Altogether Now!

Laek stared at the little wolf before nodding; she almost told Molly to have Cas help her bury the little male, but she couldn't subject her mate to the pain she was feeling. Or the guilt she was feeling. Even if Molly did notify him, at least Laek wouldn't feel as if she were shoving the dead pup in his face. She put her head on the floor, turned to look at the pups by her side, glancing up to look at the healer. At least Molly had been here. Without the proper help, none of them might have made it. Laek made sure to keep that in mind to make up for one lost pup.

Molly nodded solemly as Laek told her yes. There was no way she was going to force Cas to help her, and instead she exited the den empty handed to speak to Coven instead. She stopped just outside, the horror and depression of losing a pup under her care washing over her suddenly. When she reached Coven, she could barely make herself look him in the eye. "Th-there's a stillborn." She said softly, her voice breaking as she tried to hold herself together. "Will you help me bury him?" She asked, looking up at Coven and doing her best to keep from falling apart. That was the last thing Laek or Cas needed right now.

Blitz made sure to stand between Cas and the den in order to block his view of the obviously distraught healer when she emerged. Damn, something had gone wrong. From what Blitz could tell, there was likely a lost pup. But he said nothing to Cas, instead nodded to Pravin in hopes of getting the point across to help him distract the distressed father. Until Molly was ready, they needed to keep him from knowing what had gone wrong, or that anything had gone wrong.

Cas's ears pinned backwards as Blitz's form blocked his view of the den. He looked up at the large male, frowning at the look that the alpha and beta exchanged above him. There was something that they didn't want him to see, and his body lowered in worry for his mate as the two large males prevented him from running to her.

Coven had been laying near Laek's den, eyes shifting warningly to Cas from time to time until Blitz took over the job of keeping the distressed father from getting in the way of the pups' arrivals. His ears flicked back a little when particularly agonized yelps from Laek would break the more routine cries. Who here could think everything was going well?

When Molly finally emerged, Coven jumped to his feet upon glimpsing her face, though only when the healer clearly was moving toward him did he go to join her, not wanting to end up snapped at like Cas. At the news of the dead pup and Molly's grieved request, the black wolf reached down and pressed the top of his head to her cheek to share her sadness and let her know he was there, sincerely desiring a way to console the sensitive wolfess. "Of course," he responded softly before pulling back and looking over to the den and then the shielded Cas. Would they keep this a secret from the omega forever? or just until he could experience just a little untainted elation? Coven knew he would never want a pup of his taken off and buried before he could see it, just once, to know who he was mourning. The black wolf trusted that the decision to do this had been made with Laek's permission, so all he asked was, "Now?"

Coven followed behind Molly cautiously, keeping as far from Laek as he could while still being able to accomplish his assigned task. It felt very wrong for him to be there, though perhaps it was just the very real fear that Laek would lash out at the male protectively. He gave a slight nod to Fallon, who returned it with a flash of grief touching her face before giving her attention back to Laek, murmuring soothing, congratulatory, and encouraging words to her twin-like friend. Once he'd gathered the items, the male left the den and headed off to discard them while Molly dealt with Cas. Coven took his time coming back, and he waited a ways off for Molly to come to him and lead the way once everything was done with Cas.

Coven watched with a tilted head and unreadable expression as Cas expressed his heartbreak at the discovery of the stillborn pup. It was hard still to feel for the strange male, but knowing that was also Laek's pup brought on some more sympathy for Cas, somehow. The black wolf moved immediately over to Molly once Cas passed her to enter the den and see the others. Two more pups in the pack...

He pressed his side against Molly's, licking her ear once and then looking down at the pup. Though it would be hard for her, Molly really was the one who should carry the pup; she was the one who had invested so much in it and mourned it with a love and woe that Coven could not conjure, and the pup deserved to be handled by the tender one. Coven would be here for Molly as she led the way, and then to dig when they go there.

((Molly/Coven continued here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t112-back-so-soon ))

When he saw the look Blitz gave him, he knew that something was going on. Something that wasn't entirely normal for a birthing, and he knew this especially from the whines echoing across the den area. A panicked look in his eye for just a second, Pravin tried to figure out how to distract the worried father. He didn't have time enough though, when he saw Blitz move and Cas move forward to Molly. There was something small at her feet and by Cas' reaction, Pravin immediately knew a pup hadn't made it. Casting grieving eyes to the ground, he stood. Not entirely sure what to do now, he took a few steps forward and concluded to circling the meeting rock. Maybe moving would get his thoughts clear.

Laek looked away from the comforting Fallon when she saw Molly and Coven stick their heads inside the den to pick things up. Molly finally took the dead pup away and Laek relaxed a bit, going back to listen to her almost-twin above her. Lifting her head a bit, she touched Fallon's muzzle, then placed her head back on the ground when she saw Cas walk into the den.

As Cas licked her head, Laek's ears moved a bit, acknowledging her mate's presence. She laid her head back onto his paws and relaxed a little more. It would take a bit more to get to sleep, but she had her pups here and Casanova here. She shut her eyes as he spoke. "I'm feeling okay. Exhausted, but not tired. Do you understand that?" Laek heard how much that didn't make sense as she said it. "But yes. The pups really are beautiful." She opened her eyes and smiled at Cas, happy to have her family.

Fallon's tail wagged as Laek reached up to her, and she gave her exhausted friend a gentle parting lick on the head as Cas entered. Leaving the two alone, the hunter walked out of the den, eyes scanning the wolves scattered loosely around the den. She gave a small nod to Blitz and walked over to sit by his side. But her eyes didn't travel back to peer nosily at Laek's den; the parents deserved some time on their own, even if one of them was Casanova. Instead, Fallon nudged the large white wolf's shoulder with her own and tilted her ears back uncertainly, almost warily, as she glanced sideways at the pacing Pravin and asked in a low voice, "Um...is he doing ok?" This was pretty much the first time Fallon had ever seen him looking stressed. It was bizarre, as well as quite disconcerting.

Blitz looked down at Fallon as she approached and nudged his shoulder. At her question, he looked over at Pravin and frowned. "I'm sure he'll be alright. He's under a lot of stress, we both are. He'll get used to it soon. I just with that he didn't have to." He said softly, looking over at the pacing beta and sighing softly. The beta position was putting a lot more responsibility on Pravin's shoulders, but Blitz honestly believed that he could handle it, it would just take time to adjust. But for now, all he could do was let the other male handle things his own way.

Fallon looked up at Blitz as he mentioned his stress. Frowning in concern, not that this was revolutionary news, she asked, "What do you guys need from me to help out?" Not much came to her mind, except for maybe a refreshing game of chase, but Blitz would know better than she what he needed, and Pravin as well. Blitz had been dealing with the responsibilities of being an alpha for a long time, and he at least had grown accustomed to that weight on his shoulders. The new beta, on the other hand, was completely new to the duty of caring for the pack, as heading the warriors didn't really count and surely didn't stretch Pravin out of his comfort zone as this job would, since the warriors were practically as reclusive as Pravin naturally was. Poor guy.

Blitz shook his head as Fallon offered to help. He wasn't sure what she could do at this point, except keep the food supply high for the pups and their families. "Right now, Fallon, the hunters need you to focus on them and prey. Right now Pravin and I need to get regular patrols going and secure the pack lands. I'm thinking that I might talk to Chaos about training the warriors a bit as well." He said, glancing over at the head warrior's den. "You'll probably want to work on endurance with the hunters. The prey seems to be doing a very good job at out running some of the pack's hunters as of late." He said, frowning. Himself included. But he didn't say that out loud, not that it mattered anyways. "Hopefully if we all start helping each other improve our skills, we'll grow stronger together. The pack seems to be ripping at the seams lately." He said, looking over to where Coven and Molly had disappeared with the lifeless pup.

Laek sighed as Casanova mentioned sleeping, for she didn't know if she'd be able to. She had so much on her mind, and she didn't know if she could rid herself of enough thoughts to get to sleep. But to be honest, Cas' grooming was quite soothing. So she let herself relax just a bit more and closed her eyes. Soon enough, she fell into a deep sleep, dreams slowly creeping up on her. But gladly, they weren't terrible dreams.

Pravin let himself pace as he let it sink that he was beta. That both Laek and Tessa were mothers, and that meant pups and more to the pack. That now he was the help to control that pack. The one that might be falling apart, and with that, Pravin felt the need to help Blitz bring it back together. At first, Pravin hadn't seemed moved by Blitz' choice to name him beta. But now, it finally hit him. Now of all times!

He slowed down and stopped pacing, standing next to Blitz, hearing how even Blitz admitted how the pack seemed to be falling apart. A small frown appeared on Pravin's face as he realized that maybe Inferno's prediction was becoming true. But from what he heard Blitz saying, at least the alpha was going to try fixing things. Pravin took a deep breath and sat down.

Fallon nodded silently as Blitz instructed her to work up a training schedule. She'd noticed as well that the hunters could definitely improve on endurance, and speed in some cases. Perhaps it was the winter, and perhaps it was because they just never had trained. It wasn't too big of a deal to put something together, and if everyone became bored with the regimen, a game of chase was actually a valid option, much to Fallon's delight. "I'll start them up tomorrow, Blitz," the head hunter assured him. At his final comment, all she could do was lick up at his chin mutely, letting him know that there was still hope. Things could turn around, she just knew it, and no matter what, there was at least one wolf who would be here in Silverlight fighting until the end.

Turning to Pravin with a hearty wag of her tail as the beta sat down finally, Fallon knew that he would probably hang on until the end as well. She walked over a few steps to him and licked his shoulder reassuringly. "Guys, we've got this. Winter's over; we've got our head healer and head warrior back; and we have two great wolves to lead us all. It's going to be ok," she announced earnestly, looking from Pravin to Blitz as she tried to pep them up. They'd done so much for her that it was time to at least try to repay them with a little positive spirit. Blitz probably needed it inside as much as Pravin.

Blitz smiled at Fallon's optimism. It was nice to have such a positive wolf in the pack. As she licked his chin, he found himself nipping her ear playfully and smiling affectionately down at her. She had always been like a little sister to him, even though they weren't related at all other than in the pack. "I don't know what this pack would do without you, Fallon." He said, nudging her shoulder and smiling. Hopefully now that they had some sort of plan, things would start improving. But he still needed to talk to Chaos.

Cas smiled, watching his mate and pups sleep as he did his best to forget the still born pup. There was no bringing the little male back, and now they had two pups. But that was good enough for him. He had a family now. It was strange not to be moving around so much, but he found that he liked it, loved it really. Now if only he could get the pack to accept him into their family like Laek had. Or at least be a bit less hostile. He was grateful for the new beta's lack of hositilty towards him, and he sincerely hoped to find a friend in the large male in the future. He needed at least one in the pack other than his mate.

Chaos sighed, stretching and gettng to her feet. She had been observing the pack from her den, and now walked over to the alpha, beta, and head hunter. She was surprisingly less hostile this time, and came to sit down near the group and look up at Blitz. "What can I do?" She asked, sincerely wanting to help the pack out. This was her home, and even though she didn't get along with everyone - anyone really - that didn't mean that she didn't want to protect it.

At Chaos's approach, Fallon took a few steps back, putting the bodies of Blitz and Pravin between the black wolf and herself, even if they weren't creating a barrier or anything. The head hunter had been happy, finally; why did Chaos have to come up now?
Though Fallon could not help but raise her hackles defensively and narrow her eyes at the head warrior, she kept her mouth shut and made no other move. 'Unified pack, unified pack,' was the subconscious chant in her head that kept Fallon from being immature at this moment. Past experience kept her wary, and unalterable dislike kept her from being welcoming, but respect for Blitz and Chaos, sort of, as a legitimate and strangely loyal - recently - member of the pack kept Fallon from making any snide remarks, which was a good thing, as the words out of Chaos's mouth sounded sincere. Cocking and ear in interest, the head hunter tilted her head to look over and up at Blitz, awaiting his answer with her tongue clamped between her teeth.

Blitz couldn't help but be slightly amused and at the same time frustrated with Fallon's automatic response to Chaos's presence. It wasn't the hunter's fault, either. He had been meaning to have a serious talk with the black female, but now as not the time. That would come later, when they could be alone. When she spoke, he smiled, nodding slightly. "I need you to train the warriors. Have them running drills and mock fights, prepare them for anything. We need our pack to be in near perfect shape in case anything happens. I don't foresee a problem, but there is a much stronger loner presence at the borders as of late." He said, glancing over at Pravin and wondering if he'd noticed as well. Hell, the whole pack probably had. Then he looked back at the head warrior. "We'll need larger and more frequent patrols as well. At least once a day around the borders, if not more." He said, knowing it would be a tough job. But he knew Chaos would be able to pull it off.

Chaos, herself, was rather amused by the other female's reaction to her presence, but she did her best to simply not aknowledge her. Instead she focused on Blitz, nodding at his words. "Yes sir." She said softly, taking that as a finalizing statement and turning to leave. She needed to plan, to figure out what she was going to do with the incredibly disorganized warriors. This would be a big task, and she hoped they'd cooperate.

((Chaos continued here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t118-thinking-open ))

Fallon frowned as Chaos walked off, but it was because of a question that popped up about the warriors, not the fact that the old hag was leaving. Still with a look of contemplation on her face, the female looked over at the alpha. "With Pravin as beta now, we're down to three warriors, including Chaos." Pravin, of course, would still go patrolling, but it was just different, as he was now apart from the main body of warriors. Were three warriors enough for the pack, especially with Blitz's obviously growing concerns about the loners? This Fallon asked, followed by, "You don't think it'd be worth it to train new warriors? We have many good hunters, and Tessa could even be worked with to step up to the position if we needed more..." Even as she said it, the head hunter couldn't imagine any of the hunters as warriors...perhaps Sibirskiy, but he was too valuable as a hunter to let go. Perhaps it wasn't worth it to ask, thinking back on the question, but at least hearing Blitz's thoughts couldn't hurt, though surely he saw what Fallon was figuring out now. Three, plus Blitz and Pravin, would have to do.

Blitz wasn't surprised when Fallon immediately picked up on his concerns at Chaos's departure. He sighed softly, glancing at the beta and then back at the hunter. "Pravin and myself will help, but for now, we'll have to deal. With a wolf a viscious as Chaos, I'm sure we'll be alright for a while. Plus, you never know, maybe one of these little pipsqueak pups will grow up to be the best warrior we've ever seen." He said, hoping to lighten the mood and erase any fears about the borders. Yes, it was a problem, but himself and Pravin would fill both warrior and hunter roles as needed. And he himself could even help out Molly and Rayne if need be, but only a little.

Fallon curled up a lip and turned her gaze to the head warrior's retreating back. "With a wolf as vicious as Chaos," she murmured with a fuzzy tint of a growl, "I worry we'll have yet another warrior of ours out on bed rest." With a shake of her head, the female turned back to Blitz, smiling a little as his last comment sunk in, though still trying to get rid of the dark feeling Chaos's presence always set over Fallon's mood. "Yeah, that'd be great. With Sib and Laek as parents, though, I feel we're looking at some superb future hunters," she declared with a proud grin, glancing over at the dens of Laek and Tessa. Sibirskiy and Laek were magnificent hunters, and Fallon was proud that they were part of the pack. Tessa and Cas's genes didn't seem likely to produce warriors, though they would surely augment the speed Sib and Laek were sure to pass on. "What we really need are pups from you two," laughed the female, playfully whacking Pravin on the side with a forepaw and Blitz with her tail. "Now those pups I can see growing up to be powerhouse warriors."

Blitz's eyes widened slightly as Fallon mentioned pups from him. He was speechless for a moment, at a loss for words as she swatted at him. He finally took a deep breath and shook his head, clearing his throat awkwardly. Now pups weren't the first things on his mind as alpha, and he realized that he had never really thought about it. He would have liked to have a family, but there was too much to worry about here in Silverlight. Plus, who would he have as a mate? He couldn't think of anyone off the top of his head. Maybe he once had his eyes on Khalessi, but she was long gone, to his dismay. But finally he shook his head, narrowing his eyes at the hunter and batting at her ear with his paw, still unsure of what to say in response, figuring that Pravin was just as uncomfortable as he.