01-30-2012, 08:24 PM
After who comes back? :o Hurp this got long, sorry! (WC: 545)
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[/html]Claudius was slow to take his seat. His ears were turned to catch Anatole’s every word since he did not want to miss a thing. His cousin had always struck him as a very individual and Claudius did not think he would appreciate having to say something more than once. He recognized the ‘I don’t know’ as a stall for time as Anatole processed the question. Claudius nodded encouragingly as he turned to find a bowl. Carved into one wall were crude shelves reinforced with tree branches. He had laid out a series of branches horizontally to create a flat base and then reinforced the shelves by pitching the wood vertically. On the top shelf he kept some of his non-dyeing plants, stored in clay pots, jars, and anything he could salvage. He took out a handful of plantain leaves, all the while Anatole explained his situation.
Claudius’ hand froze in mid-air as he withdrew his leaves. He turned quickly and cast a questioning look over his shoulder. Blood? He knew he’d smelled it, but he hadn’t realized there had been blood before the fight. That was certainly not a good sign. And of course, if Gemma was afraid – though, she had struck him as somewhat uncertain, if a bit like himself – that wasn’t good either. Claudius turned back to the shelves and replaced the lid on the pot and then brought the leaves over to his small fireplace. He set the leaves on a flat stone as he considered Anatole’s words. Why indeed would one fear their mate? They would likely have good reason, since a mate would know their counterpart the best. Claudius wondered if Matteo’s crimes in Anathema had been more than abandoning his first mate.
Claudius nodded gravely when Anatole emphasized Matteo’s possible insanity or – well, something – Claudius didn’t know what at this point and he didn’t think Anatole knew, either.
“I was… there for the… end,” he began slowly. “Of the fight I mean. I...” He frowned and then sighed quietly. “I accepted… him in to… AniWaya… he said… he had left his old pack, Anathema, because… he had left his mate. Now Gemma is his mate. Do you think… he was going… to leave her?” Claudius frowned and then shook his head, adding: “I don’t want… to speculate… without reason… but… he attacked you. In AniWaya, the punishment… is for you… to return the assault… in kind. We don’t have a War Chief, but… if we did… he or she would likely oversee it. Assault is not… taken lightly.” He then added, with a much darker tone, “if I were still leader, I would want him thrown out. He gave me his word. He has broken it… and… assaulted… a tribe member. This is… unacceptable.” Although Claudius never would have considered himself to be a vengeful wolf, he was certainly traditional. Having been raised in AniWaya his entire life, he believed in their laws and believed that they held justice. However, the taste of the war and even that small sliver of leadership had changed Claudius. More importantly, Matteo had hurt not only his mate, but Claudius’ family. Claudius was forgiving, but with one simple action, Matteo had hurt so many; how many more could he hurt? Moreover, Claudius now knew what he wanted and he knew that if he wanted something to be done, it was up to him to make it happen. He could start by petitioning Councilwoman in lieu of a War Chief. [html][/html]