Dragoncrest Cliffs In the Curve of Old Bones

Masquerade couldn’t help but wonder if it was Avicus’s death or its aftermath that had driven some of the dead Wealda’s youngest litter to the fringes. Her latest conversation with Redd also preyed on her mind. She caught herself wondering what the rise would look like if she’d ended up as Wealda instead.

She needed to clear her mind of such fraught thoughts. Masque headed to the rise’s northern face today, dropping down its far slope into The Tangle over yonder. She found some scat and began tracking the wild pigs that roamed the area, though the trail was cut short by a ribbon of frozen water wending through the rugged landscape.

The Caru abruptly remembered Mulherin’s mention of another pack living in the willow woods west of Redtail Rise. But they had a much older neighbor, she knew. And an ally? she thought, long tail twitching as she pondered the merits of checking in with the coastal wolves. Masquerade considered herself diplomatic within the confines of her own hierarchy; she was less confident in her ambassadorial skills.

Nevertheless, she picked her way across the stream and headed toward the cliffs. She stayed well outside Sapphique’s claim, venturing just close enough that her voice might carry. Masquerade howled, then fell back. She idly wondered if Maleah had received her payment all those months ago.

chani had a problem: she did not know what she wanted to be. 
she came from bards and warriors and pirates, from guardians and warriors and medics, from those skilled to those just learning.
but chani had little head for medicines and even less for fighting. there was no reason to fight, not with how powerful sapphique was. and the girl was not bored only — restless.
her auntie had gone out. her auntie had come back, a bit roughed up but glowing.
these were some of the things she did not understand.
a howl at the borders brought the leggy seapup into view. she knew the scent from her time with mulherin, and approached with a friendly wave of her tail. "i be chani. are you here for chacal or mireille?"

The young woman who approached wasn’t much older than her younger siblings, her palette bringing to mind wet sand. Masquerade supposed that was fitting. She didn’t hesitate to submit to her, ears splaying and tail hanging limp at her heels.

Hello, Chani. My name is Masque, the Caru greeted, pausing to consider the question. I’m not here to see anyone in particular. I’m from Redtail Rise to the southeast of here. I believe my mother, Avicus, considered our packs allied or, at the very least, on friendly terms.

On second thought, perhaps she should request to speak directly to leadership. Surely if Chani knew anything about these matters, she was still too young to dabble in them. There was no reason she couldn’t pass along a message, Masque supposed, though she would leave that decision up to Chani.

I wanted to inform your pack of Avicus’s death and the resulting change in leadership. Do you think you could pass this news along to your leaders?

masque was formal, and chani straightened at the gravity she perceived in the words the redtail wolf spoke. idly she wondered what it took to be a leader at the rise, sensing that masque was one of those as well. chani considered next that maybe she was in line for it, though the girl suspected her sister suzu would be the first pick for any of that.
focus, focus!
her mom had died — this visibly blanched chani, whose immediate first thought was of chacal! of maman! she could not imagine it, and so her usual empathy went out to someone she saw as a fellow female and grieving soul.
"oui. i will tell dem. an' — i am so sorry, masque. i am told dat it does not matter how old you are; losin' a mot'er be a hard t'ing." the bloodstone eyes shone with support.

Thank you, Chani, Masquerade said rather automatically.

She paused. Losing Avicus had been a difficult blow, though her death had been overshadowed by the subsequent unrest in the pack and its hierarchy. It felt as though much of that had finally settled into peace, though Masquerade felt a great melancholy settle on her shoulders. Whether she or Redd held the title of Wealda, she realized it would never be the same without Avicus. Nobody could hold a candle to her flame.

Nudging those thoughts aside, Masque inquired, How are things here in Sapphique?

"t'ings be good. two of de little ones went missin', but dey came back. we hunted on de plains wid a bunch of de ot'er packs, from the great bear. ah, my uncle, val, he became aventurine. a leader wid my auntie an' my mot'er. an' now my auntie says we are waiting for new babies."
much lighter news. much better news; she hoped masquerade would not feel bad or overshadowed.

By all accounts, it sounded like the seaside pack was doing very well for itself. Even the little ones which had ventured off had come home, safe and sound. Like the rise, Sapphique had seen a shift in its leadership ranks, albeit theirs sounded far more positive. And, of course, there were new pups to come.

Sapphique is thriving. I’m glad to hear it, Masque observed with a wave of her long tail. The rise is doing as well as it can, in the circumstances. We’re also looking forward to a couple litters this season. Our hunt leader’s mate is already expecting. My sister and I hope to have litters later on.

Did Redd plan to breed too? Masquerade had treated it like a foregone conclusion that her sister would find a mate—or perhaps several bachelors, like their mother—and bear a litter. Although the Caru considered herself less primal in some ways, the idea of a Wealda who didn’t defend her claim via pups didn’t quite compute.

She set aside that thought, though it reminded her to mention, My sister, Redd, has taken our mother’s title. I serve as the pack’s Caru, its caregiver, and I consider myself second-in-command alongside the aforementioned Ulfhedinn. Remind me of your mother’s and aunt’s names and titles?

whoa; but chani stood tall beneath the new names and the shifts in rank, understanding that these were important changes. "my maman @Chacal be our tanzanite. my auntie mireille be obsidian. an' my uncle @Val be de newest leader, he is de aventurine."
she sorted back through the expected pups the rise leader had listed. one day, she wondered if she would be in that number. "my sister suzu, she could have been a mama dis year. but she chose not." chani was thoughtful. "i will tell dem what you have said. do — you — need anyt'ing?" the girl asked softly, eyeing masquerade in new consideration of the rank the other wolf held.

She carefully filed the names and ranks Chani offered. When the young girl offered a tidbit about her sister, Suzu, Masque’s head tilted. It sounded like they might have been kindred spirits, before Avicus’s death had changed everything, including the Caru’s every schema.

No, thank you. I just wanted to exchange some news, Masquerade replied, long tail swaying as if to say, Mission accomplished. I should head back to the rise. It was nice speaking with you, Chani. Take care.