Bearclaw Valley River Wash

@Vega or @Rhythm

Scarlett decided to take a quick break from motherhood since she could use a bath and a quick break. Her ears still heard the squeaks and babbles of her cute children. She loved them with her whole heart but since she didn't want to to be too smelly and covered in baby poop she decided to go to the bigger steam to wash herself throughly. Maybe she would even stretch her legs and hunt for herself. She missed hunting. Frankly with having children she was laying around more than she liked. Before she got pregnant she was a very active female. Now she didn't feel very productive enough she was raising the new generation of her pack.

The light female trotted out of the woods and almost made a run for the water. She instantly dipped into it. The water was refreshing on this summer day. She looked at the sky, feeling that she was neglecting her Naturalist side, hopefully she would be able to get her young to spark interest in a broad trade like a Naturalist was. A soft hum came from her lips as she decided to also quench her thirst. She loved summer even though her coat made her even more visible.

It had been a while since Rhythm had visited the river that ran through the heart of the valley. That was the part she had missed most. As she approached it didnt take her long to spot a familiar face in the water. No not her reflection. It was Scarlett. 

Rhythm let a warm smile crawl across her maw. However it was not long lived because she became aware that the white fae could in fact be mad at her after she disappeared at one of the worst times. At least it didn't seem her pups were around so she didn't have to worry about Scarlett being defensive of them. Her chance to meet them was perhaps for another time.

She trotted over to the water and padded into it. The cold refreshing feeling of the water running over her paws nearly caught her of guard. She almost fell as the current pushed against her legs. Yes it had been a while. She was out of practice with walking in this water. "Scarlett," she said her voice a mix of tones as she couldn't decide whether she should be overly friendly or not. She smiled and waited upon the response of the now mother. 

Scarlett liked the cold water, compared to the glacier water from Duskfire it made this water almost feel warm. The recent mother lowered herself, once she looked up she saw Rhythm. At first she was surprised. Raziel had not told her yet that she had returned, or that he had welcomed her back. Scarlett wasn't sure if she should be mad at the other. She was doubting her own leadership skills because at first they had so many members and now they had barely none. "You are back," she spoke quietly, casting her red eyes at Rhythm.

Scarlett shook out her fur a bit and then trotted towards Rhythm, getting back on the river bank. She nudged the girl as a friendly greeting. Scarlett wasn't one to be angry or mad. But she didn't know what to say to the girl. "Didn't you like Bearclaw? Why did you leave us?," she asked. Scarlett wished she was more confident in her case. But now she was the Beta she didn't feel the need to display more dominant. She was not fit for a high rank. She felt better as a pack member carrying the weight. Luckily she was a mother now, so her babies got to be a distraction for her.

Rhythm smiled as the fae greeted her with a friendly nudge. Okay so she wasn't that mad. "Yeah, I'm back." she stated with a small smile. Having gotten a not so friendly reception from the now alpha this was a nice change. Rhythm still lowered her head because she knew having just returned to the pack she was likely the lowest ranking wolf. 

"To be honest, I don't really know why I left. I love this place, and the people in it. I guess maybe I just needed some time to figure my life out," she said deep in thought. She couldn't quite grasp what it was that made her leave. It certainly wasn't the location or wolves.  She did know that she was now wiser than she was before she left. She truly knew what it meant to be a member of a pack.

So many questions ran through the mind of the silver wolf. "Raziel greeted me at the borders, that was a surprise to me. He let me in though," she stated, she wasn't going to go into details on their somewhat unfriendly encounter. 

"What happened?" she asked with a curious tilt to her head. In this case she was referring to how he ended up as Alpha. Not that it was a bad thing. He was a strong leader. 

Scarlett studied Rhythm. She looked a bit better to say the least. It seemed that her time alone did well for her. Scarlett just nodded at her explanation. Some wolves needed time for themselves. She thought of Néa and all the other wolves that abandoned her. A soft sigh left her when Rhythm asked about the leadership. It was her right. "Well, I was heavily pregnant and I couldn't do anything really. My belly was so fat. I was a whale. Kove was gone, for a moment I thought he left me, so I switched positions with Raziel. He is a better leader anyways. I am too soft. So he became alpha and I became Beta," she spoke.

"I'm more of a mother than a leader to be honest," she explained. A hint of a smile tugging on her lips when she thought about her babies. They were cute little balls of fur. She loved them. Her red eyes traveled over the female again. "It is nice to have you back," the female spoke and nodded softly. She couldn't be mean, really.

Rhythm nodded as Scarlett explained what happened. "That actually makes a lot of sense. I'm sure you are a great mother," she said with a warm smile. "Raziel is a good leader i knew he would be the day i met him. He just needed the right oppurtunity I guess." she said with a smile. She had taken a liking the the silver male the day they met. She wasn't sure he felt the same however.

Rhythm smiled as the fae said that she was glad to have her back. It would be almost the complete opposite of the reception she got from Raziel. "I'm glad to be back. I missed this place." she said looking around.

Rhythm decided to change the subject to something the new mother would enjoy. "So how many pups you got? What are their names? Do they look like you and Kove?" she chuckled at the last question. She couldn't imagine having mini Kove and Scarlett's running around the territory.

Scarlett had to agree with Rhythm. "Oh he definitely is. I am happy that he is the leader, though I would have liked to see Kove as a leader but Raziel confronted him," she spoke quietly. She knew the two men were getting along less and less. Scarlett wished they could be brothers, friends, anything. But they weren't and she could see it all too clearly now. She was a bit worried. Though she just drowned herself in her mother duty.

"There are four. One boy, three girls. They run from white to charcoal in color and are very cute," she smiled happily. "Balls off cuddly fluff. I love them a lot even though I am covered in baby poop." Scarlett let out a soft hum thinking of her babies made her happy. She was lucky. Four babies and no deaths. They survived almost their first month. Scarlett was starting to grow confident as herself as a mother. "Their names are Xan, Sesi, Nanook and Desna."

Rhythm chuckled and watched as Scarlett talked about her pups. Four of them okay now if Rhythm new anything that was hard on a mother. That poor little guy outnumbered by all the girls in his litter. "They sound cute," she said with a warm smile. "I love the names you chose for them," Rhythm stated glancing around. 

She was still adjusting to life back in the Valley. Soon it would be time to introduce herself once again to any wolves that haven't already met her. She wasn't sure how many of the original wolves of Bearclaw were still here. Obviously Raziel, Scarlett, and Kove were but who else? 

For someone who hadn't seen her friend in a month or so Rhythm didnt have much to say. "Has much changed around here other than the ranks of a few of the wolves?" she asked with a curious tone.

Scarlett bobbed her head once and then smiled a bit. "Thank you, the names are mostly Northern names because Kove is from there," she spoke with a soft tone. She wasn't really sure why but at that time it seemed like a good idea. She liked the names but she was doubting Kove for a reason. She disliked it.

Scarlett let out a soft sigh. "No, not really. Everyone left," for a moment she did sound bitter. She let out a softer sigh. "I mean I think there is one new wolf not sure," Scarlett spoke with a curious expression. She had not met this female so she couldn't judge. The light hearted female shook out her fur so she was a bit dryer.

She talked about how the pups were named with Northern names because of Kove. Although when she brought up Kove She didn't seem as joyous as she remembered. "That's sweet," she said a small smile remaining on her maw.

"Only one new wolf, gosh I felt like i was gone forever. Numbers are dwindling around here then, I mean Obviously after your pups grow up some more I'm sure it would be nothing to worry about, but still," she said with a slight hint of concern in her eye. What was so bad about this place that was making everybody leave?

"I should be on my way, I have some reintroducing or introducing to do around here," she stated. "Maybe I could come by your den sometime to meet the pups or something?" she tilted her head slightly. She feared she might have been to forward. 

"Sorry," she muttered as she turned tail. "See you around Scarlett," she said her tail twitching happily as she wandered off to tour her once again home Bearclaw Valley.

Scarlett looked at the grey female and nodded. Rhythm had been there since the beginning and Scarlett liked to think that they were good friends. She was about to answer that the pups wouldn't be very convenient with dwindling members. Because they would need those members to hunt for her. Now it was on Raziel since Kove had been gone for most of the time.

"You are always welcome, Rhythm. You know that," she smiled softly. It would do her good to have some girl on girl chit chat and have them watch her adorable babies. Scarlett nodded softly when Rhythm bid her goodbye. "You are forgiven. I will see you soon," she spoke her goodbyes and then quickly trotted back to her babies now she was all cleaned by the river.


-End thread!-