Hideaway Strath Right before I close my eyes

@Nyra

Arlette wanted to find Nyra after hearing from Simmik that she was attacked by her. She basically felt that Nyra was her big sister. One to protect not hurt their own. It seemed that Simmik had been the victim to more abuse in this pack, which had shocked her. Arlette wanted to find out why Simmik was the one that got all the abuse.

She knew Nyra would probably mark around the river, or perhaps do other patrolling tasks. She went to find her. Once she did... "Nyra! Nyra! Wait!," she called out and jogged up to her. She wagged her tail in friendly greeting.

The battlemaiden indeed was patrolling. Wandering along closer to the Gates at the moment, she paused hearing Arlette's voice, turning her head to watch as the scarred palefur approached with a friendly greeting. 
"Hi, Arlette." Nyra smiled, asking in genuine curiosity "What can I help you with?"

Arlette caught up with her quickly and greeted her with a wag of her tail. She smiled at the bigger female. "I really hope that this isn't misplaced. But-- Simmik came to me with wounds... she got from you," she started, a bit tentatively. "I'm not here to judge!," she quickly added and looked over Nyra.

"I was just wondering what happened, and why you would harm a pack mate? Just-- Just for me to understand? I am trying to be a therapist and I was curious about why? You are kind to me. Simmik is kind. So kind + kind doesn't add up to aggression to me," she commented and offered her a hopeful smile.

Nyra's own tail wagged as Arlette's did. Though at her questions, the battlemaiden seemed to darken. Not in any sort of anger, but...sadness, perhaps? Disappointment maybe, in the entire situation. 
The Overseer took no offense to Arlette's words, instead sighing deeply with a long silence as she tried to figure out her words, her answer. It would be the truth regardless, but sometimes putting one word after another is hard. 

"Simmik and I haven't ever really liked each other." Nyra responded at last, an exhale. "She didn't really like Kynareth to begin with either, but Kyn seems to have made some sort of an effort to appease her, and I haven't. I'm honestly still confused about why Kynareth brought her here in the first place, but she seems to think she's all special and gets to challenge my authority just because Kynareth is having pups with her." The latter sentence had some spitfire to it, but not at Arlette in any way.
Jealousy, perhaps? Not that Nyra would ever want to admit it. 
"So, after a good many of instances with posturing and aggressive body language on both ends, I decided I'd had enough. And I attacked her." She admitted, but not with pride. Not even with a casual tone. The Overseer sounded...tired?
Would she ever apologize? That was to be seen. 
Probably not though. In her mind, at least at the moment, Simmik deserved what she got, if not a bit worse. And Nyra herself was a proud wolf, so getting her to admit her wrongs directly to her victim would probably be like trying to pull teeth from a wild cougar.

Arlette was glad that Nyra wasn't offended. She had not really known if Nyra would tell her, but she had hoped that she would. She was happy that the female was willing to explain her. She stayed quiet when she talked but made sure to let the other know she was listening.

"I understand," she spoke once Nyra was finished telling her story. "Thank you for telling me." She had both sides of the story now. Simmik who was kidnapped and brought here. Who didn't feel like authority was her authority because she didn't see it has her authority. And then there was Nyra's part that wanted respect from wolves that were lower that her.

None of the two were wrong in her opinion. "Apparently Kynareth kidnapped Simmik, and held her here. So you are for her not an authority because she didn't want to be here. However, seeing that she is carrying his pups makes me think she does want to stay here, and then I feel, that she should respect the rank you carry," she stated with a nod.

"I know Simmik as the one who is kidnapped, but sweet to me, but now I understand why you did it." She wagged her tail. "Apparently I don't know a lot about this pack and its members," she commented. "Like... everyone has been so friendly to me, but very different to others. I wasn't aware."

Listening to Arlette, Nyra nodded in acknowledgement to her words as she explained what she had heard, and her viewpoint. 
"That's understandable. Perhaps I should sit down with her at some point..." 
To the comment, The Overseer slanted her ears back some and sighed softly 
"We are usually very kind to each other. Most of the time anyway. I've gotten my ass beat a few times too, Yknow?" She chuckled softly, as if making a joke from the losses she herself has had "But yes...we're not very kind to most other wolves that don't share our ranks. It's a sad truth in my opinion, but it's the way we are." Nyra sighed, lowering her head some as she spoke. It wasn't a truth she had exactly come to be proud of, but one she partook in nonetheless.

Arlette nodded kindly. "You could if you want to. Perhaps give her a little time to find her place in this pack. Feeling that she is captive, now also pregnant. I feel like it is a little much for her as well," she commented. "I feel that. I felt very welcomed once I joined but that is perhaps also because Derg vouched for me," she spoke.

She nodded understandingly at Nyra. "You don't need to defend yourself," she offered that to the female. "I think you acted in a way that was the best for you and how the pack would react. Simmik might have reasons to act the way she did but that doesn't mean she is allowed to disrespect you." She had to obey to the rules as well, be respectful of higher ranks.

The Overseer nodded in agreement. Perhaps it would be best to give Simmik some time to find her place. 
As for Arlette, Nyra could see the others getting bitey if she hadn't been vouched for. 

To the rest of Arlette's words, Nyra smiled. The battlemaiden might've also felt like her side was taken, but she wouldn't readily assume so. Yet anyway.

Arlette quirked up her lips at the nod. She thought about this whole ordeal some more. And perhaps there was some unease from Nyra about Simmik, like she heard from Leigh. "Do you feel threatened by the fact she is carrying Kynareth's pups?," she asked then, curiously. She didn't know Nyra's relationship with Kynareth but if Leigh and Simmik seemingly having a think for him then perhaps Nyra also wanted something of their leader. She was just curious really.

To Arlette's next question, Nyra sighed softly "No, it's just that if she were here to be a packmate, Kynareth should have brought her in as one, and not as a captive. It's a tad confusing, in my opinion." 
The Overseer sighed again, shaking out her fur some before slowly walking forth again, with a gesture of her head as an invitation for Arlette to walk beside her.  

Arlette nodded slowly, once again confirmed that Simmik was a captive. And now Kynareth had bred with a captive, which could get confusing. Because it even seemed that she was his mate now, so where did that leave Simmik in rank. "I agree that it can be confusing," she admitted. Arlette quickly followed beside her.

As Arlette fell into step with her, Nyra sighed an exhale of tire and sadness. She wanted things to have gone better. 
"Confusing as it is though, I suppose I'll have to live with it." She shrugged as she walked

Arlette nodded in agreement. They would just have to live with it. Kynareth was the one who was their leader, and there was little to say about that. She figured that she would also get some trouble in her way if she would comment on it. "You are also up there in the leadership ranks right? Couldn't you explain it to him that the way he handles this now it is confusing?"

Nyra sighed, "I just don't know how to go about it. Yes, I'm his equal now, but the words I can never find." 

She moved on slowly, making sure Arlette could keep up

Arlette nodded. "Well, perhaps start with something small to tell him or something you disagree on. So you can just test the waters if he really sees you as his equal or not." She suggested. "But your rank says you are so then there shouldn't be this feeling that you cannot tell him these things."

Thinking on it, Nyra mused about her pack-sister's words. 
She was right, there shouldn't be this feeling that she couldn't talk to Kynareth about these things. Especially now that she was his equal in rank, in status.

"I suppose I'll talk to him about it." The battlemaiden sighed softly. Arlette was right, there was no reason to be nervous about this.

Arlette nodded. "That sounds like a good start," she commented to the other female. "I hope my advise helps. I am trying to become a therapist and/or mental advisor. So if you have anymore need for it you can always come to me," Arlette spoke to her, with a smile on her lips.

Pausing again, the Overseer smiled gratefully to Arlette "Thank you. I think you'll be a great one." 
She complimented before picking up the pace a second time.

Arlette smiled at the compliment, knowing that it meant a lot from the other female. She just kept her pace up with Nyra and just chatted with her, before veering off to do her own thing, glad to have more knowledge about the pack dynamics.

- end-