there was no time to linger in this in-between. the world shifted and changed, constantly, and louve would not watch it do so. too long did she grow stagnant, caught in the turmoil of life and death. too long did she let the days slip away without taking action.

soon she would call them together -- soon she would address them all -- but before that happened there was one thing that must change. a crown that had fallen, bloodied and broken, that must be mended and placed on a new head.

there would be no other for her and thus there is no other she can imagine ruling with, barring one. one she had known her entire life, who had stood by her (behind her) in every instance. @Elaine ♔ had been her lifelong supporter and so it was time for louve to give her what she had long ago earned.

with this in mind she calls for her sister, and then she sits to wait.

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Hellfire. Hellfire.

Ain't no chariots of fire, come to take me home I'm lost in the woods, and I wander alone

The call came with a pang of hurt. She knew that her sister was grieving in a way that she would never understand. The bond Louve had with her mate went beyond the bond they shared as sisters. Elaine wasn't sure what she would have done if she had been in Louve's place but she was sure that it wouldn't have been as graceful or pleasant. Elaine answered Louve's call and arrived to greet her sister with a head bump and a long look. They didn't talk about feelings in this family, they didn't talk about the emotions that burn through them but maybe they should? Maybe if they had learned to talk about these things early on, so much would be different now. So Elaine took a stab at it. How are you sister?* She asked @Louve ♔ with her gaze locked on her sister's.

*french

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it is idle chatter that @Elaine ♔ greets her with; or at least, in louve's eyes. it is a result of that very upbringing, where they did not often talk of feelings, that made the question seem... pointless. besides that it was loaded and almost impossible to give a straight answer to, her mind spinning with the mere thought of trying to settle on one.

"règne avec moi," rule with me she says, instead of answering, and perhaps it is an answer all of its own. louve needed the support of her sister at the helm, she needed the support of a second in command. the longer that spot sat empty the more inclined she was to spiral, and a part of her knew she might lose her grip completely.

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Hellfire. Hellfire.

Ain't no chariots of fire, come to take me home I'm lost in the woods, and I wander alone

Louve brushes off the question and Elaine doesn't blame her. There was little that she would be able to put into her own words about what had happened. She wasn't really ready for the words that left her sister's mouth and she blinked a few times as she took it in. There had been a huge internal struggle when she took heiress and she could feel the same struggle starting once again. Elaine looked away from her for a moment toward the edges of the lands that they had been within all their lives. Et vos filles? What about your daughters? Would she move one of them into the heiress spot? Would any of them step up? Would any of their sisters? She looked back to @Louve ♔ and gave a nod. Je serai toujours à vos côtés, là où vous avez besoin de moi. I will always stand by your side, where you need me. She would always be there for her sister, there was nothing that would change that for her. Even if she wasn't sure she was the best fit, she would do anything she could.

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Burn in an alleyway through a dead end street Murdering promises that I just can't keep

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Of course there was always the question of her daughter's, but when had Louve ever given what was not earned? "s'ils le veulent, ils se battront pour l'obtenir. je suis certain que vous êtes plus que capable de garantir qu'ils sont capables d'occuper le poste." if they want it they will fight for it. i am certain you are more than capable of ensuring they are capable of the position. Her tone shifts from very matter-of-fact to something more sly, a flash of her teeth directed at her sister. A grin that tells Elaine Louve has faith in her ability to give her daughters a true fight, should they ever reach for her crown.

But of course she is just as quick to accept the title thrust upon her, and Louve gives a small nod of confirmation. "bien. c'est comme ça devrait être, Elaine. deux sœurs à la tête de la fierté que notre mère a gouvernée si longtemps." good. it is as it should be, elaine. two sisters at the helm of the pride our mother ruled for so long. Her chin lifts ever so slightly, ever appreciative of the home that they have been fortunate enough to call theirs.

@Elaine ♔

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Hellfire. Hellfire.

Ain't no chariots of fire, come to take me home I'm lost in the woods, and I wander alone

Elaine gave a sharp nod. As with her rank of Heiress, she had waited for one of the daughters to come and take it but it had not happened. She would wait once again to see who would feel up to the task. Maybe they would wait until Elaine was old and unable to fight as well. Elaine would have no respect for those who may do that. There was a sense of pride knowing that Louve and her were holding on to the pride but the pang of grief and guilt lingered there as well. Wolfborn appartiendra toujours à notre famille. Wolfborn will always belong to our family. Even if someone did manage to pull it from their claws, they would be back. Over and over again until they had it back. There was no way that Elaine would let someone else raise their cubs here or think that they had a right to the land she stood on now.

J'aimerais que le Lagon devienne notre allié. Isla et ses mères sont ennemies depuis un certain temps, mais les temps ont changé avec elles et je pense qu'il est temps que nous officialisions ce qu'Amara a commencé. Êtes-vous d'accord? I would like the Lagoon to become an ally of ours. Isla and her mothers have been enemies for a while but times have changed with them and I think it is time that we make what Amara started official. Do you agree? Her first request of Louve to do something that wasn't in the same vein as what had been done before. Elaine had been spending time with Isla, though it had been a while since she last saw her due to things happening here. She hoped that the friendship they seemed to have was enough to last even if she didn't see her often.

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Burn in an alleyway through a dead end street Murdering promises that I just can't keep

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on that, then, they were in agreement. if somebody ever did manage to wrench wolfbron from their claws they would fight tooth and nail until they had it back. louve would never let them rest, and she was certain elaine felt much the same. it would be relentless, ensuring that the bluffs returned to their rightful family, as it had been for so many years.

@Elaine ♔ wastes little time speaking of politics, and louve considers the words carefully. while she had some measure of respect for morrigan -- the woman was built for war and seemed to have much honor -- she knew horribly little of isla. what she had seen of her indicated a less controlled fury, though she could hardly stand here and pass judgement.

"i should think perhaps isla and i should meet first as well, before anything is decided." had the lagoon any interest in putting the past behind them, or was elaine's desire founded on something aside from politics? "i am not certain we can maintain so many alliances, though, what with the oasis, cove and brook on our side already."

* all in french, im being lazy lol

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Hellfire. Hellfire.

Ain't no chariots of fire, come to take me home I'm lost in the woods, and I wander alone

Louve's request to meet Isla seemed fair. While Elaine had spent time with Isla she knew that her sister's knowledge was more of Isla's mother. I'll visit her soon and see what her thoughts are. Elaine had some doubts that Isla would be up for it, given everything but Elaine wanted to at least try to find a way to not end up on opposing sides all the time. Louve brought up their current alliances and she thought them over for a moment. Truly only our family and Morrigan's family have stood the test of this place. Others have come and gone so often. The lines are so muddy now. Do we truly still have any enemies left? Unless Elaine was forgetting someone, they had all disappeared or found a way to not bother them.

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Burn in an alleyway through a dead end street Murdering promises that I just can't keep

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There are none that Louve wished to call enemy. Though she remained leery of the Miroslav and the Savante (especially as that little issue had yet to be truly resolved) she held no desire to call her family to war. Until something truly grievous occurred...

"I am leery of the rainforest," she answers her sister truthfully, now, "Gauthier will seek revenge, I am certain of it." She sighed, loathing the wedge that had been driven between the remnants of Dieudonne family still living there under his reign. "He asked for our mother's head. I must admit, @Elaine ♔, I cannot fault him for it. No matter the insults spewed we were the ones to attack first."

This problem is the biggest one, the most prevalent in her mind, and so she speaks of nothing more.

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Hellfire. Hellfire.

Ain't no chariots of fire, come to take me home I'm lost in the woods, and I wander alone

@Louve ♔ lists only one. The rainforest. Anger and guilt run through her as she looks at her sister. Elaine knew that there was a chance that this would happen. Their mother had managed to kill not one but two members of their family and that would not come without some pushback. Elaine looked away from Louve and toward the location where the fights had happened, her mind heavy with the events. No. They attacked first. We hardly knew them when they arrived. She spoke clearly as she moved her attention back to Louve. For all they knew, mother was the matriarch and they should have heeded her and not fought her. At that time, very few knew that their mother only carried the name and not the blood. Amara was leading the pride, leading the family, and the sisters had come in and tested the waters they knew nothing about.

She shook her head. We tried. I guess they did too but when it came down to it, Leo didn't let her sister fight or see the outcome before making threats. Mother did what she did to protect the family and the pride. Do you really think that things would have just stopped with his death? Elaine struggled with all of it. It didn't need to get to the point that it did but it did and once things were moving, there was little that could be done. If Ludi had won and no other fights had happened, it would not have mattered. Of that, Elaine is fairly certain. They may have the same blood but they were not raised the same. She wasn't sure who had the raising but there should have been more acceptance across all of them but mostly from the sisters. They were the newcomers while Elaine and her family had been here for some time. They were the outsiders and yet they seemed to want to demand more and more. Let Mother make her own choices. Amara had earned that much. And we need to find a way to do better with the family we have left and any new ones that come in. Elaine didn't want a repeat of what happened in any way. Call the family to you. Clear the air. Move forward. Could it be that simple? Maybe. Maybe not but if not, Elaine would make it that simple.

*Its all in french*

Take My Soul

Burn in an alleyway through a dead end street Murdering promises that I just can't keep

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