Blacktail Deer Plateau Here's looking at you, kid

*cough* minori has balls. @Kavik @Ruenna and @Liri

After Grezig had left she had been confused. She knew that it was partially her encouragement that lead her friend to leave the Plateau, yet how could a Beta give up so quickly without even an attempt at resolving the issue? Minori couldn't fathom it, she had liked Grezig a lot but something about the whole scenario spoke of lack of loyalty.
She thought herself loyal.

So she had gotten it into her brain that she should have Grezig's spot as Beta. She had proven herself many times over to be loyal to the plateau and to the Alphas in particular. If anyone was going to be picked, she wanted to get her desire out there before the alphas picked. She howled for Liri and Kavik, showing respect to Ruenna as current beta by calling her as well.

For some reason, the moment Rue heard Minori's howl she assumed that the mercenary wished to fight someone for a position. Indeed, the last time Minori had called for the alphas and an additional wolf, that had been the case-- or so Rue had heard through the proverbial grapevine. She hadn't actually been present for Minori's showdown with Siqsa, but Rue could only assume what had happened after hearing the call that day and then immediatly following, Siqsa was injured and Minori was promoted. 

Since Kavik and Liri were the alphas and Rue was the additional wolf, it would not take a genius to figure out which wolf was being challenged. Rue had been awaiting some sort of confrontation like this ever since her promotion. Although Elixir had chosen words over actions to address her complicated feelings about Rue's promotion, Rue knew that such a choice was rare for wolves-- especially in a pack with so many warriors. Minori wanted blood, and Rue couldn't really blame her. 

The call had awakened Rue's anxieties and brought her insecurities to the forefront of her mind, and so it didn't occur right away to the new Beta that there was-- in fact-- another open Beta position and therefore it was quite unlikely that Minori would attempt to fight Rue for her spot. Jumping to conclusions was an unfortunate side-effect of Rue's anxiety, and she was always quick to assume and prepare for the most threatening outcome in a tense situation. And so Rue dragged herself toward Minori's call with heavy paws, trying to mentally compose herself for-- what she imagined was-- the oncoming confrontation. 

Rue was first to arrive, and she attempted to greet Minori with friendly smile. However, there would be worry visible behind the young woman's honey gaze. "Hello, Minori," Rue chirped, praying to the stars that the other leaders would arrive quickly. The sooner they could put this behind them, the better. 

Just to be clear, I'm aware that this isn't a fight/challenge, Rue's just being an insecure anxietyball.

Grezig leaving had shaken the alpha. For some reason, he had been holding on to the delusion that the three founding leaders could work through their issues and go back to some version of normal. The former beta had apparently had a different idea, and as much as it hurt, Kavik understood; she didn't feel she could lead this pack with her current feelings towards his mate. Maybe with Grezig gone forging her own path, they could all begin to repair things. He didn't think anything would assuage his guilt otherwise.

He shook his inky head and moved through the trees, trying to dislodge his intrusive thoughts. He had no destination in mind except maybe the borders to start a patrol, but he hadn't fully committed to that yet. Minori's howl paused his steps. She had called for all three leaders, and he wondered what might be going on. He changed his path and began heading towards his packmate. When he arrived, he moved to stand near Ruenna dipping his head in greeting to each woman as he walked. Liri hadn't arrived yet, so he held any questions, figuring Minori would fill them all in once his mate got here.

Minori's call brought the pale Alphess forth, appearing from the tangle of trees with a few flickers of ivory. She had learned not to question anything at this point. There was no telling why exactly she would be summoned and wondering about the origins of it did little to help; the fae would know soon enough. 

It hadn't occurred to her that another subordinate might feel they deserved the position of Beta. Minori had been considered when Liri chose Ruenna, but it was the Masuyo's past disappearance that led to the silver being promoted instead. 

The healer dipped her head to the two women as she sat by Kavik, glancing to Minori curiously. 

What's the disappearance that Liri was speaking of? I don't think Minori ever vanished from BDP

Ruenna was the first to arrive and Minori was about to greet her with a smile when she noticed the tension and worry behind the womans gaze. Her ears perked forward curiously and she tilted her head, concern written on her features "Ruenna? Whats wrong?" she asked just as Kavik showed up. She fell silent again looking a bit disturbed by the sudden nervousness in the way that Ruenna reguarded her. She returned Kavik's silent greeting and then waited the last few moments for Liri to show up. She gave the Alpha female a smile and then cleared her throat, lowering her rear end down to the ground. "Hello I'm sorry for the sudden call. I wanted to say this before it was too late. What happened between you two and Grezig was horrible and I'm very sorry, it must be confusing and painful. I do however hold the belief that there was more that could have been done to fix it. You gave her the option to talk and She denied it." she trailed off for a moment hesitating briefly and then looked at Liri "That does go both ways though. I'm not sure if you ever tried to talk it out, but if not it's something that probably should have been done" she let the bluntness flow, the hesitation evident in her voice. It wasn't her place to point out faults but she felt it was needed. She wasn't against Grezig or Liri here, though her loyalty lay with the Alpha Female for sure. She paused and tried to figure out what she needed to say before continuing.

"As a beta you need to be one hundred percent loyal to your pack and have the capability to resolve conflict and do what must be done. I do believe I have proven to be capable at all of those things. I have defended our land and taken a fall doing so, I have defended Liri in front of everyone, I patrol and hunt as hard as anyone else. I also believe I showed the drive and desire needed to be a beta when I challenged Siqsa." she felt a moment of hesitation, doubt flickering in her gaze as she dropped it quickly. "I know this may be too soon after Grezig's departure which is why I don't want a decision now. I just wanted this heard before you start considering a new beta. If I'm not chosen I won't cause problems, I won't challenge to take anyone's place. I am loyal to you two and the Plateau, I will respect your choice either way" she finished her unprepared, clumsy speech and lifted her gaze, studying the three of them for reactions.

Minori returned Rue's greeting with warmth and kindness, and the dark warrior's features noticably clouded with concern for Rue. She even asked Rue what was wrong. Huh... that was not really the demeanor of a wolf who wanted blood, was it? Rue's look of worry transformed to one of confusion. She shook her head to rid herself of the feeling, and then she returned a genuine smile to Minori. "Sorry-- I.. I was just worried by your call, but I was jumping to conclusions. It's been a.. stressful time." Rue finished her explanation just as Kavik was joining them. She returned his nod. No doubt they could all agree that this was a difficult time for Blacktail Deer Plateau. 

Rue nodded back to Liri as she arrived, demeanor brightening at the sight of her friend. She always felt better when the ivory alpha was around. Minori launched into her speech, and Rue lowered her rear to the ground as it became clear that they would be discussing the Grezig situation. Oh boy. Rue's honey eyes flicked to her leaders' faces as Minori put her two cents in about what "more that could have been done to fix" the situation. Oh boy, oh stars. Rue found herself holding her breath, wondering exactly how much offense the alphas were going to take here. Of course there was more that they all could have done, but surely Minori hadn't intended to come off as so.. chiding. After all, it was easy to look back in hindsight and point out what could have been done differently-- the hard part was moving forward. 

Minori shifted the speech from the topic of Grezig to the topic of herself. Rue's head tilted slightly in curiosity. Rue could be wrong here, but it seemed like Minori was comparing her own actions to Grezig's in order to present a case as to why she would make a better Beta. It was a rather brazen stance to assume so soon after the former Beta's departure, in Rue's opinion. Minori mentioned one-hundred-percent loyalty and conflict resolution-- obviously two areas in which Grezig could be accused of coming up short-- and Rue shifted uncomfortably. Rue hadn't been close to Grezig by any stretch of the imagination, but it still distressed her a bit to hear a (thinly-veiled) critique of a former leader spoken aloud. 

Minori assured them that she didn't want an answer right away before falling quiet. Rue certainly did not miss the fact that Minori said she was loyal to "you two"-- clearly meaning Liri and Kavik, and not "you three," which would have included Ruenna. Not that Rue expected she had would have already earned anyone's loyalty yet, but Minori's word choice there was still interesting to note. It was clear that Minori was most interested in the opinions of the alphas, so Rue decided she would speak first to allow the other two time to compose their thoughts. 

"You are quite a valuable member of Blacktail Deer Plateau, Minori. Your actions do speak for themselves. We are so proud to call you our packmate."  Rue inhaled. "..Recent events have left us all a bit shaken--" Rue glanced to the other leaders. "We.. haven't yet had a chance to discuss, as leaders, our.. our vision for the pack moving forward." Truly, Rue was still unsure of why she herself had been chosen to lead, but she had to assume that it had something to do with the direction in which the alphas wished to take the pack. Perhaps they weren't looking for another mercenary in a leadership position. Why else would they have chosen Rue, arguably the least aggressive wolf in the pack, for leadership? Or-- or perhaps now that Grezig was gone, they would want another military tactician to take her place, and Minori would be perfect for the job. Rue simply had no idea.

It wasn't long before Liri arrived and took a seat next to him. Kavik gave her a brief nuzzle in greeting before focusing his attention back on Minori. She began speaking about the incident between the three leaders, offering her opinion on what could have been done to resolve things. His first thought was that it was much easier to make those observations from the outside. He couldn't speak for the other two, but he felt his judgement on the matter had been somewhat clouded by the guilt and shame he had felt since the event had unfolded that day. His first concern had been repairing things with Liri, which meant he had neglected to focus on repairing his friendship with Grezig. Not to mention, she had taken off without even telling him where she was going, and when she came back, things seemed to be even worse. He was beginning to think nothing could have been done to make Grezig stay. When it came down to it, she had fallen in love with someone she couldn't have; most would probably feel the way she did in that situation. It felt like going their separate ways seemed like the best way to fix things, even if it hurt to lose his friend. He also wasn't sure there really was a correct way to deal with a situation like this. In the end, someone was bound to end up hurt. It was all frustratingly complicated, and he felt he had dealt with it to the best of his ability. Liri was still here at his side, so he must have done something right. The alpha made no comment on her opinion right then, instead he listened silently as she continued to speak.

She went on to discuss the open beta position, stating reasons why she thought she would be a good choice to fill it. He honestly hadn't even started to consider filling the position; he was still trying to adjust to Grezig being gone. He didn't really disagree with Minori; he thought she would make a good beta, but he wasn't sure he was ready to make that decision yet. He nodded as Ruenna spoke, adding when she was finished, Ruenna is correct; I certainly haven't really thought much much about filling the open position, nor have I spoken to Liri or Ruenna about it. Did that make him a bad leader? Maybe he needed to get over his feelings and be a better alpha. That in no way means we don't appreciate your loyalty and everything to do for this pack, he added a second later, afraid she would associate their lack of action with a failure to notice how valuable she was to the pack.

I could've sworn Minori went inactive for a while earlier this year? Was that someone else?

"Minori you are a valuable member of this pack, I truly don't know what we would do without you. But I agree with Kavik and Ruenna. We just haven't had time to consider it."

The healer paused, a wracking cough preventing her from speaking for a few moments. "Excuse me. As I was saying, Grezig only just left. It will take us a bit of time to consider the future of the pack, I hope you can understand that."

"As for what could have been done...I will always wonder if there was something more I could have done, something I could have said. I spoke to Grezig before she left in search of Illidan's family. I told her she could not be blamed for who she loved but she could not expect me to step aside and allow that...that mess," she growled out suddenly, "to take place. My own children would not grow up in such a chaotic situation; their only siblings would be born of our marriage."

Liri shook her head, ears falling as her eyes slipped shut wearily. She was so exhausted.

"We were hurting but I believed in time we could all forgive and move on, for the pack at least..but when Grezig returned something changed. She was angry, distant. I truly believed her to hate me."

"She asked me to spar and I refused. Not because I was afraid of losing or being embarrassed. I was just done with the whole situation."

"Kavik is my husband. Any children sired by him will be carried by me," Liri shrugged slightly, "I figured if Grezig couldn't accept that then she would have to find some way to get over it."

"If I had agreed, if I had helped her regardless of how she felt about me, she might still be here. But I will not grovel for her loyalty. I don't want it."

Cool dark eyes lifted to Minori as she gave her own personal version of events. Liri regretted nothing. It was becoming clear to her that Grezig - who had once seemed so stoic - was far too guided by her emotions. If she could nearly destroy lives, a pack, over a man who was happily involved in someone else, then Liri didn't need that kind of wolf in her pack let alone in their leadership tier. 

"My main concern is this pack. With Grezig gone, I can see no reason why the future should be anything but stable."

"We will need some to time to consider this, Minori, to discuss it amongst ourselves." Her gaze flickered to Ruenna and Kavik to see if they agreed. 

It hadn't occurred to her that perhaps the lack of action filling the space was due to them all being upset over Grezig. She didn't understand how deep bonds could go, she didn't understand the real extent and variation of emotion that one could feel since she had forced herself to ignore them and had not let anyone close for so long before meeting Corvus. It was becoming increasingly more apparent as each of her leaders spoke that they were mourning the stressful event and trying to figure out how to move on before they were figuring out who would take over as beta. As soon as it dawned on her she felt guilty and her ears slowly pressed back, chin lowering as she stared at her paws avoiding their gazes especially as Liri spoke. When they had all finished she licked her lips and shifted her weight, feeling like a bad friend. What must she look like to them? It was horrible that she had burst forth so bluntly asking to be Beta and practically demanding their consideration and even worse, pointing out where Grezig and them had gone wrong. She hadn't meant it at all, but it was too late to take the words back. "I...I didn't realise or consider that you three and everyone else may be..may need more time to get over this than I do. I didn't mean to seem power greedy or inconsiderate. I am not good with the whole...friendship and emotions situation and for that I apologise. I appreciate you all recognising what I do but I didn't mean to say you hadn't, I think everyone in the pack gets recognised." she trailed off for a moment and then lifted her gaze.

She offered the three of them a tentative smile and continued "Take all the time you need..I didn't mean to put any pressure on you in this stressful time. I will accept any answer you make without any outburst, I hope you know this. I'll be loyal no matter what." She finished and then nodded her respect to them, standing up. She hoped the awkwardness and embarrasment she felt didn't show but she really did want to get out of there "Well...that's all I wished to discuss. I'll go take a run now, if that's alright?" she asked.

Minori wasn't inactive, she was on PPC for a week max after the bear attack! Also this is the last post from me unless Minori is prompted to speak again!

Kavik spoke next, offering words that were similar to those previosuly spoken by Rue. Once he was finished, Rue naturally looked to Liri for her input. The ivory alpha had to cough before she began, which drew Rue's silent concern. The cough seemed to source from Liri's chest-- it was certainly more than a simple throat-clearing cough. Rue had not forgotten Elixir's recent bout of greencough, nor did it escape her that Liri had been exposed to the contagious disease while caring for the ailing wolfdog. 

Rue's focus was reluctantly drawn away from Liri's health and onto Liri's words as the alpha spoke, offering more details about her own thought processes and feelings surrounding the situation with Grezig. Rue knew Liri to be a fair leader and she had never doubted the alpha's actions, but it was reassuring to hear Liri speak with such sound logic.  Who could deny now that Liri had done her best, especially when put in such a difficult situation?

Rue could not help but crack a small smile as Liri mentioned her future children. This was the first Rue was hearing of any concrete plans for a litter this spring, although Rue had been quietly hoping that Liri and Kavik had such intentions. The thought of pups running around the plateau warmed her heart. The arrival of the newest generation always restored hope, motivation, and joy after a difficult winter, and Rue thought that was exactly what Blacktail Deer Plateau needed. 

Minori seemed to deflate more and more as the leaders spoke, and she seemed to be very much humbled by the conversation. It was an odd look for the steely mercenary. Truthfully, Minori's request had felt a bit like a power-grab at first, but now the mercenary seeemed truly remorseful after it was suggested that she had pushed too hard, too soon. Despite "not being good with the whole friendship and emotion situation," Minori seemed to understand when the leaders explained their complicated feelings around the matter. 

Rue moved forward to nudge against Minori's shoulder, hoping to offer comfort. "You want to help," Rue said quietly, understandingly. "We see that, Minori. We are grateful to have a packmate who is eager to rise to the occasion in such a challenging time." Rue thought that perhaps more than simply seeking reward or recognition, Minori was looking for how she could be of best service to the pack. If that was true, Rue thought that was a noble desire. 

Rue looked to the alphas as Minori sought her dismissal.

His mate began to speak, but stopped to cough. His head whipped around to her, face filled with concern. She brushed it off, but he continued to worry. He knew she had been treating Elixir, and he wondered if maybe she had caught the same thing. Duty as alpha battled with his need to question his mate about her health, but his duty eventually won out; he would just have to discuss it with her later. 

Liri went on to discuss the details of what transpired between them and Grezig, and as always, he cringed hearing it put into words. It was bad enough that it tormented his thoughts day in and day out, but to hear the story told out loud was almost too much. The mention of their future children lifted his spirits some; he thought about that almost every day and couldn't wait to see what amazing children they made together. 

He shared his mate's concern about the pack, and he too hoped that Grezig's departure would make things a little easier on the plateau. Kavik loved his friend, but even he couldn't deny that her presence had only caused tension following their incident. 

He was not happy to see Minori seem so dejected over the situation. He held no blame or ill-will towards her for asking to be beta. It was a logical option; she was a strong fighter and had been loyal to them since the beginning. But they really just needed some time to adjust to the shift in things. Grezig was meant to lead with them, and now she was gone because of the mess he had created. It was a lot too deal with, and Kavik just needed a little bit to process it.

The silver beta comforted Minori, stating that everyone understood where she was coming from. Ruenna is correct. We appreciate how willing you are to help us out, truly we do; we just need some time. He nodded encouragingly to the dark woman. He hoped this didn't dampen her spirit, and he made a note to check in with her later and make sure she was okay.