Willow Ridge he was perfect, perfect in every way

@Wraith <3 Gonna keep it vague, but set it before Craw's challenge with Angier and before Morganna's gathering, but after Morganna smells pregnant and Craw suspects Wraith. But I'm easy, let me know if that's a problem!
Set just outside the pack den in the middle of the night.

The moon was high, but sleep had not come easy. Craw had tried to rest his eyes in the confines of the den, but to no avail; there were too many situations and hazards and conspiracies running through his head to allow any rest. @Morganna no longer stank of desire, so being in her proximity was infinitely easier, but now it was different - someone had succumbed to her scent, had come close enough to couple with her. Perhaps more than one. Craw knew that he had resisted, and he was the highest-ranking male in the pack who wasn't considered a member of her family, so just who had mounted her? He may not have thought highly of @Skoll, but the dark man was above mating with his sister, he was sure. Craw thought there was some history there with @Renier, so he was a possibility - but, then again, he had also seen Wraith acting all cosy with their female lead.

Losing Wraith to Morganna was not a part of his plan. Whether the mountain wolf's loyalties were most swayed by his enjoyment of feminine parts was something that Craw needed to know. If Wraith had fathered her children, did that alter his allegiances? Craw had tried so hard to integrate him into the pack... and perhaps had done too well. He was almost beginning to lose perspective himself, lost in thoughts of Archers and willow trees when his real priorities were supposed to be much higher. How had he let himself become so entangled in some other family's politics?

And then every now and then the name would float to the top, Pharika, Pharika, and he was driven to such heights of frustration that he quietly extracted himself from the den of sleeping packmates, preferring to sit a few feet from its entrance. The air was cold and crisp and silent out here, with no warm bodies or the smell of wolf or the sounds of breathing. There was only his own wheeze, as his lungs drew in and expelled air which rattled against the old damaged flesh of his throat. Having escaped the den of willow wolves, his attention drew to the sound of his own breathing, and then to the memory of the event which had caused it, and from there his fully awake mind took a very long and twisting walk through the past, his yellow eyes open but unseeing as he stared into the moonlit night.

Memories of the cold north, of a father's sneer, of supportive whispers in his ear, of falling. Of a single live child in a litter of four, wriggling and crying for his mother's milk.

The black male had been out wandering the territory on his own again, restless and anxious. It wasn't dreams which plagued him now, but worrisome thoughts on his time with @Morganna. As he had been avoiding the pack, he'd been avoiding her as well. The more time that passed, the more Wraith worried over whether or not he'd done the right thing. At the time, it made all the sense in the world. Nicolo couldn't rightly do it, considering their blood relation, and she'd been happy enough to allow him. Had he broken some unspoken pack law then? Was his place within the pack at stake now? Miserable, Wraith padded towards the den with a lowly hanging head. No doubt it was late enough into the night that the others had retired and he could escape his troublesome thoughts in sleep. When the den came in sight, the brute froze, his breath fogging out in front of his face. He spotted @Craw there, sitting like a vigilant monolith guardian. Guiltily, Wraith allowed his head to hang even lower. Perhaps he should have sought counsel with his friend before following his Alpha's scent that day. Better to resolve any issues Craw had with his decision now than leave it to stew, he supposed. The northerner gestured his head farther from the den in indication for the pale wolf to follow him away from where they might be overheard. Once at a reasonable distance from where the pack slept, Wraith sat with hunched shoulders. "Think I've made a mess of things, my friend."

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

@Wraith's absence in the den had been noted. In fact, he had been rather distant for a few days, which almost certainly tied into Craw's suspicions that he had overstepped ordinary boundaries. That he would avoid Morganna and the other high-ranking males - Nicolo in particular - made sense, but Craw as well? Was he ashamed of his actions? Did he fear Craw's judgement?

But these things were not, for once, the topics running through the wolf's mind when the man in question came skulking through the darkness, Craw's consciousness firmly in the past - but hearing Wraith approach snapped Craw's focus from his memories to the black beast moving towards him. The moonlight was weak, but he could see clearly enough to notice Wraith's shrunken demeanour and the toss of the head to summon them further away from the den.

Further from prying ears. Memories swiftly fading as Craw's interest piqued, the silvered wolf moved wordlessly after his friend. Once they stopped, Craw did not immediately sit down, choosing instead to stand gazing out into the willows. With how dark it was, there was no point in trying to study Wraith's expression for knowledge; he would rely on voice alone.

When the words came, Craw was silent for a time. It was all but a confession. How did he expected Craw to react? He didn't need to see Wraith's slouched posture; it was written clearly in his tone. Craw's own was level, calculated, unjudgemental, unified. "Then we mitigate any damage and make it work to your advantage. There is no situation we cannot deal with."

He shouldn't have been surprised. In his heart, Wraith knew he trusted @Craw like no other. His fellow northerner had never given him reason to doubt in their kinship. And despite all that, he still was surprised. He imagined this conversation going much different, hence why he'd avoided his friend like a leper. How was it, the brute wondered, that he even deserved such a brotherhood? Their friendship had started off so strangely, and yet Wraith felt as if he'd known Craw all his life. He lifted his head, meeting his friend's eyes in the darkness. Knowing how grateful he was couldn't be so readily portrayed through expression alone, the large male leaned forward to lick the tip of Craw's nose. "You're a better friend than I deserve,"he murmured quietly. He might as well just say it now. Wraith had no doubt Craw knew what it was he was talking about, but there was no need to keep it in the dark. It happened. He'd own it. "I lay with @Morganna a few nights ago. Quite a few have taken notice, it seems, and don't seem too pleased with me." In his head, he growled. It really was none of their business considering it had been the Alpha's decision, but Wraith knew a pack's stability could hinge on such an event. The last thing he wanted to be responsible for was a rift among the ranks. "I don't intend to apologize for it," Wraith clarified. "It was a mutual decision - and an enjoyable one at that. I've no qualms about being a father if pups come of it. But I've no talent with pack politics. I don't want this to cause trouble, but I'm also not going to roll on my back and apologize to everyone who takes offense." Especially not some irritable child who seemed to be the most angered by it. He sighed, shaking his head. "This was never a problem back home. What do you suggest?"

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

@Wraith's initial silence told of how unexpected that response was. Craw breathed evenly, turning his head towards the dark man, barely visible in the dead of night save for those bright yellow eyes. When the man moved forward to convey his gratitude and affection with a single well-placed lick, Craw's choices were reaffirmed.

With Wraith reassured of their bond, it all came spilling out, and Craw sat quietly as he listened. Suspicions confirmed, he was pleased at Wraith's relatively confident stance on the matter; he trusted that the man would have consulted him if the mating had been pre-meditated, but Craw could sympathise with what it felt like to be in the heat of the moment. And Wraith was telling it all now, so the secret between them hadn't lasted long.  As he processed Wraith's perspective of the matter, Craw idly licked his lips, considering the possible ramifications and implications of Morganna carrying his ally's children. Separation of priorities had been increasingly difficult, with the politics of Willow Ridge worming their way into his own personal goals, but this all but cemented their connection; while he was still unsure exactly what he wanted from Morganna in the long-term, Craw had grown to hope that Wraith would become a constant in his life. This blurred those lines severely.

He took a deep, wheezing breath, and glanced back in the direction of the den. They had put good distance between themselves and the sleeping wolves they discussed, but his voice was slightly more hushed than normal regardless. "Considering how atypical the leading ranks are within the pack, you did no wrong. Morganna is to be expected to produce children, but the highest ranks are filled with her kin. She was going to have to find an unrelated male, and preferably within the pack." So it was far from an impossibility that she lay with Wraith, though Craw had thought Renier to be a more obvious choice. It would have been a less sticky choice, from his point of view.

He looked squarely back at Wraith, seeking those bright yellow eyes. "It does not mean that Nicolo will approve, nor Skoll, though I have my doubts regarding her brother's ability to restrain himself. Nicolo is the only one with any real right to contest your actions, but I do not think he has many friends within the pack. He and Morganna are no partnership.

"The important thing," he continued, after a pause, tone shifting to become slightly warmer, more of an urging for Wraith to understand, "is how likely it is that these will not be your children, not in the traditional sense. I would expect Morganna to lay primary claim to anything she whelps. You may have fathered them, but your rank works against you; you were a means to an end, no matter how pleasant. You were her donor. You may not even be the only one. I would not be surprised if her children are called Archers, and given her superiority, you would make life harder for yourself here if you fought her on it." It's exactly what he would do in her place.

"So, in order to know how to proceed, you have to decide... What do you want from this, Wraith?"

Wraith sat in contemplative silence, considering all that @Craw had said. It at least helped him realize he did not care whether or not he had @Nicolò's or @Skoll's approval so long as he had Craw's, @Greer's, and @Morganna's. As yet, the northerner hadn't had the opportunity to connect with many others in the pack, and based on the way many of those connections were going, he wasn't sure he cared to. Perhaps it was best he remain on the outskirts as he had when he was still a hopeful loner. Clearly he was getting far too deep by trying to integrate himself as if the Willow Ridge was his family. But Wraith knew no other way to live among others. There was pack or not pack, and pack was family. It was disappointing to realize it was not so here. Craw made good points, however, and Wraith found himself ever grateful for the pale male's counsel when he posed the question of what he wanted from all of this. It truly gave the wolf an opportunity to consider what he truly wanted versus what he felt he should want out of it. As he'd always been at his core, Wraith knew he yearned for the connection a family offered. It mattered not to him whether these pups were given his name. He desired no leadership from it or any prestige that could possibly come from having potentially fathered an Alpha's pups. "A name isn't something I would fight her on." In truth, Wraith wished to fight over nothing with concerns to the pack. There was already too much infighting, already too much tearing the pack to pieces. He would willingly place himself on the outskirts if it could help ease the current tensions. But the ones now existed long before the mountain wolf came to these lands. "I want only to be part of their loves. To show them love they deserve as the innocents they are. But that would be no different even if I had no part of their conception, Craw. Pups are the lifeblood of a pack and I would give my last breath to protect them." Really, that was all there was to it for him. All this political nonsense was over his head. He had love to offer and love he would give. In his heart, he knew he needed the approval of no one for that.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Happy to fade unless Wraith has more to say! Should get our 10 posts in for the LP though :] Would you like a thread set the day after the cavern meeting? Craw would definitely want to discuss the implications of that, plus share some of what Morganna told him.

His piece said and the question posed, Craw welcomed the silence, for it indicated that @Wraith was composing his answer seriously. Such thoughtfulness was a trait Craw embraced in his closest allies. They were familiar with each other in many ways by now, having spent the last several months strengthening their bond, but Craw didn't know how to predict Wraith's desires in this. They had not talked too extensively on family in the future tense; both had touched upon their histories with each other, only broadly, and Craw knew enough to judge that Wraith's view of family held more sentimentality than his own. It wasn't a weakness so long as it was coupled tightly with an ability to reason beyond raw emotion - indeed, a strong connection to one's blood was the foundation for some of the sturdiest and important relationships Craw had ever known. Perfect, the most perfect child he could imagine.

It had also been the root of one of the most destructive.

When the dark man finally spoke, Craw remained silent, letting Wraith say his piece in full. There was no need for interruption anyway; with each word, a deep, relieved satisfaction warmed his chest, the feeling creeping into the smile on his face as he stared into the darkness.

"Good," he wheezed, any remaining tension falling away; he could mot have expected a better answer. This was the smoothest course, and while he still regretted that Wraith now had such strong ties to the Ridge, he had already been forced to accept it; he had never anticipated that the dark man would want to abandon the children even if they were not his. Wraith's level-headedness in the face of the delicate situation pleased Craw greatly.

He shifted, coming to sit fully side by side with his companion, pressing their shoulders together. Reaching for Wraith's chin with his nose, he nudged it up, encouraging the man to overcome any anxiety or doubt troubling him. "That makes everything easy, but you would have had my support no matter your decision."

To inspire confidence and earn loyalty, you had to first demonstrate it. Craw had made his decision a long time ago when it came to Wraith Kael, and so far was not disappointed.

(This post was last modified: Mar 31, 2016, 10:16 AM by Craw.)

@Craw - Let's go for the 10 posts then since we're nearly there! :3

Craw's scratchy voice broke the night with simple approval. It allowed the mountain wolf's heart to beat a little easier knowing his fellow northerner accepted his views on it. Wraith turned, amber eyes watching as Craw shifted to come sit shoulder to shoulder with him in solidarity. Assured of at least one bond within Willow Ridge, the large brute leaned easily against the male and closed his eyes as his chin was nudged higher. He would have had his support regardless, hm? Then why ask? What did it matter? Part of him wished his friend would simply take charge. Wraith knew Craw was beyond capable. He inspired loyalty readily, had a sound mind, and a strong handle on the inner workings of this pack with worthy ideas on how to make it better. But he'd not expect something of his friend that he wasn't willing to do himself. The pack wasn't going to change. Wraith knew he'd simply have to adapt to this way of life if he wished to remain part of it. "What was it that made you come here, Craw?" Wraith swore to himself he'd not ask it. But tonight was one of sharing, it seemed, and he'd share his demons if he could get some insight into Craw's own. "Why this pack, this place?"

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

He had expected that to be matters concluded. He was only partially wrong; Wraith seemed content with Craw's assurances on the topic, and did not press it further. All that had been said was enough.

When the two questions came, Craw did not speak for some time, making no sound save the steady rise and fall of gravel in his throat. Why, indeed. The northern pair had managed to avoid most talk of their origins save for what was easily shared, but for Craw's part that had been reduced to sentiments like I had parents and life was hard and it didn't work out. He hadn't been prepared to say any of it out loud. Life here in the south, in the willows with the willow wolves, was soft, and a pleasant distraction. But he'd been embracing the distractions too much. The name Pharika flashed through his mind again, though by now it had lost all meaning save for an immediate and direct route to the part of his mind which was always turning over what had happened, over and over, over and over, the faces and names and actions on a looping film reel that he couldn't turn off. That he refused to turn off.

A child's cry, a father's sneer, and the feeling of falling, of falling, of falling.

"Willow Ridge meant nothing to me," he said quietly, the rasp pronounced in his softly-spoken tone as though he hadn't spoken in decades. He did not look at Wraith, fixating on a point in the distance he couldn't see, because everything was shrouded in darkness. His eyes weren't focused on the shadows, only on the flicker of repeating images in the back of his mind. "I met Morganna by chance, in some forest to the north of here. I have no history with the Archers, or anyone in this land save for what I have built over the last few months." He had shared the story of him joining Willow Ridge before, but not entirely; he had gone with the 'came upon pack borders and decided to join' tale which everyone, save for himself and Morganna, knew as truth. "Last year, when I came south - was, was driven south - I was... nearly finished. I needed an opportunity to rebuild myself, to work for something, because - because I will not lay down and die."

It was not exactly what Wraith had asked. Craw calmed himself, feeling the fire of rage spit from deep down, forcing it to quell, to soothe. Not yet. Opening his jaw, he swiped his tongue over his nose, cooling it, feeling the roughness, grounding himself.

"I saw potential in Morganna. I saw myself in her plight. I saw - the chance to do it properly." The grounding wasn't working. Taking a deep, rattling breath, he closed his eyes, but the images would never go away. But he could control them. They were his photographs, marked with red crosses on some faces and thick, oft-re-traced black circles around others. They were the promises he had made.

"Did you leave anything behind, Wraith, that you ever intend to go back for?"