@Crete! I'm setting this before she goes into heat. :)
Pied knew she shouldn't push her body too hard; even though she felt a lot better, there was still a lot of healing to be done. But when she felt particularly restless on this windswept afternoon, she decided to go ahead and attempt the trek to Blacktail Deer Plateau. It wasn't that far away and, besides, she needed to tell Hawkeye about what had happened to her, as well as pass along the very important message from March Owl to her children.
As she walked across the plains beyond Ravensblood Forest, aiming for the plateau in the distance, Pied wondered how to explain where she'd gotten the knowledge. She didn't feel comfortable telling them about her ability, at least not right now. Maybe she should fib and tell them another family member had passed by—perhaps her own mother.
Before she could begin to strategize her white lie, Pied accidentally put too much weight on her hind paw and the pain that shot up her leg left her breathless. Taking in little sips of air, which then hissed out between her teeth, she fell promptly to haunches to remove the weight entirely. She then leaned heavily onto her left hip and bent over to examine her foot. It seemed fine, yet it throbbed painfully, causing her to wince.
I definitely listened to that song writing this. also I assumed Crete and Pied have met. :p
Peregrine had managed to put Crete's mind to a relative rest with his promise to speak to Hawkeye in regards to Crete's and hers issues with one another but it did not entirely quell his unrest. Peregrine's words of assurance that he would not blindly side with Hawkeye had done their job, but they did not erase the things she had said him, and did not erase the tyrannical view she had painted herself in. Peregrine had convince Crete to stay – for now, but Crete had vowed after Tyrannus that he would not live under another tyrant – mate of his brother or not. Slipping out of Blacktail Deer Plateau's borders was easy, and the mute found himself enjoying the freedom the distance offered him. Arduously, he tucked away those thoughts not wanting to linger upon them anymore. He was out of the borders and temporarily free; he should be enjoying it, not dragging his mood down.
A figure could be seen in the distance – not overly familiar from where Crete currently stood, paused as he was when he first saw the ivory canine. The scent was faint - the wind not in his favor – female, and well ever so slightly familiar it seemed generally foreign to him. Cautiously, the mute approached closing the distance as the figure plopped down upon her haunches. Still not close enough to really be able to tell details, Crete wasn't sure if she was licking or examining her paw. There was an awkward moment when Crete contemplated turning and moving away before she noticed him, but something told him not to. Deftly, he slowed to a walk, sea green eyes finding the figure and her markings more familiar than he had moments before as realization dawned upon him. He knew her! Pied? Audible breath was given, intentionally noisy to alert her to his presence since he was unable to think of another way to claim it.
Yep, they'd know each other. :)
Even as the pain wound down, Pied knew she would have to turn back. She couldn't risk hurting her paw worse and, besides, trekking in this condition would be painfully slow. She would have to go back to the ridge and embark on this trek another day. Although it definitely disappointed her, the Gamma knew what she had to do. Just as soon as the pain became bearable enough, she would stand up, turn around and hobble on home.
What she didn't expect was the sudden appearance of a stranger—nay, he wasn't a stranger at all! "Crete?" Pied questioned when the black-and-white figure slipped nearer. "It is you," she said, tapping her tail. How serendipitous! "I'm glad you're here. I, ah, have a message meant for you and your brothers and sister. Do you, ah, think you can convey it to them...?" She was aware of his muteness, of course, and she could even read his most basic body language well enough, yet Pied wasn't entirely sure whether he would be up to the task.
Crete let his eyes touch his niece, noting with a touch of worry that she looked a little worse for wear than he remembered. Unabashed, the mute studied her scars -- or what was visible to him at any rate -- unable to help but wonder what had happened to her. He wasn't privvy on what was going on other packs, but he hadn't even realized she was in the Wilds. Peregrine might have mentioned it in passing, but if he did Crete did not astutely remember. Frankly, he had a lot on his mind these days, and it seemed that despite Peregrine's assurance Hawkeye and Crete would never be ok with one another, which frankly worried Crete. If Hawkeye was pregnant how would he perceive their pups? Would Crete love them or hate them? It scared him that he had no definitive answer (even though he realized that the children were not to blame in any case).
Pied claimed his attention away from his thoughts, of which Crete was grateful for. It is dear niece, Crete understood that Pied would probably have trouble reading the more intricate body language and so he settled for an affectionate nuzzle to her chin. She spoke of having a message for him and his siblings, which picked at his curiousity. As it was, his siblings might not translate it correctly, or he might mess up a few times, but every ally he would get it across. Crete nodded his confirmation that he would (and could) pass it along - even if he had to spell it out in the dirt.
Pied briefly wondered if she'd offended him with her dubious tone. Crete gave no indication of this, however, and allayed her concerns with a warm muzzle which she received happily and returned. As was the case with Peregrine, Pied had never spent much time with her mute uncle. She'd been closer to Koontz and her other age-mates, whereas the four members of Mo's second-to-last litter had been a tightly-knit, almost cliquish bunch.
Since he seemed prepared to receive and convey the message, Pied stepped back, took a deep breath and pondered how to word it. Then she said, "Someone from Flightless Falcons passed through here recently," and wondered if Crete would insist she identify this person. Before he had a chance, she continued, getting straight to the point. "They told me that Tyrannus is dead. Perseus and Echo saw how much damage he was doing, so they rose up and killed him. They're now leading the pack. The messenger wanted to let you and your siblings know it's safe to go home, even if you just want to visit."
She paused, biting her lower lip and anticipating the question about the identity of this messenger. Quickly, Pied decided she would say it was her mother. It wasn't outrageous to assume that Velox would travel out here to find her and relay this message, especially since her mother had dabbled in scouting.
A twinge in her paw suddenly reminded Pied of why she'd stopped here. She winced, then explained to Crete, "I was in an accident a while ago. A killer whale attacked me, actually... I'm doing much better now but I think I pushed myself too far today. My paw's broken and I accidentally put too much weight on it a few minutes ago, so now it's flaring up again."
Pied returned his nuzzle before she took a step back, took a breath Crete identified as deep and spoke. Though her words were anything but what he expected. For a few seconds Crete stared at her blankly, trying to make sense of her words. Tyrannus was dead, Perseus and Echo led in his stead, it was safe to go home. He could go home. Though he was curious about who the elusive messenger was in the wake of the knowledge Pied had presented him with it seemed dully unimportant. It occurred to him that he could finally tell Hawkeye to take her tyrannical, childish rule and shove it because he was no longer at her mercy - though truthfully he had never been at her mercy. If had not been for his brothers he would have left the Plateau already and never looked back. As it was, it was still a serious consideration, regardless. Peregrine seemed optimistic that what was sour between Hawkeye and him could be fixed but Crere did not share in that.
Thank you, Gratitude was diluted by shock as Crete still attempted to wrap his mind around it. He noticed her wince and glimpsed at her paw as she explained, though his head snapped up incredulous when she told him a killer whale had attacked her. He almost inquired as to where a killer whale had came from but there was a telltale twinge of sea water on her coat - a distinct smell of it's own and in that he had his answer. I could give you some painkillers, He offered though he was unsure if she understood it. Painkillers would help but he really didn't think she should be using it much at all, if it was broken.
There was a look in Crete's eye as he processed the news which made Pied wonder if he intended to turn around, relay the message to his siblings, then march right back home to Flightless Falcons. She wondered if he'd established himself at the plateau—whether they all had—or if they'd all happily uproot to go home. The Gamma licked her dry lips, hoping she hadn't just lost Hawkeye some members.
She said nothing about any of this, though her eyes remained on her uncle, as it was almost required in order to communicate effectively. When he motioned toward her paw and indicated that he could help, her gray ears sat upright and she asked, "If you know something that'll ease pain and inflammation... but, here's the thing: I'm already taking painkillers regularly under the supervision of my pack's medic, Dublin. I took a dose before leaving. Will it be safe to take something now?"
As it was the idea of returning to Flightless Falcons was indeed, tremendously tempting to Crete; and if he did leave the Plateau it wasn’t because of the information Pied just relayed to him. It was something he had been contemplating for a long time, and only did not act on it because of Peregrine’s insistence. Crete did not like Hawkeye, did not appreciate how she treated him. He had understood that she was his Alpha but at the same time she was unwilling to hear the concerns of her subordinates and then threatened to kick them out for insubordination. Or, more specifically, threaten to kick him out, at any rate. Pied’s information gave him a fair amount to consider in the near future. A small ‘v’ formed between his brows as Pied explained that she already took painkillers before beginning her trip. Considering he had no idea what the medic of whatever pack Pied was from, had given her for painkillers - for there were several plants that would do the trick - and that giving her something that Crete was favored to giving might have consequences. No, Crete shook his head, deciding that it was not something he wanted to risk. Crete’s facial expression took one of contemplation as he considered it for a bit. Maybe some rest would be good for it. At this point, Crete was kind of failing, and wished in that moment that he had Aether’s wealth of knowledge.
table by houkie
Crete's brow furrowed and her answered with a silent, No. "I didn't think so," Pied answered, then "listened" to his addendum before laughing almost ruefully and saying, "I guess I can rest it... after I get back home. It's that trip that's going to be a pain, literally." She sighed softly, then quickly added, "Don't worry, it's not your fault," just in case Crete caught the sound and felt like he'd failed her.
It was her own fault; making this trip had been a mistake today. Now she needed to get home. The trip would be difficult but not impossible. The worst part was that Pied knew she should head home directly. The sooner she got back, the sooner she could take weight off her paw and down a few more of Dublin's painkillers. She would've loved to linger here and chat with Crete—well, at him, more like it—but it seemed this encounter would be cut short.
"I'm sorry, I wish I could hang around and talk. But I've got a bear of a trek home and I need to get it started. It was nice seeing you, Crete, and I'll look for you the next time I head out to the plateau, which hopefully won't be long from now. Sorry again for the bad news..." she added, exchanging a look with her mute uncle before turning and beginning the slow process of hobbling home to the ridge.
As it was, Pied’s assurance that it wasn’t his fault for the pain she would endure as she made her way back home failed because Crete did feel guilt. He was not sure what to do for her, aside from painkillers, but he did not want to make her sick with too many of them if she had already received some shortly before leaving her home. Aether had told him there was a fine line between a medic and a killer, that a little of something could create miracles but too much could end lives. Crete nodded at her as they exchanged a look, mentally contradicting her ‘bad news’. She did not know Tyrannus’ crimes and thusly, Crete did not expect her to know that her “bad news” was actually refreshingly good news instead. He longed to assure her that, or even to say goodbye, but all he could do was watch silently as she faded into the distance before he turned and headed back to the Plateau to mull on the information she had given him.