Swiftcurrent Creek in ruhig fließender bewegung

"She should be grateful you did not murder her children?"

Her eyes widened momentarily, before they narrowed to dangerous slits. The russet Alpha could not deny that she'd considered Mahler's very accusation, but she was unprepared to confess it out loud. Chusi had been lucky that Swiftcurrent's ranks swelled with strong bodies at the time she'd conceived her litter, for if their ranks had been as bare then as they were now, Durnehviir would always choose her own babes over those of another. "Yes," the dragoness hissed in response, her crimson hackles on edge as she turned to properly face the one who saw fit to question the decision she'd made when faced with an impossible choice.

It was the way of the wild - of the wolf. As a mother, it was Durnehviir's responsibility to ensure that her own litter was successful. But as she grew into this role, as she watched her children develop, and their pack gained an additional three newborns, she learned to appreciate those of others as well. She had maintained distance between herself and Omega's brood, had even mostly steered clear of Wylla and her own, because her own offspring were and would always be her absolute priority.

"Because she broke pack law," she defended with a low growl. "When Wylla discovered her own pregnancy, she offered to slay her own cubs because they could be considered a threat to my own. I refused to let this happen. Do you think me a monster, Mahler?" Chusi's offspring had lived - thrived, even. They had a doting mother who, despite having been of the lowest rank, had been fed and tended to. She'd been shamed into Omega, yes, but even the most belittled wolf was still considered family because they were part of Swiftcurrent, which the gargoyle seemed to be missing.