Copper Rock Creek Shake it off

Again she denied it, but her answer was as good as an affirmative; he glanced up at the mountain in question as she described it. That was, by all accounts, far more 'around here' than Craw himself. It answered his question well enough. Her position as lead's daughter did not surprise Craw, and nor did the dark woman's position in her pack, for a strong-headed beast such as she should have no place lesser. The sly ambition implied in her grin was returned with a comprehending smirk of his own, and it only added to her intrigue. She would be a difficult animal to tame, made of boldness and feisty spirit, but he allowed himself to entertain that idea for a few moments.

Then she all but invited him to entertain it harder, though that was not her intention. His brows lifted in momentary surprise, not having expected such an outcome... but it was not an unwelcome outcome, he decided. To find out how her pack operated, the pack she deigned to rule, would be of great interest; was it a crumbling affair that she planned to rebuild, was her mother ready to step down, or did she simply desire the powerful seat? She was young, he supposed, but no younger than Craw had been when he had turned his gaze towards his father for exactly the same reason.

Knowing how that had turned out, he was inclined to join her and make sure that her ascension was not so dirty. Maybe he could find personal benefit in it.

"Would you be the lead during the cold months?" he asked, trying to keep it casual even though his fascination was rocketing. "Or your mother?"

His question morphed her smile into something far more devious. “These thin’s take time.” she responded, the minimax was yet to be calculated, and then there was the problem involving the male ranks. With her brother reduced to the rank of lowest for his indiscretion and Renier gone, she couldn’t really bring herself to lead alongside Angier or her uncle Nicolo. No, Willow Ridge was in a precarious position and she would need to proceed with caution until she lined up a few more ducks, provided herself with a buffer should the rest of the pack protest her ascension.

Not normally one to disclose such details, she weighed her odds. Just how badly did she want the large wolf before her to take her up on the offer? Guardians were non existent. They had two hunters, herself as a scout and a historian. What good would that do against the likes of Grizzly Hollow should they decide to strike? Was honesty going to serve her well in this encounter? It was a gamble she was just going to have to pray would pay off. “Truth is, th’ male side o’ things is a bit slim fer my likin’.” she confessed. Adele and Enoki were capable, but between the ageing patriarch and her uncle… “I don’ particularly care ter step up nex’ ter m- step-father or uncle, an’ m- brother got ‘imself in a bit of… strife.” She was honest, truthful in her delivery, but the invitation was there.

If he chose to take her up on the offer, there would be no shortage of possibilities.

(This post was last modified: Sep 28, 2015, 06:01 AM by Morganna.)

So her ambitions were young yet, the wheels not yet turning at full speed. That was all well and good, for preparations had to be laid, alliances made, contingencies put in place. Craw understood the need for careful planning. Whether or not her plans - and preparations, and alliances, and contingencies - were sensible and well-thought out, he could not know, not by only knowing her for these precious few moments. He did not doubt her intentions nor her spirit, but that was to say nothing of her actual competencies.

She fell silent, and he watched her, seeing the cogs shift inside her head. What was she deciding? Truth is, she started, and his ears pressed forward, curious to learn of the drawbacks, the weaknesses, faintly flattered that she was sharing it at all. Clearly he had succeeded in making a good impression on her. Weighing up his options, Craw knew that he had not - and likely would not - receive an offer as interesting as this one before the winter came, and while Morganna Archer was a fascinating creature, she did not strike him as a suitable mate, not of the sort he desired. Ally, though, and partner - in the meantime - perhaps. Craw liked his women a certain way, but he liked his... friends to be quite different. If Morganna's bite was as keen as her bark, she would make an excellent friend.

Her problem, it seemed, was a lack of genetic diversity. Unsurprising if the pack was well-established, for why would her mother have any need of fresh blood if she was able to populate her pack with family? A stab of jealous resentment struck Craw, but he hid and buried it. One step at a time.

He watched her for a moment longer before turning back to gaze at the stream and copper rocks, tongue flashing out to lick at his rough lips, buying time for thought. She was clearly offering him a great deal, and in sharing her aspirations was automatically bringing him into the pack under a conspiratorial umbrella, unless everything she intended was entirely above-board and expected. But then she would not be discussing it in such tones with a stranger she met far to the north of her homeland. While Craw cared nothing for her familial politics, he could see potential in Morganna, and he was not the type to let such opportunities slip away.

Tit for tat - if he made himself useful to her now, she could be useful to him later. In this foreign land, he had no enemies but also no allies, and such a clean slate was tantalizing. It was time to unbalance that scale.

Turning back to her, his expression was solemn but his eyes keen. It was clear that he was sold; now she just had to seal the deal.

"Tell me everything."

What more was there to tell? She had to think for a moment before she spoke again. “Mother’ll be comin’ on ‘er eighth year, ‘er mate is slowin’ down, though I don’ think ‘e knows we’ve bin watchin’…” Honestly if it hadn’t been for her brother she probably wouldn’t have given her step-father a second thought. “I’d like ter think she’s ready ter step down but she’s a warrior at ‘eart.” To be perfectly honest, the thought of a fight froze her blood in her veins. “I’m no fighter.” she admitted with a small shrug. “Our guardian died savin’ ‘er an’ my half- brothers from a cougar that tried to attack jus’ after she gave birth. I ‘aven’t really ‘ad much trainin’ since. I was only a yearlin'.”

She considered further, what else might he need to know? “M’ brother got one of the subordinates pregnant, she vanished an’ left ‘er son behind after he got knocked down to lowest. We’re workin’ on that though.” There was a lot of information that could be relevant and she thought a moment longer. “They’re a lawful bunch so I dunno if they’d take to ‘im as well as me.” she added. She felt she had sufficient support should she manage to rise up, but there were so many variables she wasn’t confident enough yet to commit to making a move.

Whether she thought the details relevant or not, any added context to her situation, the situation Craw was signing up for, was valuable. An ageing mother and stepfather - where was the sire? - who, from the sounds of things, was likely unaware of the coup being planned. That kept things familiar, at least. The news that Morganna didn't consider herself a fighter was surprising to Craw, who looked her over with an element of doubt in his expression. Maybe she didn't have the training, but certainly she had to have the enthusiasm. That, or he had sorely misread her.

She continued to describe the pack's standing, and implied that it was down a guardian. Maybe that would be useful to him. It was irresponsible of her leaders not to train the girl, had she been young or not, for he expected that they had similarly neglected their other children. And the topic of her siblings was interesting in and of itself. He had not missed her use of the word 'we' - to whom did she refer? How strong was her side? As she spoke of her brother, his misdemeanours caused his nose to wrinkle in disapproval, but he did not say anything. If this brother was her ally, then Craw would do well not to dismiss him lightly. Her concluding comment, almost off-hand, was perhaps more important than she realised. If Morganna's cause was not lawful, and her methods were not lawful, then that would make matters more difficult.

First things first.

"I will train you," he announced, matter-of-fact. "It will help me to regain my strength also. Your brother, too, if he needs it." Turning towards her, he regarded her seriously, eyes trained on her own. "Your brother. Is he trustworthy? Relying on loose cannons is dangerous; you need allies who are loyal, predictable. Are there others in support of your leadership?"

She was quickly getting comfortable with the wolf at her side, an unguarded smile offered when he said he would train her. This chance encounter seemed to be paying out dividends and while their encounter continued she began to feel more confident that she was indeed, doing the right thing for them all. His next series of questions struck a more personal chord and she forced herself to consider things from the perspective of an outsider. “I challenged m’ aunt for th’ position, an’ she hasn’ tried ter take it back. I think the others would support me…” the unspoken but hung looming in the empty air between her considerations.

“If m’ brother were ter move too soon…” The pack would implode. She trusted her brother, implicitly, and trusted in her own ability to keep him under control. “‘e might try ter take out our step-father out o’ turn. ‘e killed someone jus’ south o’ ‘ere, the pack took one ‘o th’ pups so ‘e took out th’ leader… ‘e hasn’ been th’ same since.” She would love her brother regardless but it seemed since then he had returned soaked in the blood of a stranger, there had been a lot less gross things dropped on heads and far more fights and bloodshed in their place. She hadn’t forgotten the way they had dug up Xetor, and the story she had told their mother and repeated to herself over and over, trying to convince herself was the truth. “I trust ‘im. Can’t say th’ same fer everyone else.”

(This post was last modified: Sep 29, 2015, 06:51 AM by Morganna.)

Her answers were uncertain, highly undependable, and Craw 'hmm'ed at them intermittently. That she had won her rank challenge - and despite 'not being a fighter' - was good, but a Third was still an influential position depending on the size of the pack. The description of her brother was even more worrisome, assuming that the assassination hadn't been authorised by the leadership. It was good that the boy was capable of killing, both in skill and in mind, but if his aggression would be hard to control then he would make for a poor ally indeed.

What had he been like before the killing, Craw wondered? How had the brother changed? Was he, perhaps, not suited to the burdens of life-taking at all? It wouldn't matter if not, for there were many other purposes a wolf could fulfil, but Craw would need to learn exactly what he was working with.

From the sounds of things, it was just a two-sibling plot to overthrow their parents, and he 'hmm'ed again at the immaturity of it. Assuming this was everything, and that she hadn't left out some key detail which would swing the situation in their favour, it looked as though they would need much help - or risk imploding the pack, as she said. And if that happened, there would be no pack to seize, and they would simply be better off running away and starting their own. He assumed that the pack, as a whole unit - members, reputation, location - was worth such a coup. Either that or they were just children eyeing what they thought was theirs.

"Not knowing where the others stand is too great a risk. You must prioritise discreet meetings with all of them - find out where they sit on the matter. If you make assumptions, you could lose it all. You have to know what your assets are, who you can rely on. Similarly you must know who will stand by your mother." Morganna trusted her brother, which was enough for her, but Craw would have to meet the boy for himself. If the brother turned out to be a weak link, would she have the strength of mind to do the right thing?

He did so hate unknown elements. If only he had been able to obtain total control when it was most vital, he would not have been in these foreign lands at all. He could not simply let her make the same mistakes - even if she was apparently so content to make them. It was early yet, she had made clear, but that was no excuse for ill preparation.

"Tell me how to find the territory, more precisely," he said, rolling his shoulders to loosen them, having already signed the contract; now he would see how much he could salvage it. It would make for a more engaging winter than his summer had been.

Speaking the words aloud to someone other than Skoll just reinforced how many unknowns there were between here and spring. For all she knew her mother might give her the position willingly but she had to be prepared. A small nod of her head was offered to show she acknowledged his suggestion of meeting with the others. Perhaps she had allowed Skoll’s ambition to cloud her judgement a little, simply assuming the rest of the pack would fall in line behind her. Directions though, she could give with some certainty.

“If yer head south through the woods yer’ll pass the falls. Keep headin’ south an’ there’ll be a grove, split by rivers. Yer can head west ’til it becomes a creek if yer aren’t a confident swimmer or yer can keep headin’ south, but watch fer the currents.” It rarely crossed her mind that some people weren’t so confident crossing running water as she was. “When yer cross the river fear the second time, or find yer way back ter the base of th’ mountain yer’ll see th’ woods givin’ way ter the Willows. If yer make it that far, yer’ll find us.” Her interest in finding this mystical pack to the north was fading each moment their conversation continued but she would have to deliver her message to Secret Woodlands regardless.

Perhaps being more familiar with the lands than he, she would find her way home just in time to greet him there?

She nodded, and made no complaint of his urgent advice, but would she truly heed it? His side of the deal was his guidance, training and support, up to an including when she decided to make a move - her side was that she would take it all, and act sensibly. There was so much that could go wrong, and he wished that he had had a wolf such as himself a year past, when he had sat where she sat now. A wolf who knew all to well how even the best laid plans could go to hell.

Her directions were clear and comprehensive, and he was sure that he would recognise her family's scent easily enough. Assuming the pack was well established, too, it would be trivial to ask for further directions from those he encountered on the way. With a grunt of assent, he stood, and turned to level his eyes on her face.

"I'll join as a stranger. We have not met before." Perhaps she would have liked to crow of a successful recruitment, but he did not want to draw any unnecessary attention to their ties if she was unsubtle in her ambitions. He didn't want to be too easily associated with the girl trying to build her own army. It was safest if he appeared most loyal to the pack's leadershi, not their child.

With that, he would depart, but not before briefly touching his nose to the underside of her chin, the gesture universal; if she was going to be a leader in more than just imagination, then she would have to live it, breathe it. He would show her how.