Willow Ridge debriefing

It had taken him a little longer than he would have preferred, to return to the Ridge. He had promised his leader no longer than ten days, but in reality, it had ended up being something closer to twelve. The mountains had posed a more significant challenge to cross than he had first anticipated, and then, there was this whole drought issue.

Alarick had not discussed it with his leader at the time. Mostly because he did not think either of them had really anticipated something like that happening. But while he had been out, the hunter had opted to take it upon himself to try to find out just how widespread the problem really was. And suffice it to say, things did not look great.

He was tired when he found himself at last returning to Willow Ridge. The sun had already set on this day, and Alarick desired no more than to just curl up and rest for a day or two. But he needed to see his leader first, and give a report, before he did anything, and thus sat back to issue a short call for her.

She would probably be at least a little irritated, with him, for taking a couple of days longer than he had promised. Al was expecting that. But hopefully, the information he had, as well as the fact that they at least did not have enemies in Levi's pack, would make up for it.

-dated back to around 4/22. Al returning home from FGC. @Avella

(This post was last modified: May 27, 2022, 02:32 AM by Alarick.)

The drought was causing the masked woman so much worry over her pack. The longer her pregnancy went on the more helpless she felt. She was slowly getting to the point she couldn't leave the territory. With her inability to go far she couldn't get herself or anyone else water. It had also not escaped the soon to be mother that Alarick hadnt returned as promised. Avella couldn't help but be worried knowing he wouldn't leave the pack without speaking to her first. She needed some time to relax before her worries started to affect her children. So she'd chosen a sunny spot near one of the willows and laid down. She tried to push all the worrisome thoughts from her mind.

When she finally found a cfortable position the Archer woman let out a long sigh. It took such a long time to get co.fortable anymore. She was still a little nervous about being a new mom and all but she felt she was as prepared as she could be. Avella was ready for her pregnancy to be over though.

The sun was warm on her fur and even though it had brought the drought the warmth helped her to relax. Soon enough her eyes had closed and she'd fallen asleep. It seemed like only a few meets had passed when she was awoken by a familiar call.

It was Alarick and he was back, finally. The masked woman got to her feet and made her way toward him as quickly asnshe could. She wasn't as fast as she had been only a few weeks ago. Finally he came into sight. "Welcome home," she spoke as she approached, "I hope all went well?"

His leader was, as per usual, pretty quick to seek him out and heed the call. But, not quite as quick as she might have once been, and it did not take him long to realize why. Briefly, surprise etched across his features as the very much expecting mother made her way toward him. That was not something he had been anticipating, although he supposed perhaps he should have.

The hunter sought to hide his surprise and offered the leader a respectful nod, as she offered a greeting. His goal here was just to report, not to wonder about and pry into Avella’s business. ”It did, mostly. I got to see my friend, but this lack of water made travel more difficult. I took some time to scout, and it is pretty widespread..” that was arguably the more important and concerning bit of information to get out there. The whole of the area seemed to be suffering from the lack of water, not just the areas immediately around the ridge.

”The other pack.. was also not really interested in an active friendship or alliance, either. But, as long as we do not make plans to harm.. a pack called Sanguine Cove, they also stated they will not be our enemies, either. I told them that was not a concern.” It was something of a positive, at least. And the more he had thought about it, the more what that woman had said made sense. The packs were so far away, that any kind of a working relationship was almost pointless. But at least they were aware of one another’s existence now, in the event something did come up.

When she finally reached Alarick she looked him over for any signs that something might have gone wrong. Thankfully he seemed to be alright. She'd been very worried that something had kept him from returning on time. She knew he was a grown mam amd didn't need some woman to be fussing over him but it made her feel better.

Once she was satisfied that he was okay she was ready to learn what he had to tell her. The masked woman sat back on her haunches and waited for him to speak. The first thing that he told her made her even more worried about the Ridge. Avella smiled when he said he'd been able to see his friend, "Im really glad to hear you were able to see your friend and thank you for scouting that out for us Alarick. It's alarming news but I hope that it can help us in some way get through this drought." Avella was more worried about the survival of her pups and herself. How would they continue to get the water back when they would have to travel further and further for it. "I hope the rain come soon."

The news he brought back from the pack he'd visited was also a little disappointing. Still she understood the reasoning behind it. "I suppose you can't win them all right? I've already visited the cove and am trying to forge a friendship with them. So I suppose that we won't have to worry." It had been a little hard as of late to visit the cove in her current condition. "I am hoping for another visit once the pups are old enough," she added. Avella knew she needed to make another appearance at the cove and maybe even the backwater.

It had certainly been good to see his friend again, although that was far less important - at least as far as the rest of this group was concerned - than the water situation and the whole pup thing. Al found himself nodding in agreement to the sentiment expressed by the other, a hope for rains to come soon. Especially if Avella was expecting, that would become far more important in the coming days.

Thankfully, she did not seem to hold the other pack’s lack of interest in friendship against him, personally, which was a visible and mental weight off his shoulders. The disappointment was clear across her features, but the comment made seemed to indicate it was not with him. ”It would seem not,” he murmured in agreement.

The second part was reassuring too, though. They really did not have to worry about anything going wrong with the cove, then. ”I am.. definitely glad to hear it. Congratulations, too. About the pups.” It was.. perhaps a little awkward, and definitely unexpected. He had not known Avella fancied someone enough to plan a family this year, but that was a good thing, and it was hard to keep a smile from crossing his features. Pups were a thing to be celebrated and treasured, and his happiness for Avella and whoever her mate was, was genuine.

”May I.. ask who the father is? I.. want to be sure I pay him the appropriate respects, too.” Presumably, whoever Avella had chosen would be a co-leader, he thought. There were only a couple of options in the pack that Alarick was aware of, at least at the time that he had left, but he was still curious.

The news of the water being more widespread than just the Ridge probably should have been expected. The lore was connected. It usually had the same weather unless something came that was more isolated. It was only logical to expect that the drought was affecting everywhere. The question was what were the Ridge wolves to do for water if they couldn't find a place close by.

The pack he'd visited also didn't want a friendship which she supposed she could understand. In a leaders perspective the distance made it pointless. Alarick agreed with her that not all could be won. "At least we tried and perhaps maybe one day they will change their mind. At least it seems we will be on good terms as long as nothing happens with the cove."

Avella smiled when he congratulated her about the pups. "Thank you Alarick. I'm happy that they are coming I believe it's what the pack needs especially in this tough time." Not that she'd wanted to bring her pups into the world during a drought. She didnt have much choice in it now though. Perhaps it was better this way. Maybe they would learn to survive in such conditions.

Then he asked the one question that she couldn't answer. "You can ask of course but I don't have an answer for you," she stated matter-of-factly. Part of her did wish that she could give him an answer but she didn't know which of the three men she'd been with was the father to her children.

-please don’t feel obligated to replicate the length of this post as Al sorts through his thoughts. Unless you want to! :)

Maybe one day they would change their minds, the leader spoke, taking a decidedly more optimistic outlook on the matter. Alarick was not quite so sure, given how his interaction with that terse female had gone, but he supposed it was entirely possible. Perhaps if Avella chose to venture there one day. What mattered was that they were at least at peace with one another, though perhaps a better relationship could be forged by extension, by better getting to know the cove.

What came next, though, was the first thing he had heard Avella speak of, of any real consequence, that he found himself in disagreement with. In what way did a pack ever need children? In his opinion, it was the opposite of that - pups needed a bonded and cohesive pack to provide for them. There was of course, the need to procreate and continue their species, but Alarick was not entirely sure that was what his leader was getting at here.

The revelation after that, though, left him shocked and disappointed. She did not have an answer for him. There were many ways those words could be interpreted, and very few of them were respectable or good.

There were few things in the world that Alarick believed anyone had a right to. Certainly, though, a child ought to know his or her parents. Her statement seemed, though, an apparent dismissal of the possibility of these children having a father in their lives. It took a conscious effort to maintain even a modicum of composure, so at that moment, he chose to bow his head and look away.

As the Ridge’s leader, Avella did not need approval or permission to do as she chose, and it was not his place to pass judgement or voice an opinion on her actions. But.. he had expected different. Better. And at that moment, he felt his respect for his leader eroding.

Not every wolf or pack lived by the same values he had been raised with and held dear. Alarick did not anticipate that nor desire to enforce it. However, he doubted he could stay with a pack or submit to a leader that would seemingly violate a rule as sacred as granting a child a stable upbringing with a mother and father. That went too far. Which meant he knew, now, that he would not remain here permanently.

But he still felt torn. Was Avella still counting on his help with this? Would she need it? And if so, for how long? Despite his diminished respect, he did not want to walk away from that duty, if for no other reason than it would not be fair to those children. He was trapped between morality and commitment.

”I see,” he murmured, offering a nod. ”Congratulations to you again, then. I am very happy for you.” He tried to be sincere, and in some ways, it was. New life was always a blessing, no matter the circumstances under which it was brought into the world, and he had no doubt Avella would be a good and capable mother. But still, the words felt hollow, and silently the former hunter found himself hoping the other would dismiss him so that he could sort out his thoughts alone.

(This post was last modified: Jun 17, 2022, 01:20 AM by Alarick.)

Avella chose not to dwell on the news that Alarick had brought back to her. It would do her very little good to worry about a relationship with a pack that was so far away. That however didn't mean that she would never make the trip there on her own. It only meant that right then she was more worried about the puppies growing in her stomach and making sure they were safe. Avella at least wanted to go and introduce herself so that they would at least know each other. Maybe if she showed up herself it might change their minds. She didn't know but she knew it was important to go even if it didn't lead to anything.

The water was a whole other situation that she would deal with in due time. The Ridge leader needed more time to work that out. She thought it best to speak to Hagar and perhaps her brother on this matter. She knew they needed a plan in case their source of water did finally dry up. They couldn't wait until it did to make a plan ot they all might die of dehydration first.

Avella didn't really like admitting that she didn't know who the father of her children was. She had known thst this was what it was going to be but she'd been hoping that no one would ask. However Alarick had outright come out with it and she couldn't lie. So she didn't and after she'd answered she'd looked down at her paws.

"Thank you Alarick. I'm happy and a little nervous," she admitted. "You don't think badly of me for what I've done?" She asked as that had been one of her worries. She'd worry the whole pack would think badly of her despite the fact she'd done it to do what she thought was right for the pack.

Had he not been so appalled at the revelation he had just been greeted with, the former hunter might have been better able to read and discern the posturing of his leader. As it were, though, he could not quite bring himself to look her in the eyes, now, for fear she would see right through him and ask questions that he really did not want to answer.

It did not seem to matter much, though, for after proclaiming she was happy but a little nervous, Avella did ask one inquiry. And again, he felt torn. For most of their interactions before this, Avella had felt like someone he could trust, or confide in. A friend and a leader both. But this, as it related to her?

If he had been back home, he would not have hesitated to answer her question truthfully. But here, in foreign lands and in someone else’s ancestral home, he did not really have that right. ”It is.. not my place, as your subordinate to speak about or pass judgment upon your actions. As long as you are happy and have done what you believe right or necessary.. that is what matters.”

Not quite a direct answer, but Avella was a smart, discerning wolf. He did not doubt she would realize his thoughts from that, and he would not say any more on the matter unless she pressed him further. With a soft breath, he added on, ”and I will be here to support you for as long as you need me. Once I have your word, though, I will be moving on.” Probably better to get that out of the way now, too. So at least they would know where they stood on that matter.

Avella had truly been worried that her packmates would look upon her differently for the choice that she'd made. She didn't want that to be the case especially since she'd made her choice for the pack. However, she also understood that she couldn't make them think what she wanted nor would she want to.

She already knew that some of them were okay with her choice. There were still others that she hadn't spoken to and Alarick was one of them. She now asked him how he felt because he was part of the pack and his opinion was important to her too. So she waited to hear his answer.

When he spoke it seemed to be to avoid the answer she needed to hear. What he felt and not what he should or shouldn't be thinking about her and her actions. She huffed in slight annoyance. It was the next thing he said that surprised her causing her mismatched gaze to widen. "You're going to leave?" She asked not bothering to hide her surprise. "Just like that?" She knew he hadn't had any plans to go at least not so soon. "I don't understand. Has something changed?" She knew that leaving was something he'd spoken about but there hadn't been any indication that it would be this soon.