Moonspear Chipper and Loud

Kindle decided, generous he thought, to name what followed a strident explanation rather than a rant. Clearly this was just as important to her, but she had a point of view he'd never contemplated before. It was hard to not to dismiss it out of hand, but Kindle did his best to listen and understand.

"Now hold on," he said firmly, still contemplating the rest, "I never said I was disappointed. I s'pose I just don't understand."

His tail swished.

"Kat and I were both raised to believe that was the whole point of a pack," he told her a moment later. "To make a safe place for the next generation. Maybe a village is different, though." He wasn't sure. "For what it's worth, my momma did it all by herself. That's what she chooses every year. But I reckon we're all young enough. There's no rush, especially if no one feels ready, and I don't see no harm in waiting to talk about it. I just think, for some of us, it's natural to assume. I've never known another way."

He offered her a smile.

"But we're gonna have to do somethin' if it's not lookin' after babies right away," he told her, lighthearted again. "How do you feel about dancin', Kinusi?"

Kini didn't expect everyone to understand her thought process. But what she did expect was respect for her choices and her thoughts and the right to have one. Something that she was finding not many wolves did. Even treepie whom she adored, was rather narrow minded about things and that was hard for Kinusi to swallow and it actually kind of really really pissed her off.

Kini had to physically stop herself from gnashing her teeth. Because that was the whole problem. Wolves didn't try and understand someone elses point of view. They just went full tilt into it and hoped for the best. There was no conversation and that was when bad things happened. 

Kini pulled a face. That's the problem. Everyone assumes that the way they were taught is the only way. I even have to remind myself sometimes don't get me wrong. But it is important to look at other point of views and respect other's ideas, opinions, thoughts and choices.

She threw her head back and laughed at his next remarks and did a jig right there. Obviously i'm a dancer, just as much as a singer. Can't sing and not dance.

"Well," Kindle said, patiently, "now that I know there's another point of view on this, I can try and understand it."

If there was another among them that wasn't interested in discussion, Kindle didn't know it. He figured it was his right as not-a-leader to let Katmai or Kinusi beat some sense into them, and for once, decided that it wasn't really his business.

Dancing, though. Dancing was.

"I'm gonna teach everyone the dances from back home," he told her. "I'll learn yours, too, if you have any. We'll need singers, too, but like you said. It's good to be multi-talented."

Kini nodded her head. that's all I ask. And it was. She didn't expect miracles and she knew not everyone would agree, but it was important to try and make the best of things. To at least try and see how other's thought and why. And even if you couldn't agree, you could allow them to believe in their own truth without your nastiness. 

She shook her head. I don't have any specific dances. Dad might know some though. I just sort of go with however the music moves me. You know sometimes it's jumpy and stompy, other times it's slow and gentle. All kinds of ways. I look forward to learning some of your dances.

Kindle offered her a bright smile.

"Count on it," he assured her, as eager to teach as she was to learn. "We dance like that too, of course. It's just that the Serious Business Dances come first."

It was a funny sort of tradition, when he really thought about it, but it was beautiful and special to him, too. It felt good to think about his family back in the valley, doing the same dances as him. Their children and their children's children, and his...

He stole a speculative glance at Kinusi. Her children, too, he thought, would be dancers.

Shall we close this one soon?