Hoshor Plains I have no time for confession

Over the mountain tops and into the plains below. Her bump was beginnning to show, and she was growing wary.

Chaudry had kept his promise by bringing her meals and ensuring she was in good health, but he still was not one to stay and talk. In fact, nobody talked much anymore; wolves were far too busy these days.

She knew that when the children were born it would still be some time before they were weaned and she could begin working once again. At the very least, she knew they would keep her busy.

Pausing on a small hill she looked out over the white, snow-covered horizon. She wondered what may be waiting for her today.

She was further from home than ever before, though Treepie felt calm as she stood at the river’s edge. If she only glanced over her shoulder, she could see Moonspear looming in the distance. But she didn’t often seek out that comforting sight. She wanted to be strong and unafraid. She didn’t feel like either, though someone had once told her to “fake it until you make it.”

Pie crossed at a small river bend, the ice thick beneath her paws. Ahead, she saw only a snowy plain and nothing of note. Still, she moved onward, keen to travel as far as the foot of the Sunspire Mountains just for the sense of achievement it would give her.

Halfway across the open field, she spotted a pale figure. She halted and squinted, though it was hard to discern details from the distance, particularly as the stranger blended in with the backdrop. The yearling drew in a breath and resumed her slow and steady gait, barking to announce herself as she came closer to the unknown wolf.

Greetings!

Lost in her own thoughts, it was a bark that alerted her to the presence of a stranger. It was in her nature to be on guard, taking a short moment to find the scent of the other. A pack wolf it seemed, but not one she was familiar with; unsurprising considering she rarely left the mountains.

Have you come from far? It seems an appropriate response to the greeting in Pala's mind, though she is not confident. She has never been particularly socially gifted, though she tries at times. Montagne wants their wolves to appear friendly, unthreatening outside of combat. It has been difficult to rewire herself from a warrior to a diplomat.

After a moment of hesitation she returns the approach, stopping at a respectful distance. This girl seems friendly enough, but just in case. It is not wise for her to risk a fight while she has something to lose.

She ground gently to a halt, eyes curious as they roved over the stranger. She had pale, unkempt fur that didn’t quite hide a plethora of scars. One of her ears didn’t stand upright. Pie thought she looked a little like she’d come out the wrong end of a fight. But her emerald eyes shone brightly and she seemed healthy, perhaps even a little on the heavy side.

Tiuttuk turned her head and raised a paw to point at Moonspear as she replied, I’ve come from that mountain. It’s called Moonspear, before facing forward again and continuing, I wanted to see if these mountains were much different than ours. I’m Tiuttuk Ostrega.

She gave the woman a questioning look, inviting her to offer her own introduction. Pie wondered if she lived somewhere around here. She knew nearly nothing about packs outside of the Moon villages. Perhaps she might learn something newsworthy today and take word back to her anaa.

The younger woman gestured to a mountain in the distance, Pala acknowledging it with a tilt of her head. She was rather curious herself now; the vale had never given much opportunity to see what lay outside of their home. The surrounding mountains did a good job of shielding them from it.

She allows the silence to settle for a short moment before speaking, as though pondering. I come from a vale not far inside of the mountains. We call it Montagne de Cigue. Her pronounciation is admittedly less elegant than Viskani or her sons; Pala had difficulty hitting the correct accents. She hoped to learn sooner or later, particularly now that her children were to be born to Chaudry. He would surely teach them his mother tongue. I am Pala, a Gurrier. She clicked her tongue, quick to correct herself. Or I will be, when my children wean.

It would be strange to call herself anything else, however. Pleine sounded far less interesting, did it not?

The word “vale” intrigued Pie, though not as much as the exotic words that soon followed it. Montagne de Cigue, she repeated in her head, appreciating the poetic pronunciation. It sounded like another language; she wondered which one. She also wondered if Gurrier was a surname, title or something else.

Her lips parted to ask these questions when Pala’s latter words sank their claws into her brain. She knew the meaning of this term: “wean.” Her yellow eyes brightened and widened. Suddenly, it occurred to her that Pala might not be heavyset, she might be expecting.

Are you—? Treepie began to ask, then seemed to reconsider whether or not it was a polite thing to ask.

But the trajectory of her gaze certainly gave away her curiosity as she stared at the slight swell of the woman’s midsection. Were pups growing inside her now? She felt the same wonder that all mention of children always brought to her, now tinged with an intense dash of envy.

For a moment she only blinked, lost by the others words before catching a glance at her swollen stomach. Pregnant? She raised an eyebrow, assuming that was what the Moonspear girl meant to ask. Yes. This is my first. She felt some pride as the words left her mouth.

Chaudry had told her to keep quiet about it, but he was not here now. She could speak about her pregnancy if she so pleased - it was him who had placed the responsibility upon her, so it was silly to expect her to remain silent. They will come in the spring. Usually she would be quick to ask if the other had children of her own, but this one seemed far too young for that.

Is your pack expecting any litters yet? While it did not matter much to Pala, she knew Viskani was always interested in other mothers. Something about comradery.

Clearly, the unspoken question didn’t bother Pala, who picked up on it right away. Treepie let out a breath, then smiled and waved her tail at the good news. It was her first litter too! She bet it was such a magical experience for Pala. She wanted to ask her roughly a thousand questions about it.

But first, Pie fielded hers by replying, No… not yet. She paused, thinking of either parent and all her aspirations about sisterhood, then pushed those thoughts aside to focus on Pala. I’d love to hear what it’s like. Being an anaa—a mother—is probably my biggest dream, she explained, upper teeth digging into her lip and yellow eyes shining as she shared this bit of herself.

Admittedly, this sort of thing was right up her alley conversation-wise. It made her feel like a yearling giggling with her sisters on a patrol again. It was mine, too. Though her dream had not panned out exactly as planned; she had never imagined such an irritating man fathering her children. But, they were coming nonetheless and Pala would treasure them. I did not expect them this year, but I was asked by the son of our Matriarche. Difficult to say no to that.

She was not one to be strategic in anything but battle; it was expected by her that her children would work their way through the ranks like any other member.. but having the one who leads them for a grandmother could be a nice boost.

You look too young to be expecting anything yet, yes? Though of course she could just have a baby face - that happens sometimes.

The next four words out of Pala’s mouth sealed the deal: they were kindred spirits. Tiuttuk shifted closer, her expression open and attentive as she slowly settled onto her haunches. She hoped the expectant mother might do the same, make herself comfortable and settle in for a proper conversation.

She shifted in the grass—brittle and crunchy beneath her—as she weighed Pala’s words about the litter’s sire. It sounded as though she wasn’t mated to him, though that was only a guess. The following question surprised a tittering laugh from Pie’s throat.

Aya, I’m not even a year old, she confirmed with a slant of her snout. She paused before asking, The father—who is he to you? It seemed like a very nosy question, though they were fast friends, weren’t they? Where I’m from, couples sometimes wed. It’s definitely not the only way to have a family, she shared, thinking of her mother’s previous lovers, but I kind of like the thought. It’s… romantic.

Her companion sat, and with some hesitation Pala did the same. She would not in regular circumstances, but sore legs called for a moment of rest. Quickly her suspicions of the other's age were confirmed, and she could not help but snicker a bit. She had been this way at her age, too.

I wanted the same, but there's no men in the mountain who appeal to me. They did not find her particularly appealing either, which was the main problem. But he is not a lover to me. My superior, actually. He was in the rank directly above, the one which held control over Pala and her actions. It had not felt strange until she thought about it. But, the deed was done. I've never seen a grown wolf be so bossy to his own mother, you know. I hope it isn't genetic.

By the second she found herself growing more conversational - it had been a while since she sat with someone and spoke like this. The vale had few friends.

The dynamic Pala described sounded the opposite of romantic, though Pie didn’t judge her for it. She thought she’d do just about whatever it took to have her own offspring someday, even if it went against conventions. Tiuttuk might not have a choice, she reminded herself with a slight clench of her jaw, considering her unique anatomy.

She refused to dwell on that right now, keeping her attention upon her new friend as she spoke more of her litter’s sire. Pie huffed a laugh, which deepened when she thought of how absurd it would be if she tried to boss around Sialuk. No wonder Pala found such behavior remarkable and unbecoming.

Let’s hope not, she agreed before saying, I know it’s impossible to know or control… but do you have any hopes about how many? Or whether they’re boys or girls? Or both? her inner voice tacked on, though Treepie knew it was a rarity not worth mentioning. And what about names? Do you have any in mind?

She hummed at the mention of genders and names. However they come, I will love them. The father wants a single girl and the rest boys - to give the pack a sole heiress. Pala would never be picky, and she could only hope that Chaudry would not keep his hopes too high. There was no way to control what you got. He says he will name her Sydonie. I get to name the rest. And she had already made up her mind that she would not pick until the birth.

What about you? She asks. I used to think of baby name's for fun, the other girls in my pack too. Some thought it to be silly, but was it not at least a bit entertaining to imagine your desired future? There was nothing wrong with it, at least.

It intrigued Pie, hearing about the significance of an heiress. It must be a cultural thing, she supposed, musing about Pala’s earlier mention of a matriarch. Perhaps women were superior in Montagne de Cigue, though that begged a question: why was the sire ranked above his pregnant mate?

She didn’t ask, instead fielding her new friend’s query with, I think I’d like to name a daughter Sia, after anaa. Other than that, I haven’t thought that far ahead. Sydonie’s a pretty name, though I promise I won’t steal it. She chortled, then finally asked, What’s a Gurrier, by the way?

After her anaa.. Pala assumed that was a relative. Naming a pup after a relative - that was not a bad idea at all, maybe the expecting mother should take notes. If you did, I would just have to steal yours. She offered some teasing words in return.

A Guerrier is what Montagne calls their guards. The wolves who patrol the borders and fight for the pack. She offers a brief explanation of the role. Does your home have something similar?

She is rather curious of Moonspear - this wolf is rather friendly, and so she cannot help but wonder if her pack is as well. It never hurts to have some friends outside of her corner of the world - just in case. You can never count on total security, especially in a pack that in the end is not your own.

It occurred to her that the word was a cognate, just like montagne. She mused about this for a second before opening her mouth to answer Pala’s own question.

You know, I’m not sure. I think everyone does a little bit of that—guarding and patrolling, I mean—but I don’t know if there’s a specific rank for it. I’m actually not sure of all the ranks in Moonspear, which—my bad, Treepie acknowledged with a titter. I’d better change that soon, especially since I hope to occupy one of the top ranks someday.

Come to think of it, she didn’t know what specific title she aspired to nab for herself. Sialuk was the High Sage, she knew that much, and Tiuttuk had no interest in usurping her mother’s role. What was Alaric? It took her a moment to recall: Emprex? Maybe there could be more than one of those.

I’ll have to ask anaang about it, the young woman mused aloud. In the meantime, what I can tell you is that the pack is loosely focused on healing, kinship and spirituality. We’re on the small side but tightly-knit, even if the family dynamic was somewhat unorthodox. What about you guys? Do many live in the vale?

An aspiring leader - impressive! Ranks are.. a lot. I can't remember my own all too well either. There was just too many, and most of them sounded so similar to her. She wondered if Treepie had a similar problem.

A pack surrounding healing, kinship, and spirituality sounded rather pleasant. It was certainly an opportunity worth exploring should it ever come down to that. The vale is not too big either - not yet. Our matriarche and her sons seem to have a knack for persuasion. Though Pala herself had managed to bring in a member too - they did not stay long, but it had been a member nonetheless. Once litters have been born we plan to start getting outside of the mountain more often to meet neighbouring packs. There was a momentary pause before she decided to attempt an offer, though it was not necessarily hers to make. Maybe we could come visit your Moonspear. We always come with gifts, if that makes it any more convincing.

Tiuttuk tilted her head, silently wondering why the presence of pups should prompt them to wander further afield. Didn’t Pala want to curl up around her pups in the cozy safety of her whelping den and never leave them? Of course, they would grow fast, though they would be vulnerable for a while. Perhaps when she said “we,” she really meant the others from the vale.

Gifts aren’t necessary, she insisted, laughing a little as she added, and I don’t need convincing. You’d be more than welcome to pay a visit at Moonspear anytime, Pala. I think we can safely say we’re friends now. She paused, as if waiting for validation, then said, I’m not a leader yet but I’ll take word of this visit back to my mother, Sialuk, and perhaps this could be the beginnings of a formal alliance?

It came out like a question, as the idea had only just struck her. But a little thrill wriggled through her. She’d turned a mere foray into something more, first by discovering this other pack, then striking a friendship with one of its key members. Treepie felt that was a good building block for her eventual step up into leadership.

Pala gave a prompt nod. Friends; they were in agreement. In that case, I will be sure to tell the Matriarche. She confirms. She's been travelling out of spite, so maybe you'll meet Viskani sooner than later. Though at that, Pala could not help but snicker at her own words. It was rather entertaining to see the Matriarche argue her son in such a way.

Pushing to her feet, she decides that it is time to walk back. You are welcome in the vale, as well. I will make sure of it. She was young, it would not be hard to convince Viskani to treat Treepie as a guest even in their season of closed borders. I'll see you again sometime, Treepie.

Offering a final nod, she turned to head back to the mountains.

Ty for the thread!

Treepie huffed a soft laugh at Pala’s words, memorizing the matriarch’s name: Viskani. She considered asking for a description, though the expectant mother adjourned their impromptu meeting by way of climbing back to her feet. She issued a few more cordial tidings, earning a dip of the younger woman’s head.

I’m glad we met, Pala. Take care of yourself and your children, who I hope to one day meet, were Pie’s own parting words before she turned back to her own distant mountain.