Redtail Rise the colloquy of monos and una

wolverine proclaimed it. red woman gave him wealda and augur refused it with a grunt. that rank, in his mind, was reserved for an alpha female. her. she had made him huntlead. he had not demanded it. augur was not so ambitious as to believe taking the role would end their clash.

and he did not like how it had been given. augur was an animal but he saw now that red woman positioned him to lose either way. if he accepted her elevation, he felt expected to elevate. if he did not, he might face more ire. she was a lower ranked wolf who had threatened leadership; by all rights she should be punished and demoted.

but she was red woman. his leader. his submission and loyalty had belonged to her for a long while. she was more than her rank; she was synonymous with the rise in his mind. and she knew this.

he did not answer.

having two in leadership who did not align would lead to further conflict. refusing red woman would cause another sharp schism in their ranks. augur glanced to wolverine now, thankful for her support but with open conflict on his face.

he did not like this. he did not like to see red woman reduced and he did not like how he was placed between them.

at last he lowered his wide head to snuffle at scents upon the ground, namely those of red woman's children, and his eyes found wolverine once more.

she was berserkr only if she had the pack's loyalty. she and he were both outnumbered by rise-blooded wolves, who augur felt sure would turn for red woman, save skin tooth.

in his wisdom, he wished for wolverine to come herself to the conclusion that it was best if she and her mate left now. she would only clash with red woman going forward, whether or not they shared leadership. and then when red woman's children had their own, wolverine would be displaced. should the fight-leader seek to discipline red woman, augur did not see how the fierce warrior would accept that. even the young wolves' decision to leave in the spring implied a winter of discontent.

suppose he had not been present? it would have come to wounding.

to summon the pack would not go well for wolverine, he felt, as the pack was mostly red woman's children. there was no fairness in blood ties. had not she tried to elevate sun jaw over his own ranking of wolverine? had not thorn caller wished for redtail blood in the leadership? red woman wished to be gone and then return to claim what was her own, without obstacle. augur had seen her upon the hunt and in battle; wolverine was not a match against the entire lineage of the rise.

he studied the former wealda as instinct churned through his form.

red woman was redtail. the rise was hers. there was no divorcement of that in his mind even as he remained still and contemplative. wolverine must accept this if she meant to stay. to accept meant capitulation to red woman's command. he did not think wolverine would do it.

the berserkr had submitted to red woman as a child. red woman had never once submitted to wolverine.

augur did not believe now that they could reconcile. to give them equal portions of leadership would demand cooperation and communication, constant contact and shared investment in their wolves.

he did not think this was what red woman wished. she wanted wealda and in his mind she was. but he was no mindless set of jaws to be set on whoever she demanded. wolverine had been here. red woman had not. red woman was mother to many who would stand for her. wolverine was not. red woman was his leader. wolverine was his co-lead.

it would be ongoing conflict not to give red woman a rank and also to restore hers at all. once wealda she would surely seek revenge on wolverine for this resistance. and if it was not given to her, her blood running strongly through the land would torment the berserkr, simply because she was not. 

but neither would he tell wolverine these things. she stood with him, loyal to the rise, ferocious in battle and the hunt. she was skilled and efficient. why red woman saw only an opponent and not an ally, he was not sure. 

there was only forcible bending to come.

there was only one woman which augur heeded over red woman, and it was @New Snow, for whom he called now.

his mate too was fiercely loyal, and she had mothered wolverine in her youth. he trusted her to be objective and to help him make a choice that largely had no good options.