[PRP] Head in the Clouds

[MangoMeow]

Cloudfall narrowed his eyes as he debated over the recent news. A handful of wolves had gone missing in the recent venture into the Veil, and so far, there had been no news of their return. While he wouldn't admit it aloud, he was relieved his daughter hadn't been one of them, not that she would ever have allowed herself to get stuck like that in the first place.

On top of that was the tension in his family. For the most part, Cloudfall felt that it was something that the two sisters would have to resolve on their own, though he knew that Risktaker worried about it. The last he'd seen, his mate had gone to speak with Reminiscent. He hoped she didn't do something to push their timid daughter into hysterics.

Actually, it was taking surprisingly long for her to come back....

Cloudfall shook his head, not wanting to know what had happened. Maybe he would go seek out their other children. If she was going to confront Remi, maybe he should confront Cacophony.

.... He grimaced at the thought. What a terrible idea. He'd rather go dig himself into a hole and lie in it.  

[Krysin]

The day had been too much, and she wanted nothing more than to bury her head into her paws and sleep her concerns away. But, her mind didn't work like that. Risktaker knew that if she lied down her thoughts would run uncontrolled. Her mind would never settle, and she'd worry over Reminiscent's weak disposition, Cacophony's gratuitous anger towards her sister, Softspoken's inability to grow a backbone... It was enough to make her scream, which was a far more appealing way to dispel her irrational anger and frustration.

So when she spotted her mate, unsuspecting of the trouble he was about to waltz into, it was game on. She moved towards him with purpose, swift enough that her long fur seemed to trail behind her. Her dark blue eyes were sharp, and if Cloudfall were smart he'd know it was too late to run away.

"Dear," she addressed him with acid dripping from her voice, the sound completely disconnected from the smile upon her face. He'd probably fair better in a hole than with his mate right now. "I am curious to see if you know why our daughter has started adopting abandoned and injured forest creatures like we're running a forsaken charity here."  

[MangoMeow]

You'd think he would have learned to expect this kind of behavior from his mate, but no, Cloudfall still felt a jolt of ice down his spine at the acidic voice behind him. For a brief moment, he had to analyze himself to make sure he wasn't the cause of it, not that that ever stopped her from pinning him with just being marginally involved in things. When nothing around him seemed to be the cause, he finally turned to look at her, taking note of the almost apocalyptic look in her eyes.

Well, that was never a good sign.

Cloudfall cleared his throat, opening his mouth before shutting it again as what she'd said finally registered. He had a baffled look on his face after that.

"Wait, what happened?" He narrowed his eyes, not so much at her but at the situation in general, "I thought you were going to talk to her? How did that turn into bringing home wild creatures?"  

[Krysin]

Despite how venomous she sounded, it was clear that her ire was not directed at Cloudfall himself, or even their daughter. Sometimes, a girl just needed to vent, and for all of Cloudfall's many shortcomings that she liked to pick at depending on her mood... he was the right wolf to handle her moods. "I did talk to her," she answered defensively.. None of this was her fault, if anything it was Cloudfall's for letting his soft genes penetrate her perfectly good bloodline. "After I found her going home with some broken creature carried gingerly in her jaws."

Her gaze was sharp on Cloudfall, just to let him know that the guilt lied with him before anyone else. "It was a raccoon kit, Cloudfall. I don't think I need to mention that we're Crows and if she wanted a companion she could have brought home a more suitable one. Also one that's not on the verge of death." Her voice carried dramatically, though thankfully no one seemed to be around to hear their conversation.

"It'll die, it's not in good shape, but she's determined to take care of it. If it was any of our other children I wouldn't nearly be so concerned." There it was, her anger masking her concern. It was rare for her to come right out and admit that she was worried, but being around Cloudfall was comforting enough to allow her to do it.  

[MangoMeow]

He raised an eyebrow at the look she gave him, already suspecting that this was one such moment where she was blaming him, before his brow furrowed at her words. A raccoon kit? An odd choice, but also not technically against the rules of the pack, if memory served. However, just because another strange wolf might choose a rodent as their companion did not mean it was entirely okay for Reminiscent to do so. She was a part of a very proud bloodline, after all, one that looked to uphold the ways of the pack.

... There had to be more to the story. Risktaker would have fought against it harshly had there not been.

Cloudfall mulled over that for a moment before shaking his head. Still, a nearly dead raccoon was a bizarre choice.

He sighed, "That does sound like something Remi would do. These children will be the death of us someday." Not that it was stopping them from creating more. Hopefully this next batch would be better behaved. "This will just have to be a lesson for her, and if it dies, it’ll be an important one."

Cloudfall paused there to shoot Risktaker a sidelong look, "I’m actually more surprised you didn’t drag her away to lecture her into not keeping it."  

[Krysin]

"I feel like a cat, and have lived through eight of my nine lives with how much stress your children have caused me." They were always his children when she was upset, and only her's when she was obnoxiously proud of them. She loved them dearly and constantly, but had an absolutely terrible time of showing or expressing it. Cloudfall was a little better at it, but it wasn't difficult to beat Risktaker at displays of affection. "If the disagreement between Cacophony and Reminiscent hadn't been enough..." she grumbled those words, though Cloudfall could likely interpret them regardless of how mumbled they were.

"I tried, babe." Oh, she definitely was stressed if she was letting any sort of pet name slip through. But instead of dwelling on her mistakes she pressed forward. "I told her it wouldn't survive, that she needed to drop it off somewhere and forget about it, that her bleeding heart will get her into trouble one day. She wouldn't listen! Determined, thick headed despite how incredibly soft she is." Another accusatory look was thrown at Cloudfall. He likely was used to them by now.

"I asked her if she wanted to save it because her heart told her to, or because her sight persuaded her to." She sighed, heavy and regretful. "I don't think her answer mattered either way, she wanted to keep it." Another sharp look was thrown in her mate's direction, "Do not help her with it, or I will never let you back into my den so long as you breathe, and if I let you breathe."  

[MangoMeow]

Cloudfall let out a snort as she referred to them as his. So we've reached that point, huh? The pet name was endearing though, but he knew better than to comment on that part.

"I don't know - I'm fairly certain they get they're determination from you." And their thick-headedness, but he was trying to not start a fight, thank you. He did wonder though if saving that raccoon really had been a vision though. Perhaps he would ask her someday, but getting a straight answer about visions from Reminiscent was like trying to pull out your own tooth.

He couldn't help but scowl and scoff in response to that last order, "Oh, I won't be touching a single strand of fur on that raccoon's hide if I can help it." The last thing he wanted was responsibility of any kind in that regard.

Turning back to Risktaker, he eyed her for a moment before giving her a nudge, "You sure you want more pups after this fiasco?"  

[Krysin]

"Damn right they did," she retorted with a slight hint of a smirk. It was the key to getting her mood to shift from angry venting to something more manageable. Risktaker knew she could do nothing to change her daughter's mind, but that didn't stop her from expressing her frustration over the situation.

"Have you ever really looked at a raccoon up close? They've got creepy hands, and look incredibly shifty. I know she thinks the broken thing is adorable but I can't see it." Risktaker also did not go around making friends with the wildlife either, the natural exception being crows. Crows were clever and useful, and also had dominion over the skies. Why their daughter couldn't bring home a fledgling was beyond her understanding.

She snorted at his next question, her gaze flicking back to her mate thoughtfully. "Right now I'm thinking we're insane for wanting more," she admitted. With a step in towards Cloudfall, she bumped her head underneath his chin in a rare display of affection from the dark shewolf. It was never that she didn't love him or their children, she just had curious ways of expressing those emotions. Oftentimes she got lost within the workload for the day, and forced herself to put her family second after the welfare of the pack.

"But I do want more. If we're lucky the next batch won't be so troublesome..." Risktaker doubted that they would be that lucky.  

[MangoMeow]

"To each their own, I guess." Though he said that with a grimace. What he disliked more about raccoons was just their general grossness. Who wanted to bring in a rodent as a pet?

Cloudfall paused that thought as he felt her bump up against him, a content rumble coming from his throat at that. They weren't the most affectionate most of the time, but that didn't mean they never were. They simply chose to have these moments when there was no one else around, and that suited Cloudfall just fine. He didn't think he could handle the embarrassment if he'd ended up with a mate that would do this in public.

He let out a sigh next, "At least we know what to expect for the next one, but agreed, hopefully they won't be nearly so difficult." And while the esteem of having a seer for a daughter had been pleasant, he was secretly hoping they didn't have another one. He wasn't sure what he'd do if they got another Remi.  

[Krysin]

Affection was not an easy thing for the female to display. The entire time she spent courting Cloudfall she'd deployed tactics such as teasing and mocking him, pushing at him hard to see if he would break and run away. Surprisingly, Cloudfall was rather resilient, and ended up being the choice for her. Once she had set her mind on him, the paler male wolf really stood no chance of getting away. She was used to doing whatever it took to get what she wanted, and she was relieved when Cloudfall did not put up that much resistance to her unorthodox advances.

"Maybe we won't have so many at once next time," she mused aloud, though she was already doubtful about their chances. Her first litter had been overwhelmingly large, especially for a new mother. Thrown into the mix having a daughter with seer abilities and rearing them all had proven to be trial by fire. They had survived, and one would think them not to be so quick to jump towards having another litter but they were ready.

"You're done with work for the day, correct?" she asked her mate with a tilt of her head. He better be, if he was out this way lazing about. "Let's go home if you are, then. This day has worn down my patience."

She never had that much patience to begin with.

My Word Count: 1179  

[MangoMeow]

He hoped to the high heavens that they had a smaller litter. That alone would make it worth it, but considering their luck, it probably wouldn't happen.

His ear flicked up as she spoke up once more, and with a nod, Cloudfall stood up. "Yeah, I'm done." He snorted, "I think we could use a vacation by the end of all this, but home certainly sounds amazing right now."

Leaning over, the white-cream wolf nudged at his mate, "Let's head home."

My Word Count: 997