Blackbeak Bluff It's a shame, it's a crying shame them's the brakes

The journey hadn't taken too much of a toll on Niamh, who was relatively fit and lean, and had her long legs to travel on. She felt assured that this was the right thing for her to be doing; she'd decided to put her warrior days behind her and pursue the trade of a scout or an abmassador- she wasn't sure exactly which specialty she wanted yet- but she'd figure it out along the way. She had to prove herself capable of change, and figured that this was at least a start. Though she had toyed with the idea of being a puppysitter, there weren't exactly young ones around for her to look after...And she wasn't sure she was the best influence just yet anyway. She'd have to wait until spring to figure that one out. 

She still remembered the softness that Coelacanth had had about her- about the hushed voice and sweet, azure blue eyes she had, and the way she'd invited Niamh to live at Undersea. Perhaps her life would have been completely different had she taken Seelie up on that offer- but there was no way to tell now. She'd been assured that she would always be welcome at the little island off the coast, so she made her way toward the coastline with the intention of crossing the landbridge to pay a visit to her gentle-hearted friend. It'd been almost a year since they'd met now- would she remember, and would the welcome invitation still stand? Regardless, it would be good for her to strike up that kinship, not only for her own wellbeing but for the Firebirds as well. With the way Wildfire ran the pack, she could only assume that having allies like Undersea would make things even better. 

Still...She didn't cross the landbridge as soon as she saw it; something caught her attention. It was a faint feeling, something that drew her eyes North along the coast and piqued her curiosity. Just a bare trace of a familiar scent had caught her attention, but had been so fleeting that it hadn't sparked a memory. Still, she'd decided to listen to these little notions- and headed North along the shore, to an area where the beaches became rocky and began to give away to cliffs. She was reminded of the cliffs where she'd rescued Towhee, after she'd tossed Screech over- but these weren't the same cliffs. And this was a much different time. Still, as she made her way along the bluffs, minding the edge of course, she couldn't help but feel as though something familiar had been stringing her along all this way- until she saw a familiar shape in the distance. 

She'd seen that colouring before, and again she was reminded of the first time she'd met Coelacanth. There had been sea lions laying on the shore, and they too had had dark faces and lighter coloured bodies. But this character was distinctly not sea lion-like[/i] in build, and those colours could belong to no one but @Caiaphas. Guilt struck Niamh, who nevertheless approached, head lowered to a neutral position and tail simply hanging but swaying still. She approached cautiously, having no clue how Caiaphas might react to the sight of her; as her cronies, Rosalyn and Erzulie, had treated her with nothing but ruthless hostility every time she'd seen them. She chuffed a quiet greeting, hoping her posture would at least appease Caiaphas enough to grant her an audience.

there were many things caiaphas had learn to expect to wash up on the shores -- but never in her life, would she have expected a redhawk. a chuff had caused her to pause in her examination of kelp, and as she lifted her gaze she caught the familiar sight of a past ally.

she could not help the rise of her hackles as she witnessed niamh, though her prickled fur soon settled as she realized the she-wolf's posture was neutral. still... the last time she had seen niamh, her teeth had been brutally prominent.

the siren was not one to forget.

all the same she rose and dusted sand from her pelt, preparing to protect the ugly gash in her neck if need be. the last thing she wished was to die by redhawk teeth -- not when there were so many enemies that would have liked to see her ruin. "what do you want?"

There was spite in Caiaphas' voice, and understandably so. Niamh hadn't been on Caiaphas' side the last time she'd seen her, though she'd wanted for things to turn out differently. She'd always looked up to Caiaphas, and she'd hated to see her leave. And it wasn't too long after Caiaphas left that she saw the point that the sharp-featured female had been making. She'd only realized it too late for the two of them to perhaps band together- along with perhaps Towhee and Phox- to replace Raven as leader. Raven had stepped down shortly thereafter, but Niamh hadn't respected Quixote either, at that time, and it had taken her a while before she'd seen her own error. 

"I don't want anything," She said; an honest enough truth. There as nothing that she needed from Caiaphas, but at the same time, she didn't want to just leave her. She looked as thugh she'd been injured recently, so Niamh made sure to keep a respectful distance so she could be reassured that Niamh meant no harm. "But you were right, you know," She admitted. "I just...Didn't see it until it was too late." She said. she dipped her head a bit. "Are the kids doing alright?" She asked then, wary that Caiaphas might have heard news of Niamh from Rosalyn and Erzulie- who very well could have spun the story in such a way as to make Niamh the villain.

the siren attempted to hide the self-righteous i-told-you-so that flickered across her face; while niamh had both threatened and escorted her out of the valley, she understood the woman to be something of a guardian of raleska. she shifted, feeling unwilling to give into graceful acceptance of the golden she-wolf.

"the kids are fine," she offered, her voice somewhat clipped. "found two of the missing ones, too." it surprised her she divulged that so freely -- but then again, once upon a time, they had been comrades.

"where are you now, then?"

Niamh's ears lifted when Caiaphas confirmed that the kids were fine, even if she did speak as though she didn't want to be talking to Niamh at all. She understood- while Caiaphas probably liked hearing that she'd been right all along about Raven's being too busy with the kids (not that that was a bad thing, as her children were awesome little wolves and they were lucky to have her), it was still probably a bit of an affront to find this out after having been exiled without really having been heard out. She claimed to have found a couple of her other children, which made Niamh's features brighten slightly. That was good; Svalinn and Raleska were probably happy to have their siblings back. 

"Can you tell them I say hi? I saw them not long ago...But got chased off by Rosalyn and her friend...I thought they meant to harm the pups, but I think they thought I meant the same...Big misunderstanding built on an already rocky past." She said, alluding to the fact that it wasn't the first time she'd had a brush with Rosalyn and Erzulie- but she wouldn't go into details on it unless she was asked. She was actually somewhat relieved, in the end, that the kids had two capable protectors on their side. Three, of course, when you counted their mother- who likely counted for two rather than one. 

Caiaphas then wanted to know where Niamh lived, and she wasn't sure if Caiaphas should be trusted with the information- regardless, she'd find out where they were even if Niamh didn't tell her; and she didn't feel like they'd be threatened, anyway. "I left the pack with a bunch of others; mostly the Blackthorns. It was getting overcrowded, and I wasn't happy at the plateau." Understatement of the year. "And you? You got yourself an empire now?" She asked, half-joking simply because nothing else would have made sense. She wouldn't have expected anything less from Caiaphas.

the crone caught the light shift in niamh's expression to hear that the children had been reunited; it was noted with a brief flicker of her eyes, though she did not comment upon it. niamh had, to caiaphas, always been a genuine wolf -- but it did not ease the sting she had once felt to be turned against.

even if it had been within reason.

she made little comment as niamh alluded to seeing her children before, but it surprised her more to learn that rosalyn and erzulie had been involved. she might have pressed for more details, but instead focused on niamh's next narrative -- which slyly steered around answering caiaphas' previous question.

she inhaled roughly, annoyed to be circumvented so easily; even if it too, was within reason.

"it is not quite fit to call an empire, but there is a pack. since it is little secret where i was from to most of you, i will tell you: we are back in ankyra sound. the pack is called rusalka. things have been prosperous, save one of our members was killed by a neighboring pack. hopefully, you will not run into the same hostility in your move."

Niamh had hoped to hear something from Caiaphas on the matter of Svalinn and Raleska, and though she did catch a slight change in her expression, the coywolf still remained somewhat difficult to read. Was she surprised? Did she know Rosalyn and her companion? She guessed so, as the two had seemingly intended to protect her children, but as she didn't ask any more questions about the squabble- at least not yet, if the tip had simply been earmarked for later- Niamh assumed that Caiaphas at least wasn't worried about her kids. It meant they were in safe hands...And even if Niamh had issues with Rosalyn, she still had to begrudginly be glad knowing that they were safe and well looked after. 

She actually told Niamh about her new homelands, which was more than she'd expected. Perhaps it was a way to lull Niamh into a sense of safety enough to divulge the location of the Firebirds- she couldn't tell, but she wasn't entirely sure she would do so, any way. She liked Caiaphas, but she wasn't sure she trusted her. Not because she thought Caiaphas wasn't trustworthy, but because of how she and the Redhawks had treated her, which might give her reason to retaliate. Nevertheless, she wanted Caiaphas as an ally, and her ears flicked back when she mentioned having some hostility from a neighbouring pack. 

Given that Caiaphas had said she was in Ankyra Sound, there were only two packs that Niamh knew of that were in the region. She hated to think that Coelacanth might be involved- and she planned to visit her friend someday. Still, any pack that would kill a member from another pack was to be avoided. And she already had a good idea which pack that was. She rumbled a soft growl when considering the facts. "That sounds like a rough way to start...I hope they know to keep their distance and that that doesn't happen again," She said. She shrugged. "If I were to hazard a guess, would I be right in assuming it was Drageda?" She asked. "Undersea isn't too far from here...But they're pretty peaceful folk, from what I know." She said. She sincerely hoped that Caiaphas didn't take issue with the Undersea wolves. If Coelacanth was a representation of the pack, then she felt there could be no way that the pack would stir to kill another wolf.

as caiaphas detailed rusalka's early troubles, the blonde wolf besides her issued a growl. caiaphas' ears flicked in response, perhaps the only motion that suggested she was pleased by niamh's utterance.

of course it was drageda. her eyes flashed as the she-wolf spoke of rusalka's first and only enemy -- so they were known in the wilds, she assumed, to be giant pricks. it all made sense -- though it troubled caiaphas to hear a wolf so far inland had heard of them. "you'd be correct." she growled in return, simmering at the very mention of them. "they abducted a member of ours, and killed the other during a raid.  i have seen their full force and think little of it. why do you know of them?"

So she'd been right. While it was unfortunate for Caiaphas and her pack- especially given where they'd chosen to settle, so close to Drageda anyway- it did mean that they shared an enemy. Perhaps Drageda and the Redhawks or Firebirds wouldn't have been considered enemies, but as far as she knew, Drageda wasn't pleased with Wildfire's decision to return to her home along with her children, and they'd been marked for attack should they go anywhere near the Cliffs. It turned out that Drageda was going on the offense with Caiaphas' crew, which made Niamh frown. She wondered if there was some other conflict involved, or if it was just over turf. If Caiaphas had settled nearby, the Drageda wolves might be intimidated by having another pack so close. Then again, she didn't seem terribly rattled by everything that had happened. Angry, but not afraid. 

Niamh nodded. "A couple of their members left Drageda to return to the Redhawks; apparently they hate deserters and mark them for slaughter as soon as they decide to leave the pack." Niamh said, distate present in her voice. "Ridiculous, considering the fact that they had family with the Redhawks and wanted to return to them. Wasn't like they left because they didn't like it at Drageda...Though from all I know, they got some pretty barbaric tendencies." She said with a shrug.

caiaphas ingested the new information niamh imparted with a wry expression troubling her features. while being a wolf moved by her own personal vendettas, tracking down deserters had never been one of them. truth be told, caiaphas saw it as a waste of energy expended hounding those that turned their backs to her -- in caiaphas's eyes, the deserters of her past life had done her a favor by showing her their true colors before things became too deep or twisted to safely extricate from.

she gave a shrug, but spoke her mind. "well, that is stupid. a good way to be ambushed, or killed, searching for those that would sooner turn their backs to you." she said honestly, knowing firsthand wolves were a fickle race, and that many often abandoned or deserted their post when they saw something better on the horizon. it did, in hindsight, explain why rosalyn had been kidnapped.

"i can think of no worse crime," she reflected, shaking her head solemnly - "than killing your own blood."  even ephraim, which caiaphas now knew was within drageda, was spared caiaphas' hateful ire -- and if he was killed, it would not be by her own teeth.

Caiaphas didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that Wildfire and her girls had chosen to leave Drageda- and why would she? It meant fewer opponents, after all. Instead, she fixated on the topic of the Drageda wolves going looking for them. And she knew that Artaax had been the one to go looking and Niamh inwardly felt a bit bad...She had, in a way, ambushed him- and likely had done the absolute perfect thing in order to throw him off the tracks of Wildfire and her daughters and keep their pack safe...And get a bit og a jab in as well, by turning him down after turning him on. 

"I've seen that before," She said, rememberin how Maegi had come to their pack, claiming that Screech was dead...But that whole debacle had gone awry, and she hadn't ended up ambushed at all. What a strange situation that had become- but at least it was on its way to being mended by now. Caiaphas commented about how horrible it was to kill someone of familiar blood, and Niamh shook her head, unable to even comprehend what might posess someone to do so.

"I dunno how someone could do that. It hurts so much to lose family to someone else's teeth...You'd have to be some kind of psychopath in order to be able to do that to your own family members," She said, reflecting on the deaths of her brothers. She felt slightly guilty for both of them- even though they'd been killed by cougars, which were completely out of Niamh's control...But still, they had come to the valley in search of her, and had met their fates just outside of her pack. She was reminded, of course, of Raleska and Svalinn, and a soft smile came to her lips at the thought of them. "Kids must be getting big now, eh?" She said. She'd seen them not long ago- and they'd practically been adults, but even a few short months made such a difference in young ones.

you'd have to be some kind of psychopath in order to be able to do that to your own family members. and well, there you had it -- caiaphas' gaze lifted to niamh's meaningfully, for she agreed with such principle. not that she believed being a psychopath was bad -- certainly, her own mental health was questionable -- but even then, she lacked the cowardice or poor taste to execute a wolf of her own kin.

and perhaps, that is what she was dealing with when it came to the wolves of the cliff: psychopaths. it did not make her task any more daunting, nor the war more formidable -- but it did give the siren a brief, secondary glimpse into how drageda was perceived by other wolves other than rusalkans.

as the conversation shifted to her children (something the matriarch would easily and readily converse about), caiaphas offered a threadbare smile. "yes - almost adults. still lanky, but they will fill out soon. svalinn is twice my size, raleska too. and the missing one -- illidan -- has taken up the mantle of leadership -- he is far more mature than either of the other two, and takes his duties to the pack seriously. "

She liked the image of Raleska and Svalinn getting older and taller, taller even than Caiaphas. Her ears flicked forward at the mention of Illidan's name, having known that Caiaphas had been short a child, at least....But she'd thought that her other children had been dead. Clearly, Caiaphas had assumed the same and was probably quite relieved to have not only found her missing son, but to have found him alive and well enough to have taken control of leadership. 

"Wellen!" She said, surprised and pleased. "Congrats to you, Caiaphas- and your kids. I'm glad you found Illidan, and you must be so proud of him being a leader," Niamh said. She had pictured her own children of course- the children she so wished to have with Colt- and couldn't even to begin to imagine how proud she'd be if one of them actually turned out to be a good creature, let alone become a leader. "You know how to raise 'em strong."

were they conversing, as if friends? caiaphas was surprised by the ease in which niamh had extracted such information: gradually as the minutes ticked by, the tightness in which she held her grudge was gradually fading.

it helped, of course, that niamh had lead with you were right. almost everyone likes to be told they're right, at some point.

given that niamh's compliment was genuine and caiaphas had little reason yet to distrust her, she supposed it made sense that the hatchet she had once held so tightly about redhawks was at last being put to bed. "hm, it is true." she replied to niamh's assertion she knew how to raise them strong - it was not a boast, for the crone was bitter about some part of her parenting. "but it does not come freely." she expected niamh to follow what she meant - after all, her children had endured quite a crucible in their early months.

"i will tell them you said hi. who was it that went with you when you left the plateau?"

Even though Niamh had more or less convinced herself to withold information from Caiaphas at first, she was quick to let go of her reservations when it came to trusting her ex-packmate, remembering so quickly how much she had admired the woman when she'd met her. And Caiaphas hadn't been wrong with her judgement of Raven, who'd been too busy with her kids to perform her alpha duties to the best of her abilities. Months later, Niamh could finally see that; but she didn't wonder, either, how different things might have been had she taken Caiaphas' side; she was sorting things out now, and was optimistic about the future. Things seemed to have worked out for Caiaphas too, who had found her missing son and lived in a pack he now led. Maybe, though it had been hard to go through those events, it was all for the best that Caiaphas had challenged Raven's leadership. 

She was glad that Caiaphas would greet her kids for her. She was about to ask another question when Caiaphas posed one herself, and Niamh nodded. "Actually, nobody sort of came with me. I left." She admitted. She hadn't started a mutiny, after all. "But Wildfire and her kids have established the pack, 'cause they were worried about Drageda coming after them and endangering the Redhawks." She said. She figured the information would be useful to Caiaphas, and wouldn't bring the Firebirds any harm...If Drageda was an enemy of Caiaphas' pack as well as the Firebirds, then maybe it'd give them some common ground. And Niamh was absolutely certain she wanted to be on Caiaphas' good side. She'd seen the woman take on a cougar. "Finley and Elwood have joined them, and Colt and Clover and Eljay, so it's a bit of a Blackthorn-fest there. I left to be with Colt." She said. Of course, there was the completely separate topic of her breakup with Colt- but she felt no need to bring that up, as they were working on it. 

"D'you think sometime I could come visit you? An' the kids?" She asked. "If you happened to pass by the Sun Mote Copse- just west and sort of south of the mountain range- I'd vouch for you as a visitor." She admitted. "Colt would too, I'm sure." She said. After all- Colt had been a bit of a thorn in her side the day that Caiaphas had challenged Raven, calling for Niamh to step up.

it came as a surprise to caiaphas to learn that niamh had left with no following. in her time with the redhawks, caiaphas had seen niamh step naturally in the place of a leader - knowing no wolves had departed with her was, well frankly, disappointing.

but perhaps it was a testament of the redhawk wolves' character, over niamh's resolve -- caiaphas had come to learn they were rooted in their ways, as niamh saw herself. sometimes you could show a wolf the light, but it didn't mean they would follow it.

niamh then divulged they took residence in sun mote -- the very copse that caiaphas had once had an altercation with charon in. she wondered if the firebirds ran into any problems with the isolated pack on moonspear's peak -- she certainly hoped not.

news of them worrying about drageda caused the siren's ear to flick with slight displeasure. she doubted the wolves had the forces - and frankly the gall - to pursue so far inland. "they are likely far too preoccupied with their unruly neighbors to give chase." caiaphas shared, a wryness in her voice. "but if i see any large groups leaving, i will let you know -- it is very likely they have no idea where your pack's wolves have settled." it sounded as if the firebirds were well-stocked with members anyway - almost all of the names niamh shared were of wolves that caiaphas knew, none of them being incapable of defending their home.

she lifted her chin as niamh requested visitation - another gesture that surprised the she-wolf, but she supposed given once they had been pack-mates, that there was some sort of connection still lingering between those that departed the redhawks and those that had remained behind. she knew her daughter in particular had taken an affinity to the golden she-wolf, and would likely enjoy such a visit. "yes - you are welcome any time. it would do raleska and svalinn some good to see you again."

From what Caiaphas offered, in terms of spooting Drageda moving out and in their direction, the head’s up would definitely be appreciated. She made herself a mental note to discuss that with Wildfire, and see what she thought of forming an allialce with Rusalka, even though the Redhawks wouldn’t be for it. ”That’d be nuch appreciated. And if one does come near us, we’ll be pretty quiet on the matter as we just want to live in peace. Maybe their grudge will have passed- who knows.” She said, touched by Caiaphas’offer to help them out. 

With the invitation granted, Niamh nodded appreciatively. ”Thanks, and will do. Just as long as Rosalyn and her little friend don’t go after me. We have some grudges that go back to her using ur pack for our resources then leaving without a thank you or goodbye, so the next time I saw her I called her out on it but she and her missus there put the runs to me. Same with the day I saw Svalinn and Raleska; but I think they thought I was gonna hurt them, and I thought the same, knowing them and it was a stupid kerfuffle. Something I need to sort out next time I see the them. Let those stupid misunderstandings and stupid overreactions just go.” She remarked. She winked. ”But I’ll be on my bwsg behavior.”

ah - old dogs and their old grudges. the sylph spared a knowing smile, understanding the undercurrent that had sparked rosalyn and erzulie's actions. had she been there, she would have stopped it -- all the same, they had stepped in believing they were saving her cubs.

for that she could not fault them.

"next time you see them, maybe i should be present." the siren offered - it was not a suggestion inferring any wrong-doing, but simply a statement that she would be happy to intervene. "i am sure raleska and svalinn would enjoy the visit." she straightened up, dipping her thin muzzle to announce her leave. "this has been pleasant -- but i must be on my way. good luck, niamh."

Niamh nodded. Caiaphas was right- and she had no idea that Niamh had clashed with Rosalyn more than once...Unless Rosalyn had said something to that effect. ”Probably a good idea. But I’m willing to forgive and forget,” She said, especially given the fact that their last altercation had taken place largely because of a misunderstanding, or so Niamh thought. They’d possibly thought of her as a threat to Raleska and Svalinn, and she’d thought the same of them. Regardless, Rosalyn hadn’t seemed so bad the first time she’d met her. Her tawny companion, though, was a piece of work. 

”I should too. But I’m glad I got to see you again...And sort of straighten things out. I look up to you- you’re pretty badass, you know, so I’ll try to come visit sometime. But I’ll howl first,” She said with a toothy grin, simply wanting to avoid another altercation with Rosalyn and her overprotective friend. ”Safe travels,” She said, genuinely, and dipped her head in a respectful bow before she turned to leave.

<33 thank you for the thread

the sylph delivered a grim nod, unused to such a threadbare and open account of ones' feelings. niamh's compliment resonated with her, but she could not help but shift inexpertly as she navigated how to respond -- it was not her forte to be complimented, and she was much better at handling insults.

"you're not so different yourself, niamh - don't forget that." her dark muzzle unfurled in a smile, responding to the honeyed wolf's toothy grin. "until we meet again." she dipped her proud muzzle in return, watching with a forlorn sense of fondness as the redhawk-turned-firebird made to leave.

she would dispense raleska with the news of their meeting once she had gotten home - surely, both she and svalinn missed their golden babysitter, and would revel in the news she was alive and well.