he sought out pema the next day. grayday's unexpected death had left the weight of responsibility heavy on her shoulders, and with the pups soon to come, it was a monumental challenge for her to take on. not that he didn't think she could handle it--aditya thought she was perhaps best equipped--but he did worry about stress wearing down his friend.
adi found her low to the ground, face contorted in pain. he thought something might be physically wrong and rushed toward her, crouching down beside her. "pema," he murmured, eyes meeting hers. "pema, are you all right? what can i do?"
he had decided he wanted to help raise the litter left behind; that was his primary goal. they still had catori, but he hoped dawn would join them as well. it would be a way to prepare for their future children. but if there was more he could do, especially to assist pema, he wanted to do it. it was time to step up.
he was relieved to know it was just a cramp, although he didn't want pema to endure any extra stress under the circumstances. as she began to speak, however, her words struck a chord of additional concern within him. he shook his head, not necessarily to brush off her words but to let her know that she had it wrong--she was a leader. she was a good one.
"pema, you've done wonderfully so far," aditya countered, smiling gently. "you're invaluable to this pack. don't put yourself down." he swallowed, nodding almost to himself. "i know it's scary, the road ahead without grayday. but we'll be okay. we'll make it through."
he cast his eyes toward the border, a good distance off. "tell you what--i'll take care of the active stuff. border patrols, greeting newcomers, traversing the territory. you rest, and oversee the rendezvous site. at least until your pups are weaned," he proposed, tilting his head in inquiry. "i want to help you. i want to help us all as much as i can. whatever i can do--i'll do it."
he had to do it. sunny was gone, dawn was building herself back up, shale was borderline insane. it was on his shoulders to keep everything together. and this wasn't your classic tale of a hero begrudgingly taking on an obligation. he loved this family with everything he had. he was happy to do it.
for timeline purposes i'm assuming this happens after the shit with sunny/dawn goes down
he laughed, again shaking his head. "i didn't sign up for any of this, really," he pointed out, looking wryly over at her. "when i came to morningside, i had no idea what to expect. i just wanted a home for the winter. but you all are my family, now. it's my duty."
aditya gave an easy rolling shrug of his shoulders. "and if it's only until the pups are weaned, i'm sure i'll survive," he teased, eyes glowing. in truth, he was excited for the new challenge. for moons, he had been itching for more responsibility here. he hated that the opportunity came cloaked in the shadow of grayday's death, but if his father-in-law were still here, he'd be rooting for aditya, right? grayday had been that kind of man.
he gave pema a gentle nudge of his nose to her shoulder, a sort of "chin-up" gesture. in the wake of everything, his good humor was returning; he needed to keep everyone's spirits afloat. "we'll be okay," he repeated, smiling but his eyes calmly serious. "we'll come out of this even stronger than before. grayday would have wanted that."
the sterling huntress summoned Pema's summons promptly, ticking through the list of any number of things this could be about. at a distance, it was clear to see the honeyed girl was standing near her mate; even at this distance, she picked out his silhouette clearly. she trotted the last dozen meters between them, even though all her muscles seemed saturated with a heavy soreness that made it hard to stomach the idea of a lot of things.
still, she chuffed her soft greeting, glancing to her mate and then to Pemaas she waited for one of them to explain the reasons for their summons, not quite wanting to offer her own news to Pema until she offered her own.
his ears perked with pleasure at the idea of dawn handling some of the responsibilities, the three of them working together to keep morningside running smoothly. before long, his mate had answered the summons. he nuzzled her cheek, giving her a warm smile.
"how are you?" he asked gently, eyes wandering over her form before settling on her face again. "pema and i were speaking, about things going forward. . .but i'll let her explain it more to you."
he turned to look at the current leader with a patiently expectant expression, curious to see how this would all work out. he would be lying if he said he had anticipated being a leader so soon--and he'd never wanted it to occur in these circumstances. it was a challenge he hadn't expected. . .but he was ready to tackle it.
"I'm fine." she stated, looking between them both. pema and I were talking. she felt some sting at the words, and his smile, at the feeling she was being sheltered. then pema began her lengthy spiel, and now the sting returned, some sharp prod at her heart. so they'd discussed this already, forged her role. if she didn't feel so hollow, she would have said something, would have had time to deal with the sharp-toothed thing that stung her. "I know who my father was. what his passing means" she didn't need Pema to try and explain the yawning hole in their ranks, in the pack.
"of course I'll step up. I should have done so earlier, as soon as I'd returned." there to was guilt, for leaving her post, for not claiming it again sooner. "I'll lead the hunts again. with Sunny gone, and Shale as he is, there are hardly enough hunters to sustain three whelping mothers." here was what she'd held in that day they'd returned. it was easy, to force her mind and body to hunt, to work, if only to avoid the grief.
dawn was quite sharp, which didn't really surprise him; sunny's departure had rattled her greatly, not to mention left a physical mark as well, and he had always sensed some underlying tension between her and pema. with grayday gone, there was somewhat of a power vacuum, and pema seemed eager to close it as soon as possible.
the delicate balance between mourning and duty was hard to find, but they were doing their best.
"then i suppose it's settled," aditya said, once the two had said their parts. "pema will look after the pack's members, dawn will lead the hunts and speak with our allies, and i will watch the borders. and if either of you two need help from me. . .just ask." though he looked at both, his eyes focused more on pema; dawn was a proud creature, and offering help could be seen as a slight. pema was much more likely to accept charity.
then again, there was a risk that dawn could feel he was shutting her out. no interaction was perfect, and he pressed his shoulder against hers, wanting to reassure her he still had her back, no matter what.
she knew she was sharp, cutting, but she had no qualms over it; it'd been a long time since she'd been on clear terms with the healer. her condescension, whether it be accidental or intended, had left a sour taste in her mouth that would not fade.
still, she deflated slightly when her mate pressed against her, using his words as a rock to dull her sharpness against. she nodded only when Pema thanked them both; slighted, still prickly in the slightest, yet at ease. when things seemed to be sorted did she take her quiet leave, whispered promise to find Aditya later leaving her lips before she moved past the pair.