Nyx Argyros
Tisiphone: *The dark she-wolf could not help but be pleased about Hephaestus's hopes for a litter of their own, despite Zanza's rude interruption. Of course, she could also not help the fact that said interruption had made her terribly embarrassed, which translated to instant irritability. Despite the fact that all of this had happened hours ago, and the fact that she was now alone, she was still assaulted by both of those feelings. So, she was hoping to keep her solitude. Unfortunately, fate was not on her side, as she heard the approach of another wolf, or two. She could only hope that it wasn't Zanza'jin again.*


fenshae
Heyoka's restlessness had not entirely abated, but she was making progress. She'd come to realize the full extent of possibility alive in the mountains here, and though she was generally skittish about reaching out and making friends among the other pack members, she kept herself entertained by climbing cliffs too tall and steep to consider.

Still, she couldn't avoid the constant uncertainty of this pack situation, and the uncertainty made her alternately crazy and needy. A tendency to cling was one thing Heyoka despised most about herself, but she couldn't help it.

Tongue lolling from one corner of her maw from recent exertion, the painted wolf sniffed the ground, trying to pick up on Tisiphone's scent.


Ashtiel Pantheres
Zanza'jin: *Unable to comprehend what he had interrupted, the usually jovial bouncy wolf trudged through the undergrowth, muttering to himself. How could Tisi go for that huge lug? They hadn't even known each other that long! Filled with what others would see as a comical amount of despair, the painted wolf wandered aimlessly, not caring where he went, until he suddenly stumbled upon the one thing at the forefront of his thoughts.*

"Tisi!"


Nyx Argyros
Tisiphone cringed at the sound of wolf she most wanted to avoid just then. Of course, life had never been that kind to her. She should have known.

"Now what do you want?" she snapped, definitely not over her earlier irritation. By the gods, was that Heyoka, too? This just got better and better.


fenshae
Heyoka paused, hearing the agitation in Tis's voice. Granted, agitation wasn't exactly unusual; indeed, it would be far more unsettling if she sounded happy. Still, she sounded more impatient than usual, and that didn't bode well.

She picked up the pace, but hesitated when she saw Zanza there. Her tail gave a half-hearted wag, and she grinned sheepishly at the flirtatious wolf. There was a heaviness of "things unsaid" on the air and it put her immediately on edge.


Ashtiel Pantheres
"Hey, mon. Ya dun gotta be all snappy wit me. Can't blame ol' Zanza fo bein' a bit . . . caught off guard."

His usual happy demeanor was replaced by his obvious unhappiness, and he hung his head, ears limp. Tail drooping, he even sniffled a little. "I thought ya be lovin' ya Zanza. Not da big brute wolf ya just met."


fenshae
Heyoka slipped from uneasy to bewildered. She stared blankly from Zanza to Tis, then blinked, feeling a little slow. Clearly, she'd missed something while she was out cliff-diving..."What are you going on about?" She asked, pushing her way into the area. She settled down between her painted companions, looking between them. Something shifted uneasily in her chest and she didn't like it at all.


Nyx Argyros
She glanced at Hayoka, but the majority of Tisiphone's attention was caught by Zanza, whose words made her twitch. She felt a little guilty that the normally cheerful male was so morose...and that it was because of her. Naturally, that only made her scowl more.

"Oh, quit your sulking," she snapped. "When have I ever professed love for you, you flirtatious menace? It's not like you were serious about me, anyway."


Ashtiel Pantheres
Zanza jumped at Heyoka's unexpected words, staring at her sheepishly. Falling to his haunches, he stared between his friends, his two pack mates, and realized that even though he had never truly flirted out of seriousness, he easily could have. The fact that he had missed his chance with Tisiphone made him unhappy.

But truly, he loved both of these beautiful females, and he might have been just a bit jealous of his new "alpha" Hephaestus.

"Our Tisi got wooed by da brute wolf. We be seein' little Tisi's runnin' 'round soon enough."


fenshae
"Wait, wait, wait," she said, shaking her head rapidly as though to rid a nuisance fly from her eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?" She rounded on Tisiphone, hackles raised, a look of mingled confusion and heartbreak in her eyes. "Tis, tell me he's lying?"

Tis couldn't be in love already! It was too soon! Heyoka had hardly had time to even meet the new pack, and here her old alpha was, worming her way into the den of...it was unthinkable! After all that moping around, she was just going to change her mind right now? This must have something to do with that black assassin Heyoka had seen skulking around...argh! This was too much to bear.


Nyx Argyros
Now, she was really feeling the guilt. What had she ever done to deserve such a look from her foundling?! Ok, so it was one more sudden life change to add to the list, and this was definitely not how she had wanted to break the news to Heyoka, but surely she was entitled to having her own life? Right?

Tis cast a half-hearted glare in Zanza's direction before addressing Heyoka.

"No, he's not lying. Hephaestus and I are to be mates..."


fenshae
Heyoka let out a strangled sort of yowl before she could help herself. She looked at Zanza for some kind of guidance as to how she was supposed to take this news. She wasn't sure which was worse, that Tis was hooking up with some guy Heyoka had never actually talked to, or that she would even consider having puppies.

No, that's not true -- that WAS the worst. Heyoka was her one and only, her foundling! There was no way she could possibly compete with real family.


Ashtiel Pantheres
Zanza stepped over to Heyoka, headbutting her shoulder. He sat beside her, in an attempt to give her some reassurance of mere presence, but he was not a happy wolf and his emotions would surely transfer over to her.

"I dunno about Heyoka, but I be feelin' a leetle forgotten, Tisi. Eva since we got here, ya been more distant. And now we find out dat dis is why?"


Nyx Argyros
"It's not...I'm not..."

Tisiphone's ears flattened. All of their tag-teaming had her feeling more than a little flustered. Was he right? Had she been neglecting her band? She had been spending time with Heph, sure, but she had been checking on her wolves, making sure they were settling in. It wasn't like she had forgotten them...right? They had been spending time with pack members, too!

"It's not like that! I haven't forgotten you. In a pack this big, it's only natural that we don't see quite as much of each other as we would traveling, but I haven't abandoned you. I'm still here for you."


fenshae
Heyoka stiffened. She wanted to seek comfort from Zanza, but it made her uncomfortable. She was relieved that he could explain things, though; Heyoka had never been good at discussing her feelings.

A sudden wave of restlessness overtook her, and she shuddered a little, struggling to keep from running off right away. "But you're...you're going to have....." she couldn't bring herself to say the word 'pups'. This whole thing was surreal.


Ashtiel Pantheres
Deep down, Zanza knew why Heyoka was so upset. She had never spoken of it, but they had traveled together for so long, seen each others reactions and heard all the words, that he knew.

And he felt a little guilty for being so upset, for focusing on his own feelings. He was being selfish, considering Heyoka and her viewpoint.

Tisiphone was effectively her mother, and now that mother was going to create a "new" family.

Although he knew deep down that Tisiphone really would never abandon them, that her painted wolves were still her family, Heyoka's thoughts and feelings didn't operate the same way as most wolves.

"We afraid of losin' ya," he said simply.


Nyx Argyros
The dark femme shifted uneasily at Heyoka's words, still feeling embarrassed that her personal life was open game right now, but Zanza's bald statement steadied her. Sure, she had her temper and she didn't particularly enjoy the topic of discussion, but there were more important things. Right now, that was Heyoka, and even Zanza.

She took a deep breath and forged ahead. "Stupid," she said, with her gruff brand of affection. "I'm not going anywhere. So what if I get a new mate and maybe even have pups? You are my family." she nipped Zanza's cheek and nudged Heyoka. "That will never change."


fenshae
Heyoka stiffened further, and Tis's nudge was enough to drive her to her paws, fur standing on end. "Don't be stupid," she responded, brushing off this sentiment. She was having a hard enough time with the idea of losing her 'big sister's' love to some smelly bunch of puppies, she didn't need to compound the discomfort with a big mushy love-fest. "Like I care what you do," she snorted, and pulled away from them. "It's none of my businesses." She tried to look nonchalant.


Ashtiel Pantheres
Zanza scoffed at Heyoka's blatant lie, headbutting her hard enough to make her stumble. "Ya always been a poor liar. Ya Zanza reads between da lines."

He pawed at her, more for annoyance and distraction than anything. Heyoka needed time to think, he could sense it. She had been close to bolting for a majority of the conversation.

"Well, I be goin' ta challenge dat green haired brudda to a race down da waterfall cliff. He says he's da fastest at eet. Wanna join me, Heyo?"


Nyx Argyros
Tis scowled at both of them, but let Zanza take the lead, here. Obviously, this wasn't something she could expect her foundling to accept overnight. She would just have to make sure that life continued normally between them. She would just have to show Heyoka that nothing would change between them. With that in mind, she nipped the younger female's flank. After all, she couldn't let her get used to being so mouthy.

"Brat. Go play with the locals, but don't think you can keep the attitude forever."


fenshae
Against her will, Heyoka's tail gave a twitch. She did like that green-haired fellow. Indeed, she had been rather disappointed to learn that he had a family of his own already; in the brief time she had talked with him, she'd rather hoped that his constant wanderer status meant he was like her, an orphan who only just barely fit in with his pack. It wasn't quite the let-down of an unsatisfied crush, but it was close enough.

"As if either of you could keep up," she snorted, and cast one last inscrutable look -- half glare, half plead for love -- back at Tisiphone before taking off in the direction Zanza'jinn had referenced.