he wondered what would become of junior. she was older now, with stavanger bay as an affectionate ally, and the mysterious nereides as her new sisters. The earthen male knew few details of what had transpired between the plateau's promising daughter and the leadership therein; simply that she had gone away for an indefinite amount of time. with the friction boasting its roots in the ruling tier, taltos was dismayed to see it had affected the children.

fox's summons was not surprising, and the gamma swallowed back the bolus of resentment that had begun to rise in his marrow. nevertheless, lasher put upon a pleasant face and moved to heed the ruby's call, his expression of amiability masking well the turmoil within him. "fox," he greeted warmly, though he did not reach to her with easy affection; it did not seem the proper moment.

he regarded her with the same fondness he had always held for her spitfire individuality, tainted as it was by her thirst for power and — he assumed — the unfair decision to which she had surely come. yet there was tension between them, made palpable by his lack of usual greeting and her comely little frown. "my dear fox," the gamma murmured then, drawing nearer to her and settling his haunches upon the ground unthreateningly, "please speak." in the seeking of his eyes surely the young woman would know of his own wisdom in the matter, and fox was a straightforward beast. surely she would spare him any attempt at nobility in the matter, and voice the jealous base of her choice.

and so he was silent, awaiting her words. there needed to be no secret about such things, not when himself and a member of leadership were to be involved, and taltos wanted to hear her thoughts upon the matter.

She was stilted; she did not relax, and her tone did not openly invite a discussion, though the words insinuated that this is what they must have. lasher remained seated upon the ground, whatever warmth he had managed to muster now ceding its place to a vague displeasure, but he did not immediately speak. glancing down to the loam between his paws, the gamma drew a sigh, and found his words presently; fox was granted his attentions, and he spoke:

"how could any child born here be a bastard? they would have the love of blue willow, and myself, and peregrine, and that of the -pack, also," taltos observed gently, pleadingly. "where i am from, if a woman loses her mate, the brother of that man is to take her and father cubs upon her, to ensure that his brother's line is not lost. i rather think this would be unacceptable to you, so, instead of peregrine doing what is right, i have offered myself."

lasher paused to stipple a tracery of small hollows upon the ground. "you seem to forget that blue willow was leader long before you found your way here, and alpha, also. she stepped down from a rank to which she climbed through the sweat of her own endeavors not only to tend atticus, but to avoid conflict with you. the tension that has arisen since you have come has lost us a daughter of this earth, and blue willow is too gracious to fight with you over a rank without a proper reason."

"i do not need your permission to court the willow, fox," lasher said quietly, "and i will not court her. i am not the love of her heart; that is atticus. but neither will i see her go childless for want of a mate. i would not take from her what she, in time, may grant another: her love. what if atticus awakes? am i to wedge myself into a rightful union? no. no, i will not do this thing. but the insinuation that i would leave bastards behind me, fox, that i would do nothing for them but sire them upon her, is offensive and crass. we do not agree on this front, but you know the man that i am."

he held the fireflame's eyes for a long moment. "even if the willow and i were mated beneath the conservative tradition that you seem to hold dear, you would not be pleased by the idea of children other than your own being born, fox. i know that to be true, as i know surely that if i was female, and not male, you would be intolerant of peregrine's relationship with me. but do not forget that not long ago it was you in the willow's place, as beta, with your right to breed her word. do you think she would have denied you? i do not. she is a logical sort beneath her charming veneer."

a heavy sigh came from him. "you deny her out of jealousy, fox, and nothing more. our children would not be bastards any more than the seed of yourself and peregrine. do me an honor, and speak truthfully in your dealings."

and he was silent.

"and your word on the matter is not the final decision," lasher rejoined coolly, for it was not, and indeed peregrine had come to him to seek his thoughts upon fox. that none of his words were addressed was deeply offensive to the gamma, and presently he gathered himself to his paws. there was enmity now between them; he felt the knifeblade of her cruelty toward willow keenly, for it was not his heart the ruby would break.

he did not gesture, nor did he bow, but turned a stone ahoulder to her and began his departure. taltos would not remain where he had been insulted, and therefore he had nothing more to say to fox — indefinitely.

fox's reaction did not shock lasher; he halted in his steps and regarded her with cold disdain. the woman saw this as a challenge of her authority; taltos viewed their conflict as a matter of ethics -- in his mind, fox no more deserved the rank of alpha female than she deserved children over blue willow. and so he did not lower himself, though ears slid back against his skull and his plume remained limp at his heels.

his gaze drifted past her shoulder; taltos assumed a blank expression, anticipating a physical response in the next moments from the woman.

some part of him had wished fox's attack, but she seemed sated by his response to her. and in her turn, he saw the stomping-away of a mishandled child, and gave a low, audible chuckle at her immaturity as he paced in the opposite direction. perhaps peregrine had chosen fox for her youth, to be molded to his will, but that was one trait devoid in the spiteful little girl.

and so lasher went on his way, back toward his den and its wilting flowers. it was peregrine who would now make the final decision upon the children of himself and blue willow, but taltos would leave the seeking-out of the panther to fox.