Sun Mote Copse Whiskey lullaby

this is dated for the 26th, I want to give everyone some time to reply <3 so no rush.  I'll post round two once 5/6 have jumped in or once the actual date hits

Wildfire was dead.  The news had gone out, and while Colt was shaken, he was also pragmatic.  He'd be a father soon.... he needed to be.

He wanted to give Eljay and his sister the chance to grieve, because while he had known Wildfire as a friend, he knew it ran deeper than he could know for them.  Watching the love of his life waste away from a disease he could not stop was an experience he had acute experience with, and he'd let @Eljay know he was here if his nephew needed him.  As a healer, the pain had to be trifold.

But the pack was unbalanced.  Kiwi was gone and, in Colt's estimation, too unstable to lead anyway.  Eljay he would support, but he couldn't see him wanting it.  Finley and Elwood had displayed a clear preference to remain on the sidelines.

So he knew what he had to do, and what he wanted @Niamh to do as well.  His children had just been born (holy shit timelines) but once she had recovered, he hoped she would stand beside him should the pack agree to his lead.

Colt let out a howl to gather the pack, hoping they would come.

Wildfire's death had been a shock to them all, and yet it was just another example of the way life could change in an instant. She had passed in the midst of a happy time, as new life abounded in the Firebirds -- her own children, Elwood and Finley's litter, and, most recently, the offspring of Niamh and Colt. It seemed wrong that something so devastating should happen when things were so prosperous for the collective Blackthorns, but there was nothing they could do but accept it and grieve.

Colt's howl was not exactly unexpected. Underneath his own sadness, Elwood had recognized that the pack was now leaderless. And his train of thought was similar to Colt's -- he didn't expect that Eljay would want to step up, even had he not been devastated by his mate's passing. He and Finley were firmly settled in their retirement, and Kiwi and Sequoia were gone; that left few options. But Elwood trusted and would support his brother-in-law, so he was quick to demonstrate that by going to meet him at his request.

He arrived with head and tail lowered more in grief than deference, but the sentiment was still there. "Thanks for calling the pack together," he said. And now they would wait, to see how things unfolded once the others arrived.

The news about Wildfire's death were both sudden and unexpected, though, when Wraen responded to Colt's call and made her way towards the place her packmates were gathering, she wondered, whether there were obvious signs that she had missed out. Since she and Maia tended to keep with themselves more than mixing with the rest. 

The same way Colt was pragmatic about the event, so was she. Having never been too close with the Queen, the extent to her grief was not as great as it probably was to her closest and dearest. Yes, she was sad. Yes, she would mourn the deceased, when on her own. But she was more concerned with, what was going to happen now. There was nothing they could do for Wildfire now, but there was future of the whole pack at jeopardy. 

She acknowledged Colt and Elwood with a nod, and then took a seat, waiting for others to arrive and have the discussion going.

It ended up being a good thing that she'd freaked out and cut her trip short, because their leader had passed super suddenly and Maia was a little lost in it.  The idea of disease and dying so young was not something she considered often, and it had her a little freaked.  Sad too.  Wildfire had been great, despite how little she'd seen her around travels.

She followed Wraen as Colt called, though she hadn't guessed yet what the meeting was about.  Another part of the freaked was that she figured Kiwi would be stepping up, but she hadn't seen her nemesis around since her return.  It kept her on edge a little regardless, though she hadn't spoken to Wraen about it.  It wasn't like she hated the Regent.  She just got the distinct sense that the Regent definitely hated her, and it made it a little hard to not avoid her.

As she sat, she leaned lightly against her sister, waiting for whatever would come back with a little nervous dread.  This was going to be sad, wasn't it.

As uncle Colt's call sounded, Eljay didn't answer. It was one day since Wiffle's death, and he had simply lain by their den in the tree, sniffing up the last of Wiffle's aroma, crying, while trying to keep @Weejay and @Elfie together and by his side. He knew he should get up off the floor and grow up, but as so many other times in his life Eljay found himself unable to. He wanted to be brave and strong, but he just wasn't. Eljay tried to keep the pups occupied by telling them cute stories of Wiffle, so they could have fond memories of their mother, but each time he'd break down crying halfway through. It felt like this was a hole that he could impossibly dig himself out of, even though he had to so badly. If not for himself, then for the kids.

Eljay didn't show up to the meeting, because he didn't think he could bear listening to them talk about Wiffle's death there. And anyway, he told himself, someone needed to stay with the pups, so it wasn't like him not being there was totally useless.

I think everyone who can respond essentially has <3 since Fin and Niamh have kids, so round 2!

It was a sparse crew that gathered here.  They had more pups than adults at this point, Colt estimates, or at least just about.  He hadn't expected Niamh nor Finley to come, but a part of him had hoped Eljay would.  He would need to check in with his nephew when all was said and done.

Colt nodded to Eljay, then looked at the sisters.  Thank you for coming.  He replied, quietly.  I know it hasn't been long, but with so many kids, we need to sort out who is going to take charge pretty quickly.  I'm here to offer myself for the job.  He looked at Eljay first as he said this, then at Wraen.  If neither of you minds.

He wouldn't split the pack over a role he didn't honestly want much anyway, but since a few of the kids in the balance were his, he needed someone he trusted on top.  Turns out that, right now, that someone was him.

Wraen and Maia were the only others to arrive; Finley and Niamh were occupied with their respective puppies, and Elwood didn't expect Eljay to show. It would seem wrong if he did -- he needed time to grieve and to be with his children.

He was thankful when Colt cut right to the chase. There was no sense in beating around the bush; the topic at hand was a sad, heavy one, but it was one that needed to be addressed nonetheless. He glanced at the two females, seeking to gauge their reactions as Colt offered to take the helm of the pack. He didn't know Maia well, but knew that Wraen had a good head on her shoulders, and couldn't envision there being any kind of uproar, no matter how things went.

Shifting his gaze back to his brother-in-law, Elwood nodded. "Fin and I will support you as Sovereign," he said, purposefully using the language that Wildfire had chosen for the title.

This was easier than Wraen had expected. The relief that Colt was willing and ready to take over the leadership was obvious, though, while on her way here and slightly before that, she had accepted the idea that - if no one wished to lead - she would step up and take the honours. Even if being a queen that was repsonsible for so many people, was way down on the list of things she wished to do in life. 

"I have no objections," Wraen cast an inquiring glance in Maia's direction, though she was pretty sure that her sibling would be in the same boat with her. "As a former leader myself I offer my services and assistance in any way you might need them," she offered. "I can be a Regent for you, in case you ever need it."

Maia wasn't much interested in leaving, but she did feel slightly slighted for a second when Colt didn't even look to her for confirmation.  Luckily, Wraen did it for him.  Because she was awesome, and definitely deserved to be Regent.  

She probably deserved to be in charge even, but who wanted that job? 

I don't really care, but you should make Wraen Regent.  She would be able to help a ton.  It would be cool to be in that kind of position, but Maia couldn't imagine it here for some reason.  Maybe because she barely felt like she knew anyone?

Elwood's backing meant a lot, and Wraen's offer did too, though it took him by surprise.  He hadn't considered replacing the second, but he would certainly need to.

I'll keep that in mind, though I think first goal is recruiting, Colt replied with a slight smile.  No use fillin out the top when we don't have many below.  He wouldn't need the help until they had more to lead, but when he did, Wraen would likely be his first choice.  

Thanks.  Means a lot to have the support.  He finished, still a bit thrown by the whole thing.  Despite being the same age as his sister, colt had never even been given a trusted rank in a pack, let alone leadership.  His entire life had been a revolution of enters and exits, demotions and banishments.  Weird as hell to think now he was the one in charge of the judging.

Seems like a good place to exit Elwood!

There were no disagreements to the change in leadership, and while he hadn't expected there to be any issues, Elwood still felt a bit of relief now that it was officially settled. Wraen offered to step up as Colt's second-in-command, with Maia vouching for her, and Elwood nodded his assent, although he also agreed with the new Sovereign's ultimate decision not to fill that particular spot at the moment. It made sense; really, there were not many adult members to govern at present, but Wraen could end up an essential asset as the dynamics of the pack changed over time.

"Of course," Elwood said in response to Colt's gratitude. With all of that settled -- and so easily -- the Honoree intuited that his presence here was no longer needed in any immediate manner. He began to bow out graciously. "I think I'll go by and check on Eljay and the kids; let me know if you need anything," he said, directing his last comment to Colt but also glancing at Wraen and Maia to let the sisters know that the same applied to them. Then, as long as he wasn't stopped, he departed.

Wraen was relieved to hear that Colt was not keen on knighting her in the leader ranks right away. To be honest, she had volunteered out of sense of duty and not because she enjoyed the idea of being a part of leadership again. She had found happiness and purpose in the simple life of a subordinate and did not wish to change that any time soon.

"Thank you for doing this!" she told Colt, glad that Firebirds were not left without a king and that the things would keep on going after Wildfire's passing. "Shall we go?" she turned to Maia, eager to find something for dinner and hoping to persuade her sibling to come along.

Maia thought it was kind of dumb that he wasn't just promoting her - Wraen would make a better leader than he would in her opinion.  But her older sister seemed pretty cheerful about it, so she guessed that was fine.  As she'd thought - who wanted that kind of responsibility anyway? Then they couldn't travel.

Let's!! She was eager to get the heck out of there and followed after Wraen willingly.  They could go find something to take their minds off all this and leave the sadness behind for a while.

No fuss, no issues.  He'd worried for a moment, but it seemed Wraen had offered more out of convenience than any real desire.  Thanks, he replied to them all, then watched as they went their separate ways.  He too left.... back to Niamh, to tell her what had happened.  A moment later, he paused.... then lifted his head and howled, announcing his claim.

Once that was done, he sighed, then continued on.  This was going to be an interesting ride.