Larkcall Lowlands the judge - Printable Version

The more she mulled over her thoughts, the more enraged the situation made her. There was no way of knowing what kind of damage, if any, had been done inside, to her pups, to Lachesis’s pups. She caught that name: Mittani. They knew exactly who it was. She definitely appeared agitated, as she felt she should and deserved to be. She found an essence of solidarity with the female across the border from her, insisting she herself would never condone such actions, and then Wraith put it perfectly. Mutt. If she’d been in a different time, before the things she’d seen, she might have demanded his head on a platter for such a transaction… but blood was one thing she couldn’t stand to see split. Their word would have to do.

Craw and Morganna’s disappearance, in Lilya’s mind, was one of trying to hide their crimes. Why else flee an empire they had built for themselves? It did not sit well with her, and she felt she could no longer trust them… there was still hope for Piety and Wraith, however. She stood in silence beside Lachesis, letting him speak for both of them because she was not in the right mindset to think before she spoke, and not thinking in a case like this was how war started. "This wasn't jus' n'attack on the River, but n'attack on our children." She just hoped they would take this matter seriously once the two River wolves left, because it certainly felt personal to her.

There anger was understandable. In their place, Wraith wasn't sure he would be as patient. Rather than allowing the Hearthwood wolves to deal with the problem themselves, he would have demanded the traitor be brought straight to him for penance. Mittani was lucky @Lachesis was not of the same mind. Or unlucky, for that left him to face Wraith's wrath along with the carried burden of the Hearthwood wolves as well. Their trust would not be misplaced.

"I will see it done personally," he promised.

The black man's teeth gnashed with rising frustration, though he did well to hide the reaction well. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he reminded himself that @Lilya was with pup and overly emotional. It was unlikely she meant to offend his integrity and intelligence by her comments and he found himself annoyed to realize it had offended him greatly.

Did she honestly believe he didn't know of the gravity of these crimes? That he did not understand what was at stake? That he, a father himself, would be so unfeeling, so lacking in empathy that she would need to say such things?

While Wraith gathered his patience, prayed for it to hold out, @Piety stepped in beautifully with reassurances and well wishes. It allowed the man the moments needed to regain his internal composure to match that which he exuded with confidence otherwise. "One who behaves in such a manner is unfit to live within the Monadnock's territory, of that I assure you." The man dipped his head with respect as he made to leave. "As Piety said, we will send word when it is done." Unless a word was spoken to halt his progress, Wraith swung his great head around to head back towards home. Only once his eyes were no longer visible to their allies did the first real fires of his fury begin to burn.

There would be no easy balm for this infection. Chew off the limb or risk the entire wolf. Ever a survivor, the decision was an easy one to make. Mittani's usefulness as a limb of the Monadnock had just expired.

His jaw clenched at Lilya’s mention of their children, his gaze hardening as he stared at the mismatched duo. Lachesis knew that Wraith was capable of dealing with the situation—he seemed just as angry as the ghost and the sparrow—and hoped that this meeting would not affect pack relations negatively. He was trying to avoid that; he did not want to create more tension. What he wanted was to get his point across and let Wraith, and his mate, know that he was serious about dissolving their alliance if the mutt was not taken care of. He did not want Lilya to live in fear of being attacked a second time. Nor was he going to allow another threat to chase them from their home once more. The north belonged to the river wolves first. They would fight for their home.

“Thank you,” he responded after a brief pause, his tone much calmer than it had been previously. It did not surprise him that they wanted to deal with the situation immediately. Kisla and Lachesis had done the same after Kjors challenged the ghost for his rank. He dipped his head to show his gratitude, his chartreuse gaze turning to Lilya. “I hope it goes over smoothly and we look forward to hearing from your scout,” he added with a soft nod in the sparrow’s direction, indicating that it was time for them to take their leave. There was nothing left for either party to say. The ghost watched as the dark wolf turned to the monadnock before he nudged Lilya’s shoulder, relief causing his expression to soften. Once they heard from the Whitestone scout he would discuss things with Kisla again—to see if she still wanted to sever relations with the western pack.

Lilya forced herself to calm down with the pale woman’s words – worrying was what the pair did, and Lilya worried about the lasting effects of this attack. She wasn’t sure what she’d actually do if something had happened to her children. Lachesis spoke for both of them, the veteran standing still and concentrated on the two wolves in front of them until Lachesis nodded to her, her taking a few steps back before turning around. She still felt unsure as to whether or not turning her back on those who wolves was the right call to make, given everything that had happened… but she also did not want to create problems.

She felt a nudge on her shoulder and she forced herself to take another deep breath. She’d fight and die for her family… she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice and she wouldn’t leave her children out to dry because she was too afraid to deliver a blow. Hopefully, it would not come to that, but the cynic was forced to consider her options, and the likelihood that their neighbors were scrambling to cover up what they had done with false answer. She still was not as trusting of them as she once was, and she was trying not to let it show.

-Fade-