Shallows Edge Does it matter?

for @Lyanna
keeping it vague as thread is wip

There had been a fair bit of shuffling in the ranks and surprisingly-for a man who appreciated order at least- Askan didn't really mind. It wasn't like the rank challenges were violent or over the top, but he couldn't help but wonder what had brought all of it on. He understood Percy's motivations, but what of Lyanna? What was she looking to gain? Aside from bragging rights there wasn't much at stake, was it simply a matter of pride? Or was the Cowish-Tainn up to something?

The Edge Lord had grown tired of pondering the whats and the whys, he was going to going to get to the bottom of this one way of another. Which wasn't to say he suspected her of foul deeds, rather, she probably up to good. Or at least her version of it anyway.

Striding along, Askan moved to the north-east, along the bank of the river that fed the shallows. It had only just started to freeze over, the ice relatively thin and contained to the edges of the river. Soon it would be frozen solid, with only a handful of spots to find fresh, flowing water. It was beside this river that he saw a familiar tawny shape in the distance, daintly balancing on the moss covered rocks that littered the rivers shore.

"Who's next on your list? Me?" He said in way of greeting, obviously referring to her recent tiff with Rem.

He then moved slowly as he drew closer, taking care not to slip on the rocks. He wasn't so nimble on his feet, not compared to Lyanna anyway. If he fell and landed on his arse he'd never hear the end of it.

With her toes planted in the snow that preceded the ice lining the river, she'd spent a time watching the water flow past and doing her best to let the angst she felt wash away with it.

Lyanna had left the comfortable familiarity of the Vale behind her to make a life of her own. There had been little desire in her to readily embrace the life she'd literally been born for, one that would have kept her within the walls of the mountains that surrounded the redwoods and would have ultimately led to her inheritance of the world her predecessors had created.

It wasn't like there was anything wrong with that scenario. As Mirren's heir, it would have been a prestigious life to have led, but at the end of the day she wanted to create her own world, or at least experience the one outside. She wanted to birth her own prestige, wanted to forge her own path instead of heading down one that was created for her long before she'd even come to walk the earth. She was capable, and if for nothing else, she wanted to prove to herself that she could, so she did; as it turned out, her life's work had begun the day she'd set foot back in Relic Lore months ago.

And look at how far she had come since then.

The way she viewed her situation, she'd done a pretty okay job at keeping herself alive, committing to a pack worth committing to, forging meaningful relationships with those she chose to care about and to serve, and, hell, she'd even had a taste of what it felt like to feel for someone she believed was special. In a relatively short matter of time, she'd grown by leaps and bounds. She'd challenged herself, and she was a better version of herself for it. Didn't that matter?

The answer was yes, it mattered to her. And that was the only reason she needed to live every day like it could be her last, because that was living.

So as it were, by the time Askan appeared on the scene she'd already been deep in thought, mulling over what was relevant and what wasn't. His inquiry rubbed against her grain as if it were a broken record that had played over and over in her head as she'd sat and considered her exchange with Remington, her place in this pack, and whatever meaning her life held to this point. If she'd been a careless person, perhaps his subtle quip would have rolled right off of her, right into the river to be washed away, too. But the fact was that she gave a damn, and the meaning underlying his greeting wasn't really something she took lightly. None of this was.

"If you were, you wouldn't stand a chance," she returned, a single russet ear tipped his way. Resigned, she was actually relieved to see him. Despite his brusqueness, somehow he'd always managed to be part of her soft spot. Lyanna's stoic, golden eyes fell upon his face before taking in the way he moved closer with more caution than she'd seen him take before. "I suppose you've come to question my elusive, malevolent motives," she guessed with a touch of tired sarcasm. Remington had, though for the life of her she didn't understand why her ambition wasn't taken at face value. With a flick of her tail, she was prepared to be met with anything but understanding, or - gods forbid - kindness, today.

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2018, 07:12 AM by Lyanna. Edit Reason: the fuckery )

Her response was heavier than he expected. Askan anticipated some sort of witty retort paired with a sly smile, the sort that would make him roll his eyes so hard they would ache. Sure, she shot back at him but she didn't seem quite so self assured. Askan realised, perhaps a little late, that this was serious. Did that mean that she was indeed up to something? Or just irked that he'd made a snap assumption? If it was the latter she should have known better, really. Askan was a judgemental prick at times and she should have figured that out by now.

"Ha, I'd like to see you try." His lips twisted up at the corners, a smug little smirk that suited him pretty damn well. Then his expression settled some as he puttered to a stop, a few feet away from his Herald. "Sort of." And that was true enough, there was no use in beating around the bush. "But I don't really care either way, makes no difference to me unless you make it my business." He shrugged, like it was inconsequential.

Which he sort of doubted was the case, she would have sought him out otherwise. That's what she usually did anyway, she was nothing if not frank. His brows drew together as his gaze settled upon her, not angry but a little irked perhaps. Who did she take him for? Askan wasn't the most trusting of wolves, but since when had he given her reason to doubt his intent? He was quite offended, that she thought so poorly of him.

"You've done good by me so far, haven't given me a reason to distrust you so stop with that look."

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2018, 02:51 PM by Askan.)

The smug look that appeared on Askan's face brought an endearing sort of subtle grin to hers. For a moment she envisioned what such a go with Askan might look like, the two of them dancing around with the devil. She was certain he'd hand her ass to her, so it was a good thing that she had no intentions of the like.

He went on to relay that he didn't really care one way or another before gazing at her with brows drawn. In her contemplation, she hadn't realized that her demeanor was sending mixed signals until he'd told her to straighten up. His irk was palpable then and her ears folded sideways for a second before perking back up, her eyes searching his face before meeting his. "Ah," she sighed, "I'm sorry, Askan. I just - the situation with Remington is...undesirable. It wasn't personal, but she made what she thought of me crystal clear." It was the truth and the insult was still seething but she'd get over it sooner rather than later. Shifting her weight in an attempt to relax for his sake.

"My loyalty has always been yours from the start, that's not going to change," she offered her reassurance. "I don't have an agenda, it's important to me that you know that. I want to do the best I can, is all." Realistically, Askan was the person closest to her and she'd spent more time with him and opened up to him more than anyone else. She wanted and perhaps even needed to be able to confide in him, and she liked the way they kept things as transparent as possible between them. She wouldn't ever be the one to change that. Lyanna hoped that he could see that today she was just bent out of shape, and that he had enough faith in her to know it wouldn't last.

(This post was last modified: Oct 14, 2018, 12:30 AM by Lyanna.)

Undesirable. Yeah, he could imagine that. Whilst he couldn't entirely blame Rem for feeling salty, he figured this drama would sort itself out sooner or later. They were both adults, pack mates, how long could they squint at each other before they realised it was a massive waste of time? Maybe he ought to get @Reyes to speak to Rem later, maybe it would do them both some good. Sulky bastards that they were. Still, he'd seen Rem in all sorts of states but never angry. He sort of wished he'd been there to witness it. Ah well.

"Sometimes stuff like that feels real personal."

He knew he'd be miffed if someone had tried that on him back in Wild Rye Fields. He'd been there from the start, what right did a newcomer have to his position? Except that Lyanna had done an awful lot, there was no denying that. Both of the woman earned their keep, but in different ways. The Edge Lord was slow to trust but they'd earned it. He had no interest in playing favourites-Reyes was on top, obviously- but it was hard to compare the two when their roles were so different.

His ears tipped forward as he took in her next words. He had no doubt that they were true, she was as loyal as ever and had never given him reason to doubt her. Yet anyway.

"Right, I get it. You're loyal, you're doing your best, bla bla bla." He rolled his eyes, she always did have a way of laying it on so thick, like molasses. And then he paused, his lips downturned. What if? Noo, no way."Just don't get any ideas, come spring I mean." He said, admittedly maybe a little concerned about the coming spring. The roster did have a lot more...ladies now than it did before. He would have shuddered, if he wasn't such a hardass.

He looked to the water, maybe he ought to toss himself in and float downstream to the Shallows. Anything would be better than the hole he was digging himself into.

"Sometimes stuff like that feels real personal."

That was reasonable, and though the words didn't make her feel any less...hated, his small effort to give her a little guidance tempered the sting.

"Sure," she spoke plainly, in agreement without sarcasm. She was still the new girl - she guessed - and understood how something as ridiculously simple as a tiff for rank could be both offensive and taken for something it wasn't. Neither of those things changed the fact that she'd pulled her weight as was expected since the beginning. The only point in waiting around longer to challenge would have been to appease the other girls, obviously, and for the bunch of hardasses around here, a temper tantrum was the last thing she'd expected from anyone.

Her eyes fell to the water winding by. If there was even going to be a way to mend it over with Remi, she'd try, some time when the shit that had hit the fan finally fell to the floor. Discord wasn't what she wanted, period - not personally, not in her home, or within the pack, not in general. Her teeth clenched together with distaste. Ugh. What a fucking mess.

Askan went on call her out on her bla bla bla, but the notion that came after was shocking enough that the air was sucked right out of her lungs. Lyanna looked over at him incredulously. Holy. Shit. Was that what all of this was about? Breeding season? The insanity of the last day was piling up on top of her. If she hadn't been uncharacteristically brooding today, she might have erupted into a fit of laughter. For the first time, it was her eyes that rolled. "I'm not some fucking broodmare," she warned, respectfully enough given the implication only because he'd been the one to say it. If she'd even wanted to get knocked up, there were plenty of possibilities that wouldn't result in a litter of eye-rolling, temper tantrum-throwing kids. For fuck's sake - really? "That's a stretch, coming from you of all people. The fact that you'd even consider it is mind-blowing, truly." No offense.

She would leave it at that without even taking it to heart. Eyeing him as if to wonder if he was feeling well, she shrugged. "...I'll make things right with Remington when things have blown over," she redirected, perhaps to save them both some grief. "I don't want any more trouble and I'm assuming you don't either."

(This post was last modified: Oct 14, 2018, 05:53 AM by Lyanna.)

Askan's ears flicked down against his skull as he swallowed thickly. His kneejerk reaction was to sputter and fidget, to stumble through his words to try and find some reason for his weird line of thought. But it had made sense at the time, okay!? Lach had to deal with two seasons of his subordinates not listening to reason, one after the other, was it so wrong of him to be a bit concerned? Maybe a little. He could see why his question seemed so left field, but at least she knew where she stood now? Sort of. Ugh, the river looked really tempting right about now.

Askan cleared his throat and did his best to shove that awful awkwardness aside. Cringing and shrinking back like that just wouldn't do, he was an alpha damn it.

"Don't put words in my mouth. You weren't here last spring, I'm just telling you what I told everyone else. You're not special." He grumbled, his tail flicking.

They were quick to move on, which was fine with Askan. He moved then, stepping away from the river side as he gazed out into the forest. The territory surrounding the Shallows always looked so homely during autumn, with all of the reds, oranges and yellows it was just...fitting, he supposed. Reminded him of how it had been when he'd first found this place. Oh how things had changed since then. Almost unwillingly, he looked away from the forest back to Lyanna.

"Obviously. Give her some time, then make some effort. She'll come around."

Her ears flattened for a moment at Askan's sort-of lashing before relaxing forward. You're not special was a phrase that was like music to her ears, given the thing with Remi and all of the things that had come out of her mouth then. Lyanna would take what he'd said at face value and pay no more attention to the remark about breeding season - he'd made his point and moved right on, so she did, too.

"Good, I don't want to be," she brushed it off before adding an "Okay," quite neutrally at the end. The way he'd looked into the autumn-painted forest had been noticeable and the girl wondered if he was just about ready to be along his way. Surely he'd come to check in and nothing else. "...I was just about to make a round along the borders - anything I can do for you?" The Cow wasn't trying to brown-nose him, just being polite and making certain that there wasn't anything else he needed or wanted from her before they parted ways.

(This post was last modified: Oct 21, 2018, 02:39 AM by Lyanna.)

Askan squinted, trying to unravel the mystery that was Lyanna. She claimed that she didn't want to be but her careful, neutral tone struck Askan as a little weird. He'd probably offended her in one way or another, but was too much of a dick to even think of apologising. So instead with a shrug of his shoulders he moved on, there was no use in kicking up a fuss over something that wasn't important, or special. And honestly, he wasn't the sort who enjoyed diving headfirst into arguments, socialising was tiring enough as it was, why would he want to make it even more of a struggle?

He wasn't sure if he liked the phrasing of her question. Anything I can do for you? Seemed a bit brownnosey, though Askan begrudgingly admitted he was just looking for things to poke holes in, things to take a disliking to. It was fine, she was fine.

"Nah, tell me if you find anything though. It's been quiet recently." A little too quiet for the Edge Lord's taste. Sometimes he just wanted a bit of drama to sate his appetite.  Nothing ground shaking though, he knew it would just get Reyes all worked up. "Or Reyes." Though that sort of went without saying.

"Speaking of though, noticed anything else of note when out scouting?" He quirked a brow at her, knowing full well she came and went more than the other did. Which was fine, expected really.

He supposed he wanted to get it all out of the way now, so he wouldn't have to seek her out later. Streamlining his routine was always a smart move, especially if he wanted to have more spare time.

(This post was last modified: Oct 21, 2018, 05:00 PM by Askan.)

She was inclined to agree with him, it had been awfully quiet around their parts lately. Perhaps it was due to what - hopefully - had been the end of the coyote infestation, or to the change of the seasons and subsequent cooler weather. Or a combination of all of it. She couldn't say she minded, really. The summer had been eventful enough, between the coyotes and the thing with Vigil's Keep, the changes in the pack after the departure of Hawthorne and Kieron and the addition of Lance, not to mention the miles she'd taken on in her scouting. To be honest, a little quiet was maybe what she needed for a time.

Maybe.

Lyanna nodded, conveying that she'd report to either Leader with anything relevant. "Honestly, not much. The coyotes have dwindled or moved on as far as I can tell. Some of the caribou herds have moved on, the one I'd found in Kingsfall is long gone. There were deer southward between Cold Water Creek and Spectral Woods. Other than that, haven't had any loners traipsing near the borders or for miles from here in any direction. Things are quiet up at the lake," she touched on the dynamic between their allies in the Surge and the Keep wolves with a conclusive shrug. No news was good news where that was concerned, right?

"I'll set out in the morning to track down a herd. Be back before you know it." Lyanna offered Askan a tempered, though ever-genuine, half smile as she rose to her feet with a quiet sigh. If he had any further direction for her she was all ears.