Swiftcurrent Creek She said she cheated 'cause she tried to get ahead
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Ooc — Chelsie
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All Welcome 
The creek-side forest had flourished as spring chugged along, chasing the last remnants of winter from the land. The warmth of each morning was a welcome respite for Wylla, who had felt nothing but the chill of being alone last year. Her winter on the coast had been anything but kind, so to stroll under heavy foliage with a warm breeze in her fur was a quiet joy.

It was short-lived, though, as she thought of the wolves she was seeking out. She had no doubt what the outcome of this would be, even though she'd done nothing wrong. @Durnehviir and Constantine both seemed unwilling to trust her or give her more than a cursory second chance laced with distaste—it was more lonesome and less rewarding than staying in Grimnismal would have been. Wylla knew she wouldn't mourn much if what she expected came to pass, but she still wasn't looking forward to it. She never really sought strife, but it always found her. She didn't know about Ingram—that might have changed her thinking—so really, what was there to lose in being honest?

It wasn't like there was anything she could do about it now.
I'm a Ghost of a Girl that I want to be Most
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Ooc — Meebee
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#2
*pops in* hope you don't mind XD

Chusi now had to take things a little slower. There was no use in going hunting much anymore; even if she did try, the prey would eventually outrun the pregnant girl and she'd be left exhausted. Still, she was proud of what she had achieved thus far. And with durnehviir's promise to help her and having her keep her babes, there was a little hope for the future. Perhaps her children would become true and proud Fearghals, now under the rule of the Swiftcurrent Couple, and for that she was excited - Even if their father was not currently her lover.

She was enjoying the peace and warmth of spring, exposed belly turned upward as she tried to relax. Being pregnant sure wasn't great, and it made her fear for how much worse it was going to get after a week or so had passed. Not to mention actually giving birth. Her ears swiveled, even with her head resting on the slightly soft ground, and she opened her ocher eyes. It felt like someone was passing and, since she was feeling pretty well that day, why not socialize?

She better could have stayed put and not mind the sound of footfalls, for as soon as Wylla's form was spotted her heart stopped beating for a second or two. She tried to keep quiet, hoping the other was too busy with whatever she seemed to be doing to notice her own body lying there in plain sight.
I'm a Shell of a Girl that I used to know Well
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Ooc — Chelsie
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Durnehviir's scent was strong and very recent in this area; the Alpha female must have passed by not long ago. She might be lucky enough to catch up with her, and if the trail ended up leading back to her den, then Wylla could seek out the pack's lead male instead. The thought of facing either of the leaders made her gut twist into an sickening knot, but of the two, she'd rather speak to Durnehviir on this matter. Somehow she thought the red-furred woman would understand better than her dusky husband.

She flicked her shoulder to rid it of an abrupt prickling sensation, but when it didn't abate, she threw her muzzle over her shoulder to itch it and found her vision locked with that of Chusi. Ah. That explained the prickle. She'd deliberately avoided the lower ranking she-wolf since her scent had grown detectable in the territory, and seeing her now brought back only negative emotions. Muzzle wrinkling, the silver-and-charcoal Zeta turned full-bodied toward Chusi and snarled.

"Get lost," she commanded, voice cold.
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Whisper's decision to depart had been tough, but the russet Alphess did her best not to dwell on the pack's most recent loss. Their companionship had grown strong during their time on the coast and Whisper had followed willingly to support their new claim of the Creek. While she could appreciate that some wolves would come and go, Durnehviir never once considered questioning the golden wolfess' loyalty.

The pups kept her busy, a pleasant distraction from the ache of abandonment that her former subordinate inflicted. She left her mate to watch over them after she settled them to nap, stealing away for a quiet time so she could find an area to be alone with her thoughts. Durnehviir worried that her absence in rearing the children may have pushed Whisper away, and as such had begun to worry that others might follow suit.

She wasn't expecting to happen across Wylla's scent and contemplated avoiding her, but the anger in the coastal female's raised voice drew her in. Durnehviir's pace quickened and her feathered tail flagged dominantly over her slim hindquarters as she arrived on the scene, champagne eyes narrowed on Wylla before following her gaze to look upon the familiar, rounding figure of Chusi. Unaware of the duo's shared history and distaste for each other, she felt safe to assume that the mottled youth had merely asserted herself over a she-wolf who'd mated without consent. The crimson Frostfur bristled to support the offensive display; she intended to keep Chusi at the bottom of the hierarchy for the forseeable future, and there was some pride in the belief that her subordinates had taken it upon herself to maintain this.

Silently, she pulled her lips back to reveal her fangs and shot Chusi a pointed look: do as you are told.
I'm a Ghost of a Girl that I want to be Most
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Ooc — Meebee
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#5
Chusi glared at her ex-lover's sister. She was as confused as she was angry to see the former alpha female again. Where had she left Ingram? Was he here with her? If so, why hadn't he come to see her? Had rumors spread about her pregnancy? It wasn't like she could hide it anymore. She was about to open her mouth to give a nice little speech about how much she had hated the way they had parted, how she had no right to talk to her that way when she was merely chilling there, but she swallowed up the words as Durnehviir appeared and she was left without anything to say. She felt this to be an unfair situation, one caused by confusion and lack of a proper education upon the matter of mating - something she herself had not wished to cause, but her word wasn't law. Her word meant very little to the wolves of the Creek. Worst was, despite the fiery female's kindness and forgiveness, a flicker of hatred raced through the Fearghal's heart as she looked at the two females gang up against her presence.

Her eyes averted and she lifted her rounding figure off the ground with a small "oof", waving with a lowered tail a small goodbye before starting to walk away. This wasn't the only nice spot in the Creek anyway and she didn't need to hear more from them. Wylla could suck up all her mean comments, nothing fazed Chusi more than the lack of respect she now had to deal with.
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She watched with cold eyes as Chusi's mouth opened—try it, she silently dared, eyes flashing with peremptory impatience. But she didn't have to repeat herself or assert her rank and right to command those lower than her, for Durnehviir drew up alongside her, bristling with dominance. In spite of her previous authority and the associated egotism, the mottled she-wolf drooped her tail with ease in Durnehviir's presence and turned both her ears away respectfully, but her eyes remained fixed firmly on Chusi's face until she got up and made to leave. Wylla felt her shoulders loosen and gave them a gentle shake before glancing slowly to the Alpha female.

As soon as Chusi was well out of earshot, Wylla's nerves boiled back up in her stomach, threatening to break into her throat as she said, "I wanted to talk." Their last chat hadn't gone well at all despite its outcome, and though the Alpha had sided with her in this seconds-long dispute, Wylla wasn't confident that all was forgiven. Even so, she found the fortitude to hold her voice steady as she declared, "I found out I'm pregnant. Before you ask, it happened before I came here, when I was leading my own pack. I didn't know when I came here, and I haven't been with anyone since."

Her muddy yellow eyes turned hard and resolute as she cast them to the ground, her stomach churning while she awaited her judgment and Durnehviir's decree. "I wouldn't break pack law, but if you want me to kill them, I will," she tried to offer, but even her ears weren't fooled. There was a hollowness to those words that betrayed everything she tried to hide in them.
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Chusi, reluctantly, pulled herself from the ground and turned away. The russet Frostfur observed her quiet retreat and, when she disappeared among the trees, turned her pale gaze on her mottled pack-mate. Wylla looked her way, her anger dissipating to reveal the anxiety beneath, and she noted this with a backward cant of her over-sized lobe. Matter-of-factly, the coastal wolfess announced that she had something to discuss and Durnehviir twitched a whisker, curious, as she waited patiently for her to continue.

Lo and behold, another pregnancy.

She felt her stomach flop and her heart skip an uncomfortable beat, and her guard hairs threatend to stand on edge again. Silent, the fiery leader's gaze drifted from Wylla's sharp features to glance at the distinct rounding of her abdomen, and a lip twitched at the thought of not one but two unplanned broods within her ranks.

Wylla pressed on to explain the circumstances, that her litter had been conceived when she'd been an Alpha herself. She claimed to not have known, another sore reminder of Chusi's ignorance, but this time was... different. She was assured that the intention to break pack law had never been there and although she was loathe to admit it, the dragoness felt inclined to believe her when she mentally considered the timeline. Even more strangely, Wylla went as far as offering to destroy her babes - a solution, something that the young Fearghal had failed to present.

"Do you want to kill them?" Durnehviir asked of her. "Because I don't think you do."

everything mortal fades away in time, but the spirit remains
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She couldn't stop herself from wrinkling the flat skin of her muzzle in response to Durnehviir's question, but Wylla was quick to turn her gaze elsewhere lest she cause offense. "Of course not," she quietly snapped. "I'm not some monster." But.

"I know my place. I'm not so privileged as to think that just because they were conceived lawfully, they aren't going to be an issue in your eyes," she explained, a little sullen—her place wasn't as low as Chusi's, for which she was thankful, although she fully expected to be placed right alongside Grimnismal's former upstart for this. She would never submit to that fate, of course, but she was mindful of who the leaders were here and their right to decide whose children filled their ranks. She expected that the Alpha female would go harder on her than she deserved because of the grudge she held—it was this unfair impression of Durnehviir that led Wylla to believe that the crimson she-wolf would take her up on this offer and find joy in the distress it would cause her.

Besides, she was too withdrawn and deep in her own misery to muster up the will to fight for her unborn children if it became a battle of wills. "So I'll take care of them if that's what you want me to do," she finished.