[html]  hope you don’t mind playing as if Deuce came after Cer closed the borders to outsiders?
It seemed as if the numbers were ever increasing, Dahlia was swelling with members. Although Cercelee had instructed the scouts and council to turn members away until they could claim more land for their growing numbers, members still seemed to slip through the cracks. The newest scents were intertwined with Haku’s, and Cercelee knew that the Lilium had been the one to admit the three newest souls into Dahlia. Who they were, Cercelee couldn’t guess, but it was her goal to find out. With that in mind she set out from her church home early in the morning, making her way through the vineyards and into Berwick and Wolfville at a leisurely pace.
The winter seemed to unable to make up it’s mind, snow, rain and sun interchanged indiscriminately during the course of the week but Cercelee had selected a rather sunny day to make her rounds. She moved past the rows of houses, humming to herself, trying to think of who the wolves Haku had admitted might be, and she could guess. Yet assumptions were never wise and so when she came to a house where the scent of the newcomers were thick, the white picket fence bravely barring entrance into the snowy yard, Cercelee paused in the street, her eyes looking into the windows for signs of life.
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((No table, lazy today. LOL))
Deuce nuzzled Willow's cheek. The girl was napping. She was so big now. The pale woman was proud of her daughter, and of her son. A sharp growl make her head jerk up. Taliesin was on his feet, snarling at something outside. The woman swallowed. "tal, stop. I'll go check." She knew Firefly was around here somewhere; she was worried that it was possibly her who was out there. She didn't know if Iskata's daughter would pose a threat to the pup or not. "Stay with your sister."
She moved quickly to the front door, which opened onto a porch overlooking the street. There in the street was a wolf she hadn't seen yet. Deuce lifted her chin and called out, her voice stronger than she felt. She steeled herself with the fact that she was the former leader of Phoenix valley, and still would be if she hadn't left for her child's safety. "may I help you?" Her voice was the proper mix of wariness and subserviance. She'd been told she'd be placed higher than most new joiners, but not by much. It was okay. She knew what she was capable of; she'd make it just fine.
[html] hope you don’t mind playing as if Deuce came after Cer closed the borders to outsiders?
The female appeared, but it was the owner of only one of the three new scents in her land. Tilting her head thoughtfully at the female, Cercelee considered her for a while. It made sense and her suspicion seemed to be fact, why else would Haku take in a stray female when their pack was already swelling so full? He had to of had a reason and Cercelee guessed it. “Hello there… I’ve just come to see the… new faces.” Cer smiled tentatively, she could give her name but she doubted Haku had filled Duece in on who was really the boss about the lands. Still, she did not like to lead others on, she would play fair. “I’m Cercelee, Rosea. The leader around here.”
Cercelee came closer, pausing just before the gate. She could if she wished unlatch the gate and come into the yard, but she would wait and see if she was invited. However talking over the fence was not her style, it was so very unwelcoming and Cer did not like to be unfamiliar with anyone in her pack. “There are others inside living with you?” Her navy eyes peered questioningly at the windows again, then at Duece, wondering and waiting so patiently.
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The woman introduced herself. Deuce had been right not to act arrogant. This was her leader, the woman above Haku. Deuce reached forward and unlatched the gate, pulling it open. "You are welcome in our house any time." Her question of other s made Deduce pause. Haku hadn't told his leader tof her and the pups? This was a mild concern. But she a nswered the question.
"My daughter Willow, and son Taliesin live with me, along with another female of the pack, Colibri." Deuce took a few steps back, giving the rosea room to enter. "Come in and I'll introduce you to my children." She led the way, pausing at the doorway to call in. "tal, it's okay. I'm bringing a friend in." She then stepped into the house. Within seconds, Willow careened around the corner, crashing into Deuce's legs. Deduce laughed and picked up the girl.
Willow's coloring left no uncertainty of who her father was.
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Cerceleee nodded and smiled gratefully. She wouldn’t force her way into anyone’s home, but it was nice to be welcomes. After all, her home, the church outside Berwick she shared with Slay, had an open door policy for all the pack members, she was pleased that most of them returned the favor to her. Silently she followed behind Deuce, through the front yard and up into the house. She heard the list of others who lived with this woman and was surprised to find Coli on the list, but upon entering the home the cousin and best friend was no where to be found. Deuce could always fill Coli in on the Rosea’s visit later.
“I’m glad that Coli has found someone to stay with.” And she really was, but her voice did not sound convincing as she distractedly looked down at the child crashing into her mother’s legs. Navy eyes quickly looked up to the male, Taliesin and nodded briefly, before turning back to the child of interest. Her suspicions then had been correct, but she hadn’t imagined a child had been involved in all this. Or perhaps that had been the reason Haku brought them here. How Firefly would take all this, evidence of Haku’s past all living under the same roof, within Dahlia de Mai, Cercelee wasn’t sure. But Haku’s overlooking of his mate’s feeling was no reason to be rude to the newcomer. “So then? Coli has a sister?” Both of them were clones of their father, there was no doubt about whose genetics had created them.
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Willow squirmed in the woman's arms, trying to get a better look at the white woman watching her. Deuce nodded in answer to Cereclee's question. "Yes. This is my daughter, Willow Soul." She gave the girl's surname so there would be no doubt, even though just by looks alone there was no doubt who she resembled most of her parentage.
Deuce was mildly troubled that the male hadn't mentioned her to the woman. "I hope our coming here hasn't caused any problems for you or the pack. I know times were hard in Phjoenix Valley, I imagine they must be difficult here as well."
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Leaning in, Cer nudge the small child gently with her nose, then more firmly she pressed her hand against the cheek of the child. If Haku was Cer’s cousin, what did that make the child? Cer wasn’t sure, family relations had never been that important to her, but this pup was not a member of the pack and that was important. Cercelee’s life was now pledged to these members for as long as they stayed. “It is nice to meet you Willow.” Her voice was melodic and kind, though she had very little experience speaking with children. It was hard to view them as anything but tiny, naive members of her pack.
Raising her eyes Cercelee was not surprised to hear the comment Deuce now spoke. Of course the female probably had her concerns about now making Dahlia de Mai her home, and Cercelee could not put all her fears to rest. “No problems for me, but Haku’s mate... well that one’s a tricky one.” Cercelee shrugged helplessly, Firefly would rage and rant over this, Cercelee could only imagine, but the damage had been done and the pack’s Acer would have to accept the changes that had been made to the member tier. “Why did you leave Phoenix Valley?” Perhaps it was a little personal, but Cercelee felt she should know, after all, they were still on good terms with the pack, Cer with to keep it so.
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The question came that she'd been dreading, to an extent. Why had she left Phoenix Valley? She lifted her chin and answered honestly. "I was Shaman there, I helped to found the pack. I helped to found the pack on the principles of family coming first, above all others. I was and still am very much against the idea of hybrids and coyotes joining wolf packs. My son Shadow was murdered by coyotes. I lost a litter of pups becuase of coyotes. After Iskata was injured badly by a bear, she named Jefferson as her replacement. The pack I had founded had become over run with the ones I had never wanted in. It was unsafe for my pups. I left, going to Ethreal Eclipse, to a cabin I'd claimed as home once before. Haku found us, and asked us to come make our home here, and I accepted."
That was it, all of it. Of course, her story could be distilled down to the words she'd spoken to Lucifer. Home wasn't home anymore. Her bi-colred eyes met those of the leader's. "I have much talent with herbs and healing. In past packs, I have held the rank of either herbalist or medic. I'm not much of a hunter, but I am a good healer. I hope that will be merit enough to offset any drama our presence may cause. She was blunt now, old habits as a leader coming to the front.
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Cercelee listened to the story, navy eyes keeping focused on the bi-colored eyes of the female. No coyotes and no hybrids lived within Dahlia de Mai, that was true enough. Yet it wasn’t against pack policies to admit them. It just so happened none had asked, and it was unlikely any would ask anytime soon. Haku made his position on the creatures clear enough, with many of the lower ranked members following suit. The Dahlian war had bittered the idea of the two species coexisting for many of them, and Cercelee was bothered by this, but she couldn’t change history, nor could she change the opinions of anyone else.
And then Deuce listed skills of her own, though Cer had not asked for them. Although a healer was needed, Cercelee was not desperate for one. She knew Hanna was close enough if an emergency occurred. Svara was training for the rank, but her bedside manners had a lot to be desired. Deuce she did not know well enough, the Rosea was unable to say if she was any better. “Well, no coyotes or hybrids here for the time being...” Cercelee let the words slip easily from her mouth, as a gentle warning that this might not always be the haven Haku convinced the female it was. “Is that perhaps a co-rank you’d like? Healer?”
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