The Sunspire as much as i'd like to stay and lay some more pipe with you.

It felt as though months had passed since Liffey had last emerged from the den that she and Rannoch shared to do anything more than relieve herself or give her legs a small stretch. In truth, it had been only a week or so, but still she felt almost newly made when she stepped into the sun and breathed in the open air. She smiled at the wide, sloping cascade of green that stretched out before her. She had not felt so light-hearted since the turmoil with Redshank and Titmouse, but that was behind her finally. Even the unexpected pregnancies of Olive and Seabreeze seemed of little consequence, now that she was confident that she too was carrying her own litter, at last.

Or, at least, she hoped so.

Liffey had zero experience in the matter. She had neglected to pay give the other pregnant females in the pack her attention out of bitterness, and her mother had never taught her anything of this. She didn't know how to tell if she was pregnant, though she assumed it would become obvious enough at some point. For now, all she could do was wait, and hope.

The young alpha moved across the terrain at an easy lope. She wasn't entirely sure yet what she planned to do with her day. She wanted actually to go scouting outside of the territory, but that somehow seemed irresponsible now that she was newly pregnant (by like four days at best). Nonetheless, Liffey turned her steps towards the distant borders, just in case she changed her mind.

Wraen hadn't had a proper heart-to-heart talk with Finley ever since they had left Moonspear. There had been so much action packed in such a small frame of time that it was surprising at all that she had managed to have alone time with any of the leaders at all. But luck would have it that today - as she was just thinking about the gray-pelted alphess - she would run into her. Speak of the devil, so to say.

"Oy - Finley!" she called out to the other girl to stop her, because Wraen was some distance away and catching up would be a lot easier, if the other one slowed down just a notch. "I was just thinking that it has been pretty long, since a cougar has been kicked in the ass," she said now that she had drawn nearer. Smiling.

Liffey had barely begun her trek towards the borders when she heard her name.. or no... her mother's name? She frowned in confusion as she turned and spied Wraen on the approach. She was fairly confident that her friend didn't know Finley, so she dismissed it under the assumption that she had misheard. They were pretty similar, Finley, Liffey. No big deal.

The alpha stopped to allow Wraen to catch up to her, a smile across her muzzle all the while. It had been some time since they'd spent the day together. Admittedly the last time had lead to some not so great events, but no one could claim that it hadn't been a memorable afternoon. "Oh I don't know about that," Liffey quipped back in response to her friend's comment, "I actually kicked a couple of cougar asses just the other day."

*scratches head* How did I make that blunder? :D

Finley's name probbaly had been mentioned, when Wraen had met with Elwood a while ago, but that thread has not been finished yet, therefore we can also assume that the word combination just sprang randomly in her mind and she did not notice her mistake. Liffey did not comment on it either, when she stopped to greet her.

"Alone? Without me?" Wraen pretended to be shocked and offended. "How could you!" she exclaimed dramatically, though the effect was lost soon after, because she burst into laughter. "How have you been?"

Liffey attempted to act as though she were ashamed of herself for her imaginary excursions, but could hold it back no better than Wraen. She fell to laughter easily along with her friend, her tail wagging along. It was odd to think that they had become such good friends considering what they had done together when another wolf may have been angry at Wraen for encouraging her to go along with that foolish plan. But Liffey was not one to hold her own actions against others, no matter their involvement in influencing them. She was too self-aware for that.

"Pretty good," she responded, "I think... Well. No, nevermind. It's too soon to say. I don't want to jinx anything..." The alpha shook her head, chiding herself inwardly. She had only just come off of her heat cycle, so it seemed too soon to go telling everyone she was pregnant. Even if it was just a suspicion. Though she did really want to confide it in someone... "How about you?" she said, still trying to convince herself to keep quiet on the pregnancy subject.

"Ah... I see," Liffey did not have to go in too many details, because the memory of the awkward moment between her and Rannoch was still fresh. And all the stuff that happened during the heat was perfectly natural and the rational part of her mind fully understood it, she had hard time feeling comfortable with it, when others discussed it. Heck, she was so glad that this had not happened to her in the spring. She had many friends of opposite sex with some she had flirted more than with the others and yet just the very thought of engaging with them more... Ugh...

"Working. Hunting and scouting, really. I have found a very good hunting partner in Nara and we often go on little missions together," she told with a pride in her voice. "And I hope to find more good hunters among our ranks - because we will need a very good and efficient team quite soon."

*crosses fingers that nothing has changed in the way they planned to invite her to leadership ICly....* :D

Wraen didn't press her to confess, which was actually a little disappointing for the girl. She was desperate for a reason to talk about it. She just didn't want to be the one to blame for spilling the beans. She's a very genial, selfless creature like that. But in any event, Liffey paid attention as her friend continued, and a thought slowly began to form in her mind. It was not one she had ever had before, and it was probably one that deserved more thought and likely input from the other members of leadership. But to hell with that.

"You should be my beta," Liffey said suddenly, "Do you want to?" It was a testament to how new to leadership she was to ask it like this - as though she were a teenager that had just decided to form a band and thought she'd found herself a likely drummer in a friend that said she liked hitting things. But Wraen as her beta made a lot of sense in that moment. And Rannoch had Terance, so why shouldn't she had one too?

Liffey's offer was sudden and Wraen looked at her half-expecting her to be joking. A moment later it was clear that she was perfectly serious and the gamma became thoughtful. It was an honor to join the leadership and a great opportunity to do just a little more for the pack and have more input in the way it was ruled. Because after the first glow of euphoria after founding the pack and flourishing, now there were more and more things that did not sit quite well with the Redleaf and which she wanted to change. 

"Is it that simple?" Wraen asked just to be sure. "I would be glad to help you out. And the rest, if they wished so."

Wraen seemed surprised, but not unwilling. Liffey grinned as she watched the thoughtful expression on her friend's face. The question that was posed made her shrug. "I don't see why it needs to be complicated," she answered, "I can't imagine a single wolf in this pack would question the decision - it just makes sense. And we cougar hunters need to stick together, I think."

Liffey was confident, Wraen was not so sure - she had not mended things with Terance yet and it did not seem likely to happen in a forseeable future. And it could be that just because of this her brother oppose to her climbing the ranks and being his equal. On the other hand - it was a logical result of months of being a loyal a diligent follower. And, who did not have fallouts and conflicts with others?

"If you say so," she replied. "And definitely - world will fall to pieces, if we do not," she added, laughing. "So - now that I am the right hand of the queen - what are the duties you expect for me to fulfill?"

Liffey grinned, her tail wagging furiously, as Wraen officially accepted the position. She lifted her chin a little smugly as she thought of returning home and informing Rannoch of what she had done. She didn't think he would disagree with her decision, though she did wonder if he might be less than pleased with her execution. Well, that was just tough luck on his part. He'd have her adjust, just as she had had to adjust to him naming Terance, a known Cerberus lover, to be his beta. Not that she didn't like Terance. But that did irk her a bit still.

"Umm..." Liffey replied, her brow furrowing as she considered. She hadn't actually thought this through enough to assign any tasks or responsibilities. Honestly, she just wanted a friend that could relate to the burdens she now held as leader of the pack. Somehow, that didn't seem like a good thing to share at that moment. "I honestly don't really know yet.. This is all so new to me. But I like where your head's at about organizing the pack's hunters. I guess more than anything, I just need help figuring out how to do all of this... stuff."

She fidgeted a little as she said it, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about how little she knew about her rank. When she had convinced Rannoch to leave Moonspear, she hadn't really even considered that their path may lead them to settling and leading a pack of their own. Part of her had actually longed to return to her natal pack and live under ther comfortable wing of her parents again (obviously she'd had no idea how royally her mother was fucking everything up at that time). But fate had had different ideas, and now here they were. Socially awkward and reserved little LIffey, an alpha. My god, what had she done.

"Organizing pack hunts - I can do that," Wraen readily agreed to the suggestion, though she had just as little experience in taking the lead of hunts as Liffey idea of, what did pack leader's duties encompass. But then again - no one had been born perfect and being ready for everything life had to offer. And in the light of this, the Redleaf girl was excited to try and see, what happened. 

"Well, I think that you have been doing quite well," she told her in a friendly manner. After all the pack consisted of grown up wolves, who could take care of themselves and was pretty good off being on their own and having not too much of people meddling in their business. Rannoch and Terance handled the joiners at the borders nicely and now that Liffey had Wraen by her side, they could deal with the inner matters. Such as keeping the pack together and dealing with conflicts.

Though on the latter note - she now understood more clearly than ever, that she would have to watch her step, tongue and keep her emotional outbursts in rein. "We will be fine," she reassured Liffey again and, since there was little to add to the subject, Wraen took the liberty and changed it. "Do you want to play a game?"

Wrapping up! Feel free to post again or archive :) <3<3<3<3

Liffey grinned bashfully and gave a shrug. She couldn't say she entirely agreed with the sentiment. The only thing she'd really done that was at all alpha-y had been stopping the pack from mauling Redshank. A lot of good that had done her. Titmouse had abandoned them anyway and she and Terance had been on rocky terrain ever since. In the midst of that happy thought though, another occurred to her. Something equally alpha-y, maybe. Willing her and Rannoch's exercises of late had actually been successful.

She bit her lip as she smiled, realizing a little too late that she'd been zoning out completely and paying no attention to her friend. She looked at Wraen as her words faded. "Hm? Yeah, that sounds great," she said, obviously ignorant of what she'd just agreed to, "Hey listen, I'm gonna go tell Rannoch the news about you, okay? I'll see you later!" Liffey reached forward to sniffle affectionately at Wraen's muzzle with a bright smile and a happy wag of her tail before cantering back towards the den she'd not long ago left.