i am the blood of the mountain

The ability to make difficult choices such as this one was what made me leader of my pack. I had to make the right decision for those who trusted me to lead them, and in these times I was grateful for wolves such as Pan with whom I could discuss such matters before making any final judgment on the matter. It was a delicate situation, one which the result of was rather unpredictable. I knew well of the dislike that Taviora felt towards the wolves of the plains, but I listened carefully as Pan spoke of the other packs' perceived opinions of Asteraia. A quizzical look crossed my features as he spoke of suspecting that Diveen and Asteraia would form an alliance. For many years it had been known throughout Moladion the violence Tobias had displayed towards the Angel family. I'd heard stories of an attack led upon him, when Heyel and his family had descended upon the volatile male and left him for dead. He'd survived, of course, but it was a thing most interesting to me to know now that Achilles was perhaps considering aligning his pack with a wolf who had caused his family so much trouble.

Pan spoke at length about Tobias and the females with whom he ruled the plains. It was more information than I'd heard about the blight of Moladion before. While rumors had always passed between lips about the deranged wolves who feasted upon lupine flesh, and I had most assuredly made all those of my pack aware of the potential danger, Spirane had never seen threat from these wolves. Never had the mountains been breached by those who sought to hunt wolf rather than true prey, and my pack had remained safe. But now these wolves held power greater than they had before. Would they see this rise of power as reason to attack other packs, now that they were greater in numbers than they had ever been before? Minds such as theirs were unpredictable, and so I listened carefully to the counsel of my advisor.

Even as he paused I knew there would be more, for advice had not yet been partaken. And so I remained silent, studious as ever in the presence of my Hand. Together, I believed, we could come to the best possible avenue to proceed down in regards to Asteraia. Finally he came to his suggested course of action - a treaty of the most basic variety, to last a year. His reasoning for this was, of course, completely logical. But I could not help the itching at the back of my mind. Were these really wolves that I wished to align myself and my pack with? Would any of my pack members ever have reason to travel to the plains, to want to pass amongst their lands and population? And the greater question, was I willing to allow those of Asteraia the same welcome here? For a moment I remained in silence, the play of thoughts obvious in my eyes as I simply gazed upon Pan's face. Clever was certainly what we must be in these regards, to be sure. But was an alliance, or even only a treaty, the only way to go about it? If we were not seen as 'friends' to this pack, must we be seen as enemies? The questions stirred in my mind, and it was for this reason that Pan sat so close to me now. He was the wolf to whom I trusted to turn in these situations, when such complications faced me and the future of my pack. "Must there be such a definite line drawn in the dirt, Pan? Do we need to make ourselves friend or foe to Tobias and his females? I think a discussion between myself and whichever of the wolves that is most dominant and coherent of mind among them is certainly necessary. But perhaps, in this, we must learn from Eden. The chance to remain impartial is given only once, and the last thing I desire is to scorn the relationships that Spirane already holds - with individuals and packs alike. The scarred one wears no name; how am I to know if she has not already committed harm against a wolf who has since come under my protection? These are dangerous waters we tread within, Pan. I do not want to create wake where it is not needed."

I greatly valued the ideas, knowledge, and opinions that Pan shared with me. But it was clear that this was to be a far more complex situation than any alliance or treaty that Spirane had ever held before. If anyone could help me to make the best decision for my pack, Pan was the wolf for it. Was it possible, though, for two packs with such vastly different ideals to hold anything more than an agreement not to come against one another? I was not so sure.

daenerys