Open;; Miss Independant

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Miss Independant
Miss Self-sufficient
Miss Keep-your-distance.
Miss Unafraid
Miss Out-of-my-way
Miss Don't-let-a-man-intefere

It was a fact known valley-wide, or it soon would be, that Duke's daughters were not to be messed with. The last remaining survivors of the Falling Moon siblings, Rose from the original batch and Tallulah the only from the second. Both Princesses in their own right- but of course they went about it slightly differently. Rose considered herself easily the smartest female in the pack, or even perhaps the valley. She wasn't up herself, she was realistic- she knew her strength and she wasn't shy about it. Intelligence was just her thing.

Miss On-her-own
Miss Almost-grown
Miss Never-let-a-man
Help-her-off-her-throne

The family ties between the two packs were another thing entirely. While Duke was devoted to both his daughters equally, Rose did not feel the same reverence for Tallulah that her father did. She could not accept her little sister's spoilt manners for a very long time, in fact she was one of the only wolves who could chip away at Rose's flawless acting mask with her pure irritating presence. Still, family was family. And all these things were crossing Rose's mind as she wandered beside the valley river, letting the sound of it smash through her senses and provide some peace despite the noise.

[[Midnight]]

And I
Just wish that
I didn't feel
Like there was
Something I missed

Summer sucked. Winter sucked. Autumn was acceptable, and Spring... Nah, Spring was obnoxiously hot, too. So Justyn was in a slightly irritated mood as he walked along the same riverside that Rose did, except he was heading in the opposite direction. Pretty soon they'd bump heads, but he had no idea yet as he grumbled to himself about the heat and looked around the area.
It wasn't so ugly here, he decided. The water was kind of pretty when it flashed in the sunlight, like diamonds. And the spray that soaked through his fur help to take his mind off of the scorching sun blazing hotly against his brown-saddled back.

And I
Take back all
The things I said
To make you feel like that

A fish jumped against the current but Justyn paid no mind to the familiar noise. His mind was beginning to wander as the shade of the trees and the water cooled his head.
Esmerelda, his older sister... Was alive. And Roan, his uncle... How did that happen? Justyn had been one hundred percent confident that he was the last remaining wolf in his family line. Now he felt as confused as ever, knowing that those two were out there... What should he do?
He couldn't do anything. It had changed nothing. That's what he was sure of.

And I
Just wish that
I didn't feel
Like there was
Something I missed

The roaring of the river had disguised the sound of her footsteps, so Justyn wasn't aware of Rose until he peered into the distance and saw her heading his way. The same old anger and confusion calmed a bit just at the sight of her, although he wasn't sure whether or not he should talk to her.
Had she heard about the stupid scrabble he had gotten himself in with her father? He might be losing his position as Beta if he wasn't careful. He didn't want that. Maybe Rose would have a couple words of advice for him...
'Don't mess with Daddy-King,' he growled inside of his head, trying to mimic her voice.

He smiled to himself, knowing that that would probably be all he would get out of her.
He decided to go ahead and give it a shot, have another chit-chat with her... Maybe it'd be just as interesting and helpful as last time.

He snorted/ coughed, just like he had done the first time when he had to catch her attention. Except this time there wasn't any sign of aggression, just a self-proclaimed smirk.

And I
Take back all the things
I said to you

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Rose stopped wandering when another sound carried over the sound of the rushing river. She looked up sharply at the sound of a familiar attention-grabbing cough. She raised her brows at the sight of Justyn, pausing momentarily before padding towards him. She didn't want to shout to have a conversation with him.

"Can't you ever just say hello?" she drawled sarcastically as she came withint speaking distance of him.

He'd asked her for her to be truthful around him, so she would. She wasn't going to go back on a promise like that, she had a deep-set gratefulness for this glimmering slice of truth in her life. Still, a large part of her was sarcasm and that wouldn't change in a hurry.

[[Midnight]]

His ears flicked in irritation as the water spray tickled the sensative hairs inside of them. It was hot out and he was dripping sweat from his jaws profusely, and that usually got him in a bad mood, but he was alright at the moment.

"That's no fun," Justyn said, his pitch just a little higher than normal over the roar of the river. "Besides, a friendly 'hello' isn't my style."
He cleared his throat and glanced around at the scenery behind Rose, like he wasn't sure how to strike up a good conversation.

"So... You looked like you were in some deep thought before you saw me," he stated curiously, looking at her a bit expectantly. His jaws flexed as he clenched his teeth together, feeling a twinge of hunger in his stomach. "What were you thinking about?"

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She thought back, taking only a second to rewind over the thoughts of her last remaining sibling. Then her line of thought changed and her expression turned notably sour. She resisted raising her lips at Justyn as this new thought crossed her mind.

"I was thinking about Tallulah, but now I'm thinking about you," she said sharply, staring at him with hard, angry dark eyes. She let the words hang in the air, and despite the rushing river they seemed to stay in place, pointed at Justyn like the daggers coming from her eyes.

"Standing up to my father, Justyn?" she snapped, reminding him so she could interrupt whatever thought he might've been having. "Was I not absolutely clear when I explained the position my father and I are in? Are you simply stupid?" she hissed angrily, knowing she might be taking it too far suddenly.

She took a very deep breath to calm herself, working her voice back to normal but nothing could be done for the tension in her shoulders.

"Do you mind explaining yourself?" she said slowly. "Before I start jumping to conclusions?"

[[Midnight]]

Justyn knew it was coming, deep down inside somewhere. But the only surprising thing in that moment was the fact that he wasn't taken aback by her tone or her expression, not at all. In fact, it almost made his frosty heart melt with warm amusement.

Thinking back on his conversation with Duke made him feel resentful again. It was just a weird, horrible feeling to know that his new and only friend couldn't live her own life anymore - that she was going to do die when the old geezer flipped the lid himself. His face became serious.

"It was a spur of the moment decision to have an argument with him, Rose," he explained calmly but with tense vocal cords. His hazel eyes narrowed just a tiny bit with the mood of his topic. "I said some things that were weighing on my chest... But it's over with now. I would never do anything to hurt you... As much as I do very much dislike your father. So they were pretty much empty threats."

The words and the feelings behind the words were true...
But that didn't mean Justyn was no longer interested in helping Rose. There had to be a way for Rose to recover herself, to break the center of the chain that eternally connected her to her father. She needed someone or something to give her stability in this new valley...
If only her puppies were still alive. Or Raiden. Justyn would tread through the spirit world himself if he could grab Raiden by the scruff and bring him back into Caden Valley, back to Rose.

His misty pelt shimmered as a patch of sunlight beamed against his back. Pretty soon the water would be evaporating and he'd run right back over to the edge of the river, to be recovered in the cold , refreshing wetness.
Hopefully Rose would be satisfied with his answers. Standing up straight and tall, he tried to peer into her gaze, to read her thoughts like he has some magical powers... Ohh, if only.

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Rose continued to glare at him, watching and listening to him explain himself. His words were irritatingly calm, but she could hear the tension behind them. Something was preying on his mind more than he would tell her.

She stayed silent for a while after he stopped talking, watching his expression, furiously studying his face. Eventually, she came to her conclusion and she snorted at him.

"Stop trying to read me, Justyn, you'll just give yourself a headache," she rolled her eyes. She stayed standing, hovering between turning her back on him and stomping off, and staying. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say.

"Look, I know you think that you can save me, Justyn," she started off slowly, her tone not quite pleading. It was matter-of-fact, with the slightest hint at tenderness. "I know you think that it's a bad thing to be so wholly tied to my father as I am."

"But I am not going to kill myself as soon as he dies. I will fight to my death protecting him if anything threatens him," she looked very pointedly at Justyn. "But there are others. There's you, for example. I won't forget what I owe you, as a friend."

[[Midnight]]

His ears quivered and began to lay back against his skull, feeling the effect of her words. It was a sudden change to what she had been saying before, but a good one. Maybe Rose would be okay after all. With time.
The fact that Rose mentioned fighting to the death to protect her father was just another reason for Justyn to finalize his earlier decisions. He didn't say it out loud, but he was thinking it.

If I owe my allegiance to Rose, then I owe it just as equally to Duke.

He said nothing of the sort out loud, though, and struggled for words to reply with.

"That's no fair..." he started quietly, as quietly as he could get over the river's roaring. "I don't get to read your mind, but you get to read mine."
A small smile came to his face and he chuckled, the most dignified way of saying thank you to her he could think of.

There was no point in trying to "save" Rose. Not right now. Maybe when things started to unwravel in the end. At the moment, however, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She probably had no idea and wouldn't ever guess it , but Justyn was extremely grateful for that.

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She tilted her head to one side, watching him as he replied, smiling softly. She was so glad she had this. In Falling Moons, even within the pack, there were often more enemies than alliances. It felt good to have a friend.

She walked forwards, to show the fact she wasn't angry and nor was she intending to be. She could sort of see it in his eyes- he wasn't admitting defeat, but he was admitting there wasn't a battle as he predicted. She knew he wouldn't say it out loud, but this made it easier.

"If only I could read minds. Can you imagine how useful that'd be?" she chuckled in reply, stopping as she drew up beside him. She sat down comfortably, the rushing river a mere undertone to the conversation. She was still smiling gently. "Now, aren't you the one who needs saving?"

[[Midnight]]

The multi-colored wolf watched Rose make herself comfortable on the ground beside him, with the small smile still on her face. He was glad that they had a comfortable relationship now, more than just acquaintances. He'd be happy to call her friend even to Duke's face.

"I need saving, huh?" he said mostly to himself, sitting down on his rump. He seemed to get pulled into deep thinking, his eyes hardening in concentration.

He looked over at Rose.
"Actually, something just happened when I was No Man's Land," he told her strangely, a confused look on his face. "My... Uncle and my sister... Are alive."

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For a moment, Rose's heart stuttered uncomfortably. She frowned, a million emotions running through her head, and then a second later her face was blank again. She was trying to pick an emotion which wouldn't cause a stir.

"Wow," she started, whistling. "That's quite something. Are they in... the Stars?" she wondered vaguely aloud.

Beneath he well-concealed distraction, her mind was furiously and desparately battling with itself. Futile hope that maybe, just maybe, Raiden or one of her pups had survived and she'd find them again like Justyn had found his family. She knew she wouldn't be so lucky, and it made her suddenly depressed, despite her happily curious expression and tone.

[[Midnight]]

Justyn thought something might be off with Rose's reaction, but he wasn't a miracle worker nor a mind reader. He had no idea what was running through her head.
He frowned uncomfortably at her response, though. Somehow, he wished that she had had a different reaction to the news. Perhaps a growl of protest, or some words of reassurance - any kind would have helped him feel better. He knew, though, how silly it was to wish for something like that.
Mostly because he should be happy that two wolves from his family were alive. Especially his sister, since he had been closer to her than Roan, and he had grown up with her in the beginning. Knowing that he was the only one from his heritage that was alive had killed him for so long... But now that wasn't true anymore, why did he feel more empty than ever?

Not only that, but Rose had no reason to be concerned about them. Of course she would treat the subject nochalantly.

To answer her question, he fumbled for words.
"Uhh... Yeah, they were."
Then he quickly shook his head and rephrased his sentence.
"Well, yes, but no... Roan was a Stars. Es, well, she's a loner now."

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Rose didn't know why she was fighting this need to cry, to scream and break down again. She just wanted to howl it to the heavens- Why his family and not mine?

But really, Rose wasn't that selfish. She was thoroughly upset that her family hadn't made a reappearance, but it was only evident in the intensity of sadness in her eyes. She was happy for Justyn, even if he wasn't happy for himself.

"Still, that doesn't matter," Rose said quickly, surprised at how truthful the words were herself. She moved forwards suddenly, right beside Justyn. She was speaking almost desparately. "They're alive- you've got your family here in this valley, Justyn. Aren't you even going to smile?"

She touched her nose to his frowning face, having to reach up just a little, and then moved back. The stark truth in her eyes would be enough to make her uncomfortable if she knew what she looked like.

"You know, if Raiden, Bion, Blake or Tammer turned up in the valley, I wouldn't give a damn what pack they were in. I wouldn't care what they thought of me, because it wouldn't matter." she whispered, as if confessing some deep sin.

For a true Moons wolf, she just had.

[[Midnight]]

Justyn had heard the screams of agony before, while Rose fitfully tried to sleep as she dreamt of her one true love and their babies. They were terrible howls, but he wasn't so sure that they had really struck a soft spot anywhere in him at all. Back when Justyn and Rose weren't friends in any way at all.

While Rose touched his face, he looked into her eyes, and saw the disturbing pain and raw emotion in them. The screams were bad, yes, but seeing firsthand just how much of her dreams the wide-awake Rose was sharing with him made his heart ache terribly. Poor, poor Rose. She deserved to have her own family here with her. At least she dearly loved them and would always breath in their names. Justyn walked away from his family like a big coward, even if he had thought they were all dead.

Instead of thanking her for her opinion and giving her the smile she mentioned, his eyes dropped down to the dirty ground below his feet.

"I won't smile until you can smile," he mumbled to her, sounding so sympathetic that it quite startled him when he thought about it. Sympathy... It got you nowhere in the end, but perhaps everybody needed even just a tiny bit of it to even function properly.

Justyn would have continued and explained to Rose that he didn't care what his sister and uncle had been doing the past year, what they had been through, where they had chosen to live. That wasn't what bothered him. What made his skin crawl was knowing that he wasn't as alone as he had thought he had been, and he was thinking of the what-ifs. What if it was Roan that had found Justyn, instead of Duke? Would Justyn's pain had simmered away? Would he be leading the new Dancing Stars in his fathers place, with no Caden around to defile the family line? What if his bastard of a father was still out there, killing anybody who took a wrong step in his prescense?

He began to shiver underneath his fur, despite Summertime's heat.

But what if he had never met Rose?

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Rose stiffened slightly, staring at him with hard, dark eyes. Sometimes she forgot. Opening up your heart and soul to another in the Falling Moon was so dangerous. Honestly, it made her feel so vulnerable- something she'd been taught all her life never to be. She wasn't supposed to be looked after.

Still, it was beginning to feel like he needed her more than she needed him. If something went wrong, she could leave. She could walk away and break them apart, if it was the best thing to do. She wouldn't want to, but she would be able to do it. I think, she frowned for a moment.

"I'll smile when I smile, Justyn," she sighed coldly, moving backwards and looking out across the water. "But I don't have much of a reason to smile at the moment. I mean, Onisim's back- that made me smile. There's Shiori to look after, she needs me, I smile for her."

She looked up at him.
"You never seem to be around me when I smile," she shrugged, as if talking nonchalantly about the weather and not her inability to express real emotions.

Her eyes were not cold anymore, they had warmed slightly as she turned back to him, studying his expression and his movements. Slowly, bit by bit, she let her muscles relax, not realising how tense they had been. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

"I'm not used to be being myself," she commented quietly, eyes still closed. "You'll need to give me time to find exactly who that is." She opened her eyes again, waiting for her vision to stop blurring and he came into focus.

No, she couldn't leave. Even if she wanted to.