Blacktail Deer Plateau Tomorrow's not ours to share

I'm gonna forward-date this a few days, to the 21st. She's calling for Hawkeye but if anyone else wants to drop in here, you're welcome to come say goodbye. :)

When their scouting trip came to a close and the two she-wolves returned to their pack's territory, the knowledge that this would be her last time to come home to the plateau weighed heavily on Pied. She was excited to start a romance—and a life—with Kisu and enthralled by the idea that she would live near the seaside again and one day raise pups there. She knew she would have Hawkeye's blessing too. That didn't make it any easier to leave her leader, nor her pack mates, behind.

She spent a while simply wandering the plateau, touching her nose to familiar objects and wishing them a quiet farewell. She even bade goodbye to the ghostly weasel when she crossed its path. Eventually, Pied found her way to the ledge where she and Hawkeye liked to meet and talk. She needed to summon the Alpha to tell her the news and, of course, she would mention their findings from the expedition.

She sat in silence a while, musing over everything, a smile touching her lips when her mind turned to Kisu. She imagined him waiting for her at the wintry shore. With this image in her mind, giving her strength, Pied closed her eyes and arched her head toward the afternoon sky. She wanted to call for everyone to gather so she could say goodbye to each of them personally, yet she called for Hawkeye only. Pied wanted to keep her promise that Hawkeye would be the first to hear the news.

Hawkeye woke to Sos whispering in her ear once more. The mottled one waits for you. Hawkeye stretched out from her laying position and stood up. She shook her large body in order to wake herself up while yawning, tongue curling out and around her pearly white teeth.

After leaving the den, Hawkeye broke into a run; she knew it was news as to whether Pied would be bringing Kisu or leaving. As her feet stomped roughly into the ground, she hoped that it was the former and not the latter. She hoped that Sos might tell her, but he stayed quiet among her thoughts of Him.

The charcoal wolf settled into a trot and looped around the trees that surrounded the place that overlooked the valley. It had been like and unofficial meeting place between her and Pied, and she smiled fondly.

As Pied came into view, her smile fell slightly. No Kisu. She nudged the female a hello, then sat, looking over the valley. She had stayed in the spot most of the previous day, but she still enjoyed the view just as much. Hawkeye looked over her shoulder at Pied, beckoning her friend to join her and speak first of her news.

Hawkeye arrived promptly, perhaps more quickly than Pied wanted or anticipated. The Delta stiffened slightly, as if she were a child caught in the act of behaving badly, then coaxed her muscles to relax. She hadn't done anything wrong and, though it would be hard to bear the second part of her happy news—that by choosing to be with Kisu, she was also choosing to leave the plateau—she knew that Hawkeye wouldn't rebuke her for her decision.

"We got back a while ago," Pied said in reference to herself and Vires. "We got a lot of scouting done. There's a lot of land out there and then the sea. The ocean's actually not that far from here. I know you don't like to leave the territory but, one day, you need to go and see it for yourself." She paused, then added a few more details about the trip she'd made with Vires.

Finally, she got around to the part where Kisu entered the picture. "One night, Vires and I separated to cover more ground before nightfall. I wound up near Horizon Ridge, you know, Akhlut's pack? I ran into Kisu and learned that he'd joined the pack there." Although mentioning his name brought a smile to her lips, it fell as she continued. "We talked about it and I told him I had your blessing to move to be with him. So... I've decided I'll be seeking entry into the ranks there."

Pied's lips pursed and she held her breath as she watched Hawkeye's face. Before the Alpha could even react, she added, "I know it's kind of sudden. I never anticipated any of this. But I'm falling for him. I really and truly am. And he wants a family. He wants a family with me."

Hawkeye stayed quiet, watching the river below. Her eyes rested on the rushing waters, made white from quick movement due to all of the rainfall lately. Soon, it would turn to snow. And soon, Pied would be gone.

The black wolf simply nodded at the female's words. Leto had gone, left without a word, and Pied had stepped up, even if Hawkeye was too stubborn to see that her friend did not desire a leadership position. Now her right hand wolf was leaving. Hawkeye had told her to go if needed, but she expected Pied to return with her suitor -- not have him take her away. Maybe Hawkeye had taken it for granted that Pied would always be there, but now she was leaving her and the pack.

Pied expected Hawkeye to be disappointed about losing her but happy for her friend's romantic success. Instead, the Alpha remained quiet, saying nothing at all. The piebald she-wolf felt disquieted by this lack of reaction. She waited a few moments, then whined under her breath, a questioning sound. She then found herself hunching downward, feeling again like a misbehaving child.

"I'm so sorry, Hawkeye." An offer to stay and forget about Kisu sprang into her mind but Pied couldn't bear to voice it. She couldn't do that at this point. "I wish there was a way you could come with me—you and the others... I wish we could all be one big, happy family," she murmured with a sigh.

After a few more beats of silence, the Delta ventured to speak again. "I'm going to stay around for a few days." She'd meant to set off directly, yet something told her she shouldn't rush off like that. Pied hoped Kisu would understand and be patient. "I want to say my goodbyes to everyone, give everything closure..."

"Do not apologize, Pied. I just hope that he would be the one joining you, but I did expect the possibility of you leaving the plateau." Hawkeye turned to look at Pied in the middle of her speaking. What would she do now without Pied to keep her company?

"I am glad that you have found a mate, but remember that you are special. Kisu may have been the one to win you, but I am sure others would have found you lovely, too." The black wolf spoke, addressing the bit earlier where Pied spoke about Kisu wanting a family with her, as if it wouldn't have been possible otherwise. A part of her still desired for her splotched friend to stay, but she said, "Now you can have that daughter that you dreamed about" while putting a smile upon her face. Then she added: "And I can always come visit you and discuss pack relations with Ahklut."

Finally, Hawkeye broke her silence, telling Pied not to apologize. She seemed disappointed about her friend's inevitable and unexpected departure, though she expressed genuine happiness for her newfound love. She reminded the piebald wolf of how special she was and spoke of the daughter Pied had dreamed about a few months ago. She finished by mentioning she'd visit. All the while, Pied found the smile on her face growing broader, heartened by her Alpha's selflessness.

"Thank-you, Hawkeye," Pied murmured, "for everything. You're a good friend. I hope we remain friends for a long time—forever," she amended mid-sentence. A though struck her then and she grinned a bit mischievously. "I'll just have to play matchmaker and convince Akhlut to win you over and drag you back to the ridge too. Then we can be one big, happy family." She meant it as a joke, yet Pied moved the idea onto the back burner in her mind, where it simmered...

"Will you howl with me, to announce the news to the members of the plateau? I want to tell them about Kisu and let them know of what's happening," Pied asked gently in the next moment, moving nearer to Hawkeye and thrusting her pale muzzle against the side of the large she-wolf's furry neck.

ooc: AGH, now I posted with Kisu! I need to check who I am using before posting! sheesh!

Hawkeye smiled at the prospect of having a mate herself, and possibly moving to the sea that Pied had mentioned. She smiled in response to the howling and let out a sorrowful howl, followed by a loud, joyous one. The midnight wolf would miss her friend dearly, but she knew she would visit and see her soon -- and meet this Kisu.

"You know, if he ever hurts you, I will snap his neck." Hawkeye chuckled, but she knew that her dappled friend would know the seriousness behind her words. "I wish you the best of luck, Pied, and I better have nieces and nephews soon." She nuzzled her friend for a little longer than necessary this time.

Haha, at least we can delete our own posts, right?! :)

Hawkeye started the howl, her deep voice carrying at first a sad note, then rising to a happier one. Pied joined in, sharing her own sadness to part ways with the members of the plateau, as well as her joy at finding a mate. She invited everyone to come visit her at the ridge. As her voice poured into the air like honey, Pied imagined each pack mate in turn: Vires, Zombie, even Cuan, the Omega.

When the howl ended, Pied and Hawkeye faced one another. The Delta switched her tail and laughed at Hawkeye's threat, then stilled in surprise at the mention of nieces and nephews. "You consider me your sister?" she questioned tentatively, the smile on her face betraying how she felt about this. "I've never had a sibling before," she shared, as hers had all died before she remembered.

ooc: I know, such a blessing

A small smirk appeared on the dark wolf's face. "Yes, so I better get some puppies to teach soon!" Hawkeye looked at Pied pointedly and then laughed. "I only had my brother when I was a pup, and he was two years older than I was. When I was younger, I was glad that I didn't have a sister; but now that I am older, I think having one would be nice. It will be easier to have a friendship now that you are leaving and no longer my subordinate. Akhlut better know your worth, Pied."

She paused a moment. "Speaking of Akhlut, I don't think he likes me much, so no chance of a mate there." She frowned. The large wolf wasn't that bad, and she wanted to have a family herself. Her birthday had been a couple of months back and she had turned two, and here Pied was, younger than she, and already with a kind and loving mate.

Hawkeye pointed out that the two of them could have a proper friendship without the hierarchy getting in the way. Pied already considered Hawkeye her friend and didn't think her companion's superiority affected their relationship negatively. She did suppose it would get rid of some pressure on both ends. It occurred to her that she wouldn't be bowing to Hawkeye beyond today, which was a strange notion, even though she'd only been her leader for the better part of a month.

Her earlier quip had been meant as a joke, at least for the most part, but Hawkeye made a remark about Akhlut that elicited a loud blink from Pied. "Why do you say that?" she queried. "Do you like him?" she also wondered, her white tail twitching side to side.

A snicker flew from Hawkeye's mouth. She thought of the male Alpha, the presence he proclaimed, and all other traits she could gather. "He has kind eyes..." she started, "but he does not seem aggressive enough in his role as Alpha. He is too compassionate. I need a mate who is willing to take charge and control of matters, not a fairy wolf. His ways are too different from mine." She settled on this, saddened by the fact that a prospective mate was crossed from the list. He just wasn't what she needed.

"I wonder, though, if Oracle could fit the mold. His element is fire as well, you know. Have you run into him yet, Pied?" Hawkeye asked the question mostly to hear what the white female had to say on the matter. Her input was something that she desired.

"You learned all of that from one meeting with him?" Pied asked lightly, laughing to show she didn't mean anything by it. All the same, she wondered how Hawkeye had arrived at some of those conclusions through a single one-on-one encounter with him. Of course, Pied didn't know any better and saw no reason to leap to his defense or anything of the sort, so she didn't press the issue.

"Oracle?" Pied questioned after a moment. "I've met him but I hardly know him," she said in way of answering the question. "Are you going boy-crazy, Hawkeye?" she poked fun, thinking it a sisterly thing to do.

Hawkeye nodded at Pied's first question. "The way he spoke and his body language showed everything. He may be different with enemies, but he just didn't show any promise. And, like I said, I don't think he likes me much anyway." She looked to the ground and sighed. Finding a mate would be hard. Pied hadn't been searching for one, and Kisu showed right up and whisked her away. She frowned slightly.

"I suppose I am focusing a little too much on finding a mate. It just feels like it is time; I am over two years now and an Alpha. It should be quite easy in those categories, but I am also a large wolf who does not desire a smaller male ...and I am a bit stubborn, I guess." She winced slightly, thinking of all the things that would make her unattractive to a prospective mate. The Alpha didn't blame Akhlut for not taking a liking to her.

Pied listened to Hawkeye's thoughts on the matter of mates, her pale head tilting. When the Alpha finished, she said, "Keep in mind that you have a small pool to work with too. Don't be too hard on yourself or lower your standards." The yearling shifted her weight and made a hmmm noise low in her throat. "I think matchmaking probably falls under my sisterly duties, so I will keep an eye out and send any eligible bachelors your way," she promised lightly.

Pied felt herself growing a little restless, despite the pleasant banter. She wanted to wrap up her loose ends here at the plateau, then make the trek to Horizon Ridge to be with Kisu. Yet she lingered, not wanting to part ways with Hawkeye so soon. This was their last meeting as pack mates and she didn't want to rush it, though she felt the meeting drawing naturally to a close in any case.

"I should start getting ready to make the move," Pied said after a few beats of silence. "I'm not going to leave this instant but there's things I need to do before I go. I'd like to find everyone and say goodbye personally if I can too," she mentioned. "I'll check in with you again before I head out. I'll be back to see you soon, sister," Pied finished, rubbing her nose against the side of Hawkeye's neck and lingering a moment before turning to depart into the forest.

Hawkeye watched Pied leave and sighed. Creating small-talk couldn't keep her there forever, she realized. The mottled female was the wolf that she had spent the most time with, and she would miss her. She thought of visiting soon as she overlooked the valley and let out a low howl.