Home. It had never been something that Alena had known. The only time that she had lived in one place had been with her parents and that hadn't ended well. Even so, Alena had found her niche here in Amenti. Her Madame gave her the space the assassin needed while still giving them the encouragement to work for the pack and do their best for the betterment of their weird, twisted family. It was a perfect fit for the violet eyed, pale fea. Alena padded along the border of the Amenti territory, her paws as quiet as ever. Her shoulder was now fully healed, erasing any trace of a limp, though you could still see a bit of the freshly formed scar along her shoulder blade since her thick fur hadn't quite grown back over it. Thanks to Tiresias's excellent healing it had healed beautifully. Now the only thing ailing her was her slowly growing stomach. She wasn't terribly far along yet, maybe not even enough for someone that wasn't looking to notice, but the assassin knew. She could feel the change in her balance and the subtle change in her stance. She sighed and paused under the shade of one of the many large trees that covered the Amenti territory. She really needed to speak to Medusa. She believed that was one of the rules was that she had to tell one of the leaders about any pups so that was definitely on her to do list. Besides that, she still hadn't heard about the results of the rank challenges and she had been curious about that for quite some time now. Now determined to have a meeting with her leader, she lifted her muzzle skyward, giving a call to the Amenti Madame, the howl drifting off into an echo. Letting her amethyst gaze settle back on the woods around her, she settled down to wait. "Speech."

It was rather obvious what Alena had called her forwards for; the Scout?s belly was swollen, the scent unmistaken, and the aura of a pregnant woman was something that Medusa had found herself recently familiar with. Upon arrival she would look at the ivory pelted woman, whose scent she had noticed throughout Amenti with great frequency. ?Captain Alena, I do suppose I can guess what you have called me here for,? she said, hoping the woman would catch the words of promotion in her ears. If anyone in the pack deserved such a rank it would be Alena; Medusa pegged her as hard working, and she had earned the good graces of the Madame.
?Is there a problem? I certainly do not mind your pregnancy, but is there an issue on the part of the father?? she inquired. If there was an issue with the father?s pack she would happily go there and speak with them, for she was not a woman keen on making more enemies in a pack that would soon swell with youth.

It wasn't long before the sound of paw steps met the ivory fea's ears and the scent of her madame caught her attention. She lifted her violet gaze to Medusa, dipping her head respectfully in greeting. Her ears perked up at her first words, her greeting bringing the news of a promotion to Captain. A proud smile flickered across Alena's muzzle as she processed the information of her new position, knowing she was as high in the ranking as she could go, right below Medusa and Deteste. She was quite pleased with this unexpected news. Alena pulled her attention back to her situation, wondering if she was really showing that much already with the way that the ebony fea called her out on her condition right away. She supposed her scent would also give it away pretty easily. She was relieved to hear that there was no issue as far as Medusa was concerned with her being pregnant, but the observant alpha hit the nail on the head when she mentioned the father. Alena's ears flicked back uncertainly as she spoke. "Well... There might be an issue. It's a brute from Seracia named Bane. It was just a one night thing, a mistake really... I haven't gotten to tell him yet. I was going to go to where we met to see if I could find him, but I wanted to be sure to tell you first. I would honestly rather his pack not know about my pups if that's possible. I guess if something comes up with them there would be no avoiding it, but that's what I would like and I have a feeling Bane would agree." She paused, feeling like she was suddenly rambling. Sighing softly to regain her composure she gave her alpha a slight smile. "I apologize for spilling everything like that. It's very unlike me. I've just been very overwhelmed." "Speech."

Medusa would listen, trying to keep a number of factors in mind. Alena had earned the alpha?s good will, but that in no means meant she would compromise pack relations for her. Her moonlight-colored eyes observed her, listening to her speak. Hide something like this from a pack they were mostly friendly with? That would only cause trouble. Children weren?t the sort of things that could be swept under the rug like dirty laundry; they were troublesome and loud, and easily detected. And then, when the skeletons fell out of the closet, what would a giant pack like Seracia think of a dwarf pack like Amenti? Would there be any hesitation to come and crush them, or to come and demand penance?
?I, more than anybody, do not have any right to judge for being promiscuous,? she said. There was an unnatural serious tone in her voice, for this was certainly a serious issue. ?I cannot hide your children from Seracia, Alena. I appreciate your presence here, but that does not bode well for pack safety. What if it is an issue with them, and they come knocking on my doors, demanding to know why I kept such a secret from them? Demanding why I helped you sneak behind their backs?? she sighed. ?We will go to Seracia, and we will see what they have to say,? she spoke with finality. There was no question of what they were going to do, because Medusa had made up her mind, and she was damn stubborn.

Alena listened intently to Medusa's decision that rang with a finality that Alena could not question. Listening to the wise words of her madame, she knew that the ebony fea was right. Alena had been short sighted and overprotective of her pups when she had decided to try to keep them a secret. Everything had happened so fast that the assassin didn't know what to do. It felt good to have someone else be a voice of reason. She was still afraid of what the other, larger pack would do when they found out. This was so far beyond what she had ever prepared herself for. She nodded and looked down at her paws, mildly ashamed that she had ever thought of putting the pack in danger like this. "Yes, Madame. I'm sorry for not considering Amenti when I decided what to do. I never thought I would be a mother so this has all been a very strange thing for me." "Speech."

She wondered what the Seracians would think of this outcome. Whatever it was, she would defend Alena as best she could. She didn?t wish to hide this from them, but neither was the harlot going to allow the larger pride to stomp all over her. Medusa would fight if necessary, even with her own children slowly budding within her womb. She cared little for them, after all, even if she?d desired them for a purpose. Perhaps Deteste would find fault in her, but she would worry about that if she situation did, in face, arise.
?You are fine, my dear. I can understand the worries of a mother,? she said, and wasn?t that a lie. She didn?t understand on a personal level, but she knew what women supposedly felt for their offspring. ?We will go to Seracia, and we will speak with their leaders together. I promise you that I will not allow them to take your children from you. They will stay with you, here. If they kick out your children?s father, he is welcomed here, so long as he does not stir up more trouble,? she assured.
?Does that work for you?? she asked. Medusa wasn?t offering another outcome, but she at least wanted to make it sound like she was being somewhat accommodating.

Alena pulled her violet Gaze back up from her paws as Medusa spoke once more, knowing that the alpha wasn't quite asking if the solution was one that Alena agreed with but more of asking if it was one she would go along with. Dipping her head in agreement, Alena rose to her paws. "Yes, I would like that. I appreciate your willingness to help me, Madame." Finally feeling the slightest bit of relief about the problem growing in her womb, Alena was finally able to pick up the slight change in Medusa's scent, telling the Captain that her leader was recently pregnant as well. This came as a surprise and wondered who the father could be. She had been so distracted by her own pregnancy that she had not kept up with the going ons within the pack. Perhaps she and Deteste were more than simply Madame and Master? "Congratulations on your own pups as well," she commented with a slight smile. "I would still like to go speak with Bane alone first if that is okay with you. And we can do speak with the leaders of Seracia when I return?" ooc: just tying together some timeline thread stuffs lol "Speech."