Welcome to Gaia! ::

Brynja lazed in her den, feeling rather content with herself. Her attempts in getting Gruvan's seed to take root had been a major success, and her belly had just began to grow fat with his cubs. She remained in her den more often than not, her only company Gruvan and that of Yakuti. Her adopted daughter had proven to be a great ally in these times, especially since her own uncle Thorgrim had taken to watching over Brynja with a hawk's eye.

Yakuti did not seem pleased, but her love for her mother seemed to outweigh any displeasure she had come to feel.

"What troubles you, daughter," Brynja's voice was a soft rasp in the dim den.

Many things troubled Yakuti, least of all was the farce she'd sworn to protect. As an outlander, despite Brynja's claim as her mother, Yakuti was not forced to hold herself to the standards her mother was. Thorgrim had all but secured Brynja's claim to High Priestess, and any show of dissent in the familial ranks would undoubtedly show weakness to the rest of the pride - or such was Brynja's worry, and so Yakuti would claim the High Priestess's cubs as her own.

"Bruten, mother," Yakuti's voice was soft. "He intends to take me to wife."

She glanced at Brynja with hooded eyes.

Brynja stilled and slowly blinked, a thoughtful look on her face. Bruten, the Warlord's son?

"I am sure that Njal and Uncle would be pleased," Brynja readjusted her position on the pile of furs that created her bed. Gruvan, always near, watched Yakuti in silence. It irritated Brynja, just a little, to see his gaze upon any other but her, and she gave a slight grunt.

"Once the cubs are born, you should take him as husband," Brynja knew these were not the words that Yakuti wanted to hear, but there was a deep surge of satisfaction at them. "If he'll still have you, daughter."

Yakuti closed her eyes, and for the first time in her life there was a deep resentment towards the High Priestess. An ache that lodged in her chest, taking up space next to her lungs; it was hard to breathe around that resentment, and for a moment Yakuti almost felt ashamed of herself.

For a moment.

"He will not want me after he finds out I am a mother," Yakuti sounded a little smug. Part of her feared that Bruten would be violent towards her. He seemed the sort, despite the way he'd attempted to court her.

"An unwed mother, at that."

Brynja made a soft sound, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

Settling back into her furs, Brynja lifted a paw to brush against Gruvan's yellow mane. He did not pull away, did not seem displeased by her touch aside from the quick flash in his eyes that said otherwise. Brynja did not catch it.

"I am thinking that perhaps we say Gruvan has rutted upon some other female. Not you. Yes, I am thinking it would be best for you to marry Bruten, daughter. I could not have wished for a better husband for you. Nobody will care what a thrall does with other thralls."

"Have you thought of what might happen should any of these cubs look particularly like you, mother? Perhaps it is you who should find a husband, and soon, before you find yourself much fatter with cubs."

That dig felt good, and Yakuti rose to her feet.

"Kjar is still unwed, is he not? Or perhaps Daska would make a fine husband for you."

She moved closer to Brynja, eyes flashing with pale icefire.

"You have made a monumental mistake, mother. You have done a foolish thing, and you have forced me to be a part of this. I agree to it, because I love you as my mother, but I do not have to like this."

"I have offered you an out, daughter. Gruvan's cubs grow strong in my belly, a whole litter of seers that will aid me in becoming the most powerful High Priestess this pride has ever seen. Do you know that there are other Priestesses who collect seers as well? Do you know what that means? It is a direct challenge to my position. Breytast Vindar is coming, daughter. I need to be as strong as I can be in order to keep my position should things change in the future."

Brynja fell silent. The cubs within her moved and shifted with her irritation.

"You have offered me nothing, mother, without making a martyr of yourself. I do not wish to marry Bruten. I do not want to be a pawn in your game, or the game of Thorgrim. I do this because of my love for you, and nothing more. You do not need to be unnecessarily cruel to me, mother."

Her gaze cut to Gruvan, who watched her closely.

"We will continue with our plan. If Bruten will not marry me, so be it. I do not care. Once the cubs are born, I will leave them with you. But you must take care, mother. I fear for you, and I fear for your position, and your health," she paused, her voice lowering, "and your sanity."

Brynja's eyes narrowed and an ugly expression crept across her features. Everything had gone according to plan, and everything would continue to go according to plan. Brynja knew this, and it irritated her immensely that her daughter did not see things the way she did.

"Worry not for my sanity, daughter," Brynja shifted, presenting Yakuti with her back, "worry more for your own future. Bruten will not make a kind husband, should he still wish to take you once our charade is complete."

The conversation was over, Brynja effectively ending it as she settled in her furs. She would never admit it, but a little piece of her worried about the decision she'd made.

Yakuti opened her mouth to speak once more, but nothing came out. She had nothing else to say. Her mother had all but verbally dismissed her, not that Yakuti could leave the den.

Sighing softly, Yakuti settled in her own bed of furs and shut her eyes. There was no telling what the future would bring, and the distance that yawned between her and her mother was troubling, to say the least.

Frustration was difficult to swallow, and she'd never been more aware that she was not truly her mother's daughter. She was just a pawn in this game of politics.