Noctisardor Bypass i hope i never get sober

She had managed to avoid Wylla for the most part, but the wretched creature was still here, so Sequoia thought she ought to pay @Mahler a visit. It was ugly what she had said to Sequoia, and it didn't seem right to leave her unchecked, free to roam the territory like nothing had happened. Part of Sequoia had hoped that Wylla would make some comment to Mahler that would have him banish her, but her scent still lingered in Rivenwood.

When she was sure Wylla was not around, and the kids were playing peacefully at the rendezvous site, she slipped off to chat with the Graf.

Hey, I don't know what the deal is with you and Wylla, but she said some really mean stuff to the kids and me. Is she sticking around, or...? The implication in Sequoia's voice was palpable. She wanted Wylla to apologize and change, or she wanted her gone. And if Mahler refused to do so? Well, Sequoia would have to take things into her own paws so that the children would grow up in a more stable environment. She had options if she went that route, and she was more than happy to take them if needed. Witch, Druid, Worripa, and Skaigona meant everything to her.

rivenwood was peaceful. mahler lingered as close as @Laurel would allow him to her densite. he often left food for her, but did not look in upon she or her children unless by chance he was summoned.
mahler drifted along the lagoon, and it was there that sequoia found him.
his ears cupped forward, and then faded to hear that wylla was the centerpiece of sequoia's questioning. "vhat did she say? and vhen?" the man asked softly, failing within himself.

Oh, I don't remember the specifics. She sounded angry about the kids or something; it was really weird, like you weren't supposed to help raise them. She was using rather foul language around the kids, which was totally uncalled for. This was maybe a month or two ago, and I've been avoiding her since then. She just seems nasty.

Sequoia paused, letting that soak in for a moment.

I wouldn't bring it up, but she's still here, and I don't like the idea of somebody like that around the kids. I want them to have positive role models. Wylla is definitely not that, as far as I can tell.

She thought of Laurel's children, too. Sequoia had not yet met them, but would Wylla go after them if Mahler was helping to raise them, too? Was Wylla the reason he had refused every woman in Rivenwood? Did she have him wrapped around her poisonous little finger? It stood to reason, but Sequoia didn't voice those conclusions, which she was definitely jumping to.

I think she'd do the same to Laurel and her kids.

with every word, mahler felt himself grow more weary. it was not enough for wylla that he had sired no children and that they called him by his name: she would have him take no part in their rearing. he settled upon his haunches, and stared stonily across the boulders toward the deep blue water of the lagoon.
sequoia's mention of laurel forced a blink from the graf.
she was correct, of course, but mahler wished to think more positively of wylla, for it had been him to make her into thorns so.
"i am sorry, sequoia." a breath. "vill you allow me to speak vith her?"

He apologized on Wylla's behalf, and Sequoia sighed at his question. But she knew the answer to it as quickly as the query had left his mouth. Of course, she said.

Unlike Wylla, Sequoia had fought for Rivenwood. She had maybe not been the most involved member of the pack, but she had been here. She had followed all of his rules, and she had reaped the benefits for doing so. He had allowed her the children she had so desperately wanted, and Witch and Druid (and Worripa and Skaigona) had changed her life for the better. If she felt before she owed him something, that feeling washed away now, giving him what he needed most: a chance to speak with Wylla for her misbehavior.

What's the deal with you two, anyway? I thought you didn't have a mate. Is this why you're such a sad sack? she asked. Her tone was plain and curious, not scathing in any way. She truly was curious why Mahler was the way that he was. The poor guy deserved better. Not Sequoia, of course, because she certainly didn't want to be involved in that mess. But somebody better than that angry ball of Wylla.

mahler would have taken the next moments to extoll some virtue of sequoia's, or perhaps talk of the children.
she instead seized the breath from his throat, left him mired in a coughing fit, with his gaze falling sharply from her. and once he had silenced himself, mahler felt the irritation depart. in its wake, there was only a swift sadness.
"i have hurt vylla many times," he said softly. "if she reacts poorly to children, especially those who may be mine if not in blood, it is because i promised her ... othervise."
he supposed it was no different this time.
a sad sack. a sad smile came to his features. "and if i am sad it is because i have done it to myself."

The piebald girl found herself wearing her counselor hat. It wasn't something she had worn in a long time, but it still fit just right. At least she'd gotten his attention, and he was willing to talk about it. Maybe if she hadn't been a she, this would have been easier for Mahler.

Oh, one of those relationships. I've been there, buddy. It sounded a whole lot like her relationship with Crow. Well, if she'd been doing any of the hurting. And if he had actually felt bad about it.

But if you promised her that, and she left, is it really a promise you're supposed to keep? Not to be harsh, didn't she leave you? Doesn't seem fair to expect you to stick to her rules if she left you discarded and on your own.

But then, she tried to see things from Wylla's perspective. It was more difficult for her, since she already had some pre-conceived notion of what Wylla was like (and it was colored by their interaction), but she did her best.

I'm not saying her feelings are invalid, but your feelings matter, too. She's allowed to be upset and hurt, but she really shouldn't be taking that out on us who didn't even know about this agreement. Which, well, maybe Mahler could have been a little more forward with the agreement before Sequoia signed up for it, but that ship had sailed.

suddenly sequoia was reassuring him, and he was listening, and he was lamenting that so many women should seek at once to comfort him. and he, poisonous in his own willful acceptance. he felt rather as if he was beginning to take life from those around him, a sobering concept that trained him upright beneath the young woman's wise words.
she could not hope to know all the details. and he could not tell the contours of them without feeling as if he had exposed wylla.
he would not do it.
"she should not. i myself have not been forthcoming. i did not expect that she vould ever come back," he said, directly.
mahler looked at sequoia. "there is a great history between us. and i believe this to be my last home. i vill not be leaving it. but i am not a great mediator, or one at all."

Sequoia didn't entirely believe that Mahler thought Wylla would never come back. If he had believed that, he would have been able to move on from that chapter in his life and start anew. Instead, he moped around this place like he always had. It made Sequoia wonder what he was like when he was younger, and probably happier. Obviously, he was at fault for not realizing the relationship was bad for both of them. Wylla certainly didn't seem happy, either.

Well, you're gonna have to learn, because I sure as shoot am not going to approach her. I'm pretty sure she'd cut my head off if she knew you were telling me anything about this. She doesn't strike me as the sharing type.

If Sequoia had not been involved, she would have happily jumped in to being the mediator. As it was, this was Mahler's fish to fry, and Sequoia would continue to avoid Wylla until she was told otherwise.

She let silence fall for a minute, then asked a brighter, lighter question.

How is Laurel doing? I really need to go see her for myself, but with the four on my plate, it's been a little difficult to do much of anything else.

sequoia went on in her usual barbed directness, and once more mahler was inclined to agree. "it is my responsibility to handle." and there was regret in him, and a deeper apology.
and all at once he wanted very much to tell her of the secret he was holding;
but she turned them to laurel, and mahler took this up with a bone-weary gratitude. "she is aloof. two children," he murmured, pained that he did not yet know more about them. "perhaps she vill be more velcoming in the veeks to come."
mahler gestured. "you know i vill alvways vatch them for you, sequoia." the smile he had now tried fervently to touch his eyes.

Good, taken care of. Sequoia could let Mahler and Wylla duke it out. As far as she was concerned, the dust was now settled and things could go back to the way they had been. Next time she saw Wylla—she couldn't avoid her forever—they could have a fresh start. Sequoia liked the sound of that, and she settled herself.

Mahler was quick to note that he would always watch the kids, and Sequoia grinned. Yeah, yeah. It might also be that I have a hard time leaving them. Those four are somethin', y'know? Thank you again for giving me... the opportunity here. It really has worked out well.

Sure, she still occasionally thought of what a terrible person Crow was, but those thoughts were mostly replaced by the four bundles of curiosity she'd been charged with raising. And maybe four was a lot, but she felt like she was doing an okay job of it.

sequoia's gentle words smoothed some of the tension from mahler's brow. "i have treasured having you all here. good to have so many little vones, even if they are underfoot."
surreptitiously he wondered if she might make a bid for leadership herself. but then again, with a quartet of leggy children, it might not work so well.
"do you think they are ready to go outside rivenvood for a small valk or hike?" he inquired, turning their discourse to other things.

She smiled, happy that Mahler seemed to enjoy their company. He really did give off strong grandpa vibes. His question was a valid one, though Sequoia found herself resisting the idea. Thus far, all the kids had been under close watch. Letting them roam was something she knew she would have to let them do, though. They were getting older, and taking their first steps toward independence. Part of that was learning about the world outside Rivenwood.

Yeah, I think they could do that. I've already noticed them wandering off a little further each day, but so far, they've come back every time.

he nodded. "very good. ve vill go vone day soon then." planning for a future that had not loomed golden for the graf in some while. but of course, this was not her burden to bear. mahler kept it close to his chest. "and in a few veeks, i hope to see laurel's children under the tutelage of these four," he chuffed, thinking of how amusing two differently aged litters might interact.
three, he supposed, though the older daughters and son had been born so closely together it did not matter.
"by vintertime they vill be able to go vith us on the hunt," the man thought aloud. "how do you feel about traveling?"
small talk, to whittle the moments.

Sequoia nodded. It would be good for them to stretch their legs and get used to traveling outside of Rivenwood. She loved them each dearly, but she knew that eventually, they would want to leave. They always did. She'd watched it with Wildfire's kids, Raven's kids, and she'd even done it herself. With her kids—and Praimfaya's—Sequoia was determined not to let that burn any bridges between them as it seemingly had with Sequoia's family.

Traveling? she asked, intrigued by the suggestion. She had done plenty of that back in her early days here, although the children had kept her mostly tied down since the springtime.

That sounds great. You know, a long time ago, I had some idea that I wanted to learn about other packs. I still do, but... well, life got in the way. Maybe once the kids are a little older, I can pick back up on that. See what packs are nearby and try to learn about their traditions, structure, culture, and whatnot. I miss that.

he nodded. "i have been through the taiga. there is a lot to explore. you may recall." and here his eyes shone a moment. sequoia's interest in his suggestion was bracing. "i vill take them vith me on patrol, and you vill be free to do as you please. as it should be."
the little ones had become something like his own, if he was not kept from fully embracing that role by his own recent set of internal boundaries.
comforting, frustrating.
"vhere vould you go first?" he asked her, humour lighting his stoneflower stare.

She wasn't sure that was "as it should be," but she also wasn't about to reject his offer. Mahler had been great with the kids, and they seemed to enjoy his company. Once they got older, she knew she'd be able to take them with her when she ventured out, but for now, they were safer here, close to home. He asked where she would go first, and she let the question rest on her ears for a moment.

Probably the coast, she said. Sequoia wondered if there was anything left of her birth pack. She had not heard a word about them in a long time, even though Praimfaya had most certainly been brought up around them. It occurred to Sequoia that she was capable of teaching her two adoptive wards some of their heritage, and she probably should. It had been a long time since she had thought of her upbringing, but not all of her memories had been lost to time.

he sighed in agreeability. "the coast is very nice. very missed," mahler mused, thinking of what he remembered from grimnismal. "a whole other sort of vorld, vith its own stories." he was considering caiaphas now.
"actually," and if she looked, she might see the twinkling of mischief somewhere in the solemn recesses of his lavender eyes, "i vonce knew a sea-vitch."
a pause.
mahler embellished.
"she vonce cursed an entire pack."

Ok, maybe Mahler really was off his rocker. Sequoia could have sworn he said, Sea witch? She was plenty used to his accent by now, but she had to make sure he was saying what she thought he was, because that was a load of horse manure if she’d ever smelled it.

You know I’m not young enough to believe in silly stories, right? Maybe try that one on the kids, though. I’ll bet Witch and Druid would love it.

"yes, indeed. i never saw her do spells. and i do not believe in magick. but she vas alvays terrifying in an othervorldly vay."
he chuckled at her teasing. "you are right. i should tell my tales to those little ears more appreciative, sequoia." the look in his eye was mischievous.