Willow Ridge ain't seen nothin' yet, girl

For @Ravenna only. <3

the devil is & always will

Lorcan's howl was something of a surprise, after the man having challenged Nicolo for his rank, and spoken about being there for the pack as they navigated the turbulent waters their own kin were creating for them. Sven snorted derisively, and let the bitterness flow off his shoulders before it could truly affect him. He'd learned by now that those who left, in one sense or another, were actually doing the pack a favor by removing their presence. Better now than when they were relying on the man and the need was crucial. Still, he made his way to Ravenna, not just to see what she knew about it (the man had certainly spent more time with her than he ever had his male lead) but also how she felt about it. She hadn't been happy when he'd dismissed Morganna's son and his girlfriend, and wondered if she was ever more worried about the Ridge than she let on.

He, for once, felt confident. As long as he and his cousin continued to show strong, united leadership the pack would make it through whatever others threw its way.

Finding his age-mate aunt, he greeted her with a growl and bumped against her. Their affection had always been rough, and as he plopped himself down and leaned into her, the pattern was continued.

"So he's gone?"

be a gentleman.

It had been hours now since she had watched Lorcan leave the Willow's behind. Hours more since she had spent the morning with @Romanov to get food for @Nicolò and then sought whatever aid the older man might need. He was sickly, sure, though most of his illness seemed because of his lack of care to himself at the loss of his mate. Maybe spring would bring Enoki's return and if not, maybe the idea of tending to new pups would bring her uncle in better spirits. She would not give up on him. Not after he had held it out with the pack for this long.

By now Ravenna was to herself, laying outside of the pack den along the spiny, bare trees of her home. The wind was crisp, cool and yet refreshing. She could spare more moments like this relaxing now that their numbers were up and the burdens were split between more bodies. That and their pups were amazingly active with the pack duties as well. Both @Adeltra and @Romanov putting her sister's brats to shame. Or, so she heard. After all, Ravenna hadn't the chance to meet any of them and unfortunately didn't seem like when they did they would be at all caring or respectful of her. Another shame. Ravenna had longed for the time to meet @Morganna 's pups.

The pack's leader broke her reverie and she offered an equal growl and a mouthing at his ear in response. She was surprised all this time tugging on it she had not torn the tip by now. "He is..." She spoke as her nephew flopped down beside her. "Said that he 'couldn't deal' with the drama here because he is friends with 'our enemies'. I guess it's for the best. We don't need wolves here who can't hack it when life gets tough. He did good while he was here though and didn't just disappear on us, so I have to respect that."

the devil is & always will

Ravenna did know; so he'd spoken to her about it, but again failed to extend the same courtesy to Sven. The reasons itself was, in his eyes, pathetic. He couldn't help himself, and let out a dry bout of laughter. It would appear that Lorcan was one of those wolves, who had seemed promising but only proved to be empty of anything solid beneath that polished shell they presented.

"Definitely for the best. The amount of times he's come back smelling of Morganna was unnerving enough."

Honestly, he wouldn't put it past his aunt to plant a spy in their ranks, and had to wonder if that was where Lorcan had run off to. Yet another man chasing after the faithless woman as if he stood a chance to mean something at all.

"Weeding out the weak, that's all it is. We're still doing just fine." He spoke the words with confidence, truly believing them. After all, Elettra's own following had not always been fixed, and she was the standard by which Sven judged everything.

"I've been wanting to talk to you about Spring, now that its more than just us and a bit of family."

be a gentleman.

Sven would laugh at the explanation she had given him about Lorcan leaving, then commented on how often he had come back home smelling of Morganna. It hadn't bothered her, really, given the fact how close their pack were and that he and Morganna were friends. Ravenna smirked and offered Sven a shove of her front paws to his side and a scoff, without a need of actually saying 'Ah, stop being a dick'.

"That I have no doubt." She spoke to when Sven said it was all a manner of just weeding out the weak and that the pack was still doing fine. Although Nicolo, as sadly put, was more or less dead weight at the moment, she had no doubt he would be able to tend to new pups this coming spring. A job well worthy of having. Leotie was a great Scott along Adeltra, Lilith their huntress and Blitz and Romanov filled in the gaps and needed in the ranks should any specific task needed it. Even with the drop of members Ravenna was not worried with this. They had survived on far less before. It was the manner of the tensions with the Heights wolves which was most off putting.

Then the subject changed and Ravenna's ears perked up with interest, her silvered gaze directed onto his pale features. She had been expecting a conversation like this soon enough. It wasn't unlike Sven to just go out and do as he please without talking it over. Not something this serious as least. He was nothing like his father, after all. "So what are your thoughts on it?" If he was asking, it obviously meant what she had been suspecting.

the devil is & always will

He smirked back at her, and flopped down onto his side to push his legs out against her own flank in retaliation of her prodding. This also served the purpose of allowing him to better watch her features as they broached the next topic. He wasn't expecting the conversation to go poorly, but it would certainly be a first between them, and they had little precedence to go off of. This would be something they'd have to navigate together without any kind of map.

"I definitely believe a pack that doesn't have a litter is dead in the water. We've got the numbers, and enough of them can be trusted. I don't think it'd be a risk at all to welcome new pups. Honestly, I want my own. I was... supposed to have them last Spring, had worked it out with Enoki, though clearly its for the best that I changed my mind on it."

She would be the first he'd ever told of this apart from Enoki, but he trusted Ravenna to recognize sensitive information when she heard it and keep his secrets to herself, especially when now they were relatively harmless to anything other than his reputation.

"I want us to agree on what happens, though. To both be comfortable and ready for what comes. Obviously, it'll be a little unorthodox, that we aren't a mated pair, but I think you and me, ruling together, we're what's best for the Ridge. I want it to stay this way, even if we both make our own families. I don't want to jeapordize it."

be a gentleman.

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2018, 10:21 PM by Sven.)

She was happy here laying down in the forestry of their home, their legs tangled together as they poked and prodded mindlessly during conversation. It was these rare opportunities which she enjoyed, though came to notice approaching her third year she had enjoyed more of them then before. It meant things were going rather well for the pack despite these hiccups. She was upset, angered, frustrated with all that had been going on, but nothing could touch the pain she felt as the loss of her sister and parents do she knew that she had the strength to continue on and live life as best she could. Now, if only all the other packs and rogues around the area could just leave them in peace.

On her side, her ears twitched to his words with interest, that he had thought to have children last year and had discussed it with Enoki though it never went through. It was for the best, of course, granted what had happened to him and the scars that littered him was a consistent reminder. Quite frankly, if Ravenna had wished, she could have done the same. Made her own pack or challenged Enoki to have pups. She had not. She had wanted leadership for the piebald woman, had wanted her and her uncle to have a chance for a family. Having been Ravenna's first cycle, she had more or less felt primal urge them any real willingness for children. Though when Enoki's pups were born and as they grew and she had watched over them, that drive heightened in Ravenna. Had Enoki still been in position now, Ravenna would have found another means to have pups without toying with the Pack's balance.

"After watching Adeltra and Romanov grow from the start, being there at their birth... I know I want my own too. I have to admit I have my worries... But I guess that's only natural for me. Being a first time mother, someone else having pups in the pack, making sure we can support both litters. I'm sure we can do it but there is always fear of the unknown, you know?" She spoke, speaking out her thoughts to her cousin and they came to mind. She knew there would be no judgement by him. Not to her at least. "It's a big step and it takes a hell of a lot of trust. So I guess it's a good thing we trust one another... And Leotie, of course." As she finished her sentence, her brow rose to Sven then questioningly. "It would be with Leotie, wouldn't it?" It was the only female within the ranks that she could trust and the only one she could even think that would be worthy of being able to have pups outside of being the lead female. She expected it to be her, but what if it was not? At least, she hoped to and equally hoped Sven didnt have plans on taking on more then one woman at a time. Perhaps the pack could support three or four children... But six, seven?

the devil is & always will

Thankfully as expected, Ravenna took his admission well. She went on to express her own desire, and while he had expected Ravenna to want her own family, he did not expect her to advocate them both taking that next step this year, the same year. It was now that his stomach churned, but he was soon calm again. There'd been two litters before, and while Isolde had passed that Winter, it had nothing to do with the numbers. She had simply been Niles' first victim, left to wander off after her brother lost track of her. It certainly hadn't been because of time spent on Sven--he had been largely ignored by the pack until his second year, long after Isolde's corpse had been found. Still, his own litter would not be given the same negligence as he had been. It wasn't the same, would still be a test.

Yet, even if everything else fell apart, Sven knew that he would do everything it would take to see his and Ravenna's children to adulthood. They were not the ones that would be risked, they would never be risked. And if the duo had already made it through as much as the world had thrown at them, this certainly would be no different. Yeah. They could handle anything.

"Well, @Lilith did follow me all the way here," he spoke wryly, because Ravenna still had a bit more to divulge to him; "Sounds like you've already decided, so who'll be the father?"

He had to wonder if Ravenna would have sought his support as he had hers, had he never approached her first.

be a gentleman.

Ravenna snorted at the mention of Lilith, though a smirk still pressed to her lips all the same. Ravenna liked Lilith, sure. She was smart, polite and a good hunter. But she was not close to her like Leotie was. She had not been in the pack when everything was crumbling around them, when Sven disappeared and then Enoki, when the children were still so young and needed attention. Leotie had proven herself to the pack and Ravenna, but then again, Ravenna wasn't the one that would be sleeping with her - Sven was.

"But Leotie did wait for you..." She pushed on, her smirk widening. "And even when you came back all scarred up and ragged she still thought you were a catch." She laughs then, proding at her nephew with all four feet around his chest and stomach. "As long as you stick to one girl I think we can manage. Can't have you knocking up everyone in the pack not related to you." She eyed him sharply, that devilish man. He would have to keep his pants on. Mostly. Of course, he was curious of her own choice. Perhaps to see if he was worthy. Would he run the guy off? Would he challenge him to see if he had the right to bed his aunt? She honestly wouldn't have minded watching the duel. Ravenna herself loved a spar. "I suppose it could be anyone worthy of my time..." She pondered, a brow raising to gauge Sven's expression. "But I do have a certain large black guy in mind..."

(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2018, 08:37 PM by Ravenna.)

the devil is & always will

Waited for him. Sven wasn't entirely certain he was the only thing that had kept Leotie hanging around the Wildwood like a ghost. Kerberos could have pulled her out if he'd wanted to, if he'd attempted, Sven was sure of it. But then Ravenna went on, teasing him about his looks and claiming Leotie thought he was 'a catch' and his paws shifted amongst themselves, dull claws rubbing over rough pads almost as an anxious tick. He remembered the conversation they had had together after Piety had visited the pack with his half-brother, how insistent the tawny woman had been that he was what she wanted.

If he approached her with this, if he offered to make a family with Leotie, what would she interpret that as? What promises would he be unwittingly making to her? Sven cared for her, wanted the mother of his children to be her, and yet there was something almost physical pulling him back away from the idea of it all.

"It is Leotie," he confirmed quietly, no longer up for playing games about it all. Instead, he latched onto Ravenna's own ideas for a Spring-time partner.

"... Blitz?" Sven asked with a raised brow. He didn't know the other man well at all, but he was currently the only eligible bachelor within their ranks now that Lorcan had taken off. The Archer trusted his co-leader, but he wasn't so sure that Blitz wouldn't get the wrong idea if chosen to sire a litter.

"You said you've known him since we were kids, right? How well do you know him?"

be a gentleman.

It seemed, somewhere deep down, Sven was nervous about this too. Not because of the pups. It was obvious the pair both wanted pups of their own, to start a family but pups were also the future of the pack. New pups each year is what kept the pack thriving, kept up spirit. It was the fact that they would have to get close, it seemed, which was where the unease lie.

After a moment of fidgeting with his paws he admitted then he had decided he would be with Leotie this year. A mental sigh then, happy with the choice. But would Sven be happy with hers? She guessed in the long run it didn't matter because it was her choice to make but she still didn't want any rift between her lover and Sven. After all, should things progress she would hate her best buddy and her mate at odds with one another.

Sven then asked about Blitz. It wasnt hard to narrow it down, quite obvious, actually. She nodded to his correct assumption and then as he questioned how well she knew the dark man, she shrugged. "To be honest with you, before him coming here we had only met that one time as kids. I didn't think I'd run into him again because he was looking for his old home by an ocean. Of course now that he is Pack we have been spending more time together, knowing each other." Shs studied him, wondering... "I don't blame on blind-siding him, if that's what your thinking." She laughs. "I'll make sure to let him know what's up."

She shifted then, a single paw toying at the ground between their laying bodies, similar to the way Sven had shuffled his limbs about moments prior. "I don't... I really don't know how I feel about settling down, falling in love...taking a mate. After seeing how mom acted when dad left and Nicolo after Enoki up and disappeared... They couldn't function without them. Didn't want to live." She thinks back to Nicolo now, likely stuffed up in the den sleeping, letting himself go, unable to cope. "I don't want to... " She trailed off. She didn't want to be like that? Go through that? It was a part of life, to live and to die. Wolves moved on, left and made packs elsewhere, disappeared. It was a part of life though it was a part she couldn't help but be fearful of, shaken by the amount of death she had witnessed an a child. She didn't know if it was better to have such a connection and loose it or just never hace it at all.