The woods were even foggier than usual, freezing cold clinging to the descended clouds, biting like tiny teeth at any unprotected creatures, daring to cross through. But protected by dense, dark fur, the Oaken leader didn't mind the cold much. The biggest problem with winter was the shortage of prey, herds migrating and much of the smaller prey going into hibernation; The snow didn't bother him, it was a nice change and made tracking a lot easier than dry leaves and dirt. Today, Drestig wasn't hunting though, after finishing his morning rounds, he was heading back towards the center of the territory, with a very particular goal. Really this had been coming for a while, Triell had been home for long, and with the visits, both to and from their neighboring packs, a conference was surely needed. And yet, the elder male had postponed it for much longer than he should have, dreaded what the outcome might be.

But today would be the day, he couldn't keep it at bay forever, every glimpse of the returned Tainn sending flashes of fear through his body; Sooner or later HE will come to me..! This way, he could prepare, and he would have control if the situation; Control… So prepared he had, brooding for several days, finding out exactly what he wanted to say, and considering the possible outcomes. Now, he was as ready as he could ever be, and it was time to get it over with.

Reaching the center of the territory, the silver-tipped male settled under the old Oak, looking out over the pack lands for a silent moment. Then, taking a deep breath, he tilted back his head, howling an invitation for his fellow leader to join him, as well as the man who use to hold his post; Ready or not…

Word count: 304

Thoughts ”Speech”

His heart beat loudly in his ears as he waited, forcing himself to keep still even as his paws ached to fidget before him. Really, he had made his decision long ago, on what to do once this day came, yet now that the word lay only moments away, he felt a dryness in his mouth and a lump in his throat. Really, this shouldn't be such a big deal; But it is, at least to me..! It was a turning point in his life, he had made it so.

After what felt like a small eternity, a familiar, dark silhouette appeared at the tree line. Drestig breathed in deeply, slowly letting the air back out while his eyes focused on Triell's approach. His stomach churned, and he found himself feeling sad that their meeting was of such a serious nature, in the end he cared for the younger man a great deal, and he would have liked to simply hat as friends. Maybe we can, A faint voice whispered in the back of his head; It doesn't have to be… But he pushed it aside. This was something he needed to do for himself; No more dawdling about! Still, as their eyes met, the older man had to swallow hard. Then Triell greeted him, and Drestig managed a weak smile in response to his; "You too." He said, voice low, and he really meant it. All this beating around the bush, riddled with anxiety had made him forget the most important thing: Triell was his friend, the one man he had managed to respect when he thought himself too good for any pack hierarchy. "Thank you for coming so quickly." The current leader added, more steadily, smile growing a little easier.

It didn't take much longer for Spieden to appear, loosening from the shadows of the forest like Triell had done, crossing towards them. Drestig turned his smile to her, curling his tail over his front paws like a feline and waiting for her to reach the two men, completing their circle of three. Her question wasn't exactly unwarranted, and the elder chap nodded, taking the cue to begin the meeting; "Well, a lot of things have happened lately. I thought it was about time we talked it all over…" He looked between the two of them, cocking a brow lightly; "Most prominently," His attention turned fully to the white breasted Tainn; "You've returned." He stalled, eyes flickering for a moment as he tried to gather up his thoughts; And courage…

Finally, he sighed lightly and met the other man's eyes, deciding to simply get right down to it: "So I guess the question is: do you want your post back?" He allowed a pause, straightening his back as he stared down the larger male. Then he smiled shakily, averting his eyes, a wrinkle forming between them, even as he offered Triell a yielding nod, reaching to touch his nose to the base of the younger lad's yaw, in a sign of honor and affection. "Oak Tree Bend is your pack, Triell, you and your family's. If you want it back I won't stand in your way." He pulled back, giving a warm smile to his, now long time, friend. Then his face fell into more serious folds; Now comes the hard part. The silver dusted man cleared his throat, again looking between the two leaders before him; "But if you do," He breathed in deeply; "I won't be staying." There, it was said. His face remained as stone, gaze shifting between Spieden and Triell. This was the decision he had made, not to pressure the Tainn with an ultimatum, but because he needed to do what was right for him; I only have so much time left…

Feeling the need to explain further, the Avalon allowed the shadow of a fresh smile to sneak onto his face, voice calm, almost serene as he spoke: "I can't go back to being a subordinate – to anyone. I've gotten a taste of what it's truly like to be a leader, and not just my own." Passion sparkled in his fiery eyes, tail waving fervently at his hocks; "I was borne for this, it's a dream I need to realize."

The hurt was clear in Triell's expression and the older man felt a stab of pain in his chest. But what had he expected? Spieden seemed more surprised than anything, he supposed she hadn't really thought of the possibility that he wouldn't want to step back down from his temporary post. Her words showed sympathy though, and for that he was grateful, especially when Triell gave his reply. This was not one of the scenarios Drestig had prepared for, especially the coldness in his friends voice send a shudder through him, a bolt of electricity running down the length of his spine, causing the hairs to bristle. Two pairs of blazing eyes locked as the Avalon felt his own bitterness rise and he spat back; "And what would you have me do Triell? Stick around in misery so you can keep up your image?!" He tore his gaze away, releasing a groan of frustration, which faded into a heavy sigh. He didn't want this to turn into a fight, he had so hoped they could come to an understanding, civilly. Staring at the old snow by their feet, the older man spoke in a calmer voice, shoulders sacking slightly; "I'm not doing this to hurt you. It's not a whim, I've been thinking about it for a long time now…"

His eyes lifted again, the anger replaced by sadness as he looked at his friend. "I respected your need, when you went on your search. Is it so much to ask the same from you?" There was no challenge in his voice, only a heavy tiredness that he did nothing to mask. He really didn't want to cause any pain, but he saw no other option, one way or another, someone was gonna be unhappy. Triell's words about family had stung deeply and so had Spieden's sentiment; The otherwise quite stoic woman speaking up to validate his importance. He looked to her now, trying to gauge her reaction, wondering if he had been right in calling her to join them for this. But he hadn't expected an argument – some objections yes, but not this – rather he had thought they should discuss it all together, considering it regarded the packs future and they were all, in a way, its leaders.

And yet he was planning on leaving it. Because it wasn't family enough? Putting it that way did make it sound bad; But it's not that simple… It was more than leadership that was his issue; This place… Ember eyes drifted over the woods around them, bushy brows furrowing. If Triell thought it possible to go on here, with the weight of all these dark memories… Well, then he was stronger than the elder wolf. Drestig's gaze landed on Triell again and he had to swallow hard before he could continue speaking, but when he did there was a fresh sting to his voice; "And it's not like I'm gonna sneak off in the death of night, leaving you to pick up the pieces. I fully intend to explain myself to everyone, take the blame if you will." He let out huff of breath, shaking out his fur. Suddenly he felt immensely tired, weighed down by the tension in the air, the build up from all his weeks of worrying. With a sigh he added, voice low; "I only have so much time left…"