Blackfeather Woods awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock

takes place fairly soon after this thread, staying vague just in case more things happen

To say she was disturbed by what had taken place between Mou, Abraxas, and the crows was an understatement. There were so many layers to that incident that she was still trying to sift through. Abraxas, moving against a leader of the pack. Mou, slaughtering birds for seemingly no reason. And what she was to do about it all.

Luckily, this task didn't fall on her shoulders alone, and so she sought out @Ramsay with a low, insistent howl, padding near the northern border in hopes to find her brother there. She knew that Ramsay would be harsher on her love than she would be alone, and the thought frightened her slightly, but she also knew that justice must be carried out. Without it, Abraxas would not be satisfied—and the dark man, however creepy, was someone they wanted on their side.

Maegi idly marked a tree gone a little stale, squatting, her brows knitted together and clearly troubled. She did the same to a few others while waiting for her littermate, idly switching her gaze from the brightness of the field outside the woods, to the darkness within, and back again.

When Maegi summoned him, Ramsay was awkwardly balls deep—literally—in a huge overturned mushroom cap pressed against a log deep in the forest. What the fuck, you might be inclined to say, and what the fuck indeed. But he really couldn't help it, especially with how distinctly fleshy mushrooms were. Ever since Parvati, Ramsay's hormones had been running rampant, returning him to a time when he had ineffectually rubbed his little pecker on a dead bird due to stress and wondered why it made him feel weird. Except now he was a grown wolf, and this habit was more productive; it wasn't the same as Parvati and took a lot more effort on his part, but humping random things did the trick eventually.

Except Maegi called, interrupting him, and he had to leave unsatisfied. Grumbling and shaking out his hind legs until he was a bit more presentable, the Morta cast his mushroom one last glance, marking its location so he might return later, then trotted off into the woods. He followed several game trails toward the north, where her howl had come from, and found her much nearer the borders than he expected her to be. Except... Ah, yes, that was where he normally could be found, so who could blame her?

Yes? he asked, pressing forward to meet her head on.

She flashed him a smile, albeit brief, before settling back into a mien of troubled contemplation. There was a smell about him that she couldn't quite place, though she let it be; it was earthy, and the entire Woods tended to smell that way. Not much use musing over it, not when other more important things were to be discussed.

I don't know what exactly happened, but Mou killed several crows the other day and had them. . .arranged, uh—do you remember how Euron put things in patterns? she asked, cocking her head. It was a lot like that. I don't know if he was in his right mind; he seemed off.

Her brows drew tight together. But then Abraxas came and lunged at him. He was angry about the crows dying, like it was a sin against the woods to kill them. He wanted vengeance. I told him we would handle it. Maegi let loose a deep-seated sigh, completely at a loss as to how to handle it. Where did one even start?

Abraxas attacking a leader. . .that's not good, Maegi murmured. But he was upset about what Mou did. I don't know exactly why he was so upset, but it was clearly important to him. What should we do, Ramsay? He wanted to kill Mou.

What if she hadn't been there? The thought had haunted her every moment since.

Ah, there was business to discuss. Ramsay settled himself with a brief shake of all four limbs as Maegi began, and then he listened to all she had to say, putting pieces together quietly in his head while she filled him in on what happened. Mou had killed some crows and Abraxas had a fit. He knew what she meant when she mentioned Euron; their peculiar sibling still did these things even now. He'd never understood it, but he'd never questioned it either.

When she was done, Ramsay chewed his cheek in silent contemplation. A life for a life, he said at last, rolling his broad shoulders. It made perfect sense that Abraxas would want to kill Titmouse for killing crows; the birds seemed important to their resident ghoul for some reason. Then again, but they are only birds. There are many and more of them.

Oh, he wasn't good at this. He didn't see what Titmouse did as a crime, and he didn't see what Abraxas did as anything less than natural. Why punish either of them? Ramsay was more the sort to let them sort it out themselves. I should think Abraxas would appreciate the chance to choose his punishment himself, wouldn't you agree? he wondered, then sighed softly and said, short of killing him, though I understand the sentiment completely. Maybe Maegi wouldn't like that, but this was who Ramsay was; he didn't care much about the lives of others. Let them die if they wanted to gamble with it. If it was his own brother or his own sister bringing trouble to the woods, then it was possible he might very well let them fall on their own, too.

Then again, he had a very special connection with them, and not so much with Mou, so in this case it was much easier to not care so much.

Usually Ramsay helped to clarify things, to put it all in perspective. Today, though, he didn't help a single bit. It wasn't the answer she was looking for, far from it, and she couldn't help the troubled scowl that stretched her face. Of course, he was a neutral party to this situation—but the lovestruck heart didn't listen well to reason.

But Mou is a leader, she argued, jaw firming. If we allow a subordinate to punish a leader for something that was. . .well, just wrong to him, not to everyone else—don't we open ourselves up to that, too? What if someone finds fault in something you do, Ramsay? What about something I do? How do we counter that if we let this happen?

She let out an irritated puff of air, shifting uncomfortably on her paws. I get that Abraxas is mad, Maegi continued, but I told him we'd handle it. I don't like having to go back and say otherwise. But then, what to do? How to punish Mou for a sin she, personally, found lacking in weight?

He watched as Maegi's face took on a harder aspect, and knew she would argue his point. He simply wasn't expecting just how far she would argue it. Quietly, Ramsay's eyes widened slightly, brows reaching skyward, as she made her argument. He would concede that she had a point that subordinates didn't really have a right to punish leaders, but he disagreed on literally every other point.

If someone finds fault in what I do, I should hope they let me know so I can correct it and take responsibility for it, Ramsay responded calmly, as should you. You sound like Vaati right now. Being a leader does not mean we can do no wrong and it does not mean we shouldn't be called on it when we do. We want to be better, don't we? He thought, privately, that that was the trouble with Blackfeather Woods all along. The previous Dark Masters had assumed absolute control of the pack by means of the brotherhood, and perhaps had gone unchallenged one too many times. It bred arrogance, and he didn't like to see it manifest in his sibling.

Of course, they were all Melonii. That arrogance was bred in them, too. It came out in quieter ways in Ramsay, but he possessed it, too. He could hardly criticize. What do you propose? he wondered, referring to Titmouse's punishment. He had spoken his piece; he believed Abraxas, who had more of an affinity for the birds in the woods than any of them did, had every right to voice his opinion on what should happen. Ramsay himself didn't think the birds worth much and had no authority to weigh their life against Titmouse's, and Maegi, well. Maegi would prove her ability to make unbiased judgment calls here and now.

If there was one thing that could have made her mood worse, it was certainly being compared to Vaati. Maegi bristled, then, but tried to keep her cool; lucky that it was Ramsay on the receiving end of her ire and not anyone else, or they might have gotten teeth rather than barbed words. I'm not trying to sound like Vaati, she snapped. I get being held accountable—but this is different. None of us but Abraxas seem to think that Mou did anything wrong.

Her jaw clenched tighter as she began to think to herself, contemplating her brother's question. Gods, I don't know, Maegi responded, clearly exasperated. I guess. . .I'll handle it. Try to keep Mou away from whatever he ate that caused him to go crazy. Maybe talk to Abraxas, see why the crows are so important to him. But as for a punishment—

She laughed, then; a sound without humor, but clearly a sardonic bark that rang off the trees around them. It's so stupid, she said childishly, rolling her eyes. I don't know. I suppose I'll think of something.

There was no better illustration of her deficiencies as a leader than this. She might have been decisive in any other situation, but when it came to Mou, Maegi felt utterly stuck. He truly was her Achilles' heel, and she his.

Where there is one, others may follow, Ramsay reminded Maegi quietly, peering at her for any sign of the levelheaded woman he knew her to be. He could understand her head being clouded by whatever she shared with Mou; he would be similarly troubled if he had to come up with a punishment for Euron, if their brother was in Mou's shoes. But he would do it, and he expected her to as well.

Taking the things your followers believe in seriously isn't stupid, Ramsay gravely disagreed. Abraxas was indeed the only wolf who thought that Titmouse had committed a crime, but that didn't mean he was wrong in his thinking. Respecting these opinions from pack members was, in his opinion, paramount in keeping the pack satisfied with the status quo. If they had no voice and fell under a leader's strict dictatorship, they were more likely to rebel. Somehow he doubted that the shadowy oddball would have too much trouble convincing others if it came to that.

You will think of something, Ramsay agreed, and I will ensure that whatever it is is sufficient. By which he meant he would help her, but also that he needed to know what she intended to do so he could judge whether or not it was enough.

Damned if Ramsay didn't have a way of leveling things out. He had always been so calm, so rational—at least from everything she had seen of him. Maegi took in a breath, held it for a long moment. . .and then exhaled, the irritated fire in her eyes dying away. She nodded, shifting her weight, mouth quirking hard in near-pained thought.

I'll have to keep him even more hidden away, she said, with a defeated shrug of her shoulders. Away from Abraxas, and definitely away from the birds. That's all I have, for now. Beyond that. . .

Maegi stared at a point beyond Ramsay's burly shoulder, then returned her gaze to him, blinking in something like apology. Do you think that's sufficient? she asked, knowing the answer was likely not satisfactory. Or should more be done?

That is no consequence, Ramsay said sternly, frowning at his sister. Since when had she gone so soft? If it was any other wolf, he wouldn't doubt her ability to think of a suitable punishment, but she was utterly blinded by Titmouse. He saw it now for what it was: a gaping wound where any weapon could easily pierce. That would trouble him for some time to come.

He will be stripped of his rank, Ramsay decided, since Titmouse was conveniently put on PPC not long after this conversation took place. For a suitable length of time. And he will apologize to Abraxas. Mephala only knows why those birds are so important to him, but they are a fixture of the woods whether we understand it or not. To disrespect them is to disgrace us all. He will make amends for it. That should suffice. Titmouse would not be allowed to perish under Abraxas' fang, but he would not be allowed to go on with impunity. That wasn't what being a leader was about.

Will that suffice? Ramsay asked, feeling positive that she would take issue with it, but on at least the former point he was quite firmly set.

She resisted a wince at the retort; Maegi knew it was accurate, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She was trying her hardest, couldn't he see? The situation was completely without precedent. . .what else was she meant to do, besides grasp at straws? She couldn't very well banish Mou, nor hurt him herself.

Instead, the Melonii nodded at the suggestions, knowing that she had no room for argument at this point. Yes, she said, unblinking. I'll go tell him. Try to patch things up. Ram. . .thanks, Maegi added, a little cowed by his stern expression. Hopefully this will fix things. For now.

She gave her brother one last dip of her head in acknowledgement, then turned, stiff-legged, to walk back into the trees. It was one of those rare but brutal blows to her self-confidence, a wound that she nursed now, making a bee-line for the Altar and hoping Peryite would have wisdom for her there.