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 Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 8:48 pm
 Ah how the time flies. The pups were growing bigger with each passing day, even Orithia was growing at a steady rate and while she was still quite small compared to her siblings Penthesilea could sleep easy at night knowing that her heir would indeed survive and eventually one day take her place as Queen of Antianeira. All of the pups made her extremely proud, even Patroclus who was turning out to be a fine little male, he did his duties without complaint each day and in his free time spent it with his father. She however rarely saw Achilles, not because she didn't want to but because she was horribly busy keeping track of all the new blood in the pack. For now there was another litter, that of Seraphin and Iosef, to worry about and the more shocking realization that Varia was carrying pups. The feathered Queen had to bury those specific thoughts to the back of her mind, she could worry about Varia and the upcoming litter soon enough, but today she had made sure to set time aside for herself.
Well that was at least the half truth, she did need some time to herself to think upon many things but one important duty today was to go and speak with Achilles and check to see how he was doing. She didn't know for certain whether he would be around today, he did often leave from sometimes days at a time to attend to his job but she took the chance and began to make her way towards her border-side den.
For once in her life however she was horribly distracted by thoughts she wished to ignore for the time being. Varia's pups, the upcoming winter, her own pups training, going to check on Thealia and Terreis' pups in YMCA, all important duties and she didn't have enough time some days to get it all done. Giving her head a shake Penthesilea padded onward, hopefully talking with Achilles would clear her mind a bit.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:30 am
 Achilles would be lying if he didn't have a bit on his mind as well - though he went out of his way to avoid most of the pack he did make an effort to at least know what was going on with them for the most part. How else was he going to know when Varia and Thaleia decided to bond together and off him while he slept? That damn lynx would likely help out too.
Achilles had decided that it was really only a matter of time before he annoyed them to the point that his position in Pen's life was outweighed by their hatred. They'd attempt to do it in secret of course..a nasty accident or they'd try to make him just disappear. It was no secret that he often left to partake in questionable jobs and any one of those could easily go wrong. Achilles found it cute that most of the sisters actually thought they could pull off such a thing - and he had no doubt that they did indeed think about. Which was why it was important he kept up to date with things, so he could be prepared if and when someone actually tried anything. Silly little wolves.
And then there was winter..his little make shift den was hardly sheltered enough for the coming weather. Other then moving closer to the pack however he'd have to do some scouting to find another...or possibly dig one himself and ugh wouldn't that just be a pain in the a**? But he would do it if he had too...if only so that Patroclus wouldn't suffer when he came to spend time with him. The little wolf sometimes spent the night with him and he couldn't have his pup getting ill.
It was in the middle of these thoughts that movement caught his attention and he turned from musing about the condition of his den to face the coming wolf. Her pale hide was one he didn't mind seeing however and he nodded his head ever so slightly to her. "Penthesilea" he greeted her.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:48 am
It wasn't until she was well into the clearing that surrounded Achilles' den that Penthesilea realized that she had reached her destination. When she spotted him standing there looking at his den a slight smile crossed her maw. Just what was he doing? "Achilles." The Queen continued forward until she was close enough to Achilles to see into his den. "Something wrong with your den?" She questioned and gave it a quick look. It didn't look like anything was wrong, it was a males den after all and was therefore smaller and less perfect than that of her own or of her warriors.
"Have you been busy?" Her eyes moved from the den to her consort. She had not seen him in quiet some time though granted that was likely her fault and not his as she was constantly distracted by her duties to the pack. It was a job she loved and could not imagine the pack being run by another right now, but there were days were she just wanted a break and she knew that other Alpha's felt the same way too. When she was an Adviser for Marpe the Queen had stated the exact thing on several occasions, that for just one day she wished to be free of all of her duties and responsibilities. And although that was not to be Penthesilea would never complain. Her pack from thriving, new blood continued to poor in, though the explosion of pups was still a bit shocking and they were well on their way to becoming the pack they once were.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 11:16 am
"For myself? No, I have slept in far worse" He responded truthfully as she joined him "But the crows tell me this winter will be particularly harsh, they are quite good at predicting such things and I worry for Patroclus when he comes to visit. The girls of course will be fine - they never stay with me and your den is safe and warm, but Patroclus sometimes spends the night. I don't want him falling ill. I may dig another, someplace more sheltered" He admitted after a few moments thought.
It was...somewhat odd really to be worrying about someone else's well being, certainly something new for Achilles. Who knew siring pups would cause this sort of reaction from him. shaking his head and fluffing his fur to disrupt such sentimental thoughts he turned his attention back to Pen. "Busy enough, things generally quiet when the weather turns,Wolves are far too busy preparing for the cold to spend time squabbling with each other" He told her "What bring you out this far? The girls are good? Orithia?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 11:44 am
That brought a smile to her maw. Males may be of the lesser gender and serve few roles in her pack, but the knowledge that her mate was so concerned with their sons well-being warmed her heart. "Patroclus adores you greatly, as do your daughters, but a bond between father and son will always be stronger than that of a father and his daughters." It was true no matter what pack one came from, fathers bonded better with their sons while mothers bonded more with their daughters. "There are many empty dens closer to the interior of the territory that you may use, though they are still far enough away that you will not be in the center of us." Us meaning all of the sisters. "It would be better for Patroclus if you were closer, would mean he would travel less to come and visit you. And with winter fast approaching the snows will make it harder for him to come out this far."
Giving her head a shake Penthesilea tried to concentrate on the questions he asked. What was she doing out here? "I decided to take some time off from my duties to check on things out here. It's getting a bit hectic and sometimes it is best to remove yourself for a while before a wrong decision is made." Lowering herself onto her haunches Penthesilea looked over at her consort. "The girls are doing well, all of them are excelling at their training, even Orithia is proving herself to be a good fighter. She is growing strong and she does not let her small size stop her from trying what her sisters are doing. Though I do see some conflict between her and Enyo."
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 12:14 pm
Achilles huffed slightly at her sentiments, not that they weren't appreciated so much that he being the proud and manly wolf that he was had to object lightly..even while he smiled inwardly."It is something to think on" He agreed, though he carefully did not agree to move closer or even into an already made den outright. A guy had to keep some control over what he did and when he did it after all, especially in a society such as this, if he gave an inch the sisters would take a mile.
"They are first and second born, competition is to be expected. It will make Orithia stronger and Enyo hopefully will accept her place in time, her devotion to being leader and overthrowing her sister now will become excellent preparation for becoming second instead will it not?" He phrased his statement as a question only to give Pen the satisfaction of confirming it as something she already knew. Pen was not so spastic as some of the sisters about such things but Achilles was careful to keep her ego stroked anyways. When the time came and he had to make a stand on something these earlier actions would pay off. He hoped anyways. "It is good to get away from a situation once in a while, sometimes with distance you can look backwards and see a solution that was not immediately apparent" He agreed "Is it Varia's pups you are concerned about?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 12:35 pm
The Queen gave her head a nod. "You're right, a little sibling rivalry can be good for them. Though what happened between Varia and Terreis a while back went beyond a simple spat between siblings. I do not want Enyo and Orithia coming to that." Nor did she want any of her other pups to fight so viciously amongst themselves, but it was those two that openly showed a dislike for one another - more on Enyo's end than Orithia's. Giving her head a shake Penthesilea didn't want to think on that right now.
Of course when Achilles mentioned Varia's pups her head shot up in surprise. "You know about that?" She asked a bit shocked that he had heard about it. But then given his line of work it wasn't that surprising in the end. He needed to know everything around him and the wolf he was working with so it stood in reason that he would know everything he could about the goings on in this pack. "It is not something I ever expected to happen. Varia dislikes pups so much." Not to mention the fact that she would need to be get extremely close to a male in order to become with pups. "If any are males..." She gave her head a shake, she did not mind having a son, though she would admit that had there been no daughters in her litter she would have been quite disappointed. "I do fear for their safety."
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 12:55 pm
"Varia feels Terreis has abandoned her, first by being so kind to her brother and then by leaving to live with the southern pack. Clearly both would have more to say on it but I think that might be the base issue...at least from what I have heard. I think..as long as Enyo and Orithia can unite in their thoughts towards the pack they won't come to such fights. They'll butt heads yes but when push comes to shove they'll work together for the pack" Or at least he hoped so..just because he was a mercenary by trade didn't mean he wanted his own children to tear each other apart.
"Just because I do not mingle openly with those of the pack doesn't mean I don't keep tabs on them, it is better that way - if I remain a mysterious figure on the outskirts of the pack they have only a little bit of information to go on, they know only that we fought and that I am now yours...what type of male would the Queen leave alive in such a case? clearly one there is some value in... valuable males are a bit of an oddity here but I was strong enough to survive a fight with you and that makes them wary too. It makes you look stronger and keeps them from demanding I do the petty chores they ask of the other males..and causing trouble when I refuse...as you and I both know I would" He told her honestly. He would do what she asked because he had pledged himself to her..but the others could go and suck pine sap unless it was something life or death.
"Send the males to the south, they will be safe there...the slave Casimir may be in more danger, Varia will blame him for anything less then an all female litter, I worry perhaps a tad for him" He told Pen...Achilles was a bit more protective o the slaves, oh he wouldn't step in and help them with their work..gods no that was beneath him..but he wasn't going to sit by and let one be savaged for natures whims either.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:28 pm
"It goes well beyond Terreis' abandonment of the pack and her kindness towards Iosef. Varia always believed that Terreis did not push herself enough during the training, though if anyone could match Varia in a fight it was her sister." Paws shifted slightly as she spoke in order to get in a more comfortable position. "What is between Enyo and Orithia is more jealousy than anything else. Enyo sees herself robbed of being an heir by being second born and thinks Orithia too weak a fighter to take on that role. And perhaps she would be right to think so, but the role is Queen is much more than being able to fight well. You must have a diplomatic side, and Enyo does not have that, where as Orithia already shows a great knowledge and understanding of the politics of the pack."
Glancing over at Achilles the Queen smiled a bit. She didn't know he was so well versed in so many things. True she always knew he was a smart wolf, you had to be in his line of work, but to know so much about a pack that cared nothing for those of his gender was impressive. And even right now, she was treating him as her equal, not as a lowly male. "You are very observant I will give you that. But the sisters know much about you as well even though you to not to be noticed."
"I have considered sending any males south, for it would be best for all of us to do so. But if I am not present at the birth then I cannot ensure their safety before they can be taken to YMCA. Varia would sooner kill them on sight then wait for me to remove them from her den." She could always have Cleite shadow Varia day and night until the pups were born, and that may help save the lives of any males but that was no ideal. Varia would know what was going on and easily slip away from the lynx. A solution would be found before it was too late, Penthesilea was certain of that. "Casimir is in danger, and I will speak with him about that. I do not wish any more harm to come to him, he is a good slave no matter what Varia thinks of him." She knew of Varia's repeated beatings on the male and chances were they were retaliation for giving Varia what she obviously wanted at one point. Though the question of why still remained a mystery given Varia's hatred of males and pups.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:48 pm
"I would think rather less of them if they did not watch from time to time" Of course he thought quite low of most of them to begin with - a few perhaps had some saving graces but others were little more then savages and bullies as far as he was concerned. It was well and fine to be a warrior but to be one and then use that strength upon those who served under them was wrong. Much as it infuriated Achilles that the males of this pack refused to assert themselves, made themselves into victims so too did it annoy him to see them trod upon by the uglier of the females.
He was mercenary...and he killed or fame and glory, and to elevate his own name it was true, but he was not like some, not one of those who took sport with their targets families or packs.He went and he did his job and he left. It made him evil in some eyes to be sure but certainly better then those who went about kicking puppies and slaves. Of course he wasn't about to tell Pen that.
"If you order her to bring you the pups at birth would she not do so? She is rule bound and tradition ridden...your word is her law I can't think she would forsake that even for the joy of killing her male spawn"
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:47 pm
Penthesilea sighed and lowered herself down to the ground so she was laying beside him, front paws crossed. "If there was ever a time for Varia to disobey me, I believe this would be it." Glancing off to the forest she thought on her next words for a moment before speaking. "You have to remember Achilles, that in the past it was somewhat accepted that females would abandon or kill off their male pups as they were not important to the pack. Previous Queens would overlook that behavior because those who ruled prior to them did as well. I am an exception, for I am quite lenient with the slaves, I do wish for the males in the pack to be treated better and I am not willing to turn a blind eye to such behaviors."
Returning her gave to Achilles the Queen gave her head a shake. "I can order her to do that, but I cannot guarantee it will happen. What I can do is have someone always be with Varia when she comes near to having them, that will at least alert me to when the pups will need to be taken away should there be any males." But she didn't want to discuss it any further, not because she didn't think he deserved to hear it, but because she had come out here to try and ignore all those thoughts and worries for a little while. "But enough about that, let us talk of other things, I will deal with it all when I go back to the dens."
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 6:24 am
Achilled had the wisdom to hold his tongue about what he thought of the past queens, while the sisters often refused to see it Achilles had come to the conclusion that the slaves were a rather useful entity in the pack - and it was foolish to discard resources of any sort. But he had made his thoughts known and Penthesilea had listened..and within that thought gave him just a touch of perverse pleasure. Wouldn't some of the sisters throw fits if they knew he..Achilles..had actually given advice and expressed thoughts that were noted? He rather enjoyed the half hidden anarchy his mere presence created.
Lowering himself to sit beside her, bi-hued eyes roving the forest with habitual paranoia before returning to Pen he nodded, he was more then willing to drop the subject now that his thoughts had been voiced "Very well then, when Patroclus is a teen I would like to take him with me...on one of my trips beyond the packlands"
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:42 am
Her immediate thought was to say 'No, absolutely not.' But before doing that Penthesilea took a moment to think on it. When her and Achilles struck that deal so many months ago now it had been agreed upon that he would be allowed to teach his sons his way of life as long as he didn't force them into it, merely give them other opportunities to follow should they not chose to be a slave when they were older. By extension of that agreement she could no refuse what he was saying, but merely voice any concerns she had in regards to it.
"Of course, when he is older you may do that. But do be careful, I do not wish for his first outing to be his last." She didn't want to outright say not to put him in a situation that would get him killed, for clearly Achilles cared for the boy - why else would he be considering a different den than to make sure his son was safe and comfortable. "I do hope that you can spend some more time with the girls as well, I realize it's not customary for a father to be a huge part of their daughters life in this pack but it might do them all some good. And they could do with something other than all their training every now and then."
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:46 am
Achilles cast an amused look down on Pen as she lay beside him "come now, have a bit of faith in me then..have I not followed through in all that you've asked of me? It will be a long time before the boy is taken to the end of an assignment" Meaning of course a long while before he would be allowed near the kill - if he ever decided he wanted to be "But there is much to be learned on such trips, scouting..information gathering, diplomacy..deal making..tracking. The end result is but one moment in a much larger game. If he does not take to it then he will not be forced" He assured her - there would be other sons he was sure. Sometime in the future.
"I will spend time with the girls, but be forewarned - male I may be in this pack but I'll tolerate no disrespect from my own children. Princess..second born or not" This was not a problem with Patroclus, the boy was already used to being respectful..and while his daughters were respectful to the sisters they had already been seeped in the packs traditions long enough that he was sure they looked down on the males to some degree.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 9:19 am
"I do have faith in you." She stated confidently. Penthesilea might not always agree with Achilles views on the world or his work but she did believe he would not do anything foolish with Patroclus until the boy was much older - and even then he would likely still be protective of his son. "Patroclus is special to me, he is my...our only son." It might sometimes be hard to show the boy in the midst of the pack that she loved him as much as his sisters, but out here away from the prying ears of the sisters Penthesilea had no problem admitting to it.
"I understand. I do not wish them to be disrespectful either, I'll be sure to have a talk with them before they do come to see you." She fell silent looking out at the trees. There was much more on her mind in regards to the pack but it was not Achilles place to really be involved in, but she was low on advisers and he was a knowledgeable wolf. Her main worry at this point besides everything they had already discussed was Yakut, the Shamaness was still not back yet even though Varia had seen her many months past.
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