Noctisardor Bypass nähren

whenever yall have time, no rush <3 backdated to like the first or second of feb

the stars were cold as ever.
mahler's breath steamed before him, churning upward into nothing as he looked toward the heavens. surely he had become a softheaded old man, hohlköpfig in his skylarking.
but seldom had they seemed beautiful as well. he thought of his children. ears splayed; he thought of how numerously he had failed them.
tiny green shoots of hope were beginning to sprout shyly around the circlet of his ribcage. it was this place. it was noctisardor, and how he had held long his love for its earth.
mahler had resolved with himself that the children born in the coming year would not be his. a relief, in some way; to not be at the helm whilst dividing himself as father. he supposed, in a way, he had laid slowly the ground-stones for a future transition in leadership that would not belong to him. and he would rather hand the responsibilities of a pack he had helped to build for years to the young who would be faithful to its principles while making of it something that was their own.
and to repay loyalty was his.
beneath the nightfall pinmarked with stars that almost shone too brightly, mahler called for @Sequoia and @Praimfaya.

praimfaya was still attempting to get the lay of the land, able to dedicate herself to it a bit more fully in the wake of her return from the trip that had not taken her quite the whole way to moonspear. the bypass held secrets she had yet to discover and was a bit of a wildcard to her as what to expect by unraveling them. she has to admit, though, that it was worth the fight. worth the risk. it is a fortress against outsiders, which makes protecting the borders easy — and thus the absolute failure of the legion wolves that had strove forth to ‘protect’ it all that more pathetic in her mind. the bypass is a paradise in and of itself.

to the victor(s) goes the spoils.

and while praimfaya had never been one to care much about the land she lived upon further than: how defensible was it, were the resources plentiful or poor …and other strategic thoughts there was something about the bypass, now that she calls it ‘home’ that is appealing; that soothes her.

she realizes with a small start that she approves of it as a good place to raise cubs; though it does not entirely surprise her. she can feel the subtle changes and knows that her body is a ticking time bomb ready to shift within the coming months. her season would be upon her very soon and it is stability that the commander craves now, more than ever.

mahler’s call for her ( and sequoia ) lulls praimfaya out of her thoughts as she walks the perimeter and without ado she changes course and makes her way to where the graf awaits; offering mahler. in greeting with a dip of deference her head to him.

She had been quiet since they had moved, preferring to watch others from the outskirts and judge them that way. The new place was nice, although she had to admit she missed her little apartment in the boulder. Alas, Mahler had decided to move here, so here she was.

His call went up, and Seq answered with a short howl, letting him know she was on her way. He had called for the other female (approximately her age), who Seq thought was far too serious for her own good.

they came. mahler fixed each with a warm look that lasted a myriad length before clearing his throat. "rivenvood stands here in this land now. it vould not have come to pass vithout you both." a glance to praimfaya's silversteel stare, a second into the sunset-green gaze born by sequoia.
"it is better for children to be born inside a marriage. first, you have the ability to hold land more easily as a clan. secondly, your offspring have the benefit of a natal territory. less upheaval." all things he had done backwards. a charcoal ear flicked.
"i know vhat i have told you both. but it is best for rivenvood to put down roots. even if i am not involved. because i do not expect you to share kigipigak, because i do not know him as i know you, i give my blessing for you both to seek fathers outside this border for the coming season."
it irked him to say, but that faded immediately with a glowing relief, the finality of it.
"my request is that you search very far indeed. best to rear them here vithout outside input rather than have a man arrive upon this doorstep demanding to see children he has not helped to raise."
mahler looked at both now, appraising their reaction.

though admittedly this new development would make things easier — or would it praimfaya cannot help but wonder — worheda finds herself blinking slowly at the graf all the same. she had spoken a bit to kigipigak about the conditions placed upon her ( and him ) and she thinks that he was more than acceptable. strong. healthy. he would sire strong children, of that praimfaya did not doubt.

what inspired this change? praimfaya asks softly after a moment of hesitation. she is not ungrateful for it — if kigipigak should reject her she was not entirely at a loss. still, he had seemed so very adamant upon his decision when she'd brought up her desire to have cubs prior that the switch is hard for her to grasp.

i'm not ungrateful —, praimfaya adds hastily, not wanting mahler to misunderstand her question. just curious. which meant, of course, that mahler did not have to explain the reasoning behind it if he did not wish too.

When he began to speak, Sequoia figured this was a "make sure you don't go sleeping around" speech that she was about to hear. Instead, it was the complete opposite. Rad! she thought. All the better to rub in Crow's face if she ever saw that stupid mug ever again. Hopefully she never, ever would. Mahler thought it better that they have bastards than no children at all, and Sequoia suddenly felt like Mahler being a stand-in father wasn't such a bad idea after all. He certainly had more experience than she did, and she would get more control over how they were raised if the real baby daddy wasn't around.

Praimfaya had questions, but Sequoia did not. Instead, she stated a gleeful, Deal! with a satisfied smile plastered on her face. She would get to go out and bone anybody who crossed her path, she'd get the children she wanted to fix her, and she could finally prove that she'd moved on from that shit-of-an-ex Crow.

praimfaya was pragmatic, sequoia determined. this had been the mark of their personalities from the beginning, and despite the threat that mahler had freely granted against himself, he was bemused to see the juxaposition. 
"a good leader recognizes vhen it is time to observe his veaknesses. i have no vife, and a pack must have children if it is to proceed." he did not comment upon himself as father; he was far too old for either of them, and despite how the season might cause mahler to grit his teeth, he did not think this would be a decision he regretted.
"and i trust the both of you, for you have proven yourselves to me, and both of you vould like to bring children earthside this year. vhich reminds me," the gargoyle went on, hoping that what he had said would satisfy praimfaya. "i am a skilled midvife, and have been for several years. rivenvood vill be a safe place for it."
if neither of them questioned again, mahler would move toward dismissal, but his countenance was patient should the young commander have more inquiries.

short phone post @ work.

the other woman — sequoia, praimfaya reminds herself — accepts mahler’s new terms without any qualms. for a moment, the ability to accept without inquiry strikes her with a small pinch of envy that quickly passes. she has always had an inquisitive nature and given mahler’s previous stance and its sudden change ...she cannot help it.

his answer pleases her; soothing her pragmatic nature easily and she gives a sage nod of understanding. his offer to be midwife comes with some surprise — she hadn’t considered that far and yet ... there wasn’t anyone else she trusted to do it, she realizes. i would gladly accept your assistance as my midwife. praimfaya tells him, offering a small smile.

He had no wife, through Sequoia was pretty sure he could have one if he wanted. Sure, he was kinda old and lame (and totally not her type), but he wasn't dead. But maybe he just didn't want the drama of dealing with yet another baby momma. Maybe his age had finally taught him that rounding up a bunch of those was a terrible idea. Whatever the case, Sequoia found she didn't really give a damn.

The fact that he was a midwife was icing on the cake. Sequoia knew that Raven would have been her first choice, but she couldn't stand the thought of being anywhere near anybody associated with Crow. Besides, Mahler could probably handle it, right?

Sounds good, she replied, then shifted back and forth on her feet. She was already getting antsy and ready to blow this popsicle stand.

last for me!

they accepted, each of them. praimfaya seemed sated by his answer, and from the look of it, sequoia was ready to prowl about on her more intriguing hunt. "remember that you have earned this." a man who would father children was one thing, but he had given ready and warranted into their control the choice over who would bring their blood into rivenwood.
and the gargoyle trusted that each would take the proper steps.
when they had gone he would sink down wearily upon his haunches, chuckling lightly to himself that their land was due to be consumed by fire and he would not have a part in it this time. briefly sad, outweighed by his relief that it was done.
kigipigak had been given the same right.
now to see who might claim it first.

a glimpse is spared to seqouia, of whom strikes praimfaya as the impatient type before her gaze falls back to mahler. thank you. the commander offers mahler with a soft smile tugging at the edges of her lips. she had spent many moons and days alike worrying about how she might fail her bloodline if she had been unable to marry in order to carry it on and with the restriction lifted from her shoulders she draws breath easier.

truth be told, praimfaya has never thought herself the marrying type.

of course, that is not to say that it would not happen one day on it's own time but she feels better about considering it without her determination for cubs fueling it.

she offers mahler a dip of her head before turning and pacing away, to the borders where she will make her rounds and consider the shift of information and how far she may travel when the time comes.

Thanks, she echoed after Praimfaya. Maybe the two of them were different, but Sequoia didn't harbor any ill will toward the Rivenwood mother-to-be. It would be pretty short-sighted to go pissing her off, considering they would likely need to rely on one another to some degree when their children were born.

The phrase "sister wives" popped into her head, and Sequoia smirked at the thought. Neither of them were married to Mahler, but he would be helping to raise their children, so how different was it, really? She didn't know, but she figured they'd find out when the time came.