Dawnlark Plains It's not what happens to you, but how you respond to it that matters.

Aviana stepped back into Morningside, looking a little dejected. The most amazing thing had happened to her, and in two months time, there was the possibility that she could be a mother for the first time. But, she had also found out that Sebastian's pack had left their territory, and he brother was nowhere to be found. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was gone.

She walked slowly to the spot where she and Shale had almost started to dig her den. The scratch marks were still there where she had made the first indentions into the ground. She was in no mood to dig, and instead plopped down on the spot, laying her head on her outstretched legs. Her gaze looked out onto the plains, but her mind was a million miles away.

Skraeling had been following Aviana since she entered the territory, having recognized her as being a member of the pack, but also that she seemed a bit downtrodden. How sad. When the other wolf dropped to the ground in a heap, Skrae finally made an appearance, trotting over and poking the woman with her muzzle.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked worriedly, sitting down nearby and trying to life the wolf's head by shoving hers underneath it.

Aviana hadn't noticed anyone following her. She felt safe enough inside the territory that she didn't bother looking around her. She wasn't aware of the other female's presence until she felt the poke of a muzzle. She lifted her head just enough to get a look at the female. She certainly smelled of Morningside, but Aviana couldn't recall ever having met her before.

It was clear, though, that she was empathetic to Aviana's feelings, and wasn't here to harm her. So, she accepted the touch, and lifted her head when the other female nosed her own under Aviana's. I can't... find my brother, she admitted softly. @Sebastian's pack was gone, and there had been no sign of him at the Caldera. She had no idea where the pack might have gone, or where her brother might have gone, if he was even still alive.

Thinking of Leto, Raimo, and Delano, Skraeling's first thought was somewhere along the lines of 'good riddance!' or 'you're better off without any of those weighing you down'. But then she thought of Husk and Jar and she remember how much they had loved her and how special she had always felt when they took her on hunts or brought her little treasures - brothers could be nice. And the woman certainly seemed upset.

"I'm sorry," Skrae said with a little whine, nestling closer into the strange woman's body. She smelled very nice - it kind of reminded her of her mother, but more exciting. "Where did you last see him? Maybe he is out looking for you as well! My mom always said that if I got lost, I should just stay there and wait to be found."

She didn't know how much this would help her new best friend, though. Maybe brothers had different rules than moms. She'd never asked.

Aviana could tell the other female was trying to make her feel better, and she did appreciate it. I seen him several months ago, she explained. He was with a pack called Redhawk Caldera, and they were at the beginning of a war with another pack. He said it would be safer for me to go live with another pack until the war was over, she went on. I just found out a few days ago from Shale that the war might be over, so I went back to the Caldera, but everyone was gone, including my brother. There had been no signs of him at all. 

Aviana could only think that he went back to the previous territory Morningside had claimed, but where would he go from there? She thought about trekking over the mountains to see if he had stayed there, but Aviana wanted to wait until her heat was over. She didn't want to mate with anyone else, so that if she was pregnant, she would know for sure who the father was.

Oh! That sounded very complicated. Skraeling sorta struggled to keep up while Aviana spoke, having no experience with wars or battle or even with missing people, really. She'd never been in danger and she didn't know the pack that Aviana mentioned, and so a lot of the information she was given didn't really stick. She did know Shale, though. Shale was nice.

The girl offered the only things she had - the warmth of her body and comforting licks, not really knowing what else to do for the woman. She felt as though she should say something more, but this was all quite out of her depth.

"That sounds really scary," she offered weakly, still grooming the side of Aviana's neck and shoulder.

It called Aviana's nerves to be groomed, so although she didn't know the female well, she accepted her licks, nodding that it sounded scary. Mourning the loss of her brother would cause a great deal of stress, and with Aviana hoping she was pregnant, it would not be good at all for the pups.

Thank you, she said, her voice trailing off when she realized something. What's your name? she asked softly. Aviana already had a good impression of the girl. She seemed compassionate, even towards someone she hadn't met before.

She seemed glad for the comfort, so Skraeling hurried to ply more and more on the poor, sad woman. "But you're safe here," she assured, giving her cheek a tender kiss before tucking her head over Aviana's shoulders. Normally she liked to be the Little Spoon, but it seemed like the woman really needed a Big Spoon right then. "And your brother is probably coming for you soon. We just gotta sit tight and wait for mo- um. We just have to wait," she added.

"I'm Skraeling. What's your name?"

She gave a soft smile to her comforter for reminding her that she was safe here. She didn't mention that it brought to mind the fact that Sebastian wasn't here, and she couldn't validate his safety. She didn't know how long the war had been over, but she had already been to Redhawk and back, and had seen no sign of him. Maybe he was still searching for where the pack had moved.

She nodded her agreement. Yes, I do believe that if he is out there, he's looking for us, she confirmed. Her only worry was that he wasn't out there, and that he had died in the war. She smiled as the girl introduced herself. Nice to meet you, Skraeling, she replied. I'm Aviana, she added.