This had gone on long enough.

After the meeting of the packs Bellamy had returned back to their pack only to find that Raiders had come to collect Gilgamesh. Of course they had - Ethne had been trying to find the man aid, more concerned about making sure he lived than trying to chase down the child that had seen Saga strike him. Bellamy knew they could have sent another, but with tensions so high between their packs she did not think it wise to send anyone to contradict what the boy had seen. They likely weren’t going to be believed anyway, given the circumstances.

Admittedly, Bellamy didn’t agree with Haydee’s choice on things, retaliating against the raiders with such violence in the second raid... but she wanted to support her daughter. During the raid itself she reacted with anger, thought nothing of it. But so much bloodshed... had it been worth it? It made her reflect more and more on the type of leadership she had inspired in her children. And that, in truth, wasn't Hyadee's fault. It was hers.

Bellamy wasn’t from these lands, had never been raised with the idea of leading in mind. Perhaps that was the reason why she couldn’t understand why the wolves here would fault the leader over the individual who had done the act, and seek retribution from them. As Bellamy gathered the herbs that Lucette and Mélisande had used on Gilgamesh, Bellamy knew that what she was doing would be frowned upon by her children.

Gilgamesh hadn’t been interested in her atoning for what she’d done, and insisted that Haydee go to apologize. Bellamy had tried to de-escalate things, but instead he had turned on her daughter while her back was turned to attack her. Saga had reacted faster than Bellamy had, but she couldn’t blame her daughter for reacting as she had. She felt sure that if it was another pack their members would have done the same, but she supposed that didn’t matter.

She didn’t love the Raiders. No, she still wasn’t quite sure why they had brought children to the first raid at all, had no knowledge of any deals between their packs. Bellamy was only going off of what she knew, and she knew this had to end. She wasn’t sure if she could be the one to stop it anymore, or if war breaking out was the only solution. But fuck the woman was going to try. She was going to do what she should have done in the first place, despite what Haydee and Acere had told her.

Bellamy was going to the Raiders.

She made the walk with her companions, both quiet. Bellamy didn’t expect civil behavior when she was to arrive. She expected to be met with maims, if not a force claim because of all this. Bellamy told no one, not a soul from Ethne that she was leaving. Her family would not agree, but enough blood had been spilt from both sides, hadn’t it? Maybe becoming a martyr would end this. Not that Bellamy thought she was justified in any of this.

The whole thing was her fault to begin with.

This was merely an attempt at trying to mend things. Bellamy would not fault them for their anger, nor for any blood they sought to spill from her. After what had happened to Gilgamesh, his actions provoking the reaction or not, they deserved some justice.

Setting the bag of herbs down and taking a few steps away Bellamy sighed.

“If they claim or kill me, you are to leave and tell Saga what has happened, and express my desire to NOT be rescued, do you understand?” She is met with a sorrowful gaze from Whiskers who merely nods in quiet response. Bellamy turns her gaze back to the land of the raiders…

…and howls for their raid queen.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Sakana and Nimbus both had not recommended Gilgamesh go answering any knocks on their territorial door for the time being. It wasn’t that he wasn’t on the mend, no not it at all. Actually, his ribs were healing as they should and the gash on his head was looking alright so far. There would be a scar no doubt from his temple to his jaw just behind his right eye, but hell, wasn’t he already covered in them?

No, their advice to keep him tucked away for now was due to him not quite being him. A paw couldn’t be placed on it. Something was different about Gilgamesh. His eyes didn’t shine like they used to. His wit, his smirk, his typical disgruntled dad facade was now a vacant stare. They were wolves after all and without access to medical books or such information, knowing that he had knocked his personality chip loose would always be a conundrum.

But!

Modesty was pregnant, far too pregnant to be risking the pups for a stranger. She said as much herself and though she had also insisted that Deluge or Scald could have answered the howl summoning her, he felt it wrong. He was still the Raid King, wasn’t he? He wouldn’t deny the brief glimpse of fear in their eyes when he put his paw down and said he would be the one to do it. This was still his pack too and if they could speak to Modesty about something, they could speak to him as well.

Gilgamesh’s walk through the ravine wasn’t hurried. Rather leisurely for anyone spectating. He didn’t mind making them wait. They were the ones who had come here after all so he wasn’t going to rush it. His ribs were still bandaged, making it difficult to move any faster than a brisk walk anyway. Plus with the whole head injury business, he didn’t want to risk tripping and falling either. Fuck, was he getting that old already? But he took his time anyway, quiet as a shadow as he moves until the scent slams into his nose.

Stopping just inside the border where Bellamy can’t quite see him yet, Gilgamesh takes a moment. Why in the world was she here? Had they not done enough? And from what Modesty had regaled him with about the alpha meeting, they no longer were Ethne anymore. Were they not content with allowing sleeping wolves to lie? Gilgamesh takes a moment because he’s stuck on a precipice of what he should do. Chase her off or hear her out. Both options were equally tantalizing, and he comes to the conclusion that hearing the old bat out was safer for now, and he could always chase her off if needed.

Approaching with silent steps, careful and calculated, he keeps his posture relaxed but alert. Stale yellow eyes watch her standing just on the other side of the border. There’s no expression on his face this time, no, he’s different now. Instead, Gilgamesh comes to a stop before Bellamy, toeing the line between territory and not, watching her. He doesn’t speak at first, rather continues to watch her. Allowing a pregnant silence to drag out between them almost as if he were a statue unable to speak at all. Minutes go by until he feels she’s been tortured enough. One last slow blink before he speaks.

“Speak now or return home. I will be the only wolf that appears before you today,” the words are simple, straight forward, and lack any emotion at all. She would say what was on her mind or get lost. There were no other options up for choosing.

The Raid King, Gilgamesh

table coding by bunni ♥

To say that Bellamy was surprised when it was Gilgamesh that answered her call, rather than the Raid Queen, was a surprise. She hadn’t thought that the man was well enough to be on the move, let alone answer a summons. That surprise was written all over her face as she waited for him to speak. She was dumbfounded, expecting to be lashed out against, but instead silence stretched out between them. Her companions shifted at her side, both of them uneasy, but Bellamy would wait. She had no idea how this meeting would be now. She would wait to be addressed, keeping her body language calm, keeping her demeanor respectful. When he spoke, it was with surprise that the Raid King said that he would be the only wolf to appear before her. Would his pack come out of the woodwork, as hers had? Or was Ethne, or what the pack was to become, such a mess due to her foundation that they couldn’t be trusted.

“I didn’t expect you to be up and about, let alone so soon.” Her words weren’t unkind, but they had the genuine surprise that she felt. “You may not believe us, but with what happened, we didn’t want to see you dead. I wasn’t sure what herbs your healer had on paw, so I brought the things you were being treated with here.” Bellamy gave a nod at the bag before a soft sigh left her lips. “There have been some things going on between our packs and I recognize that Ethne’s, or whatever my daughter changes us to, actions have not been positive ones… and, I know words do little, but I’m sorry for that.” Bellamy shifted.

“I don’t expect us just to be forgiven because I gave a verbal apology either… but an apology is deserved all the same.” The woman’s green gaze flicks to his yellow one. “I did not know that Haydee had gone to you to request training. All I knew was that strangers had shown up in the middle of the night and were ready to fight. When I was a child, such raids were to take the lives of rebels against the Empire I grew up in. My mind shifted to that, and I fought as if my life depended on it. I did not see your child for long, my mind warping the battlefield.” Bellamy frowned.

“That doesn’t make what happened right, and nothing will. I meant what I said when I have remorse for what happened to her, and am more than willing to give my eye in retribution. Nothing will change what happened, but if anything can bring her peace by taking something from my own body, whether by her or by you for her, then I owe her that.” Bellamy meant those words. Every single one of them. “...and nothing will change the fact that Ethne came to the Raiders for blood in the last raid. At the time, being angry with Haydee’s maim, I was for violence. Given time to reflect… I’m… disappointed and feel sick at what we’ve done. Ethne was never intended to be violent like that, nor retaliatory. To show that we wouldn’t be walked on, sure, but things had gone too far.” Bellamy shook her head.

“I don’t agree with how Haydee chose to handle your encounter at our borders… but neither can I condone the fact that you had gone after her nor that Saga used such force against you.” Bellamy continued. “I am no longer a leader, having only stepped up to support my daughter and nothing more. She sought training, guidance, but a wolf who has barely lived in a proper pack here barely has the ability to be one.” She had done the best she could, but… “The world I lived in was different than this, and so I don’t understand why you sought out Haydee over what I’ve done for retribution. Perhaps I never will… but I would be truly heartless to just ignore all that has happened.” She was getting long winded, but she hoped to make him understand. She didn’t expect forgiveness, but understanding she could hope for… right?

“I can not offer you the pack, but I can offer myself to begin atoning for what was done. I come unarmed, Gilgamesh, no armor nor weapon to aid me. My companions are merely here to return to the pack on my word to tell Saga what transpired here and to back off.” Bellamy dipped her head. “So if you have a need for blood, of flesh, you only need to take it. I will not fight you… you are owed this.” Her gaze had fallen. She had laid it all out, the best that she could. She had offered up restitution, even if the Raiders would continue to hate her pack and hunt them until the day they disbanded. She didn’t expect this to save them… but the apology was necessary. It was the right thing to do. If taking from her body would provide this pack with any comfort, any at all, then she would sit by and allow it to be done.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Gilgamesh notices the blatant look of surprise on Bellamy's features at his arrival. He doesn't acknowledge it at first. She deserves no answers, no explanations, none of it. Not until she speaks. First mentioning how she wasn't expecting him to appear before her. No one expected it, really. He was meant to be recovering in the den, not moving, not doing much of anything until at least his ribs healed. Yet, Gilgamesh wouldn't allow that. There was no better way to get better than to use the body one was given. Why lay stagnant and allow his already deteriorating muscles to diminish any further? Or perhaps it was the laying alone in the den that was doing it. With nothing to do, no one to be around, all he had was himself and his mind. Churning away, never shutting off.

"I am a man of resilience," Gilgamesh replies, not to interrupt, but more so to add to the conversation. They were two adults after all, capable of a mature conversation, no? And as Bellamy continues, Gilgamesh listens intently. Apathetic expression and dull stare forever on her, unmoving, with slow blinks that one might find disturbing. "There are more than a few who would not be upset if they heard of my demise," he muses, speaking more practically rather than trying to be humorous. His own lists of disliked wolves wasn't short either.

His gaze flicks down to the bag of herbs for a brief glance before they're back on Bellamy. He gives her a curt nod of his muzzle, acknowledging the good willed gesture, but continues to leave the floor open for whatever else was on her aging mind. Her apology is expected because he's heard it before. Unfortunately for the wolves involved, though Gilgamesh may have suffered from a TBI that affected his personality, his memory was as clear as ever. The words traded previously were as solid as the rocks that lined the nearby fjord.

As Bellamy goes on to explain from the beginning when he had initiated the first raid, he listens. When she mentions retribution, it is the first time his expression changes. A momentary lapse. His lips pulling ever so slightly tighter over his muzzle, a glimpse of distaste reading across his features, though it's gone the next time he blinks. What lingers is the way he clenches his jaw and swallows down the rising frustration he has for the woman before him. Had she not listened during their recent interaction? Gilgamesh questions this as she continues, offering to allow him to take her eye if need be.

Before he's given a chance to respond, which he's silently thankful for, she changes gears to continue on about the returning raid for blood. A slow exhale leaves his nostrils, sides contracting as he closes his eyes briefly. Did this pack not communicate with one another? Were they always so willing to leave each other in the dark? Was this the reason they were so quick to jump to defenses? More questions, more inquisitive than he cared to be during this interaction, but he would not stop her. The woman had clearly come with much on her mind and he would be the one to hear it.

When she moves on to their most recent encounter, Gilgamesh lifts a brow in question. So she didn't agree with her daughter...daughters? The bear was considered an offspring? His eyes narrow a moment, but doesn't linger on it. He wasn't one to question others adopting those who needed guidance for he had done so himself with pups that had been outcast by their own parents. Bellamy continues on still as he questions adoptive pups before he begins to wonder when it will end. His exhaustion is beginning to seep further into his bones, every joint achy and in need of some water and food.

That exhaustion is replaced with frustration that returns briefly in his chest. His lips quivering when she states she'll never understand why he asked for Haydee's apology instead of hers. Had his clear and direct words not been enough to burst through such an obviously thick skull? Blinking a few times to rid of the frustration as Bellamy's speech winds down to an end, Gilgamesh can only give his head a soft shake from left to right as his first response to what all she has said. With it comes another exhale, slow and steady. The exhaustion and frustration clear now around the wrinkles that line his muzzle and eyes.

"You wish to atone for sins you did not commit," Gilgamesh begins, his gaze leveling with Bellamy. "We do not accept such offers, ever. An eye for an eye truly makes the whole world blind, hm?" He questions, body ever still, only his facial muscles moving as he speaks. "One does not fight to their full potential if they are aware of an attack. One might say they could inform a leader ahead of time, requesting leaving their members in the dark. At the time, I believed Haydee not quite capable of keeping such secrets due to her youth and early tenure being a leader. So it was perhaps against my better judgment to go into a raid with Ethne blind. I know better now that I should have sent a bird because clearly, communication is not her strong suit," his tone is terse, words slightly clipped, but on he continues.

"And one might question why I brought pups to a raid. But again, with Haydee's knowledge of requesting training and us coming to Ethne's boundaries with the implication that we would match your energy, why would I believe my pups to be in serious harm's way? I do not expect anyone to understand, but as Raider's, we start training young so that our offspring can start to grasp being able to handle physical conflict against wolves they aren't familiar with," Gilgamesh pauses, taking a breath as he feels the wear of his injuries continue to weaken him. "Though you injured Siduri far greater than anticipated during that raid, it is nothing we could not have handled on our own. We are not initially vengeful wolves. We may hold grudges, sure, but unlike certain wolves I know, I do not agree with revenge raids being that raids are meant to gather resources. Not to spill the blood of thy enemies on their own land," his eyes narrow now, pointedly staring at Bellamy so she understands clearly what he is implying.

"If we are being open and honest with each other, our "feud" with Ethne would have ended with your maim to my daughter. Modesty, I, or Siduri herself may have sought you out personally, but, again, it would have ended there. If it had not been for the pup that came to our shores requesting apologies in the name of you, Haydee, and Ethne, it still would not have continued on. But Modesty, the mother that she is, worried that that boy had not been raised well. Who would think that a young wolf like that should go knocking on another pack's door right after such a tense moment? It's concerning in the same way that you find me bringing pups to a raid concerning. No harm would have come to him. Hell, we would have even let him go home if he had insisted, but as you might have noticed, I do not take lightly to purposeful harm coming unto pups," Gilgamesh's lips lift lightly, a grumble in his chest because even if his own personality had changed, his laws had not. Those who harm pups were the worst of their kind.

"Ah, but it gets better, dear, sweet Bellamy," his tone begins to change, something in him awakening as he feels the strain of his brain injury dig into his conscious. It began to twist the apathetic emotion of his tone as his eyes still continue to eerily hold onto her features. "Haydee suddenly appeared. Screaming about this and that, clearly forgetting what she had come to my doorstep requesting. What alpha leaves their wounded pack behind like that? Could she not have sent anyone else to gather up that naïve boy? Plus, we had not taken all of those stupid birds. We aren't mongrels. We take what is needed and leave the rest. That much is true and we both know this because if I were to go to your borders once more, I'm sure we find more than a few feathers on the ground. But it appears Haydee and perhaps Ethne too wished for an enemy and unfortunately for us, we were the chosen target. So on the beach that day, you're right, I did maim Haydee. And after I did, I warned her that if she were to ever come back to my borders, she would not be met in kind," Gilgamesh stands now, shaking out the tension from his fur before moving a few steps closer to Bellamy. She is nearly as tall as he is, but that's doesn't intimidate him nor stop him from holding a dominant stance. If there was any time that she needed to understand what he had to say, it was now.

"I figured," he pauses, clicking his tongue against his teeth to make a 'tsk' noise of thoughtfulness, eyes lifting to the cloudy skies above for a brief moment. Paws firmly on the ground, toes curling slightly to hold him steady with a renewed strength as emotion and adrenaline finally begin to flood him. When his gaze drops back down to Bellamy, the twist in his tone and gaze reveal something vile that not even Gilgamesh could put a paw on. "I figured that would be the last of your lot. I am a man of my word. After the first raid and scarring your daughter, one might have believed that enough to comprehend that we are not to be toyed with, but it appears Haydee was too proud? Bold?" His eyes squint, head canting slightly before giving it a shake. "No, reckless," his muzzle wrinkles again as he continues. "She thought, and from what you say was  against your better judgment, that raiding us in return was a good idea," both of his brows raise now before a quiet, disbelieving chuckle finally rolls off his tongue.

"Now, as I said Bellamy, I am a man of my word. So when Ethne appears on my borders, again, I will and did not take it lightly. And when we beat you once more, I very much believed, perhaps foolishly again, that that would be the end of whatever "feud" Haydee believed us to have," he paused, another sigh moving his sides as he takes a break. A soft shake of his head as he looks hard at Bellamy now. Was she finally beginning to get it? "After all of this, my daughter still had not began to heal. Modesty wished to seek out the Hallows for help. I did not deny them this and though I ventured into Auster with them, I decided to seek out Haydee for retribution. Not for the other unbelievably immature and idiotic behavior thrown our way, but for Siduri. Though you say you will not ever understand why I required Haydee instead of you, I do hope you understand it now. Siduri is traumatized. She wants nothing to do with seeing you or being in the same vicinity as you. So as the Alpha of Ethne, it would only make sense that Haydee go in your place to apologize for you. That way everything could be laid to rest and we could move on from what hurt us the most," his gaze and expression flicker back to something more serious, a fatherly note that revealed how he still truly felt on the inside. His family was his everything.

"But," a snort this time through his nostrils as he closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them once more, they reveal how tired and furious he is. They had taken it too far for long enough. Bellamy showing instead of Haydee was the nail in the coffin for Gilgamesh. "Haydee decided cowardice was a better option than answering to her injustice. You may have maimed Siduri and for that we understand, but everything else that has transpired is her fault," Gilgamesh's words seethe as he takes another step closer to Bellamy, muzzle coming closer to the older woman.

This is where it would count.

"We do not want your head. You are nothing but a bug beneath my paw. It is Haydee we seek and it is Haydee or Ethne, whatever it is your offspring may have disguised it as for now, that we require. We will not accept an apology, we will not accept gifts or tokens of sorrows. Haydee has clung to this veil of being a victim for far too long now. If she does not come and offer herself up, we will come to her. Your companions or yourself, I do not care, can deliver the message personally or don't. It won't matter. Nothing will stop us from obtaining what our hearts are set on, but it is up to you now to decide. Will we be taking Haydee or Ethne by force or will she come willingly?"

The Raid King, Gilgamesh

table coding by bunni ♥

His words cause Bellamy to arch her brow. To atone for crimes that she did not commit? She does not understand, and is further surprised that the Raiders do not wish for blood. It is Bellamy who is quiet now, listening as the Raid King speaks. Haydee knew the Raiders were coming to raid… and she hadn’t said anything to them. The shock of this reflects in the woman’s eyes and her jaw tightens, but she says nothing. If they had known the Raiders would come to them for training, would they have fought as they did? Would anyone had gotten hurt? Maybe Haydee hadn’t realized that by asking for assistance with training they would come as a raid, but still, to not tell the pack that there had been an agreement with them was a poor decision. When they knew the standings of their pack with others they knew how to conduct themselves. Why… why hadn’t Haydee brought this up? Was it lack of training? Did she not realize it was important?

The woman longs to speak, but she keeps her mouth closed. As she speaks with the Raid King, she begins to see things from their point of view. A view that their pack should have considered. Ears fell, and guilt continues to eat at Bellamy. Haydee not conducting herself properly had been an error on her part. She knew Ethne was in the wrong for the revenge raid, not that it had gotten them their chickens back. When the birds were dead they should have left… but why had they stayed? Why had they fought with so much desire to draw blood? It was something that Bellamy did not understand. She could understand herself, could understand her own actions and the causes, but what turn had caused the pack to become so violent? And the details of what happened on the beach, Haydee’s own confession that she had become angry that day. Bellamy sighed.

Gavroche had been scared, but he had told her that the woman had tried grabbing him. He did not mention attacks. And Gilgamesh wasn’t wrong. Gavroche’s actions that day had worried Ethne, too. The request for peace that Haydee had come for, by fighting, had she made it worse? And she knew that not all the birds had been taken. They were special, sure, close to her daughter, but were they worth this much blood? The woman hadn’t heard the warning the Gilgamesh had given her daughter, only that when she returned it was with the intent to raid. He draws closer, but Bellamy does not cower or flinch away from him. She keeps him gaze, quiet, listening to what he has to say. And Bellamy begins to realize what Gilgamesh had meant, why he sought retribution from her daughter. Bellamy’s actions had caused the start of it all, but Haydee’s actions had continued them. Worsened them. Even if her daughter had meant well - she had, hadn’t she? Coming to gather Gavroche…

As he finished, Bellamy let out a long held breath. “It is unfortunate that most of this information I’ve needed to hear must come from you.” Bellamy begins. “I don’t know whether Haydee’s fault lies in lack of alpha training, if it was merely her anger ruling her, or whatever the case may be…” She meets his eyes. “...and I never expected you to accept my apologies, but I offered them up because whether accepted or not you do deserve peace for what has happened. I can’t say that Haydee will offer herself up, or if Saga would let her go.” The thought had caused a knot to form in her belly. Bellamy’s ears flattened. “...and as her mother, wrong doings or not, I can not bring myself to ask that of her.” A weakness, she knew. No parent would ever want to see harm done to their children… and Bellamy truly believed that Haydee hadn’t done this in spite… but she was at a loss on what to do. Her daughter should be trying to make amends with all that was on the table…

“I will speak with Saga, but I know that you will do what you have to do.” The woman took some steps back. “My apologies to your daughter may never reach her, but truly I regret all that has happened, and I’m sorry for the pain she suffers. I am a flawed wolf, Gilgamesh, but not a heartless one.” The woman sighs. “Rest well. I’m sure one way or another, we’ll be seeing each other again soon.” The woman turned away. She had some things she needed to speak with Saga about.

-Exit Bellamy unless stopped.-

"Speech," 'Thought.'