Stubborn (Jenn)

As Molly talked, Coven wolfed down his food, finishing before she was even halfway done. He crossed his front paws over each other and listened to the white wolfess talk, nodding every once in a while in agreement. Her comment about being a brat had gotten a quick, razzing smile.

Once Molly finished, the black wolf nodded, adding to her final comment, "Or we need a very wise omega." He wasn't convinced anyone high-ranking would have gotten there by being less than passionate, which didn't make for a good mediator. What Molly had said was thought-provoking and important, and Coven would mull over it later when he was alone, but with his belly now full and with Molly beside him, his attitude toward his formerly serious question now changed. Slowly, with a mischievous grin, the wolf lowered his head and looked up at Molly, tail wagging. "'One of the pack's most important members', huh? 'We need him'?" Chuckling, the wolf rolled over and pawed like a pup at Molly's nose. "Guess the threat of him leaving was what it took for you to realize how in love you are," smirked the wolf with a grin. Sleep would probably have been a more ideal activity than talking at the moment.

Coven yanked his paw back, still grinning impishly, as Molly nipped at it. He rolled back over and considered the white wolfess, cocking his head seriously. "I'm sure you could pull it off. Can't be that difficult: Inferno and Xerxses are pretty irresistible. And pretty pretty. We'd have to give them credit for your accomplishments, though. Don't worry," he continued in an addendum, pulling his ears back as if he'd offended her, though unable to completely stifle his smile, "I know you have more talents than falling in love with multiple guys." He chuckled, but couldn't help glancing out at the den for a split second. He didn't believe for a second that Molly had anything for Inferno, but his quip about Xerxses had come out accidentally from his subconscious. That was not difficult to see, especially considering the history of those two, and it had begun to bother him.

Pravin looked over at Fallon, debating how to answer the question. Had he been happy here? They hadn't welcomed him so warmly, but he'd made it enough to be the temporary Head warrior. He didn't socialize much, but he'd left enough of an impression on who he did socialize with. Did he have much real emotion to associate here? "It's safe to say I am." He was happy to see how (previously) well this pack fit. They each had an opposite that countered their strongest points. He was happy to see the great friendship and protection, and the great leadership. So he could say he was happy. He didn't try to think if he really was happy.

Laek looked over at Cas, knowing that he was just caring for her safety, and the pups' safety. But Laek cared about his safety too. What would happen of him, even if she wasn't run out either? "But Cas...." She couldn't' bring herself to argue. She knew he was right, and they would only argue about the same things. He'd want her here. That's all she knew. The pack would be vital to raising the pups. She put her head onto her paws, already defeated.

Cas frowned, hating to see her so obviously upset. But he knew that she would need the pack to raise their pups or they had little chance of survival. When she rested her head on her paws in defeat, he sighed, lowering his chin to affectionately nibble the base of her ear and groom her slowly. He was feeling a bit better, thanks to her doctoring, but he would still need care from a healer if he wished to ever recover fully. But for now, he focused on Laek, grooming her and nuzzling against her neck as he enjoyed what could potentially be the last time he saw her. Or depending on the pack's decision, the last time he spent with anyone.

Fallon frowned at Pravin's answer but didn't say anything for once. This was special: even though his answer was as short as always, it actually gave away some of what he was thinking. Whether intentional or not, Pravin's deliberation and his choice of words answered the question well; and Fallon was not going to punish him for such a good answer by talking. She lay in silence for a while, her eyes closed, and concentrated on the breathing thing once more. Slowly with each breath, the world became less chaotic. Things would be ok, and there were ten other wolves in the pack that Chaos loved and that, for the most part, loved each other. Life would go on...how strange that ten minutes ago that hadn't seemed possible.

A smile tinging her lips, the female opened her eyes, sighed contentedly, and stretched. The peace of mind she'd been offered out here was priceless. "Thanks for putting up with me, Pravin," she said softly, trying to keep the calm. "I know you like to be alone, but I'm glad you let me stick around. It really helped." Fallon was almost ready to go back...just after she figured out what task she could come up with that would keep her too busy to talk to or look at anyone.

Of course everything was alright. Coven was always alright. At least, that's the story he stood by. As for Molly's acknowledgement of Xerxses' good looks, it was expected. The black wolf hadn't been kidding about the other males being pretty. A sudden, odd thought crossed the wolf's mind and caused him to chuckle in surprise. "So...Xerxses -" He stopped, squinted, and made a slightly peeved face. Tilting his head, he asked Molly, "Does he have a nickname or something? Xerxses is a mouthful..." The strange thought that crossed his mind before was that if Molly found Xerxses attractive, did she find Blitz the same, since the two looked almost identical. The thought of Molly seeing Blitz like that physically was completely bizarre. There was definitely some fatigue at play here, and Coven was starting to realize it.

Instead of going off on that tangent, which would have been hilarious to him at the moment, the thought of Blitz and Xerxses and Inferno voiced a more relevant question to what had been going on, "What do you think is going to happen with the beta position?" It was easy to imagine Xerxses as beta, and he wasn't sure he felt alright about two brothers in charge. And Inferno would be gone for good if that happened.

Molly frowned as Coven continued to question her about Xerxses. She shrugged, looking away towards the den entrance. "I hardly ever called him Xerxses back in our old pack. But that was a long time ago." She said softly, seeming to almost daydream and let her mind wander for a moment before she shook her head slightly and laid back down on her side to close her eyes. She remained silent for a while, her back to Coven as she laid there with her eyes closed, still obviously awake, however. She had been sleeping all day, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to fall asleep.

Laek shut her eyes for a bit as Casanova groomed her. What was there to do about their situation? Especially after the fight that just occurred, when will they decide Casanova's fate? And along with that, when will they decide her own? What's the worst that can happen? They could get banished together, and raising the pups wouldn't be well. He'd get banished and she could get severely punished, but with the ability to stay in the pack. Or they could both get punished. It led Laek to think What if Cas had asked to stay in the pack in the first place? She looked up at Cas, noticing that his head was still bleeding and he was no doubt bleeding in other places too. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked, wanting to forget that this might be their last alone time together, even if Blitz was just over there.

Pravin had placed his head on his paws, listening to Fallon's and his own breathing patterns. Fallon spoke into the silent air and Pravin slid his head so he could look at her. He nodded slightly, "No problem. Glad it helped." What more could he say? He was glad it helped her though; she seemed much more calm than when they had first come to the lake. "What do you think is going to happen?" This came out of the blue, but the large wolf was curious to what Fallon thought. It seemed like she'd been with this pack a long time, she might know what was to happen. But Pravin hoped it wouldn't set her off again.

Laek frowned as well as she realized that Cas was perfectly right. He was the rogue they'd, or just Inferno rather, been looking for. He'd been able to hide enough from them. The fact that he'd been in and out of pack lands probably wouldn't help him win anything here. But then she thought, she'd come here hurt, Coven had come here hurt, Tessa came here hurt. Blitz had allowed Molly to heal them too. They were still loners and rogues at the time as well. The only thing different here was their view on Cas. Kind of like how they were all afraid of Pravin. The pack just didn't know Cas the way Laek did. The fact was upsetting, she knew. She leaned over and nuzzled his neck, trying to think of good things.

Fallon's tail wagged as Pravin replied to her thanks, relieved that he wasn't as annoyed as he should have been. Tilting her head in surprise at having her opinion asked, the female took a few seconds to even begin contemplating the question. But of course, she had one and was more than willing to share, though the calm still pervaded her body, so her answer was not a tsunami of words and emotion. "Blitz is still Blitz," she began softly, though ears pricking as her statement took on special meaning for her - some things weren't lost...and maybe in time many other things could return. "I'm sure Cas will end up staying with us for a while, at least until he's healed. Blitz could never be so cold as to send him away injured to fend for himself. Coven came into the territory in much worse standing. Cas saved Molly, hasn't hurt anyone in the pack, and has Laek on his side..." Now she was irked at herself for starting to feel like Casanova wasn't such a bad guy. Yeah, he probably was ok. "I don't know what's going to happen with beta, though. I guess Blitz will choose someone else... Fallon had been looking off toward the water as she mused, but now she looked at Pravin and ended her long thought process with a disturbing worry that she couldn't help but share once more: "I'm worried Inferno will leave."

Coven's ears twitched, a slight gesture of his odd feelings satisfaction and sympathy toward Molly. It was obvious what Xerxses had been to Molly before, but it was also obvious that something had shifted from then to now. There was no jealousy - he didn't feel a threat anymore - but he was feeling concern for Molly now. It hadn't occurred to him what regret might have been triggered in the healer at Xerxses' arrival. A low growl rumbled softly in the male's throat as he thought of Xerxses...but his anger came from the knowledge that Xerxses had done little to see Molly since he'd been here. Surely one of her oldest friends would be around more to ease her loneliness?

The black wolf let his growl die and then got to his feet. The day had almost ended and the sun was sitting now just above the mountains- amazing how time had flown - and he was curious to see what was going to be happening with Cas. If there was only one thing Inferno was right about (though Coven had agreed with pretty much everything the beta had argued), it was that things did get done quicker with him pushing everyone around.

"I'm going to see what's happening with Cas...and everything else," he told her as he stretched and shook out his coat. "Are you ok? Need anything?"

Molly tilted her head to the side in confusion as she heard Coven's growl. It was soft, but to Molly it was obvious that he was indeed growling. But she didn't have time to ask about it, because soon he was on his feet and telling her that he was leaving. She frowned, her ears flattening and her muzzle parting as if she were about to protest. But then she stopped herself, sighing softly and shaking her head. "I'm fine." She said softly, barely audible as she gently rested her head on her paws. She didn't want him to leave, but she knew there was nothing she could do to make him stay. There was no point arguing with him, either.

Coven just nodded and left. He cast a glance over at Inferno, who still hadn't moved, before making his way to Blitz and sitting down, eyes on Cas and Laek. "So," he began casually, though not trying to hard to feign disinterest - who here didn't want to know what was going to happen?- "What's happening with the loner?" The day was late, and there didn't seem to be any point in putting off a decision about Cas off until later. As the black wolf sat, he watched, intent but solemn, the affection displayed between Laek and the rogue. He had forgotten until just now seeing them that whatever fate was to befall Cas would surely affect Laek as well, even if Blitz didn't have something in mind directly for her.

Blitz wasn't surprised when Coven came questioning him, but he simply sighed softly and looked over at the lone male who was now laying peacefully with Laek. "To be honest, Coven, I really don't know what to do with him. If I let Inferno have his way and kill him, Laek would be crushed. If I kick him out, he'll just hover around the borders again to see her. Then there's the question of what to do with Laek. If I kick her out, her pups have little chance of survival. But if I don't, then what am I supposed to do?" He said, looking back over at Coven and then glancing at Inferno. In any other pack, the Beta's strategy would have been the way to go, but here in Silverlight....things were different somehow. "I understand Inferno's point of view, but he does not take into account that the rogue saved Molly's life and helped Pravin distract the bear until the rest of the pack could come to his aid. We could have lost both our Head Healer and Head Warrior if it had not been for him. And he has done nothing to harm the pack, either. It's obvious he cares of Laek, and her him, but I'm not sure what to do about it all." He said, obviously still fighting with the options in his mind. There were so many difficult decisions to make, and without a loyal beta, how was he supposed to make them on his own?

As Coven approached them, Xerxses slowly got to his feet. Then, with a brief nod to the alpha, he left the two to talk alone and headed for the healer's den. He hadn't visited Molly in a while, and after seeing her care so much about Inferno, even after getting insulted like she had by him, he felt guilty for not trying to see her more often. He carefully gave Inferno a wide berth, entering Molly's den and stopping to study her. She was looking better, but she still had plenty of recover to go. "Hey, how're you doing baby girl?" He asked, letting old habits slip out as he addressed her like he used to in their old pack. But he didn't take it back, and instead approached her to lay down beside her. He smiled and relaxed beside her as she let herself lean against his large, warm body, just simply being there for her as she dozed off and he groomed her fur. They didn't really need to say a thing, but instead just enjoyed the comfort of each others presence, forgetting everything that had happened between them.

The black wolf gave Xerxses a cursory glance as the large male headed off. 'Hmph, about time,' he thought to himself before turning his full attention toward Blitz. Molly needed all the company she could get, and finally Xerxses was stepping up. Strangely, if the white male could help take care of the sick healer, then he wasn't going to stand in the way.

Focused, Coven inclined his head as he watched Blitz repeat the options. The alpha had missed one..."Do we know why that guy is so against joining the pack? He could have done it a long time ago if he really wanted." None of this would have happened, and all Coven could think as he looked over at the strange-looking rogue was that Cas either had some hidden agenda or that he was just plain stupid. If they found out that Casanova liked to lurk around just for the thrill of drama, then he really was going to be dead, and not by Inferno.

"I'm feeling fine, Cas. And I'm sure they are too." Laek responded lightly, knowing that he was referring to the pups. It'd been a while since they'd last saw each other. Of course he'd want to make sure they were okay. She knew that she hunted with them, and that was an interesting adventure. But she was fine then. But perhaps joining the bear fight wasn't the best; she was still sore all over. Gladly, she hadn't been injured at all. Laek stretched, giving a great yawn. She noticed that Coven had joined Blitz, and they were conversing. She also saw Xerxses disappear into Molly's den, and briefly wondered how they knew each other.

Pravin looked at Fallon and listened as she listed off her opinion. It wasn't much, but it showed what she thought of the whole thing. She seemed to agree that Blitz would not let the rogue leave the pack...Cas, was it? But how did Fallon know that? Of course, she'd met with him too, once upon a time. Pravin remembered his conversation with Inferno. "You're afraid Inferno will leave, and you believe Blitz will pick a new beta?" He thought this through. Was this the first time the authorities of the pack had argued and fought? Ears flicking, he asked Fallon another question, "How long has Inferno been beta?"

"Yes," she confirmed her thoughts, glancing over in the direction of the dens with a grieved expression. "Inferno's been beta for a long time, ever since the pack was re-established. He and Blitz always worked so well together...I don't think I've ever seen them argue, and I don't know if they can reconcile." This questioning of Blitz's authority was completely unheard of in the pack - even Chaos hadn't, as far as Fallon had seen, tried to usurp Blitz's power. Fallon did not like change in general, but this kind of unexpected paradigm shift was scary. She needed Pravin's opinion on something now. "What do you think of the pack's stability? You don't think that Inferno's right, that it could fall apart?" She didn't think that she believed Inferno about that, but her love for the pack might be skewing her vision (or allowing her to see clearly the bond between the wolves), but Pravin was most likely to be objective, so she trusted what he had to say.

Pravin spent a bit pondering on the question, but after a little, he shook his head. "I believe the pack is stable as it is. The members work well together and seem to know when something has gone wrong. For example, right before this whole dilemma, with the bear. It were early morning, and it were just me and Molly. Just one call for help, and everyone was up and ready. The pack has a certain system, I can see that clearly." He really did believe that the pack was stable, even with sick members and terrible fights. Fights couldn't have been too odd to see here; they did live with Chaos. She seemed like one to pick fights, like the one he'd almost fought with her the first day he'd come. And he was coming to know this pack, and he was coming to like staying here. If it fell apart now, that would be terrible for everybody. Pravin shook his head again, "I do not believe your pack will fall apart. There are wolves who will stick with it even if does, though."

Blitz looked over at the pair of wolves that laid nearby and frowned. It was obvious that the rogue needed medical attention, and he wasn't sure how the other pack wolves would react if he offered it. But he didn't look like he'd die if he didn't get it right away, so Blitz decided to let it be for the time being. As an answer to Coven's words, the alpha had been asking himself why the male had never joined. But judging from his reactions to Inferno and his obvious fear of the larger male, he could only assume that he had been too frightened to confront the males of the pack, and by Inferno's introduction to him, Blitz really had to admit that his fears were justified. "Honestly, what I think is that he was too intimidated to confront anyone to join the pack. At least the males. He's much smaller than any male wolf I've ever seen, and including today, I think the only interactions he's had with male wolves have been rather violent." He said, studying Cas and trying to f igure out if he was right or not. So far he had only known of the rogue approaching females and avoiding males. Other than him being a complete ass, which by Laek's attraction he doubted, there seemed like no other explanation. "But honestly, with Inferno's attack on him today, it appears that his fears have been justified...." He said, this time very softly and barely audible.

Cas smiled as Laek said she was doing well and so were the pups. That was good to hear, but he could tell that she was completely drained and exhausted. This whole ordeal he had put her through today probably hadn't helped that at all, either. He frowned, blaming himself for her tired state. But all he could do now was groom her and try to calm her while they spent what could be their last time together for a long time, or forever.

Chaos had heard the commotion and situation from her den, which wasn't too far off, so she was mostly up to speed, but she hadn't had the energy to get involved. Yet thirst and hunger now drove her from the warrior's den, her small form slipping from the entrance and walking right past Inferno to get to the storage den. Her gait was smooth and strong, as if she wasn't recovering from a deadly sickness at all. She seemed almost perfectly healthy, and the only hint of her ordeal laid in her stiffness and the slightly exhausted look in her eyes. She soon entered the storage den, grabbing a rabbit and exiting once more to lay outside of it and eat, her eyes exploring the wolves in the den area as she did so.

Fallon nodded as Pravin talked, smiling gratefully as he finished. Yes, there was a core to the pack that couldn't fall, and she would let herself hold to that for now...it was just sad that the core no longer included Inferno. After a slow nod of sincere thanks, the female stretched out her front legs, scratching her claws into the cool earth, and then sat up. "I think I'm ready to go back. I feel like such a wimp for taking off..." She shook her head and grinned sheepishly down at Pravin before getting fully to her feet and bowing to stretch her back out, putting all her crazy worries behind her. Pravin had spoken truth, so now all she could do was remember that and move on. "Are you up for heading back with me, or are you going to hang out here more?" Fallon would appreciate having company of the more stable wolf going back, and it would worry her to leave him out here injured and alone anyway. Rayne really should at least get to check up on him just to help ease the pain, or something...

Coven narrowed his eyes at Cas while Blitz tried to justify the rogue's motives. Yes, he agreed with Blitz - 'intimidated' would work as a descriptor. Too intimidated to join the pack and actually fight for Laek; instead the small male had slunk around the outskirts of the pack, close enough to get to the girls but far enough to have a head start in running from the males that would be trying to protect their own pack members from being lured away. Coven felt absolutely zero sympathy for the strange little wolf.
"So..." prodded the wolf, mostly out of curiosity, "What's going to happen with him?" Blitz had never actually come up with anything remotely near a decision, which meant that the naturally falling consequence/conclusion would be that Cas was staying; it's what would happen if Blitz didn't say anything. Coven didn't have the status nor the suggestions to sway the decision for Blitz, but he could keep reminding the alpha that the pack was waiting...and hopefully Blitz would address the Cas issue before Coven had to back off for fear of looking insubordinate and pushy. The black wolf was still worried about accumulating more strikes against him.

The male didn't look up or in any way respond to Molly's question, except for pulling his ears back to his skull. Continuing to absorb himself in licking matted blood from his pelt, Inferno tensed himself sub-consciously for the female's retort, but it didn't come. She wasn't saying anything, and he did need her expertise in fully cleansing his wounds - he always did a rough job of it, though it was obviously always enough to pull him though just fine - so the male tolerated Molly's presence with no hostility, though also without cordiality.

At her question, Inferno couldn't help but look over at her with his golden eyes hard as amber. The way she'd said the question made it sound as if he had at some point suggested that he was fine, and it was quite obvious that he was anything but alright. After a few seconds of staring that clearly she had just asked the most idiotic question ever, the male did end up answering shortly, his growl more husky, more soft, and more dark than usual, "I can't be alright, not when Blitz refuses to acknowledge that this pack can fall." He could have kept going on to all the reasons he was not alright - his physical ailments didn't even cross his mind at this point - but the wolf realized it wasn't worth ranting about, so he just shut up, blinked, and then turned back to grooming his fur clean of contaminants.

Blitz sighed as Coven questioned him...again. But he had to make a decision sooner or later. He might as well make it now. Slowlyl he stood, looking over at Coven and then the laying pair not too far away. "If we kick him out, he'll die from his wounds. If we kill him, obviously he'll die. If we punish him more, he'll die from his wounds." He said softly. "He'll stay, but I want you to keep a close eye on him. You and Pravin. I don't quite trust him yet. But Laek obviously does, and I do trust her judgement." He said, looking over at Coven again before approaching the pair. He nodded to Laek, and the addressed the male. "What is your name?" He asked, sitting down and waiting for a response. 'Casanova', came the male's reply. "Alright, Casanova. I have decided that you can stay in this pack, however, you will stay not with Laek, but in the den across from my own so I can keep an eye on you. And you need to earn the trust of every member in this pack before you will be considered a part of it or a friend. Do you understand?" He asked, nodding and getting to his feet again at the male soft and respectful 'Yes Sir.' Then he returned to his den, laying outside of the entrance and watching the pack, now trying to decide how to deal with Inferno.

Molly growled softly as Inferno continued his determination to be a complete asshole to her. Finally she stopped cleaning and dressing his wounds, leaving at least three quarters of them bleeding and open. "Fine, Infenro. I tried to help, I'm trying to be nice and put up with your asshole comments. But I'm fed up. If you think you can run the pack better, why don't you just leave and start your own freaking pack. But by the looks of these wounds, you'll never heal without the proper care of a healer. And honestly, I really don't care if you the infected and die." She snarled, barely resisting the urge to add to his injuries and spinning on her heel to storm angrily away from him. Instead of helping him, she approached Cas, overhearing Blitz's words. Then, without saying a word, she moved in beside the two wolves and began to clean and dress his wounds. "I'm Molly, the pack's Head Healer." She said softly as she worked, saying nothing else because she didn't trust him yet either. But like Blitz, she trusted Laek.