Heron Lake Plateau the divine wings of tragedy

For @Fire!

She stood over her children's grave, which was garnished with a small cluster of wildflowers she had gathered in the fields surrounding the lake. The bright, cheery blossoms of white and yellow were a stark contrast to the somber reality that dead babies lay beneath them, having never been given the chance to run among the flowers themselves. She felt that low, perpetual stir of hatred deep within her -- a truly uncharacteristic and foreign emotion for Raven Redhawk, whose soul was forged from sunshine and joy. Towhee had already killed Screech, yet the anger still remained. This was his doing.

"Sleep well, Seagull. My pretty little sea bird," she whispered softly, feeling a soft breath of wind tousle the fur on her nape and back. Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she smelled the ocean just then. "And you, my boy. My Grey Jay. Keep her safe." After all the excitement and distraction over the other four had died down, their mother hadn't been able to get these two out of her mind. Depression had crept in as she thought of them, cold and nameless, lying alone in an unmarked grave, robbed of life by an uncle who should have protected and loved them. She had decided to name them. They deserved names, did they not? It wasn't their fault they were dead.

@Quixote had understood she needed some time to herself, so he graciously offered to take over in the den so Raven could go for a walk. Picking the flowers had been surprisingly cathartic, and now that she stood over a brightly-decorated grave, speaking her children's names to them, she felt a little better.

Standing in the shadows, somber and empty-handed, was Raven's devoted Epsilon.

She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, really.  She had been strolling by to spend time with Raven but she hadn't expected to find her here, and now the wildfire girl was stuck between the shadow and the light.  She could leave and pretend she heard nothing, or she could expose herself.

Those are good names, she offered lamely, moving to stand a few yards behind the Alpha.  Her head was lowered, ears splayed on her crown.  She couldn't tell if the matriarch would want her space or not so for now she didn't dare to move closer, eyes averted to the yellow blossoms on the ground.

Another whispering susurration of wind in the treetops, invisible fingers running up her back and through her mane. A scent came to her before the sound of a voice, and she smiled. Perhaps some might have wanted their space in a moment such as this, but Raven was not one of those. She welcomed the company of her friend, a wolf who had managed to gain her affection and trust in a surprisingly short time through the devotion and loyalty she'd consistently shown since the day she'd arrived. "Ceara," she said softly, turning to look at the she-wolf draped in October shades. "Hi. And...thanks." She grinned a little somberly as she looked down at the grave once more. "It didn't seem right not to name them."

She didn't know how to comfort Raven.  Not here, not after all of this.  If she had hands they'd be wrung in discomfort, but instead the autumnal Redhawk dipped her head in respect of the situation and of the black cloaked mother herself.  Raven.  She cleared her throat before turning her argent gaze towards the medic, and something shifted there behind her eyes.

I heard you birthed all of your babies like a champion, just as Ceara somehow knew she would.  Are the rest doing alright?  She took a few paces closer until she was standing next to her, the steady one-two drumbeat of her heart catching in her throat as the smell of freshly dug earth lingered between them, heavy in silence.

She grinned at Ceara's words, appreciating the praise even if she wasn't entirely sure she agreed with it. She certainly hadn't felt like a champion at the time. More like some sort of grotesque and terrifying Stephen King feature. But she knew the words had come from a place of love and respect, and she accepted them with a swish of her tail. Her friend inquired after the rest, and Raven replied, "They're doing well, considering. Better than I expected. Except little Kite..." Her brow furrowed in an expression of troubled concern as she considered the girl's shakes. "She's so jittery and unstable. And small." She didn't understand what was going on with the snow-white baby's tiny body, but she could barely keep her head stable enough to stay latched-on while nursing. It worried her.

She looked back to Ceara and again, a small smile ghosted on her face as her attention shifted more toward her packmate. "I've been so busy I haven't had much time for you. How've you been doing?"

The line of her mouth tightened at the news.  She was glad Screech was dead, but in this moment she would've liked to have rended his flesh with her own fangs.  As much as she had debated about the morality of condemning the Redhawk boy to his death, she had no doubt about it now.  He had deserved to die, and he had deserved the torture of starvation and being lost in the wilderness.  

She sucked in a breath, cast the thought from her mind.  I believe in her, she offered in return, because she believed in Raven's capabilities as a medic and trusted in the pack's ability and willingness to provide for the new mother.  

At the alpha's last query, she merely averted her gaze.  Workin' hard, she said as she danced around the difficult teenage bullshit she'd had to deal with.  The usual.

Ceara's words heartened her, and Raven found herself agreeing with her. I do too. Whatever else Kite might have going on, she was a Redhawk. And if there was one thing Redhawks were renowned for, it was their god-awful, iron-skulled stubbornness. She didn't think her daughter would give in without a hell of a fight, and Raven would be right there beside her, doing everything in her power to help her win that fight.

To Ceara's last words, the medic grinned wider at her and replied, "You always do." Ceara was indeed one of the hardest workers in the pack, and had proven herself beyond all expectations the alpha had had upon first meeting her. Gesturing for the epsilon to walk with her, Raven padded toward the lake in an effort to ease the somber mood somewhat. She'd said what she had needed to say for now, though it certainly wouldn't be the last time she paid her lost children a visit. "So you mentioned a garden you were planting a while back. Can I see it?" she asked as the lake came into view.

Her words, as few as they were, seemed to help Raven with the incomprehensibly heavy sorrow she had been forced to grapple with.  Ceara flashed a small, weak smile before Raven changed the subject and although she wasn't keen to admit it, she was glad for it.  There was only so much heartache she could stand to see in the inkspun woman.

Yeah, of course you can.  It's doing pretty well.  We're starting to see some growth already.  It's not too far from here — well, one of them, anyway.  I want to start a second one somewhere where the climate's a little different but I'm not sure where yet.

She cleared her throat, shuffled nervously next to Raven.  She was glad that at least someone appreciated her, found her desirable — even if it was not in the same way that she wished that Sunny or Siarut had.

Ugh sorry this took forever. Still catching up my threadlog from while I was gone on vacation.

Ceara was a singularly unexpected wolf. Raven had been thrilled when she'd learned of the garden, but now..."Another garden?" she asked, her surprise clear in the expression on her face. "That's awesome!" Okay, maybe dial down the enthusiasm a bit there, Ray. Your nerd is showing.

The alpha thought on her friend's words for a moment before adding, "To get a different climate, you'd probably have to travel pretty far. Seems like it'd be kind of a pain."

it's ok i took just-as-forever

It turned out that Ray's nerd showing was, um, kind of really cute.  Her toes curled a little bit, and she would tuck away the look on Raven's face to think on later.  How could she replicate this?

Oh shit she was talking, maybe she should pay attention.  To that she had a response, because maybe she was just an idiot and climate wasn't the right word she wanted to use.  Yeah, I guess you're right, heh, she said, feeling kind of stupid.  But I mean, you ever notice how some plants like, wither and die in the sun even though plants are supposed to like.. want the sun to survive?  Or that some of them do really good by the lake but others drown?

She made a face for a second, like she had to think about something, and then whipped back into what she was saying.  One end of the territory to, say the edge of the Plateau where it meets the shade of the orchard shouldn't be too tedious, right?

Raven missed the subtle adoration in Ceara's face, but not her enthusiasm for the topic. The alpha thought on her question and then nodded. "It'd be a lot of work but totally worth it, I think. And that does make a lot of sense. I don't know why some plants like sun more than others...maybe they're kinda like us in that way. Some wolves thrive in the heat, while others don't." It was an interesting thought. She'd never given much consideration to the unique preferences of plant species. Perhaps she'd never put much stock into the notion that plants were more than just inanimate objects that were there for others' purposes. Then again, some parallels could be drawn between that perspective and the perspective with which some people viewed others. She didn't ever want to be the type of leader who looked at her followers in that way.

Hmm. Interesting food for thought. She looked at Ceara with renewed admiration -- not only for the thoughtful qualities the she-wolf possessed but also for the skill with which she'd managed to successfully distract Raven from her earlier sorrow -- and, with a calm waving of her tail, asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

i'm so sorry :(  we can fade whenever you're ready!

Ahhhh, Raven liked the gardens.  AHHHH, she wanted to help.  Her heart caught in her throat and she swallowed it.  Well, you know.. you are a lot more knowledgeable about this kind of thing than I am.  I still haven't caught onto what grows anywhere, I just know that it's a good idea to pay attention.

God, she was such a winner, wasn't she?  It is a lot of work.  But I think I'm up to it.

"It's okay," replied Raven, grinning wide and wagging her tail. She truly was delighted as hell -- she had never even thought to grow her own garden, and now Ceara was working on two! "I can teach you what you need to know. C'mon, I'll show you where to find..." And the two of them walked together, Raven prattling off all sorts of facts and information about various plant species and probably boring Ceara half to death with it all. :P