Stone Circle maybe it wasn't our fault

this thread is meant to place directly after this one! :-)

as cyron turns from the borders after ensuring that the ebony man is gone for good his emotions are a raging miasma within him but he is firm in his conviction and cannot help but feel that the ebony man's nothing but trouble instinctually. pissing on blackfeather woods's borders? it was only a matter of time cyron knows before they stop putting up with it. they are master spies, persecutors and murderers and cyron feels that they are either amusing him by letting him think he's getting away with it or they are simply too preoccupied to deal with him — but they would deal with him, eventually. just so long as he is far away from easthollow when his decisions catch up with him; that is all cyron cares about. he deems it prudent to speak immediately with @Valette about the interaction he's just had and as he seeks the alpha female he wonders if he handled it correctly.

the question is definitely forefront in his mind of if she would chide him for being so persecutive himself. cyron shudders to think that he's picked that up from his captors and his stomach turns violently at the realization that he's like them. he would ask valette, he decides. he would ask her if he was right in how he'd handled dakarai, if his hostility and unwillingness to see the man's side as wise was something to be troubled about or not. she is a third party observer to his condition and re-assimilation back into society and life and he's not as worried about disappointing her as he is his parents. they want so desperately to fix him, for him to mend and be whole again that cyron doesn't have the courage to tell them that he may never be fixed or whole ever again.

Valette was really busy these days. Two of the children were injured. Nikai managed to get injured during the hunt and Steph also had been messing with the bison. The mother wanted to nurse all her children back to health but she didn't have any medical knowledge. She would just sit by them and fuss over them. Even though Nikai was an adult already, she saw him still as her baby. On top of that, she also had to juggle patrolling of the borders and other alpha duties of seeing how the pack members were doing. But that was not all, the female also took it upon herself to watch the herds as the pack's Deerstalker. The female was always in one place doing something for someone else. But frankly, that was how she liked it.

She just came back from watching the herds to see if there was anything different. The deer were still the same, however, the bison were more defensive after the hunt on them. She couldn't really blame the massive prey. Valette was now en route to check on Steph. But on her way there she ran into Cyron. She assumed it was him since he smelled of Mawk and Cebra. Plus, he looked the right age for it. Valette woofed at him in greeting. She didn't have the chance to meet the boy yet. Cebra had said to her that he was very different than he was before. Who wouldn't be after they were kidnapped? Valette smiled at the young man. "Hi Cyron. It is good to see you," she greeted, and wagged her tail.

valette comes onto the scene quickly enough, easing cyron of the anxiety that had begun to eat at him as he considered calling for her. he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself and the altercation he'd just had and he worried that if he called one or both of his parents might come running. her woof of greeting catches his ears, which cup forth, alert atop his skull as he looks to her. he lowers his eyes to the snow covered ground beneath their paws and lowers himself into complete submission to her, recognizing that she is the highest of high ranks and that he is the lowest of lows. it was always better to be safe then to be sorry, he's learned. she greets him by name and as he draws in a breath to answer her, it's gets caught in his throat, briefly suffocating him. he pushes it out forcefully and takes a small gasp of breath as the anxiety settles after it's brief and abrupt flare-up. evidently, this was going to be much more complicated than he'd originally thought. his mouth is as suddenly dry as a desert and his tongue feels like heavy sandpaper as it draws across his injured jowls. he doesn't know how to answer her, how to properly address her as to not earn her ire and so he gives a small dip of his head in apology and chooses not to respond to her question on how he's doing because the answer is plain: not well. sure, he is filling out, he can keep food down a bit better and his wound is healing but psychologically? that is a whole different war.

"i had a ...situation with a man on the borders," he admits suddenly, apologetically. "i-i was not sure how to handle him. he smelled faintly like blackfeather woods and i-i panicked. i told him to get lost and he assured me that he wasn't from blackfeather woods, that he smelled faintly like them because he was pissing on their borders." his reasoning doesn't matter much to cyron. it was foolish — even the callow and tormented saefyn could see it plain as day. "he explained that they had caused him to lose everything and that was why he was doing what he did. i was angry because i didn't want him to lead them back here but he swore that he covered his tracks." but cyron does not take the man's word at face value. too much has happened to him to be able to trust many. he leaves out the part of how degraded the man had made him feel by more or less calling him a coward — that was a private demon now and not something he felt valette should concern herself over.

"i just wanted you to know, in case —" but he cuts himself off sharply. he cannot make himself say it. but he suspects she will be able to follow his train of thought readily enough: in case he leads blackfeather woods here.

Valette could tell that something was going on in the boy's head. She had only said it was a good to see him and he seemed at loss for words. Her eyes fell on his extremely submissive demeanor. She nodded to him that it was enough and that the female respected his greeting. Valette wasn't an alpha that demanded such submission from a pack member only when they really stepped out of line. No one really did, ever.

Then Cyron started to talk. Situation? At the borders? Valette was worried for a moment. But she listened quietly even though she seemed worried. There seemed to have been a weird man that had been mad at Blackfeather as well. "You handled it wonderfully, Cyron," she spoke instantly and nodded in confirmation. "It is very brave of you to send him away." To Valette it didn't sound like the male meant much harm. Still, she would tell it to Nanook and other mercenaries that would do border patrol with her.

"I will tell the other wolves that help me with the borders. They can keep an eye on this man if he returns," she spoke to the boy. "Or if any Blackfeather wolves come to our borders. We will make sure they back off. Blackfeather wolves are not our friends," she assured him. She wondered if Cyron wanted to become a mercenary as well or just happened to be at the borders when this wolf showed up. "Thank you for telling me," she smiled. "Do you want to become a mercenary? Because my sister can help you if you would go for that trade!," she offered with a smile.

cyron feels a small amount of relief, a loosening in his chest as she assures him that he handled it wonderfully. idly, he wondered if she would feel the same if she'd been there to witness it and the words that they exchange; but she didn't and cyron wasn't going to tell her that he had his feelings hurt by a insignificant stranger. he'd thought he'd been brave when he escaped blackfeather woods but ...perhaps it hadn't been bravery at all. perhaps it'd been cowardice. that was what the stranger had more or less insinuated: that he was cowardly because he could not overcome, because his mind, so young and vulnerable, was re-wired to suit his captor's purposes. cyron hates that some man whose name he doesn't even know had that much influence on him. no, no he wasn't a coward. he was brave. if he wasn't he would not be here, back in easthollow, speaking with it's alpha. "i should have called for you or one of the guardians but i — i didn't want him lingering." cyron offers apologetically. he'd already explained why he hadn't wanted him lingering on the borders and didn't feel the need to be redundant.

he nods but offers nothing else verbally as she assures him that she'll tell nanook and the other guardians to keep an eye out for the stranger and blackfeather woods. "he was skinny, black with blue eyes and some grey on his face and ears," cyron tells her, not remembering if there were any other distinguishing marks. it might be hard to distinguish him from any other blue eyed wolves with a black pelage, though he hopes the greying part might help a bit. cyron cringes a bit as he says 'skinny' because the rawboned saefyn isn't necessarily one to talk. "he wasn't very submissive. he kept looking me in the eyes and challenging with body language." he struck cyron as defiant though whether it was because of cyron's age or not the boy couldn't tell. his age shouldn't have been too tell-tale aside from that he was at least a year old if only because cyron is very nearly indistinguishable from any other adult now but that was neither here nor there at this point. still, it seemed prudent to include any details he had to help valette and the guardians identify him.

his ears flutter back to slick against his skull as she inquires about if he wants to be a mercenary and offers her sister as a mentor. "i — i," he swallows thickly and looks away from her. "i don't know. i mean, i want to be able to fight but ..." he licks his lips, wincing as his tongue draws across his ruined mouth. "i'll think about it." he decides. he doesn't want to hurt anyone but on the opposite side of that coin he doesn't want anyone to be able to hurt him. he'll do what he has to, to make sure that no one ever again twists and breaks him the way blackfeather woods did.

Valette felt that Cyron was more of an adult rather than a child. She didn't mind that she didn't call someone. Perhaps, she didn't mind because the danger had been diverted if there had been danger in the first place. Though, she didn't want the tormented soul standing before her to feel even worse about himself by reprimanding him that he should have called someone. "You are almost an adult I am certain that you can stand your grounds on the borders. But always feel free to call for help that is why we are here," she spoke with a smile on her lips.

She noted down the description of the wolf. She would tell it to the wolves she mostly scented around the borders. She still wanted everyone to be alert. "Well, I'm glad you told me. We will keep an eye out for him if he returns we will show him not to mess with Easthollow," she spoke with a firm nod. It turned out that her question was maybe a bit direct. Perhaps the boy wasn't even ready to think about trades. Valette scolded herself mentally. "No pressure at all. If you rather want to do another trade I am sure there is someone who can help you with," Valette spoke kindly. "I understand if you want to take it easy for now. Perhaps you can do fun things with my son Ezra. He can maybe show you cool things in the territory," she suggested. Maybe it would help Cyron to hang out with someone younger? She wasn't an except but friends were always nice to have right?

cyron gives a curt, albeit solemn nod when valette reminds him that he is nearly an adult and offers her confidence in that he can stand his ground. yes, that much he could do, he is certain. he held his ground — for whatever it was worth — against the ebony and grey colored man and he could do it again. if anything blackfeather woods had instilled a adherence towards distrust when it came to strangers aided by the fact that he is ( exceptions notwithstanding ) taciturn. valette's words relieve cyron greatly and it is shown in the deep inhale and heavy sigh of an exhale that he lets out after she finishes. he is glad that the business of the daring male is finished; even if it does inspire the next leg of their conversation. she assures him that he is not under any pressure and then suggests that he could spend some time with her son, ezra. cyron is left feeling surprised by her casual suggestion of it and his ears flutter back as he contemplates her words. she would really want him around her son? even though he's ... the way that he is? it's not as if cyron is unaware that he isn't the same boy he was before he was kidnapped. he can see it, he can see it in the pain in his parent's eyes when they look at him and know that the cyron they see is not the cyron they remember; will likely never be that carefree, ignorant and naive child ever again. "i — i'll think about it," he says slowly, carefully. his salmon pink tongue draws across his jowls in a swift motion. his contemplation of the suggestion was more for ezra's safety then cyron's own but he can't say that and thus hopes she accepts that he will, at the very least, consider it. "thank you." cyron breathes to her earnestly, ghosting towards her with the intent of offering her a submissive lick beneath her chin.

Valette dipped her head into a quick nod as a reply to the boy that he would consider it. She would leave it all to him to decide what he wanted. She would not be the one to give him pressure. The female smiled and allowed him to lick under her chin if he had the courage to do so. She really liked Cryon. She was surprised by it as she had talked to his mother how different he had become. Valette liked the changed Cyron better somehow. He seemed more considerate and thoughtful. Not that she was so familiar with the boy beforehand.

"Anything else you like to mention or tell me?," she asked him curiously. Otherwise, she would continue going to her den to check on her daughter. Valette hoped that Steph hadn't been too bored while she was away, but the mother had her duties.

cyron's tongue draws across the bottom of her chin once, quickly, before he shuffles back to where he'd been standing before. he isn't one for having personal space breached — understandably — and he would never presume to linger long in someone else's personal space. "n- no," he says, ears splaying back against the curve of his skull. "thank you for uhm, listening to me." it seemed like a socially acceptable thing to do: to thank her. she was good and cyron was able to immediately recognize this about her. he takes her in, slowly raising his dull chestnut gaze to study her for a moment, wondering if he's actually ever seen valette before — suffice to say he remembered very little of his time before his fight with rowana and his kidnapping; his time in blackfeather woods and all the things they'd done to him had unfortunately taken precedence over old, happy memories. she's pretty, he decides with a rush of warmth to the skin beneath the fur of his cheeks and his diverts his eyes quickly. "i'm — i s-should get back." back to what? his patrol? his parents? did it matter? anywhere that wasn't here at this point. he turns abruptly, takes a deep breath and departs, unintentionally heading back to the borders, needing space to think and categorize the events of the morning.

Valette quirked up her lips when the male stepped back and told her that was all he wanted to tell her. "You are welcome. You really did well Cyron. If something else comes up don't be afraid to tell me," the female encouraged. She could tell that he was still a bit nervous and the mother inside of her wanted to soothe him. It might be a bit weird so she would just keep to his own pace. "That is fine. Goodluck. I will go to Steph," she spoke with a nod. "Thank you, once again," she hummed.

The female wagged her tail and then turned to go the alpha den where her daughter was recovering from the bison attack she survived. Luckily she did otherwise Valette wouldn't be so happy and relaxed right now.

- Valette Exit -

Feel free to archive or wrap it up on your side! This was nice!! <3