Shadows reigned as the sun sank beneath the horizon. This was a lush forest, green and teeming with life, and Verran was not surprised that this was where
@Vex Cruor's scent had led him. She had good survival instincts, and she would know to settle in such a vivacious environment.
He dared not step beyond the invisible border that had been created to encompass the forming pack. It did not matter that she was his niece - it was not safe to assume she would accept him as her follower again. Instead, he sat just shy of the border and threw his muzzle skyward, calling her with a howl that rose and then ebbed into the dense canopy of the forest. He dropped his head again and panted lightly, more from stress than from exertion, as it was an unseasonably cold summer day.
Hooray <3 Gonna be vague about her pups and stuff because her birthing thread is still on-going.
A call came for the Queen, and it was with surprise that she recognized the voice; it was her uncle. She had not expected to ever see him again. She left her whelping den, heading straight for where his call had come from; luckily, it was not far. She did not want to leave her whelps for long. When she found him, she greeted him with a low rasp.
"Uncle Verran. You've found us." But so many had lost their way, so many had become disloyal. Her eyes narrowed briefly.
"We are few left. Most of our old pack has deserted. But... you are still loyal?"
It did not take long for the pale agouti she-wolf to appear from amid the tangled foliage. As soon as his green eyes met her fierce red ones, Verran felt his heart begin to pound and he hastened to stand, while lowering his posture. His tail tucked between his heels and his ears flattened against his skull, and he struggled to maintain eye contact even as she spoke to him.
She finished with a piercing question and he knew it was time for him to speak. He had not used his voice in weeks, and had relished it; there was no need to worry about anyone judging his stutter when he was alone. But talking could not be avoided forever.
I-I know... he spoke softly. I am l-l-loyal to you, V-Vex. I adm-mire the way you lead... I always have. And... there is no o-one I would r-rather follow." He swallowed down the nervousness that was accumilating in his throat, and made himself look at her steadily, so she might see the honesty in his eyes.
When Verran spoke, it was with the same soft, almost obedient tone, punctuated by stutters. She grinned at him, showing yellowed teeth, and she licked her lips, contemplating.
"Mmm... I could definitely use you back in my ranks, Uncle," she decided after a few moments. She smiled, her face relaxing, and she beckoned to him imperiously.
"Come. I must return to my young soon." For the moment,
@Kevalin was guarding the den while she was away.
Across the border they went, Vex pausing once or twice to mark, and she told him,
"I have found both of my traitorous siblings. But the army must grow before we can attack." Vex cast a sharp look at her uncle.
"Do you still wish to heal? We have one among us with some herbal knowledge, but beyond that I have no idea of his skills." That, and he was still her prisoner.
Though Vex's words gave him welcome to her newest domain, the smile that accompanied them was bone-chilling. Yet when she beckoned, he followed her, shrinking along to her left and slightly behind. One of his ears pricked in curiosity when she mentioned her young. Something he had immediately noticed about Vex was the milk-scent she carried, which new mothers always had; it was a scent he had detected several times over his years. The tip of his tail waved a few times, but he made no comment. Pups were joyous things. He thought their presence might soften some of the fear he was carrying into his new circumstances.
Their paws brought them deeper into the territory as Vex spoke to him, both to bring him up to speed on her plans and to ask if he wanted to lend his skills in healing. The young woman was ever so direct, quick to demand what he intended to do for her. But this was what was necessary of leaders.
Yeah, I can do th-that, he agreed with a small nod. "I c-can begin t-to gather r-right aw-way. You... you'll need a d-doctor, if w-war is in your... in your plans." He looked over at her anxiously. His voice had fallen at the end, and he hoped she did not detect the sadness he felt. He grew tired of the Cruor propensity for violence, not always understanding the need for it, yet knowing there was little he could do to change it.
Verran was quick to agree, as Vex knew he would be; he had always been a follower. She noticed how his words fell, and she suppressed a smirk. "Fear not, Uncle, I won't ask you to fight." He had never been a warrior, and while it made him lesser in Vex's eyes, she would not turn away a useful body.
The weir was in sight now, and Vex veered to correct their path. Her mind was on her pups, specifically the suspected albino; Vex had not named him yet. They were close now. She looked to her uncle, asking him quietly, "What do you know of curses? One of my whelps is... an oddity." That was putting it lightly. She continued, frowning, "He is not sickly, exactly, but... well, you shall see him soon."
He flashed a disingenuous, lopsided grin. In addition to having a certain distaste for the violence many of his family members craved, Verran was afraid to fight too. He hadn't considered that until her condescending comment, but it was true. Luckily, he had other skills to offer, valuable ones. He had practiced medicine long enough to be proficient, and with time he would master the art, making him perhaps invaluable, and offering another layer of protection between himself and his bloodthirsty kin.
Vex's own voice fell when she spoke next. Verran leaned over to hear, cupping an ear toward her muzzle. What she said came as a shock to him: the words of a concerned mother seeking an opinion about one of her offspring. Verran thought he should proceed with caution; he had been present when the woman killed her siblings, and he would not put it past her to promptly kill one of her children if she felt the reason was justifiable. The Cruor man wanted to prevent that from happening, if he could.
"I've heard of c-c-curses befalling illegitimate wh-whelps, but it's sometimes difficult to...to d-distinguish between a c-curse and a blessing, he answered carefully. He could not tell a flat-out lie at this point. It was too soon to be so bold, and Vex was too clever. "I'll n-need to see this child. Th-then I can tell you more."
Illegitimate whelps. Vex had paired with Vivaan out of wedlock, and then she had sent him away. Was this her punishment? And then there was Kevalin, assisting her during her labor. He'd made her whelping den for her. Tradition had demanded she do it alone... but she hadn't. She couldn't. The Cruor Queen swallowed, hard. "My children are here."
They were near the edge of the weir, under a great tree that sheltered her whelping den. She disappeared inside, then brought out a small, pure white whelp with a pink nose. His eyes were still closed. She looked to her uncle, telling him, "He's weaker than the others."
He followed her to the den site. The deep gulping sound she emitted was not lost on him, and Verran eyed her carefully, wondering what thoughts were passing through the woman's unpredictable mind. She disappeared into the den, returning with a small, white bundle clasped gently between her jaws.
Verran examined the pup, noting along with its white fur its pink nose. He looked under the child's paws to see that the paw pads were lacking pigment, too. The soft, infantile sounds made by the babe had a softening effect on the Cruor man.
He looked at Vex with a soft smile, saying gently, "This ch-child will be s-sensitive to sunlight. He may… he may b-burn easily, and once his eyes open, you may find him more noct-turnal than the others." The doctor cleared his throat. "And I can't pr-presume to know the gods’ intentions. Whether this is a blessing or a c-curse - or neither - we c-cannot know. But other than an aversion t-to the sun, he sh-should be able to grow strong, to… to survive."
Vex hummed softly at her uncle's words. He had not offered her much help. She set the albino whelp down, eyeing it. Perhaps she would kill it. But not today. Vex looked to her uncle.
"Thank you. I... should return to my children." Already, they cried for her milk. how she loathed the sound.
"Explore the forest as you see fit, but stay nearby." She looked to him, wondering how he would take this dismissal. As an afterthought, she added,
"@Jaganatha is here. Perhaps you will find him."
She then dipped her head, and retreated into her whelping den, where she would nurse her whelps until they, and she, fell asleep.