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 Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:35 pm
 The morning after their conversation about the still missing Yakut Achilles had left to go find her and report back once he did. Penthesilea really hadn't expected him to leave so quickly, but it did bring her some relief that there was someone out there looking for her. She just hoped that he would be successful, no matter how long it took. The first few days had sailed by as the Queen had been busy dealing with all the issues that also been discussed with Achilles, mainly that of Varia and her unborn pups.
By about the fifth day after he had left she wondered just how long it would be before he returned. Patroclus asked her daily, often multiple times a day, when he would be coming home and the best she do was to tell him 'I don't know, sometime soon.' Hearing that seemed to ease the pups mind just a bit but there was no doubting it, the pup missed his father terrible. She knew this mainly by his restlessness at night, often times he would sleep in Achilles den but now he remained with her and his siblings. It was far safer and warmer in the centrally located den, but the way he tossed and turned each night, sometimes murmuring about Achilles tore at her heart strings greatly. Patroclus was so much like Achilles, which saddened Penthesilea because she knew that one day Patroclus would leave home and follow in his fathers footsteps. Oh sure he tended to his chores like any other slave, but when he was with Achilles the young pup was a completely different wolf.
It was during the night when all was quiet save for Patroclus' constant turning and mumbling that Penthesilea oddly missed Achilles as well. That was something she hadn't expected to happen, but with each passing day that grew just a big stronger. She tried to ignore it, tried to bury herself in work to keep him from her mind, but there was no denying it - she missed Achilles. Of course she would never voice it to any of the pack members, they would think she was growing soft, she already gave enough slack to the slaves in the pack, the last thing she needed was to openly state how much she missed her consort.
Each day she had gone to Achilles den to see if he had returned with news of Yakut, as well as just to see him, but each day the den remained empty and the weak scent around it told her that he had not yet returned. Two weeks now she had done so with the same disappointing result each day. Earlier this morning she had checked that den again, it was still empty, so she set about doing her usual border patrol, though her mind wasn't completely in it today. Padding along the border Penthesilea kept her eyes on the ground ahead of her, ears only partially alert to her surroundings, an odd sight for a wolf who was usually so alert and battle ready.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:59 pm
 Achilles had pushed the limits of his abilities on the return trip, but even cutting the hours he slept and paring his hunting down to the bare minimum he hadn't been able to outrace nature and a fall storm had slowed him down considerably.
Thankfully his mottled coat hide the trail dust well and though he'd lost a few pounds he was still - to his own eyes - a rather good looking fellow. That was important to Achilles, especially after the meeting with Yakut. He'd lowered himself to the level of slave and obeyed her to please Pen, moons knew what the brown wolf would report when she returned, but it had left a bad taste in his mouth and a foul temper had followed him most of the way home.
Home...funny word that, he'd never really had a conventional home before, no place that he regularly returned to night after night. Not until now, not until he'd met Pen and the closer his weary feet brought him to home, the more his temper abated..until when he closed in on the pack boarders sometime in the late afternoon he was merely tired and travel worn...and somewhat relieved to see the end of the journey.
It was surprising see a familiar pale hide within the trees as he slid closer and his mind whirled backwards. Yakut had said he was in love with her...was it true? Achilles shook his head,causing some of the decorations on his collar to rattle together and announce his presence "Don't you have minions for this sort of thing?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:10 pm
So lost in thoughts Penthesilea's hadn't heard the rattle of Achilles collar and nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice suddenly called out to her. Turning to face an all too welcoming sight Penthesilea's face lit up, a smile crossed her maw before she could stop herself. "Achilles." She greeted him warmly, but then her tone turned serious. He had been sent out for a reason and she needed to know how it went. "Were you able to find Yakut? Is she well?" He wouldn't have returned home so soon unless he had found her, or at least she hoped he wouldn't. "And you know I do the same duties as all the sisters." She replied to his question.
Moving towards him the feathered Queen was glad to see him back. And Patroclus would be completely thrilled when he found out the news. Coming to a stop not far from him Penthesilea was oddly at a loss for words. Saying that she missed him seemed like the right thing to do and yet she held those words back, perhaps they would slip out later, after the initial joy of seeing him again had worn off.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:25 pm
Achilles was oddly satisfied to hear her warm welcome - and after such a tone entered her voice he nearly expected something more...perhaps some proof that she felt the same way Yakut thought he felt for her.
But then it was straight to business and Achilles found himself blowing out a soft sigh, somewhat disheartened. Epic welcome home it was not, but he should have known better. To hide these thoughts before they betrayed him he threw himself to the ground with no shortage of dramatic flair. "My paws are weary" He explained and while part of him now wanted to draw out the news of Yakut he recognized that as somewhat petty.
"I found her" He confirmed "She is a weeks hard run from the pack and seemed in good health physically, she is with a strange grey male"
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:52 pm
Had there been a flicker of disappointment in his eyes just then? Could that mean that Yakut was not found, or that she was not returning? Penthesilea didn't think that it was related to him wishing for her to show her true feelings to him. Feelings that she was still unsure of herself because the were so new, and that she would never imagine that he felt the same way. When he flopped dramatically onto the ground and announced that his paws were weary Penthesilea huffed slightly. He was a fit wolf, so it was hard to believe such things. Still he did look like he had been pushing himself, sometime she greatly appreciated for he had done it to ease her worry.
Stepping forward, Penthesilea bent head head close to his. "You poor thing, run ragged for the sake of a female." She was partially mocking him, but in a friendly sort of way. And after a moment of hesitation the Queen gave him a nuzzle and small lick on his cheek, though it was certainly genuine and not forced at all. "Thank you." Her voice was low but truly appreciative. Taking a step back Penthesilea lowered herself onto her haunches and glanced out at the trees for a moment. "I am glad to hear Yakut is well and not too far. But this strange male you speak of has me worried. Yakut is not one to spend time with males." As was typical of most wolves from this pack, but the Shamaness had never really left the pack before the war only than the odd trip here and there that put her no more than a day beyond it's borders. However sometimes Yakut's rituals led her to seek out certain wolves if only to unlock the secrets they held on to, the Queen could only hope that was such the case.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:10 pm
Now it was Achilles turn to huff slightly and while it was rather disturbing that such a small token of her affection be enough to sooth and tame the beast Achilles couldn't ignore the near instant lowering of his ire.
Of course being the wolf that he was he couldn't ignore the chance to take advantage of her intimacy either and boldly dared to teasingly sneak his own lick in before she pulled away. "Such a demanding lot you females" He countered her remark "If it weren't for the benefits I don't think I'd bother" He fired the parting shot in an equally teasing manner. Laying his head on his paws then he thought back to his confrontation with the two wolves. "She called him Ghost Walker...though it seemed more title then name, and he wore bones about his neck much as she wore a horned pelt" Musing for a few moments he picked his head up "They did not look to be aggressive towards one another - but I would like to have fought that grey wolf. He might have been a challenge"
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:34 pm
"You wouldn't have it any other way." She pointed out to him, he may not like being bossed around by a bunch of females but the fact that he put up with it told her a lot. "Those benefits can be taken away you know." Poking him lightly with her paw, she knew what benefits he was referring to - they were the main reason he ever joined the pack and became her consort. But now, it was more than that, they seemed to have gone beyond simple duty and had actually started to form a friendship, even if it was still a bit odd.
"A bone adorned wolf which she called Ghost Walker." The Queen repeated the information trying to digest it "If she was not aggressive towards him then that means she was trying to learn something from him, something that clearly only one adorned with bones can teach." Lowering herself down to lay in front of him. "Patroclus has been asking about you every day, wondering when you would come home. He has missed you greatly and..." She paused wondering if it would be a good idea to say it, but pack lay dictated that she always remain truthful. "..and I missed you as well." There she said it, and part of her hoped that he had missed her while he was gone, if not they would continue on as they always did with a mutual agreement that had been made many months ago.
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Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 8:46 am
Achilles snorted slightly - wouldn't have it any other way indeed...he told himself the only reason he truly put up with it was the amusement he gained by toeing the line and rattling the sisters whenever he could. He enjoyed irritating the majority of them...and they in their zealot like hatred for males often gave him plenty of opportunities to do so whenever he bothered spending time amidst them.
And unlike Pen, Achilles simply didn't care why Yakut had chosen to stop and spend time with the grey, they were both off and a bit unstable in his opinion and who knew the minds of such wolves? "I would have been back sooner had not a storm slowed me" He told her "I will make sure to seek him out and tell him I've returned" He promised...and then paused as her next words somewhat startled him. She had missed him? His mind flashed back to the warm look as she had greeted his return - perhaps his initial reaction had been too hasty. "Did you now?" He asked her in a warm tone a pleased look in his eyes "I have missed you too" He relented after a few moments and like her he found himself being truthful about it. Why else would he have pushed himself so hard on the return.
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Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:10 pm
There, they both admitted that they had missed each other over the past two weeks. Now what? Having a proper and caring mate was something extremely rare in this pack, and Penthesilea really wasn't sure how to follow this all up. Taking a deep breath the Queen looked out at the trees for a moment trying to collect her thoughts. What seemed most natural to her was to talk about the pack, to what Achilles had missed in his absence. "Varia should have her pups soon and I made her promise that no harm would befall any males. I still need to speak to Chivosi, but I think YMCA is the safest place should she have any sons. Seraphins pups are growing bigger every day and soon they will start the beginning of their training."
Her eyes moved back to Achilles as she continued recounting the details of everything. "Our daughters are doing well in their training, even Orithia is catching up to all her sisters. I may end up taking her with me when I speak to Chivosi so that she can meet our ally and see how important it is to keep up those important relations." She paused trying to remember if she missed anything and then something that Achilles would truly appreciate popped into her head. "Oh and Patroclus had his first successful hunt a few days back - with a bit of help from Glacier. Caught himself a good sized rabbit." It was so good to see Glacier accepting the pups as if they were his true blood siblings, though she never had any doubt in her head that he would treat them otherwise.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 6:02 am
Achilles wasn't exactly sure where to take this from here either - he was a mercenary and while, sure, he'd bedded his share of females, he was generally a love them and eave them type - really who knew how many heart's he'd broken over the years. Quite a few still pinned for him he bet...was sure of it really, I mean who wouldn't pinn for someone like him? Pen was different however and what that meant he wasn't sure exactly...though he knew it meant he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.
"you are likely right - even if by some chance someone could care for them here she would just make their lives as slave's miserable" He commented and oddly enough he found himself hoping the ill tempered wolf birthed all females, even if the number was low an all female litter would surely give Casimir his safety and the girls would grow up well and if not loved then at least not abused.
Seraphins pups were of a lesser concern to the mottle male, both Seraphin and Iosef were kind hearted wolves..a bit to submissive for his liking but no danger to their litter or the pack's peace and he merely uttered an 'I'am listening' sound while licking the fur of hi paws straight and clean after his trip.
News of his own children however was enough to garner his attention again "Some one on one time might be good fo her" He ageed "Though it might make Enyo all the more jealous..unless you arranged for something special for them as well." He mused, though he wasn't sure exactly what they could be. He nodded proudly at the news of Patroclus. "He'll be bringing down string bucks before you can blink" He promised Penthesilea with a grin "Takes after his father" He teased.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 11:16 am
Giving her head a nod Penthesilea silently agreed with Achilles. Any sons Varia had would have terrible lives in the pack and that is why she was going to send them to YMCA, it was why she had originally made the pact with the southern pack anyways. It would ease the burden on her and the pack as long as there was a place to send unwanted males, and any son that Varia births would certainly be unwanted.
"Some one on one time will be good for all of them." She pointed out, knowing the importance of time spent with the pups on an individual basis. "I will make sure to give Enyo a chance to go out with me on another trip, as will all the girls at some point. However as my heir it is most important for Orithia to learn these things first." Of course getting in some quality alone time with each of her pups would be a challenge given how busy she was most days and the fact that there would need to be six days set aside. But she would do it so as to show no favoritism amongst her brood.
Mention of how much Patroclus was like Achilles made her sigh a bit. She shouldn't care, males were below her after all, but the thought of her only son not sticking around did hurt a bit. "Perhaps he is too much like you." She pointed out. "I see him following in your footsteps as he grows." It was her way of stating that she knew he would leave the pack without actually saying so.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 11:26 am
"You are going to be a busy wolf" He told her with a slight laugh as he considered the size of their brood. It was something he was strangely proud of honestly - he had promised Pen pups and daughters and no one could say he hadn't lived up to his end of the bargain. If this were a normal pack he could have offered to help her ease some of the burdens running the pack placed on her - but here in this pack he didn't even bother. It was odd that he even wanted to when he thought about it but since he couldn't anyways it seemed pointless to dwell on it any more then he already had.
"Just because one wanders doesn't mean they forget where home is" Achilles reminded Pen in a gentle voice, true Patroclus might well decide to leave the pack for some part of his life - but unlike Achilles he would have the option of coming home to visit now and again "Had I a mother and a birthplace left to return to I am sure I would do so from time to time" He told her "Patrocus no matter his decisions in life will have the option and you are not so terrible a mother that he won't want to...even in this pack, even if he is a male. Glacier stays" He reminded her as proof that even her male pups might choose to return and see her from time to time - if not stay completely.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 11:44 am
"I am already a busy wolf." She pointed out with a smile, very rarely did she have time to sit back and relax like she was doing now but honestly she wouldn't have it any other way. This pack was her life and she had been greatly honored by having leadership of it passed down to her upon the previous Queen's death. Besides if she wasn't constantly busy with pack things she would likely be bored out of her skull, so keeping busy was the way to live.
His words brought some comfort to her and she nodded. "I know." She offered simply, she knew that even if Patroclus did wander and take up his fathers life style that he could and likely would return home from time to time. And indeed Glacier was still within the pack and likely always would be. He was a great son even if they shared no blood and did a wonderful job of taking care of his siblings as well. "Glacier knows nothing outside of this pack." She pointed out, having found him as an abandoned pup she had offered him a place in the pack in return for his servitude. "But he has grown into a fine young male and serves the pack proudly." She could not hide the hint of love in her voice for the blue wolf, he may be an adopted son but that did not mean she did not care for him.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 11:51 am
"And you wouldn't have it any other way" He responded, parroting the words she had said to him earlier in the conversation and proving once more that he did indeed know his Queen quite well. Pen he knew would be incredibly miserable if she didn't have such things to keep her mind busy, some wolves could go through life content to hunt and sleep and meander about without a care in the world and other needed something more in their lives. Pen and he himself were of the later group - even if it appeared at times that he was equally suited to the former. What could he say..he was just adaptable like that.
"He could have if he'd wanted too" Achilles pointed out in a knowing tone "You wouldn't have stopped him if he'd expressed interest...you might say you would have...but we both know you wouldn't in the end"
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 12:23 pm
Achilles knew her far too well, it was true, she wouldn't want a less hectic or busy life, she reveled in the one she had. "Of course." She admitted with a nod of her head. A smile crossed her maw as he continued to read her like a book. It's true she wouldn't stop Glacier from leaving the pack if he so choose to. Part of her hoped that he wouldn't, but there was always a chance that her adopted son would leave, perhaps even go along with Patroclus when he left and look after his younger brother as they ventured through the world. "I only want what is best for them." And if leaving the pack turned out to be what was best then she would take it all in stride, as long as her daughters stayed around of course.
"How about something to eat?" She questioned, knowing that he had been pushing himself hard to return and had likely not eaten very well along the way. "Or are your paws still to weary to go hunting?" They didn't have to hunt, there were a few fresh kills near the dens but she knew Achilles preferred to avoid the sisters as much as possible so if he so chose she would go hunting with him.
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