Neverwinter Forest too quiet in this room

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She had always been a withdrawn type of girl, little Eimear. Never wanting to stray out of line, or even explore the world around her (although if you judged things by the awed expression present on her baby-face, you'd have realized how amazed she was by all of it). So in a bold act of defiance, of curiosity, of great and deep-rooted desire, she had gone outside. Not just away from the den she shared with her siblings, but away from the pack's edge.Eimear had followed the scents of the adults until she found where they collected, and then with one daring step, she stepped away from it all.

Nobody will miss me, she had thought at the time. Not even Szabala.

Except after leaving the wood, Eimear had gotten herself thoroughly lost. She wasn't realistically that far from home; yet the foreign nature of this section of the forest, the strange noises, the lack of familiarity with scents and sights, all of it was too much. The poor girl stuck to that no-mans-land for a series of days, until the mark of the pack had faded from her scruff, and she was left mewling uselessly. Once she was hungry enough she raised her nose to the sky and called for her father — and then when he was not immediately there to save her, she called for @Kaskara her mother, then promptly curled her body in to a puddle and began to quietly cry with her nose in her tail.
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How long has she been gone?

Kaskara hadn't seen her daughter in some time, and had worried over Eimear's absence even as she continued her duties as alpha. During one such patrol of the borders, she caught wind of her daughter's scent, but followed it to a dead-end. Later that day, she was debating whether or not to go after her when she heard her child's distant howl, calling first for her father, then closer, calling for her. Kas kissed each of her children goodbye and followed the sound, letting out a howl of her own. Momma's coming, dearest.

Frantic and fearing the worst, Kaskara reached Eimear, who was curled into a ball, weeping over her own tail. Kas scouted the area even as she neared, wondering if her child was physically hurt, and if any assailants were nearby. It seemed they were alone, but that didn't change the fact that Eimear was crying. Hush, child, Kas whispered, curling her large body around her child's. What's wrong? Momma's here. Kas licked and nuzzled her daughter, hoping to calm the raging emotions within her daughter's body.

Maybe two days? Not very long, but forever in her eyes. I debated making it longer to take in to account my lack of IC knowledge but that'd be a looong time lmao.

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An eternity dragged by. Her father did not come, and neither would mother — they had to have heard her though! They must've! Oh, if she had only been a better daughter. Maybe her da would still be here to keep her company, tell her stories, and sing to her, if only she was better! Eimear wept quietly, letting out little hiccups or chirps through the thick of her tail fur, and shivered as the cold seeped in through her dense pelt. If I had been nicer to Rannoch, maybe he'd still be here too, she thought suddenly. While she had not been all that close with anyone outside of her immediate family, she fixated on the absence of this one boy (more so the concept of absence rather than the boy on a personal level, the way children sometimes did) and began to weep anew.

No, her mother wouldn't come for her. She was the leader now, after all. There were more important things to worry her beautiful head over — except even as she thought this, Eimear could make out the distinct sounds of snow crunching underfoot. Then, as her beloved mother enveloped Eimear in a blanket of warm and sloppy love, her crying ceased - for a second.

Momma! Eimear gasped desperately, raising her head from its hiding place just in time to receive a thorough drenching of wet kisses. The girl burrowed herself in to Kaskara's bulk, comforted by the familiar smell and feel of her mother. M-momma, I... I thought — hic — I thought you forgot ab-ab-about me, she sniffed sharply to stop a wad of snot from rolling out of her nose, and then nuzzled deep against Kaskara, which muffled her words somewhat: An' da, m-miss him, an' Rannoch — but as soon as she spoke the boy's name, Eimear dissolved in to a new fit of blubbering. It was loss which plagued the girl now; she didn't understand it, and she mourned without really knowing what she was doing.
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Sorry for the crappie quality of this post. <3

 

Eimear seemed inconsolable, but Kaskara held her daughter close and soothed her as best she could. Through her blubbering, Kas deduced that she had gotten lost, perhaps searching for her father or Rannoch, which made Kas's heart clench in her own fear and grief. It's all right, Eimear. I would never forget about you, and neither would your father. He's out searching for your cousin. They won't be lost forever. They'll come back, you'll see. Kaskara simply hoped that it was true, because she didn't know what she'd do without her brother and her husband there to share her burdens with.

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Nothing seemed to ease her suffering, and so Eimear continued to weep and squaw like a baby bird. She sucked rivulets of snot back up her nose every few seconds. Her face buried itself in the warm furs of her mother, finding some unspeakable comfort in her presence, but all she really wanted was her father. Even Kaskara's words didn't do much to affect Eimear's current state; she heard them and hiccuped throughout Kaskara's soothing, only to shake her head and deny any chance of seeing her father again by the end of it.

D-d-da, da is - is gone. He hadn't heard her calling for him! He hadn't been the one to save her from the cold and the dark! Were her cousins more important? They were stupid for getting lost! Of course, Eimear did not count herself as a member of the stupid club despite having just been lost-and-found material herself. W-why, mum? Why d-d-da.. Why da look for them? But before an answer could be made to such a question, she muttered (a bit more calmly) in to Kaskara's coat: Sh'be lookin' for me.
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Kaskara didn't have much experience with the squalling of children, so she managed the best she could, soothing her daughter with kisses, cuddles, and affection. Aye, he's gone for a bit. Eimear's grief nearly drove her to tears, but she knew she had to be strong not only for her daughter and her other children, but for the pack as a whole. 

When her child asked why Kieran was out looking for his brother-in-law and nephew, but not her. Your father didn't know you were missing, Eimear. He left before you ever did. But I promise he'd look for you, far and wide if he must, to make sure you came home safe. Kas bent to kiss her daughter's head, wondering and hoping her husband would return soon. Now, tell me all about your adventure. What did you see?

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Kaskara's words sank in to the sad sack that was Eimear, and gradually her sobbing did ebb. She felt the dribble of snot from her nose time and again, absently nuzzling against her mother's plush coat to compensate, but she no longer wept so obnoxiously.

The question posed to her was met with silence at first. The girl concentrated, and then shrugged, not remembering much of interest. But it got her mind working on things other than her absentee dad. T-twees, and... Birds, but then I saw a --! Oh, her voice filled with enthusiasm for one spastic moment, so very out of character for her. Yet she couldnt really explain what she'd seen, because she didn't have the words yet.

Its big, l-like me, which wasn't saying much. An' round. So biiig! Smells like... Like rabbit! But not with the ears, and not hoppy, the more and more she concentrated on describing this mystery animal to her mother, the calmer Eimear got. It would be a while before she could accurately describe and name a raccoon, though. And she didn't give Kaskara much to go on.
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She was glad her daughter was calming, and that her question seemed to keep her mind occupied. When Eimear tried to explain what she saw besides trees and birds, the description of the animal left her a little confused. Big like Eimear, but kind of like a rabbit? Kas blanked on what it could be, and prompted her daughter further, What color was it? Perhaps she could figure it out then, though it didn't seem like the creature was dangerous in any way.

Kas remained seated with her daughter, but wondered if they should be getting home soon, if Eimear even wanted to go home yet. They would eventually travel home, as it wasn't too far away, but she's sit with her daughter as long as it took to calm her fears, and allow her some breathing room, too.

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The conversation — or rather, the game — was easier to focus on the longer it went on. Her mother's question brought a cute series of creases to Eimear's face, giving her a very serious expression but hardly detracting from the muppet-like quality of her oversized ears or head. After a few seconds she replied, Like a rock! Buh, also like me! She lifted her nose to show off the dark end to her snout. E'sept the whooole face. An' it had spook-eyes.

She was, by the way, describing a raccoon to the best of her ability. A raccoon which had been hiding out on top of a tree, so the shadows of the tree boughs had obscured most of its features. She had spooked it earlier while trying to find her daddy, and once it scurried up the tree, she'd all but forgotten.

Somewhat out of the blue Eimear coyly added: Go home now?
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Last post.

Kaskara couldn't fathom what creature her daughter had seen, but it did sound scary. Kas kissed her girl again, cradling her against her body gently, relieved that her shivering had stopped. When she stopped describing the creature, Eimear looked into Kas's eyes and asked if they could go home. Kas smiled and dipped her head, brushing her lips across the girl's forehead. Of course, love. Let's go home. She led her daughter back home, which wasn't very far at all, and got her settled back with her siblings before finding them a quick meal for dinner.