By the time that Scarlet, Benup, and Snupsry got back, Silver and Argeon had finished with their meal. The two were laying beside each other, with their heads together, doing nothing- because there was nothing to do. Nevertheless, just laying there beside each other made them feel content enough.

Silver sighed audibly. She wished with all her heart that Argeon would heal soon... she missed the walks in the forest that they used to have before the fire. It would be a while before they could do that again, but she could wait. It would be worth it.

Alonso, however, did not feel well at all. He sat away from all the others, at the entrance to the cave, underneath the waterfall, with the spray hitting him on his chest and paws.

He missed Karli.

He laid down, letting the mist spray him in the face, the wind blew his fur about, making it stand on end.

He had not seen her since that horrifying day, and even before then he had fallen in love with her... just for that love to be snatched away. Gazing into the fog swirling under the falls, he peered at nothing. His heart yearned for something he could never have again. No one would love him besides Karli. Or at least, that's what he thought.

Alonso stared after her for a moment. Should he tell her, everything? Karli had once said to him that it was not good to keep things bottled up, and that it was bad for anywolf. He growled at himself and shook his head. Karli was right.

He timidly got up and followed Evergreen, and eventually caught up with her. "Umm... Ev? Can we talk?"

Seeing the concerned look on her face, he continued. "Well, the problem is, err... see, remember how I told you and Benup about my past, and that I had a good friend named Karli? Well, I dont think I'll ever get to see her again, and I liked her... alot. Like more than normal. And now she is, who knows where?" He paused for a moment, then sighed. "I dont see why I should be so upset about this, but I think the problem is that I love her, and now she is gone from my life... forever. Just like that." Keeping it in and not telling anyone for so long had taken a toll on him, and when he said that, he relaxed a bit.

Chain howl?!?!

The thought had never occured to him. He could start a chain howl, then find out where she was, then they could be reunited somehow, maybe...

Alonso looked over at Evergreen and began to thank her, but he stopped when he saw her expression. She was smiling, but it looked somehow fake... he smiled back, knowing that if he asked he would only make matters worse. But would it? He pondered at what to do, but eventually just thanked her. "Yes, thank you Ev, you just gave me hope." He said, then he looked back over toward the cave.

Silver was coming up to Scarlet, getting ready to ask her something. "Hey Scar, can I talk to you for a moment?"

As she spoke, Alonso felt a small prickle of something cold touch his nose. Looking up, he saw a few rain drops fall to the parched ground. Finnaly. This is just what the forest needs.

"Come on Evergreen, we had better get back inside, it is raining now." He said, as he turned back to her. He smiled, and they both padded back to the cave, side by side.

Watching curiously, Kiki saw Evergreen and Alonso re-enter the cave, only for Evergreen to run back out. What's that all about? she thought.
 
Getting up, she nuzzled her mate lovingly, and told him that she was going outside. "Don't worry, I won't be long." she called over her shoulder.
 
Placing nose to the ground, Kiki took long breaths, trying to find the femme's scent. Discovering it at last, she took off, making sure not to loose the trail.
 
I don't care if she drives me away. I want to get to know her better, and also to find out why she seemed so distraught as she re-entered the cave. Smiling ruefully, she added; I guess I might as well start calling it the den. We'll be here for awhile, because Argeon still needs time to heal.
 
Finally, she found the femme. She was sitting in the rain, on the rock that Kiki herself had layed upon back when Scarlet and Cliff had first actually realised that they loved each other. Padding over, Kiki asked softly "Evergreen? If you don't want to talk, just let me know, and I'll leave. But I wanted to know ... what's wrong? You seem so upset..."
 
Trailing off silently, Kiki looked carefully at the other, trying to see any signs of hostility. As far as she could see, there were none. But, then again... it [the hostility] could be lurking just underneath the cool exterior of the Femme's appearance.

She hadn't realized that her disappointment had shown through her face so much. She thought that she had done a pretty good job of hiding it but apparently she hadn't.

"*sigh* I thought that I had hidden my pain quite well...but apparently I didn't do as good a job as I thought...." she began, she wasn't quite sure how to go about telling Kiki her realization. "Well, as you saw, Alonso and I went outside to talk, he had something that he wanted to talk to me about. He told me about how he thinks that he may possibly love this one wolf who he hasn't seen in quite some time. Well, for some reason I felt really disappointed when he told me that, I felt really sad for some reason. I came out here to think about why that was, but on my way here, I finally realized why. I felt that way because I think of him as more than just a friend and I was hoping deep inside that he would notice me or something....I know that must sound weird to you but I different around him, I feel that I can talk to him about anything and that no matter what, I'm safe when he is there....it's really odd...*sigh* Kiki, I don't know where I'm supposed to go, what I'm supposed to do. I'm lost and I need some advice...what do you think that I should do?" Evergreen sighed, not sure on what else to say or tell Kiki about the cituation.

Evregreen sat there for quite some timethinking about what Kiki had said. She knew that Kiki was right but she didn't know if she could tell Alonso or not. She didn't know if she was ready to tell him and face rejection. She knew that he loved Karlie but she didn't know if he would always think of her as a good friend or if it was possible to love more than one or what. Everything was still all too confusing to her, she didn't know what to think about it anymore.

"Well," she sighed, "I'm not sure how I myself would react to rejection. I know that he loves this other wolf but yet I don't know how he thinks of me but more than likely he thinks no differently of me than he does Dinkrut, just a friend. I don't know if I'm ready to face rejection, but I have decided thougg, that it is best that I tell him and get it off my chest, it does me no good to keep it all bottled up inside. Thanks for your advice Kiki," she smiled, she hoped that she would have an opertunity in the future to get to know Kiki and the rest of Scarlet's friends better, but for now all she had on her mind was what she was going to tell Alonso. "Let's head home."

 

~Meanwhile, back at the den~

 

"I that is perfectly alright. In fact I think that it is a wonderful idea. Although, I think that the meeting should wait for everyone to get back, I saw Evergreen and Kiki run out. In fact at the meeting, I would like to make an announcement as well, after Argeon is done with his of corse," Scarlet said looking at her friend. "I'll go ahead and tell you that it is nothing bad and no one is being scolded, I'm going to let everyone know that they are free to call a meeting anytime they need to as long as they tell Cliff or I about it before hand, just as long as it is important."

 

((OOC- Sorry about that, I meant to post Scar's reply to Silver in the last post but i forgot about it.))

"Well, what I want to announce is this....I want to let you all know that any wolf in this pack is free to call a meeting, just run it by Cliff or I first though. I just wanted to let you all know that, that way you can bring problems that need to be solved to the packs attention, that way it can be solved quicker and without as much...hystaria, I guess you could say," Scarlet said as she stood before her pack, "Is there anything else that anyone wants to disscuss while we are here?" Scarlet asked looking around.

Finally seeing that no one had anything else, she adjourned the meeting. She then went over to where she had slept the night before and laid down. She put her head on her paws and just observed all that was going on around her. She could see Kiki and Raknop conversing happily in the part of the cave that was 'theirs', Silver, Argeon, and Bailian were all talking in the opposite corner from her and laughing about something that had been said. Alonso was heading in their direction but Evergreen had caught him and was trying to get him to follow her  to talk about something.

"Hmmm....I wonder what that's all about? I wonder what they are talking about? Oh well, it's none of my business anyways," Scarlet thought to herself as she laid there and drifted off to sleep once more.

 

 

"Hey, Alonso, can I talk with you for a minuet?" Evergreen asked as she walked up to him.

"Sure. What's the matter Evergreen?" Alonso said as they went outside.

"Well..." Evergreen sighed, "there is something that I need to tell you...." she stopped and sat down. "Remember when you told me about Karlie? Well, when you told me that you loved her, I felt a big dissappointment in my heart....at first I didn't know what it meant, but when I talked to Kiki, I realized that....Alonso, ever since I met you, I have liked you....not just as a friend but more....that's why I felt dissappointed....please forgive me for not telling you sooner..." she wept, she thought that she had appeared to be a fool, and all she could do was weep.

Astonished, Alonso stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do or what to say. First of all, he had never expected that, and second, he never thought that any other wolf besides Karli could like him... like that, anyway. But with Evergreen standing there before him weeping, he knew he had to say something. It made him feel bad, it made him feel as if he was the one to make her cry.

Alonso stepped closer, and touched her cheek with his nose. "Evergreen, don't cry, it's ok. Everything will be alright."

Suddenly, Karli seemed miles away, as if she would never be seen again. he sighed. The chain howl would probably never work. Looking at Evergreen, he noticed something that he felt before with Karli. He had felt it, just a pinch, that time when he and Evergreen were talking together about their pasts on the cliff in Kraq mountain. Maybe... just maybe he liked her back, but he had not noticed it before.

Alonso looked Evergreen straight in the face. "Honestly, I dont think that the chain howl will work."

Kiki saw Evergreen come back into the cave with her head low. What happened? she thought. Mentally scolding herself for becoming nosey (which is not in her nature), she stood and walked towards the entrance of the cave.

Raknop stood also. Coming forwards, he asked impatiently "Now where are you going?". Turning, she said "To find Benup and Snupsry. They've disappeared, and I want to know why, and where to."

"Fine. But I'm coming as well" Raknop said. Kiki opened her mouth to argue, but Raknop shook his head stubbornly. "No. You are not going out there without me. I love you, and you know it. I will not have any harm come to my mate."

Frustration entering her eyes, Kiki looked away. We've only known each other for a short time ... could he really have such strong feeling's for me? she thought. Looking back, she glared at her mate. "Fine. Come also."

What did I do? Raknop thought. All I want is for the one I love to not get hurt. Am I not allowed the piece of mind that if she gets in danger, I can help her?

With that, the two Wolves trotted off, not looking back. Passing Alonso, Kiki nodded her head in acknowledgement. He seemed a little startled. Probably at what Evergreen had told him. At least her mind can be calm, because she knows that he knows how she feels.

With that, Kiki upped the pace, first casting around for the two wolves' scents. Finding them, she continued on her way.

Outside where all was quiet Zepher still remained in the place he had after he had jumped and tried to fight his sister.

What am I to do? I was so foolish to think that it mattered that I was related to the alphess of the pack. It shouldn't effect my rank and I realize that now, but how am I supposed to make it up to them all? What am I to do? I can't juts say that I'm sorry and let that be that...I need to do something more, that way that they know that I am being sinceer about it all and that I really mean what I say. I guess I'll figure out what I am going to do when I get there, I need to go back though, I have been out here for far too long, I need to go and appolgize, even if it does mean embarassment for me.

With those thoughts Zepher got up from his spot on the ground and started the long walk back toward the den, he would take his time, if only to give himself more time to think about what he would say to appoligize and what he would do to make it up to his sister.

 

Zepher was about 3 miles away from the den when in the distance he saw what he made out to be Raknop and Kiki. What were they doing out here? This was a long way from the den...surely they weren't looking for him, surely there must be some other reason for them to be out here walking around.

To get their attention he gave out a small howl a low one that would only be heard 1 mile away at the most.

 

~BACK AT THE DEN~

 

As Scarlet slept on, her dreams turned back to what had happened to her on several occasions. Her mom was beating her, and blood, her own blood, was covering the ground around her and was spattering her fur in the places near her wounds around her chest and her sides. It hurt to breath, and everything was going dark, she was blacking out. Everything, she felt, was about to end, she had though that her life was going to end that day, that was when she had met Cliff.

 

"Hey...are you alright?" the young puped asked as he nudged her with his muzzle.

"Unnnghhh....who are you?"

"The name's Cliff, I was taking a walk with my parents and heard all the comotion and I saw that you were hurt....I just wanted to help is all..."he droped off.

"You don't want to help me....I'm an oucast, I'm someone who other wolves look down upon because I'm different, I'm albino," she groaned as she finally looked up at him to show him what she meant.

"That doesn't bother me, I think that it is what the heart shows hat is important, the personality and the heart of the wolf is what matters in my opinion. You are someone who needs help and I entend to help you, weather you believe I should or not or even if you don't want it or not I'm still going to help," Cliff barked as he leaned down and struggled to try to get Scarlet on his back.

Everything would be fine, everything was turning around for her, she had just met a wolf that didn't care about her appearance, he just cared about what her personality. She had just made a friend for life and she knew it, everything would be just fine.

 

Feeling a wet toung go across her forehead, Scarlet opened her eyes.

"Hey....how are you feeling? Is there anything wrong?" came a soft, reasuring, and gental wispering voice.

"Oh Cliff...." she sighed, "what would I ever do without you?" she sighed as she licked his muzzle affectionately.

Cliff was puzzled about her reaction to his question, what had gotten into her all of a sudden?

Padding briskly, Kiki suddenly stopped, ears perked. "Did you hear that?" she whispered to Raknop. "Hear wha- Oh. The howl." Turning towards the sound, they both noted that it was rather faint, as if sounded half-heartedly, or from a long distance.   "Do you think we should investigate?" Raknop asked, worried for the safety of the other pack members. "Hmm ... I don't really think it sounds threatening." Kiki replied, tilting her head thoughtfully.

-- Edited by Scarlet Whitetail at 21:42, 2006-09-14

Startled, Kiki and Raknop realised that it was Zepher that had been the one to howl. "Hi." Kiki said. "Are you OK? You seem kinda lonesome."

Raknop looked around, then told Zepher quickly, "We're looking for Benup and Snupsry. They seem to have gone missing."

~ MEANWHILE ~

Benup and Snupsry entered the den, having had a long talk about their feelings and lives. They knew that each liked the other, but as they were only at Flame ranking within the Pack, could do nothing until one of them was to be placed at a higher Rank.

 

((I thought that'd be a good turning point. Kiki and Raknop [and Zepher?] looking for them ,and they return back to the den.))

((OOC: Ok, the italics is a dream sequence, just to let you all know. And sorry if this post is going to turn out long, I just have to get some things off of my chest. BIC))

---

Back over Krag mountain, in the foothills, a small pack lived. In that pack, there were two best friends, Karli and Alonso. Whenever you saw Alonso, Karli was with him, and wherever you saw Karli, Alonso was with her. They were almost inseperable. Their relathionship was special, they were not mates, but there was no other wolf they would rather be with in their life.

One day Alonso had just gotten out of a small fight with another wolf. He remebered the opposing brute's threats and taunts, and it stung him more than any wound. He sat beside the river, looking forlorn, until she came. Karli had been looking for him, and she found him beside the river bed. Alonso immediately smiled, despite the hurt that he felt in his heart. He looked over at her, her warm smile, bright white fur, and light gait reflecting her optimistic personality. She came over and sat beside him.

"I can tell something is wrong with you." She whispered, turning her gaze toward the water, then back toward Alonso again. They always looked each other in the eyes, not from anything else but affection. "If you don't tell me I'll get it out of ya eventually." She added with a chuckle.

He looked half amused, half frustrated. "Well, I just was in a fight... nothing big, but still enough to make me want to-" He trailed off, then turned away. "Nevermind."

Karli sighed, knowing well enough what he was thinking. "Look, you don't need to let those  buttheads get you down! What matters is what you think of yourself, and not what some annoying pack member thinks." She paused for a moment, wondering whether or not she should continue. It got the better of her. "Hey, I think you're the most wonderful wolf in the world. I'm so lucky to have met you."

Alonso gazed back at her, taken aback. "Well... thank you. But I..." he stopped, sighed, and stood up. "There's no way I can keep on like this."

She licked his muzzle a little. "No, not like this. You need to buck up, and tell those other guys what for. They just want to make you like this, scared, angry, and frustrated. You're letting them have what they want! Just try to ignore them next time, and if they start a fight, then just trust in yourself and do your best."

The frown on his maw straightened out, and he smiled a little. "Thanks, Kar."

Just then it seemed that time froze. The two looked at each other, eyes locked. The wind through the trees stopped, the river was still, and the only two things breathing and alive was Karli and Alonso. 

~~Back at the Den~~

Alonso woke, and jumped clear out of his skin. He looked around, and saw everyone turn to look at him, perhaps he had just disturbed the silence of the quiet cave. Even if not everyone was looking at him, it felt as if they were. 

Benup and Snupsry were back, and so was Evergreen.

Evergreen. He did not feel like talking to her now. He did not want to spill out his dream and then make her feel even more worse.

With everyone's eyes on him, hot and burning into him, he felt that old self-conciousness come back. Croutching down, he eged toward the cave entrance, and muttered half to himself, but loud enough so everyone could hear him, "Sorry, I had a nighmare..." Somehow it was true. The dream just brought back the thoughts and feelings of the love that he could never have again.

Without another word, he turned and sped out of there. He needed some time alone. He ran past burnt trees, past the river, toward Krag mountain. He stopped for nothing, not even when he thought he passed Kiki and Raknop. He passed the big rock, and crossed into territory that had not been touched by the fire. It looked wonderful compared to what he had gotten used to seeing.

Green, everywhere! He looked up the slope of the valley. On the other side of the slope would be Goconlow Forest. And past that, where he used to live. Maybe Karli still lived around there! He kept going, fueled by the determination to find her.

After what seemed like eternity, he was at the top of the slope. He paused before doing anything else, looking over the land in which he currently called his home, and gazed upon the long scar of burnt land. He could barely make out the large waterfall cave. He looked at it in wonder, now a long way off. He had run all this way.

He sat down, panting, and summoned the rest of his strength. He would need it for what he was getting ready to do. Throwing back his head, and looking past the setting sun, he howled.

Alonso threw all of his emotion into that howl, his longing for Karli, and his curiosity for where she was. He called in the direction of his old home, calling for her. He ended the howl with a sad tone.

There was no doubt that his new pack heard him, but also no doubt that his old pack heard him, also. Maybe they would know where she was. Evergreen probably would have heard him, too. He sighed to himself. If she was going to feel bad about this, then he would feel bad about making her feel that way.