Blacktail Deer Plateau make the dead come back to witness

for @Dante and @Junior! dante to post first plz <3

edit: tagging in @Blue Willow since she is a leader and an involved party as well

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lasher had heard of junior's actions against finley; he had learned when he had returned to bring the healing redhawk wolf sustenance. while he too was angered by the girl's thoughtless actions, he bore her affection — she had suffered much due to her father's decisions. he feared dante's retribution, however. the gunmetal wolf was a logical, gentle sort, but even he possessed a point of breakage.

knowing that dante was surely appraised of the situation, the gamma waited alongside the den, nares flared for junior's scent. she was close, but his eyes did not behold her. heart thudding as a caged bird, he awaited the sterling alpha.

Dante had been equal parts angered and disturbed to hear what Junior had done. He had known her to be vindictive, but to go so far as to push an injured wolf out on her own? The act reminded him a bit too much of his previous home, and it was with this disturbing notion that he approached where Lasher waited.

He didn't know what he was going to say to her. Had no clue. He was aware she was still ill, and he did not want to push her more with the problems caused by her father. But neither could he let this action stand, for it was behavior that was somewhat abhorrent and he had expected more of her. When he saw Lasher, he nodded in greeting, but said nothing. His mind was turning too much to interrupt.

Junior heard and smelled the wolves gathering outside the den. She swallowed apprehensively but bit the bullet, stepping into the open air. Her eyes flicked from Lasher to Dante before she dropped her gaze and moved nearer to them, head held low beneath bony shoulders and tail dangling limply behind bony hips. She took a seat perhaps five feet from the Alpha male to await her judgment and punishment, absently placing one foreleg behind the other to lessen visibility of their mutilated state.

There were a million things she could say to make her case, yet she bit down on her tongue. Speaking out of turn would likely just dig her a deeper grave. She was ready to accept her punishment but she didn't want to make it worse. Junior would say her piece after giving Dante his rightful opportunity to speak first.

hop in anytime, danni <3

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the silver man appeared, and lasher returned his gesture. he seemed collected, but the gamma could sense the emotions hidden by the impassive expression upon dante's handsome visage. no wors issued from him, however; it was the alpha's right to speak first in such situations.

junior emerged from the den then, and the sight of her pitiful, forlorn frame caused taltos' throat to tighten with sorrow. murkwater eyes did not betray his own thoughts upon the matter; the man's gaze turned to steel as he regarded the girl.

Blue Willow wasn't certain what to say anyway. She had already said her piece, it was with exhaustion present on her face, that she came forth and sat a little ways away. She merely watched for now, not wishing to say anything really. She kept her tail tightly curled around her paws and she waited.

The pitiful way in which Junior presented herself, wreaked havoc on the beta's already hormonal self and she wasn't quite sure how to take it. She was finding all this new and the feelings that were invoked brightly more so than other's surprised her daily.

referencing meeting things that haven't actually happened! XD

Junior arrived in silence, trepidation clear with every movement. If he had been in a position where he could, Dante might have slunk in as well. He was not looking forward to this and was completely at a loss as to how he was going to handle it. How did one punish another? Well, outside of the methods he had seen in practice in his younger days? Those were hardly something he wanted to revert back to. He needed somehow to convince Junior that what she had done could never occur again.

First, though, he meant to hear why in her own words. "Junior. What in Jupiter's name possessed you to throw Finley out? Did you hear anything I said at the meeting? Did I not make it clear that they are not our enemies?" There was an edge of ice to his tone that revealed evident displeasure, but his voice was kept level.

Same here, lol. I can go back and tweak if necessary.

Dante's tone stung her, more than if he was just her Alpha. Because she also had a crush on him. Junior swallowed, wondering if her feelings would survive this. Surely Dante would never consider returning her feelings after this, though she had long since accepted the fact that he never would. She was rather homely, after all, and surely he wanted the whole package: a lovely wife, beautiful kids and a white picket fence.

"A rose is still a rose by any other name," she replied, keeping her eyes downcast. "Any wolf that isn't part of our pack is our rival. It's the law of nature. Even my dad would have agreed, once. The plateau definitely isn't our friend, right? You said so yourself. I just did the dirty work that you and Blue Willow were too nice to do yourselves." All of this she'd already said to the Healer, who had surely already passed it on to the Alpha male.

But she had come up with more points to support her argument since then. Although it made Junior flush to admit it, she wielded what she considered her most powerful weapon. "I'm sick, Dante. I hurt myself because I saw my dad making nice with a wolf from here." Junior swallowed the lump in her throat, then clarified, "I sliced open my own legs."

"Then I got an infection," she continued hastily, not wanting to linger on that part. "I need Blue Willow's resources. She's a great Healer but she's not Wonder Woman. She had to divide her attention and her medications. That's wrong. Dad should be the one taking care of his pack mate, not us. It wasn't fair to have to share my pack's medic with a rival.

And I didn't hurt Finley. I just made her leave and go home. Let her pack take care of her. We owe her—and them—nothing. Not our friendship, not our resources, nothing," she finished, shifting her weight and finally peeking upward, just for a second, then returning her mismatched gaze to her own front feet.

i..think? it's my turn *flails*

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dante's tone was frightening in its icy intensity; it was not a side of the man that lasher had before seen. junior's rejoinder was as chilling, though her eloquence brought a brief flare of pride to spice his soul. ears tipped back momentarily as the girl spoke of a wolf with whom peregrine had made amends; he thought immediately of himself, and guilt overwhelmed him as she revealed the source behind her lacerations.

yet he said nothing, intending to hear what dante would say before he put himself forth.

As Junior uttered words, it cut Blue a little deeper each time. She wanted to cry for the little maiden, but she daren't. For the girl needed to be reprimanded, it was only what was needed.

Junior made some valid points as well, even if Blue didn't entirely agree with them. She could not deny that they were valid and natural.

Junior made her case, in all honesty far more reasonably than he had expected. Her points were valid and not uncommon. While he could not attest to how stretched Blue had been trying to care for two patients, it was not unreasonable for Junior to expect more attention than a now-outsider. Some might see it a selfish view, as it likely was, but it was also her right.

What was not her right was to disregard both he and Blue Willow's word and taking matters into her own paws. And it was this that needed to be addressed. Her words were some that he had guessed at, but to hear it from her straight out... At least now he was certain he had made the right decision, even if it may have cost him Peregrine's friendship for good.

Much as he understood she wasn't in a good place, she needed to know why it was what she had done was wrong. It could not happen again, for the repercussions of this may spell hardship for the Plateau. "If you had these concerns, you should have come to Willow or I. By doing our 'dirty work' you have ensured that my and Willow's word means nothing. We could have sent her on her way with a proper escort. But to kick an injured wolf who was under our charge and who we were honorbound to care for out with no one? With all your travels you know as well as any how dangerous it is out there. Aside from morals, did you stop to think what may happen if she is injured along the way? Or, gods forbid, she didn't make it back? Peregrine would be at our door in an instant, and not in a friendly way." He sighed. He'd already done more than enough to ignite that spark. He hated to think what would happen if they fanned the flames further.

"You are right, as a pack we are not their sister nor their friend in any official capacity. But there are individuals among us who may not want to burn that bridge. And to perform such actions as you just did harms them just as much as Peregrine's presence here may harm you." He regarded her seriously, willing her to see the sense in his words. This last bit was more gently spoken. She was young still, driven by emotion and her own beliefs. She would make mistakes such as this one, and perhaps come to learn from them.

"No offense," Junior began when Dante finished, "but if I had thought coming to you two would have accomplished anything, I would have. I would've spoken up at the meeting. You two are too generous and honorable. You even used that word: 'honor-bound.' To be totally frank, I don't give a damn what happens to her. I don't get why any of you care either but that goes back to the part where you guys are nice—too nice. There shouldn't be any bridges to burn and that's what I don't get: you went way out of your comfort zone to tell dad to rightfully go fuck himself, yet you're still worried about our reputation with him. Why does it matter?"

She paused before continuing. "Anyway, are you really afraid of my dad? Do you really think he'll come here? Do you really think he thinks we're obligated to look after Finley at this point? Don't you think he's probably going to be relieved after what you told him? He was probably wondering whether you were going to hold her hostage or something.

But now everybody is where they're supposed to be. Dad has Fox and Finley, the only wolves he cares about anymore, and now we can go no contact like we should. I feel the ends justify the means," the youth finished on a slightly bitter note, standing her ground, even though she knew it would likely end in rebuke. "I realize I undermined you, though, and pissed you off... so I'm ready to accept punishment for that." To complement her words, the youth not only prostrated herself but rolled onto her back to show complete and utter submission.

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while junior submitted readily to her punishment, lasher did not care for her all-knowing tone. dante and blue willow knew what the plateau throve upon, and it was not unkindness, nor dramatics. he bit back a growl of warning, however; though his hackles rose, and his eyes flared at her criticism.

yet the moment passed as readily as it had arrived. whether or not she cared for the idea, junior was firmly peregrine's daughter in this moment: fierce, sarcastic, intractable. the man sighed quietly, seeking blue willow's eyes.

Blue Willow's eyes flashed at the rather misspoken words that hopped off of a tongue hot with something akin to contempt. She shifted and a small noise came from her maw, not quite a growl, but it was close. The way that Junior spoke to them, about them it was rather callous and she did not care for it.

She understood that she was a teenager and they had their own qualms, but she did not understand why she had such a clear issue with authority. and the bottom line was that she did, she really did. Blue stared at her for a moment, unsure whether or not to say something, but didn't. She realized this was for Dante to do, she need not undermine him.

Rather than having the effect he guessed that Junior wished her words to have, they only served to undo a lot of the good her previous ones had done in appeasing him. He could barely contain the rumbling growl from starting. He had so recently spoken with Peregrine and the conversation was still raw in his mind. If there could have been any other outcome he would have taken it, yet he had gritted his teeth and taken the fall, mostly for the sake of the young wolf seated before him. Not only that, but he had also required that others make sacrifices as well. To have Junior say that not only was this not enough, but that she didn't give a damn what the rest of the pack wanted so long as she got her way? For a moment he wanted nothing more than to grab her by the ruff and shake her, instinct seeing a direct challenge to his ability to lead in her words.

That was not the type of pack he wished to lead. He wanted his subordinates to feel comfortable bringing their doubts to him. And so she would not punish her for giving an opinion, as out of line as it may be. Only for taking action first. He did not know how much good it would do, but he hoped it would make her not proceed with such rash actions in the future.

"I do not fear Peregrine. But those who wish to continue having ties with him have that right just as much as you do severing them. You need to respect that." She could burn her bridges all she wanted, and Dante had surely burned all of his, but he would not allow her actions to force others to do the same.

Her punishment was a harder matter. "Your punishment will be more a probation. You will occupy the lowest status in the pack until Blue Willow and I deem you ready to move up." Though she was not yet an adult there was little else he could do aside from physically accosting her and that form of punishment would not be used lightly or on a wolf so obviously submitting. "If Lasher agrees, I am also assigning you to him. You must meet with him, talk with him. He can deem however often is necessary." Not a punishment so much as the help she had requested and needed. Dante was a counselor as well, but he did not want to narrow his focus so much when he had an entire pack to look out for. Besides, this conversation had revealed a side of Junior that Dante didn't much like, and he suddenly found it hard to be around her. He needed a little time to recover from the hurt the trip to the Caldera had left before he could discuss her father with Junior with a level mindset. He looked to Blue. "If you or Lasher have anything to add, feel free." And with that he turned, walking away for some much needed alone time.

Junior had really thought she was prepared to accept her punishment like the mature adult she wasn't. When Dante informed her of his decision, however, she felt heat creeping across her skin—a mixture of disbelief, anger and humiliation. As a juvenile, she was already at the bottom of the heap, yet she took Dante's words to mean that when she came of age several months from now, he would still hold this against her and refuse to let her earn her place in the ranks like her brother and sisters. Her first birthday would be filled with shame instead of celebration.

The Alpha turned to walk away. "What if I just... leave?!" she called at his back. Impulsively, she added, "I'm just gonna leave. Clearly I fucked up and that fuck-up will be held over my head for all time! Clearly you all hate me forever now and you'll never forgive me! Clearly I'm not wanted here anymore! Maybe I'll just go kill myself," she muttered a bit more softly. She stood hastily, tears blurring her eyes, and made to hustle away.

kat, this is assuming she would stop PM me if not!

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dante managed to compose himself, which lasher found admirable. junior's pain was evident, both in her physicality and her mental state, but the vague challenge of her words, now unfettered by fever, brought his own instinct surging to the fore.

at the mention of his name, the gamma moved to dante's side, a nod accompanying his words. he would open his time for the girl; taltos wanted nothing more than to remedy the agony of her heart, and he was almost certain that despite blue willow's obvious anger with her young charge, the healing den would remain an open place to the juvenile.

dante departed, and lasher cast a glance over one earthen shoulder before allowing the brief bit of irritation he had borne through the conversation appear. that is quite enough! the man growled into the chaos of junior's swearing, and his legs carried him quickly, for he intended to block her path and speak to her, even if she was not ready to see reason. stop, he ordered, hackles flaring and tail curled over his hips; he did not like to take this route, but he would tell her that which he had to say.

osprey junior, if you want to be treated as an adult and have your words taken into account, you are doing a poor job of showing such. his tone softened, as did his stance, and he sought her eyes with his own swampwater gaze. i, for one, do not hate you, and while i believe you are acting quite foolishly, i have forgiven you the transgression.

the gamma looked briefly to blue willow then, wondering if she would speak, and then he continued in much the same vein: i want you to remain here, at the plateau. this is your home, and it is where you belong. do not lacerate your body against the pain of your heart; speak with me. speak with willow. even dante, though he is angry with you, and you with him — even he would lend a gentle and understanding ear to your sorrow and your rage, junior.

Blue Willow stood to her paws after Lasher, allowing him to handle stopping her. For a brief moment Blue took pause as she watched Lasher handling Junior's attitude with ease. She realized he would really be an amazing father. She had already known he'd be a good one, but he had surpassed it to become amazing. She quickly shook her head, there was not time at the moment for such thoughts. The situation at hand needed taken care of.

Blue nodded in agreement and moved to also stand near the teenager. Lasher speaks the truth Junior. I will always be here for you to talk too, and my den is your's for however long you want it. However, you are acting rash and foolhardy, a good deal like Fox actually as unfortunate as that may sound. There is no need to harm yourself again, we are just trying to press upon you the seriousness of your actions. Your actions do not just affect you at this point, they affect us all. And it is because we love you that we are trying to show and teach you and help you heal.
The mention of fox was probably a bad idea, but she honestly didn't know how else to let the youth know she was acting badly.

I'm assuming Dante farted in her general direction still left.

Of course, they tried to stop her. When Lasher jumped into her path, effectively blocking her, her ears lay flat against her head. Before she could push past him, he lifted his tail. The youth's lip curled. She hunkered down accordingly, yet still attempted to slink past the ocher Gamma.

When he spoke again, more softly, she paused but didn't look at him, thus avoiding his gaze. She listened, jaws clenched, despite herself. She didn't move, even when Lasher finished and Blue Willow addressed her in turn. Junior didn't react at all until her aunt mentioned Fox, likening her to that home-wrecking bitch. The juvenile reacted as if struck with a whip, which chewed all the way down into the very marrow of her bones.

"I am not like Fox," she hissed, looking over her shoulder, eyes swimming with tears. Am I? Whirling suddenly to face them, she said, "You kill me then! If I'm really like her, put me down this very second! I would rather die than be like her!" Junior screamed, then broke down into a broken, sobbing, teenage mess.

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blue willow pointed out that junior and fox shared the same hotheaded disregard for others, and the girl reacted as he had expected. he did not like the talk of anyone slaying her, and was rather afraid that she would take her own life in a burning fit of rage and sorrow.

lowering himself to his belly, lasher prostrated his body alongside the weeping girl, ears slipping back to cup his skull; he gave a light press of his muzzle to her shoulder. no one is going to kill you. and you could never be like her. there is too much good in you, junior.

there are many who care very deeply for you here, tine beag, lasher murmured gently, glancing fondly at blue willow. we know you are hurting, and we understand why that has come to be. you need only open your heart, and the healing shall begin.

Blue sighed knowing full well that her words would be met with displeasure, this whole mothering thing. Yea she had a lot to learn, but she wasn't about ot not point out the obvious.

Blue sat down and spoke softly lasher is right Junior, you are not like her hardly ever. Just at that moment. Blue nodded along with his words and spoke softly You know when i was your age Junior. I almost ran away from my parents. I was so angry with them for making me travel all the time and for not allowing me to have any friends. My father didn't try and stop me, he just told me that I could do whatever I pleased, but he would never stop loving me, he would never stop looking for me and he would never protecting me. The same I say to you Junior. I will never stop loving you, or protecting you. And as hard as it may seem right now, it will get better and we will always protect you and I for one as will everyone else will not kill you or let you kill yourself. The world would be a dark place without you in it. We are here to help you get better. Blue grew quiet not really sure what else to say, this was a moment in time she wasn't sure how to handle. I know Junior that sometimes it seems as if the world is against you, unfortunately it is one of the many things to dislike about growing up.

These two are going to be great parents. <3

Their words of reassurance fell on deaf ears, though perhaps later, after she had calmed down and gotten over herself, she would remember. Certainly, when she grew up and looked back on this moment, she would recall how Lasher and Blue Willow had been there for her, very much her de facto parents in her greatest moment of grief.

Right now, she could only hear her own wretched sobs, the thunder of her own pulse in her ears, her ragged breathing and, of course, the sound of her own heart breaking. Not to mention the world's tiniest violin. Eventually, the sound of her paws scraping the earth joined the cacophony as she peeled herself off the forest floor and slumped away in the direction of the Healer's den, still lamenting with every step.

At first, she had every intention of actually going there too. However, when the youth arrived, she bypassed the medic's den and disappeared toward the less-populated rear of the territory, seeking a place where she could wallow and feel miserable and sorry for herself in solitude.

<3

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she did not answer, however, though he felt she had absorbed some of their words. sorrowful gaze followed her retreating form until it faded from sight, and at length he turned to look at his lover. a slight frown curved his lips, but soon his brow smoothed and he proffered blue willow a lick to the side of her neck.

you seem tired, he said softly, eyes falling to regard the curve of her belly. i will seek out junior later; for now, you should find sleep.

Blue's eyes too followed behind the child as she disappeared from view. The hurt on her face and in her body and shoulders was paramount. To say it didn't hurt the willow too, would be a lie. She accepted the lick and smiled softly Do you think she will be okay Lasher? I worry for her. She nodded in aggreement and made to follow behind the girl, wanting the comfort of her own den.

fading here <3

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he gave a gentle sigh. it will take time. her healing will not be immediate, but it will come. she is loved here. she will be well. bidding blue willow farewell with a kiss to her cheek, he watched her fondly tread in the direction of her den, then turned to seek out a temporary shelter of his own nearby.