-v-

Chapter 11: Pondering one's path

"In negotiations with known threats always speak in the language of peace and mutual understanding, but also make sure that your repressor is fully charged."

Corollary to precept number 3,

Essential Precepts of Consortium Operations

Nahoda could only cradle Arial's head as she tried to process what had just transpired. Despite the fact that her father had given his blessing to their relationship, it still felt like he had stabbed a spear into his gut. Were the siblings effectively exiled now, like he was? Had he only known from the beginning what was going on then he could have done things differently. If only...

Not everyone seemed so bothered by the recent turn of events. Once Detras had left, Mender had no problem following his suggestion to eat.

Nahoda sighed awkwardly and began to prepare to speak, but soon realized that he had no idea what to say. Mender seemed to hear his attempt, however, and merely gave him a glare that communicated volumes.

I'm eating this fish since I can't eat you. Got a problem with it? Good.

The feast continued as if it had never stopped as Nahoda looked helplessly at Pearl.

"I… should go talk to your father." Pearl's voice was soft, yet agitated. Even she could not force a reassuring statement under these circumstances.

"I can leave in the morning unless he wants me to leave sooner."

Nahoda heard Orchid's voice, and his heart immediately sank. This was confirmation to him of the worst. Orchid would soon have to make the same journey that he did. The journey to live on one's own.

"Dear…" Pearl placed a hand on her son's feathered back as he refused to meet her gaze. "You are an adult now. You have been one since Dein and Terri used us. If it is time for you to make your journey, you won't have to go alone."

Nahoda now had the courage to speak up, "That's right! You could follow us… there is safety in numbers." He didn't look at his companion for confirmation, as her embrace said it all.

Pearl turned towards the male and merely smiled sadly. "That's kind of you, dear. I am sure Orchid can take care of himself, but it is nice to have support." she paused. "But I will talk some sense into your father, children; there is no need for…"

"It's time, Mother."

Pearl stared at her son with a befuddled expression. Nahoda's reaction matched her own.

"It's been time for a long time. I just don't want Dad to me angry at me…" he sighed and shook his head as he began to walk to the stream.

"Wait, Orchid!"

But the purple fastrunner did not stop at his mother's call. In his wake she could only shake her head sadly. With a final glance towards the couple behind her she gestured for them to eat. Then she too departed, presumably to speak to her mate.

Just like my mother, Nahoda thought sardonically, Stopping my father mid-chase to make sure that I had dinner before he chased me off.

Nahoda didn't notice the fastbiter glaring at him.

Why didn't I eat him when I had the chance? Mender wondered, If Nahoda were dinner then none of this would've happened. Or if I couldn't smell at all Detras couldn't have ever known about half of this. She took a glance around and saw Arial and Nahoda walking off in the direction Orchid had left. But if I had killed Nahoda that would've hurt Arial. Augh. I thought the days of everything being confusing were over.

"Ah, I know that look…"

"Huh?" Mender looked at Cynnil, startled out of her thoughts, "Oh. What look?"

Buse imitated the look in such an exaggerated manner that it had overtones of Taunt's handiwork. "The 'I am overthinking about overthinking' look."

Cynnil rolled her eyes but did not contradict her tact-challenged packmate. "You are not to blame for any of this, Mender."

"If I'd been just a bit faster we wouldn't have had to deal with all this," Mender replied, feeling a need to voice her thoughts, "Nahoda wouldn't be around to bring any of this up."

Cynnil shook her head. "...and Arial would be without her love. It seemed that she didn't truly realize the extent of her feelings until he was nearly taken away. Would that have been better, Mender? You fix her leg, but then kill her heart?"

"I wouldn't know," Mender replied before muttering, "I'm never gonna know."

"She made her choice, and so did he." Cynnil did not clarify which 'he' she was referring to, "I am sure Orchid will be fine. He already seems to be ready to leave."

"Why is he sad?" Mender asked, "I know things aren't that great but..." She shrugged helplessly.

"He loves his father, obviously. I imagine that he has always tried to live up to his expectations and to win his approval. But now he fears that he has thrown all of that away," Cynnil spoke in a faraway voice, "I guess both of us can relate to that, huh?"

Mender just nodded in reply.

Buse looked confused. "I don't understand."

"I guess you'll hear the story sooner or later, but for now what are we going to do with all of this?" Mender asked, gesturing all around her.

Cynnil was silent for several moments as she brought her clawed appendage to her beak, deep in thought.

"I think that I may have an idea…"

The past:

Tracker just stared at what she'd just seen. She could hardly comprehend it. Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead. She turned to look at Violet, realizing that her friend would be just as if not more distraught.

Violet apparently had had enough of the day. Seeing her brother dying, as far as she knew, was just one event too much. One second she was staring at her brother's prone form. The next the ground was rushing up to meet her.

Great, she fainted, Tracker thought with only a hint of sarcasm, Maybe I'll find a way to tell her when she wakes up. Finally unable to take it anymore, Tracker got up and rushed to her mate's side.

"Healers… we need healers now!" Littlefoot's voice rang out as a sudden flurry of movement could be seen around the entire scene. Ruby was the first to arrive, as Cera came with healing leaves and an unsure expression on her face. Taunt, meanwhile, looked just as shocked as Littlefoot. He suspected that Dodger was dead as well.

Tracker reluctantly got out of the healers' way. Unable to keep watching she searched for something to distract her. Unfortunately, her eyes fell on Littlefoot. Why you bastard. I'd kill you if I could. The only thing keeping Tracker from completely losing control was just how aware she was of her own lack of fighting abilities. She tore her gaze away and hurried back to check on Violet before she made things worse. What do I do now?

"He's breathing!" came an excited reply from Ruby as she kept her ear on his chest, "No, no, Stern Claw! We should not move his head. Head injury."

For a moment Tracker elated. He's alive! However, Ruby's next words left her feeling sick. "Not again. Not Dodger. What if he forgets me?" she sobbed into her hands. She couldn't take much more of this. I can't do this on my own. Tracker hadn't felt this helpless since she'd been taken captive by Calin's pack. What do I do now? Augh! This is why I'm never going to be a pack leader. At this rate I might never be a parent either.

"Tracker?"

"What?" Tracker demanded. Her eyes bored into Ducky. "You happy now?" Tracker shook with barely controlled fury. She knew she was lashing out at everyone, but she didn't know what else to do. For the moment, the one fastbiter she knew she could always count on was gone.

"You should talk to your mate. Back when… when we thought Seeker was dying when Calin slashed his throat… Ponder spoke to him, and he remembered that. So speak to him… let him know he still has people waiting for him down here." The implication was clear: make sure he knows he has friends down here, lest he join his ancestors.

Tracker didn't bother replying. She headed towards Dodger's side so fast she nearly tripped Ducky with her tail in the process. No, Dodger. Don't leave me here alone.

"That was a terrible hit!" Taunt hissed as he inspected the scene, "Our vines can't protect against that." His dialogue matched the discussions of several of the others.

"What can we do with a head injury? Should we send a message to the rainbowfaces?"

"They wouldn't get the message until… this resolves itself one way or another…"

Littlefoot merely looked down as he considered his actions. Technically his hit was legal and fair under the rules of such a spar, but he knew deep down that his motivations in that moment were not noble in the way he demanded of himself. The bitterness in his belly only grew, as it had a new target: himself.

"Seeker, are you alright?"

Littlefoot looked up at Thud with a surprised expression.

"What are you talking about? He is the one that you should be concerned about. What in the heck was I thinking?"

This earned him a firm slap on the shoulder from the green fastbiter, which the rest of Littlefoot's pack would have responded to if they had not been focused on the stricken fastbiter in front of him.

"Look… I know that you are pissed at yourself right now, and I know that you are upset that you let your pride lead you. It happens to all of us… but look at the situation right now, Seeker…" Thud's voice went from the soft, barely audible tone to an equally soft, yet sinister, hiss, "Dodger is down, and your pack doesn't have a leader right now because he is sitting here looking dumbfounded. So for the love of sanity, snap out of your pity party and give some fucking orders, because I don't know how to treat a fucking head injury!"

This finally snapped Littlefoot out of his state enough to give some orders.

"Alright, everyone! We need to take off our vines to make that thing we built for Taunt when he had the broken leg!" he then turned to a stunned Ruby, "We need to get him near water to clean his wounds. Lead the way, Ponder!"

Ruby paused for a moment before quickly relaying further instructions to the others. Within moments the beginnings of a transport was being built for Dodger, as Leap and Swift noticeably kept themselves in between Littlefoot and Tracker, while Thud quickly sniffed Violet.

"What about this one?" Thud asked with more than a little concern.

"What do you mean?" Tracker asked, her tone a bit defensive. She still hadn't calmed down all the way. What is wrong with me? I'm acting like Violet on a bad day.

Thud tilted his head. "Does she need a healer? She is down as well."

"She fainted. She should be fine in a little while. I don't know what I'm going to tell her when she wakes up," Tracker replied, sounding less and less confident with each sentence.

Ducky hesitated as she walked towards Thud. With an apologetic expression she turned towards Tracker. "I… I know that uh… that I did not help things earlier…" she admitted hesitantly, realizing that the person she needed to actually talk to about that was currently unconscious, "But Violet seemed to trust me when we talked earlier… maybe I should talk to her when she wakes up so that you can be with your mate?" It was both a suggestion and a desperate plea for permission.

"Okay," Tracker sighed, "Okay, Haven. Keep her safe." I'm not sure I can do that anymore. I shouldn't have yelled at her. "No lying, though. She can't tell that by ear with you." And I'm not sure her sniffer is going to do that well when she wakes up; she's not going to be able to concentrate.

Ducky could only nod as Tracker and the others headed towards the stream, with Dodger in tow in his cart made of vines. Dodger was in the hands of fate now.

None of them noticed Thud slow for a moment and tilt his head before following the others to the stream.

Ugh. What happened? Violet wondered, Maybe I should ask Dodger… Wait! "Dodger!" Violet was now completely awake if a bit dizzy.

"Easy, Violet." Ducky's voice spoke in a low, calm tone, "The others are treating him right now."

"He's okay?" Violet asked, an almost desperate tone in her voice.

Ducky hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating how the violet fastbiter would react. "He… was still knocked out when the others took him to the stream… but he was still breathing, and Ponder seemed to think that he would be okay…" Despite Violet's lack of smell, she did not want to risk outright lying to the fastbiter. Hence, a guarded answer was what she decided upon.

"Can I see him?" Violet tried to stand up before sitting back down. Okay, still sore.

Ducky gave her a hesitant look. "I think that you need to clear your head before we walk over there, but once you feel alright then we can head that way."

Violet did her best to be calm and clear her head. Thinking a bit on what had happened recently, she couldn't help but look at Ducky a bit oddly. "Haven, what happened between you and my brother?"

Ducky grew silent for several moments as she took a deep breath. Finally, staring at the distant stream, she began to speak in a hushed tone, "It happened before I was supposed to fight… we all were talking about things and watching the others fight." She gritted her teeth as a sudden burst of irritation hit her. "It was when Finder unexpectedly lost that Dodger said something that set me off…"

"What did he say?"

Ducky closed her eyes as she forced herself to keep her voice calm, "He said that he got some satisfaction from seeing my brother get hurt," her voice remained calm, but her eyes held a fury in them that Violet had never before seen from the fastbiter, "We all put such things beside us when we took you all in, the idea that he still held such a grudge…"

A soft growl escaped Ducky's throat, but she promptly tried to bring herself under control. She realized that it was both foolish and unlike her to remain angry at someone who was now injured himself, but the perceived insult still stung. No one wished harm upon her brother. No one.

Violet did her best to remain calm. "No one just drops things, Haven, except maybe Tracker. Prowler never did." Violet took a deep breath, somewhat afraid of what Ducky might say to what she said next. "It took me a whole day to stop glaring at you."

Ducky sighed. "Yeah… I noticed. I just wish…" she shook her head, "Alliances cannot be built on lingering resentment, Violet. You did stop glaring at me, even though I was the one who nearly killed your friend. Why did you do that?"

"You helped fix what you did, and I would have reacted the same way." A thought occurred to her. Dodger never acted without reason. "What exactly did Dodger say?"

Ducky spoke in a clipped tone, trying to control her anger at the whole incident, "Ponder had mentioned that my brother would be sore after the throw he took, to which Dodger said that he could not help but think he deserved that, and that he was sorry that he didn't get to do it."

An odd thought occurred to Violet. "Do you remember what happened when your brother and mine fought? How Tracker described it?"

Ducky nodded. "I do. Finder was very forceful because he thought we were being invaded."

"Remember how Tracker got hurt? Well, nearly got hurt before she really got hurt?"

Ducky looked at Violet oddly but merely shook her head. "I am sorry, but I do not remember that part of the story." I was mainly upset about our terrible mistake.

"Well, Dodger is protective of Tracker, almost as much as he is of me." Violet knew that her brother was practically paranoid about her. "He's never let an injury towards her go unanswered before."

"And I am protective of my brother," Ducky stated plainly, "I was the one who insisted on taking him in when we found his egg hatching alone, and we have looked after one another ever since."

"And you responded to a truly minor injury to him by nearly murdering my best friend while still condemning my brother for being angry at Finder." Violet grabbed her head. "Ugh. I'm so confused."

"I nearly killed Tracker because I thought she was a threat to the pack, and threats tend to come back unless you see to it that they do not," Ducky fumed, "But what did we do when we realized you were not a threat to us? We stopped, and we tried to make amends. I forgave Tracker for her actions, why couldn't Dodger do the same?"

Ducky shook her head. "Maybe I am being too hard on all of you, but to hear someone who is an ally wish ill on one of your own… well… it is like a betrayal. I do not take kindly to that." Ducky grew silent as she glared in the direction of a nearby tree, but instead seemed to stare through it. Her trembling limbs only added to the non-verbal signals that were being sent. She was angry beyond words, but more than that she was upset at the entire situation. Upset at Dodger's reaction… upset at Violet's inability to understand… and upset at herself for letting it get to her.

"I don't… If Dodger truly wished real harm on your brother he would have found a way to hurt him long before now." That Violet knew for a fact.

Ducky nodded after a pause. "I realize that… but I could not let that comment stand. My brother's honor demanded that I act. As a swimmer I could have worked things out through words, but it is different for us fastbiters, it is, it is."

"Haven, could you answer me something?" Violet asked, nearly shifting topics. If her question was answered a certain way she might have a point to make. If not, at least she would not be confused about something.

Ducky nodded. "Of course."

"Dodger had been through two fights before the fight between him and Seeker. Thud went through only one fight, and I'm guessing there would be another fight for him later. I kinda understand that Seeker would fight last, but why was Dodger fighting first, like the rest of us?"

Ducky paused for a moment, "Oh, of course, you would not know our tradition on this. Well… the only time that a dinosaur would fight a leader normally is during a challenge. Between packmates this is not an issue, but when other pack leaders are involved… well…" Ducky threw up her hands, "Thud and Seeker decided, after a particularly brutal sparring match that pack leaders should not fight another pack leader to avoid… well… having one of the pack leaders to lose face to the other one… instincts are a powerful thing."

That was when Violet's words registered in her mind. "Why was Dodger fighting first, like the rest of us?"

"Oh. Oh…" Ducky muttered, "I guess that was a mistake… Dodger and Seeker both couldn't bear to lose that fight… Stupid! We should have thought of that!"

"So you insulted my brother, and he didn't say a word about it," Violet said slowly, trying to figure things out, "I'm never going to understand this stuff, am I?"

Ducky snorted despite herself. "You know, Violet, sometimes I wish that I did not understand this stuff. It would have saved me a lot of trouble today. But… but I think that you might be able to help me… well…" Ducky fidgeted oddly. "Talk to Dodger without having to act in the way that I did today."

"I can try," Violet said, "You know, Haven, I think Dodger might have finally started to relax a bit." She laughed slightly. "Well, before he got hurt. Usually I'm the one that says something that probably shouldn't have been said."

Ducky's expression suddenly fell as the full implications of what she may have helped to stunt came to light. He was just beginning to relax, and look at what I did… "When Dodger wakes up, could you give him a message from me?"

"Um, okay," Violet replied uncertainly. Ducky's reaction to her words had not been what she intended.

"Tell him that we both acted out of love to someone else, and our honors clashed as a result. I do not regret defending my brother's honor, and I know he does not regret defending his mate's, but if he is willing to talk under truce, then I am willing to do the same," Ducky spoke in a very formal tone that seemed to command obedience, "Can you please tell him that word-for-word, Violet? For obvious reasons, I cannot do it myself, and I think he needs to hear the offer from someone in his pack."

"Yes, ma'am," Violet replied in response to Ducky's tone, "Word for word."

Ducky was taken slightly aback by Violet's odd tone, but had little time to contemplate the matter as suddenly the sound of flapping wings could be heard. It was Petrie.

"Violet, Haven! Dodger is awake! The pack carry him to the sleeping area now!"

"Really?" Violet nearly started towards the sleeping area before stopping in her tracks. She looked at Ducky as if asking for permission.

Ducky smiled slightly as if to comfort the fastbiter. "Go on. Be with your packmates."

Violet smiled in thanks before running off as fast as she could.

I wonder what that was about. She almost looked at me like I was a pack leader or something. Ducky thought to herself, I cannot tell Seeker what happened… it is a matter between Dodger and me… but maybe I can let him know that I am trying to fix it.

Ducky then walked away as well, heading in the direction of the stream. She would try to reflect upon the events of the day and then confront whatever would come next.

"You feeling alright, Dodger?" Tracker asked. It was a dumb question, but her mind had gone blank for a moment.

Dodger growled slightly as he clutched his head. Every word sounded like a thunderbolt to him, though the pain had begun to die down, "I feel like I fought a spiketail, and the spiketail won."

"Oh." He's probably still got a headache. Tracker clamped her mouth shut, realizing talking might be unpleasant. She started to back away.

"What happened to me anyway?" Dodger asked in a soft hiss. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his voice down. I remember Ponder saying something, and Stern Claw telling me to rest a while… but what happened before that?

"You hit a tree," Tracker said quietly after returning to her original position.

Dodger snorted slightly, before groaning in pain at that action, "I hit… a tree. Did I challenge a tree to a fight or something?"

"You and Seeker were sparring, and things got intense." Tracker really didn't know how to talk about the fight. She desperately wanted to avoid giving the wrong impression, "What do you remember?"

Dodger blinked, "I remember… you told me to not do anything to Leap… and…" he thought hard for a moment before shaking his head, "Just bits and pieces after that… odd things…"

Spurred on by Dodger's mention of Leap, Tracker asked the question she'd been wanting to ask for a while. "You said something to Leap before your fight with him. Do you remember what it was?" She wasn't trying to completely ignore Dodger's situation, but thinking about it too much hurt.

Dodger looked horrified for a moment at the prospect of him fighting Leap, but that was when the memory popped into his head.

Dodger practically got in Leap's face so he could drop his voice low enough to try to give them a bit of privacy. "I know what you did. All of it... " he whispered, nearly hissing.

Leap grew still. He was certain he was dead at this point. Oh shit...

"I also know you and your brother helped Tracker when no one else would…" Dodger sighed, steeling himself for what he was about to say. For Tracker.

Leap forced himself to stay silent, as he was now uncertain where Dodger was going with this. For despite Tracker's act of forgiveness, he didn't really forgive himself. He always felt that he was tainted by his actions. The fact that everyone in the pack had been forced to do horrible things did not change those feelings. The only thing that radiated from him besides fear was the unmistakable scent of shame.

"For that I can only say 'thank you'. Tracker's willing to forgive you; who am I to contradict my mate in such a manner? Let's leave the past where it belongs." That last part was as much for himself as for Leap. "Good luck out there, Leap." With that Dodger stepped back and moved to his starting point.

"I remember… I forgave him… I forgave him and wished him luck. It… was hard." Dodger finally admitted.

Tracker's mouth hung open in shock. She forcibly closed it before breaking into a smile. "That… that's wonderful." She moved to hug her mate before stopping herself, fearing she might cause him more pain, leaving her sitting there, radiating uncertainty.

"I… it is odd… I don't remember the fight… but… when I think of him…" he noticeably struggled to think, "I don't feel so angry… but I feel angry at Haven instead… and I don't know why. What happened there?"

"I don't know," Tracker admitted; that was mostly true. She had an idea about what happened thanks to what Spike told her, but she was missing so much information she didn't dare give her mate such a poor explanation. "It might be best to ask Ponder. She was closer to you two when, well… just ask her. I don't want to tell you something that isn't true." I wish I were of more help.

"Thanks, dear… I will make sure to ask her. But..what did you see and hear? I didn't put us in a bad light, did I?" Dodger looked almost horrified at the idea, "I didn't upset Seeker?"

Tracker tried to hide her panic. There are no good answers here. "Before you got hurt, things were, um, uh, not the best. Now, I'm not so sure." Tracker couldn't bring herself to give her mate the details.

Dodger's expression fell. What on earth did I do?

"I'm sorry," he said to no one in particular. He did not want to ruin the relationship between the only friendly pack that he had found. The idea of becoming an adversary to Littlefoot also horrified him. It almost felt like betrayal. The very non-committal answer of his mate had said it all in his mind: he had caused an irreparable break. He had once again failed as a leader and his packmates would suffer for it, "Why can't I ever get things right?"

"How can you say that? We never would have even gotten this far without you. I wouldn't be alive without you." Tracker could never figure out why her mate always doubted himself. She trusted him with her life more than she trusted herself.

Dodger sighed, "I just… I don't know what I do wrong sometimes, you know?" Gone was the usual confident demeanor; he had let his guard down in front of his mate. "I never was able to teach Violet what she needed to know. I wasn't able to protect you. I didn't stand up to Prowler." I barely know what I'm doing, he thought but absolutely refused to voice. Tracker was already looking worried. He didn't need to destroy what little faith in him she still might have.

"You did what you could," Tracker replied, "No one can ask for more than that."

Dodger nodded, but remained silent. His feeling of wanting to right whatever wrong may have been committed was only all the more intolerable by the fact that he could not remember what the wrong might have been. He only knew that if both Ducky and Littlefoot were mad at him then he must have screwed up badly.

"Dodger! You're up!" Violet's excited voice rang in Dodger's head, "Are… you feeling alright?"

"I'm okay," Dodger replied, immediately hiding whatever vulnerabilities he had shown his mate. There were some things that Violet should never see. "Are you alright?"

"Well… I am still a bit sore from fighting Ponder, but I am okay," she replied, leaving out the fainting from her description, "You don't have, um… any of my head problems, do you?" she spoke in hushed tones as if the mere mention of her memory problems could cause them in others.

"I'm having trouble remembering whatever happened after my fight with Leap," Dodger admitted. Lying to Violet is almost always a very bad idea. "Other than that, I'm fine," he added hastily.

Violet sighed in relief, before her expression suddenly turned serious. Should I tell him what Haven said to me? Well… he did say that he doesn't remember anything after Leap's fight, but he and Ducky got angry before that… so…

"What is it, Violet?" Tracker asked with some concern.

Violet bowed her head slightly, "Dodger? I bring a message from Haven. She wanted me to give it word-for-word." her voice had an odd formality to it, and her back was rigid. The entire situation made her nervous and uncertain. What if she did this wrong? What if she screwed up? What could that possibly do to her brother? "Do you want to hear it?"

Tracker looked from Violet to her mate worriedly. Neither had been acting entirely like themselves for the last little bit. However, she stayed quiet and let Dodger answer his sister without her interjections.

"Go ahead, Violet," Dodger said, trying to sound encouraging for his obviously nervous sister.

Violet nodded before exhaling nervously, "She says that both you and her acted out of love to someone else, and that your honors clashed as a result. She does not regret defending her brother's honor, and she realizes that you do not regret defending Tracker's, but if you are willing to talk under truce, then she is willing to do the same." After saying the entire message without interruption she then took a bow, as Ducky had showed her previously when she was being taught basic etiquette, and remained facing the ground until Dodger said his response. She did not consider that her brother may not have been taught that particular piece of etiquette yet.

Tracker looked alarmed and confused. She didn't understand some of it, but it sounded like Ducky was still angry. I wonder why I was mentioned? She shrugged off the thought. It wasn't worth getting angry herself. If she's trying to insult me it's not like I can do anything about it. Making a scene won't end well for me.

It took Dodger a moment to connect Violet's continued bow with Prowler's father's use of runners between himself and his own father when the pack had periodically split up. "Very well. I'll meet with her. Return here once you've delivered the message, Violet." I'm going to need you as my second for this. You're a better fighter than Tracker and are not going to want to set anything off. That incident with your bullies is about to become very useful.

Violet rose and gave him a slight nod, "I am glad that you are alright, brother," then, either not being aware of etiquette after receiving a message or not caring, she embraced him gently before sprinting off. In many ways she was still the little sister who cared deeply for her older brother.

Dodger just smiled as he watched his sister depart. I'm going to need to make sure she knows all of the correct etiquette for this. She's surprisingly good at it.

"Well, that was informative. I didn't realize Violet knew what formality was," Dodger finally said. He refused to show any hint that he was worried. Tracker looked worried enough for both of them.

Littlefoot laid down in his sleeping area with an utterly exhausted expression. He had no idea how things had gotten so complicated in such a short span of time, but he had no doubt that poor management on his part had played its role. Now not only did he have Ducky and Dodger at one another's throats, but he also had his horrible overreaction in his battle with Dodger. Worse yet, relations between himself and his mate had been harmed because she refused to say anything concerning what had transpired. Technically, it wasn't Ruby's place to snitch, but that didn't make the fact that his mate had kept a secret from him any easier to take.

"...hey." Ruby softly answered from the other end of the sleeping area. The distance that she had placed between herself and him was obvious.

Littlefoot swallowed, as if he were about to poke a sleeping bellydragger, "Ponder, we need to talk."

"Oh now we need to talk, but when I tried to talk earlier you ignore me!" Ruby erupted as Littlefoot's passive-aggressive silence after her refusal to give information was well remembered by her, "Why should we talk now?!"

"When I needed you to talk to me you refused, so I refused to talk to you later!" Littlefoot growled, struggling to control his own emotions, "I need to know why one of my allies and one of my packmates are at one another's throats; it is a security issue!"

"It is also an honor issue!" Ruby pointed a finger at Littlefoot's chest, "It is Haven's story to tell, but not mine. Unlike the story that everyone else could see when you injured the other pack's leader! Were you mad that he nearly beat you despite fighting more than you? Were you afraid that we would make him our new leader because you aren't strong enough?"

Both fastbiters glared at one another for several moments after that exchange, but Ruby's eyes gave away her emotional state. She realized that she had gone too far with those last two sentences. Despite that, however, what Littlefoot did next surprised even her.

He backed down first.

"After the way I acted in that fight, I don't know anymore, Ponder. I don't know."

Ruby looked dumbfounded at the sudden submission as Littlefoot stared dejectedly at the ground. The scent of uncertainty radiated from him.

"Okay… you usually fight me longer when we fight, so I know something else is fighting you," Ruby noted with concern, most of her anger being subsumed by other emotions, "What is going on, Seeker?"

Littlefoot sighed, "I didn't think, Ponder. Dodger is a pack leader, and we all know very well why we don't have pack leaders face one another in front of their packs. After I scratched Thud's back in that spar so long ago..."

"...and he bit your ass…" Ruby added helpfully.

"Yeah… that is the reason why we don't do that anymore. It is too risky. Why didn't I think of it this time?"

Ruby sighed as well, before finally walking over to her mate's position and putting a comforting arm around him, a gesture which he reciprocated. The smell of anger was still present, but it was now tempered by other emotions from both fastbiters.

Sadness...uncertainty... regret.

"Perhaps it is because you don't think of him as a pack leader?" Ruby offered, "Because if you thought of him as a pack leader, then you wouldn't think of him as something else."

Littlefoot looked surprised, "What do you mean?"

Ruby shook her head and laughed slightly, "Really, Seeker? He looks up to you like you were his pack leader, for crying out loud! When you berated all of us he looked completely despondent. I think the only reason Haven didn't mention that was because she was too pissed off to notice… but she does that when her brother is involved."

Littlefoot's eyes went wide, "He insulted her brother?"

Ruby growled at herself, Crap!"Forget I said anything… that is something for…"

Littlefoot pulled her closer, "No, Ponder, please… this is very important. Was this a family matter?"

Ruby looked apologetic, "Yes… but Seeker? Please, I cannot tell you any more. This is…"

"It's okay," Littlefoot soothed her, "But I needed to know that. If it was a family matter then that explains Dodger's actions much better… and Haven's as well. I might need to personally mediate that."

Both fastbiters simply sat next to one another for several moments, each processing the events of the past day in their own way. It was Littlefoot who spoke first, however.

"And, yes… I apologize for ignoring you earlier. That was disrespectful."

Ruby crossed her arms in what was a partially mocking gesture, "It was! You should think twice before insulting your mate, or when you try to mate she may insult you!"

Now it was Littlefoot's turn to react with mock indignation, "That is low, dear! Couldn't you just beat me up or something?"

Ruby responded in a more playful manner, "I could, but this would hurt you more."

Littlefoot responded to her obvious playful insult by tackling her, which caused both of them to tumble out of their sleeping area. After a series of tickles and playful feather tugs, they were both laughing in a cathartic manner.

"You should probably still be pissed at me," Littlefoot noted after a laugh.

Ruby responded by making a mock swipe at his head, "I am! But I will just get back at you for it later. I learned that from Stern Claw."

Littlefoot laughed, "Oh no! Now I will have to learn about how to handle such vile tactics by talking to Taunt!"

This caused another cascade of threats and counter-threats until the two of them finally rolled back into the sleeping area. It was only then that the two of them seemed to be a bit more composed emotionally. Now that Littlefoot had his emotional base back, his mate, he could focus on other things.

"Dear," Littlefoot asked as the two lay side by side, "Were you serious with what you said about Dodger?"

Ruby looked at him with a concerned expression, "About you being afraid of us choosing him over you? No, dear, that was just me being…"

"No, not that… about him being devastated when I reprimanded all of the witnesses."

Ruby frowned, "Yes, dear. He seemed more hurt than even the rest of us. I think that he took it as a grave reprimand. He seemed crushed."

Littlefoot closed his eyes, "...and then I knocked him out in my fight. Sigh… what have I done?"

Upon hearing Littlefoot's reference to his mother, Ruby embraced him again and allowed his face to be covered by her arms. She would protect his pride from seeing any passersby see his emotional state. He cares so much about those who follow him. Perhaps we should have seen the signs better from the other pack?

"Perhaps you can talk to him?" Ruby finally offered.

"I will have to," Littlefoot responded in an almost chastised voice. Though Ruby knew that most of that chastisement came from Littlefoot's own conscience, "I owe him an honest conversation about everything. I can't imagine what he is thinking right now. There is already so much history there and bad blood between him and Leap... and everything else."

They both stared at one another contemplatively for several moments as they each considered the new revelations in their own way. It wasn't long, however, before Ruby mentioned something that had been on her mind since earlier that day.

Ruby rubbed her head awkwardly, "When I was fighting Violet she mentioned that you nearly killed her after she messed up… what was she talking about, dear?"

Littlefoot took a deep breath, "When Tracker was telling the rest of us about why Tracker panicked in front of Leap, Violet began to charge him… and I had to put an end to that."

Ruby look dumbfounded, "Violet seems the type to shut down rather than start a fight! Why would she fight instead of shutting down?"

Littlefoot grimaced, "The same reason I was surprised that Leap offered to fight Dodger," he sighed heavily, "When Leap was in Calin's pack he had to do horrible things otherwise the others would think of him as weak and do horrible things to him. So when Tracker was captured by Calin's pack for three days…"

Ruby eyes went wide, "Oh that poor thing!"

Littlefoot nodded, "Exactly. I tried to keep the matter as quiet as possible, but Violet heard all of that for the first time on that night so…"

Ruby nodded as she put a hand to his mouth, ""It's alright, dear. It's understandable why you did what you had to do, and why she reacted the way she did," she shook her head, "It was just an unfortunate incident."

Littlefoot sighed, "We have been having a lot of those lately."

Ruby nodded, "Yes, but we have never allowed another pack this close… well, except for Thud's. I guess some complications can be expected, but I worry about the complications we can't expect."

Littlefoot shrugged, "I guess that we will have to deal with those as they come. But first I need to deal with the complication that I…"

Suddenly both raptors heard a rustling in the weeds and rose to their feet. An obviously embarrassed Ducky stood in front of them.

"I am so..so.. sorry!" Ducky's voice spoke in utter embarrassment, "I did not know that you two were… I will go."

Littlefoot spoke first, "Wait, Haven… what did you hear?"

Ducky hesitated, "Uh… wait… you were talking?"

This caused Ruby to burst out laughing as Littlefoot rolled his eyes, "We were only talking, Haven, you were not interrupting anything else." It only now registered in his mind what seeing two tails sticking out of a sleeping area might look like to a passerby, "What did you need?"

Ducky hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "It has to do with Dodger…"

Please, oh please don't let this turn violent…"

Violet tried to hide her agitation as she walked just behind and to the side of her brother. They were slowly taking the walk which would lead them to the agreed upon area for the truce. This caused a confusing torrent of emotions in both fastbiters. Were they walking into a resolution of the conflict, or an eruption of the conflict into actual violence? In any case, the slow walk felt to Violet as if she were walking to her execution.

"You alright, Violet?" Dodger asked. Even if she now could use her sniffer a little bit, it seemed the VIolet kept forgetting that her scent usually gave away whatever she was feeling.

Violet took a deep breath before answering her brother, "I imagine that I smell as nervous as you smell right now," she smirked ever so slightly at her training, "...but I am still not certain what to do if things go bad. How will I know what to do? Do I wait until you say? What do I do if things stay calm? I have never seconded before."

"I've done this once," Dodger said. When you were having that bully problem. "If there's trouble, I'll tell you what to do. If I tell you to run, don't argue. I'll do my best to talk you through this. You'll do fine. I don't think this is going to get ugly." I'm pretty sure Haven doesn't have a death wish.

Violet nodded and took a deep breath, her expression turning somewhat morose, "I hope you're right. But even if it does go well… I don't want to make our pack look bad. I have done that enough already."

"Violet, I'm the pack leader. I'm the one that got us into this mess. Whatever happens, none of it will be your fault." I hope they'll be understanding. She does have friends here still.

Violet grew silent. She could only hope that everything would be alright in the uncertain moments to come. The only thing that she knew for sure was that she would stick with her brother until the end, wherever that may lead.

Well this is going to be awkward.

Littlefoot walked in silence behind Ducky as she trekked towards the stream. It would be there where the two conflicting fastbiters would meet under truce. Ducky's selection of Littlefoot was a form of reconciliation to her pack leader in order to remedy her refusal to talk to him about the incident earlier. But it also made another matter all the more complicated…

I hope Dodger doesn't think that I am here out of spite. He and I still have things to discuss… but I can't refuse Haven's offer of being a second. It is the least that a friend can do.

But that would not make this any easier.

"You know, Haven, I would have expected making this walk with Stern Claw before I would have to make it with you."

Ducky shook her head, but a slight smile exposed that his joke had had the intended effect, "Stern Claw would have ended whatever it was before it came to getting seconds."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. It was a true statement, "Luckily, our pack rarely comes to blows if you exclude Stern Claw and Taunt."

Ducky remained silent for several moments before she spoke again, "I guess… I guess all of our issues were resolved a long time ago."

Littlefoot nodded at this, "We should have known that letting another pack so close to us would result in some problems, but it seems that most of the problems have come from us. Between all of the misunderstandings it is amazing that we all are in one piece."

Ducky sighed as she continued to walk forward, "Seeker, was I wrong back there? I just wanted to defend my brother… but I ended up causing all of this."

The brown fastbiter allowed himself to step forward as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Haven, listen to me. You had good intentions, but sometimes good intentions aren't enough. But that doesn't mean that we can't try to fix things. I think that a certain green swimmer told me that back in our leaf-eater days."

Ducky chuckled, "I was a bit smaller back then."

Littlefoot smiled, "We all were, but we are still learning. Our guests are not the only ones that need to learn a few things, it seems."

Littlefoot and Ducky both stopped as they arrived at the agreed upon location. For better or worse the conflict between the two fastbiters would be resolved soon.

The present:

"I can't wait! What do you think they are up to now, sis? Finding out how to make better spears? Finding out how to break rocks without touching them? Finding out…"

Thump!

Swipe laughed as her brother fell face first onto the moist ground, spraying his entire body with mud.

"Perhaps they are finding out how to watch where they are… hey!"

Without warning, Biter grabbed his sister's right leg and sent her tumbling into a mud-filled puddle. Now both siblings were well-covered in the brown sludge.

"Hey, guys. What are you... oh." The flyer that had spoken looked at the pair of fastbiters oddly after landing on a nearby branch. I left one pair of younglings doing something weird to find... another pair of younglings doing something weird. And I missed it.

"Oh! Hey, Wayward! My sister and I were just…"

Slam!

You were just proving you really need to pay attention to what your sister is doing? Wayward thought as he watched Swipe pounce on her brother, pinning him to the muddy ground.

Swipe leapt off her brother with a boastful strut, "I was just showing my brother a lesson in humility. How have you been, Wayward?"

"Pretty good, mostly," Wayward answered, "Besides the obvious, what have you two been up to lately?"

Biter shook the mud off of himself, sending it splattering in every direction, "Well.. Mom and Dad have been in a pack meeting since the Bright Circle went up, so we have been playing. Boring adult stuff... but Daddy says that we can go hunting with them again tomorrow!"

"So you wouldn't have time for a puzzle?" Wayward asked.

Both Biter and Swipe latched onto the tree as they scaled half its height in mere moments. It took all of Wayward's self-control to avoid fleeing into the air when they were under his branch.

"A puzzle!" They spoke in unison.

"Could you, um, return to the ground first?" Wayward asked, still a bit startled at how quickly the two fastbiters had gotten so far up. He stifled an unintentional sigh of relief when they returned to the ground.

"What's the puzzle?" Swipe asked excitedly as Biter actually did an excited spin.

"Is it like the puzzle of the hollow log carrier?" Biter exclaimed.

"Or the shiny reflection rock?" Swipe added.

"Or the sharp pointy stone?" Biter continued.

"Well, it does involve a rock..." Wayward said, thinking about the best way to explain it. Upon hearing the children's recollections of the previous puzzles he couldn't help but suspect that some of them had been shown to him on purpose. Sharp stones to sharpen sticks better… hollow log carriers to help carry healing plants… Is this new 'puzzle' something else you wanted us to figure out, Chronos?

"It's not the Big Bad Exploding Rock, is it?" Biter asked with concern, referring to the Repressor that had ended the Battle of the Valley. It may have been before his time, but the idea of a rock doing that had often haunted his nightmares.

Should I be telling them this? Wayward suddenly thought, Datum and Axiom did try to make sure I couldn't see what they were doing. But if the rainbowfaces were letting their kids do it by themselves it can't be that dangerous. Can it?

"But shouldn't we at least call up some of our other allies? They are our friends after all."

Littlefoot sighed as the conversation turned towards the matter of aiding their allies once more. He knew it would be a hard sell that this was not their fight. In fact even he wasn't quite sold on it yet.

"Viscond said that it was for the best that we stay out of it. They are challenging Ignis due to the alliance, so to bring us into the mix. Well… it might make it look like her enemies have a point."

"That why me say that only us flyers go. Me can kill him while he sleeps, and no hidden runner see. Then Ignis not have him as problem anymore."

Taunt groaned, "Sometimes you genuinely scare me, Spotter."

Petrie merely puffed his chest out pridefully. It was only Soar's playful slap that broke Petrie of his boastful demeanor.

"Hmph! Well if they don't want our help then why are we arguing over it?" Cera questioned, "I am sure Ignis will be fine. If she could help us beat Redclaw then she can handle one of her fellow not-so-hidden runners."

"I'm sure that she would love that characterization, Stern Claw," Spike muttered, earning him a glare, "But I do agree. This isn't our fight."

"It would be like the valley helping you if one of us challenged you for pack leader, Seeker. That would not be their fight, because it would be our fight."

"Been giving the idea some thought, dear?" Littlefoot mocked playfully.

Ruby smirked, "Nah, we all know that I would let you win."

A roar interrupted Littlefoot's attempt at humor. It was Chomper's turn to offer his input.

"This hidden runner seems like an ass and is certainly not our friend. If he wins then we lose the alliance… and possibly much more."

This caught Leap's attention, "What do you mean?"

Chomper sighed, "Do you honestly think that he will let a fastbiter pack alone who knows how to kill from a distance? If he wants to break the alliance then he certainly would like to get rid of the resulting enemies."

The pack grew silent at that horrifying thought. If Ignis lost her leadership and her allies were purged then all that would remain would be packs of enemies who could sneak without warning. A constant threat. A deadly threat.

"If it comes to that then there is one more favor that we could call."

Path looked at Littlefoot mutely as he stared into the distance. "And what is that?"

Littlefoot sighed with profound weariness, "There are mixed packs with our kind and their kind. They will not go down without a fight, regardless of what this Wrok thinks. And there is one fastbiter that I know who might be good enough to help rid us of him if it comes to that."

Ruby stared at him, "Are you suggesting..?"

Littlefoot nodded, "I think that it is time that we send a message to Verant. It has been a long time."

Thanks for the reviews, everyone!

xPrimalHunterx: It's not a problem. (: I hope that you had a wonderful birthday!

Devout Relic: Thank you for the input concerning the present and past scenes. There is indeed a reason that is the case at this point. Initially, I had planned on not even having an over-arching present story, and to simply use the present as a framework for Mender to tell her tale. But, in the same way that it happened to Songs of the Hunters, I eventually decided to make the present story more substantial. Now that the past story is taking precedence, the 'present' story is simply doing a slow build and hinting at what may come later. Though, as the story goes on and you all learn more about the context of Mender's pack and their back-history, we may begin to see the present story taking on more and more importance. Let's just say we might see some old friends and enemies make an appearance in the present story...

Keijo6: Thanks for the review! And yeah... steps are now being taken to remedy some of the damage between the packs, but as for how it will all turn out, only time will tell. The bilateral relationships between the packmates will be quite important in what happens next. And, as is usually the case in stories such as this, those character interactions can lead into very unexpected places.

bryan mccloud: In the sparring matches the last point has to be a 'clean point' so a split point would not be awarded to settle the game. As for Littlefoot getting into trouble... yeah... an angry Ruby is a dangerous Ruby. d-; Though we will have to wait and see how the situation resolves itself between Dodger and Littlefoot.

gordhanx: Thank you for the detailed review! (: I especially found one part of your review quite interesting:

"I was honestly kind of relived, that Leap wasn't going to face Dodger at first…until I remembered, that it would be Ducky facing Dodger. And considering the tension between them right now…yeah, I don't blame him for stepping in for his lady-friend."

Even though Ducky and Leap are not mates at this point, or even on the verge of becoming that, this does begin to show how they edge closer a bit later on. Something tells me that this process would have occurred much faster had Leap not been in another pack.

I look forward to your thoughts on how things develop in the next few chapters. (: