Paradise Falls you will be delivered

@Finley - Set March 22, 2024 around mid-afternoon.

WELCOME TO MIDNIGHT MASS.

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Miriam had been there for some time. She had come to know some but not many of her packmates, and she had certainly come to learn the land. As she traced along the edges of the border, marking it as she went she had time to think… and those thoughts led her to wonder how she might best serve. She knew what she would be best with: she was a teacher. She enjoyed working with younger wolves, not that she had a lot of experience being a younger wolf herself, but she’d helped raise a few of her siblings before she had left for her pilgrimage.

And so, that is what drew her away halfway through her patrol. It drew her towards following Finley’s scent rather than simply calling for her and waiting. Miriam had decided it was something that she wanted to address right away, and she would not be deterred. She had briefly considered being a scout too, but it seemed like a lot of travelling and while she did enjoy a good travel, she was certainly more of a homebody than most. She liked being internal to pack lands.

Only once following her scent led to stronger trails would she raise her maw and call for the woman, knowing she was nearby. She took a seat, her tail thumping lightly against the ground in excitement as she waited.

The leader was slowly becoming accustomed to being called for on a frequent basis. It made her appreciate how much work Jethro and Flair had put into the pack to keep everything running smoothly, she didn’t have half an idea how much had gone into it. And, before she answered every call she had the same thought I hope this doesn’t go on much longer. She didn’t enjoy it, but she continued to grin and bear it for the better of her family.

So, Miriam called, and let out a short return howl to let the younger woman know that she had heard her and would be there shortly. She had been on her way back to the den after the day’s search for Jethro and her sons which had once again come up empty pawed. All she wanted to do was lay down and rest, maybe find Atara and see if they could spend some time together. But duty called.

Approaching the tawny wolf with a pleasant expression she chuffed a greeting before asking, ”You called Miriam?” Hopefully whatever it was could be dealt with quickly and without much thought. And, hopefully this wasn’t another ask for a litter - but surprises came every day.

WELCOME TO MIDNIGHT MASS.

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Miriam had been patiently waiting for the arrival of the leader, a wide and happy grin growing on her features as she chuffed a greeting and asked about why she had called. The yearling started with an eager nod. “I’ve been thinking a lot about pack roles… I do a bit of everything… but I don’t really know what I want to be.” She explained, finding that it was an important conversation to have with the leader. She might have had this conversation sooner had the chaos of Jethro’s disappearance not caught everyone off guard. She might have even had the conversation with him. She felt late to the party.

“So I guess that leaves the question of what do we need the most right now?” She didn’t have strong ambitions for any one thing… the Father had always told her that the best way to serve was through obedience, doing what needed to be done, but she understood that was not the true reality of the world. The Ancestors had wolves specialize for a reason. “I can hunt, and scout, and fight, and even do a little bit of healing, but I don’t want to slot myself into a role that I’m not qualified for or slot myself into a role that we already have plenty of.”

The mother liked Miriam, and Nadine, and Isla, and many of the younger additions to the pack. They all seemed to have arrived with a fire in their bellies and a passion to prove themselves and make the pack better. This conversation thankfully was going to revolve around that, and it was not a request for permission to have a litter as she had feared. She knew they could support one inexperienced mother but very much so doubted they could support two, not with the way that the pack was in transition.

Finley listened closely as Miriam spoke, nodding seriously anytime there was a lull to encourage the girl to continue. In the end she responded, ”I appreciate your ambition Miriam.” Then she quieted for a moment so she could think, ”Right now we don't have any wolves who have specialized in a certain role. Which means really that the choice is yours, though I believe that Nadine is pursuing the hunter role. Perhaps it would suit you well to be a scout or a guardian?” Or a hunter, a pack could never have enough wolves dedicated to keeping their bellies full.

WELCOME TO MIDNIGHT MASS.

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Miriam had never thought of much else other than survival and devotion. Even her heat had been mild in comparison to the others, and had not in turn bothered her as much as it had seemed to the others. She’d been able to focus more, and focus better. She offered a polite and quiet smile at Finley as she responded about her ambition. Her ambition was to serve; it made her happy and brought her a sense of joy and fulfillment, especially when she could see how it helped others and benefited the pack as a whole. Things had felt so weird since Jethro disappeared, but it felt now like it was returning to some sense of normalcy.

“I think I could work efficiently as a scout or a hunter.” She mused as she considered it. “Afraid my size doesn’t make me much of a fighter… and the lack of training too.” She contemplated her choices around her. “Is there a need for a teacher as well? Someone to help teach the pups in a more structured manner? I’m not sure if you do that here or leave it all to the parents… I just remember it being something in my birth pack that certain wolves would dedicate time to teaching... not as a primary role, but as something to focus on in the summer and fall when they are learning so much about the pack and survival.”

Finley let out a warm chuckle at the comment on her size, ”I like to think I’m more brain than brawn myself.” You wouldn’t see the agouti woman throwing down any time soon, or probably any time at all. She might be able to think her way out of a sticky situation, or flee, but she was never going to be able to fight her way out. Since Nadine was already pursuing hunting she offered, ”We could definitely use a scout, especially with Jethro missing and the fact that we weren’t able to send a message to the Cove in a timely manner it’s clear we need some help.” Not that she felt the best will towards the children that had demanded a message be sent on their behalf.

Onto teaching, she nodded then hesitated, ”Traditionally it has been up to the parents, and truthfully the only litter I think we will have is Isla’s and so it would be up to her how much she wants the pack teaching her cubs.” Finley would have appreciated any help she could get with her own kids, and had accepted quite a bit with the boys, but she had a feeling that the Valle woman would feel differently.

WELCOME TO MIDNIGHT MASS.

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Miriam offered a light chuckle with her, even a nod of understanding along with it. Finley was easy to talk to. She’d been so worried about saying the right things to Jethro, even to Addison when she met her down by the river… but Finley had a calm nature about her, and it was something the girl found she could eagerly latch upon. Being a scout appealed to her in more ways than one. It provided the opportunity for adventure, and to spread her word… but it also represented an opportunity for her to serve a better purpose.

Perhaps she could even bring a few more to Paradise, a messenger of the harmony that she had found there. It sounded nice to her… appealing even.

At the mention of Isla, Miriam made a mental note to check in with the mother and see how she was doing. It sounded as though she was going to have to appeal to her about how much aid she would like. “I’ll ask her if she has given it any thought then.” All she could do was offer her help. Whether or not the other woman took it was entirely up to her.

“Given everything that has happened lately, perhaps I should start with scouting local? And then after some time maybe I could be a messenger to one of the other packs and go a further distance?”

Finley couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at the side of her lips at the thought of Nadine offering help to Isla to teach her cubs. She would hope the salt and pepper wolf would at least be polite if she shot the other subordinate down but it was hard to tell. Maybe she was setting them up for conflict but the leader didn’t want to micromanage their members that much. Hopefully they could sort these things out on their own.

Moving on though, she nodded, ’That sounds like a good idea to me.” She needed to make more of an attempt to bond with the newer members of the pack, ”I go out most afternoons to look for Jethro, maybe tomorrow you could join me?” They could spend a little more time together, and Nadine could start getting more acquainted with their immediate surroundings as a starting point. Maybe Atara would come with them, she worried about the girl and what her brothers and father being missing might do to a young wolf’s mental health.

WELCOME TO MIDNIGHT MASS.

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Miriam did not have much experience with Isla, but she did have some miniscule amount with teaching… or more of being taught. She’d been young when she left home, but she’d learned much from her own teachers that she felt she could pass down to the next generation if the mother permitted it. She’d sort it out with the other woman later, and Miriam would not find offense if she were shot down by the woman. She could never understand the complexities with being a parent.

“I would love to! Do you have a route you search, or do you pick a direction by the day?” In truth, she thought perhaps they’d have better luck if they search separately, but Miriam would defer to the leader about her presences in that regard. “Thank you. I am truly excited to find my niche within the pack.” It felt as though it gave her a greater sense of purpose… one that she’d always had deep down, but could now be applied to the pack as a whole as well.

It was Miriam’s question that made the leader realize they probably should have been more meticulous in their search, have a better strategy. Maybe they could have covered more ground that way, or made more progress. But, she was no scout, and Atara not even a yearling yet. Nodding she got to her paws, ”We try to avoid looking in areas we’ve been recently but other than that we don’t have a plan set in stone.” Smiling, she gestured for Miriam to follow her, ”Come on, we can talk this all over with Atara, she might enjoy helping us come up with a route for tomorrow.” She would never want her daughter to think that she was freezing her out of something that had become somewhat of a ritual for them.

FADE