Arrow Lake didn't see that coming

For his puppy task!

Mesa had returned time and again to one particular path within the territory's heart; it was where he felt secluded enough to feel things without reprimand, and where he'd been working to clear some of the saplings as a form of stress relief. The past few hours had been spent clearing away some of the fresh leaves that had fallen, sweeping them away in places or rolling in them until they were pulverized in to tiny pieces. It was his space, nobody knew about it - well, except his mother. Takiyok had found him at some point while trying to drag a particularly large branch free, and it had made him feel powerful.

Today as he worked at his space, something kept getting in his way. He was more lethargic than usual and didn't have the patience required to clear away the newest leaf-fall, but more importantly... He had an audience. A small ground squirrel (which looked too young and pithy to be made a meal of) was quietly chattering from high up in a tree. Mesa could've let it go - it was easy enough to let the sound fade in to the forest's constant hum, but... He was naturally in an antagonistic state of mind lately.

When he caught sight of its tiny red shape, he lunged upwards against a tree, balancing awkwardly on his hindquarters, and snapped his teeth (as if that would be warning enough). Rather than spook and run, the squirrel raced from one tree to another in a crescent, forcing Mesa to follow - and then when he was upright again (hoisted on a nearby tree a few seconds later) the creature threw a half-formed acorn which grazed his brow.

Kazimir hated squirrels. For such little prey animals they had the biggest balls she had seen. They were mischievous, annoying creatures with tiny arms that could launch acorns at enough velocity to sting the skull of even an adult wolf. She had been wandering the territory, familiarising herself with it and leaving her scent amongst those of the others when she heard the chittering sound from nearby and followed it curiously, just in time to see the child who had done much to wound her sensitive ego get nearly smacked by an acorn. The petty part of her nearly caused her to laugh, lips trembling and curling up as a bark of laughter almost fell from her lips. Instead she took a breath and swallowed it down ears twitching nervously as she contemplated just leaving. Her pride caused a wave of disgust and she scoffed at herself for fearing a child. That's what he was after all, a child, and one that she had no reason to pay attention to at all. "Little demons. Makes it feel good when you manage to be quick enough to crush their tiny heads between your jaws" she spoke loud enough to get attention as she came from the bushes, a relaxed expression forced onto her face. She did not want to hide away anymore because she was ashamed of what some child had said to her. Stigmata had been her friend and had always thought she was good enough for Diaspora and even in the aftermath of his death she would hold onto that and do good by the pack he had formed.

Another acorn came close to hitting him between the eyes, and he ducked. Then another came, and he almost caught it. It was almost fun to be the target of a hormonal rodent. Annoying too, and that's what he focused on the most. Children often found emotions to be overwhelming things and Mesa ( although growing up quickly after the losses in his family ) was really not so different. He was adamant about catching this pest, and kept his eyes trained on the creature as it dashed among the boughs overhead.

Until a voice caught in his ears and surprised him, leading him to stagger and fall back down to his four paws. He turned a sharp eye upon the wolf and recognized them immediately. What do you know of it, three-leg? He was angry at everything and if he couldn't get the squirrel, the wounded woman would work too. I could probably catch it faster than you even if you weren't broken.

Secretly it pleased her that she had startled the child, her eyes gleaming with delight that wasn't displayed on her face before she sat down and regarded him as if he hadn't ever wounded her psyche which was more damage than he could ever do to her physically. His words came out sharp and vicious as if he were trying to flay her fur from her flesh with simply his tongue. It wasn't normal, it wasn't called for and yet....she didn't care. Mahler had faith in her and so had Stigmata and his spawn would not make her run away in shame of who she was ever again. "And what would that prove? That you're foolish and wasted your energies on something so scrawny it isn't even a snack" her tone was calm but her words were biting. She wouldn't hold her tongue ever again and she'd be damned if she got faulted for it. Dead father or not this lack of respect for an adult needed to be fixed.

The squirrel leapt from one branch to another in time to the cadence of Kazimir's words; whether it understood what was being said or not, it paused and chattered from its vantage point overhead. Another object was lobbed from the trees but it wasn't aimed well, and landed between the two wolves, rebounded, and scattered down the hillside.

Mesa ignored it. He was fully focused on the adult now, scoffing at her words and rolling his eyes. Its scrawny, sure. Don't have to eat it, just have to catch it. He pointed out with a sharp tone, but then let it drop entirely. It was no use debating something like this with someone as useless as her.

So, he changed tactics.

The boy feigned interest in the piles of acorns on a terrestrial level, sniffing at one, kicking aside another with a swipe of a paw. He drifted closer to Kazimir with as much interst in her as he'd probably show a chewing bone. When his gaze resumed observing her, he let out a snort. What are you doing here anyway? Wait—don't answer, I bet I can guess. He narrowed his eyes, pretended to think hard, and then sneered as he said, I know, you're back because you want us to hunt for you! I bet if you were alone you'd already be dead. Oh woe-is-you, it must suck to be so lame.

The more she listened to him the more foolish she felt, he was just a boy and now he was a boy who had lost his father. Her gaze softened and while the ice remained because she was a prideful woman, she didn't feel so nastily toward him anymore. Even so his barbs sunk deep and she sighed exasperated "I was alone. I hunted alone. Fed myself alone. Because Diaspora is my home. Your father had faith in me until he died and I owe him for that" Her words were said angrily, her expression stern though she spoke only the truth and kept her words from being anything harmful toward the boy. She would just handle whatever he threw her way on her own, perhaps Mahler would help her but she wouldn't feed into it anymore. "Stigmata will forever live through Diaspora and I will give my live for it, even if it's not worth Shit" her eyes bore straight into his, asserting herself or challenging him to try and stop her. 

As she began to defend herself, Mesa stopped listening. He didn't really care why she was back — in fact, he never really considered her feelings at all, or her at all. She was just another fixture within Diaspora; he'd failed to notice when she'd gone missing previously, and he hadn't developed enough empathy in his short span of life to realize how terrible he was being. She might've been chalking it up to the loss of his father, but maybe deep down Mesa was an elitist piece of shit and Stigmata's death merely gave him an excuse.

The more she rambled though, the more frustrated Mesa became. He rolled his eyes again and tried to cut her off with a drawn-out sigh; when that didn't work he sat through the rest of her diatribe and with a cutting edge to his tone—and a glare—he said, My father is dead. His belief in you died with him.

Being reminded of this loss stung. We don't need you. We need Stigmata. Where were you when he was in danger? What good is your loyalty to this mountain if you failed my father—and all of us—so badly? These questions were thrown haphazardly at Kazimir; they were rhetorical, and as such, Mesa didn't give her a moment to consider her options or to reply. He got more insistent with each comment until finally (practically shouting in her face) he lunged with a grimace, his tail arched high. If you're so great at surviving alone, then get the hell out of here!

Each word was like the ticking of a bomb, each second that passed kicking her temper up another notch. His words filled her blood with ice and her heart hammered hard inside her chest as she remembered how hard she had worked to get here, how much she had suffered to learn to adapt and survive to make it back here. As he lunged forward with one last shouted offense, she also rushed to use her bare, limbless shoulder to try and knock him down where if quick enough she would throw her good leg over him and drop her weight down like a rock. "I will not leave my home because of some insolent firebomb who takes his anger out on others. What have you done to prove your strength besides scream and bitch?" she snapped at him, her own voice risen and snarled as she bared her fangs at him as menacingly as possible. She would have none of this, she would not be toyed with by some silly brat who knew nothing of her.

He anticipated more words, or maybe she'd give up and hobble away. What happened next stunned the boy. Mesa did not consider that Kazimir was still adept when it came to such physicality; she was older, bigger, more experienced (with three or four legs) and as mighty as Mesa may have felt during his little tirade at her, had he been any older he might have reconsidered his animosity. He wasn't big enough to contend with someone like Kazimir—so when she reacted, he fell victim to a shove and then the resulting slam in to the dirt. However high and mighty he had felt, now he was angry, not to mention embarrassed that someone could take him down in such a solid gesture.

The barred fangs made him bristle and writhe beneath her weight. He had a momentary panic shock through his body and his eyes flew wide; but he knew she couldn't really hurt him. No matter what he said or did, he was one of the children of Diaspora. All he needed now was to seek out Takiyok and levy all of this evidence against Kazimir. Still, Mesa fought against that weight: he kicked and squirmed and refused to submit, even as Kazimir berated him.

He couldn't escape, but he could make the best of a shitty situation. I—hggff—I don't needa prove anything! He countered through his grunts and struggles. Stig—mata is my—was my dad and if you don't let me up right now— Well, he knew he couldn't really threaten her with anything at this point, but his wide eyes narrowed and he flashed his own teeth. Let me up. Get OFF OF ME!

It was all up to Kazimir, and Mesa did not like having the power so thoroughly taken from him in this way. The longer he was down the more the tripod was going to suffer later, Mesa would make sure of it.

It would be a lie to say that she didnt get a sort of satisfaction from pinning the boy down. Her tail curled above her back as she held him with ease not even having to really struggle to hold the wriggling, enraged boy down. She growled and bared her fangs displaying with everything she had that for the moment she had the dominance. "Stop screaming Kroshechnyy durak" she snapped her voice cold after he had finished screaming. "Stigmata was a mighty ruler. He proved himself in forming Diaspora and earned our loyalty but I do not have to listen to you because you are his blood" she finished what she had to say to him and finally stepped off of him, tail still risen and she moved away so he could stand up without her near him. "Save your threats, Mahler will know of this. I plan on speaking to him anyway" she said flicking an ear. If she was to have to put up with a disrespectful child then she would make it clear that she would put him in his place occasionally.

She called him "Tiny Fool/Idiot" btw

She tracked her son through the territory, intent on asking him to accompany her on a patrol so that she could see how he was doing without coming right out and asking. He was the only one of her three children who would really speak to her right now. Stag said absolutely nothing, and Monarch yelled at her most of the time. She would only let the behaviors go on for so long before she pushed for some kind of change. But that time wasn't now, so she sought out Mesa. 

His scent grew stronger and then mixed with the scent of Kazimir. She wondered if they might be sparring or hunting, but as she got closer, she heard yelling and the sounds of a scuffle. Her hackles rose, and she picked up speed, afraid something had happened to her son. But as she finally arrived, she was confused to find only the two of them. Had they been fighting? She walked up to the pair just in time to hear Kazimir's last words, and she walked over to stand in front of Mesa protectively. Her gaze fell on her son, her anger flaring at his disheveled state, and then she fixed Kazimir with a cold glare, raising her eyebrow just as she spoke. And just what exactly will you be speaking to Mahler about?

Sorry I couldn't resist. Hope you don't mind mama bear

oooo this is great!

He couldn't do anything against the pinning weight of Kazimir; even injured as she was, she held a certain amount of advantageous power he could not contend with. It was a learning experience. He struggled and she loomed over him seemingly without care, eager to dole out a punishment that - to the boy at least - was unjust. He kicked his hindquarters at her, felt the pinch of his skin as he tried to writhe out of her grasp. There was more anger spilling from him now, but it didn't help him.

The woman condescended to him, belittled him, and Mesa was forced to listen. He was growling in the back of his throat by the end of her commentary and made a point to snap at whatever parts he could reach, utterly unruly, until he was released. Mesa didn't have time to do much else besides breathe a deep, relieving gasp before his mother appeared.

She dove between them, stern and protective. Mesa wasn't yet at an age where his mother's attention felt awkward; when he saw her standing over him like an icy monolith he felt strong again, and leered at Kazmir from the ground beneath. She tried to kill me! She said that I shoulda been with Ego, and she only lives here 'cuz we feed her!! He lied without issue, growing more ferocious with his claims as his adrenaline fluctuated, although his conviction was strong and his voice sincere in its hurt. Stigmata -- d-dad. . . I was defending his honor, and Diaspora, from her! She's a monster! 

That last bit may have been pushing it, but Mesa was on his feet and bristling, pressed against the comforting shape of his mother who he implored, with his every inch, to believe him.

Her temper had burned itself out and she stared at the child, ember eyes softening as she felt just a bit guilty for knocking him down without much of a warning. She probably would have tried to apologize if Takiyok had not strode onto scene, posture and expression stating that she clearly was not here to do anything other than defend her son. A wave of dismay caused her ears to go back and she shifted, clearly nervous though she did not make the mistake of shying away which she felt would make her appear less genuine. She opened her mouth to reply before the little wretch hid behind his mother and screamed lies, saying she had tried to kill him and that she stayed because of food. She couldn't help herself, it was so outrageously beyond anything she had ever done for Diaspora that she laughed. Her laughter was hard and full and she sighed softly as she tried to compose herself before the new leader of their home. "A pup killer mooching off the pack that I gave my leg for. Right" she said amused her tail swaying at her legs before she sat down and shook her head trying to calm the burning anger inside of her while simply hoping that she was known well enough in the pack not to really be accused of such things. "Mesa seems to be content in making sure I know how little I mean to everyone. This isn't the first time he has insulted me. He says I should leave, that I'm useless here and that respect for me died with his father. It is the first time I have put him in his place. I fought hard to get back here and I came too late but I am still a Diasporian and I wont be talked to like that by anyone, not even if they are Stigmata's blood" Her tone was apologetic and calm though it was firm, it stated that she would not bow down to anyone who hadn't earned it, not even Stigmata's spawn. "I was going to come find you and Mahler and discuss it privately. I didnt want a fuss made of it, it's so soon after.." She trailed off and shifted looking away for a moment before turning back and lowering her head ready to see of the woman would give the screamed accusations any real thought.

She was surprised at Mesa's telling of events, although her expression remained unreadable as she kept her eyes trained on Kazimir. He had certainly looked upset when she arrived, and she didn't think he had ever lied to her before, at least not that she had ever found out about. What he was accusing her of doing didn't quite fit, though. Taki still hadn't decided if the other woman was worth the second chance Mahler had so graciously offered her, but she found it hard to believe she would try to kill one of her children. She wanted to take Mesa at his word simply because he was hers, but she wasn't blind to the fact that children could sometimes be manipulative. He pressed against her, and she turned her head to study his face. The mention of his father stung, momentarily stealing her reason and making her want to lash out at the other woman—tear her down for upsetting her son even if it didn't actually seem to be only her fault. But being Kapitän and Mesa's mother meant she couldn't act on her flare of anger; it would be impulsive and she would lose the upper hand in the end.

Her calculating gaze rested back on Kazimir as she spoke. She didn't think Mesa's opinions were necessarily wrong; they were maybe a little extreme, but there was some truth there. But telling her all these things didn't serve him in any way. All it had done was cause a pointless fight. She would talk to him after this about keeping judgments to himself unless there was a reason to point them out. He was better than most—he was of her and Stigmata—but aimelessly insulting those who were less only made you look petulant; there was a time and place for it. Mesa, she said first, shooting him a sideways glance before meeting Kazimir's eyes again. Do you think I would believe that anyone in this pack would be stupid enough to try and kill one of my children? It would certainly be their last act on this earth. Kazimir's..disappearance does look bad, but Mahler has accepted her back, so we must give her a chance to prove herself. She looked back to Mesa, eyebrows raised. This time, she was imploring him to give her a chance to explain things better in private.

Then she took a step towards Kazimir, face hardening and fire seeping into her eyes as she fixed the other woman with a menacing glare. I'll take care of things from here, she started, voice deceptively calm as her temper flared. But don't ever harm my son again. The threat behind the warning was clear. Stigmata's death was hard on everyone, her children most of all, and she didn't need someone putting them in their places, especially someone she didn't necessarily trust was loyal to Diaspora.

She turned to her son then. Let's go, Mesa, she ordered, expression warning him from objecting; now was not the time for discussion. Unless Kazimir said anything else, she would escort her child away. A long talk was in order for them.

Kazimir refuted the claims he made, and he shot daggers her way until Takiyok faced him, and the look vanished, becoming as empty and innocent as he could imagine. His ears slanted back when his mother spoke; the lies weren't very powerful and he knew he had been wrong to speak them, yet his animosity, his hurt, and his childish lack of self control dominated things at this point in his life. The boy opened his mouth to say something but was cut off - commanded to leave the scene, which he hastily obeyed with a low simpering and a lethargic lurch to his paws. Mesa led the way and whether his mother followed immediately or not, he felt the weight of her presence. It was comforting but menacing in equal measure; reminding him that one parent persisted while the other was merely dust, and filled him with silent conflict.

Kazimir was not stupid and as such kept her mouth clamped firmly shut as Takiyok spoke, her tone like a mother teaching a child a lesson but her words still coming across in a demeaning fashion to the Russian woman. When the Kapitan met her eyes, she held the gaze steadily though her tail lowered to he tucked to keep the proper respect while maintaining her pride. She was not going to cower, or submit before the woman even though she held her sympathies for the loss of Stigmata, she was not friends with the woman and had never really gotten to know her. The fact that she had already sacrificed much for Diaspora and fought hard to show her worth while Takiyok had been already given an advantage over her by mating with Stigmata....well it did not earn her respect. It was for her own good and for respect of Stigmata's memory that she pretended to be chastised, ears going back as the woman threatened her if she were to ever do something to her child. "I won't" she said softly though as she turned to walk in the other direction she hoped the woman would teach her boy some manners, or at least how to keep his opinions to himself otherwise she would be bound to do it again in the future or else sacrifice her pride.