Heron Lake Plateau when we wake up, we remember it was just a paper cut

Towhee was no longer alpha. Her parents, no longer betas. Raven, her other big sister, was the alpha now, and Clover had many, many feelings on the entirety of the matter. 

For the most part, she was happy for Raven. She was confused as hell as to why Towhee would do this after observing the conversation Towhee had with her parents, and was a bit blindsided. And then there was the percentage of her that recalled Raven's intervention during her attempt to attack shit-for-brains, and she grit her teeth at the thought of Raven extending kindness toward Captain Abandoner. Now Raven was a leader. Clover respected her big sister completely, and loved her to boot, but both of her sisters seemed to lack any semblance of self-respect for themselves, for their family (that stuck around), and also logic. 

Because somehow, that dude was still hanging around. 

It was her respect and love for her family that made her conviction what it was. She didn't trust him, not one bit. She didn't like his stupid face, or his stupid smell, or his stupid voice—

Something about that one-eye, though, it is kind of... distinguishing...

No, that made him all the more foul and loathsome, she internally told herself, combatting any semblance of interest. How did he lose an eye, anyway? bet he deserved it, she mumbled under her breath, her green eyes peering left and right. Clover sighed a little, and shortly after her sigh, a light rain began to fall. 

So, Raven was alpha now, as was Quixote. It was a lot to process, even with some time to reflect, but for the while she was content, given that she loved Raven and imagined Quixote to be a cool dude, since Raven picked him out. Raven's defense of Tit very well could be a very brief lapse in sanity... though she imagined she ought to find out. With that thought in mind, Clover turned from the borders she'd been perusing and began to head in the direction she imagined Raven to be.

open!

Niamh was pleased, and felt that she'd found a new purpose and place within the pack, simply because Tegan had given her a chance, and would be taking her with him on his mission to Drageda, wherever that was. Things were looking up, slightly; X thought she was great, or so it seemed- birds were really hard to read since they mostly just looked angry- and at least one of the Blackthorns had time for her. Her lessons in Ptero had continued, though she was still a bit shaky and practiced on her own a bit, to try and smoothe the gestures out so she didn't look like a frog in a blender while she was trying to sign. But all in all, things were going alright. 

Her good mood didn't change when she caught sight of Clover in the distance. Fiadh had been cold toward her, but she hadn't had much of a chance to pin Clover down on her own, so she made her way toward the girl with the clover on her haunch. Fiadh had probably already told her that she'd started learning Ptero, and how it was lame that she was trying to fit in, but she didn't care. There was always a chance she hadn't, and a chance that maybe she could still win Clover over. 

She shook a few rain droplets from her coat, hoping to catch Clover's attention, before she signed. -Hi Clover. What's up?- She asked, waiting, hoping that she'd be given a chance.

The movement certainly did call to her attention, and Clover's head turned only to spot Niamh nearby. The very moment she did, the other began speaking ptero, and Clover felt her insides flip with some measure of outrage toward this. That language was hers, and her families. Niamh had just joined and was being given the privilege to learn this language that thus far in her life, only her family had utilized. 

Clover stayed still for a moment, tense. 

She wasn't a mean girl, she just did not like who she did not like. Niamh she had yet to form an opinion on, though she was annoyed with the way that she had been treated their second run-in when Clover had asked to leave and the other, even when acknowledging she was in the wrong, expected some sort of explanation. Clover definitely wasn't her number one fan, and it was relatively clear. 

Then there was her relationship with Tit. 

She was quiet for several, long minutes, before she moved to close the distance between them. 

-Just thinking,- she signed back, swiftly and not at all mindful of Niamh's potential inability to keep up. This, however, was not done to be rude—she really had just been thinking, and her deep thoughts were so encompassing that she had been a little thoughtless in her response. You didn't know about Tit before, did you? About everything he did? She asked, speaking in plain English. She did not want to be misunderstood and wanted to know.

She replied. She looked stiff, and unsure of exactly what she wanted to do, but at least she replied= and didn't send her away at once, the way Fiadh had. She waited a moment, appreciative of the fact that Clover came toward her but not in an aggressive way. Her ears turned back slightly and posture lowered, simply because she still half expected Clover to break into a sprint at any moment and try to take her down. She wasn't sure what she'd do in that situation- defend herself, or simply submit. This was something about pack life that she hadn't exactly had to deal with much, just yet. 

When Clover spoke again, she surprised the figurative socks off Niamh. She closed her eyes, exhaled and shook her head. Her brow furrowed and she responsed with a dark tone. "I didn't. Not until your mom said so, and he didn't deny it." She said. When she opened her eyes, she kept her gaze downcast, still ashamed that she'd chosen to back Screech who, apparently, had done a bunch of bad stuff before he'd left the pack. "He seemed cool when I met him but...I guess I didn't know him really well." She admitted. "He's been kind of a D-bag to you guys, hasn't he?" She asked, having finally clued into what she thought was the reason Clover hated on the two of them so much.

Niamh's posture did her some favors, though Clover still wasn't warm toward her. A friend of Tit could never be a friend of hers. Such a thought was seeking to reach those she did care about, but had not yet found any purchase. Yeah. We were going to fight against a pack who had taken another sister hostage. And he ran away without a word, she informed. We needed him. We needed each other. And he turned his back on us, Clover's eyes looked to the distance, and she exhaled a bit. I can't like who I can't trust. What was the point? She turned back to Niamh. I didn't even know he got in a fight with my dad. He's the most levelheaded dude on this planet, I'm not even kidding you— it was a bewildering thought, like, I can't even imagine it, she continued after a breath and then stopped. 

And I didn't trust you, either, by extension. I mean, I still don't, not really, but, she might be willing to try to, she thought, as she looked at the downcast Niamh. Are you... are you two still friends?

Clover explained the details of the war to him, something no one had really bothered to do aside from telling her that there'd been a war, and that apparently Screech had been a draft dodger. She was still unsure as to why two packs would need to go to war- but she supposed if hostages were taken, there'd be reason for it. Clover's reasoning was solid, and Niamh finally understood. She wasn't being hateful just for kicks- she was simply once bitten, twice shy. She had no reason to trust Screech, not after he'd abandoned them. 

The fact that he'd attacked her father made it even worse. She'd met Elwood briefly- and he'd actually been kind of nice to her, though she'd only really seen him for a couple seconds before Fiadh had dismissed her. But she got a calm, cool vibe off him. Obviously, the girls took after their mother in terms of temper- but obviously, at least one of them was learning from Elwood. 

Once asked about Screech, she flattened her ears. "I haven't seen him since I saw you last." She admitted, truthfully. "I...I wanted some time away from him. Everyone seemed to hate him, and I didn't like being hated by association. I understand if you can't trust him again- I'm not going to be so keen on hanging out with him either. And...And I get it, why you didn't like me. You thought I supported his assholery. And I don't."

Clover was glad to hear Niamh wanted time away from him. The public had influenced her decision more than her knowledge, but now that Niamh knew the truth, now she could decide for herself once and for all what sort of wolf she wanted to hang around with. That she expressed she wouldn't be keen on it caused Clover to soften a measure, though admittedly Clover wanted more than that. 

Niamh knew his past and could imagine the risk she put herself by being close to him, now, knowing that—and Clover, as she thought this, meant Niamh's own personal, mental wounds. Clover did not know Tit all that well to start with, thankfully (and also fortunately for Titmouse)—she would be all the more vindictive if it were so. If she had known him and he had left her behind, her hurt would be far more severe. 

She fought, now, solely for her families safety. Clover perceived him as a risk because frankly, she could not even understand any of it. What had he returned for? Because the battle was done, and he was safe? Why had he left? And, he wanted to fight Towhee to start with for this scrap of land. He was really happy, not leading, when he had wanted to? Why had he come to her families den and refused to leave? Did he really not know where it was he had stood? Well, Niamh somehow hadn't, either... 

I also... just want to know... did you... not smell the den the other day...? Or... or were you like, caught up in the moment, 'cause you guys were friends and you wanted to be a good one... Clover sought to extend some sort of benefit of the doubt to her, provide the beginnings of an olive branch, but she wanted to understand that day, too, because she could not make sense of it. Clover would have her families and friends back too, she supposed, though even Clover had the inherent instinct to stay away from the den. Even now she only went to it when invited, though she skulked around its perimeter lately largely in thanks to Tit's arrival.

Clover was actually giving her the time of day. She felt ashamed, now, that she'd judged Clover as she had...It ended up that she'd been judging Clover the same way Clover had judged her; Screech had just been a stick in the middle of them and they'd been tugging at both ends of it. What she saw in Clover now wasn't some bratty adolescent who was too big for her britches, who wanted to fight despite never having to take care of herself, but a family wolf who just wanted to do every single thing she could to defend her family and pack. Clover might have held a grudge against someone she didn't know- but it was for good reasons, reasons that Niamh understood now. 

When she brought up the incident near the densite, she shook her head. "Honestly, I just leapt to defend my friend. I didn't realize how close we were until your mom pointed it out- I think I was...You know, a bit distracted. I was doing what I thought was right, and for the right reasons, but it was a total shitstorm, and I apologize." She said, looking up, then, to show that she meant it. "I like kids. You're lucky you have younger siblings, and a whole family around here." She said, but realized she was getting off topic. She could go on a whole tangent about how she wished she had siblings and family of her own in these parts- but she'd made the decision to leave them behind, so that was her own fault. 

"I'm really sorry, Clover; I wish I'd known, but I guess after the whole shamozzle when you guys first came here, I wanted to back Screech up just...Just 'cause he's the underdog, y'know? And he didn't seem all that bad...Not that great, but I didn't know anyone else." She said. "Had I known, before, about all the stuff he did...I probably wouldn't have bothered with him. No, not probably- I wouldn't have."

As Niamh explained herself, Clover listened. Really, it was the apology that mattered at the end of it all; Niamh knew, now, she had done wrong in that matter... and as she continued on, it seemed Niamh saw the light altogether. Frankly, she was a little bit relieved, and her youthful naivety made her feel inclined to simply just believe what Niamh was saying because she was being kind and apologetic both. There was still a part of her that was wary, though; it was a mechanism of self-defense in case Niamh was, for whatever reason, being dishonest. The more Niamh spoke, the more of a reasonable wolf she seemed to be. 

The outsider herself had done nothing but try and be a good friend, and it was this that made her be so untoward to Fiadh and to herself. But she was being a good friend to the wrong wolf, a wolf totally undeserving (in her opinion) of it. Clover liked that sort of loyalty, misplaced though it was, and hoped that now that she knew the truth she would shift it toward far more worthy of it, like Towhee, or her parents, or Raven, or Fi—shit, even Tegan! Well.. her family. 

Niamh was lucky she had caught her mother on a good day. Usually, she kicked ass first, asked questions, well, never. 

And then, the she-wolf referred to Tit as Screech, a very, very fitting name, she thought snarkily to herself, and as she spoke of him being the underdog Clover listened, though she had her own opinion on the whole thing. Screech being the underdog was his own choice. He had left them long ago, and who knew what shady shit he'd been up to thereafter. He lost an eye, and Clover had no doubt that he must have done something bad to have earned that. 

But that she determined if she had known she would not have run the same road as him? Clover interpreted her statement as to mean she would no longer be hanging out with him, and it was this that caused her to desire to give Niamh a chance. She would have to discuss it with Fiadh, of course... Niamh was not what she had expected, that was for sure. 

He's pretty shitty. The truth has set you free, she said with a little smile. I guess you're not so bad after all, she determined after a beat, her tail waving a little.

Clover clearly hated him. She wasn't willing to give him a second chance. While Niamh did realize all of this was finally putting her in the good books, she did realize that it more or less left Screech on his own. But how much should she care, given all he'd done to these people? She was still caught in the middle, a bit, between sticking by the first friend she'd had around here and moving past him, as he'd proven himself to have been terrible toward his friends and family. All she could do was move forward, and do what was best for herself- which was what she'd initially wanted to do by sticking with Screech. It finally occurred to her that all she'd wanted was a pack- and even though she'd fallen into one in one of the most unconventional ways, it'd still happened. 

Clover finally seemed to accept her- even if only a little bit, so in gratitude, she slicked her ears back, and moved forward to nudge Clover's lower jaw, as a sign of respect. A weight lifted off her shoulders, then- she didn't have to worry, necessarily, about the Blackthorns having a massive grudge against her, as she'd finally gotten through to the one she'd deemed the hardest nut to crack. "I'm doing my best, and I appreciate that you gave me a chance." She said, releived to have finally been given a break. "Towhee suggested I go for the mercenary trade, so I've been working on that. Have you been going for something? You'd make a great guardian," She said.

Clover was sure that Niamh thought she was doing her best... at the very least, she had started down that road in trying to integrate with her other family members. Clover did hate ScreechTit; why the hell would he lie to Niamh about his name, anyhow? Did he do one honest thing? 

She preferred the name he had given himself, she thought. It worked well for his scumbag aesthetic, and also, she felt, removed some of his ties from the family he had been born into. That was a choice he had made, too—

It was difficult to think of anything else when she was genuinely worried about him being here. But Clover made the effort. It's really cool that you were okay to like, speak with me about it all, you know? And not defend him the whole time when realizing he really was a dingbat. The truth was a difficult thing to swallow. Clover felt she would do the same thing as Niamh now, if she learned that someone had lied to her throughout their friendship and hid things so significant. Obviously they knew it was bad to do, and yet they had done it. Clover doubted he would ever have faced them any other way but this, and also felt even now his willingness was some sort of play against Towhee in whatever way. Towhee had been there through thick and thin and had defended them all tooth and claw; Clover would be damned if Tit thought to do anything to undermine her or hurt her. 

Well, she thought to herself, he'd be gone before then—

The other's nose to her chin caused her tail to stir, appreciating the gesture, one she was not sure would ever occur even despite Niamh's clear regrets. If she was sorry for one thing, it was for maybe misjudging Niamh, though that she would find out for certain in time. She would put her faith in her for now, though. Some of it. 

Oh, uhm, maybe. I thought about mercenary, too, she admitted to Niamh, pleased to be acknowledged in such a way. I just don't know if I want to always fight, she did not want to admit to Niamh she didn't know a crazy amount about fighting quite yet. I guess I haven't really decided what I want to do yet, she admitted. Tilting her head, she inquired, were you a guardian in your last pack, too?

Niamh shook her head when Clover thanked her for talking. It wasn't the first time she'd tried to be reasonable with one of the Blackthorn family- but it was the first time she'd actually been given the chance to explain herself, and redeem her reputation a bit. "I try to not be too much of an asshat. On occasion, sure, yeh, it happens." She said, with a small chuckle. "Gets the best of us sometimes, I think." She said. After all, she'd leapt to Screech's defense when they'd been way too close to a den with pups- so she'd definitely put herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and had chosen the wrong pack of wolves to argue with...That was full of asshattery. 

She was surprised to hear that Clover didn't want to fight all the time...She'd gotten the impression that that was pretty much all she wanted to do- but then again, she was learning quickly how much they'd both misjudged each other. "I guess. I just like the idea of keeping the borders safe, and escorting others on missions. I'd try not to fight as much as I could avoid it." She said. That was her understanding of the mercenary position, anyway- that violence would always be a last resort. "We were taught a bit of everything, kind of- I mostly just did bird hunting and guarding...Guess just because I'm tall," She said, with a chuckle. "These legs gotta be useful for something." She said.

It wasn't the worst meeting in the world- and Niamh found herself finding a small amount of respect for Clover who, it appeared, wasn't such a monster after all.