Gossamer settled in the dark sands of the cove, watching the waves roll in, the water as gray as the sky. She'd just experienced her first break up and was struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened. She supposed it wasn't all that surprising. Long-distance relationships were difficult to navigate, she realized that now especially when they lived on separate continents. She hadn't been able to get down to Ethne as much as she wished, Dagrún hadn't been able to get up to the Armada. Something was bound to break and in the end it was their relationship.

Gossamer kicked a rock into the ocean, watching it stutter through the waves then disappear below the water. She thought she had the perfect solution. Obviously, neither one wanted to spend the rest of their lives doing this dance of separation. Someone had to move in with the other and in her mind it was obvious that Dagrún should move in with her in the Armada. The other warrior had voiced her concern about fitting in with Ethne, so it seemed obvious. And yet…. Dagrún had refused. Stating she couldn't deal with the Armada's structure and rules. That she was ready to get back to her viking roots and well…

Sliding her paws forward til she was laying down, Gossamer laid her head on her arms. They couldn't reconcile. There was screaming, there were tears, and it all came down to the fact they both envisioned themselves in very different places in the future. The great distance, the lack of frequent communication had let the relationship to become fragile and with two different visions for the future, well, in hindsight she wasn't surprised.

Feeling low, Gossamer had kept to herself, debating about her own future. She had no interest in joining another pack, but she was interested in stepping outside the Armada. She'd often toyed with the idea, especially as most of her littermates went their own separate ways. Only she and Aris remained within the Armada. Dammit, it was time to stop fantasizing and actually do something. Gossamer sat up and tipped back her head to call for her father. There had been rumors that her younger sister Vanta was starting a band. It was time to find out if the rumors were true and if so… well maybe she had a direction after all.

The Warlord wasn’t far from the beach. He had been stretching in the cavern just above the shore. Sorting through the practice weapons as he did so. He had just been about to head back into the Col, and he changed his course at the sound of a summoning howl. Recognising the sound of his daughter's voice, He picked up his pace a little. It wasn’t often Gossy called for him, and important or trivial, it was important to him to arrive promptly.

He found her along the beach, and there was something about her manner… she looked down. He reached her, and stepped into her space in order to reach over and kiss her brow. “Hi, Sweetie, is everything okay?” He asked quietly, before stepping back into a more comfortable speaking distance from her.


"Speech"

Gossamer didn't have to wait long for her father to arrive and once he had she struggled with where to begin. Her eyes closed tightly for a moment as she got herself together before she answered his question, her voice coming out in an exhausted sigh. "No, not really. I went to Ethne to visit Dagrún and we talked about our future together only to realize… to realize that there wasn't one. We're just not on the same page at all." Her eyes burned but she kept control of the tears. "I always assumed she'd move to the Armada I guess… that was silly of me." She had made a vision of her happily ever after and hadn't even stopped to consider if Dag would've been ok with such an idea. It had been a tense break up though certainly not the worst. Either way it had lead her to really thinking about her future again.

"I'm just wondering if you ever… had to deal with a break up and also…this is difficult for me to ask but, I hear a rumor that Vanta is leaving the Armada. That she's starting her own band, is this true, father?"

Gossy had asked him not that long ago, how a wolf knew they were in love. To head it hadn't worked out? He rubbed a paw up her back lightly, guessing at the grief she must be feeling. “It wasn't a silly hope, and I'm sorry Gos” he told her gently. 


Her next question had him pausing for a moment, considering. While it was difficult to let any of his children go, he had long learned he could not hold them back. “It's true. I told Vanta I would send her help to get started. Who better than my very capable Lieutenant?” He kissed her brow. “You will always have a home with me, but find Vanta and speak to her with my blessing. She's staying in the Armada a little while to reconnect with her family before she leaves.”

Gossamer gazed up at her father. He spoke gently, explaining that what she'd heard was true, that her little sister Vanta was starting up a band and that he told her he'd send her help to get started. He gave Gossamer his blessing and she nuzzled her face gently into his shoulder. "Thank you, father. I will do so. I need some time out on my own and I'd love nothing more than to help her get her band going." While Gossamer's own ambitions were fairly small she took pleasure in seeing the dreams of her siblings come to fruition. Then there was the matter of her heart break. Something important to her had come crashing down… she needed to build something up, something also important to her.

The Warlord gave her paw another pat, wishing he could do more to ease her heart. Heartbreak was no easy thing to deal with. But Gossy was strong, and he had no doubt she would find her paws again and rise up. He thought her joining Vanta’s band would be a good thing. Her ambition seemed to have stopped at being a lieutenant, and perhaps with her sister she would strive a little higher.

“I know Vanta would appreciate the support.” He said, wanting to say more, but leaving it there. Gossy didn’t need coddling, and she would know she was always welcome wherever he would be. Even if that wasn’t as the Armada Warlord when she came back.


"Speech"