They had been successful, but not without losses themselves.
Ptarmigan had been in recovery ever since the fight, with only a tenuous hold on her rightful leadership over the pack whose name she still didn't know. She had been forced to rest by the mercenary, Andrus, who likely stalked the valley even now with the intention of silencing any who rose against her. Viggo had remained close, but a lot of the time Ptarmigan was alone, left to stew in hateful silence.
Seventeen days had passed and finally, she was able to do more than just lay around and take short walks. It was slow-going through the ancient conifers, but the Alpha was glad to stretch her legs. The Outrider in her would not die over this new duty, which she took about as seriously as a kitten took a toy mouse. Ptarmigan was not a born leader, after all, and though she felt the hard-won title was hers by right, that didn't mean she was good at it. She had done nothing yet other than howl a mocking victory cry when she had won her title.
Her first order of business was to seek out the loser of that little spat, who would play a key role in securing Ptarmigan's place at the head of this pack. No doubt the wolves here had put their support behind Cara and, no matter how much Ptarmigan wanted to oust the snowy female for being a shameful example of her species, she knew she needed the bitch in order to rein them all in. She hated to admit it, and so she took her time reaching the edge of a river and soaking her injured body with a hiss before finally lifting her snout to reluctantly summon the former queen of the valley.
Two dreadful weeks after her downfall had passed by, the sun seemed to have slowed his pace after the battle of the dark and light coloured females. The days seemed longer --no they definitely were. Or maybe they just felt that way because for the pale female each second was painful; and that wasn't only due to the several punctures the black bitch had drawn on her muzzle but because the jab that her heart had taken at the end of their encounter.
She had failed Jinx, Lecter and every single member of the Ouroboros. And while Cara was not one to sulk over mistakes, she had been spending the majority of those eternal days lying on her side, hoping for the same disease that had consumed her idol to rot her insides.
The frost princess had been requested her executioner to end her life or to give her a free pass to leave with her tail tucked between her legs; and though her life had been spared she had not retired with her tail clutched under her thighs. She had retired to a point where no Spine wolf frecuented, and asked her loyal brown warrior to keep everyone away. It had been a difficult request.
Still she found it a million times harder to let the wolves she had pledged to lead to see her broken body and her bruised spirit. Cara had begun to heal over the neverending days, though it was hard to leave the wounds alone, more often than not she found herself scratching ardously at her face, only to get the pink flesh on the wounds to spill blood again. She had been actually trying to stop a little spurge of blood at the time Ptarmigan requested her presence.
The pale girl, groaned and for a second considered to ignore the call and continue with her rotting process but something inside her caused her to move forth. She walked slowly to the place the new Alpha was in, her eyes didn't meet the femme's but they flickered coldly over the other's body. "Yes?", she barked with a flat tone, while pricking her ears towards her.
Cara was prompt enough that Ptarmigan didn't begin to feel slighted, not that she would have anyway. She was somewhat laid-back in that regard. Still, she stared directly into the other's face, noting the smear of blood where an errant paw had picked open a scab. She had many of those, herself, though they were more easily hidden in the tangles of her black coat.
“So you are still here,” she noted, watching Cara carefully from where she stood in the river. “Good. I have need of you. The wolves here trust you, and I need them to trust me, too. To do that, they must see you lead.” Not as Alpha, though, not so long as Ptarmigan lived. “So you will be my Beta female, alongside this pack's current Beta male.”
There was no way she could deny that the though of leaving had crossed her mind. It wouldn't be something she'd have prided herself with but it had been a temtping option when the darkest shadows tangled with her fur as she coiled up to await a death that never came. She had thought about walking out on them, but hadn't even thought ahead of what she'd do if she decided to go. The route and destination she would've taken was unknown.
Then she had discarded that thought and settled to stay. Not because she wanted to serve Ptarmigan or because she feared roaming alone. She had decided to stick around because no matter how hurt or fucked up her life was, she felt her heart was anchored to the Ouroboros.
"I'll stay" she barked coldly, unless Ptarmigan wanted to engage in another battle to try to drive her away, the pale yearling would stay put. When the femme announced she had a task or use for her, Cara struggled to keep her lip from springing back into a snarl. She wasn't anyone's toy.
Words of opposition bubbled in her mouth as Ptarmigan spoke of said task. When it was finally explained, Cara's eyes narrowed in surprise and mistrust as she was offered a spot on the leading tier. She wasn't sure if it was a cruel trap or if the black bitch actually meant her words.
"Trust isn't something you can just fetch out of someone" she barked while thinking of all the followers and friends she had in the ranks. Would they accept the ursurper as her leader or would they keep their hearts loyal to Cara?
"I accept being Beta, because I love this pack, not for you", she clarified, feeling a sour taste in her tongue after the words were launched. She'll go as far as being her colleage. Friendship was earned.
“In any case, it's not for me,” she went on to say dismissively, as though she hadn't just told Cara she required her here, “but for the pack. Believe what you will, but it was not my intention coming in here to mess the whole pack up.” Admittedly, she had very few selfless concerns when it came to the pack, and fewer plans—she had impulsively taken an opportunity that came her way and had no idea what to do with it, nor why she'd wanted it in the first place—and so it was mostly bullshit, but she had to work the Beta somehow.
“If the Alpha stands alone against the ire of the pack, the whole pack suffers. Sheep need a shepherd, and shepherds need a cane.” Or, more specifically, Ptarmigan needed to coax the pack to her with honey, and Cara was her form of honey, whether or not the yearling wanted to be or complied.
At the black female's contradicting words, Cara's brows raised into an 'are you kidding' grimace. If what Ptarmigan had in mind was for Cara to go around the pack telling everyone how great she was and promoting her campaign she was very wrong. As the former leader and one of the founding members she had many influences and strings tied around the others minds; she knew that and apparently Ptarmigan had discovered it too. She would not divulge any nasty gossip about her but she wouldn't sugarcoat her words to make the pack adore her.
She'd act as the support she would need to lead the pack, she'd be the column under her to prevent her empire from crumbling but she would not built her a statue and a shrine. "I don't give excuses", she barked, still keeping her stance relaxed and unthreatening.
The frost colored ears of the girl flicked back occasionally as the new Alphess spoke, though they stood on end as she commented lightly that her intention had never been to break the Spine. Cara had to bite her tongue to repress a loud scoff from spilling from her chest, well you actually did mess it up --BIG TIME, she thought as she swallowed the sour words that would remain unsaid.
Then as she explained the whole sheep-sheperd-cane analogy, the yealing waved her tail back and forth in an indifferent manner, "I'll be your cane, but if you want to symphatize with them you'll have to do it yourself", she barked.That's what she had done when she had recieved the crown; she had mended and strenghtened her relationship with the subordinates.
No one had done it for her and no one would do it for Ptarmigan either.
“I think you're missing the point,” Ptarmigan said with a shrug, “but I can't explain much to walls.” The Endore was not above insulting another's intelligence if they failed to grasp a concept on the first go, as she believed Cara had. It was only one of her many unsavoury characteristics. As she implied, she had no intentions of trying to further clarify the point of making Cara the Beta of this pack. She thought it was obvious, though it was far from it.
Of course, the way she saw it, the wolves of the pack followed Cara, and Cara followed her. There was no question of the other female's obedience, if only because Ptarmigan had bested her in combat, and would happily do it again if the Beta refused to submit.
The yearling stared at the Alpha blankly, while Ptarmigan had the advantage of being older(and supposedly more experienced & wiser) Cara understood the importance of having a good and trusting relation with the subordinates. She wanted to oppose to the black female's affirmation that symphaty wasn't needed to be a good ruler, but she remained quiet.
If she wanted to be a hated dictator then so be it..
Her next affirmation, however, did earn a frown and a flare of the ex-Alpha's nostrils, she didn't find as amusing as the dark coated girl did to throw insults around, that's was what their fight had been for. And even if Ptarmigan had risen as the uktimate winner all she was doing with her subtle insults was to show how amateurish she was at the whole ruler deal. Cara had been so too when she first recieved the title but at leats she had been smart enough to make peace with her subordinates and win them over.
All Ptarmigan kept doing was losing.
"I agree with that..", she barked back. She didn't know how else to explain to the female that she actually needed to be liked by her subordinates to keep the pack stable; if not everyone would just pack their bags and leave her standing in her empty sovereignty.
Did she need clay figurines to get it?
"Is there anything else, something actually feasible I can do to help get the pack settled? she barked not even pointing her ears in the Alphess' direction.
They were at a sort of impasse, for although Cara's words suggested she was coming around, there was tension present that suggested otherwise. The Alpha bitch didn't goad any further, if only because she was growing tired of the other female's presence and wanted nothing more than to be alone once more. She only really tuned back in to their conversation or whatever it was when Cara asked a question, one which Ptarmigan, for all her ego, didn't know the answer to.
“You know this place better than I do right now,” she said heatedly, “and presumed to lead it like you somehow deserved it. You should know what needs doing most.” Admittedly, Ptarmigan should know what was needed as well, but she was an amateur, not that she would admit that to Cara. Right or wrong, Ptarmigan wasn't interesting in delegating... Or, as she saw it, babysitting. In her eyes, Cara was but a child who, for all her supposed grandeur (though she was assuming things there), wouldn't have lasted more than a few days in leadership of the pack she was supposed to know very well.
Ptarmigan was unlikely to last more than a month in the position if she didn't smarten up, herself, but she didn't acknowledge that.
With her ears swiveling on her head like radars, she awaited the female's answer --which wasn't very satisfying or specific. When she had been Alpha she had been very clear of what she wanted and what she did not, but that had been also because she had had the best right hand one could ask for. While some considered her relationship with the brown assassin abusive, she was glad to have him as her loyal supporter and greatest fan.
And though Ptarmigan had been escorted by two men when she first arrived, they were nowhere to be seen --and in Cara's opinion they weren't even cute.
Once the female had silently placed an endpoint to their already dull conversation, Cara dipped her nose as goodbye and between drowned murmures trotted away to find Kaname or Mordecai so she could be sure that the borders were being tended and that enough prey was being caught.