Iktome Plains a murder of ravens in fugue

for @Pearl. being super vague about the outcome of his talk with behati and aria

it had been revealed unto him that pearl, faithful and dedicated despite having been passed over, had attempted to mediate the fighting between behati and aria. for this he was grateful, and for one moment lasher wondered if he had elevated the right wolf to beta. but it was aria who had interacted with the pack, filled the caches, brought back information. pearl contributed, but she had lacked the ambition of her pale counterpart. lasher sought to reward those on basis of activity, not simply longevity.

there was also some little part of his soul that chided him, saying that osprey should have been the first chosen; taltos quelled it. osprey was well-beloved, but also did not share in aria's burning desires for the leadership -- she had been withdrawn, always a quiet woman, and lasher did not believe she wished to rule.

emerging from the den before blue willow and his daughters had awoken, lasher stretched luxuriously and then trotted for the borders. he would find breakfast there; he summoned pearl with a low, short howl, before he slid into a lope and closed the short distance between donnelaith and the plains.

there he mounted the side path and stood gazing upon the sea, the cry of gulls filling the air and the scent of fresh brine awakening him as the playful ocean winds caught at his ears and pelt.

Pearl heard the summons from across the woods, where she had been counting up all the warrens and catching a few rabbits. She figured it would be nice if she brought two along for breakfast, but suspecting this talk would be about the beta position. The beta position logically did make sense to fall to Aria after she had thought about it. She was surprised to hear about the promotion, but was not bitter or jealous in the slightest. She didn't think leadership really suited her at the moment, going after her trades and the failed attempt to mediate dampening the prospect. 

She finally found him at the side path she had discovered not too long ago -- she still preferred the Bluffs the better spot to gaze upon the rolling waves. She inhaled deeply the salty breeze that she loved so much and came to his side, dropping one of the rabbits in front of him and the other by herself. "Breakfast." she said with a side smile at Lasher. "Did you want to know about the locations of the herds around here? I meant to get that to you but I kept forgetting with all the drama going around." she said, and with that returned her sights to the curious waves exploring the edge and enjoyed the cold salty air blowing through her coat.

pearl soon joined him, dropping a pair of hares at their feet. lasher was pleased by this; reaching, he ran the fur of her shoulder gently though his teeth in an affectionate show of preening before lowering his muzzle to nose briefly at the rabbit. "of course," the druid rejoined, interested to know what it was she would share. the study of the herds' movements was something with which he was only minutely acquainted -- it would do well for donnelaith to have a naturalist within its ranks, and it seemed pearl would be such unto them.

she had grown much in the time he had known her, and taltos was rather sorry that he had not spent more time to know intrinsically one of the wolves who had followed himself and dante from the plateau, had helped to form his beloved coastal pack. but that was the past; he could remedy only the future, and such would begin now.

The preening felt good on her shoulder, and she was grateful for the appreciation. Pearl thought back to her event-filled week away in an attempt to recollect all the locations. "I was able to track four herds of deer and one of elk in a two day's radius, but they seemed to be heading for the inland forests. If needed, the one directly south can suffer a few losses. I was able to take one down on my own, this time without being pinned under it," she quipped. It was true though, and she was proud of her new hunting techniques she was learning and developing.

he was clearly impressed; this was writ into the features of his face and her little witticism did not go unnoticed. the man gave a soft laugh. "it seems a hunt is in order," he observed with a wry glance cast at pearl. presently, they settled into an affable quietude, before he breached it with another series of soft words. "are you resentful of aria's promotion?" taltos inquired plainly, gazing ahead down their shared path.

my reply got eated

 

Pearl caught his glance and smiled like a goof. She stared back out to sea, settling into the quiet again, or as quiet as it could be with the gulls. He finally asked the question she had suspected he called her there for. She told him only what she had thought on the matter in the past week (or however long this has been going on). "No, not at all. She is good for leadership, though a little young yet. The drama has caused more than a few headaches, I can say." she said with a sigh.

aww

aria was indeed young; pearl was succinct and correct in her assessment. "ah. drama," he repeated, tasting the unfamiliar word upon his tongue. it was fitting, however. "what do you know of it?" he asked softly. perhaps if pearl was willing to provide him with any bit of information, he might speak with the young ones in turn. dissent could not be allowed to grow unchecked.

Pearl pondered her knowledge for a minute before telling her side. "As far as I know, there was some tension between Cas, Behati, and Aria before Aria became Beta, but when she did Behati got really angry with her. Apparently she had heard of a conversation between you and her?" she said, looking at Lasher with a  slight eyebrow raise. She knew Behati had probably twisted the words, so she'd rather hear Lasher's side. "Apparently Casmir had them both as girlfriends at one point." she said with an air of interest. She didn't know fully the details of Lasher's love life, but she suspected at one point when she saw Luke leaving a few times.

taltos cupped forth his ears to hear the girl's words, and knew immediately the conversation of which the gamma made mention. so she had witnessed the interlude between himself and aria. lasher proffered no details, however, merely nodding at pearl's revelation. casmir. "it is interesting," he muttered dryly, "that he should attempt to court the both of them when it is quite clear they are not in agreement." he must speak with his son about such. "what do you yourself make of it?"

Truthfully, she didn't know what she made of the whole situation. She was open to the concept of multiple mates, as long as they gave their consent, but highly disapproved if they did not and were being hurt in the process. Casmir did seem genuine in loving them both, but she could never be sure. "I don't know. Cas does seem to like them both, they just don't like the concept of sharing him with another." she said with an understanding note.

he nodded. "it will not do if they are both opposed to the business of sharing." a smile appeared now to the man. "blue willow and i have an open arrangement, as it were, but i did not teach casmir the methods he now seeks to employ." in truth, he had spoken at no time of it to his children, for there had never been a lover close to upset the balance in their young eyes.

She agreed with Lasher with a nod, and then glanced at him with mild surprise when he gave a not-so-startaling revelation. "I bet not, otherwise he would have acted smarter and with more tact." she said with a sly smile. "Was Luke part of the arrangement? I saw him back at the old claim a few times. He hasn't been around here yet, though." she said thoughtfully. It wasn't her business at all, but she was merely interested in clarifying her suspicions.

he grinned, pleasantly surprised at pearl's observation. "he is indeed," the druid confirmed. "in the springtime i shall go to visit him again." he could not know what had transpired in the hollow -- the last time he had seen luke had been autumn of the previous year, and his lover had been happy then. content.

Imma just finish this off because I have severe writer's block...

Pearl looked at him, happy that he found joy in having many relationships. She nodded with a smile and turned back to the sea. They would talk for only a short time, while gazing over the waves and letting the salt-streaked wind groom their fur with its cool fingers. Eventually, they would return to the borders.