Heron Lake Plateau It’s all business in the left-hand lane

WC: 214

Following the altercation with Caiaphas, Niamh had needed some time to cool off, and uncharacteristically, spent the night on her own. She patrolled the borders and had a bit of a sleep under a tree, ironically not too far from where Colt used to sleep, and wandered along the borders again before she eventually wandered home. Over the course of the night she had cooled down considerably but she dwelled on the happenings of the previous day as she made her way home in the morning light and in her tiredness, found some of her grumpiness returned to her. Niamh wasn’t a morning person- especially after working a night shift. Her plan to use the night to simmer down before going home had inevitably backfired.

She entered the den without bothering to be quiet; @Colt would probably sleep through her huffing and puffing anyway. She “accidentally” stumbled over one of his outstretched forepaws and swore quietly to herself. Muttering incomprehensible syllables under her breath, she turned in a circle three times before she flopped to the ground, purposefully turning her back to Colt- though she kept one ear directed toward him the whole time. 

No one had ever taught her how to be spiteful; but she was pretty well nailing it on her own.

Colt didn't sleep well, not in the least. He was still morose over the meeting, once again faced with this pack's inability to ever accept healthy criticism, and fretted over his sister.  It had been weeks with no word.  He was starting to think the worst, and he wasn't taking it well.

On top of that, hours later, Niamh still hadn't returned.  He'd needed to talk to her, but now was left wondering what the fuck was going on there too instead.  Around midnight he went looking, but when he didn't find her in their old spot, simply sat under the stars a few hours, uncharacteristically silent, before returning to try and finish the night.

He might have slept some, but it was broken, and as a result Niamh's kick didn't so much wake him as snap him into focus.  He looked over, and immediately he knew she was mad.  Why?  He was going to find out.

Alright.  Out with it. His tone was tired... he could guess what it was about, but had no idea what specifically.

WC:205

This wasn’t the response Niamh wanted at all. She wanted- and had perhaps expected- for Colt to be his usual joking, ambivalent self. She’d half expected him just to laugh at her grumpiness and pull her close, tease her about being a sourpuss and then break down her barriers by using his studly seducing powers. So when he spoke, she felt slightly frightened. Had he laughed at her for being grumpy, she would have felt more comfortable getting pissy and giving him a piece of her mind. But he wasn’t laughing, and he wasn’t amused. He sounded tired and upset, and suddenly, she felt guilty. 

No, she told herself. She had to be strong, and had to stand up for her beliefs, right? That she could do...But trying to rein in her temper wasn’t one of her strengths. She couldn’t possibly deliver her feeligs without coming across as being immature. She knew this was going to be hard- and her tiredness didn’t help. Stupid idea, staying up almost the whole night, Niamh. 

”Just....Ugh.” She said, and tapped her tail against the ground in annoyance, like a cat might. ”Why’d you have to take her side?” Niamh complained, a slight whine to her voice.

She seemed a little cut back by his response - good, the asshole in the back who tended to appear when he was tired said - but eventually she did come out with it.  And when she did, he felt that familiar frustration.  He'd said why.  How did she not see it?

He didn't want to fight with her right now.  He was tapped.  Weeks of searching, of raised hopes and failure, had left him dry.  But this was probably going to end up a fight, because unlike the rest of this pack, he had trouble with the assumption that the sun shone out of someone's ass just because they held the title 'leader.'

Because I think having an opinion and keeping your mouth shut is worse than having one and saying it straight.  And I don't like that this pack takes every damn thing personally.  There wasn't any anger in him towards her, at least not yet.  Raven hasn't been around.  It isn't a crime to say it.

He wasnt guessing she would be on his side, but he didn't need her to be.  He just needed her to accept the fact that he wasn't going to keep his mouth shut to please anyone.  Colt didn't operate like that.

WC:177

Naturally, Niamh was one to take almost everything personally- just as she had the very first day that she had met Colt. She’d taken great offense when he’d made fun of her after she’d fallen down the edge of the plateau and sprained her ankle, and Niamh detested having others laugh at her. He hadn’t laughed- but his sarcastic comments were taken- as he’d pointed out- personally and they’d had a rough beginning to their relationship. Over time, the whole event had become quite  funny in retrospect, though now she reflected on it and remembered that dude could be an asshole when he wanted to be. 

She rolled over briskly when he made a comment about Raven and stared at him, brow furrowed. ”She wasn’t gone, she was out looking for a packmate. So were you.” She said, and huffed. ”She was out looking for your sister, Colt, you should be grateful rather than calling her absent,” She said, and tasted how sour those words sounded after they’d left her mouth, at which point she fell silent.

Colt shook his head.  "I'm not trying to lead a pack while doing it.  And that's the whole point.  I can be grateful and still say honestly she hasn't been around."  Was he glad that Raven was helping him look?  Hell yeah he was.  Did he think it was her job right now?  That was up to her.  But he wasn't about to tell a packmate they were wrong when they said she wasn't doing her job here.  She wasn't.  She was doing it out in the wilds instead.

"Why does it even matter?"  He stared at her, wondering why she was defending Raven against him so avidly.  He hadn't at a single point said he didn't think Raven worth following anymore.  "I'm guessin you all chased her out, so it's done now."  He'd liked Caiaphas alright, but he wasn't about to fight the rest of the pack to keep her around.  This was his family; no matter if he disagreed at times, he had bigger things to worry about than a now former packmate.

WC: 546

Later, Niamh might look back and appreciate how level Colt was being with her- had she tied the knot with someone as abrasive and fiery as she was, the argument would likely have come to blows in a matter of minutes. It was likely no less than what she deserved, as she hadn’t been terribly considerate of Colt’s feelings about his missing sister. She did hope Ceara was found- perhaps moreso for Colt’s sake than for Ceara’s- but at the same time she wanted to be selfish and have him stay with her rather than going out, possibly endangering himself and searching for Ceara. She was only beginning to realize that this made her jealous and was too short-sighted to see that Colt wasn’t choosing Ceara over her...She was fine. He didn’t need to take care of her. Ceara was the one who needed his help, not her. Still, it stung, slightly, that the pack had come to such an unstable point simply because Ceara was gone. 

She didn’t make any remarks on what he aaid at first because he made sense. Raven couldn’t be in two places at once, but Niamh still perceived that he was saying it wasn’t Raven’s job to go searching...And maybe he was right. Maybe someone else should have gone- but Raven had insisted, and Niamh wasn’t going to get in her way.  He then asked why it mattered and that flustered Niamh- as all she had to her own game was emotions, rather than a clear excuse or reason. ”Yeah, she’s gone.” She answered ruefully. She too had liked Caiaphas- she’d been a badass, and she’d played a major part in saving Niamh’s ass from a cougar. She shrugged and struggled to articulate how she felt. Colt was just supposed to understand, wasn’t he? Weren’t mates just supposed to always be on the same side? ”But you can’t just...Shit on someone because they’re doing their job, if their job takes them away from home.” She said. ”She called Raven weak...And she’s not. And then you said that I should step up,” She said, and had a moment of clarity. ”I just...I’d be next, you know that,” She said. ”If Raven ever did step down. Towhee already passed it up, so did Finley and Elwood. I’d be next...And I’m not...I wouldn’t want it.” She admitted. Niamh had never had the aspirations that Ambrose had had, to lead a pack. She’d accepted the role of beta because Towhee had suggested her for the role, and because she wanted to step down. Part of her, of course, had accepted the role simply because if she didn’t, then Ceara would- and she couldn’t stand the idea of being ranked below Ceara....At least, not at that point. ”I dunno. It’s just complicated, Colt. And I don’t want Raven and Quixote to think you and I are gonna undermine ther authority and challenge them next and you kinda made it seem that way. You got kicked out once for that...What if it happens again?” There. Maybe she’d found it- the cause for her concern. The pack had kicked Caiaphas out for insubordination- and no wolf was immune to the same punishment if they committed the same treason.

He was too tired for this.  Too tired and too ambivalent; there was no way in hell he'd ever move to lead, so it didn't really matter anyway.  Honestly now he wasn't really sure what had made him speak up; it just seemed this pack was so "us" and "other", and that "other line was starting to look more and more like even some of the pack didn't reside in it.  Niamh had a point; what would happen if he ended up in that circle again?

Would she come with him, if he got booted again?  Would he even ask her?

Now that was a worry he wasn't even about to be adding to his plate right now.  He'd missed a lot of what Caiaphas said, honestly; he hadn't heard her call Raven weak, just absent.  Qui knows I don't want it,. He said finally, pushing himself to his feet.  I'd be a shit alpha and I know it. Hint of a grin, then a shake of his head.  Sorry for assumin you would.  He'd figured if Raven needed to step down to help him look, having Niamh step up was the obvious choice.  In his eyes, this wasn't betrayal.  It wasn't usurping.  It was refocusing, letting wolves do their jobs where they were needed rather than trying to push a claim that your heart wasn't in right now.

Because if Raven felt anything like he felt, she shouldn't be leading right now.  But maybe she was better equipped for that shit than he was.  If Ive a complaint to give, I'm gonna give it.  But I won't be challenging anyone, so it'll be up to them whether they take what I say or tell me where I can shove it.  You know either is fine with me.  Least he figured by now she did.  Colt was never bothered when others didn't agree with him.  All that really bothered him was the implication that he needed to keep his mouth shut.

WC:213

Just because Niamh didn’t want to be alpha didn’t mean she wouldn’t, if she had to. She dreaded the idea- as though it was a role that was cursed. Elwood and Finley had stepped down, Towhee had stepped down, so as far as Niamh knew, leading this particular pack was fairly difficult. To be fair, they were mostly family and while that had its benefits, it also came with its struggles. They had had other wolves come and go- possibly because they simply hadn’t fit in as well with an already tightly-knit pack. Niamh had had it fairly easy- as soon and she and Towhee had bonded, it had been smooth sailing. Regardless, they had certainly seen their fair share of trials since Niamh had joined, and being responsible for all the decisions made gave her the chills.

”You would make a shit alpha,” She commented finally, and reached out with one hind foot to touch his own. ”I’d have to do everything myself.” She said, finally attempting to bring a bit of humour to their situation. She yawned and rolled onto her side, moving a bit closer to Colt, as though to extend an olive branch. ”I just wanna sleep and wake up and have everything be back to normal.” She sighed.

He couldn't help but smile when she said he'd make a shit alpha, in one hundred percent agreement on it and glad she seemed to be coming down off her anger.  His own mood? Tired, honestly.  Just tired.

You and me both.  Maybe one of these days you n me can play hooky and get away for a bit. The idea of leaving everything behind for a short time and just spending some time out, away, the two of them, was massively appealing all of the sudden.  Just... forget about the pack and whatever responsibilities his mate did or didn't have for a while.

WC: 123

Their minor altercation more or less sorted out, Niamh sighed heavily, moved herself so that she was lying against her mate, and rested her chin on her outstretched forelegs. She wasn’t joking when she’d said that she was tired, though she definitely meant it in more way that one. Though her body was tired from a long patrol, her mind took several minutes to shut off before she would be allowed to slip into slumber and naturally, her mind worked feverishly, conjuring up all sorts of thoughts she wished she’d never had. It took her some time to fall asleep, but falling asleep came much easier to her with Colt beside her than it ever would have if she’d been on her own.