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 Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:29 am
 Things had gone quite well while she was visiting their southern alliance pack. Chivosi had agreed to take in Casimir's pups once they were old enough to leave Seraphin's care, Orithia got to see and experience a bit of diplomatic duty as well as rile up Apollo. She had visited with Lichen, Bracken and Terreis as well, so the Queen had been gone for longer than she had expected. When she returned Penthesilea saw to taking care of Orithia's needs, the pup was on the cusp of adolescence but still so small and frail at times that it did worry her greatly. Once Orithia was fed and tucked away safely in the den for a well deserved rest the Queen set off to speak with her head warrior.
Of course the Queen was a bit shocked when she saw the fresh wounds on Varia's body. Something had happened while she was gone. And all the questions in the world would not pry the information out of her head warrior. This both calmed and worried Penthesilea greatly. If Varia refused to talk about it, it could be something to overlook, perhaps one of the Sisters finally showed her worth in a sparing match during training. But that was doubtful as likely Varia would be proud about such an accomplishment, and not sit there tight lipped about it. So the Queen has left Varia to deal with her wounds as she saw fit before padding off to a den well away from the others.
Ever since she had sent Achilles out to find Yakut some time ago their bond had grown strong and they became close. And while it could be dangerous to her rank to love her consort like a true mate Penthesilea always made sure to set some time aside to spend with her splotchy mate. Padding silently towards his den as the last few rays of sunlight danced across the lands the Queen was looking forward to relaxing a bit with Achilles and speaking to him about the success of today's trip.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:37 am
 Achilles had decided to take advantage of the days wanning light and get some well deserved rest outside his den. The sunlight felt good on his hide and the rest would do well for the wounds he had received in fighting Varia. He had cleaned them as he cleaned all wound received in fighting and would no let them heal as per normal. Unlike Varia however Achilles was not at all ashamed of his injuries..he had stood up for the slaves weather they would know it or not and for once his fight had held more meaning behind it other then a simple 'job'.
It had been a rather good day as far as he was concerned and he was dozing off and on when he caught the sound of someone closing in on his den, they were approaching with the wind to their face so it was impossible to tell who it was..but surely Varia wouldn't be so foolish as to let him hear her coming, these steps were not the stealthy steps of a hidden attacker and so he merely raised his head and looked in the direction of the sounds to see who would appear.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:45 am
Penthesilea came out of the bank of trees that surrounded the small clearing which housed Achilles den and let her eyes fall on her mate. Of course what she saw made her paws come to a stop and her eyes narrowed slightly, not out of anger but more closing inspecting him. He too had injuries on him that looked fresh. As far as she knew Achilles had not left to attend to any of his various jobs outside of the pack so the Queen was left to wonder exactly what happened, though she was already starting to form the answer in her head. The real question of course was why? Why did this happen? Was there anything she could have done to prevent it? And what was the reason behind the fight? This was of course assuming that she was correct in thinking Varia's and Achilles' wounds were related to each other.
Giving her head a slight shake the pale wolfess padded over to where he lay. She lowered herself onto her haunches and then glanced out among the trees that surrounded them. For several moments she sat there quietly, just glancing about casually, then slowly turned to look at him again. "Rough day?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:51 am
AhPen - it might have been if she'd come to see him a few days from now when things were a touch less noticeable but no point in worrying over such things now. Varia would likely be far to proud to admit that he had wounded her as well as she had wounded him and as long as she kept her mouth shut and her temper in check well he would extend the same courtesy and keep things on the down low.
Yawning lightly he waited patiently for her to speak, curious to see just how she would go about trying to find out what had happened, with her remark he gave a slight chuckle "Productive I think might be a better label" He replied though didn't elaborate any further "And yours? Your trip went well I expect..."
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:59 am
Brow quirked at his words, however she was willing to let her unspoken questions remain so for the moment. The Queen knew that both Varia and Achilles would only share what they wished to with her, nothing more, nothing less. So if Achilles wanted to play innocent for the moment she would play along with him, but soon enough she would ask her questions. Her head nodded slightly.
"Yes things went well. Chivosi has agreed to take the pups once they are old enough, and Casimir as well if he so chooses. Orithia behaved herself well, though I think she might have gotten under the skin of one of the young males there." She told him with a slight smile. "Nothing too serious to worry about of course, just your typical boy versus girl type of occurrence that happens within any pack." Penthesilea had found it a bit amusing that Orithia played the role of behaved princess so well, but at the same time used her manipulative ways to get what she wanted from Apollo and perhaps offend him just a bit, even if the male didn't show it.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:06 am
That was certainly good news - if nothing else it would ensure the pups and poor Casimir might be spared Varias torment even if his recent ploy showed no visible effects - and it was too early yet to see if it would. Of course from what he'd learned of the southern pack he wasn't surprised that they had agreed to take the pups, they were far more open minded then most packs.
"Both good news, the pups will be better off there and it is good for Orithia to test her meddle against a wolf who won't just roll over because she's a princess once in a while, lets her grow" He confirmed with a slight nod of his head. Orithia was a kind enough pup and surely she would make a good queen someday but he certainly approved of her exposure to outside influences.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:13 am
At those words the Queen simply nodded. Having Casimir's pups go to live with their southern allies was for the best but she had to admit she would miss their adorable little faces. Of course she would visit them often, like she did with Thealia's brood. Her eyes moved to the trees again, she sat quietly thinking for a little bit and then after the silence began to eat at her she spoke once more, though she did not return her gaze to Achilles just yet.
"It's funny, I was gone for only a few hours and yet when I returned I find my head warrior with fresh injuries. When I questioned her about them she refused to talk about it. Then I come to see you, and find that you too have evidence of a recent fight." She paused for a moment letting the words sink in. "I don't suppose you feel like explaining things do you? Or am I to believe that it was two completely random, unrelated occurrences that have led to these injuries." For the moment she would merely ask him about what had happened, but if he completely avoiding answering like Varia had she may press him more and order the information out of him.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:25 am
Well he'd know she wasn't going to drop things completely, nor accept his early blithe remark about his injuries - he had guessed that she had already gone to see Varia but the surprised look on her face when she had seen him told him the spotted wench hadn't spoken, something that Pen now proved with her very words.
He gave her a careful look well aware that he would have to walk carefully with his next few statements. "I believe my queen that you are wise enough to make suitable observations and conclusions about such things on your own" He told her which was of course neither a confirmation nor a denial "And some things are best left as observations and assumed conclusions...if you do not really want a truthful answer then I caution against asking a question you might regret asking afterwards" If she ordered him to tell her then he would as he was promised to do..,but Pen was a seasoned and wise ruler and he was certain she would see the wisdom of his suggestion..besides did she really want to deal with getting to the bottom and then punishing the offenders of this ordeal? He doubted it.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:38 am
Pen's eyes swiveled to meet Achilles as he began to speak. Though what he said told her much and at the same time very little about what had actually transpired in her absence. So, he too was unwilling to outright say what had happened. This didn't shock her so much and helped her to better paint a picture of what did happen. Something, what she didn't know exactly, had caused Achilles and Varia to have a fight, and while both came out with injuries the most important thing was that none of them were serious. She was, for the second time today, willing to turn a blind eye and forget the situation, though she made sure to throw a single comment out for him. "Let us hope that this does not happen again. I can only overlook such things once." And those words had also been said to Varia.
With the fight now pushed to the back of her mind, though she would not easily forget it, the Queen moved on to a new subject. "Have you considered my offer to move to a closer den?" In a previous conversation they had spoke of how Patroclus spent many nights in his fathers den and with the approach of winter Achilles had determined his den would not provide enough warmth for the young male. There were still plenty of empty dens in the pack lands, and those closer to the middle were in good shape but would continue to allow Achilles to live at a distance from the Sisters. Though she would not openly say it, the Queen wished for Achilles to take up her offer, not just for Patroclus' sake, but so that Achilles could be closer to her as well.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:08 am
Pens response was pretty much what Achilles had expected though he did her the courtesy of ducking his head and docking his ears in acknowledgement of her warning, much as he toed the line when it came to pack law..and much as he did not respect many of the wolves within the pack he did indeed respect and ..if he was truthful with himself..even love, Pen.
The mere fact that she had thought to bring up the next topic for the second time was enough to let the mottled wolf know that she desired him to take up the offer - only a blind wolf would miss such obvious signs. But this was something Achilles loathed doing - to give up his privacy and relative freedom in order to move closer to the pack was hardly a nice thought, but it was perhaps necessary - not only for Patroclus but for the rest...now that he had decided to make a stand for the slaves treatment he could hardly slink off into the shadows and forget about them...perhaps his more visible presence would remind Varia that he was watching her. At the very least it would annoy her and that if nothing else might make the move worth it.
Besides he would be closer to Pen and he'd be lying to himself if he didn't acknowledge the draw in that as well. Giving a deep sigh he finally nodded his head "I'll take you up on it I suppose"
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:21 am
Penthesilea sat quietly waiting for Achilles answer. He seemed to be mulling it over and it somewhat amused her. When he finally agreed, even when it was paired with that deep sigh she couldn't help but smile. It was a smile that told him he was making the right decision. "I'm sure Patroclus will be thrilled to hear this, he has commented that your den is a bit drafty from time to time." Her son may idly comment on such things but he never made it sound like a complaint, more so he was just stating the facts of what occurred around him during his time with his father.
This of course reminded her of the other part of a previous conversation with Achilles. He had expressed a desire to take their son out of the pack to teach him things that were not available here, to teach him the way of Achilles' line of work. Would he still desire to do so now? Patroclus was on the cusp on adolescence after all and as with all her children she did wish for them to know as much as they could about not only their own pack, but the world around it as well. She kept her question silent for now. "There are plenty of dens to choose from, and they are still a good distance away from the Sisters." Which also meant they were far away from her own den, but even that was better than having him way out near the border like he was now.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:29 am
He did it all for the smile - it was true, moons but he was turning into such a sap in this pack. 'I'll take a look at them this afternoon" He promised her, though he already had a pretty good idea of which ones would and would not be suitable..there was one on a slight bluff that might be nice, it's elevated location would give him a good view of the main packlands without having to be right on top of it amidst the sisters.
He'd be closer to the prying eyes of the other slaves then he might have liked but he could deal with that he supposed, if nothing else he'd be able to keep a better eye on them. Yes he was almost certain that was the one he would pick..but he'd make a deal of inspecting them anyway..if only to amuse Pen with his seeming pickyness.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:40 am
"Good." Her simple answer came and she lowered herself to lay beside her on the cool earth. It would not be long before winter was upon them, even Chivosi had spoke about how it seemed to be coming early this year and was predicted to be somewhat harsher than normal. Hopefully all would go well in the coming months, they would need to make sure there was always food for the pack and shelter for those that needed it. With the talk of a new den for Achilles now all sorted out the Queen could relax a bit. While her mind still continued on at a steady pace thinking of the many things she needed to do before winter set in, her body at least relaxed a bit.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:51 am
Satisfied that Pen was satisfied and that no more question were forthcoming about his recent altercation with Varia, nor about his upcoming move closer to the pack Achilles relaxed against her as she lay beside him, moving his head so that it was pillowed against her thickening winter fur..doing so pulled at the wounds along his neck but Achilles found he didn't care. They didn't get enough time alone for such a small worry to stop him from taking advantage of this quality time while he could.
"You must be ired from your trip" He remarked, it wasn't an especially long trip to the southern pack..but long enough that it was at least somewhat taxing when done twice - there and back - in one day.
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Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:01 pm
With a slight shift of her body she gave Achilles a small appreciative bump. "I am." She quietly admitted. Though she made the trip to YMCA and back every few weeks it was still a bit of a tiring feat to do so. Poor Orithia had nearly fallen asleep while eating when the returned before willingly being nudged to the den to rest. However, like so often the Queen could not submit to rest before checking on the condition of her pack, attending to any immediate duties or concerns and ensuring her pups, who were growing so quickly now, were cared for. Hectic as her life was she would never trade it for anything else.
"I cannot stay for long." She finally told him with a hint of a sigh. Soon the Sister would need her to attend to things, the evening patrol would be heading out soon and they would report back to her of anything of importance. For now, she was willing to lay her with Achilles and forget about her other worries.
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