Fallen Tree Cove If we may, your highnesses

OOC! @Tagg first then @Namid and @Vespertio puppy talk! Set for midmorning on 2/14.

The sun was almost at its highest as the ebony second and her beloved mate made their way back to the communal den. A number of emotions coursed through her veins as they walked; fear, anxiety, hope, nervousness, excitment and countless others. Puppies was the topic of the day as the pair had decussed their wants while doing a border patrol together. Both would love to bring pups into this world together, to start a family of their own. There was just one teeny tiny issue. They weren't the alphas and while the Vuesian couple were always kind and understanding, neither Tagg nor Moon knew how they would handle the situation. Deciding it would be better and more respectful to Namid and Vespertio to ask their permission than their forgiveness the newly paired couple made their way to the den to call for them.

Fear was the most previlant of emotions for the young woman as she loved the cove and knew there was a very good chance that she and her love could be chased out. Once at the den her silver eyes met his brilliant emerald green one. She gave him the best smile she could muster and a kiss to his cheek. She took a deep breath before tipping her head back to call for the ruling pair. The last notes left her mouth as she lowered her head to look at Tagg once more. "I'm scared" was all she could manage as she leaned into him.

OOC! I just did a bunch of exercises so my arms feel like jelly xD Typing this was hard

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Word Count: 316

Tagg walked beside his mate, allowing their pelts to brush.  This was as much to help sooth her nerves as it was to comfort himself; he was incredibly nervous. This was a part of his life he wasn’t sure he would reach and yet, miraculously, here it was – maybe.  The idea that he might be a dad this year excited him beyond words, and just the knowledge that Moon shared his sentiments on the issue made him feel better.

But the conversation they were about to have… he’d been trying not to think too hard about it, but no matter what he did it kept popping back into his head.  He found himself analyzing every possible scenario, every possible turn of conversation…

They had agreed to ask permission.  The veteran had no desire to undermine his alphas in any way – he respected them too much, and owed them so much – and he was already afraid that his and Moon’s decision to take each other as mates without a blessing might prove to be a point of contention.

But he still had hope.  He didn’t want to leave the Cove; he loved it here, and he’d given so much and tried so hard to get back to it. But life was calling.

And speaking of calling, his mate let out a howl to summon their leaders. He cringed; he hated howling for others. It invited curious and unwelcome ears to join them, but he supposed there was nothing else for it.  It would take too long to find the pair.

When she expressed her fear, the russet man hooked his neck over hers to offer comfort.  “Me too.” He said softly. What if @Vespertio decided the Cove would be better off without them in it? What if @Namid was angry with them? “But no matter what, I love you.  As long as we are together, everything will be alright.”

"Speech"  Thought

l

I have loved the stars too fondly

The morning had been lax so far, consisting of the matriarch more or less shuffling around looking for something to do. She’d settled on cleaning out caches, picking out frozen or bad prey which she’d take outside of the borders. The queen didn’t want any predators coming inside to take dibs on the carcasses. The lynx, whose plucked fur laid nice and soft in their communal den, was an example of what happened when a predator tried to steal from their home. Luckily she’d only had to take out two hares, which were made quick work of taking them out of the borders. As she came back across the call came her auds perked forward, her brows raising curiously but she picked up her pace to a lope anyways.

As she came upon the scene a few minutes later she began to feel slightly uneasy. Moonshadow and Tagg were there together, practically all tangled up with each other and while she was happy for them she wasn’t sure how to feel. There was no law against them being mates and if it made them happy then by all means she supported it, but she knew that once they became mates they’d want more. Whatever happened, whatever they needed, they would need to take it in stride. “Hello you two, what is going on?” she said with a friendly smile, stopping in front of them with curious bicolored eyes.

To be fearful of the night

The lakeside patriarch lifted his head from the small hole in the otherwise frozen shoreline of the lake when the summons from Moonshadow filled his russet ears, droplets of water dripping down the tip of his chin while a salmon tongue tried its best to collect what water it could from his lips before molten gold irises shifted their gaze from the punctured hole toward the general area of the communal den where the female Beta's howl originated from. Curiosity was immediately piqued by this seemingly random call, but nonetheless it was a call that demanded his attention as leader.

Turning about, the agouti male trotted his way through the snow toward the communal den and managed to arrive shortly after his mate had. From a distance he could spot two other silhouettes seemingly tangled together, both belonging to Moonshadow and the other a recently returned member, Tagg, by the distinct coloration of their pelts and the tattered ear that clung to the man's skull. As Vespertio gradually approached; much like his wife, a sense of unease began to fill the pit of his stomach while his gaze studied the two being awfully close for friends, or were they something more? It was true there was no law preventing members from within the pack becoming mates, but if these two had indeed tied the knot it left an almost bitter taste in his mouth while his mind pondered over what this summons could be about.

Regardless, though, they deserved to be heard out for all he knew this may be something entirely benign. Settling next to Namid's side the man gave her cheek a gentle prod with the tip of his snout before shifting his attention back to his subordinates, an obvious look of curiousness settling upon his facial features while his wife addressed them. 

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

OOC! Out of character comments here

He never failed to make her feel better. Her confession of fear was met with his own, a wolf like hug from his neck, and the reassurance that no matter what it would be okay as long as they were together. His words comforted the ebony she wolf but also scared her because they addressed the very real possibility that they could soon become unwelcomed in the cove. She feared this more than being told. The cove was her home, the solve within it - her family. While she would have the love of her life everything else she held dear would be ripped away; it would destroy her on the inside. The time to fret and worry quickly ran out as the familiar silver form of Namid approached them. The dark beta instantly lowered herself accordingly, a little more so than normal due to the importance of the question she was about to ask. Not long after the queens arrival her mate arrived with the same confused/anxious look worn upon his features.

Moonshadow gave both rulers a respectful bow of her head as she cast her mercury gaze to their paws. From the corner of her eye she could see her russet love had taken up the same posture. Some of her fear eased as she remembered that she wasnt doing this alone. She took a deep breath as she took one last moment to gather her thoughts. "Good morning ma'am. I - I mean we, have come to ask for your permission and blessing to try for pups this year." She replied with nervousness clear in her tone. "We understand that it is not our place and if you were to say no we would never go against your authority. We respect you both too much to do such a thing. Should you bless us we would make sure to teach them that they don't have the right to rule the cove for it is your children's birth right..." She trailed off realizing that she was rambling on and should allow @Tagg the chance to speak as well should he choose to. Now it was out and now they had to wait for the verdict. Fear bubbled around within the midnight colored woman. What if they said no? What of they chased them out? What if they became angry and lashed out? The 'what ifs' continued to swirl about. Silver eyes kept their gaze on the paws before them as a lump tried to make its ways down her dry throat.

OOC!  

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Word Count: 229

It didn’t take long for the alphas to arrive, and as soon as he saw Namid – quickly followed by Vespertio – approaching, Tagg untangled himself from his mate.  They bowed, showing their respect for their leaders as Moon began to speak.  Tagg turned his face slightly so his blind side was facing the alphas a little more than the other.  His fur prickled uncomfortably, but he couldn’t think of a way he could better show just how much he trusted and respected them.  Making himself vulnerable in this way went against every fiber of his being, but he forced himself to do it.

You’re rambling, dear. The scarred man thought as Moon scrambled for words.  She soon realized this on her own, however, and faded into silence.  Tagg took a deep breath; it was his turn.

“We know it is much of us to ask this, and I assure you that we would hold no dudgeon against you if you decide not to give us your blessing.  We both owe you so much.  I love the Cove, but I also love Moon.” He braved a glance up at his alphas, but only for a moment.  His gaze was immediately lowered again.  He resisted the same urge to ramble his mate had had and fell silent.  If they wanted to hear more, they would ask. He was unlikely to sway their decision with rushed words.

"Speech"  Thought

l

Her husband was quick to join them, a bit of her unease slipping away at his presence. An affectionate smile tilted the corners of her lips upwards and she allowed a bump of her nose against the underside of his jaw in response to his nuzzle. Then, the pale queen’s attention turned to the pair on front of them. They held themselves lower than normal which was the first indicator that she might not like what was to come. Then, Moonshadow began to speak and she listened calmly.

A part of her knew what was coming but it didn’t make the brief surge of instinctual need to put them in their place any less powerful. It was their right as the leaders of the pack to produce heirs, it was their job to make sure the pack prospered and yet...where had that gotten her? Out of the six children she’d given birth to one had died and two others had gone off on their own. At least she knew what had happened, for the most part, to Ismena but the other two never failed to make her heart sting. For that reason she and her husband had decided to not have children this coming spring. For both of their sanity at the very least. There could be no telling what would happen the following year, but for this year they would be barren. And where would that leave the pack?

Her tail rose authoritatively, no anger in her gaze but this matter needed to be made clear. “First, I want to say that I appreciate you telling us. It shows well on the good characters we already know you have. What you ask is not something to be taken lightly and I am sure you have given this much thought,” she started off. A deep breath was taken. “I give you my permission to bear offspring. However, this is only because Vespertio and I have decided not to have any of our own this coming spring. It is also as you said, your children will not be allowed to succeed our own line. We are all a family, you know that, but this mountain has always been meant to belong to the Vuesain’s. I trust you to instill this in your own children. But, make no mistake, they will be cared for by all of us like you have taken care of our own. They will want for nothing,” she finished, her tone firm leaving no room for argument from them on her behalf. Her mismatched gaze turned to the king, allowing him to have the space for his own thoughts.

Cautious eyes watched as the formerly entangled duo released their hold on one another to hold themselves lower than usual before the ruling pair, the sense of unease never quite leaving the agouti man entirely while he waiting in silence to allow them a chance to explain their reasoning for beckoning them here. It wouldn't take long for that reason to surface as Moonshadow rambled on with why they had been called. So, it would seem that the newly coupled pair had discussed the idea of trying for a litter of their own come spring despite knowingly being aware of the rule set in place that dictated that was a right reserved only for Namid and himself.

Instinctively, the tawny patriarch could feel the blood beneath his fur begin to boil at the prospect of having his genetic superiority compromised by another male in his vicinity. His fur prickled partially in a hidden desire to lash out as an act of dominance and remind them where their place was, but all train of thought was curved by the sound of his mate's voice speaking on the subject at hand. The most he offered in that moment was a mirrored flagging of his tail authoritatively while allowing Namid the floor to talk. Filling their subordinates in on the decision they had made to not try for a litter this year, but after hearing this news perhaps the seasoned father would begin to have second thoughts. The idea of another male siring litters under his stead just didn't quite sit well with the man.

Eventually, all that needed to be said was done so quite gracefully by his love, those mismatched eyes Vesper came to love so dearly held firmly with the molten gold of his own when her attention shifted toward him in case he wished to share any thoughts of his own about the conversation at hand. "I don't think there is much more I can add on to that. I give my blessing as well, but don't let this act of kindness be taken for granted and used as an act of malfeasance further down the road. Remember your place is all I ask."

(This post was last modified: Mar 01, 2017, 04:24 PM by Vespertio.)

OOC! Out of character comments here

Fear swirled within the dark beta as her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. The silver dusted ear closest to her hero flicked to catch his words. They mirrored her own in apology and knowing the importance of the question. When he was finish she held her breath as the pair awaited the verdict. Silver eyes daring to glance up momentarily before darting back to the ground. They took in the shift in the Vuesian's postures causing the dark beta to anticipate teeth to her pelt. None came but instead the queen spoke. Her tone was firm but not angry as she began by thanking the Eastgate couple for coming to them and asking for permission. Then it came - the verdict. Moon shut her eyes as Namid took a deep breath, thinking surely she'd say no...

“I give you my permission to bear offspring. However, this is only because Vespertio and I have decided not to have any of our own this coming spring." A breath of relief was released as the first words registered in the ebony woman's mind. Confusion followed soon after as she realized that the ruling pair wouldn't be having a litter this year. While part of her was grateful they weren't for that meant she could have her own the other was worried for the couple - she hoped everything was alright. Happiness seeped in as the prospect of starting a family with her love set in. She held her tongue and kept still for she not dare speak before her king. They needn't wait long for his answer as he spoke after his wife. He too gave them his blessing but also warned not to let their kindness be taken for granted. Her large skull nodded almost vigorously once he finished. "Y-yes ma'am. Yes sir we would never take such kindness for granted. Thank you! Thank you! They will be brought up to love the cove as we do and to know it will always belong to you and your blood" her silver tipped tail swung wildly behind her large frame as she crept forward to lick the undersides of monarchs chins in a submissive gratitude. She was beyond grateful for their unbelievable kindness and generosity. She laid on her side to offer her belly to the ruling pair to state once more she knew her place and would always respect them.