Arrow Lake melusine

She watched him enter and set the hare at her feet before inspecting their still-sleeping children, eyes searching his body language and finding tension despite his obvious contentment to be here with their family. She knew the father of her children well enough by now to know when worry hovered beneath the surface of his stoic facade. Concern kept her from tearing into the meal right away and instead, she studied him thoughtfully as he came to sit at her shoulder. He didn't wait long to spill the source of his anxiety, something for which she was grateful, and she listened quietly as he divulged some of the pack politics she had obviously missed while confined to the den, caring for their young children. For a second, she felt mildly irritated that neither he nor Mahler had filled her in on this obvious source of conflict; she was still the same Taki, even if she was now also a mother. But ultimately, she understood they meant well, and it wasn't exactly like she had asked about pack business at any point either.

She silently considered his words at first, trying to decide how she felt about the situation. Obviously, her first instinct was to be stubborn; she didn't particularly care that the rest of Diaspora thought collecting allies was more appealing than ruling over the mountains without exception. Had that not been the very principle the pack was founded on? His promise for which she offered her closely-guarded loyalty? Still, she could understand his dilemma; she had lead a pack once, and she understood the need to respect the wishes of the majority. But part of being a leader was making tough decisions, even when it went against what everybody else thought was best. Is that not what separates the leaders from everyone else? They are intelligent enough to see what others cannot and tenacious enough to act on it even in the face of contention. It was not always a very fun position to be in and of course, you had to be wise enough to know when to push and when to yield. You couldn't exactly earn the respect of a pack if you discounted their opinions at every turn. 

What potential allies are we considering? she asked first, wanting to be well-informed before forming a complete opinion. He had come to her for a reason, and she wanted to be sure she offered her support while also helping him to better weigh all the options here. A war with another pack might cost them more than just some of their members; there were children to protect now, most importantly her own future warriors. But the four lives currently sleeping at her chest were also what made her hesitate to just accept the path of least resistance. They deserved the entirety of the mountains and more, and it was hard for her to see past her unyielding, motherly need to give everything to provide them with what they deserved.