Mountain of Dire Falling too fast to prepare for this

For anyone in Pi's crew aka: @Cheedo @Lorcan @Piety
Takes place a little to the south of CT

Lenae had been gone away too long, mostly because...Regret wasn't the right word. She didn't hate or fear @Odin, if anything very little had changed between them. They were friends and Lenae like to think they remained as such, nothing had changed- or at least that is what she had thought at first. It was subtle and slow, as she ambled back north towards the Tarn her scent was still as sickly as ever, then it lessened, then again till Lenae could barely smell it. Even shoving her nose into the plush fur of her side didn't make it stronger it just...It was confusing, Lenae didn't know what to think.

Still, lack of stink or not, Lenae was excited to see the others again. It really had been too long and the last thing she wanted was for them to worry about her, she was fine, in better sorts now. Not one hundred percent, she'd come to terms that she'd never be that way again but, once more she reminded herself that some improvement was better than none. Little steps, slow and steady wins the race, every little counts....Lenae couldn't think of any more inspiring sayings, so she kept moving on, moving over the rocky terrain with an sense of ease- only natural since she'd grown up in a similar locale.

Perhaps she ought to go hunting, or find some early blooming flowers to make up for her absence, or something like that. A frown twisted her lips, but what if that wasn't enough? What if they were mad? All of her fears and anxieties were all to eager to come rushing back in, pressed against the barricade in hopes of finding a crack to slip through. Well not today, Lenae had come to accept that she would have good and bad days, but was determined to stop this one from going sour.

(This post was last modified: Mar 15, 2018, 08:31 PM by Lenae.)

Lorcan had made sure to keep a much closer eye on the females, especially after Odin had shown interest in them all. The whole ordeal was still quite upsetting for the agouti male, often causing his pale brows to furrow and his top lip to curl if he happened to think about it for too long. The healer tried his best not to worry, tried not to get too stressed about things that had not yet happened. He kept telling himself that he would deal with each consequence as it came, but it was hard not to. Lorcan caught himself growing increasingly antsy when he was alone, when his mind could wander freely without distraction. 

When he wasn't spending his time with Piety, who he had been particularly clingy and attentive to recently, he tried to keep himself busy by scouting out the territory in search of some suitable places to dig out whelping dens — if multiple were indeed necessary. Whilst he couldn't do anything about what had already happened, he could try and prepare for the litters that may or may not arrive later on. Part of him wished he could just chase them all out, including Odin — but he wasn't their leader yet. That was still a work in progress, and Odin had at least admitted to his mistake which was more than he had managed to do when it came to Inna and Oksana. Besides, he was still angry and emotional, and he was pretty sure @Piety wouldn't agree to it anyway. 

The agouti male sighed heavily. Everything was just a mess, the entire situation was embarrassing, and now he had to find a way to pick up the pieces.

Moving over the rocky terrain, his attention shifted away from his spiralling trail of thoughts as a familiar scent wafted up his nose. Picking up his pace, Lorcan moved to intercept them with his tail waving high. "Lenae." He called out, his tone seemingly neutral as his sharp golden eyes looked her over. He sniffed at the air again, this time noticing the absence of her Springtime stink. Shit. Lorcan grit his jaws together and exhaled slowly through his teeth. It seemed all the worrying and preparations hadn't all been for nothing... 

(This post was last modified: Mar 15, 2018, 08:24 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

feel free to pop in any time @Piety

Lenae's greeting was meek and mild, as always. She offered a swish or two of her tail and dipped her head down so she could lick his chin. She didn't know him very well yet but...he had to be good, right? Lenae trusted the dove's judgement, so if she thought that he would make a good leader then... so be it. Besides, he did have a leadery look about him. He wasn't overly tall or imposing, but when he spoke Lenae couldn't help but feel as though his words were important, that he was worth listening to.

"Hello Lorcan. I'm..sorry I wandered off. But I'm back now and feeling better, sometimes I get so nervous and- it's always over such silly things but...I don't want to drag you all down with me. I'll try harder next time, won't leave again without telling someone."

His gaze wasn't unfriendly but she felt the need to apologise nonetheless- no big surprise. The last thing she wanted was for Lorcan to think she had a bad case of itchy paws, if this was Piety's home then it was hers as well. She was willing to work for it as well, she just needed to be told what to do, given direction, purpose.

are you really as free as all

the great songs would have me believe?

Where her companion was flooded with anger or upsetness, Piety instead felt dread. The lacking spring scents from Lenae were obvious and so had the absence she had taken. Although she had no solid signs of pregnancy, a missing heat was some sort of sign. So Piety quickly trailed after Lorcan to see how this was going to go.

She got onto the scene at the end of the small female's words. The pale dove lingered near the Artemieva. Piety didn't know what to say. It would be hypocritical to judge the girl for breeding out of turn but at the same time, nothing was official. The older female had not set any rules she had merely assumed the others would know. It wasn't like any of them were mated or had love interested - that she knew of.

Her brown gaze looked over to Lorcan, wondering what he would say.

# C W T

Lorcan did not back away from Lenae's affectionate greeting like he had previously done with Odin. Instead he stood tall, chin tilted upwards, with his tail swaying from one side to the other above his back. This was how interactions were supposed to feel between him and the other members of the group. Lenae was polite and respectful, albeit a little shy — nothing like that insolent little Craw spawn that had stuck her nose in before. 

As @Lenae spoke, Lorcan's golden gaze narrowed with scepticism. Of course she felt better, she had rid herself of her heat. However, he could empathise with her desire for some space and time alone, and her promise to try harder next time worked to lessen the betrayal he felt by her a little. Still, that didn't mean that he would let her slip away without any form of reprimanding. She needed to know that what she and Odin had done could potentially make things harder for them all in the future. They were only a small group of individuals at present and therefore there were only so many mouths they could afford to feed. 

Before he could say anything however, he felt a presence arrive at his side. Catching Piety's soft brown gaze, he silently offered her an uncomfortable frown before his attention turned back to Lenae. "I appreciate your honesty" He began, treading lightly so's not to upset the timid female. "and I can understand you wanting your own space, but what you and Odin did — well, I would never have condoned it." He stated calmly with a frown, shooting a quick glance across to Piety in search of her agreement. "But it's done now," He sighed, shoulders sagging. "and I suppose it's our fault for not setting out the pack rules sooner..." Lorcan looked across to @Piety again, his ears now flat against his head. He hadn't wanted to say it in front of her, but he couldn't help but think they too were in some ways to blame. 

(This post was last modified: Mar 16, 2018, 06:33 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Lenae didn't like to lie, but she would be a liar if she claimed she never did so. She tried to keep them small, insignificant, but when Lorcan addressed the elephant in the room she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from outright denying it. Guilt and shame soon followed, it was all so embarrassing that they knew. She had never claimed to be or even thought that she was perfect, but having her moment of weakness dangled about in front of her face made her want to run to the hills and never look back. Or at the very least, to cover her head in snow till the burning heat in her cheeks faded.

She averted her gaze as an apologetic whine managed to shove its way through her lips. Was she sorry that it had happened, or that she'd been caught? Perhaps not red handed, but Lorcan somehow knew, even though Lenae no longer smelled of the one-eyed Archer. The whats and hows didn't really matter, she had to make amends. Somehow.

Lenae was disappointed that Piety said nothing,  but maybe that was for the best, she had done something bad, wrong, and Lenae wasn't sure if she would be able to deal with a scolding from someone she held dear.

"I'm sorry."She mumbled, not even looking up as she lowered herself to the ground. She would expose her belly, her throat if that's what they wanted. "I didn't...I don't want to disappoint you. It's not your fault."

Piety found herself at a bit of a loss internally. Morally, it would be terribly wrong to throw Lenae out if anything came from whatever had happened to the girl. She could not boot a mother and possible child from the safety of the pack. Especially someone who was as tender and delicate as Lenae.

Her head gave a gentle nod, a small sigh escaping her lips. At least it had been Odin. Which caused her brief anxiety but she tried to stifle it. Things could be discussed later with Lorcán regarding the whole Odin situation. Perhaps she should have seen it coming mention she had stumbled upon the large Archer. Granted nothing had obviously come from her meeting with him other than platonic affection.

The dove found her companion right again. Piety had foolishly assumed that everyone would understand or still assume the hierarchy that had been in place at Whitestone. It had been a mistake on her end and she was obviously dealing with the results of it.

"I'm not disappointed in you." Piety was more or less disappointed in herself. "You'll still stay won't you?" Brown eyes glanced over at her tawny partner, a soft look in her eyes. "It'll be the best option." Because what safety would Lenae have as a loner? None and Piety couldn't live with sending her to that fate. Could Lorcán?

# C W T

A whine came from Lenae first, then an apology as she lowered down to the ground to expose her belly. Lorcan's tail waved high above his back to acknowledge her submissive posture and it remained there as Piety spoke. He worked hard to keep a neutral expression as she expressed her lack of disappointment in the tawny female. Lorcan could not say the same, so he kept quiet. The male had already expressed that he was not happy about what had happened, and he wasn't one to revel in the emotional torture of others. 

She had made a mistake, she knew, they knew it. Now they would have to deal with it. 

Golden eyes drifted over to meet Piety's brown gaze as she asked @Lenae to stay with them. He nodded twice in agreement before returning his gaze to Lenae. If Odin kept to his word and stuck around, faced up to his actions, it would help to lessen the burden on all of them. If he were to chase Lenae out now, it would risk their numbers and would likely cause a divide within the group. Lorcan couldn't afford to have that on his conscience, not after how hard Piety had worked to bring them all together. Plus, Lenae likely would not do well on her own. She needed them just like they needed her. 

"Piety's right, you'll be safer if you stay with us. We can take care of you." And your pups. He lent forwards then to press his nose to her chest, a sign that she was forgiven and no longer needed to submit.  

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

feel free to fade if you need to!

This was all she needed, reassurance. Things had been so tumultuous ever since...Wraith passed, the last thing Lenae needed was to be yelled at, to be forced into submission for her sins. Piety had been kind to Lenae from the very start, the fact that she remained so shouldn't have surprised Lenae as much as it did. In part, the little Selwyn expected Piety's heart to harden, for her to lose some of that softness that Lenae adored so much. But...she was the same wasn't she? The pretty daisy lady that Lenae still adored.

And Lorcan...Unlike the others, she didn't think much of them coming together. They had known each other before, right? It made sense that they found solace in each other's company. And he did seem quite nice, he didn't yell and he hadn't even tried to bite her, not even once! If they wanted her here then she would stay, for as long as they would allow.

Her submission was accepted, and so she rolled onto her belly, her legs extended out before her, as her tail tapped soflty at the ground."I would like to stay..."She said, glancing up at them, a shy little smile dawning on her face. "I missed @Cyril ... is he about?"