Emberwood Build god, then we'll talk.

@Grezig

Summer was rearing its ugly head today, and Kavik did not appreciate it. The temperature never got this warm where he was from, and so he was devastatingly ill-prepared for it. In order to find some relief, he had sought out the stream that ran through the wooded area they were currently staying. Once there, he wasted no time walking into the water and lying down, content to stay there all day. 

It was quiet aside from the occasional sound of a bird or a small woodland creature scurrying across the soft forest floor. Still, he kept an ear out for danger as he let his mind wander through his current list of worries. Aside from his usual anxieties about their group's safety, he had started to consider their fast-approaching trek through the mountains. They had chosen that area to search for a new home, so it was clear that no one had any misconceptions about what that would entail, but he still worried about the journey. 

Well, it's not like there was anything worrying would do to fix it. They would just have to face whatever came as a united group. With that thought, he let out a long sigh and dipped his head in the water, bringing it back up seconds later and shaking the excess water from his face and ears.

Shitty phone post.

Grezig was hot, too. Her coat had been shedding steadily since the weather had warmed up but that didn’t mean she was entirely immune to to the heat. She probably did not feel it like some, though she certainly felt it more than, say, Liri, whose white coat reflected more sunlight. The heat was not what she was focusing on, however. She had taken a liking to this forest with its white-barked trees and was simply meandering through it when she came across Kavik. He was lying in a stream and seemed to be enjoying himself. She thought he had the right idea and stepped over to him. “Can I join you? It’s hot today.”

Kavik scented the female before he heard her approach. As she walked into water, he nodded a yes to her question before greeting her with, "Grezig, How are you today?" He was pleased with this wolf so far. She was capable and had helped them to recruit new members to the group. He didn't particularly like the ale she had recruited, but he didn't hold that against her. He realized he hadn't had a chance to check on everyone else in the group and made a mental note to do so as they continued their journey. 

He wondered if she had anything else she wanted to discuss since the addition of the other group members and some of the drama that had ensued. Shaking his head once more to dislodge some water that had settled in his ear, he looked to her and asked, "Have something you need to talk about?" If not, that was fine, too. He didn't mind her company. She was quiet as well and didn't usually require him to say much.

Kavik nodded when she asked if she could lay in the water with him and Grezig dipped her head in thanks. She found a spot a sufficient distance away and then fell back into the water with an undignified splash. She sighed contentedly, though it was a quiet breath through her nose and nothing more. For a few moments they lay in the water quietly, for which she was grateful. She and Kavik seemed to have a kind of silent companionship that she enjoyed. So many wolves wanted to talk to her all the time. So when he asked how she was, she merely grunted and said, “Fine.” Probably, it came across as rude and curt, but it was simply the way she spoke.

There was silence again. She closed her eyes…

’Have something you need to talk about?’ Kavik asked.

Grezig kept her eyes closed and almost said no… but then she remembered the incident with Thorleif. She hadn’t gotten a chance yet to apologize to Kavik, or to Liri. She’d have to seek the female out later. “Yes,” she replied, sitting up a little more and looking at him. Dipping her head, she continued: “Please forgive me for that idiot I brought back to be recruited. Thorleif. Had I known he was going to be so stupid, and throw rocks at Liri, I would have avoided him like the plague.” She looked towards the forest, where she knew the others were, as if she were trying to pin the wolf in question with her eyes. “I will be keeping an eye on him to make sure he does not cause trouble. And if he does, I will personally chase him off.” She continued staring out into the distance, and shook her head. “Perhaps I should find something better to do with my time than recruiting. Clearly I have no eye for it.”

The mention of Thorleif brought a scowl to his face. He had ignored the male as much as he could after the incident. Kavik knew he couldn't do that for much longer; at some point, he would have to act as a leader and be civil with the male regardless of his feelings. 

"We don't blame you for his mistakes. There's no way anyone could have predicted something like that." Kavik offered with a shake of his head. When Grezig stated that she would be keeping an eye on her recruit and would personally get rid of him if he caused further trouble, Kavik gave a bow of acceptance. Although, if he hurt Liri or put her in a situation to get hurt again, Kavik would take care of Thorleif himself. His healer was a sensitive area for him, and he had no tolerance for her being in harm's way.

At her last statement, Kavik shrugged a little. "Don't worry about," he offered lightly. "We're glad for the help anyway." 

Grezig nodded at Kavik’s words. He did not blame her. For that she was grateful, but she still felt bad about the whole thing. She said nothing for a time, content that she had said her piece and apologized. She would still have to go find Liri later, but for now, she was good to just lay in the water and possibly nap. It was strange for her to be so inactive during the day, but right now, there was nothing for them to do. There was only so many times she could patrol the outskirts of Emberwood, go hunting for small animals, and generally help out. 

After a while in companionable silence, a new thought came to Grezig. She sat up a bit more and said, “I never asked about what kind of pack you and Liri intend to make. What are our values? Who can have pups? Just the Alphas? Things like that.” Grezig would follow them no matter what—unless there was something insane that they planned on doing, like sacrificing their members to some kind of Blood God. But she had to admit that she was curious.

They were both silent for a little bit, enjoying the cool reprieve from the heat. When Grezig finally spoke, it was to inquire about his and Liri's plans for their pack. "Well, we want there to be a sense of community and family always. When there is an important decision to be made, we want to have a gathering to discuss it as a pack." This was one of their most important values as they both felt strongly that all members deserved a voice in the pack.

"As for having pups, we only ask that pack members ask our permission first to ensure there is room," he added with a shrug. They didn't want to horde all the breeding rights. They both understood the want to have children with the one you love. Her question made Kavik imagine a future where he and Liri had pups, and he smiled to himself. 

He thought for a moment about anything else that might be important for Grezig to know. "We are mostly interested in how much the members contribute to the pack. That will determine rank for the most part unless one wishes to challenge the wolf above them for their rank." That was pretty much the gist of their goals for the pack, Kavik thought; At least, the important ones anyway.

Have a novel. Oops.

Grezig remained silent until she was certain that Kavik was finished speaking, ears pushed forward on her head to show that she was listening. So this pack would be… more of a democracy. That was interesting. Grezig’s natal pack had been more autocratic. Well… her dam and sire had had almost equal say, though a bit more emphasis had been placed on her father, with her mother mostly just backing up whatever he had said. Some wolves, Grezig knew, would wilt in that kind of environment, or demand more say in decisions. Grezig had thrived. Someone else had been in charge and all she had to do was follow orders. Her sire had been… not exactly kind, but not cruel, either, and his even-handedness had kept the pack peaceful. She had left not because of some dispute with her parents but more because she had reached sexual maturity and one day wanted pups of her own. It would be easier to do this outside of the commandment of her parents. She had left with their blessing.

Speaking of pups, she was surprised that Kavik and Liri seemed so open to the idea of others having pups besides them. Having grown up with parents like hers, it was an idea that was foreign to her, though she was grateful for it. These two seemed more even-handed than her own parents and were teaching her that one did not necessarily have to rule with an iron paw, though being firm was still important. Grezig thought that finding this group had probably been good for her. She found herself opening up more, speaking more, and finding genuine meaning in conversation. That being said, she still often bottled up her emotions. Feelings could get in the way of judgment, and even if she now found emotions more important than before, she believed that her brain was better at making decisions than her heart.

“Your pack is… different than the one I grew up in,” she offered finally. “You and Liri seem more open and willing to bend or change rules based on the needs of the entire pack. My sire probably would not like you.” A small smile graced her lips for a moment, and then vanished as if it had never been there in the first place. “About rank challenges… Are we allowed to deny them, or do we have to accept them? Are they decided by a spar? And afterwards, is there a grace period? For example, if I was a higher rank than Elixir, and she challenged me and we sparred. No matter who won, would we be immune from another challenge for a length of time?”

<3

Kavik shrugged at her first comment. He knew their idea of running things was a little unorthodox for a wolf pack, but they felt strongly that all pack members deserved a voice. Why shouldn't they? We all had to live together and follow the same rules, so it makes sense that everyone should have a say. 

"We don't have all the details sorted out for rank challenges yet. What we have discussed is that they will be allowed once a month and done by sparring, and a member is only allowed to challenge for the rank directly above them. As for the immunity, I'm not sure. It honestly sounds like a good idea to me, but maybe we could open it up for discussion." That would give them a chance to use their democratic system and see how it worked.

Heads up: Grezig does not understand religion at all and sort of thinks that anyone religious is slow in the head. IC ≠ OOC.

Grezig nodded silently at Kavik’s musings about rank challenges. “Allowing them only once a month seems like a good amount of immunity as it is. If someone can only challenge for the rank directly above them, once a month, then that in itself prevents abuse of the system.” She fell silent again, thinking about things. Liri and Kavik seemed to have put a lot of thought into how they would run their pack, and this put Grezig at ease. “I am glad I joined you,” she said. Her voice was as neutral as ever, but the words were genuine all the same. “You and Liri seem competent and fair, which is important for the long-term stability of any pack.” Grezig complements were never handed out lightly, so this was a huge thing she had done, telling Kavik something like this. He might not realize it, but that was all right.

Now for the questions about things she didn’t quite enjoy. “Are you or Liri religious at all?” She tried to keep the scorn from her voice, in case they were, but didn’t quite manage it. Religion made absolutely no sense to Grezig, and putting any kind of strange, god-worshiping bullshit into a pack always made her leery. She believed that religion should be a private thing, not shared, and that no one should ever attempt to convert anyone else unless that other person asked about it first. But her alphas seemed intelligent wolves, above the bizarre ideas about magical beings floating in the sky somewhere. She hoped she was right.

Kavik nodded in agreement to Grezig's statement on the rules for rank challenges. When she went on to express her feelings about joining them, Kavik gave a small smile. "I'm glad to have you, Grezig," he replied. It was becoming clear that this female would an important part of their pack, and Kavik hoped she would stick around.

He shrugged at her compliment. "I'm glad you think so. We just want things to be fair for everyone and for all members to feel valued." So far, it seemed like they would be able to achieve that goal with the rules they had set up, but he wouldn't know for sure until they were all settled and had a territory; he assumed there would be some growing pains at first, but that was to be expected. 

He thought about her last question for a minute before shaking his head. "I'm certainly not religious, and as far as I know, neither is Liri." At least she had never said anything to lead him to believe that she was. He definitely didn't believe in imaginary gods; Kavik believed what he saw with his own eyes and didn't trust anything else. He furrowed his brow in curiosity and asked, "Why do you ask?" Hopefully, she didn't want to add some religious aspect to the pack structure.

Grezig bowed her head at Kavik’s compliment. If he was glad to have her, then that was all that mattered, she supposed. This concept of everyone having a fair say might take time for her to get used to, seeing as how in her natal pack, the only voices who had mattered had been her parents. It was a concept she was looking forward to—everyone having a hand in making decisions. Grezig allowed a tiny smile to grace her lips before it disappeared. She was really liking what she heard so far. But… she focused on Kavik’s words again as he confirmed that neither he nor Liri were religious.

’Why do you ask?’

“Religion is a personal thing, and I think it has no business being integrated into a pack unless all members wholeheartedly agree. I was making sure I would not be thrown off later by a strange ritual or something. Not that I… think you would do something like that.” An awkward pause. Talk of religion or spirituality always made Grezig feel… strange and out of place. She cleared her throat. “Thank you for the information.”

Kavik chuckled a little at her statement. "No weird rituals. Promise." Laughing was something he usually only did around his mate, but he couldn't help it; the thought of he and Liri performing some weird religious ritual was comical. 

Grezig thanked him, and he gave her a nod in response. She was quickly becoming a friend and someone he could trust. Trust was something he valued, especially right now when all of their lives were so uncertain. He didn't really say much else, just enjoyed the cool water and the relief it gave him from the summer heat.

Grezig gave a small grunt at Kavik’s words and then joined him in blessed silence, her curiosity sated for now. If she thought of more, she would ask him later, on a day when it was less hot and water not so calming. She hauled herself up on the bank a little more, lay her head in the mud and fell asleep.

[Exit.]