Duck Lake ; i guess i'm not like you

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Goose listened intently, genuinely interested in what this new acquaintance had to say, forgetting about her meal almost entirely. It had been so long since they'd had a civil conversation with another wolf that was talking just for the sake of it, and not with any planned ulterior motives or attempting to explain themselves out of a bad situation. This sense of inner peace was one that the dove didn't realise she had been missing, despite the fact that she was usually such a nervous wreck of an introvert when it came upon the subject of being socially involved. Maybe this surprise encounter — that seemed to be going quite well — allowed her to let her guard down just a little bit. There was a possibility that such an action would turn out to be a mistake that she would pay for in the future, but she was mentally strained from being on high alert all the time. She just couldn't help herself when the male offered his sympathies towards their plight; she was a sucker for kindness, or more likely, approval. She muttered a soft thank you under her breath whilst he continued to muse about his pack and it's leaders.

Oath didn't seem to agree, and this caught the dove off guard whilst she had been busy in the midst of her own thoughts. Goose noticed right away when lithe muscles at her side became tensed and hair raised from its place ever-so-slightly. She turned her head, an instinctive reflex in response to one certain riled-up russet, eyes locked on hers as she gave her 'the look'. It was never one that aired any signs of being condescending or scolding, but simply just a non-verbal reassurance. I'm here for you. We're okay. You're okay.

The dove was still unsure on what Oath was thinking which rarely happened, and she rolled back over their conversation and what the brute had said that had upset the russet, all the while feeling irrationally guilty at not understanding what could have internally set her off. Was it the accent? The female could argue that black was white when it came to her insisting she understood what someone was saying, even when Goose knew she absolutely could not. Most of the time it was hilarious to watch, but at other times it caused some serious misunderstanding, and the wraith was afraid this was one of them. Despite the quiet conflict the smaller's brain seemed to be going through, the pale studied her cautiously as she settled lower into the ground and continued to talk, her tone eerily balanced and nonchalant. As Oath snarked about Easthollow and consequently snickered to herself, Goose would chime in afterwards with a further explanation as to try and not alienate Benedict from the conversation, where as the smaller female was obviously not too concerned. They would often balance out their conversations this way, which many strangers might find peculiar. "They called themselves the Patriarch and the Matriarch, they didn't go by usual titles that you and I might be used to. It just didn't seem to be a good match, that's all." The dove explained, head cocked pensively.

But Oath's next words where to be ones that Goose definitely didn't think she could flesh out or spin into a more positive light, and she found her ears flattening slightly as the russet's tone progressed to one that was near confrontational and accusatory. It was not often she disagreed with Oath's course of action, but this line of questioning against the baron — that the dove had already mentally concluded to be pleasant — caused nerves to twist and turn in the pit of her stomach whilst frightened mahogany eyes assessed what could potentially become an escalated situation. "Oath... she murmured to the russet, admittedly unsure of what simply saying her name could possibly do to defuse the ticking time bomb at her side, but regardless it felt necessary to address her. Perhaps it would be enough to signal the smaller to pull back her roll just a little, or it would go the opposite way if she figured Goose was trying to question her motives or censor her, even though that would never be her intention. Goose found Oath could be a little unpredictable when in this frame of mind, but it was nothing compared to how unpredictable this stranger may turn out to be if he switched to find the russet a threat.

Even if the dove felt horrible for doing it and it truly caused her pain, she would always sacrifice Oath's trust and respect in her if it meant guaranteeing her safety and physical well-being. Every time.

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WOW OKAY sorry this is so long and angsty goose is such an over thinker sry benedict for having to put up with them sobs
they'll be much shorter from now on!