forward dated a few days
@Raimo @Rosalyn @Erzulie
small note: the pack scent has faded from him due to time spent away from dfg <3
he'd meant to return to the glacier — but then he'd remembered the scents of all the others heavy with wintersbane's children, and he'd felt too sick to contemplate it further.
instead, he goes north. the journey feels longer than it is, more treacherous than it should; he knows enough to blame it on his current state. the dizziness has yet to subside, and on top of it all, he's hardly eaten since the first pangs of nausea struck him. by the time he works his way through the twisting hellscape bordering the cliffs raimo had spoken of, nearly falling to his death several times in the process, the wraith is a wilted shell of himself. still — his state of neglect has not yet brought him fully to his knees. it would take far more than a few weeks of self-neglect to transform zephyr from hardened warrior to helpless waif. he still has his wits about him as he approaches the border of the cliff pack, and most of his strength.
otherwise, he wouldn't feel confident enough to call for an audience — for raimo first and foremost, but also for whoever leads this place; those whose scents are strongest at the border. he doesn't want to go back to the glacier, and this is the first step in making that desire a reality.
Ever since the children came, Rosalyn had divided her time between patrols, hunts, and being present. The former had become less necessary of late as those around them now left them alone; there were no enemies on her radar, and finally somehow Rosalyn began to relax. She could almost believe they'd be safe here, free to grow old and raise their family without others threatening them for perceived slights and old history.
The children were older now too, and though still helpless, well protected in the safety of the cliffs. The call held no threat in it, and when the pirate came upon the individual who had sent it, she did so without her usual wariness.
They weren't well. She took that fact in sharply, and she wondered how Raimo knew them. She didn't have much of an opinion of the man; another wanderer who would likely soon leave them. She had little faith left for men of his kind and thus gave him little credit or thought. If he had promised their aid to one such as this, with so many children of their own to watch, she had even less.
Who are you, and what do you want?
It wasn't the kindest opening, but Rosalyn appraised the "woman" on their doorstep with objective interest.
Raimo had lingered on the outskirts of the village for a while, uncertain of his place among the common rabble. They all seemed so polar in opposition to one another; one leader young, the other old. Youth pervaded the ranks and as such, Raimo did not feel a strong connection with them.
He was often left to his own devices to feed himself or do quick patrols, which he enjoyed for the most part. A part of him wanted to leave this place; he considered it as soon as he'd returned from his last jaunt abroad, only he couldn't quite take that leap.
As he trailed along the upper reaches of the claim - doing his best to seek shelter as a growing humidity baked the cliff face - he heard the call from below. There could only be one person coming to call for him; unfortunately Raimo had already forgotten the name of the wolf, although the memory of their time together kept him company on many hot nights.
He almost did not heed that call. Having given his word, Raimo eventually turned along a descending path and began to make his way — appearing from over the hill in time to see that the stranger was not alone, but the ruddy shape of Sapphique's elder leader sat there too.
It would take another few minutes for him to reach them both; in that time, who knows what could be said.
it is not raimo that finds him first, but a woman; the leader of this pack, presumably. he only takes a moment to glance over her, noting that she seems more scar than wolf. old, too; a survivor, then. perhaps a warrior... or simply unfortunate. zephyr dips his head, posture shifting to show appropriate respect for her rank.
zephyr. i encountered raimo some time ago, when i was in heat. i'm here to tell him that i'm expecting children now. he promised his involvement,
and now, the part that zephyr is apprehensive about — he made no promises regarding sapphique, but i would like to learn more about it, and seek a place here on my own merits. i'm not at my best, in my current state, but i'm still capable of filling caches and guarding borders. i intend to remain active for as long as i can — and if i enter your ranks, i do not intend to leave.
duskfire glacier crosses his mind, briefly, but he tucks that away for now. no need to mention what he's running from, not while he still feels like a shell of himself and the thought of the pack he seeks to leave behind makes that shell seem so frail.
The instant the other wolf spoke, Rosalyn's estimation of Raimo fell further than it had begun. Perhaps if she were charitable, she'd have seen the honor of his offer of involvement. Instead she saw a man who had said nothing of any of this to the pack he had sworn in on, and instead left this woman - the mother of his children - to beg for a place on her own.
She did not present herself weakly, though. Rosalyn could admire that. We have a number of children of our own.
She began, not bothering to hide her displeasure. And if Raimo promised you his support, he said nothing of it to us. I would ask him why that is before you allow him anything more.
Still,
she hesitated, looking them over one more time. If you understand that my wife, and I, have our own to look after - you can stay.
She would not compromise herself, nor Erzulie, for the sake of this other mother. If the pack had too few resources, their children would see them.
Sapphique was strong, and she doubted that would be the case. Rosalyn pinned them with a gaze and waited.
his words are met with obvious distaste, though the reason for it isn't clear until the leader continues. immediately he discerns that raimo must not have made a favorable impression on these wolves, and his apparent reticence on this matter has not improved it. based on these quickly-gathered assumptions, zephyr cannot fault the leader for her reaction. he assumes she will turn him away, and that, too, strikes him as a reasonable reaction.
but she doesn't. instead she lays out conditions of his acceptance; again, not unreasonable, but undeniably harsh. it's a relief. too much kindness from a leader who obviously feels disrespected by and disdainful of the man who is to be the father of his children would have made him wary; to be turned away would have left him weary. he dips his head once again as she finishes, grateful and suddenly feeling tired in a different way than he would have in the face of rejection. the kind of tired that hits when you open your front door after a long, hard day at work, not quite able to relax while you know the next day will be just as long and just as hard, but safe and calm enough for the moment to really feel how much the day has worn you down.
of course your children will take priority; i understand,
he answers, knowing that he would be no less harsh than the scarred leader, were he in the same position. thank you. i'll address things with raimo, as well, and ensure you receive proper respect and transparency moving forward.
if not from raimo, then from himself; he leaves that part unspoken, feeling it is implied.
just as he finishes speaking, raimo arrives, lending a new awkwardness to the scene. zephyr says little to him outside of what is necessary, eager for the meeting to be done with so he can start the process of rebuilding once again. he'll deal with raimo's lack of transparency later, without the looming threat of making his new leader's first impression of him any worse than it already is.
She nodded, but remained silent as Raimo arrived. Her words to him were more curt, but for the sake of the newcomer, she held her tongue on the worst of it.
She'd speak to
@Erzulie first, let her know of his lack of transparency. If she thought it necessary, perhaps then the pirate would intervene.
There was something about this woman that seemed different - closed off. She would allow them to leave for now and get settled in, but before too much time passed, she would make a point to stop by. She wished to pry a bit more, to find more of this wolf's character and place within their family.
I'll let Raimo take over from here. My wife's name is Erzulie. If you need anything, come find us.