Bearclaw Valley Pining

Laid upon her side, Milan stared at the empty space in front of her with an expression the could only be described as longing. She dearly missed @Frederick, yet she knew well that they both had their own responsibilities to attend to.

It felt like her own dramatic, forbidden romance, but it was not nearly as fun as the movies. She wished to see him in the moment, to run towards the creek howling and calling for the man, but such actions would be selfish.

Releasing her breath in a gentle sign, she placed her head upon the ground. What was she to do?

Ameline had been meaning to check in on Milana, and when she found her, there was a wanting gaze on her face. Hmmm. I know that look, She said as she approached, circling twice before she settled down alongside Milana, hoping she would accept the company. 

My girlth look like thith when they either want thomethin’ or they wanna go thomewhere. She explained. What ith it for you? The woman had done them all a favour by keeping the valley safe while they were gone; she felt she owed the woman her time.

Lost in her thoughts, she found herself pulled back to reality by Ameline. "Ah, no. I was thinking about a friend is all." She responded with a shake of her head. For a moment she wondered if he may be thinking of her too.

It was only fair to feel a bit tense around the woman. After all, she was their leader. The Regina, she had been told. Milan did not wish to bother her with her feeble issues.

"There's no need to trouble yourself."

Tho I wath right, She chuckled. Milan was, after all, wanting something- missing someone. She’d been on her own when Ameline had found her, but she wondered now if guarding the valley had kept her from finding someone she’d lost. In this case, it was a friend.

She scoffed at the implication that a mere conversation would be trouble. Nah, girl, thpill! She prompted. Ut’ll be good for you. And me; to have another woman to chat with, She said.

She considered for a moment longer, eyes to the ground, before she sighed. She really had been dying to discuss him with someone.

"While you and your family were away, I met a man." At the very mention, her tail began to sway. "But you see he's joined those wolves by the creek for the time being, and so we have not been able to see much of each other."

For a moment her brow furrowed. It was a truly frustrating situation. They both had responsibilities to attend to - such things could not be left behind so easily.

Oh? She’d met a man. Ameline was impressed; Milana had managed not only to hold down the fort at the Valley but had also caught someone’s eye; this girl was not to be underestimated! 

She missed him- the unfortunate repercussion of becoming attached to someone who lived elsewhere. Swiftcurrent wasn’t far away but in being the only Bearclaw wolf around for some time, she wouldn’t have been as free to go and visit. 

Well sure, girl- go thee him if you want! Shoot, you held thith plathe down while we were away, you detherve a vacation, She said with a chuckle. We’re on good termth with Thwiftcurrent. Ehhh, their alpha’th a bit thtiff, I find, but they’re good people. They were practically allies, at this point. What’th he like? She prompted, kneading her paws eagerly.

She found herself rather excited - glad that Ameline was willing to let her visit the man. "Oh! Well maybe I should then." She smiled, her tail thumping against the ground.

"Oh, he's just so sweet.. like no other man I've met before." She sighed, shaking her head. Maybe it was common decency, or maybe Frederick truly was different - but either way his behaviour was new to her. "The men in my natal pack were all so gruff and rude, but Frederick treats me well. He cares."

It had given her a new sense of pride, a chance to build her confidence. He built her up rather than knocking her down.

Ameline smiled faintly, her tail stirring at her side. Milana's mood certainly seemed to lift, knowing that she would be free to take a trip and meet the man she clearly cared about. From what she could gather, his mannerisms were a welcome relief, compared to the men she had known before. 

Hmm, She said, thoughtfully. You should bring him here; it'd be good to meet him, She suggested. Of course, she preferred that Milana remained in the Valley with her pack- but if Frederick was of a good nature, it might suit them well to take him in too, providing Swiftcurrent would allow him to depart peacefully.

The suggestion came as a surprise, but it was not one that Milan had to consider. Alright, sure. I'll call him over as soon as I can. It would be exciting, a chance for her two worlds to collide!

She looked to her paws, a small smile on her muzzle as she thought of this. Milan dreamed of the day the he would join her, waited as patiently as she could. She wished to have him to herself.

I'm talking about myself quite a bit. She decided with the smallest of laughs. How have things been for you since returning to the valley?

Her bluebell eyes lit up at the invitation. Ameline smiled pleasantly, glancing over to see how Milan seemed to pause for a moment, smiling down at her own paws. It was amusing to know that Milan had been drawn into a sweeping romance, so soon after finding a home. Heaven help the man should he ever betray her, and put tears in those blue eyes. 

Good, She said, with a nod and a relieved sigh. It'th been real good havin new memberth joinin' uth. Who'd a thunk, we go away to thome big pack hunt, an' come back with a pack," She marvelled at their good fortune. It'th a thtruggle, foundin' a pack, She admitted. Ethpecially when yuh hafta rely completely on meetin' the right kind of thtrangerth to grow your pack with. We've met the wrong kind, sure- mothtly wolveth that dethert the pack, or are wanted by thomeone elthe, tho...We try to give everyone a chanthe, but not all of 'em thtay, not all of 'em work out. I think with who we've got now, though, we thtand a pretty good chanthe. She admitted. Her brow lifted a moment later, surprised that she'd said so much about the struggles. She chuckled; Milan seemed a safe wolf- and an easy one- to talk to. 

I think we alwayth thought we wuh jutht gonna thuctheed right away, be total badatheth, form a mega-popular pack but...If I've learned anythin', it'th that thomethin truly good taketh time.

She listened with clear care as Ameline spoke. Sitting up, she tucked her front paws underneath her. It was unfortunate to hear that Bearclaw had struggled in the past.

Well let's see.. She took a moment, quietly counting to herself. You have about seven members now. That's quite a good start, I'd say.

She nodded, as though agreeing with her own statement. Bearclaw is a pack that I hope to see thrive, truly. You're good wolves with family values, I'm sure other's will be interested in that - particularly in the upcoming months. She paused, ears perking. Ah - and puppies! I'm sure we'll have some of those this year, hm?

She smiled at the thought. How exciting that would be!

The pack had been given a fresh start, thanks to the few newcomers they'd picked up recently. She nodded, a faint smile on her lips. It felt too soon to decree that they were thriving. Many wolves had joined the pack only to leave, sometimes without warning- so she knew not to count her chickens before they hatched. But Milan, at least, seemed optimistic. 

It would be much easier to raise children as well, if they had help. I'm thinkin tho, yeah, She said with a grin. I'd love to thee the valley full of li'l Bearclaw kidth. She said, with a light chuckle. You theem like the kind who liketh kidth, huh? Easy to guess, with the smile that came to her face when she brought them up.

She nodded to Ameline's question. I do. I was a pupsitter in my natal pack. Though of course, there was little else available to her. If all goes well, I hope to have some of my own this year.

But only if things went her way. Milan did not wish to raise children without a father, or worse, a father who refused to assist her. Her aunt and her mother had faced such fates, and she did not wish such a thing upon herself.

How about yourself and Ancelin? Will you have another litter?

Milan was ambitious; while it would be the first year having another woman in the pack who might conceive a litter, she and Ancelin had not talked extensively about breeding rights. They would need to do what was best for the children- be mindful of how many litters there were so that they were taken care of properly, but…She also wanted to see their numbers soar. 

Oh yeah, I imagine, She said. After all, they wanted toe Bearclaw legacy to grow. But so Milan might not feel left out, she continued. But it might be nithe for our kidth to have another batch of kidth to grow up with thith year. She wasn’t exactly granting permission, but making it known that she was open to the idea.

Breeding was free in her birth pack, so breeding rights were not something she considered. For her it was something she truly wanted, and if she could not have it in Bearclaw she would find it elsewhere.

Wouldn't it? Quite a few mouths to feed though. She hummed, If Frederick joins us as planned I'm sure it won't be an issue. He's quite the hunter. She noted the deer he had caught - on his own too.

Yeah. But a few mouth'th thith year meanth more to hunt nextht year. Tho it goeth, She said. After all, her daughters had begun to really hone their skills- she would see that they helped out with the hunting while she tended to next year's litter, though she had the feeling they might become jealous over having to share their parents' attention with another brood of youngsters. 

That'th good. We'll need thome good hunterth for the winter. Tho with every rank, we'd like to have a leader, or a 'hed' ath we call 'em. She explained. We'd like to have a thlew of wolveth to be hunterth, led by a Hedhunter, a thtring of guardianth led by a Hedguard, tho on an' tho forth. Thame goeth for thcout-th, puppythitterth, advithorth, medicth. Might take a while to find enough wolveth to flesh out thothe rankth, but, She said with a chuckle, I'm happy to exthpand the pack until we have everythin' we need.

She nodded, a smile resting on her face. Soon. I'm confident in that.

Bearclaw was a good pack of good wolves. It would grow with time, so long as they continued to recruit the right members. Milan could only hope that their peace would last.

Fade here?