Post by Therdde on Mar 3, 2010 8:41:36 GMT -5
Characters:
Wyanet - Female Wolf
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
- Lone Crabapple Tree -
Sprawled out at the base of her favorite tree is Wyanet, resting comfortably in the grass as she listens to the wind blowing through the leaves. Her tail is thumping gently on the ground, and for a change, she seems to be completely at peace with herself. It's been a full two days since she has yelled at anyone. With a loud yawn, she gives her forepaws a stretch outwards, working the joints free.
Skelaghe has been keeping her distance in recent weeks. It isn't the first time in her life that she has decided solitude suits her. Actually, she gets into this mood almost every autumn, regardless of what is going on in her life. Finally, though, she is doing what she told herself she must do. She's seeking out her beta. Not that Wyanet is particularly hard to find. As Skelaghe approaches the younger female, her tail is help parallel to the ground, her ears are perked, and her pace is relaxed.
Glancing over her shoulder towards Skelaghe, Wyanet starts to wag her tail a bit, then rolls over on to her side, ears lifting upwards upon her skull. "Evening." She croons over to her older friend, lolling her tongue out a bit as she gives herself a good stretch of her body. "Haven't seen you around, thought maybe you took off and left me in charge." She says with a teasing note in her voice.
In Skelaghe's old age, her sense of humor is failing her. Still, she does not frown, and her tone, when she speaks, is amicable. "I don't believe I will be leaving until Abel has come into his own. Perhaps for that reason." If her sense of humor is failing her, at least her thin smile ought to imply that she is not worried that is actually a risk.
There's a glint in Wyanet's eye as she gives her tail another couple of swishes, before giving herself another good stretch, arching her back upwards. It may seem she has something on her mind, something sharp to say, but she keeps it sheathed for now. "So, what's up?" She asks, tilting the conversation away a bit into a new direction.
The smile does not disappear entirely, but whatever amusement was in her expression is long gone as she gets to the point of why she is here. "I've come to speak to you about Rowtag. I would like to... thank you, for helping him." Thanking Wyanet was not the first thing on Skelaghe's mind, those weeks ago, and she has not done a great job of keeping it a secret, but her tone now is sincere.
Nodding her head, Wyanet looks a bit surprised. With a quick smile, she lifts her one and a half ear upwards. "You're welcome, Skelaghe. I've enjoyed my time with him. He's a good kid, deep down. Just needed another perspective of life. You know he nearly killed himself trying to find you something to eat the other day? He was upset that he couldn't catch anything and was afraid to disappoint you. So, I helped him get a rabbit, and he was so proud of himself." She pauses for a moment, thinking. "He /really/ loves you, Skelaghe. He's just jealous of Ciqala, and Rawiya, and it's hard for him to not grow up with a father figure in his life, and he's confused. I'm just trying to give him a focus now for his emotions. Hunting, and patrolling has helped keep his mind centered. I'm also teaching him why he should respect the kills he makes, and give thanks to the spirits. He's still not really into that, but he's at least humoring me by praying afterwards, sometimes." She says with a grin.
Skelaghe closes her eyes as she listens to Wyanet speak. She knew the boy was settling down, but she couldn't have imagined that he'd give more than two second's thought to anything spiritual, and she's as grateful to Wyanet for at least mentioning some basic things as she is for Wyanet successfully helping Rowtag in the first place. As such, she decides against mentioning any of the reasons she was upset. What does it matter? It worked out, and Skelaghe has overlooked a great many things in the past simply because they did not turn out as badly as they could have. "I really am glad he had you here for him. It was so much easier, with my first pups, and even with Rawiya and Ciqala. But with Rowtag... It might not be the life I'd have chosen for him, given a chance, but I truly appreciate that he has someone who could teach it to him."
"I'm trying my best, besides, I figure if I am to be your Beta, I should at least show 'some' leadership qualities, huh? Besides, you've had it rough lately, and I felt you could use a bit of de-stressing. I've had Haht' work with him on the border patrols, and I think he's taken after him a bit. Haht's a strong wolf, who's very down to earth, and easy to talk to. So, I'm kind of watching from afar, to see how Rowtag interacts with another older male." She rolls her tongue across the top of her nose, then says, "But, all this good behavior does hove a price to it, and I made a promise to him that I know you're going to be upset at me about."
Skelaghe cannot claim to be surprised by Wyanet's final statement. Sitting, almost as though her legs could no longer hold her weight, she asks, softly, "What was it?" It's not hard to guess that it will have something to do with Vincent. Why else would she have suddenly stopped hearing of him altogether from Rowtag? As she sits there, she attempts to prepare herself, mentally, for a fight with her beta. For a great many months, now, she has been able to tell herself she was doing a fair job of keeping Wyanet in check and holding everyone together, but she isn't sure she has the fortitude to continue, and it worries her.
"Rowtag wanted to leave and find his father, of course, and he was already on his way out of the lands when I found him. He and I fought a long time over the topic of Vincent, and no amount of convincing on my end would sway his mind. So, I told him this, that if he wanted to go find his father, by all means, he can just go, but I also told him he would starve to death in two days time. I put quite a fear into him, because he chased me back home, upset, and scared to death of starving. He told me that he really wants a father, and he was sure that Vincent would accept him. So, the deal I made with him, was that I'd train him to take care of himself, so that when he's older, if he still wanted to go out and find Vincent, he could very well go off and do it." Wyanet says with a lift of her shoulders in a indifferent shrug. "In return, he had to promise me to be good, and to /try/ and see things from your perspective, and /try/ to see why he needs the pack, and not Vincent. The first few days were a struggle, but lately, I've seen a major change in him. He hasn't spoken about Vincent in a long time, and he's desperate to impress you. I think him going on about Vincent was just a way to get you to give him attention. I think he only brought Vincent up just so that you could beg him to come back or something. He wanted to be dramatic and thought it'd work. Most kids are like that. I think all the personal attention upon him lately has gone him good, and as he gets older, he'll probably be more interested in working with the pack, than going off to find his father. And even if he does..." She shrugs. "We know what will happen. Vincent won't want him, Rowtag will get upset, and he'll come back to us." There's another pause. "And if Rowtag does decide to go off after him, I'm going to follow, about a half day's distance behind, to make sure that when Vincent discards him, that I'll be there to comfort him, and bring him back home to us, hopefully not in pieces."
Is there any way that Skelage will be able to hold her tongue about this, with Rowtag? She's not sure. A part of her instantly wishes that she had not asked Wyanet about it, and that Wyanet had not told her. She doesn't have the strength to fight Wyanet anymore. Just like she doesn't have the strength to control her own son. Looking away from the female she chose as beta, she says, "Just try to keep him here through the winter. Siwa believes it's going to be a harsh one, and I'm inclined to believe her." And then? Well, she was prepared to send Rowtag out to fend for himself when he was much younger, with the hopes that it would scare him back home. If he still wants to leave, come spring, she will be unable to stop him, just as she was unable to stop any of her older children. Beyond that... she'll just have to hope that Wyanet really does have some idea of what she's doing.
Leaning forward, Wyanet presses her nose against her Alpha's shoulder. "If there is anything you've learned about me by now, is that I always have a backup plan. I know I am the biggest headache you've ever had in your life, but I'm in control of the situation. I'm giving him a love that Vincent can not equal. I ensure you, that if things go well, he won't give Vincent another thought. As he gets older, he'll remove his chlidish thoughts." Looming over to rest her chin against Skelaghe's shoulder, then says, "But I need your help as well. I need you to be open to Rowtag, communicate with him more, take small steps. Invite him out to do stuff with just you, then start bringing Ciaqla and Rawiya. I want to see if he can interact with his siblings in a cordial manner. It's important that he doesn't do this just for me, or for Vincent, or for personal gain, but that he does this because he really sees the value in the pack."
"I've always done those things." Sure, less so once Rowtag made it clear he wanted little to do with her, but Skelaghe does /not/ neglect her son. She never has. The alphaess does not move away from Wyanet, though she finds herself wanting to. She takes a deep breath, then adds, "Still. I will keep you informed." It is, after all, only fair, if Skelaghe wants to see Wyanet continue to do good for Rowtag.
"I know you have, but it's even more important now that I've got him where I want him. Believe me, after the grueling training I put him through, he should be happy to see you. I'm not nice Aunty Wyanet out there. I'm big, mean, bitchy Wyanet who takes no snot from a kid, and wants nothing short of perfection from my student. I told him I was not going to go easy on him if he wanted my help in teaching him. He's lost a lot of that cub fat, and put on a good deal of muscle, if you've noticed." She says with a soft rumble in her throat. Growing quite, she squints her eyes a bit, then gives her a smooch on the ear in the form of a quick lick, then pushes up to her paws. "You're mad at me, I can taste it. How come you're not yelling?"
Skelaghe does not deny that there is some anger in her. How she often longs for the days when she scarcely knew what anger was. "I can't yell anymore. I've never had much of a taste for it, and I find I've had more than my fill." Is she really just rolling over and giving in? Not that she admits to herself. Rather, she tells herself that if she is going to continue to lead this pack through the winter and any time into the spring, she will have to pick her battles very carefully, and she simply doesn't have the will to fight this one.
"Then don't yell at me, just talk to me, get it off your chest. If I upset you, I need to hear it. Give me honest feedback." Wyanet says as she settles back upon her haunches, tilting her head to one side to stare at the Alpha. Her posture is neutral, and rather calm. "You felt that I shouldn't have used Vincent as a carrot to dangle in front of him, correct?" She asks, curling her tail around her haunches.
"If I am angry with you, yet, then you do not deserve it. You've done more good for Rowtag than I ever will. Any fool can see that, and I've become quite the fool. That really needs to be all that matters to me, now. That my son has a chance at a fulfilled life." Skelaghe is not perfect. She has never claimed to be. She has emotions that, logically, make no sense, such as harboring a hidden anger over things that could not have been helped and that seem to have turned out for the best. All she can do is attempt to keep these things in check.
"Of course I deserve it, Skelaghe. I should have spoken with you first. I should have got your approval.. I shouldn't have even used Vincent as bait, but I didn't know of anything else that would have convinced him. I should have kept you in the loop the entire time. I should have.. done a thousand things differently." Wyanet says as her ears falter back against her skull, tightly, giving her a nose on the shoulder. "Punish me or something, c'mon.. you aren't a fool, you're a good Alpha, and a great mother. I'm not going to be half the mother you are if, and when I have cubs with Haht'. I'm not even a good pack mate, so how can you be the fool? Foolish maybe for allowing me to stay with you here, maybe foolish for making me Beta." She says, without any sense of amusement. She looks honestly worried.
Skelaghe looks back to Wyanet, finally. Her eyes glisten, but whatever the reason for it, she doesn't mention. Rather, she says, "You don't need to be punished. You did the best you could with what was available, and the day I start reprimanding the wolves of my pack for that..." That day might have already come, had Skelaghe and Wyanet crossed paths before Skelaghe saw what good it was doing in Rowtag. "If it makes you any feel better, I forgive you for the things that might have upset me. I forgave you even before I came here."
Wyanet - Female Wolf
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
- Lone Crabapple Tree -
Sprawled out at the base of her favorite tree is Wyanet, resting comfortably in the grass as she listens to the wind blowing through the leaves. Her tail is thumping gently on the ground, and for a change, she seems to be completely at peace with herself. It's been a full two days since she has yelled at anyone. With a loud yawn, she gives her forepaws a stretch outwards, working the joints free.
Skelaghe has been keeping her distance in recent weeks. It isn't the first time in her life that she has decided solitude suits her. Actually, she gets into this mood almost every autumn, regardless of what is going on in her life. Finally, though, she is doing what she told herself she must do. She's seeking out her beta. Not that Wyanet is particularly hard to find. As Skelaghe approaches the younger female, her tail is help parallel to the ground, her ears are perked, and her pace is relaxed.
Glancing over her shoulder towards Skelaghe, Wyanet starts to wag her tail a bit, then rolls over on to her side, ears lifting upwards upon her skull. "Evening." She croons over to her older friend, lolling her tongue out a bit as she gives herself a good stretch of her body. "Haven't seen you around, thought maybe you took off and left me in charge." She says with a teasing note in her voice.
In Skelaghe's old age, her sense of humor is failing her. Still, she does not frown, and her tone, when she speaks, is amicable. "I don't believe I will be leaving until Abel has come into his own. Perhaps for that reason." If her sense of humor is failing her, at least her thin smile ought to imply that she is not worried that is actually a risk.
There's a glint in Wyanet's eye as she gives her tail another couple of swishes, before giving herself another good stretch, arching her back upwards. It may seem she has something on her mind, something sharp to say, but she keeps it sheathed for now. "So, what's up?" She asks, tilting the conversation away a bit into a new direction.
The smile does not disappear entirely, but whatever amusement was in her expression is long gone as she gets to the point of why she is here. "I've come to speak to you about Rowtag. I would like to... thank you, for helping him." Thanking Wyanet was not the first thing on Skelaghe's mind, those weeks ago, and she has not done a great job of keeping it a secret, but her tone now is sincere.
Nodding her head, Wyanet looks a bit surprised. With a quick smile, she lifts her one and a half ear upwards. "You're welcome, Skelaghe. I've enjoyed my time with him. He's a good kid, deep down. Just needed another perspective of life. You know he nearly killed himself trying to find you something to eat the other day? He was upset that he couldn't catch anything and was afraid to disappoint you. So, I helped him get a rabbit, and he was so proud of himself." She pauses for a moment, thinking. "He /really/ loves you, Skelaghe. He's just jealous of Ciqala, and Rawiya, and it's hard for him to not grow up with a father figure in his life, and he's confused. I'm just trying to give him a focus now for his emotions. Hunting, and patrolling has helped keep his mind centered. I'm also teaching him why he should respect the kills he makes, and give thanks to the spirits. He's still not really into that, but he's at least humoring me by praying afterwards, sometimes." She says with a grin.
Skelaghe closes her eyes as she listens to Wyanet speak. She knew the boy was settling down, but she couldn't have imagined that he'd give more than two second's thought to anything spiritual, and she's as grateful to Wyanet for at least mentioning some basic things as she is for Wyanet successfully helping Rowtag in the first place. As such, she decides against mentioning any of the reasons she was upset. What does it matter? It worked out, and Skelaghe has overlooked a great many things in the past simply because they did not turn out as badly as they could have. "I really am glad he had you here for him. It was so much easier, with my first pups, and even with Rawiya and Ciqala. But with Rowtag... It might not be the life I'd have chosen for him, given a chance, but I truly appreciate that he has someone who could teach it to him."
"I'm trying my best, besides, I figure if I am to be your Beta, I should at least show 'some' leadership qualities, huh? Besides, you've had it rough lately, and I felt you could use a bit of de-stressing. I've had Haht' work with him on the border patrols, and I think he's taken after him a bit. Haht's a strong wolf, who's very down to earth, and easy to talk to. So, I'm kind of watching from afar, to see how Rowtag interacts with another older male." She rolls her tongue across the top of her nose, then says, "But, all this good behavior does hove a price to it, and I made a promise to him that I know you're going to be upset at me about."
Skelaghe cannot claim to be surprised by Wyanet's final statement. Sitting, almost as though her legs could no longer hold her weight, she asks, softly, "What was it?" It's not hard to guess that it will have something to do with Vincent. Why else would she have suddenly stopped hearing of him altogether from Rowtag? As she sits there, she attempts to prepare herself, mentally, for a fight with her beta. For a great many months, now, she has been able to tell herself she was doing a fair job of keeping Wyanet in check and holding everyone together, but she isn't sure she has the fortitude to continue, and it worries her.
"Rowtag wanted to leave and find his father, of course, and he was already on his way out of the lands when I found him. He and I fought a long time over the topic of Vincent, and no amount of convincing on my end would sway his mind. So, I told him this, that if he wanted to go find his father, by all means, he can just go, but I also told him he would starve to death in two days time. I put quite a fear into him, because he chased me back home, upset, and scared to death of starving. He told me that he really wants a father, and he was sure that Vincent would accept him. So, the deal I made with him, was that I'd train him to take care of himself, so that when he's older, if he still wanted to go out and find Vincent, he could very well go off and do it." Wyanet says with a lift of her shoulders in a indifferent shrug. "In return, he had to promise me to be good, and to /try/ and see things from your perspective, and /try/ to see why he needs the pack, and not Vincent. The first few days were a struggle, but lately, I've seen a major change in him. He hasn't spoken about Vincent in a long time, and he's desperate to impress you. I think him going on about Vincent was just a way to get you to give him attention. I think he only brought Vincent up just so that you could beg him to come back or something. He wanted to be dramatic and thought it'd work. Most kids are like that. I think all the personal attention upon him lately has gone him good, and as he gets older, he'll probably be more interested in working with the pack, than going off to find his father. And even if he does..." She shrugs. "We know what will happen. Vincent won't want him, Rowtag will get upset, and he'll come back to us." There's another pause. "And if Rowtag does decide to go off after him, I'm going to follow, about a half day's distance behind, to make sure that when Vincent discards him, that I'll be there to comfort him, and bring him back home to us, hopefully not in pieces."
Is there any way that Skelage will be able to hold her tongue about this, with Rowtag? She's not sure. A part of her instantly wishes that she had not asked Wyanet about it, and that Wyanet had not told her. She doesn't have the strength to fight Wyanet anymore. Just like she doesn't have the strength to control her own son. Looking away from the female she chose as beta, she says, "Just try to keep him here through the winter. Siwa believes it's going to be a harsh one, and I'm inclined to believe her." And then? Well, she was prepared to send Rowtag out to fend for himself when he was much younger, with the hopes that it would scare him back home. If he still wants to leave, come spring, she will be unable to stop him, just as she was unable to stop any of her older children. Beyond that... she'll just have to hope that Wyanet really does have some idea of what she's doing.
Leaning forward, Wyanet presses her nose against her Alpha's shoulder. "If there is anything you've learned about me by now, is that I always have a backup plan. I know I am the biggest headache you've ever had in your life, but I'm in control of the situation. I'm giving him a love that Vincent can not equal. I ensure you, that if things go well, he won't give Vincent another thought. As he gets older, he'll remove his chlidish thoughts." Looming over to rest her chin against Skelaghe's shoulder, then says, "But I need your help as well. I need you to be open to Rowtag, communicate with him more, take small steps. Invite him out to do stuff with just you, then start bringing Ciaqla and Rawiya. I want to see if he can interact with his siblings in a cordial manner. It's important that he doesn't do this just for me, or for Vincent, or for personal gain, but that he does this because he really sees the value in the pack."
"I've always done those things." Sure, less so once Rowtag made it clear he wanted little to do with her, but Skelaghe does /not/ neglect her son. She never has. The alphaess does not move away from Wyanet, though she finds herself wanting to. She takes a deep breath, then adds, "Still. I will keep you informed." It is, after all, only fair, if Skelaghe wants to see Wyanet continue to do good for Rowtag.
"I know you have, but it's even more important now that I've got him where I want him. Believe me, after the grueling training I put him through, he should be happy to see you. I'm not nice Aunty Wyanet out there. I'm big, mean, bitchy Wyanet who takes no snot from a kid, and wants nothing short of perfection from my student. I told him I was not going to go easy on him if he wanted my help in teaching him. He's lost a lot of that cub fat, and put on a good deal of muscle, if you've noticed." She says with a soft rumble in her throat. Growing quite, she squints her eyes a bit, then gives her a smooch on the ear in the form of a quick lick, then pushes up to her paws. "You're mad at me, I can taste it. How come you're not yelling?"
Skelaghe does not deny that there is some anger in her. How she often longs for the days when she scarcely knew what anger was. "I can't yell anymore. I've never had much of a taste for it, and I find I've had more than my fill." Is she really just rolling over and giving in? Not that she admits to herself. Rather, she tells herself that if she is going to continue to lead this pack through the winter and any time into the spring, she will have to pick her battles very carefully, and she simply doesn't have the will to fight this one.
"Then don't yell at me, just talk to me, get it off your chest. If I upset you, I need to hear it. Give me honest feedback." Wyanet says as she settles back upon her haunches, tilting her head to one side to stare at the Alpha. Her posture is neutral, and rather calm. "You felt that I shouldn't have used Vincent as a carrot to dangle in front of him, correct?" She asks, curling her tail around her haunches.
"If I am angry with you, yet, then you do not deserve it. You've done more good for Rowtag than I ever will. Any fool can see that, and I've become quite the fool. That really needs to be all that matters to me, now. That my son has a chance at a fulfilled life." Skelaghe is not perfect. She has never claimed to be. She has emotions that, logically, make no sense, such as harboring a hidden anger over things that could not have been helped and that seem to have turned out for the best. All she can do is attempt to keep these things in check.
"Of course I deserve it, Skelaghe. I should have spoken with you first. I should have got your approval.. I shouldn't have even used Vincent as bait, but I didn't know of anything else that would have convinced him. I should have kept you in the loop the entire time. I should have.. done a thousand things differently." Wyanet says as her ears falter back against her skull, tightly, giving her a nose on the shoulder. "Punish me or something, c'mon.. you aren't a fool, you're a good Alpha, and a great mother. I'm not going to be half the mother you are if, and when I have cubs with Haht'. I'm not even a good pack mate, so how can you be the fool? Foolish maybe for allowing me to stay with you here, maybe foolish for making me Beta." She says, without any sense of amusement. She looks honestly worried.
Skelaghe looks back to Wyanet, finally. Her eyes glisten, but whatever the reason for it, she doesn't mention. Rather, she says, "You don't need to be punished. You did the best you could with what was available, and the day I start reprimanding the wolves of my pack for that..." That day might have already come, had Skelaghe and Wyanet crossed paths before Skelaghe saw what good it was doing in Rowtag. "If it makes you any feel better, I forgive you for the things that might have upset me. I forgave you even before I came here."