Wolf RPG

As the caravan headed north-northeast, Junior grew so nervous she felt like vomiting. She knew this was the right choice for her, yet confronting her father would not be easy. He might argue with her or even try to tell her she couldn't go because of her age. She would have to stand her ground, no matter what he said. She might ruin their relationship forever. Not to mention all the other wolves she would be leaving behind. Following the right path would not be without its painful sacrifices.

When the time came to splinter off and drop by the plateau, a few of her new comrades offered to accompany her. Junior accepted, though she asked them to hang back while she spoke to her father. She would only call upon them if necessary or if her father specifically requested to speak to them. Just knowing they were there would help bolster the adventuresome youth.

The plateau was quiet and foggy when she reached the foot of the towpath at daybreak. This isn't my home anymore, she thought suddenly, freezing with her black toes touching the invisible boundary lines. Junior took a deep breath. Heart hammering in her chest, she lifted her muzzle into the air and called for Peregrine.

Peregrine rose before the sun, leaving a sleeping Fox curled in their bed as he headed toward the borders. It was time to hunt down Junior, talk to her and bring her home. He licked his lips as he strode toward the plateau's edge. He felt confident he could locate her but wasn't sure what he would say when he did. As it were, he hadn't overheard the sirens' calls the previous night. They hadn't carried this far north, so he hadn't a clue about his daughter's intentions.

When Junior's voice cut through the morning fog, Peregrine blinked and hastened to the towpath. He stopped at its head, looking down at her. Studying Junior and her body language, he felt a sudden apprehension. He trotted down to meet her, deliberating over whether he would greet her warmly or play the part of stern father.

He only reached a decision when he stopped in front of his daughter. "Osprey Jr., where have you been? I've been worried about you." Although his dusky eyes were flinty, he spoke with genuine care and concern. "What happened? Why did you shout at Fox? Talk to me, Junior, and tell me what's going on." It was said softly, yet his tone left no room for misapprehension; it was a demand, not a request.

While she waited, her heart in her throat, Junior glanced over her shoulder. The sight of her escorts in the distance calmed her. She faced forward just in time to see Peregrine appear above. She felt a little sick. She fought against the instinct to shrink, instead standing firmly as he swept down to meet her. Junior bowed her head out of respect. Even if he wasn't her Alpha anymore, he would always be her father... unless, of course, he disowned her today.

"Dad, I... I'm only here to tell you I'm leaving," Osprey started, faltering slightly. Her legs trembled. "I made some new friends who're going to start a pack not far from here. I'm going with them. You... you can try and stop me but I'm still going." Junior cringed at how childishly weak she sounded. "I know you and Fox will be having more kids soon. And I'm five months old. I'm old enough to... make this decision. And I have. I've already pledged." She stopped there. Having dropped the bomb, she waited now for the explosion.

He never would have guessed the words that came from his daughter's mouth. His immediate reaction was strong. Of course he would forbid her from running off with these strange new friends. She was only five months old. Although he knew some parents let their children go at such a young age—kids like Bones, Kraken and Grimlock came to mind—he wasn't one of them. He didn't necessarily expect lifelong loyalty from them but he wanted his offspring to stay with him until they were nine months old at least but preferably until their first birthday.

He growled softly when she threatened him. Her remark about Fox and puppies caught him off guard, though Peregrine realized suddenly that this must be the crux of the matter. Junior must have connected the dots and he realized he would be planning a litter with his new mate next year. Although he found it strange that she would accept Fox herself but go into a jealous rage when confronted with the idea of younger brothers and sisters, he dismissed it as childish jealousy and logic.

"Junior, just because Fox and I plan to have children doesn't mean I love you any less." He almost added something about it not affecting his time with her, yet he stayed his tongue. Of course, that wasn't true. "You'll be a big girl by the time they come. They'll add to our lives, our family, not take away from it." He paused, exhaling. "Is that why you yelled at Fox? Because you thought she and I were going to replace you?"

He didn't immediately yell at her or tell her no, which came as a relief. Junior's ears twitched in response to Peregrine's initial response. She felt her heart squeeze painfully. She trusted him, yet she didn't. Junior wanted nothing to do with these hypothetical new puppies or what they stood for. Wasn't that her prerogative? Was it okay to force his new family upon her?

"I don't want anymore brothers or sisters. I just don't," Junior replied, calm but with an edge of petulance. "Why do you need more kids anyway? Why isn't four enough?" She met his eyes briefly. Hers were full of hurt. She looked away. "But it doesn't even matter. I'm a Warrior and an Outrider. I lived with another pack before. I can do this. I want to do this. It's just... it's not just about you and Fox and the puppies."

Junior paused for a long beat, waiting to see if Peregrine would let her explain. When he said nothing, she shifted her weight and thought of where to start. Would Peregrine accept her new pack and their beliefs? Considering he was a male, Junior wasn't so sure. "It's a sort of... sisterhood. It's mostly females," she began, knowing that might put him at ease. "They have these really cool beliefs about the Sea and Moon. I want to go with them to become an Amazon. I miss living by the ocean and I... this is what I want to do. I already pledged," she repeated quietly.

Peregrine met Junior's pointed question with a thoughtful silence, then answered honestly, "It's natural for wolves to breed annually, to continue the species and ensure the pack's future. But I specifically want to give Fox children because she wants them very much. It's not that you and your brother and sisters aren't enough, not at all. My love is not a finite resource, Junior." He paused, then admitted, "And having children is selfish in a way. You're not wrong. But there it is." The Alpha male certainly wouldn't be changing his plans to accommodate her, must as he hated that it bothered her so much.

When she explained that there was more, his silence invited her to elaborate. He listened, eyes narrowing. It sounded to him like his daughter had been recruited into some religious cult. Why did she want to give her loyalty to these wolves she'd only just met? It disappointed him, yet Peregrine reminded himself that she was still young and probably didn't really understand the ramifications of her choices.

"You've only just met these wolves, yet you want to hand over your entire future to them? What about the plateau and everyone here? What about everything it's done for you, Junior? You'll just throw it all away because you're upset? Junior, if you think you're old enough to make such a huge decision, you should be mature enough to stiffen your upper lip, accept that things don't always go your way and stay here at the plateau. Because this is your birthplace and your home. Your family is here. And I don't take kindly to wolves who betray my loyalty. If you leave, are you prepared for the possibility that you won't be welcome back?"

The Alpha male didn't know if he could really do that to Junior, even to teach her a lesson. Yet he was bluffing in the hopes of testing her fealty to this new pack. Was it even a pack? It sounded like they didn't even have a staked claim yet, which meant they could disperse. What would his daughter do then, especially if she didn't have the option to return home? He almost asked, then realized the answer: she would probably go to Stavanger Bay. Peregrine's lips pressed tightly together.

"But there it is." Junior felt a flush of despair at these words. Her father was making it clear he wouldn't change his plans. She knew she couldn't and shouldn't expect that, yet his words somehow added insult to injury. She felt like crying. No matter what, whether she stayed here or ran halfway around the world, her father would be having new pups. Nothing she said or did would change that.

His challenge made her feel very small. When he threatened her, she felt a bolt of fear. Then Junior felt angry in the next beat. Why was he being so callous toward her? She was supposed to be one of his babies. She just took this as evidence that she needed to move on with her life now, not later. Junior loved her dad very much, yet maybe he wasn't the leader she needed.

"I love everyone here," Junior said, fighting tears, "and I always will. But I didn't ask to be born here. And it's not where I belong now. I belong with the Nereides. It's like... it's like when you met Fox and she decided she had to leave her home to be with you. Sometimes you have to follow your heart and my heart's telling me to go with them." She paused to take a breath. "I brought some of them with me in case you wanted to talk to them, see that they're good wolves. They'll tell you anything you want to know. I'll be okay, dad, and we won't be that far away..."

As far as being unwelcome at the plateau, of course that broke her heart. But it didn't shake her faith. "I don't mean to betray you, dad. But if you don't want me here, I won't come back." It didn't occur to Junior that something might happen to prevent the Nereides from settling. So the thought of falling back on the bay didn't even cross her mind. Perhaps she was young and foolish but she was totally confident in the Nereides, their plans and her future with them.

Peregrine could feel his anger softening right along with his will when he heard his daughter's voice breaking. He listened to her points, though he still thought she was much too young to be making such decisions. Even if she really did feel strongly—and it was evident she did—he felt certain she would regret them. He was loath to let her learn that lesson, though perhaps she could only learn from it the hard way...

"Fox is an adult who understood the weight of her decision," he countered, not mentioning all the other factors in that situation. "You're too young to understand the full consequences of your actions, Junior, and though I can see that you really are trying to follow your heart... it's a whimsical notion. As your father and your Caretaker, it's my job to protect you from making poor choices in life. And as your Alpha, it's my job to instruct and guide you into becoming and staying an asset to your pack, which is the plateau and not some band of strangers."

He leveled her with an imperious look. His stance was clear. But at the same time, Peregrine knew he couldn't staple her to the plateau. "If you really want to go, I'm not going to keep you here against your will. If you think you're ready to take ownership of all the consequences of your actions, then I won't try to stop you. I know I can't," he admitted. "If things don't work out with your new friends, Junior... I can't guarantee that there will be a place for you here," he finished, flinching inwardly as he laid down the law. He didn't outright banish her, yet he wasn't going to keep his door open to a wolf with wavering loyalties just because she was his daughter. And the decision didn't rest solely with him any longer.

"Do you understand?" he demanded, hoping it might be enough to change her mind but knowing, somehow, that it wasn't. More softly, he added, "I would like to meet these wolves. I want to know what kind of people can so easily sway my daughter. And I want to know exactly where they intend to settle as well." Inquiring about them felt akin to admitting defeat but Peregrine told with himself that it was the lesser evil. It was better to know, if his daughter was going to insist on leaving him. And maybe he could reason with them, whereas he couldn't with Junior.

Junior flinched inwardly when her father summarized her actions as nothing but whimsy. Sure, she was young but she knew what she was doing. Her jaw clenched when he went on to insult her new pack and denounce her new Alpha. Her heart bled again when he told her he wouldn't save room for her, yet Junior reassured herself that she wouldn't need it anyway. She would be happy with the Nereides, so she didn't need an open door policy at the plateau.

"I do," the youngster rejoined in a quiet but steely voice. "I am going. Aktaiê is my Alpha now." She felt emotional as she said this, yet her voice was cool. She wondered if that hurt her father's feelings the way he'd hurt hers. "I told you, I already pledged," she added, then chewed on her lower lip. She felt like such a belligerent child. And just like that, it was done.

But Peregrine wanted to hear from these Nereides and she was happy to call upon them. "It won't be that far," she reminded her father, wondering if that would soften his stance. "I'll call them," Junior added, turning and barking in the direction of her escorts, summoning them to the foot of the plateau.

Junior had insisted upon informing her birth pack of her plans, an action that Aktaiê might have deemed unnecessary in different circumstances. In Themiscrya, the Nereides were known to adopt daughters that found their paths crossed with the sirens, though they made a point never to keep them against their will (obviously, their reaction to stray males was vastly dissimilar). As it was, the Nereides was quick to support the newfound sprite to the best of her ability, and if for some reason the young amazon had not wanted to inform her parents, the priestess likely would have gone anyway. It would not do to make enemies before they had settled, or their mission might end before it could truly begin.

She had waited where the scent of the plateau's wolves was just barely noticeable on the breeze, taking care to ensure she followed every bit of etiquette. Aktaiê shifted in something akin to nervousness, knowing that it was a male that led here, knowing that she would need to put every notion she had been raised to understand aside — at least for this. There was little need for diplomacy on the Coast, where Nereides reigned supreme, but it would be different here. Her namesake had told stories, instilling in Aktaiê that it would be frequently necessary if she were to ever form her own branch away from the security of Themiscrya. She paid little heed to the other escorts with her; for there were others here, prepared to defend if the meeting went sour.

When Junior's summoning bark cut through the air, faint from the distance, Aktaiê adjusted her posture accordingly. She moved with confidence, but her tail relaxed between her legs, her head carried respectfully. If any of the others followed, she would also be watching their behaviors closely. They were Chosen of the Sea, it was true, and stood greater than any male ever could — but here, amongst strangers to their ways, they could hold no authority. To assume otherwise would be fatal, and instinct overpowered any sense of pride in the priestess.

As Junior and a large male appeared in her field of view, Aktaiê slowed to a stop a respectable distance away, though she grit her teeth at the fact she was showing deference to a male that had clearly overstepped his station. But when she spoke, her voice was as gentle and lilting as it had ever been; any strain that might have been heard could be mistaken for the tension of the situation. "I am Aktaiê Nereides," she introduced herself carefully.

The Nereides party began sweeping toward the north, following Psamathe's intuition as well as their own. When it came time for their youngest Neophyte to briefly part ways and say farewell to her family, Psamathe was one of the first to volunteer as an escort. She had a soft spot for the young and, having been (presumably) told a little of Junior's family, wished to be there in case her father tried to exercise his false right as a male.

For her, everything came back to males trying to dominate females. Even if it was Peregrine's right as Junior's father and Alpha to command her, Psamathe would not allow any male to try to tell a female what she could or could not do, and it was a major motivator for her accompanying the youth.

She remained near the river until they were summoned. Twisting her head back and scanning the plains for the party heading north, and silently praying that the Mother Sea would guide them true with Her call, the pale Nereides sucked in a breath and turned to the Plateau. She might have been the most volatile choice for this mission, as it was no secret to her sisters that she despised all males. Junior's father would not be an exception. Yet still she padded to the plateau'a edge and swept up behind Junior, keeping a relatively neutral stance whilst pinning Peregrine with sharp, shrewd eyes, though she avoided a challenging stare by darting them away. Aktaiê had come as well, and while Psamathe intended to allow the High Priestess to do most of the talking, she would interject if Peregrine said a single word against the females. Laws be damned.

“You require me?” she asked of Junior, prepared only to speak further if she answered the query.

Fox had awoken to find Peregrine missing from her side. That wasn't unusual at all, and she spent the morning rummaging around the nearest cache for some food. There wasn't much, and she resigned herself to filling it back up before the day was over. Once that was complete, she stopped by to see Atticus, although he still wasn't much to write home about. Fox herded him gently to a new area so he wouldn't just be standing in the same place all day. Tytonidae was quick to show up (as she often was), and Fox left her to talk to Atticus. She was a strange one, but considering she didn't seem to mean any harm, Fox figured she couldn't be too critical.

Junior's bark caught her ear, then, and Fox canted her head to one side. Perhaps she was back, looking for Peregrine. In any case, Fox knew it would be best if somebody greeted the wayward adolescent. Reluctantly, the fiery Alpha moved toward Junior's call. As she drew closer, a mixture of scents filtered in through her dark nostrils. Peregrine was already there, along with several others she did not know. Strangers, no doubt. Curious (and of course feeling defensive of the plateau), Fox drew up alongside Peregrine and gave him a sideways glance before looking to Junior. What was going on?

His child's words hurt him indeed, stinging his pride to boot. He felt a rush of anger and almost said something he might regret later, yet clenched his teeth against any hot words. He could barely believe this was happening. Weeks ago, he'd thought he'd lost her... and then she'd come home. Now she was leaving again of her own volition. He thought he'd have so much more time with her. And though she was convinced that his future children would somehow replace her, Peregrine wished she knew just how much he'd always miss her, even if he had two dozen more puppies.

"You've made your bed," he murmured disappointedly as Junior turned and summoned her new cohorts. He stood very still while he waited, saying nothing to his little girl. He looked at her, then away. She could've been his heir, though truthfully, he doubted Fox would approve of that. She would want one of her own children to step into that role. Perhaps Osprey wasn't entire incorrect in feeling out of place with the redhead at the helm...

Two she-wolves came. They looked like sisters. Their mannerisms and speech were very formal. Before he could address them, a wild Fox appeared. Although it might have been easy to place blame on her for her part in all of this, he couldn't bring himself to resent the choices he and Fox had made. They were a pair, an Alpha pair now. He hated that Junior was essentially making him choose between them, as it was an impossible choice. He was just grateful for his wife's support.

"I am Peregrine," the Alpha male said at last, "and this is my mate, Fox. We are the Alphas of Blacktail Deer Plateau, Junior's birthplace and rightful home. She's just told me that she's pledged herself to you," he said, looking specifically at Aktaiê. He hated her instantly, on principle. "Tell me why you want to take such a young child from her home, when you're not her family, when you're veritable strangers." If she'd wanted to go with Hawkeye, that would've been one thing and her choice entirely. But it was different because none of them knew these women. "Tell me what it is you stand for and where you intend to take her. She is my daughter," he added in case they didn't think it was any of his business to make such demands.

Psamathe and the queen herself arrived promptly, portraits of respect even though Junior knew they didn't think much of males in charge. She wetted her lips, then turned to face her father again with the sisters flanking her. She felt a sudden sense of calm confidence. She was at peace with her choice. Although the youth would not become a believer overnight, she wondered if it was the Sea's and Moon's influence.

Fox appeared. She was the embodiment of Junior's fears and anxieties and the youngster tensed. Would the red she-wolf rebuke her for her behavior the other day? When she didn't mention it, Junior swallowed. She decided to more or less ignore Fox. It was too difficult to face her. The way she saw it, the wedge between herself and her father was shaped like a Fox... with some squirmy bundles attached to her.

She wanted to protest her father's brusque words. They weren't kidnapping her, for crying out loud! Did he think he'd raised a moron? Junior held her tongue, though, fully trusting that Aktaiê and Psamathe would calmly and gracefully answer Peregrine's questions. Then the three of them could be on their way to their fresh start.

At the approach of a fiery female, the male's mate, Aktaiê's tension subdued somewhat. Men could be irrational, but she had faith that the she-wolf would be objective — the way she stood near the dark male made the siren confident he could be kept under control. She listened to his words, the embodiment of patience, though inside it was taking all her willpower to keep composed. Aktaiê was not as stoic as her namesake, but neither was she as swayed by emotions as her younger sister; she looked to Psamathe, silently willing her to remain collected.

The priestess' opinion of Junior's father was dwindling quickly (not that it had been high to begin with), but the situation they found themselves in could make or break their intended claim in the north. His speech was accusatory and, on some level, defensive — perhaps he could tell that they were judging him, though not in the way he might expect. She allowed him to finish, glad that though his tone was bitter, it did not seem they were in danger of attack... at least not yet.

"Not so young, I think," she answered quietly, patiently. "This is her decision; she shows much promise to us, it is true, and we will take care of her. We would not force her to follow if it was not her wish," Aktaiê continued. Like any interaction with males, it seemed she must explain things as if to a very young sprite. If they had wanted to kidnap her, why would they have let her come to speak to him? Why would they have come to talk at all? She paused for a moment, gathering how best to continue. "We seek to lay claim on the northern coast, near the Mother Sea. She will do well among us; a young amazon already."

She would not point out that he allowed her free reign of the Wilds, something that seemed at odds with his current disallowance, surmising that it would only serve to ignite. Instead, she diverted to flattery and appealing to his pride, though it made her sick to inflate the ego of any male. "She was raised well, as Outrider and Warrior," Aktaiê explained, "We value these things in our own daughters."

Acid ran through Psamathe's veins from the very moment that Peregrine opened his mouth, but she managed to hold her tongue at a glance from her elder sister. Junior seemed tense and only seemed to grow tenser when another female arrived. Psamathe's gaze turned respectfully to the newcomer—Peregrine's master, no doubt.

When they had all finished their speaking, with Psamathe managing to keep her words silent despite her judgements, she too voiced her beliefs. She directed her voice moreso at Fox, as though Peregrine was not worth the explanation, though it would have been tough to tell her thoughts on that. “Junior shows exceptional promise. The Mother Sea has shown me a bright future.” She did not wish to speak any further of their beliefs and traditions. This male needed to know none of it.

“The Sea calls her Daughters. She has called to Junior and Junior has felt Her. She cannot reach her potential but at Her side.” If she could have said it, she might have added that her oppressive father and his selfish desires would never allow his daughter to truly shine... But she held her calm. “It is known.”

Fox found that, because she was so removed from the situation, listening came easy. She was trying to piece together what was going on, and she could only do so by hearing each wolf speak in turn. Peregrine was first, and he introduced them (Fox's own heart fluttering when she introduced her as his mate and co-Alpha). But it was his words that brought a crooked expression to her lips. With Junior standing right in front of him, he talked to her in third person. The longer Fox looked at the young DiSarinno, the more she was reminded of Bones. And as the words came from the two other females, Fox found herself nodding.

The young, fiery Alpha soaked it all in, letting silence hang over the group before she finally took her own turn to speak. She addressed Junior first. “You are no child,” she said, then turning to Peregrine. Her words were soft as not to ruffle his feather. “Even though you still see her as one.” Junior was almost half her way to being the age Fox had been when she took the reins of Swiftcurrent Creek. These two females were not a threat. They were not taking Junior away without her permission, nor did they seem to seek violence.

“When Bones came to me, some called her a child, too. I was a stranger to her at first, but she became family.” Bones was gone, now, taken back by a greedy parent who couldn't stand the thought of her daughter finding a new family that she liked better. This situation was different in many ways, but Fox knew that if Perry insisted that she stay, things would only swing further in that direction. “If this is what she wants, why stop her?” Perhaps Peregrine was worried that he would be replaced by these women. Little did Fox know that was exactly the reason Junior had run off in the first place.

Fox glanced briefly to the two strangers, but didn't feel the need to address them. She had no questions for them, and they had asked nothing of her. If Bones Junior wanted to go with them, there was no stopping her. And they looked nice enough... even if something about them did seem a bit off.

The strange Alpha female pointed out that Junior wasn't so young. Peregrine wanted to ask her if she knew the youngster's age. Had she been there when Osprey Jr. had been borne into this world at March's close? She was still a few days shy of five months old. With that said, even he had to admit that Junior was, in some ways, mature for her age. She was more accomplished than some of the oldest wolves in the pack, with two trade apprenticeships under her belt. Still, he was her little girl and nobody could tell him otherwise.

Before he could answer to her, the other she-wolf spoke. Her words rubbed him the wrong way. They stank of mysticism and what Peregrine considered spiritual bullshit. He peered at Junior, wondering if these women were from a religious cult that had somehow managed to brainwash her in a matter of days. Fortunately, they'd given nothing away about their views of male-kind, aside from their very subtle slights.

Peregrine opened his mouth but clapped it shut the next instant, when Fox spoke. He could have been offended by her lack of support but, for reasons unknown, Peregrine nearly always gave the spitfire Alpha female the benefit of the doubt. He listened with a strange equanimity as she reasoned with him. Perhaps it was because he knew she was an intelligent creature. She was closer in age to Junior than to him and she was, more or less, an objective third party. He also figured her advice came from a good place.

Looking into Junior's eyes now but speaking to her two companions and Fox, he said, "I want to stop her because I love her. I was there the day she was born and every day since. I thought I lost her once and I hate to lose her again, this time for real. I think she's making the wrong decision and, no offense, ladies, but your reasoning sounds like a bunch of malarkey. I can't accept the idea that some stranger saw some vision in water and that's the reason my daughter's leaving me. But if that's what she wants... Junior, if that's what you want, then like I said: I won't stop you. Just remember that you're leaving behind not just me but your entire family, including your brother and sisters."

Peregrine shook his head lightly, then touched his nose to Fox's cheek. "Go on. I'll catch up with you." Turning to face the two strangers and his daughter, the Alpha male sucked in an unsteady breath, then said, "Goodbye, Junior." He reached out and pressed his nose to her forehead. He lingered there a moment, then gave her a swift and slightly reluctant kiss. His throat tightened and he didn't trust himself to speak, so Peregrine nodded to the trio and then turned, padding up to the plateau feeling thwarted, bereft and heavyhearted.

Upon reaching the top, he was tempted to walk away without looking back. Yet Peregrine found he could not be so strong and cold. Instead, he turned and stood vigil, his eyes lingering on his daughter as she made ready to leave the plateau behind for good. He would not stop watching her until she disappeared from his view.

It was ironic that her father's mate would be her advocate. Junior stared at Fox, slightly taken aback, then realized that the Alpha female likely wasn't truly taking her side out of the goodness of her heart. She probably just wanted Junior out of the picture to make more room for her blue blooded progeny. The thought made the youth's ears spring backward in distaste and her eyes immediately cut away from her father's redheaded mate.

She was apprehensive about Peregrine's response to the two women's words. When he caught her eye, she gazed back at him, feeling the weight of his words in her heart. Junior's lips parted but she didn't dare interrupt him. She swallowed when he insulted Psamathe and she couldn't help but wonder how her sister-to-be would take such a querulous claim about her religion. Junior desperately hoped it wouldn't break out in an argument.

Junior had wanted to say goodbye to her siblings. Rather, she had wanted to talk to them and see if her sisters were interested in coming too. She realized now that it wasn't the time nor place for that. Besides, it would be rather horrible if she stole two more of Peregrine's cubs from the fold. She frowned when she realized she wouldn't get to wish them a personal farewell. And she didn't know if her dad would pass along a message, so she didn't dare ask. Junior would just have to come back on the sly sometime to speak to them.

He bade her goodbye, kissed her and turned to walk away. Wait... Junior thought, muscles twitching. Yet she didn't follow him. She stayed steady on her new course. Once he disappeared over the lip of the plateau, she turned, unaware that he stood overhead to watch. Bowing to her new queen, she suggested lightly, "Let's go home?"

It was clear that the male was not using rational thought, for his tirade was impassioned and emotional. She watched him coolly, never once rising to his bait although her instincts screamed against it. Aktaie nearly did lose her control when the male deigned fit to insult them, when they had hardly given him cause to. She could tell him that they had left the decision to the child; that if they refused her, she likely wouldn't have returned to him anyway. But her jaw remained tightly shut, and her sea green eyes never wavered, only burned brighter. The fact that his daughter was now in their care complicated things, but the priestess vowed silently that he would learn the error of his words.

When the farewells were spoken, and the male had retreated far from earshot, the tension in Aktaie was loosed. Her paws hit the ground angrily as she moved back towards their camp, where she would vent her frustrations upon the first consort to cross her path.