Dawnlark Plains bead fern

sun eater kept himself far outside the fringe of trees which surrounded his wife's snow shelter. the women knew he was there, certainly, but he did not dare to cross the threshold, nor did he speak.

great formations of stone rose from muddy soil and straggled pine the further he traveled from the birthing den. he traded nearness for vantage, climbing one such rock to peer worriedly in the direction of where star eater labored to bring their children to the world.

"ice raven. i ask you to guard the lives of my woman and the young ones," he prayed in a mumble. "ice raven. i ask that you keep them whole."

a vigil of hushed whispers, shoulders hunched against the wind.

A call rose, and needles of the instruction, Ridgeback moved to answer- only to find his steps slowing to a stop once he caught the scent of blood on the air. He listened for a moment, but could not withstand the rise Star Eater’s voice. If he was to remember her voice at all, he preferred to remember it filled with warmth, not pain.

The stand of trees in the distance rose and served as a fit warning against trespass. In the area, the scent of Sun Eater lingered, and his path cut a winding switchback indicative of stress. Perhaps he had been onto something earlier, when he’d worried about the howls he’d heard. 

No no no no no, He murmured to himself as he began to follow the misleading trail of his leader, away from where Star Eater had made her birthing place. I should’ve gone to see what was up. Damnit, why didn’t I just go? He reprimanded himself under his breath, only the faint twitching of his whiskers might have betrayed him. 

The wind shifted, and drew his attention up. He squinted, searching until he found a patch of shadow on the toppled boulders, fur tousled by the breeze. His ears flicked back and he whined softly, a wordless expression of apology and concern.

ridgeback. loyal and a profoundly skilled hunter, but not a war chief. that was what sun eater needed now, mired in the mores of his self expectation. 

"blackfell, gjalla, and black hawk. i have decided they are no longer part of saatsine." it may have come as a surprise, but for sun eater he had spent long hours justifying the loss of three hunters.

it came down, again, to loyalty. and he did not believe he would trust the judgment of his mate again. "have let women to help star eater. they go, after."

and then he indeed would hone them. the prayers began again, a susurration of worry.

Wordlessly, he accepted the news, though his expression would speak loudly of his conflicted thoughts. Three dismissed- others to be ushered away soon, following Star Eater's birth. His gaze lifted after he'd processed the words, to question with a shimmering plea, only to fall a moment later. 

He'd not been consulted on any of this, forewarned, or involved in the process, and Sun Eater made it clear that he wouldn't be. Why was he kept aside, so far from the conflict? Was he actually the village idiot? His ears flicked back. At least he wasn't being sent away- though he had to wonder...Why had the others been dismissed?

Sun Eater began to murmur in prayer, leaving Ridgeback to wonder, silently. He turned in a tight circle at the base of the stone altair where his Chieftan lifted words to the skies, before he settled down to the earth. 

Ash Star had prayed, once. And look what good it had done for her.