Life's Battles (((Renn)))

[Caoimhe]

(((‘Tis the best I can do –sorry for the wait. )))

Petite mitts shuffled slowly across the vast expanse of the Ge-Rad valley, stroking the earth; the young she-Varg’s ears were plastered against her small skull and her tail and maw hung low, nares flaring and brushing away the thin blanket of flurries that entranced the terra, shrouding it in a magnificent white. Her pelt, sleek and bright, clung to a slender frame that was blighted by protruding ribs and vertebrae. The dazzling brown-silver was patterned uniquely; coinciding brindle stripes and jagged splotches befell her fur. Fenris’ flaming orb hung placidly in the high crooks of the heavens, each dazzling amber ray reflecting the grizzled silver and russet of her pelage. The fur that rimmed her tapered maw, etched into a mottled visage, was a subtle black, muted by the silver hairs that flecked its splashed entirety. Her orbs were a piercing cyan, flecked with shards of silver that obscured the pureness of the blue hues. They flickered with a dull, bitter gleam that belied the femme’s natural beauty, corrupting the untainted spirit it seemed she would have. Sorrow had eaten away at her heart, and, therefore, at her physical form.
Distant barks and voices triggered her keen ears to twitch and curl towards the opposing sounds that rippled incoherently through the undergrowth and shrubbery that flourished in the woodland, though her eyes remained impassive throughout her sluggish walk. One her chest, an ivory bird spread his wings and took flight; in the air, an amber falcon soared above her, a distant silhouette in the pristine skies. The youth’s aggrieved orbs gazed at the flying putnar, and she stopped, her muscles clenching and unclenching as she fought streams of tears that glazed her sight. The ghost of a smile curled her ebony lips, and the hybrid cub gave a shuddering sigh and sat, her slender maw rising into the air to call to her winged companion. A screech echoed in recognition and her thin pelt was buffeted by the sharp upbeats of the peregrine’s wings. Black talons gripped the sodden loam, scraping away the frozen crystals and revealing shards of emerald that blazed through the blanket that clad the earth. Memories whispered through the femme’s mind and she crouched, nearly tranquil, yet mildly reaching the edge of vertigo. Tarak clacked his hooked beak and, cocking his head in the peculiar fashion of all avian creatures, ran his beak through the thicker tufts of hair that spread from her shoulders.
Caoimhe did little to keep the bird from his task. “That was the last time, wasn’t it Tarak?” She growled quietly, drawing her ears tighter against her head. “The last time I saw him. The last time…I saw Kop.” Tarak’s gaze became soft and he chirruped sadly. “It’s that…golden faemme. The one that helped ruin Cwen’s family- that’s placed our pack in such turmoil. She’s the one who took Kop from us.” Her heart panged and she whimpered, drawing herself into a ball against Tarak. The marauder avian plucked at her pelt gently, and she uncurled, looking into the patronizing bird’s orbs. “I think, maybe,” she said softly, ambling into a sit, “I love him. But it’s not right, is it? He loves her. He loves me, but like a cub. Like his niece.” A mottled tail flicked to drape comfortably over lithe paws.
Kop’s disappearance had shook Caoimhe, fraying her personality. Rarely was she seen with another save her family; she had begun to lurk on the edges of the terra, knowing the danger the Balkar and Sarnes posed and not caring enough to seek protection from anyone but her faithful bird. Withdrawing into herself and numb to all feelings but a profound sense of bitterness and mixing emotions of hate and love, the young femme had become more reckless and independent than either of her brothers. For a while Kalli had sought friendship in the older cubs-Ayasha, Skep, and Chilaili-but Skep was constantly with the elder Chilaili, who was becoming a young adult. More than a month older than the later litter, the three siblings each seemed to have better things to do- except Ayasha. The midnight fae harbored an unusual hatred for her blind and deaf sister; Chilaili drew the attention of Skep amazingly quickly, leaving Ayasha alone. The two had bonded rather quickly, but the relationship had been thrown apart with the attacks and deaths. The only Varg in Ge-Rad that wasn’t constantly preoccupied was Renn. Caoimhe didn’t know whether to accept or loathe the older, ocher-colored she-Varg, but Kalli had decided in days past that it would be better to learn and become friendly with her than to snap and snarl at her very presence.

Raising her muzzle, the light yet distant voice of Caoimhe flooded the air, calling to the very femme that had seemed to tear her life apart…


Renn.

(((I did it! -flail- )))

[Renn]

((Congrats - Oi! You stole my color *growls*))

The glaring winter sun burned with cold accuracy onto the hard earth, making no impression on the snow that had so recently fell. It was strange, snow often melted during the harsh winter sun, yet today, it seemed, that Wolfbane's cruelness had won the battle that day, rendering Fenris's orb powerless to stop the cold from reaching the pelts of his mortal children. Squeezing her emerald optics against the painful light, the golden youth curled herself up smaller, trying yet failing to escape what burned so deeply within her. The spirit of the Putnar had ignited in her abdomen, and time and time again, she was forced to accept the meager offerings that the Vargs of Ge-Rad threw at her, for hunting was forbidden in this territory where she was held against her will. Painful memories frequently flashed through her mind, haunted her dreams and nightmares - but this faemme had good reason for being tortured by her subconcience - for this faemme was Renn, a most-hated Varg among Ge-Rad.

It had all started at least a moon ago, when Renn had been unfortunate yet fortunate enough to lay her piercing gaze on the grizzled yet handsome form of her future love, Kop. The nature of their meeting was of aggression and hostility, for Kop had intruded unknowingly into the terra of Renn's Pack, List. Reacting to defend her Pack, Renn had been openly aggresive to the handsome youth, and he had mirrored her hostility, though it was not in his place. The attraction between them had been from the beginning, though it was Kop who had thrown the dice, inflating his ego and showing off to Renn. It had been this showing off that had first ignited Renn's liking for the Dragga's son, and she had reflected his efforts. The youths second meeting mirrored the first, yet the positions were reversed - Renn straying into Ge-Rad's terra and getting caught by Kop - and it wasn't till Cwen, the imposing cold Drappa of Ge-Rad, and Kop's Mother, that the pair were brought back to their senses and their Pack loyalty. For the two adolescents had lain together in the snow, taking their relationship to the next level. Since that second meeting, the pair became similar to lovers, constantly meeting up every four or five suns, to exchange news and lie together in the snow, letting their passion for each other flow around them, engulfing Renn in what she felt was love. One day, Kop had agreed to meet Renn in the heart of the forest, a dark secluded spot not far from a human camp, when their luck finally ran out. Moments after declaring her love to Kop's ears, arrows had rained down upon them, missing the Mann yet striking Renn's leg thrice as she ran. The chase had been swift yet brutal as an arrow struck Kop's beautiful flank, its dark shaft stark against the pale background of snow. Kop had been caught that day, and taken off to fight in the pit, a cruel place where Man pitted Lera against each other. It was Renn who had carried the heart-breaking news to Ge-Rad, and explained in full detail to Draeg, the Dragga of Ge-Rad, and a few others. After ordering the Healer, a Hybrid faemme named Lydair, to treat the Listern youth, Draeg had set off in search of his son, and left the shattered Cwen to look after the Pack. Cwen was already broken by the strage death of her newborn son, Krael, when she recieved the news that her eldest had just been lost to Man. Now Renn was verbally persecuted by the Pack, for though they were healing her, tension crackled in the air whenever Renn was among them, which was often due to Lydair's treatment of the wounded faemme.

A high yippy howl dragged Renn from her tortured thoughts, a howl that was not quite Varg, not quite dog. It was far too high-pitched and youthful to be Lydair's, and the other Hybrids of Ge-Rad were the Beta's cubs, Kaemon, Koude and the faemme, Caoimhe or something like that. To her knowledge, Caoimhe was heart-broken by Kop's dissapearacne and ever since then a hot jealousy had burned bright in Renn's soul at the few times she had glanced at the faemme. But, Renn wished for company more than she wished to avoid Caoimhe, and if the cub had specificly called her then she best answer if she was to remain in Lydair's good books.

Pulling herself to her golden digits, Renn's pillars worked as she pounded through the forest to the source of the summon. Standing before her was the small slender form of the bitch that Renn felt such cold jealousy against, like smouldering coals had been thrust down her throat. "Yes?" Her voice was curt yet expressionless as she addressed Caoimhe.

[Caoimhe]

Piercing cyan eyes gazed brazenly into the emerald orbs of the golden adolescent that stood impassively before the younger female, mimicking her mother’s glare with incredible accuracy as Caoimhe stood, digging her claws into the sodden earth. Her maw twitched and a low growl spilled from her muzzle until it erupted into a deadly snarl, cold for a Varg as young as she. Tremors rippled through her body as she fought to remain still, grinding her jaws as she glowered at Renn. Beside her, Tarak screamed and snaked forward, beating his wings to the rising updrafts. Ebony talons ripped irate furrows in the snow-laden loam as the peregrine spiraled into the air, diving into a sudden stillness before alighting in whatever tree boughs he felt could hold his weight. A bitter hatred held taunt between the three, pulsing and bubbling in the silver-brown femme’s veins until her snarl dissolved into a voice, numbly speaking. Though she gazed into the sage eyes of Renn, the fierce hybrid youth was looking distantly- not out of respect for the Listern fae, but merely to gaze into the horizon, once flooded with color but now drained of its blood, sapped by the sun. “You don’t even know my name, do you, Renn of List?” Hard and curt, the pain in the amber fea’s eyes was reflected just as bitterly in Caoimhe’s own. “But you shall. And I hope on Tor’s name you’ll remember it, for yours will surely hang in these lands, a curse over all our heads, until Kop comes back. My name is Caoimhe, and I loved him as much as you. I love him as much as you, for it will not fade.” Now she sat, quietly kneading the ground with black claws, clenching and unclenching her jaw as her sleek tassel draped over agile mitts. “Do you want to know something that tears my heart?” Her lips twitched in fury, though she was fighting the tears that glistened in her azure orbs. “Do you know what he was doing in his last time in my pack? He was with me, Renn. Talking with me, the young pup I was. The innocent pups we all were. And then he left, knowing, thinking, he would return.” Hate brushed her tone as her words hissed in the air. “But he didn’t, because he knew that our pack’s weren’t allies. So he had to hide what he felt, and you had to hide it. And in the end, whatever love you two felt, was ripped from your throat. Because the Men came, and captured him. That is what your love achieved. My Drappa lost a son and a mate because of you. My father was contemplating leaving to go after them. And what has your pack lost, Renn? What has List lost?”

An angry snarl again lunged from her slender muzzle. “Nothing. And you don’t have anything to show for it, except the hate you’re receiving from us. I know you’re heartbroken, I know you love him, and I know that, maybe, it’s killing you.” She leaned into Renn, her tapered maw, dappled with silver, parting in a whisper. “But I’ll be damned if you forget that you’re not the only one. It’s killing me inside too, Renn, because I love him just as much as you do, whether you like or not, believe it or not. So when you feel alone in that kind of love, remember that you aren’t. Somewhere I’m weeping too, and I’m hating the fact that you love him, like you hate me for the same reason.” A wry smile curled her maw. “I’m not exactly enthralled to meet you, but I’d rather be something around friends than enemies.” Her orbs glazed with sorrow, Caoimhe’s gaze shifted to the ever-faithful Tarak, and she dipped her head to him. “You shouldn’t avoid any of us. Cwen, perhaps, but no one else, and even she might come around. My mother will accept you, and the rest of the pack will as well, depending on your stay here.”

[Renn]

Throughout the waterfall of words that tumbled like what was to be called Niagara from Coaimhe's maw, Renn remained silent,m not attempting to break in and defend herself from the poisoned arrows of hurt that constantly found their mark in her broken heart. Even when the little speech of the Hybrid cub had come to an end, Renn kept her silence, focusing on nothing but her breathing as she calmed down, and giving time for Coaimhe herself to calm the storm that seemed to be brewing inside her delicate bodice. Every little word had carried far more meaning than the Healer's daughter realised, for as she spoke of Packs and love, scorning Renn's own to Kop, every little piece of information Renn held on those subjects flicked through her mind, her memories of Kop going one by one - a slide-show with motion picture images, the voices of both her and her handsome love sounding so reassuring. But as the memories continued to come, the golden youth's spirit shied away from getting to deep, though she knew that already her love for Kop ran far deeper than their memories all together. Instead, the Listern Varg thought of her Pack, of how a few Vargs were significantly affiliated to memebers of Ge-Rad. Of course, there was Renn herself, and her passionate pairing with Kop - that was pretty significant - though they were too young to have gone the whole way and ended up as a happy couple such as Gryffin and Sudak. Thinking of the Betas reminded Renn that the ivory Mann, Sudak, who had so harshly threatened to remove Renn from the Pack, and the tri-hued faemme, Gryffin, a beautiful wonderful friend to Renn, were both good friends to Ge-Rad's very own, absent Dragga, Draeg. Fiory and Bristol, well, any friendliness to Ge-Rad was unknown to Renn, though the younger Vargs of the Pack were blossoming in relationships with the youths of Ge-Rad, in particular, Renn's best friend, Drathlic. The ruddy-hued Mann who had been for Renn the whole way since they met as cubs, was particularly close to Shayla, daughter of Draeg and Cwen. Kop's Sister. I must speak with her, Renn thought silently as an image of the grey she-Varg flittered through her mind's eye. Once all the images that concerned every word Caoimhe had thrown at Renn had raced through the golden faemme's mind, an age of silent blank waiting passed to, while Renn contemplated what would be best to say to the object of her jealousy that she had reigned in when the grey Hybrid had first opened her maw.

After waiting like this for several minutes, Renn brought her emerald orbs back to stare into Caoihme's azure ones, burning into them as she spoke, her voice soft yet strong. "On the contrary, I know who you are, Caoimhe. I know that you are the Daughter of Lydair and Koan, and that your friendship to Kop has been no secret to Ge-Rad as mine has been. Your Mother's own careless words made sure of that," She was careful with each word, not allowing anger or jealousy to rush them into a waterfall as Caoimhe had. "You are young, and though you may think I should not be saying that, but to me, and to Kop, you are a young cub. You have a lot to learn about love, for it can neither be measured nor compared. But I believe what you say, for it is clear in your body language - your voice changes slightly every time you say his name, and your eyes light up as a fledgling bird - Which is a younger version of your companion in case you didn't know."

"I know far more than you think when it comes to spending the last moments with a loved one, for I quite literally spoke the last words Kop would hear for some time, I was the last friendly face to behold his gaze. You were the last of your Pack, Caoimhe, and for that you are incredibly lucky. My own love for him, is boundless...I would give anything to have our positions reversed - and I bet you would love it, being able to snuggle up to him on the cold Winter nights, comforting him yet at the same time enjoying my gone prescence. Instead you got me, a clumsy Listern faemme who is the beloved of the one you hold love for, however, I am sure Kop does love you, Coaimhe, though not in the same way." With this said, Renn paused slightly and took a few breaths, allowing time for her words to sink in. "Tis true, our Packs are not officially allies in the true sense of the world, but we are not without connections. Your own Dragga befriended the Listern Betas a while back and that friendship has held. I have the feeling that neither Gryffin nor Sudak will be at their best when they here that such a good friend has left the forest - Yes, they will here that news, but not from my lips, for I have sworn secrecy, though that'll hardly last. So, no, my Pack has not lost wolves, nor terra, but a few will loose their morale, and feelings mean far more than you would think."

"I would advise you to think before you speak, for if it were another Varg from an enemy Pack who you threw your blame at, you could be bringing on the eclipse of your life. I am only no threat to you at thise moment because I choose not to, and I am too weak to get away from Ge-Rad before they found your corpse hanging from a dead tree," Still, no expression passed her face, for Renn remained neutral and unscrutable to the Hybrid pup before her. "Just because I show nothing for what happened on the outside, bar a few wounds from Man's damned arrows, does not mean that I am not suffering. My mental state has a lot to show for what happened, and my heart is a thousnad pieces, each one held by Kop. I confessed my love to him on that very day, directly before arrows rained upon us, and it shall never fade. I shall always be hurting for what happened, and only when I am with Kop again shall my heart be restored." At last, Renn allowed expression to enter her orbs, and they burned with the pain she was feeling, showing that she felt anything at all for what happened. "There can be no friendship between us, little one, for it would shatter the instant Kop came among us, and I do not want to gain and loose a friend. The same goes for speaking to your Pack. Your Mother may accept me, but the rest hate me, and I would rather not get close to an enemy Pack. I have learnt my lesson of the risks of befriending one who must be kept secret, and though I shall continue to keep the bond between myself and Kop strong, I shall not form any attatchments to the Pack. Especially not, you, Caoimhe, for if there was an attatchment between us, it would be a forced lie."

[Caoimhe]

Hackles bristling along her slender back, the dappled cub’s lips twitched in rising antagonism. The young cub, unlike the elder fae before her, felt no jealously toward the opposing femme, only a driving instinct to push, and win, and restore the broken pack that lay in dismal distress around her brown paws. Her own memories of Kop- far more innocent, though Caoimhe cherished them with her life –whirled in a tangled miasma of thoughts and dreams, wishes and hopes. Her steady cyan gaze listlessly stared into the breaching sun, it’s penetrating rays slicing through the chill, though the pup would rather have embraced the razor kiss of the winter then the irritating warmth of spring. Kneading her paws briskly in the damp loam, the brindled hybrid’s gaunt flanks rose and fell, her nostrils flaring. It wasn’t Sarnes that had ravaged her pack- after that battle, Draeg and Kop were still with them, and Cwen had not yet sank into the numb Drappa whose skeletal frame stalked the silhouetted lands, a ghost of her former regality. It was this femme, the golden Varg that sat before her, seeming so impassive about anything. Stoic, like Caoimhe. Lost. In the moments that passed, the Beta’s daughter felt the prick of sage orbs gaze into her own, but she did not meet them. As the hated muzzle of the Listern bitch parted, only then did the crossbreed turn blankly to Renn, and let the words flow into her mind. She listened half-heartedly, her anger rising only with the femme’s unexpected words about her dam. A low, roiled growl began to flit from the adolescent’s muzzle, and again she felt insults that belied the montone voice of Renn. “Until you leave these packlands, my mother is Beta, and far higher in status then you. She is very close to each and every Varg in Ge-Rad, and it would do well for you to remember that.” The golden femme’s words had begun to seep in to the cub’s mind; though they were droll, they were infuriatingly pervasive, and the pup snarled, leaping forward. “You’ve made it very clear to us how your love is so strong for him, Renn- returning to Ge-Rad with wounds for us to tend to, and without Kop. Do not believe, not for one moment, that any of us would hesitate to exchange you two- but I refuse to feel jealousy towards you, Renn of List, so unlike the feelings that flashed through your green eyes when you met me.”

“Do you enjoy further asserting the fact that your love was not unrequited? Do you even know what that feels like? I may not yet be a yearling, like you, but let me assure you, I know as much as you do. You weren’t his damned mate, so stop acting like it! You treat me like a cub, which I can reasonably understand, but don’t act like you’re an adult, either.” As Renn continued, the femme smirked. “Well, they sure aren’t helping us now, are they? And are you? No. Ge-Rad is alone in this, and until one of us sees your Betas crossing the ridge to help our emissary, you cannot tell any of us otherwise.” Her plumed tassel flicked and lashed, for the cub had yet to achieve the level of self-control that the adults had, and again her rage was sparked with Renn’s own careless words. “ ‘Feelings mean more than I think’? Don’t play that, Renn. Look around you. I know that very well; we all do. And don’t you threaten me, damn you! Are you not also doing to me exactly what I am doing to you? If you’re going to argue, don’t be so contradicting! If another Varg heard you speak to me like that- to any of us- Cwen would have own slit your throat here and now. Don’t forget, Renn, that it is out of my Drappa’s heart that you are not yet dead.” A wave of disgust passed along her visage, and Caoimhe’ s voice hissed in the air. “I would not have high hopes that Kop would be allowed to leave our boundaries, Renn, and we sure as hell won’t be ecstatic when you return to us- I loved him just as much as you, and I feel the same way you do, as does the rest of my pack.” The emotion that flared in the golden fae’s eyes did not surprise Caoimhe; nor did the words that fell from her lips to stud and stunt the wind. “You’re wrong. If our friendship fell apart, it would be because you would hang onto petty feelings like jealously. Even if he does take you for his mate, I would not be like you and simper or glower. My pack hates you with good reason, Renn- and through an attachment with Kop, you are attached to the entire pack. So when you are upset about getting too close, remember that the savage Drappa that wants you out of her life and the disconcerted Betas that probably feel the same way will become your detesting family. I will become your family as well, and my brothers, and nearly the pack in it’s entirety, for my mother is the adopted sister of Shako, Uskiya, and Firefly; the aunt of Skep, Ayasha, Chilaili, Zenith, and Raikan; daughter-in-law of Cwen and Draeg; and overall the Beta and Healer. Remember that, when you speak of forced lies and enemy packs.”

[Renn]

"True, your Mother is a Beta. The Beta of a rival Pack who Listern allies are currently at War with. Besides, am I obliged to like her?" Renn growled quietly. Stretching herself out to loosen her muscles, the golden faemme yawned slightly and shook herself, golden pelt shimmering and lean muscles showing. Well, that would be the sight if the youth had had a decent meal, but as this was not the case, Renn's body was lean and skinny, slightly skeletol, her pelt hanging from her. The only satisfaction she gained from shaking herself was that her dull fur shimmered slightly in an illusion. "I am grateful to your Mother for her help and her healing skills are some of the finest of the land, Caoimhe, but our Pack bonds keep us separate,"

"Why would I enjoy merely stating a fact? It is not my fault that Kop loved me back, and it would not even be a fault if his love was up to me. And yes, I do treat you as a young cub, Caoimhe, and as you said, that is understandable, but I am not acting like an adult," Pausing breifly, Renn twitched her auds as she thought of the prospect of being Kop' mate. Even as she thought about it, the Listern youth realised that she was still to young and not ready to go the whole way and be paired for life with another. Of course, her love was always with Kop, never fading as her crush on Drathlic had, but she just didn't feel right about becoming another Gryffin and Sudak too soon - but another reason that had kept her back was because of their Packs. Was it possible to become Mates with one from a rival hostile Pack? What if Renn had beared cubs later on? How would they deal with that? "One can love another, even if they have not Mated with them. It is not as if once you Mate with someone a love will bloom, for their is love before that, and love after. Besides, all of us caught in this love triangle are too young to even consider that option."

Surpressing a snort, Renn stared into Caoimhe's cold azure orbs for barely a second, not betraying any emotion in her own emerald oculars. "Just because you do not show your emotions as easily as some does not mean you do not feel none, Caoimhe. I love Kop. You love Kop. Kop loves me. You would not be a normal faemme if you did not hold some sort of dislike to the relationship between Kop and I. As for your so-called connections, the words you use speak of blood lines. Tis true that you are connected to Lydair and Koan, yet Koan was adopted so their is no shared blood between you and the Alphas. Lydair and yourself are the only Hybrids of your Pack, so there are no blood ties tying you to the rest of your Pack. Of course, it would feel like that, and I myself feel like a blood relative to my Packmates, but use the proper words or explain yourself for using the wrong ones." Even as she spoke, Renn wondered how she felt related to the Pack. It was blatant that she and Gryffin were close, close enough to even be Sisters. Silent was like a little Sister. Fiory was an Aunt to Renn, and Sora, Arias and Aiyu were nieces and nephew. Novex was a cousin if you like, and Sudak was connected to Renn by Gryffin alone. Drathlic...Drathlic was the dearest friend Renn had ever met within List, bar Gryffin.

((Excuse the crappiness))

[Caoimhe]

The cub’s muscles tensed and her claws etched furrows in the earth, her blunt muzzle twitching. “You are not obliged to like my mother, but you are obliged to respect her, and every other Varg in this pack.” Caoimhe herself was gaunt, and her pelt was not the beautiful amber of Renn’s, though it tightly hung. Dull, like velvet, the silver and brown pelt- dappled and brindled- was entirely unique. Ge-Rad was suffering from a shortage of food; the surplus they had once retained was now shriveling. Her ears curled and twitched, and the she-cub’s irritated gaze softened. “I doubt you would have the bond, even if you could, Renn.” The hybrid pup growled. Lowering her voice, the silver cub pulled her auds against her skull in a sad, brief anger. “No,” she whispered, looking past Renn, “I suppose not. But things could get along easier if you treated me as an equal, and not as one young and ignorant, for while I may have no reached your age, ignorance does not occur in this pack. I know what my own companion is, and he is older than you, and I have learned from him, and from Draeg, and from Kop, and Cwen, and my mother. From this pack. And do you not believe I know that? I am well aware of love, Renn. And every time you sit around, graceful and beautiful, it is a painful reminder to me that Kop would rather spend time with a femme from another land than with his pack or me. Neither of your loyalties lie where they should, yet you would go to war against us, though you say your true love is here.”

Caoimhe was far too young to experience what Renn had, but she knew what love blossomed and why, and she knew that envy was not what she felt toward the golden fae, and now that rose, bubbling and churning as Renn called her words invalid. “Then perhaps I am no normal femme. I am a hybrid. I am proud of that, and I am proud of this pack. Dislike is not always jealousy, and you are a fool to think that. Perhaps you love easily, and you’ve been jealous to others about other males. I’ve never looked after another male, Renn. I’ve enjoyed time with them, but as a playmate, and not as anything more. Every other male in this pack is related to me as a cousin. My Alphas know Koan is their son, and I am their granddaughter. This fact is acknowledged. Draeg accepted my mother as his daughter in law, and Cwen as well. I am very close to the Alphas; my grandmother especially.” Caoimhe snorted sardonically to Renn’s continuation. “Perhaps you know less than you think, List fae. I have two brothers who are both hybrid, and Draeg’s second mate, Firefly, is a hybrid also, and my mother’s adopted sister. Her sons, Zenith and Raikan, are also. It is not the word ‘feel’ that describes it, but the word ‘know’, because these ties are expressed constantly, in words and actions, and even if was truly needed, I doubt I would explain myself to you.” Draeg, Cwen- her grandparents; Shako, Uskiya, Firefly, Cal, Yelae, Trile, Shayla- her aunts and uncles-; Zenith, Raikan, Skep, Ayasha, Chilaili- her cousins; Koude, Kaemon- her brothers; Koan and Lydair- her parents. She loved her pack, and would refuse to believe that they were anything less than family.

(((Sorry, didn't have much to work with and zero time.)))

[Renn]

Her muscles tensed as the silver cub accused Renn of disloyalty to List. It was painful to admit it, but Caoimhe had hit a sore spot with full force, but it did nothing but aggravate the golden youth. Her emerald oculars flashed up to Tarak. Even as she rested her gaze on the falcon, the golden youth felt a slight tingling inside her as she was bitterly reminded of her past. Though Tarak was not a flying scavenger, and it was blatant he would be offended if someone mistook him for one, he was still a bird, and it had been a bird - a raven - that terrorised her memories of her cubhood. Tearing away from the falcon, the Listern faemme looked back down to Caoimhe. The cub was actually very pretty, and it was clear that she would be beautiful when she lost her puppy fat and grew into herself, as Renn was currently doing, but her piercing sapphire orbs were serious and ernest, a trademark handed down by Lydair. "This is highly unlikely, but if Ge-Rad were to turn on Kop, force him out of their terra with snapping teeth and bloodlust, would you join in with the attack? Or would you leave Ge-Rad to be with Kop? Perhaps you would prefer to stay within Ge-Rad, yet still see Kop occasionally?"

The accusation of going to War with Ge-Rad was like a bee sting to Renn, an annoying thing that hurt with a vengeance. "How dare you accuse me of lusting for a fight!" Her voice was low but dripped with venom and hostility as she carefully chose her words. "To my knowledge, List has not joined the War, and until it reaches my auds I will not attack a Ge-Rad Varg. I swore that to Kop, and I never break a promise. I despise this War that has grown up between the Balkar and Deor, Ge-Rad and Sarnes, for it has shrouded List and Koran in suspicion. List are not in the fight - yet - but you treat me as if I am. My true love is here, and if List join the War then I shall cross that bridge when I come to it." The rest of Caoimhe's little speech, Renn ignored, dismissing it as she focused on the - to ehr mind - far more important points.

[Caoimhe]

Caoimhe’s spiel ended with a note of triumphant finality, and she simply stared at the sage-eyed yearling, her own icy eyes burning an almost languor gleam. Her point may have finally breached the golden fae’s mind, broke past the arrogant barrier that had caused so much distrust and hate between the two. The gaunt cub studied the femme’s visage, a ghostly smile flashing across her silver maw as the jade oculars shifted to the majestic osprey that stooped in the tree. Her flacon companion was indeed no flying scavenger, and had many a time hunted with the cub when she had sought freedom and solitude from the ennui and weary pack of Ge-Rad, when the herla meat had lessened in amount and she would have rather proved herself as a hunter anyway. She felt Renn’s emerald eyes scanning her, and the dappled youth’s gaze fell to her paws, small, like her mother’s. Her flanks rose and fell with her breaths as her leathery nares flared, learning and memorizing the scents around her, though she knew them already, marked with her Dragga and Drappa’s musk. Renn’s voice pierced the silence, and the brindle-dappled hybrid looked up to stare at her, her pupils narrowing to a hardened glare. “Why on Wolfbane’s teeth would we turn against the Dragga’s son, who is currently with humans, possibly never to return, when our mighty Dragga left to seek him? Do you truly believe we could be so dense, or are you simply so deft that you are puzzling this all out ahead of time, and seeing things in the future?”

The List femme snapped at the cub, which leapt to her paws, young muscles twitching as she heard the hostile tone of the Varg, the embedded instinct of the putnar that told her to fight. “You should listen to my words far more closely, Renn.” Caoimhe snarled, taking an advancing step toward her. Her own words were curt and spat fire; she would not feel threatened on her own lands. “But you yourself just said that ‘until it reaches your auds, you will not attack a Ge-Rad Varg’. Does that mean that, when it does you would turn on us, we that have nursed your wounds and given you food, when we could have killed you? Would you show a Ge-Rad Varg that same mercy?” She growled softly as she settled back into a crouch, wrenching her gaze away, and feeling amazingly proud that she had won at least one argument with the amber fae, immature as it was, though she did not let it show smugly on her young face.

[Renn]

"It was a thearatical question," Renn muttered, her sage orbs burning into the little spitfire's grey body as she advances. The spirit of the Putnar, the blood of the Varg that runs through her veins, tells her that this is the time to fight, not run. But as her sage orbs gaze at Caoimhe's gaunt cubbish form, she feels her blood cooling, her urge to fight this little Hybrid before her. Remaining in a sitting position, Renn continued, "I shall forever be grateful to Ge-Rad for nursing me in my time of need, but my loyalty to List comes before my gratitude to Ge-Rad, as would yours if our positions were reversed. However, like I said, youngster, I sahll cross that bridge when I come to it."

((Sorry, but I am lacking in inspiration and this thread is getting a little depressing))

[Caoimhe]

Caoimhe remained calm, returning the burning gaze with her own haunting orbs, but as Renn took advancing steps towards her, the she-cub’s hackles pricked and her eyes narrowed to devilish slits, beckoning the femme for a fight. Brute strength could win the fight, and Renn was by far more larger and taller than the hybrid, but it would not be a fight easily won. Renn’s gaze softened and once she sat Caoimhe’s bodice reflected the position, her tassel flipping over her small paws as she, for once, listened to Renn’s voice without hate brandishing her orbs. Inhaling, her flanks heaved into the air before sliding back down. The dappled cub’s voice was low and soft, and she turned away, gazing towards the far trees instead of at the golden femme. “Indeed you should, Renn, and I understand that you would obey your Drappa rather than mine, and you are correct, I would do the same- but I would not kill one of the wolves who helped me; I would choose another target to battle.” Her voice became strained once again, and she turned to Renn, her eyes flashing once before calming. “I do not mean to impose your leave, but when Kop returns, if he is unable to do so himself, I’m sure Ge-Rad will send someone to tell you. And I’m sorry we couldn’t try to be friends, Renn, but I do hope that your life with Kop is a happy one, and I’m sorry for what happened to you…”The cub’s voice lowered as she blinked back the wetness that stung her eyes, and the cyan became glazed as she stood, dipping her head respectively to the elder fae and not meeting her eyes in the way of the Varg.

Her head turned to the trees where her falcon stooped, and her mouth formed his name sadly. Turning once more to the femme, Caoimhe forced a smile. “I’ve proved my ignorance, haven’t I? I’ve messed up again…” She started forward, calling over her shoulders, “Good-bye, Renn.” The femme padded into the shadow of the trees, whilst the smaller body of Tarak flew above the canopy line.

(((Ah..what a nice ending. Renn finally got some sense into her. –chuckle-

[Renn]

As she watched the grey-pelted cub begin to dissapear among the shadows, something snaps in Renn's mind, a wall falling away to spur her on to calling after Caoimhe. She wasn't sure if it was the sudden acceptance in the Hybrid faemme, or if her soft heart had finally started beating in her breast, but she felt that she had to comfort this little one, as she never could for Sora. "Who said anything about kill? List fights for honour and victory, not for cold-blooded destruction of another, and if it did come to a fight, everything in my soul tells me to choose a Deor or Koran Warrior rather than a Ge-Radian as a target. Besides, killing a Varg is not in my nature."

"It is true that you are wise above your years in many ways, but it is experience that lights the fire of wisdom inside you, and it is fortunate that you have not experienced the things I have, for I would not wish that upon another," Her emerald orbs widened and glowed as she realised the truth in her words. Caoimhe was indeed intelligent for her age, and she would one day be a formiddable oponent in battle, physically and mentally. "Ignorance is bliss, Caoimhe. I have no memories of my cubhood, for they were stolen from me long ago. I envy you in that," Rising to her sore digits, Renn stepped forward, her orbs flashing up to Tarak's flying form for a few moments before she pierces the shadows to find Caoimhe's form again. "You have not messed up, Caoimhe, you have merely been honest; which will be hard to find in the times of War ahead." And with that said, Renn spun round and hobbles the opposite direction from Caoimhe.