Post by Therdde on Jan 21, 2010 8:27:37 GMT -5
Characters:
Kezu - Male Wolf
Heath - Female Wolf
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
- Hilltop Vista -
The soft thrum of rain fills the air upon the Hilltop Vista, the shape of a large wolf just outside the den, eyes looking down across the lands from the vantage point this hill gives, dusky grey and black fur slickened down from the falling droplettes of water that dot the air. One eye, lidded, pupiless, seems almost lazy compared to the attentive gaze it's partner spreads over the trees in the distance... over the creek that winds it's way along... Kezu is there... almost like a guardian statue, holding post for those inside the den, ensuring safety, to the best of his abilities.
As opposed to most wolves who might find the summer shower a discouragement to leaving the warm shelter of their dens or the protective shade of the trees, Heath is out playing in the rain with a rather carefree expression as she prances about over the dampened grasses. Then again, the young female isn't most wolves. Her coppery fur is even shinier than usual due to the wetness slicked across her coat, though her thick waterproof pelt keeps her mostly dry underneath, and her pale blue eyes are brighter than normal as they gaze up towards the similarly colored sky. One might normally be concerned that the girl would catch a cold dancing around in the open like that, but the heat of summer makes for a comfortably warm rainfall, the cool droplets balancing out the otherwise hot weather.
Sudden flicking of ears comes from the statue of a wolf, mostly in response to the prancing wolfess, as Kezu's gaze flow from his guardian gaze over the creek, to Heath herself, a soft smile crossing his face, simply watching for a moment... before a chuckle eminates, his amusement growing. "Well now... Having fun there, are we?" A wink of his injured eye, and letting loose a friendly grin, the silvered voice of the wolf echoing through the rained air.
Skelaghe is not out playing, as Heath is, but she has not been too quick to return to the den, either. As much as she prefers sunny days, even Skelaghe can enjoy the cooling effect the rain has. Besides, she'd have been soaked by the time she returned, anyway. She was a fair distance away from the den when the rain started. No sense for her to hurry, since it would have been inevitable. In the distance, she hears a voice through the rain, but since her head is slightly low to shield her eyes from the rain, she has not yet spotted Heath or Kezu.
Heath suddenly stops mid-prance, a forepaw lifted in a manner reminiscent of a hunting dog pointing out fallen prey, as a voice reaches her ears, the young she-wolf's head swiveling towards the male situated near the den. She's not fully acquainted with this wolf, but that's nothing unusual for the shy girl. Fortunately, either the summer shower, or her happy mood, or both, has her feeling a bit more sociable and a bit less timid at the moment, and so she dares to offer a friendly smile and a vocalized response to Kezu: "Yes! The sky-ponds are dripping!"
Kezu laughs softly, closing his eyes as his rich laughter fills the air. "Indeed, indeed they are!" It helps when someone is cheerful near him, it seems, to make his own mood lightened. "Though it's too early to tell if it will drip more, or if this is the extent of it." That smile again, as he stands, and begins to approach the young she-wolf. "I've seen you occasionally, but I've yet to learn your name. If I may be so bold, what does this Lady call herself?" As he stops mid way, and takes a deep bow, touching his dripping chin to the soggy ground, the drops beading off his pelt.
Skelaghe listens in on the conversation as she continues to approach the owners of the two familiar voices. She does not announce herself, though. She knows her packmates well, and she will do nothing to interupt this rare conversation that Heath is having with someone. She does not hide herself, though. She continues walking, even once the den and the two wolves near it are within sight.
Heath has resumed a bit of her play-dancing as Kezu approaches, leaping from puddle to puddle so it causes little splashes to pop up around her paws with each hop, though this childish behavior slows to a stop as the unfamiliar male draws nearer. As though unaccustomed to being addressed with such a title, the ruddy-hued wolfess looks to one side, then the other, with a mildly confused expression before she realizes Kezu's referring to herself. "Oh...I'm Heath." Watching curiously as the other wolf bows so deeply to her, head tilting slightly to the side, she returns the question once he's righted himself again: "Who are you?"
"I'm Kezu." The wolf simply states, righting himself with that same warm smile, though seeing that she's stopped playing, he gives a gentle grin. "Come on now, don't let me ruin your fun. I'd join if I was nimble enough, but I think if my large rump jumped in a puddle, I'd cause a water-storm." A laugh, as he smiles to her. It's a bit more than warm, almost welcoming, eager to watch. "Go on, play, we can talk AS you play, yes? In any case, it's very nice to meet one so happy as you, Heath." His right ear flickers, tail wagging visibly behind him, unaware of the approaching Skelaghe. Too focused at the moment, it would seem.
Skelaghe moves just a few more steps forward before stopping for a moment. Her recent playing with Wyanet has, apparently, reminded the aging alpha of what it is like, and she doesn't attempt to hide her smile as she says, finally, "That sounds like coward talk to me, Kezu." If one of her pups were out here to play with Heath, perhaps she would not try to do so, herself. As it is, though, she leaps forward, hoping to land in a puddle near Heath to splash the other female.
Heath may be feeling slightly less timid than usual, but being asked to perform in front of an audience is still a bit outside the girl's comfort zone. Shifting her weight self-consciously, the rust-furred female stammers a bit to herself before she's saved by the entrance of her closest friend, the alphaess. "Hi, Skelag--" Heath's greeting is cut-off in surprise as the other she-wolf bounds forward, splattering her legs with rainwater. Well, if Skelaghe wants to play, then maybe she can too... Her stunned look is soon replaced with a smile that gradually spreads across her muzzle, and Heath tentatively slaps a paw down on the puddle's surface to splash the older female back.
Kezu lays his ears back as his eyes close, just as a few water droplettes come his way, only to grin, chuckling, as he peers towards Skelaghe. "Well... if you're calling me on my honor, I suppose I have no choice, huh?" A broad smile then, before he lowers himself to the ground, rump high in the air... preparing for the nearest puddle...!
Skelaghe has no chance of moving away in order to avoid being splashed by Heath. With Kezu, though, she has much more warning, and so she leaps away again. She doesn't go far. Not that she really could. She is no longer and fast or agile as she once was, but what she lacks in physical capability, she makes up for in enthusiasm. As they play, her tail wags, and her mouth remains open in a smile.
Heath can't help but utter a high-pitched little giggle as the bigger male crouches in a play-bow, quickly shifting to dart away from the line of fire (or water, as it were) before Kezu can splash her too. Younger than the other she-wolf, Heath's tail is tucked as she runs excitedly around in a lazily-looping circle, acting rather puppy-like as her tongue even threatens to dangle from the side of her mouth while she dashes about in the rain. The fun play is probably quite good for the skittish girl, as this is certainly more exuberance than any of her packmates have seen in her so far since she showed up at Ute's borders several moons ago.
Jump! And...! SPLASH! Kezu, not having played in the rain in... well, ever, he is not used to the slick consistancy of mud, and as a result, he falls, chest and belly first, into the large puddle, SPLASHING quite a copious amount of water into the air! A water storm, as he said! Not only that, but he slides forward, momentum carrying him several feet to where he threatens to slide down the hill, before he lets out a yip of surprise, and claws at the ground. Hearing a yip from that size of a wolf is quite comical, as he tries to regain his balance... and once he does, he's just alight with happiness, squirming back up to his paws!
Skelaghe is not quite far enough away to avoid being splashed entirely, but it is only a few droplets that manage to reach her, quickly lost in the rain. She watches with mild concern as Kezu loses his footing,. but as soon as it's obvious that the large male is all right, Skelaghe gives a bark and leaps towards the male.
Heath's sprint slows to a trot, also out of some concern for her packmate, when Kezu starts to slide on the muddy terrain, ears pricked alertly to make sure everyone involved is all right before she resumes her cheery demeanor. When Skelaghe pounces after the male, the coppery wolfess giggles again, tail wagging behind her, though she hangs back somewhat for now, still a bit shy, instead of leaping right back into the play.
Kezu ah hahs! As if he was proud that he was on his feet again, only to perk at Skealghe as she leaps torwards him! He tries to pivot, he really does! But it only results in a thump from the she-wolf, the large male GACKing as he falls over to his side, another splash of puddles as Kezu squirms under Skelaghe's leaping, barking assault! "Heath! Heeeelp!" He stretches out a paw for Heath, eyes sparkling happily, before he barks in return to Skelaghe, nipping playfully up at her!
Skelaghe bats at one of the fallen's male's ears, a grin on her face. After batting at him, she says, "If you want help, you will have to look for it somewhere other than Heath. The females of this pack stick together against brutes like you." Skelaghe is joking. It would not hurt her if Heath did join Kezu against her.
Heath's tail wags a few beats faster at the scene before her, drawing even more child-like laughter from her before she finally gets up the courage enough to rejoin the pair of play-wrestling wolves. Padding a few paces closer, Heath considers her options for a brief moment, glancing back and forth between the two, before tentatively deciding to side with her friend - though the most she does to the pinned male is ever-so-gently nip at the very tip of his tail, likely catching nothing but fur between her teeth. She offers a little lopsided smile to Kezu afterwards, as a friendly making-up gesture.
Kezu gacks! Now he's doubled up on, two to one! The odds aren't in his favor! Batted, nipped, some hairs missing from his tail! He's getting roughed up here! "I'll show you two a brute!" A grin back at heath, before his muscles ripple underneath Skelaghe, building up all his strength, and suddenly... bursting upwards with a powerful buck of his back, aiming to sweep the two girls up all at once!
Brute is actually a decent way to describe the male. Or, at least, it would be, if Kezu were more inclined to physical conflict, outside of playing. Regardless, it is easy to dislodge her. The sudden force pushes her back, and this time, it is Skelaghe who fights to keep her footing as she finds herself suddenly many feet away from the male she was on top of just moments ago. In her scrambling, she can mount no counter attack.
Heath utters a little nervous whine as the bigger male suddenly pushes back against Skelaghe, forcing her weight easily off of his broad form. She backs away a few steps, tail tucked once more in anxious submission, though it's more due to her timidness than any real fear of the larger wolf. Even so, rough-housing, no matter how light-hearted, isn't quite her preferred manner of recreation. "Um, thank you for the playtime... Maybe I should check on...something." The girl's shyness only serves to increase her awkwardness as she attempts to excuse herself. Perhaps Skelaghe will understand. "Bye Skelaghe. Bye Kezu. It was nice meeting you."
Kezu pants and smiles torwards Skelaghe, his tail wagging as he slips just a bit, before his ears perk at Heath's whine and voice echo into the air, he sobering slightly and ohing, as he lowers himself just a bit, smiling at Heath as he approaches. "I didn't scare you did I? You only have to fear me if you're trying to destroy the pack." He chuckles at that, before leaning forward to give her head a gentle lick. "It was nice meeting you too. You're absolutely adorable. If you ever want to play, I'm up for it!" He seems much brighter at that, peeking back at Skelaghe to make sure he didn't hurt her. Heath's whine got him a bit worried.
When Skelaghe looks to Heath, her expression is compassionate. The poor girl... Slowly, she nods, but she does not attempt to speak until after Kezu is finished talking. "Perhaps you could look in on the pups for me? Kezu and I need to have a talk, anyway." There are things that have been on her mind for a long time. Things that will have to be mentioned before she leaves, even if she only intends to be gone for a few days.
Heath shakes her head, though she's still a bit skittish in overall demeanor as the male approaches. "No..." she trails off, not elaborating any further. Truth be told, Heath is scared by just about /everyone/ -- except puppies -- before she gets to know them. At the lick to her forehead, the rusty-furred female's eyes go wide as the moon, the girl rarely accustomed to physical contact from even the closest of friends. Legs stock-still as they hold her frozen to the ground, Heath manages to accept the verbalized compliments as gracefully as possible before Skelaghe's suggestion provides her with a reprieve. Nodding eagerly, the young she-wolf quickly turns on her heels to begin making her way towards the den.
Kezu blinks down at Heath, before she wanders off, sighing a bit as he finally allows himself to be flushed in the ears. "I don't know why, but I suddenly want to protect her that extra bit now. She's adorable. Cute. I think she'd make a good mate for a male, but only the right kind." Talking to himself again, it seems. He turns slowly, grinning to Skelaghe, and bounding over to give her a playful nudge of his shoulder. "So... you wanted to talk to the big brute, huh?"
Skelaghe watches Heath disappearing into the den as she listens to Kezu. She is silent for a moment after that, and when she turns her gaze back to Kezu, her smile has faded. She does not frown, but whatever playfulness she felt has disappeared along with the other female. "You and I have had our differences, Kezu. You and Wyanet just have this way of getting under my skin. I'm not going to say it needs to stop. You are who you are. But I intend to clear the air, right now." Fair warning. At least she does not leap right in with all the things that have bothered her, but that she has not mentioned, until now.
Kezu flicks his right ear, tilting his head as he looks over Skelaghe... as if thinking to himself. Slowly, he backs up, just a bit, before sitting down in the rain, letting it wash slowly the mud from his fur. "I'm listening intently, Skelaghe." And he smiles, though only slightly, not wanting to disturb the flow of mood the Alphaess has going on.
Skelaghe takes a deep breath before she says anything else. It's not all that hard for her to remain calm. Indeed, it's almost harder for her to remind herself she can't just ignore what has bothered her. "I would never try to force anything on you. You are free to leave at any time. If you remain, though... You /will/ accept me as the alpha of these lands. You will accept my son as the future alpha. And so help me, Kezu, if you EVER suggest to me, again, that it is not my RIGHT to determine how to handle those who have trespassed against me and my family, I will NOT be able to accept you as a peaceful member of this pack." Wyanet said she tore into him over that, but all of the statements Kezu has made that would suggest a future problem to her have gotten to her to the point that she feels a need to exert some of her authority over him. If he cannot accept that... Then what will happen the first time he and Abel get into a disagreement?
Kezu tilts his head. Just slightly. The words don't seem to have an effect on him for the first few moments... his tail brushing over the ground, pushing back, and forth, back, and forth... Before he grins, and chuckles, perhaps opening a bit to the she-wolf as he lowers his head. "I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about, in the suggesting it's not your right to determine thing... if you remember, I only said the world does not revolve around you. In that, in that specific instance, you were not acknowledging, nor respecting Wyanet's views, nor her feelings. You were butting heads with her, instead of trying to find a way that would leave everyone happy. As for accepting you as Alpha..." He looks up at the sky then, squinting his eyes... as if wondering what to say, and how to say it. He remains like that for many moments longer...
Skelaghe doesn't give him the chance. She raises her tail and bares her teeth to growl out, "Wyanet was not the one who was raped by a dog she'd done everything to help. Wyanet was not further betrayed after setting herself against her own family to keep anyone from being hurt. Dammit, Kezu, if my happiness was not to be considered there, why should hers? Why should yours?" The anger is genuine, if muted compared to anger she has felt in past months. "Since you have all arrived, I have pitted myself against my mate and children so that Wyanet would have a safe place to stay. She never had to ask. I did it, because it was right, and I was repayed by her going behind my back to disregard my wishes. Why /should/ I have considered her feelings over my own? In that instance?"
Kezu seems to continue thinking at that point. That's what it seems he's doing... before he looks down at Skelaghe, with a great deal of sorrow, pity, or sadness in his eyes. One would think the brute was going to tear up. "... Mine? I have not been truely happy since I was a pup. Don't concern yourself about me." He tilts his head, furrowing his brows. "... I'm really trying to get used to this... to this place. Everything you mentioned... it was commonplace where I come from... But..." He sighs, lowering his ears. "... If you were raped, it is your place to decide what fate should befall him. But as for Wyanet's wishes, why treat her different just because you know her? Would you be equally angry if the dog was hunting an elk, and the Elk trampled him to death? Or if a Two-Walker blew invisible fire from their bark-sticks? Or if he got in a fight with another pack, and they tore him, limb from limb...?" He settles down to his belly, crossing his paws, and lowering his ears as he watches Skelaghe. "... I just wish there was a way I could take your pain from you..." And he lays his chin upon his paws...
There isn't. That pain will always be with Skelaghe. Must they add to it? "And should I feel guilt over the meat I eat? Your argument is faulty, because I am not friends with those animals. They would not have deliberately ignored my desires to satisfy themselves, after I'd done everything I could to care for them. Her INTENTION is what mattered, Kezu. Your intention. And despite your words, they have never seemed to be to take pain from me."
Kezu flicks his left ear, looking up at Skelaghe... sighing. "... I don't accept you as Alphaess, because I... don't respect the word 'Alphaess'... I respect you as my leader, the one I look to for orders. A friend... and one that I protect. You are a part of my family, to me at least. But if this is what you think is 'Alphaess' then you may consider me accepting of that." He looks off to the distance, watching the rain fall. "... Because I know there are no words that CAN take your pain from you, my friend. Pains run deep, to the heart, and despite everything you do, it will always be there. Eating. Devouring you. Until your eyes close for time eternal." He looks to Skelaghe then... sighing gently. "My intention? What was my intention, Skelaghe...? Or... if you prefer... Alphaess?"
"What is an Alpha if not a leader, Kezu? I don't know what things were like where you came from, but I fail to understand how you can say how you respect me as a leader to the pack, but not as the Alphaess." Skelaghe takes another breath, then looks away. "Maybe if you would think about these things you say, you could understand why you cause me as much pain as you claim you would like to remove from me."
Kezu rolls his shoulders a bit, flicking his ears. "Alpha is the position before Beta, and under Grand-Alpha. Alpha is the hunt-leader, the war-leader, and the war-force voice of the Grand Council. At least, from where I'm from. They reign through blood birth, passing from Mother to Daughter, from Father to Son." He looks to Skelaghe, peering with lidded eyes. "The Last Alpha I fell under gave me the title Bloodletter, that is to say, Murderer of Wolves. For political reasons. That's all you need to know. Oh, and that that Alpha also destroyed my eye." He huffs at that. "You're not an Alpha. You're my friend. You're not supposed to be friends with an Alpha. At least the ones I'm familiar with."
"You would have me ignore the same thing that you all failed to ignore, in the youth who came here from my former mate's old pack. This is NOT your prior pack. This is Ute, and I am an Ute Alpha. I never wanted to be. I would have happily pledged myself to another, but there was no other in these lands who could accept any pledge I could have given... And I needed my pups. I have done all I can. I like to believe I have done good to the name of Ute Alpha... But if you don't believe so, you should say to with your feet. Not with hurtful words."
Eyes shift. They look up to Skelaghe. And they have something... different. Anger. His fur rises on end, as he gets to his feet, slowly... seeming to grow larger than any have seen him prior, as if he were swelling with that anger, feeding off of it. "You think my words -hurtful-? Painful? You think I am asking for special consideration? And you are yet ignoring what I have tried to do, what I have tried to give to the pack, advice, protection, food, comfort, ease of mind, I have tried to help in every task anyone has asked of me? Scouting the new pack-mate of your old mate, seeing that he was speaking with the dog who raped you? Keeping tabs on that dog... that evil, disgrace of the EARTH that makes me salivate with the want to kill, but I had withheld, for -you-?" His fur raises higher, as if he were a porcupine, as he bares his fangs. Large. Gleaming. White.
This is Kezu's idea of respect? Still. "I am asking you to THINK. To understand that here, on Ute lands, and by Ute traditions, to hear you say that you do not respect me as an Alpha HURTS, regardless of what you mean. To hear you accuse me of selfishness after all I have done HURTS. And I am asking you that, if you CAN'T understand that, for you to spare me, and yourself." Skelaghe does not look back to Kezu. Her pain is very real. Nearly physical.
"So much emphasis on titles, words. Not the ideas behind them. Fine." And he swells his chest, Kezu spitting on the ground, his tail lashing to the side. "You are ALPHA... I respect you, as Alpha. Being my friend, my leader, that is not enough for you, you have to try and convert me to your way of speech and thinking." He rolls his shoulders. "Of course, my words are always foreign to you, and to Wyanet. Apparently I'm not 'intelligent', I'm an ignorant wolf incapable of 'thinking' to you and to her. I'm just useless, except as a strong leg, a sharp claw and fang. Once a bloodletter, always a bloodletter, I guess. If all I cause is pain, then I shall speak no more." And he goes quiet. And sits.
Skelaghe looks back to Kezu, finally, her teeth bared once more. "How many wolves do you hear walking around, calling me Alpha? Call me your friend, and I will be honored to be so. If the word bothers you, don't use it, but /don't/ use it. To use it only the way it suits you... And you would accuse me of selfishness for hearing the word as I have always known it. Someone who would lay down her own life before sending those in her pack into danger, to be that sharp claw, that strong fang. Someone who cares for all those around her. Someone whose sole purpose is to see the pack and her pups thrive. When you insist on saying you do not respect an Alpha, that is what I hear." Skelaghe finally shakes her head. She has come to terms with the idea that they will nto agree, but she had to say that. Having done so, she turns to leave.
Kezu watches after Skelaghe, tears in his eyes for reasons only he knows... before he looks to the raining skies, encroaching night now. And he remains. Standing guard, not saying a word.
Kezu - Male Wolf
Heath - Female Wolf
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
- Hilltop Vista -
The soft thrum of rain fills the air upon the Hilltop Vista, the shape of a large wolf just outside the den, eyes looking down across the lands from the vantage point this hill gives, dusky grey and black fur slickened down from the falling droplettes of water that dot the air. One eye, lidded, pupiless, seems almost lazy compared to the attentive gaze it's partner spreads over the trees in the distance... over the creek that winds it's way along... Kezu is there... almost like a guardian statue, holding post for those inside the den, ensuring safety, to the best of his abilities.
As opposed to most wolves who might find the summer shower a discouragement to leaving the warm shelter of their dens or the protective shade of the trees, Heath is out playing in the rain with a rather carefree expression as she prances about over the dampened grasses. Then again, the young female isn't most wolves. Her coppery fur is even shinier than usual due to the wetness slicked across her coat, though her thick waterproof pelt keeps her mostly dry underneath, and her pale blue eyes are brighter than normal as they gaze up towards the similarly colored sky. One might normally be concerned that the girl would catch a cold dancing around in the open like that, but the heat of summer makes for a comfortably warm rainfall, the cool droplets balancing out the otherwise hot weather.
Sudden flicking of ears comes from the statue of a wolf, mostly in response to the prancing wolfess, as Kezu's gaze flow from his guardian gaze over the creek, to Heath herself, a soft smile crossing his face, simply watching for a moment... before a chuckle eminates, his amusement growing. "Well now... Having fun there, are we?" A wink of his injured eye, and letting loose a friendly grin, the silvered voice of the wolf echoing through the rained air.
Skelaghe is not out playing, as Heath is, but she has not been too quick to return to the den, either. As much as she prefers sunny days, even Skelaghe can enjoy the cooling effect the rain has. Besides, she'd have been soaked by the time she returned, anyway. She was a fair distance away from the den when the rain started. No sense for her to hurry, since it would have been inevitable. In the distance, she hears a voice through the rain, but since her head is slightly low to shield her eyes from the rain, she has not yet spotted Heath or Kezu.
Heath suddenly stops mid-prance, a forepaw lifted in a manner reminiscent of a hunting dog pointing out fallen prey, as a voice reaches her ears, the young she-wolf's head swiveling towards the male situated near the den. She's not fully acquainted with this wolf, but that's nothing unusual for the shy girl. Fortunately, either the summer shower, or her happy mood, or both, has her feeling a bit more sociable and a bit less timid at the moment, and so she dares to offer a friendly smile and a vocalized response to Kezu: "Yes! The sky-ponds are dripping!"
Kezu laughs softly, closing his eyes as his rich laughter fills the air. "Indeed, indeed they are!" It helps when someone is cheerful near him, it seems, to make his own mood lightened. "Though it's too early to tell if it will drip more, or if this is the extent of it." That smile again, as he stands, and begins to approach the young she-wolf. "I've seen you occasionally, but I've yet to learn your name. If I may be so bold, what does this Lady call herself?" As he stops mid way, and takes a deep bow, touching his dripping chin to the soggy ground, the drops beading off his pelt.
Skelaghe listens in on the conversation as she continues to approach the owners of the two familiar voices. She does not announce herself, though. She knows her packmates well, and she will do nothing to interupt this rare conversation that Heath is having with someone. She does not hide herself, though. She continues walking, even once the den and the two wolves near it are within sight.
Heath has resumed a bit of her play-dancing as Kezu approaches, leaping from puddle to puddle so it causes little splashes to pop up around her paws with each hop, though this childish behavior slows to a stop as the unfamiliar male draws nearer. As though unaccustomed to being addressed with such a title, the ruddy-hued wolfess looks to one side, then the other, with a mildly confused expression before she realizes Kezu's referring to herself. "Oh...I'm Heath." Watching curiously as the other wolf bows so deeply to her, head tilting slightly to the side, she returns the question once he's righted himself again: "Who are you?"
"I'm Kezu." The wolf simply states, righting himself with that same warm smile, though seeing that she's stopped playing, he gives a gentle grin. "Come on now, don't let me ruin your fun. I'd join if I was nimble enough, but I think if my large rump jumped in a puddle, I'd cause a water-storm." A laugh, as he smiles to her. It's a bit more than warm, almost welcoming, eager to watch. "Go on, play, we can talk AS you play, yes? In any case, it's very nice to meet one so happy as you, Heath." His right ear flickers, tail wagging visibly behind him, unaware of the approaching Skelaghe. Too focused at the moment, it would seem.
Skelaghe moves just a few more steps forward before stopping for a moment. Her recent playing with Wyanet has, apparently, reminded the aging alpha of what it is like, and she doesn't attempt to hide her smile as she says, finally, "That sounds like coward talk to me, Kezu." If one of her pups were out here to play with Heath, perhaps she would not try to do so, herself. As it is, though, she leaps forward, hoping to land in a puddle near Heath to splash the other female.
Heath may be feeling slightly less timid than usual, but being asked to perform in front of an audience is still a bit outside the girl's comfort zone. Shifting her weight self-consciously, the rust-furred female stammers a bit to herself before she's saved by the entrance of her closest friend, the alphaess. "Hi, Skelag--" Heath's greeting is cut-off in surprise as the other she-wolf bounds forward, splattering her legs with rainwater. Well, if Skelaghe wants to play, then maybe she can too... Her stunned look is soon replaced with a smile that gradually spreads across her muzzle, and Heath tentatively slaps a paw down on the puddle's surface to splash the older female back.
Kezu lays his ears back as his eyes close, just as a few water droplettes come his way, only to grin, chuckling, as he peers towards Skelaghe. "Well... if you're calling me on my honor, I suppose I have no choice, huh?" A broad smile then, before he lowers himself to the ground, rump high in the air... preparing for the nearest puddle...!
Skelaghe has no chance of moving away in order to avoid being splashed by Heath. With Kezu, though, she has much more warning, and so she leaps away again. She doesn't go far. Not that she really could. She is no longer and fast or agile as she once was, but what she lacks in physical capability, she makes up for in enthusiasm. As they play, her tail wags, and her mouth remains open in a smile.
Heath can't help but utter a high-pitched little giggle as the bigger male crouches in a play-bow, quickly shifting to dart away from the line of fire (or water, as it were) before Kezu can splash her too. Younger than the other she-wolf, Heath's tail is tucked as she runs excitedly around in a lazily-looping circle, acting rather puppy-like as her tongue even threatens to dangle from the side of her mouth while she dashes about in the rain. The fun play is probably quite good for the skittish girl, as this is certainly more exuberance than any of her packmates have seen in her so far since she showed up at Ute's borders several moons ago.
Jump! And...! SPLASH! Kezu, not having played in the rain in... well, ever, he is not used to the slick consistancy of mud, and as a result, he falls, chest and belly first, into the large puddle, SPLASHING quite a copious amount of water into the air! A water storm, as he said! Not only that, but he slides forward, momentum carrying him several feet to where he threatens to slide down the hill, before he lets out a yip of surprise, and claws at the ground. Hearing a yip from that size of a wolf is quite comical, as he tries to regain his balance... and once he does, he's just alight with happiness, squirming back up to his paws!
Skelaghe is not quite far enough away to avoid being splashed entirely, but it is only a few droplets that manage to reach her, quickly lost in the rain. She watches with mild concern as Kezu loses his footing,. but as soon as it's obvious that the large male is all right, Skelaghe gives a bark and leaps towards the male.
Heath's sprint slows to a trot, also out of some concern for her packmate, when Kezu starts to slide on the muddy terrain, ears pricked alertly to make sure everyone involved is all right before she resumes her cheery demeanor. When Skelaghe pounces after the male, the coppery wolfess giggles again, tail wagging behind her, though she hangs back somewhat for now, still a bit shy, instead of leaping right back into the play.
Kezu ah hahs! As if he was proud that he was on his feet again, only to perk at Skealghe as she leaps torwards him! He tries to pivot, he really does! But it only results in a thump from the she-wolf, the large male GACKing as he falls over to his side, another splash of puddles as Kezu squirms under Skelaghe's leaping, barking assault! "Heath! Heeeelp!" He stretches out a paw for Heath, eyes sparkling happily, before he barks in return to Skelaghe, nipping playfully up at her!
Skelaghe bats at one of the fallen's male's ears, a grin on her face. After batting at him, she says, "If you want help, you will have to look for it somewhere other than Heath. The females of this pack stick together against brutes like you." Skelaghe is joking. It would not hurt her if Heath did join Kezu against her.
Heath's tail wags a few beats faster at the scene before her, drawing even more child-like laughter from her before she finally gets up the courage enough to rejoin the pair of play-wrestling wolves. Padding a few paces closer, Heath considers her options for a brief moment, glancing back and forth between the two, before tentatively deciding to side with her friend - though the most she does to the pinned male is ever-so-gently nip at the very tip of his tail, likely catching nothing but fur between her teeth. She offers a little lopsided smile to Kezu afterwards, as a friendly making-up gesture.
Kezu gacks! Now he's doubled up on, two to one! The odds aren't in his favor! Batted, nipped, some hairs missing from his tail! He's getting roughed up here! "I'll show you two a brute!" A grin back at heath, before his muscles ripple underneath Skelaghe, building up all his strength, and suddenly... bursting upwards with a powerful buck of his back, aiming to sweep the two girls up all at once!
Brute is actually a decent way to describe the male. Or, at least, it would be, if Kezu were more inclined to physical conflict, outside of playing. Regardless, it is easy to dislodge her. The sudden force pushes her back, and this time, it is Skelaghe who fights to keep her footing as she finds herself suddenly many feet away from the male she was on top of just moments ago. In her scrambling, she can mount no counter attack.
Heath utters a little nervous whine as the bigger male suddenly pushes back against Skelaghe, forcing her weight easily off of his broad form. She backs away a few steps, tail tucked once more in anxious submission, though it's more due to her timidness than any real fear of the larger wolf. Even so, rough-housing, no matter how light-hearted, isn't quite her preferred manner of recreation. "Um, thank you for the playtime... Maybe I should check on...something." The girl's shyness only serves to increase her awkwardness as she attempts to excuse herself. Perhaps Skelaghe will understand. "Bye Skelaghe. Bye Kezu. It was nice meeting you."
Kezu pants and smiles torwards Skelaghe, his tail wagging as he slips just a bit, before his ears perk at Heath's whine and voice echo into the air, he sobering slightly and ohing, as he lowers himself just a bit, smiling at Heath as he approaches. "I didn't scare you did I? You only have to fear me if you're trying to destroy the pack." He chuckles at that, before leaning forward to give her head a gentle lick. "It was nice meeting you too. You're absolutely adorable. If you ever want to play, I'm up for it!" He seems much brighter at that, peeking back at Skelaghe to make sure he didn't hurt her. Heath's whine got him a bit worried.
When Skelaghe looks to Heath, her expression is compassionate. The poor girl... Slowly, she nods, but she does not attempt to speak until after Kezu is finished talking. "Perhaps you could look in on the pups for me? Kezu and I need to have a talk, anyway." There are things that have been on her mind for a long time. Things that will have to be mentioned before she leaves, even if she only intends to be gone for a few days.
Heath shakes her head, though she's still a bit skittish in overall demeanor as the male approaches. "No..." she trails off, not elaborating any further. Truth be told, Heath is scared by just about /everyone/ -- except puppies -- before she gets to know them. At the lick to her forehead, the rusty-furred female's eyes go wide as the moon, the girl rarely accustomed to physical contact from even the closest of friends. Legs stock-still as they hold her frozen to the ground, Heath manages to accept the verbalized compliments as gracefully as possible before Skelaghe's suggestion provides her with a reprieve. Nodding eagerly, the young she-wolf quickly turns on her heels to begin making her way towards the den.
Kezu blinks down at Heath, before she wanders off, sighing a bit as he finally allows himself to be flushed in the ears. "I don't know why, but I suddenly want to protect her that extra bit now. She's adorable. Cute. I think she'd make a good mate for a male, but only the right kind." Talking to himself again, it seems. He turns slowly, grinning to Skelaghe, and bounding over to give her a playful nudge of his shoulder. "So... you wanted to talk to the big brute, huh?"
Skelaghe watches Heath disappearing into the den as she listens to Kezu. She is silent for a moment after that, and when she turns her gaze back to Kezu, her smile has faded. She does not frown, but whatever playfulness she felt has disappeared along with the other female. "You and I have had our differences, Kezu. You and Wyanet just have this way of getting under my skin. I'm not going to say it needs to stop. You are who you are. But I intend to clear the air, right now." Fair warning. At least she does not leap right in with all the things that have bothered her, but that she has not mentioned, until now.
Kezu flicks his right ear, tilting his head as he looks over Skelaghe... as if thinking to himself. Slowly, he backs up, just a bit, before sitting down in the rain, letting it wash slowly the mud from his fur. "I'm listening intently, Skelaghe." And he smiles, though only slightly, not wanting to disturb the flow of mood the Alphaess has going on.
Skelaghe takes a deep breath before she says anything else. It's not all that hard for her to remain calm. Indeed, it's almost harder for her to remind herself she can't just ignore what has bothered her. "I would never try to force anything on you. You are free to leave at any time. If you remain, though... You /will/ accept me as the alpha of these lands. You will accept my son as the future alpha. And so help me, Kezu, if you EVER suggest to me, again, that it is not my RIGHT to determine how to handle those who have trespassed against me and my family, I will NOT be able to accept you as a peaceful member of this pack." Wyanet said she tore into him over that, but all of the statements Kezu has made that would suggest a future problem to her have gotten to her to the point that she feels a need to exert some of her authority over him. If he cannot accept that... Then what will happen the first time he and Abel get into a disagreement?
Kezu tilts his head. Just slightly. The words don't seem to have an effect on him for the first few moments... his tail brushing over the ground, pushing back, and forth, back, and forth... Before he grins, and chuckles, perhaps opening a bit to the she-wolf as he lowers his head. "I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about, in the suggesting it's not your right to determine thing... if you remember, I only said the world does not revolve around you. In that, in that specific instance, you were not acknowledging, nor respecting Wyanet's views, nor her feelings. You were butting heads with her, instead of trying to find a way that would leave everyone happy. As for accepting you as Alpha..." He looks up at the sky then, squinting his eyes... as if wondering what to say, and how to say it. He remains like that for many moments longer...
Skelaghe doesn't give him the chance. She raises her tail and bares her teeth to growl out, "Wyanet was not the one who was raped by a dog she'd done everything to help. Wyanet was not further betrayed after setting herself against her own family to keep anyone from being hurt. Dammit, Kezu, if my happiness was not to be considered there, why should hers? Why should yours?" The anger is genuine, if muted compared to anger she has felt in past months. "Since you have all arrived, I have pitted myself against my mate and children so that Wyanet would have a safe place to stay. She never had to ask. I did it, because it was right, and I was repayed by her going behind my back to disregard my wishes. Why /should/ I have considered her feelings over my own? In that instance?"
Kezu seems to continue thinking at that point. That's what it seems he's doing... before he looks down at Skelaghe, with a great deal of sorrow, pity, or sadness in his eyes. One would think the brute was going to tear up. "... Mine? I have not been truely happy since I was a pup. Don't concern yourself about me." He tilts his head, furrowing his brows. "... I'm really trying to get used to this... to this place. Everything you mentioned... it was commonplace where I come from... But..." He sighs, lowering his ears. "... If you were raped, it is your place to decide what fate should befall him. But as for Wyanet's wishes, why treat her different just because you know her? Would you be equally angry if the dog was hunting an elk, and the Elk trampled him to death? Or if a Two-Walker blew invisible fire from their bark-sticks? Or if he got in a fight with another pack, and they tore him, limb from limb...?" He settles down to his belly, crossing his paws, and lowering his ears as he watches Skelaghe. "... I just wish there was a way I could take your pain from you..." And he lays his chin upon his paws...
There isn't. That pain will always be with Skelaghe. Must they add to it? "And should I feel guilt over the meat I eat? Your argument is faulty, because I am not friends with those animals. They would not have deliberately ignored my desires to satisfy themselves, after I'd done everything I could to care for them. Her INTENTION is what mattered, Kezu. Your intention. And despite your words, they have never seemed to be to take pain from me."
Kezu flicks his left ear, looking up at Skelaghe... sighing. "... I don't accept you as Alphaess, because I... don't respect the word 'Alphaess'... I respect you as my leader, the one I look to for orders. A friend... and one that I protect. You are a part of my family, to me at least. But if this is what you think is 'Alphaess' then you may consider me accepting of that." He looks off to the distance, watching the rain fall. "... Because I know there are no words that CAN take your pain from you, my friend. Pains run deep, to the heart, and despite everything you do, it will always be there. Eating. Devouring you. Until your eyes close for time eternal." He looks to Skelaghe then... sighing gently. "My intention? What was my intention, Skelaghe...? Or... if you prefer... Alphaess?"
"What is an Alpha if not a leader, Kezu? I don't know what things were like where you came from, but I fail to understand how you can say how you respect me as a leader to the pack, but not as the Alphaess." Skelaghe takes another breath, then looks away. "Maybe if you would think about these things you say, you could understand why you cause me as much pain as you claim you would like to remove from me."
Kezu rolls his shoulders a bit, flicking his ears. "Alpha is the position before Beta, and under Grand-Alpha. Alpha is the hunt-leader, the war-leader, and the war-force voice of the Grand Council. At least, from where I'm from. They reign through blood birth, passing from Mother to Daughter, from Father to Son." He looks to Skelaghe, peering with lidded eyes. "The Last Alpha I fell under gave me the title Bloodletter, that is to say, Murderer of Wolves. For political reasons. That's all you need to know. Oh, and that that Alpha also destroyed my eye." He huffs at that. "You're not an Alpha. You're my friend. You're not supposed to be friends with an Alpha. At least the ones I'm familiar with."
"You would have me ignore the same thing that you all failed to ignore, in the youth who came here from my former mate's old pack. This is NOT your prior pack. This is Ute, and I am an Ute Alpha. I never wanted to be. I would have happily pledged myself to another, but there was no other in these lands who could accept any pledge I could have given... And I needed my pups. I have done all I can. I like to believe I have done good to the name of Ute Alpha... But if you don't believe so, you should say to with your feet. Not with hurtful words."
Eyes shift. They look up to Skelaghe. And they have something... different. Anger. His fur rises on end, as he gets to his feet, slowly... seeming to grow larger than any have seen him prior, as if he were swelling with that anger, feeding off of it. "You think my words -hurtful-? Painful? You think I am asking for special consideration? And you are yet ignoring what I have tried to do, what I have tried to give to the pack, advice, protection, food, comfort, ease of mind, I have tried to help in every task anyone has asked of me? Scouting the new pack-mate of your old mate, seeing that he was speaking with the dog who raped you? Keeping tabs on that dog... that evil, disgrace of the EARTH that makes me salivate with the want to kill, but I had withheld, for -you-?" His fur raises higher, as if he were a porcupine, as he bares his fangs. Large. Gleaming. White.
This is Kezu's idea of respect? Still. "I am asking you to THINK. To understand that here, on Ute lands, and by Ute traditions, to hear you say that you do not respect me as an Alpha HURTS, regardless of what you mean. To hear you accuse me of selfishness after all I have done HURTS. And I am asking you that, if you CAN'T understand that, for you to spare me, and yourself." Skelaghe does not look back to Kezu. Her pain is very real. Nearly physical.
"So much emphasis on titles, words. Not the ideas behind them. Fine." And he swells his chest, Kezu spitting on the ground, his tail lashing to the side. "You are ALPHA... I respect you, as Alpha. Being my friend, my leader, that is not enough for you, you have to try and convert me to your way of speech and thinking." He rolls his shoulders. "Of course, my words are always foreign to you, and to Wyanet. Apparently I'm not 'intelligent', I'm an ignorant wolf incapable of 'thinking' to you and to her. I'm just useless, except as a strong leg, a sharp claw and fang. Once a bloodletter, always a bloodletter, I guess. If all I cause is pain, then I shall speak no more." And he goes quiet. And sits.
Skelaghe looks back to Kezu, finally, her teeth bared once more. "How many wolves do you hear walking around, calling me Alpha? Call me your friend, and I will be honored to be so. If the word bothers you, don't use it, but /don't/ use it. To use it only the way it suits you... And you would accuse me of selfishness for hearing the word as I have always known it. Someone who would lay down her own life before sending those in her pack into danger, to be that sharp claw, that strong fang. Someone who cares for all those around her. Someone whose sole purpose is to see the pack and her pups thrive. When you insist on saying you do not respect an Alpha, that is what I hear." Skelaghe finally shakes her head. She has come to terms with the idea that they will nto agree, but she had to say that. Having done so, she turns to leave.
Kezu watches after Skelaghe, tears in his eyes for reasons only he knows... before he looks to the raining skies, encroaching night now. And he remains. Standing guard, not saying a word.