Arric limped around the pack lands. He had done as @Arlette asked. Kept it clean until it scabbed up. 

His thoughts raced to @Akavir and that ridiculous last meeting. He was still irritated about it. But he realized too. They just sucked at communicating plain and simple.

But he needed to find that fucking bastard again. Because he promised Arlette they both would talk to @Cygnet. But the scent had changed of one of their very important pack members and he was unsure if that would be where Akavir was. So he was torn.

Finally, he stopped moving and stood motionless. For the first time in a long time, unsure what to do. 

@Eshe was still gone, and he hadn’t slept. He hadn’t eaten.

He traipsed the nearby areas of their borders, waiting for his mate to return—having the notion that when she did, it wouldn’t be until her heat was over—and somehow this would be a way to hold this over his head.

He had wanted to talk more about it—maybe if they hadn’t both been so stubborn, they would have been past this by now.

Prowling, his own foul mood practically permeated from him as he made his way to do another border round—champagne eyes falling upon a limping Arric. “The fuck happened to you?”

As if he read his mind. The absolute dipshit was there. But something was very very wrong. Arric looked at him. Taking in his unkempt appaearance. 

The foul mood that hung like a cloud over his head. Bloodshot eyes  he barked a question amd Arric stared him down.

I feel like I should be asking you that question?

He looked at his paw with a sigh. A little miss pissy pants attacked me. I think she wanted to spar, but she was intent upon hurting she went for my throat twice. I bruised her ribs just trying to keep her off me.

Arric tilted his neck staring at the sky as he gathered himself. I'd find it funny as shit that I got my ass handed to me by a pup if it wasn't so goddamn worrisome. If I was smaller. Say a newborn pup....I'd be dead.

And there he lay it out there. His biggest worry about Cygnet. She was already jealous. What happened if Eshe or Arlette had pups this year and she got mad.

Cygnet.

He released a soft sigh, jaws clamping shut in silent thought before he gave a nod, inviting Arric with him toward the borders.

“What does Arlette say about her?” Because where he could and would assist the girl, whether through discipline, dominance as such, he wasn’t keen on overstepping any boundaries the pale healer wanted to maintain with the feisty girl.

He couldn’t help but feel there was something… off… about her.

“Maybe she needs more sparring or something to do—something to redirect her tantrums and aggression.”

Because Arric was right. As far as the pack went—Cygnet was a loose cannon. And as a puppy she had been harmless enough—but growing to a yearling?

Arric dipped his head. She asked me to talk to you. And then the two of us talk to Cygnet and show her right from wrong and maybe some sparring. Honestly, she may take it from you better than me. Girl hates my ever lovin guts.

Arric tilted an ear. She also voiced some concerns, but you know her. Sweet. Hates to say anything bad. So it was tempered with grace.

Arric looked at him. Now ehats wrong with you?

“Good start there, I guess,” he agreed quietly, trailing toward the borders, his tail lashing every so often through the winter air. Restless.

Tired. He was so damn tired.

“I don’t think Cygnet likes anyone,” he noted—it wasn’t like the girl was oozing anything but glares to her fellow comrades.

Arric then questioned him, and he shrugged, keen on continuing to the border. “Eshe is in heat. We had a fight—she chased me off. Took some space from one another, and then she was gone.”

He withheld the weary sigh he felt—instead, resolve set upon his features—immovable. Unreadable.

Arric nodded. It was all he could think of until he knew more about how the girl truly felt. And if she just didn't understand. Though he was fairly certain she did. Benefit of the doubt and all that.


Arric chuckled. I think her mother only liked you. So she gets it honest.

Arric raised a wolfish brow. And you didn't follow her? Like.

Arric stopped speaking for a minute working through what to say. Then Akavir did the freeze face thing.

First off stop trying to act like it ain't killing you cause I'm not that dumb. Second you want me to go find her? Rip apart any dude looks at her?

Moss.

The sting of that memory came—for as belligerent and standoffish she had seemed, Akavir had known deep down she cared. He could only hope Cygnet was the same—it didn’t help that there were no other pups her age to play with and burn off some steam.

But Arric’s shock at what he said was palpable, and Akavir glanced over his shoulder to study the Beta. “We argued about having kids. Or not—in my case. It wasn’t much of a discussion, to be honest. I told her my worries and she stormed off. Turned around and snapped at me when I went to follow her. She called out to me later, trying to summon me or some shit and at that point I needed some time to cool off... When I came back to the den that night she was gone.”

His jaw clenched—his eyes drifting off to the borders. “And then what, Arric? What if she left because she wants the attention of another?”

Moss had always treated Arric, well not kindly. But she had conversations with him. Patrolled with him. So he knew she hadn't really hated him. Cyg though. Well.

Arric winced. He had been afraid of this. Everytime he talked to Eshe. Her want for children and a mate outweighed everything. It was almost as if she couldn't exist without both things. It had made him wary. And that she had put designs on Akavir who was a leader. He hoped he was wrong. Gods he never hoped he'd be so wrong b3fore. But he did.

Arric frowned. Well then you try and get over it. And thats her damage then not yours. If she can't see the wolf you are. And she gets pissed because you told her your worries. That's not okay. That's immature and selfish.

“Sounds a bit like my damage drove her away, Arric,” he offered dryly—though, he couldn’t help the simmering annoyance he felt at Eshe’s disappearance. He had brought forward his concerns and she had snapped at him—had ultimately tried to guilt him in a temper tantrum and then snapped toward him…

Even if they made up after this—something felt damaged. Maybe something beyond repair.

“I don’t know, Arric. I think the common denominator here is me, so…” He shrugged, turning to look at his limping Beta. And then to pivot the discussion—“I was hoping you and @Arlette would be able to run a message to Kvarsheim and Riverclan. But if you can’t even fend off a whelp…” He trailed off, a sardonic brow arching.

Arric's eyes went lidded and he grunted. But said a firm Nope.

He sighed and rubbed a paw across his muzzle. Blue eyes angry and sad.

It is her need for pups. Did I ever tell you exactly what happened the day we got Cygnet?

Arric's eyes went unfocused. Eshe wanted Cygnet so bad she was willing to make me wait for her to try and make milk come. Even though she wasn't sure she could or it was safe. And everytime except once that i have talked to her it has been about this obsessive need to be a mother.

so no it isn't you this time bud. It is definitely her. Especially since I'm pretty damn positive you have already told her your misgivings. And now she is flouncing off spoiled and pissy because she didn't get what she wanted. And rather than wait until you cooled down. She went out to possibly look for it elsewhere. Thats not a you problem, bud. Thats a her problem.


Arric glared at him. Piss off. I didn't want to hurt her. Swear to god though. I'm kinda low key proud of her. Despite my mangled paw and side.

An ear flicked in recognition to Arric’s words—all meant from a good place, but given he had no idea what was going through Eshe’s mind right now and he had his own irritation to slog through, he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about any of it.

“She mentioned she had been selfish,” he noted, recalling that moment—but it wasn’t just Moss’s death that had made that memory core to him—it had been the shatter of Mae, and from what he had concluded over and over in his mind… the loss of Wren. “But she hadn’t given me those details.”

He would have agreed with Arric—but he didn’t have the energy. His assumption was that his mate was curled up in a den, hiding away and crying her heart out. It seemed out of character for her to be flouncing around with another suitor.

Famous last words and all that jazz.

Instead, he snorted in amusement to the Beta, eager to redirect the subject. “A couple of guys stopped at our borders to let us know they have a bounty out on some man that hurt one of their wives. Didn’t say how—but I think we can both imagine. They’re offering six deer for the killing of this man… I told them it wasn’t necessary—we at the creek like to eliminate any potential threats as it was.” He paused, feeling a thrum of adrenaline at the thought. He could use a good fight.

“Despite having severed our ties from Kvarsheim and Riverclan, it’s probably best we let them know about the potential threat, though… In case the two wolves hadn’t made their way there.”

Arric didn't expect a response. Truthfully he expected Akavir to think on it and come to a conclusion after he calmed down or she came back. Whichever came first. But Arric wasn't entirely sure either one would happen. And a brief flare of dark anger flickered to life. He knew Akavir had shared some of his past with her and she had stomped on it like a grade a low life.

I can head to them if you like. Though I don't know waht we'll find. Maybe Arlette will want to go. She's been talking about a walk about. Can you handle Cygnet and all her chaos?

He had no doubt his friend could, but he didn't want him to take on a responsbility he didn't want at the moment. Especially given everything going on at the moment. It felt cruel to make him babysit the litle chaos gremlin on top of it.

“Yeah, you should take her. Lil’ sis and I will be just fine here.”

It wouldn’t come to fruition that way, but Akavir gave a gentle shrug of his shoulders in silent agreement. Cygnet was proving to be difficult at the best of times, but in many aspects, she was a lot like the mother who had birthed her, more than the one raising her.

“I’m going to do some more border patrols. Coming, or you got somewhere else to be?” Like resting—but he knew Arric wouldn’t do much of that. Either way, the last thing he wanted to do was dwell on his MIA mate, and was going to continue throwing himself into the physical aspects of life for now, if only to eradicate any potential of the emotional aspects of it surfacing.

Arric didn't snort, but oh he wanted too. Lil sister. More like lil trouble, lil chaos. But he was also strangely proud of the little gremlin.

A shit eating grin transformed his maw. And then he moved forward. You know me. I live for the spontaneous border patrol dates. Lets go babe.

He even threw in a toss of his head, but then moved forward. Blue eyes on the horizon. They'd chat, bullshit and then move on. And Arric would be there to help pick up the pieces when Akavir finally gave into his hurt.

It was a stolen moment of peace for the swarthy man—he and Arric, side by side and patrolling the borders as they had hundreds of times over the past year or so. Something they hadn’t done in awhile—and something he had missed greatly.