baby one more time

For Hawkeye as requested! Left it pretty ambiguous on how soon after the pack meeting she'd want to see him.

He had been told to meet her shortly after the closing ceremonies of the pack meeting. The spot for their encounter was to be determined by him, though he'd been reminded to keep convenience in mind, and so he found himself at the edge of the watering hole where they'd spoken with one another at their last reunion on pack lands. Hawkeye's eyes had seemed tremulous with her invitation...or perhaps he'd looked too deeply into the matter. Ariston was of course concerned by the entire matter; why had she suddenly decided to solicit him specifically?

Pale flanks folded and permitted him rest on the crest of the sloping bank. The prose of lapping waters, skimmed by wintery winds, fringed the many thoughts that drained into the forefront of his mind...sunlit eyes gazing passively across the narrow pond and on toward the fog-hazed peaks of the mountains at the far reaches of the land's boundary. He waited without beckoning her, without harking for her compliance, so that she would be given adequate time to conclude important matters with Peregrine and seek his council when she felt more than ready to do so.

As a competent alpha she'd know where to find him.

set by Emy

Hawkeye knew right where Ariston would be, for there was no other location that had popped into her mind besides the watering hole he had shown her.

Pulling up on her trot, she gave a quiet "Ariston" with a nod. "There is plenty to talk about, and I'm sure you're curious as to what. I noticed your reaction to my words at the pack meet and you have no worries; I did not mean you, but another who questioned my leadership."

The Alpha paused a beat, then switched gears. "I think you would make an excellent counselor and caretaker — it would be great for you to teach my pups some things. You have a more joyous personality than I do, but perhaps things will change with motherhood." The words ended on a light note, and Hawkeye settled on her haunches to await Ariston's reply.

His concern of the banishment matter had not been placed with Hawkeye but rather her significant other. Still he relinquished a part of his doubt and gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. Surely, if Peregrine was the kind to take advantage of his newly acquired position, then the alpha female would be gracious enough to holster his executive decisions. Then again Ax recognized he might have interpreted the leader's personality all wrong. Perhaps he and Peregrine were simply meant to have disagreeing thoughts...and would still manage a tentative friendship regardless.

A smile graces his maw as Hawkeye both permitted and praised his ambitions though it was dampened by the slight negativity she directed back at herself. "I would love to care for them as a part of this pack," he said lightly, "though my joyousness will pale in comparison to how you will feel when that brood is born to you." Hawkeye was brash and temperamental at times but he felt motherhood would bring a pleasantly surprising change to her demeanor...at least in private. He was confident that she would excel at motherhood.

set by Emy

She connected her eyes with his. "Thank you, Ariston... that truly means a lot to me. I just worry sometimes if I would raise them the right way. I guess I can always lean on my future Caregiver if I need any advice." She felt confident in her words, and in the choices Ariston had made for his co-ranks.

"As for what happened in the forest.. with those wolves. I know you probably think me a fool" a small, weak smile touched her lips as her eyes floated toward the ground "but things were always done differently back home. I do not like submitting to other wolves. After you left, I got back up to leave and they came after me. I will not say or not say that I deserve it; how is ignorance to be treated? Harshly? That does not teach or allow someone to learn. I will not perform what happened again, and part of me resents my parents for doing things so differently." Green orbs raised to meet golden ones. "Where I come from, anyone can freely enter another's territory. We were similar to what you would call 'gypsies'. I know some question whether I should lead, but I care about my wolves and nothing would change that. I would lay my life on the line for any of you."

Completing her partial soliloquy (as if explaining out loud to herself about her past would help), Hawkeye took a deep breath and slowly released it.

The subject she touched on was a sensitive one that they'd both been avoiding for an admirable length of time. He listened to her, minding to be perfectly fair, though when she finished he found that his opinion of the matter remained unchanged. Ariston was a wolf born and raised in the traditional way; he had difficulty imagining a freeform lifestyle similar to Hawkeye's childhood.

He permitted her to gather her wits with the meditative release of breath. "Not a fool," he started with a dismissive shake of his head. "But I definitely felt that you'd made a mistake. You paid your price and learned from it. Fools never learn." He smiled then and looked across the watering hole. "I remained a part of this pack despite your mistake because I have faith in your dedication. Backgrounds, no matter how odd they seem to others, only sway my opinion of leadership when there is a continued negative effect." It was his roundabout way of both forgiving her of what had happened and reassuring her that it did not have a lingering effect between them.

set by Emy

Here, an opinion was welcomed, rather than shunned, like with Crete. Ariston spoke gently, and critiqued rather than criticized, though his words still made her chest ache and her emotion into a sad one.

"I appreciate your words of honesty, Ariston. I am a new leader, but I will not be naive in thinking I know everything and that I am a perfect ruler. I intend to grow as much as possible, and to take all of you with me on that journey, making our bonds stronger until they are unbreakable." She felt as if she could trust this male with her pups with everything in her.