Post by Pavane on May 6, 2012 4:19:04 GMT -5
Tala - female adolescent wolf
Ahiga - male wolf
Ikuna - male adolescent wolf
---Tranquil Pond---
The hour is late, darkness still clings to the area an save a few bugs and perhaps a bird making some noise all is quiet. Tala hasn't moved all day, her sleep close to deathly silent at times but she still breaths. Her blue eyes soon open, nose twitching, and ears perking forward. Her breathing is still hard and wheezing at times but if any was paying attention it does seem a bit better. She slowly lifts her head, a forepaw scrapes against the ground and she faintly sniffs out at the passing spring breeze. With a lick across her muzzle she is slowly pulling herself upwards so she is sitting, a movement that is normaly quick and without effort, though at this moment it is a struggling effort. Soon enough she is sitting though, tail curling to her side in the process, perhaps a sign that she is improving to some degree.
Ahiga had not returned since he left. Well .. that's a lie. He had returned a few times, only to watch Tala from a hidden distance, checking on her. But he hadn't seem much change in her, which is not a good thing. But since his last check in, Ahiga had not returned to the tranquil pond and has spent time to think over..then try to forget what Ikuna said to him. It's bothersome, like a fly that won't go away, and as he walks back towards the pond a light scowl can be seen on his face. But sounds ahead focuses him and he pricks his ears. He can see Tala, and his tail begins to flickflick and wag as he sees her up. Still not looking all that healty..but up.
Ikuna has been and gone, through the course of the day. Sometimes he rests near his sister, keeping watch; sometimes he passes off the watch to another, going out to hunt, to search for other stragglers of Ute. The lack of Ahiga has been felt - for without that other wolf, it's been difficult sometimes to find a watcher he likes. Wachiwa, but she is injured. Skahla, sometimes. More often, he's the one sitting here... as now. Even so, Ahiga's return goes unnoticed at first, for Ikuna's attention is drawn to Tala as she stirs. His ears perk up, concerned, and as she rises he smiles. "Hey, Tala. How're you feeling?"
Tala takes in a few shakey breaths, her gaze drifting up towards the dark sky to watch it a few moments before a faint cough escapes her, though its not as harsh sounding as before. Her gaze turns towards the voice of Ikuna, a tired smile offered and her tail sways a few times. "Ikuna, Like a moose kicked me into a tree." This said after a moment, her voice tired and scratchy sounding. An while she is speaking to her brother her gaze drifts to rest on Ahiga's returning form, her head lifts a bit more and she keeps her smile clearly glad to see him.
She surely doesn't look as if she's had a miraculous healing done...but she sure is /sounding/ better! This lifts Ahiga's spirits a little, for Tala had been on his mind much and every daydream about her ended in less than pleasant ways. He starts forward but pauses upon seeing Ikuna. He's never felt as if he didn't want to see or be around his best friend before, and thus it's an odd sensation that spreads through him as he watches the other wolf. His eyes turn, but almost in that same instant do his brows lower. Nope. Not gonna run away. He looks forward again and continues to Tala. "How big've a moose? That matters, y'know," he interjects with a crooked grin as he nears her.
Ikuna chuckles softly at Tala's answer. Sense of humor is a good sign. "Speakin' of moose, then... how 'bout some plants to chew?" He nudges some of the ribwort and yarrow toward her. Maybe they're what's helping. Even if not, they certainly don't seem to be hurting, and an awake wolf is one that can take her medicine. Continuing to get better is the plan here! Ikuna does seem pleased at her improvement, grinning a bit. He follows her gaze over to Ahiga, and sees... well. He's not entirely sure what he sees, but it's enough to make him frown slightly in response. But at least Ahiga approaches; that much is good. Ikuna settles back to his haunches.
Tala is better, but by no means anywhere close to being out of the woods yet so to speak. Her gaze drifts from Ahiga to Ikuna and then back to the other. She can tell /something/ that happened between the two but she isn't sure what it could have been that would drive them apart so. "What have I missed?" She may be sick but she's not blind! Her gaze lowers to the leaves, which she eyes a moment but soon enough to leans down an picks them up, chewing away upon them an making a face at the taste in her mouth, but she soon swallows it down. "Of course it was a HUGE moose.. Biggest one /ever/."
When close, Ahiga dips his head and presses his forehead gently against her shoulder, using almost no pressure at all in the gesture. No need risk accidentally knocking her over. He tips his head up after that, to touch his nose to her neck and nuzzle lightly at her before stepping back. Her question is answered with silence at first, and he doesn't interrupt her eating her mushed up medicine. At her moose comment, he cracks a smirk as he settles onto his haunches, though as he mulls over her "what have I missed?" question again, the look fades. Keeping things from Tala never has worked out in anyone's favor before. "Turns out Ikuna 'n I don't see eye to eye on everything."
Course it was. It was a moose to block out the sun and get the moon caught in its antlers. Ikuna grins somewhat, though it fades as he considers her question. "Not much. That Grim wolf's brother found us, but no more of our pack yet." And with every day they're gone, he has to wonder what happened. As for other things... well, there's Ahiga's answer, cryptic as it is. Ikuna frowns slightly, but his gaze is steady. Explanation time. "Wachiwa is pregnant."
Tala tilts her head letting herself press back against Ahiga in the process. A soft murmur escaping her as she is glad to have him near her once more. Her head lowers and she nuzzles back against Ahiga's neck as he settles into a seated position. Indeed, keeping anything from her tends to end badly, and she does have her ways of /getting/ informantion after all. Her gaze rests on Ahiga a moment watching him curiously before letting her attention turn towards Ikuna as if waiting for him to explain what is the problem. A ear twitches at the comment of the wolves that helped them, she supposes she'll have to be nice to them then. As Ikuna goes on she just blinks while watching him a few moments, her ears lower and she looks towards Wachiwa, a faint look of unsureness seen. "By.. who?" She isn't sure she wants to know the answer. The fight comes back to her, that dog that said they can be taught.. An that she was his?.. "The dogs are the ones that hurt her, and kept her from us?" Even sick and fuzzy around the edges of her mind it seems she has an idea of what could have happened.
Hearing it again is no better than hearing it the first time, and the turning feeling in Ahiga's stomach makes it feel as if the meager snack he managed to snag for himself is threatening to make a second appearance. He scowls, eyes neither on Ikuna or Tala now and instead shifting to a patch of leftover winter snow. "The dogs. Could be any've them. The flat faced one, the black one, the big one, the red one.." His frown deepens as he forces himself to stop, eyes closing as he hisses out a breath. "And now," he continues, eyes opening and turning to Tala, "Wachiwa's gonna have their pups. An' we're gonna love 'm because they're one of us. Right?" the question is turned to Ikuna, ears perking slightly, tone cynical. "And when we look at them and feed them an' play with them, we're not gonna ever think about how they got here in the first place. That's how it's supposed to work?"
As Ahiga speaks, Ikuna's ears go back. "Of course we'll think it. Just like every time I see her blind eye, I think about that eagle. If she..." He shakes his head. "Wachiwa knows herbs. There's bound to be some that can kill pups inside. She'd know." Even if only as herbs /not/ to give to pregnant wolves, she'd know. "If she wanted to... she would have." She hasn't. They're her pups, after all; her choice. All Ikuna can think to do is support her in what she wants. "We'll feed them and play with them because they're Chewy's pups. Because we're Ute. Because... even if it's hard, it's the right thing to do."
Tala frowns as she hears Ahiga an then Ikuna, her gaze rests on Wachiwa, the only mother she's ever really known. Her real mother is just a distant imagen she can sometime see in a dream anymore, her mother growing up was always Wachiwa and she cares for the other deeply. "Ahiga.. There Wachiwa's pups, there Ute pups, not the dogs." Her tone soft, her blue gaze turning towards Ahiga to watch him. "Even if we think it, we can't be like the dogs. They want us to turn on her, be like them. Which I refuse." A slight shake of her head is seen while she slowly and almost painful shifts up onto her paws. Once standing she slowly makes her way towards the water and looks upon her reflection within it. She ment to get a drink but soon has little choice but to lay herself back down to the ground, her form quivering a moment as she tucks a forepaw to her chest. "I'll be there for Wachiwa every step of the way, an for her pups as well." The only thing she can think of other then Wachiwa is the dog from the fight, his words getting repeated in her mind and her eyes close tightly for a few moments.
"It's spring. S'a little late to kill'm while they're inside when they could be here any day now," replies Ahiga with a scowl that's not really meant for Ikuna. "An' I doubt those dogs let her go off an' chew on plants. Looks like they barely let her chew on anything. The way you're talking, you'd think she wants to have them. I can't believe that." He can't or won't, though it doesn't matter. From Ikuna's one phrase the previous day, he knew that he was not with him on this one. His hatred is too great, and whereas before his dislike for dogs came from a wariness for the unknown. Now he has reason, and it's embedded itself deeply in his heart. As Tala speaks he looks to her, and her words are unsurprising. In fact, Ikuna's feelings are unsurprising too. The only thing that does not fit is his own unwillingness to open his heart as they are. He watches as she moves off, not following after her. "Look at us. We're not Ute. Half of us aren't even here an' haven't been even before the dogs came. There wasn't even enough to fight for our home. An' now? We're hiding with no path ahead've us. And those pups," he grimaces. "I hate them. I hate.. everything they'll stand for."
Ikuna stays where he is, watching Tala as she makes her way to the water. Her words are a small comfort, for... despite his stalwart position, he's not happy about the situation. He'd rather not /have/ this problem to argue over. But... he does. It's here, and it has to be dealt with. Maybe Ahiga's right, and Chewy doesn't have any choice. In the end, it really doesn't matter. One way or another, the pups are coming. When Ahiga calls them no longer Ute, Ikuna looks sharply to him. He's silent for a long moment. "It doesn't matter if we're Ute. If you asked me, I'd make another pack with you and Tala. I don't care if I'm Ute, not really. I care about... You two. Wachiwa. Skahla and the rest. I don't kill babies when I'm hunting. I won't kill them when they're family. I hate that Chewy's having pups like that. That those dogs did that to her. I don't hate her. I'm going to do my best not to hate those pups. I don't know if I can, all the time... but I'm going to try."
Tala is quiet as she listens to Ahiga, hearing his words hurts her and she frowns. "We will always be Ute wolves Ahiga." Her tired gaze turns towards him, watching him a few moments. "You should not give that up so easily to the dogs." A slight shake of her head is seen while she looks back to the water. A ear twitches as she hears Ikuna, an while she has no problem with the thought of starting another pack, now is not the time to be thinking such things. "You should not hate something that through no fault of it's own will be born into a world we're others will hate them for what they are. They are Chewy's pups, there kin to Ikuna an myself.. An as long as you are in this pack to you as well. We are all family here, you must understand that better then the rest of us. You came to us as a pup, alone, no one too protect you. So too are these pups." Her eyes slowly close, as if she was fighting it but unable to much longer. While she is improving she is still very sick, an the next few days will prove if she has the strength to pull herself out of sickness and live, or a darker path awaits her where the troubles of dogs, pups and no pack will bother her no more. "None of us like what has happened, the point of the matter is now to work with it. Everything happens for a reason." Since when did ill tempered Tala get so wordy? Perhaps staring into the face of death herself has awakened other things in her mind other then anger.
Ahiga can't understand how he can feel so differently from the two wolves that he has grown closest to of all wolves, of all creatures, in the entire world. He'd love to agree with them, for then things would be harmonious (er...as harmonious as they can be, considering) and the tension wouldn't be there and he wouldn't feel like growling at the two faces he's never growled at before. But he can't agree because he doesn't agree. Not with everything. His thoughts of these pups are nowhere near how they feel. Could he kill babies? Sure he could, if there was reason enough. Didn't Skahla himself consider the same thing for his own flesh and blood? How difficult could it be then to do so to those whose flesh and blood belong to that of their enemy? He's quiet for a long time, his expression clouded. Stormy. Tala's words weigh heavy. Those pups are not his family. No kin of his. Does that mar him? Deem him unfit for this pack who welcomes...all, forgive all, and love all unconditionally? His eyes flit to her, though some of his resolve falters as he watches her. She's sick. He almost forgot. Why pick this fight now? He exhales a breath, rising to his paws. "I came to you as a wolf, not a mutt." He turns then, head low, every part of him feeling heavy. His gaze meets Ikuna's, though doesn't linger overly long. "I'm goin' for a walk." Again. And he does.
Ikuna tilts his head as he listens to Tala. She sounds... like Wachiwa, really. Somehow, she's caught that ever-patient kindly philosophical tone - and the idea that there's a reason behind things. It's kind of weird, honestly. Maybe it's just a symptom of the disease and she'll get better? Er. Such as it is. Still; this sort of thing does seem to run in Ute. Skahla may have considered killing Hadir... but he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to, even though the pup would take food from others... and will likely die anyhow. When Ahiga announces he's going for a walk, Ikuna nods. No further word is said of the argument (there's that forgiveness again! Ikuna's downright terrible at having a proper fight. Always has been, really), but he does say, "If you get the chance to hunt... we could use some food."
The sound of Ahiga turning to leave makes Tala's eyes open, an linger on his form until his gone. For a long moment many thoughts cross her mind, like if she'll see him again, an not because he would leave. One tends to think of rather morbid thoughts when they feel death's cold grasp upon them. Her chest hurts, breathing painful, and she is beyond weak. For one that is use to running and playing how can she not think of dark things? An for a moment she wonders if this is how Hadir must feel all the time. No words escape her now, as if they were all used for the night. She presses her cheek into her foreleg, gaze lingering tiredly upon the water. After a short time a few tears soon run down her cheeks an her eyes close tightly and within moments she is once more asleep.
Ahiga - male wolf
Ikuna - male adolescent wolf
---Tranquil Pond---
The hour is late, darkness still clings to the area an save a few bugs and perhaps a bird making some noise all is quiet. Tala hasn't moved all day, her sleep close to deathly silent at times but she still breaths. Her blue eyes soon open, nose twitching, and ears perking forward. Her breathing is still hard and wheezing at times but if any was paying attention it does seem a bit better. She slowly lifts her head, a forepaw scrapes against the ground and she faintly sniffs out at the passing spring breeze. With a lick across her muzzle she is slowly pulling herself upwards so she is sitting, a movement that is normaly quick and without effort, though at this moment it is a struggling effort. Soon enough she is sitting though, tail curling to her side in the process, perhaps a sign that she is improving to some degree.
Ahiga had not returned since he left. Well .. that's a lie. He had returned a few times, only to watch Tala from a hidden distance, checking on her. But he hadn't seem much change in her, which is not a good thing. But since his last check in, Ahiga had not returned to the tranquil pond and has spent time to think over..then try to forget what Ikuna said to him. It's bothersome, like a fly that won't go away, and as he walks back towards the pond a light scowl can be seen on his face. But sounds ahead focuses him and he pricks his ears. He can see Tala, and his tail begins to flickflick and wag as he sees her up. Still not looking all that healty..but up.
Ikuna has been and gone, through the course of the day. Sometimes he rests near his sister, keeping watch; sometimes he passes off the watch to another, going out to hunt, to search for other stragglers of Ute. The lack of Ahiga has been felt - for without that other wolf, it's been difficult sometimes to find a watcher he likes. Wachiwa, but she is injured. Skahla, sometimes. More often, he's the one sitting here... as now. Even so, Ahiga's return goes unnoticed at first, for Ikuna's attention is drawn to Tala as she stirs. His ears perk up, concerned, and as she rises he smiles. "Hey, Tala. How're you feeling?"
Tala takes in a few shakey breaths, her gaze drifting up towards the dark sky to watch it a few moments before a faint cough escapes her, though its not as harsh sounding as before. Her gaze turns towards the voice of Ikuna, a tired smile offered and her tail sways a few times. "Ikuna, Like a moose kicked me into a tree." This said after a moment, her voice tired and scratchy sounding. An while she is speaking to her brother her gaze drifts to rest on Ahiga's returning form, her head lifts a bit more and she keeps her smile clearly glad to see him.
She surely doesn't look as if she's had a miraculous healing done...but she sure is /sounding/ better! This lifts Ahiga's spirits a little, for Tala had been on his mind much and every daydream about her ended in less than pleasant ways. He starts forward but pauses upon seeing Ikuna. He's never felt as if he didn't want to see or be around his best friend before, and thus it's an odd sensation that spreads through him as he watches the other wolf. His eyes turn, but almost in that same instant do his brows lower. Nope. Not gonna run away. He looks forward again and continues to Tala. "How big've a moose? That matters, y'know," he interjects with a crooked grin as he nears her.
Ikuna chuckles softly at Tala's answer. Sense of humor is a good sign. "Speakin' of moose, then... how 'bout some plants to chew?" He nudges some of the ribwort and yarrow toward her. Maybe they're what's helping. Even if not, they certainly don't seem to be hurting, and an awake wolf is one that can take her medicine. Continuing to get better is the plan here! Ikuna does seem pleased at her improvement, grinning a bit. He follows her gaze over to Ahiga, and sees... well. He's not entirely sure what he sees, but it's enough to make him frown slightly in response. But at least Ahiga approaches; that much is good. Ikuna settles back to his haunches.
Tala is better, but by no means anywhere close to being out of the woods yet so to speak. Her gaze drifts from Ahiga to Ikuna and then back to the other. She can tell /something/ that happened between the two but she isn't sure what it could have been that would drive them apart so. "What have I missed?" She may be sick but she's not blind! Her gaze lowers to the leaves, which she eyes a moment but soon enough to leans down an picks them up, chewing away upon them an making a face at the taste in her mouth, but she soon swallows it down. "Of course it was a HUGE moose.. Biggest one /ever/."
When close, Ahiga dips his head and presses his forehead gently against her shoulder, using almost no pressure at all in the gesture. No need risk accidentally knocking her over. He tips his head up after that, to touch his nose to her neck and nuzzle lightly at her before stepping back. Her question is answered with silence at first, and he doesn't interrupt her eating her mushed up medicine. At her moose comment, he cracks a smirk as he settles onto his haunches, though as he mulls over her "what have I missed?" question again, the look fades. Keeping things from Tala never has worked out in anyone's favor before. "Turns out Ikuna 'n I don't see eye to eye on everything."
Course it was. It was a moose to block out the sun and get the moon caught in its antlers. Ikuna grins somewhat, though it fades as he considers her question. "Not much. That Grim wolf's brother found us, but no more of our pack yet." And with every day they're gone, he has to wonder what happened. As for other things... well, there's Ahiga's answer, cryptic as it is. Ikuna frowns slightly, but his gaze is steady. Explanation time. "Wachiwa is pregnant."
Tala tilts her head letting herself press back against Ahiga in the process. A soft murmur escaping her as she is glad to have him near her once more. Her head lowers and she nuzzles back against Ahiga's neck as he settles into a seated position. Indeed, keeping anything from her tends to end badly, and she does have her ways of /getting/ informantion after all. Her gaze rests on Ahiga a moment watching him curiously before letting her attention turn towards Ikuna as if waiting for him to explain what is the problem. A ear twitches at the comment of the wolves that helped them, she supposes she'll have to be nice to them then. As Ikuna goes on she just blinks while watching him a few moments, her ears lower and she looks towards Wachiwa, a faint look of unsureness seen. "By.. who?" She isn't sure she wants to know the answer. The fight comes back to her, that dog that said they can be taught.. An that she was his?.. "The dogs are the ones that hurt her, and kept her from us?" Even sick and fuzzy around the edges of her mind it seems she has an idea of what could have happened.
Hearing it again is no better than hearing it the first time, and the turning feeling in Ahiga's stomach makes it feel as if the meager snack he managed to snag for himself is threatening to make a second appearance. He scowls, eyes neither on Ikuna or Tala now and instead shifting to a patch of leftover winter snow. "The dogs. Could be any've them. The flat faced one, the black one, the big one, the red one.." His frown deepens as he forces himself to stop, eyes closing as he hisses out a breath. "And now," he continues, eyes opening and turning to Tala, "Wachiwa's gonna have their pups. An' we're gonna love 'm because they're one of us. Right?" the question is turned to Ikuna, ears perking slightly, tone cynical. "And when we look at them and feed them an' play with them, we're not gonna ever think about how they got here in the first place. That's how it's supposed to work?"
As Ahiga speaks, Ikuna's ears go back. "Of course we'll think it. Just like every time I see her blind eye, I think about that eagle. If she..." He shakes his head. "Wachiwa knows herbs. There's bound to be some that can kill pups inside. She'd know." Even if only as herbs /not/ to give to pregnant wolves, she'd know. "If she wanted to... she would have." She hasn't. They're her pups, after all; her choice. All Ikuna can think to do is support her in what she wants. "We'll feed them and play with them because they're Chewy's pups. Because we're Ute. Because... even if it's hard, it's the right thing to do."
Tala frowns as she hears Ahiga an then Ikuna, her gaze rests on Wachiwa, the only mother she's ever really known. Her real mother is just a distant imagen she can sometime see in a dream anymore, her mother growing up was always Wachiwa and she cares for the other deeply. "Ahiga.. There Wachiwa's pups, there Ute pups, not the dogs." Her tone soft, her blue gaze turning towards Ahiga to watch him. "Even if we think it, we can't be like the dogs. They want us to turn on her, be like them. Which I refuse." A slight shake of her head is seen while she slowly and almost painful shifts up onto her paws. Once standing she slowly makes her way towards the water and looks upon her reflection within it. She ment to get a drink but soon has little choice but to lay herself back down to the ground, her form quivering a moment as she tucks a forepaw to her chest. "I'll be there for Wachiwa every step of the way, an for her pups as well." The only thing she can think of other then Wachiwa is the dog from the fight, his words getting repeated in her mind and her eyes close tightly for a few moments.
"It's spring. S'a little late to kill'm while they're inside when they could be here any day now," replies Ahiga with a scowl that's not really meant for Ikuna. "An' I doubt those dogs let her go off an' chew on plants. Looks like they barely let her chew on anything. The way you're talking, you'd think she wants to have them. I can't believe that." He can't or won't, though it doesn't matter. From Ikuna's one phrase the previous day, he knew that he was not with him on this one. His hatred is too great, and whereas before his dislike for dogs came from a wariness for the unknown. Now he has reason, and it's embedded itself deeply in his heart. As Tala speaks he looks to her, and her words are unsurprising. In fact, Ikuna's feelings are unsurprising too. The only thing that does not fit is his own unwillingness to open his heart as they are. He watches as she moves off, not following after her. "Look at us. We're not Ute. Half of us aren't even here an' haven't been even before the dogs came. There wasn't even enough to fight for our home. An' now? We're hiding with no path ahead've us. And those pups," he grimaces. "I hate them. I hate.. everything they'll stand for."
Ikuna stays where he is, watching Tala as she makes her way to the water. Her words are a small comfort, for... despite his stalwart position, he's not happy about the situation. He'd rather not /have/ this problem to argue over. But... he does. It's here, and it has to be dealt with. Maybe Ahiga's right, and Chewy doesn't have any choice. In the end, it really doesn't matter. One way or another, the pups are coming. When Ahiga calls them no longer Ute, Ikuna looks sharply to him. He's silent for a long moment. "It doesn't matter if we're Ute. If you asked me, I'd make another pack with you and Tala. I don't care if I'm Ute, not really. I care about... You two. Wachiwa. Skahla and the rest. I don't kill babies when I'm hunting. I won't kill them when they're family. I hate that Chewy's having pups like that. That those dogs did that to her. I don't hate her. I'm going to do my best not to hate those pups. I don't know if I can, all the time... but I'm going to try."
Tala is quiet as she listens to Ahiga, hearing his words hurts her and she frowns. "We will always be Ute wolves Ahiga." Her tired gaze turns towards him, watching him a few moments. "You should not give that up so easily to the dogs." A slight shake of her head is seen while she looks back to the water. A ear twitches as she hears Ikuna, an while she has no problem with the thought of starting another pack, now is not the time to be thinking such things. "You should not hate something that through no fault of it's own will be born into a world we're others will hate them for what they are. They are Chewy's pups, there kin to Ikuna an myself.. An as long as you are in this pack to you as well. We are all family here, you must understand that better then the rest of us. You came to us as a pup, alone, no one too protect you. So too are these pups." Her eyes slowly close, as if she was fighting it but unable to much longer. While she is improving she is still very sick, an the next few days will prove if she has the strength to pull herself out of sickness and live, or a darker path awaits her where the troubles of dogs, pups and no pack will bother her no more. "None of us like what has happened, the point of the matter is now to work with it. Everything happens for a reason." Since when did ill tempered Tala get so wordy? Perhaps staring into the face of death herself has awakened other things in her mind other then anger.
Ahiga can't understand how he can feel so differently from the two wolves that he has grown closest to of all wolves, of all creatures, in the entire world. He'd love to agree with them, for then things would be harmonious (er...as harmonious as they can be, considering) and the tension wouldn't be there and he wouldn't feel like growling at the two faces he's never growled at before. But he can't agree because he doesn't agree. Not with everything. His thoughts of these pups are nowhere near how they feel. Could he kill babies? Sure he could, if there was reason enough. Didn't Skahla himself consider the same thing for his own flesh and blood? How difficult could it be then to do so to those whose flesh and blood belong to that of their enemy? He's quiet for a long time, his expression clouded. Stormy. Tala's words weigh heavy. Those pups are not his family. No kin of his. Does that mar him? Deem him unfit for this pack who welcomes...all, forgive all, and love all unconditionally? His eyes flit to her, though some of his resolve falters as he watches her. She's sick. He almost forgot. Why pick this fight now? He exhales a breath, rising to his paws. "I came to you as a wolf, not a mutt." He turns then, head low, every part of him feeling heavy. His gaze meets Ikuna's, though doesn't linger overly long. "I'm goin' for a walk." Again. And he does.
Ikuna tilts his head as he listens to Tala. She sounds... like Wachiwa, really. Somehow, she's caught that ever-patient kindly philosophical tone - and the idea that there's a reason behind things. It's kind of weird, honestly. Maybe it's just a symptom of the disease and she'll get better? Er. Such as it is. Still; this sort of thing does seem to run in Ute. Skahla may have considered killing Hadir... but he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to, even though the pup would take food from others... and will likely die anyhow. When Ahiga announces he's going for a walk, Ikuna nods. No further word is said of the argument (there's that forgiveness again! Ikuna's downright terrible at having a proper fight. Always has been, really), but he does say, "If you get the chance to hunt... we could use some food."
The sound of Ahiga turning to leave makes Tala's eyes open, an linger on his form until his gone. For a long moment many thoughts cross her mind, like if she'll see him again, an not because he would leave. One tends to think of rather morbid thoughts when they feel death's cold grasp upon them. Her chest hurts, breathing painful, and she is beyond weak. For one that is use to running and playing how can she not think of dark things? An for a moment she wonders if this is how Hadir must feel all the time. No words escape her now, as if they were all used for the night. She presses her cheek into her foreleg, gaze lingering tiredly upon the water. After a short time a few tears soon run down her cheeks an her eyes close tightly and within moments she is once more asleep.