Whitefish River ambition

Spica was chilling with her favourite wolf, @Syrma, when the news came that Hieronymous was missing. Shit, Swym, said Spica as she mulled over this news in her head. At first seeming unsure what to think of it. Were things unsafe out there? Was this their father's crazy pack hunting Kaistleoki? Was it a serial killer? So many options. What'd you reckon happened to him? She considered for just a moment as the message started to sink in.

Guess they really need our help, now. They needed everyone's help now that leadership was weakened. There's really an opportunity there, isn't there? Even if the circumstances are sucky at best. Spica glanced at Syrma, wondering if her sibling mirrored her own ambitions in any way.

if you don't have time / don't want Syrma to be in this thread, let me know!

Enjoying the best company around here, she was trying to take advantage of the chill time to rest, but also keep herself distracted from all the almost-constant rain. It was fine at first, though that novelty had really worn off. She missed clear skies and not always feeling kind of damp all over, no matter where you went. But, the news about Hieronymous sounded and she felt her expression sink to a thoughtful frown. Like many of the other faces here, Syrma didn't have a personal attachment to him; he had been close to Ira, she knew, and thanks to his recent promotion, Syrma gave him some vague respect for usually being around and doing stuff. Hm I dunno. Probably just got lost, or bombed a river crossing somewhere... she supposed, finding those to be the most likely causes at a very rainy time like this. 

Maybe he took a wrong turn somewhere and then one of those nasty sorts got their paws on him though... Since it seems like there's a good variety of them out there somewhere, she gestured at large. Those one sorts were no longer in Ravensblood Forest, but maybe they were holding a grudge from somewhere else. Plus, their father's family? And those were just the ones that she knew about. Beyond that, there was no telling..

Anyway, Spica spoke of they needed their help and the opportunity at paw, too. She didn't disagree.. but she was happier not involving herself much, honestly, and always had been. There were constantly good opportunities for medics, which now was no exception (seeing as how they kept Speedy busy), and she had a firm zero interest in that lately. It was only thanks to the rain that she was sticking close, and it was her trips beyond that always made her feel best, if not just dinking around with Spica. What.. you got your eye on his empty constable spot suddenly? she asked with a snicker, brows quirking with a hint of a smirk. Ira probably needed the help but Syrma, frankly, wasn't that interested in even putting in more work than usual; she had not looked at in a light that was for her benefit. All just seemed tedious to her, and difficult with her true connections being to one wolf above all the others.

Yeah, makes sense, Spica said, who had an equal sort of attachment to Hieronymos. They hadn't really interacted on a personal level much, but, you know, he arranged shit, she supposed. Anyway, he was gone for now, and that left the question of the open leadership spot. Did she want it for herself? Well, she wasn't too sure, because that sounded like pretty hard work. But on the other hand... How hard could it be? She could totally make some improvements around here. And imagine the respect she would command!

Torn between totally becoming Kaistleoki's next rock star and totally staying off grid in enjoying life, being lazy and moping over baby siblings-town Spica pondered. Hmm... What if... She suddenly grinned and looked at Syrma. We should totally pitch mom for the spot. Like, yeah, she'd been a huge -- she looked around just to see if mom wasn't around -- bitch, but also she'd be perfect for it and she's way too humble to ever nominate herself, right? It wasn't so much about being "the good daughter" for Spica, but she was just very curious what their mother would do in a position like that.

Besides, having a rockstar mom was pretty much like not having to do any of the work and staying off grid but at the same time getting some sort of rockstar status yourself anyway!

For a second there, she had to wonder if Spica really did consider it. There were some merits, sure, she couldn't argue with that but she had no interest in such a duty right now. Maybe it was a selfish thought of hers--she didn't want all it entailed to be her problem, especially when they could be big ones that they might not find out about until too late, or something. Anyway, not her thing right now.

But yeah, beyond that, she wasn't going to disagree about their mom. It was largely indifference, she realized soon. Again, maybe because of selfish reasons, in the end. But not wrong. Psh probably. I mean, she'd probably basically do the job anyway--always taking care of everyone and everything, the yearling scoffed, despite the vaguest compliment. She was certainly not oblivious to everything Speedy did for the wolves of Kaistleoki. There were probably a lot of times they would be awfully screwed without her around. She might as well get the recognition for it, y'know? Think she'd even wanna be that? the twin asked, settling for a sigh afterward, wondering what her mother might do with such a title, if anything.

Spica laughed as Syrma added in about their mom basically doing the job anyway. Yeah, it wasn't fair that she wasn't getting any recognition for all the hard work she did around the pack. She totally should be a leader here. Yeah, she'd way too humble or whatever. She needs us to shove her forward. Spica mostly was joking around, but for a moment there she did genuinely consider that maybe she should have a talk with Ira to pitch her mother becoming leader in the pack and tell her Speedy was essentially already doing that job anyway.

Syrma's question was a good one; she wasn't too sure either if Speedy would actually consider it. Nahh, I don't think she would, Spica said after a moment of thought. Suppose that's why we gotta pitch her to Ira. Spica quirked an eyebrow and then started to laugh again. She was still only half-serious and half-joking, though she was starting to get more serious by the moment if no one stopped her.

Maybe humble was the word she was thinking of, Syrma sort of shrugged about it. She hadn't been planning to shove their mother into anything lately when she preferred just to keep it brief or stay away entirely. It was a weird change of pace to think about it in that actual light suddenly. She wasn't sure how to feel about that, suggested by the splaying wobble of her ears.

This wasn't the direction she had expected at all and really, if she thought hard about it, even for all her caring ways, it was difficult to envision their mom as the leader type. At least when the expectation for such a role had been set by Ira for much of her young life. A few others came and went but when her mind envisioned a leader, someone like Ira appeared. Not.. really their mom. You really wanna go that far for it? she asked, brows quirking up--maybe if she had to, she could coattail on some of Spica's motivation, if there was enough to share. She was skeptical, but listening enough.

That all seemed momentous to go present, especially now when she felt like she was just flying below the radar and it was all so fresh. Syrma really wanted to make sure her twin was serious serious about slinging this at the leadership, and their mother. Plus, Ira had her own puppies around to have to duck before they even got to unpack any subject matter on their minds. Sure were a lot of levels of reasons why she didn't realllly want to fight her mom's battles like this that much.

Honestly, the thought of their mother as a leader was hilarious to Spica, and part of that was what drove her. Syrma didn't seem to think the same way, which felt kind of foreign and weird because they were usually so on par with everything and Spica didn't ever remember her twin having a thought so different than herself. Then again, Spica had always been a bit more of the outlandish clown than her mirror image, who was a little bit more composed, so it wasn't all strange.

Shit, Swym, you don't have to get all serious about it, Spica said as Syrma looked at her with a serious frown. Ever the clown, Spica was much more comfortable in the situation of laughing away whatever thoughts Syrma had towards this than actually inquiring about it. She wasn't even sure if she was going to talk to Ira -- probably she would get a different thought in her head like five seconds later, anyway, and do that instead -- and she didn't really like the weight that all of this was getting suddenly.

So she decided to just change the subject, because then she could avoid talking about actual feelings. Hey, have you ever considered travelling for real? Sometimes it just feels like the only thing that's holding me back is that mom would cry about it, but then again, why should Acheron have all the fun? I wonder what it'd be like to live somewhere else. She was curious if her mirror image had similar thoughts, or if she was more of a homebody. They'd done some exploring together, but it wasn't until recently that it was 'legal' according to their mother. Probably mostly because their mother'd been so busy with the pups that she didn't have enough fucks to give left for her eldest.

Okay, that gave her something and at her sister's reply, she smirked a bit. She didn't want to be serious about it much at all. Good because that sounds like way too much work right now for nothing really that great, for us, anyway.. she huffed and sighed, unless Spica had other illusions about it, which she was open to hearing about since she didn't actually know better. She had a lot of frustrations concerning stuff lately, maybe making her edgier about it all--but it boiled down to she didn't want to spend any energy on their mom... when she still so hurt about all that had happened in the last few moons, and still felt simply encouraged to just cope and ignore it when that didn't feel right so far, either.

Anyway, she was quick for the next change of topic and greeted it a little more openly. Yeah, I have.. she grumbled, having once felt guilty for these thoughts in some way. It was hard to ignore though when she was uneasy, and fresh over a venture to the Sunspire herself even that she had enjoyed the taste of. If not for seeing her twin, coming home left her feeling hollow. It isn't fair that he gets to go on his merry way, doing whatever! What makes him so special, anyway? she seethed at the mention of their brother, jealous that he got to get off free just because he was the sensible one, the smart one, the brother. Ugh!

Beyond that, living somewhere else? She had the same thoughts. I've wondered that too. Lots more lately...even if it feels weird, because yeah, I know if I did, no matter when--mom would find something to have a meltdown over about it, there she rolled her eyes, echoing the sentiment in this. I do really want to see more places, though. the twin returned with, exhaling another huff, feeling less remorse for these thoughts here and now than ever before.

It seemed that Syrma was totally on line with Spica's line of thought here, when it came to travel. Yeah, it'd be cool, but then they'd be guilt tripped relentlessly by their mother, while Acheron just got to do whatever the fuck he pleased. So unfair!

Yeah, I wonder what it'd be like to live somewhere else. Like, are all packs just like this or are there different ones? And maybe there's one out there that fits us better? And just imagining being on the road with just the two of us is just so cool! Nobody to answer to, nobody who's telling us off, nobody can touch us! It sure sounded like a dream. One they needed to bite through a very sour apple for to get to...

She scrunched a look, and gazed off to the horizon as she agreed wholly with her sister on this part. All of that felt awfully familiar. Hearing it out loud just like that seemed to solidify it for her, though--even if it sounded like a fantasy. Just each other, wherever the roads went..

Where nobody could touch us... she wanted that. Badly. She didn't know why but it came rushing for her. She just wanted what she didn't have, and that was it. Wanted to see what it was like. I'd like to see.. she sighed, sounding wistful as she panned her sights back to her twin. We could so do it--we have each other, she said, conviction firm. Acheron got by with only his boyfriend, or so it had seemed when their paths had crossed. They couldn't be nearly as effective together as the twins were. I mean.. plus, maybe we need to try it? So we can be experienced scouts--because I think I'd like that. It wasn't a new thought. She liked exploring, just looking at stuff, seeing what was out there.. what it was like. The experience of it all was still very much a novelty, and right now, the closet thing to earnest motivation she had felt in weeks.

The enthusiasm was infectuous, it seemed. The idea caught on and Syrma added another dollop of her own enthusiasm on top. Spica nodded excitedly at everything her twin said. Yes, exactly! she said, her voice filled with an optimism and enthusiasm that she hadn't felt in a long time. Ever since their mother had broken the news about the pups, pretty much.

What was even better was that Syrma managed to bend it so that it seemed they needed to do this for the pack's sake, or whatever. They needed to travel on their own so they could really become good scouts. Yessss! Spica squealed happily. That's a great reason! Mom can't say no if we use that! Her tail waved excitedly as she thought of this. Maybe it wasn't entirely healthy that she felt she needed to look for excuses to leave and build a good case, but like they'd previously established, that was just necessary for their mother not to have a complete meltdown over this.

More and more about it was coming to be. Excitement welled, and maybe largely thanks to her being so thrilled about doing anything at all with just Spica beside her. Together, she knew they could take on the world, and what better way to explore it, too? Of course her sister agreed, and from there, it seemed like her scheme to justify their cause had hit home as well. A slow grin crept on her, and soon enough, flourished fully. They had a good idea coming together right before her eyes!

Right?? Like if they want us to be useful folk for wherever we go... we gotta learn, experience it ourselves, she grinned. It had felt like to them that Acheron's leave had come out of nowhere, at least to her perspective, and yet here they were planning ahead and everything good. Plus as a backup, just in case that's not good enough of a reason... we can always say she let Acheron go on his happy little adventure, so obviously it wouldn't be fair to keep us grounded just because, I don't know, we should look out for those siblings or whatever it is they want from us, she went on to add, basically making this foolproof in her not-so-humble opinion. Just because he had been the first to spring the idea to go didn't mean he should be the only one to get to do it.

Spica could only agree with Syrma. And this time, unlike previous times when they'd gripe about their family, it didn't matter as much because they would be rid of them soon. Spica would miss her mom, she was pretty sure, and heck, maybe even her baby sibs just a bit (even if they'd replaced them; but it wasn't like that was their fault, they were kinda victims in this too). But in the end this was what they needed, and she hoped their mother would see that too. But whatever the case, Spica felt like she needed to get out of here, and was glad to see that need mirrored in her twin.

Yeah! she agreed wholeheartedly once more. It was as if Syrma's half of things being said could've been said by herself. Exactly, we can use that Acheron did get to go if we really have to! It'd be totally unfair and hypocrite to not let us go! Spica's tail wagged as she looked at her sister, and then blurted out without thinking: I love you, Swym. I'm so glad we got each other. Poor other wolves who had to go through life without a mirror image.

Her sister agreed, and in turn, she agreed with everything she said next too with some very quick nods. It was a good plan, after all, and it only felt better knowing they were looking at it in the same way. They both knew it would be unfair to deny them the chance to see the wilds beyond this riverside, especially if they organized themselves into aspirations--which maybe, for some of the first time in a real, serious sense, she thought that she might have. However there was no knowing for sure if the role of a scout would fit without trying it on.. hence the want that this had created, and why she wanted to protect it so they could have it their way.

She didn't want to have to learn it from shadowing Emrik, or whatever other adult the pack could find to make a mentor out of for them... as bratty as the thought felt. She wanted to learn this all with her sister beside her, together, free to follow their whims wherever they might lead. How else was she going to get her confidence up to speed on the subject anyway? She had it in her head that involving anyone but Spica was just going to lead to disappointment, or something equally as dour, somehow.

And, she was just.. tired of being reminded of the things that had bothered her, and feeling small--though maybe irrelevant was the word she was looking for. She sometimes thought she just existed here just because it was where she'd been born and raised, and where their mom kept them all--where it was easy for her to be. That had once brought her a sort of peace, yet time had slowly started to outgrow the notion for her, and her feet were getting kind of itchy to see what else there could be had.

I love you too Spica. Like oh my god. I dunno what I'd do without ya, she chuffed, and reached to poke her sister with a snout, landing wherever she could reach, it didn't matter much for the sentiment of it. Syrma would be lost, and terribly lonely--that was for sure, and while together they might make for trouble, she wouldn't have it any other way. We got this, she added, wanting to drive home the sentiment. Whatever this would turn into exactly, she had a growing faith it wasn't going to stop them once they were ready to.

We got this, Spica echoed with a confident smirk. The prod of the nose was heartily returned. Everything might not have been so great lately, but at least she had Syrma, and at least that meant that they'd always be okay because they had each other. Woe the wolves that had to live without a Syrma by their side.

Hell yeah, they had this.

fading this!