The decision had been made in her mind, but Resin needed to make it known aloud. Breaking from a pack was a heavy thing, but she was confident that Sirius would understand her intent behind it. She was getting old. Her body was failing her from so many hard years of battle. The maned woman wanted to end her days in a place of calm serenity. A place of her own making. Ruling was how she had always lived. Never had she lived under the paw of another. It was time to make it so again. A long, low howl reverberated through the air, summoning Sirius to her side. They had a lot to discuss. There was her leaving. She had to barter for the wolves closest to her to accompany her. It was a lot to deal with. Already she was feeling tired. "Speech"

The Warlord heard the sound of Resin call for him. She was, and always would be, a part of his family. He would never hesitate to share his time with her. He gave a last, quick look past the border, frowning at the scent of coyotes. He could take out a team to deal with them later, if they were getting brazen once more. For now, his scent at the border would serve as a warning to them.

He fell into an easy lope, swallowing the ground beneath him as he found where Resin was waiting for him. He brushed towards her, kissing her cheek, and spreading the scent of pack onto her coat. As was his customary greeting these days. “Resin” he said in greeting/

Sirius soon arrived and gave her a kiss on the cheek much like Mort might. He said her name and she spoke his in return. A simple greeting. With one paw, she motioned for him to take a seat. Once he did so, she began to speak. "I believe my path is leading me away from the Armada." No doubt he would take that news well. She knew how possessive he was. It was obvious in everything he did. "Things are becoming cramped here and I've a mind to set up my own pack somewhere close." She had never been good at following orders and this was the first time that she'd allowed herself to be ruled over. It was surprising that she'd lasted this long. Staring off into the distance, one dark ear flicked. "I'm getting old and my times of war are drawing to an end. It would be nice to end my days in a place of healing to make up for all of the killing that I've done in my time." And there had been a lot of it. "There's a lovely set of hot springs nearby with warm, healing waters. It might be nice to soak my old bones whenever I feel the need. I may just claim them." With one dark brow raised, she cast him a sidelong glance. "What do you think?" If he was interested, she could delve into the intricacies of the group that she planned to form. For now, she would simply await his reaction. "Speech"

[/quote]

The Warlord was glad he was sitting, the words of the old, steady warrior surprised him. She had worked her way up through the Armada based on her merits alone. Did she really wish to leave? His frown grew as he considered all the complications. She was family, if she thought to take Io she would be in for a surprise. “Have you spoken to Io?” he asked softly, hiding his own hurt behind the words.

“You wish to create a pack of your own? What exactly are you asking me, Resin. Are you asking to split from the Armada and go your own way, or are you asking to extend the Armada. If your intention is to leave us… me. What do you intend to do to earn your freedom?” The words spilled out before he could think too heavily upon them. he come to rely on Resin. she was his.

She could see the warring emotions in his big blue eyes, but her expression didn't change. His first question was whether or not she had spoken with Iolaire. That was a little amusing. "No. I don't need to." Her daughter would understand her choice. Resin had come here at her behest. Besides, choosing to claim a nearby land, they could visit one another whenever they wished it.

Resin had hoped that he wouldn't be pig headed, but there it was. What did she intend to do to earn her freedom? The older woman gave the fanged brutes paw a pat with her own. "I intend for you to give it to me." She had beaten him in battle so she had proved that it could be done. Doing so again would not only be moot, but it would harden her against him. "I will not be extending the Armada. You are the Armada. I am not." She shrugged. "That's not to say that all in this pack won't be welcome there any time they wish. Our ideas of packs are simply on two opposite sides of the spectrum." She would break from war and create a place of healing. They could be openly affiliated if that was what he needed to hear, but she would not call herself or her pack a part of the Armada. If it had been her intent to simply be an arm of the Armada, there would have been no point in leaving.

That she did not think her daughter deserving of forewarning or input irked him a little, but he let it slide. As for earning her freedom - he could see how little she regarded his pack law there. He frowned harder. She knew how badly he needed to keep and protect those he allowed himself feeling over. He had done more than welcome her into his pack, he had welcomed her into his heart. Trusted her. As for winning in a fight… she was an old warrior, but she had disabilities, and he had advantages. He would place it a solid 60/50, in his favour. Not odds he normally liked, but the risk was higher in Resins’s court.

He let his breath out in a soft sigh. If it wasn’t Resin he wouldn’t even consider it. Her smug assurity bothered him, but in the grand scheme of things, she had pulled through when he needed her. “For all that you’ve done under the Armada, I will give you this right to leave unchallenged. You are first and foremost my friend, and as your pack finds its feet and grows, you can count on us for protection.” he said softly, eyes dropping as he tucked away the whirlwind of emotions this brought with him. He had already lost Deathbelle to his idiocy, lost Malalia to…. Who knew what. Now he was to lose Resin too? He would not admit how much this hurt him.

What he thought of as smugness, she thought of as confidence. Confidence in him and his ability to do the right thing. Just as he had kissed her cheek initially, the scarred woman kissed his own. "I won't be lost to you or anyone else here. If my help or my ear are needed, they will always be available to you." The woman narrowed her gaze slightly as she considered Sirius. "At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like you, you know. But you had won over Iolaire completely and so I gave you a chance. I'm glad that I did." Look at that. Emotion. Vulnerability. A rarity.

When his eyes dropped away, she actually felt bad. Extending her neck, the woman licked the top of the dire man's head much like a mother cleaning debris from the head of its pup. She placed her forehead against his own. This was the deepest gesture of affection that Resin had. "Thank you for understanding." Resin didn't want Sirius to feel bad. She wasn't leaving him or his, she was simply moving her den just a little further away.

She seemed to understand where he was coming from, pointing out that she would still be available to help. Admitting that allowing him in had been a good thing brought his eyes blinking back to hers in surprise. He hadn’t expected the statement, especially not here and now. She kissed his cheek, and groomed the top of his head. A place not many wolves could reach.

He let out a sad chuckle, and placed a paw about her, bringing her in closer, where he kissed the space between her eyes, and released her again. “You're a grouchy old woman.” He insulted her, “But I love you as a mother anyway” saying the words that had been passed unspoken between them for a while now. “It’s hard not to feel a certain measure of loss today, but I will do whatever I can to help you and yours grow, you deserve that. You’ve earned it.” and he wanted to give her what he could.

What Sirius may not have realized was just how similar the two of them were. Just as he was possessive, she was also. Throughout her lifetime, there had always been a select few that were considered 'mine.' Sirius had ended up in that group just as she had ended up in his. If things had been a little different with timing and had she not seen with her own eye the death of her son's, she might very well have believed that Sirius was once of her long lost children.

The man pulled her close and gave her another kiss. So much like Mort. He called her grouchy and she couldn't dispute that. "I'll be here for you until I'm not," she promised. Until she died, she would do everything that she could for her children. If Sirius saw her as a mother, then he was included in that grouping. It was the reason that she hadn't told Iolaire. She would be nearby. They would still see each other often. The small woman would understand.

Giving Sirius a pat on the paw, the grouchy woman continued. "There are others that I would like to take with me. Meadow, for one." Meadow was her sister and the reason was self explanatory. "Dunkan is another. The boy needs some work. I'm afraid if he keeps going down his current path, he's going to implode." She knew the dangers of holding back and Dunkan was holding a lot back. Resin released a sigh. "I haven't spoken with Tamsyn on the matter yet. Frankly, I'm worried that she'll turn down my offer." There it was though. Three wolves that she wished to take. There would be more room for the Armada to take in and train new warriors.

Just so long as others didn’t start thinking it would be so easy to leave. He owed Resin a great deal, and she had earned that right. As much as he did not want to let her go. Her absence was a hole in the Armada’s strength, as was Malalia’s.

“Meadow was always yours, I just borrowed her for a time” he agreed, through it had helped the Armada to have another healer. He saw Meadow as Resin’s other half, her sister. She had come here to be with Resin, and he couldn’t imagine she would have remained. Duncan surprised him, but after a brief moment, he nodded. The man was becoming a good warrior, but it was Resin that had put more time into his training then Sirius had. She would need some warriors initially, and he could part with the man. “Consider him yours - if he’s willing, of course”

Taking his General, especially so soon after losing his Reaper… that one didn’t sit well with him. That one he definitely should have seen coming, but still blindsided him. His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t want to start a fight with Resin now. “I will speak with Tamsyn as well.” in Mal’s absence, he had leaned heavily on Tam’s support. He was afraid he might stumble at the sudden loss of her and Resin at the same time.

Sirius agreed on Meadow and Dunkan and the scarred woman nodded. He was more apprehensive when it came to Tamsyn. She could understand the reason for being tentative, but in the end, he'd be splitting them apart. Already she knew that Tam wanted to be by her side. It would open spaces for up and coming wolves to shine and climb the rank ladder.

Since they were already here, Resin called for Meadow and Dunkan. She could give them the news and they could take their leave formally. All of that pack nonsense out of the way in on fel swoop. The sooner she could get on with forging her own way, the better. There were so many ideas that came and went, but one basic idea that remained. Her pack would be about healing and trust. Perhaps it would attract the old and dying; give them a safe place to end their days. Time would tell.

Meadow is tending Indigo’s garden when she hears Resin’s call. Ears perk and moves to quickly wash her paws off and gather her bag. Once she is presentable and her bag is firmly in place, the small healer takes off. Quickly, she makes her way to the meeting spot, guessing what the call is about. Resin had talked to her of her intentions, about a new pack and Meadow had listened with wide eyes and eager ears. She supports her sister with all her heart and it was agreed that she would follow. Paws are swift and she arrives hastily to see Resin and Sirius. With a respectful bow of her head to Sirius, Meadow moves to her sister’s side and sits. She waits to hear what they have to say.


"Speech!"

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