Silver Creek And caught a little silver trout

It had been more than a day. More than a few days, in fact. While Saena's intentions had been to speak with Spring about her missing memories, it had simply fallen to the wayside as her worry turned to fear and grief. Casmir and Laika had yet to return with her children in tow and Saena was going stir crazy. It wasn't enough to hunt for the caches. It wasn't enough to wander. She needed them more than she had ever needed anything—even her memories, even her former title and the respect that went with it—and so when she summoned @Spring with a howl, it wasn't in the spirit of discussing her former life.

As her short song died down, she glanced around at the woods she loved. It wasn't Phoenix Maplewood, but it was beautiful and ethereal in its own way, and far more humid. The creek teemed with silver fish and even from where she sat alongside a particularly tall oak, she could hear the rushing rapids. The soft mossy carpet was a comfort her paws were just becoming accustomed to. The sky was blue and the sun was high, and while that was true of most days, Saena couldn't help but feel it was better here.

But there were things that needed doing, and so she waited, hoping to snag the Alpha female for a few minutes to speak on it.

This is open to anyone, Saena is just hoping to get Spring. ;)

Rowan knew her pregnancy was coming to a close. She was approaching the end of her children's growth within her, when things were easy although she frequently felt anything but. Her steps had slowed to a waddle, her stomach wide and full of the kicking and flourishes of her children. Nights were spent whispering to them, secretive and in her small alcove, and her days were spent planning and trying to visualize the process that would bring them earthside. It wasn't easy, she knew labor would not come to her with gentle whispers and nudges. It would be as brutal as need be because that was life and that was the blinding, terrifying beauty of it. 

She was walking along the edge of the Creek when she heard a howl nearby. It was not for her, but for Spring, but Rowan was already close enough and if need be she'd just waddle on her merry way. The figure she spotted as she rounded a bend was unfamiliar to her. Little did she know this was Saena, the mother of Casmir and Laika's daughters. "Hello," She greeted evenly, pausing for a moment to carefully take a drink before she righted herself again. 

she can always wander along if Spring wants to hop in and the two catch up :)

As she waited, she became more and more antsy, and her heart began to thrum an uneven beat in her chest. There were so many things that could go wrong, so many variables to her plan. Awaiting Casmir and Laika was the smartest option, and no doubt the one that Spring would insist upon, but Saena could not sit idly any longer. She couldn't wait another day without news of her children. She had to take action, whether or not she was the one to ultimately find them and bring them home. Spring wouldn't deny her that. Spring couldn't.

A soft hello stirred her from her thoughts. Saena turned slowly, gawping in an effort to summon her most convincing words to her lips, but she paused when the wolf she faced was not Spring, but someone unfamiliar. The voice was matronly as well, not so different from Spring's, and yet there was a strange lilt to it that didn't suit the Alpha's. Saena's ears pulled back and she surveyed the wolf, noting the ample curve of her belly with a sudden clenching in her gut.

Had Saena been Alpha, there never would have been another pregnant female in the pack until her own children were near full grown, and so for a moment she was resentful, but it passed quickly. She was not Alpha. It was a hard adjustment to make, but she would have to make it if ever she was to re-integrate with the pack. "Hey," she mumbled, then cleared her throat and asked, "sup?" in an effort to seem less sullen and antisocial.

Spring narrowed her eyes at the Creek's silvery water as she searched for a fish to make it's apperance.  Silently she waited, waited for a fish to make the mistake of crossing her path in front of her.  When suddenly a silvery glimmer caught her sharp golden eyes.  The fish was just close enough for here to catch.  So waiting with much determination Spring waited for the fish to come to her. 3, it was close now, slow but still proceed.  2, she could see the fish now almost before her and a wave of butterflys swarmed in her stomach as the excitement of the hunt swam through her.  1, the fish was in position, Spring leaned forward and was about to caught it, all her focus on the fish... a howl from Saena slid through the air and Spring lost her focus, missing the fish by a lot and faceplanting into the creek.  She gave a startled yelp dashing out of the creek.

Well this was just lovely.

She didn't blame Saena though she supposed even though Saena had been the one to howl and make Spring lose her focus and balance at the same time.  It was Spring's one fault after all for for not trying to catch both her focus and blance.

The Alpha then began to survey the land around her, her eyes searching for anyone who may have caught sight of her.  She then spent the next couple minutes shaking out her coat and trying to get dry as quick as possible.  Yet if she tried to get dry as quick as possible that would obviously not work, so a half wet Spring began to make her way towards Saena, wondering what the red eared female wanted.  Did she want help with memories perhaps?

It took her a few more minutes to arrive, but when she did, she noticed that Rowan was there with Saena.  She found herself confused, wondering if both Rowan and Saena wanted something.  She didn't ask yet though, it had been Saena who called so that was who she would answer to for now.  So with that the Alpha began to make her way towards her former Alpha.  "Hello Saena, Rowan."  She greeted her gaze shifting politely from one to the other, before focusing fully on Saena.  "What have you called me here for?"

A slight shift of her ears and Rowan knew the woman was looking her over - scrutinizing her, as it was. There came the silent judgement she'd become accustomed to from others. Not everyone was as accepting as Casmir and Spring had been but she didn't resent the other for whatever reaction was given. Some were more forward than others - like Heston - and some seemed not to know what to do with her at all. The woman offered instead a hello of her own and Rowan drew in a deep breath. She didn't know the woman from anything else, and her odd coat made her a little curious. It reminded her of the description that Reek had given, and she had almost questioned it when Spring arrived to confirm the answer before Rowan could even present it. "Spring," She greeted, giving a polite bow of her head. 

The other woman - Saena - was now far more familiar to her and it became more evident that Rowan might have been interrupting a moment between the two. "Should I leave you two?" She offered - it wouldn't bother her in the slightest. She had gotten the drink that she'd been after and so a return to her little hovel wouldn't upset her at all. 

Saena's eyes roved over Rowan once more as she mentally clawed for something appropriate to say. Her head was swimming with less appropriate statements and questions, such as, this is my pack and my little girls are the only ones who deserve our resources, but she knew better than that. It was judgmental, mean, and unproductive to think that way. She didn't even know Rowan. She didn't know how long she'd been away, either. It could have been months. Her little girls might not be so little anymore. It was never truly confirmed; perhaps Rowan was someone's mate, maybe Heston's, and they had earned this privilege. She couldn't imagine why Spring would let someone else breed before her, but naturally, Saena was more selfish than that and couldn't understand.

She managed to settle on, "when're you due?" as Spring drew up alongside them. Saena cached the woman's name in the back of her mind for future reference, perhaps to look for her later to talk and find out just who she was, but the Alpha female drew her attention for now. Saena frowned questioningly at the water dripping from only half of Spring's body, but she didn't ask about it. Rowan spoke first, and Saena shrugged a thin shoulder and said, "you don't have to go." This wasn't exactly a private affair, and if Rowan was anything like the fellow in the rain, then she already knew everything anyway.

"Casmir and Laika haven't returned yet," she said, turning to address the Alpha female. "I want to trust them to find them and bring them home, I do. But I need my little girls and you know I know exactly where that son of a bitch took them." At least, she thought she knew. Her memories of Phoenix Maplewood were strongest, and she remembered Larksong Grotto and the threat they had posed as clearly as if it happened yesterday. Assuming Reek wasn't crafty enough to move his entire pack to evade Silver Creek's wrath—and Saena couldn't quite remember if he was as crafty as he was moronic—she was certain she would find them there, and if she arrived and they were gone, then she would know Casmir and Laika had them, and she could rest easier.

"Let me go find them. Please."

Spring listened with open ears as Rowan spoke first, handing her back a greeting and then asking if she should leave the two of them.  Although it would be nice to have a private conversation with Saena, Spring liked Rowan and actually trusted her like family, so whatever Saena wanted Spring would be perfectly fine with.  Saena was the one who wanted to speak to her after all.  When Saena spoke though she was very polite though, asking when Rowan was due then telling her that she didn't have to go.

After that Saena began to speak to her, telling the Alpha about what she wished to speak about.  At first Spring found herself uneasy as she began to realize where this was all going and by the end of it found herself dead silent.  Nervousness began to swim in Spring's heart, although she hid it well.  Did Saena even realize what she was saying?  Sure Saena claimed to know how to find her children.  In her current state though did she really?  While Spring didn't want to either hurt or offend the female, she wasn't sure if there was any other way, when suddenly a thought occured to her.

Spring padded closer to Saena and further from Rowan.  "Saena, I'm not sure if you actually remember, but keeping you from your children would be wrong of me.  I can tell you how to find Reek's lands, but I want you to promise me that you won't get yourself into anything foolish and end up dead.  Also if you see Casmir and Laika on the way back, oh and by the way in case you don't remember Casmir is a black male, he's pretty young and Laika is a sparkling white.  Remember them?  Well anyway if you see them, you must head home with them.  Deal?"  Spring was careful to lower her voice, in an attempt for only Saena's ears.  She hoped that the former Alpha understood her reasoning, because it would be quite annoying if Saena decided that she was still the ruler of these lands somewhere in her head and with that decided to completely ignore most of what Spring had just said.  Spring quickly shoved away that thought though.  Saena wouldn't do that.  Would she?

Rowan could only speculate as it was her first litter. "Within the next few weeks, I believe." She said quietly. She didn't want to be defensive but it almost set her on edge; it only made her more aware of how unprepared she felt. Perhaps every mother went through something similar in the days and weeks just before they gave birth. Her emotions still swung wildly - confident and then concerned the next, inviting and then hostile, and Rowan hated that fact. Perhaps it was harder because she was isolated often and she had no one to discuss the changes with. 

Saena spoke about leaving to go find the girls and Rowan bristled a bit, concern overcoming her expression. True, she did not know Saena personally but she had heard from not only Reek but from Casmir too about her. "I met Reek on his journey here, though he did not give me your name. Only your description." Rowan offered, unaware of what Spring had said to the other woman. "I gave Casmir the location of where I had met Reek, but that was not where he was staying. It was just before I came here." Which was before the girls were gone, before Amber had gone as well. It was suspicious, but, the female had seemed reluctant to let anyone leave to go find them even though it was the local move to go after Reek. 

Spring's reluctance was plain to see, and nearly spurred Saena to argue before anything else was even said, but the Alpha conceded with several conditions. The first was easy. "The only one in danger of dying is him." And she meant it. Saena was a strong fighter. She'd been in enough of them in her life to be good at it. She would take Reek's pitiful life from him if he tried to deny her her children. She would take the lives of any who got in her way, she vowed, whether or not the very notion was foolhardy.

The second condition was harder. Saena had no qualms with returning if she found Casmir and Laika with her daughters, but if she didn't... "What if they were not successful?" she wondered with narrowed eyes. "Would you deny me the opportunity to try if I find them, only to learn that they failed?" Spring couldn't. Saena would defy her, though she would never say it. She wouldn't leave her children in the jaws of her self-serving ex-mate. She wouldn't abandon them to be hurt and betrayed the way she had been by a man who didn't give two shits about the things he already had. To be replaced and cast aside, as she fancied she was.

Laurel and Indra deserved much better. Before Saena could take what freedom she'd been given and depart, Rowan spoke up, and Saena's narrowed eyes snapped to the pregnant wolf with a sudden surge of suspicion. She didn't know Rowan or what she'd been through, and she didn't know where the woman had come from. All she knew was she was pregnant, she had come upon Reek, and Reek had stolen her children. Saena's mind went to dark places as she irrationally wondered what Rowan and Reek had been doing together, whether Rowan was Reek's latest conquest, whether her children would share blood with Saena's own through that selfish bastard, and whether she should feel sympathy or disgust for Rowan if her worst fear was really true.

But the words that came coldly to her lips, built on assumptions rather than facts and spawned in the emotional, spinning mind of a mother whose children were lost, were, "are you the one who told him where to find my little girls?" Because if so, you'll know what it's like to lose children of your own, she silently promised, but dared not voice in front of the Alpha. She'd missed the part where Rowan hadn't been part of the pack at the time, and didn't realize she'd just made an ass of herself. Her gaze was unapologetic. She had truly heard only the first part, and in response, her volatile temper blocked out the rest.

Again I am so sorry for the inconvience you two!

Rowan and Saena both spoke, Rowan informing Saena of how she had met Reek and what had happened and Saena talking about the Casmir and Laika situation.  Spring listened attentively to both and realized that Saena did have a point about Casmir and Laika unsucessful.

Every problem had a solution.

When Saena went on to coldy acuss Rowan of telling Reek of where to find his little girls, Spring's eyes widened in surprise.  of course Rowan hadn't.  She hadn't even arrived at Silver Creek by then.  She shot Rowan and quick apologetic look, before turning to Saena to respond.  "No Saena, Rowan had no possible way of doing that.  She wasn't even apart of Silver Creek by then.  Plus I trust her and she is a fully welcomed member of this pack."  Spring explained with a sigh.  "Also for the Casmir and Laika problem you can join their group and all three of you can team up to look for Indra and Laurel.  Deal?"

Rowan was quiet, just observing, right up until the moment that the tail-less female turned on her and the pale woman felt herself bristle if for nothing other than the protection of her children. Her tail swayed behind her, her neck lowering a bit to protect her throat if the woman decided to lunge at her. Before Rowan could even speak Spring lifted her own voice in her defense and the woman shot her Alpha a grateful look. "As Spring said I met him it was before I came here." Rowan repeated herself, her voice icy as it had been when she had addressed Amber for wanting to not send anyone after the children. 

"I have not met your girls, unfortunately, but I gave Casmir as much information as I could to help bring the girls home." Rowan was attempting to keep herself calm, realizing that rising to the challenge would only make her stress level increase and would not be good for the children she carried. How dare this woman who didn't even know her try and accuse her of harming innocent children! "Were I in any condition to look, I would have been doing so myself, however, it is past all points of safety for me to even consider such a thing." And so she had tended to the pack as best as she could, trying to be supportive. 

There was a flash inside her, a wicked little whisper, that reminded her of the mess she had landed herself in. No amount of self assuredness would protect her from the opinions of others, of those quick snap judgements. She could only do her best to prove them wrong.

Saena's eyes bored into Rowan's, herself having forgotten she was not the top dog of the woods with the authority to do that, for roughly five seconds before Spring came to the woman's defense. Saena's head whipped around to the Alpha and her ears fell back against her scalp, but the look she shot back to Rowan, while apologetic, was not completely devoid of suspicion. Saena had never been the stablest of wolves, and it was all too easy to point fingers and play the blame game when she was lacking two thirds of her world in the form of her daughters.

She fancied she was more levelheaded than most women would be in her shoes, but that didn't mean everyone thought that way. She pushed her head between her shoulders as Rowan explained how she'd been trying to help, and she mumbled a half-hearted and deflated "sorry." It was an apology that stood to be a lot more sincere, but Saena had bigger issues gnawing at her than whether or not her apology was good enough, and her sullen turn of mood was plenty evidence of that.

"Deal," she grunted in response to Spring's proposed compromise. It was fair. Casmir and Laika would make it easier to remove Reek from the picture. Three wolves were a better killing force than one. Even if she didn't run into them and had to go it alone, Spring's concession to allow her to continue looking for her daughters either way was enough to calm Saena. "I'll be leaving immediately, then," she announced quietly, stepping back to distance herself from both wolves. She wouldn't see them for a long time, at least a few weeks, but she didn't know anything worthwhile to say aside from, "take care til I return." She would miss Spring, of course. Rowan she didn't care much for in the heat of the moment, although in time Saena would inevitably realize what a bitch she'd been and would hope for the opportunity to make amends with the pregnant woman.

She took several more steps back, then turned in readiness to leave both their company and the creek.

Saena apologized to Rowan and Rowan did a nice job of defending herself without pushing things over the edge.  Then Saena agreeded to her deal, said a goodbye and then was ready to make her leave and take off.  SPring hoped that Saena would find her daughters and bring them home, Laika and Casmir at her side.  Until then though she would wait, with hopes of success.  So with that she let Saena go.  "Goodbye and good luck Saena."  She called after her friend.

Then she turned to Rowan with a small smile.  "It was nice seeing you Rowan.  I just want you to know that no matter what anyone thinks you are a valued member of Silver Creek.  You have my trust."  Then with that Spring turned to take her own leave.

Rowan might have bristled and might have considered fleeing but it was not in her nature to show cowardice. She was a witch, she had stood up to worse demons in her time - also pale, though not so uniquely marked as Saena - and she had heard the whispered lies of others. Saena knew no better and it was Rowan's focus upon those facts. It gave more of a hint of the male she had met before if Saena was concerned with his abilities to manipulate her. Perhaps she should be more wary, should she actually leave the pack's lands before winter came. 

Rowan nodded her head as Saena apologized, trying to soothe out her own frustrations and to simply release the tension in her. Saena had not attacked, she had backed down from that point, and Rowan had to in turn unfurl herself. "I wish you luck." She said quietly to Saena's retreating form, though it was likely unheard - perhaps unwanted. What a mother would do for her young knew no bounds, truly. Rowan gave a sigh as Spring turned to her instead, her ears flickering back even as her head lowered. She felt like an outsider again in that moment, and whatever shaky peace she had found within herself in the Creek was tested. "Thank you." She said quietly. 

She could ask for nothing better for herself, after all, than the respect and trust of her Alpha. When Spring had gone Rowan turned away, looking to return to her den before her emotions got the better of her.