Barrier Gulch desire and need and failure all spell out

seven days since the civil unrest within dracarys as soto lost the challenge for leadership. weight of whether he was best to stay or strike out on his own weighs heavy, like iron shackles upon his broad shoulders. so, he seeks the solace and peace of a neutral territory to consider. he doubts anyone notices his absence.

the gulch isn't the sandviper's first choice but it is where he ends up all the same, welcoming the dry heat, walls of rust rock and cracked dirt. dry earth turns to sand that for a few seconds at a time leaves a paw print but is drifted away at the barest breeze.

and bare the breeze was. the cloudless sky offers no respite from the scorch of the sun — only the shadows cast by the walls offer any respite. it is beneath one such shade the sandviper lounges now, paws crossed in front of him, long forelegs sticking out into the sun — the shade not quite long enough to cover him entirely. he lays like a mighty sphinx; deducing.

Kemal had known of one more man lurking within the pass. They had not met formally, Kemal rarely going out of his way for introductions before now. Now, it was necessary.

He needed to know where each remaining member stood, whether it was with or against him. Kemal would pull strings where he had to, and do what he could to be convincing. He knew all too well that if he was not respected as a leader, then he was not a leader at all.

Tracking the man through the lowlands, he isn't surprised to find him so far. Room to think, he supposes, but Kemal can't allow that. In moments of uncertainty it allows for ideas to grow and take form.

Eyes fixed on Dracarys, he offers a 'whuff' in greeting.

dracarys doubted wrong.

the greeting draws his attention, pale silverbound gaze flickering like blue flames to the other man; covered in a coat of reds and sands that blended well with the gulch's colors.

the sandviper stirs, recognizing him by face, no doubt seen in passing, but not by name. allowing a moment to stretch like a waned heartbeat before he lets out a low noise of greeting in return; rising to his paws once more; the scent of verapaz hanging heavy upon the other man.

a packmate? or the new leader? dracarys wasn't so sure, but does not doubt that time would reveal such to him sooner rather than later. questions needle at the tip of his tongue but remain drawn back. you're of verapaz, too. a statement offered, instead.

They aren't so different in size, and he seems cool-headed as well. Kemal can respect that.

Kemal. He offers in return. He doubts that he knows his name, just as Kemal does not know his. You are the most recent member, yes? But you have been here for some time. Newest before Panacea, but they had come after the challenge.

He wished now, just for a moment, that he had the charisma of his brothers. You have heard of the challenge to Soto. Everyone had. I owe explanations to who remains. He saw no point of trying to hide his intentions, or demand followers through aggression.

Kemal knew his reasons, clean and clear, he had nothing to lose by sharing.

kemal.

the name ignites recognition within dracarys. the winner of the challenge; further cemented as kemal confirms it as such himself. dracarys. offers the sandviper, a simple stating of a fact; without affliction.

he did not know soto well enough to necessarily feel discontent over the shift in power but it was soto that had allowed him into the ranks and thus there was that tether of loyalty all the same; flimsy as it may have been.

icetooth fjord had been rife with betrayal, cunning and cruelty; coming from his elder brothers as they squabbled for their father's position. still, dracarys respects hierarchy. craves it. even as discontent and greed runs deep in his bloodline and dracarys could pretend all he wished but he could not sever himself from it. the challenge was a typical tuesday for the fjord-born.

naturally, murmurs dracarys, despite that he suspects kemal's mention of the challenge had been largely rhetorical. if you wish to offer an explanation, i will listen. even if dracarys thinks that giving an explanation might only raise concerns of uncertainty. his father's motto had been never explain yourself. actions tended to speak louder than any word uttered. still, dracarys was willing to entertain, if only because he hoped to learn something of kemal.

his place within verapaz felt like it hinged upon this very conversation; whether that decision at the end came from dracarys himself or kemal.

Kemal's entire life had been spent surrounded by smooth-talking diplomats and strategic warriors. He knew words could be cheap, because they often were not genuine.. but were carefully planned actions any different? He had learned to appreciate those who spoke from the heart from his late wife, and he hoped to gather some of her spirit now.

No cheap tricks, no planted smiles or unkind lies. Kemal wasn't so sure he had it in him to be anything but blunt - more often when things were unpleasant, he wouldn't speak at all.

Soto was not a fit leader. It was as simple as that. He let Verapaz grow weak, sat by while those who admired him the most died. He could feel his temper building, and took a breath with hopes of cooling it. Deaths could have been avoided. Soto took no action to stop them, and no action to warn enemies after. Jowls twitched as he fell into momentary silence. Fiamma, then Arslan. They had both looked to the segundo with admiration.

Now they were buried in shallow graves.

I did not crave power. I destroyed him to give Verapaz new life.

And he swore to himself that he would. They could leave the pass behind, bring justice to enemies, regrow in a new home. It was all Kemal wanted now, and if who lingered now stayed under his rule, he was confident it could happen.

Move the pack. Disrupt the caldera. Bring glory to Verapaz.

dracarys is silent, albeit attentive as the other man speaks, beginning his explanation with the fact that he believed soto was not a fit leader. on this, dracarys couldn't really hold an opinion. if anything, kemal's explanation only serves to push into focus for the sandviper how truly detached he's been since his arrival to verapaz. and detached, the sandviper knows, isn't a good thing. he lingers like a venomous ghost along the borders, not socializing. not integrating himself.

a flick of his left ear is given, though his expression remains impassive.

and then comes talk of enemies. enemies that dracarys does not feel the same hatred towards that kemal surely does. on the subject, he's also horribly unbiased. whatever fight kemal was impassioned about was not dracarys' own.

a decision needs to be made, then, the sandviper knew. either he stayed and integrated himself fully into verapaz. or he severed whatever flimsy tether he's made.

our numbers are hardly enough to be making threats to verapaz's enemies, drawls the sandviper. he speaks it simply. a statement of fact. to charge into a battle he knows nothing about, that holds nothing personally at stake for him was a large risk. larger yet, given what he has pointed out. yet, he does not doubt that kemal is already aware of this. he is now crowned leader, after all.

i hold no personal stake in whatever war you wish to ignite, replies the sandviper truthfully. if i am to remain among the ranks, if i am to be turned loose to your enemies ... i would know that it is not to be an immediate lost battle. kemal held the power here, and dracarys recognizes that. still, he finds it important to speak his mind, regardless of consequences that would come. the tactician within him refused to stay silent, for better or worse.

what is your plan for bolstering ranks?

Kemal is not offended by the honest response, it's of far more use to him than if Dracarys were to try and say what he thought would please the newly crowned king.

I have patience. He responds, eyes fixed ahead now. Demanding war in a fit of rage was never the best decision, even if their numbers grew. They had to be smart, play the long game. Maybe we will never need to fight at all. In truth, that was the preferred outcome. Kemal wanted no more bodies on Verpaz's doorstep.

Dracarys asks Kemal his plan, and despite how often it runs through the Águila's head, he does not answer immediately. We move inland, the lowlands are quiet now. No wolves wandering meant no wolves to recruit. There is a mesa and a lake. We live on the mesa, to watch the caldera, and guard the lake to grow green. He was not fond of the plant, but Kemal could see the potential so long as they found a herbalist. Not as a product, but as a weapon.

From there, we travel to recruit. The how was the problem. Soto clearly knew how to charm others, to convince them to his cause and hold them tight. Kemal was not blessed with such charisma. The cold season is coming, there will be wolves in need of shelter.

Gaze moving to eye Dracarys, Kemal decides to ask his opinion. You have other ideas? There are easier ways to gain members, but holding captives and raising pups took time that Kemal did not yet know if they had.

What he could tell from their short conversation was that Dracarys was smart. He had been distant from the pack, but that alone was enough for Kemal to have reason to reel him in.. if Verapaz had a future, then he wanted Dracarys to be a part of it.

it is a small balm, though a balm nonetheless, to learn that kemal did not have plans to dive feet first into battle despite his want for vengeance.

and though dracarys does not love the idea of moving away from the lowlands, it is not his decision to make; and he sees the logic behind it. out west, they were isolated from whatever packs remained in the central heart of wilds. to recruit, they needed to be in its beating heart.

location was everything, at the end of the day.

shelter. food. a pack is stronger then then individual, murmurs the sandviper in agreement. still, without giving them something to rally behind, to feel apart of beyond survival there is no guarantee they will stay when the frost begins to thaw. ... you will have to consider if you want to keep soto's vision for verapaz or if you wish to mould it into something of your own. a small pause is given.

it is a solid plan, concedes dracarys, humming with quiet contemplation. ...since you're asking me, i'll speak candidly: there are oft times pregnant women seek asylum for them and their unborn children. i do not think it wise to turn them away. dracarys had felt strongly that it was a mistake on his father's behalf often in the fjord. despite that it's young had all come directly from his ( father's ) own loins and had felt the fjord strong with generations and blood ... there was a certain loyalty to be forged from offering such generosity. yes, pups took work and neither pups, nor the pregnant, nor postpartum mothers could partake in battles but kemal had preached moments prior that he was patient.

in the end, it's your choice, of course. but the colder months tend to bring an influx of pregnant women and young, desperate families.

Kemal knew for certain that Soto's goals were not something he wished to uphold. His own objectives felt clear, but he knew they were selfish. Those who had not been close to the dead would not feel the same gripe for justice. Verapaz needed a new long-term plan.

He would keep the omerta Soto had them each swear to. Promises of loyalty, and ideas of family. But they needed a wider purpose, not just values.

You are right. I would not turn pregnant women away. Even without an agenda behind it, the guilt would eat away at him. Verapaz did have children. You might have seen them. If they were still here, I think they would almost be yearlings. Come the spring, they certainly would have been. One died, one went missing, and Leto left with her last. He was ill, she needed to find help for him. Kemal had thought to go looking for her, but he knew that It was never Verapaz itself that Leto was loyal to. She was loyal to Soto.

His expression was solemn for a moment, fixed ahead once more. Maybe I will look for a wife. He didn't feel ready to replace Narin, but Dracarys was right. If he preached his own patience, then he should be able to wait for children to grow. It would be for the good of the pack.

The gears in his head began to turn now. He wasn't sure they could guarantee women would come to them over a healthier pack, but maybe if the father lingered in their ranks..

That would be something to consider later.

Pushing out a breath, Kemal knew it was time to return to the pass. Stay with Verapaz, Dracarys. It was not a demand, but a request. Soto did not attract the sound of mind. You are a rarity. Having someone to discuss with had been helpful, and he did not think he could so easily let go of that now. I will call for Verapaz to gather soon.

all tragedies. remarks dracarys when he is told what had become of the children whose laughter and childish wonder had once filled verapaz. tragic, but not entirely uncommon. life was harsh, unfairly so.

another small flick of his ear is given as kemal talks of looking for a wife; though the sandviper remains silent upon the words that did not entirely sound like they were meant for him. that dracarys himself was of an age to both wed and sire children did not go unnoticed by the sandviper, something he considers vaguely in the here and now.

but, too, the fear that he would become just like his warlord father: interested in nothing but conquest, in expanding his harem and siring children... that loyalty meant little creeps in. it was the only example of 'husband' and 'father' that dracarys had and for that, he tucks away those thoughts for now.

i will stay and i will help to recruit. decides the sandviper after a stilled moment.