Phoenix Maplewood Rain or shine, snow or sleet.

Saena plunged on ahead with the conversation, and Tavi was pleased to hear it wasn't about her pups or poops or anything particularly personal. It did surprise her to hear the Alpha speak of Ukko -- even as a vagary, the boy made her jaw clench and her stomach flip and flop -- but then, swift as the thought passed through her mind, she realized what Saena was getting at. Mentally Tavi was backpedaling, and hard. It had never been her intention of getting this far with the pack. She hadn't planned on joining any packs except for the one her brother might be in, granted she could find Lex. This was all Ukko's fault, she thought, although there was a lot less bitterness within her, suddenly. Ukko was gone. He was gone. That was something Tavi had not come to terms with entirely; yet now that she stood before Saena, she realized that nothing was keeping her here but her own willpower. Ukko left, and she could've followed. But she didn't.

I.. she began, but the sound of her voice cut out abruptly, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. Tavi knew she could replace Ukko and do a better job. Right now, anyone could do a better job than him just by virtue of being present. On that, the two ladies were in agreement. Maybe, she drawled, noncommittal. Tavi still believed she wasn't really worthy of a rank of that caliber. The most she'd ever been was gamma and that was in her home pack, on her own turf and surrounded by family. It wasn't something she'd ever earned, and this... This didn't seem like something she'd tried to get. I'm sorry, I'm just surprised. That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't entirely true either; Reek had approached her with a similar line of conversation and she'd dodged it by mentioning Desna.

I totally thought that I had more time. I was going to help Desna get her skills up to snuff, and hoped you'd uh, choose her. That was the first time she'd been one-hundred-percent honest with Saena, like, ever. Aside from talking about birds. But I'll do it, if you think I can do it. Because right now Tavi doubted herself too much, and she needed someone to back her up.