Secret Woodlands Finding Neverland

NOTE: This is Daniel's death thread, set 09/15/2015. Clouds cover the sun, causing the thickets to be dark and mysterious Everyone is welcome to join. Note however, Nina will only allow those extremely close to her to get near.

After Danica had disappeared, an overwhelming sense of anger took to Nina’s heart. She should have been upset that her daughter had left once again, but when the matriarch realized that she had left her son all alone and defenseless, Nina had decided that it was the final straw. She vowed that she would never allow Danica back into the pack, she was a danger to them and the decisions she made reflected badly on herself and for the pack. The Hervok woman was not running a circus.

Nina had taken Daniel under her wings immediately, knowing that with her love and care, he would be able to make it through this. All of her children had, even her adopted ones. What Nina had not anticipated was the child coming down with a bad case of pneumonia. The golden brown woman did everything in her power to ensure the child’s health, to try and get him better. She made sure to keep him away from the rest of the pack and tried to use whatever herb she could. Since he was so young, what she could use was limited, so for two weeks she sat and stayed with him. Noting how time after time again, he would go into an illusion. The alpha’s heart hurt.

Nina knew what was happening before it actually happened, and the golden dame watched as another one of her children died. She whispered words of love to him before he left this world, a reminder that not everyone was as lucky as they were to live their lives. Before she called for the rest of the pack, she spoke to the still, cold body, hoping that the spirits above would at least hear this, "You have taken yet another from me… May Tacoma watch over you, my dear Daniel." The leader pressed one final kiss to the boy’s head before returning to the herbal den. Grabbing the lavender that Nina use to collect so frequently(which was now the duty of Aideen), the Hervok woman went to the child, coating him in the oils of the flower to dampen the smell of death from him.

Once it was done, Nina remained seated for a moment, her heart once again breaking for the lost child. Finding that it was time that her pack mates got together, Nina lifted her head back and let out a mournful song, letting anyone and everyone in Secret Woodlands that there had been a great tragedy. Whether they chose to come to her call or not was up to them, but the death of a family member was always something the Woodlands wolves would want to come to. It was needed so that they could all find comfort in one another. While she waited, Nina’s single, grief-filled eye, remained trained on the lifeless form of her dead grandson.

Sijinali traveled lithefully; her paws lightly plodding across the soil as she did so. It was just another day, or so she had thought, of patrolling the pack borders and hunting. Her stomach growled; she had caught food today but barely ate. As she walks along, her lids slowly shut over her teal eyes. She pauses. Something didn't feel right. Kneading the Earth with her paws, a slight tinge of anxiety pushes itself throughout her body. As she goes to walk again, a howl makes her freeze in her place.

Sijinali's fur rises on her neck. The howl was that of pain, of mourning. Green-blue eyes opening wide, Jin begins to rush toward the howl, worry now overtaking the anxiety within her. Her paws hit the ground heavily as she rolled along, her breath heavy and rhythmic. As she nears the wolf that had called, she realizes it was one of her leaders- Nina. An odor enters her nose as she approaches, it was quite strong. Flower oils. Her nose wanted to scrunch, but her face remains stoic as she approaches Nina.

Lowering her head, the woman's tail droops sullenly. A small wolf lies curled up, his body lifeless. A frown tugs at Siji's muzzle now as she leans in toward Nina, but remains at a good distance. She didn't personally know her; it would be safest to keep a distance at first. "Nina... I am so, so sorry..." Her voice trails off as a whisper. Death was horrific to deal with.

(This post was last modified: Sep 22, 2015, 03:25 PM by Sijinali.)

     

Her ears lifted as she heard Nina's call. Inali had been outside of the territory, scouting the nearby lands to see if any new packs had settled nearby but the Woodland wolves seemed to be surrounded by neither enemies nor potential allies. She had been coming back with a mission in mind to seek out Nina and ask if there were any messages she wished the woman to relay to any of their allies, for Inali desperately wished to be truly useful to the pack and her friend and queen. But all that was wiped from her mind as she registered the tone of Nina's call and her heart fell within her chest. That was the sound of mourning. Of grief. They had lost little Daniel, and this knowledge pained her heart. She immediately rushed to where Nina's call had come from and her paws slowed as she weaved through the thickets, only giving the new subordinate a brief nod before immediately heading to Nina's side. Her small, rusty form brushed gently against Nina's side to alert the woman of her presence. She looked at the little body before them. Nina had been so worried over the child, caring for him constantly in his sickness. And this was how the fates rewarded her? By taking him away far too soon? The boy had lost his mother when at an age one was most needed, and now little Daniel was gone. She knew this grief. Every time she opened her heart to a child, there was this far off possibility. It had occured with Nari's child, Malia. She had loved the princess, had cared for her and had strived to keep her safe. Now, there was Daniel and though she had regretfully never had visited the child, all she wanted to do was erase the grief from Nina's emerald gaze. That was impossible though, so Inali would strive for the next best thing - provide her with friendly and understanding comfort. She pressed her muzzle against her leader's neck. No words needed to be spoken. When she pulled away, Inali nuzzled her leader's cheek and with sadness in her own blue gaze, turned her attention towards the boy who had never had a chance to truly live. "speech"”Speech”

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Nina's call was as haunting as the thicket looked, shrouded in shadow. The air felt uncharacteristically thick and the breeze that did rustle through the innards of the forest had grown cold, rustling up her back and sending a chill right through her. In the days previous, the girl had been nearby and had been unwilling to stray far from her caretaker and the dark-furred boy who had been under Nina's care for a time. Lyanna knew enough to know that Daniel was very sick; Nina had been tending to continuously for a number of days, and all the while it had been all she could do to stay close and not get in the way, and not to ask what would become of her friend. When the Leader's call echoed hollowly through the trees, the young Tainn swallowed down her fear that something terrible had happened and rose to her feet, making her way to a scene she would never quite forget.

At Nina's feet he laid, as lifeless as the carcasses in the caches. Grief touched every one of Nina's features, discernabe on her silvered brows and like a cloak laid over her shoulders. Lyanna's golden eyes roved over her grandmother's face for only a moment before they came to fall upon Daniel's body again, the swell of tears that suddenly pooled in them running down her cheeks. She didn't mean to stare as her bottom lip quivered, but she couldn't help but to take in every inch of him just as he were. A long, soft whimper escaped from her throat as she hesitantly stepped closer, eyeing Nina as if to ask for permission before reaching down to rove her snout along the bottom of his jaw. To her dismay, Daniel was stiff and cold and in that moment she was overwhelmed and didn't understand what had happened to him or why, and she shuffled backward in a whirlwind of emotion until the warmth of Nina's form could be felt on her back.

Lyanna pressed herself against her nana's forms, her wide eyes drowned in tears and shining with a sadness that she had never felt before, and never wanted to feel again.

It was with the heaviest heart that the masked Leader navigated the daylight-darkness of the forest. Danica's sudden disappearance had been disappointing if not unexpected, but the wake of trouble and sorrow that she had left behind her had proved to be more damaging than anticipated. Whether from sorrow or from the cold wrought by the changing seasons he did not know, but whatever had afflicted Daniel had caused him to founder seemingly overnight. Nina had been vigilant in caring for the boy, but with each day that passed he seemed only to grow more sickly, and the forest seemed to only grow darker. When Nina's call finally shook the silence that had permeated their home for days, the Tainn could feel the sorrow in her voice deep in chest, reverberating and rattling and causing his ears to ring.

He could hardly bear the thought of what he was to find when he finally reached her.

The sight of the woman hovering over the child's body made him sick to his stomach, sicker still to see his daughter's eyes filled with tears as she nestled closely to Nina's side. Mirren looked somberly over Daniel's lifeless body, remembering the innocent life that had once shone from his eyes. In a time of silence the Leader paid his respects to the boy who would be so missed.

Eventually drawing close to Nina, he silently offered her his condolences with a gentle nudge to her cheek before taking his place at her side. Wearing the stoical mask of his father, he wordlessly acknowledged Inali and the newcomer before drifting into his own thoughts in anticipation of the arrival of the others.

The man's brows furrowed as he heard Nina's call, and his shoulders drooped as the message became clear. Daniel was gone. The guardian felt anger brew within his chest. Danica, the pup's mother, had left for no rhyme or reason. She had left her oh so beloved child. Now, little Daniel was gone because of a sick joke from the fates. The boy could have lived, for Nina had done everything in her power, and the regal woman was an excellent healer. But the fates had decided to throw another curveball towards the Woodlands pack, when finally things seemed to start settling down and going good. The guardian felt anger towards the pup's mother and the awful situation, but he also felt worry. Not for Danica, but for the matriarch of the thickets. Miccah had watched as peace seem to come back into her gaze, as her confidence seemed to grow with each passing day. Would this destroy his queen? Would this turn her into the shell she had been after Koda and Iopah's betrayal? The dark beast weaved through the thickets like a shadow, silent and fleeting as he made his way to the somber gathering. Stepping out of the shadows, the massive man's intense blue gaze roamed over the three women, his Leader and the little princess pressed against Nina's side. Inali stayed close to their leader, while the new subordinate knew to stay away for now. He nodded to her, and then moved his gaze to the little body before Nina. Sorrow showed in his orbs, and then his gaze lifted towards Nina. He was not Inali, for she was a woman in tune to her emotions and those of her around her. Her duty was to comfort their queen but Miccah didn't excel in that area. He wished he could do something. Nina had lost her grandson, Lyanna had lost her friend, the pack had lost an innocent soul. The fates had made their decision though, so the man's gaze lifted towards the dark sky. The only thing he could offer his queen was his strength and presence in this time of grief for the pack. He would do whatever she wished. Lowering his gaze, he waited for the rest of the pack to arrive. ”Speech”

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(This post was last modified: Sep 24, 2015, 07:30 PM by Miccah.)

The painful call caused an echoing chill over his body. It caused his limps to stiffen, a swirl in his gut, his heart to race. It took him a moment before realization struck him, for the howl brought up a memory he had long ago squashed. He remembered it as a child when Tacoma had died, the second brother of that litter whom had done his best to be very kind to the odd ball out, the 'other' pup, which Bane had been. Bane had remembered in his youth, that it should have been him who died, not Tacoma... Now as Nina's sorrowful mourn echoed on the lands, Bane knew nothing short of death was upon him. Long, slim legs carried him with a swiftness into his mother and Leader's direction and it did not slow until he was upon the crowd. His arrival grows silent, his body lowering before the devastation of the scene. At the feet of Nina, as before, lay the limp form of a dead child. Bane pauses, his vision flashing to Tacoma's corpse and Bane shakes his head, whining at the thought. Unfortunately, Bane had never even a chance to meet this boy, Daniel Black, face to face.

Inching himself closer into the group, his tensed, lowered frame makes his way towards Nina. He, unlike a collection of the others, does not touch her, though stands near and offers another small whine to let her know he was there for her and he was sorry... After a few moments, he shifts away, allowing room for any other who might want to say their condolences. Though where was the mother? Danica's scent had all but drifted completely out of the land... but why? And why had Titan never come to visit his father? A grim expression found itself forming over Bane's lips as he looked down to the dark fallen child. His mother was crazed, had abandoned him and he never had the chance to know who his real father was. The situation sounded all to familiar to his own, causing a lump in the young man's throat.

Permission to PP Miccah from Mily.

There seemed to be some unspoken agreement that everyone knew what had happened. There was no denying it in the faces that she peered into as they arrived. She offered no words to them, knowing full well that of those gathered she and Lyanna had been the only ones that had been able to secretly be in his presence. His isolation was due to Danica’s swift paw and the golden brown mother felt anger rise within her. The father of her first litter had left, why should she assume that her daughter would do any differently.

She briefly acknowledged Mirren’s presence, giving him a motherly kiss on the cheek as she looked back towards her dead grandson. Lyanna’s small body was pressed up against her chest and as the alpha looked down upon her granddaughter, she knew that the little girl’s pain was deeper than hers. This was the Tainn’s first loss, and certainly not the last. She had missed the arrival of the rest of her pack mates that had gathered to greet the fallen boy, who very well could have been a prince in the future. Leaning down, she spoke softly, words only meant for the little girl’s ears. "If you close your eyes and imagine a place that you’ve never been before, you can see him there and visit him whenever you’d like. That’s the place that only you can go to, my darling, and if you want him to be there, he will be." The Hervok lady pressed a kiss to Lyanna’s forehead, her head turning upwards to spot the man she needed to see.

She nudged Lyanna towards her father, giving her counter-part a nod before stepping towards Miccah. Over the past months, Nina had found a new-found appreciation for the man. He knew how to get over his emotional qualms and would get the job done. It was why when he had been with Ashanti, Nina had been highly hesitant. Ashanti had been much like a daughter to her and the thought of someone like him being with her bothered the mother. However, she was gone now and had also left Bane under her protection, which Nina was happy to provide. Perhaps, it was why Nina was hoping that Miccah would understand what she had to do. Calmly, she spoke softly to him, "Might I have a word with you?" He nodded to her and she turned towards her gathered pack mates, "I am going to step away for a moment. You may all say your goodbyes and I will be back in a few minutes. We will be giving Daniel a proper burial next to the late prince of the Woodlands." Perhaps most of them would not know who she was referring to, but Mirren and Bane would and that was all that mattered to her.

She led Miccah away for a moment, turning to face the Guardian. She had never had to do this before, much less to one of her own children. Clearing her throat, she spoke much more strongly, making it clear that her words were true. "I am exiling Danica. She does not deserve a place in this pack any longer." She paused then, taking a deep breath before she continues, "In the future, I will be ordering everyone to avoid any contact with her. The only wolf I trust to deal with her is you. I want you to ensure she has no more connects to the Woodlands and if she comes to the borders that you make her leave immediately. I don’t want you telling her about Daniel. She doesn’t deserve to know what happened to the son that she deserted." Her single emerald eye was hard and she waited for the other man’s reaction.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

The grief that was so thick in the air seemed to suffocate him. The guardian wished that this never had happened, but wishing failed to do anything now. Daniel was gone, and the only thing the pack could do was find the strength to move on and grow stronger because of it. His gaze moved to his queen, and the child pressed to her form. How would she react to all of this? He watched his queen move to comfort the young princess and his blue gaze stayed on Nina as she moved towards him. At her soft question, the large man nodded his head and moved to follow the aging matriarch in silence. Miccah wondered what she wanted to speak with him about, but it wasn't long until he received an answer. As she began to speak about Danica, the dark man's jaw clenched slightly. The stoic man kept his emotions guarded from everyone but his mate, but sometimes, the long constructed mask he held would drop. The clenching of his jaw showed his slightly cracked facade, for he held deep anger for the woman that was Nina's daughter. Loyalty was important to the man, and her blatant disloyalty in not only deserting the pack but her child as well, made his usually neutral gaze darken. Agreeing completely with Nina's decision, the man's brief show of emotion disappeared. "As you wish," he stated in his low baritone with a nod to Nina. Her will would be done, for the pack was all that mattered. Danica would not be welcomed within their sanctuary. ”Speech”

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The vixen medic had known of Daniel's condition from the start. As Nina's second and the pack healer, how couldn't she? However the queen had insisted on caring for the boy herself, and her subordinate had immediately stepped aside; After all, she was the child's grandmother. Instead Aideen Smoke Athesila had opted to help in any other way she could, taking on as many of Nina's usual duties as she could, while gathering plants and bringing whatever Nina asked for to treat the sick pup. This was why, when Daniel passed, she was at the opposite end of the Thicket, looking for some Hawthorne to help relieve the pain from his coughing. The petite wolf stopped dead in her tracks, heart clenching as the sorrowful song reached her; Oh no! She had feared, as the days progressed with no clear improvement, that hope was lost for the child, but until that moment, she had tried to stay positive. Now there was no more reason, and no need for the Hawthorne either, so with shoulders hanging low, the rust pelted girl turned and began trotting back towards the origin of her leader's call. After a little while though, an impulse made her swerve slightly, taking a detour through the Wildflower Glade, where Danica had had her secret den and Daniel had spend most of his days. Here at the start of autumn, grassy clearing was covered in colorful blossoms, many of them filling the air with strong perfumes; Though none of them have any particular medical value... But medicine was not why she was there. Swiftly, with the gentle touch that came from long experience with delicate plants and sensitive bodies, Aideen gathered up a small bouquet of multicolored flowers, taking care to only choose the ones that had the sweetest scent. Then she once again set off towards the inevitable. Most of the pack was already gathered when she arrived, sitting in a small circle around a crumbled, black form. She felt a lump form in her throat at the sight of the lifeless body, and her trot slowed to a respectful walk as she neared the group, head and tail hanging low. With a small nod of recognition to Mirren, she entered the group, stepping up to the cold bundle of fur that had once been so fu of life and joy. She touched her nose lightly to the stiff cheek, then carefully placed her flowers at his feet, pulling back as she felt the tears press behind her eyes. When she lifted her head, she saw to familiar figures behind the rest, approaching the group. Quickly, the medic moved around the others, running to her leaders side, voice cracking as she whispered: "Oh Nina, I'm so sorry!" She touched a wet, dark nose to the golden woman's jaw, pressing lightly against the older dame to express her sorrow. Then, no longer able to suppress a sob, she pulled back and turned to the dark man by her side. She only met his eyes very briefly, before closing the distance between them and turning her head into his scruff, crying quietly. Word count: 522 ”Speech”   Thoughts

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