Welcome to Gaia! ::

((OOC: Time for Apsalar to totally misunderstand! biggrin ))

Apsalar continued along the beach for a few seconds, silently - turning over what he'd said in her mind. After a moment, she frowned, stopped, and faced him.

"Is there something you're forgetting to tell me?" she asked calmly. A little too calmly. "Why should Tobart have to lead the pack? Does he have am...an...ambi...does he want to?" As far as she'd been aware, everyone - including Tobart - acknowledged John as their leader.

And what did that have to do with her, specifically? She could appreciate the warning about staying away from Tobart, if not the part about John wanting her on his 'side' (or so she figured) - if there was going to be a fight for the position of alpha male, she didn't want to be a part of it. At all.

Leading the pack without Smoke, who knew the world outside, would be difficult, but maybe not impossible. Was this why John had wanted to talk to her? Did he want to take the pack away from here?

But then, why the warning about the leadership rivalry?

Looking at him and wanting to be wrong, she asked him flat-out. "Is Tobart planning to challenge you for leadership of the pack?"

Something smacked leaves--something heavy and fast. At first, Jared thought it was Hound himself, and he turned and took several backward steps to avoid him. He found himself staring at the quivering end of the jeep's bumper, about to tip over in the grass. Hound was throwing car parts at him?

He stepped back quickly and looked around, searching for the next bit of scrap metal Hound would send his way. But now Jared was getting impatient. His contract was for Smoke only, and he didn't have time to waste while the man bled out in a ditch. He decided to try a new tactic; the truth. "John sent me here!" he called into the surrounding woods. "Sent me to find Smoke. I'm not after you, I just want the same man who was going to betray you animals too."

--

John was slightly taken aback by her wording. He hadn't considered Tobart would aim for the entire pack, only Apsalar. But now that he took the time to think about it, that was what Tobart was doing. If it came down to it, John had no doubt they would fight over Apsalar. Whoever won would come away with their alpha-female as well as the pack. And John couldn't let that happen.

"I think... He might want to. Maybe he doesn't know himself yet. But that's what's happening." John was being honest, the murky jealousy no longer coating his words with malice.

On the other hand, if he did win... If he did win, Tobart would be out of the group. John wasn't quite sure how he felt about that and yet, he couldn't quite let Apsalar go. Not only was she the only female who wouldn't kill him, she was someone gentle, someone the others in the pack looked up to and recognized. Losing her to Tobart would be the same as winning: Tobart would no longer be a friendly face in John's life.

But what was done was done. Tobart wasn't going to back down, and John wasn't going to be the outcast of his own pack.

"Yes," John answered, frowning. "He is." Though perhaps unknowingly.

((Sorry Mayhem. I realize you aren't getting much interaction :/))

((OOC: Only...? Hiccadu and Apsalar aren't the only females in the group, are...? *goes to check* Holy s**t, I think they are. XD))

Apsalar looked down. "I see." The words were very quiet, with no hint of emotion behind them - except, maybe, the slightest hint of sorrow. "I wouldn't have thought it." But she accepted John's judgement as she always had.

Perhaps there was still a way to save it. Maybe she could talk Tobart out of challenging John for leadership. She hadn't seen a lot of resentment or difficulties between them, so how hard could it be?

She still wasn't aware that pack leadership was being decided not by itself, but in conjunction with what was decided about her. So she might have been underestimating the simplicity of the task somewhat.

"I could talk to him," she said aloud. "Maybe talk him down from a challenge - I know he respects you, and wouldn't want to do anything to harm the pack. We can't afford to be divided, not right now."

She lifted her eyes to John's. "If I can talk him down, will you let it go, at least until we're safe?"

((OOC: S'all good. Take your time - we'll be here. biggrin ))

A growl rumbled in the back of Tobart's throat when John drew Apsalar away from him. He shifted as if to follow, but that wouldn't do. No, he'd sit and wait for their return.

Lonomia rolled the dice again and smiled as he moved his piece the same number of spaces that there were dots on the white cube. He glanced up at Tobart, giddy for him to take his turn so that it could be his again. The boy didn't understand the rules of the game or even whether or not he was winning. All he knew is that they were having a good time, but Tobart didn't look that way. He looked downright dangerous. There was a scowl on his face that Lono didn't like; something he'd never seen on Tobart before (not that they'd spent much time together in the slaughterhouse anyway). The boy whined like a small dog and tugged Tobart's shirtsleeve to get his attention back to the happy; the game.

That John. He knew that Tobart loved Apsalar; loved her! He'd told her while they were escaping; one day maybe she'd learn the words that he'd said and remember. Something small tugged on his clothes. He looked down at the boy, seeing what he wanted. "No," Tobart said, "we have to wait for Apsalar." distracted by his feelings, the chimera had forgotten to simplify his speech into something the boy could understand without frustration. No matter; he would understand the meaning.

Lono frowned, a lot of the words were familiar but he couldn't put the connection to what they were used for. He'd understood that no; they couldn't keep playing. Apsalar. Maybe they were just waiting for Apsalar to return. Then they could keep playing?

((OOC: Take your time. We'll see you when you get back! <3))

Apsalar's eyes warmed as she looked up at John. There was a chance. She had a friend in Tobart, she knew that much, and John...he was a little distant from the rest of them, as a leader had to be in order to, well, lead, but he was her leader. He was theirs, and she wouldn't want to see that change.

"Thank you," she said softly. "If you can do that...I'll do the best I can." She determined silently that she would talk Tobart out of it any way that she could. It didn't matter how.

This was something she could do, and she would find a way to do it. She wouldn't let the pack splinter. Not now.

Not when just keeping a level head on her shoulders took all the effort she had to spare.

She touched his shoulder briefly, something she hadn't dared before, and gave him a quick hug similar to the one she'd given Smoke before he left. "I'll talk to him," she promised, and hurried back up to the house.

Apparently when she'd said 'talk to him', she'd meant right away.

~

Apsalar poked her head into the living room, spotting Tobart sitting by the board. She began to step in, noticed Lonomia, and changed her mind. Whatever happened, the boy didn't need to know about the changes that might soon come if...

Well, if she didn't change Tobart's mind.

"Tobart?" she asked uncertainly. "Can I...speak with you?"