Post by Pavane on Jul 17, 2012 13:18:34 GMT -5
Ikuna - male wolf, Alpha of Ute
Miakoda - female adolescent wolf
Later: Tala and Ahiga, wolves
---Waterfall Pool---
When she first started out, it was at a smooth pace; but as she continued on and kept thinking about why she was going where she's going, her speed increased to a run thanks to her pent up frustrations. But now that she is here, on the doorstep her destination, Miakoda's paws falter considerably. She's slowed to a dawdling walk, nervousness now replacing her angry upset. Nervousness and a sense of unreality; is she really going to go try to talk an Alpha out of something? She must've lost her mind somewhere during the last couple weeks. But no going back now. She reaches the edge of the sharp descent of rock, looking down at the pool below, feeling it's familiar mists already dewing onto her fur... and she lets out a low bark to see who is out and about.
As Miakoda enters the area, Ikuna is just emerging from forest, from a rove through that portion of Cerulean's lands where the other pack tends to reside. Whatever the result of it, it evidently wasn't enough to lift his mood - but then, he has not been the happiest of wolves, of late. His crooked tail is level to his body, and his head is carried low. Weariness seems the most prominent of his emotions, that and a lurking frustration. His ears perk at the sound of a voice, and he sighs before he lifts his muzzle. Wruff.
Miakoda's ears tilt more sharply forward as she gets a reply from a direction she wasn't expecting. She had been looking down below at the shores of the pool, which of course are shadowed in that incessant mist; but that answer came from directly across from her. Oh. She lifts her eyes up to the appropriate level, golden eyes squinting a little as she struggles to make out who it is despite the flying water droplets. She is only able to make out a silhouette... but that is enough when part of that silhouette consists of a crooked tail. "Ikuna." She calls out his name in a voice that is rather insistent.
Recognizable, that's what Ikuna is. Along with... The young alpha frowns at his thoughts, and pads closer. "Mia," he answers, with a slight nod, and regards her for a long moment. The insistent tone of her voice. The look of her. All of it taken together... well, it makes Ikuna take a page from the book of Ute's former alpha. He makes his way across the water, coming to join her, and his head tilts to the side. "Walk with me?" He never quite understood why Skahla did that, before. Now? It seems to make sense. He... doesn't want other ears listening.
Golden eyes follow his progress across the pool, weaving through the mists and up the incline she stands atop, and for a brief moment she almost expect Ikuna to slip on the way over to her. She's done it enough times herself that she figures everyone else is just as prone. But no, the new Alpha proves sure-footed, and she meets his eyes levelly once he has joined her. To his request, she nods; if he had not asked, she would have. So she waits, taking a step back to indicate that she is waiting to be led to the place of his choosing.
Now, where to go? Really, it's the journey that matters more than the destination, but... none of the options seem terribly appealing. (When are they ever, lately?) Nevertheless, Ikuna picks one, and starts off along the edge of the cliff, letting the roar of the falls fade and going more or less back the way she came. As he walks, he looks over to Mia from time to time... but each time, his thoughts fail to find a voice. What is there to be said?
Unlike Ikuna, she has had time to formulate the questions that she would like to ask in the time it took her to travel from the base of the mountains to the south to the pool beneath the waterfall. But now that the time is here, she is finding it difficult to present them and all her own doubts are coming back... whether or not she is stupid for being here, foolish for questioning these matters, invasive for butting her nose into business that really is not hers. She is still a lone wolf. Walking alongside Ikuna and stealing a glance at him now and then, she finally bolsters her courage and comes to a sudden, unannounced halt with her ears pricked and her eyes direct. "Are you afraid of Skahla?" Hell, if she's going to do this, might as well just jump into the deep end.
Ikuna takes one more step past Miakoda, setting down the paw he had lifted and turning his head back to look at her. The question... takes him by surprise, that much is obvious. He blinks, and his head tilts sidewise as he just... stares. At least some of his weariness seems to have disappeared, replaced by startlement. "...no," he answers eventually. "Why?"
But she doesn't answer his question. Not yet. Instead, with her eyes still upon his and without any shift of the expression on her face, Miakoda then asks, "Why do you think it's a good idea to keep Brutal and Grim around the pack?" She continues standing, not making any indication that she is going to sit down to relax... or walk away.
Ikuna doesn't look away, his eyes staying steadily on Miakoda's. At the mention of those names, though, he can't help but sigh. So it comes down to this. With everyone, it comes down to this. Why should she be an exception? "I don't," he says. At least, with all the many times he's discussed this already, his thoughts are a familiar place, if not an easy one. "I don't know if it's a good idea, but I know I'm not Ute if I don't give them a chance." His head lifts slightly, and his tail does the same. "One chance. I'm not blind. I've seen Brutal's domineering, Grim's troublemaking. This is their chance to change. If they're proper guests, these next few moons, I'll invite them to come with us when we leave for our new territory. If they're not, I'll send them away."
Perhaps the one contrast here that was not seen in the others is that Miakoda doesn't seem like she is weighing everything on what he says in reply to her question. Was she ready to be critical when she left Tala? Absolutely. But the simple act of motion, of walking and loping, is when the she-wolf does her best thinking; it's a habit learned through her lifestyle as a lone wolf. And she realized in the time it took to get here that being ready to jump down Ikuna's throat will accomplish nothing. So the first thing she does once the Alpha is done is quietly nod her head. And then, she sits down. "Did you tell that to the others? That you won't hesitate to throw them out if it's warranted after this trial period?"
"Of-" course, Ikuna wants to say, but then he pauses to think about it. Did he? He went to talk to Ahiga, but then one thing after another happened. Even in their later talk, the one without all the shouting... did it actually get said? Maybe, sideways, but... he frowns. "I'm not sure." Now, he looks away, staring out into the distance - to the direction he last saw Ahiga headed. His voice is softer. "I meant to. I... I don't know what they heard."
Miakoda smiles then, the look on her face now one of simple and unpolluted relief... and hope. "Then, if it's not too outspoken of me to do so... " Not that she hasn't already crossed that line and kept going about ten miles. " ...might I suggest that you go find your sister and your friend, and tell them that?" She turns her head and follows the direction of his eyes, southward, in the direction of the mountains she just left.
If Ikuna was the sort for pack formality and permission to speak and all that, this conversation would have derailed long ago. Instead, he smiles slightly at the suggestion, looking away to where they went. The smile lasts for a few moments, until recent reality reasserts itself. "You think they'd want to see me?" He looks away from the view, back to Mia. She seems to have seen them more recently than he has, judging from how she's talking.
The question causes her a bit of surprise; does he really think he can be so easily forgotten and dismissed by those that care about him? Turning her eyes back to her companion, Miakoda says, "Of course they do. I just came from talking with Tala. She's anything but happy with how things are right now. And I didn't see Ahiga, but... even though he sounded awfully cranky last night, I'm sure he'll be very glad to get this all straightened out." A nod of her head is made toward the mountains and she flashes an encouraging smile.
Forgotten and dismissed? No. But Ahiga wouldn't call him a friend anymore. Not even once the heat of anger had passed. So Ikuna lets out a slow sigh, glancing to the mountains again. Perhaps Miakoda's right. Perhaps she isn't. Either way, one thing is clear to this new Alpha. "I can't be gone for long. Will you show me where?" Maybe, with Mia to lead him, he can find them quickly enough that the guilt of leaving his new pack won't be too great to shoulder. He brought food to Wachiwa this morning; she and the pups will be fine until tomorrow. The rest... can fend for themselves for a day. They often did when Skahla was alpha, after all. Maybe, maybe he can make a quick trip work... for all the good it may do. He has to try, though. Isn't that what Ute's all about, along with second chances? Trying? Well, Ikuna will certainly try. Even it feels like grasping at straws.
"Of course." The answer is immediate and concise, and Miakoda is back on her paws after taking the briefest of moments to shake out her lighter summer coat. "This way. Towards the mountains. They might have gone farther than where I last saw Tala, but their scent should be fresh and easy to follow." The she-wolf turns and breaks into a lope for the second time today, although this one is of a swifter pace and with greater urgency than before.
---Rolling Foothills---
For all these past days have been wearying, Ikuna's body is still young and strong. Hope provides all the rest of the energy he needs, and his lope is a fast one as he follows Mia back to the place where she last saw Tala. From there, the two will catch her scent, hers and Ahiga's; fortunately for them, in this stormy late summer, there's been no rain since then, and the sky overhead remains clear through to evening. The two wolves are nearing the... other two wolves; that much is obvious from the scents. Near enough, perhaps - Ikuna pauses for a moment, taking in a breath and letting it out in a howl. Just a brief one. I'm here. Let's talk. That said, he starts moving again, a little slower than before and with his ears perked for an answer.
Once the scents of the others is strong in their nostrils, Miakoda gives way to allow Ikuna to take up the lead in their pursuit; although as he slows to call out to the pair, she trots a short distance ahead before halting and waiting for him to catch up. Falling into stride alongside the Ute Alpha again, the she-wolf's golden eyes and ears are sharp and alert to their surroundings... awaiting any signal that either Ahiga or Tala are nearby.
They have been on their way. On their way to unknown places for reasons that Ahiga still needs to untangle. Oh, he understands the spoken reason. The task given by Ikuna. But is that really what spurs Ahiga to continue walking away from the only pack he knows? To scope and search only to report back later? Or.. not to report back at all. There's still a lot of things to iron out in his own mind, and no amount of talking to Tala is going to make it any easier for him to figure out just what the hell he wants to do now. So he walks in silence, expression expressionless and eyes set forward. He's beside Tala, neither leading or following as they move at an unhurried pace. But it's a pace that slow and eventually stops at a sound in the air. A familiar howl. Too familiar. Too soon. Blinking, he lifts his head and ears, eyes flitting to Tala. It's almost begrudgingly that he answers the call, letting a few moments pass before he tips his head up to howl in return. They are here.
Tala continues along at a slow pace, everything about this just feels wrong. They shouldn't have to go looking for a new place to live, or leave there family behind. Her heart aches and yet she continues to walk along, ears flicking forward and back with a faint snuffle escaping her as she takes in the passing breeze. A ear twitches now and then to Ahiga though she isn't looking over at him just yet while her mind wanders. Her ears flick forward and she blinks at the howl before casting a glance back over to Ahiga. "Ikuna?..." Is questioned with a soft tone before she turns about and lets out her own howl to show she is there with Ahiga, not all that far off it seems.
An answer. Ikuna wasn't certain he'd get one. The young wolf lets out a sigh of relief, and veers his steps slightly to actually come toward the other two. "Hey," he says as he comes in sight. "Look. I know maybe you don't want to see me." That part is pretty much said to Ahiga, before his gaze sweeps back to Tala again. "I'll make it fast, but there's something I should tell you." A brief flick of his gaze to Miakoda, then back to the other two. "Just so we're clear."
Miakoda's head lifts sharply as she hears not one, but two returned howls to Ikuna's seeking call. A smile pulls at the outermost corners of her muzzle although she keeps most of her relief in check. No point in getting all giddy just yet; finding Tala and Ahiga was only step number one. When the Ute leader begins moving towards the opposite pair, Mia doesn't keep in the background as she was prone to do before; instead, she flanks the male and stays close by him as he talks, meeting his glance with encouraging eyes. Those same eyes then shift to Ahiga and Tala in turn, glinting with a combination of hope and anxiety.
Ahiga's ears push forward as his eyes scan, gradually coming to rest on the wolf, no.. wolves that move into view. His golden gaze settles on Miakoda and linger there a moment, surprise making an appearance on his face before the stoic mask is replaced. His body is turned so that he can face the two of them, and the snort that escapes in response to Ikuna's first statement is unintentional. Eyes drift from him, though he still listens, brows beginning to furrow now. They both came all this way to tell him something? Didn't they just have a conversation? Despite that snort of his, he does nothing that'd discourage Ikuna from not continuing. After a while, his eyes even return to him. But he doesn't say anything, no. Talking will be left to Tala.
Tala shifts on her paws and moves forward a few paes until she catches sight of Ikuna and Miakoda coming towards them. Her gaze settles on her brotehr watching him quietly a few moments, a faint smile is seen while her ears perk and she lets him talk it seems. "Hey.." Is murmured back softly. This is such a strange feeling, she shouldn't be out here without him. They haveonly been away that one time when those evil things got hold of him and nods all this crud has happened. She leans over to nuzzle against Ahiga's cheek softly a moment. "Alright, go on." Is offered with a soft tone to Ikuna.
At least if Ikuna must stand on one side, and Tala and Ahiga on the other.... Ikuna doesn't have to stand alone. When Miakoda meets his gaze, there's a faint smile, but it lasts only a fraction of a moment before he's looking back at Ahiga - who is, at least, willing to be silent - and Tala. So. "I told you that I'm giving Brutal and Grim a chance." Back to this again, but he keeps on going without giving anyone a chance to interrupt. He did manage to do a bit of thinking on this run, with the new hope that having Miakoda by his side managed to give. Here's the one thing he has to say. "One chance. That's it. When the last moon of summer is full, I'm going to decide for each of them. Either I'll decide they can stay, and I'll be able to tell you why - or I'll decide they can't, and I'll make sure they leave."
Miakoda is quiet and steady as Ikuna tries to elaborate on the specific details regarding the brothers, holding her tongue and keeping still until she is sure that he has finished speaking. And then, in a voice that is low in volume but notably earnest, she says to Ahiga and Tala, "He's only trying to do what the pack has always done... live by a creed that all of you were raised with. I'm anything but an advocate for Brutal and Grim, but they did help when help was needed, and it would go against everything the pack stands for if Ikuna were to just throw them out without giving them one... ONE... clear-cut chance. I don't... " She hesitates, looking aside for a few fleeting seconds to steel her courage, and then she says to the opposite pair, "I don't think it's fair of you to expect anything else from him. He's trying... and he's more than willing to kick those two out if they don't prove themselves." She swallows audibly, then adds, "Please don't go."
Ahiga glances to Tala, but that's all the he does. His look to her isn't lingering, nor is his look to anyone, choosing instead to glean brief looks at the faces before him, eyes dancing from one to the next before eventually turning to flora to which he does stare. Grim and Brutal. There's a twitch in his muzzle at their mentioning, but he keeps his silence intact throughout Ikuna's words and Miakoda's attachment to them, though in truth hers inspires a downward tug of his muzzle, and when his eyes do lift to her again, it's not without a healthy bit of scorn. Grim and Brutal. Why do they think this is about them? At least, for him? For him, Grim and Brutal were just an excuse. An opening. A reason for departure that could be deemed understandable. Tala's position helped. But the two of them have been far from his mind the moment he abandoned his efforts on their meeting that fateful day. Silence prevails, as it likely should've that day, and from the looks of it, he has nothing to say in response to either one.
Tala frowns slightly as she hears Ikuna, watching her brother. "Don't you see that there nothing but bad news.. I thought you understood that Ikuna." A slight shake of her head is seen while she takes in a breath and her head tilts as she looks off to the side watching the land a few moments while she takes in everything they both say. "So what is it going to take for you and the rest of the pack to figure out they are bad news, that they are going to cause more pain, more hurt for the pack?" She looks over to Miakoda, her eyes narrow slightly. "I know that very well Miakoda, and my brother was nearly /killed/ when that happened before. This pack keeps taking a beating and all we do is give and give some more." Her gaze turns over to Ikuna watching her a few moments. "What is it going to take Ikuna to finally make you tell them to leave? Is someone going to have to die that we care about, again?"
This, Ikuna did not expect. Miakoda coming with him was one thing; her speaking as she does is another. His attention flicks to her with an expression of surprise, watching during those moments when she looks away, then once more returning his gaze to Ahiga. Yeah, so it's not just about Brutal and Grim. It's also about the two of them. About whether Ikuna should be alpha; about if Ahiga's willing to be anything but. The unspoken issue here, and so it stays. Tala speaks, though. His attention goes to her, her questions. What can he say? There's nothing. He won't be drawn into this argument again. "I'm sorry," he says. "If you come back on the last full moon of summer, I'll tell you then. I hope you will." But he's not expecting it, not with any certainty... and he's certainly not expecting to see them, either of them, before then at the earliest. He looks to Miakoda, and his voice is softer, less the tightly controlled voice of before. "Thank you." For trying, is the unspoken continuation, and one more thing. "You're welcome at Ute if you wish." With that, and a nod, he turns away and starts back the way he just came. His one thing is said. This time, it's not going to turn into a fight.
Miakoda recoils as she receives sharp, angry looks from both Ahiga and Tala in turn, her paws shuffling through the short grasses as she retreats a couple of short, awkward steps, her ears folding back and her tail drooping with the abrupt downward turn of her spirits. The retort of the other she-wolf is met with nothing but silence from her, especially since the latter portion of it is directed toward Ikuna. And when the Alpha finishes saying what he wanted to say and turns to briefly address her, all Mia is capable of doing in that moment is nodding distractedly. She barely hears him extend the welcome of his pack. Instead, the young female slowly sits herself down, looking at no one, her expression confused and dismayed.
Bright eyes flit again to Miakoda at her movement, and as they avert, the malice leaves them, replaced just by a somber weariness and, likely, regret. He hears Tala, though does not speak to agree or disagree with what she says. His head turns, away from all of them as he gazes off in the direction they were once headed. Unknown places with unknown faces with lands left to be claimed. Return in the summer. Didn't he want them back before then? Eh, he can't remember, nor can he muster the desire to put on a facade of caring enough to ask. Ikuna turns, he does too, heading in the opposite direction of him to those aforementioned unknown places.
Tala is quiet while she watches both Ikuna and Miakoda. She didn't want this to turn into a fighting match either, her ears lower along with her head as her gaze watches the ground a few moments. Her shoulder lower slightly and she slowly turns and starts to follow after Ahiga. Perhaps this is what was suppose to happen?... Perhaps Ahiga and her was suppose to leave all this time and this is why things have happened? She isn't sure anymore. The walk will be quiet now, tears lingering in her eyes while her jaw tense. Her head turns slightly, gaze lingering on Ikuna as thwy both move off, slowly getting further and further away.
And she goes nowhere, left as she was before, not knowing who to follow... and so she follows no one. Now more than ever, Miakoda is also wondering about that fickle thing called fate, if she is simply destined to be a lone wolf all her life. Judging by how things have progressed, or how things have not progressed in this situation, she's beginning to believe that such might be the case. Left alone to mull such things over, the she-wolf folds down into the grasses, lying down within the short blades of summer green and staring off with unfocused eyes into the distance.
Miakoda - female adolescent wolf
Later: Tala and Ahiga, wolves
---Waterfall Pool---
When she first started out, it was at a smooth pace; but as she continued on and kept thinking about why she was going where she's going, her speed increased to a run thanks to her pent up frustrations. But now that she is here, on the doorstep her destination, Miakoda's paws falter considerably. She's slowed to a dawdling walk, nervousness now replacing her angry upset. Nervousness and a sense of unreality; is she really going to go try to talk an Alpha out of something? She must've lost her mind somewhere during the last couple weeks. But no going back now. She reaches the edge of the sharp descent of rock, looking down at the pool below, feeling it's familiar mists already dewing onto her fur... and she lets out a low bark to see who is out and about.
As Miakoda enters the area, Ikuna is just emerging from forest, from a rove through that portion of Cerulean's lands where the other pack tends to reside. Whatever the result of it, it evidently wasn't enough to lift his mood - but then, he has not been the happiest of wolves, of late. His crooked tail is level to his body, and his head is carried low. Weariness seems the most prominent of his emotions, that and a lurking frustration. His ears perk at the sound of a voice, and he sighs before he lifts his muzzle. Wruff.
Miakoda's ears tilt more sharply forward as she gets a reply from a direction she wasn't expecting. She had been looking down below at the shores of the pool, which of course are shadowed in that incessant mist; but that answer came from directly across from her. Oh. She lifts her eyes up to the appropriate level, golden eyes squinting a little as she struggles to make out who it is despite the flying water droplets. She is only able to make out a silhouette... but that is enough when part of that silhouette consists of a crooked tail. "Ikuna." She calls out his name in a voice that is rather insistent.
Recognizable, that's what Ikuna is. Along with... The young alpha frowns at his thoughts, and pads closer. "Mia," he answers, with a slight nod, and regards her for a long moment. The insistent tone of her voice. The look of her. All of it taken together... well, it makes Ikuna take a page from the book of Ute's former alpha. He makes his way across the water, coming to join her, and his head tilts to the side. "Walk with me?" He never quite understood why Skahla did that, before. Now? It seems to make sense. He... doesn't want other ears listening.
Golden eyes follow his progress across the pool, weaving through the mists and up the incline she stands atop, and for a brief moment she almost expect Ikuna to slip on the way over to her. She's done it enough times herself that she figures everyone else is just as prone. But no, the new Alpha proves sure-footed, and she meets his eyes levelly once he has joined her. To his request, she nods; if he had not asked, she would have. So she waits, taking a step back to indicate that she is waiting to be led to the place of his choosing.
Now, where to go? Really, it's the journey that matters more than the destination, but... none of the options seem terribly appealing. (When are they ever, lately?) Nevertheless, Ikuna picks one, and starts off along the edge of the cliff, letting the roar of the falls fade and going more or less back the way she came. As he walks, he looks over to Mia from time to time... but each time, his thoughts fail to find a voice. What is there to be said?
Unlike Ikuna, she has had time to formulate the questions that she would like to ask in the time it took her to travel from the base of the mountains to the south to the pool beneath the waterfall. But now that the time is here, she is finding it difficult to present them and all her own doubts are coming back... whether or not she is stupid for being here, foolish for questioning these matters, invasive for butting her nose into business that really is not hers. She is still a lone wolf. Walking alongside Ikuna and stealing a glance at him now and then, she finally bolsters her courage and comes to a sudden, unannounced halt with her ears pricked and her eyes direct. "Are you afraid of Skahla?" Hell, if she's going to do this, might as well just jump into the deep end.
Ikuna takes one more step past Miakoda, setting down the paw he had lifted and turning his head back to look at her. The question... takes him by surprise, that much is obvious. He blinks, and his head tilts sidewise as he just... stares. At least some of his weariness seems to have disappeared, replaced by startlement. "...no," he answers eventually. "Why?"
But she doesn't answer his question. Not yet. Instead, with her eyes still upon his and without any shift of the expression on her face, Miakoda then asks, "Why do you think it's a good idea to keep Brutal and Grim around the pack?" She continues standing, not making any indication that she is going to sit down to relax... or walk away.
Ikuna doesn't look away, his eyes staying steadily on Miakoda's. At the mention of those names, though, he can't help but sigh. So it comes down to this. With everyone, it comes down to this. Why should she be an exception? "I don't," he says. At least, with all the many times he's discussed this already, his thoughts are a familiar place, if not an easy one. "I don't know if it's a good idea, but I know I'm not Ute if I don't give them a chance." His head lifts slightly, and his tail does the same. "One chance. I'm not blind. I've seen Brutal's domineering, Grim's troublemaking. This is their chance to change. If they're proper guests, these next few moons, I'll invite them to come with us when we leave for our new territory. If they're not, I'll send them away."
Perhaps the one contrast here that was not seen in the others is that Miakoda doesn't seem like she is weighing everything on what he says in reply to her question. Was she ready to be critical when she left Tala? Absolutely. But the simple act of motion, of walking and loping, is when the she-wolf does her best thinking; it's a habit learned through her lifestyle as a lone wolf. And she realized in the time it took to get here that being ready to jump down Ikuna's throat will accomplish nothing. So the first thing she does once the Alpha is done is quietly nod her head. And then, she sits down. "Did you tell that to the others? That you won't hesitate to throw them out if it's warranted after this trial period?"
"Of-" course, Ikuna wants to say, but then he pauses to think about it. Did he? He went to talk to Ahiga, but then one thing after another happened. Even in their later talk, the one without all the shouting... did it actually get said? Maybe, sideways, but... he frowns. "I'm not sure." Now, he looks away, staring out into the distance - to the direction he last saw Ahiga headed. His voice is softer. "I meant to. I... I don't know what they heard."
Miakoda smiles then, the look on her face now one of simple and unpolluted relief... and hope. "Then, if it's not too outspoken of me to do so... " Not that she hasn't already crossed that line and kept going about ten miles. " ...might I suggest that you go find your sister and your friend, and tell them that?" She turns her head and follows the direction of his eyes, southward, in the direction of the mountains she just left.
If Ikuna was the sort for pack formality and permission to speak and all that, this conversation would have derailed long ago. Instead, he smiles slightly at the suggestion, looking away to where they went. The smile lasts for a few moments, until recent reality reasserts itself. "You think they'd want to see me?" He looks away from the view, back to Mia. She seems to have seen them more recently than he has, judging from how she's talking.
The question causes her a bit of surprise; does he really think he can be so easily forgotten and dismissed by those that care about him? Turning her eyes back to her companion, Miakoda says, "Of course they do. I just came from talking with Tala. She's anything but happy with how things are right now. And I didn't see Ahiga, but... even though he sounded awfully cranky last night, I'm sure he'll be very glad to get this all straightened out." A nod of her head is made toward the mountains and she flashes an encouraging smile.
Forgotten and dismissed? No. But Ahiga wouldn't call him a friend anymore. Not even once the heat of anger had passed. So Ikuna lets out a slow sigh, glancing to the mountains again. Perhaps Miakoda's right. Perhaps she isn't. Either way, one thing is clear to this new Alpha. "I can't be gone for long. Will you show me where?" Maybe, with Mia to lead him, he can find them quickly enough that the guilt of leaving his new pack won't be too great to shoulder. He brought food to Wachiwa this morning; she and the pups will be fine until tomorrow. The rest... can fend for themselves for a day. They often did when Skahla was alpha, after all. Maybe, maybe he can make a quick trip work... for all the good it may do. He has to try, though. Isn't that what Ute's all about, along with second chances? Trying? Well, Ikuna will certainly try. Even it feels like grasping at straws.
"Of course." The answer is immediate and concise, and Miakoda is back on her paws after taking the briefest of moments to shake out her lighter summer coat. "This way. Towards the mountains. They might have gone farther than where I last saw Tala, but their scent should be fresh and easy to follow." The she-wolf turns and breaks into a lope for the second time today, although this one is of a swifter pace and with greater urgency than before.
---Rolling Foothills---
For all these past days have been wearying, Ikuna's body is still young and strong. Hope provides all the rest of the energy he needs, and his lope is a fast one as he follows Mia back to the place where she last saw Tala. From there, the two will catch her scent, hers and Ahiga's; fortunately for them, in this stormy late summer, there's been no rain since then, and the sky overhead remains clear through to evening. The two wolves are nearing the... other two wolves; that much is obvious from the scents. Near enough, perhaps - Ikuna pauses for a moment, taking in a breath and letting it out in a howl. Just a brief one. I'm here. Let's talk. That said, he starts moving again, a little slower than before and with his ears perked for an answer.
Once the scents of the others is strong in their nostrils, Miakoda gives way to allow Ikuna to take up the lead in their pursuit; although as he slows to call out to the pair, she trots a short distance ahead before halting and waiting for him to catch up. Falling into stride alongside the Ute Alpha again, the she-wolf's golden eyes and ears are sharp and alert to their surroundings... awaiting any signal that either Ahiga or Tala are nearby.
They have been on their way. On their way to unknown places for reasons that Ahiga still needs to untangle. Oh, he understands the spoken reason. The task given by Ikuna. But is that really what spurs Ahiga to continue walking away from the only pack he knows? To scope and search only to report back later? Or.. not to report back at all. There's still a lot of things to iron out in his own mind, and no amount of talking to Tala is going to make it any easier for him to figure out just what the hell he wants to do now. So he walks in silence, expression expressionless and eyes set forward. He's beside Tala, neither leading or following as they move at an unhurried pace. But it's a pace that slow and eventually stops at a sound in the air. A familiar howl. Too familiar. Too soon. Blinking, he lifts his head and ears, eyes flitting to Tala. It's almost begrudgingly that he answers the call, letting a few moments pass before he tips his head up to howl in return. They are here.
Tala continues along at a slow pace, everything about this just feels wrong. They shouldn't have to go looking for a new place to live, or leave there family behind. Her heart aches and yet she continues to walk along, ears flicking forward and back with a faint snuffle escaping her as she takes in the passing breeze. A ear twitches now and then to Ahiga though she isn't looking over at him just yet while her mind wanders. Her ears flick forward and she blinks at the howl before casting a glance back over to Ahiga. "Ikuna?..." Is questioned with a soft tone before she turns about and lets out her own howl to show she is there with Ahiga, not all that far off it seems.
An answer. Ikuna wasn't certain he'd get one. The young wolf lets out a sigh of relief, and veers his steps slightly to actually come toward the other two. "Hey," he says as he comes in sight. "Look. I know maybe you don't want to see me." That part is pretty much said to Ahiga, before his gaze sweeps back to Tala again. "I'll make it fast, but there's something I should tell you." A brief flick of his gaze to Miakoda, then back to the other two. "Just so we're clear."
Miakoda's head lifts sharply as she hears not one, but two returned howls to Ikuna's seeking call. A smile pulls at the outermost corners of her muzzle although she keeps most of her relief in check. No point in getting all giddy just yet; finding Tala and Ahiga was only step number one. When the Ute leader begins moving towards the opposite pair, Mia doesn't keep in the background as she was prone to do before; instead, she flanks the male and stays close by him as he talks, meeting his glance with encouraging eyes. Those same eyes then shift to Ahiga and Tala in turn, glinting with a combination of hope and anxiety.
Ahiga's ears push forward as his eyes scan, gradually coming to rest on the wolf, no.. wolves that move into view. His golden gaze settles on Miakoda and linger there a moment, surprise making an appearance on his face before the stoic mask is replaced. His body is turned so that he can face the two of them, and the snort that escapes in response to Ikuna's first statement is unintentional. Eyes drift from him, though he still listens, brows beginning to furrow now. They both came all this way to tell him something? Didn't they just have a conversation? Despite that snort of his, he does nothing that'd discourage Ikuna from not continuing. After a while, his eyes even return to him. But he doesn't say anything, no. Talking will be left to Tala.
Tala shifts on her paws and moves forward a few paes until she catches sight of Ikuna and Miakoda coming towards them. Her gaze settles on her brotehr watching him quietly a few moments, a faint smile is seen while her ears perk and she lets him talk it seems. "Hey.." Is murmured back softly. This is such a strange feeling, she shouldn't be out here without him. They haveonly been away that one time when those evil things got hold of him and nods all this crud has happened. She leans over to nuzzle against Ahiga's cheek softly a moment. "Alright, go on." Is offered with a soft tone to Ikuna.
At least if Ikuna must stand on one side, and Tala and Ahiga on the other.... Ikuna doesn't have to stand alone. When Miakoda meets his gaze, there's a faint smile, but it lasts only a fraction of a moment before he's looking back at Ahiga - who is, at least, willing to be silent - and Tala. So. "I told you that I'm giving Brutal and Grim a chance." Back to this again, but he keeps on going without giving anyone a chance to interrupt. He did manage to do a bit of thinking on this run, with the new hope that having Miakoda by his side managed to give. Here's the one thing he has to say. "One chance. That's it. When the last moon of summer is full, I'm going to decide for each of them. Either I'll decide they can stay, and I'll be able to tell you why - or I'll decide they can't, and I'll make sure they leave."
Miakoda is quiet and steady as Ikuna tries to elaborate on the specific details regarding the brothers, holding her tongue and keeping still until she is sure that he has finished speaking. And then, in a voice that is low in volume but notably earnest, she says to Ahiga and Tala, "He's only trying to do what the pack has always done... live by a creed that all of you were raised with. I'm anything but an advocate for Brutal and Grim, but they did help when help was needed, and it would go against everything the pack stands for if Ikuna were to just throw them out without giving them one... ONE... clear-cut chance. I don't... " She hesitates, looking aside for a few fleeting seconds to steel her courage, and then she says to the opposite pair, "I don't think it's fair of you to expect anything else from him. He's trying... and he's more than willing to kick those two out if they don't prove themselves." She swallows audibly, then adds, "Please don't go."
Ahiga glances to Tala, but that's all the he does. His look to her isn't lingering, nor is his look to anyone, choosing instead to glean brief looks at the faces before him, eyes dancing from one to the next before eventually turning to flora to which he does stare. Grim and Brutal. There's a twitch in his muzzle at their mentioning, but he keeps his silence intact throughout Ikuna's words and Miakoda's attachment to them, though in truth hers inspires a downward tug of his muzzle, and when his eyes do lift to her again, it's not without a healthy bit of scorn. Grim and Brutal. Why do they think this is about them? At least, for him? For him, Grim and Brutal were just an excuse. An opening. A reason for departure that could be deemed understandable. Tala's position helped. But the two of them have been far from his mind the moment he abandoned his efforts on their meeting that fateful day. Silence prevails, as it likely should've that day, and from the looks of it, he has nothing to say in response to either one.
Tala frowns slightly as she hears Ikuna, watching her brother. "Don't you see that there nothing but bad news.. I thought you understood that Ikuna." A slight shake of her head is seen while she takes in a breath and her head tilts as she looks off to the side watching the land a few moments while she takes in everything they both say. "So what is it going to take for you and the rest of the pack to figure out they are bad news, that they are going to cause more pain, more hurt for the pack?" She looks over to Miakoda, her eyes narrow slightly. "I know that very well Miakoda, and my brother was nearly /killed/ when that happened before. This pack keeps taking a beating and all we do is give and give some more." Her gaze turns over to Ikuna watching her a few moments. "What is it going to take Ikuna to finally make you tell them to leave? Is someone going to have to die that we care about, again?"
This, Ikuna did not expect. Miakoda coming with him was one thing; her speaking as she does is another. His attention flicks to her with an expression of surprise, watching during those moments when she looks away, then once more returning his gaze to Ahiga. Yeah, so it's not just about Brutal and Grim. It's also about the two of them. About whether Ikuna should be alpha; about if Ahiga's willing to be anything but. The unspoken issue here, and so it stays. Tala speaks, though. His attention goes to her, her questions. What can he say? There's nothing. He won't be drawn into this argument again. "I'm sorry," he says. "If you come back on the last full moon of summer, I'll tell you then. I hope you will." But he's not expecting it, not with any certainty... and he's certainly not expecting to see them, either of them, before then at the earliest. He looks to Miakoda, and his voice is softer, less the tightly controlled voice of before. "Thank you." For trying, is the unspoken continuation, and one more thing. "You're welcome at Ute if you wish." With that, and a nod, he turns away and starts back the way he just came. His one thing is said. This time, it's not going to turn into a fight.
Miakoda recoils as she receives sharp, angry looks from both Ahiga and Tala in turn, her paws shuffling through the short grasses as she retreats a couple of short, awkward steps, her ears folding back and her tail drooping with the abrupt downward turn of her spirits. The retort of the other she-wolf is met with nothing but silence from her, especially since the latter portion of it is directed toward Ikuna. And when the Alpha finishes saying what he wanted to say and turns to briefly address her, all Mia is capable of doing in that moment is nodding distractedly. She barely hears him extend the welcome of his pack. Instead, the young female slowly sits herself down, looking at no one, her expression confused and dismayed.
Bright eyes flit again to Miakoda at her movement, and as they avert, the malice leaves them, replaced just by a somber weariness and, likely, regret. He hears Tala, though does not speak to agree or disagree with what she says. His head turns, away from all of them as he gazes off in the direction they were once headed. Unknown places with unknown faces with lands left to be claimed. Return in the summer. Didn't he want them back before then? Eh, he can't remember, nor can he muster the desire to put on a facade of caring enough to ask. Ikuna turns, he does too, heading in the opposite direction of him to those aforementioned unknown places.
Tala is quiet while she watches both Ikuna and Miakoda. She didn't want this to turn into a fighting match either, her ears lower along with her head as her gaze watches the ground a few moments. Her shoulder lower slightly and she slowly turns and starts to follow after Ahiga. Perhaps this is what was suppose to happen?... Perhaps Ahiga and her was suppose to leave all this time and this is why things have happened? She isn't sure anymore. The walk will be quiet now, tears lingering in her eyes while her jaw tense. Her head turns slightly, gaze lingering on Ikuna as thwy both move off, slowly getting further and further away.
And she goes nowhere, left as she was before, not knowing who to follow... and so she follows no one. Now more than ever, Miakoda is also wondering about that fickle thing called fate, if she is simply destined to be a lone wolf all her life. Judging by how things have progressed, or how things have not progressed in this situation, she's beginning to believe that such might be the case. Left alone to mull such things over, the she-wolf folds down into the grasses, lying down within the short blades of summer green and staring off with unfocused eyes into the distance.