Redtail Rise XLV

anyone! <3

rain fell upon the rise.

augur patrolled.

the caru was valuable for the help provided for all the pups. it was this maternal affinity which made thorn caller, in the man's mind, the first candidate to hold red woman's place.

her absence continued to perturb the feral creature.

idly he followed one trail or another, reinforcing his marks.

The rain literally put a damper on their hunt today. Masquerade led “@Fifth” and “@Pupper” back from a foray into the grotto, prepared to accompany them to the rendezvous site. A nap beneath their favorite evergreen sounded really good right around now.

But as the youngsters disappeared toward the territory’s interior, Masque paused to watch Augur moving along the borders, leaving his markers in spite of the rain. Their first instinct was to slink away before he could notice them or approach. Some other notion compelled them to hold their ground, as if to say, Notice me, senpai.

thorn caller.

augur paused in his pointed roam, swinging his tail once. the caru was always welcome to accompany the huntlead.

he shook out his ruff affably and continued on, albeit more slowly to see if the young wolf would come along.

he wished all things to be mended.

Their eyes followed the swish of his tail, an invitation. Masque took a deep breath through their nose and padded after the Ulfhedinn when he began to move. Soon, they walked beside him, their head even with his shoulder, carefully held lower than Augur’s.

Why are caretakers put at the bottom of the pack? they asked the question that had been slowly eating at them ever since the rally.

augur exhaled a breath meant to reassure.

a shake of his heavy head. not below. different. 

a pack did not function without its caretakers. new snow was a hunter but now shared the work of caru with thorn caller.

they were each.

but he invited the younger to speak again, to ask more.

With only Augur and his silent presence, Masquerade felt as though they could revisit the point they’d attempted to make during that blighted meeting. They’d had much more time to think things through since then.

I’ve fought for this pack, Masque said quietly, and helped protect it against countless threats. But because I chose the path of a caregiver, I am considered beneath the hunters and warriors.

This was the hierarchy in the rise, as Masquerade understood it. And with Ashlar in the wind, they were the only Banhus left in the pack, a lone representative of the importance of more than just brute strength to uphold their society.

If the rise values its caretakers as much as its fighters, they should be represented in the leadership, Masque concluded, swallowing tightly.

They were not dominant and they did not seek power over others. But especially with Redd and Relic abstaining from leadership, Masquerade also felt it fell to them to step up and out of their comfort zone. The Heafod wasn’t just missing a caretaker, it was still missing a Redtail.

thorn caller remained slighted.

augur understood enough spoken sounds by now to understand this.

there were no marks of red woman's now, scents to which he might gesture and indicate that she had created this hierarchy.

blacktail was the softest of them all and she had chosen him. 

there had been a redtail in leadership. sun jaw had been given it and the rise had accepted.

but he had thrown it away in the first moment he was needed as leader.

augur gazed at thorn caller. it was their lack of dominance which made them opposite the role. blacktail had remained where he was despite his preciousness to the rise and his status as sire. and it was only to that healer that augur could compare precedent. red woman chose warriors and hunters for her co-leads. why should more change in her absence? the resistance to it came from a place of instinctual anxiety, though augur could not convey this.

He peered at Masquerade, his expression unreadable. They returned his gaze for a moment before letting it drop. The muscle in their jaw jumped. They remembered how they’d felt like there was no one they could ask about puppy development, since so few in the rise actually spoke.

Someone in leadership should be able to articulate clearly, they said, aware that it was not the kindest observation.

But social etiquette had never been their strong point and, anyway, their frustration with this situation just continued to mount. If Augur wouldn’t even consider it, then it just confirmed the Caru’s belief that he did not find any merit with them or their role in the pack.

the man's nostrils trembled with a quiet flare.

he did not know the meaning. he knew its tone, and it meant insult.

the dark nose twitched again.

relic had fought for his role.

lilia had fought for hers.

how did one judge a caru? it was his failing not to know another way.

his communication had been good enough for red woman. it was not so for thorn caller, and suddenly augur felt quite old. unsure. the ashen ears splayed a moment and then he turned toward the horizon over which he felt red woman had gone, and a long breath expanded his great chest.

Masquerade did not want to leave, though they felt they might have no choice. Who wanted to be part of a pack that didn’t recognize the merits of anyone who didn’t fit the ideal mold? It made them feel worthless.

The movement of the Ulfhedinn’s head caught their eye. His ears splayed as he looked off into the distance. There was something abashed about his demeanor, which didn’t sit right with Masque, despite everything.

Swallowing their bitterness, the Caru moved to flank him and nosed at his chin. They only wanted respect, not to disrespect anyone else in the quest for it. Masque sighed out a low whine.

For whatever it’s worth, I think New Snow should be Wealda, they revealed their secret thought. She is the best of both worlds: a carer and a killer.

augur exhaled, returning thorn caller's gesture.

but the look in his eye was heavier, and he lifted his chin as he set the weight of his stare on the caru once more.

why did they not want wealda? new snow; yes. but she had not vied for it. and he would not give it to her only because she was his mate. it was his right. it would not be fair.

thorn caller was hunter and carer. that too was great. that too meant much to augur, though the language he might use to say this was absent.

If Masque was reading him right—and they were really beginning to doubt their ability to do as much—Augur didn’t seem to favor the Caru’s recommendation. This surprised them a little, though it didn’t anger them like the matter of their own role.

This particular opinion had only come about very recently. Redd and Relic continued to abstain from any claims on leadership. Meanwhile, New Snow had taken to mothering Avicus’s pups with nary a hesitation. Reflecting on it now, a new revelation came to the Caru and their stomach clenched, then sank.

Do I belong here, Augur? they asked frankly. Am I needed?

what thorn caller witnessed was a vulnerability in augur that perhaps only red woman had seen some few times.

he settled beside thorn caller with an emphatic sound. yes.

but he wanted them where he felt best. the role of caru fit them. the role of hunter fit them. the role of warrior fit them. 

yet here was their strength. 

and he did not understand why thorn caller could not shift. and he did not understand why he could not.

a small part of him wished to gather new snow and his daughters, and depart, to leave the pack to the young bearclaw pair.

not yet, but the urge to disperse grew in augur as he found he could not content the children red woman left behind.

if this land was theirs, why should he not cede?

he was pensive.

There was no mistaking the sound of affirmation as Augur settled beside them, looking particularly world weary. Masquerade looked at him for a long moment and realized just how much Avicus’s disappearance had affected everyone and everything. She had been the force of nature keeping all things in alignment. Now that she was gone, their little corner of the world had spun off its axis, flinging the wolves of the rise every which way.

The pups had become the new center of Masque’s universe, in a sense. Drawn by this gravitational pull, perhaps, their mind wandered to them now. Maybe they wouldn’t need the Caru much longer, yet there was so much left to teach them. Maybe if Masque could just set aside their concerns about ranks and roles and really focus on them…

I should get back to them, they thought aloud, the pups, I mean.

Alpha or Omega, they supposed it really made no difference in the quality of care they would provide the pack’s young. Masque’s tail flicked, aware that the matter wasn’t quite so simple. This entire situation was so complex, though much of it was out of their control. They should put more of their energy toward focusing on what they could affect.

See you later, Masque murmured, making a point to touch their nose to Augur’s shoulder, then his chin, before turning and trotting away.

augur had not been doubtful of his abilities until red woman had gone.

now thorn caller returned; the man offered his fatherly affection, remembering always that the caru was one of his young, and perhaps by blood.

a salmon tongue bathed his nose.

peace.

he watched the other wolf go, and when thorn caller had disappeared from view, augur drew a single disconsolate sigh.