Charred Ash Draw counting days

@Treyah

This was a conversation she should have had a while ago, but first she had wanted to get Kerberos’s thoughts on the matter… as a leader and as a mate. Now, it was time to seek out Treyah, the daughter of the very woman she planned to challenge and the only child of Naira’s left with Reiko’s disappearance to understand what was about to happen. She was actively seeking her out, not wanting to call her out, and keep everything more discreet than a howl might provide. “Treyah, we need to talk.” She posed when she saw that familiar figure…

“I know Lacey’s with her father… but if your siblings are around could we maybe go somewhere else?” She was going to honor her promise to Kerberos and leave them out of it entirely, meaning she wanted them to be out of earshot as she talked to Treyah about this. Honestly, she didn’t know how Treyah was going to react entirely to this… she might be supportive, or maybe she’d wanted the crown for herself and would resist… it was up in the air, because while Maera respected her a hell of a lot, she didn’t know Treyah well enough to know what her deeper ambitions might be. All she knew was that to keep the Draw alive after she did this, she'd need her support.

if this is to end in fire, then we should all burn together

Treyah Tainn

She had considered caching the fat hare before dropping it between her younger siblings to squabble over. True they were only eating pre-chewed meat at the moment (the knowledge she had done the same at their age bringing her little to no comfort because eww, but at least they were no longer dependent on Naira for their feeding requirements), but even if all they did was slobber on it, it'd be nice and handy for either herself or her father later in the day when they decided to holler their hunger for the entire wildwood to hear. No sooner had her rump plunked on the ground and a sigh left her lips than Maera approached. Her tail gave a welcoming wave, thumping against the dirt as she hauled herself upwards to give the other mother a proper greeting.

Lunging at the opportunity to leave her siblings behind (Naira was somewhere nearby and unless she was completely out of it there was something that pulled her to stay near the children most of the time), she smiled and nodded, tilting her head away from the dens and towards the cover of one of her favourite dogwoods. She had been meaning to track down Maera herself but between the children and trying to cover for her mother she was asleep before her head hit the ground, too exhausted to even dream. "I've been meaning to talk to you... about Mother..." After all, no matter how preoccupied people were with pups it had to be obvious something had been up for a while now. She wouldn't insult the second's intelligence by pretending all was well.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

It seemed that great minds truly did think alike, though Maera could not be sure that Treyah wanted to talk about the same thing that she did – they at least had the same wolf in mind. “That’s actually who I’m here to talk to you about.” She admitted with a soft frown. She was worried. She had a right to be worried just like everyone else. She let the silence hang in the air for a few seconds before she came out with what she was thinking, unsure of how exactly the young Tainn would take it, though she hoped she’d take it well.

“I want to challenge your mother for leadership of the Draw.” She glanced over at her as soon as she’d said it. She’d already talked to Kerb; this talk was the last obstacle before she could go for it. “I owe your family a great deal for giving Kerb and I a home to raise Lacey in… but I don’t trust her metal state enough to lead this pack anymore.” She hadn’t for a while, but Lacey had required her attention for the time, and so she’d forced herself to let these feelings fester – but no longer. “I guess I’m just looking for your support in it all… I don’t want to lose anyone else like we lost Leotie.”

we learn what doesn't kill us makes us stronger

Treyah Tainn

It was like a wave of relief washed over her as Maera spoke of her intentions to challenge her mother, her tail gave a welcome wave, her shoulders slumped and she released a pent up sigh that she hadn't realised she had been holding in, for how long now? "I was hoping you would. I had thought to do it myself but there's a long stretch between now and next spring. Besides, with Kerb taking over for Dad, it's only right that you lead beside him." She responded with a smile. Yeah, she wouldn't mind trying to lead herself one day but she would need someone standing beside her to do that and Maera already had her shit together. "I'll support you 100%!" She was trying to sound chipper despite the seemingly endless swirl of chaos that her life had become since her brother disappeared.

But there was something else Maera said that caught her attention, "Oh I ran into Leotie recently, she was in the Wildwood..." Her tail had ceased its waving remembering just how tense the situation had become, but she didn't think that all hope was lost just yet. "Maybe once everything settles down, if she's still in the area, we can try and patch things up?"

If Maera was relieved about the answer she received, she didn’t show it. It was part of who she was – a strong frontier, a force to be reckoned with when in the presence of others, reserving her emotions for private occasions, with her mate and daughter mostly. It helped her keep of the façade that she was logical, and nothing else, that no emotions or feelings would ever cloud her judgement, that she was completely impartial. In reality, she wasn’t. She couldn’t be, and it was impossible for any wolf to ever be truly impartial. She offered a soft smile in return to Treyah’s own offer and a nod. “Thank you.” It was true. This wouldn’t happen without Treyah’s support because it likely would not have turned out well.

At the mention of Leotie’s words, Maera cocked her head to the side, curiosity hinting at her features, though her eyes were a sea of undescribed emotions. “I haven’t seen her since before your mother cast her out…” She murmured softly, Treyah’s suggestion not lost, and returned with another nod. “What happened to her wasn’t fair, and I’d very much like that. If you run into her again, bring her to the borders, or call for Kerberos and me if you’re close enough?” She asked of the woman, as if she was already in charge. She would be soon, Maera knew this. She wasn’t going to take no as an answer from the current matriarch… she couldn’t if the pack was to survive the queen’s illness.

'Cause nobody can save me

Treyah Tainn

It felt like progress already, and Treyah was almost certain the rest of the pack already saw Maera as the real leader, regardless of whether or not she held the rank and that alone should have been enough. They all agreed that what had happened to @Leotie wasn't right but it may yet all turn out to be too little too late. "She's upset, of course. Especially at Kerb. She said she wouldn't come crawling back and he should go to her... Like he's had a chance with everything going on..." It was hard to keep her own bitterness out of the latter, but crying about it would fix nothing.

"If I can get her close enough to call, I will. Otherwise, we should probably keep an eye out and try to track her down ourselves. She said she's finding it hard to leave but I haven't seen her since... Maybe she's still nearby?" It wasn't like they had scouts to spare to go looking for her and pup-sitters to watch the children and hunters to feed them all, but that was never going to change if they just sat around waiting. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask..." She was just as prepared to hear no as she was to hear yes, "Would you mind if I scouted out a bit further to try and find some more wolves to join us? I'm sure dad can at least manage watching the pups. I'm worried for the winter if we don't pull some more wolves in." Sure they were managing just fine now, and they had managed just fine last winter too but now they had twice the amount of pups to feed and watch.

The frown didn’t find her features until Treyah mentioned whom specifically she was upset with. Her mate? Kerberos had followed the orders of his superior, and done it not only because that was what loyalty was, but also because failure to do so would have resulted in being separated from not only Maera herself, but also their daughter Lacey… “He did what he had to do given the situation. He was protecting his family. Did she expect him to abandon his wife and daughter for her?” She responded flatly, mild irritation flaring through her body temporarily. Evidently, the only thing she’d ever really let get to her was her family. No one threatened them and got away with it, not that it was necessarily a threat. She appreciated the girl’s bitterness, for clearly she had the same line of logic.

“If she’s willing to have a civil conversation with us, and not expect Kerb to grovel at her feet, then I’d be more than willing to talk to her about what had happened and the injustice that was done to her.” She clarified her original statement to adjust for the new information, keeping her head up. She knew they were low on wolves, and that Leotie would be helpful, but if she expected a leader to submit to her, she had another thing coming. They could admit wrongdoing without bowing and begging. That was what it came down to, in Maera's mind. Still, there were other matters to attend to, of which Treyah brought up. “I’ll allow it… just be careful, and don’t be gone for too long. I’m worried for winter too, but I’m also worried about now.” With her absence, they’d be down to just herself and Kerb for patrols and hunting, though the pups were learning, and at the stage where they could help out… and Triell could watch them. It was still going to require almost constant work for the two Rigel’s until she returned.

'Cause nobody can save me

Treyah Tainn

A small sigh left her lips at Maera's question. "I said as much myself, and ma... well... She's always been a bit..." prone to violence "I don't blame him at all." She tried to offer a calming bump of her muzzle to the underside of the older woman's chin. Treyah got it, she really did. Kerb was important to her too and she could barely handle the thought of someone thinking less of him for something that was out of his control. Her lip pulled down at the comment of grovelling, she wasn't quite sure that wasn't exactly what Leotie was looking for but she kept her thoughts to herself. "I don't even know why she'd expect you guys to apologise for something that wasn't even your fault..." But then again, perhaps that was because Treyah wasn't the best at dealing with feelings, or empathy. Or so she liked to tell herself.

That Maera didn't want her gone for long was no real surprise, she didn't want to be gone at all. "I'd be certain to always be back by nightfall, or soon after." Really it wasn't much further than she would wander looking for game anyway, with any luck she'd be able to bring home both food and new members.

Maera was still rather new to the whole ‘having emotional attachments’ thing. She didn’t like to feel like this – it made her feel exposed… but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Treyah’s support did mean the world to her, along with the fact that she stood by Kerb’s decision. Of the two of them, she always viewed him as the more innocent one, no matter how much they had been through together… but that was how she was. She needed to have that support to remind her to be good and not just some stone statue that their daughter wouldn’t recognize.

Why did she have to struggle with being normal of all things? She wasn’t sure. The conversation shifted back to Treyah and her search for new members, to which Maera nodded. “I wish you luck in your searches… for both our sakes.” It wasn’t just the two of their asses on the line, it was the entire existence of the Draw… and that was daunting. She kept her maw in a hard line – again with lacking that warmth that her mate carried around with him often… or at least had… one upon a time.