Volcano Pack:                 

Lupine Forest extends many miles, the trees a varied mixture of pine, oak, maple, and hickory, though an occasional Weeping Willow may be found, if one is lucky and close to a source of water. The members of Volcano Pack are often found here when they have the freedom to lounge, or even when just patrolling the territory. Game is plentiful and abundant, making this a prime spot for hunting, and often loners are found traipsing across the realms as well, along with the sparse human, the lone person who dares to brave the forest despite the fact that it is filled to capacity with both Wolven and prey. Vampires who wish to defy their darker nature may also come here to hunt, draining the carcasses of their own kills and leaving the fallen bodies for scavengers, if they dare to set foot in the Wolven territory. Those Vampires who wish to annihilate their biggest threat will often sneak through here and await in ambush or creep through the territory to their camp.

Konata slunk into the area with her taller form lower to the ground, limping tenderly along with her bad leg, though she did not act as if it bothered her - in truth, she had become used to the constant dull ache that lingered within the traumatized limb, and the creature who had did this to her was never far from her thoughts, particularly when she was held within the realms of the forest like territory, where she had first encounted the beast, the very place in which her mother had abandoned her, leaving the poor pup to the clutches of the animal and most likely at the jaws of death, though with the aid of a dormant fighting spirit, Konata had been able to fend off the bear that had did this to her long enough to escape - still the cost was high, as she was badly wounded, only just barely managing to drag herself into the Volcano Pack camp, where she promptly passed out, and ended up losing her first life. An adventure all own its own, but not one she was prone to repeat, or that she usually spoke of; in fact, besides Crystal and Naiyu, the former Alphess and Betess of the pack, before the war with Bloody Ice, no one else knew the histories of her origins, and Konata herself intended to keep it that way, if she could help it. And even her former high ranking members hadn't known the true depths of her past, for the young apprentice had never really told them what had come to be of her, or how she had come to be within the bear's grasping clutches in the first place, only that she had been mauled. They had never asked, she supposed to keep from prying, and she had never felt like conversing about it, and so they had lived in a peaceful harmony, one in which the elephant in the room was not spoken of, and one in which Konata had been relatively happy, or as close to it as she could be. Now if she could just keep a mentor long enough to actually teach her something, or one who was willing to take the time to meet the special requirements that came along with such a strange youngster, she would be doing splendidly, though in truth, Konata had begun to lose all hope of such a thing ever happening, or at least, that was before Aspen came along. Now with the older, though smaller, fae beside her, Konata felt a touch more confident, and had begun to slowly, painstakingly come out of her shell bit by bit, even if she herself did not realize it - it already had begun to show with her speech and its patterns. She continued to stutter, and most likely always would, as it was such a terrible handicap before Aspen had come into her life, but it was not nearly as bad as it had been before, a definite improvement upon that which she had once held so close to heart, and what she had formerly become. Konata paused at the edge of the woods, her fur prickling with an underlying ease, as it always did when she happened to enter this particular territory - not only had she been attacked here, but besides the cemetery where the pack happened to bury their dead, the presence of the spirits Konata was so easily able to commune with was strongest here, and the lingering chatter of their long deceased lanuage often continued to haunt her ears.

The older female prances in behind Konata, her long tail waving behind her. She had kept her ears pricked, listening to the world around them. Her nose either raised or to the ground as she smelt the creatures that had passed along the path they now walked. She kept her eyes on her apprentice, watching the shy young female she had grown so fond of. She smiles and high steps her way to the young female's side, slightly sensing the younger female's discomfort. She scans the area around them, ejoying how the sun dappled down through the leaves on to the ground and their backs. She walks around them, inspecting everything from the grass to the tree bark, her nose hard at work as she sniffed out the animals around them. Durring her inspection she noticed a couple large scratch like gouges on a tree trunk. Jumping up to her hind legs she leans on tree truck to smell the gouges. Her nose flickers unpleasently as she catches a wiff of bear, one of a few predators that would attack a wolven.

Konata glanced to her mentor as she pranced, watching as she waltzed, a brow raised ever so slightly, wondering how she could be so chipper, so carefree, though she said nothing as to the sort, merely lowered her head and tucked her tail closer to her haunches, feeling stifled and uncomfortable here, not really sure how she should voice her opinions or concerns, or just how one went about that, really, other than saying it aloud - something Konata had never been good at, as none had ever taken her seriously, and besides that, she'd never developed those social skills required for one in her world. It was one of the many downsides to being kept separate from the pack for so long, and in addition to that, as if her own mother hating her very existence weren't enough, Konata had been an only child, which meant no brothers or sisters with which she might possibly pick up the fine art of interaction with. It wasn't that she was stupid, it was just that she simply didn't know all the delicate intricacies of language, nor did she have a particularly outgoing personality - more of a quiet, though incredibly shy, and determined one, for once she set her mind too, it well then, by God, Konata was going to do it, or die trying. It was one of her better quirks, one of the more accepting notions of her individual qualities that others not only saw, but admired, and liked, even if they weren't too fond of Konata herself, considering who she was. The youth of an apprentice paused, however, when Aspen lifted herself onto her hind paws to sniff the gashes along the tree, a cold chill tingling down the black furred female's spine even while she froze, head coming up for once, ears pricking first forward, then sliding halfway back, almost as if she could hear the angry growl that emanated from deep within the grizzly's chest, the fur along her spine spiking so that it stood straight in the air, her tail bushing out to twice it's normal size - and considering its normal fluffy appearance, such an action gave her the look of a bottle brush tail, something many affiliated more with a feline than they would a Wolven, but the distinct visage was all the same, despite any arguments that might have offered otherwise. A lip curled, revealing a bit more fang than was usually shown by the Dire blooded fae, and she hunkered more closely to the ground, almost involuntarily, seeming to ever more favor her leg, wide silver eyes sweeping across the terrain as if in panicked hunt for the creature, bangs falling on either side of her normally sweet face, meek as it may have been.

She takes another wiff, noticing the smell was just starting to slightly tinge stale. She jumps down to all fours and begins to scout out the immediate area. Ears twitching rapidly, eyes wide and flickering about, nostrils flared. She widens the circle around them, taking note of the trail the large lumbering bear had left behind. She trails the tracks left behind, not going to far from Konata; she spies a bubbling stream. Noting that the bear had probably gone to the stream to eat and nap in the afternoon sun. She trots to Konata's side, taking in the frightened you female. She keeps herself turned towards the path the bear had made. "Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here safely." she starts out softy, "We're going to calmly and  quietly walk away from here. You're going to go first because your safety is my first priority.  I'm going to be behind you, covering the rear." she says with firm softness. She looks to Konata, concer for her creasing her brow.

Konata jumped slightly at the soft sound of her mentor's voice, turning moon wide eyes upon the older fae, chest rising and falling in a rapid heave, clearly frightened more than she should have been by the prospect of the bear. The black fur upon her body, bushed and stiff as it was, muscles as taut and rigid as a statue's, hid the fact that she was trembling violently, but the shaking within her paws could not be denied, as they shivered in whispering manner along the fallen pine branches lining the earth, the scent of wood sap thick in her nose from where the animal had left its unyielding mark upon the tree served to help clear her head and heighten her fear all the more, as it brought back those terrible, terrible memories, those ideas of an awful time that were not worth remembering, but were ever close to the surface. In fact, it wasn't clear whether or not she'd truly comprehended what Aspen had said at all, until she began to move, slinking forward ever so quietly, eyes straying over to where the trail plowed through the underbrush, reminding the younger fae of what the humans called a freight train, for the youth of an apprentice was sure that this particular animal hadn't lumbered quietly - based on the size of the tracks, and the sheer swath of vegitation that had been cut down or trodden underpaw, she supposed it was a rather large one, perhaps even a male, whom were known to be particularly vicious, perhaps the most of all bears, other than a mother with cubs, of course. Swallowing hard, almost an audible gulp, Konata nodded at Aspen's command, managing to haul herself up enough that her lower belly wouldn't drag along the ground as they made their escape, her paws as quick and light as ever now that they had a plan, though she was sure the harsh, rasping sound of her breathing could be heard throughout the forest, Konata could do naught about it, nor could she fathom any method of control. She only hoped the behemoth of a predator didn't scent or see them, because if so, their gooses were cooked.

She watches Konata leave, and follows, keeping her head turned over her shoulder as she watched behind them. Wanting to keep the young female safe from all harm. She would distract the bear had it decided to return early so Konata could get away safely. She swallows harshly, her ears flickering, and her own eyes the size of saucers. With a tremble she forced herself to calm down for the sake of Konata. Her black and purple tail flickering softly as they made their get away

As she ran as Welkin instructed her she heard more gunshots and incohearant yelling from the scuffle untill she was far enough where it was out of her hearing. Welkin fought hard against the two older men fireing all of his ammunition from his pistol hitting both, the father in the arm and chest sending him to thr ground and the suitor in the arm slightly. But the Suitor didnt give up and was able to reach Welkin when he was out of ammunition and proceeded to attack him with a pocket knife. By the end of it Welkin was left bleeding out from a knife wound and her suitor had left carrying her father to a fait unknown. Welkin was sure the father had another life from the way he was being calm about the whole ordeal. Or perhaps Welkin's aim was off... He had hoped Leah had read the letter he placed in her pocket and would follow its instructions. He knew the trip would take him much longer in this state.. He wasnt even sure if he would make it or not but he had to try.When leah reached the area in the note.. She had no idea what to look for.. She found the tree with the name scratched on it and ended up walking right in to something hidden in bushes.. Cold and metal. She realised it was an old tank hidden from the world. And upon closer examination she found a padlock on the top hatch. Is this what welkin wanted her to find? It was broken down and unable to move or fire, but it was a safe place. A place which her father would never find. Or would never be able to get in to if he did find her there somehow. What she would soon find out is that Welkin had used the tank as a makeshift home.Inside was food and supplies, and a small space to curl up and rest which she needed badly. the code he had given her worked and she was able to open it and climb in

 

(Part one) Leah hunkered and flinched, half whirling around with a soft whine as she caught the sounds proceeding after the scuffle, flattening her ears against her skull as she pranced nervously, tucking her plume of a white and black tail between her legs as she bared her fangs, turquoise eyes flashing with a moment's panic until she realized the noises were farther away from her than previously believed, causing her to pace in an uncertain circle, an inner war raging within the vibrant antisocial core of her being. She knew the chances of Welkin making it out alive or relatively unscathed were slim to none, knew too, that her father would most likely resume his pursuit of her after dealing with the unusually kind Wolven...what was his problem anyway? Why did he even care? No one else did, why should he? The lack of an answer she held to that one bothered Leah more than a little - he'd said he wasn't in this for her body or to take advantage and abuse her. What other possible motives could he have? Everyone was in this world for themselves, none ever showed kindness for any reason unless they held some sort of sinister alterior motive, or at least, this was so in all of Leah's young experience. She had never been given the chance to know otherwise, to realize the world for what it was, or to even come close to having anything that even remotely consisted of love and affection, the sweet tender embrace of caring, or the gentle warmth of acceptance. She huffed and snarled to herself, shaking out her thickly dense coat with a wince as the marking upon her wrist joint flashed, and she was sharply reminded that the danger was not over, and that she wasn't out of the woods yet. As she whipped around, making up her firm young mind once and for all after reminding herself there wasn't much else she could do, the vision she'd had earlier, just before this had all started, resurfaced in her mind, and she knew then that it was not going to end well.

(Part two) While the young fae did not know in entirety what would happen, as she had not been given the entire scene, she knew that Welkin would die, and that he would suffer a most horrendous and painful death, while the presence of her own screams most certainly, in her mind at least, signified she would most likely receive close to the same fate, if not a bit worse, considering the fact that not only had she run away, but she had avoided her pursuers on her own for a full two years. That was nothing to sneeze at, certainly, but it didn't mean she was going to make it out of this alive and unscathed either. Jerking out of her reverie, Leah skidded to a halting stop as she applied the brakes, digging up a good portion of moist earth in her wake, breath billowing in the chilling evening wind as she huffed, panting rather heavily due to the fact that she was so weak, and so very out of shape, flicking her ears up as she realized that this was it - she'd found the place. Now what was she supposed to do? It wasn't like there was much a shelter here, despite what her mysterious savior had said, whatever outlandish claims he had made during the midst of the fight while in the presence of the enemy. She realized fully he couldn't divulge many details for fear of giving away too much about the location, but a tree with some lettering scratched into the side of it? Come one. She needed something more solid to go on than that. With a sigh, Leah hauled herself onto aching feet once more, wobbling for the briefest of instances as she did so, and she knew then that whatever it was she was going to do, she'd have to do it quickly - she was going to crash soon, now that the rush of adrenaline was fading.

(Part three) A further inspection, and by that she meant a short walk where she crashed nose first into some kind of metal object well hidden within the shadowy depths of the moonlit forest, revealed the old tank, upon which she quickly scrambled, smart enough to know, as naive as she was, that this could not be a coincidence. It was just too outlandish to consider. She found the lock, puzzled over it before shifting to her human form, pulling the paper out of her pocket to examine it more fully before working shaking fingers into the combination she found upon the white slip, praying she was reading the messy scrawl correctly. A soft click rewarded her efforts, and she scrambled gratefully into the safety and warmth of the darkened realm, her Wolven eyes adjusting to the gloom with ease as she collapsed in a shivering huddle of a heap, panting heavily as she gazed about, tongue hanging from her jaws as she crawled over towards the corner, body so sluggish now that it percieved she was relatively safe that she barely made it to the tiny sleeping space before toppling over in an exhausted heap.

Over a day and a half would pass with her hiding out in that tank waiting. Unsure what would happen. Inside if was more comfy than someone would expect. There was a section portioned off to sleep in with a makeshift bed and there even was a small stove inside. It was like someone converted the tank in to a sort of RV. There was also a small stash of weapons tucked inside one of the many compartments. A few small pistols and a cut down double barrel shotgun. Some food was also in there. Mostly canned and nonperishable as well as some fruit that wasnt rotten or old, couldnt have been more than a day or two since it was picked. Leah was awoken by sounds outside. Tapping and soft banging on the tank like someone was climbing up on it to get to the hatch. She heard the sound of the lock being fiddled with and removed. Who was it? Perhaps her father had tracked her down yet again.. The valve to open the hatch was being turned. Welkin was on top of the tank struggleing to get the hatch open. Grunting gritting his teeth to turn the handle with the little strenght he had left. He managed to get the hatch unlocked and tried to lift it up. Leah of course had no idea it was Welkin. And was within an arms reach of the weapons welkin had stashed inside. Would she shoot first and go check who it was or wait to avoid killing whoever it was and see who it was first before shooting or not. Welkin lifted the hatch  and nearly fell off looseing his balance "H-Hey.. are you in there..?" He asks his voice strained from his injurys. He was pale.. And had lost a lot of blood. Too much blood. He was already feeling weaker and grabbed on to the edge of the hatch so he wouldnt fall off the tank on to the hard ungiving ground below.

Leah slept for most of the day, only rising to munch on a fruit or two and drink a bit of water before curling back up on the small cot, assuming the fetal position as she tucked her tail between her legs and her nose between her fingers, snuggling down into the suprisingly warm blankets with a tired sigh, wondering wearily just how long it would take her sire to track her down this time, drifting in and out of sleep for the majority of those long hours, not really caring what went on outside - here she was safe, here she was warm. Here she had food, shelter, water...a nice place to sleep, especially considering the fact that the girl was what most would consider homeless. She slept where she could, often in alleyways, and was constantly on high alert, taunt and tense even during those hours when she was supposed to be getting a little something known as rest - which was nearly impossible in the situations she normally found herself in. Leah seemed to be a trouble magnet no matter where she went, and usually ended up in some sort of skirmish, some shape or form of a fight. It was another reason she was so prickly to any and all types of contact, and most certainly did not help in her efforts to avoid conflict when she could - though those instance in which she did were rare, that was to say, they were few and far inbetween. Hearing Welkin at the hatch, however, she was awake and alert instantly, not even bothering to glance at the weapons stash, instead opting to pull out her trusty daggers - knives that had served her well over the course of her young years, her body moving to a crouch, muscles tense, so tense, in fact, they were more like rigid, the black specks that were her eyes intently focused, ears flicking, going up with each new sound before flattening back, tail rising to curve in on itself in an impressive, if futile, display of dominance, not that it would have done her any good. Rather than call out or make a sound, she kept quiet, waiting to see what would happen. Would the person just give up and go on? Or would they stay and break in? For the first time since arriving in this little sanctuary, this miniscule haven, she cursed it, for the sturdy structure of the tank, though it provided shelter and warmth, shielded the scents from her - she could not determine who her mysterious visitor was. She didn't think it to be Welkin - surely he hadn't made it out alive? A thought that pained her, considering his apparent sacrifice, but unfortunately, there was nothing about it she could change. And so she was startled, astonished really, when he spoke, the young female scrambling up fully onto her feet, moving fluidly to stand in the middle of the small area, at the base just below the opening of the hatch, peering up with squinting eyes at the shadowy outline of this male who had so miraculously saved her, and somehow managed to survive the onslaught that was her father. But then again, he was Wolven, one of her kind, and she should have figured he'd be so durable. The fact she hadn't now irked her, and so when she replied to his question, her voice came out as a soft but strained snarl, as she could scent the blood upon him now that the hatch was open, knew that he was seriously wounded. And she was no medic, had no first aid training - what was she to do? This place was his, she would have to let him in, but she refused to go out for a doctor, not when her father or his minions might still be so close. She would be no good to him dead. "Yeah," she muttered, "I'm here. Get your bloody tail down from there before you fall out."

Welkin struggled to get inside and collapsed down inside of the tank with a painful thud. He let out a groan. "I.. Im glad you made it.." He looked up  at her as she peered down at him. "They wont find you here and even if they did there is no way they could get in without having enough heavy equipment to blow up the whole tank." Welkin suddenly flinches feeling a jolt of pain pulse through him. He cried out tenceing up. "I... Im not going to make it am i..." He had fear in his voice.. Something Leah hadnt heard out of him before. He had been brave in the face of everything in front of him but now.. He had revealed he was afraid. Afraid of leaving this world. He looked up at her desperately now. He knew she wasnt a healer.. He... He wanted some sort of comfort.. For his final moments to be.. happy. Welkin had no idea about his muntiple lives yet.

Leah considered catching him for a moment, but seeing as he was doing alright up until the moment he fell, she didn't really see the point, merely moving to kneel beside him as he rolled onto his back, ears flattening as she spied both the wound and sheer amount of blood that saturated his clothing, responding to his earlier statement about discovery in a rather dry, yet whisper soft tone, "You do realize all they have to do is follow the blood trail, right? Besides," she paused for a moment, clenching her jaw, the muscle there twitching for a second before she continued, just as quietly as before, "Daddy already has more than enough power to take me from here if he so wishes. Without explosives." It was the closest she'd ever come to admitting anything from her past, and even though she didn't come right out and say it, Welkin was left with the impression that her father was extremely powerful, and more than capable of something along those lines, if it meant getting his precious little bargaining chip known as Leah back. But she wasn't going back, not if she had her way. There was no feasible method in which she would willingly return to that level of hell. As for his expression of happiness regarding her continued well being, she wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, and so left it alone, letting the last words trail into thin silence, tense and taunt until he cried out in pain, at which point she jumped before jerking those ink black eyes to him, ears flicking up as she listened to the dragging rattle of his breath, hands tightening their grip upon her knees, heart hammering in her chest, breath catching in her lungs. She feared for him...felt an inkling of something known as sympathy stir within the shriveled remanents of her cold heart, the emotionless girl who had removed herself from the world so long ago returing to a piece of her humanity, a trait and feature she didn't even know she possessed until that moment, when she realized that he was right, that he was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it. No course of action she could take to change it. And she wasn't going to lie to him - she didn't see the point, it was an unnecessary cruelty, especially considering he already knew himself. And so she nodded in response to his question, blinking eyes that had suddenly and inexplicably teared up as she murmured in a trembling whisper, "Yeah...I'm afraid you're not going to make. And I....I'm no healer. Wasn't ever particularly good with the bedside manner and all." She looked away again, unable to meet his desperate eyes as she reached down, performing an uncharacteristic feat as she reached out, hesitating for a brief moment before quickly yet firmly taking his hand, giving it a determined squeeze - she wouldn't just leave him. Not after what he had done for her, not in his own greatest hour of need, though she hadn't been aware she could be so noble. Nor was she entirely aware of when she had become so stupid. The old Leah would have been out of here in a heartbeat, fleeing the moment she saw the blood and scented the certain aroma of death emanating from her supposed "comrade," not that she knew the true meaning of such a word in the first place, considering her origin, the tragic beginning that was her history. "I...I'm sorry," she whispered, lowering her head, chin trembling ever so slightly, air hitching in her throat. "I got you killed." The small statement was as close to remorse or admission as he would ever come, and as quickly as it had threatened to come, Leah took a deep breath, swiped away the little pin pricks of moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes, steadied herself, and turned back to him, giving a slight nod of confirmation that she would stay. She wouldn't just leave him all by himself to face the painful reality of what was to come, not after what he had just done, not after it was technically due to her that he was in this mess in the first place, a change in herself that Leah could not quite explain, or fully comprehend, nor could she fathom it, not at this instant or moment. There were other, more important, things demanding her attention. Like Welkin. Dying. She realized with a small start she didn't even know his name - he'd never given it to her, and she'd never asked, though she didn't really see the point in introductions now, other than to carve out what calling she should place on the tombstone. She had no idea he was unaware of the multiple lives - being that he was Wolven, she merely assumed he was on his last, and that he would perish from this world for good this time, that he would simply cease to exist. That after this, he would merely be no more. And so, as he lay gasping, she moved, placing her knees just beneath his head in an effort to make him more comfortable, her hand engulfed so readily in his own, permitting him to squeeze it as tightly as he needed in these dying moments of need, murmuring one last question, one last request, though it hurt to do so. "What's your name? So I can put it on the tombstone." No point being coy or beating around the bush. It wouldn't be long now.

Welkin turned his head to the side away from Leah as he coughed up some of his own blood not wanting to get it on Leah before turning back to her "Hey.. Its not your fault.... Your not the one who got me killed. I made my own choices.... M-my name is Welkin.. I never got yours either..." He looked up at her, A small amount of blood ran down to his chin from when he coughed it up. He did squeeze her hand as he felt his own life fade slowly. He had no more than a few more moments... Everything had faded besides Leah.. Welkin had tears of his own run down his cheeks. Wanting to know her name before he passed... "Dont ever give up.... okay?" He looked at her She would manage to get her name out to him before his grasp on her hand loosened and he passed

Leah's grip tightened as she felt the life leaving his body, obediently lifting his head up as he coughed, so that perhaps he might have an easier time of it, pointedly looking away from the blood as he returned his orbs at her, gazing up at the pale features that were her face, permitting him to recline back in her lap once more as these final moments passed and his final hour, the last seconds he would ever experience in this life, came. She snorted when he claimed it wasn't her fault - she didn't believe it for a second, if it weren't for her presence, he wouldn't have been stupid enough to get involved, a fact she tartly and promptly reminded him of, dying or not, though she let the subject drop as he merely chuckled and moved onto his name, repeating it softly in that quiet tone of hers, memorizing it so that she would be able to carve it later. She wondered briefly if she should return to the club and inform the blonde woman of his passing, then decided against it: they would be safer if she kept her distance. Her father probably doubted she'd be stupid enough to return to the scene of the crime where he'd originally found her, but just in case, he would most likely be watching it. Or having one of his many minions doing it for him. He was a powerful man, the patriarch Cothern was, and not a Wolven to be taken lightly or teasingly messed with, something Leah had learned through painful experience. Still, she pushed those thoughts to the side as she focused down on him, giving him the courtesy of her full attention and comfort as he passed, knowing that this was just the end, and nothing akin to a new beginning. After these next few seconds the noble person, the gentle and soulful being that was Welkin, would be no more, and all that would be left in the wake of his death would be an empty hole, a vast chasm that could never be filled, and would never be lessened. Not by time, not by fresh pain. No, it would only fade to a dull ache, a clinging sense of guilt, but it was a situation from which Leah would never be entirely free, and a scenario from which she gathered she would most likely retain nightmares for the majority of however many days she had left....the sound of her own screams filling the air sent a chill shivering down her spine, and she knew then that it wouldn't be long, not if she were reading the vision right. Welkin was already dying, though she had to admit, she felt a certain sense of nothing but.....numb. This wasn't entirely like the vision. Or perhaps it was more alike than she could admit to, as she had only glimpsed brief flashes, and she had admittedly not had the time to fully process and examine the hints of possible future that the gifts of her seer like powers had given her. Her hands went white, the fingertips blanching as she clutched his own limb ever tighter in response to his grip, whispering upon his request for her name, hesitantly, though she figured he at least deserved to know, "It's Leah. Leah Cothern." She felt her heart ache, as if it might be ripping in two, at the sight of his tears, and using her free hand, she braced his head in her lap in the most comfortable way possible before wiping away the stains of moisture, at least giving him the dignity of a clean face in death, even going so far as to use the sleeve of her sweatshirt to clean up the blood smear dripping from his chin - he, after all, at least deserved that honor. When he offered her his last request, the sentiment that she not ever give up, she bit her trembling lower lip, feeling the strong and steady wall she had crafted, the dam she had built in an effort to keep it together for him, so that he would be able to go with little to no remorse, waver, and slowly begin to crumble, her trembling response merely that of, "Shh, it won't be long now. Just lie still; close your eyes. Sometimes it helps." It was odd, that a teenager like her would be on such intimate terms with death, that she would know so much about it, or that those two little facts would ease it, would smooth the pain of passing, and she could not help the racking sobs that shuddered through her chest, tearing viciously into her diaphragm even as she sucked in a shaky breath, determined to hold it together here at the last, if only for his sake, until he followed her instructions with a painful swallow and tearful nod, waiting those last few instances, feeling those last few seconds stretch into agonizing silence before his chest stilled, and a strange calm, almost a sense of peace, came over him, his once tight hold upon her hand loosening so that it fell across his abdomen. And he passed. Stunned, as she had never really watched someone else die before, though she had been through it a couple of times herself, Leah sat in quiet for a moment, softly crying before the wails came, and she stretched herself over him, ending up splayed over his chest, partially curled in a shivering heap, feeling an open pit yawning in both the realm of her spirit and her stomach, dropping down so that it settled in her feet, knowing that once again, for the umpteenth time in her young life, she was utterly alone once again, and, it seemed, was always destined to be. Her screams of sorrow, followed closely by her breath taking moans, echoed throughout the small space of the tank, and her face was soon a mess, her nose running, tears streaming freely down her cheeks, leaving her eyes red and tear stained, the broken fixture that was her heart feebly continuing to beat, though she wondered why. What was even the point? It wasn't like she was going to amount to anything, it wasn't like Welkin's sacrifice would ever come to mean anything else, or to even stand for something noble upon his death. All it meant was that he was gone, and she was alone, and that eventually, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but sometime soon, her father was going to find her, was going to catch up to her, and was going to end her own life, snuff out the light of her own existence, and then it would all be moot. All for nothing. Just like everything else she'd ever experienced, just like every other major event in her juvenile life and the painful entity that was her very existence.

Around 15 or 20 minutes had passed...Leah was still crying on welkins chest. His eyes opened and he let out a gasp for air. His left arm reached up and gently lifted leah's head so she was looking him in the eyes. He was shaking a bit.

Weak from being revived by his natural abilitys. He hadnt even known he had. He had never been taught he would come back more than once. "L-leah...?" He spoke softly.. Just loud enough for her to go silent. Perhaps she thought she was going crazy. finnaly looseing what mental capasity she had left and succumbing to insanity.. "Im.. im glad you care.." He leaned up useing what little strenght he had to pull her in to a hug. Letting her cry tears of mixed emotions on to his shoulder. He didnt have the weakness of death in his voice. But the weakness of revival. Leah could also hear his confusion. But Welkin for now would not question it. He was alive and there to protect Leah once more. He held her firmly yet gently. .

Letting her pull away if she wished not to be held. "Shhh... its okay Leah.. its okay im here.." He held her trying to relax her. He ran his right hand through her hair as he kept speaking to her softly. Welkin really was back.. and he really was different from all the others she had encountered. He was selfless and had put Leah first, and others before himself. He had become her knight, her soldier and her armor. He held her and comforted her untill her crying slowly ceased and she could get her mind in order again. " "I dont know how.. but im here" He gently rubbed her back as her crying gave way to sniffleing and soft sobbing. Welkin had tears in his eyes as well. Yet wouldnt allow himself to cry not yet atleast