Iskata had been concerned when she'd happened upon Colibri, but the words the lady had spoken to her had scared her even more. The hum in the woods had been that Haku was now in the pack that his mother had abandoned. Iskata had shaken her head at the news sadly, but she wasn't sure what to say about it. Colibri didn't deserve the things her son had done, the changes he'd brought to her world.. but there was Iskata with her own dark secrets.. the things she'd seen and the things she'd done. She didn't know if it was the innocence that she'd seen staring up at her so filled with fear or the blood that connected them that had caused her to clean up after the killer but she'd done what she had and she would live with that.
She'd made her way across the lands to find out firsthand if the news she'd heard was true. She didn't know what to say or what she would do if it was, but she knew she had to find out. She'd strung herself up high and dry in the middle of this war and she hated herself for it.. atleast this time she wouldn't lose the love of her life or lose the friend she loved like a sister. Shaking her head she sighed to herself, Firefly was probably already in the mists of the pack and getting quite cozy, she only hoped her daughter understood how serious she'd been when she'd warned her about the dangers of belonging to the Dahlia de Mai pack.. but if she'd been accepted there was nothing Iskata could do now.. she knew better than to demand things from her daughter.. she knew where she'd inherited her stuborn pride from.
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Iskata’s scent was caught on the wind and brought directly to Cercelee. Had it been a few weeks ago, Cercelee wouldn’ t have been present to receive such a scent, but as it was the Rosea was spending more time within the pack borders than outside of them. After Colibri had announced her departure, Cercelee had been almost afraid to leave the pack lands, after all, she was the only leader they had left. Inferni was angry with them, Colibri had abandoned them, and now Cercelee had risen Haku, a stranger to some and family to the others, to Lilium. It was a lot of change in such little time, and Cercelee did not want the pack to feel that she too had abandoned them, and so she spent her days patrolling the pack lands, leaving her scent here and there, letting the others see her, know that she was still with them. And would be.
Cercelee was intrigued by the scent of her aunt, although she had scented Iskata on the lands before it had been while Cercelee was absent and thus did not concern her, and she made her way quickly towards the maker of the scent. After the argument between aunt and niece had been finished, Cercelee hadn’t really given it a second thought, aside from her meeting with Laruku, in which she had mentioned Iskata. Perhaps the older female was here to pay a visit to Mew or Haku, as they too were offspring of one of Iskata’s brothers, and both of them far more inclined to receive family than Cercelee herself. Whatever the reason for her appearance, Cercelee would find out. Wasting no time once the female was within sight and a reasonable distance to speak, Cercelee called out, friendly in tone, though not quite the warmness one would expect with family. "Iskata, is there something I can help you with?"
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Iskata almost hadn't caught the scent of her niece on the winds until the lady had appeared but just as she was catching the flash of ivory pelt the winds had turned and the scent was identified as Cercelee's. Raising her eyes up to catch the sight of the younger wolfess she smiled grimly as the voice called out. Dropping to her haunches and wrapping her tail across her backpaws Iskata lifted one foreleg then the other as she worried the ground before she spoke up. "I hear Colibri left the pack..." The words weren't really a question, just the intro to the next words she was laying before her younger relative. "And.. Haku's now in?" She narrowed her eyes slightly as the words rolled off her tongue. She wasn't for sure what she really thought of the change.
Shaking her head as a shiver rolled down her back Iskata sighed and stared at her sapphire eyed clone of her own mother. The roles seemed so reversed as she spoke down to the pack leader. "Think that was.. smart?" she asked as she tried to find the exact phrase she wanted but knowing she settled for the worst of what there was to use. Nipping at her lip as she switched her gaze down to the ground she really didn't know what to think, though she wished that what she had heard wasn't true.
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"She has and he is." Cercelee confirmed Iskata’s words. Colibri was out and Haku was in. That was just the way it was. The younger female looked over her aunt with the dark navy ghost eyes, a little put off by how quickly Iskata had jumped into the purpose of her business. She was here to talk about Haku. Of course, Cercelee hadn’t exactly asked Iskata how she was or anything or the sort either, so it really wasn’t a surprise. Slowly Cercelee lowered herself to her haunches, and wrapped her tail quickly around herself, effectively hiding the almost invisible grey flecks that snuck up her front legs, the one marking that differed from a dead grandmother she had never met. It was a marking almost no one noticed anyway, as they were so light, unless one was looking for them, they would never know that the specks of color were there.
Think that was.. smart? Cercelee smiled at her aunt, not in any sneering or sarcastic way, but that she was genuinely amused and surprised that someone had come to question her skills as the pack’s leader? There was no reason to hide her feelings or act any certain way, Iskata could know what Cercelee really thought, and so she allowed that smile, which was sincerely warm. Cercelee knew she was young, probably the youngest leader of any of the packs, but she was not foolish, reckless, or stupid. “Do you think that it is unwise to allow him to stay then? Is there something I should know as to why I should ask Haku to leave my pack?” Cercelee knew many reasons herself why Haku shouldn’t have been allowed to stay, let alone be placed at Lilium, but the reasons for letting him stay and placing him in such a rank had outweighed the other reasons. However, Cercelee was ready to hear another’s opinion on the matter.
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Iskata kept her maw shut as Cercelee gave her the information she'd already come to find out. She lowered her eyes as she sat there and listened, not knowing really what to think anymore. She knew that Colibri had left of her own right and free will, but the demon son haunted her and the silver and gold lady felt it had something to do with him, the real reason she left. Iskata couldn't really comment on that one though, only Colibri knew the real reason she left, no matter what she told others.. and when the stubborn bossy Sadira was younger she'd come to realize that Colibri wasn't bound by any one thing, she'd flitted to and fro in the packlands, come and gone and come again. Iskata had just.. grown up with her brothers's mate doing just that and had to grow to accept it. She flicked her ears back as Cercelee had begun talking again.. asking her for any hidden tidbits of information on Haku.
Raising her head up her gold shot blue eyes met the deep sapphire ones of her neice as the Sadiras sat in silence until Iskata shattered the still. "I don't think I have to tell you the things he's done.. you must know already." she stated. The look in Cercelee's eyes seemed to tell her enough and all she needed to know. She shook her head and just watched the younger one. "Tell me... at what cost would it take.." she fell silent as she rearanged the words she'd said. "What more do you have to lose... just pray you don't lose anyone you care about because of him..." The silver and gold lady knew she really wasn't making any sense, but the words that Cercelee had spoke had answered everything already.. if Haku was here to stay and Cercelee didn't seem to have a problem with it.. she doubted that the young Sadira would really care in the end.
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Cercelee could understand how one might worry of Haku’s intentions, worry that he would lose himself again. Cercelee herself had that worry on some level, but Mew believed in Haku, and Cercelee knew that Haku was being sincere when he had spoken of helping and protecting his family. Haku could do evil, yes, but Cercelee could read the male who had raised her better than most, and she didn’t think he’d harm the pack. "I haven’t lost anyone yet, and if I do lose someone here, it won’t be because of Haku." Adrastos was not a loss, Colibri was not a loss. They were faces passing through her life, people she knew once and would possibly know again, but not important. Not loved ones. Coli had not been lost yet, her return was just delayed, and although she felt that was Haku’s fault, it had been before he pledged himself to his family, to protect the pack. It hadn’t happened here, it was before Dahlia de Mai, and Cercelee did not count that against him, even if she was angry at him for it.
Cercelee paused. How much did her aunt know of Haku’s situation? She had obviously come here to warn Cercelee against the male. “For the sake of full disclosure Iskata, I’ve made Haku my beta.” Cercelee used the generic term, beta. Second in command. Right hand man. Lilium. It was a new decision, perhaps Slay, Hanna and Windseeker did not even know yet, Cercelee had been busy the past few days, as had Haku. They hadn’t had a meeting to discuss the changes. And now Iskata was privy to the information. Cercelee continued to stare at the older female, wondering what she thought of her niece. Did she think that Cercelee did not care about her pack? That she had allowed Haku in spite of his harmful actions, welcomed danger through the doorway of Dahlia de Mai? Cercelee wasn’t sure she could explain it, but she had welcomed Haku in because she did care.
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Iskata sat there as the words were like a slap to her face. She had stayed silent at first just being polite, but when Cercelee spoke of making Haku her second in command Iskata jerked her head back as she took a sharp intake of breath. Shaking her head at the thought she narrowed her eyes and sat silently. Obviously there were few that Cercelee truely cared about, atleast her actions seemed to speak of that. Nodding to her neice she opened her maw and closed it repeatedly as though she were trying to figure out what to say, finally she raised her eyes up to meet Cercelee's and spoken. "And what if you loose him.. because if he can't protect himself.. I'm not sure if you can." she wasn't even sure she could protect Haku either, though she'd stalked after him when he'd been outside the packlands and had kept her ears open to make certain he hadn't snapped.
Shaking her head she sighed and looked away from the younger leader. Iskata could respect her choices, though she didn't want to see the outcome, especially when her family was involved.. though she wasn't about to mention the fact that her daughter had decided to play spy in the lands.. though Iskata herself wasn't so sure about that, Firefly had her own ideas and was stubborn as hell, the old Sadira ways, but she hoped that her daughter wouldn't get in too deep. Gazing at Cercelee from the corner of her eye she wondered just what was her reason for keeping him, without meaning to she blurted out her own inner thoughts. "Why!" she knew she probably wouldn't like the answer, but she'd listen.
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Of course Cercelee could not protect Haku. The young female knew that well enough, that was not the idea. Haku was there to lend strength to the pack, to help protect them alongside Slay. It was true, Haku was apt to get himself into trouble, but so long as he didn’t drag the pack through the mud alongside him, Cercelee didn’t mind. The trouble with Inferni already had started, so Haku would finish what he had to, she did not care what he did to the coyote clan now that they had seemingly declared war on Dahlia de Mai. As long as he did not start trouble with the other packs, he was golden in her book. "If I loose Haku? I will find a new beta, but I am not worried of losing him. He doesn’t take much after his mother, so I don’t think he’ll be abandoning us anytime soon." And if he got himself killed? The pack would mourn him as was proper to mourn the death of thier Lilium, but Cercelee doubted that would be an issue either.
Why? Why indeed? Cercelee knew she would have to answer that very same question to the pack members, at least explain this all to Slay, because he deserved an explantion and to be informed the most out of all of them, at least in Cer’s mind. "I know you don’t trust Haku, and you probably have good reason to, but I do. Haku may do evil acts, but he himself is not evil. And he wants to be here, to help us. Why not let him? We have few members, only one other male, Inferni has unjustly declared war on us, due to Haku’s actions, and so why not put Haku in a position where Inferni’s war is justified, at least in their eyes? If Inferni insists on hostility towards us, we need all the numbers we can, we need someone willing to put his life at risk for us. I wouldn’t ask any of my other members to do that, but Haku is willing. More than willing. "Cercelee was becoming stressed, but she kept her calm, her composure, although her voice grew firmer the more Iskata prodded. Didn’t Iskata see how much sense that made? Cercelee would rather not fight with the coyotes, she had nothing against them, but if they insisted on it, then Dahlia de Mai needed a leader who would play ball with the coyotes, and that was Haku.
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Iskata's ears were pinned back as her neice spoke, she'd obviously misunderstood the silver and gold lady, or else didn't wish to speak of the harsher part of losing him. She shook her head and hissed softly, "And if he dies? Do you think Inferni will just turn and walk away when he's dead.." She shook her head sadly again as she sighed, her eyes turning back to the smaller female. "Gabriel isn't known for forgiving or kind all too quickly.." she lowered her gaze as she remembered her own confrontations with the hybrid leader of the clan. She didn't like how this was all turning into a repeat of the past few times..
"You know.. the packs have never won the war against the clan.. we've suffered repeatedly.. and they always come out on top.." she stared down at her scarred forlegs as she spoke, the sadness in her voice was obvious as she continued on. "Maybe you'd understand once the bloodshed really begins, when you lose something you can't replace." Turning her eyes back on Cercelee there was sorrow shining through as she watched the young lady. "Ask Laruku what it's like, maybe he can explain things better.." she knew by now that it was hopeless, Haku was staying, atleast she had one card left, though she wasn't for certain if she could trust her own daughter with these serious issues.. she'd always been a rebel, but Iskata had to try.
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Cercelee shook her head. She had understood. Cercelee knew what they were up against, she also knew that with or without Haku that they would be up against it. "And do you think Inferni would have just looked us over if I had not accepted Haku? They were already asking for our blood, at least with Haku we have a little more defense." Cercelee heard the Inferni leader’s name for the first time. Gaberiel? Had he been the one to storm onto their packlands and slay wolves on their borders? His name didn’t matter. “They already had it out for us Iskata! I’m not the one who started this, so why lecture me so? If I could end it that easily I would, but that is no easy task. You must know that? Or are you here to answer all my prayers? The last sentence was said with a sneer. What did Iskata hope to accomplish besides kicking Haku to the curb? “ I don’t care about past wars Iskata, I don’t care what Laruku has to say. I only care about this, right here, this pack. I only care for what’s best for them. Unless you are going to magically call Inferni off, then I will take help where I can find it. Right now that’s Haku. Tell me if you have a better plan.” She spat the words at her aunt’s feet, the navy eyes were burning, much like those of a demon that lived two generations before her. It was rare that Cercelee did not bother to control her emotions, did not bother to play a part, let the passion, anger or whatever else she felt flow and speak for her, as was trademark for many of her dead relatives, but here she was. Because although she could stay composed, she was far too tired of this conversation to any longer.
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Iskata stared at her neice sadly as she grew angrier and angrier until finally she seemed to snap. The silver and gold lady was no answer to anyone's prayer, infact her folly had been a major factor in the last war with Inferni that she'd been through. Shaking her head she closed her eyes and took the lashing from the younger Sadira blood. After the tongue lashing she'd receiver Iskata opened her eyes and just watched the youth before her while she waited for Cercelee to calm herself. When she spoke the words were slow and quiet, the regret sounding through and through. "Cercelee, if I could call them off I would.. I have friends and family involved in both sides and I don't wish to see this happen again.." She lowered her gaze and wished that the young wolfess before her could see this through the eyes of one who'd already been there.
She gazed at the leader with nothing but pity in her eyes for the things she'd have to go through, knowing herself what it felt like. A soft fluttering sigh escaped her lips as she gave in. "My pack is at peace with the clan, I can't disobey my leader but if you need me.. I'll be here." she didn't want to see the pack torn apart and as long as she didn't overstep her lines with the clan she knew she could help. f it came down to it she might be able to ask her packleader to act as a parley, but she knew in the end what Gabriel would probably ask for and didn't mention it to Cercelee, she probably already knew as well.
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Cercelee could help but shake her head again at Iskata. The female might posses the ability to argue and fight like her grandmother, but she could not hold on to anger as easily. There was one transaction that hit Cer’s nerves the wrong way. And Iskata was offering the opposite of that. Although Cercelee wasn’t sure if she could really believe her. Iskata said that she had friends in both Inferni and Dahlia. If Cer needed her for anything, it would probably involve Iskata turning aside any friendship with Inferni she had, but Cer would never ask that of Iskata. "I don’t wish to see it happen at all, but I am not the one who controls it.” Despite that her the flood of emotions that she had allowed to grasp her were being beaten back once again, she felt she needed to remind Iskata that it was out of her hands. Haku was here because it was out of her hands, the war persisted because it was out of her hands. “However, thank you for your offer. I know your heart is in the right place, and I wish you knew that mine was too. I really am doing what’s best, right now, for us. “ And she was, to the best of her ability.
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She smiled at the youth before her as she thought about al lthe strange things that had ever happened to her, the least of all was the fact that she didn't hold her hatred for long, even for the male who'd killed her mate once upon a time. She shook her head as she tried to clear the thoughts from her mind before speaking to her young relative. "I don't believe that your heart isn't Cercelee, it's just hard to imagine seeing it happen all over again. I lost my mate when Clouded Tears was at war with Inferni, Gabriel killed him.. but I don't blame him for what happened, it's hard to explain.. but after a while you just hope it all ends... I'm just afraid to see it happen again, to lose another..." She lowered her head in silent defeat as the memories of that violent day filled her mind, she was beaten and broken for a moment as she gave away the pain behind her anger and reasonings.
Slowly shaking her head back and forth she sighed and blinked back the tears as she straightened up and met the eyes of the woman before her. "I wish you more luck than I've had Cercelee, and take care of that pack of yours.. there's too many I care about here." her eyes twinkled sadly as she began to turn to leave, before she'd set off she left one last lingering comment in the air. "Even you.. Blood might not be enough for you, but you're more than that to me, I can see you're more than what my brother ever was.." She nodded at the lady one last time before her head dropped and she turned about, heading back to her own pack, lands she'd been gone from too long.
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Cercelee nodded dutifully as Iskata left with the last words. The Rosea understood why Iskata had felt the need to come and speak with her, but Cercelee also knew that it in no way would affect her decision or future actions regarding Inferni and the pack. Cercelee did not guide the hand that wrote this story, she merely reacted to what came her way. Reactive, rather than proactive. Cercelee also understood Iskata’s devotion to her family, no matter how estranged that family was, although Cercelee also did not share those sentiments. While Iskata was somewhat of an annoyance at the moment, she was neither liked nor disliked, and the Rosea couldn’t say why Iskata cared for her. She barely knew the aunt she had only encountered twice. Still the female’s words lingered. She was more than what her father had been? That comment pleased her. To be more than Adrastos, to surpass him in whatever it was Cercelee did. And to come from his sister, whom had given the impression that brother and sister had once been close. "Thanks" The words were muttered, although she meant it, but Iskata had walked off quite a while ago, and Cercelee spoke the words only to empty air.
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