Goodbye, Old Friend

Yakone pads off with the usual limp, more prominent this time around. Anik is at his side in an instant, brushing up against his side and occasionally nipping at the older wolf’s ear or paw to get him to play. Usually, all he gets in response is a returned nip or a quick swat on the nose, though on occasion he’ll get a yip. The younger simply refused to believe anything was wrong with the other, and was working to get him behaving in the usual way.

"Yeah, but he never runs off with our mother first plus our mother said he acts more like our father when he was young." Lucy replied as she looked at freya. "Let's race to the lake or are you girls too tired." Blade teased Lucy and Freya as he looked at them.

Vix saw a bird and crawled closer. Once she was in range she jumped, bitting down on it's neck killing it. Vix kept the bird and walked back to the densite as well as keeping an eye out for other prey.

Yakone stops after a few moments, panting heavily to catch his breath. “Just a moment, pup.” He sits where he is, looking up at his impatiently waiting son. He slowly lowers to lie down where he is, earning a couple nips from the younger to get him back on his feet.

— — Time Skip .. The sun has now set , and the moon is high ——


Yakone had been back to his old self the remainder of the day; cuddling with the others, playing with the pups, stubbornly trying to hunt despite his clear weakness and lack of energy. Anik had dismissed it as he was in a funk, and continued on happily.

The two males are currently sleeping; Yakone in his spot outside, and Anik nearby. As the singing of songbirds had ceased, replaced by the booting of owls, the Gamma rises slowly to his mitts.

He leaves a parting muzzle atop Anik’s cranium, the sleeping canine shifting his position but not waking. Once certain the other hadn’t awoken, Yakone leaves. He starts at a casual trot in case anyone had still been awake, leaving the campsite. Once beyond the den he runs; he ignores the aching in his bones as he takes off, and heads for the forest. He runs in the direction he and his son had come from, tongue lolling tiredly from his maw and breath in heavy pants.

By the time, Reika had returned to camp, a rabbit in her jaws. She had seen Yakone walk off, probably to have time to himself, which set off a feeling feeling of sadness. Trying to ignore it, she heads to her den to find all six of her pups playing with each other. The silvery-white female laid down not far from them and starts removing the fur of the rabbit and Freya started eating while Akira and his brothers and sisters start nursing.

Yakone sniffs around as he nears the pack border, attempting to find the exact direction he and Anik had come from. As time passes and he fails to do so, the Gamma slowly lies down with his side pressed to a tree’s base. “I’ll just relax a bit then be on my way,” he convinced himself, dipping his head to groom the fur on his chest.


Anik slowly rises to his paws when he gets cold, eyes barely open as he makes his way over to Reika and curls up next to her. He hadn’t paid any attention to the absence of his father, too tired to pay it any attention.

Reika looks at Anik as he curls up next to her and licks between his head between his ears, to help him go back to sleep but also for his and her comfort. 'Yakone will be alright, he'll be fine.' She tried to reassure herself but deep down she had this feeling that wouldn't go away and it made her doubt her thoughts.

Reika jumped a little upon hearing him speak and didn't immediately answer his question."I don't know." She finally said barely above a whisper. "I'm just worried about your father but I know you're going to tell me that he's fine." She shoos the six pups to deeper in the den, not wanting them to hear this conversation.

Reika remains silent rather than replying, trying to convince herself that what Anik had said was the case. 'I hope so,' she thought, placing her head on one of her paws. 'but this strange feeling just doesn't want to go away.'