Hay in a Needle Stack

If she were fully truthful, she hadn't expected much of an answer to her rather thoughtful question. As much as it sent stings of irritation through her skull, she was regretful to say that not all of the pups within the pack had been taught the ways of the world by herself, or even any of the other wolves within the pack who actually held the same virtues as her. Despite the knowledge that at the very least their genes were sound, she didn't actually know what to expect from these pups.

And, she settled regretfully, not much of an answer was to come. The pup didn't understand. Though she wasn't sure if she thought she would or not. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking. Then again, she had been rather surprised by the intellect of pups before, so she would reserve her doubts for later. Golden hues side-eyed the white she-pup, watching as her brows furrowed and twisted. She could see the gears turning, which was at least mildly satisfying. Though it was clear that her words weren't fully understood, she was trying, and that was a relief.

Her gaze turned away, ears rotating to listen to the rambunctious pups ahead in their games, or the less than interesting quiet conversations held by the other adults in the shadows. She had just watched as, rather surprisingly, the largest of the pups was thrown off his paws, when that little voice next to her spoke again. And her head turned a little bit, eyes widening a tad at the young one's words.

Despite her confusion towards the intricate question, the young white wolf gave an almost equally intricate answer, one that the Suit couldn't say she predicted. She blinked a few times, staring down at the young pup, practically a smaller reflection looking back at her. She was silent, her words working through Artemis' mind. Perhaps she should have expected to be surprised, all things considered. Most pups were naive and clueless, but not all.

Though she was silent for a long minute, contemplating Helva's answer, a smile settled over the Suit's face, and a genuine one at that. The large white wolf slowly lowered her head towards the pup, gently pressing the end of her muzzle and her nose against the pup's forehead, a little sapling of pride sprouting in her chest.

As do I, my ibis. As do I.

She remained this way for a silent minute before she pulled away, lifting her head again. For just a moment, her eyes flicked upwards, almost in a glare, towards two she-wolves nearby who happened to be watching. She knew what had just been done, as did they. The young pup did not, but, given her answer to the question, perhaps it was better she didn't. Her bright gaze flicked back to the pup, narrowed, but in a more warm and approving manner as she finished her answer.

So that she will always have a place. She may be young and still relatively new to the ways of survival, but she was a member of the Sanzin, where being in a group didn’t mean survival was fought for together. Should it ever come down to it, the pack would stand together as one. But until that day came, it was every wolf for themselves. And it seemed as though Helva knew this, thinking of, and guaranteeing, her future at such a young age, Anyone else may find this to be unfortunate for someone so young. But Artemis did not. This pup was strong, in mind and body, and if this was how she was now, Artemis almost couldn’t wait to see what kind of wolf she would grow into.

“A very thoughtful and wise answer, indeed. And, might I say,-” The beastly white Suit lowered her head again, but just enough that she was nearly eye-level with the pup. “-a cause worth fighting for.”

Her eyes turned away from the pup, looking back to the middle of the clearing. Fighting was in the nature of the Sanzin. It was a controller of all of their lives, in some way or another. Every day was a battle, especially when you had goals, ambitions. In most cases, the only thing that stood between you and reaching your deepest desires was pure effort, or a list of battles to be won. Even in the case of the Zeros, who were under the protection of the Suit. While she was always there to guarantee their collective survival, she could not protect them from one another. This was something all of them were aware of, and something they fought for every day. And, as it seemed, Helva was one of the ones who stood at the top, whether she knew this or not.

“Though, I do wonder. You fight to keep your place among the young and restless currently, but what of your place in the future? Any particular place you would seek to rise to? Perhaps the highest among the Numbers? A Queen?” A small smirk crossed her features, nearly chuckling to herself. “Or maybe the Suit?”


"Speaking." Thinking.

There was a small wash of relief that crossed the pup’s face, perhaps out of fear of being a disappointment. It wasn’t an entirely inaccurate or unjust fear, considering who she stood before. Still, a small voice in the large white wolf’s head solidified that of the pups present, this one was the least of her concerns in that regard. So she remained in waiting, watching the gears in the she-pup’s head turn in thought at her next line of questioning.

Unfortunately, being that this was one of the first instances of Artemis interacting with Helva, she couldn’t say she truly had a prediction of what the answer could be. She could think of a plethora of young wolves, both younger and older than this one, who would know their answer right away. Pups were often ambitious, even in a cruel setting such as the Sanzin; ambition and determination were key traits that most often led to your own success. Of course, there were those within the pack who had neither of those things, and it was often quite clear how far that got them when they were the ones picking at the pack’s scraps. But, in the case of this Zero, she could see that there was some present. Though, in what quantity, she wasn’t sure.

She hesitated in answering, which suggested that the true answer may not necessarily be the one she wished to hear. It may seem strange to anyone else, but the idea of her position of Suit being taken from her one day by the force of her own kin was more desirable than any other outcome. Sure, there were others she was quite confident would lead her pack with her same virtues and ideals. But, with any luck, those wolves would be soil beneath the paws of her kin by the time her reign came to an end.

Golden hues narrowed. ‘I do not wish to rise.’ Such words could be taken in many ways, given the pack in which they resided. Wishing not to rise could mean anything from being content with your current position, or to intending to one day be gone from the pack. The pup didn’t know what she wanted, was the conclusion that the Suit settled on. She almost felt better about such an outcome than to view the pup’s words in any other light.

But, to her surprise, Helva spoke again with a different tone. She side-eyed the young one, curious, and found that perhaps she was wrong. She did know what she wanted, to some capacity at least. She wanted stability, if her previous words were any indication of her desires. But stability was not directly associated with any given position or level of power. Anyone could be overthrown at any moment, especially in the Sanzin. Granted, she didn’t see herself being overthrown any time soon, so her own stability was an exception to that rule. But anyone else? There were few who were truly safe.

She considered the pup’s suggestion, or declaration rather, that she would be a Queen one day. It was an answer she could be content with. The little she-wolf had half a year at minimum to consider where she truly wished to stand.

“Then I shall watch the progress of one of my future Queens intently.” She allowed a small smile to cross her maw, peering back ahead where some of the young duelists began to disperse while others remained locked in tooth and claw. “And what of your talents? Do you see yourself engaging in battles? Or hunting down bison? Or…perhaps you shall grow to be even more proficient in healing than that humorless doe in the Hearts den.” Artemis chuckled to herself, imagining the face of her favorite fluffy Queen of Hearts in her mind. Personally she would find such a change quite amusing. She may have to go and visit her dear Moro later and inquire of her eventual replacement. That would be a fun conversation, she was sure.


"Speaking." Thinking.

When she stopped to consider, a part of her hadn’t truly hoped for any specific answer from the pup. It was quite clear in her sights that, unlike many of the other pups who had their eyes set on their future roles and the accomplishments they intended to reach, Helva’s goal was far more broad and didn’t focus on the small details. If she was unsure of which role within the pack she would take, she supposed that was acceptable, for now at least. She was merely half a year old, afterall. While Artemis’ patience wasn’t always forgiving, in this scenario she knew that it was best to give the young one time.

Though, admittedly her interest was piqued when the young white-coated wolf spoke up, and though it seemed as though her words contained a scrap of uncertainty behind them, she still gave two potential options. At least she had gotten so far as to choose between a few rather than them all. And despite her playful jabs towards her dear “friend” in the Hearts Den, the Suitess was actually more curious about the choices that Helva spoke. A spade, or a club. As Artemis herself was once a club, it was a small source of pride to think that the young one may one day follow in her pawsteps. Perhaps she may even choose to do some training with her herself, if she should take such a path. But her other choice…she found it a tad curious. Perhaps she would choose the life of a spade simply because she was a talented fighter - clearly seeing as none of the other pups had attempted to drag her into the fray up until that point. The chance of that reasoning was far greater, though, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was another factor at play.

Artemis was not blind to the rumors that had circulated about the pups. There were those who just ignored it all and went with the story of the lone mother who abandoned them. There were some who speculated that she herself was secretly the mother, though she had never heard any actual proof found of such a theory. But the one that she heard most often, and quite casually in fact, was the belief that, if the female loner had been real, that it was her own Ace, Othis, who had sired the pups. Admittedly, at least one of Helva’s siblings did vaguely resemble the older brute in some senses, and seeing as he was one of the ones who brought the pups to the densite that day, it wasn’t an entirely impossible story. There was no doubt in her mind that, if this theory had reached any ears, it likely would have been this pup. And if she was under the belief that the Ace of Spades was her father…perhaps she believed she would be following in her father’s footsteps rather than her mother’s. Maybe this was merely Artemis’ mind becoming too imaginative. Still, it was a fun thought to consider.

“I see.” Despite the fact that she did have the small desire to explore her theory further, she instead chose a different route. “Both options appear to be good choices for you. As I was once a club, perhaps we may one day hunt together, should you choose that path.”


"Speaking." Thinking.

Though her gaze was turned away, the tone of enthusiasm that carried in the ivory pup’s voice was not lost on deaf ears, the corners of her maw shifting into a small smile. The workings of the great white wolf’s mind were unknown to those below and to those equal, but quite often she found herself imagining things in great detail, a talent best kept to herself for her own leisure. As though she were watching a scene play out right before her eyes, her mind edited what she watched in truth, replacing each piece with whatever she wished. She saw herself, and she saw another nearly identical to herself, though perhaps a tad smaller, both mangling a bull elk to the ground with ease. A pleasant scene to imagine, though a voice pulled her from her visions, the hallucination of herself and her kin fading back to the circle of wrestling youngsters out before her. Though, for a mere moment, she noted the irony in seeing that even after the vision had faded, it was still two of her kin bringing another to the ground.

Her pointed face did not turn, but her royal golden hues peered downward at the white pup, considering her question. In her days of youth, Artemis had considered the same two paths as her young ibis: the path of a hunter, or the path of a solider. Along both of these paths were battle in some form or another, but both came to the same unfortunate result. Unfortunate for the dead, of course. But both paths held different truths.

“I chose the path of a Club so I may become a provider.” It was a strange answer coming from someone such as herself, her personality and reputation considered. But, as to be expected, there were pieces to the puzzle she intended not to share, at least not to this young one. “All living creatures require food. Without food, even the strongest of beasts can fall. A pack of wolves may stand tall, have strength in numbers, hold more power than any challenger. But, how strong is a pack truly if its wolves grow weak in starvation? No pack can live without food, and Clubs provide the Sanzin that food.” At this, the Suitess turned her head just slightly, still looking down at the young one. “But, further than just giving the pack life, I believe such a responsibility gives the Clubs more power than given credit for. Our pack may thrive in violence and shifts of power, but, should one challenge a Club, your next meal may not be guaranteed. Diamonds are providers of chaos, Spades are providers of protection, and Hearts are providers of healing. But, as one myself, Clubs are providers of life.”

Artemis slowly lowered herself, large paws moving forward and allowing the large ghost to lay, back legs neatly tucked beneath her and tail curled around her side. Though she was laying, she was not quite low enough to be at Helva’s eye level. Despite this, she still found her gaze locked with the pup’s, albeit closer than before. “One should not bite the paw that feeds them. Wouldn't you agree?”


"Speaking." Thinking.