Ely was tucked safely in his den deep beneath the moor when Scald finally left to go find his mother. Ever since the new pups had arrived, the only time he could find her without one of them attached to her was during the night. Now he knew that she would want her sleep, but this was a pressing matter that could not wait. Freaking out was an understatement and it was clear on his face by the way the tight lines stretching from his eyes could be seen. Not wanting to disturb the brood that slumbered in the treehouse, he sent his spoonbill up to fetch her and meet her at the edge of the moor where the heather turned to soft grass. Pacing back and forth, Scald practically wore a line in the dirt by the time she would approach. Shallow breaths sucked in his sides as he stared in a bewildered fashion at his approaching mother. "How do I say 'I fucked up' without... saying it?" The coy smirk on his lips is tight, a fake sign of trying to say he was handling it when he really wasn't. Scald Fallen

table coding by bunni ♥

The bird landing on the verandah wasn't unusual. The kids had taken longer than usual to get down tonight, Gilda gnawing on Corsair's growing antler nubbins and the boy was using his dexterous paws to braid his sister's fur, until she bit too hard, and lightning quick it devolved into face biting, hair pulling and screaming. She needed to go for a walk to calm her own mind before trying to sleep, so it wasn't like Scald was waking her up with his request.

Once she was on the ground, she stretched and yawned, shaking any lingering tension from her shoulders before she made her way to the Moor. A familiar scent clung to the strands of her son's coat as she reached out to tug gently on the white tips of his cheek fur, a shoulder bump encouraging him to join her on an evening stroll, despite the crispness in the air. Clearly something had the boy on edge, and maybe moving would help him process his emotions. It often helped her after all.

"Can't be any worse than your sister picking a fight in the state she's in, and we both know that'll happen again," and again, and again. Deluge was nothing if not predictable in her insolence and disregard for her own wellbeing. Just like their father.

No, Scald was more like her, so this had to be something significant. She left the air between them open for him to voice his concerns, the relaxed set of her shoulders and her tail hanging loosely between her heels to encourage confidence that whatever he had to say wasn't likely to make her mad.

"Modesty"

His mother’s presence is welcoming as she reaches out to tug at the fur on his cheek. With her at his side, he relaxes, a sense of relief washing over him as he turns to starts walking beside her. At first there is silence for a few seconds, but then Modesty says something that has him chuckling.

“Nah, it ain’t worse than that,” Scald states, his head giving a light shake as his brows raise. Was his sister really that foolish that she would pick fights while pregnant? Had she not learned from Sparrow’s mistakes? Well, of course she didn’t. She’d been one of the ones to get booted by Azure on the beach too.

his face is screwed up for a second trying to calculate the math. Unless she found a stranger on the side of the road, there really was no other explanation. Or someone back at her pack was taking advantage, but it was a route he didn’t want to consider.

Not worse than didn't mean it wasn't on par, and Modesty quirked a brow and smirked but kept walking. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but if it's going to affect the pack, I'd appreciate a heads up." There was a small smile on her face, gaze drifting over the small herd of cattle and doing a quick head count. They were all there, so she didn't stop, someone would be by shortly to move them if they needed moving or feeding.

There were almost too many goats to get a headcount sometimes, and they popped up and over the wall so often she was content to see that there were some on this side of the Moor as they continued on their way, content to let the silence stretch between them until her son spoke his mind.

"speech"

His silence isn't entirely unjustified, but it's also not fair to keep his mother waiting with bated breath. Especially with her chastising words about effecting the whole pack. Yeah, that wasn't something he had actually thought about. Well, damn, what did this mean for the Raiders and the Syndicate? Were they meant to play nice with each other now or would he be the one forced to choose? Would he have to leave the Raiders and be banished to the frigid north? He really hated the cold. "Yea, sorry. Uh, Ely is pregnant," Scald says it outright, a sigh leaving his chest with the relief that washes over him. "I guess that ain' so bad considerin' Loogie slept with a Fatalis but then again that old man left Dread for dead anyway," his nose wrinkles at the memory of Sirius that day in the Battlefield. "I don' think it'll affect any one of us 'ere, but ya know I'll handle it if I gotta," he tries to give Modesty a cheeky smirk, but he's sure she can see right through his thin veil of barely hid stress. Scald Fallen

table coding by bunni ♥

There was an element of... relief that it was just more grandkids and not a declaration that he was lifting ups stakes and running away to... join a band of travelling performers or some such. She relied on Scald's level headedness to offset the chaos of his sisters. While she may have the girls in a position to stir up trouble, it was a delicate balancing act. They'd be just as chaotic as the pirates had been without the counterbalance of wolves like Scald and Sakana.

The sigh made her brows lift ever so slightly, but she smiled. He had a point where his sister was concerned, even then, Dread seemed to put up with her, it would be interesting to see if he would survive the mood swings that came with that state of being.

"They'll always have a place here if it's needed." She offered, "As will you. I won't tie you to us if that is where you want to be, but Ely is welcome here too, if that is what you both decide." She shrugged. It might be unorthodox, but she didn't see a reason to force the young couple one way or another. The welfare of the pups would come first, inter-pack relations were secondary.

"speech"

Modesty’s words are comforting. Though he doesn’t exactly, he nods as he thinks on what she’s said. “If I’m bein’ honest, I’d rather they’d all jus’ come down ‘ere. Safer. Specially now that dad’s off his rocker about keepin’ a strict border,” Scald muses, one brow lifted and a slight glance over to his mother. It was clear there had been some shifts since the accident, but he was never one to push the envelope or poke the bear. Maybe once in awhile though… “Rumors an’ my experience, them Syndicate folk ain’t too good of wolves to be aroun’. Not sure I really wan’ my pups to be raised by them if I’m gonna try to be in their lives,” he admits, his face strewn with concern as his ears flick backward. What was he to do? How was he going to convince Ely to come down? Surely the Syndicate wasn’t going to just let her leave… Scald Fallen

table coding by bunni ♥

Modesty considered Scald's words carefully. "Artorias called a meeting at the Hallows to discuss how they came to have a pack in the first place. Allegedly, they kidnapped one of the children of the leader of... Nomad? Norbert? Whatever they were called, they hadn't been around for long..." a dismissive wave of her paw indicated the name didn't particularly matter. It wasn't like she had been in any state to take in much at the meeting and they hadn't existed for long enough for the Raiders to take an interest.

"Underhanded, but not stupid. I'm sure they had the numbers to wipe them out in a more traditional sense, but they chose not to. Seems to run counter to other stories coming out of there. It seems Artorias and Sirius had some genuine concerns, particularly in regards to their leader, though I'm sure the same was said about us at one stage or other." She inhaled through her nose, cogs in her mind turning over. "I don't imagine your girl would take too kindly to being told what to do, so perhaps gently is the best approach?"

"speech"

Scald listens to his mother with tight lips. Norad, hadn't it been? Clearly, no pack important enough for them to care about. But hadn't that girl who challenged Widow been there to claim Ashen's fallen reign? His brow furrows. Perhaps they had just been too new. Not given enough time to build their strength. It showed a clear weakness that the Syndicate had taken advantage of. "'Pears that there's more to 'em than meets the eye," Scald admits glancing over at Modesty for a moment. "Would you 'ave let dad take you from yer home if he thought it best?" He questions honestly, already knowing the answer. A woman tied to her family was hard pressed to leave them especially in such a vulnerable state as pregnant or with freshly born pups. With a sigh, he closes his eyes for a moment. "Not sure Ely'll take to any approach," he jokes, attempting to lighten the mood. Scald Fallen

table coding by bunni ♥

Modesty tipped her head at Scald's question. It wasn't one she had ever considered. She hadn't been particularly attached to her Ashen packmates, her closest relationships had been to her siblings and mother, and while they had mourned the loss of their home, she had embraced the adventure... "I would have, but perhaps she is more attached to her pack than I was to mine." She shrugged. They had now lived in 2 territories formerly claimed by Ashen, perhaps she was more sentimental than she realised? Or maybe they just had good taste in territories.

"It all comes down to what you want at the end of the day, do you just want to be involved in the lives of your children, or do you want a relationship with the girl? Perhaps you won't need to convince her at all, maybe the children will decide for her?" It was dirty, but you didn't always need to fight clean when blood was involved.

"speech"

Modesty's questions leaves Scald thinking. He doesn't reply straight away because he doesn't quite know the answer. Or rather, he doesn't want to accept what the answer is going to be. His brow furrows, lips tightening and ears falling backward as he continues to walk alongside his mother. Why did she always have to be right? Couldn't she just say fuck that bitch one time for the sake of his immaturity? He sighs and gives his head a little shake. "I like Ely fine enough. She's interesting, keeps me on my toes, but I also don' like the commitment. I wanna do what I want, where I want, who I am," the smirk on his lips would probably deserve a smack from Modesty, but he'd tolerate it. Being cheeky wasn't always a good thing. "I wanna be able to have my deer and eat it too," Scald rolls his eyes, clearly joking as his smirk lingers before taking on a more serious note. "'Onestly, I just wanna make sure my pups do a'ight an' I guess if that means they stay with her family, I won' fight it, but if they're as evil as everyone says, I ain't sure I trust them," there's confliction in his voice, but it still doesn't really answer the question. Would he commit to Ely if it meant she'd move herself and the pups to Raider territory? Scald Fallen

table coding by bunni ♥

Some parts of her son clearly came from his father and a low grumble left her chest, teeth clicking on air beside his ear in warning at his jokes (despite the smirk that tugged at the corner of her lips). "What happens between consenting adults is none of my concern. As long as you are both of the same opinion in that regard, I don't need her family getting their noses out of joint expecting otherwise." Her shoulders rolled as the conversation continued, caracal ears giving a flick as she considered.

Finally she sighed, "I don't put much weight in the opinions of others, after all that has been said about us over the years..." It would be difficult to keep an eye on them while they were young if Scald wasn't in a position to visit them. "We all have birds, they can keep an eye on things when we cannot. In the event we need to intervene, well, they'll always have a place here, with or without their mother." She wouldn't leave her own out in the world to fend for themselves while ever she was leader.

"speech"