Larksong Grotto With apple blossom in her hair

Forward dated approximately 1 week to account for my travel threads

The time had come. There was no use wasting it further.

Though Saena herself had never been to the grotto, Spring had scouted it for her and told her where it could be found long ago, before they left the taiga. It wasn't inconspicuous, either. The scent of wolves wreathed the place and it was more of a hole in the ground from a distance than anything spectacular. As she approached it slowly, she couldn't help noting that it was a perfect home for rats. She was horrified to think her daughters had been taken to such a place.

She stopped well shy of the borders so as not to rouse too much ire and scowled into the territory like a wraith from hell come to seek revenge on some poor soul within. But the soul she sought to set free if he interfered was anything but poor. Resolutely, the copper-marked wolf set her paws on the ground, summoned what strength she had remaining, then howled loudly for @Indra and @Laurel in an effort to call them forth, assuming they were in fact here. She hoped to take them without incident, but knew that was unlikely to happen, so she mentally prepared herself for the worst fight of her life.

like Saena, Cas had kept close when he had discovered the Grotto. he had stayed out of sight, but near enough to watch the wolves come and go. Indra and Laurel he spotted from time to time, but each night the boy moved his position, to hopefully avoid discovery. silent he had become, dark and tall within the shadows of the trees that stood off from the border of the wretched little place. and in his veins beat the anger and rage, the desire he had to rip Reek's face off his ugly rattish body.

Cas nearly choked on his dinner of fieldmice when he heard the imposing howl rise confidently into the sky. Saena. "what the fuck?" the boy hissed to himself, spitting out the bones of the little carcass and racing to trot up from his little nest to search for the pale form of his cousin. she was there, as piebald and lithe as he recalled, and the boy lengthened his stride.

"you're back!" Casmir exclaimed breathlessly, his tail swaying behind his hips as he stopped a safe distance away. the last time he'd seen Saena, she had been acting weird as hell. one of the last things he wanted was to get his face chewed off. but she was here! she was here and she wanted her kids. surely she was all there upstairs. his smile faded and he glanced grimly at the place where Reek had taken the Creek daughters. "i'm here to help," he murmured, eyes hard with hatred for the kidnapper.

A voice rang from the southern side of the territory that bordered the grotto, and the Cardinal felt his entire, meticulously built world come crashing down around him. It was as if time had stopped completely and he could only stand stunned with dismay. Hiram had not forgotten the voice of his ex-mate -- nor could he. It haunted him at night when he slept. Many a night he'd wake with her name on his tongue. "Saena," he'd whisper into the darkness to no one in particular. Other nights, he'd wake up screaming with fright. Not even Raas could protect him from the night-terrors of the Heartless One. Either way, Hiram always felt the heavy burden of guilt heavy upon his back when he woke.

His reckoning approached. The demons of his past had come to knock on his door.

The fear that gripped Hiram's heart was fleeting. The Lord had granted his daughters to him -- He would not strip them away from his care so easily. No. This was a test of faith. The Cardinal found his strength renewed in the power of the Daystar. He knew she came for them -- his daughters, whom he loved with all his being. With a deep breath and a quickly muttered prayer, Hiram set himself toward the border to protect the family he had.

indra too had heard the howl, and knew immediately the source. she stopped, ears half-cocked in disbelief.

mom?

she looked slowly about her; around her the tall pines rose in grim solitude -- the gnarled ledge-ridden ridge sloped in the distance. not a bird, not a soul -- just the open pale blue sky and the howl.

"MOM!" indra started, erupting from her trance. "MOM!" she gasped again, now galloping blindly. it was not thought or reason that compelled her - it was a basic need, instinctive and unbidden for a child to be within proximity of her mother.

is this a bad idea? jhala doesn't care.

Jhala heard the call, though she didn't understand it. She didn't know of it's importance, or her probable need to stay as far away from it as she could. So she waddled forward, her stomach swollen and her joints aching. But she was a mercenary. There was no time to sit and stare at cave walls for hours. There was someone at the border, she needed to greet them.

When she got there, Reek and Indra were already there... and Indra was yelling something that sounded like a name-- like Tom or Rom... or something, she only assumed the child was talking to the dark male. She stopped a little ways up when she saw Reek's demeanor from where she was, hesitating to come stand beside him. She wanted to protect him, but she knew she did not move so well in her current state. 

Damn these children. Damn all of these children.

To be truthful, Laurel wouldn't have paid Saena all that much attention had she been alone. She had abandoned her daughters and Laurel, while she felt a pang of love for her mother as she came into view, did not forgive so easily. Indra seemed to think differently, and Laurel, as she arrived, just stood and stared at her, as if waiting for an explanation to come, waiting for something to explain what wrongs had been done unto herself and Indra. Reek seemed to do the same, our whatever he was doing, and then there was... Jhala. She passed Jhala to get to Saena, Reek and Indra.

Laurel felt torn between so many things; she wanted to hurt them all, because they had all done stupid things, all except for Indra. So instead of acting, for a change, she just stood and stared at Saena, waiting.

Assuming that Reek and Indra have arrived as well with their players' permission! Sorry for length.

Saena's stare was so intent on the grotto's borders and what lay beyond that when Casmir approached from behind, he spooked her nearly into stepping forward into Larksong territory. Her hackles shifted all along her back as the thrill of fright coursed through her and she froze, but it was no word of discouragement that came from him. She turned her snout sidelong and beheld him, and didn't know whether to feel fearful of his opinion or thankful for his presence. The sway of Casmir's tail spoke for him, however, and she breathed out a long breath. "I'm sorry," was all she could muster in that moment with her nerves so tightly coiled.

"Thank you," she murmured in response, easing herself back into a stance that was less frightful and more confident. She couldn't show any fear or hesitance here. This mission was of utmost importance and she could not handle losing to Reek yet again. "How did this happen?" Saena breathed, but before she could ask much else, or begin to truly dwell on her question and who she should blame for Reek even managing to get her daughters, they began to arrive one by one.

Indra's second cry of MOM was just loud enough that it tipped Saena's ears forward. She craned her neck, her shoulders rigid, and called out, "I'm here!" She didn't know which daughter it belonged to. They hadn't been speaking much when she disappeared, and now she could not recognize them by sound alone. It wasn't until Indra burst into view that Saena's breath came out in a whoosh and her heart swelled and she cried out for her—her red-haired baby was all right, and so grown up already—but then Reek arrived, slinking like a ghoul, and two other wolves came swiftly after him.

The first was a mottled chocolate-and-white thing, and fat. Very obviously pregnant. Saena paid her absolutely no mind but a cursory scathing glance. After all, Jhala was not involved as far as Saena was concerned. Saena's children and Reek's crimes against her and them did not concern this wolf, and Saena herself would not stand for her interference in what was a (broken) family affair. She tried not to look at that pregnant belly—it drudged up the same irrational, jealous thoughts she'd had when she'd learned of Rowan's role in all this, and she couldn't bear to think of Reek's potential involvement in that, if there even was any.

The last wolf to arrive was one that brought Saena's heart simultaneously into her throat and into her belly. Laurel was unmistakable with her brown nose and her pinkish-brown coat, but much larger and prettier than Saena remembered, but her little Pinky had only mistrust and misery in her eyes. It cut her mother to her very core. "Laurel," Saena breathed softly, "Indra, my sweet girls, come to me." She was heedless of Reek for the moment with eyes only for her daughters. She trusted Casmir to ensure that their girls were returned promptly and safely without Reek's involvement—but she had words for her ex-mate, too, should he attempt to intervene.

Laika had separated from Casmir to find her own food, when the howl found her ears. They weren't that far from the larksong borders, and for the moment, she thought Casmir had howled for them already. But that was not Casmir's howl. It was hauntingly familiar and it finally dawned on her. Saena! 

She turned and barreled for the source, finding herself entering the gathering late, There, stood the pale figure of Seana, and she could hardly believe her eyes. Next to her was Casmir, and in front of them stood Reek, and her stomach twisted in hatred, her blue eyes growing dark with unruly rage. Next to him stood a woman she did not recognize, then Indra and Laurel. Her heart beat hard as she joined alongside Seana and Laika's mate. "Seana," She breathed in a quiet, disbelieving greeting. She blinked before returning her hard gaze to rest once more on Reek, watching his every move.

with Saena reassured, Cas turned his gaze forward. Indra called for her mother first, and the boy tensed with anticipation, pleased to see the small red figure of the child racing into view. he was relieved that Reek hadn't poisoned her against the Creek wolves, and his throat tightened with emotion he dared not show -- not yet. 

upon the heels of the scarlet girl came first Reek, then Laurel, and then a heavily pregnant she-wolf Cas didn't recognize. but with that rat's hobby of sticking his dick into anything that moved, the Mayfair wasn't surprised. his lips writhed back from his teeth in a snarl, one that mellowed when he felt Laika move suddenly to his side. 

a warm glance to his mate and Casmir was strengthened. "get back, Reek," the boy growled lowly, hackles raising as he drew himself to his full height. the man was outnumbered unless he was stupid enough to let Fatty join in. Laurel hung back, a neutral expression on her face, and Cas felt a sting of annoyance. didn't she want to go with her mother?

with a glance to Saena, the boy began to approach the Larksong wolves. "Indy, Laur, come on," he murmured gently, eyes locked onto Reek. "come home."

When Hiram finally laid his eyes on his ex-mate from his position at the top of the ridge, he couldn't help but believe that she was a specter -- and in a way, she was. Back from the dead to haunt and divvy out the proper punishments for the poor choices made by the man who was once named Reek Redtail. Was this the will of Raas? Had his path to salvation not been enough in the eyes of the Lord? Perhaps it all meant nothing to the Daystar. The Lord had granted him a blessing in the form of his daughters. Would He truly strip that away?

God's will be damned, thought the Cardinal. Unlike Laurel, who's indifference was noticed, Indra ran to her mother, yet Hiram made no move to stop her. This was a battle of wills, nothing more. His resolve was strengthened as the nameless man ushered him away. Hiram shook his head and moved forward. The other male went ignored for now.

His gaze then quickly passed to Laika -- a once dear friend who would surely never look at Hiram the same way she once had. The Cardinal regarded her with sadness, as she had tried to facilitate communication between himself and his children the last time he had gone to the creek... Perhaps if Spring hadn't forced Hiram's hand, things would have turned out differently. He did not speak, for he did not know the words to say.

One, however, could not be ignored. "Saena," spoke the man in earnest. "Please. I just want to talk." There was no need to make this any more difficult than it already was. "I love my daughters more than anything," For a man who's lies were plentiful, this was an absolute truth, and it was one he would defend tooth and nail if need be.

indra needed no bidding - in a headlong run of gangly limb she set herself upon her mother with squeals and kisses, her body wriggling in both excitement and subservience. she had never expected to see her mother again and the joy outpoured from her like some rushing torrent. casmir too! she whined excitedly, trying to part licks on his chin between bursts of affectionate body-slams on saena's legs.

it was not until reek spoke that indra was brought back from cloud nine -- quizzically she turned around and guilt beseiged her. laurel.

indra sought her sister's gaze for a moment and instantly understood the hurt, the betrayal. she could not bring herself to look at reek fully, for she knew he too would likely bear a similar expression. shame and guilt both flooded indra and she crawled to the ground before them, a low and simpering whine gurgling from her in anxiety.

Jhala felt sorry for Indra almost immediately, and though she couldn't relate to the whole mother-daughter deal, she could see what was going on. She stared across the border at the stranger, her feet dragging her forwards-- closer and closer to her husband. She stopped still a bit off, closer to the scene but not close enough to intervene. With narrowed, amber eyes she watched, trying to decide if this was worth her energy-- and who all these wolves were. The one was his ex-mate-- Seana, he called her-- and truthfully she felt a twinge of jealousy, but the other two were complete strangers. 

She stood silently and stared, unsure what would happen.

Saena and Casmir called for them with sweet notes. Laurel was more inclined to listen to Casmir than to Saena, for he'd actually been there for her when her mother had left. Her father looked less confident than ever, desperately asking their mother silently if his daughters could stay, saying he loved them more than anything.

Laurel felt prickly, knowing he had promised to get rid of Jhala — well, indirectly — and that didn't happen. But then, Casmir had treated her like a child instead of a princess, and Saena, well... She'd just left. The hermit life — sister hermits, of course, for Indra was the only constant in Laurel's life — didn't seem so bad, but Laurel wasn't stupid, she knew she needed food and she also craved deeply for the love of the wolves present.

Her face was made of steel with a twinge of her frustration shining through. She moved over to Indra as she guiltily returned to Laurel and Reek and softly nosed Indra's cheek to let her know that it was okay. Indra was the only one here that had never betrayed her.

Then she looked between the adults defiantly, as though she was part of this discussion, as though she held all the power, for she was the only one who could say 'yes' or 'no'. She looked at them as though they'd better start making some damn good offers to Indra and Laurel, or they might just choose the other party involved if the terms were any better. Reek had the upper hand in this — he treated her like a princess even though he hadn't kept his promise to get rid of Jhala — but she also missed Silver Creek a bit and wondered what had made her mother come back suddenly, claiming that she wanted her daughters to come home alongside Casmir. Laurel wanted all their reasons and all their offers, and at the same time, she just wanted them all to become friends and live together — being tugged at from two sides was beginning to wear her down.

Noting thread conditions: there is no post order within rounds, but the next round doesn't begin until all participants have posted in the current round. However, if the round is waiting on one or two players for more than 72 hours, that player's turn may be skipped to keep the thread from stagnating.

As Indra collided with her, Saena practically vibrated with love and affection. She rained playful nips and licks upon her daughter, and though she had no tail to wag, there was no disputing from the excited swaying of her hips that it would have been windmilling behind her. She whined as she rubbed her scent on as much of her daughter as she could reach, and received Indra's as well. She knew from scent alone that the girl was healthy and well, and that made her heart soar. So wrapped up was she that she scarcely noticed Laika arrive until her name was breathed out, and she turned her head to regard the white wolf fondly, but it was only for a moment.

As her red-haired daughter turned, the woman's gaze snapped up to where Indra's went, only to witness a cold, emotionless expression on the face of her other daughter. Saena's heart felt like it was plunged into a bath of ice and her ears pressed back uncertainly. She deserved it, she knew. Laurel didn't know why she'd left, and that wasn't something that Saena wanted to explain in front of Reek, either. If she had her way, the man would never know she'd been gone, and would live in fear of her wrath for the rest of his life. "Laurel," she breathed again, "I'm so sorry. Please, come here, let me explain." But before she could say any more, the warm presence at her side pulled away, and it was at that moment she knew everything was not as well as she'd hoped with two allies at her side.

Laurel was clearly the dominant force among the two. That was evident when Indra crouched to the ground. But when she began to crawl away, Saena's gut clenched. The guilt and shame evident in her daughter for reaching out to her was palpable, and it was wrong. She turned her wroth gaze upon Reek, whom she bared her teeth at in a vicious snarl as he dared to step closer. "What'd you do to them?" she asked fiercely. He had to have done something, promised some punishment if they ever went back to her. Nothing else explained Indra's reaction. No wolf should behave that way for showing affection to another.

When Reek opened his mouth, she nearly attempted to drown his words out with another growl. Yet her ears cupped over her brow and she heard him out, but that was all she did. She glanced to her daughters again, debating, but knew she had to address the man responsible. She had to hit him where it hurt the most. She could only hope that while she cut into her ex-mate, Casmir and Laika continued attempting to lure the girls away from him, but she knew they likely had their piece to say as well. "No," she said emphatically, coldly, like the crack of a whip. "We all know the only wolf you love is yourself. Need I remind you whose actions broke this family? They ceased to be your children when you threw us all aside for some piece of ass.

You kidnapped them. You stole them from their home, from their family, like a crook. You are a vile man who has no right asking favours from any of us, and you will pollute my family no longer." Her glare was cold and cutting as she declared, "you have at least one kid from the bitch you chose. Go beg to bond with him, and leave my family alone." Or we'll kill you, she silently promised with a final twisting snarl. She knew he would never have a chance to know Tambourine either, especially now that she'd met Stark, but it was said with finality, as if Tambourine was his only child and Indra and Laurel were not.

Casmir immediately grew stronger as she stepped up beside him, and he warned  Reek back. He ushered the girls to come to them, and Indra didn't need it. She dashed over the border with glee to collide with Saena and Laika smiled, but she glanced to Laurel. A cold look was held on her face, and Laika felt a twinge of guilt. It was their fault she felt this way. What if she never came back because of this? 

Suddenly, the pale woman felt a cold stare upon her back, and she looked up to meet Reek's ugly gaze. A long, long time ago, she would have met him with respect, but now, she wasn't afraid of him. Now, she was angry. She was as kind as she could be to this man who distroyed his family when he came to their lands. She mediated the conversation. But he took her for granted, and stole the puppies out of his own greed. That was the end of the line for Laika, and now this man was sure to feel the small girl's wraith. 

So she met his gaze with cold fire in her eyes, a low snarl escaping her throat, ears slicking back to lay flat against her head. She was ready to kill him, and if she got the chance, she would. She didn't know how that would affect her in the long run though, it could drive her mad with guilt.

Saena spoke, and harsh words sliced their way from her mouth, but Laika barely heard. She had so many emotions flooding through her at the same time. Hatred for the black bastard before her, love for Cas and Indra and Laurel. Every emotion that passed through her strengthened her as her blue eyes locked on Reek and ceased to leave him.

Cas watched fondly as Indra ran to her mother, heart bursting with love and with pride. all at once it was robbed from him as the redfurred daughter pulled from Saena and returned to Laurel, clearly beset with unsurety and guilt. he too looked to Reek then, hate radiating hotly from him; his musculature tensed with his deepened desire to rip out the man's throat.

but the Mayfair turned his focus back to the girls. "Indy, Laur," Cas murmured, smiling fondly at them, ears falling back to cup his skull as he lowered his muzzle with a placating whine, "come on. please. the Creek needs you ... i need you. so does Laika. and Shreya. and Spring," the boy went on, glancing between the young pair. his senses reached out for Reek; he was ready for a fight if it came to that but would rather not catch his daughters in the fray.

She aimed to hurt him -- to take his soul in her hand and break it in two. With her words, Saena easily met her mark. The grand cardinal Hiram, forgiven one and atoned vessel of the daystar, felt something deep inside his being break. It was a feeling he had not felt since his fruitless attempt on his own life by the lake. It was a thing of helplessness... of fear. Hiram's religious fervor was stripped away, armor all but eaten by the acid of Saena's tirade. What stood before her now was simply a shell of a man. Reek Redtail; guilty, shaken, and scared.

He looked briefly to Jhala for strength... and then to his girls. Oh, how he loved them dearly -- even more than himself. "Saena please," he pleaded, knowing he could not defend his actions. "I've done nothing but love them with my entire heart," he answered her glaring accusation. 

He knew himself a selfish man -- his infidelity stemming from the need to be needed, to be wanted. A constant search for validation, manifest in physical contact. A mistake etched across his heart. The guilt, it followed him even still. Had that not been punishment enough? No, how could it be? He had broken her heart, their family, and everything that the man named Reek Redtail had once held dear. Had he known of her own infidelity, how Saena had been deflowered by the blue-nosed creek wolf when she had first disappeared, perhaps Hiram wouldn't have felt like such a monster. However, he would not be granted this respite. Forever, Hiram would bear his cross.

The cardinal took a long breath. "I've ruined everything, but I will not ruin this -- I'm a good father," he said, resolute. Everything he had done, it had been for his daughters. He had traveled half-way across the universe with nothing but a direction to find them, risking life and limb in the process. His children were his world -- to lose them would destroy him.

So many emotions were flung back and forth, sharp words directed at others and mostly sweet ones directed at her. But no explanation came why her mother had left her in the first place. She looked at Casmir as he pleaded her and Indra that he needed them. But he'd treated her like a child, and she wanted to be grown up and do her own things. Reek let her do her own things but he had that stupid Jhala, the stepmother that she didn't want.

So there were two options in Laurel's mind; either she would get whatever she wanted at the Creek and be treated like the princess she was, or Reek would get rid of Jhala. As her mother's sharp words sliced towards Reek, Laurel considered going a different route and embracing Jhala as mom if not only to show Saena that she should not have left, to hurt her where it mattered because Reek hadn't stolen them, he'd taken them here and given them a lot, too. But then she'd still be stuck with Jhala, so the plan was easily checked off.

"You don't love us," Laurel said coldly as she looked at Saena. "You were never there for us." The first months were already beginning to become a faded dream, a part of her life she remembered little to nothing of, now. She looked at Jhala and said, "But neither do you." She looked at Reek a moment, as if showing him that had he kept his promises, this would all be different now.

"I don't want to be treated like a baby," she declared as though laying down terms while looking at Cas and Laika. "Reek treats me like a princess. But I don't want a stupid stepmother either. If you want us to love you so badly, give me a good reason for us to stay with any of you." This was directed at all of them, and Laurel nosed Indra's cheek in comfort as if to say, I've got this; she'd make them offer the girls something good, she'd find her and her sister the best option. Love was such a twisted and unknown factor at this point, a thing she felt only for her sibling, that that would not be the basis of her decisions today. She recognised that she, herself, was nothing more than a currency to be used to get her way, that she had power, and she was going to get the best bargain she could.

skipped Indra. i know we changed the rules of the posting but i wanted to comment on it just so it was there. (:

She took more steps forward, trying to make her way towards Reek. He needed to stop. He couldn't do this. These children were broken enough, he was breaking them more and more. Let them stay somewhere-- don't pull them back and forth. But then Laurel spoke, if not directly to her, and she paused and turned to stare at the brown devil of a child. 

"I don't love you," she repeated bluntly, "You're not my kid, and neither is Indra. I'm not your mom, and I'll never be your mom, so suck it up. If you're going to making this decision you gotta make it yourself based on your parents, not me-- because you don't matter to me. You matter to Reek, and these people." She looked to the strangers, afraid one would come after her now. She moved closer to Reek, soon at his side, her gaze never leaving the wolves on the other side of the border. She nosed her husbands cheek softly, tail low. 

She wanted to tell them they couldn't fight over the kids-- that this was their choice. She didn't know how old they were, didn't really care either, but wasn't it their decision by now? They formed coherent thoughts and all that jazz... this was a decision they could make, wasn't it? But she feared for her life. And though she didn't want the kids growing inside her, if she died they would die as well-- and that would break Reek's heart. She couldn't risk his happiness, she just couldn't. Especially not if the kids ended up going with the strangers.

"Reek," she muttered, "You're hurting them." Her gaze fell to Indra, cowering on the ground, and then Laurel, who was bargaining for happiness. She stared at the Cardinal before her gaze fell again to the wolves outside the border, at this point uncertain why she'd come. 

indra didn't know what to do -- she was torn between two things, no, three, that she loved very much. on the one hand, saena had been the only thing she knew in life for so very long (and also so shortly, for she was young and things were relative) - saena meant casmir, who was a constant, and laika, a comfort. saena meant the chilly frost-ridden mornings and the gurgling creek -- home.

on the other, indra loved her father, and he had not once done wrong by her that she was cognizant of. he had made good on his promises, and she did not have the skepticism for jhala her sister harbored. reek was familiarity, comfort -- he was adventure too, and stepping out of your comfort zone. indra had hated it here at first, but had grown to love it.

and then there was laurel, who indra perhaps was most loyal to above all. nothing could shake her rock, her anchor -- and she looked to her sister with trusting eyes. she would be both of their voices, and she was. she smiled feebly as laurel shouldered her, for she knew her sister as her one constant and comfort above all. her friend, and her ally.

but indra didn't want to go with one or the other. she didn't want the creek without the grotto, or her mother without her father. she cast her gaze downward as laurel finished and jhala spoke, and there was a dark frustration simmering that had never been witnessed before.

and suddenly, an outburst -- "why do we have to pick?" she wailed, her lower lip trembling. "why can't we be happy?" her outcry lost its boldness and freshly cowed, she looked to the ground and mumbled quietly: "why can't you two just get along?"

She'd said all she needed to say to Reek. His pleas fell on deaf ears and she acknowledged them with nothing but the violent baring of her teeth. She'd made it clear that the Silver Creek wolves owed him nothing and would give him no quarter, not after how disrespectfully he had treated them all. Whatever he claimed, in the eyes of the family who had cared for the two girls since their birth, he had taken them without permission. He had violated her family. He had violated her. Despite the obvious toll the strain took on her daughters, Saena could never forgive him for that. She could never make peace with him, not even for the good of her children. She would always, always seek to end his life if she caught him in the open.

On second thought, she lifted her eyes to him, glowering, and told him, "we are wolves. Honourable wolves. We know better than to trust rats." You were a bad father when you cheated, she wanted to cuttingly add, but Laurel's cold tone sliced her to the core and rendered her speechless. Her eyes panned to her daughter, shocked, and then narrowed as a tempestuous fury began to build in her breast. Who had raised this spoiled bitch? Saena would never have allowed one of her children to speak that way, to her or to anyone else. Whether Reek was to blame or Silver Creek, she didn't know. What she did know was that Laurel needed a good attitude adjustment, and she needed to be steered back on the right course.

But that was beyond her control at the moment, so she turned sidelong, as though preparing to leave, because she was about ready to. But her eyes remained on her ruddy daughter as she countered, "I love you more than you can possibly know. All three of us do. I always have, since the second you were born. I — we — gave up everything we had for you. Traveled hundreds of miles through our worst nightmare to keep you safe, so we could raise you in a comfortable home and make sure you were never left wanting. We are your family. Your family needs you to be whole." As she spoke, her ears shifted from against her scalp to high and proud. She would never apologize for the things she'd done for her children. And if Laurel was ungrateful for all the things Silver Creek had done for her in Saena's absence, then Laurel could hurt herself alone. She didn't care if her daughter loved her or hated her. She cared that her daughter was safe and well and unhurt and cared for, and she could not be assured of any of those things while Laurel was with Reek, who had replaced her (twice, it seemed) with other children already.

"I got very sick, I would never have left you on purpose, and I came back to find you the second I got better," she said, "but I'm not going to beg and bargain for your love, Laurel. You're not a child, but if you want to be treated like an adult, then act like one. Come with us, talk with us, give us a chance to make things better for you. If at the end of that you still think I don't love you, then you can make your choice and never see me again, if that's what you want." Her glare snapped to Reek and Jhala, who addressed the children as if she had any right whatsoever to say anything here, and Saena added, "or continue to behave like a child and never know any better." Your choice. She would not bargain for her child's love. She would not make promises just for her child's affection. She could live without it if she had to, though it would kill her to do it.

Indra's wail caught her off guard, and her ears slicked back then. Whatever daggers Laurel tried to throw through her breast, Indra at least had not been sullied by her sister's bad attitude. "That's just not possible," she said gently, "but you can always come visit." It was a concession she had no intention of making when she came here, because she didn't trust Reek to respect the boundaries that came with that and she didn't trust him to send her children back, but if that was what it took for her children to come away with her and for them to be happy, she would have to permit it. Only one way, though. He would never be welcomed to seek them out himself. Especially not now.

this was endless. Cas wanted to snap at Reek to shut the fuck up, chase him away, kill him to end all the problems he'd heaped on the Creek wolves, but his focus remained on the girls. the fatass female who addressed the Creek daughters coldly was begging to catch hands, however, but Cas fought that desire as well. his ears flicked toward Saena, who provided a firm and yet impassioned response; Reek had ruined Laurel and hurt Indra, and for that alone Casmir hoped that his cousin would not honor the promise she had made here.

he himself took another tactic, jerking his dark muzzle toward the pregnant bitch at Reek's side. "you heard it from her, girls. she doesn't love you. you think Reek is gonna keep treating you like a special girl when his kids are born, Laurel?" Cas murmured, fixing the aloof pup with a firm gaze. "you and i both know that's not going to happen.  he couldn't even wait to steal you guys, and not because he loves you, but because he wants to hurt your mom."

"is that the kinda person you wanna hang around?" Cas went on, glancing between the earthen-hued child and the ruddy one. "your mom got sick, yeah, but you know what? as soon as she was better, she came straight looking for you guys. you think Reek is gonna do that when his new brats are here?" his eyes were on Laurel now, but he shifted his gaze to Indra. "your mom is right. i remember when you guys were born. she would have, and still would, do absolutely anything for you all. you are her heart, and your place is at the Creek, where you have your own roles and can grow into the wolves you were meant to be. come home, please, guys," he murmured, ears falling back again. "i love you both."

Skipping @Laika to keep this moving

This, was quickly becoming even more of a mess (if that was even possible) than it was before, and the conversation soon descended into angry chaos. Accusations flew every which way as emotions boiled over in all parties involved. The Cardinal felt fear prickle in his heart, a shiver shot down his spine like a quick burst of energy, yet he did not let it consume him fully. For all intents and purposes, the chaos of the situation was his friend. Hiram was, and always had been, a man who worked best when no one knew what the hell was going on.

So for a while, he observed. Laurel was quick to seize her opportunity to gain control of the situation. It was brilliant, daring, and perhaps a little stupid -- but Hiram was impressed all the same. Perhaps she had more of her father in her than he had initially thought. In a way, that was a scary thing... but it sure made her daddy proud. In fact, Hiram could hardly hide the smug smile that spread across his face as soon as his daughter opened her mouth. His smile, however, was wiped away when Jhala shared her feelings on Laurel. Nevertheless, Hiram just figured they would need more time together, and Laurel would need more maturity.

And while Jhala felt it was Reek who was hurting his family, he firmly believed that their heartache was at the fault of silver creek.

Indra then piped up, begging for compromise. Hiram nodded, silently agreeing. It had never been his intent to completely separate his girls from their mother, but by the time Hiram had arrived to the creek, she was long gone. What was he to do when Spring had forced his hand?

Saena then made it clear that she would not play into Laurel's game and vie for her affection. Though, surprisingly, she seemed open to the idea of compromise. However, Hiram had no reason to trust her, as she had lied to him before about visiting the children in the Maplewood. His misplaced trust had lost him half of his ear to that blue-nosed fuck who Reek would hate for his entire lifetime.

The biggest accusation of all, however, came from the mouth of Casmir -- and the Cardinal found himself unable to be silent any longer. "Why the hell would I want to hurt Saena?" The Cardinal incredulously shot back. "Haven't I done that enough? She was the last wolf I wanted to hurt, but I did -- and that's done, and I can't do anything about it." He felt like he had explained this over and over again to so many folks. His actions were not out of spite. He was not perfect, but he was not the monster Casmir tried to make him out to be. 

He huffed with frustration, but soon regained his composure with a deep breath. Turning to Laurel, Hiram spoke. "She won't make you any promises -- but I will." He would fight for both of his daughters in the way he could. "Here, in the Grotto, I promise you always have a choice. You are free to do -- and be whoever you are, and I won't force you otherwise." He wouldn't even force Raas on them, nor had he -- and that went for both of his daughters.

It was disappointing when Saena didn't jump T the opportunity to make an offer to the girls, instead seeming to be turned off by it, as though she would give them even less now for their daring question. Casmir tried to smooth that over, but it made Laurel furious as well as feeling unloved; as though she had been ditched by her mother all over again. She wasn't important enough for her mother to even want to give her anything. Her love, her being, was not something Saena wanted enough to pay for; only for free would she even but want Laurel.

Reek's offer wasn't much better, since he only offered things she felt she already had. But at least he spoke genuinely and with love, without outright declaring that Laurel's love was not something to be bargained with, worthless. Jhala was ignored for the moment, because addressing her would prove the flaws in staying here and would show how neither place was really perfect and what she wanted.

Turning to Casmir, then Saena, she said: "You say she would do anything for us, but she won't even give me anything at all for coming. If I'm so worthless to you, I'll stay here, with my real daddy and mommy." An aim to blow, as she moved over to Reek and nuzzled his chest lovingly. She wanted to see pain on their faces, perhaps to prove that they did love her, perhaps to teach them a lesson for not promising her the world, like Reek did -- and would, when they were gone. For the moment, Jhala was just an object to be used in this game of hurt, and her hatred for her stepmother would return later.

short crappost to not hold anyone up <3

indra was torn, in more ways than she ever had been in her life. her mother's lilting speech caused indra's eyes to momentarily brighten with hope, and her tail to wag slowly - casmir's too -- indra was indescribably overjoyed to see her creek family again.

yet conflict pierced her joy like a knotched arrow, for she could not choose them before reek, or even laurel. she looked to the ground and slowly the conversation droned out into monotonous nothingness until indra could take it no more. with a soft sob the red child rose to her feet and fled from them and their insufferable choices - choices she could not in good conscience make.