At last, she was free. Although she would have preferred to fight the albino cunt after all that training and prepping she had done, alas. She was free. She didn't have to live under Habari's thumb anymore, and this newfound feeling she had was something she couldn't quite place. She was happy, yes. But she felt like something didn't quite feel right. She felt like something was missing and she couldn't quite place it. Did she want to go and fuck up Recluse? Absolutely. Did she want revenge? Well of course. Did she know how to do that? Eeehhh not really. Not without marching right back up to Habari's doorstep and demanding a fight. But then what would happen? They'd probably try to reclaim her again or something, she wasn't sure. She was more irritated about the lies that Recluse tried to preach, tried to lie about Medusa, and tried to act like Medusa hadn't been the one doing literally fucking everything in the pack. She worked hard. She deserved her trips across the border. Recluse had never mentioned a single thing about her being able to get out of the rank she was in if she had wanted to, so that was another damn lie. But, what could you do? Filthy rats couldn't be trusted. And that was Recluse and her gang of brats. She giggled at the thought. Recluse was more like a rat the more she thought about it...popping out baby after baby. That's all she was good for, honestly. Slinking around in the dark. Honestly, she didn't feel sorry one bit for the bitch. But alas, all she could do was think of ways to get back at them. Or forget them entirely. She hadn't decided yet. Instead, she laid out beneath a pine at the top of the gorge, listening to the wind howling below. She was curious about what might be hidden in the valley beneath her, but she'd have plenty of time to explore that later. She did intend on looking for Wren later. After all, she had much to thank her for! Even if her challenge had been completely and utterly anticlimactic... "Medusa"

"Medusa."

She wouldn't have to wait long, that's for sure. Wren was always around the Gorge, content to let her 'alpha scent' get everywhere to let others know the location was claimed. Casually, mind you. They already had some guests with Gavroche and Bellamy, and Wren wasn't going to deny anyone else who needed shelter. Like Medusa.

No, it'd be foolish to try and chain her up. Not after what happened with Habari. Wren would let her friend be free, as free as she wanted. Long as she wasn't hurting anyone, it didn't matter to her. The newest Paladin would be visited. "How do you feel?" she added as she neared the giggling woman "if you need anything looked at, I can call a healer."

Wren didn't know how badly Habari had hurt her...

"Speech"

Her ear twitched at the sound of Wren's approach. She turned to find the brunette woman, her tail thumping against the cold ground. "How do you feel?" Wren asked her, even offering a healer if she needed one. "Medusa is fine, she doesn't need a healer." She looked back out over the territory again, still trying to wrap her head around things. How did she feel? To have her freedom back? She wasn't very good at identifying emotions, but she supposed it was safe to say she felt...happy. "Medusa feels...happy. She thinks. She is not a prisoner or slave anymore, but Medusa is disappointed that she didn't get her revenge with a fight." She frowned. But hey, it proved more and more that Recluse was not what she kept trying to proclaim herself to be, whatever that was. And Wren had been witness to it. "Wren told Medusa something before coming here. Was that not okay for Medusa to say? Even though they deserved it?" She asked, turning to look at the newer alpha. She didn't regret saying what she did. She wanted them to hurt and feel the pain they'd been inflicting upon her for so long. She wanted to claw at Recluse's pain as much as she could, but it still wasn't enough to force the bitch to fight her. She had run like the coward she was. "Medusa"

Good. Medusa didn't need a healer, and that was a good sign that she would recover. "Disappointment is part of life, sadly" Wren smiled forlornly "sometimes things become unresolved, whether we like it or not" Honestly, she thought Recluse was a coward to not face her own problems. Petty was also a word for it, in the way it ended. Like she didn't want to be bothered "you'll grow older and it'll just keep hitting you. Best to just move on from it, count your losses as gains."

Her friend could move on or brood over it, but nothing would get done if she brooded. "Don't get me wrong" she replied "she deserved to be told off but... I, personally, don't think you should have brought up her dead kid?" to Wren, it felt wrong to goad someone with death "you suffered a lot by Habari's paw" she added "but you gotta be better than they are. They obviously don't care enough to own up to their mistakes and consequences, Medusa" she sighed "sometimes saying nothing and walking away makes you stronger than trying to pick a fight."

"Speech"

She listened as Wren spoke. Yeah, she definitely had a lot of unresolved things. She had managed to get clear answers on why her father hadn't been around, and it was more than she could say for her mother. Turned out her mother was just a cruel and apathetic creature that didn't give a damn about her kids. Leaving Medusa on her own at too young of an age and leaving her to die and submit to the whim of nature and...in turn, running into Habari. She had never been taught about pack borders prior to that, so it was a rather rude awakening when she was forced into something over a simple mistake. "you'll grow older and it'll just keep hitting you. Best to just move on from it, count your losses as gains." She thought on this for a moment, Brows furrowing as her tail flicked. "What if Medusa doesn't want to move on. Habari stole two years of Medusa's life and freedom. And not once did Recluse ever tell Medusa that she had the...opportunity...to not be a slave." That was a fact. Recluse always looked at her with such contempt and had never once told her that she had any sort of opportunity. Maybe in her earlier days of capture, she would've tried to be a better ranking member of Habari. But all things considered, the more she was ill-treated, the more she hated them and if had the opportunity then, she likely would've chosen to fight for her freedom or die trying instead of helping Habari. "she deserved to be told off but... I, personally, don't think you should have brought up her dead kid?" Ears flicked towards Wren, that frown of hers growing deeper. She didn't regret what she told Recluse. She would stand firm by it until the day she died. "She deserved to hear it. Kali was the one that broke Medusa's toes as punishment for leaving Habari lands, but Medusa always came back. And she enjoyed hurting Medusa that day. They all did. Medusa didn't fight back that time." And thankfully, that was the only real physical punishment she had gotten. "They only really hurt Medusa once...on the outside. But they were always mean to her and telling her things that made Medusa feel bad about herself and hate them more." She simply couldn't stand by and let them get away with the things they had done to her. Or the other slave that was still there...so instead, she nodded to Wren at the end. Nobody would understand the suffering she had gone through, but she was certainly hell-bent on making Habari pay. One way or another... "Medusa"

"You want revenge."

Wren said it simply, but it was a weighed answer. She knew that already, but she wanted Medusa to say it. She needed to hear her say it. She was sad, suddenly, that her friend couldn't let go. Couldn't just move on. Riling up the Ashen Empire's supposed ally would make more waves than ripples. She hoped Medusa knew what she was getting into by refusing to let go. If Recluse had taken the bait and fought for her own ideals... This would not be happening.

"I release you" she said after a very heavy pause "I'd like you to stay in Menagerie, but I know you're not set on that. You only came with me as a display of friendship, and I can accept that" Wren bit back a sigh "but just know, it pains me, Medusa. You aren't a worthless piece of crap; you're my friend. But if you go down a dark path as Habari did... I don't think I can follow you." She had Menagerie's neutrality to think about.

Picking fights was not her game plan. She didn't want to seek revenge. She wanted to give an olive branch to anyone who needed it, but Medusa did not. She had her own life to live, her own dreams to chase after. Wren only hoped she wouldn't lose herself in the process. "You're free to be here until you decide what to do" she added "you're my guest. Feel free to see how a nice pack works. Nobody here will break your toes, I promise you that."

"Speech"