Broken Boulder I don't know what you're expecting of me
Ghost in the woods
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#1
All Welcome 

The afternoon found Liri sweltering under direct sun. Her thick winter coat was shedding but not fast enough for her taste. She was accustomed to the cold tundras of the north, even here in the southern Taiga was too warm for her. 

If she spent too long in the sun, it felt as if she were practically melting. Thus, the healer chose to spend the hottest time of the day in the shady coniferous forest just beyond the Boulder. 

On the shady forest floor, Liri found a wide variety of plants and wild flowers. But only a few caught her attention. 

Around Bracken Sanctuary Liri had caught the scent of a few others, one in particular being another new female who appeared to be pregnant. 

The thought pained her. Liri wasn't sure she wanted to meet said female. Seeing another with pups would surely remind the still grieving mother of what she had lost. Still, she could not hide for the rest of her life. 

Liri was disrupted from her thoughts by the scent of sweet, tangy fruit. 

It was a raspberry patch. The tiny red berries were nestled amongst their fuzzy green leaves. Liri stopped for a moment to snap a few of the berries up in her mouth. The sour, citrus taste was not wholly familiar to the carnivorous huntress but food was food, as she had learned the previous winter.

After she'd eaten her fill of the berries, Liri began to painstakingly collect the leaves for the unknown mother-to-be.
"i'll keep you here when I lose my mind."
 
 
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Sorry!

It was new, this Sanctuary, as they called it. In Queenie's mind, the name made little sense; inside of a sanctuary, one was meant to be made safe and secure, but so far, she'd only felt like a burden. It wasn't her intent, spreading her melancholy amongst an otherwise happy folk, but it was hard not to. Unlike the others, Queenie and Delight were known beacons of tristesse who had no real place anywhere near the Bracken wolves, but nonetheless, they had been allowed to join their ranks, for which Queenie was inwardly grateful. 

Wandering around the territory was as close as Delight would allow her to come to sating her scouting needs so she got around to it as much as she could. Up ahead stood a wolf who she'd had yet to come across, but who intrigued her still. With a bit of apprehension, Queenie approached, huffing as she came closer.
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Ghost in the woods
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Liri straightened, as best one could with three functional legs, at the soft chuff. She turned, a hoarse and tiny woof the only sound she could produce.

The northron stopped in her tracks, about to greet the unfamiliar female, head cocking curiously as she took in the stranger. Liri was accustomed to being stared at herself but for vastly different reasons. 

The healer had seen something like her - farther to the east, beyond Teekon. Savage, wild creatures that listened not to the wilderness but to a language all their own. 

But this woman had as much as sense as Liri did. Her eyes were bright and clear, taking in Liri just as cautiously as the ivory counterpart took her. 

"You're beautiful," Liri states simply, in the odd way that she has. "Would you like a berry?" The healer gestures at the patch with a pink, berry-stained muzzle. 

Liri can see that this must be the pregnant woman she was originally gathering the raspberry leaves for. 

It hurts worse than she thought it would. 

With a soft sound, either a clearing of her throat or a gasp of pain, Liri pushes back the thoughts of her children.

If she allows the tide to flow over her head, she'll never make it up for air again.
"i'll keep you here when I lose my mind."
 
 
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There was an uncomfortable sense of flattery that came along with the stranger's compliment. Instead of addressing it with a 'Thank you!' or 'You, too!', Queenie gave an awkward half-nod and a snort, eager to move on. The offer of a berry did seem appealing, especially to the ravenous beast that her pregnancy had created, but because the two of them still weren't even on a first name basis, she decided to pass. I'm okay, she said with the flash of a grin.

We haven't met. Like, really met. If her memory was doing her any good, then Queenie was almost sure that she'd seen this wolf at the border, back when they had just arrived. Nonetheless, she couldn't remember the girl's name, and doubted that it was any different for the other. I'm Queenie. I'm the heavily pregnant one that I'm sure everyone knows about by now. You are?
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Ghost in the woods
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There's a hint of hunger on the merle-coated woman's face but she turns down the berries. Liri nods in acquiescence; she's not going to force her to eat it if she doesn't want to. 

"Well, if you change your mind, you should probably get them soon. They get all soft and gross before too long," Liri wrinkles her nose at the remembered taste of spoilt fruit. 

"That you are," Liri agrees. The healer can't help but think that Queenie doesn't seem particularly happy to be here. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with Bracken Sanctuary itself, but rather the expecting she-wolf just seems unhappy about her lot in life generally.

"Hey, I think it's good you're here," she blurts suddenly. "This place needs some kids running amuck and I think you'll be a great member. It's been awhile since I've had any girl friends to talk to."

"I wouldn't be too worried if you don't feel exactly at home yet. I felt the same way," 
she confides softly, scuffing her paw in the dirt. One of the pink berries is smashed beneath it. 

"I was in bad shape when I joined my old pack. They almost sent me away. I don't think he wanted some scrap of a girl days away from giving birth. I felt like I was the worst freeloader in the world." 

There's a sad twist to her features, for she is here and her son is not. 

"This place is different. I don't think Alarian would have thought twice about it. It's a good place," Liri explains with the hopes that sharing this about herself will make Queenie feel better.

Maybe Liri can't make Queenie feel better. Maybe there's more to it than she knows. But who would she be if she didn't try?
"i'll keep you here when I lose my mind."
 
 
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It was cute, Liri's emotional speil, but it wasn't Queenie's thing. And the entire segment about being "girl friends", yeah, she wasn't feeling that. Still, she nodded and hummed along, letting Liri finish, before taking in a deep breath and trying to formulate a response. Well, now I know your story, she began, but I still don't know your name. 

Another thing that she had noticed was the way that Liri assumed Queenie would make a good mother, as though they had known each other all of their lives and there was no doubt that this was Queenie's destiny. It seemed to be something that everyone did these days, and she was sick of it.
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Ghost in the woods
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Liri had heard bits about the mother-to-be via some others, Alarian or Lily or someone of the like. It was a big pack but rather a small Sanctuary relatively. Given that they all shared the same tunnels at night it was impossible to not know a little about anyone who took up residence there. 

Liri is rarely disappointed with her new packmates - for most of them, her expectations had been spot on. Generally, the pack was a cheerful bunch that felt like family or at the very least close friends. 

But the merle woman feigns interest, sweeping Liri's attempt to befriend her under a metaphorical rug, obviously annoyed with the healer's kindness. Liri decides she doesn't deserve it - or Alarian's, Lily's, or really anyone's. Someone so miserable chooses to remain that way.

"You know, I heard about you before. I won't lie, I was kinda hoping you weren't quite so...," Liri trails off sweetly, unwilling to truly say anything nasty about Queenie but implying much.

"We both know you don't care," Liri says it indifferently. Too many people in her life have hurt her for Queenie to. She shoots the mother a genuine sunshiney smile as she gets to her feet and pads away. 
She abandons the borage leaves as she goes, with the assumption that if Queenie does not wish for her friendship she will not wish for help either. The sylph does not look back - knowing the General was not long for this pack.
sorry about her. Thanks for the thread :)
"i'll keep you here when I lose my mind."