Silvertip Mountain Your face-saving promises, whispered like prayers

@Steady
For ease of timeline, this is set the day after Fitz and Zari confirm mateship, so it is prior the cougar thread (where Mason may become a snack xD) <3

 
Mason had not returned to the den after the 'mateship' bomb his Dad had dropped on him. In his mind that was the only one who was at fault here. His Dad had used all his Alpha wily charms and taken Zari in. It wasn't her fault, but still... he couldn't believe she couldn't see it. Dad didn't really love her he just loved the idea of her, someone running the pack with him. He didn't see the tenderness of her smiles when she was paid a compliment by a young lad. Nor did Fitz see Zari as anything other than a second to his mother. That's the notion Mason's broken heart was vehemently flooding through his mind right now anyway.
 
Zari deserved better.
 
He had found an area he knew well and snuck into a small hidey hole to sob to himself. He knew his Dad could track him if he'd wanted to, but thankfully he had let Mason alone. Maybe for time to cool off. Maybe because he didn't care now that he had his Beta. At dawn Mason disentangled himself form his own fur, where his tears had wetted his paws together like a manky glue. He stepped forward, bedraggled, feeling glum and spent. His heart ached for his lost love (crush) and he let out a dry sob as he staggered away from his new den, heading in the direction of the borders.

I hope he won't be a snack! Thank you for starting!

Steady was newly appointed as a pack member of Silvertip Mountain, and his first few days in the territory had been learning the layout of it, and protecting its borders. He had yet to meet his niece or nephew, but it was on his list of things to do. He was eager to get to know them, but he understood that his leaders needed to know that he was here for the pack, and would pull his own weight. Fate, it seemed, would be in his favor today, though.

It was still early morning, and he wasn't sure how much of the pack was still up or who was sleeping. Still, he made his way around silently. A noise brought him to a halt, his ears perking. He caught sight of the light-colored young male, chuffing to get his attention. Trotting over in hopes of catching up, he noticed his matted fur and his saddened expression. "Hey," he said softly. "Are you okay?" He wasn't aware this was his nephew, but he was concerned all the same. If someone had upset his pack mate, that would upset him.

His heart fluttered limply, like a butterfly drowning in tears. Mason found each step seemed to jar his body. Despair appeared to have damaged each bone and muscle he owned. When a voice called from behind, Mason faltered and almost fell. He caught his own weight on his numb front paws and turned to see a huge black wolf approach. His tone was gentle, kind, and Mason gravitated towards it like a moth to a flame.

He stepped towards the wolf and peered up at him through sleep-shattered eyes which were bloodshot and dull. "He took her an' now I've got no one." He muttered hoarsely. This was a lie, because he still had June, but in his doomed mind he preferred the concept having no one. It made him more pitiable and maybe this wolf would give him some sorely-needed comfort. Mason blinked and continued to look up at this wolf, carefully avoiding his deep soulful brown eyes for fear of causing offense, and lowering his tail appropriately. It appeared he had retained some of his sense - for now at least.

The young male stopped, for which Steady was grateful. He looked so... What was it? Heartbroken. He was surprisingly open to Steady, and he frowned when he explained. "Who took who?" he asked quickly. "Where did they go? I'll hunt them down!" he said confidently. If someone had come into the pack lands and kidnapped a member, Steady would not hesitate to track them down.

In a moment of tenderness, Steady reached out to nuzzle the younger male. It was obvious whoever was taken was important to him, and Steady made a vow to them back, not realizing the entire situation.

Promises were ejected from the Man's mouth. Mason had never been particularly good at subterfuge and deceit - as was readily apparent from this exchange, he currently wore his heart on his sleeves, like many six month olds. Not June though, she was more guarded than he.

He shook his head sadly as he received a nuzzle that broke his resolve, and he only just managed to choke out the words against Steady's swarthy fur. "No -  I  - I - It's not a g-gone-away t-thing. N-no baddy. Jus'..." Mason slumped to the floor and wailed the last bit directly at Steady's large paws: "D-dad t-t-took Z-z-z--zaaaaaari! An' n-now they won't w-w-ant m-meeeeee!"

He could see his future wife and his future leadership slipping through his paws and he was wallowing in self-pity. Luckily he hadn't even considered they might have a future litter. He wiped his snotty nose on the nearest material to hand - Steady's leg - and hiccoughed loudly between a few more sobs, waiting to hear some comforting words.

The younger male was accepting of his comforting touch, and Steady moved a little closer and sat down on his haunches. Apparently, Steady had it a little wrong. No one had been kidnapped. The young wolf seemed to collapse at Steady's paws, blurting out the real problem. He was indeed heartbroken. It seemed his Dad, FitzDutiful, had "stolen" his crush. Which meant this was his nephew, Mason. Steady was a little taken aback at first, trying to catch up to the whole situation. While he was trying to figure out what to say, he felt a warm, slimy substance being wiped on his foreleg. His face crunched in disgust, but he quickly wiped that away before the young wolf could see. He's had worse on his fur, after all... Though, he couldn't remember when.

He lifted his other leg and placed it over Mason's shoulders, trying to comfort him. "Oh, now, Mason... Just because your Dad has a girlfriend, doesn't mean they won't want you. I know your Dad, he's my brother, and he would not let you go just because there is someone new in his life. He loves you," he told his nephew in a soft voice, trying to console him. "I'm so sorry he decided on a female you had your eyes on, but... Well, if you really like her, then you'll want her happy, won't you? No matter who she's with?" Steady, of course, was thinking with the mind of a mature, adult male. Not an adolescent who just had his heart broken.

As he sobbed onto his (unbeknownst to him) Uncle’s leg, Mason felt as though his feelings were spilling out of his fatigued body. It felt so good to cry to someone, not just to himself. As his emotions puddle around him in a blanket of spent tears, Steady lifted his large, black paw and gently encompassed the boy’s shoulders. Mason managed to quieten his sobbing a bit so  that he could listen and take in the wisdom of another male.

Oh crap. This was Dad’s brother? Fitz had mentioned he had accepted him a while back, but it hadn’t really clicked. What if they told each other everything like he and June did? Did that mean his Dad would be informed of his son’s heartbreak? A moment of vindictiveness hoped it would, and that his Dad would feel real sorry. 

Then the thought of Zaria being hurt hit him and he pushed his impassioned evilness to one side. Orange eyes blinked up at his uncle. He couldn’t quite grasp all of the sense that was being handed to him, but he would have to try and live on without Zaria. Dad had her now. Tears threatened again. He tried to speak and after a few hoarse croaks managed. “I want her to b-be happy… b-but I thought it w-was going to be me…” he looked down at his paws again, desolate. “You won’t tell Dad will you?” He whispered to his toes

Steady's heart broke as his nephew's sobs continued. He wasn't quite sure what he could do for a broken heart, except offer soothing words. Even then, Steady knew from experience that only time could heal that. The young boy did agree that he wanted Zaria to be happy, but confessed he thought it would be with him. What could the Uncle say to that? Before he could think of anything, Mason asked if Steady would tell his Dad about this conversation.

Steady considered it for a moment, but tossed the idea aside. "No, Mason," he confirmed. "While I do think some things should not be withheld from a father about his son, I don't believe this is one of those things." As far as Steady could tell, Mason was not in danger of hurting himself, so he seen no reason to involve Fitz. "However," he continued. "You must promise that you won't act in haste... I understand your heart is broken, but your father does love and need you, whether he has Zaria or not. Please remember that," he pleaded. He hoped Mason kept that in mind during this dark time.

"Remember, too, that time will heal this wound. You will find someone who loves you just as much as you love them. And she will pick you," he said, his voice soft. Whether Mason believed it or not, Steady did.

The adult male made no real comment at first. He did, however confirm that (whilst apparently not always the case) he would not tell FitzDutiful about this. Mason breathed a sigh of relief. Whilst it was probably a bit obvious, by now, just what had happened, they could still put Mason’s hurt down to it being a replacement of his mother. (Or himself if they had puppies – this would likely push him even further away.)

Steady spoke some more, soothing sense-filled words. His deep voice worked wonders on Masons’ frayed nerves. Even though he couldn’t really imagine this hurt subsiding completely, he supposed that it must do eventually. Was this how much it had hurt when Mum had left? No… her disappearance had mainly been factual, as he had been too young to comprehend such feelings as this. 

Still, he took great comfort in the thought that, one day, someone would pick him. “I know Dad loves me.” He admitted out loud, but internally added but does he love her more? Or love her at all? His hurting heard throbbed again in his chest as he managed to still his tears. 

“Do you have a mate?” Mason enquired quietly, managing to peer up at Steady with bleary eyes this time as he felt a teensy bit better. He was interested in how Steady knew so much about these things. Maybe it was knowledge deposited on you when you became of age.

Steady kept his leg over Mason's shoulders, trying to provide comfort to the younger male. Steady didn't do this very often, but he cared enough about his nephew that he was doing his best to make him feel a little better. Mason admitted he knew his Dad loved him, but Steady felt there might have been more to that statement than he said. "I do, too, ya know... Love you," he said softly. Those were not words Steady uttered often, but he felt now was the time to tell Mason, instead of just let him wonder. Sometimes, saying it meant just as much as showing it.

His nephew asked if he had a mate, and Steady shook his head. "No... I thought I almost did at one point, but it didn't work out," he confided. "We were discussing things, and it came to light that her views were different than mine when it came to raising pups." She hadn't wanted them at all, and Steady had decided that was a deal breaker. Not having pups because he didn't have a mate was one thing, but he did want the opportunity to raise youngsters. Even helping raise Mason and June would have been something for Steady, but she didn't want any part of pups at all, even if they weren't her own.

It was unusual to hear someone other than Dad or June saying 'I love you' but it didn't feel odd. It was nice, actually. To think that he had had another member of family with him on this lonely mountain. He felt as though his broken heart had received a small piece back, rising out of the shattered mess that it had become to fit back into place. He managed a watery smile up at his Uncle.
 
Mason listened with renewed interest when Steady divulged information about his past. "What d'you mean different?" The boy enquired. He imagined Steady was the type of stoic father who admonished carefully, like Dad. Maybe his potential-mate had been a hothead (he banished thoughts of Zaria, whose personality traits came to mind immediately). "Did she wanna smack the babies for bein' naughty instead of just sayin' no?" He asked with childish interest, because this was the only difference he could see in how parents would raise their pups.

His tell of affection was not returned, but that didn't bother Steady, as long as Mason knew he did have family on his side. Steady understood he was feeling a little left out because of all the big changes, but he hoped his nephew would see in time that it would all work out. Heartache did not last forever.

Steady couldn't hold back a chuckle at how Mason had asked what differences there were. "No, I don't even know how she would have parented because she didn't want to parent at all," he confessed, turning somber. "She didn't even want anything to do with the pups in the pack, let alone have her own," he said. It had hurt, to have someone he was falling in love with tell him she didn't want to build a family with him. They had discontinued their relationship at that point, though they remained in the same pack. They had been cordial, friendly even, but things were never the same.

This was great - something to take his mind off the horror which had unfolded just the day before. It seemed like a nightmare, and he didn't intend to dwell on it when he had a wealth of information in front of him. Steady laughed at his question (not unkindly or in ridicule though - Mason already greatly appreciated his Uncle for these little things) then he suddenly turned a bit more serious.

He could understand a girl who didn't want puppies. After all, that was what his Mum had been. "I think I would like puppies one day." Mason announced to Steady, and then realised that he should probably be a bit more courteous to the man who had lost his mate over puppies. "But maybe it's better she told you before you got to become mates. Dad got puppies which he wanted but his mate left in the end, because she didn't want... us." Mason finished lamely, avoiding naming her as 'mother' because he could not attribute the word to her due to her faults in the role.

It was particularly obvious that the topic of his biological parent leaving was not one which stressed him anywhere near as much as Zaria. Mason continued the conversation. "If you had a puppy, would you want a boy or a girl? And what colour?" Yes, still the age when a magical belly press created exactly what you wanted. He and Fitz had not yet had the talk.

Steady hoped his own experiences would help Mason realize that life did go on, even though right now it may not seem like it. Steady was only a year old, and still had a lot of growing to do of his own. His experience with his ex girlfriend, he supposed you could call her, only gave him a better idea of the type of mate he really needed. He was in no rush to find her, though.

He smiled when Mason confessed he'd like puppies one day. It gave Steady confidence that his nephew would be okay, especially if he could still see himself with a mate and pups one day. He nodded in agreement, then frowned when Mason told him of his mother. "I'm so sorry that happened, Mason," he said. "I don't know what would compel someone to do that, but it doesn't make you any less wanted," he said strongly. He hoped FitzDutiful had instilled that in his son and daughter- that they were no less loved because their mother left them.

He looked thoughtful as he considered his nephew's question. "You know, I'd think I'd be happy with any pup. I'm not too picky on sex or color," he said honestly. "Though... It would be nice to have a son to raise, pass on my knowledge and skills to," he added. He'd like to watching his son grow up nice and strong, maybe even lead his own pack.

Mason shrugged, a little self-conscious when Steady apologised on behalf of Raissa. It wasn’t something he liked to talk about because it tended to make others pity him or feel uncomfortable. Steady reassured him that it didn’t make him less wanted. Not officially true – not for one wolf anyway – but he nodded in agreement. Another quiet “I know.” left his mouth, because he knew that Dad had wanted he and June enough for two parents. That sort of family drama had not had any ill-lasting effects thanks to the sense of family and love his Dad gave them.

Mason thought about Steady’s admission for a moment. He could agree that a male would be nice to pass on skills to (since he was male, this was easy to relate to). “So do you think girls are not clever and couldn’t learn your skills? What skills?” Mason inadvertently branded his Uncle sexist whilst asking him to relay what kind of ‘boy’ skills there were. As far as he was concerned, girls could be what they wanted to be. After all Bindi had been a good warrior. And FitzDutiful was a sensitive advisor.

“I talked to Dad and decided I wanna be a nurse. Like take care of the ill or older wolves. But I need to try and learn more about herbs.” He also needed to practice taking care of the elderly, but he didn’t think this was wise to suggest to Steady, who looked younger than Dad.

Steady shook his head, but gave Mason a soft smile. "I knew you were going to drill me with that question. I should have stuck with my original answer," he said playfully. "In all seriousness, females have every ability to do what males do. They're strong, willful, and protective of their families, just like I am... But, I can still want a boy," he said, smiling.

Steady nodded, "I think you'd make a fine nurse, Mason. You have a big heart, and you care for others deeply- great qualities for someone who wants to be a caretaker," he told his nephew. Then, he remembered, "You know, Ryuu wants to be a healer, not very different from a nurse, I don't think. I offered to escort her to other packs to learn from their healers. I'd do the same for you," he offered. He had no knowledge of exactly how to be a nurse, but he could and would help Mason find out, if he wanted.

Mason managed to smile back at Steady when he pointed out that he had expected to get a grilling. Mason listened appreciatively about what Steady had to say about girls. He agreed. Joo was quiet but she was willfull, stubborn and strong. She was a pearl within the shell of an oyster, and he was perhaps the only wolf that had gone to the effort of prising her open thus far. He hoped in the future she would open herself up to other wolves, but only those that were trustworthy. He knew Dad had issues in communicating with her sometimes even. “Boys are good an’ girls are good, so I think you can want whatever you want."

When Steady praised his heart, Mason felt a bit of happiness bubbling up inside him. That was nice to hear at this pretty terrible juncture in his life. “Thanks, that means a lot.” And when Steady suggested escorting him to other packs’ healers to learn their trades, his smile blossomed into a grin. “Yeah! That’d be great. Can we do it soon? Nurse is like a healer and a caretaker, but like smashed together. So I need to learn healing AND how to take care of people.” He was certainly ambitious. “Do you know which packs have the good healers?” He didn’t want to learn his trade from a shoddy surgeon.

He chuckled, happy Mason didn't seem to think less of him because he harbored a need for a son. "Thanks," he said, smiling. Truth be told, Steady would be happy no matter what fate decided to give him in children. He just hoped he got the chance to have them.

Mason was thankful for Steady's praise, and he smiled. "Just telling it like I see it," he said casually. He knew Mason had so much to give, and hoped his heartache over Zaria wouldn't hurt him so much that he couldn't give to others.

Steady's tail thumped the ground behind him. "Yeah, the sooner the better since it will be harder to travel during winter," he replied. "I'm not sure which packs have the most experienced healers and caretakers, but it won't hurt to ask. If they don't have one, either, we'll go to the next pack." Come hell or high water, Steady would make sure Mason got the teachings he sought.

Another thread soon near one of the other packs to go visiting? :)

Mason had never encountered snow (that he could remember anyway), but they were not far off the possibility that flurries would arrive soon. It therefore kept slipping his mind that Dad had told him it would be harder to travel once the snows and ice set in. 

Mason thought about it. He should probably tell his Dad they were thinking of going, as it would not be a simple day trip if they needed to visit various packs. Mason didn’t relish the thought of speaking to his Dad, but he knew Steady would not agree to just vanish him away without informing the Alpha. 

“Okay, that sounds great, I’m really excited!” And he was, with his tail flip-flopping behind him, and his dried tears a long-forgotten memory. Something to focus on that was good! “Maybe we can go after the next hunt, when we got full bellies.” Forethought was one of Mason’s better traits, although he wasn’t sure he wanted to delay the trip inevitably if the hunts were poor.

Yes! Are you able to start one?  ^_^

Steady waited patiently for a response as Mason seemed to think it over. He smiled when his nephew agree. "Great! Going after the next hunt is a perfect idea. That will give us a chance to let your Dad know, too. Think he'll have a problem with it?" he asked. Steady hadn't considered that when he offered to take Mason, but he hoped Fitz would be okay with it.

Glad that the conversation had drifted to something more positive, Steady decided to end it here. "I need to get back to patrolling, but find me if you need anything, okay?" He waited for a response before nosing his nephew affectionately, then heading off towards the borders.