Phoenix Maplewood the old wolf remembers

All welcome, especially @Reek.

As the sun rose on the sparsely-wooded land to the east of the Maplewood, two young wolves stood sentinel outside an ancient tree hollow. “How much longer is she going to be”, grumbled Boris to his companion. “Probably only a few more minutes — pretty sure I heard her waking up”, replied Firtha. “No, I mean how much longer is it going to take for her to choose a pack? We’ve been with her, what, five months now? Escorting her from pack border to pack border, listening to her picky reasons for denying each one. We can’t keep doing this forever.” “Well, we might have to”, countered Firtha with a shrug. “She is our Alpha.” “Was our Alpha”, corrected Boris sternly. “The Oak Streams have two new Alphas now. This quest is completely arbitrary. I swear, if she doesn’t settle on a pack soon I’m gonna…”

Gonna what? came an ancient, whistley voice. Shreya, a long grey wolf, emerged creakily from the tree hollow. Pop me in the river and leave the escorting to the fishes? Fine by me — it’d certainly be faster going than the current arrangement, which apparently involves you two standing around blathering when we could be on the move. Leaving Boris with his jaw dropped in indignation, and Firtha smiling with amusement, Shreya walked on ahead of the two muscly youngsters, her blue-brown eyes on the looming treetops ahead — a great forest of beeches and maples. Besides... my nostrils tell me this next pack is the one. Boris and Firtha followed. “That’s what she said last time”, muttered Boris. “And the time before that. And the time before that…”

Right after the first signs of morning light graced the Phoenix Maplewood, Reek begrudgingly pulled himself from the comfort and warmth of his den with a long and winded yawn. For whatever reason, he would not allow himself to enjoy the quiet that had suddenly befallen the maplwood. To give in to this calming silence, he felt, would leave himself and his wolves all too vulnerable for the next tragedy/threat that saw fit to sweep though their lives. Quiet was unfortunatly very, very dangerous to their collective safety; Reek would not be lulled into a false sense of security under it's metaphorical blanket.

Towering emotional walls had been constructed around Reek's fragile psyche in the wake of his unwarrented suspicions. He remained ever vigilant in his patrols. Perhaps, even more-so in this time of indisputable peace. Taking to the eastern border, Reek trudged through freshly fallen snow and marked their borders with an intensity and tenacity. Their scent would remain strong and the rule over the taiga; supreme.

Marking along the way, the ragged alpha plodded along. However, soon into his march, Reek caught the scent of strangers beyond his border. Genuinely curious, He stole away from his work and moved to meet them beyond the marking of his claim. The typical scowl that tended to adorn Reek's face had faded away in this time of peace, but he still had his apprehensions with strangers so close. His approach was unaggressive in nature, but tail lifted high... marking his lead.

He found himeslf met with two able bodies and an ancient looking creature. A ragtag group indeed, but Reek was no stranger to such patchwork arrangements. In a way, he felt the maplewood was a group of misfit's in itself.  Reek lifted a brow, inviting whoever led this band to speak.

Shreya prided herself on having an impeccable sense of smell. She was following her nostrils, and doing so meant uncovering a whole host of interesting surprises. All wolves lived by their senses, of course, but this was Shreya's favourite. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, sounds could be misheard, but smells? They said everything. There was a pack nearby, the smell of beechwood and maple, of cold winter soil and damp fur. And of something curiously familiar — a smell she associated both with success and with regret. On she went, seeming to ignore the two young warriors who followed in her wake, until she was almost at the borders and was met by — ah. A somebody. Shreya's instant impression of him was a good one, because he held himself well, and his inner strength was a beacon. But then, of course, she judged him by his looks and found him to be lacking. Pretty people tended to get further in life, she found. And so she supposed that this one had gone the extra mile to make up for that face. And those hips — you could impale a rabbit on them.

Good morning, she spoke first. My name is Shreya Carrow-Finch. These are my escorts, Boris and Firtha, she nodded over her shoulder, they're sexing each other but they think I don't know, she added. Boris opened his mouth to interject, but Shreya interrupted him. They're not looking for a pack, but I am. I suspect you have one around these parts...?

The elderly one took her place as their leader and began to speak. Her voice bore the ravages of time; her words, like broken glass. After exchanging pleasantries, Reek responded with a polite nod. However, her next words sent Reek through a loop. "Shreya," he whispered. Her name had been of little significance growing up, but still Reek was familiar with the name of the grandmother that he had previously presumed dead.

Her request to join the pack fell on ears unresponsive. Reek's brow furrowed into neat little lines and his jaw hung slightly slack in the wake of this surprise. "Shreya Carrow-Finch," he repeated once more in disbelief. If this was truly her, she must have been absolutely ancient — thus clinging to life by a thread of sheer willpower.

Reek shook his head and attempted to regain his bearings. "Do the names Adric and Cato Finch mean anything to you?" he asked. While her full name had been enough to prove her identity in Reek's eyes, he still wanted that last bit of extra assurance.

The old wolf didn't have to squint to see the sudden flash of meaning in those murky eyes before her. And then she looked at the murky eyes themselves. At one blink ugly as sin, at the next blink peculiarly handsome, with a richness borne of living life. And the voice — that was familiar too, in a manner that made her heart twinge curiously. But perhaps that was because he had just said: "Do the names Adric and Cato Finch mean anything to you?" A loaded question.

Boris and Firtha exchanged glances. They were so young that not even their parents would remember Adric and Cato, but they'd heard those names — and fell silent now as they watched ancient history make a strange comeback.

Sons of mine, she said simply.

Brow furrowing in curiosity, Shreya took a few tentative (and creaky) steps forward to sniff lightly in the young male's direction.

With suspicions confirmed, Reek allowed the elder to draw near to smell. "Holy shit," he muttered to himself.  While he had never met his grandmother prior to this engagement, she was the first family he had seen since he had taken it upon himself to leave the river valley permanently after his own mother's death. He didn't quite know how to feel about her sudden arrival, particularly because he was so laden with surprise, but there was still the fact that this was the mother of the father he never knew... and the uncle he had come to despise. Reek's curiousity was unfortunately marred by lingering bitter memories. Of course, it wasn't Shreya's fault that the manner of Reek's upbringing had been so terrible. The fault lied equally between her two imperfect sons.

"I'm Adric's son," the raggedy alpha replied. Despite being Reek's biological father, he had his apprehensions about calling Adric his dad. Having died before Reek's birth, he held little sentimental attachment. "—But, I was raised by Cato. Well, raised might be an overstatement."

"I'm Reek," he offered, bearing a mark of shame for his namesake. "Reek Redtail" Having come from roughly the same place, Shreya would surely know the mark and the implication behind it: unwanted. "—And I guess you're my grandmother," he continued before flashing the elder and her two escorts an awkward smile.

She was too distracted by this bizarre turn of events to mind the boy's foul language, but she didn't really find it foul anyway. She was a traditionalist, certainly, and in younger years would have turned her nose up at such words as "shit" and "holy" and "holy shit", but she was so old now that she'd heard most words a wolf could utter. Words like that had no effect. Words like Reek, on the other hand... there was lingering meaning in that word.

Bastard pups along the river were given the name Reek, spurned for their illegitimacy. If asked, Shreya would philosophise that this humiliation was far better than what many wolves did to their bastards, which was kill them outright. So this was Adric's bastard son. Shreya's bastard grandson. This explained both his first name and his last, and it took a good few seconds of still gazing to let a reaction clip into place. Illegitimacy did not alter blood.

The ancient wolf took a few steps forward and pressed the lightest touch of her nose to Reek's chin. It was a quiet, wolfish greeting. But, even quieter, it was a little show of automatic submission, for no Omega stood the way Reek was standing... and it wasn't just her nostrils telling her she wanted to join this pack now. Redtail, she repeated. Where'd that name come from, grandson? Carrow-Finch is a good name, and Cato was a good boy (no mention of Adric), I'm sure he would've let you have it.

She inched even closer until contact was shared between them, but Reek did not shy away nor flinch. Such a thing was a sign of weakness. He could be vulnerable, of course, but here on the borders Reek was a different man.  Stern, strong; much like Cato would have been if he hadn't been such a stark raving lunatic following the Jerry Springer style bullshit that was the circumstance of Reek's birth.

The elder spoke. Reek figured the name he had taken for his family designation would come under scrutiny, but he had his reasons for rejecting the titles of his old life. Even so, to think Cato would have let Reek carry on the family name was laughable. He lightly scoffed and shook his head. "No. I was only Reek to him," he countered. "—But, it's not like I wanted it anyway."  Unfortunately, the Cato Reek knew had been far different than the son Shreya had raised. Driven by the deep pain of heartbreak, spurred by Adrics affair with his mate, Reek's uncle found himself in disrepair— perpetually angry. "He was cruel," he finally interjected in a near whisper. Of course, Shreya had not seen the transformation that had taken place, but Reek assumed he had always been that way.

"I didn't take a name until I finally settled," Reek continued on. "Redtail Rise was the first place that ever felt like home. I led there for a time— met my mate there too. A fire forced us all out, but we kept the name." Reek shrugged. "It's a part of us now." A nod to their history.

Having established peace between them, the grandmother returned to her previous place, regaining a touch of comfortable distance. Boris and Firtha remained listening behind her like two sentinel trees. It seemed Reek had as much acknowledgement for them as Shreya did, speaking despite them, but they didn't mind. They were obedient, Firtha because it was her way, and Boris because this meant he could finally shake off the old nuisance and return to Oak Streams to claim his reward — breeding rights with his girlfriend. He knew he didn't want any Reeks of his own.

So Cato, the good one, was not so good after all. This was a disappointment, and Shreya sighed to know it. I take the blame, she claimed after a moment of contemplation. I sent them away too soon, or raised them with the wrong ideas. It feels like eons ago to me, but to you my sons must still be fresh in your mind. It was her way of sympathising, and showing that she understood if he was resentful.

On the other hand, so far this Reek seemed neither an Adric or a Cato. Interesting. And so was a certain revelation that made her raise her crooked brow. You have a mate? She didn't disguise her surprise, not believing it to be unduly rude. I suppose looks aren't everything. You must have a big willy, like your grandfather. Or, dare I theorise — a head on your shoulders. Would I be right in my feeling that you hold a good rank among the wolves of the forest behind you? If so, she was impressed. She'd never heard of a Reek quite like this one.

"It's fine, it was a long time ago," Reek quickly reassured. Like most Reeks of the river valley, he seperated himself from the toxic environment at the first opportunity: his, being the untimely death of his mother. It felt like so long ago, but even still Reek bore the lingering effects and insecurities brought on by this emotional baggage. Thankfully, he hid it well under a thin veil of false confidence and snippy humor.

Her surprise was evident in her tone. Truthfully, Reek didn't take it to heart. He knew he had picked a fight with the ugly stick, and gotten a right beating. The game of winning Saena's heart had not been won on looks; instead, he felt it a strange mixture of his 'charming' personality and a whole bunch of dumb luck. To this day, he was still just as surprised as Shreya. A smile spread across Reek's face and he nodded in confirmation.

Their off-color sense of humor, it seemed, was something that ran directly through the bloodline... among other things. Reek stifled a quick chuckle, resulting in a short, snorting burst of air from his nostrils. "You'd have to ask her," he prodded jokingly. "But, uh, bastard or not— You could say some things run in the family." He winked. Nothing quite like greeting grandmother with dick jokes.

He let that sit for a moment, shit-eating grin plastered across his face before he elected to speak again. "I guess I've done pretty well for myself here," he continued pridefully. "I lead." He was the decider. Master of newbies. Sayer of yes or no. Reek's eyes soon fell on the Elder's youthful escorts. Two able bodies. "They looking for a home too Gran?"

She respected a good sense of humour, believing it to add to good character, and her own sense of humour dipped into various pots. Her comment about willies had been nothing to do with a dirty mind, but rather an extreme level of honesty that she'd employed more and more the older she got. Now, at the ripe old age of eight, that honesty was at its apex, and didn't look like softening any time soon. It was the same with manners, really. She was only being polite to Reek because she was impressed by how far he'd come, and because she accepted some of the blame for his poor upbringing.

Shreya gave a nod when he confirmed his high rank — his highest rank, in fact. How admirable this was depended on a number of things, such as the quantity of rivals, and the size of the territory and pack. But those qualifications could come later. He had her nostrils hooked. They're heading back to Oak Streams, she replied as she gazed back over her shoulder at the pair (Boris nodded in relieved confirmation). On the condition that you accept me into your pack — what's it called? she returned her eyes to her grandson then proceeded to make a case beyond genetics. I can barely hunt or fight any more, but I won't do anything too ancient like accidentally pee on your food. And, most importantly, I have a wealth of knowledge and I intend to pass every scrap of it on.

Reek couldn't help but feel a twinge of disspointment to hear that his grandmother's two compainions wouldn't be sticking around, but it was of no consequence. The pack managed for itself with little problems with the wolves that it currently had. Despite some spats of trouble and tribulation, the maplewood thrived and needed no more. But, Reek was not one to deny help when it was offered— and Shreya was family. She need offer no more to secure her place among their ranks, the decision had been made.

"Phoenix Maplewood," he answered. "But, you can call it home." Age brought with it a certain skill set that Reek deemed useful. With his brood on the way, his children would need a proper teacher. Also, it would be nice to have an experianced parent around to help guide the Redtails through their first batch.

"You should be a great-grandmother come spring," he continued while cracking a partcicularly expressive smile. He still wasn't completely sure Saena's pregnancy took, but he had seen some of the tell-tale signs. "I'd love for you to teach them."

The lady offered a genuine smile, for there was a simple poetry to what Reek said. "Phoenix Maplewood... but you can call it home." It warmed the cockles of her heart sure enough, but she was no sentimentalist and so did not dwell on it. Suffice to say, she could not escape how positive she felt about settling on a retirement pack at long last, though it had felt much longer to Boris and Firtha. To young people, a months-long trek through the Winter felt like an infinity. But old people moved slow. Shreya had taken all the time she'd needed to find what she'd been looking for — and all her steadiness and pickiness had paid off.

Puppies on the way, eh? She hadn't been a breeding wolf for years, so other pairs at Oak Streams had permission to expand their families, and they'd done so, in little batches, year after year. None of them were of her blood, though. This would be very interesting and refreshing. I'd love that too, she confirmed with a nod, honest as ever.

Mind if I have a few minutes alone with these two before I send them on their way?

I'll go ahead and get you all titled up!

With an absence of proper family figures in Reek's own life (barring his mother), he wondered how different things would be for his own childeren to have a broad network of loving family members. Reek was yet to know how fulfilling this could be, but he would be sure to show them in every way possible that they were loved - wanted - unlike their father had been. The alpha's features brightened with a broad smile. "Thank you," said Reek, deeply appreciative of what she had to offer.

Shreya's attention then turned back to her two youthful companions, obviously needing the time to give them their dismissal. They had a long journey ahead of them; Reek was sure, becasue he had made nearly the same trip a year prior. "Of course," he spoke before turning away to return into the wood. "Come find me when you're ready. I'll show you around."

Putting one paw in front of the other, Reek returned to the embrace of the wood.

Thanks so much~

There was a new feeling in her now — or rather, a new old feeling, as she'd already had just about every feeling under the sun. It was anticipation, for before her sprawled a new territory to explore and the apex of her desire to share her knowledge. There was also a bit of lingering regret in there, upon discovering the shameful fates of her sons. But she could shrug them aside for now, in favour of Reek and his family. Yes. That would do nicely.

Thank you, m'boy, she replied, and after another respectful dip of her head turned creakily to regard her companions. The two ushered closer, wordless. They had so much information to bring back to Oak Streams — most importantly that Shreya had found retirement in a far-off place called Phoenix Maplewood, with her illegitimate grandson at the helm. So your long quest hasn't been in vain, she concluded for them. You should be glad in that. Now go home. Don't let anyone come for a visit — I've cut my ties with my old pack now. And spread the word: if anyone sees my sons and if they ask after their mother... tell the boys I've gone to fly with the Phoenixes.