Northstar Vale you said those things and i wanted to believe you

The ridge, Porcupine Ridge as it were, would do perfectly fine, Queenie had decided. After the pack finished settling into the Vale and she was confident that they were stable enough to lose one of their mercenaries, Queenie would invest more time into staking her own claim on the mountain. From where the peaks stood, one could see every part of Tindómë with a surreal clarity; it was the ideal spot for the Family to settle.

That being said, Queenie and Kratha would need to find more members of their Family, because two didn't make for much when it came to housekeeping. They would need hunters, scouts, mercenaries — scouting trips would soon become a necessity. 

It had been some time since her last one-on-one with @Delight and Queenie thought that they ought to change that. In addition, there hadn't been much interaction between the Morwinyon and @Kratha, which she seeked to change, too. When they left to build the Family, Queenie didn't want any bitterness between the two packs, so it was important to her that they formed strong bonds while they had the chance.

aware of queenie's ambitions yet unaware as to their materialization yet, delight is peacefully oblivious to her plans (and for the better, given the ugly nature of his abandonment complex ever-threatening to rear it's head). all of the anxiety he's carried with him from the move has physically manifested in a nasty cold -- after his meeting on the sunspire he takes to the sactuary of the vale, camping out in a den as a sneezy-fatigued mess. 

he tries to nap until he can't anymore (six hours, give or take -- he's fidgety), gives up, and goes for a walk. along the way he catches sight of queenie and hesitates, not wanting to expose her to his cold, before shrugging and chuffing to catch her attention. "don't come close," delight does think to warn, punctuating it with a sneeze.

Occupied, Queenie didn't acknowledge Delight's presence until he began to speak. I'm immune, she scoffed, trotting over to him with a friendly wag of her tail. In all of her life, Queenie hadn't been sick once; her grandmother was convinced that it was a gift from her "bewitched bitch" of a mother. Being as she has never met the woman, Queenie couldn't protest the potentially true accusations.

Wanna keep me company? she asked, hoping that Delight would say yes (she was sure he would, as a matter of fact). I wanna see what's around here. Check out the scenery, y'know?

naturally she ignores his instruction; her approach is met with a baleful look that carries no real weight. well, if she catches his cold, it's all on her and he won't even feel a little bit bad, so, there. sickness makes his normally only somewhat sullen-mostly netural expression pull into something sulky, reclaiming the edge of a youth he's gradually grown from since arriving in the teekons. 

when she asks him to walk along with her, he pouts, thinking of how cozy and warm his den is. curse queenie and her productivity and responsible ideas. but she's right: he's not about to say no. "fine," he breathes the syllable long like fffffiine, "that's probably a good idea." with exaggerated reluctance the saturnine morwinyon pulls himself to stand closer to queenie, waiting to led her lead their little voyage around the vale.

There was a surge of pride with every triumph, including this seemingly insignificant win with Delight. Border patrol had given her the opportunity to get an idea of what was in the territory, but there hadn't been much time to confirm her suspicions. Besides, if Queenie was going to make some amazing discovery, she wouldn't want anyone but Delight to do it with her.

Waddling up beside him, Queenie began to lead their little expedition. I wanna go...there. With her nose pointed southward hound-style, she began a more enthusiastic trot. Can you keep up, corpse boy? It was the best insult that she could think of, but one that Queenie hoped would strike all the same.

with anyone else he might have felt compelled to at least try to be a little more morwinyon-y -- even with jomyo, although she certainly sees him at his most informal too -- but he's sick and it's queenie, and he's never really been conventional with queenie. "what," delight deadpans, "is corpse boy supposed to mean?" he thinks it's an insult, or an attempt at one, but so baffling in it's delivery he isn't sure whether he's meant to be offended or just amused.

all the same he follows her in a significantly less enthusiastic, decidedly not-trot-like pace. delight does not bother to try and keep up -- queenie could probably run circles around him even at his healthiest -- but maintains his pace steadily, eyes on the vale around them. "it really is beautiful here," he says quietly, feeling not for the first time pleased with himself for how things have turned out so far.

In truth, Queenie didn't feel like one of Delight's subordinates, so while she did respect him as their leader, she didn't always act like he was. Not when they were together, anyway. There was time for praise and reverence when other wolves were watching, but when it was just the two of them like this, Queenie wasn't afraid to just be friends. 

It means that you look half-dead, she called, turning back to try and nudge him along, and you're moving like it, too! The words came out as exasperated grunts to exaggerate how much work it was taking her to get Delight to move. Queenie sighed and stepped away, deciding that she was content to walk beside him if that's what he needed.

The Vale was a sight for sore eyes. There were so many hidden secrets and stories that she was sure Delight would be able to peel away and learn. Look, up there, she said, nodding toward a half-frozen creek. The long, crooked branches hung over it ominously; without their leaves, they looked accusatory, pointing at and mocking the gelid pond. Let's go explore.

queenie's new avatar is GORGEOUS btw

her impatience with his refusal to move quickly does little to stir his sluggish blood: if anything, the boy somewhat childishly moves even slower until she comes to match his stride, a second of triumph flashing in his gaze underneath his sickly affect. 

the walk is making him feel better, he has to admit. the morwinyon follows her gaze to the crooked branches pointing bony fingers at the creek. they seem to be scolding the lingering frost of winter (relatable, he thinks), and easily he agrees, chuffing a "sure" as he takes a few tentative steps forward.

i K N O W

It was like a hidden wonderland! Inside of this already awesome territory was more awesome territory that Queenie was literally falling out of herself to investigate. She moved like a puppy stricken with wanderlust; nose to the ground, careful not to miss a single spot. Come summertime, she was sure that this place would come into itself again. It's freaking, ohmygosh gorgeous, she exclaimed as her eyes searched the scene, Don't ya think?

Lazy bones McGee had better speak up, because Queenie didn't get this excited in front of just anyone. It was becoming quite clear that she had a good feeling about Delight, even if she couldn't place where exactly it came from.

slowly he comes to stand beside her, watching the way her face lights up in child-like glee. it looks good on her -- he's used to strict queenie, force of nature queenie, queenie who matches his cynicism and wit. this isn't a radical depature, but it is a display of vulnerability in a way delight can appreciate.

"it is," he agrees readily, looking back to the lush territory before them. even in this weird, lingering frost-filled winter, it manages to look stunning -- he can't wait to see how it'll look come spring. 

delight sneezes and sits, considering something for a moment before he opens his mouth again. "hey," he says, his voice taking on a softer tone, "thanks for .. well, everything you've been doing. i don't think i coulda handled this move nearly as well if i didn't have you. and jomyo and gracious, but like, you."

In the same way that Delight disliked a sentimental Queenie, she couldn't stand his vulnerability, either. It wasn't a good time for her to belittle him (despite the incredible urge), so she settled for a nonchalant shrug. Secretly, Delight's praises were just what she needed. It had been so long since she'd had someone genuinely thank her for everything that she did. Normally, back at home (it had been so long since she'd been!), folks would praise her for just existing, and now she was here doing actual work without anyone noticing. 

You would have been fine if I wasn't there, Queenie told him with a scoff, 'cause you're good at what you do, believe it or not. Delight might not have been her ideal pick for Alpha (or Morwinyon, or whatever), but he was doing a damn good job at holding ship. She admired his ability to keep it together while managing one of the most both boring and random group of wolves she'd ever met. Still, Queenie conceded with a bashful grin, Feel free to continue bathing me with compliments. I won't mind.

queenie brushes him off, predictably -- delight sits with a petulant scowl. "shaddup," he drawls, punctuated by a very large sneeze, "i'm saying i want to promote you." the thought hadn't crossed his mind until the words left his mouth, but as they do he finds he agrees with them adamantly. hasn't she already been picking up the slack for him, even? he's lucky to oversee the lot that he has, but ever since rannoch casually mentioned co-leaders the idea's been running through his mind. it's a big order, running a group like this, even as generally mellow as they are -- he doesn't want to burn out like mato did. the pout drops off his face, replaced by a raised eyebrow, almost (playfully) challenging her to reject the idea -- though if he knows her as well as he thinks, he suspects that she, unlike him, will have absolutely no qualms at the idea of leadership.

The proper response might been a Thank you! or I won't let you down! but Queenie didn't have it in her to fathom either. All that she could give was an, Oh, please, and a playful shrug to the Morwinyon's shoulder. It's about time. It was remarkable how she had come from being indifferent about their pack and its wolves, to spending hours on end at the borders to keep them safe. Talk about a character arc, amiright?

I appreciate you thinking of me, she said, and now that we're kinda equals, you can't say anything about this. With that, Queenie launched herself over and onto Delight, trying to knock him down and playfully sprint away in a most childish manner.

secretly -- hell, maybe not so secretly -- he's relieved queenie doesn't go all sappy on him about it, even though he'd not expected her to. sometimes you never know -- it's not as if he doesn't give in to fits of sentimentality here and there. (okay, with more frequency than he'd ever own up to).

"yeah, yeah," delight grouses, only to be bowled over by his newly appointed second in command. jeez! he's sick and isn't she the one always going on about body guards and looking after him given his delicate physique? if queenie expects him to playfully chase her, she'd got the wrong morwinyon: he stays on the ground, giving her an incredibly pathetic and borderline malicious look as he dramatically deadpans "you've gone and killed me."

The playful sprint only lasted a moment before Queenie was reeling herself back in to where Delight had declared his defeat. She disappointedly sucked in her teeth and sat down beside his head, incredibly unimpressed with how easy he had given up on what could have been a fantastic time. Sick or not, getting to chase after Queenie St. Clair was a privilege!

Oh, please. Don't be such a baby. Queenie lovingly nudged at the crown of Delight's head before standing back up and beginning to stroll back to the border. I guess I'll just leave you for the birds, then. 

Wrap up?

yiis <3

he rolls dramatically in the snow, the big ham, only climbing back to his feet after she starts to move off. "oi!" delight calls, and quickly steps after her to catch up, his dour expression turned more playful, looking forward to ... whatever else it is she has up her sleeve. he really never knows, and he kind of likes that.