Heron Lake Plateau now i’m free from what you are

not surprisingly, caiaphas’ actions had an unsavory ripple effect. she watched as more wolves arrived,  noted the disgruntled and disgusted looks — the total lack of support for doing what as a wolf came as natural; eliminating the weakest link. 

towhee was spared any sort of loathsome comeback, though caiaphas fancied she saw something akin to superiority flicked in the wolf’s arresting gaze. it made her think back on what niamh had just spoken- of how if the roles had been reversed, she might have been turned away to the dogs. patently, that was untrue — caiaphas had founded saltwinter, after all — and had taken in just about every wretch to darken her doorstep. though the wolves of redhawk knew very little of the past life caiaphas had lead, perhaps for the better.  it had come to her once, that dark tendril of a thought that bloomed into a hostile realization: these wolves knew nothing of her except for what she had told them - and they cared little to learn more. 

still, she was ironclad in her belief that the matron that had found it in her heart to let such a wretch in was not fit for leadership; perhaps now raven would know the true sting of biting the hand that fed. 

Quixote was next to arrive and caiaphas studied him with a distant sort of tiredness. the revulsion in his tone was bitter and brought forth unspoken bile. that was the rub, wasn’t it — that she wasn’t family? but he wasn’t family either, was he? he shared no more relation to them than she had — save, of course, that he happened to be presently boning the wolf in the very position caiaphas was hungry for: if he was part of the deal, she would of course have to make arrangements to change that. is shared blood the only definition of family? the siren queried, her tone rather pointedly dark as she glanced upon the alpha male. 

but wasn’t it the duty of family, to pursue that bloodline’s best interest? 

it occurred to caiaphas too late that these wolves would not see the forest for the trees. her platform would not find merit here. she had been in redhawks for several months now - and had been reliably more present then many. and still, like fire, caiaphas would find she would never be actualized here.   it is not in the last week alone that she has been absent. caiaphas returned, daring to meet the vengeful eyes of her opposition despite the prospect of death. she thought back to the last time she had seen the alpha female — not recently at all. in fact, caiaphas suspected more than any the she-wolf had been scarce and in a more bloodthirsty, unsympathetic pack would have been dethroned sometime prior to caiaphas’ insurgence. it is the duty of family to protect its best interests. weak leadership is no asset.