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Description

Battle finished, she had left her opponent unconscious in the mud and headed out of the clearing, following the path her packmates had taken to the best of her ability. The heavy clouds further darkened the sky and it began to rain again as she had moved through the forest. She had picked up her pace accordingly, nose to the ground, seeking out the already fading scents of the chase.

As the scents began to fade, she relied on her eyes. Carefully tracking the broken undergrowth and pawprints in the mud. Her ears had flicked as she began to hear the rushing of water. The river. She jolted as the trees abruptly cut off, a small slope leading to a cliff below. Scrapes and slides marked the ground and rocks of the slope. Her head whipped from side to side, looking for further tracks, as she desperately tried to deny what her eyes were telling her.

She had clambered carefully down the slope and to the cliff’s edge, heart in her throat. She still wasn’t sure what she had expected to find, but it hadn’t been Ashwood, crouched on a jutting ledge. Something in her broke. Ashwood…but no Josephine.

She had helped him, obviously distraught, carefully back over the cliff’s edge. She was no healer, but if she had to guess, he had been in shock. Devina had wrapped herself around him, trying to offer him all the warmth and comfort she could provide as he struggled to speak.

The dark-pelted Guardian had listened numbly as he relayed what had happened between shuddering breaths. She had questioned after Sasha, but he had not seen or heard the other Rider. Had she been attacked on the way to the others? Had she fallen into the rushing river like Josephine? Guilt had crawled up her throat and threatened to choke her. If she had let Sasha help her, if she had called for her to stay instead of go. And now, she was missing not one, but two packmates.
She remembered staggering to her feet, leading Ashwood through the woods as they searched for their packmates. They had followed the river for some time, as the sky darkened to night and the rain chilled them both to the bone. At some point, the terrain had become untaversible and they had backtracked.

It was in a small clearing that they had found chunks of white, gray and black fur. Rain had washed away most scents and blood, but she had known it to be Sasha’s. She had circled out from the clearing, searching for more tracks or signs. But there had been nothing. The rain had damned them. She had never hated water more.

Weak dawn light filtered through the trees when she called them to a stop. The rain had washed away everything, it had helped wash Josephine down the river and had washed away any more trace of Sasha. There was nothing. No sign or scent. No hope.
Her heart wanted to keep looking. But her mind told her to go home. The longer they were outside of Riverfell, the more likely they were to have another run in with the white wolves. And she wasn’t going to lose Ashwood as well.

They had staggered home together, exhausted and broken.

She had a vague recollection of her packmates moving around her when they had reached the Main Den, of them speaking, but she could not understand them. She and Ashwood separated at some point, though she didn’t remember how. Perhaps the healers had bundled him off to be checked over as she reported to Lady Shiloh.

Devina didn’t remember much of the conversation with Shiloh, but she remembered telling Howl. Telling him that his sister was lost, possibly dead. He hadn’t visibly reacted as she stood there. But she had looked into his eyes and known his pain.

She hadn’t stuck around after that, not even to have the healers look her over. She had staggered through the woods, eventually finding herself at the Lake of Stars, the place she had last spent time with Josephine.

And only then did she break.

She had failed. Completely and utterly.

As a Guardian. As a packmate. As a friend…

Her anguished cries were lost to the night. She had not cried since her parents died, had not felt this pain. The pain of a future lost, of a path cut off too soon. She felt as though the light in her life had disappeared with Josephine, fallen over the edge of a cliff and drowned in the water below. She had never known her own feelings well, but she had known heartbreak before and she recognized it now. The wound on her face stung, pulsing in time with her broken heart.

She would never know what could have been.

Word Count: 806

Devina (c) me

Mentioned: (I forgot to do this last night, my bad)

Ashwood (c) Celtic-Barbarian
Josephine (c) sunkissin
Sasha (c) Willowbyrd
Shiloh (c) Quaylak
Howl (c) SpookyWonders

Description

Battle finished, she had left her opponent unconscious in the mud and headed out of the clearing, following the path her packmates had taken to the best of her ability. The heavy clouds further darkened the sky and it began to rain again as she had moved through the forest. She had picked up her pace accordingly, nose to the ground, seeking out the already fading scents of the chase.

As the scents began to fade, she relied on her eyes. Carefully tracking the broken undergrowth and pawprints in the mud. Her ears had flicked as she began to hear the rushing of water. The river. She jolted as the trees abruptly cut off, a small slope leading to a cliff below. Scrapes and slides marked the ground and rocks of the slope. Her head whipped from side to side, looking for further tracks, as she desperately tried to deny what her eyes were telling her.

She had clambered carefully down the slope and to the cliff’s edge, heart in her throat. She still wasn’t sure what she had expected to find, but it hadn’t been Ashwood, crouched on a jutting ledge. Something in her broke. Ashwood…but no Josephine.

She had helped him, obviously distraught, carefully back over the cliff’s edge. She was no healer, but if she had to guess, he had been in shock. Devina had wrapped herself around him, trying to offer him all the warmth and comfort she could provide as he struggled to speak.

The dark-pelted Guardian had listened numbly as he relayed what had happened between shuddering breaths. She had questioned after Sasha, but he had not seen or heard the other Rider. Had she been attacked on the way to the others? Had she fallen into the rushing river like Josephine? Guilt had crawled up her throat and threatened to choke her. If she had let Sasha help her, if she had called for her to stay instead of go. And now, she was missing not one, but two packmates.
She remembered staggering to her feet, leading Ashwood through the woods as they searched for their packmates. They had followed the river for some time, as the sky darkened to night and the rain chilled them both to the bone. At some point, the terrain had become untaversible and they had backtracked.

It was in a small clearing that they had found chunks of white, gray and black fur. Rain had washed away most scents and blood, but she had known it to be Sasha’s. She had circled out from the clearing, searching for more tracks or signs. But there had been nothing. The rain had damned them. She had never hated water more.

Weak dawn light filtered through the trees when she called them to a stop. The rain had washed away everything, it had helped wash Josephine down the river and had washed away any more trace of Sasha. There was nothing. No sign or scent. No hope.
Her heart wanted to keep looking. But her mind told her to go home. The longer they were outside of Riverfell, the more likely they were to have another run in with the white wolves. And she wasn’t going to lose Ashwood as well.

They had staggered home together, exhausted and broken.

She had a vague recollection of her packmates moving around her when they had reached the Main Den, of them speaking, but she could not understand them. She and Ashwood separated at some point, though she didn’t remember how. Perhaps the healers had bundled him off to be checked over as she reported to Lady Shiloh.

Devina didn’t remember much of the conversation with Shiloh, but she remembered telling Howl. Telling him that his sister was lost, possibly dead. He hadn’t visibly reacted as she stood there. But she had looked into his eyes and known his pain.

She hadn’t stuck around after that, not even to have the healers look her over. She had staggered through the woods, eventually finding herself at the Lake of Stars, the place she had last spent time with Josephine.

And only then did she break.

She had failed. Completely and utterly.

As a Guardian. As a packmate. As a friend…

Her anguished cries were lost to the night. She had not cried since her parents died, had not felt this pain. The pain of a future lost, of a path cut off too soon. She felt as though the light in her life had disappeared with Josephine, fallen over the edge of a cliff and drowned in the water below. She had never known her own feelings well, but she had known heartbreak before and she recognized it now. The wound on her face stung, pulsing in time with her broken heart.

She would never know what could have been.

Word Count: 806

Devina (c) me

Mentioned: (I forgot to do this last night, my bad)

Ashwood (c) Celtic-Barbarian
Josephine (c) sunkissin
Sasha (c) Willowbyrd
Shiloh (c) Quaylak
Howl (c) SpookyWonders