Otatso Wetlands When I had laid it on the floor

Time to casually break all the timelines! Set during Saena's journey from Silver Creek to Larksong Grotto. @Stark

Several nights spent within the embrace of her former home and haven was hardly enough for Saena to steel herself, but she couldn't afford to spend any longer on it. She didn't remember the threat to the northeast, but that of the wolves to the northwest definitely hung over her head. It wouldn't do for her to be waylaid before she ever reached the borders. She couldn't hope to summon her daughters from far away. She needed to be close to Larksong, and to have a hope in hell of that, she needed to stay out of sight of Larksong scouts. While not very perceptive ordinarily, Saena had no doubts that they all knew her description, and she was one-of-a-kind.

With the misled belief that they still patrolled her home (in fear, of course), Saena departed the maplewood in the early morning to the south. Rather than heading directly west and putting herself in line with Larksong deliberately, the woman travelled southwest and descended into the boggy wetlands. Her memories were mostly still a jumble in her head, but the taiga was remembered fondly. Having spent at least half her life in these lands, Saena's memories of them were not easily shaken, and she found her way easily enough in the wetlands. After spending some time going deeper into the bog to mask her direction, Saena turned north when the sun was just reaching its highest point and began a determined stride.

definitely fudging timelines for me too!

Stark had set back out towards the south, cutting back towards the Hollow though he hadn't consciously made the choice. He'd try again. Larkspur being home had made Harlyn so happy and had invigorated Silas again - Stark was hopeful that he might be able to bring the golden boy home. Maybe having the children together would be enough to lure Mordecai home. It was a dream, surely, but, one that Stark was leaning heavily on to keep him going. With Amara giving birth to three children Stark felt the slightest bit overwhelmed - but, this time it was different. The unwed mother had the pack to back them and the grace of not giving birth in the height of a famine so food was plentiful. 

Still, Stark wished for a healer. He had the goal of keeping the pack well, of seeing them through the winter, and having a healer present would mean the goal was more attainable. There was a particular capability that he just didn't have no matter his penchant for picking things up. Healing was just not one of them. Stark was not any more fond of the wetlands but still - it's the easiest route to get where he wants and so the dark male plods along. He stays out of the mire as much as he can, although it means slow going, little progress. He's only made it partially through the wetlands when he spots an unusual looking female in the distance. 

The first thought he has is that she's pretty - her unusual pelt striking against the muck she's surrounded by. The second is wondering why she'd be out there, willingly trekking through the lands. Stark lets out a little woof; a simple greeting.

For a time Saena made an effort to avoid the thickest stretches of water, but eventually even she had to admit it was inefficient. She detested getting dirty, but taking more than a day to reach the Grotto was less worth it than keeping her legs clean, so she gritted her teeth and plunged headlong into the mire.

Not long after that, Stark found her and drew her attention with a woof. Saena froze in her tracks and turned her head slowly to regard him. The black pelt made her heart leap into her throat, but his physique was as unlike Reek as he could get. He was strapping where her ex was spindly. He was well kept, at least as much as a traveler could be, where Reek was dirty and dingy. Stark was attractive, in fact, a thought that set her further on edge. Attractive and potentially dangerous.

She lifted her head to better regard him and, with shoulders hunched defensively, called out, "Are you from Larksong?" She knew of no other packs out this way, and if he was, he surely already knew who she was and probably why she was there. Being discreet was hardly worth it if he already knew.

What she said to him was a surprise - the first thing that she had asked about was his allegiance. His face scrunched first - clearly displeased by the idea of being aligned with those wolves. "No." He spat it out quickly, nodding back towards the Keep in the distance. "My pack is nowhere near them." Because that idea was the last thing he'd ever consider. He would have chewed off his own foot before he formed an alliance with Reek. 

He had to, in some ways, make things between the two dark males for the sake of Tambourine. Since the one incident they hadn't seen anything of the male though and Stark was growing more complacent again. His worries of Reek showing up like the boogey man to steal Tambourine away had faded considerably. "My name is Stark." He offered finally, realizing that the woman was probably on edge because of the Larksong wolves, not for anything that he had done. 

It was a natural response, one he carried himself though it was far more muted than the brilliantly coated wolf. He was able to hold his concerns to himself and keep them down - which left him to wonder just what had driven her so far.

The vehemence in Stark's no threw Saena a bit, and she drew up a little and planed her ears to the sides of her head in an appeasing gesture. There was a flicker of confusion across her features, but then understanding dawned, and confusion turned to curiosity. Even as Stark pointed out that his pack was in the other direction entirely, Saena was studying his face, searching futilely for some clue as to why he had responded with such a passionate tone of distaste. She'd never been good at reading others, though, and neither could she read Stark's thoughts or the reasons he might have for taking issue with a pack of rats.

Either way, a wolf who detested Larksong was surely a friend of hers, and she let herself relax as much as she could with a stranger in her vicinity. "I didn't know there was another pack up here," she explained, but didn't know where to go from there on the subject, so instead focused on his name as he shared it. Stark. A short, bold, and easily recognized name, not unlike Luke. And Reek. She had to wonder then what sort of wolf this Stark was, whether he was more like the courageous, kind and steady Luke, or like the charismatic yet manipulative weasel that was Reek.

She met an awful lot of wolves with short and bold names, she reflected, and then dropped it. "I'm Saena," she told him noncommittally with a slight tilt of her head. "Does that pack still exist? Larksong, I mean. I have... some business there."

Perhaps Stark was taking too many of Octavia's memories and prejudices and making them his own. Maybe it was a bias that had been perpetuated by hearing just one side of the story. Maybe it was something else all together and it was just ridiculous but Stark wasn't sure and he still hadn't found Octavia to try and get more information out of her. "We're close." In his opinions, sometimes too close for his comfort. With Tambourine to consider it still leaves him to worry that Reek will come back for him. "Been there since before the famine." He explained, his voice getting a little more gentle, a little more considerate.

It's been so long, though, and Tambourine is getting older. He's never had anyone to worry about him other than Stark and Octavia and the pack. They're family. Tambourine is his. Not Reek's. His ears shift forward when Saena mentioned her name - and he knew then like a lightbulb had gone off to light up the pathway in his brain. Everything all tucked together and rolled up neatly, even slapped a bow on it. "I've heard of you," He said quietly, and he didn't really want to say why because Octavia wasn't there to defend herself but Stark still had to worry about everything else. It wasn't too hard to put two and two together. 

"They're still there, at least, when I was near the area the last time they hadn't moved on. Not sure how many they've got with them now." Stark tilted his head to the side a bit, just a subtle shift. "I don't go near there, personally. Not a huge fan." Like it wasn't painfully obvious.

She was interested to know Stark's pack was near to Larksong, and that explained for her why she'd never heard of them. Since its inception, Saena had not set foot near the Larksong pack nor beyond it. At the time she hadn't trusted herself not to make a scene, and the thought of seeing Reek and Tavi together made her stomach roil. Even now, months later, there was a nervous knot at the thought of going near it and having to see them, likely happy in their life together, the one they'd shoved her aside to pursue. She never would have known of another pack closer to the sea, if not for Stark sharing it.

But it didn't matter much, because the likelihood that said pack had an agreement of some kind with Larksong Grotto was still higher than she would've liked. Stark's status was not clear to her presently, nor did his opinions necessarily mirror that of the entire pack. She had to be cautious with what she said... or so she thought, until he admitted to knowing of her. As with Heston, her expression smoothed into one of confusion, but this time she was also guarded, uncertain, and nervous.

"Oh yeah? Seems everyone's heard of little old me lately," she pondered aloud, trying to keep the uneasy tremor out of her voice. Those who knew her either knew her as the brave leader of a pack that had seen far too much shit considering they were just trying to live peacefully, or they knew her as a coward or a psycho, although she hardly thought that assessment was fair. Which is it, then? "Do tell," she bid him, for the moment more interested in how he knew her than why he wasn't a fan of Larksong Grotto, though that question was definitely coming next.

The longer that Stark had to mull it over the more that he thought he had it figured out in his head. Octavia had referred to her as Reek's former mate. Reek was Tambourine's father. If Stark was a betting man he'd guess that Saena and Reek had been separated just about as long as Tambourine had been alive. Maybe a tad longer. It would make sense then as to why all of it had played out the way it did, why Octavia was so afraid of outsiders, why she had been so terrified of being betrayed. 

"I've heard your name before....and it's not like it's common." He offered with a grim smile. "I didn't hear very much, honestly, other than you and Reek used to be together." Stark didn't know anything about Reek and Saena's children, or the fact that Reek was the logical choice to have those girls right now since they weren't with their mother. Those details would probably send him packing right back for the Keep as fast as he could go and he'd keep his wolves tailing Tambourine constantly. 

"In reality, it's not like it's much information. I haven't been around these parts long enough to really know much more than I'm involved in." Stark admitted. 

Saena sniffed as Stark revealed what he knew. It wasn't much, and it wasn't what she expected to hear. For some reason she always expected to hear the worst things about herself, even though she'd never done anything truly horrible save exiling her former mate and his mistress from her woods. She reasoned that any Alpha worth their skin would do the same if they were slighted in such a way. She was all about justifying her own actions even when they were unreasonable.

"You'd be right," she bitingly confirmed. "He was my mate, before he turned into a snake. You've met the rat bastard, then, I assume." She thought of Reek as less than dirt now and it was painfully obvious in the way she ground her teeth together, if not in her insults. For a beat, she didn't notice her hackles prickling as well, but she remembered herself before she became agitated enough to give Stark offense, or so she hoped, and took a shaky breath in an effort to calm down. Stark had said he wasn't a fan of Larksong Grotto. Saena reckoned she had an idea why, but she was nowhere near the real truth.

It was Saena's way to spill her guts to anyone and everyone, to drag Reek's name through the dirt—and she would certainly do it again for Stark's unfortunate benefit—but first, she had to be sure. "What'd they do to you to lose a fan? I'd think packs in close proximity would be chummy." Worst case scenario, Reek was uninvolved in Stark's distaste. Best case scenario, Reek had dug himself a hole too big for him to climb out of with his neighbours, much as he nearly did with Phoenix Maplewood if only she'd been brave enough to snuff them out when she had the chance... but a bigger hole would only mean her girls were in even more trouble, and would give Saena cause to hustle.

It was a complicated thing, being involved with (could he really say that anymore, without Octavia actually with him?) the person that had ruined their mateship. Well. That wasn't accurate. Reek had ruined things by being unable to keep himself under control. He couldn't speak for Octavia's control after all considering that he'd never actually asked anything about the relationship. Stark's lips twitched for a moment as Saena seemed to have her own ire over the events, no matter how long ago, it was still a fresh wound. Stark couldn't comprehend that sort of pain himself. 

"I have," Stark admitted, but he wasn't exactly happy about the entire ordeal or the circumstances. Saena asked him about just why he disliked Reek and he gave a sigh, debating between telling her - a perfect stranger - the truth of things or finding some mundane reason to be angry at him. Stark wasn't sure it was even anger anymore, or if he'd ever been angry at Reek personally. "It's...complicated." He settled for it lamely, and he knew the moment he'd said it that it sounded idiotic - infantile even. 

"It doesn't make much sense to beat around the bush..." Stark said after a pause. "Octavia and I...we're involved. She accepted me into her pack during the famine but...she's been gone for weeks." Stark didn't really let on where Reek fit into it, but, he probably didn't need to. It was easy to put two and two together; if he was involved with Octavia he'd obviously have issues with Reek. 

Saena's ears pricked out of interest and a hopeful desire to hear further ill of her ex-mate, but Stark wasn't very forthcoming with information. Not right away. She was almost ready to beg for more when Stark supplied it on his own, but at first, she didn't understand his reasons. Whoever that is, she thought helplessly. Octavia wasn't a name she'd ever heard before. She'd have remembered it if she had. That Stark's woman and the woman who played a part in Reek's adultery were one and the same went right over Saena's head. She'd only ever known her as Tavi, and she wasn't perceptive enough nor attentive enough to realize what that was a nickname for.

"I'm not sure who that is," she told him, "but I can't blame you for your feelings toward Reek if your partner is involved. I hope he didn't cause the end of your relationship." She sucked in a breath, then shook her head. "We had everything once, he and I," she muttered, deciding to share her own issues with the man she'd once called husband while she wracked her brain for any speck of understanding of what Stark had told her. "Led a tight-knit pack in a gorgeous territory not far from here. We were to start a family." The happiest days of Saena's life, she reflected, and then shoved it away with a spark of anger that played across her face. "I got pregnant, just like we planned. I don't know what you'd heard beyond us being mates once, but I found him with his dick in our Beta female. Our fledgling family and I were not good enough for him, so I made them leave and ended things.

He claimed the grotto, very close to my maple wood, and threatened me and mine, so we fled. Went as far as possible, to keep my kids safe from him and his selfishness." She chewed her lip as she thought about keeping the rest to herself, but Saena was terrible at keeping things private. She'd never kept her thoughts to herself before, and that hadn't changed. As she turned her flinty gaze up past Stark's shoulder, in the direction of the Grotto, she couldn't suppress a low growl.

"Somehow he found them, and then he kidnapped them."

Stark could likely guess exactly what she was in the taiga for now, and Saena could only hope that whoever Octavia was, and whatever she meant to Reek or whatever that connection was, it would not make an enemy of Stark for her.

Stark didn't know much about why Octavia had abandoned her nickname. It made enough sense, honestly, in hindsight but still the dark male had no idea when she'd changed her mind on what she was called. Her assumption of the end of their relationship was one that brought a weird finality to things; but Stark didn't consider them ended at all. "Well. Uh. I'm guessing you do - Octavia said you had run them out of the pack," Stark said with a little frown, and as she went on to explain that Reek had taken their children his own pelt bristled. 

It was a fear he had as well, but, if push came to shove Stark would end the scrawny male's life before he allowed such a thing to come to pass. "Anything you need, the Keep will assist you with." Stark offered quickly. "I understand it might be a bit awkward, but, we'd help if need be." Stark would have hoped someone would do the same for him if it was a different situation. If Reek somehow got to Tambourine and took him he would truly hope for someone else to give them assistance. 

He wanted to see how Saena would react to that news before he told her anything else - hoping that she wouldn't be too upset. He certainly didn't want to say anything about Tambourine if she was outraged even just at their distant ties.

Saena's brows crinkled further when Stark divulged that she had chased Octavia out of the pack. Saena had sent many wolves packing from the maplewood during her rule. She had almost no tolerance for disloyalty and readily acted upon it. But who is Octavia? She didn't easily recall the names of those she'd sent away. In fact, most of the time they were chased away from the borders. She opined that those she'd chased away from the pack proper weren't worth remembering, with the exception of Reek and Tavi. And with that thought, it clicked.

"Tavi?" she disbelievingly wondered. When had Tavi changed her name to something so formal? It was unlike her, and unlike her personality, which Saena remembered with a sour taste in her mouth. "You have to understand, she hurt me bad," pointed out Saena. "She betrayed my trust. I couldn't..." The truth of it was that she hadn't trusted Tavi around her children, what with her being involved with Reek, and so she had banished both of them. At least that's what she would've said. The reality was more sinister: Saena had been jealous and felt threatened in both her femininity and her role in the pack, and couldn't abide that, not even for someone she'd called a friend.

"I shouldn't have," she finished thickly. It had been the right move at the time but in hindsight she should have kept Tavi close. Prevented Reek from having what he apparently wanted even more than her and their kids. Maybe then Larksong would never have formed. Regrets piled high in her rear view mirror. When Stark offered his aid, she turned a sad eye up to him and couldn't help wondering, "I thought Tavi was still there." At least suspecting that Tavi was gone would make Saena's time at Larksong a little bit easier. She could face Reek with hatred and malice, but perhaps not Tavi. "Why would you help me?" Because Saena couldn't imagine Tavi wanting any part of helping her after what had happened between them, and if Stark was involved with Tavi, then it made no sense.

Stark shook her head as she began to explain herself. He didn't need to hear it. He could guess enough about what was going on during those days. Unfortunately Reek hadn't been able to hold himself accountable and be faithful. Instead the male had betrayed his family and his wife. "Your hand was forced," Stark offered weakly, though he had no idea what that would feel like. Personally he was a loyal creature and he wouldn't try and speculate what might have made Reek so selfish as to betray his mate. Of course, he knew Octavia too, and he could understand her appeal but he had been uninvolved when they'd gotten together. 

"Because if he has your children, you need all the help you can get, and it sounds like you've come a long way for them." Stark said as gently as possible. "If you want somewhere safe to stay for a night or two, either going there or coming home, you're welcome to it." They'd offer food, too. Stark sighed quietly, looking down for a moment. "You should know though, that she's been gone for weeks - and....I've been raising her son. Their son. What you're going through has been a fear of mine for months." Stark said quietly, wondering how she'd take the whole thing. 

If it was him and he was facing someone else remotely tied to such a troubling time he would have been angry, he would have felt hurt even if it wasn't direct. Stark could only imagine what it might have been like to learn of the children your former mate had fathered when he should have been being a father to yours. "If anything happened to Tam I wouldn't stop until he was dead." And it was a flat out promise.

Saena bobbed her head in agreement. She had come a long way, but it was all for them. She'd done wrong by her children when she got sick and wandered off and she wanted nothing more than to make that right. This was the first of many small steps she would need to make to ensure that Laurel and Indra knew how much they meant to her. To retrieve them and bring them back to their proper pack was only the beginning of a long road to recovering the trust of her children, she was certain.

"Thank you," said Saena, who had not expected to be offered any sort of aid from someone she hardly knew. She wouldn't have done the same, but Stark's attitude was changing her outlook a little bit. Perhaps it would be remembered in the future. "I am a hunter," she offered, "if I was to take refuge with you and yours for any reason, I would make sure to pay it back." She had no such intentions, but who knew what the future would bring. She didn't expect any of this to easily fall into her lap, but Saena also didn't intend to leave without Laurel and Indra, so there was likely no need to seek help from another pack unless a battle was imminent. Never say never, though, she thought.

Stark's revelation about Tavi and Reek startled her. Saena was angry to hear it, and even angrier to know that Reek had kidnapped her daughters when he had yet another child, if not more, close by that he could potentially bond with. Yet Stark's next words suggested that there was no such opportunity for Reek, and perhaps that was why he'd turned to kidnapping. It was no less abhorrent despite that knowledge. "Keep him close," Saena advised. "That fucker's proven he hasn't got a shred of respect or honour in his body. I wouldn't put it past him to make an attempt." Her lips drew into a thin line, then she added, "he's lucky to have you. I only wish I'd been there for my daughters like you are for him, but I was very sick and lost to the wilds when Reek took them from the pack. He should be safe with you."

Which again led Saena to wonder whom she should blame. Surely some of the blame rested on her... but she couldn't help but ask herself why Reek had been able to get near her daughters even without her present. Spring knew full well Saena's fears regarding her ex-mate, and she'd failed to protect the girls anyway. It opened a can of worms she wasn't ready to face about whether the creek was safe or not, so she pushed it aside and asked, "is he healthy? Their son?" This "Tam" was a half brother to her daughters, after all, and while thinking of Reek's bastard children made her stomach feel weak and sick, there was also some modicum of fondness there for the potential familial bond he could share with her kids if only Reek was out of the picture completely.

Stark nodded at the offer, considering the two were probably the most unlikely of allies, he appreciated the consideration all the same. It was a close enough pitstop to where the wolves had who had her daughters were, and he felt like it was a decent enough offer in an attempt to help someone in a moment he'd want help himself. If Stark had to chase down his children he'd do so without hesitation and he would do whatever it took - including taking help from a stranger when he'd rather not. 

Stark understood what Saena was talking about - wanting to keep Tambourine close and secure. He'd never let anyone get ahold of the boy. "We keep a close eye on him, as close as we are to Larksong." Stark explained. Saena explained a little of how it happened and Stark wanted to ask if she had any idea how the girls had gotten away, but, it might not be worth it. "At least you're doing better now and can get the girls back." She asked about Tambourine's help and there was a moment that Stark couldn't help - the smile grew on his face of it's own accord. 

"Growin' like a weed." He said with a chuckle. "Has an ear that flops still, he might even keep it that way, but he's strong and he's a good kid." Sure, loud sometimes, and a little....out of touch, but a good kid.

The white-haired woman bobbed her head. She was genuinely glad to hear about Stark's vigilance. Perhaps it was the mutual distaste for Reek or perhaps time really did heal wounds, but where normally she would have targeted any child of Reek's that did not belong to her, now she felt pity for them and those who took care of them. If Reek could not have them by the will of other wolves then he would stoop to kidnapping them. He'd proven it with her girls, and surely if he couldn't have her girls then he would go after Tam next.

"I hope you're right," she responded. She didn't want to be negative and despondent about it, but she was only one wolf. Reek had an entire pack at his back. It would be hard to win back her daughters and she would likely have to make deals with the devil she would rather see dead by her jaws, but she would do anything for them. "It should never have happened to begin with. I still don't know how he ever found out where we were."

She shifted her legs and glanced upward, gauging the time, as Stark began to talk of Tam. She couldn't help but to smile at the detail on his ear. "I have no doubt he's a good kid," she said. The seeds that were sown were vile things, wrong things, but that didn't mean something good couldn't come of them, especially being raised by someone like Stark. "I'm glad to hear he's doing well. Maybe if things go well, I can swing by with my daughters, and he can meet them. They're half-siblings, it might be good for them to meet, who knows." Her mind went back to her meeting with Valette, and the revelation that she'd also had a son, and she wondered if maybe her daughters would appreciate knowing they had another brother somewhere out there, one who was alive and well.

Stark had his guesses. Nova Rose was still a memory to him, the thorn in so many wolves' sides and the one who refused to accept the law of the land. Octavia should have thrown her on her ass and if she hadn't have been gone Stark would have when he took over. She'd been so flippant with information about Tambourine it only made sense to him that she'd somehow insert herself in the girls' situations somehow. 

For Stark there is a strange notion of comfort - maybe Tambourine could have the sort of family life that Stark had, maybe he'd form a strong bond with the sisters that he had never known. Stark wasn't sure how he'd view Saena, it was a strange circumstance to arrange themselves as friends but given the circumstances it was all odd. Stark offered a little smile and gave a nod, looking out towards the Valley ahead of them. "I think he'd like that." He said as he returned his gaze to her. It would be a good thing to offer anyways. "We'd definitely host you guys for a bit, if need be. Or once everything settles, maybe we meet up and let the kids get to know each other." 

How odd being a parent was, arranging playdates and making plans like he had the rights to do so. 

"Either of those sound good," she agreed, not knowing just how disconnected she was from her daughters and how they would react to the notion of yet more family. They'd been sweet little girls when last she'd known them. That they could have personalities like her own, and hatred like what she'd harboured for her forgotten family, never occurred to Saena.

"I should get going," she said at last, both unwilling to go further and knowing she must. Confrontation awaited her, but more importantly, her children awaited her. She could handle any battle of words, and could only pray that it didn't come to a battle of teeth. She would fight them anyway, she knew, and she would probably die for it. "It was nice meeting you," she offered, "and... and hearing about Tavi and her son." Even if it was, deep in the recesses of her mind, bittersweet.

She bobbed her head to him in farewell and sought to set off for the grotto, ready to accept whatever fate would throw at her.

Stark offered her a thin smile as they sat there and laid out plans like good parents might. Playdates and hoping they could bond and be good together like proper siblings should. Stark had to think on what he should tell Tambourine about his sisters and what that meant - but then, he also would have to tell Tambourine what he already knew - that Stark wasn't his father but then there was another dark wolf that was. 

It would have to be considered. "Good luck, Saena." He said with a nod, wishing that she got her girls back safe and sound. "Don't hesitate to call if we can help somehow." He added before they both returned to their respective tasks.