Fool's Gold Chasm where our hands hurt from healing

For @Apolline only, takes place an hour or so after the run-in with Malien.

Woya had sought out @Adelard first, explaining quietly just to him what had happened without yet letting Apple out of her sight. She felt pressed to round up the others now and ensure they had not also chosen to venture too far, but left the task up to her husband. Things couldn't be left for too long without a proper discussion with her daughter about what happened. After all, it could very well end up a matter of life or death for Apolline if she didn't understand the event.

"Apolline," she beckoned the child closer, voice far more welcoming now that they were safely where they belonged. While she still wished to wring @Malien's throat, her anger had ebbed and certainly none existed for the young pup. Each of her children were virtually angels, and she would mark anyone who dared say otherwise with teeth.

"We need to talk about today, hun."

(This post was last modified: Jan 18, 2023, 02:21 AM by Clouse.)

Apple was practicing her very best pouting as she trudged along after her mother, pointedly turning her back to avoid her father’s gaze as he was told of her misdeeds. She still didn’t understand exactly what she’d done wrong, but if it was enough for Papa to get involved too, it must have been real bad! All in all, it didn’t take long for her outrage to turn to worry, and then dread at just what was coming. When Woya finally called for her, the mud-pup walked with hesitant steps, head downcast and tail limp between her legs. In her short, sheltered life, she’d never had her parents truly angry at her – no raised voices or punishment – a gentle scolding at most. And this time too, her mother’s call had been gentle, certainly nothing like the sharp and dangerous tone she had used with Lien – if it had been, Apolline wouldn’t have wanted to come any closer at all. But she did now, even daring a glance up as she sat down in front of Woya, brows wrinkled slightly. She felt the urge to apologize preemptively, uncomfortable with the pressure of her wrongdoing, even if she didn’t know what it was. But then she remembered her new friend, scared away so swiftly, and she swallowed back her impulse to appease, conjuring back up her pout and scowling down at her paws. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, iMouritsa @DA & emeliemarieanne @DA

Woya hated seeing her energetic child looking so down, but that blame was placed squarely on the silver stranger's shoulders. If he had kept to himself and minded his own business, she wouldn't have to be having this talk. Nevermind that it was better to come about this way than by Apolline actually having been hurt...

She took a breath, had to decide on where to start.

"Apple, you've been told not to leave home," she chose, voice firm yet gentle in a balance only a mother could achieve. As much as she'd rather brush it all away just to get her daughter to smile again, this was vital. She needed to be a parent.

"Why were you so far?"

She really didn’t want to talk to her maman right now, she didn’t want explanations or justifications, she just wanted to be mad. It would almost have been better if Woya just scolded her, then at least they could be done with it, and Apple could stalk off to sulk. But of course, it had to be a conversation, because Woya was a good mother, even if her daughter didn’t think so right now. The pup huffed at the question, glaring at the ground for a moment more before looking up at her parent. Her expression was twisted in confusion, a whine preceding her words, spoken in a matching tone; “I wasn’t leaving!” The truth was that she hadn’t realized just how far she’d wandered, but that didn’t seem like an adequate excuse. She didn’t want to make excuses anyway, still not seeing what was so wrong about anything she had done; “I was just ‘sploring! An’ Lien was there, I wasn’t alone!” Her lips came together in a fresh pout, eyes now looking squarely at her mother in a silent challenge; Why did you chase him away? In her short life, she’d only really seen her parents interacting within their family, and with them they were always gentle. It was quite a revelation to her that her mom could be mean. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, iMouritsa @DA & emeliemarieanne @DA

His name on her daughter's tongue caused annoyance to flash across her features, pointed ears swiping backward and wolfish brow twitching. Woya had thought they'd covered these issues adequately enough to not have to parse semantics over it all, but as she always did, the woman gave her child the benefit of the doubt. Clearly the matriarch hadn't, and so the moment came now.

"I mean going past our markers. It is not allowed until you are older because it is dangerous. I trust you and your intentions, Apple, but I cannot trust other animals or strangers. If you are outside of the markers, you are too far for the pack to get to you in time if you need us. Something could kill you before I could even-," was that too harsh? Woya certainly didn't like the thought, at all. She sighed, mildly frustrated. Knowing that some lessons her children would have to learn the hard way, that she herself had been the kid who had to hit her own walls before conceding that what she had been told was right. But this? The worst that could happen? Apolline had to understand...

"Lien is a stranger, even if he was nice to you. Wolves can say and act very differently from their intentions, and what they want can also change very quickly. Quicker than you might be able to react."

Anyways, it wasn't normal for an adult to befriend a child. Look out for her a moment, sure. But Woya didn't want her daughter thinking that every passerby would become a permanent fixture of her life, and certainly didn't want her falling down the slippery slope of thinking that every wolf would be as close to her and dependable as her family. Lien was just a blip, as he deserved to be.