Valentine sighed, his eyes pinching shut in exasperation. He could feel a headache coming on. "For the last time," he ground out. "That's not how packs work."

Lefty, the instigator of the headache in progress, shrugged her narrowed shoulders and picked at her nails. "All I'm saying is that you don't see a group of skunks marching around in a big circle peeing on things. They don't run around barkin' and yappin' their fool heads off. Or roll in dead things." She shuddered as though she couldn't imagine anything more disgusting.

"No," he snarked back. "Why would they when they already stink worse than a thousand dead things?"

"Oh, please. A thousand dead things?"

Valentine caved. "No, you're right." There was a pause. "It's more like...something crawled up your ass and died. Putrefied. Fermented. And occasionally get squirted out when you're feeling particularly pissy."

Lefty fluffed up her fur and beamed up at him, clearly not taking the bait just to piss him off. "My dear you say the best things. Now, we were talking about how stupid wolf packs were...oh where were we? Let's see...you were going to tell me about other stupid wolf rituals and why doing so many stupid things makes you..." She narrowed her eyes at him and then quirked a brow. She firmly believed she was setting him up for failure. "Better somehow."

WC: 223

you see i just don't wanna do Left to her own devices, Theory happily wandered the festival grounds. Alouette soared above her, scouting the grounds but generally trying to keep out of her way. The raven knew it was important to the young pup to attend this event "on her own," whatever that meant. Keeping a beady eye on her friend, Lou alighted in a nearby tree. If only her own siblings were around for companionship, but Edgar and Summer were nowhere to be seen. Preening absently, she tucked her beak beneath a wing for a quick nap. Theory was smiling eagerly at the adults that passed her by, a loose wag in her tail. Many who were familiar with Abaven gave her a curt nod - she was unmistakably Rhyme's daughter, and not everyone approved of the fact. More over, she was such a spitting image of her father that she could have been mistaken for one of Poem or Motif's littermates. With the doubtful shade of possible incest thrown over her identity, some wolves kept a bit of a wider berth than she was used to. While this was confusing, she didn't dwell on it - for every strange, sour face, there were plenty more open smiles to greet her. She stumbled upon a strange conversation between an elderly wolf and his companion, a... skunk? Theory took a step back immediately, gasping in surprise, then shutting her mouth quickly. Hopefully she hadn't surprised the skunk, or they'd all be in for a terribly eye-watering experience. They seemed to be discussing pack dynamics, something that Theory was training in closely with Shaye. Tilting her head to the side, Theory barked sharply. "Hey! Packs aren't stupid. They're all about supporting each other, and making sure everyone is taken care of!" Shaye's recent reassurances of the pregnant wolves in Abaven being well taken care of echoed in her mind. Turning to Valentine for back-up, she was taken aback by the telltale Imperialis dots beneath his eyes. Stunned speechless, Theory simply stood and waited for the skunk or other wolf to respond while her mind raced. wc 348 cumulative wc 572 "theory speaks!" the things that you want me to

Valentine pressed a paw against his temple and closed his eyes in exasperation. It was then that a small voice piped up. The old king nodded, his eyes opening to annoyed slits and his gaze darting over to Lefty. "See," he said gruffly, arrogantly, his gaze riveted on his annoying little "companion" (something he refused to call her and something she loudly proclaimed whenever the opportunity arose). "The kid gets it. More or less." Finally he glanced at Theory. His gaze darted back to Lefty but then the girl's appearance registered and his eyes boomeranged back to Theory.

No doubt she was one of Rhyme's. She looked like him. Dark of coat and with the disappointing mix of under eye markings that spoke of Destruction blood. He was surprised she was so big. In his mind's eye Rhyme's kids were stuck as newborns since that was the last time he'd thought of them heavily. Only once had he scented them and that was when Tyrian had taken a tumble in the river and been rescued by Rhyme and company. Still, even with Tyrian's happy babbling about them, it hadn't registered with Valentine that Rhyme's kids were about the same age and thus the same size as his youngest litter. He'd been too busy being relieved his adventurous son was alright.

Valentine jerked his head towards Lefty and explained to Theory, "This little pain in the ass, though she lives in pack land, doesn't see how wolves are stronger because they live and work together. I say strong wolves make a strong pack and that enables them to do things solitary animals could never dream of."

Lefty, probably more interested in irking Valentine than actually have a spirited debate and/or changing anyone's mind, rolled her eyes and picked at her nails before shrugging and saying, "And what do you lose, hm? Freedom certainly. And you might get stuck with wolves you hate. Or useless ones who leave all the work for you."

"I will grant you," he said sourly, "That packs are limited to a range, but when was the last time you went anywhere, hm, on those stumpy legs of yours? How much do you really roam? And yes, you might be limited in the things you can and can't do, but that's why you should pick a pack - or make one - that shares your ideals."

He sniffed, then said, "As for useless ones, in my pack if you couldn't pull your weight," Or do something that pleased Valentine enough to foot the bill, "You were out on your ass."

WC: 427
TWC: 999

you see i just don't wanna do The kid. Theory was little disappointed at the moniker, but she tried not to let it show. She had ran off coyotes, deal with the aftermath of the Abaven fire, her mother had died... but she was still just 'the kid.' It was disheartening, but she supposed that this stranger didn't know her at all. If he did, maybe he'd even be impressed. He observed her with a considered gaze, as if passing some invisible judgment. Theory raised her head a little, pricking her ears forward and returning his look with her own challenging gaze. "It's true," she agreed with Valentine. The strength of a pack was a terrible thing to underestimate. By studying closely with Shaye, she was learning more and more every day about the dynamics of wolves outside of Abaven. Not every pack had the same structure, even if she preferred her homeland's welcoming attitude and willingness to offer shelter to those who sought it. There were some who used their strength as a brutal tool to subjugate their enemies. "Abaven overcame a terrible fire that ravaged our thicket... but new growth has already begun to show, thanks to the efforts of the entire pack. No single creature could do that!" She said in defiance of the skunk's opinion. "What's wandering around when you can have a safe place to return to every night?" She countered, her brow furrowed. Whereas Lefty was clearly enjoying being a contrarian, Theory hadn't quite caught on yet. The girl was honest to a fault; she didn't see much of a reason to disagree just for the sake of the argument. "Exactly!" Theo agreed emphatically with Valentine's second statement - when a pack was united under their ideals, they were unstoppable. A sinister thought lurked at the back of her mind: not all packs had noble intentions. What of the packs that sought death and destruction? She folded her ears as Valentine mentioned being "useless." Abaven was filled with wolves that many might not deem useful, but they were still valued members of the pack. It was true that they did not always do their share of chores, be it patrolling or hunting, but did that make them valueless? Theo didn't like to think so. "And what pack is that?" She asked delicately. There were those god-touched wolves to the south... but he didn't seem like a zealot, although perhaps that was a shortsighted observation. Zealots could come in all shapes and sizes. Maybe that skunk believed itself a god? wc 419 cumulative wc 1418 "theory speaks!" the things that you want me to

Valentine listened without comment as the girl extolled the virtues of a wolf pack. She was speaking of Abaven and while he still thought the pack a den of melodramatic bleeding hearts, this conversation was about proving Lefty wrong and not about mocking a low quality pack.

Lefty, 100% still enjoying this even though it was now two to one, rolled her eyes and said, “Skunks have regular dens too, you know. But we can pick up and move whenever we like. If my range caught on fire I wouldn’t have bothered with rebuilding and all that garbage. Just moved somewhere less toasted and let mother nature fix the mess she made.”

On this point Valentine was conflicted on who he sided with. On the one hand it made the most sense to accept one’s losses, cut ties and move someplace where life wasn’t a struggle. On the other he was awfully attached to Imperium’s old lands and he couldn’t picture himself leaving them. If he were alone he would likely choose to accept the hardship and stay, but if he were still an alpha he would have had to make the decision to leave for the good of his people.

Valentine said, “The pack I speak of, my pack, was called Imperium although I suppose my son has similar ideas. I live in his pack now. Legion, in the south.” Oh how he longed for days past. When his older litters were young, and Imperium was in its hay day. He’d surrounded himself with so many good wolves. Friends, allies, lovers. They’d been so strong; a force to be reckoned with.