Hiding from the pack (Jenn)

Karbon's flinching was satisfying enough to have Coven step off him and give him a thorough looking-over. After a moment of musing with a tilted head, the warrior inclined his head slightly, appeased for now. "It's possible I could believe all that. Most wolves here have had the guts to call out, instead of sneaking around, when they come across our borders, but to each his own, I guess." Though Coven in no way trusted this wolf, he was confident that he'd be able to take him again if necessary, so full attention and caution wasn't mandatory anymore. Finally, the wolf flicked his gaze up over the young male toward Molly. His amber eyes became tinted with concern as he caught the female's gaze and then moved on to assess her condition. Worse than the last time he'd seen her, pf course, but not by the fault of the loner. Eyes back on the loner, narrowing again, Coven sighed, now taking in the damage here. It wasn't good. "You still interested in joining the pack here?" Whether yes or no, Molly would still probably help him out anyway, which most of the time meant dragging him back to camp, even as a loner; and knowing that, Coven would not be moving from her side, just in case this whelp turned out to be as bad as the warrior naturally anticipated.

Karbon glanced over at Molly as Coven did, frowning slightly at her expression. She was watching him, seeming to scrutinze his every injury like she was studying him too carefully. What the hell was up with her? Yeah yeah yeah, he had lost. Big deal. What did she want now? When the other black male spoke again, he looked over at him, tilting his head slightly and nodding. "Yes." He said, his answer short and simple, and to the point. He was interested, after all, he had learned at least one or two things from every pack he had joined, this one would likely be no different.

Molly blinked over at Coven as he studied her, obviously taking note of her thinner form before he looked back at the loner and spoke once more. She didn't want to take him back to the pack dens, she didn't want to go back, but she had no supplies here to help him. She knew Coven was still hell-bent on getting her back to the pack, and she pinned her ears back at the thought, letting her stubborn side take over again. She didn't want to go back.

At Karbon's answer, Coven couldn't help but grin widely, with a faint air of triumph seeping through as he caught Molly's reaction out of the corner of his eye. "Well, our alpha ultimately gets to make the call on that one, but you'd have to be a special kind of psycho to get rejected. Molly," the wolf addressed the healer, not yet imploringly, "I think it'd be in this guy's best interest if you came back with us...if he passes out on the way down, I'm just gonna leave him." The black wolf backed up a few more steps to give the loner some space, signaling with the move that Karbon was free to get up. It was incredible how de-stressed Coven felt. Neither hunting nor patrolling had that kind of result. Now if only Molly would cooperate and come back...

Karbon kept quiet as Coven spoke, and judging by the look he gave the white female, he was trying to get her to do something that he'd wanted her to do for a while. When he was allowed up, he got to his feet, carefully licking his wounds and looking up as he heard the white female's name. Molly. He looked over at her curiously, committing the name to memory, or at least trying to as he waited for direction.

Molly's ears pinned backwards at Coven's words, her eyes narrowing slightly, knowing exactly what he was planning. Yeah, she knew he'd leave the wolf if he collapsed, and she didn't put it passed him to just kill the male to relieve stress. But she kept that hateful thought to herself. "It's nice to see you too, Coven. I do so love all of the visits you've been making out here to see me." She said sarcastically, glaring at him and resisting the urge to growl as she walked past him. Yes, she'd go back to the dens, but only to fix him up, then she was gone.

"I told you I wouldn't be coming out here, Molly. You left knowing that, so don't blame me for keeping my word," he retorted, a little surprised at the heavy sarcasm. That was not usually Molly's route. But she was moving toward the dens, and that was a good enough start. Once there, Coven would try to talk to her, but up here that would be hopeless and awkward with Karbon third-wheeling on the conversation.

The black wolf stepped behind Molly, looking back once to see if Karbon was coming along. Coven hated being in front of the newcomer, but he hated the idea of the untested loner being close to Molly even more. Even though exasperated and annoyed - already! - with Molly at the moment, it was her stubbornness that was triggering that. The rest of Molly still warranted the warrior's protection, in his mind.

She moved quickly for the dens, as quickly as her ungraceful form would let her move. The whole time she ignored the two males behind her, determined to get in and get out quickly. She wasn't done enjoying her peace, and she wasn't ready to give it up now. Damn males. Always have to ruin everything. The walk was rather exhausting for her, but when they finally reached the den site, she went straight for the healer's den and got the necessary supplies. She got to work immediately, cleaning and dressing the wounds until she finished and returned the rest to the den. "There, now go find Blitz." She said, her ears pinned back as she glared over at Coven for a moment as she almost growled the order. Then she turned her back and headed for the lake, longing to just run all the way back to the caves. But she wouldn't make it without at least a drink, so she decided on that first.

Karbon struggled along behind the two, taking note of the incredibly protective behavior of the male in front of him towards the female. There was more going on there than he could figure out, but he decided it would not be in his best interest to pry right now. When they reached the dens, he came to a stop, surprised at the quick work of the white female, who was quite an impressive healer. Soon she was running off and disappearing in the trees, making him blink at the black male in confusion and tilt his head slightly to the side. What the hell?

Coven just shook his head at Molly's retreating figure, growling under his breath. Catching Karbon's look, he felt like they had an instant bond. At least it wasn't just him who thought this crazy female behavior was a bit over the top. "Alright, Buddy, now's the time to grow a pair and let the alpha know you're here. We mostly accomplish this by howling. If I hear nothing, you're dead," warned the black male, circling the other once as he spoke and then moving off after Molly. He nodded once to Eve, who was lounging a few feet away, never far from the healer's den. Eve would vouch for Karbon's presence in the den site, thankfully, because Coven wasn't interested in baby-sitting the newcomer now.

Leaving the dens behind him, the male broke into a swift lope as he followed Molly on her detour to the lake. It wasn't long before he caught up with the female, who really was looking a bit haggard. Tossing away the notion of mentioning that, Coven slowed to a walk and came up beside her, frowning. "Molly, you cannot go back out there," was all he said, firmly yet almost pleadingly. Surely she wouldn't make him list all the reasons why that was a bad idea. Fallon and Blitz had both been on a "Let's Be a Pack!" kick, and it was - almost ominously - making it sound like the pack was closer to falling apart than he'd considered...Molly being gone couldn't be helping. And that was only the newest reason for her not to go.

Karbon blinked at Coven as he spoke and disappeared. Uhm, ok? It took him a few moments, but then he lifted his chin and howled, calling for the alpha, whose scent did not appear to be nearby. But he could wait, an his eyes soon fell on the older female wolf nearby. "Uhm, hello." He said softly, blinking at her with obvious confusion. What the hell had just happened?

(I'll post with Molly in my next post. Going to dinner and typing on my phone. After dinner, lol)

As she reached the water, she lowered he head slowly to drink, enjoying the cool feeling of the water sliding down her throat. That is, until Coven's voice broke the silence. She sighed softly, her ears flicking backwards in annoyance. "You don't make my decisions for me, Coven. You're not my father, and you're not my mate. I can make my decisions on my own, thank you." She said, fighting to keep the growl out of her voice. It had been incredibly lonely when he didn't visit, and she felt less attached to him than ever before. It was upsetting, but right now she wasn't sure how to fix it. All she knew was that she was angry with him. Angry that he hadn't visited, angry that he never asked what SHE wanted, angry that he always tried to make every decision for her. She just say there now, lookin out over the lake instead of at the black wolf that had pissed her off.

Eve chuckled at Karbon's obvious confusion. That behavior wasn't out of character for Coven, and everyone picked up on it eventually. Eve found it hilarious (along with practically all the other personalities in the pack). Quickly, she closed her eyes and controlled her laughing, leaving a small amused smile on her face; it wasn't Karbon she was laughing at, but as always, there was too much worry that this newcomer would misconstrue her focus.

"Hello there," replied the wolfess, remaining where she was, as it was getting quite painful to walk anywhere recently. "I am Eve. Who are you? New member of Silverlight?" While waiting for the male's response, the elderly wolfess looked him over in interest. There wasn't much to see, as her one good eye was filmed over and cloudy, but the black form of the newcomer and his voice were almost...familiar. It was as if the two had met before, but how could that be? With a sigh, disappointed with her faltering memory, Eve shrugged the feeling off as best she could.

Shaking his head in frustration, Coven twitched his tail and growled in reply to the healer's little rant, "I am your friend and fellow pack member. Anyone sane with a shred of decency would not let you go back out there. If Blitz knew what you were up to, he'd be doing the same. You are too young to die, ok?" Why Molly was angry was easy to pick up on, but of course Coven didn't care what Molly wanted right now; he didn't have to care! What she wanted would get her killed, or maimed, or crippled, or shriveled into bones, or a million other horrible things. She was wrong to think that she was alone in being denied what she wanted; he didn't get everything he wanted either. How would the world be if he went around picking fights left and right, just because someone looked at him the wrong way? Society created the rules that governed him right now and made him keep his teeth in check, and those rules existed for everyone's safety. If Molly wasn't going to protect herself, someone in the pack had to. But would Molly stick around to listen to any of this? Nope. How could she be so proud as to get mad at him when she was the one being an idiot here? "If you must go out again, Princess, at least pick a better hiding spot. You're flaunting yourself on a silver platter out there," he spat, turning his back to her and gazing down the trail back. Sometimes it took a few minutes for the magnitude of her stubbornness to sink in. It was true, he wasn't going to physically drag her back (the aftermath would be torturous), and once more the warrior was figuring out that she was suicidally going to do what she wanted.

Karbon frowned as she laughed, tilting his head slightly and looking around as she asked if he was a pack member. "That's what I'm hoping for. Just a loner that got attacked by your friend there for approaching his girl and talking to her." He said, a bit peeved about how he and Coven had met. But he only had minor injuries, and the white female had already taken care of that, so there wasn't much to worry about right now. Instead he just had to wait for a high ranking wolf to appear and speak to him. "I'm Karbon." He said, glancing back over at Eve as he spoke.

Molly growled at his response. "I don't need or want a babysitter." She snarled, on her feet now as he turned away from her. She knew he wasn't going to drag her back, and she knew that he'd give her hell if she tried to go back to the caves. But she had liked it there. It was peaceful and solitary, and that's what she had wanted. So what if one male had showed up and scared her? He even said himself that he wasn't going to hurt her, and did he? No. She was so angry right then that she couldn't help but say the first thing that popped into her head. "Well at least if I got killed, it would be by someone who was actually there with me!" She snarled, spinning around and stalking off towards the caves once more. She wasn't sure if she planned on going all the way back, but right now she just wanted to be away from Coven.

"Ah! Well, welcome. So sorry about that little spat with Coven...he seems to have a 'leap before looking' mentality, and he likes to leap with his teeth." She was laughing again, for no reason apparently. Tail wagging and smiling, the wolfess tilted her head and commented in her low, croaky voice, "You know, Blitz or Pravin should be around here somewhere. I bet they'd come running if you asked for them..." It hadn't been clear before what Coven's comment to Karbon had been, but now it made sense, and Eve had no problem pushing that along, especially as she was looking forward to getting the formalities over-with and getting to know the newcomer better. Perhaps talking to him more would jog her memory.

"You're alone by choice, Molly, and you know it!" he yelled back over his shoulder, ears pinned flat against his skull. No way was he going after her now, which was quite ironic, considering that he'd recently wanted to leave the pack and technically, that's what Molly was doing, even if it wasn't as permanent - yet - as Coven had been considering.

His feet were moving back toward the dens, but that wasn't where he wanted to be. His ideals clashed with Blitz's, and that was becoming harder and harder to wake up to each day. Being anywhere near Molly at the moment was like hopping into an active volcano; Coven didn't want to be there either. This had been a second chance for him and Molly, and again it was proving to be insanely hard to keep their pride from getting in the way of compromise...or even conversation. No matter how much he loved her, this the fact that there were major issues here could not be undermined.

Not wanting to think about where that conclusion was going to lead, the black wolf entered the dens and made a beeline for Fallon, who was eyeing Karbon curiously. "Do you know who that is?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the new male, as Coven sat down with a huff beside her.

"A new guy," was Coven's flippant response. He'd never actually gotten Karbon's name, and he wasn't interested in bringing up their meeting just now. All he wanted was for Fallon to yammer on about whatever random stuff she could come up with. The workings of her mind never stressed him out.

Karbon nodded as she said that those that could accept him would be along soon, tilting his head in confusion at her laughing once more. What was so funny about all of this? But he didn't have much time to watch her, because Coven came storming back to the dens, heading straight for a female not too far away and sitting down beside her, muttering something as they watched him. He frowned, flattening his ears and blinking at the two wolves silently for a moment. "Who's that by Coven?" He asked, looking back over at Eve curiously.

She assumed he wouldn't follow, and when he didn't, she slowed her pace. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she couldn't go back to the caves. Coven was right, it was too dangerous there for anyone, especially her. She liked the solitude, but she couldn't bring herself to go back there. She frowned, her ears pinned back angrily as a soft, frustrated growl rumbled in her throat. But it was cut short with the sudden appearance of Chaos, a very pissed-off looking Chaos at that. Molly had always been terrified of the other female, but ever since the head warrior had gotten sick, she had been much less aggressive to the head healer. But today it was obvious that bonds didn't matter. Bottom line, Chaos was pissed, and that meant, stay out of the way.

But Molly, unfortunately, accidentally walked right into the angry female's path, and suffered dearly for it. She wasn't far from the dens when she ran into the warrior, or when her painful yelp echoed through the trees as Chaos's teeth sank into her shoulder. "Damn it Chaos! Let me go!" She snarled, surprising the warrior with her threat. the white female spun on the black one, snapping her jaws firmly on air as Chaos jumped out of the way. But she spun again, another uncoordinated attempt to catch Chaos's side with her teeth. But then Chaos was on top of her, snarling and sinking her teeth into the healer's shoulder. She yelped, falling to the ground beneath the other female and curling her tail between her legs while rolling onto her belly submissively. The head warrior was now on top of her, pinning her down and closing her teeth around the white wolf's muzzle as she yelped again, biting down just hard enough to make Molly whimper and wince.

Eve followed Karbon's gaze and squinted slightly, tilting her head fondly when she realized who the male was talking about. "That is Fallon. If you smile nice at her, she'll come over, say hi, and pry your life history right out of you...quite lovingly." Before she could continue, the sharp cry of pain from Molly forked through the dens. The healer couldn't be so far off, as even Eve's ears caught the sound. Frowning, the wolfess's arthritic paws twitched, but she made no attempt to move, knowing she'd be useless.

Fallon bolted toward the sound immediately, worry scrunching up her face as she ran with the speed only a hunter could muster. Ears pricked for the following sounds that would inevitably follow the first, the red and black wolfess honed in on Molly's position, finding to her dismay and rage that Chaos was the cause of the trouble. "Chaos!" screeched Fallon, skidding to a stop ten feet from the black female. With Molly between Chaos' teeth, Fallon dared say no more, though she had a mouthful ready for when Chaos finally backed off.

Coven did not follow Fallon, growling in defeat as he lay himself down and put his head firmly over his paws. He would not let himself be moved, neither physically from this spot nor emotionally for Molly right now. It was a selfish, self-defensive move on his part, but maybe he needed some peace, too. If only Karbon would go away, too.

Karbon's ears perked curiously at the sudden yelp that came from the trees. But it wasn't the yelp that got him on his feet, no, it was the snarl from the attacker that caught his attention. Why did that sound so familiar? His ears pinned back as he looked towards the direction where the female known as Fallon ran, remaining still, although he wanted to know what was going on.

Molly remained still and whimpering softly as blood seeped slowly from her shoulder where Chaos had torn at it. But when Fallon arrived, she sighed in relief. Good, a saving grace. Although, if Chaos decided she didn't want to give up, she could easily take down Fallon as well. But it was obvious that the head warrior was done, and she stepped off of the white female, snapping at her threateningly once more before snarling at Fallon and heading to the dens. Molly slowly got to her feet, whimpering softly as she looked up at Fallon. "Uh, thanks. I kinda got in her way. She looked pissed before she attacked me." She said softly, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "Do you mind helping me get to the healer's den so I can clean myself up?" She asked, looking hopefully up at the head hunter with a forced smile. It was obvious she was in pain, and loosing blood, so she hoped Fallon would help her there quickly.

Chaos froze when she entered the den area and spotted Karbon. No. It couldn't be. But as his scent filled her nose, her ears pinned back and her eyes widened slightly. She had watched her pups grow up from afar after she had abandoned them, and she had all of their scents memorized. There was no mistaking it, this was her son, Karbon. "What? How did you find me?" She asked, dumbfounded as to how he had managed to make his way all the way to Silverlight, not knowing that he wasn't actually searching for her and had just chanced upon it.

Fallon snarled back at Chaos, stepping over to Molly. Only because the healer needed help did Fallon restrain herself from trying to take a bite out of the black wolfess herself. That would only have caused more problems, but she couldn't help it. Since the very beginning, Chaos had been a pain...what gave that she-devil the right to attack her own pack mates for no reason? Ridiculous.

"Of course, Molly!" assured Fallon, licking the white wolf's shoulder a few times before helping her up with her shoulder. Thankfully, they weren't too far off. "That Chaos! I hope she ends up so crazy that she claws her own eyes out. Ugh! Why Blitz allows her to stay, I'll never understand..." Blitz's countless explanations had done little to change the huntress's mind.

Meanwhile, Coven had raised his head in unmasked irritation at Chaos's entrance, but like Eve, he was stunned into silence at the female's strange reaction. Unlike Eve, he hadn't picked up on the relationship of the two wolves yet, and probably wouldn't unless they brought it up. All he was thinking after recovering from the shock that Chaos hadn't attacked was that it would be lovely if they took their conversation somewhere else.

Karbon blinked in even more confusion at the sudden appearance of a black female wolf, who seemed even more confused and surprised to see him. When she spoke, he tilted his head curiously and frowned. "Do I know you?" He asked, studying her face strangely and wondering who the hell she was. He'd never seen her before, but he couldn't help but feel like there was some strange connection between them. He frowned, unable to put two and two together and just sat there, dumbfounded and utterly confused.

Molly smiled her gratefulness as Fallon helped her, leaning against the head hunter as she limped towards the dens, turning a deaf ear to the other female's complaints about Chaos. She didn't care what the warrior's reasoning was for attacking her, she just wanted to get cleaned up before 1, she lost too much blood, or 2, infection set in. As they entered the dens, she didn't look up at anyone, but winced in pain as she limped past the four wolves present and across the den area to the healer's den.

Chaos blinked up at the new male as he spoke, only confirming her suspicions that it was him. "No, you don't know me." She said softly, realizing that he wouldn't know her anyways. She had never made herself known to him. "Sorry, you, uh, look like someone I once knew." She said, spitting out some bullshit about a wolf she thought he looked like and then making a beeline for her den. She entered quickly, disappearing from sight before anyone could ask any questions.

Karbon was more confused than ever at the black female's response to his question, and on top of it, she bolted into a den before he could ask any questions. "What the hell is up with this pack? Is everyone trying to confuse me?!?" He cried, frowning over at Eve in response to her laughing as he finally laid down in a frustrated and confused heap, hoping that an alpha or beta would arrive soon. He was definitely regretting entering these lands now, but he was past the point of no return on that one.

Molly shook her head and sighed softly as Fallon asked if she needed anything. She knew what the head hunter wanted, and she nudged her friend and smiled. "I'll be fine, go find out what's going on." She said softly, immediately getting to work and doing her best to patch up her shoulder. It was rather easy, and she sighed softly as she finished, getting to her feet and cleaning up a bit. When that was all done, which was rather quickly, she exited the den, ignoring the group over by Karbon and heading straight towards Coven. Time to apologize, as much as she wanted to be stubborn, she felt bad. When she reached him, she stopped, sitting down a few feet away from him and looking over at him hopefully. "Coven, I'm sorry." She said softly, her voice barely audible, but loud enough for him to hear the words that she was fighting with her stubbornness to get out.

Fallon licked Molly's nose gratefully, and with an eager grin, she leaped out the door and blazed straight to Karbon. "Oh! Don't worry! You've just been unfortunate enough to meet the crazy ones: Eve's older and not all there, you see? and Chaos is psychotic and evil and hates everyone. But you actually got by easy with her...most newcomers get bitten. Are you sure you don't know her? Eve seems to be finding something funny about all this..." The female quit her circling investigation of the new male to glare over at the brown wolfess with slitted eyes. She'd get to Eve later. "How was your trip? I'm Fallon, by the way. Did you get attacked by another rogue? You're lucky you found us - looks like you already met Molly. What's your name?"

Still laughing, though more in a whisper now, to herself, Eve got up shakily to her feet. The journey to Silverlight had taken a toll on her, and it was really showing these past few months. Pain zipped through her bones with every movement, and she was hardly eating anymore, as it was too painful, but as long as there was something to laugh about - and there always was - she'd be alright. And though walking even twenty feet took tremendous effort, this was a special occasion.

Unafraid, perhaps delirium-induced from the beginning, the elder made her way slowly to Chaos's den, unnoticed by the otherwise occupied wolves nearby. Slipping in through the door to the main chamber of the warriors' den, Eve called out in a mirth-laced voice, "Chaos?

At Molly's approach, the black male kept his head turned away, hyper-focusing on Karbon and Fallon's forms, though not really seeing them. He was bracing himself for another torrent of accusations and disappointment from Molly, but as he'd been preparing for a tsunami, the quiet, simple mist of an apology caused his ears to twitch uncertainly. Had he really heard that? Looking back to confirm it in Molly's face, Coven softened slightly, recognizing the sincerity - and effort - in the healer's face. And that hope? Why was that enough to make him want to die?

With a sigh, the black wolf flattened his ears in remorse. It was half a pride thing, still (he hadn't quite cooled off all the way, yet): Molly had been the one to take the high road. He was still stuck down here sulking. But he loved that the second thought in his head after that was that Molly's hope was enough of an answer to his earlier questions about this relationship. There was hope. "I'm sorry, too," he whispered back, lowering his head onto his paws and reluctantly looking up at her, ignoring her wounds for the time being. "I don't know what else to say..."

Just as he let himself relax and try to sort things out, Fallon approached him and started babbling. It took him a few moments to sit up and try to keep up with her words, but finally, he just gave up. Damn, this female talked fast. "Uh, I'm Karbon. I was attacked by Coven, not a rogue." He said, glancing over at the other black male who was now speaking to Molly again. Then he looked back at Fallon and tried to smile. "I'm sorry, I couldn't keep up with anything you were saying." He said, his ears flattening to the side almost apologetically. He usually didn't get along with others, but right now, he was far too confused and disoriented to be his normal self. Plus, there was something about this female that pushed him off balance, yet he couldn't quite get a hold on what it was. Maybe it was her energy and rambling.

Chaos lifted her head and growled at warning in Eve's direction as the old wolf entered her den. "What do you want?" She demanded, remaining laying in the back of her den where she had been when the other female entered. Was this wolf suicidal? She was very on edge right now, and if Eve made one wrong move, said one wrong thing, she would snap and probably accidentally kill her. That wouldn't go over well with Blitz or the pack. For some reason they all seemed to love the crazy old female.

Molly was surprised when Coven apologized as well. What was he sorry about? She had been the one in the wrong. As he spoke again, saying he didn't know what to say, she decided that she'd talk instead. "No, seriously, I am sorry. I shouldn't have taken off like that...twice." She said, looking down at her paws and frowning as she spoke. "I wanted to get away from the pack, but I didn't mean to leave you behind. I really missed you out there, Coven." She said softly, wanting to approach him but not sure if she should. So she stayed where she was, wincing slightly as a slight pain shot through her shoulder as she shifted her weight. She finally sighed softly, feeling a bit too weak for comfort, and sank down into a laying position in front of him, still a few feet away. "I promise not to leave again. Even if the pack gets to be too much for me." She said, her voice a bit more airy as she rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes slowly. That promise was a difficult one to make, because she wasn't completely positive that she could keep it. "Oh, and I'm sorry for not keeping up on my side of our agreement. I'm so damn stubborn. I'm working on it, I really am. But I failed this time, and I'm sorry." She said, finally finishing her apologies, at least for now.

"Karbon?" Fallon repeated, to remember the name. At the clarification that it was Coven, not an outsider, who'd gotten into it with Karbon, the hunter only sighed and shook her head, realizing her mistake. For the most part, she trusted that Coven had better reasons than Chaos usually did for attacking, though, so if Karbon was alright, then she was ready to move on.

At Karbon's comment about not keeping up, Fallon just shook her head and smiled. "No, you answered two questions. Way to go! Though I'm not sure anyone's ever had a hard time keeping up before...did you get knocked in the head? Look at me in the eyes; perhaps you have a concussion." He seemed fine, though the wolfess was still mystified at how he'd missed some of what she was saying. Perhaps he was just a little slower than most. She wouldn't hold it against him. But perhaps it would be best to give him a head start on getting to know the den area, just so he wouldn't get lost. Hopping back and pricking her ears invitingly, Fallon asked, "Are you hungry? We have a storage den right over here."

Settling down, breathing a little ragged just from the short trip over here, Eve answered, "Well, I was interested in learning why you ran so quickly from your pup. Surely you are happier than you seem to be..."

Coven stayed still and listened to Molly apologize in silence. Now that she was talking, there was much he wanted to interject, to assure her that he understood his fault in this, too, even if it was simply his insensitivity, but it seemed right to just let her get out what she wanted to say. It was like a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders and his heart when Molly so openly expressed that she didn't actually hate him, that she hadn't been trying to push him away. He'd done the exact same thing, so making sure that Molly knew he was in the same boat, Coven replied softly, shaking his head on his paws, "I'm sorry for my stubbornness as well. I know I'm not without fault here...thanks for being the one to get over it first, though. That is something I must get down, someday." Rising to sitting position, the black male sighed. "I've missed you, too. I'm sorry I've been such a...well, you know better than me, actually. Fill that in however you want. As for the pack..." He shifted his eyes to Fallon and Karbon, the only two wolves left, and shrugged, "I guess we're back to the beginning here. I don't want you to feel this way, so stressed and burdened, but I don't know how to fix it." This time, he wasn't going to offer suggestions. Molly could try, and then they'd eke out a solution from there. Exhausted from being angry, and still slightly detached from the events that day, Coven shut his eyes and stayed in the darkness for a brief moment before reaching down to lick Molly's ear gently, a final apology and acknowledgement that she surely could decide for herself what to do...though Coven wouldn't deny that some of his insight was more experienced and level-headed than her hyper-emotion-driven ones.

Karbon frowned at her as she insulted him, not sure if she meant to or not. But he kept his mouth shut, deciding it was better not to get in any more fights with pack members. When she hopped back and told him about the storage den, he scowled at her slightly. "I don't think that's a good idea right now. I haven't been accepted into the pack." He said, tilting his head slightly and frowning at her once more. How did she have so much energy? "I'm waiting for your alpha." He added, looking around and wishing the wolf would just appear so they could get the acceptance over with.

Chaos's eyes widened at Eve's words. "I..uh..." Damn, she was surprised that the old female had picked up on that. "He hasn't been mine for a long time." She said, looking away from the other female and into the darkness of the den. She wanted to talk to him, wanted to tell him who she was, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It would destroy his view of the wolves he thougth were his parents, and she didn't want to do that to him. She hated almost every wolf on the planet, but this one, this wolf she actually cared about. It was her son, how could she not?

Molly sighed softly as he spoke, knowing that their problems with the pack would likely never be solved. But she was glad that they were speaking again, and as he licked her ear, she slowly, and painfully rose to move over to his side, where she slowly sank back down into a laying position. The dressings on her wounds were getting stiff and painful, but she'd live. She was just happy to be with him again, without either of them being pissed off. She never stopped missing him while she had been away, and every time that he was mad at her, it was like she felt a piece of herself was missing, out of place. Nothing felt right. She eventually closed her eyes, sighing softly as she leaned against him, her head throbbing and her body shaking slightly from the discomfort of her shoulder and the dressing. It had been difficult to dress the shoulder herself, since she could barely reach it, so it was messily done, but done well enough to work. But still, the fact that it wasn't done well made it uncomfortable and painful. Oh well, at least she'd heal, right?

Frowning at Karbon's hesitance, Fallon tilted her head and shifted her gaze behind him to where Blitz had left to patrol earlier. "Fine," she concluded, making eye contact again with the black male. Blitz was going to take forever, as far as she was concerned, and who knew where Pravin was? So the female turned around and trotted to the storage den. A moment later, she returned with a small rabbit dangling from her jaws, and she let it fall at Karbon's feet. "There. Now no one can object. It's a gift." Sitting down and motioning for the young wolf to eat, Fallon continued, "It really wouldn't have been a big deal for you to come along. Blitz is a really generous guys. Plus, with your...condition...it would be best if you got exploring as soon as possible, especially while I'm free to help you out. I guess you've got the healer's den down...can you point it out to me, just to make sure? And then the storage den next."

Eve laid her head on her paws, neck crackling softly, and smiled at Chaos's response. That Karbon was Chaos' son had been obvious, to the right wolf. That Chaos cared for him as a son, that wasn't so obvious, especially considering this was, well, Chaos! The tone the head warrior took when speaking about Karbon now, wistful and unsure at the same time, aired the black female's feelings clearly enough for a fellow mother to read. "He has always been yours, if you have always cared for it to be so," the wolfess said softly, as if to the den walls, neither to Chaos nor herself. She wasn't interested in prying into the history of Chaos and this child - she was no Fallon busy-body - but this was the first time Chaos seemed to want something good, and Eve believed she should pursue it. She related this gently to Chaos, right before closing her eyes and dozing off.

((Eve continued here: ))

As Molly lay next to him, the black wolf licked slowly at the bite marks bloodying her muzzle. They weren't bad, but crazy Chaos had punctured the skin. Coven only glanced over the other wounds in order to add up damage Chaos had done that he'd possibly pay her back for, but the job Molly had done by herself was better than he'd been able to do even on his best day, so offering to help with that would be worthless.

"So, Molly...this is really bad timing, but how well do you deal with pups?" he asked, pausing his cleaning of her wounds to speak, "Because we've been kicked out of our den until Tessa's little darlings un-rig their traps and let us back in...I'm not up for finding out on my own what they've come up with this time."

Karbon watched her curiously as she left him and entered the storage den, returning to drop food at his feet. He had to say, he was grateful for it, and he lowered his head to eat it as she quizzed him. "The healer's den is over there..." He said, nodding to the proper den, "You just came from the storage den over there..." he said, nodding to the storage den as well. He wasn't an idiot, and he picked up on things rather quickly, when he could keep up with what she was saying. He was a male, after all and she was, well, crazy. He looked back up at her as he finished eating, licking his lips and nodding thankfully. "Thank you for that." He said, nosing the bones away for later disposal.

Chaos frowned as Eve spoke, listening silently before looking over at the other female. Great, now she had an old sleeping wolf in her den. She sighed softly, getting to her feet and stepping around the other wolf. She wanted to be alone, and with the old thing in her doorway, she'd never get any peace. She carefully stepped over the other wolf, exiting her den and skirting around it to get out of the den area before anyone noticed. She'd deal with Karbon later.

Molly kept her eyes closed as Coven licked her muzzle, his tongue soothing the painful marks as he did so. When he spoke about pups, however, she looked up at him curiously. But when he continued, she understood where he was going with it. "Uh, I'm assuming you're talking about Bleu? I'm afraid that I don't know how to handle her. I don't think anyone does. I bet you I could figure out what she's done to the den, though." She said softly, shifting to rest her head on his paws as she talked, her eyes closing slowly once more.