Aurora Heights i could build you up.

For @Revon.  Late afternoon, cloudy.  44F/7C.

If there was one thing Kyna could be grateful for right now, it was that the weather had finally started to even out. It was mild, a bit warmer, and the snow was disappearing, even from their mountain home. The female was exploding red hair like it was her job…well, frankly, she just felt like she was going to explode. Now halfway into her pregnancy, she was quite certain this was different than when she was carrying Revon. Ugh.

Exhausted, the female settled near the pack den, opting for a nearby patch of late day sun. Lifting her head, she howled gently, summoning her daughter – it was no emergency, but she did want to talk to the coming yearling (and not fall victim to her utter exhaustion in the meanwhile).

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Truthfully the girl was surprised by her mother’s call and immediately assumed she was getting in trouble for something. But what? She’d kept to herself since her return, and her parents had refrained from hovering over her as she settled back into the mountain. As far as she was concerned the scarlet Archer hadn’t stirred up any trouble—but that did not mean she was free from punishment. Licking her lips nervously the girl set forward, streaking across the rocky terrain with ease. Fortunately she had not strayed too far from the dens. As she approached Revon noted how exhausted her mother appeared, but she wasn’t surprised. Carrying pups in her swollen (and growing) belly did not seem like an easy task—especially with leadership duties piled on top of her shoulders as well. It made the idea of becoming a mother rather unappealing… How’re you feeling? She greeted softly as she settled down beside her mother, but not without pressing a quick lick to her mother’s chin in greeting. Was it a scolding she was receiving, or did her mother need something from her…?

Revon was a nicer child than she was, really.

Though in her own defense, Aponi had been a ghost of a mother, really – motherhood after Kyna’s first year was fraught with strife and burgeoning opinion that all teenages seemed to assume. The redhead’s tail thumped against the ground as her daughter approached, leaning over to spend a few moments grooming Revon’s muzzle before she spoke. It was good to see that her unfortunate adventure had not influenced Revon too poorly…though she still worried about her girl. At least she was being somewhat social. That was something.

“Could be better, I suppose. You were much kinder to me,” she admitted, something bright shining in those sun-kissed eyes. “Your siblings will be here soon. A moon or so. Well, sibling, likely – my mother had litters of one.”

Until she had a litter of three, but, well, Kyna didn’t think on that one too hard. It was probably a fluke. “My mother…well. Rather abandoned me to my own devices after Lila was born. And I just… That’s not what I want for you, okay? Not at all. You are my first-born.”

And, unspoken... Her most precious.

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In which Kyna casually has a lot of feelings about her baby.  @Revon.

A wild dissertation appears!

The scarlet girl’s expression was unusually soft as she observed her mother, a soft frown tugging at her youthful features. She leaned into her mother’s touch, her tail swaying gently behind her as she waited (impatiently) for the older Argyris’ response. Could be better, I suppose. She nodded—it didn’t look easy lumbering around unborn children. But, it made Revon feel better knowing that she had been kinder to her—their—mother, which meant that she would be the favourite. Plus, it helped being the first-born. She’d always be the favourite, no matter how many children her mother bore. But, her mother seemed confident that she was only carrying one child within her swollen stomach. Revon found that hard to believe, although it was possible that it was just wishful thinking that kept her pessimistic. She wouldn’t mind having a couple of younger siblings to boss around, not just one. But that wasn’t up to her.

Her mother went on to say that her own mother—Revon’s grandmother, Aponi—had abandoned her after the birth of her second daughter. Kyna, it seemed, was keen on being different than the silver woman. The younger Archer nodded softly to show she understood before pressing another lick to her mother’s chin. I won’t let you forget me, duh, she retorted with a sharp wink. The girl wasn’t worried; she’d always ensure she was the apple of her parents’ eyes.

(This post was last modified: Jun 04, 2018, 12:32 AM by Revon.)

Even if Revon didn’t endeavor to make sure her parents didn’t forget her, Kyna rather doubted she could. There had been so much worry before she’d been born – and after. Was she a good mother? Was she raising Revon the right way? Was she happy, amused, satisfied? Growing? That hadn’t changed, not exactly; the redhead had simply gotten better at categorizing her concerns and any actual threats to the girl’s immediate well-being.

There was no ‘getting it right’, she was beginning to suspect – but that didn’t stop her from worrying, anyways.

She tipped her head, studying Revon for a few moments. “What is it you would like to be?” No, that was very vague. A bit out of nowhere, probably, for someone who wasn’t privy to her immediate thoughts. “As you grow, I mean. Aurora Heights could be yours, of course. But… It doesn’t have to be.”

Kyna was made of stone, her blood running with the melted snow and mountain water. But that didn’t mean Revon was built just the same.

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A wild dissertation appears!

What is it you would like to be? The question had caught the firefox off guard, earning a puzzled expression from the girl. She wasn’t used to thinking so … so much, especially since the majority of her life (thus far) had been one big adventure. Hell, even her kidnapping had turned into an adventure once she was stuck with Wendigo after the disappearance of his sister. She hadn’t thought much about her future; she was the type of wolf that took things one day at a time. As you grow, I mean. She nodded gently to show that she understood. Aurora Heights could be yours… but was that what the girl wanted? She blinked, digesting her mother’s words as she glanced at her paws. I could never be as good as a leader as you, Ma, she countered sheepishly as her ears swept back against her crown. I haven’t really thought about it much, she admitted as she returned her fiery gaze to her mother, but the mountain is my home. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. But she had grown to enjoy travelling and seeing what else the Lore had to offer. I wouldn’t mind being a scout, though. It gave her an excuse to travel more. Poke her nose around. Acquire information and figure out what she could do with it. But leadership? She did not know if that was in the cards for her just yet.

“I rather imagine you could, if you set your mind to it. Maybe not the same kind, but all the leaders were the same, I imagine there would be only one.”

Of course she did not expect Revon to become a clone, a tiny Kyna…or a tiny Greer, for that matter. She had not turned out at all like Aponi or Phineas – shared some familiar morphology, perhaps, a few personality traits, but she was Kyna Arygris Archer. There was no one else like her, and as her daughter was Revon Argyris Archer, she rather expected the coming yearling to be exactly like herself, and nothing else. That part, at least, was not the redhead’s concern.

“I would be quite pleased for you to stay – I imagine being a scout would be a good way to settle your wanderlust in the meantime. But it is not just travelling. You would represent Aurora Heights to those you meet, loners and packs both. Would you be comfortable with such a thing?”

All wolves, in some sense, represented their leaders and their packs – but scouts carried the word of, and were in some senses, a mouthpiece. They were scrutinized more heavily than any old pack wolf might be.

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A wild dissertation appears!

Could she be a leader, like her mother? And her father? Her expression softened as her thoughts lingered more on the idea of her leading a pack in the future. Her pack. Would she carry on the Heights name, or would she create her own legacy on the mountain? Maybe explore a little more before settling down… see more of what the Lore had to offer before claiming a chunk of the mountain as her own. The possibilities were endless and she still had time to figure it out. At least a year. She still had ten more months to get all of her teenage angst out. Make mistakes, break hearts (and promises) and chase her dreams.

Did she even have any dreams?

No one could ever compare to you ’n dad, she hummed with a wide grin before touching her nose to her mother’s cheek. Not even me. Even if leadership was in the future for her, Revon did not know how she was supposed to be compete with her parents.

Her ears twitched at her mother’s words and she nodded swiftly, her expression growing more serious. Of course, she assured the scarlet queen, I am proud to call the Heights my home; I don’t think anyone could better represent the pack. She paused, a cheesy (immature) grin tugging at the corners of her mouth: Aside from you ’n dad, of course.

“I don’t really think it’s about comparisons at all…”

Kyna trailed off, not really interested in harping on her daughter. At that age (not so long ago, really), she had been utterly convinced and dead set on being nothing like her mother. It was only once she stopped obsessing over it that she started to settle and found – despite a few similarities – each was her own woman. It was not a problem. Perhaps it was just something you learned with time. It was something one had to learn on their own, in any event. Nothing Kyna could say would ever really make the point for Revon.

So she hummed instead. “Well then, I think we ought to start training you for that! Things will be a bit busy when the pups first get here, but once they’re weaned, I think we can start training in earnest.” Kyna’s tail thumped against the ground. Yes. This was something to look forward to.

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@Revon -- Fade out with yours?  :D

A wild dissertation appears!

I know, I know, she hummed as she flashed her mother a wide, cheesy grin. She looked up to both of her parents (especially her mother) a great deal; she couldn't help but compare herself to them. Especially if she was to pursue a leadership role in the future. The scarlet Argyris Archer had already learned a great deal from her parents, and she wanted to continue to learn as much as possible. Soak in everything they had to offer. Use it; mould it as her own. Learn from both their successes and their failures.

I would like that. She nodded at her mother’s words, the previous grin still stretched across her warm features. I’ll help with the pups too, mom, don’t worry. She nosed her mother’s cheek before pushing herself from the ground. I’ll keep them in line, she added, her tongue poking through her teeth as she spoke. She did not know how well she would do—she hadn’t been around many wolves her own age, or younger. For all she knew she could be a horrible puppysitter, but she would try. They were going to be her younger siblings; she had to look out for them.

Le’me get you something to eat. She had to keep her mother’s energy up, as she knew that the puppies squirming inside her stomach were stealing all of her nutrients. Without giving her mother a chance to argue the scarlet girl sprinted off toward one of the nearby caches, her tail swaying behind her as she maneuvered over the rugged rock…

Fade, thread complete.