Dragoncrest Cliffs Your opinion, not today

Her sister was gone, and Kiwi didn't care.  Nope.  If Bat wanted to go off and explore by herself that was f-i-n-e by her.  F-i-n-e.  Yeah, she was kinda pissed.

Their mother was a mess, and that too had Kiwi stoked, because of course the kids still here got the brunt of it.  First Ephraim had to steal Nomi away (oh yeah, she blamed that on him.  Kiwi told him he had to find his own moms and not take hers, but look how far that got her?). And now Bat was off somewhere doin who knows what, and all Kiwi could do was hang around with Silkie and Tux and stay close so Wildfire wouldn't flip a gasket on her.

It wasn't fair.  Why hadn't Nomi wanted her?

Even Blixen's lessons failed to cheer her up, and Kiwi stalked about in an even worse mood than normal, snarking anyone who happened to end up in her crosshairs.  Generally speaking, it wouldn't be surprising if her brothers were avoiding her for a bit.  Currently she was taking her frustrations out on an unfortunate tree root, chewing the poor thing to ribbons as she lay beneath the shade of the owner's leaves.  The eastern border tended to be quieter than the beach side, and she didn't much want company.  How could her sister just disappear like that and not take her along?  What the hell?

It was too bad that the wolf that reminded her of red had left. Sequoia couldn't remember the name, but her color had been bright. Still, Sequoia had only met her in passing, and on that one night when she had been guided home, so she wasn't terribly affected by the ordeal. Nevertheless, she was getting old enough to understand that the actions of others did mean something to those closest.

Besides, Dalia's decision to leave was much closer to Sequoia's heart. The fact that her big sister had decided to leave would surely hurt the family in more ways than one. Sequoia was more sad than mad, though. She didn't really understand why anybody would want to leave here.

When she came across another wolf, probably about the same as the "red" one who had left, Sequoia stopped in her tracks, wondering what had gotten her so worked up. She couldn't quite comprehend the possibility that somebody would be angry at another wolf for leaving. Sadness she could understand.

Feel free to skip Helix while she's in the background. ^^;

The recent joining of her son has her a little flustered and distracted and she spends what time she can alone, waiting for him to make the first move. She’s said her peace, long ago, and she cannot do anything but wait for him to come around. In the meantime, she does as she normally does. Work. She is ever present around Blixen most of the time acting as a mix between fleimkepa and cheka, since they do not currently house one. The acting commander does not need her by her side at all times, however, and it is only that reason she finds herself close to the two children.
 
Angry, youthful sounds catch her attention and dark ears cup forward to listen. One of the goufas is missing as of late, with no success in finding her. Spending the efforts looking for children is often a gamble, because another predator could have easily swept the child away. With no trails to follow, there is little for them to lead, but that does not make it any easier for those affected. Helix keeps her distance from the two once she’s close enough to see both of them. Careful footsteps blending in with the background noise, coming to an easy stop with the wind in her favor as she observes the two.

It took Kiwi a distracted moment to notice Sequoia, but when she did happen to glance up, she saw her watching.  If she had noticed Helix lurking too, likely she would have adjusted.  As it was, she wasn't much in friend mode.

"What'd you want?" She asked, not exactly angry but definitely rude.  She didn't like Portia's kids as much as her own siblings, but she usually got on ok with them.  Sometimes they were even more fun to play with.  Still; Lia leaving, Nomi gone, Bat disappearing.  Not good things.

The tone Kiwi took with her lined up with what Seq was expecting. She was being snippy and not entirely kind.

"Why were you doin' that?" she asked, eyeballing the tree root that was mostly ribbons now. Seq knew that there were plenty of reasons to rip things apart (cure for boredom was usually her own reason), but it didn't seem like that was why Kiwi was doing it.

She'd expected the slightly younger girl to leave, but she didn't.  This didn't really help her mood, but then she asked a question that Kiwi didn't honestly have an answer for, and that surprised her enough to stall any more rude hints.

"Umm, because?"  She looked at the root, which she'd basically shorn most of the bark off of, then back at Sequoia.  "It feels good.  Why d'you even care?"  Aaaand we're back.  Though this had less of an angry edge, and more of a 'I'm sad so nobody actually cares' vibe to it.

Sequoia squinted at the red wolf, thinking that wasn't really an answer to the question she had asked. Then she asked why Seq cared at all. The piebald girl blinked her one green and one golden eye, slightly stunned by the question. Sure, the pup wasn't the most emotive creature on the planet, but even she knew that pack was to be cared for.

"You're part of Drageda. Mom and Dad said we're all supposed to care about each other." It really was as simple as that in the girl's mind.

Oh.  Kiwi sat silent for a moment, staring at the other pup.  Sequoia?  She'd not had much to do with her until now, honestly, but the answer effectively cooled her anger, and now she looked at her a little more measuredly.  Kiwi's entire philosophy so far was that Drageda was the best, those of the kru were the best, and her family the best of them.  Therefore she needed to learn all she could, excel, make Heda proud.  Now that Nomi was gone, that ideal had taken a hit, but Sequoia's words aligned enough that she suddenly felt more of a kinship there.

"Yeah." She responded, standing up.  "I guess so."  She stepped over the log, then cocked her head curiously.  "Your sister left too.  Are you mad?"

Kiwi seemed less interested in the roots now, and Sequoia felt somewhat responsible for that. It brought a sense of accomplishment to her, and Sequoia smiled. Even though bad things happened, she suddenly felt she had some kind of power to help. It felt good.

Sequoia nodded solemnly when Kiwi mentioned Dalia's departure. She did not yet know if or when she would see Dalia again.

"I'm not mad," she replied, "but I am sad. I liked Dalia. She was older than me, but she still hung out."

Most disputes between children, especially in her experience end in tears and bloodshed. Watching from a distance, anticipating the angry child to redirect her angry, she is pleasantly surprised to see the patchwork girl sort through the anger and help guide the other down. Helix closes the distance between where she’d been concealed into the opening, now that they’ve relatively settled misplaced anger.
 
“Goufas,” she greets softly. Helix hadn’t been a gentle mother by any means. She made sure her children were warriors but she knows a tender tone when she needs it.

Kiwi didn't understand how Sequoia could be not mad.  "Well I'm mad," she responded matter of factly, but her tone showed none of that anger was pointed at the younger wolf anymore.  

Then Helix was there, and Kiwi looked at her sideways, uncertain.  She honestly didn't know what to make of the woman, whose presence had resulted in Nomi's departure.  Chilly indifference was kinda what she'd settled on.  

"We're talkin," she said, in a way that suggested she wasn't really interested in adding Helix to the mix.  It was a manner that would probably get her into trouble at some point, but she never really held back in tellin others what she wanted from them.  Even if that was to go away.

Sequoia still didn't quite get it, but she figured she'd better not pry. After all, she did not wish to incite further anger in her pack mate. At least Kiwi seemed to have simmered down so she wasn't spitting venom.

Helix (a bright, royal blue, not so different from Kiwi) greeted them, and Sequoia wagged her tail. Helix was one of the older wolves that was part of Drageda, and might as well have been family for that reason alone. To be fair, Sequoia didn't really make the distinction between family and pack. They were one in the same as far as she was concerned, it was just that Dio and Portia happened to be her parents.

It did not appear that Kiwi was too keen on having Helix here, which brought unease into the air. Sequoia shifted from left to right, waiting for Helix to either correct Kiwi's behavior or leave.

Helix regards each of their vastly different greetings. Fondness for the spotty child is shown in slight greeting but her eyes focus hard on Kiwi, whom doesn’t get the soft greeting she’d intended.  Instead, her jaw tightens and she steps closer, fur bristling around her chest.
 
“Heda’s children should have more respect for her council,” she growls, flashing teeth. She’s raised her own children, trained many children of others, and no matter her newness to a place, she still holds rank above them, especially since she’s meant to be Blixen’s secondhand and wears the title to prove it.  She leans, slightly, looming over the smaller wolf.

Kiwi sensed a little bit of Sequoia's discomfort, but she ignored it... she'd never been much for being mindful of others.  Instead her mood, previously improved, darkened considerably with Helix's admonishment.  What right did she have to say that?  She wasn't family, she didn't get to have an opinion like that.

"Heda isn't here." she said churlishly, though she did drop her gaze for a minute.  "You made her leave."  It was an accusation and her tone wasn't deferential at all, even if she didn't look up.  She knew she was asking for it, but she couldn't not say it.  She was angry, she was upset, and she needed them to know it.  Especially her, since everything was her fault anyway.

Even though she was not the one being scolded, Sequoia flattened her ears and lowered her stance. Being in the mere presence of a higher ranking wolf—which, let's face it, was any adult—who was unhappy made her want to do everything in her power to please. It was true that Helix was older and higher ranking, but she didn't have to be quite so mean about it. That was when Sequoia wanted to interject a thought, but Kiwi was quick to sour things further.

She wanted to tell Kiwi it wasn't Helix's fault. She also wanted to tell Helix that Kiwi probably needed some space (and not scolding) right now. Alas, she was the equivalent of a six year old kid, so she remained silent, getting more and more anxious with each passing moment.

The sass doesn’t ease from the kid, despite the change in her gaze. It is that that saves her from being knocked to the ground. Helix doesn’t move, and still growls as she’s accused for something that is only true by a technicality. Her yellow gaze hardens on Heda’s child and flashes her teeth.
 
“Heda left to do her job,” she tells her a little harshly, but she has to understand it. “She will be back when she is done,” she adds. If she had a time frame, maybe she’d tell her, but she doesn’t give even a guess. The other child is ignored for the time being, focusing on Kiwi.

Kiwi might not realize it then, but the only reason she was angry at Helix was because the true source of her anger - Nomi, who left - was no longer there.  Instead, this stranger was, someone who despite not being family seemed to have so many ideas of how Kiwi should behave.  

She didnt have a good response to that, though, and even she could sense that she was on somewhat thin ice here.  So she turned instead of responding, attempting to stalk away and shooting Sequoia a look that clearly said 'you coming?'  

If permitted, she'd rudely leave without another word, and maybe if Sequoia followed, she'd get the earful that Kiwi wasn't about to share within earshot of Helix.

Choosing sides was not one of Sequoia’s strong suits, especially when she didn’t exactly dislike Helix. However, it felt like Kiwi needed the support, so she gave Helix an apologetic look and mouthed “I’m sorry,” before she turned to follow Kiwi. Seq was convinced that Kiwi just needed some time to simmer down and then she’d be back to normal. Maybe—just maybe—Helix wouldn’t pull a power move.

And if she did, Sequoia had a feeling she’d be in a load of trouble. She had never been in any kind of serious trouble before, so that part scared her, but she felt a kinship with Kiwi. They’d both had sisters leave, so they had to stick together, right?