Redtail Rise i am sometimes more doubt than man

Others welcome to hop in whenever, for now I'll assume all from the meeting are present!

The greatest test would be Avicus and Arielle together.

To his knowledge, his sister and mate had never met. Aventus turned his head to regard Arielle with a long and somewhat grave silence. He knew that to be a female of the species was difficult, and to be pregnant meeting a female leader was surely nerve-wracking. There was no telling how Avicus would treat his mate. He had to trust that she would respect that the pups Arielle carried were his, and hoped that influence alone would protect her from harassment.

When he looked back around, he spotted the sentry observing them from far off. Augur was a light blip on the verdant mountainside, still and watchful, as any good sentry should be. Aventus lowered his head a little and looked away, trying to ignore the way his mouth went dry.

He cast Cyril and Pandora a quick look over his shoulder and hoped they would not read the uncertainty he felt in his eyes.

Then Avicus was there, much rounder than he remembered, and with a start he realized that if he could have children, so too could she. The stakes were a lot higher than he ever imagined. It was one thing for Avicus to tolerate his offspring with Arielle, but would she accept what might look like competition? Her eyes went to his mate. Aves tried to swallow and found nothing to wet his throat.

Avicus, he greeted, dropping his head deferentially below his shoulders and glancing at the grey wolf who appeared beside her. Must be the sentry. Yes. Father's legacy... It is no longer mine. I hoped your offer might stand. To Arielle, he gave a tight-lipped smile to try to reassure her. This is my mate, Arielle, an accomplished healer. And the remaining wolves of Ursus, Cyril and Pandora.