Nightshade

The midnight-coated she-wolf padded across the territory lines of her old home, bearing the scars and bitemarks of a battle-worn veteran fighter. She wondered how long she was captive; time seemed to slow when she was locked in a cage and forced to fight mad dogs for humans to gamble on who would still be alive at the end. A small dog - a mutt that surely carried some pinscher blood, either miniature or Doberman, she wasn't sure - helped her escape when a fight broke out amongst the humans. She wondered what happened to the little dog after that. It pained her to ponder what fate he may have met.

But that was behind her, and all she knew was that she was home. Her old territory seemed so quiet and vacant; if her family and packmates were still here, the flooded plains seemed to mask their scent. She waded through the high water and let out a howl that was as mournful as it was a call for her family and a territorial call. This was her family's home and she would not let anyone take it from them. Perhaps, just perhaps, if her family was close enough, they would hear her call...

Tahiyah & Athana

Much of their family took to scattering. As time elapsed, parents, and grandparents, and aunts and uncles, all succumbed with age. While it was a peaceful exit for many of their family, rather than at the jaws of the angry in a time of war, Tahiya couldn't shake the burden of grief as, one by one, his family diminished. Others, his siblings and cousins, began to wander and take up different lifestyles of their own. Without the steel bond drawn together in a time of bloodshed and strife, they all fell out of touch from one another.

Tahiyah spent the last few seasons wandering. The son of Tainted and Suenga kept mostly to himself, though last winter had saved a drowning she-wolf. Athana, his cousin by blood, was caught in a similar dilemma of perpetual wandering. Hoping to find some source of purpose in this Valley. So far, they'd done very little other than survive the harsh winter. But, that altogether, was a victory.

Tahiyah decided to take Athana to Manahcob when the spring-time temperatures rolled in and the snow melted. The grizzled gray brute forgot how flooded the plains became in the spring, but he tried to ignore the soggy ground as he took Athan deeper into the desolate territory. He showed her where he used to play with his siblings. Where wartime-meetings took place. The last place he slept, before he made his discreet exit. Tahiyah felt a depth of guilt here, wondering if staying with his family would've helped adhere them together.

A lone howl resonates in the air, sending an amount of shock through both Tahiyah and Athana. The brute glances at his cream-colored cousin, hazel eyes blazing with both excitement and an ounce of fear. Family, Nightshade's cry conveys. Tahiyah tilts his head back towards the sky, responding to Nightshade's sad cry with a mirroring call of lonely grief. Athana blinks uncertainly, shoulders stiff as she contemplates the move, before her feminine howl also takes to the wind. We are here, their howl calls back to Nightshade.

Nightshade

Nightshade's single remaining golden eye scanned the landscape for movement, her cropped ears perking as much and as pitifully as they could. Her bones creaked as she took a few steps forward. Then came the reply: a call as mournful as her own. It seemed to stab at her heart. Perhaps the pain was knowing that Windsong and Tahti's lineage was a dying breed. Nightshade would love to continue the line, but the thought of bringing more pups into the world just to suffer - in addition to the dozens she birthed in captivity, which were surely still literally fighting for life - was a hard thought to ponder.

She honed in on the howls and made her way towards the source. Finally she came upon them: family. Tahti's and Windsong's brood, although stretched thin, survived. Gingerly she hobbled forward, nursing a foreleg that had broken years ago and never healed quite right. It was twisted and bowed, just sturdy enough to support her weight, but her fighting days were over, both inside the pit and out in the wild.

"I've missed us." She whimpered in a quavering voice. "How long..." she gulped, fighting off the pangs of sorrow. "How long has it been since the family was together?" It was pitiful, really, all these lost years. Nightshade didn't even know her own age anymore. She stopped counting. She just knew her days were numbered.

Tahiyah & Athana

Tahiyah's heart tremors in his chest as he hears Nightshade approach, ears pricked as he scans the terrain to catch the dance of ebony against the brown and gold of the landscape. He leaps forward with a surprised whimper, crashing through shallow waters of the flooded territory to reach her. He catches sight of her limp, and as he approaches closer recognizes the terrorizing signs of Nightshade's hell. Tahiyah skitters to a stop just strides from Nightshade, limbs trembling. "A long, long time," He replies, his voice hardly above a trembling whisper. Approaching from behind, the sound of Athana's paws splashing in the same puddles Tahiyah bound through can be heard. He steps forward to close to distance between Nightshade and he, eyes gently scrutinizing the scars along her frame. "I'm so sorry...the humans did this, didn't they?" He asks, his throat tight as he ripples with dismay at the horrors his long-lost family member has sustained at the hands of the horrible two-legs.

Nightshade

Nightshade’s breaths came heavy and labored. Once a ruthless predator, the coywolf was but a shadow now, a wisp draining away in the wind. One eye was cloudy; the other was missing entirely. She met Tahiya’s gaze, considering her next thoughts carefully. “I’m afraid we - the children of Tahti and Windsong - may be a dying breed. Their prodigy… our prodigy… is it over?” Her graying muzzle tilted downward, then away, not wanting Tahiya to see the sorrow in her eyes.

The sound of splashing gave her a start, and she jumped, her cropped ears perking as high as they could, which admittedly was not high at all. They were cut so close to her head that they were almost lost in her shaggy fur. She regained her composure and reluctantly addressed the question. “I was forced to fight. I didn’t want to, but it was me or them. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I’ve…” she averted her eyes at took a deep, shaky breath. “I’ve killed innocents in that fighting pit. Against everything our family ever stood for, I did it. I’m not proud of it.” She paused to recollect her thoughts. “But the humans - they were more brutal than any animal I faced. They… they broke me. They made me want to fight. I took joy in it until my senses came back to me and I grew weary of shedding blood. A pup helped me escape. Told me not to look back.” She lowered herself onto the marshy earth and let out a sigh. “I want to go back and save him, but I’ve got no fight left in me anymore.”

Once she got past the memories of her fighting days, her family returned to her mind. “Failure. My mate. Do you know what became of him? And my children? Astra was wise; she took more after her father than me and I only hope she found somewhere safe with him.”

Tahiyah & Athana

Despite her trying to hide the wave of sorrow overcoming her, Tahiyah sees the suffering of the she-wolf. His heart feels heavy in his chest as she recounts the incidents at the human's den. They were stories he'd heard a pup, stories his mother or father told in efforts to ward Tahiyah from dealing too close with humans. Nightshade lived a true nightmare. The brute's shoulders drop as he listens, eyes remaining soft and sympathetic as she speaks. For a moment, he is quiet with no capacity for words to make anything better. If he could, he'd take all the horrors from her and erase the past, but there's no amount of prayers that could remove it. "Shh, Nightshade," he beckons, lowering his head so that he's closer to her level and can see him. "You did what you had to to survive." The fact alone isn't absolutely reassuring, but Tahiyah knows that there's no judgment amongst the three on it. Without question, Nightshade wasn't in the wrong for all she did if it justified the means of survival.

"There's still some of our blood around, Nightshade. I can't pinpoint everywhere, but we haven't died out yet," He hopefully mentions in an effort to distract Nightshade from her recollection, though his voice is distant and unsure. Where exactly his family has scattered to is beyond Tahiyah. To Nightshade's final question, he honestly shrugs and lowers his head. "I haven't the slightest idea...but...that doesn't stop us from searching." His last few words come out with a tone of defiance. His eyes harden with determination.

From behind, Athana listens meekly. She knew the treachery of the humans, and had met a handful of escapees throughout the years. The she-wolf's ears shrink down, eyes casting downward to her mud-covered paws. Finally, her creamy-colored ears perk up as she raises her head, "Tahiyah...what about that familiar coywolf at the bog? Would she know where anyone is?" Athana suggests softly, her voice hardly above a whisper. She recalls an old encounter the duo made weeks ago. While they hadn't spoken with the coywolf, Tahiyah had mentioned it was most definitely one of his kin. Perhaps she would know where they could start pulling their family back together.

Nightshade

Nightshade gritted her teeth to hold back tears. The sorrow came in waves, crashing in one by one as she recalled every moment, everything she could have done differently but didn’t. She knew her action would haunt her in this final stretch of her life. “I did more than what was needed to survive. I made young mothers into widows. And then I made her pups orphans. I wanted to stop… but… I just… I couldn’t.” She lifted herself off the ground, wincing at the creak of her joints, and took a few steps past Tahiya. With a sharp inhale, she scanned the horizon. The territory was different from how she remembered. Had it changed, or had she changed?

“Your mother, Tahiya--” Nightshade swiveled around to face her family again. “--Tainted. Have you heard from her? We hunted together on the day I was captured. We split up when the humans came - I hope she got away.” The black coywolf didn’t count on it - Nightshade had a bounty on her head, and anybody she traveled was at risk of being hunted by the humans by association. In a twisted sort of way, Nightshade was lucky that the dogfighters got to her before the bounty hunters. At least now she’s not mounted on somebody’s wall or in a museum.

A hopeful glance was given to Athana. Nightshade recognized a wolf deep in thought, and it looked like Athana had something to say. Nightshade’s eyes widened and spirits lifted - at least slightly - when the she-wolf brought up somebody who could be of assistance. “There’s hope, then.” Nightshade’s tone still carried an air of doubt, which she tried so hard to suppress. “If we can bring the family together, we can be a force to be reckoned with once more.” Nightshade knew she didn’t have much time left on this mortal plane, but she’d be damn sure to see the bloodline of Tahti and Windsong spread war and wide before she dies.

Tahiyah & Athana

The brute gently reaches out towards Nightshade, his muzzle going to brush against hers. His mind can not fathom the horrors Nightshade has seen, the acts she's committed. He breaks on the inside, for the first time since he realized his family was breaking apart. After his mother was captured and his father abruptly left them out of grief, Tahiyah had forced himself to remain stoic and unwavering. He accepted the hardships, but, here, he stood facing them once more. The happy family under the rule of Windsong and Tahti, and then their children, was a distant, idyllic fantasy at this point.

She mentions his mother. The brute's face betrays him, a twist of grief stealing away that he attempts to push back into the recesses of his mind. He draws a sharp breath, shaking his head. "I haven't heard any word of her...and my father left the pack shortly after she was captured, too," Tahiyah explains, lowering his head. "I've only come across Aunt Vale. She....she's been living as a recluse life at Tabumrot Scar..." He closes his eyes, remembering the graying coywolf hopping across the rotted terrain months ago. She had spotted Athana and Tahiyah, slipping deeper into the foliage and vanishing from their pursuit. Tahiyah didn't understand why she ran, but he knew one thing: Vale was smarter than she had ever let on. If there was somebody keeping tabs on their family despite the scattering, it would be Vale.

Nightshade

Nightshade flinched when Tahiya brushed his muzzle against her own scarred muzzle, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether this was due to lasting physical pain or relived emotional trauma. After the initial shock, however, she returned the gesture, leaning her head into her cousin’s scruff. “I’m sorry about your mother. I wish I could have done more.” She pulled away, her eye meeting Tahiyah’s eyes. “She was - she is a determined beast. I’m sure she got to a safe place.” Nightshade at least partly doubted her own words, but she did not let it show.

The coywolf’s spirits seemed to lift at the mention of Vale. Her grand-aunt was always the perceptive one. If anyone would know where the family was, it would be Vale. “She’s smart, that one.” A smile appeared briefly on Nightshade’s face. “It’s a good idea she had, as much as I hate to admit it, for her to distance herself from us. I’m wanted by the humans and the rest of us have enemies all over the Valley.” Memories seemed to blend together at Nightshade’s age, but she did remember that Tahti and Windsong’s brood had made more enemies than allies. “It’s… not something I could do. I wouldn’t be able to separate myself from the family. I commend Vale for her dedication.” The spark seemed to return to Nightshade’s eyes at the idea of bringing the family back together. “We should see her while we still have daylight. If the bog is how I remember it, it’s tricky to navigate and my sight isn’t what it used to be.” If losing one eye wasn’t enough, her remaining eye was becoming increasingly clouded over the years. With time, Nightshade was sure her sight would be gone completely. But she had lived a good life, fighting for what she believed in and helped make her family a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps it was time to pass the torch.

Tahiyah & Athana

Tahiyah holds his kin's gaze, a small spark of contentment settling under his skin. Not long ago, Tahiyah would've assumed they'd all die as they were in the present. Alone. Separated. A fate worse than to have died alongside them all during the wartimes. Tahiyah dips his head to Nightshade's invitation to depart for the bog. His tail wags gently from side to side, eyes softening. "I'll lead the way!" He announces boldly, leaning to once again brush his muzzle against Nightshade's cheek. "Family. Soon, we'll all be together again." He begins to jog slowly in the direction of the bog.

Athana, ever so quiet, wags her tail with delight at the promise of rebuilding. She follows at the tail end of the traveling trio.