Blacktail Deer Plateau having a wonderful time

For @Lasher.

Peregrine had asked her to think about the prospect of Blue Willow and Lasher, so Fox had done just that. She had thought. And then she had thought some more. Then she took a long, fitful nap. Then she thought some more. Then she waited a day. Still, she could find no reason why the Beta should be allowed to have bastard children. In fact, Fox had decided there was only one way that she would allow it at all: if they were legitimate. Lasher would have to devote himself to Blue Willow. Sure, he could still have Peregrine on the side, but only because it would result in no bastards.

Upon coming to this conclusion, Fox's voice rang out on the plateau, calling for her mate's lover to see what he thought of this. She supposed she could have called for Peregrine himself, but that felt... well, too final. Maybe Lasher had some other, brilliant idea.

quickie post on my way out the door, srry lovebug

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.

Fox could already feel that there was tension when Lasher arrived. Instead of greeting her with a playful nip or lick, he simply stated her name and left it at that. Disappointed, Fox frowned. She was no good at hiding her emotions, and Lasher likely knew this. Even though he displayed a friendly expression, it was his body language that spoke louder, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit helpless. It seemed Peregrine had already told his lover of the conversation they'd had. Either that, or Lasher had guessed her answer for himself.

She wanted to just ignore the elephant in the room and go back to the way they had behaved during their first meeting. Frolicking and playing in the sunshine was terribly tempting when compared to the conversation she had set out to have. Still, Fox knew that she wanted to get it out of the way. Perhaps a play session would be in order after they had the more serious talk.

“Lasher,” she replied softly, only two beats after his own greeting.

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 could feel the disappointment bleeding off of him in every direction. And, quite honestly, she hated it. None of this situation was fair at all, she decided. Not a single, goddamn part of it. If Atticus had been "awake," they wouldn't even be having this conversation. Because while Fox was loathe to have competition for her children, at least the offspring of Blue Willow and Atticus would be genuine, not bastards. Fox had even forced Jinx into killing her litter (or would have, if they had come to term). They were created out of lust and without thought for their future. And while the product of a coupling between Lasher and Blue Willow would be much different, they would still be bastards in the end. Fox simply couldn't, wouldn't have it.

“I won't have bastards born here,” she said stiffly. “If you wish to court Blue Willow, that is a different story.” Was that too little? Too much? Fox braced herself for his reaction, whatever it may be.

small pp in assuming fox would stand there and listen to lasher's longwindedness

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.

“Your children would still be bastards,” she replied curtly after the lengthy speech that Lasher gave. It did not matter what Blue Willow had already done, or what she might have done if she had been in Fox's position. They were quite clearly not the same wolf, and everybody had known it. If Blue Willow was weak enough to "step out of the way" for Fox to take what she felt was her rightful place, that was her prerogative. If Blue Willow had denied her children, Fox would have obliged. The Alpha's word was law, after all.

They very definition of a bastard was something Lasher and Peregrine did not seem to understand. A bastard was born when the union of two wolves was not made. It did not matter if both parents stuck around. A bastard was a bastard, and Fox would not budge on the issue. If Blue Willow had been so terribly set on having children, she should have remained the Alpha. Instead, she had stepped down. Hell, did Blue Willow even want these kids? Fox had only heard from Peregrine and Lasher.

She had not meant that Lasher needed permission to court Willow, only that Fox would reconsider the option of them having children if they were bound to one another. But she did not voice this. It was of little concern to her now that Lasher stated that he'd no intentions of courting her.

The rest of his accusations she ignored.

"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 is such a complete piece of shit.

If he had simply left without a word, Fox would have been flustered, but she would have let it go. But it was his challenge to her authority that did him in. The Alpha bristled, immediately rushing to step in front of him and flashing her teeth. Like all the other wolves Fox had met, Lasher was taller than her, but that didn't stop her from trying to make herself look bigger than him.

She said nothing, but stood there, her posturing clear. It was a warning, and it was not meant to be taken lightly. No matter what Lasher was to Peregrine, or to Blue Willow, for that matter, he was still her subordinate. Fox would not have underlings testing her and telling her where her place was. Especially when he did not seem to know his own place.

fox is realistic!! lasher baited her lulz

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.

Whether or not it was true, she took his silence and subtle submission, the laying back of his ears, as an apology for his misstep. Satisfied that he had been properly chastised, Fox left him this time. She firmly believed in her decision and reasoning, even if nobody else did. Fox would not change her mind just because her mate's lover had "ethics." To Fox, there was no such thing. There was right and wrong, no in between. In this case, she was right, and everybody else was wrong.

The girl sashayed away from Lasher, no intent to talk to him further on the matter. It was a shame, really. Their first meeting had gone so well. Perhaps it was merely a lesson that first impressions meant nothing.

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.