The winds grew colder and the food grew scarce, though instead of taking advantage of the last supply the woods had to offer, Belle was taking her good ol' time settling in. The first night she'd been a part of the pack, Belle spent a fair amount of time digging her den though most if the evening was spent lounging around within. A cache was formed just beside her den where she could keep her herbs, though for now it reigned empty.
Silence surrounded her, just the way she liked it. And she'd have to take advantage of it before it came time for Amber to burst. A such escaped her lips and she slumbered on in the confines of her new home.
She had wandered far from the den site, and when she turned the way she had come, she had quickly discovered just how lost she was. mild fear set in as she wandered a while without seeing anyone else, the cold adding to her strife. she whined, optics watery, as she searched for someone. really, anyone.
when movement suddenly caught her gaze, she have a blubber gasp and shot rapidly in the direction of the shape, exploding out of the underbrush to ram into the other in sheer relief, dirty and wet from her little adventure.
Belle's eyes shot open upon impact, yet she took time to turn and look at exactly what'd bumped into her. Her head rose slowly as she lifted herself into a standing position and got a better look at the runt. As she stretched, popping each joint along her spine, her licked her maw and called down to the child. What?
What did it want? What reason did the kid have to come into Belle's personal space? Who was raising the child to be so inconsiderate? Plenty of questions raised through her mind, but the single word -- What? -- seemed to encompass them all.
Breathing heavily, eyes wide, the girl stared up at the woman. "I...lost!" she exclaimed, staring up at the woman with a dismayed expression. she did not want to be here, though, this she knew. she wanted to be back with Steady and Valette, she decided, and this she told the woman.
" Back! Want go back!" she demanded, exhaustion and hunger making her a force to be reckoned with. she was close, horribly horribly close, to a tantrum born of all the poor things she felt now.
Belle forced a harsh breath of contempt when it spoke. This was exactly why she couldn't stand the offspring of others; they were useless. This one couldn't even form a full sentence let alone replace what it took from the caches. Go back then.
Belle rolled her eyes and turned away from the infant. As she'd been before, she tried her best to drift off into a sleep, though knowing that she wasn't alone in her own den made things a bit more complicated.
Where is your mother?
Belle inquired, though her head remained down and her eyes closed. Surely she'd have to have a talk with this child's parent about watching over it better.
Where was her mother? the words struck a cord, and her gaze misted over a moment. " 'urt bad. gone." She said, wilting. where was her mother? where was gone? these thoughts overwhelmed her, and had wolves the ability to cry she would have been a blubbering mess. yet as her species lacked this ability, she instead looked very much like a kicked puppy, eyes huge and maw set in a frown.
suddenly she wanted her father figure, though she did not know him as such. the word father, the concept, was not in her vocabulary, having lacked one so long. [B]"Wanna go Steady! Steady!" she wailed, plopping herself down on the earth in a dramatic display as she sniffed.
Belle's ears perked with the mention of Steady's name. She stood once again, ready to help, for now the runt could serve as a benefit to her cause. With one last reassuring thought to herself (after all, she was about to take a walk with a squealing child in her jaws) Belle moved forward in an attempt to grip up the child's scruff.
Should she have succeeded, Belle would immediately pick out the nearest scent marker of Steady's (or if she had to, Valette's) and March onward, keeping a gentle yet firm grip on the child.
The woman seemed largely uninterested in the fact that her mother was gone, stark contrast to the girls own feelings, yet she allowed the other to pick her up without so much as a shriek or a wiggle, instead still. her gaze turned upward toward the woman, then down again as she searched for
@Steady as she hung from the woman's jaws, legs wiggling and shifting ever so often, adding to the difficulty if carrying a rather large child.
Once they'd made it far enough from Belle's den and close enough to the Alpha's, Mirabelle dropped the infant and nudged her toward where @Steady and @Valette lay. She says she's lost so I figured you'd know where she belongs.
It was a curt introduction but Belle wasn't exactly estatic to lose out on her sleep.
Steady had been walking towards the den when pawsteps behind him stopped him. He turned in time to see Mirabelle carrying Keoni. Fearful something was wrong, he quickly shuffled up to the pair, instantly trying to sniff over the young female as Mirabelle put her on the ground. Keoni wasn't struggling, nor was she making any noise that would alert Steady that she was in pain.
His tail began to wag as Mirabella explained, and he gave her a smile. She's mine, he confirmed. She has a habit of exploring, but still struggles to find her way back to the den. Thank you for bringing her back, he said gratefully. He didn't realize Mirabelle would feel any way except happy to be around a pup.
"Steady!" She called as soon as she saw him, already wiggling and slipping out of Belle's grip to run toward him, diving into his side and snuggling into his fur with a happy sigh, staring up at him with adoration, so happy to have found him again, that she paid little attention to Mirabelle. Steady had become as a rock in her life, quick frankly, something steady to hold onto, and he was one of her favourite people in the world, she decided as she leaned into his side.