Pine watched her friend disappear inside the den, her sides heaving from their last screaming match and heart still burning with rage at Akira’s arrogance and lack of empathy. She had a stinging cut beneath her eye and a couple of bruises littering her pelt, but she couldn’t feel the pain past the tumultuous roaring in her ears. She whipped around, her cool eyes hot with fury as she stormed out of camp. “Pine, wait-” Wisdom tried to step in her path, but the lithe she-wolf only pushed past her delta, feeling the eyes of the pack burning into her pelt as she stalked away. Was Akira just stupid? Inconsiderate? What was her problem? These thoughts raced in furious circles around Pine’s head, moving so fast and yet never going anywhere. Or.. Was it her? She swallowed, pushing through brambles that grabbed at her fur and over mud from the storm the night before. She walked over her alpha’s pawprints and into the deepening shadows of night. It wasn’t her fault—Akira just didn’t understand her pain.. Right? Pine felt a lump growing in her throat and bared her teeth, trying to bring back her rage from before, if only to drown her grief. But.. maybe it was all her fault. Everywhere she went, she seemed to start fights. Akira, Eclipse, she was even pushing Wisdom away. Was she just unloveable? Was it her fault that the pack was falling apart? Her foot brushed against a familiar buried human-object and she stopped, realizing that she had been subconsciously following a path she hadn’t tread in a very, very long time. It was the path she had taken when she had first joined Leaf Pack. It was here, in this very clearing, that she had met Eclipse, and Nova.. and Akira. Past this mark, she would be beyond Leaf Pack territory once more. And for a moment, she considered it. Maybe the pack really would be better off without her. Maybe there would be less fights, maybe everyone would get along better, maybe they’d be able to fight off Cruella.. Pine’s heart screamed in pain as she thought of leaving her pups and Myko behind. But, as much as she had longed for a mate and to have a family of her own, as much as she loved them all.. Maybe that simply wasn’t the life she was meant to lead. Maybe.. Maybe she was meant to be alone. Where she wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again. Pine took a step over the border. I do *not* know if my facts about the start of the pack are correct or not, I kind of just made it up, but also none of this is cannon so its fine and i dont wanna change it. Also, dw, this isn't the end, only a cliff hanger. I still got Akira to do ;)
Music: If the World Was Ending by JP Saxe, Julia Michaels Art: @StormStar1515 Character: Pine belonging to @Moonwatcher_607