to Valentine, but it was still quite a long time as far as he was concerned. He was almost sorry to admit to himself that he had forgotten a vast majority of his time spent in Syemv's house, or the few times that he had ventured away from the land itself. Memories were somewhat fickle like that though, there one minute and gone the next. Often all it took was a break in the train of thought. Yet his expression conveyed surprise from the moment that Tayui said the word ‘fourth’ and he readily commented on such. “That's quite a long time. You must know a lot about the history of this place,” which was almost silly to state, unless she was some sort of skunk-striped reclusive that had only lived in the caverns and before that, deep in the evergreen thickets that dotted the sides of the sunken mountain. “How long has Jaded Shadows been here, anyway?”

I can relate :x



Tayui nodded quietly as Valentine reflected on her answer, wondering how much she did know about her own pack. The first year she had spent in the pack was one she could recall very little of, whether it was what she had done, or what she knew. She remembered the confusion that followed her acceptance into the pack, the sincere disbelief of having gotten away from her brother. She had hardly interacted with her pack mates at the time, and could only remember a few. She was unsure if those she knew were from her first year, or perhaps, her second. It was not until recently that she had begun collecting pieces of her pack's history like one might collect coloured rocks.



"I know what I remember, though in some instances, it is not much. I do know that Jaded Shadows has been here before my time. Mordulin brought Shadowed Stars to Ashen Mountain and renamed it Jaded Shadows when she was younger," she replied, biting back the added, when she was here. She was not bitter, but sometimes it was still difficult to ascertain that the Alpha, a stronghold of Bleeding Souls, was actually gone.

Oddly enough, Mordulin's name jumped out at him. Although the rest of it didn't really ring any distant bells, it prompted his thoughts to reel back to things his parents had told him. Pity that he didn't listen as well then as he was trying to now, of course. “Mordulin… my mother's mentioned her before. Is she still around? She sounded very much like a kind soul.” Or so he thought they had said about her. There were many things that he could remember himself, but like Tayui had said, sometimes it wasn't very much at all. His mother was never really one to talk about the past, unlike his father. Yet there were always some things that everyone kept guarded, he was quickly learning.

I can relate :x



"She was," Tayui replied, unsure of how to continue her thought. Saying it like that, in the past tense, made it sound like Mordulin was no longer kind, or worse, dead. Since Mordulin's departure from the Shadow lands, she had not heard a word from her. She would have preferred to believe that Mordulin was still alive, but the lady was nearing an old age and Tayui knew not of who was with her or where she had gone. Perhaps Mordulin had told her those months ago - perhaps she had forgotten since then. "She was very kind. She left some time before the start of winter, but she had been here for so long. It's strange now that she is no longer here."



Mordulin, the stronghold, was gone. She had realized it some time ago, but it was still strange to think about. It would be like Ashen Mountain suddenly getting up and leaving: one never expected it, and it went against the laws of nature. Yet, she had come to accept it. She and Fatin had taken Mordulin's place, two Alpha's instead of one.

“Ah, that's too bad. I was hoping I could have met her.” Even though he didn't know that much about her, he could have only assumed that perhaps she had chosen to live the last of her days out in a place that was even more stunning and peaceful than the pack she had led for so long. He could even imagine that perhaps the position that Fatin held probably seemed a bit awkward to deal with… Valentine could not imagine readily being a leader in light of another's departure. Even if it was in good will and the right thing to do… change had its own downsides. “I'm sure her departure was hard on some, especially those who she called family. It seems like most of Jaded Shadows is family in some way or form, are you related to any of them?” Of course, the thought that he was talking to a leader never dawned on him either and that perhaps it wasn't entirely right of him to be so nosy. She had hardly asked anything of him so far.

Tayui nodded sombrely, she too wishing that the male could have met the old Alpha. Mordulin had been known throughout the lands as being the timeless Alpha, the one who never left without notice, the one who was unwaveringly reliable. In some ways, her reputation had made her departure even more difficult. Tayui had grown up in the lands learning of the things that did not change: Mordulin's presence was one of them. When she left, the world had been turned upside down, and anything improbable seemed possible. If one law was being dismissed, why should the others remain?



Again, Tayui motioned her reply with a shake of her head. It was Fatin who seemed to be everyone's grandmother, mother, or great-grandmother. Tayui's puppies had been adopted, and her own mate had been a ghost longer than she had been her mate when she was alive. "We are all family. I'm related to none by blood, but I did have two puppies I adopted as my own when my mate was alive. Even now, however, Jaded Shadows does not seem to need even unofficial titles. We've grown to become a family more than a pack." In so many regards, this was true. Although it was arguable, Tayui could see how, as wolves especially, it was no longer a pack. Submission of subordinates had been all but abandoned, for it seemed as though a simple acknowledgement would suffice. Packs could be ruled by two females, unrelated, and in no way romantically involved. Members did not fight for ranks, but earned them. In many ways, it was similar to a human household, or even human businesses. It was curious how their ability to shift had changed their very ideology. They were still animals, yes, but they had evolved to a great degree, both physically and how they thought. Perhaps she would record this some time as a new book, one examining the changes in canine society and packs.

They certainly were more of a family than a pack, Valentine could agree with that whole-heartedly. “I'd have to say that's what I like about this place the most,” though on a certain level it made him homesick to. Perhaps there was a certain level of envy that did run through his circuits when it came how fixated and related everyone else was. But they treated him like that too, so it did push such a feeling down for every moment that it did rise. Brushing the palms of his clawed hands on his legs, the ebony young man rose to his feet. “Well, I suppose I should get back to what I was doing and let you get back to your resting. It was very nice to meet you, Tayui,” he said with a warm smile, heading off only a moment afterward towards the rest of the cavern and hopefully, the rest of the pack.

She smiled in reply to the male's comment, glad he was able to find something truly likable about the pack. If anything, it was one of her favourite things about the Shadows lands as well. No matter what, she would always love the pack, the one that had nurtured her so lovingly when she had first arrived, and had allowed her to grow as the months went by. Being one of the Alpha's was one of the greatest honours she could have ever received. Thinking about the pack like this always brought a smile to her face, and now, hers widened at the thought.

Tayui nodded as Valentine made to move, watching him for a few moments as he spoke. "Yes, hopefully we will be able to talk again in the future. It was a pleasure, Valentine." She nodded once more in finality as she watched the dark male leave. She shifted back, moving away from the water, watching for a few more moments before Valentine's form merged with the shadows. She closed her eyes once the other had left, resting her head on her paws. After a few minutes, she had fallen fast asleep.