Blacktail Deer Plateau Closer to the sun

Near the rear of the plateau, Pied discovered a den dug into the earth where it sloped up toward the mountain range's northwestern peaks. The entrance didn't look like much at all and she might not have noticed it if Mag hadn't swooped past it (likely just to draw her attention there). But when the pale Tau ducked inside, the tunnel—which led downward at a roughly 45° grade—led her down into a sizable subterranean chamber. The interior was dark and gloomy but very cozy. Safe was the word that popped into her head. Between the unremarkable entrance and the angled underpass, it was the perfect place for birthing and rearing puppies.

After exploring the inside a while, Pied reemerged into the sunlit forest. She stood just outside the small hole, taking in her surroundings. Two slender trees—the right thicker than the left—framed the unassuming mouth and a big shelf of rock formed its topside. Other trees grew nearby, as did several large bushes. It was very picturesque and when she considered its remote location, Pied again thought of the word safe. This burrow was tucked into the very back of the territory and pressed up against a rock wall, which meant that intruders were unlikely to come anywhere near it.

This is it, Pied decided and began to trot down the small slope. The ground leveled beneath her white paws as she headed toward the plateau's center. The air around her was light, warm and breezy—kissed with springtime. She hoped to grab a bite for lunch from one of the pack's caches and, eventually, find Kisu so she could show him what she'd found.

Rob roamed the plateau, wondering why the weather had picked up and then went to shit again. I hate the cold, he thought, irritated. He had returned from the hot springs a few days ago, but longed to return now that he had experienced them for the first time. The male wondered if he could convince the first wolf he happened upon to journey there with him, and he grinned. "Who wouldn't want to go to the hot springs?" he asked himself aloud quietly.

He squinted his eyes and narrowed his brow when he saw white and blue fur that seemed somehow familiar. As he picked up his pace slightly and trotted forward, a "Pied?" came out in a confused voice. "Hey!" he shouted. "What are you doing here?" Rob looked around anxiously, wondering if his father was nearby.

I got your PM and I'll do some searching tonight. :)

A brownish figure crossed her path and Pied momentarily mistook it for Kisu. Before his name could leave her lips, however, she realized the wolf's actual identity. She stopped and took in his expression of surprise. She then remembered herself and let her head and tail drop. She was the lowest-ranking wolf in the pack currently, which made things easy; she just submitted to everyone.

"Your father and I relocated here a few days ago," she answered simply. She glanced at him from beneath her eyelids. Her dislike of him had faded in time and Pied found she felt rather indifferent toward Rob. "Speaking of him... would you ever be open to talking to him again? He wants the chance to make things right between you," the Tau said softly.

She had a feeling Rob might protest, so to head that off, she added, "We live here now and we're all part of the same pack, so I think we should try to get along." That included her too. "And," she finished with a slow sway of her tail, "I'm currently carrying your half-brothers and sisters."

When Pied mentioned his father, a "tch" came from Rob's mouth as he sat and looked away at the same time. Then, it registered that the dappled step-mother before him said that they had relocated. His ears shifted backward.

"I'm sure he would love to talk to me, but he's so busy creating a new little family that I doubt he'll have time." Rob's words were strong and rude, an edge of poison clinging to them the entire time. She can never replace my mother, he thought angrily, and knew it to be true. Pied would never be his mother.

Pied would never be Rob's mother, nor his stepmother. She wasn't interested in either role and the idea itself seemed wildly inappropriate in any case, considering he was actually at least a year her senior. She wasn't opposed to him being a part of her life through Kisu but, if his reaction told her anything, it didn't seem it would be happening anytime soon.

She didn't appreciate the sharp, unfair words directed at her mate but Pied maintained equanimity, saying only, "It's entirely your prerogative, Rob. I only wanted to ask on Kisu's behalf. For whatever it's worth, if you made peace with your father, you'd be welcome to be in the pups' lives."

Rob barked in frustration. "So, unless I made up with my fucking father, you won't allow me to be around my brothers or sisters? That's fucking bullshit." He turned away, but a second later, turned back, deciding to say what was on his mind the entire time. "You will never replace my mother. I don't care if you are my father's mate, if he wouldn't have let her died, you wouldn't be here." Rob's eyes carried hatred and anger in them. His chest ached and tears wells in his eyes.

ooc: sorry, had to drop Kisu in here

Kisu heard the words that his son had spoken, and decided swiftly that it was enough. Coming from the brush, he darted forward and slammed into Rob, successfully sending the brown male crashing into the ground. The grey male stood over his son, eyes burning in the same way Rob’s had moments before.

”Your mother may be gone, and that may be partially my fault for trusting your uncle, but that does not mean I love Pied any less. You don’t know what would have happened if your uncle never killed Red Heart and your brothers, but I know I think about it every day, and I always will. You have mistaken me for a weak wolf, but you are the weak one. You let your emotions rule you and foolish words to escape your mouth.” Kisu glared down upon his son. ”Get up, now, and fight me if you wish, but leave Pied out of this.” It was as if his voice came from some other wolf. This was a side that Kisu never showed anymore.

Pied had no intention of totally blocking Rob out of the pups' lives. He was a member of the pack and she would make no special effort to prevent him from crossing their paths and vice versa. She simply figured the only realistic way he could be a significant part of them was to make amends with Kisu, the litter's sire. She mentioned it in the hopes that it would coax him into wanting to make things right, only her effort backfired on her and he began to scream profanity at her.

His reaction was so appalling to her that, for a second, she was at a total loss. Her eyes followed him as he began to turn away, only to swivel around again and hurl more words at her with only one intent: to hurt her. Although Pied was a peaceable creature, she knew in that moment that Rob would never be welcome around herself or her pups. He'd just damned his chances to hell.

Before she could say as much, someone exploded out of the brush and tackled Rob, causing Pied to take a startled step backward. It only took a few seconds for her to recognize Kisu. Although part of Pied worried about her mate getting hurt, the sight of him straddling Rob was immensely satisfying to her. If Kisu had decided to rip out his son's throat right then, Pied wouldn't have objected.

Kisu commanded Rob to get up and fight him if he wished. The Tau's jaw clenched and protests rose to her lips. She didn't want to see Kisu hurt. But when she looked at Rob and remembered his horrible words, she swallowed her own. Eyes dark, the pregnant she-wolf backpedaled, silently urging Kisu to punish Robur Aqua for the horrid things he'd said.

One second he was spitting fire at Pied, the next he was getting power played the wind knocked from him. His world churned around, along with his stomach, and, once the dizziness had passed, his father stood before him. His words struck anger and shame in Rob.

He looked at his father, tears brimming his eyes. "Why did you let her die?" A hoarse whisper came from Rob's throat. "I watched everything he did, and you weren't there to save them. Why didn't you come?" The droplets now spilled freely. "And now you want to start a new family, as if we never existed?" Rob could not hold his father's gaze any longer and turned his head from him.

Kisu held his narrowed brow, but his face softened. Sorrow was taking the form of anger in his son. He had never learned to deal with his emotions, and he had been alone all of this time.

"I would have been there if I had known, Rob." He looked away. "I have not forgotten them, nor will I ever." He shifted his eyes back to ones that reflected his own. "I have chased after your uncle, leaving him for dead. Somehow, he survived. I have followed his trail several times, either to come up empty-handed or to have him run off while his cronies try to kill me. You think that you are the only one affected by this, and you are not. I was not there to protect my family. My world.

"This situation does not excuse your behavior and the words you speak. You have hurt my mate's feelings, and whether you apologize or not is on you, but you had better think about things before deciding what to do or what to say." Kisu moved forward and touched his nose to his son's cheek. "I still love you. I always have, even when I thought you were gone from this world. I will love these pups as much as I love you and your brothers, nothing more, nothing less, Robur Aqua." Kisu took a step back, looking at his mate's face, trying to read her.

Rather than beat the tar out of his son, who'd begun to cry, Kisu began to soothe him instead. Pied's eyes darkened more and her lips pinched together. Her mate did defend her and asked Rob to apologize, even including a subtle threat with his words. But then he went on to tell his son he loved him and crooned his full name, which made the pregnant she-wolf feel strangely worthless.

The Tau's eyes narrowed as pain sliced through her. "Don't bother wasting an apology on me, as it won't be accepted. Your disrespectful, foul mouth isn't welcome anywhere near me or my pups," she said to Rob, her lip stiff. To Kisu, she added, "I guess I'm happy that you two were able to make up but your son has disrespected me twice now. He doesn't get a third chance. Sorry."

She'd wanted to show Kisu the den but now didn't seem like the right moment. In fact, Pied turned and began to walk back toward it without another word. She wasn't hungry anymore, so she needn't bother with food. Her stomach felt heavy and leaden as she arrived at the den site, crawled into the small hole, slid haphazardly down the chute and curled up inside.

Kisu watched as Rob rose to protest Pied's words, but he gave his son a look that made his mouth snap shut. "We will finish this later, Rob." Kisu's golden eyes held firm to his son's before he broke them away to run after Pied.

He watched his mate enter a hole, and his head rotated in curiosity. The rusted grey male slowly entered (though he barely fit), and stood a short ways from Pied. "You will not dictate alone who will and who won't be around our pups. It is a joint decision, and I cannot bar Rob from seeing his siblings. He no longer has any." Kisu sympathized with his son, since he had seen the aftereffects of the slaughter and Robur Aqua had fended for himself for many years after the fact. "My son watched his mother killed by his uncle. His brothers were ripped to shreds. They were helpless, and I was not aware to be there and help. You must find in your heart to forgive his harsh words, Pied, though only he can ask for forgiveness." Kisu did not speak any more, but he wanted to tell Pied that she did not know what it was like to see family be brutally murdered right in front of her eyes, especially as a pup. He wondered if she had ever seen ghost forms of his mate or his pups, half-hoping she had and half-hoping she hadn't.

Kisu followed her and she supposed she'd known he would. What should have been a joyful tour was instead an emotionally-charged confrontation. He spoke down to her, literally and figuratively, and Pied said nothing as he patronized her. She wanted to be a good mate but she also wanted to be a good mother, which meant that bad influences like Rob did not belong around her offspring. Perhaps, when she was farther away from the situation, she might come around or change her mind. But that wouldn't happen right now.

Her lips pursed and she looked at up him, hurt writ into her features and a spark of uncharacteristic anger in her mottled eyes. "I cannot decide that he can't see them because you say it's a joint decision, yet you can unanimously decide that he can?" she replied petulantly, driven by hormones and maternal instincts. Catching herself, she forced a calm she didn't feel and added, "We should discuss this, together. But not right now. Now is not the time."

Don't tell me what to do, she thought when he did not ask her but told her she must forgive Rob. She didn't say these words out loud, though they pressed hotly behind her lips. Pied was surprised at herself, as she was usually the portrait of an obedient wife. Yet that meant Kisu should play to the role of protective husband and, at least in her eyes, he appeared to be favoring his son's feelings over hers.

"I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you and Rob, I really am. But none of it has anything to do with me or the pups I'm carrying. And there's no excuse for the way Rob spoke to me," she concluded, turning her face away from Kisu and fighting tears. Rob had really spoken to her like a piece of trash, yet it seemed Kisu would be quicker to defend him and take his side against his mate. In this moment, the pregnant she-wolf did not much appreciate it and she could spare no sympathy for Robur Aqua.

ooc: Kisu's emotional posts are always exhausting to write, because he reacts so differently than I would.

Kisu was taken aback by her sharp words. He blinked a moment before speaking in a steady, low voice. "It may not affect you in any way, but Red Heart's death will always be in my mind. Your thoughts of solely you and the pups is selfish; there are other wolves in this world that have feelings, not just you, Pied. I defended you to my son, what more do you want from me? I will always be a father. I thought he was dead. How would you feel if the same thing happened with our pups? How would you feel if they were helplessly slaughtered and there was nothing you could do to stop it from happening?" Kisu paused a moment, eyes burning with something that could not be explained.

The grey male began to walk away, but then stopped, craning his neck to the side, eyes focused on the wall. "Before you think of yourself, try to see where others are in life." He stood for a moment, then left out the small entrance to the den.

Pied flinched when Kisu called her selfish. She winced again when he talked of their pups being slaughtered. She looked up and saw the burning in his eyes. "No, I don't know," she agreed softly, "and I know that—" But her mate didn't give her any chance to respond. He once again implied that she was self-centered, then exited the den without another word.

Her eyes burned after him. "Kisu," she said to herself, "when did you become such an ass?" Pied knew she didn't really mean it—the hormones were making her very heated and emotional—but she still disagreed with Kisu's notion that she was being selfish. She was concerned about her pups and her personal integrity. And she'd said they could discuss it, in any case.

What started as a quiet muttering turned into a sigh as her eyes cast about the den. Why was it that the moments meant to be the best in life were always getting tainted like this? Pied's mind flew back to that night on the beach. Kisu had also berated her then. Rather than speak to her civilly, he always seemed to talk down to her, like a bratty child. When did our relationship turn into this? the Tau wondered dismally.

"We'll discuss it," she said aloud to herself, "together, later." She tried to sound reassuring. Pied did hope they could take their time to respectively cool off and then reconvene and come to an agreement. Right now, though, it seemed Kisu didn't like her much and she certainly didn't like him. This isn't how I want my marriage to be... she thought inwardly before quashing that thought, curling into a ball and trying to clear her mind of any- and everything.