Location: Sunset Falls

Duchess had been hanging around camp more than normal. It wasn't like her, she felt obligated to provide for the band. It was less wolves to care for than the pack, but less truly seasoned hunters. Emersyn was strong, and Segin had enough experience from living on his own to help out. But she was sure they were about to come into troubling times soon with her not feeling well enough to go out and hunt or scout as often.

Duchess did lay around most of the day, wandering around the camp just to stretch her legs and make sure everything was in order. Today was no different. But she had been falling into a deep hole mentally with everything that had happened. It had only been a few days since Aslatiel left, and Indigo obviously wasn't quite himself but Duchess felt solely responsible for everything, especially his mental condition. It really was weighing on her on top of what the pregnancy was doing to her physically.

Today she had the urge to move into the herd of grazing goats next to the falls, finding gypsy somewhere in the middle with Bertha staying close by. She didn't say anything though, laying down near the smaller blind woman. Taking in the sounds of the crashing water and the munching livestock. She didn't need to talk to Gypsy or the goats to feel better or she thought so. She liked to believe she was helping herself by just being here. But she couldn't say it was working.

"Duchess"

"Yer mon's pregnant lady friend is comin'," the four horned sheep spoke low, notifying Gypsy of the approach of Duchess. Gypsy nodded and listened, her purple and white ears perking. She heard the scuff of cloven hooves on grass as the herd of goats parted and heard them again as the opening was filled with bodies once more. She listened as the grass crunched again beneath Duchess' weight as the larger fae curled up in the grass nearby. Silence followed for a time as the tiny dame gave her friend time to collect her thoughts. When Duchess didn't speak... Gypsy felt comfortable enough to fill the void.

"Hello, Duchess. How are you feeling?" It was common knowledge that the woman was pregnant. Gypsy, though a novice in healing, knew what stress could do to a litter. Bertha had been teaching her a bit, having birthed many kids in her day. How the conversation shifted would depend on Duchess' willingness to be open and transparent with the small lady. So Gypsy laid there and she waited.

"Gypsy" "Bertha"

**Gypsy's past is full of some extreme abuse. Be warned.**

Indigo may enter any of Gypsy's threads as he sees fit.

She sighed as Gypsy started talking to her, a sign that she did have things on her mind or emotions that she was holding in. But she waited a few seconds before even wanting to put the words together, because she didn't want to say anything. Confessing, opening up, it was difficult for her. It didn't matter for what reason. She did bottle her emotions, she tried not to show them to Indigo or the others. Obviously they shined a little too bright in these days.

Her eyes wandered the different pools of water while she listened to the falls, hearing the goats munching as her gaze followed the flow of the falling river. It was about a moment before she even said anything, "I did something really wrong, Gypsy." She was still staying memorized by the falls because even though the little woman couldn't see, if Duchess actually looked at her, she wouldn't have been able to keep it together. "I can't take it back and I can't stop feeling guilty."

"Duchess"

The small fae rested and waited, knowing that eventually the dam within Duchess would break. Around them, the world continued on. The falls chattered. The goats munched. The breeze flowed, ruffling both the purple ladies' pelts. Eventually, Duchess spoke. Mismatched ears swiveled to catch the woman's words. Duchess realized what she'd done wrong. What she had done was very, very wrong. Gypsy, who couldn't see, could see what the woman had been trying to do. She could see that Duchess was trying to force her place in Indigo's life. She could also see that it came from a place of fear and lack of self worth. It made her pity the woman. Though she could understand where she came from, even sweet, soft spoken Gypsy couldn't condone such actions.

"I know," she said softly, letting the other woman know that she was well informed. "What you did was wrong and you're paying for it." That was the truth of it. Indigo wanted nothing to do with Duchess at the moment and who could blame him? He'd trusted her and she'd squandered that trust. "However," the diminutive woman continued, "Indigo is the kindest man I've ever known. If you work hard, I know you'll eventually regain his trust." Forgiveness was Indigo's middle name. If Duchess wanted to seek redemption, then it was within her power to do so.

Again that gentle breeze blew and the small woman closed her milky, sightless eyes, tipping her face upwards to enjoy the feeling as it tickled its way through her plum and snow fur. "Indigo will never love any one wolf, but he will love us each in his own way." Had he not admitted that he loved her and she, him? Gypsy would never ask the man to love her and her alone. That was where Duchess had gone wrong. Thrusting a pregnancy on him wouldn't make him love her. Quite the opposite in fact. For now he would hate her, especially while his feelings were still raw from the verbal beating that his sister had given him. In time, he would heal. If Duchess showed remorse and stayed the course, she could fall into his good graces again.

"Gypsy" "Bertha"

**Gypsy's past is full of some extreme abuse. Be warned.**

Indigo may enter any of Gypsy's threads as he sees fit.

Indigo really was telling everyone? As hurt as Indigo was losing trust in Duchess, she was feeling the same way. Maybe it was some kind of revenge or karma. She didn't want Indigo to find out what she had done, and she certainly didn't want the rest of the band to either. Though she guessed it was her own fault that caused her the ruin and betrayal. Or at least that's what she had kept telling herself.

Gypsy was the closest friend she had in the band. Segin was a little more, but Duchess was also using her time with him against Indigo which may have really altered that narrative of a friend to her. But somehow in this moment, she wanted to snap back at Gypsy. Because she may have been telling the truth, but it wasn't the truth that Duchess wanted to hear. Or a truth that Duchess wanted to believe.

Gypsy told her that with effort, she could go back to the way it was before. She didn't believe it. Indigo had already told her it wasn't going to go back. Well that wasn't exactly what he said, but it was how Duchess had taken it. She was far from optimistic or really even reasonable, and the only thing she believed she needed was Indigo. Which is why she was the way she was today.

She just laid there silent for a few moments while Gypsy talked to her, her head on the soft grasses as she glanced over the falls and the goats. Really trying not to get worked up over anything that Gypsy was saying. It was at least clear that Duchess felt like she needed to be the most important wolf, but not that she wanted to be the only wolf in Indigo's life. "I don't know what I'm going to do." She spoke quietly, though was sure Gypsy could hear her. But she didn't really know what she even meant by that. Was she going to get rid of the pups? Was she going to run away? "I can't keep living every day like this." She had asked Indigo if her being dead would solve his problems. His answer was less than caring. And she believed that he didn't care for her anymore. If anything, he only cared for his children that she was carrying. And living, sleeping next to him every day and night without his affection was killing her. It was probably obvious to everyone watching, but maybe Gypsy could see a little more.

"Duchess"

Duchess, Gypsy had noticed, was a rather... self centered wolf. Not necessarily in a negative way, but it was very obvious that Duchess was her own number one priority. Did she realize what she'd done? Indigo wasn't the only one that was going to feel the strain that the puppies would bring. Gypsy herself couldn't contribute much, but Segin and Emersyn would have to hunt and protect more to pick up the slack. Winter was on its way. They were all going to be on their own through winter. They had no home, they only had each other. And all Duchess could do was think about how she didn't know what to do and that she couldn't live like this. The woman was lucky that Gypsy had unending patience.

"What do you want to do?" Mismatched ears pricked as she waited for an answer. If Duchess wanted to be here with the band and with Indigo, then she had some work ahead of her. If she decided to give up and didn't want to make an effort, then perhaps she would be better off on her own. Although, Gypsy doubted that Indigo would let her leave with his children. He was a kind man, but she didn't think he would let that slide.

"Ye should bloody beg fer forgiveness and repent." Bertha mumbled off to the side, her mouth full of grass. "Bertha..." Gypsy said softly. The sheep wasn't helping matters. "Wot? Eeeveryone else wants te pussfoot around. No one wants te speak the truth. Ye did a bad theng. A tricky theng. He won't hate ye for it, but ye've dashed any amount of trust he had for ye." Gypsy grimaced. The sheep was terribly outspoken, but she wasn't wrong.

"Gypsy" "Bertha"

**Gypsy's past is full of some extreme abuse. Be warned.**

Indigo may enter any of Gypsy's threads as he sees fit.

Duchess couldn't even answer Gypsy. Because she wanted to have Indigo's babies, she wanted this, she wanted her own. She stuck to what she told him when she had asked. She would take care of them. She didn't need the rest of the band to help her if that's how they felt. But she was also regretting what she had done. Where it had put her and Indigo. She wholly blamed herself for the ruin she had put her and Indigo's relationship in. And she wanted to take it back. She had really, truly offered her own life if that's what it took to make Indigo's life back to normal. He didn't seem to want her or the babies, so what was worth her living at this point? But really, she would probably only die in the jaws of his own. She probably couldn't do it herself, and would have felt more justified under his discretion.

When Bertha spoke, she glanced nearly evilly towards the brutal, and truthful goat. But her upset gaze quickly went down to the grasses and falls in her forward direction. She had asked for forgiveness, not outright but she did offer her life. She did tell Indigo she needed him. And she was very nearly to her breaking point, maybe she was already there and couldn't process it. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself before she said anything, gritting her teeth, but she had nothing to say. Instead standing swiftly and weaving her way through the goats away from Bertha, but away from Gypsy too. She thought maybe speaking her feelings would help, but she clouded her judgment and may not have actually got out what she needed. There were more deep details that she had never spoke to any of the band members before and she planned to keep it that way.

-Exit Duchess-

"Duchess"