Heron Lake Plateau i can see a shitfaced brother that i covered for what must've been the last ten years

@Raven @Quixote @Towhee

it was a sorry crew that assembled near the borders, far ragged and worse for wear than the troupe that had originally departed grimnismal. the bear, the storm, life -- it had taken everything from her. misfortune harried after her like one of apollo's grim dogs, insatiable; and the crew whittled down to threadbare numbers, as if a tree stripped of its bark and nothing but crumbling ash and rot left in its wake.

she had not even fully processed the loss of illidan yet; kierkegaard's doom at the frothy mouth of a river and the subsequent devastating loss of not one, but three of her bloodborne children -- well, it had broken her in a way she had never been broken. no amount of searching turned up any of her babies, no amount of hoarse calling deep into the night rewarded her with reunion.  sad cries spilled out into that forbidding darkness, and eventually, were snuffed out like little candles of light. 

she had to protect what little was left, before the wilderness took them all.

in a state of dull stupor, caiaphas called for whatever wolves commanded this distant reach: @Raleska and @Svalinn at her feet, with @Blondine standing besides her.

Colt wasn't a commander, but that didn't stop him attending the call.  He frowned when he caught sight of the bedraggled group, but stepped confidently forward still.  What did this rubbish want, a meal ticket?  

"If you're lookin for handouts, keep walking." He said, regarding Caiaphas and co with a smirk.  He was slightly intrigued with what ill wind had blown them here... they looked like shit.  But they had a lot of resource sucks right now; charity wasn't foremost in his priorities (was it ever?)

The party of three trekked home, making decent time despite Towhee's bum leg (likely only sprained, thank goodness). The Beta was so eager to get back to the plateau, she refused to rest or even eat until they returned home. She couldn't wait to tell Raven the good news: she had torn Screech's throat and cast him into the sea. She had no doubt that he had sunk beneath the dark waves and perished.

When she, X and @Niamh approached their homestead, Towhee saw several figures straddling the border. Her fur prickled beneath the hawk's talons as she exchanged a heavy look with her friend (and hero!). It felt weird to approach outsiders from this side but it somehow felt safer too; if anyone from within the pack came calling too, they would have the group surrounded.

By the time Towhee and Niamh ranged close enough to start interrogating, Colt had arrived. Just as Towhee had hoped, they closed ranks on either side of the small band of strangers. The Beta missed Colt's question, though she saw his lips move. She came to a standstill, forelegs braced, ears thrust forward, tail arched stiffly and head lowered just in case.

once her howl had flourished to a finish, the sylph sat down - the motion more a defeated slouch than anything. her gaze flickered to the children and to blondine, but she was silent until a male approached them. under normal circumstances, caiaphas might have risen to meet him -- but she was too battered, too bled of her energy do to much more than sweep her ears back to gesticulate she had come as a supplicant, not an enemy.

had caiaphas been in any less of a dire need for help, she might not have liked that smirk. even needing help, she didn't like that smirk; it suggested a comfortable superiority (and subsequent belittlement) that the matriarch, if she were any more young and hale, would have delighted in correcting. as it was she kept her gaze to the floor and her words to herself, noticing a boldly colored female and a limping dark wolf approaching from the opposite side. curiously, the wolf with the limp had a bird -- caiaphas' stomach did a jolt and she quickly looked to the ground.

she didn't care for the threat that being surrounded might present her children; instinctively she hunkered closer to them, but did not bristle nor stare. "no handouts," she contested, sucking in a deep breath through her ragged body. she had learned from easthollow, and did not mince words nor waste time.

"a home, for the four of us. in exchange, we work. i am a master warrior --" she canted her thin muzzle to the wolf that, to her eyes, looked clearly battle-adorned. "she is limping. i could kill whatever hurt her." the tone in which her quiet voice spoke suggested a deep wellspring of confidence in her, uh, killing abilities.

then, the sylph turned to svalinn and pushed him forward with the flat of her head, as if he were some golden offering before the face of three stern and terrible gods. looking at them each with a quiet tiredness, she spoke. "this one is not my own, and my mate and my other children are gone."

She came in on the tail end of Caiaphas' speech.  Two babies, one pitifully small; somewhere, her heart should have wrenched for them (and somewhere deep it did), but her sole concern was for Raven's children — all born too soon with two in the ground already.

She leaned in close to Colt and offered only a whispered, I don't like this, the inked line of her lip tight as her mind worked over every terrible ending that could fall them.  That's a lofty assertation, was all she offered to the stranger before she remembered her rank and kept quiet.

Colt's brow lifted as she spoke... master warrior eh?  He had a hard time taking her threats seriously, looking as she did now, but he hadn't lived this long being stupid.  Looks could deceive sometimes.

Fire joined, and suddenly the welcome party was that much bigger.  Way more than they needed, so Colt probably wouldn't stick around long.

"I think she has that covered, but nice offer," he responded flippantly in addition to Ceara's remark, glancing at Towhee and wondering how she was following.  He was curious to know what had happened... she and Niamh looked a little worse for wear too.  But that could wait till later.

It wasn't his call to make, though, and now that Towhee was here he turned clearly to her, deferring with a step back.  He supposed an extra paw or two around wasn't so bad, and she was older, so experience enough to keep some of these kids in line.

Skippable!

Though he could not implicitly make the connection between Caiaphas' sorrow and the missing bodies in their troupe, Svalinn was nonetheless interned to conform to her dour energy. At first the boy had been boundless and nipping, having his best go at keeping pace while also hurrying others along when they got too close, but after the long, humdrum miles had drained his tank, at last, Svalinn succumbed to the grim fog suppressing them. He felt the absence of familiar bodies most keenly at night, and the sharpness of it kept him awake; peering about in the darkness for the lounging silhouette of the ponderous Kierkegaard, or the thick cluster of limbs that was his foster brothers.

Those missing had never shown him any great kindness, but as a child who had no comparisons for their treatment of him, he would rather their abuse than their absence. Anxiety coerced the child into whimpering fits, and he often hounded Raleska with needy crudeness for any threadbare companionship she was willing (if ever) to bestow him. Apart from this, being carried when he became too slow for their trek were some of his more defeated moments. Moments he wouldn't soon forget -- not like he'd forgotten the buried teethmarks at his spine. 

Just when he thought he might burst from all the restraints imposed upon him, Svalinn was rendered mute and still by the presence of "newcomers". Blondine had been one of those when he met her; and he reacted to them much as he had to her: he stood stiffly at Caiaphas' wrist, pale chest puft-out and stub-tail mimicking a withering branch in the breeze as he wagged it slowly with uncertain dominance. He was prepared to run them off, but then -- to his utter and frightening astonishment -- his tense muscles abruptly became overridden by a godlike push, and he felt weak and exposed as he was presented like an offering.

He gawked up at the dark-furred male, then at the quiet wildfire blazing at his side. Stunned and bug-eyed, Svalinn looked very much like a toddler trying to process whether or not he needed to put either of these things in his mouth.

She should have realized sooner that this rear position put her at a distinct disadvantage. As soon as the head of the group began to speak, Towhee prowled off to the party's left, affording herself a view of the stranger's mouth. She caught everything after "warrior," even as she resisted looking sideways at the woman's one-eyed counterpart or down at the young ones scattered at her feet. Even when one was pushed gently forward, the Beta did not drop her gaze from the tired obsidian face perched atop slumped alabaster shoulders.

Towhee didn't quite know what to make of the situation, though she couldn't resist responding to the offer. "Too late, I already killed him." Her eyes panned over to Colt and Ceara, sure they would understand who she meant. Her gaze quickly flicked back to the interloper as she squinted and added, "I didn't catch your name or what you're doing at our borders." She didn't mention her deafness, nor acknowledge the raptor perched attentively on her shoulder blade, feeling no particular need to explain herself to the she-wolf or her young.

up until this point, the sylph's attention had largely been focused on the umber-brushed male. he had appeared to be the leader, but as she briefly glanced up she witnessed his clear step backwards -- as if to say the room was anyone's but his. this clear sign of deference made caiaphas realize she had been mistaken in assuming colt the leader, though by his bearing she could reasonably assume it was not the wolf that flanked his shoulder that he deferred to.

which left the two wolves behind them; her ears folded back, but she remained still.

drawing her sharp yellow eyes up slowly, caiaphas readjusted her attention to the woman that strode towards them. inwardly, some old strain of proud nereides victoriously reared its head to see a man defer to a woman; yet her expression was carefully blank. if she found the black wolf's speech at all odd, it did not register on the swarthy black of her countenance  -- the siren queen had met all manner of wolves coarse of speech and some, hardly intelligible at all -- she understood the leader clear enough, and dipped her head in acknowledgment of both towhee's status and her statement: that whoever had hurt her, had presumably been slain.

caiaphas had no reason to doubt this, and as she watched svalinn process the enormity that was this situation her brow furrowed slightly. maintaining submissive mien, she shifted so she was facing the dark-pelted leader with her eyes humbly averted. "i am caiaphas. what i am doing at your borders, specifically, is looking for a home." ever careful in her speech, the wych answered with punctuating directness. "we are specifically looking for a home because we were forced from ankyra sound by a bear. my mate was claimed by a river not three days ago - these children are all i have left of my pack."

"this --" she motioned towards svalinn, who stood wide-eyed and adorable -- "this is my son's only surviving son, svalinn. behind me is raleska, my daughter -- and this is blondine." she spared her russet companion a brief glance before continuing. "i was explaining that i can be of use to you; in exchange for a home, i can work -- no handouts. as a master warrior i can teach any wolf you have how to fight, and survive."

Raven could hear them long before they came into her view, and she appreciated that Colt, Towhee, Ceara, and Niamh seemed to have things well under control. She almost bypassed the whole scene completely -- she trusted Towhee's judgement where dealing with outsiders seeking acceptance was concerned, after all -- but when she realized there were babies among them, she decided to join them after all.

She drew up alongside her sister with a gentle nudge to her shoulder, her mind lingering on the beta's comment that she'd killed the one who had lamed her. She assumed that meant that Screech was dead, and looked forward to hearing that story at some point. The knowledge stirred a strange concoction of emotions within in her; she felt relieved, and glad that justice had been done, but there were tinges of sorrow and regret in there as well. It would take her a while to sort out her feelings on the matter, but for the time being, she was glad to have one less thing to worry about.

The one who seemed to be in charge of the little group was a salt-white she-wolf whose most interesting feature was the stark contrast of her darkly-colored head. Raven, born of a family known for unusual markings, thought it rather beautiful. But her attention was focused more on the month-old baby the strange female had presented to them. He was draped in downy butterscotch fur, scarcely old enough to be safe living outside the protection of a pack. She quickly noticed the darker, slightly older child that lingered near the she-wolf behind him, and suddenly she was reminded of the two children she had lost. These babies looked similar enough to them that she wondered if the universe hadn't wrought some bizarre twist of fate to bring her two more to fill those holes in her heart. Not that she was foolish enough to assume their mother and guardian would surrender them to her -- heavens, no -- but the alpha still felt a powerful pull on her heart toward those children.

The sable alpha sat down beside her sister and gestured to Towhee to continue, preferring for the moment to remain silent and listen as her eyes lingered with strange affection on the puppies.

She was ignored entirely, as was Colt — something ugly in her didn't like that, but she was intelligent enough to bite her tongue.  It was in the family's best option to avoid stoking the fire if they wanted to find a home in the Redhawk's ranks.

The broken family's story of woe and heartache seemed almost too pitiful to be true.  Recent events had led her to become more scrutinizing towards silkspun tales like this — though as Raven arrived, she had an inkling that these children would feed into the medic's presently raging hormones.

With a scrutinizing stare towards Caiaphas' back, she took a step back from the gathering crowd and set off to do something more productive.

Skipping Colt with permission (??I think??). And you can skip me after this. *fades into background* :)

Towhee listened, in her way, as the stranger provided an explanation. It wasn't in the Beta's nature to sympathize with the plights of outsiders, so the tale didn't exactly move her. When Caiaphas concluded her introduction with another mention of her skills, Towhee finally let her attention wander to the three others gathered around her. Her ears shifted restlessly as she eyed the pups, who only reminded her of her own nieces and nephews. Although she took to the role of older sister—and now aunt—like a duck to water, it turned out she didn't much care for youths who didn't share her blood.

But speaking of the newborns, she sensed Raven slip onto the scene and settle beside her, like the burly Beta's shadow. Towhee turned eagerly to her older sister. She had so much to tell her that didn't have a thing to do with the four interlopers. It would have to wait, though she took a moment to sign, -Screech is dead. Niamh and I need some minor medical attention. We can catch up after...- She shrugged in the direction of Caiaphas, her cohort and the pair of puppies, X bobbing gracefully on her shoulder.

Out loud, the Beta said, "I am Towhee, the Redhawks Beta, and this is my sister and Alpha, Raven. The decision belongs to her." She paused, considering. -I would turn them away,- she confessed to her sister alone before dipping her muzzle to say, "But I defer to your judgment." She was glad she wasn't in charge anymore. She didn't envy the medic the heavy decision she needed to make, how she must weigh her family's well-being, including the days-old pups, against the needs of these strangers. Towhee would support whatever decision she made, of course, upholding the choice she herself had made the day she'd passed the crown to Raven.

Quick post because I have to go make dinner

Raven noted Towhee's comments, nodding in agreement with the beta's suggestion that they get together after this situation had been handled. She watched both Ceara and Towhee move away, then glanced at Colt with a look in her face that said, please stay. Just in case this bunch decided to try anything nefarious. There was an air of strength and pride to Caiaphas, and something told Raven she wasn't a wolf to be underestimated.

She had understood Towhee's advice regarding the strangers, but she wasn't willing to dismiss these stragglers without due consideration. She particularly liked the prospect of having another master mercenary in the pack. "I appreciate your willingness to contribute your skills to our benefit. There's no denying that a master warrior would be a valuable addition to our pack," she spoke, her voice impassive and her eyes calculating despite the warmth that reigned inside her for the homeless pups. "But what I require is loyalty. I won't offer you the resources and protection of my home if your intention is to leave us as soon as it is convenient for you to move on elsewhere." It wasn't an accusation, merely a statement of fact. The lesson she'd learned with Rosalyn recently was still fresh on her mind as she spoke the words.

Late to the party. Feel free to skip!

Most of the talking was handled by Caiaphas, which Blondine actually preferred. She was much happier in the background as an onlooker, never really invested in what was happening before her. Many wolves came and went, each one clearly displaying their rank; it was a bad sign, all of this negotiating. If this pack planned to take in their wild band, then they would have surely done it by now, right?

There was one face that looked remarkably similar, but it was the scent that really sparked Blondine's memory. The first time she'd come to the Wilds, she'd met this band of wolves at their border (had they moved?) and been chased away with remarkable enthusiasm on their part. Never had she gotten the dark femme's name, and because it had been such a quick encounter, she hoped that it had slipped her mind.

Instead of offering an introduction with her skills and background, Blondine opted to stand down and remain in the shadow of Caiaphas.

feeling her answer was unusually long-wilded, caiaphas fell silent with a quiet sweep of her gaze. towhee managed an introduction, revealing it was not she that was the alpha, but the onyx pelted female that up until then, caiaphas had noted was rather fondly studying the children. she kept her head low, canting it in raven's general direction as the introductions finished.

and then the she-wolf moved to make her leave, though not before caiaphas puzzled over the peculiar motion towhee made with her limbs. it did not occur to her the she-wolf was deaf, so she thought it some clandestine message relayed to her kin alone. she watched the warrior's departure bemusedly, though her ears were pulled towards raven in polite yet tired interest.

in truth the notion of loyalty was not a foreign concept to caiaphas: she was loyal to many things - herself, mostly.. but she had been loyal to the sound, to the ancient moss-rimed halls of the groto; she had been loyal to nereides until they had abandoned her, to kierkegaard. yet the interests in which her loyalties sat were not randomly chosen -- the wretch had always been selective in the things in which she saw her devotion tethered. oddly, loyalty had been the one thing caiaphas had never required of others; in the nereides, she had been a rather untraditional leader. in saltwinter, she had extended her home simply so that strangers could survive. even in grimnismal, the grotto had bore witness to her ability to collect riff-raff, miscreants and vagabonds without strings attached.

her gaze fluttered, and for a moment it seemed she was weighing raven's words. better to be honest, cold and as cutting as that blade could be. sure, she could gush oh, i promise to be loyal! i promise!! pinky swear promise! just as she had seen dozens of wolves do before her; they had been liars. thieves of circumstance and usurpers of her trust. she would not be those wolves. "i do not know you - what if i promise loyalty, and you or your packmates try to hurt my children? then i would be a liar." she explained baldly, though her tone was quiet. "that being said, my intention is not to leave as soon as it is convenient. my children need a home, not just a shelter in place. a place to grow, safe, with other children - a life. a childhood. give them that, and you will have earned my eternal debt -- and loyalty."

Niamh had hung back for a moment when Towhee expressed the desire to join Colt in confronting the wolves at the borders. She was still in a bit of a daze, and not in the best shape- nor was Towhee, but at least her dark fur covered a lot of the blood she had shed. Niamh, on the other hand, had blood coating the majority of the left side of her face, trailing down her throat, chest, and left leg- not exactly what newcomers would want to see when trying to join a new pack.

She kept her distance but after a few moments- and smelling Raven hearby- the urge to protect her packmates became too great and she moved forward, stony gaze moving from one foreign face to the next, unabashedly displaying her bloodied self. This sort of thing happened around here- and if they still wanted to join after seeing Towhee’s condition, she assumed they might not hesitate with her too.

Though bleary and drained, she waved her tail between her hocks as she quickly greeted Raven, before she moved to Colt’s side. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since they’d begun the entire hunt for Screech, and she found herself wanting his company again. But for now, she’d simply be another able body and guardian facing those seeking some sort of asylum. Her eyes were drawn to one of the pups- a young boy, whose markings were very similar to her own. Apart from some slight differences in build and facial structure, the boy had exactly the same pelt colouration that she had had when she'd been a youngster. It almost made her smile- but not wanting to reveal a mouth full of blood and a gap where her canine had been torn free, she kept her lips pursed, but softened her gaze slightly.

Perhaps some other alpha might have preferred grandiose promises of undying loyalty, but what Raven got was blunt honesty, and she actually found she appreciated that. Caiaphas's words revealed that she was a smart wolf, cautious, and -- to Raven's immense approval -- concerned about her children's welfare above her own. The onyx Redhawk nodded, indicating her understanding and her agreement. She gestured at Niamh, exhausted and frightfully blood-soaked, and commented, "This is Niamh, and you just met my sister, Towhee. The two of them just returned from tracking down and killing the last wolf who dared try to harm a child in this pack." She'd lost almost half her litter to the asshole who had once been her brother and surrogate son.

She didn't share that particular fact, but if this group were granted acceptance into the Redhawks' fold, sooner or later they would find out all the details and then, perhaps, they could appreciate the seriousness with which Raven took the safety of her young. Nobody, not even her own blood, was above judgement where puppies were concerned. "There isn't much I can promise you, but I can promise that your children will be protected and cherished here." She felt a swell of maternal emotions toward the tired, confused children at the white wolf's feet, and although she knew their presence was swaying her judgement somewhat, she found it hard to think of that as a bad thing. "So it sounds like we have something of an agreement, then. I'm curious, though. Which pack do you come from?" There was only one test left to pass: as long as the loners' answer wasn't Blackfeather Woods, then she saw little reason to deny them entrance to the plateau.

some wolves might have found niamh's (and towhee's) appearance unsettling -- to caiaphas, there was nothing unsettling about blood. she had seen much of it in her time -- some drawn by others, some drawn of her own accord. as the buff and beige she-wolf studied svalinn, caiaphas was introduced to her proper -- a flick of her yellow eyes cast upward in acknowledgement before trailing the ground again.

it did not bother caiaphas in the slightest to know the wolf that had harmed a child was dead -- good, she thought vindictively, hoping if it god forbid it ever happened to any of her children she had wherewithal and the opportunity to likewise execute their assailants. indeed, caiaphas immensely appreciated the security such a valuable piece of information bestowed: that these wolves would kill for their kind, if need be.

this garnered a semblance of respect in the coywolf, who looked to the pair that remained with a faint blaze of interest in those tired yellow eyes. she had kept her hopes reserved, her spirit protected -- yet she felt she might possibly be on the cusp of truly providing her children safety. the thought of them being turned away again tormented her, and caused her to answer raven's next inquiry promptly. "i come from grimnismal, which was in ankyra sound." realizing these inland wolves might not know their coastal geography she quickly added: "on the coast."

Svalinn turned googling eyes from stranger to stranger as they each in turn gave him something interesting or unfamiliar to study. His attention was stolen particularly by the golden wolf; her bright fur marred casually by the dark sight and scent of dried blood. His interest warred with his instinct to be wary of her. He stretched his forehalf towards her -- with great, quick huffs of his button-nose -- but he refused to shift his hind legs any nearer which resulted in an over-extended posture he flinched out of after a false startle.

He looked to Caiaphas for support, but her attention was being siphoned by a supremely relaxed she-wolf; an air of luxury he would come to learn came from being the head of a well-equipped pack. He continued to eye her, vandalizing her dark fur and warm expression with a hungering stare. It took a few moments for the boy in the midst of being weaned, to realize what it was about her that struck him as so interesting.

He sniffed deeper, the scent of the new mother's milk drawing him in. Caiaphas had, much to his chagrin, begun chasing him away from her teets, but these were unspoken for! Svalinn regressed instantly and forgot his supposed wariness. The only thing that mattered now was that he address his basic need, and the starved junkie made a mad dive for Raven's belly, intent on latching on and suckling with all the speed and desperation instilled in him from being constantly on the move his entire micro-life.

More one post wonder stuff - skip me in the future

Raleska had, until that point, remained relatively silent (and still), her body pressed against the reassuring warmth of her mother. When Svalinn was pushed forward, she felt something akin to distress swarm her - he was her only littermate left, if he could even be called that. She actually didn't know what he would be called, as she had been too young when he was inducted into the family to recognize he was not Caiaphas'. Having no understanding of how long gestation took, she had simply assumed her mother had popped Svalinn out one day, and surely more would be forthcoming.

The child also did not understand what was at stake here; her mother's beggarly mien was unusual and it caused her fur to prickle with unease. She had only seen her mother like this back in Easthollow, and those wolves had turned them to the cold, to die. The spirit in her had long since departed, having been beaten, bled, and starved out of her. She missed her father, she missed Ephraim and Rhakios and Illidan, and wished she had gone with them instead of staying here. Having no concept of child mortality out in the wild sans adult supervision, she had become entrenched with feelings of abandonment. Her mother's hawkish eyes and possessive cluckings, and the new red wolf that accompanied them, had all prevented Raleska from foolishly attempting to find her brothers. Not that she would have anyway; she would have had more luck catching a fish in a desert than being reunited with any of her siblings.. but a girl could dream her naive dreams.

As Svalinn rose of his own directive and went towards the wolf that their mother seemed most engaged with, Raleska slumped down and watched jealously. She had been weaned weeks prior, and a flare of envy briefly made its impact across her little face as she watched, and knew, exactly what it was Svalinn's sights were set upon.

Not trying to be a turd by skipping folks, I just want to keep this thread moving so these guys can be added to the ranks. ;)

She nodded to the weakened matron's reply, satisfied with the answer. She knew next to nothing about Grimnismal, but she'd heard of it and that was good enough for her. She opened her mouth to respond when, suddenly, the younger of the two pups darted straight toward her. She started slightly at the boy's unexpected movement and surprising speed, her eyes widening in momentary alarm. It wasn't the child she was afraid of; rather, it was the reaction of the mother she feared. She knew, from both past and current experience, that those primitive maternal instincts were hair-trigger sensitive, and she didn't want to unintentionally be the reason for any sudden hostility on either side.

But all the boy wanted was milk, it seemed, as he plunged face-first into the soft black down of her belly and began to suckle greedily at one of her teats. She sat there for a few fleeting seconds, looking from him to Caiaphas with wide eyes, before a grin cracked her mask of surprise. She couldn't help it -- she laughed warmly and ran a paw over the child's thin back in a single soft stroke. Looking up at Caiaphas, she shrugged and shook her head. "Um, I'm er...sorry?" Really, what was there to say in such a weird situation? "I guess he's hungry! All of you must be. You're welcome to stay here and make this your home. Our caches are well-stocked -- eat as much as you like. And if any of you need medical attention, I'm a healer and I'd be happy to help." She smiled earnestly at the battered group of them, and the end of her tail flipped to and fro on the ground beside her. She made no move to dislodge the hungry puppy -- she really didn't mind providing him with a much-needed meal -- but kept her posture open and relaxed so that Caiaphas could retrieve him if she wished.

out of the corner of her eye, a golden beige blur streaked and the direction in which it went was unmistakable. caiaphas's gaze reared in time to see (in horror, one might add) the child latch hungrily and shamelessly to the alpha. really, what was one to say in that situation? 'sorry my kid sucked your boob'?

she instinctively lurched towards him as if to sweep him back into her talons, but in that same moment slid to a halt with her shoulders hunched and head turned away -- it would be rude, almost ruder than suckling a complete stranger, to pluck the miscreant biscuit from the alpha.. especially since apparently, she was allowing it.

caiaphas' expression was one of confusion as she inched forward, eyes adverted in a mixture of worry and apprehension. it seemed her displaced grandson's hunger, in the end, did not cost them their entry into redhawk. she could have crumpled in a sorry rag at raven's feet to hear that, and was suddenly taken aback by the relieved weariness that sunk into her exhausted bones. "i'm sorry --" she fretted, attempting to dislodge svalinn if it was allowed. "and.. thank you." her tongue laden by the flood of reprieved emotions that overcame them; at last, it seemed their horrible and miserable journey had come to a resolute and safe end.

Having grown to feed with the expectation that the food would be gone or taken from him in the next crucial seconds, Svalinn fed aggressively from Raven's warm and giving belly. The milk flowed more freely from her than he was used to, but he didn't take this as a sign to slow down. Her body thrummed with laughter at his antics, which he mistook for a soft attempt to pull away, causing the scrawny pup to bury himself with further insistence into the soft plump of her boobie buffet.

He largely ignored the stroking of his spine, noting that it wasn't a strong enough force to dislodge him, but he tensed beneath her foot, wholly prepared to fight for his commandeered spot. From the corner of his eye he saw the looming shark-head of Caiaphas, who had zeroed in on him with an intent he recognized with boiling dismay. He whined sharply -- the noise crescendoing into a baby's snarl as he protested his removal. Unfortunately sharp milk teeth burrowed in, and he had to literally be plucked like a thorn from Raven's side as he began to throw a mole-hill sized tantrum within the first minute of becoming a Redhawk.

last post i sware

Sorry for the lengthy delay! Was on vacation in the Alaskan wilderness with limited cellphone service this past week and a half. Last one from me! It can be archived anytime. :)

The boy fed with a voraciousness that surprised the alpha, and she made no move to stop him. When Caiaphas moved in to dislodge him, the Redhawk leaned back to allow the mother to get to her pup without being all up in Raven's grill and making it awkward. As soon as the boy realized what was going on, he dug in harder and Raven grimaced with discomfort as she felt his tiny needle-sharp teeth dig in to the tender flesh of her underbelly. When he was finally pulled away, he threw a fit and she couldn't help grinning at him and shaking her head.

"Come on," she said over the puppy's fussing, inviting packmates both new and established to follow her. "Let's get you settled in and fed. I'll have some fresh meat brought for you."