Dragoncrest Cliffs silver grave

The feelings building inside Meerkat vaguely reminded her of this time last year, when she suspected her hormones had started going a little wild ahead of her first season. Thoughts about the future preoccupied her so much that she felt like she was not paying enough attention to her duties or even her family. There was an entire season between now and springtime, yet she felt as though she needed to start planning yesterday.

@Njord had gone to patrol earlier, so Meerkat bustled toward the borders now to find him. It was time they spoke to @Mireille, so they could not just make plans but start executing them. Whether that meant reclaiming their den in Greatpine Wildwood or building a new one somewhere else entirely, she just needed to know.

Gotta catch up on my thread plots so leaving Njord a little vague!

Meerkat would find her husband on the Southern border near the lowlands. Here, the earth was flat and he could see her cashew-colored pelt against the dark shrubbery. Though he patroled with purpose, a part of himself remained unsettled. Sunspire’s distant peaks watched him knowingly.

They exchanged brief words before setting off to find the young obsidian. Njord could not predict which way the conversation would go.

it was an easier lope that carried her toward the borders. and it was there that mireille found her da and meerkat. the girl's tail stirred and she went to meet them with a purposeful step.
the coastline was in her blood; it did not need to be roused. already her gaze had sharpened, and though the obsidian did not yet know it, her veins too were beginning to wake in anticipation.
"am i interrupting?" she asked the pair when she had come up, gaze moving to and fro.
the sea would always provide. her emerald eyes were bright.

Not at all. We were looking for you, Meerkat replied quickly, flashing Mireille a quick smile and glancing at her husband.

They’d just discussed who would speak first and what would be said. They were in agreement that it would be most polite to exchange some pleasantries first and ease into the conversation.

Now she bit at her lip and said without preamble, We want to have another litter in the spring. Your da and I were hoping you could tell us whether we’ll have yours and the pack’s blessings and support.

Or… Meerkat’s eyes said, though she pressed her lips together, having already skipped ahead. She needed to give Njord and Mireille a chance to catch up.

It was not long before the trio came together. Njord stood abreast of his wife in solidarity, though it was Meerkat who took the lead of the conversation. It would be better this way, they had decided together. Though it was Njord who had asked last season, they were not ignorant of the fact that he was still yet to be interwoven back into the fabric of Sapphique.

He watched Meerkat and spied the change in her eyes. Mireille and Chacal’s answer would dictate the path their small family would take. His sea-colored gaze shifted to the auburn yearling, hoping she understood the implications of this decision.

“Tha road hasnae been easy,” he acknowledged, “but we’re wantin’ tae keep movin’ forward an grow in life an love.” The question was… would they be permitted to continue this journey under the Sapphique banner? "Meerkat an' I are lookin' tae you for counsel," he added.

oh. oh. the weightiness of the meeting dawned quickly over mireille. she glanced between the two of them with a swift blink. 
in a flash analysis, mireille found she had no qualms about new siblings. "you will have my support," she said with a look of pride, and then thoughtfulness. "an' i do not t'ink chacal has de same — has feelings about it, you know?" she young woman tried for a sense of reassurance.
and then the emerald eyes grew solemn.
"no one can speak for my mot'ers or sobo," she said, moving directly to the points of contention she had identified. "but any children born to t'ese shores will have de love of de pack. i cannot see dat sentiment changin' i won't let it."
mireille's smile was apologetic. she was not sure what they wanted to hear, but she spoke directly.

Njord spoke next, more plainly stating why they had brought this question to Mireille. Only now did it occur to Meerkat that this might be strange for her. She was relatively young and Njord’s child, to boot. But she was also the Obsidian, a title Meerkat respected without question.

At once, Mireille offered her support. Meerkat breathed in sharply, though she didn’t release it right away, letting the young woman finish. Would there be a “but” in there? Perhaps not in so many words, though the Obsidian didn’t shy away from addressing the elephants in the room. But she insisted any offspring Meerkat and Njord brought forth would have the pack’s love.

She appreciated the Obsidian’s optimism, yet Meerkat couldn’t help but think that Sobo certainly wouldn’t love those children. Erzulie and Rosalyn might accept them, begrudgingly. Chacal might receive them as warmly as her younger sister, though all of this still begged the question of resources.

That means a lot, Mireille, Meerkat said in a quiet voice, but that’s only one of two concerns I have. We have, she corrected herself, exchanging a glance with her husband. Would your mothers have another litter? Perhaps Jorunn as well? Chacal? You?

Her eyes softened at this last word. Mireille would make a lovely mother, if that’s what she wanted. And that was her right, of course. But if she and the other, higher-ranked women in the pack wanted children, where did that leave the likes of Meerkat and Njord?

The change in Mireille’s expression broadcasted that she understood the gravity of their question, though the speed at which she replied annulled the confidence Njord had in her statement. The sunny, kneejerk opinion unraveled, overcast by potential adversity from the Rubies and Sobo. Njord appreciated her gold heart and optimism – loved her for it – but felt her inexperience a handicap.

Meerkat seemed to pick up on this too and voiced another factor to consider. Resources would dictate the pack’s bottom line. Now, more than ever, there were many of childbearing age. To think Sapphique could support the litters of every woman would be naive.

Njord’s back feet shuffled and he pressed his flank against his mate’s. They exchanged a knowing look. He had nothing more to add but mirrored the wan smile of his daughter. In his heart, he did not wish to press Mireille but Njord knew, in his mind, that they needed a thorough discourse to satisfy the trust they would, or would not, put in their leadership..

"jorunn an' chacal, i t'ink. an' i —" and here mireille's true youth showed, her composure faltering with a bit of fear and a good deal of embarrassment. had she been able to wring her paws, she might have right then. instead she tightened her claws in the soil.
"i havenae decided," mireille said with more steadiness, njord's accent sparking along her words. "but i t'ink de one to speak to is chacal." she was not too proud to defer to her elder sister, not in this. 
not in something she understood mechanically but not in full.

Mireille’s answer made her heart squeeze in two very distinct ways. On one hand, she thought the girl would make a very good mother and she truly hoped she would get to experience it. On the other, jealousy gripped her upon hearing just how many women might seek motherhood come spring, nearly all of them outranking herself.

In the end, the Obsidian advised them to seek Chacal for counsel instead. Meerkat had never wondered why Mireille was leader over her elder sister until this moment. She still loved her and respected her position, though suddenly she felt like she’d made a mistake in seeking her counsel in this. Disquieted by the course of the conversation, she could only bite at her lip and nod, looking over at Njord.

Okay, Meerkat conceded after letting out a breath, feeling more worked up than before this conversation and trying not to show it. I think you’d be a great mother, for what it’s worth, she managed to add, eyes still soft but mouth hard and uncooperative, even when she remembered that if Mireille bore bairns, that would make Njord a grandfather.

Thanks for your time, Mireille, was all there was left to say before Meerkat bumped the young Obsidian’s chin, exchanged a look with Njord and took her leave.

She knew her husband might want to talk about what they’d just discussed but if he made any attempt, she only shook her head at him, her eyes begging, Later… Perhaps Mireille was right and they should speak with Chacal. But right now, she felt wrong-footed. She would need some time.

Last post from me.

Mireille answered. Njord, too, interpreted the hesitation in her words. He turned to Meerkat, who seemed uninspired. Lip chewing was the tell – Njord could read Meerkat’s countenance like a book and it spelled: troubled.

At that moment he did not know if there was any answer Mireille could have said to remedy their fears completely… but the young leader had spoken true, and now the Sveijarn-Cortens would need to make the choice to trust.

Despite her weak attitude, Meerkat followed up with a gentile response. “Aye, you ‘av done us a kindness by speakin’ yer heart,” Njord agreed with a kiss on the cheek.

Pleasantries were exchanged before Meerkat turned away. Part of Njord wished to stay and speak alone with Mireille… but he knew to split away from Meerkat would have no benefit. Yet when he followed his wife, her expression begged to be alone.

He let her go and turned towards the ocean to help sort his mind.

<3! fading

they were affectionate enough, but mireille was left feeling a distinct sense of tension. it was not caused by her, she knew, but rather by sapphique. she hoped they would indeed go to chacal; her older sister being leader and mother might shed insights she could not.
there was softness in her eyes when meerkat spoke of mireille as a mother. and yet the idea horrified her. meerkat had njord. mireille must forge in the path of her mothers.
but both seemed very hard in their own way.
and meerkat seemed distant now. she returned their loving touches and watched the pair turn away in their own directions, heart aching with words unsaid and unknown.