Hush Meadow If you don't like how the table is set

It was entirely possible to be too little too late, of course, with Nicolo quite comfortable in his position despite all the friction. All talk, Morganna said... but it unsettled Craw that he could not guarantee which side each member of the pack fell on; until now, Craw hadn't been a lot more than 'on Morganna's side' (okay, maybe he had been) but with this possibility hanging in the air... The pack was full of heads he didn't have insight to. @Wraith was the only wolf he definitely relied on to back him up, but the others... there were so many grey areas. Loyalty was split three ways in the Ridge, practically, between the old queen and the new queen and the old queen's brother... With Hecate gone, surely there was no great love for Skoll left in the pack, aside from perhaps his son - and Sven was, disappointingly, almost as much of a wildcard as his father. Craw could not guarantee which way his love would take him.

Craw considered this as Morganna considered his question, for the matter of geography for her was personal, the Ridge meaning so much more than just some pack, but to him it was nothing. When her first word was no, his brows rose, surprised at the decisiveness - and yet as she explained it, he understood. And as much as he had always seen parallels between them, it was true that here they differed still; Willow Ridge was a castle erected by her mother, inherited by the woman next to him from nothing more than blood, but Craw had built his father's tower personally, brick by brick, and the sense of entitlement there was a vastly different beast. Morganna had earned it by challenging her mother, but the desire for the bigger and better... yes, yes, Craw could get behind that. He would have found it difficult to see the Ridge as anything other than someone else's empire.

There were plenty of available Archer bums to keep the seat warm, it did not have to fall to Morganna to preserve it.

Pleased with the way things were going, when she pulled back to meet his gaze, her next concern earned her little more than a wry smile. "It wasn't a problem a moment ago," he said softly, and it was true - he had several feelings about her offspring, yes, but they were distant ones, careful ones, and their conversation had changed them not one inch. If they had been his children, now, that would have been an entirely different beast - he would have had a much, much less passive part in this charade... not that he was that idle to begin with. "Why would they be now?"

No, it wasn't a problem a moment ago, but now... "A moment ago I wasn't askin' yer ter put yerself in a position where others are gonna make assumptions." She answered with the hint of a smile and a tilt of her head. Truly she gave all the fucks that stood between them just what others chose to think (with him being one of the few with zero), but not all were so inclined. She well understood that this latest development might strain existing relationships, particularly where Renier and Wraith were concerned (although the latter was less of a concern) and she couldn't be certain the possibility hadn't crossed the minds of others when they had returned from their tussle in the Grove.

Her apathy towards questions concerning the paternity of her children to date, had been a strategic move, but was that still in the best interests of herself and her children? @Craw had been the only one to show no interest, though whether it was control bought about through maturity, seeing her as some sexless figurehead, old gods forbid he saw her as a child, or that he genuinely found her repulsive she was yet to wrap her head around. If he genuinely found her objectionable she wouldn't force him to endure speculation. "What do yer want me to say?"

Assumptions. So they were turning to this matter, a situation which Craw had decided from the start was of no concern to him; while he had been little more than Morganna's guide and supporter, her obvious decision to muddy the paternity of her children had been one which he agreed with. Of course she could not breed with either of the two highest ranking males, and with her desire for the children to be Archers - something he sympathised with entirely - her actions had made sense. He had warned Wraith of it and had been right. Craw had resisted the carnal temptation to be one of her who-cared-how-many for the simple reason that he would never settle to be one of the many - if those children were to be his, there would have been his.

The assumptions which concerned her, though, could surely only strengthen outside opinion of their partnership; although he was not their father, Craw had no doubt that this shift in plans would leave him squarely in a central role in their lives. Others would likely not question him as their parent. He certainly had no problem with that. If not for Wraith, he may have entertained the notion of assuming ownership of them entirely, if partly because it made things neater... and partly because it was, in all possibility, as close to the real thing as he was going to get ever again. That admission of defeat left such a sour taste in his mouth that he did not dwell on it for long. He could not bet on the same miracle happening more than once, but he'd be damned if he was going to give up on it.

Morganna's almost desperate urging brought a gentle, soothing growl to his chest, as he drew her close and placed his chin over her forehead again. He had no doubts, no reservations; he knew his own capacity, his own resolve and strength, and while Morganna was less confident than he, less sure, he needed to foster that part of her which was the same as him. He needed the Morganna who had risen to this lofty seat through her own sheer determination. "That the assumptions can get fucked. That I am not their father, but it doesn't matter. That the actual donors won't be a problem." For you. For them. For us.

"I want you to say that nothing can stop us."

It doesn't matter. They won't be a problem. She turned her head to bury her face in the fur around his throat. The comforting growl and the familiar rattle bleeding together until all her worries melted away. Of course he was right. "Renier might have other thoughts on that front," but one battle at a time. Her words were muffled but they weren't the ones he wanted to hear anyway. She wouldn't waste more of her night pondering on what ifs. She had real work to do.

Extracting herself from his embrace once again, a more confident smile in place, she pondered on his statement. "Nothing... and no one." she reaffirmed. If nothing else at least she had one surety moving forwards, here or elsewhere it didn't matter. They were a force not to be fucked with, and very soon it would become evident to everybody else. "Yer should get some sleep, its been a long night," and it would be longer yet for her. "I'll try not ter wake you when I get back." She had to track down her brother, see if he would play her game or if she ultimately decided to fold.

She did echo the sentiment back to him, and despite a brief moment of doubt about Renier - in which instant, any suspicions there were entirely confirmed - Craw was satisfied. Although they had been quite close for months, this was something entirely new, the birth of something delicious and within his grasp. Suddenly, the notion of Willow Ridge 2.0 was looking a little more appealing - precisely because that's not what it would be. He had made it fairly clear that he was just not another gear in her machinations, and, having accepted that, the future looked considerably more promising.

He could almost taste it. Was it wrong that he would want this, when he had made other, wholly important promises to himself?

With both of them now firmly on the same page, Morganna suggested that he rest, something which his body agreed with but his mind was jow far too awake to do. But she was right. It had been a long day - and there would be more long days to come before everything was in order. There was so much to do, and Morganna seemed intent on starting that night. Craw could guess at her plans, and gazed down at her evenly, admiring her proactiveness, but now in that delicate position where her wellbeing was more important to him than ever. "If he causes you trouble, do not hesitate to wake me."

That he thought Skoll might cause her trouble when she could be offering all he ever wanted made her smile. "Yer don't think he'd be more embarrassed if I put him on his ass myself?" she questioned, tilting her head to click her teeth affectionately at the air by his cheek. She was not some delicate flower that wanted other people to fight her battles for her. Only when it was absolutely needed, required by law... as stupidly outdated as such concepts may be. Oh some distant shore was looking more and more appealing by the minute. But would Skoll take the hook?

"Plan as if we're goin'," she allowed herself to smile. "By the time the moon passes this point again we should be gone," after all what was truly tying them here? Morganna's fading sense of duty to a pack of wolves who didn't respect her despite proving time and time again that she earned this position? (unlike the way it had fallen into Nicolo's lap and he merely accepted it as meant to be). She had come to recognise it as the difference between royalty and truly being a leader. There would be no Kings or Queens where they were going. Only the strong and the loyal.

Those not fit to make the cut would be left floundering in their wake.