She was upset that she didn't have the time to talk to him about her problems earlier, but he said it was ok to talk about it later.

It was about time for them to return anyway. Kiona hadn't realized how late it was and she bet Achak didn't know either, since he stayed with her for so long. She left Achak with Kanook once they made it back to the pack. Kiona greeted those who greeted her, like Olathe and Aya and Takoda. She conversed with them for a bit, but then Kiona sat outside of the den, just waiting for it to be night so she could speak to Achak. She was upset that she didn't have the time to talk to him about her problems earlier, but he said it was ok to talk about it later.

The rest of the day went rather quickly, between scouting with Kanook and Dartanion, to having some quality time with his family, even letting himself get pulled into playing a bit with his siblings. Soon enough the sun began to set, and things around the dens settled down considerably. Now, Achak was sitting at his favorite spot, on a cliff not too far off from the caves, watching the sunset. Kiona would be able to find him here with no problems. And it was private.

Kiona thought the rest of the day would drag on, but watching how playful the wolves were entertained her to the maximum. Deep down, they really were puppies and the thought made her laugh to herself. She saw Achak walking to where his usual spot was, and followed

She expected Kanook to come out of nowhere with his usual comments about her "unusual" behavior (he mostly teasingly encouraged Kiona's smiles and laughter, she knew) but this time, he just smiled kindly and shook his head.

She gave him a weird look before setting off. She found him equally annoying as charming.

So caught up in the beautiful scenery, Achak didn't even notice Kiona's approach until she was nearly right next to him. Ears twitching, now that he heard her, his head turned only slightly as she came up to sit next to him. Gazing back at the sunset, which was almost finished, the two sat in silence for a few more moments, each probably feeling equally comfortable with the other. "So what was it you wanted to speak with me about?" The wolf would give her as much time to answer as she needed, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

Kiona took a deep breath. She never told anyone about this. Not even her father. The only one who knew was her master, the one who tended to the physical wounds. "Well, a few weeks after I was adopted, my master took me into Nome, the town we lived by, to see my family. He let me roam free with my two sisters, Saba and Aleu, when I found them. We played aroud town...chasing each other...having a good time. Saba had to go back home, and then it was just me and Aleu."

Kiona tensed up. "I never really liked my sister. I don't really know why, but even before, I never did. But I stayed with her, for company's sake. She suggested eating from the garbage cuz she was hungry, so I sat and watched her...before she could get near the bins, two dogs came from behind them. They were strays. Aleu and I tried to back away, but they weren't going to let us leave. They kept growling at us...calling us children of scum, referring us to...THINGS born from our so-called terrible father...and other colorful names." At this point Kiona was too into her own story to notice if Achak was still paying attention.

"I stupidly insulted them back, snarling at them, and they attacked me. While my sister..."

Kiona's fur stood on end, her ears layed back. "...ran away from me. At this point a third dog came to join in the 'fun.' They tore at me for what seemed like hours, until a was mangled. The snow around us was red from both my blood and my torn fur. They then left me as a human walked passed the alley, but it didn't notice me. My 'sister' never got help. It wasn't until nightfall when my master finally found me."

Achak sat in silence as she told her tale, occassionally glancing at her. But when she got to that traumatic event, he couldn't look away from her, half in sympathy, half in horror of what had happened. It was horrible. When Kiona finished, they both sat in silence for a bit, as the alpha took in the story. Then, shaking his head and frowning, he finally spoke. "That's horrible, I'm sorry that happened to you. It was unjustified." Just because she had wolf in her. But now he finally understood fully why the female acted like she did. "I can't imagine how that must have been like as a pup. You certainly didn't deserve it." this was why he hated man, and the dogs that lived with them.

Kiona nodded. When she spoke her voice was rather bitter, thinking back on the situation. But she felt it needed to be let out. "Yeah...for a long time I just thought of myself as stupid for letting it happen. As much as I didn't like my sister, I hated her from that day forward. But still, I beat myself up about it." She sighed. "I forgot all about it, until I saw those dogs earlier. One thought led to the next, and then that incident bothered me again. And...you know the rest. Sorry for rambling so much. Its a bad habit." When the wind blew she noticed how cold it was.

Seeing her shiver, Achak moved closer. She didn't have quite the thick enough coat to protect her from the cold like the rest of the pack did. If he could, he would keep her warm as they sat there. "It wasn't your fault." his voice was sympathetic and soft, hoping to soothe her. " You should not be ashamed of your heritage. They didn't accept you, and some never will. Don't let it bother you." Knowing he didn't have to restate that she belonged here, and was not judged, rather welcomed into the pack family life, the alpha grew quiet once more, giving her time to let the words sink in.

Kiona sniffed and nodded. The thought of belonging moved her and made her smile. She looked up and saw bits of the northern lights dancing in the sky. The cold then made her frown. She normally wasn't this cold, but then again, she normally wasn't out in the open at night. She was usually blocked in by some trees. She was indeed fed up with the cold, but being as "selfish" as she was, she didn't want to leave Achak. Then she insinctively moved in to Achak's body for warmth and didn't think twice about it.

Achak was used to being close to others like this, so wasn't too surprised when Kiona moved into him for warmth. It did get cold out at night after all. Looking up at the sky, the soft glows of color of the northern lights seemed to soothe the mood as well. They were beautiful, something he never got tired of watching. Usually it was him and his family that came out to watch them, but being with Kiona like this was just as good, if not better. She had come to him, trusting him completely, seeking comfort, someone who would listen and accept her. Achak certainly did accept her. Kiona was something new to him, and it attracted him.

Kiona also remembered sitting with her mother and watching the northern lights. Only the ones back home were ones from a trick her father taught her mother using broken bottles. These were much more beautiful than the other ones, and it didn't smell of old liquor. It smelled good. The scent was naturally associated with Achak's and it made Kiona feel calm. The two stayed that like for a a good fraction of the night, basking in each other's company and scent and the glow from the aurora.

Kiona also remembered sitting with her mother and watching the northern lights. Only the ones back home were ones from a trick her father taught her mother using broken bottles. These were much more beautiful than the other ones, and it didn't smell of old liquor. It smelled good. The scent was naturally associated with Achak's and it made Kiona feel calm. The two stayed that like for a a good fraction of the night, basking in each other's company and scent and the glow from the aurora.

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