A Leader's Questions...

Talon stepped forward once again, a question she could answer confidently, "I was chased from my birth pack. Females weren't treated very well there. I was on my own for a time, until Heart of Doe, my mate, charmed her way into my cave. We decided to make two turn into three taking on our now-retired stud, Deadwood in Stream." Talon gazed behind her, where her mate sat patiently waiting for her. Her eyes sparkled with admiration, "I don't know why she chose me. But Deadwood came to us weak and feeble. He proved his worth and his subordinate role many times over. Albeit, his intentions were selfish--he wanted the security of a pack. The only way he was going to get that was by following Heart's lead, and Heart followed my lead, despite my disapproval."

 She turned to the next leader awaiting to answer a question, "How many pups have you sired yourself, or birthed yourself?"

Rain could answer this easily. "I'm not sure of the exact number, but I currently have three living children, my two daughters and my son. My youngest daughter is currently an adolescent, but both Ayri and Arlo are proving to be wonderful and capable young adults." She shifted slightly, and flicked her tail. "I'm currently pregnant, hoping at least one will survive this time around." There was a hint of grief in her voice, but also frustration. Seems even the pups of the leader weren't safe from judgement by the Soul Callers' code. 

Rain tipped her head, and glanced around briefly before focusing on one wolf. "How are mates governed in your pack? Are they strictly for breeding? Can they choose who to love? Any gender restrictions?" The shewolf wanted to know how many wolves here were strict about love, to gauge if she should respect them or not. 

It was an interesting question, one he didn't mind. Scathos glanced back towards where his pack lay. "Mating pairs are strictly governed in the pack. Those with the chance of passing on better skills, coats, or markings are encouraged to take a mate. Male and female's who don't produce a litter with at least one satisfactory pup, aren't allowed to breed again and one or both may be chaced out of the pack." He paused, " Etia, Eohr, and Caglena are in charge of the pairings. Caglena and Eohr decide how two wolves come together, while Etia and Eohr decide how they split. Regardless of rank, or gender."

Yellow eyes snapped to another wolf, as he spoke once more," What is the worst thing that's ever happened in your pack?" Scathos figured that each leader here was around for one reason or another. While he wanted to make allies, he tended to prefer to know all the dark and dirty parts of a pack, equally if not more than the good and nice parts. It was also nice to know about any sore spots and land mines, so one could avoid them, or apply pressure when needed.

Talon's sharp gaze slackened. She preferred not to talk about the several wolves that have betrayed her, but Heart encouraged her to come here to try and at least find out about the other packs. This was a rare occasion since so many other packs lived elsewhere than the desert. Her pack was isolated, and for good reason, too. Her wolves were with her to seek refuge, even if some of the rules or stipulations seemed... cruel. "My most trusted pack member, Wet Rock in Stream, lost her mate. Not to death, but to something much worse--desertion. She didn't believe in what our pack was doing and ran away with two loners when we lived in the Deciduous Forest up north." She hung her head low, she liked Sunshine in the Summer. She couldn't imagine the hurt that Rock at felt when she woke up one morning to her packmate and first love gone. 

Talon shifted uneasily, she didn't like sharing vulnerabilities, but she knew Heart felt relieved that Talon had shown weakness in front of others. "What do you want the future to hold for your pack?"

Nyx hums softly at Talon's reply; while not one soul in her own pack had dared to abandon their new family, a couple of difficult hunters were chased away due to their lack of discipline. But she does not want to refer to it as 'desertion'; it was more akin to a difference in loyalties. With a faint dip of her head, she offers a quick, flitting smile to the other she-wolf; it is never easy to share vulnerabilities with those who may turn out to be enemies in the near future. The question which leaves Talon's jaw is hopeful, yet one that Nyx meets with seriosity. "Survival," the word rolls off of her tongue easily as she huffs in response; all Alphas should yearn for their pack's longevity. "I do not want for my hunters to die or walk their separate ways after I am gone. I want my children to grow up and create their own families in the lands I have secured for them. I yearn for their happiness and prosperity," perhaps, it is just her own wishful thinking. Yet, she cannot help the smile that crawls onto her muzzle as she scoffs at her own softness. Despite everything, she has come to love her family of rascals.

Olive eyes rise to evaluate the wolves gathered in the clearing, the gears whirring quietly inside her head as Nyx thinks of what she could find out from them. Many questions have already been asked, but she knows there are many more to come. The one which leaves her throat is one that hits close to her own heart. "If someone from the pack chose to challenge you for leadership... how would you deal with them if you won? And would you leave with dignity if victory was not yours?" She knows the answer for herself, but Nyx's pack is not a conventional one. They abide by different rules and thus, she cannot help her curiosity.

Rain was taken a bit aback by the question, the gray shewolf took a moment to think. She hadn't even considered the possibility before. "I'm not entirely sure, I've never thought of that before.." Most of the pack she considered to be like her children. "The only wolf I could even think would attempt that is Elaphus. I suppose I would be forced to fight her. If I won, I would likely either punish her, or chase her off. The code may be cruel, but my own morals would prevent me from taking her life. If I lost, well.. I suppose that would be the end of me, mentally if I was spared, physically otherwise." It seems she already had some doubts about her own daughter. The shewolf didn't want to continue thinking about the possibility, it frightened and disturbed her beyond measure, which was clear by her shaking voice. 

Rain cleared her throat and turned to another wolf, she was going to change the topic, but decided otherwise. "What conditions would drive you to take the life of one of your own? Your children, your mate, your most trusted packmates?" It seemed rather dark, but she had clearly been inspired by the other shewolf. 

His ears perked up at Rain's question and frowned. Silently deciding that he might at well put himself out there, he stepped forward, face blanking. "A number of months ago, we had such a situation. Skuma, who was one of our scouts, attempted to kill one of my younger daughters. Another one of the pupsitters took the death blow for her. Skuma... " He paused, tail lashing with agitation. " was mad, though she hid it well. She had intended to kill the pups and then somehow, get me to exile my mate, and become the new queen." He turned his gaze up, eyes flickering from one wolf to the next. " We tore her apart." As he stepped back, he huffed, "We lost two lives that day, the pupsitter and Skuma."

Though his eyes were still dark, he cleared his throat and turned to another wolf. "What do you look for in an heir? Perhaps their personality, or appearance, possibly skill? Bloodline?" It was telling how one chose an heir. 

Blossoming Flower was gazing up at the sky before she heard the latest question. Autumn leaves blowing and shooting stars sprinting across the sky, it seemed like the perfect night. Once she had finally acknowledged it, she thought hard about it. Her pack was still very new, and they hadn't been looking for an heir. Other than Magnolia, there wasn't a possibility.

"We don't look for much. Appearance is a big factor, though. Of course, with all the packs in the woodland, we look for high skilled wolves as an heir." She paused, wondering what to say. "My mate and I have been keeping our eye on one of our youngsters, Magnolia. She's been impressive in the strength category, and we both think that she has strong leadership skills."

She was so interested in the night sky, she almost forgot to ask a question. "Has there been any problems with any other packs?"

Talon was fascinated by the she-wolfs ability for constant distraction. How could any wolf lead if they weren’t constantly vigilant or calculating? Perhaps the innocence was just an act? Who knew. Talon was here on Heart’s requests and to find out about each of the surrounding neighbors, not to speculate on each wolf’s personality. Take them at face value. 

Talon spoke again, this time with great ease and more confidence. She would not be taken for a weak leader, “I wouldn’t say a pack of wolves.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. The loss of her second daughter, Lone Feather on Path still bothered her.

“My second daughter was killed by coyotes when her and her surviving littermate, King Salmon of River, wandered to the neighboring coniferous forest when we lived in the deciduous forest. Salmon returned alone and reported Feather had been killed.”

She briefly held eye contact with Heart for additional support to continue. “Then weeks later Sunshine’s desertion occurred, but that was a band of loners. They didn’t take on pack dynamic as we understand it.” She paused briefly, guarded, untrusting of the other wolves, “That’s why I made my pack move to the desert. More isolation, less interference, better health for our elders.”

Her gaze was menacing as she observed each leader within  the circle. She calculated who was a risk, who should be watched, who shouldn’t be trusted. She made plenty of eye contact with many of the leaders, gaining some low growls from some, whimpers from others, but she looked away from all of them first. Don’t want any hackles raising unnecessarily. “Why are you settled where you are now?” Vague enough to look innocent, specific enough to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of other packs. What they could or couldn’t handle. In that regard, Talon’s weakness was other pack’s mindsets and ideals influencing her pack members. Isolation was her strength, ensuring exposure to outside influence was scarce.

Rain watched in silence for a moment, observing the shewolf's tense behaviour. She figured the other leader must be paranoid, always on guard, constantly glancing around. She thought over Talon's question for a moment. "Fairly simple, it was where we figured suited us best. I come from a grassland, and Crystal comes from a forest, so the mountains were new territory for the both of us. Though we thought it would be a good vantage point, good for observation, hard for others to attack due to the shear cliffs." The shewolf glanced back at her mate for a moment. "We reside high up in the peaks, but our territory covers both the peaks and the lowlands, plenty of hunting opportunity." Her motives were clear, making sure her pack was safe and would survive. Safe from starvation, but more importantly, from enemy attack. 

Rain raised her head, her ears perked and alert. "We all picked our homes for one reason or another, but what caveats, unexpected dangers, do you deal with because of your chosen location?" She was curious, would any wolf admit the dangers residing in their own territory? Or would they lie to save face?