Noctisardor Bypass When the days are cold

@Semira maybe a thread for them to discuss pack things? Also, sorry for crap post!

Gwen had been unsettled ever since Horosk had mentioned his sister. She had asked if he could patrol the borders more often, and many times she had sent Horosk with him, and as always the wolfdog did so. He was turning out to be a very much needed member of this pack, especially since there were two litters of pups on the way. Gwen needed all the help she could get, and now she had Semira to help run things smoothly. 

The Empress had wanted to talk to her Segundo for a little while after the meeting had come to a close - she wanted to talk about various things. Including pups, hunts, apprenticeships, mentors, the recent poisoning, and Kelina. There was much to discuss, and the woman felt as though now, while she had some spare time on this warm spring day, was a good opportunity. 

She was relaxing out in by the lake, where it was peaceful and calm. Nobody else seemed to be around this area right now. Perhaps they were out hunting, exploring, or... well, anything really. They were free to do as they wished and that was what they were doing. Gwen believed she had caught scent of Mawk and Cebra near the densite when she left, so she assumed they were resting together. 

She let out a howl for Semira, calling her to the lake. Hopefully she wasn't too busy, as Gwen needed to sort out some things, as well as planning for the future.

The days after being appointed to her new position were not much different than those before. Perhaps the respectful tilts of her pack members' heads were the only change. 

It was Gwen's smooth call that had her aids flickig to attention. Whatever it was she wanted to speak with her about, it was important. She headed quickly towards the Empress, her mind wandering back to what it meant to be Segundo.

As the fae's ivory pelt came in to view Semira let out a light chuff and waved her tail in greeting. Her words were respectful, but inside she was nearly jumping up and down. "Yes?" A wolf like her needed purpose, it was the whole reason she wanted the job in the first place.

Gwen raised her head as Semira approached, giving a friendly chuff in return to the woman. Her tail wagged warmly as she smiled, for a time happy in what she was doing. But that could not last - happiness did not last. She had come to realise that now, and she had accepted it. She would never be truly satisfied in life, but that was all there was to it. She had lost all she loved, but she was still here. She was still pushing herself through it. She would make it, even if the suffering continued throughout her whole life.

But that was not what she was here to talk about. No, there were pressing matters needing to be discussed. "We have some things that need to be sorted." The Empress spoke smoothly and calmly, despite the stir of emotions within her. The scar left by Knew's disappearance was dug deep - it would never truly heal. "Pups, firstly. I though we should begin with a lighter conversation." She had many ideas for the pups that were on the way, but one had been in her mind from the very start, and that was apprenticeships.

"You can sit down, by the way." She gestured for the Segundo to sit, hoping she had the time. "I thought about it for a while, and I think each pup should be assigned a mentor. A more experienced wolf to teach them about all sorts - preferably a trade. I want the youngsters to be able to learn a lot about all the different kinds of trades so they can begin to study whatever they like from a young age." She wanted Semira to have some sort of input as well, seeing as she would be helping run the pack from now on.

Gwen quickly got down to business. Semira stood silently, her head tilted slightly to the side. Pups. Oh how she loved them. The thought of having little pawprints around the densite sparked a smile on her face. "Of course."

She cast an appreciative glance to her Empress, sitting down upon her haunches. She listened quietly, nodding in agreement until she was done speaking. "That sounds like a great idea...I think we should encourage the pack members to persue their trades more, I know I've been needing to go on a few more hunts." She looked on sheepishly, lately her mind had been elsewhere. Their caches we doing fine, but if they were to have two litters of pups running around they would need more.

She smiled with humor. "It would be best for us adults to actually know what we're doing before we teach the younglings." A light chuckle escaped and she looked to the whisp for approval.

Semira seemed to like the idea, and Gwen chuckled at her words. "Yes. Mawk has managed to earn the scout trade, and is almost ready to recieve the mercenary trade, but I suppose the rest of us need to do more. Even I have not been practising my hunting skills as much as I would like." She had been hunting, of course, but never challenging herself. Never improving. And to earn her trade she must improve.

"The next thing I wished to talk about was the recent poisoning incident. I wish to find out as soon as possible who did it. While I have been trying my best to work it out, I would love if you could help keep an eye out. Especially on Circe. I don't want to outwardly accuse her, but Illecebra has brought many things to my attention, including how Circe has been around various poisonous herbs recently." It was worrying. With the whole Kelina-situation, the pack really did not need a traitor amongst themselves. Especially not with pups on the way.

Surprise briefly crossed her features, she had not spoken to the male in a while. She took note of the news and decided to congratulate him when they came upon one another again. "Wow that's great news! Especially with oncoming pups...they will need protection." She was all too familiar with how dangerous the world was for newborns, even for adults it was none to kind.

She grimaced lightly at the woman's next words. She had wanted to talk in private about the matter for a while. "I am in agreement with Cebra on this one... Something about that woman is sickly sweet. Her knowledge of the...deadlier...herbs scares me to be honest. Whereas Rho focuses on talking with us about herbs that heal and help. Perhaps we could have Mawk watch her along with me? It would be helpful to his trade and to us."

"Yes. That's why I'm glad that he is training to be a mecenary. He told me that once he's got that trade he'll begin working on earning the Guardian specialty." She smiled, giving a small wag of her tail before listening to Semira talk about Circe and the poisoning. 

"Hmmm..." She furrowed her brows. Another wolf accusing Circe. They seemed to not trust her, which only increased the Empress' worry. "I'll get Mawk to keep an eye on her too. But I don't know how much time he'd be able to invest in it, as he's already patrolling the borders extra for more signs of Kelina. But then again, Circe could be lurking around the borders too. Also - no sign of Kelina yet." But that only scared her more. The longer Kelina stayed away, the more her nerves began to grow. She might be planning something.

She nodded slowly, a guardian was exactly what they needed. Her own tail swayed along with Gwen's. 

The short moment fell through as the two dark females were dragged in to the conversation. "True." He was already overworked as it was. She sighed heavily, looks like its up to her and Gwen. "Kelina. That - that - argh..." Sure, she was letting her emotions overrun her, but she hated that woman. "Its frightening that she knows our location. Even more so that she hasn't been showing any signs at the border." Her for head raised slightly. "I hadn't realized that Circe was running around on the borders." Her brow furrowed. That added to her suspicion of the dark wolf.

She had not really wanted to talk about Kelina, but there was no avoiding the conversation. "Yes... We must be ready for anything. I have no doubts that Kelina must be planning something." That was her main concern. Not that Horosk's sister was planning something (though that was bad in itself), but that she did not know what it was. That was what scared her. "We need to all be on our guard. Also... I don't want anybody leaving the territory by themselves." If Kelina and Circe were dangerous, they had to be extra careful. Gwen did not want to take any risks. "Whatever she's doing, we need to be prepared to defend ourselves."

"Also... you've probably noticed, but there is a pack settled just at our borders. Neighbours... literally." This was another matter that worried her slightly. She really hoped this pack were not hostile, as they were so close. "I plan to take a trip there soon and investigate, which means you'll have to be in charge while I'm gone. I don't know if they are staying permanently but I do want to check just in case." Who would she take with her, though? Mawk would be her best bet, since he wanted to be an ambassador, but could Gwen afford to take him away from the pack in a situation such as this? Perhaps Horosk could take over and do even more work, but would that be too much? Should she just go alone?

She was stumped.

Kelina was really beginng to become a problem for them, even without doing a thing. Perhaps that was apart of her plan - to drive us insane with worry. It was terrible that she was the sister of such a kind person. How could two peas from the same pod be so very different? "Alright...I will make sure that Cebra and Noor stay near the inlands, and I will warn Rho and Hor." She pondered the womans next words. What could that woman be planning? "I will take every chance I can get to work on the Mercenery trade as well than I suppose." If anything came up, she would be on it. Perhaps she should offer her help to Mawk? 

She nodded. The further outland she got, the more of them she could catch scent of on the breeze. She shifted on her paws - uneasy. "Yes, our new neighbours..." for lack of a better word, "Interesting but nerve-wracking." Gwen next suggestion sent her worry through the roof. It was on thing to be second-in-command, but to have the pack come to her first while Gwen was gone would be scary. "Yes Empress." She added the title, for sake of the importance of the conversation at hand. "I would assume you take someone with? For your protection." No way would she let her sole-leader walk out of these bounds without an escort. "Although it pains me to say this, you should take Mawk with you." He was their best, and it would be nothing less for their Empress. "I will cover his border patrols along with my own while you two are away." Did she really just say that? Damn. Too late now. Perhaps she could ask Horosk to help her? Hell maybe even Rho too.

Gwen nodded gratefully. "Thank you." Then the Segundo brought up the trade of Mecenary, and again the white wolfess was thankful. She pondered what might happen in the future, but it was a futile thing to do. Kelina could be planning anything, they were never going to expect it. One thing for sure was that an evil person would never give out their plans freely, nor would they make it obvious. Especially if they intended to hurt. Perhaps even kill.

"Perhaps they won't stay - I have encountered packs that travel often before, so hopefully they are one of those. It is unsettling having neighbours that close." She flicked her tail, thinking about what to do. Gwen nodded then as she noticed Semira look slightly worried. "Yes, I did plan on taking someone with me, but it is difficult to decide. Mawk, indeed, would be the best choice at this time, but I do not know how the rest of you will cope with two less members for a day or so. Mawk especially already does three times the work a normal wolf would, and I don't know if I can ask you guys to cover that." She let out a sigh, the weight of the desicion lingering over her again. How was she to do this? 

"If they don't leave within the next two weeks I'll see if I can take a trip over there, but hopefully they are not settling."

How was the woman going to do this? They were already small in numbers and weak as it was. Her fur bristled at the thought of possible intruders, and the fact that she could not cover all of their land as was needed. The Alphess was right, as per usual, they would not be able to keep up. It would expose them to new threats they have not faced before.

She let out a quiet huff of air. "Do you think - I dont know - that maybe they will come to us?" If she were in a new wolf pack, she would attempt to play nice with those that have been there longer. "That would solve our issues..." She heaved a sigh. There was no way to tell without having them show up on the threshold of GB. She was right, if they did not leave then her pack would have to investigate. "I suppose that makes sense." She nodded in solemn agreement.

We can finish up soon, If you like! Semira is welcome to mention anything else if you want to discuss it before the end of the thread :)

She had not thought of that. Hopefully they would come to the Bypass - it would make things so much easier. "Oh, I hope so. Perhaps they will. I guess we'll have to wait and see for now, though." She replied, pondering it for a moment before looking back at Semira. Boy was she glad that she was not alone anymore in discussing these things. Decisions were so much easier to make with two people, rather than one.

Think she is good :) Great to have talked about all of this stuff

She sighed slightly - waiting was going to be a task. She hated waiting for things to happen. This especially applied to the Kelina matter. She let an unreceptable shiver get loose. "I guess so." She added a reassuring wag to her tail. The fae wondered how the Empress had done this all by herself before. This job was stressful.

She refused to let her anxiety show and smiled - albeit faintly. "I guess I will go check on the chaches then." A low chuckle. "Just in case someone decides to poison them again." She found humor to be the best way to fight fear. She checked for the woman's approval, giving her a repectful nod of her head in farewell.

Alright - I'll go ahead and archive this!

Gwen smiled, nodding as Semira began to leave. When she was gone, the Empress' smile faded and she let out a sigh. Though she did feel better after talking about those things, the task of leading the pack through tough times was still a stressful job. But on the other hand, most of the daily tasks needed to be done around the pack were being completed efficiently due to Gwen attempting to keep her mind of the absence of Knew's presence.

She still missed him a great deal, and if she was honest she didn't know if she would ever allow herself to love anyone ever again. It had never ended well - she had always been hurt. She didn't want to be hurt anymore, so why not just close herself off to the idea of love? There was no way it could not work. If she didn't allow herself to get into that situation, she would never have to pick up the pieces. 

With another sigh, the Empress leaned her head on her paws and closed her eyes, allowing herself to slip into sleep. She would only have a nap - she probably would be able to sleep long anyway. Her dreams often turned bad too quickly, so Gwen had not managed to get much sleep recently.