Dead Empress Backwater This is my Home

some fairy tales are more than true

It had been a while since she'd spoken to Viorel, and a lot had happened to distract her from her goals, but that was no excuse. Ollie had a role now and @Eros had climbed to alpha. It was past time she put things into motion and made her presence here as permanent as she could. Prove her loyalty to the Backwater to be unwavering. Surely Sage could be considered reliable by now, patrolling the borders and finding the sick pup Fox, recovering Euna when she'd gotten lost, diving into frigid waters after Clover, and of course keeping herself busy with daily tasks.

It was time she narrowed down her list of tasks and worked towards a specific role. Of which she wasn't sure about choosing. Claiming a role wasn't the only thing she was setting her sights on. With all the new wolves joining, a desire to move her way up the ranks was blooming. The pups would be joining yearling ranks soon and if there were too many adults...she didn't want the boot. The yearling had grown to love the pack and its members as her own family, this was her home.

Sage sought out her friend with her nose, not at all surprised as it guided her to the infirmary. "Eros" She called out in a casual, sweet, greeting. Her tail swayed in anticipation of his presence, a soft smile brightening her face.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

It was Eros' responsibility to have a general knowledge of what was going on amongst his pack mates. There was... something growing between his friend and his brother, different from the way she had bonded with Seri and himself. On it's own, it would have meant nothing to him. After everything that Archer and Kateri's 'friendship' culminated into, however? The newly elected leader couldn't help but feel nervous.

Still, for now, he kept all reservations to himself. After all, there were plenty of differences too. Like how O could still have a conversation without bringing Sage up in the first thirty seconds...

Thinking of. Her voice rang out, and he couldn't help a wry smile at the coincidence of it. His mind had drifted to other matters while he'd perused and sorted their stores, setting aside what he would need to dose out to @Clover and getting ready to prepare it. He stepped away from the herbs and popped his head out of the shadows of the infirmary to greet his friend with a small grin.

"Uh oh... did ya lose another toe?" he couldn't help but joke.

(This post was last modified: Jan 07, 2024, 11:02 PM by Eros.)

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage giggled, glancing down to the gap on her paw and rolling her shoulders in a playful shrug. "Eh, maybe an ear this time." She teased, flickering an intact healthy ear at him with a slight sass, all in good spirits. She drew in to close the distance between them and offered a chin lick, both a sign of affection and submission to her friend.

The yearling found a comfortable spot to sit near him, parting her jaws to cut to the chase. "As my friend, I was hoping you could help me figure out a role to pursue." She paused, "As my leader...I was hoping to get your blessing on climbing the ranks." She searched his eyes. " As both...I was seeking guidance on these matters." She smiled meekly at him, thinking back to how @Viorel had reacted to her desire to learn about roles. She hadn't brought up challenging the pecking order to him back then, for it hadn't yet become a desire. ” What’s stopping you? You don’t need my permission to learn.” He had told her, and she wondered if she needed his permission to work her way up or not. Perhaps it didn't matter since she wasn't planning to surpass the subordinate ranks.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

Sage joked back, giving him a chuckle. Then she got to the point, revealing she'd come for advice on some relatively hefty matters. It felt a little odd, but not in a bad way. Eros was appreciative to be someone that his packmate both trusted and respected like this. He emerged fully from the den and reclined too, ready to give the conversation the time it might need. This was just as important a part of being a leader as any other.

"Climb the ranks, huh?" It seemed easier to tackle one issue at a time, and her intentions here could certainly help shape what he might consider her best options as far as roles went. Did she just want to be in with the Valles, have the stability? Perhaps she wanted to go as high as Second, have a real say in what went on with the pack?

"What're you looking for there?"

His tone was friendly with a gentle curiosity. He certainly didn't anticipate that Sage had egotistical or otherwise malignant reasons.

(This post was last modified: Jan 12, 2024, 03:04 AM by Eros.)

some fairy tales are more than true

Eros chuckled, then his demeanor shifted into a more serious one as he departed the den. Insecurities propped up, a sense of being unsure of her abilities threatening to leak through. She pushed the internal turmoil as far down as she could manage and kept a steady expression on her face. Per usual, her eyes were like looking glass into the soul. Bright and chaotic as the emotion that bubbled within her. She was nervous, yes, but also excited, hopeful, and well happy to talk to her friend.

Sage nodded, shuffling her paws on the ground. Her mind wandered back to her birth pack and all the rejection she had faced there. The Backwater treated her so differently. She felt more welcomed, more like she belonged, here than she ever had there. Her current pack felt more like family than her actual blood ties. She didn't want to risk ever losing that, if preventable.

"What're you looking for there?" The young she-wolf sat up taller, taking a deep shaky breath to steady her nerves. "I've told you a bit about my family before...and the Backwater just feels right." Sage started to elaborate, carefully picking her words, "I feel at home here. I want to secure that, to establish myself." She paused, thinking back to how they met and how insecure she had been. How things had changed, how she was building confidence away from her bullies, "I've decided to make the Backwater my permanent home." Any thoughts of ever returning to Evergreen Glade had long been gone, but it was the first verbal confirmation. A pleasant warmth filled her as she proudly declared her decision.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

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Dead Empress Backwater

Eros hadn't much worried about Sage not fitting in, though maybe that had been because of everything else that had been demanding his attention. He had always known her to be reserved, even if physically expressive, and while knowing she'd struggled before, he still thought of it as just her. Still, he hadn't assumed either that she'd fallen in love with the Backwater. To hear out loud what his home had come to mean to her was a heartwarming confirmation.

He tried not to think of Kateri, and the connection he'd thought he'd had with her.

He grinned back at her sunnily, tail giving a few happy thumps against the frozen earth.

"I hope it goes without saying, that'll stay true no matter your rank," his words were a touch tender here, wanting to ensure that Sage wasn't feeling pressured, or like her place here could be threatened by others. As long as she continued being her helpful and considerate self, giving and not just taking, she belonged here.

He thought a moment then, and his lips took on a wry tilt. He almost didn't want to broach it at all, but his mouth ran ahead of him as it sometimes did.

"You know, there's just Tyra above you that's new. Then it'd be Ollie, if you wanted to go higher."

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2024, 01:22 AM by Eros.)

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage's face melted into a warm smile, her chest filling with a warm fuzzy sort of feeling. She appreciated her friend's reassurance, "Thank you, Eros," She spoke as warmly as the expression painted on her face. Her tail matched his as she gave a friendly thump against the ground. While she wouldn't say it out loud, she lacked confidence in his words, still worried about the coming spring and the pups needing to move to the yearling ranks. Too many mouths to feed would mean someone would have to go...and the last thing she wanted was to be that someone.

The girl nodded, having already thought this over time and time again, " And Seri." She'd mused over how to confront her...whatever they were....and then her friend. She didn't want either upset with her, or any bridges burnt during her attempted climb to the higher subordinate ranks. Her bonds within the pack ultimately held more value to her than a rank ever would. She passionately cared about them. It was lost to her in the moment that Eros might've been trying to pry and sort out what was forming between her and his brother.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

Sage's response was succinct, making it clear that she had given this a lot of thought already. He wanted to ask just how high she wished to go, but was able to hold that one back. That was the gossip in him, not the leader. By instinct, Eros trusted the hierarchy and the way it always seemed to work itself out. If she ruffled a few feathers? Hopefully it would stay a personal matter, as it should.

"Seri was pretty cool with me challenging him, but of course I was here before him, way back. I'm not gonna pretend to know how everyone'll react. Vayko and Rochus weren't too happy with me, I don't think."

They'd gotten through it like adults, though. Eros wanted to hope it'd be the same for Sage and anyone else who wanted to assert themselves, but he'd also seen how petty things could get, even amongst blood. He assumed this was likely her biggest worry.

"Best you can do is just be honest and respectful, right? Talk to them first, and fight clean."

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage listened to his words intently, mauling them over in her head. It made sense that if Eros had been here before Seri he'd be willing to accept defeat gracefully, but this would be different. In comparison to her friend, she was the new wolf on the block. She didn't want to bruise any egos if it came down to a fight. Although she wasn't too sure how good of a fighter she was in the first place. "I hope he'll be understanding. As for Vayko, I have no intentions of challenging him for the time being." She wanted to see how she settled into the rank below him, if she could attain it, first. Go from there. The man was older and wiser than her, with pups in the pack. Taking him on seemed...disrespectful. Perhaps she was overthinking it all, but for now, she was content to stop right beneath the man and perhaps seek him out. She had only talked to him in passing, maybe he had something useful he could teach her? Even if not bonding with her packmates was never a bad idea.

Sage sighed, nodding, "Yes...and hope no one takes it personally." While she cared for Seri, her worries were centered on Oleander now. Their bond was in a delicate stage as they figured out their feelings. She didn't want to fracture it. The young wolf decided to switch the topic, wanting to keep her mind off the possibilities to come, "Are you comfortable with me doing this? Should I also speak with Viorel?" She asked her friend while searching his eyes for the confirmation she longed for. She wondered if he'd sought out the blessing of his father before ascending the ranks.

She waited a movement before more words fell from her mouth, "I enjoy fishing, and helping Jacy catch his first fish was unforgettable. I'm just not sure what the pack needs most from me. I think I could be a guardian too?"

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

Well, that answered that. For now, she seemed content to be at the top of their age group. Eros didn't expect that she would raise any hackles then, but of course he'd been plenty wrong before on the sensitivities of others. They wouldn't truly know until Sage tried.

He nodded along to her words, before she directly asked him another question. He turned his eyes back unto her pale-furred features.

"Of course. These kinda things, finding your place in the group, it's all natural, and it all works itself out for the best," he answered with a smile.

"I don't think you'd have to tell Dad. I didn't," spoken with a slight shrug. He hadn't even thought about it, partly because of what a dark place @Viorel had been in at the time, but also because he was pretty sure his response would have been along the lines of 'do what you want.'

"He's who trained me to fight, though. If you need pointers, you can always go to me or him, yeah?"

Especially if she wanted to be a guardian.

"He loves fishing too," but of course she already knew about his being the first landlocked generation of Valles. He supposed it was noteworthy in his mind because despite having the skill himself, Eros detested the smell and taste of fish.

"We're definitely good on medics for the time being, though my Ma will need to retire eventually and there's currently no successor lined up. Advisors are picked, I don't think anyone's actually asked for the job," spoken with a touch of humor and a sparkle in his peach eyes, "The roles we're really missing is a designated scout, someone to lead our hunting (and fishing), and of course you could work your way toward being a teacher one day if you really like working with the kids. I think our borders are pretty well protected at the moment, but a guardian who focuses primarily on making sure definitely wouldn't hurt. Who knows what the future will look like."

(This post was last modified: Jan 18, 2024, 06:39 AM by Eros.)