"Ah, it's alright. My parents used to bicker like that all the time so I'm used to it." Slash said, his eyes meeting up with hers momentarily before flickering off in thought.
Moontouched felt a pain in her heart for the wolf. She knew that nobody had a perfect family, but she had hoped different for this wolf. She changed the subject, hopeful for a laugh. "And what do you plan on doing when you wake? Leave immediately without saying goodbye?"
Slash gave Moontouched the laugh she had wished for and said "Honestly I think you guys would wake up before me."
Moontouched smiled at Slash and blushed, she was suddenly shy. Her head sunk back into the fluff in her neck, her eyes fluttering as she too gave a gasp of quick-witted laughter. "Well, when you take care of a kid, you learn to wake up early to get a head start on the day before they have the chance to wake up." She laughed again then added "Kids, I mean. You have to get up before them." She was self-conscious as she said this, her eyes looking up to meet his.
Kind eyes gazed back at her, making her feel special. In addition a wide smile just as wonderful was aimed at her too. Moontouched stretched her front legs out in front of her as she shifted her hindquarters to take more weight, giving herself a better range of motion for her neck. She turned to gaze upon him fully now, his mouth opening as he began to speak again. "But, no, I wasn't planning on leaving without saying goodbye." Slash chuckled, eyes gleaming with entertainment.
Moontouched's heart swelled with hope. She prayed that she wasn't just falling blindly into an ugly situation that would leave her meaner than the way she was now. Hopefully he too felt emotions for her that he couldn't place. She looked into his eyes fixedly, searching for any indicator of his feelings. He looks happy, Moon concluded after a long moment, drawing back her head as she found herself dangerously close to his face.
"Then after I leave here I planned to go looking for my brother at Glacial Beach; rumors said that there was the last place he had been seen." Slash seemed distracted as he said this, his eyes falling to the ground. Moontouched watched him as she listened intently, her guard dropping almost completely while she listened. "I sure hope they are right. He is my last living relative you know?" he asked the ground. His eyes were saddened, as were the rest of his features, but the green eyes also showed a twinkle of hope as he looked to the sky. Moontouched followed his gaze hesitantly and looked at the stars that formed Orion's Belt.
"Unfortunately when I was younger," he began "I had the sad experience of watching my father's final moments as he fought off a rouge. He was trying to rape my sister. When he killed my father, that's when I discovered my fury." Here his voice got tougher, a sign of intense emotional conflict at remembering the events as best he could. After a second he continued. "After pushing my five month old brother into the bushes all I can remember is launching myself at the rogue. And then all went green." He took a quick break from telling his story, allowing Moontouched a chance to think. She stared out at the stars not wanting to look at him until he had finished and all the surprises were out. Her ears perked up as he began talking again, wishing to know everything that he said by heart. Not only did she want to do this because it was important to him, but also because it seemed to cause him emotional pain when he talked about it. She didn't want him to go through this again if she could avoid it.
"I felt flesh rip and tear, then I snapped back to find the rouge lying at my feet—dead—and my sister safe, unharmed, but it cost my father his life." Slash shook. "I was distraught, I left the next morning. Five months later I came across my mother's and sister's shredded corpses on a path. I didn't see my brother's so that was when I began my search." He finished simply, making it sound like that was all that he had to tell, but he kept his eyes on elsewhere, then down, back to the floor. "The kid was never very strong, but he was fast." He smiled sincerely, and then looked up at her. "Then one thing led to another and I came across you guys."
He slid the goose across the floor, trying to delay her response when he asked "Would you like the rest?"
Moontouched sat there, longing in her eyes. She wished to help him in his search for his brother and settle the emotional troubles he still felt regarding the issue. She ignored the goose, pushed it aside and said "I really sorry for your loss, I am truly and deeply sorry, but I have to say something while I still have the courage and motivation to tell you and I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk."
Moontouched didn't wait for a reply and began her story. "My mother and father were two lustful young wolves at one time, both coming from families where they were taught that the wrong thing wasn't always wrong. They bore pups in the middle of winter, I being the only one survivor. My father cared for his wife and me as best as he could, bringing us food whenever possible, but it didn't satisfy my mother. She became abusive to me whenever my father wasn't around, and soon when he was around too. I grew to fear her and turned to my father for help." She took a deep breath, her eyes keenly focused on her paws. She couldn't bear to go on if she saw his eyes looking down on her. With a quiver in her voice she started her story again. "You think he would be the good guy, come in and save me from my mother, wouldn't you?"
She whimpered lightly, as she watched her shadow on the ground, finally allowing some tears that she had been holding in to fall. "But he didn't." she growled, her voice now low and menacing. "He took advantage of my ignorance while I wished for a miracle. He convinced me into thinking that my mother was mad at me, not him, and that the only way to fix things was to allow him to take my virginity." Her voice broke and she shut her eyes before continuing. "It was horrible, but I thought it would be worth it if it fixed the family up back to the way it was, before I had 'ruined it'. After it was done, I thought that was it; but my mother still abused me. I went to my father to talk to him about it, wondering why things were not back to the way they were before yet. 'I guess we better keep on doing it until she stops then.' he said. I wavered and said no, but then—then we fought. He told me how I had to, for him, that he couldn't stand who his wife was anymore and that it was my fault entirely. He had me believing him quite soon and he had me every night that he could get my mother out of the den. Sometimes when she wouldn't leave, he would take me out just so that he could have his way with me. After a year of it I had had enough, I was fed up with it, not being able to see any results from my pain. Things had even gotten worse. I finally figured out one day that it wasn't ever going to stop, that he had lied to me. After that I tried to run away." Moontouched's eyes opened as she sobbed quietly. "He caught me. He found me when I was so close to leaving. 'Think you can walk out on me, girl?' he had demanded." Moontouched remember his voice so clearly, rough and edgy like a hornet that you know is about to sting you, but you can't pull away, afraid to bring a worse fate upon you. She was retelling the story as best as she could, but her throat clogged with tears and snot, making it hard for her to talk without stopping sometimes. "'Think you can get away from me, bitch?' he called out to me, his teeth glimmering in the darkness and cold red eyes matching the blood on his chest. I was to learn later that the blood had been from a second mate of his. I've been scared of the dark since seeing him there, standing there, keeping me prisoner in his own twisted nightmare." She shook her head. "I tried to run, but fear possessed me and I found that I couldn't move. He came forward and gave me a monologue speech on how he had lied to everyone. My mother however had followed him out that day thankfully, and upon hearing his confession to cheating on her, she leapt out and tackled him. She forced him back with her attack over a cliff ledge, but I didn't see it. I just ran, and ran, and ran. My legs carried me as far as they could before I passed out. Sadly it wasn't very far as neither of my parents had never given me a proper meal in my life, so I was completely malnourished. I learned to hunt for myself and thought that I was doing well when I suddenly gained some weight, but I was too stupid to realize that I was pregnant. I did some stupid things while I was carrying that baby and because of it, she was a still birth." Moontouched allowed a moment of reflection before she went on, tears stopping and voice now growing in strength. "Not one day goes by that I don't wonder what my life may have been like had she been born alive. I would have had a baby girl. I still can't believe it. Oh, and she looked just like me! But of course she was more elegant and beautiful, even in death then I could ever live to be." She looked to the stars then, no longer staring off into nothing.
"I came across Sonet two weeks later, found him cradled between his mother's front legs. He was screaming so loud, and she was dead. I knew he would die if I didn't help, so I gave him some milk that I still had from my baby. I nursed him back to health all on my own, soon caring for him as if he was my own; and I guess that in my mind, he kind of was. But all good things must end, and Moo came looking for Sonet one day. He threatened my connection with Sonet, so I fought with him several times. It always remained verbal; he didn't want to hurt me since I was taking care of his child. He started leaving food at my den entrance. I never ate any of it, never trusted him, but one day I came back from a hunt to find him there. He had given Sonet a remedy for a cold that may have killed him if Moo hadn't been there. After that he stuck around and helped me protect Sonet." Moontouched finished with her story, but she still had more to say. "We never told him that I wasn't his mother and Moo was his father, although he suspects that I'm already not his mother as we look nothing alike. I treat Moo badly because I don't want him around. He threatens my relationship with Sonet still, although I'm not so sure if I'm doing it for my sake or Sonet's now, keeping the lie alive. He may even be better off without me." Moontouched finished for real this time. During that speech she had come to realize some things that she hadn't know before then. She looked to Slash, her eyes heavy, laden with sadness and hope for a new start. "I think I'm done." she said with a small smile. She put her head down across her good leg and pointed her nose at his paws. She had her ears laid back in thoughtfulness and waved her tail behind her as she looked up at him. "Now you may talk, if you want to that is."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sonet felt proud of himself. He pranced along the edge of the cliff's lip with his tail held high, humming a tune. Moo watched him from behind. He snorted when a breeze cut across the sky and pushed Sonet up against the wall, pushing Moo back too, but not as hard as he was a strong full-grown wolf. Since Sonet was just a pup it had pushed him up onto his back legs and slammed him back up against the wall. Sonet wasn't too happy with this event and struggled to push against it. As soon as he was dropped back to his feet though, Moo picked him up. "Come on little guy." he joked through the skin now between his teeth. "I'll carry you."
Sonet disliked the idea very much, but he knew that there wasn't much that he could do about it, so he just crossed his arms and pouted as he was carried down the path to the water. Moo traveled smoothly and arrived at the water's edge in a timely manner, resting Sonet at the water's edge gently. Sonet ruffled his fur then proudly started cleaning his face. Moo watched, slightly amused, and then started drinking some water from the wide river.
"So, are you going to discipline me?" Sonet asked Moo, his face resting above the water.
Moo slapped the water with a paw and splashed him good naturedly. "No, just advise you not to show Moontouched anymore of those tricks I've taught you. If you really want to grow up being a healing dog, you need to learn more before trying to help. What it sounds like you gave her could be bad for her health."
Sonet jumped as the water was splashed in his direction, but it still got him wet. He laughed it off and went back to cleaning his face, almost done. When Moo was done talking he asked "So who taught you that stuff anyways? Can I learn from them too."
Moo stopped what he was doing and stood up tall. He looked down at Sonet in the darkness, eyes cold and dead.
"What did I say?" Sonet asked quickly, planning on back pedaling if it was his fault.
"Nothing you said was wrong, Sonet." Moo replied as his eyes took on a different look, one like he was confused.
Sonet stared for a moment, then turned back to clean his face. When he was done Moo had sat down behind him, placing a paw on either side to show that he wished for the pup to stay stationary. "Moo?" Sonet said gently. "What's wrong?"
"There is something that I need to tell you." Moo said, his yellow eyes shining in the night.