The end of the summer was coming, she could feel it. She also could hardly wait for the relief she'd feel with the change of the season, she had been in heat for far too long. This had to have been the longest summer of her life, somehow she'd gotten away with keeping herself from temptation. Though right now she felt more conflicted than she ever had. Before her lay the queen anne's lace and juniper berries, the contraceptives that Cascade had pointed her towards. She'd gathered them, at first just to have in her stores just in case. Then as the days went on and she looked at them day by day the more the idea of taking them appealed to her. Talking to Cascade hadn't helped her any in the nervousness she felt about reproduction, especially if she was with Valentine. She knew the woman wasn't lying, Motif might have died because the pups she'd given birth to were so large. Had she not been there for her... She'd put her paws over her eyes as she sighed heavily. She wasn't ready until she ate these herbs, getting pregnant.. that was exactly the last thing she needed, especially with such a potentially dangerous outcome. She could wait, why even take the chance right? It really couldn't be that great.. and she'd made it this long and was just fine without. Rhythm would roll back onto her back and look up at the darkening sky. The stars were beginning to come out, a glittering blanket that would replace the bright orange and pinks in the sky. She'd sigh heavily again, pulling her paws to her chest as her tail beat at the boulder beneath her. Life was so complicated, and it seemed to just keep getting more and more confusing. For the first time in a long time she would wish that she were back home in Ahlone. Back when she and her siblings were only yearlings. Everything was so much simpler then, they'd all been so innocent and naive then. They had no reason to be upset at one another. She'd find herself huffing. She just wanted her sister, she could talk to Motif about all of this. Rhythm really wanted to talk this over with her almost-twin, but... the last time she'd seen Motif the meeting hadn't gone too well. The girl would lean back, closing her eyes tightly as she wished her sister beside her as hard as she could. All the while knowing full well Motif wasn't going to come anywhere near Imperium. ""

What had happened to her? Fate sure had a sense of humor to maneuver her so sweetly into an almost domestic life. It made her stomach itch, her body twitch with a thirst for battle and a thirst for violence. But she had good friends. Thank goodness for Hati and the battle training. However, the fight training had also brought about some unwanted revelations, the first being that she was getting up in years. She wasn't old necessarily but she did feel the weight of her lifestyle beginning to hang heavy on her shoulders. Her movements seemed just a fraction off. Honestly, Dægmar had never expected to live past the age of four and here she was about to peek her sixth year. The warriors of her family rarely lived so long. And children! Who would've thought she'd have so many, let alone that she would settle long enough to raise a batch of them to six months of age. It wasn't really in her nature but still some how she'd managed to do it. It was a strange feeling. Something about her pups made her feel…. oh, she didn't know. Proud? Fulfilled? It surely wasn't a feeling her mother ever expressed to her or her siblings. Speaking of siblings it had been a dismally long time since she'd seen her sister Aerndís. What was that horny bitch getting up to? Dægmar paused in her nightly stroll as the scent of heat touched her nostrils. Nose wrinkled. What poor miserable beast was suffering this night? Bored, Dægmar followed the scent to see a young woman lying on her back. Well, well, it was Valen's pretty little pet. How charming. The wraith turned her head to stare at the stars and snorted. "I've never much cared for stargazing. Little lights in the sky like little eyes in the dark. What do you think you'll find by staring up at them like a lovestruck coyote?"

Though she prayed for company the sudden sound of foot falls startled her, berfore she'd even been able to turn to look at the approaching wolf a voice would fill her mind as she leaned to catch sight of the other beta. Hati had been less than appealing for the most part, did this woman hold any thing in common with herself? She couldn't tell if the question had been intended for an answer but she would offer anyway. "I don't believe they will grant me anything more than silence." Her words were half sigh as she fell into silence for another long moment. Before she rolled to more properly greet her sudden guest she'd offer one last morsel. "Sometimes I wish they'd answer though," Rhythm couldn't come close to answering all her problems herself. As her form rose from the boulder she realized she must have looked a mess, it was the middle of the night and she was quite sure she hadn't groomed herself properly in a day. "I apologize for my appearance, I wasn't expecting company." Not that the darker woman was not welcome at her boulder, they were pack mates and she did hold a higher rank than Rhythm. "My name is Rhythm Destruction by the way, since we haven't properly met." She'd lower her features in a respectful nod, in greeting as well as an acknowledgment of her higher status. ""

Her words caught the woman's attention and Dægmar watched as she sighed and tried to pull herself together. Curious, Dægmar sat down. "Aye, it would be nice if fate would give us hints every now and then… though perhaps it does and we simply over look them." She'd been engrossed in her own thoughts of fate lately. Her dreams had been getting worse again and while there was a time when she'd have welcomed even the darker aspects of fate that time had passed. She was a mother now… Dægmar fidgeted slightly at the thought. No, no she wasn't a mother, she was a leader of warriors. Where had that thought come from? The wraith shrugged as the chocolate woman apologized for her appearance. "Don't worry about it. You should see me after a grueling training session." Dægmar didn't have the luxury to lay around and look pretty, in fact she doubted she was ever at any point a beauty. She was a sweaty, grimy workhorse but she was alright with that. It took all kinds. "Dægmar Thyre. Destruction, hmm? I've always found your family's surname rather odd considering you're probably the most peaceful, unassuming wolves I've ever met. I've talked with a Novella Destruction some time back…. oh goodness it's been years. Where does the time go?" Dægmar's emerald gaze fell across the horizon. The lulling stillness of the night momentarily punctured by a warm, southern breeze. To think there was a span of her life where time could not go fast enough and now all she wanted was for it to slow down.

She was able to catch this woman's interest further, her talk of the stars prompting a cryptic answer. Though she could still see a truth in the words she was given, were the answers right there in front of her, literally. Her eyes would glance quickly at the herbs that lingered on the boulder before giving her apology, not that the older woman would accept it. Rhythm would give another quick nod as she grew more comfortable on her boulder, laying across it with her paws dangling from the side. Her ears would perk with interest as Dægmar introduced herself and made known the contact she'd previously had with her kin. Rhythm herself had contemplated the question before, not that she'd ever asked about it. Likely the knowledge of its origin had died with her grandmother, her great grandfather was the first with the name, and he had been a great if cruel man. Her own side of the family had not really taken after him as much as the wolves from Novel's brother Adrenaline. Not that Rhythm had seen this or even tried to look for these qualities in her second cousin Soliloquy. "She's my cousin, and you're right. I've often wondered myself." Thoughts of time would linger as she again wondered what it might be like to go back to being a pup again. "It really does fly by." She was three years old already, a year had passed since she'd found her siblings here in Alacritia. Her future was still cloudy, so many decisions needed to be made before she could see anything clearing up. For now she lived contentedly in her existence, pondering probably too much of her future to be truly happy within her present. She needed to worry less, but it was hard when she was distracted so fully with the missing part of her that was Motif and all the knowledge she could offer her now. ""

Dægmar followed Rhythm's gaze to the herbs on the boulder.  Ah, ok, she must be one of the healers.  Dægmar had a rather awful habit of not letting others tend to her wounds, even though she knew very little of healing.  The herbs at the woman's feet didn't ring any bells though and she doubted they were for healing battle wounds.  In her nearly six years of life she sworn she'd had about every possible healing herb plopped on top of her.  Nothing irritated her more than smelling like a salad. The younger woman definitely seemed to be trouble by something but Dægmar wasn't really the best to give advice.  You got troubles?  Go beat the shit out of something.  That was her answer to everything, to every unpleasant emotion.  Violence. Seems they were related, Novella being the girls cousin.  There were so many of them though she wondered how the girl ever kept track or why they liked having babies so much.  Dægmar couldn't stand childbirth.  Why did the sex have to be so fun? Dægmar allowed the silence to fall between them for a moment before speaking again.  "You seem to have a lot on your mind.  Look, I'll be honest, I don't really do touchy feely stuff and my advice is always to go bite whatever is bothering you in the ass but…. I ain't got nothing to do so… if you want to tell someone what's bugging ya, feel free."

It felt good to feel the silence, it wasn't uneasy and Rhythm didn't feel pressured as she shifted her eyes to the stars above them. She would feel herself sigh softly, relaxing a bit but perking as the woman brought about her lyrics once more. Rhythm wouldn't help but smile at the sentiment, yeah she liked this beta a lot better than Hati. Not that she would offer that information. Her gaze would drop back to the earth, lingering on Daegmar. "There's so much going on in my life, I just wish I could talk to my sister about it all." That was the root, the rest of her problems would be chump change compared to how much she wanted to talk to Motif again. She just wanted her other half. "Everything's so complicated now that I'm an adult." she chuckled, could she even categorize herself as an adult? She had earned the age, but mentally? ""

Dægmar waited for the other woman to speak with a calm patience that she must've gained through motherhood. Emerald eyes tipped to the stars as she wondered once again what hand fate was playing her in steering her into such a domestic role. Such a challenging role! Give her an army any day, those children were going to be the death of her! It seemed the younger woman's problems were meant for the ears of her sister but that was probably just as well. The wraith really wasn't the best with advice, especially for emotional turmoil. Violence had always been her answer though… she supposed she was changing a bit in that respect. A sudden, joyfully shrill cry to the sky caught her attention as she turned her head back to her den. Oh now what…. was that Raba trying to howl at the moon again? Dammit she was going to wake the neighbors! Or Hati! Then Dægmar would really hear about it…. Dægmar sighed heavily. "Well, I hope you find the answers you seek. Looks like I have to deal with my brat pack. Have a good night." Turning, she swiftly set off to her den in the hopes of silencing one pup before all three were up and running around. -exit Dægmar- "Speech"