Broken Antler Fen the nature of life is not permanence, but flux

Ruenna and @Sphyra lingered at the border, although the younger had wandered off quite a ways, sniffing here and there. Sphyra had accompanied Rue under the auspices of being her guard, which Rue had readily accepted. The child had made no mention of visiting with her father, but Rue wondered if that was on her mind now that they were here. Perhaps it had always been her intention. Sphyra was difficult child to read; she didn't speak her every thought aloud like Caracal or wear her heart on her sleeve like Tierra. 

Rue would allow Sphyra the space to do her own thing-- within eyeshot-- while the ambassador met with @Teya or @Eljay. Her summons for the leaders rang out across the territory, to be swallowed in short order by the muggy air of the fen. How strange it was, not to hear the call echoing over and over as it did within the Caldera.

teya existed in bliss.
it was not the type of bliss that she wanted to share with everyone, or even speak of its existence. gone was the hold that the brindled man had held over her. when she was with reyes, the starlight above seemed to envelop them in a glow.
teya did not think it was love. the sensation was masterful, formless. but she did wonder what the red wolf thought of her.
ruenna was calling.
"shit," the raven swore laughingly, tumbling out of their love-nest and into the stream nearby. she was not yet ready to announce their liaisonn to the redhawks; perhaps never, for teya was not so foolish as to invite another tension.
the raven was still damp when she came upon the child and the regent. the former looked greatly like her lover, which clenched the girl's belly.
"hello, ruenna," she said sweetly. "germanicus and crowfeather come to brecheliant. they hunt with me. thank you," she added, thinking now of the redhawks and how important it was to maintain their alliance.

Teya arrived, damp but otherwise looking positively radiant. It was a far cry from the angry Teya she had met at the border of the Caldera or the nervous, shrinking Teya that she became once Ruenna had resolved her issue. This was a brand-new Teya, and the one that Ruenna liked the best already. 

"Teya, you look well!" As they were only acquaintances, that was as much as she felt she could comment on the enormous shift in Teya's demeanor. "I'm so glad," she added, because she was a soul who genuinely loved to see others thriving. "And I'm pleased you met the auxilia, and that they were able to be helpful. What did you make of them?" Ruenna asked, tilting her head in curiosity. She had taken to the pair quickly, and she wondered if Teya had been equally impressed.

teya almost spilled the beans to ruenna right then, cheered and encouraged after their tension with the redhawks. and then she cringed inwardly as she thought of the repercussions that would have wrought. "germanicus took over hunt very quick. was good," she added. "i not know how to hunt deer well. fen gives lots of fish and birds."
a grin. "crowfeather is nice. not need to tell him anything, he just know."
curiosity shown in her coolwater eyes. "how did you know them first?"

Had Ruenna known the effort Teya had made to hold her tongue, she would have thanked the Raven profusely for keeping silent and removing one more burden from the new Sovereign's shoulders. How Ruenna would have languished over that much-unwanted knowledge, torn between her responsibility to inform Towhee and her observation that the Redhawk's health and mentality already seemed so fragile. 

Teya also seemed to have a positive impression of the auxilia. 

"I didn't," Ruenna admitted to having no prior knowledge of the pair. "They appeared on the Caldera's border, asking for permission to pass through the area. It has been a long time since I have seen respects paid in such a way. I'll admit I was charmed, and sad to see them move on." Ruenna laughed. "I couldn't convince them to stay in the Caldera, and I thought it was possible the Fen might have been more to their liking-- I'd hoped, anyway." Germanicus had mentioned that he was seeking a harsher environment in which to train, and Ruenna had rather hoped that the fen might fit the bill. 

On a more serious note..

"They did bring tidings of a pack called the Saints," Ruenna imparted, worry etching her features. "I was wondering where Brecheliant stood, concerning this pack." Ruenna would seek to avoid the brewing war if possible, but she that could very well be a futile endeavor if the Caldera's allies had already fallen to one side or the other.

the story that ruenna told of the auxilia made them quite a bit more mysterious than teya had recognized. while the pair had given her no feelings of worry, she wondered what their aims were, and found herself suspicious of how friendly they had been toward both packs.
but that was something for another time. she'd run it by eljay.
the word of the hour now was the saints, and teya felt herself sicken deep within. "brecheliant neutral about saints. they ask for medics. offer warriors."
with a lurch, the little raven hoped ruenna had not come to bring her secrets about kynareth.

Brecheliant had been engaged in dealings with the Saints, but from the sounds of it there were no longstanding arrangements. Ruenna hoped it would remain this way. 

"I've been informed that the Saints and Ursus may go to war. I don't know why, and I confess-- I don't care to know. I'd very much like Redhawk Caldera to remain neutral." War had a way of sucking everyone in regardless of intentions, and the realist within Ruenna knew that it was only a matter of time before the Caldera was either targeted itself, or it would have to come to the aid of one of its many allies.

teya did not know why in all her time with kynareth she had not asked after this. but it had never come up. their interludes had been almost purely carnal, driven by his own want and her bone-deep need to be distracted from all that had gone on.
"if saints threaten caldera, brecheliant no longer neutral," she declared, dedicating the whole of the pack in one swift, impetuous motion toward protection of the redhawk wolves. and yet she felt it was only practical, as they shared a close region with one another.
"what is next step?" she asked the older woman, eyes searching the amber-honey gaze.

Teya's pledge felt unusually weighty, considering how Redhawk Caldera and Brecheliant had not exactly seen eye-to-eye on other issues recently. Ruenna was touched, and she responded softly in kind. 

"Thank you, Teya. Redhawk Caldera stands with Brecheliant, likewise." 

As for the next move? 

"I need to check in with our other ally in the area, Moonglow." The situation with Moonglow was identical to the one with Brecheliant in that Ruenna needed to ascertain that Moonglow hadn't fallen to one side or the other before she could officially declare the Caldera a neutral party. "As long as Moonglow is still neutral, I don't see the need to do much of anything, apart from keeping one another informed of any new developments." Ruenna was not particularly fond of war of any kind, but if there had to be a war, it might as well be between the two most troublesome packs. "What do you think?" 

moonglow. she had not heard the name since the beginning of winter, when bridget and the others had forged out with supplies and help. "this is good idea," she said, feeling rather out of her depth with the politics of things. 
for a long, shrewd moment she looked at ruenna. what if the older woman could comfort some of the feelings about kynareth? and yet teya did not think it would be palatable to say. "where ursus, if you know?" it sickened her to think that after all the time she had spent with the brindled man, she truly did not know him at all.

Ruenna nodded. She had know way of knowing at that moment that despite her best intentions, circumstances within the Redhawk Caldera would prevent her from leaving again once she returned. It would be many more weeks before she would have the opportunity to visit Moonglow.

"I do," Ruenna answered, recalling her previous conversation with the Legion scout. "They are in the valley on the other side of the Sunspires, near.." What was the name of that pack..? She was stretching her memory very thin at this point. "Near Everhall. Or ..Easthall?" That still didn't sound quite right. She frowned thoughtfully. 

"Easthollow!" It came to her finally. Perhaps it didn't even matter; packs seemed to rise and fall with the wind here in the Teekons. The Easthollow wolves had probably already moved on, especially considering their unsavory neighbors. 

Ruenna would wait to hear any more questions from Teya, and if there were none, she would prepare to depart.

as much as she liked ruenna, teya was incredibly given over to the idea of returning at once to reyes. she forced herself, however, into diplomacy. this was a test, and she was going to fail if she could not apply herself.
"thank you, ruenna. i will remember now." the idea of war vaguely tickled some adventurous nature inside the raven, but she put that aside soon thereafter, aware enough to know the reality was far more grave.
"oh!" she remembered, stumbling a bit. "eljay say brecheliant and caldera hunt soon." a smile, a wave of her tail. "it will be nice. thank you for suggesting we be together for that."
the girl had nothing else to add; she would remain affable and observant just for the moments after ruenna turned and began for home.
and then teya would return to the scarlet lover ensconced selfishly, delightfully, in the fen.

"Yes!" Ruenna said, smiling, "I'm looking forward to the equinox." Ruenna's hunting days were behind her-- that was fairly obvious-- but she was excited to celebrate the prowess of others and perhaps bind the two packs closer together. With a dip of her muzzle, she made to depart. She would wait for Sphyra at their previously-chosen point on Lake Rodney's southern shore, allowing the girl some freedom to find her own way from Brecheliant's border.