Sun Mote Copse Mirror, mirror on the wall...

@Towhee and @Niamh - important business. :)

After her talk with Towhee and during the latter's absence, Wraen had had time to think about the future of the Firebirds. She looked back at, how things had been, when she had taken over the leadership, and had an earnest look on the running steam-engine the pack was now. She considered all the facts about the current situation and, what possibly awaited them in the spring and summer, realized that her reluctance to let anyone near her throne, her fear of losing support was rooted in emotions. And pride played no little part in this, because she had stepped up, when the pack had been in dire need and manouvered them all through famine. 

With the return of herds, her "live one day at a time" strategy no longer applied. They could look ahead. Cautiously, of course, nothing ever was certain, but with more hope than before. She realized that, if she stopped viewing Towhee as competition, but have her as an ally, there would be room for her to grow and learn. She had already proven not to be easily offended by mishaps on Wraen's side. And Niamh had remained loyal to the ranks despite all the losses the past year had brought her. Both had withstood the test of time and trials and Wraen knew that they needed a new challenge to prove themselves.

Therefore she sent out a loud howl for Niamh, asking her to leave, whatever she was doing and find her, then went off to find Towhee, hoping that the deaf girl was around and ready for news.

She should've gone back to Frosthawks the day before, let them know about Sugar too. But Towhee didn't even think about that until the next morning and it was hard to convince herself to get out of bed, much less go on another trip. Besides, she wasn't ready to see Raven again just yet. She would tell Wraen the news, then ask the Sovereign to send a scout in her stead. Rave and the others would be relieved to know Sugar was safe and might even return to them someday.

Towhee finally pushed herself to her feet and began to look for the leader, unaware that Wraen wanted to see her too. When they crossed paths near the copse's center, an unsmiling Towhee looked almost blandly at the other she-wolf and told her, "Hey, I ran into Bat and she says Sugar's safe with them at their—Bat's and Tegan's—pack somewhere south of the flat lands. She's hurt but she'll be okay." Even though it was good news, delivering the message felt like it took a lot out of her and Towhee rushed to add the rest before she went completely listless. "Could you send a scout to Frosthawks to let them know? I'd go but," she finished lamely, wondering if Wraen had heard about her breakdown the other day.

Niamh's thread out near the coast is set for like...Tomorrow, so she's still here.

Her plan was to set out, and see if she could cout out Raleska and Caiaphas without incurring any more damage from Rosalyn and Erzulie. From all she could assume, her brother- even though he thought of himself as Firefly, now- would still be there, as well as whatever children he'd sired. She hadn't mentioned the plan to anyone as such a short trip wouldn't exactly merit a great deal of attention, and she felt she could go out, briefly scout for her friends, and then return to the pack without any great consequence. 

But it seemed as though something was going to come up, as she heard Wraen call out for her in a voice which demanded that she heed its summon and see what her leader wanted. She felt a bit of cowardice creep under her skin when she caught the scent of Towhee mingling with Wraen's scent, and could then assume that she might have been summoned for her arguments with Phox, which she deemed pitty and unfair. So as she approached the two, she did her best to simply act normal, like she had nothing to be ashamed of. She did feel a bit awkward, as Towhee had asked for space and this was now them being drawn together, so she gave her friend a somewhat lame effort at a smile, before noticing the dark emotional cloud that hung about her. Towhee usually had a different feel to the energy that surrounded her- and now, that energy level was almost completely silent. She couldn't help but feel responsible, but also wondered exactly what had transpired. She looked to Wraen for answers. "You called?" She asked, simply expecting bad news.

More than once Wraen had had a feeling that she and some people of the pack lived in different realities and, when she met Towhee, who looked as if a dear relative of hers had died, and was joined by Niamh soon after, who reminded her of a child that had done something wrong, knew it and did not know yet, whether the parent knew. She listened to the report from Frosthawks, was glad to know that Sugar Glider was in good paws and hoped to see the girl soon. Her Sergeant-at-Arms, on the other hand, did not offer much more than a greeting. 

She was unsure then, whether it was a good time to deal with the matters she had in mind, but since no other explanations were given, she decided to keep things brief and go ahead. "I wanted to discuss promotion with each of you," she told, looking from one to the other. "Towhee - you approached me a while ago about helping me with the leadership matters. Since the pack has grown quite a lot from last year, it has grown more difficult for me to manage everything. I would appreciate, if you filled the role of Regent in this pack and from now on dealt with inside matters of the pack as well as be the ruling party during my absence," she said.

Then turned to Niamh: "You have been a loyal member of this group despite all that you had to go through last year. I am grateful for your help in establishing guardianship in this pack and keeping it going. I would like you to join the Blackthorns in the Honored rank and be part of my council. So-called Firebirds' Watch would be under your direct orders and it would be your task to help it grow in numbers and strength," If the two of them had not yet lost her during the monologue, she thought it wise to add after a little pause:

"If you need time to think about it do so and give me your answer by tomorrow evening. As a pack leader I want to have a strong council to support me, guide me and contradict me, when it is necessary. With so many heads to take care of now, good advisors are a must. Of them all - you two have proven to be the most valuable to fill the roles."
 

When Niamh appeared, Towhee's brow furrowed in mild confusion before her face smoothed back into blankness. Her friend's presence here didn't bother her and she barely gave any thought to their previous rendezvous with Phox. It seemed so long ago, somehow. She didn't have any feelings to spare for them at the moment, all of hers currently knotted into a ball of pain somewhere in her middle. She just hadn't expected Niamh's presence, though it seemed Wraen had summoned her.

She must be intruding on a meeting then, so Towhee would gladly leave them to it and return to moping elsewhere. Her mouth opened to dismiss herself when the Sovereign spoke, addressing her directly. Towhee lipread slightly dazedly, her own lips parted slightly as Wraen invited one, then the other, to step up in rank. She finished by inviting them to think it over and get back to her if they wished.

Part of her wanted to turn down the invitation and wallow in her sudden apathy toward everything. But her inner pragmatist took over and Towhee found herself seizing this opportunity to focus on something outside of herself and her sense of loss. "I accept," she said simply and immediately, still displaying no emotion aside from the burning behind her orange eyes.

Promotion?

Niamh had been promoted before; she'd been hungry for it, and had wanted the rank and the power that came with it....Until she couldn't handle it anymore, and then had to deal with the shame of having her rank removed. She felt a lump rise in her throat, but she perked her ears when Wraen mentioned that Towhee had already proposed the idea of stepping up into leadership. She liked the sound of this- as she liked the way that Towhee ran things. She wondered what might've prompted Wraen's decision...But then again, the seed had apparently been planted a while ago when Towhee had first volunteered the idea. 

When Wraen spoke to her then, she felt the nerves return. She'd been asked to join the leadership before- and her unstable emotional state had eventually driven her to lose her rank, though Quixote had spared her the shame of being 'fired' by announcing that she had chosen to step down. In part, she hadn't recovered from that- and was perfectly content to work her tail off in support of leaders that she respected. And when she heard the name Blackthorns she felt something twinge within her chest, as she still felt insecure, in the wake of Colt's death, about her position as a Blackthorn. But there she was, still clinging to his surname, and being asked to step up alongside his sister and her mate. 

She bit her lip in thought as they were given time to decide, but Towhee already knew her decision- though it was delivered without much emotion or excitement. She nodded, not wanting to be the one left behind, and let got of her lip, giving Wraen a small smile. "I do too," She said.

Had the two people she had offered the promotion to, not been so dead-set serious, Wraen would have attempted to ease the tension by joking about her manner of talking too long and too much. But Towhee did not seem to be in any mood to hear humor and Niamh was strangely solemn as well. Which - in case of the both - was very unusual. Wraen had not seen them like this. 

"Well then - it is settled," she told both. "I will let the others know and we do not need any other formalities. If you need or wish to discuss anything - I will be around," the Sovereign said, feeling more awkward and awkward. "A-a-a-and - that's it, I guess," she paused, looking again from one to another, waiting to see, if any one of them wished to tell her something. If not, she would let them be and seek a private audience with each at a better moment.

Niamh accepted her post too, her own expression somber when Towhee glanced over to catch her answer. It was really no wonder, what with her relationship with Phox on the rocks. It occurred to the mercenary, then, that Niamh might think she was angry at her. They hadn't exactly parted on great terms the last time. She considered saying something, but before she could, she saw Wraen's lips moving again so she returned her attention to the Sovereign.

"Thanks, Wraen," Towhee said, still businesslike, though she caught on to the leader's discomfited body language and realized she must've expected more enthusiasm from both of them. She couldn't muster up the energy to feel bad about it right now, though she did force herself to say, "The timing's good." Towhee paused, gearing up to share the painful information with the other two women. "When I was visiting Frosthawks the other day, I had Rave check and we officially don't have to worry about any bastards," she mused darkly, her expression giving away her pain.

She licked her lips, glad to get that over with, and gave them a moment to process what she'd said before announcing, "Anyway, I don't really want to talk about it right now, or even think about it, so I'ma go do some leaderly shit. I'll catch you both later." Towhee glanced at Niamh, then at Wraen, saying, "Thanks again," before turning to leave.

It was a surprisingly short meeting, and Niamh sighed softly, glad that Wraen hadn't called her there, in the end, just to tell her bad news. She didn't feel as though much had changed, as she didn't see her current role in the pack differing much from what it had been before- except now she had a title. Towhee was still the Regent, and would bear the brunt of the responsibilities should Wraen be absent, but Niamh was left mainly in charge of guarding and patrolling, which was fine with her. And she could lead others to do the same- but she knew she wasn't necessarily the best to make administrative decisions for the pack in other areas. Towhee was. 

Towhee, though, delivered a quiet and even more monotone than usual confession, bringing news from the Frosthawks, as she'd had Raven check her out. Niamh whined softly, feeling defeat and sorrow radiate from her friend who did not want to explain further, or talk about how it made her feel...Though it was plain enough. Stubbornly, Niamh wanted Raven to be wrong- it had happened before, and it could happen again. "Maybe it's..." She said, though she was aware that Towhee wasn't looking at her, so she didn't finish the sentence. Too soon. She didn't know what gave Raven the idea that Towhee absolutely, positively could not conceive children. If she could go into heat, then it made sense, then, that her internal female organs were working, right? How could Raven conclude so firmly that Towhee couldn't conceive...And couldn't it possibly just be too early to tell? Regardless, Niamh still harboured hope, though she too knew that if Towhee had conceived while she'd been in heat...The signs would have to start showing sometime fairly soon. 

Niamh gave Towhee an apologetic, empathetic look when she excused herself, and felt that she ought not pester her friend just then...But would make sure to check in on her later, even if just a moment, and even if it meant they didn't approach the topic whatsoever. That was what it meant, to be there- even if someone wanted space. She nodded somewhat sheepishly to Wraen. "I...Thanks, Wraen, for your trust. I'll do my best," She said quietly, though it was still quite apparent that she was disappointed and hurt by Towhee's news. "I think I'll go...Patrol," She said, giving her leader a nod and a weak smile before she too turned to leave.

Towhee's news were a bit shocking and reminded Wraen of things she had done in the past, but regretted doing now. She had never understood, what her now Regent's attitude towards settling down and having children was. During the "mad days" and judging from the way she had treated Arthur, she had been into "just fucks" only. Therefore it was surprising to hear and see, how down-trodden the girl felt, when she had found out that there were no children to be expected this year. It was confusing too, because it had never seemed to Wraen that her cousin had desired them in the first place. 

But she respected Regent's wish and did not ask any unneccessary questions. Niamh's mood baffled Wraen even more - where was that feisty amazon, who had scared off Moonspear's beta by being her cheeky, super-confident self? She had never seen the golden girl look so vulnerable, but she did not seem to be in the mood to discuss this either. Therefore she excused both without further words and went off to find Maia and try to make sense of the situation. Wolf-Town Jester had to have a take on, what had come over the two high-ranked and long-term officials of the Firebirds.