She heard the agony in her niece's voice, heard the collapse of her body against the ground, but this time she felt no sympathy. Of course she understood. Natalya knew what love was and the pain that it could bring. She knew the weakness of a young, inexperienced girl in heat and the temptation it brought. She knew of the rebellion that attracted adolescents to disobey their parents and their gods, to act without thinking.
She understood, but she did not pity. Not as she had when Virgil had been raped in her unconscious state by a less-than competent creature. Not as she had been Virgil had wandered to the allied lands to give birth beside her lover. This time, Natalya was unwilling to be kind. She remained stoic, her expression as plain and unwavering as her stern tone when she spoke.
"The gods do not hate you. The gods have not chosen to punish you in any respect, despite your many wrongdoings. It was you who chose to wander away from home and up a mountainside the day your first children were conceived. It was you who then wandered away from the protection of your family when they were born. You made the decision to attach yourself to a woman who was unworthy, which she clearly showed by her abandonment of her pack, family and lover." Natalya paused, inhaling deeply.
"The former leader of Amenti was no leader at all. He laid claim to a land that he promptly abandoned and claimed to lead a pack that carried on its existence entirely without his presence. He is a weak brute, and if the gods are willing to punish you for allowing him to take you without their consent, they will give you children just as weak. You have erred often, yet you have been blessed by the gods. Your children have lived well, surviving the illness that plagued our pack while mine was lost. Your Gaia is on her way to becoming an excellent queen and you still rule a pack that is growing in numbers. If anything you have been blessed, despite everything that has happened."
Her tail curled around her paws as she again broke for breath. Her voice softened slightly then, a deep sigh escaping her before words. "I do not approve of many of the things you have done, but you are still my matriarch. I will continue to follow you until the gods provide some sign that your time is done or you are unwilling to lead. You have the strength of your father and the wisdom of your mother. I am certain that you can tap into those assets, even without them near."
"Speech"
|
