Post by maiza on May 11, 2009 8:39:40 GMT -5
Scene Notes:
-This RP is classified as PG-13 due to mild language. Viewer discretion is advised. You know where the back button is folks if that's a problem...
-I'm not a fan of too much editing. Raw logs tend to show the skill level and thoughts of the persons behind them, making understanding the players and characters a deeper experience.
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Characters:
Cottonpaws - Alpha of Viridian
Friti - Cottonpaw's estranged and recently returned Consort.
Shag - Son of Cottonpaws and Friti. 1st Litter.
Haben - Shag's Uncle, Cottonpaw's sibling.
Things didn't go as planned, and when things don't go as planned there's always a list, series of bad things that just fall down on everyone's shoulders at once, downfall would be the perfect word. Cotton is the apparently the one who suffers most in this special scenario, it's her son, but not her son's fault. She doesn't want to blame anyone, but still she knows if there's one to blame, that is Friti, as much as it hurts her to accept it, he shouldn't have come back, both her sons have become distant, strangers to their own mother. Cotton has spent the last hours, nearly an entire day resting near the den. Her eyes never drawing away from the path that leads to the valley, or in this case, the path that leads home, hoping to see her Shag coming back. Not enough tears have fallen on the snow, but it would seem that no more tears are able to come running down her cheeks, he's a smart little brat, he probably doesn't know it but he managed to find a weak spot on the mother.
Whenever life gives you lemons... make lemonade! Not everything is as bad as it seems, is it? Granted, Friti's return caused trouble - particularly since he's been gone off fighting in a foreign legion for the better part of two years with not a word of his departure or while he was away... but is it really all that bad? Alas, perhaps it would have been easier if he hadn't returned to muddle things up in the pack, particularly with this Ajax character which he hasn't yet had the opportunity to confront... but when life throws a sucker-punch, you just have to roll with it and keep plowing onwards. Regardless, we find the source of said trouble idly ambling through the snow from the general direction of the lake in his now regular skip-hopping gait, favoring his mauled forepaw - that forepaw being the reason he was discharged from foreign service - with a rather rather distracted look upon his otherwise generally merry features. Events are weighing somewhat on his mind as can be expected as well - but this at least regarding Shag hasn't quite hit him just yet... should be arriving any minute now...
While everyone is having their own problems to deal with, Haben has been trying to keep a relativly good mood. Winter will soon be leaving, which means that so will the snow! As fun as it can be to roll around in it and occasionally toss it at others, it makes things /really/ hard for him with his black fur. Hunting is even harder than normal, and it looks like he's got fluff on him whenever it sticks to his fur. Well, at least it will be gone soon. Haben pads along slowly, making his way back to the glen in hopes of finding one of his brothers or maybe even Lyall... he hasn't seen any of them in a while. Sigh.
She sees them, and she doesn't care for once, her mate and brother are just there in the path someone else is supposed to walking, why them, why not her son? Cotton keeps her eyes on the wolves in the distance, surprised to see Haben near the glen, he usualy spends time near the lake doing whatever he does in his free time. The female lets out a soft sigh, finally moving, at least changing position. Her forepaws cross in front of her, resting her chin on top and closing her eyes, if someone else arrives, her nose will let her know, for the moment, let her brother and mate come closer, things eventually will get interesting with more questions about Shag and Lyall that's for sure.
Wait - what is he? Chopped liver? And why is she worrying so much about their estranged son who is moping about somewhere in yet another snit? There's a funny thing about kids - you can always make more if the ones you have are a disappointment. Lord knows, they've already started making good inroads into that particular gordon's know since he's returned! Regardles of whether or not Shag is returning for yet another shouting match or not, Friti at this time has eyes for only one wolf - that of his mate. Consort... Something like that. they'll figure out official titles and whatnot later once he has a chance to 'talk' (read: bash his skull in) to this Ajax wolf he's heard about... but there's no reason to poke that particular hornet's nest at the moment - as the white wolf rather swiftly makes note of CottonPaws' drooping about. With a frown, he adjusts his course and ably hop-pads his way over towards her with a concerned look on his maw, "... Cotton? What's wrong?"
Haben stops in his tracks when he suddenly notices his sister and... is that Friti? Wow, where the heck has /he/ been?? The young wolf knows well enough that Friti's disappearance has contributed to his sister's depressed mood lately, so maybe this will help her, right? But then, what about Ajax? Oh no. Haben can almost smell drama coming in the near future. Sighing to himself, Haben walks up towards the small group and takes a seat near them, flashing his sister a warm smile but letting Friti do the talking for now.
It's not Drama, not really, things are under control... In a way, a weird way, one Cotton has no idea how she got there. Her ears perk up once she hears her lad's voice, but she doesn't immediately respond, she has to think first, what's wrong, Shag, Friti...? "I don't know what to do with Shag..." THe female whispers softly, cracking one eye open to look at the male. Funny how many things can happen is little time, one day she was spending a lovely evening in the den with him, now she just wants to disappear and leave her son alone, sounds fair, "He's still mad."
Drama is probably going to put things mildly at best when Friti gets his teeth into Ajax, the Usurper... but that's neither here nor there right now. He'll deal with that issue later. Right now, he has yet another depressed soul on his paws to deal with, and this is one of the ones he cares about most in the world... "Don't fret love, I'm sure he'll come around eventually." he says softly, leaning down to nose gently at her cheek, a plaintive note in his voice. He doesn't really know that, but what else is he supposed to say? If Shag wants nothing to do with him, despite his best efforts to the contrary to get to know the lad, what else is there to do? You don't win every battle... "And he's a full grown wolf now - he can take care of himself if need be. Especially since you were here to teach him everything he knows - what could possibly go wrong?" Hope is a currency which he's sadly well versed in trying to dispense to those whom desperately have none or little to be had. Sliding up along side, the white wolf carefully makes to lay himself down next to Cottonpaws and before moving to try to groom her comfortingly, Friti passes an eye over the glen taking note of others awake in the area - pausing to flick an ear in greeting to Haben. Long time, no see goes the unspoken word.
The mention of Shag causes Haben to suddenly listen intently to what the two are saying. Shag's mad? Oh no, not his favorite nephew! Giving a slight nod to Friti, the younger wolf moves up to his sister to give her a comforting nuzzle. He hates seeing her upset in any way at all. Heck, he'd rather see her making fun of him in front of Lyall than see her like this. "What's wrong with Shag?" he asks more to Cotton but leaves it open for Friti to answer as well. Last he knew, Shag was bounding around happily and asking many odd questions to him. What happened?
Yeah yeah, she's heard all these things already, and she knows for sure that uhm... Well, Friti is right, Shag is almost an adult, he's THE adult she wants to leave the pack when she's gone, but how? Why this things happen right now? Can't he just go to his father and 'hey, you know what, mom's right. Teach me how to be awesome.' Nooooo, he has to do things the hard way, "Are you kidding me?" What could possibly go wrong? She can make a list of things that could go wrong, starting with the fact that Shag may not be coming back, he left when she was talking to him, she can only hope to see him again, she's lost many that way, leaving the pack's territory to never come back again. . . "I want things to go to. . . I just want things fixed between us, all of us." And with an emo kid, that is impossible. . Her attetion is drawn to her brother, getting comfortable on her male's side but looking at Haben as he comes closer, "He decided to do what Friti did to him, leave." Low blow, she knows.
Friti digests this information quietly for a moment, nodding absently as Cotton passes on the news before finally breaking down with a sigh and shaking his head. "Maybe he'll come around and figure things out." Or maybe he'll go off and start his own pack - he's of about the right age to be doing so, though where he'll carve out the territory for one is an interesting question to ponder. No, to Friti it's more disappointing that one of his first batch of pups hasn't yet stepped up or seemed to indicate an interest in getting to know their father, but rather decide to ignore him completely. Ah well... you know the things about pups. There's always the possibility of more where those came from! "If not... we still have Tariro to try to succeed us." Yeah. The pup who has decided to ignore Friti's return and existence entirely. Good choice Friti. Definately better off starting anew with a clean slate at this rate - you've managed to alienate or upset most of your family with your mere presence. Oi.
A beseeching look is cast to Haben's direction - some support would be mightily appreciated bub. Some things even mates can't fix - maybe a sibling can help with?
Suddenly from afar, there's a howl. It seems Shag has not just left. He may be a rebellious snit right now, but the way he figures it, he hasn't done half of what Friti's done... and he's decided if he's going to be any kind of wolf apart from his father, he's not going to turn tail and run. No, instead, he's going to stay here and pout and not say a word of thing he dislikes, otherwise mom will probably claw his face off like she seemed to be threatening. So no, he doesn't like Friti, but he's at least going to stick around and try to learn something. Make the guy useful for the first time in Shag's life. And here he comes now, walking slowly, ambling like he hasn't a problem in the world, looking quite normal, which means he looks abnormal in comparison to other wolves. Wandering back and forth, sniffing everything and peering at whatever catches his interest, until his eyes fall on the adults some distance away. He stops. He pauses.
See, the drama is here already!! Haben sighs a bit at what his sister tells him, taking a seat and trying to get comfortable. A part of him can't blame Shag, since Friti /was/ absent while he was growing up, but the other part knows that Shag is probably overreacting a bit to his father's return. Haben is about to say something when the sudden howl cuts him off. He pauses for a moment, then looks around just in time to see Shag approaching them. What /perfect/ timing he has. Sigh. "I'll go talk with him," he says softly to the two adults, making sure to nuzzle Cotton once more before getting up and walking over towards Shag. Hopefully his nephew won't just run away...
Why didn't she think of that before? Oh, because it's Tariro we're talking about. Shag at least talks to mom about how he feels about Friti coming back, Tariro hasn't shown any interest since the father came back... It's not the time to say such things, not one of those jokes again please. Cotton is about to growl and speak her mind but the howl distracts her thoughts regaring the last words of her mate, but she quickly turns just in time to see the pacing adolescent in the distance, at least he's back... She's out of words, she simply nods to her brother as he leaves the two alone, her eyes remain focused on her son, lets see how this goes.
Friti? Useful? Wait - isn't that an oxymoron? He's useful! Honest! He hunts... he makes puppies! He did his part - raising them was Cotton's job! Granted there was that whole thing of going off for two years without nary a word of his existence, but he did that to satisify duty and to protect those he loves! Better to fight a war on foreign soil than on one's own shores, right? It's not like he was off chasing after available, young, nubile female wolves or just shooting the breeze with his friends... right? Difference there! Now, if only he can convince Shag of this... ... ... Speak of the devil. Friti turns and quickly locates the source of the noise, his eyes narrowing and ears backing just slightly in dismay as Shag's presence is noted... but says nothing as his brother-in-law beats him to the punch and gets up to speak with the lad. A single nod is all Friti gives before dismissing the subject from his mind and he goes back to absently cooing and trying to calm Cottonpaws, continuing to groom her fur on her neck and back with his tongue, but keeping an ear rotated to absently track the upcoming expected explosion.
Shag remains where he is, having figured the howl would alert everyone to his presence. Here they come now... no, it's just his favorite uncle. The one that actually tried to teach him stuff, though granted many of his questions were impossible to answer... far from an explosion, however, the young wolf just sits back and watches curiously as Haben approaches him, waiting in that eerie silence he's always in when he's upset, or happy, or calm, or anxious, or anything else. Only when Haben gets very close does he speak the first words that will begin his rehabilitation and put him on the path of Friti's awesomness, as mom implied. "Hi, uncle. I ate a bug that made me sick today. How are you?"
Haben can't help but chuckle slightly at his nephew's innocene in what he says. Yeah, that's Shag for you. "Well I hope your feeling better now," the wolf says, leaning over to nuzzle Shag once he's close enough. "I'm doing ok, I guess," he answers honestly. A bit lonely with no Lyall around, but doing ok. The smile slowly fades from his muzzle, however, as Haben takes a seat and looks at his nephew a bit more seriously. "Shag, what's this I hear about you wanting to leave this place?"
Cottonpaws stands up slowly, she feels like she needs to go help her brother, or her son, at she wants to be close to them, but... Maybe Haben can do something neither of his parents can so better stay out of the way. So instead of walking to where brother and son are, she turns around and steps over her lad, flopping right on his back like a fluffy blanket. Her chin resting on top of his head, just like... Well, she doesn't know what else to do at the moment, so staying with her lad seems good enough.
Who said he needed to be on the path of Friti's Awesomeness? Just because Friti is a virtual god among wolves and that female wolves throw themselves at his feet doesn't mean that Shag's can't go forge his own path to greatness! Ok, so maybe he wasn't such a great father - Friti can admit that. He wasn't there while they were growing up, and he can understand some resentment to that fact. Ultimately it's Shag's choice as to how he wants to deal with the situation, and Friti will only sit back and be there if he wants to talk. Speaking of talking however, Friti's pleased to note that Haben and Shag are at least off to a civil discussion... and he debates getting up, only to have Cottonpaws drape herself across him. Umph! x_x; "... Remind me later love to help you work off some energy with activities that will make you gain weight. I bet I could stand up with you on my back." He says mischievously, shuffling his paws somewhat and rocking back and forth by way of arguing his point.
Shag narrows his eyes just slightly, wondering where Haben got that impression. "Leaving?" he asks aloud. "I'm not leaving, Haben. Who told you that? If I was leaving wouldn't I already be gone?" He looks back to Friti and Cotton, being lazy with each other. He had thought *they* would be the ones to try and fix this mess, but apparently they're leaving it to Haben... not that Shag thinks he has a problem anymore. "No, I'm staying here, uncle. No reason to worry." He does know what he's talking about, however... "You think I'm angry."
Haben smiles slightly at the news that Shag will be staying. Phew. "That's good Shag," he only replies, nuzzling his nephew again. He'd hate it if his nephew left because of something like Friti coming back. "All I heard, Shag, is that you are a bit upset with Friti coming back," he says softly to his nephew, trying to keep things calm. "Is that true?"
Cottonpaws rolls her eyes at such 'lovely' words. Gee, that guy seems to NOT know when and how to make jokes. It's almost like, he chooses the worst moments to say something like that when he's not supposed to. The gal simply stays there, tilting her head up to look down at him, shaking her head but hey, at least she's smiling, "Don't you even try... I don't want you getting yourself hurt." That forearm gives him hell all the time, sure he can stand, sure he can walk, sure he can take her to a private place, but what happens after that? During the passion she doesn't to hear him say 'Oh you know, I can't, just roll over.' No way.
Ok, so maybe blatant flirting back and forth isn't necessarily the best way to be dealing with the present situation... but it's amusing and it helps Friti keep his and others moods light, so what's the harm? Anywho, an amused chortle and one last bodily quake by way of defiance later, Friti returns his attention to the scene opening up before him with his son and Haben, tilting his head to one side and trying to better gauge the reactions of both. Things seem to be starting smoothly enough (Thank you Haben for breaking the ice in a civil manner.) and Friti can't but help try to be helpful and opens his mouth to speak, "I think Haben," He begins, shifting slightly to readjust to the weight on his back, "That it might be more accurate to say that he doesn't seem satisified with my explainations for why I left, why I couldn't send word, and why I wasn't there for them." He offers hopefully, demonstrating his knowledge of the situation as he can best take it. This accomplished... Friti suddenly jerks
himself to one sinde and rolls in an attempt to reverse the situation - him on top and her on the bottom! Rawr! XD
Shag sighs and bows his head, hardly returning the nuzzle. "... Yes," he says simply, ignoring the antics going on behind his uncle. But he can't "ignore" ignore it. He sighs and grits his teeth, remembering his mom's warning. Just suck it up... she threatens him to respect Friti and then goes and does this when he comes back to try and talk for the first time in this whole argument? The guy's screwing up everything around here, his mom included. Fine, then. He won't be talking to her either. "Can we go somewhere else?" he asks simply.
Haben winces slightly as he hears Friti talk, just shaking his head to himself. Why did he have to open his mouth? The /last/ thing you would do is talk when your son is angry at you. The male looks back to give Friti a 'dont speak' kind of look... only to see the two adult flirting with eachother. Yeah, that's a /great/ way to get Shag's respect back. "Yeah, let's go," he says simply, giving the two adults a 'way-to-mess-things-up' look before turning around and walking away from the two adults. If they want to resolve this, they need to get as far away from the problem.
Even Cotton disapproves the Friti's actions this time. Her eyes shut close and she really wants to say something, but since her son and brother are leaving, then MAYBE, just MAYBE she doesn't have to say it. THe male's weight falls on her back, and if it wasn't Winter, she would surely try and stand up, but uhm... How can she refuse right now? The female watches the two leave, or at least walk a fair distance so they can't hear what Friti and Cotton's voices anymore, "Friti...?" The female stays on place, just leaning her head to a side, enough to glance at the male on top, "You are a f**king asshole with your son." And uhm... She's not smiling, just letting you know.
Friti had Shag's respect to begin with? This is news if true - Shag's been this way ever since Friti met him. ... Alright, perhaps that's not entirely true. He was rather quiet to begin with, and /then/ he took on this disdainful attitude, despite cheerful attempts at breaking the depressing mood of each encounter with levity, humor and his usual goofball nature. Of course, this seems to have backfired - to this point somewhat disastrously. Finally achieving dominance in the tussle, Friti can only blink as Cotton makes her remarks. Wait - what just happened here? A quick turn of his head is all that's required to confirm what is implied in her voice - that of completely screwing the pooch. "... ... crap." The white wolf remarks, watching the retreating backs of his son and Haben as they make their way from the glen to... elsewhere. Luna only knows where. Backing his ears in dismay, Friti scrambles back and gets off of Cotton, still staring after the duo as they depart... and completely at a loss for words.
Cottonpaws sighs.... Just like that. This isn't happening, please someone tell her that things are just part of an ugly nightmare and her son isn't pissed off at her, and her mate isn't doing the opposite to make things up for the family.. Cotton waits until she can no longer see her son and brother before rolling to her side to face the male, her eyes are just daggers right now, "crap.... Indeed." The female murmurs softly, reaching a paw slowly to lightly bat at his shoulder, "What happened to you? You weren't like this before, Friti... I mean, you're always joking and trying to cheer us up. But you knew when was the right time... Right now? It just seems that you want your own son to go away. PLease tell me that's not true, please tell me you really want this already broken family to have hope in the future."
Friti slowly turns his head back from watching the pair dissapear into the undergrowth to that of a very pissed off she-wolf sitting next to him, and gives a very pained, perplexed, and confused look, "How was I to know that our messing around would set him off?" He says softly, trying not to let his distress creep into his voice, and generally failing. Trouble seems to be following his arrival and while he's glad to be home, things have certainly not gone according to plan. "Damnit..." He curses again as he makes to stand and moves off to begin pacing in the snow a short distance off. Cursing is new - not something he used to do before either. War changes people remember... "I've tried speaking with him civily. I've tried humor. I've tried ignoring the problem and going on as if things never happened... what else would you have me do?" He scowls, then turns and growls softly towards the still shaking undergrowth, "Cotton, I've tried to make things work and it seems that no matter what I do he won't give me a chance. What else can I even do? Hell - our other son won't even /talk/ to me, and this one is quickly going that same path." Grump.
Ooooh, he better not be growling at her now, she's the one who should be growling at him and making sure to hurt those old bones more than they already are. Because, even if she loves him, she loves herson, and the young are priority. Cotton stands up, pacing to where the male is and stopping beside him. SHe doesn't let her eyes wander to the undergrowth like he does, they remain locked on the male'sgaze, "You haven't tried one thing...." Her voice is soft, even shaking somewhere between the lines, "If you care... If you really care, tell him you're sorry and ask HIM what he wants you to do..." Shealready knows what Shag would probably tell his father, she doesn't want to think about that, "I love you, you know it... But I already lost a daugther, I don't want to lose a son..." Tears clear on hereyes now, haunting and threatening to fall and become part of the snow, "I would rather lose my mate than seeing my son running away from home." Ouch.
Ouch indeed. As for not trying, that's not entirely true... he has been trying in his own way, but his way doesn't seen to be working properly. Maybe he just needed a bump in the right direction. He starts to respond, only to cut himself short as the waterworks start flowing, taking him aback rather suddenly. ... Damnit, this is not happening. Ears backed, Friti stares long and hard at the female for a long moment, then ducks his head in acquiescence before turning and ambling as quickly as he can manage with his injured paw after the departed duo without nary a further word. If she chooses to follow, that's up to her. As for him... he apparently needs to take things more seriously and... ... apologize.
Shag nods once, standing and leading the way, back into the valley itself. He doesn't see Friti following, and moves at a considerable clip.
As the continue to walk away from the adults, Haben keeps looking over his shoulder so he knows when Friti and his sister are well out of sight and ear shot. "Ok, this should be far enough," he mentions to his nephew, stoping where he's at and sitting down, trying to get comfortable. Something tells him he might be here a while. "So Shag... tell me what's bothering you." No use trying to beat around the bush now.
Shag shakes his head and stamps a paw on the ground. "It's not obvious?" he exclaims. "It's *them.* And it's him." He sighs heavily and drops onto his stomach, then rises up and starts pacing again. "Mother pulled rank on me," he says. "Said I *had* to respect him. And maybe deep down I do! But as long as they're-!" He cuts himself off, unable to continue and bumps his head against a tree. "They're just... they tell me to look up to them and in the middle of *this*... when I was going back there to talk, all *he* could think of was..." He smacks the back of his paw against a tree in an uncharacteristic display of anger, and grunts at the pain, curling up against it. "What if they have more pups?"
What if they have more pups indeed? It's still a risk since they have a few more days till the end of season - that is, if Cotton's still in cycle. But that is really neither here nor there. What if they have pups? So what? Is this a real problem? This however is an issue to discuss for another day. As is, it isn't too long after Shag and Haben arrive here that Friti ambles out of the undergrowth in his skip-hop manner as he favors his left forepaw as is his custom anymore. And arrives, at least at first, alone without Cottonpaws in tow. Upon arriving, the white wolf regards first Haben, then observes Shag proceeding to beat himself up over something which he doesn't quite hear due to the rather noisy nature of his arrival through a couple of snow-covered shrubs... "... You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that." He remarks softly, his earlier cheerful demeanor rather subdued and nearly gone, "I'd suggest not continuing unless you want to end up like your old wolf." He pauses, turning to glance at the still quaking shrubs behind him, "I do believe I may owe you an apology," Understatement of the year. "... your mother is as quick to beat sense into me as ever. We seem to have gotten off on the wrong paw with each other. Shall we try again?"
It pains Haben to see Shag hurting himself like that, but he lets his nephew do it to get rid of all the built up anger he obviously has. The uncle can't pretend to know what Shag is going through, but can certainly understand why he's angry. After all, /he/ would probably be pissed if Silvan was never around when he was growing up, then suddenly comes back just like that. Sighing, Haben is about to say something when Friti suddenly cuts him off. When did he get there? Well... maybe this isn't the best place for him anymore. Getting to his paws, Haben moves over to Shag to whisper something in his ear, nuzzle him again, then start to head back to where Friti left his sister, giving Friti a small nod. This is between them, and he doesn't need to be there. However, his sister probably could use some comforting.
Shag looks up to answer Haben when Friti appears again. He wants to go back to Haben! But when he nuzzles and whispers to him, he pins his ears back and nods slowly. He'd try, but certainly no promises. When Friti speaks, he doesn't answer, or turn around, simply putting his injured paw down on the ground, *standing* on it no matter how much it throbs. He stares straight ahead, wondering what to say, and indeed, if he's even supposed to say anything. After all, for owing an apology for that last debacle, Shag has yet to hear 'I'm sorry.' Is he only here because mother forced him to be? It seems the Alpha's claws are the *only* thing that will garauntee respect. Haben's words seem to have made some impact, since he nods slowly. Try try again...
What's the old phrase? 'If at first you don't succeed...' As for Cotton's temper being the only thing that will guarantee respect, well... Shag will understand when he finds a girl of his own one day. Ultimately, they win - no matter what. Closest thing a male can do to win is act and beg for forgiveness later. Still, getting back to the matter at paw... Friti skip-hops forward another couple paces then stops and sits, being careful to leave plenty of space between him and his son for the comfort of both sides should it be necessary. Awkward silence descends as Shag's muteness to his words carries on as Friti waits for some indication of a reply. Finally, after thoughtfully chewing on his lip the White Wolf expels a sigh, "Look," he begins, trying to best determine how to word things in a diplomatic manner that won't cause another outburst. 'I'm sorry.' falls under the same category as 'I love you.' with him - they are statements that seem empty of meaning considering how quickly others offer them up. "... I realize things must be awkward for you... and honestly for everyone. You're upset. I realize that. And," He straightens himself up and ducks his head in a manner that's intended to be respectful, "I believe I have done you a great disservice for not perhaps trying harder to understand your point of view better. Please accept my formal apology for my actions... and realize that by my oath to Luna that by doing you such a disservice that my life is in your paws to dispense with as you see fit." He finishes grimly, then falls silent. When in doubt, formality, customs, duty and formal vows are always generally safe to fall back upon, though they unto themselves carry their own danger.
Shag continues to stare complacently, betraying nothing with his eyes, or his expression, or anything. He's like a model of a wolf that's been dropped into place instead of Shag. Heck, he's hardly even blinking. Friti's lengthy apology is greeted with still more silence, merely following the wolf with his eyes... apparently, Shag wants Friti to exhaust everything he can come up with or the like, before making a decision on whether or not he's being honest. Maybe it's some kind of 'test.' Or maybe it's just Shag being Shag, never really saying anything unless he wants to. He can be very, very quiet when he wants to be.
It must be quite the scene with both of the wolves just sitting there, staring at the other or the ground Haben and Friti respectively. Friti remains silent to and beyond any reasonable time period for an expected response... and then proceeds to wait some more. It is quite some time relatively before it begins to occur to the older wolf that perhaps Shag isn't familiar with this form of custom... with this form of summary judgment. Finally, After what to him seems an eternity he decides that perhaps a quiet prompting is in order, "Lad," He begins softly, clearing his throat to try to catch the others attention, "If he have anything you wish to say to me, to have me do, or to do to me now's the time to say it." He looks up, ears still backed but those steel-blue eyes narrowing as he peers at his son in a critical fashion, "I don't say or do this lightly understand. My oath is my bond. As much as I'm oath bound to you, your mother and the pack to protect them as I've tried so very hard to do since before you were born... I'm also dutybound to a different sort of justice under my oath to Luna's Legion. When I say that my life is before your paws, I mean it. Tell me to walk, and I'll walk - never to return to these parts. Rip out my throat if you feel you must, and I will make no move to obstruct it; but do it cleanly - for I will not give you but that first attempt. My oath has limits, but it also binds me tighter than anything else I know short of my love for your mother, and by extension - you." He pauses, then after a long moment finishes, "... I can think of no greater apology to offer you than that of my life Shag." Note 'Shag'. His name, not 'son', not 'lad', not 'pup', but his adult name. "If you have something, anything you wish to get off your chest or mind - now's the time to do it."
And yet more silence falls around the vale when Friti is done speaking. Shag doesn't seem focused. In fact he seems a little confused now, his eyes darting around back and forth. Since when was he going to be given all this power? What's he supposed to do with it? He feels like a fish that's been given a space of air to fly in- he has no idea what to do! He honestly wasn't expecting this. Does Friti have something up his sleeve? Is he hoping that Shag will just forgive him so he can go back to being a goofball? What if... what he *doesn't* forgive him? Tells him to leave? Everything will go back to normal! He'll have everything he wanted back! Attention, no more fretting about whether or not his family loves him anymore... but this kind of power is a little frightening. His eyes narrow and his brow furrows in thought, and then, finally, he leans forward, very close, looking his father directly in the eyes. "First of all... Do you really love me?" he asks flat out, with a bit of steel in his voice. "Am... Am I really... *really*... your *son?* Not just some wolf getting in the way of you getting back what *you* want?"
Now that's a question - a /very/ good question, and one that sets the older wolf back a moment. He'd expected an immediate summary judgment, command, or execution. An order not to pursue further after his mate. Banishment from the pack territories... but a question such as this is, well, unexpected. Returning the other's stare, Friti says nothing for several heartbeats as he struggles with his inner turmoil, confusion and emotions - each and everyone of them struggling for dominance. His anger over being questioned about such a matter. His confusion as to where it came from. His dismay that... "I'm damned either way I answer that." He finally relents, carefully annunciating each and every syllable so as to make it blatantly clear as to what his final response will be. "But damned or not, I'll tell you exactly what I feel. I love this pack. I love your mother. And by extension I love the /idea/ of my children in both practice and intent." He pauses to let this sink in before continuing on firmly, "I /want/ to love you. I /want/ to get to know you and your brother, and I am truly sorry that I've been absent all your lives that I havn't had the opportunity to really understand what each of you is like. What you love... what you hate. You as individuals. Duty kept me from doing so, but that doesn't stop me from wanting what was stolen from me. From us. Above all, know this: I would give my life in a heartbeat for the mere /idea/ of loving my children. I would gladly die for a chance to have an opportunity to grow to know them to love them. As much, I would give up my entire existence for the chance for pups, my pups, to have a chance at life and happiness. I don't know you... I love the idea of you and your brother. I /want/ to learn to love you as individuals and my, /my/ offspring. If that isn't enough... I don't know what is." There. Honesty, laid flat, bare and naked as a newborn pup.
Shag's answer is a while in coming. He stares the other wolf down as best he can, searching for a lie in Friti's eyes even though he's not quite that skilled (though soul searching seems appropriate here). He seems to get even closer now, looming large in Friti's vision, trying to *force* him to really look at him, see him as a son, a wolf that wants his attention and care and not just a couple apologies so they can go on their merry way. If he and Cotton have pups, it's an injustice in Shag's mind that *they* might get the kind of love that he was simply missing out on his entire life, from a wolf that has only just now, when things were bad enough that he couldn't ignore, wants to give him. "Then this is what I'm going to do with your life," he says simply. "I'll make you prove it. Prove that you're my father, and not just a wolf who sired me. Prove that you *can* love me. And the others. And then *do* it." Yes... Shag has just told him his oath is to devote himself as fully as any father should. He steps back and drops onto his haunches, his eyes still narrow and critical. "Welcome to the family, dad."
-This RP is classified as PG-13 due to mild language. Viewer discretion is advised. You know where the back button is folks if that's a problem...
-I'm not a fan of too much editing. Raw logs tend to show the skill level and thoughts of the persons behind them, making understanding the players and characters a deeper experience.
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Characters:
Cottonpaws - Alpha of Viridian
Friti - Cottonpaw's estranged and recently returned Consort.
Shag - Son of Cottonpaws and Friti. 1st Litter.
Haben - Shag's Uncle, Cottonpaw's sibling.
Things didn't go as planned, and when things don't go as planned there's always a list, series of bad things that just fall down on everyone's shoulders at once, downfall would be the perfect word. Cotton is the apparently the one who suffers most in this special scenario, it's her son, but not her son's fault. She doesn't want to blame anyone, but still she knows if there's one to blame, that is Friti, as much as it hurts her to accept it, he shouldn't have come back, both her sons have become distant, strangers to their own mother. Cotton has spent the last hours, nearly an entire day resting near the den. Her eyes never drawing away from the path that leads to the valley, or in this case, the path that leads home, hoping to see her Shag coming back. Not enough tears have fallen on the snow, but it would seem that no more tears are able to come running down her cheeks, he's a smart little brat, he probably doesn't know it but he managed to find a weak spot on the mother.
Whenever life gives you lemons... make lemonade! Not everything is as bad as it seems, is it? Granted, Friti's return caused trouble - particularly since he's been gone off fighting in a foreign legion for the better part of two years with not a word of his departure or while he was away... but is it really all that bad? Alas, perhaps it would have been easier if he hadn't returned to muddle things up in the pack, particularly with this Ajax character which he hasn't yet had the opportunity to confront... but when life throws a sucker-punch, you just have to roll with it and keep plowing onwards. Regardless, we find the source of said trouble idly ambling through the snow from the general direction of the lake in his now regular skip-hopping gait, favoring his mauled forepaw - that forepaw being the reason he was discharged from foreign service - with a rather rather distracted look upon his otherwise generally merry features. Events are weighing somewhat on his mind as can be expected as well - but this at least regarding Shag hasn't quite hit him just yet... should be arriving any minute now...
While everyone is having their own problems to deal with, Haben has been trying to keep a relativly good mood. Winter will soon be leaving, which means that so will the snow! As fun as it can be to roll around in it and occasionally toss it at others, it makes things /really/ hard for him with his black fur. Hunting is even harder than normal, and it looks like he's got fluff on him whenever it sticks to his fur. Well, at least it will be gone soon. Haben pads along slowly, making his way back to the glen in hopes of finding one of his brothers or maybe even Lyall... he hasn't seen any of them in a while. Sigh.
She sees them, and she doesn't care for once, her mate and brother are just there in the path someone else is supposed to walking, why them, why not her son? Cotton keeps her eyes on the wolves in the distance, surprised to see Haben near the glen, he usualy spends time near the lake doing whatever he does in his free time. The female lets out a soft sigh, finally moving, at least changing position. Her forepaws cross in front of her, resting her chin on top and closing her eyes, if someone else arrives, her nose will let her know, for the moment, let her brother and mate come closer, things eventually will get interesting with more questions about Shag and Lyall that's for sure.
Wait - what is he? Chopped liver? And why is she worrying so much about their estranged son who is moping about somewhere in yet another snit? There's a funny thing about kids - you can always make more if the ones you have are a disappointment. Lord knows, they've already started making good inroads into that particular gordon's know since he's returned! Regardles of whether or not Shag is returning for yet another shouting match or not, Friti at this time has eyes for only one wolf - that of his mate. Consort... Something like that. they'll figure out official titles and whatnot later once he has a chance to 'talk' (read: bash his skull in) to this Ajax wolf he's heard about... but there's no reason to poke that particular hornet's nest at the moment - as the white wolf rather swiftly makes note of CottonPaws' drooping about. With a frown, he adjusts his course and ably hop-pads his way over towards her with a concerned look on his maw, "... Cotton? What's wrong?"
Haben stops in his tracks when he suddenly notices his sister and... is that Friti? Wow, where the heck has /he/ been?? The young wolf knows well enough that Friti's disappearance has contributed to his sister's depressed mood lately, so maybe this will help her, right? But then, what about Ajax? Oh no. Haben can almost smell drama coming in the near future. Sighing to himself, Haben walks up towards the small group and takes a seat near them, flashing his sister a warm smile but letting Friti do the talking for now.
It's not Drama, not really, things are under control... In a way, a weird way, one Cotton has no idea how she got there. Her ears perk up once she hears her lad's voice, but she doesn't immediately respond, she has to think first, what's wrong, Shag, Friti...? "I don't know what to do with Shag..." THe female whispers softly, cracking one eye open to look at the male. Funny how many things can happen is little time, one day she was spending a lovely evening in the den with him, now she just wants to disappear and leave her son alone, sounds fair, "He's still mad."
Drama is probably going to put things mildly at best when Friti gets his teeth into Ajax, the Usurper... but that's neither here nor there right now. He'll deal with that issue later. Right now, he has yet another depressed soul on his paws to deal with, and this is one of the ones he cares about most in the world... "Don't fret love, I'm sure he'll come around eventually." he says softly, leaning down to nose gently at her cheek, a plaintive note in his voice. He doesn't really know that, but what else is he supposed to say? If Shag wants nothing to do with him, despite his best efforts to the contrary to get to know the lad, what else is there to do? You don't win every battle... "And he's a full grown wolf now - he can take care of himself if need be. Especially since you were here to teach him everything he knows - what could possibly go wrong?" Hope is a currency which he's sadly well versed in trying to dispense to those whom desperately have none or little to be had. Sliding up along side, the white wolf carefully makes to lay himself down next to Cottonpaws and before moving to try to groom her comfortingly, Friti passes an eye over the glen taking note of others awake in the area - pausing to flick an ear in greeting to Haben. Long time, no see goes the unspoken word.
The mention of Shag causes Haben to suddenly listen intently to what the two are saying. Shag's mad? Oh no, not his favorite nephew! Giving a slight nod to Friti, the younger wolf moves up to his sister to give her a comforting nuzzle. He hates seeing her upset in any way at all. Heck, he'd rather see her making fun of him in front of Lyall than see her like this. "What's wrong with Shag?" he asks more to Cotton but leaves it open for Friti to answer as well. Last he knew, Shag was bounding around happily and asking many odd questions to him. What happened?
Yeah yeah, she's heard all these things already, and she knows for sure that uhm... Well, Friti is right, Shag is almost an adult, he's THE adult she wants to leave the pack when she's gone, but how? Why this things happen right now? Can't he just go to his father and 'hey, you know what, mom's right. Teach me how to be awesome.' Nooooo, he has to do things the hard way, "Are you kidding me?" What could possibly go wrong? She can make a list of things that could go wrong, starting with the fact that Shag may not be coming back, he left when she was talking to him, she can only hope to see him again, she's lost many that way, leaving the pack's territory to never come back again. . . "I want things to go to. . . I just want things fixed between us, all of us." And with an emo kid, that is impossible. . Her attetion is drawn to her brother, getting comfortable on her male's side but looking at Haben as he comes closer, "He decided to do what Friti did to him, leave." Low blow, she knows.
Friti digests this information quietly for a moment, nodding absently as Cotton passes on the news before finally breaking down with a sigh and shaking his head. "Maybe he'll come around and figure things out." Or maybe he'll go off and start his own pack - he's of about the right age to be doing so, though where he'll carve out the territory for one is an interesting question to ponder. No, to Friti it's more disappointing that one of his first batch of pups hasn't yet stepped up or seemed to indicate an interest in getting to know their father, but rather decide to ignore him completely. Ah well... you know the things about pups. There's always the possibility of more where those came from! "If not... we still have Tariro to try to succeed us." Yeah. The pup who has decided to ignore Friti's return and existence entirely. Good choice Friti. Definately better off starting anew with a clean slate at this rate - you've managed to alienate or upset most of your family with your mere presence. Oi.
A beseeching look is cast to Haben's direction - some support would be mightily appreciated bub. Some things even mates can't fix - maybe a sibling can help with?
Suddenly from afar, there's a howl. It seems Shag has not just left. He may be a rebellious snit right now, but the way he figures it, he hasn't done half of what Friti's done... and he's decided if he's going to be any kind of wolf apart from his father, he's not going to turn tail and run. No, instead, he's going to stay here and pout and not say a word of thing he dislikes, otherwise mom will probably claw his face off like she seemed to be threatening. So no, he doesn't like Friti, but he's at least going to stick around and try to learn something. Make the guy useful for the first time in Shag's life. And here he comes now, walking slowly, ambling like he hasn't a problem in the world, looking quite normal, which means he looks abnormal in comparison to other wolves. Wandering back and forth, sniffing everything and peering at whatever catches his interest, until his eyes fall on the adults some distance away. He stops. He pauses.
See, the drama is here already!! Haben sighs a bit at what his sister tells him, taking a seat and trying to get comfortable. A part of him can't blame Shag, since Friti /was/ absent while he was growing up, but the other part knows that Shag is probably overreacting a bit to his father's return. Haben is about to say something when the sudden howl cuts him off. He pauses for a moment, then looks around just in time to see Shag approaching them. What /perfect/ timing he has. Sigh. "I'll go talk with him," he says softly to the two adults, making sure to nuzzle Cotton once more before getting up and walking over towards Shag. Hopefully his nephew won't just run away...
Why didn't she think of that before? Oh, because it's Tariro we're talking about. Shag at least talks to mom about how he feels about Friti coming back, Tariro hasn't shown any interest since the father came back... It's not the time to say such things, not one of those jokes again please. Cotton is about to growl and speak her mind but the howl distracts her thoughts regaring the last words of her mate, but she quickly turns just in time to see the pacing adolescent in the distance, at least he's back... She's out of words, she simply nods to her brother as he leaves the two alone, her eyes remain focused on her son, lets see how this goes.
Friti? Useful? Wait - isn't that an oxymoron? He's useful! Honest! He hunts... he makes puppies! He did his part - raising them was Cotton's job! Granted there was that whole thing of going off for two years without nary a word of his existence, but he did that to satisify duty and to protect those he loves! Better to fight a war on foreign soil than on one's own shores, right? It's not like he was off chasing after available, young, nubile female wolves or just shooting the breeze with his friends... right? Difference there! Now, if only he can convince Shag of this... ... ... Speak of the devil. Friti turns and quickly locates the source of the noise, his eyes narrowing and ears backing just slightly in dismay as Shag's presence is noted... but says nothing as his brother-in-law beats him to the punch and gets up to speak with the lad. A single nod is all Friti gives before dismissing the subject from his mind and he goes back to absently cooing and trying to calm Cottonpaws, continuing to groom her fur on her neck and back with his tongue, but keeping an ear rotated to absently track the upcoming expected explosion.
Shag remains where he is, having figured the howl would alert everyone to his presence. Here they come now... no, it's just his favorite uncle. The one that actually tried to teach him stuff, though granted many of his questions were impossible to answer... far from an explosion, however, the young wolf just sits back and watches curiously as Haben approaches him, waiting in that eerie silence he's always in when he's upset, or happy, or calm, or anxious, or anything else. Only when Haben gets very close does he speak the first words that will begin his rehabilitation and put him on the path of Friti's awesomness, as mom implied. "Hi, uncle. I ate a bug that made me sick today. How are you?"
Haben can't help but chuckle slightly at his nephew's innocene in what he says. Yeah, that's Shag for you. "Well I hope your feeling better now," the wolf says, leaning over to nuzzle Shag once he's close enough. "I'm doing ok, I guess," he answers honestly. A bit lonely with no Lyall around, but doing ok. The smile slowly fades from his muzzle, however, as Haben takes a seat and looks at his nephew a bit more seriously. "Shag, what's this I hear about you wanting to leave this place?"
Cottonpaws stands up slowly, she feels like she needs to go help her brother, or her son, at she wants to be close to them, but... Maybe Haben can do something neither of his parents can so better stay out of the way. So instead of walking to where brother and son are, she turns around and steps over her lad, flopping right on his back like a fluffy blanket. Her chin resting on top of his head, just like... Well, she doesn't know what else to do at the moment, so staying with her lad seems good enough.
Who said he needed to be on the path of Friti's Awesomeness? Just because Friti is a virtual god among wolves and that female wolves throw themselves at his feet doesn't mean that Shag's can't go forge his own path to greatness! Ok, so maybe he wasn't such a great father - Friti can admit that. He wasn't there while they were growing up, and he can understand some resentment to that fact. Ultimately it's Shag's choice as to how he wants to deal with the situation, and Friti will only sit back and be there if he wants to talk. Speaking of talking however, Friti's pleased to note that Haben and Shag are at least off to a civil discussion... and he debates getting up, only to have Cottonpaws drape herself across him. Umph! x_x; "... Remind me later love to help you work off some energy with activities that will make you gain weight. I bet I could stand up with you on my back." He says mischievously, shuffling his paws somewhat and rocking back and forth by way of arguing his point.
Shag narrows his eyes just slightly, wondering where Haben got that impression. "Leaving?" he asks aloud. "I'm not leaving, Haben. Who told you that? If I was leaving wouldn't I already be gone?" He looks back to Friti and Cotton, being lazy with each other. He had thought *they* would be the ones to try and fix this mess, but apparently they're leaving it to Haben... not that Shag thinks he has a problem anymore. "No, I'm staying here, uncle. No reason to worry." He does know what he's talking about, however... "You think I'm angry."
Haben smiles slightly at the news that Shag will be staying. Phew. "That's good Shag," he only replies, nuzzling his nephew again. He'd hate it if his nephew left because of something like Friti coming back. "All I heard, Shag, is that you are a bit upset with Friti coming back," he says softly to his nephew, trying to keep things calm. "Is that true?"
Cottonpaws rolls her eyes at such 'lovely' words. Gee, that guy seems to NOT know when and how to make jokes. It's almost like, he chooses the worst moments to say something like that when he's not supposed to. The gal simply stays there, tilting her head up to look down at him, shaking her head but hey, at least she's smiling, "Don't you even try... I don't want you getting yourself hurt." That forearm gives him hell all the time, sure he can stand, sure he can walk, sure he can take her to a private place, but what happens after that? During the passion she doesn't to hear him say 'Oh you know, I can't, just roll over.' No way.
Ok, so maybe blatant flirting back and forth isn't necessarily the best way to be dealing with the present situation... but it's amusing and it helps Friti keep his and others moods light, so what's the harm? Anywho, an amused chortle and one last bodily quake by way of defiance later, Friti returns his attention to the scene opening up before him with his son and Haben, tilting his head to one side and trying to better gauge the reactions of both. Things seem to be starting smoothly enough (Thank you Haben for breaking the ice in a civil manner.) and Friti can't but help try to be helpful and opens his mouth to speak, "I think Haben," He begins, shifting slightly to readjust to the weight on his back, "That it might be more accurate to say that he doesn't seem satisified with my explainations for why I left, why I couldn't send word, and why I wasn't there for them." He offers hopefully, demonstrating his knowledge of the situation as he can best take it. This accomplished... Friti suddenly jerks
himself to one sinde and rolls in an attempt to reverse the situation - him on top and her on the bottom! Rawr! XD
Shag sighs and bows his head, hardly returning the nuzzle. "... Yes," he says simply, ignoring the antics going on behind his uncle. But he can't "ignore" ignore it. He sighs and grits his teeth, remembering his mom's warning. Just suck it up... she threatens him to respect Friti and then goes and does this when he comes back to try and talk for the first time in this whole argument? The guy's screwing up everything around here, his mom included. Fine, then. He won't be talking to her either. "Can we go somewhere else?" he asks simply.
Haben winces slightly as he hears Friti talk, just shaking his head to himself. Why did he have to open his mouth? The /last/ thing you would do is talk when your son is angry at you. The male looks back to give Friti a 'dont speak' kind of look... only to see the two adult flirting with eachother. Yeah, that's a /great/ way to get Shag's respect back. "Yeah, let's go," he says simply, giving the two adults a 'way-to-mess-things-up' look before turning around and walking away from the two adults. If they want to resolve this, they need to get as far away from the problem.
Even Cotton disapproves the Friti's actions this time. Her eyes shut close and she really wants to say something, but since her son and brother are leaving, then MAYBE, just MAYBE she doesn't have to say it. THe male's weight falls on her back, and if it wasn't Winter, she would surely try and stand up, but uhm... How can she refuse right now? The female watches the two leave, or at least walk a fair distance so they can't hear what Friti and Cotton's voices anymore, "Friti...?" The female stays on place, just leaning her head to a side, enough to glance at the male on top, "You are a f**king asshole with your son." And uhm... She's not smiling, just letting you know.
Friti had Shag's respect to begin with? This is news if true - Shag's been this way ever since Friti met him. ... Alright, perhaps that's not entirely true. He was rather quiet to begin with, and /then/ he took on this disdainful attitude, despite cheerful attempts at breaking the depressing mood of each encounter with levity, humor and his usual goofball nature. Of course, this seems to have backfired - to this point somewhat disastrously. Finally achieving dominance in the tussle, Friti can only blink as Cotton makes her remarks. Wait - what just happened here? A quick turn of his head is all that's required to confirm what is implied in her voice - that of completely screwing the pooch. "... ... crap." The white wolf remarks, watching the retreating backs of his son and Haben as they make their way from the glen to... elsewhere. Luna only knows where. Backing his ears in dismay, Friti scrambles back and gets off of Cotton, still staring after the duo as they depart... and completely at a loss for words.
Cottonpaws sighs.... Just like that. This isn't happening, please someone tell her that things are just part of an ugly nightmare and her son isn't pissed off at her, and her mate isn't doing the opposite to make things up for the family.. Cotton waits until she can no longer see her son and brother before rolling to her side to face the male, her eyes are just daggers right now, "crap.... Indeed." The female murmurs softly, reaching a paw slowly to lightly bat at his shoulder, "What happened to you? You weren't like this before, Friti... I mean, you're always joking and trying to cheer us up. But you knew when was the right time... Right now? It just seems that you want your own son to go away. PLease tell me that's not true, please tell me you really want this already broken family to have hope in the future."
Friti slowly turns his head back from watching the pair dissapear into the undergrowth to that of a very pissed off she-wolf sitting next to him, and gives a very pained, perplexed, and confused look, "How was I to know that our messing around would set him off?" He says softly, trying not to let his distress creep into his voice, and generally failing. Trouble seems to be following his arrival and while he's glad to be home, things have certainly not gone according to plan. "Damnit..." He curses again as he makes to stand and moves off to begin pacing in the snow a short distance off. Cursing is new - not something he used to do before either. War changes people remember... "I've tried speaking with him civily. I've tried humor. I've tried ignoring the problem and going on as if things never happened... what else would you have me do?" He scowls, then turns and growls softly towards the still shaking undergrowth, "Cotton, I've tried to make things work and it seems that no matter what I do he won't give me a chance. What else can I even do? Hell - our other son won't even /talk/ to me, and this one is quickly going that same path." Grump.
Ooooh, he better not be growling at her now, she's the one who should be growling at him and making sure to hurt those old bones more than they already are. Because, even if she loves him, she loves herson, and the young are priority. Cotton stands up, pacing to where the male is and stopping beside him. SHe doesn't let her eyes wander to the undergrowth like he does, they remain locked on the male'sgaze, "You haven't tried one thing...." Her voice is soft, even shaking somewhere between the lines, "If you care... If you really care, tell him you're sorry and ask HIM what he wants you to do..." Shealready knows what Shag would probably tell his father, she doesn't want to think about that, "I love you, you know it... But I already lost a daugther, I don't want to lose a son..." Tears clear on hereyes now, haunting and threatening to fall and become part of the snow, "I would rather lose my mate than seeing my son running away from home." Ouch.
Ouch indeed. As for not trying, that's not entirely true... he has been trying in his own way, but his way doesn't seen to be working properly. Maybe he just needed a bump in the right direction. He starts to respond, only to cut himself short as the waterworks start flowing, taking him aback rather suddenly. ... Damnit, this is not happening. Ears backed, Friti stares long and hard at the female for a long moment, then ducks his head in acquiescence before turning and ambling as quickly as he can manage with his injured paw after the departed duo without nary a further word. If she chooses to follow, that's up to her. As for him... he apparently needs to take things more seriously and... ... apologize.
Shag nods once, standing and leading the way, back into the valley itself. He doesn't see Friti following, and moves at a considerable clip.
As the continue to walk away from the adults, Haben keeps looking over his shoulder so he knows when Friti and his sister are well out of sight and ear shot. "Ok, this should be far enough," he mentions to his nephew, stoping where he's at and sitting down, trying to get comfortable. Something tells him he might be here a while. "So Shag... tell me what's bothering you." No use trying to beat around the bush now.
Shag shakes his head and stamps a paw on the ground. "It's not obvious?" he exclaims. "It's *them.* And it's him." He sighs heavily and drops onto his stomach, then rises up and starts pacing again. "Mother pulled rank on me," he says. "Said I *had* to respect him. And maybe deep down I do! But as long as they're-!" He cuts himself off, unable to continue and bumps his head against a tree. "They're just... they tell me to look up to them and in the middle of *this*... when I was going back there to talk, all *he* could think of was..." He smacks the back of his paw against a tree in an uncharacteristic display of anger, and grunts at the pain, curling up against it. "What if they have more pups?"
What if they have more pups indeed? It's still a risk since they have a few more days till the end of season - that is, if Cotton's still in cycle. But that is really neither here nor there. What if they have pups? So what? Is this a real problem? This however is an issue to discuss for another day. As is, it isn't too long after Shag and Haben arrive here that Friti ambles out of the undergrowth in his skip-hop manner as he favors his left forepaw as is his custom anymore. And arrives, at least at first, alone without Cottonpaws in tow. Upon arriving, the white wolf regards first Haben, then observes Shag proceeding to beat himself up over something which he doesn't quite hear due to the rather noisy nature of his arrival through a couple of snow-covered shrubs... "... You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that." He remarks softly, his earlier cheerful demeanor rather subdued and nearly gone, "I'd suggest not continuing unless you want to end up like your old wolf." He pauses, turning to glance at the still quaking shrubs behind him, "I do believe I may owe you an apology," Understatement of the year. "... your mother is as quick to beat sense into me as ever. We seem to have gotten off on the wrong paw with each other. Shall we try again?"
It pains Haben to see Shag hurting himself like that, but he lets his nephew do it to get rid of all the built up anger he obviously has. The uncle can't pretend to know what Shag is going through, but can certainly understand why he's angry. After all, /he/ would probably be pissed if Silvan was never around when he was growing up, then suddenly comes back just like that. Sighing, Haben is about to say something when Friti suddenly cuts him off. When did he get there? Well... maybe this isn't the best place for him anymore. Getting to his paws, Haben moves over to Shag to whisper something in his ear, nuzzle him again, then start to head back to where Friti left his sister, giving Friti a small nod. This is between them, and he doesn't need to be there. However, his sister probably could use some comforting.
Shag looks up to answer Haben when Friti appears again. He wants to go back to Haben! But when he nuzzles and whispers to him, he pins his ears back and nods slowly. He'd try, but certainly no promises. When Friti speaks, he doesn't answer, or turn around, simply putting his injured paw down on the ground, *standing* on it no matter how much it throbs. He stares straight ahead, wondering what to say, and indeed, if he's even supposed to say anything. After all, for owing an apology for that last debacle, Shag has yet to hear 'I'm sorry.' Is he only here because mother forced him to be? It seems the Alpha's claws are the *only* thing that will garauntee respect. Haben's words seem to have made some impact, since he nods slowly. Try try again...
What's the old phrase? 'If at first you don't succeed...' As for Cotton's temper being the only thing that will guarantee respect, well... Shag will understand when he finds a girl of his own one day. Ultimately, they win - no matter what. Closest thing a male can do to win is act and beg for forgiveness later. Still, getting back to the matter at paw... Friti skip-hops forward another couple paces then stops and sits, being careful to leave plenty of space between him and his son for the comfort of both sides should it be necessary. Awkward silence descends as Shag's muteness to his words carries on as Friti waits for some indication of a reply. Finally, after thoughtfully chewing on his lip the White Wolf expels a sigh, "Look," he begins, trying to best determine how to word things in a diplomatic manner that won't cause another outburst. 'I'm sorry.' falls under the same category as 'I love you.' with him - they are statements that seem empty of meaning considering how quickly others offer them up. "... I realize things must be awkward for you... and honestly for everyone. You're upset. I realize that. And," He straightens himself up and ducks his head in a manner that's intended to be respectful, "I believe I have done you a great disservice for not perhaps trying harder to understand your point of view better. Please accept my formal apology for my actions... and realize that by my oath to Luna that by doing you such a disservice that my life is in your paws to dispense with as you see fit." He finishes grimly, then falls silent. When in doubt, formality, customs, duty and formal vows are always generally safe to fall back upon, though they unto themselves carry their own danger.
Shag continues to stare complacently, betraying nothing with his eyes, or his expression, or anything. He's like a model of a wolf that's been dropped into place instead of Shag. Heck, he's hardly even blinking. Friti's lengthy apology is greeted with still more silence, merely following the wolf with his eyes... apparently, Shag wants Friti to exhaust everything he can come up with or the like, before making a decision on whether or not he's being honest. Maybe it's some kind of 'test.' Or maybe it's just Shag being Shag, never really saying anything unless he wants to. He can be very, very quiet when he wants to be.
It must be quite the scene with both of the wolves just sitting there, staring at the other or the ground Haben and Friti respectively. Friti remains silent to and beyond any reasonable time period for an expected response... and then proceeds to wait some more. It is quite some time relatively before it begins to occur to the older wolf that perhaps Shag isn't familiar with this form of custom... with this form of summary judgment. Finally, After what to him seems an eternity he decides that perhaps a quiet prompting is in order, "Lad," He begins softly, clearing his throat to try to catch the others attention, "If he have anything you wish to say to me, to have me do, or to do to me now's the time to say it." He looks up, ears still backed but those steel-blue eyes narrowing as he peers at his son in a critical fashion, "I don't say or do this lightly understand. My oath is my bond. As much as I'm oath bound to you, your mother and the pack to protect them as I've tried so very hard to do since before you were born... I'm also dutybound to a different sort of justice under my oath to Luna's Legion. When I say that my life is before your paws, I mean it. Tell me to walk, and I'll walk - never to return to these parts. Rip out my throat if you feel you must, and I will make no move to obstruct it; but do it cleanly - for I will not give you but that first attempt. My oath has limits, but it also binds me tighter than anything else I know short of my love for your mother, and by extension - you." He pauses, then after a long moment finishes, "... I can think of no greater apology to offer you than that of my life Shag." Note 'Shag'. His name, not 'son', not 'lad', not 'pup', but his adult name. "If you have something, anything you wish to get off your chest or mind - now's the time to do it."
And yet more silence falls around the vale when Friti is done speaking. Shag doesn't seem focused. In fact he seems a little confused now, his eyes darting around back and forth. Since when was he going to be given all this power? What's he supposed to do with it? He feels like a fish that's been given a space of air to fly in- he has no idea what to do! He honestly wasn't expecting this. Does Friti have something up his sleeve? Is he hoping that Shag will just forgive him so he can go back to being a goofball? What if... what he *doesn't* forgive him? Tells him to leave? Everything will go back to normal! He'll have everything he wanted back! Attention, no more fretting about whether or not his family loves him anymore... but this kind of power is a little frightening. His eyes narrow and his brow furrows in thought, and then, finally, he leans forward, very close, looking his father directly in the eyes. "First of all... Do you really love me?" he asks flat out, with a bit of steel in his voice. "Am... Am I really... *really*... your *son?* Not just some wolf getting in the way of you getting back what *you* want?"
Now that's a question - a /very/ good question, and one that sets the older wolf back a moment. He'd expected an immediate summary judgment, command, or execution. An order not to pursue further after his mate. Banishment from the pack territories... but a question such as this is, well, unexpected. Returning the other's stare, Friti says nothing for several heartbeats as he struggles with his inner turmoil, confusion and emotions - each and everyone of them struggling for dominance. His anger over being questioned about such a matter. His confusion as to where it came from. His dismay that... "I'm damned either way I answer that." He finally relents, carefully annunciating each and every syllable so as to make it blatantly clear as to what his final response will be. "But damned or not, I'll tell you exactly what I feel. I love this pack. I love your mother. And by extension I love the /idea/ of my children in both practice and intent." He pauses to let this sink in before continuing on firmly, "I /want/ to love you. I /want/ to get to know you and your brother, and I am truly sorry that I've been absent all your lives that I havn't had the opportunity to really understand what each of you is like. What you love... what you hate. You as individuals. Duty kept me from doing so, but that doesn't stop me from wanting what was stolen from me. From us. Above all, know this: I would give my life in a heartbeat for the mere /idea/ of loving my children. I would gladly die for a chance to have an opportunity to grow to know them to love them. As much, I would give up my entire existence for the chance for pups, my pups, to have a chance at life and happiness. I don't know you... I love the idea of you and your brother. I /want/ to learn to love you as individuals and my, /my/ offspring. If that isn't enough... I don't know what is." There. Honesty, laid flat, bare and naked as a newborn pup.
Shag's answer is a while in coming. He stares the other wolf down as best he can, searching for a lie in Friti's eyes even though he's not quite that skilled (though soul searching seems appropriate here). He seems to get even closer now, looming large in Friti's vision, trying to *force* him to really look at him, see him as a son, a wolf that wants his attention and care and not just a couple apologies so they can go on their merry way. If he and Cotton have pups, it's an injustice in Shag's mind that *they* might get the kind of love that he was simply missing out on his entire life, from a wolf that has only just now, when things were bad enough that he couldn't ignore, wants to give him. "Then this is what I'm going to do with your life," he says simply. "I'll make you prove it. Prove that you're my father, and not just a wolf who sired me. Prove that you *can* love me. And the others. And then *do* it." Yes... Shag has just told him his oath is to devote himself as fully as any father should. He steps back and drops onto his haunches, his eyes still narrow and critical. "Welcome to the family, dad."