Fool's Gold Chasm the long haul

finally figured out what Woya would do regardless of the logistics of Saga dropping off, please let me know if this doesn't work for ya!
for @Rhaegara only, possible rank challenge.

We'll be fine I'm sure
Just use the other door
I wanna have a house like they did
We wrestled till we cried
They fucked our state of mind
Don't celebrate me cause I'm jaded
— The Long Haul, NO

Saga's decision to leave, on Aweho's behalf of all things, had been yet another catalyst within Woya's head. It pushed to the forefront a thought she'd been toying with for a long time, but had yet to earnestly entertain. Now, as she walked the glittering halls of the their home, the Macieo sibling felt a resolute calm.

All she could do was try.

Slipping from the Chasm's hidden entrance, she entered the sea of dead ferns to seek out Rhaegara's scent. Once out into the pack's territory and still unsure of the other's location, she called out with song, a beckoning note that asked for a conversation.

(This post was last modified: Mar 16, 2022, 05:45 AM by Woya.)

Saga had chosen to leave… and then there were two. Her and Adelard were the only two to remain of the original group who had claimed these lands. She stood by what she said. She would be there, she would watch after Saga’s children as if they were her own as she always did, and she would stay by her daughter’s side as well. This was her home. She had been up following a herd’s trail, hoping maybe a pack hunt might boost morale, a hunt the children could partake in safely now that they had grown so much in size… and then she heard a call. From Woya?

The call seemed polite enough, which was all she could truly ask from the other second in command… not that she put much stock in ranks. Her fiery conversation with Adelard had proven that. She answered, a call to let the woman know she was coming before the now certainly pregnant woman made her way towards where it had originated. It did not take her terribly long to arrive though she had certainly taken her time as well. She was all for not pushing herself. She blinked at the other woman. “You called?” She asked, confusion in her voice. Normally, neither woman made an effort to seek the other out so she had no idea what this was all about.

An answer came swiftly, and Woya moved toward the sound, aiming to meet the other woman halfway. Hopefully, such a thing would become a pattern for them going forward. When they spotted each other, Rhaegara spoke first. The smile that appeared on her own muzzle was tempered with empathy, and she opened with the most pressing issue at paw.

"How are you?"

Her tone indicated that this was not a pleasantry, but an earnest inquiry. Saga may not have vanished into nothing, but that didn't make her absence easy, especially with such little warning with which to prepare themselves. Her niece and nephew were missing both biological parents, and while she'd always tried to do her best to fill the void of father for them, she knew there was no true replacement for one's mother. The following concern was after Adelard and Rhaegara both, the former having described himself as sworn to Saga's service and the latter having just expressed days prior to Woya that she had a difficult time trusting others. She knew that they were hurt by this - she would have been too, if not for Aweho's disappearance marking a schism between herself and her faith in the Tainn.

(This post was last modified: May 22, 2022, 07:43 PM by Woya.)

She listened as the woman asked who she was. It did not seem like the mere pleasantries that might have been asked before, a frown on her features and a guarded caution on her features. She didn’t know how to answer that question. Was she actually asking? “Upset.” She admitted, choosing honesty in that moment. “Saga left.” She stated again to offer a little more of a statement. The argument with Adelard flashed in her mind as well. His weird territorial nature, their lack of communication and her outright avoidance of the new King though she didn’t really know if she could view him as that.

“This place didn’t turn out nearly how I had expected it to when we were just a small travelling band… it’s home, it’s my home, but it’s different than what I dreamed of it… and now our numbers are small, and the only two remaining of our original group are Adelard and I.” She continued onwards. “How are you?” She asked back, more pleasantry. She didn’t know if she cared… at this point, it was hard to care about anything or anyone that wasn’t her blood. Her oldest friend had just shown how he didn’t care for her, at least not any longer, and she felt so alone. It reminded her much of the pain of Alliare’s betrayal… at least she hadn’t been forced to take the life of a wolf she had considered family this time.

Upset she answered, as was to be expected. Her expression shifted, a minute frown curving her black lips. She reclined onto her haunches, listening attentively as Rhaegara went on. Everything she spoke of made sense, and resonated with Woya. It certainly had not been as she'd anticipated either, and their dwindling was a concern that likely weighed on each adult's mind.

How are you?

The return felt out of place, she'd been so intent on hearing from the other woman rather than sharing herself. Woya blinked, considered.

"... taking it easier than you and Lard, I think, but it doesn't mean it's not shitty."

The whys were just a little different.

"... I hate this, seeing everyone like this. Watching the kids get their hearts broken over and over, seeing you and Lard be-," the words were difficult for her to decide on, "taken for granted..."

Things had to change. They'd been so inert, just waiting for the next bad thing to befall them... it was time Fool's Gold Chasm shook off the rust and set into motion.

The return brought little peace to her heart. Of course Woya would be taking it easier, and the mention of Adelard brought a certain anger to her that she was fighting to suppress. She still didn’t know how to approach the man, or talk to him… as if she even wanted to talk to him, but he was leading which meant she was responsible for reporting to him. She just chose to do so silently. She might not like him or anything having to do with him right now, but she’d respect him as a leader. He deserved that at the very least.

She hummed, once again fighting back at the mention of him. Lard. She didn’t know if she were merely reading into the already habitual nature of Woya’s speech or if she were detecting a nickname but either way the hormonal woman found she did not like it. “I hate it too… all I wanted was a home, a family to stick by me.” And she didn’t have that. Not even their precious leader had managed it. She didn’t know when she had grown so spiteful but it lived deep in her chest.

“Enera took it hard… they all did, but she’s always been a sensitive soul too… I worry about how much more heartbreak she can take.”

I hate it too, Rhaegara echoed, all I wanted was a home, a family to stick by me.

Woya's frown deepened as she read into the words, and tried to put together a puzzle for which she did not have even a fraction of the pieces. She wanted to know, wanted to care for the woman before her in the way she needed and deserved, but did she really know how? Try, the word echoed betwixt her ears.

"... En's in touch. Sensitive, yea, but... still strong. Like her mama."

They could get through this all, would get through it, but only if they didn't give up first. Woya's honeyed eyes searched her distant friend's features for clues.

"I know we're small, Rhae, but we are still here. We're still a family," she added softly, almost pleadingly. If Rhaegara began to pull away too...

She couldn’t help the softer smile that came at the woman discussing her daughter. It wasn’t too long ago they were arguing about Enera and how she was raised… and here Woya was calling her strong… both of them strong. “Strong like her pack.” She offered back, because it had truly taken a village, especially with both Huddy and Saga leaving before the children reached their first year.

She hummed and she nodded. She recognized they were family… she just didn’t know what to do. “It’s those crippling trust issues… remember?” She offered, half teasing but very much real. “I’ve been burned by pack who was supposed to be family before… they killed my parents right in front of me.” She hoped that perhaps that little detail might help Woya understand just how this situation was so terrifyingly similar but completely different. “At least they just left…” They hadn’t murdered anyone in the process.

Rhaegara graciously granted her a large clue, and still, despite the sentences preceding, Woya did not see it coming. At all. She was not from a pack of politics and dynastic legacy, she had been raised amongst blood that wanted for nothing more than to appreciate life together. Murder was a desperate act performed by wolves on the fringe, how could that have ever involved Rhae's parents?

The horror had passed clearly over her face, leaving concern in its wake.

"The fuck... ?" was the response that came naturally, a quiet whisper uttered without thought. She didn't know what to say, apologies springing instinctively to mind but, how many times could one hear that and still care? Rhaegara wasn't seeking her pity, she knew that well enough.

"That's... Rhae..." her loss for words was plain to see. Woya knew what she wanted, though. She wanted the other woman to feel safe, to feel loved because it was deserved. She took a breath, steadying herself.

"I know its all words, but Rhae, I would never intentionally hurt you. You mean so much to me, and I'm so sorry I haven't made that clearer."

(This post was last modified: Jun 05, 2022, 07:44 PM by Woya.)

It had been horrific, and brutal… but Rhaegara had learned a valuable lesson that day. It was one she would carry with her for the rest of her life. She saw the horror on the other woman’s face, a soft huff at her quiet response that seemed so uncharacteristic. Not everyone had rainbows in homes. “It’s called a coup… when people rise up to take power from another… and usually, not even children are spared. I was the only one to make it out… it was not long before I met Adelard, and then from there we met Huddy and Saga.” She explained, the sadness in her voice. She had lost them all.

How terribly ironic it was… a never-ending cycle in her life. Still, words escaped the other woman and a part of her wanted to find amusement in that… but she couldn’t. Not at the moment. She swore she’d never hurt her, that she meant so much to her… and Rhae simply shrugged. It was hard to trust any honeyed words that anyone promised. “Ad and I got into it… he found me crossing the border after my… rendezvous that got me pregnant again.” She admitted as she brought her gaze up towards the other woman.

“You’re really the only one left.” She admitted quietly. She knew that she was still a member of the pack… but as far as friends went… Woya was it.