Word Count: 1048Janja never did things by halves. She had a plan, and he had to stick to it. It was a quiet plan, one that would make her family grow in strength and in power. She ached for that, especially one that would allow her to overcome that family.
The thought of her enemy's spawn being at the top of her pack made her blood boil and her skin crawl in such an awful way. She knew that if she fought, especially now, there would be no guarantee of her survival. She wouldn't want to lead, anyway. That's what Apokreis was for.
Apokreis would lead the pack, she would make sure of it.
Speaking of her son though, the boy was curled in the den once again, pain from his visions had flared in the night and his personal healer was one of the few that could quell the pain in the boy's head. He was resting now, Lakshmi still at his side. The other dog had recently come into his own family.
She found that it made Lakshmi even more protective of her son, and she wasn't sure how that was possible.
"Lakshmi," She said, her tone warm with affection. The healer had practically become part of her family in the last year, and she wouldn't change that. "How's he doing?" The silver dog smiled back at her before looking down at his charge. He brushed a paw over Apokries' forehead, careful not to wake him.
"He's doing better. The visions are becoming clearer, and the pain is lessening all the time," He told the other, though concern was written upon his features. They were silent for a moment as Apokreis stirred. Lakshmi hummed softly until Apkreis stilled beneath his paw.
Once Apokreis stilled, Janja made a sound for Lakshmi to continue. Another moment of silence passed between them, however, before Lakshmi spoke again.
"He still has really bad days where he can't even move," He said softly. Tonight was one of the better nights, and while Apokreis had only gotten to sleep as the sun rose, he was far more lucid and calm than normal. He didn't appear to be in as much pain. "I'm not sure he's ready for this."
He would never admit that he didn't think Apokreis could pull off being the leader. Apokreis would be a kind leader, unwilling to inflict pain upon anyone. But Lakshmi was worried nonetheless. It would take a lot of learning, and Lakshmi could only teach his charge so much. He was a healer, not a leader.
Though, between Koka and his mate Kiana, they could probably make it work.
In fact, either of them would be a stronger leader than Apokreis, but the look on Janja's face made him keep that opinion to himself. The old dog was quite determined to make her son the leader, and he could not begrudge that of her. He just didn't want to see this fail.
Instead, he gave Janja a soft smile, and settled down next to Apokreis. The younger dog liked to have someone near him for the first few moments of sleep, and Lakshmi enjoyed the time spent cuddling with his charge. Afterwards, he'd find Kiana and cuddle with her and whichever of their children were around.
Janja hummed softly, a pensive sound.
"But he is getting better?" She asked, her tone soft as not to wake him. She wanted to cuddle up close with her son, but she knew if she stayed there she would only be delaying the inevitable.
If she jostled him, he might lose out on some of the precious sleep he so desperately needed. Lakshmi had it covered anyway, even if she wanted to step in herself. Lakshmi gave her a look, more like a dead stare.
The silver and spotted dog looked like he was thinking over the words he was going to say very carefully, and Janja didn't think she would like it. "I believe he is," He answered eventually. "Time will tell." Lakshmi's focus seemed to shift nearly entirely to Apokreis after that, almost dismissing the Seeker outright.
Lakshmi wasn't a mean dog by any stretch of the word. He was one of the kindest in the pack, and fiercely loyal to those who he deemed worthy of it. Family was important to him, more than anything. He rested his grey head down next to that of his charge's, listening for any sudden changes in his breathing to indicate pain, or a vision, or both.
Janja stood there, watching the pair. If she didn't know any better, she'd assume Lakshmi was sweet on her son. And who knows, maybe he was. He had a mate tho - Kiana, though that meant very little in the pack. There weren't currently any trios in the pride, but finding one meant a balance.
Janja huffed a sigh, stepping closer to the pair of dogs near-sleeping before her. She nuzzle her son's head softly before padding closer to Lakshmi. "Take care of my son," was the command, but it sounded more like a plea than anything else. Lakshmi wanted to roll his eyes, as if he would do anything differently.
Instead, he gave a slight nod, not picking his head up form the furs.
"Go," He told her. She stood there for a moment longer and Lakshmi wanted to snap at her to leave him to it. Her hovering was not helping at all. Right when he was about to speak up once again, Janja took a step backwards and made her way to the mouth of the den. He watched her as she stood there, looking out over the pack-lands.
She disappeared out into the pack, and Lakshmi gave a small sigh of relief. Things were changing. He could feel it in his bones. They would change sooner rather than later, and he would be here to see it. He didn't need Visions to see what was going to happen.
Blood would be spilled. It made his gentle heart beat a little faster with the fear of it all and Janja would be the cause of it. All he could do was curl closer to Apokreis and pretend his peaceful pack would stay like that. Just for a little while longer.