Odette was close to the cove when Sebastian howled for her.  So obediently Odie began to make her way towards Seb, curious about what he wanted of her.  Recently Oette had found herself finding the Fen as a true home.  It didn't require as much stamina and effort to run, as it had been required on Silvertip Mountain, when she had run uphill.  The Fen was nice, Odette wanted to remain here.

Soon she stood before Seb, looking up at him with brighter, curious eyes.  "Hi Seb!"  She squeak cutely, her fluffy little tail beginning to wag, happy to see Sebastian.  It was just then that she noticed the dead pheasant.  It looked so tasty, but Odette didn't want to appear rude so she didn't ask for it, though her mouth almost watered at the thought of the meat in that body.

Odette smiled, forgetting the past events of Silvertip Mountain for a while as Sebastian gave her the bird.  Her tail began to wag happily, glad to be apart of a family who she hoped this time would not leave her to the demons or death.  Then Seb went on to make a joke that Odie didn't entirely understand, but still laughed a little bit in hopes to make him feel good.  Finally he asked how he was feeling.  Angery with everyone who had cannibalized her Mother especially Steady, missing her parents, missing her siblings and so much more.  Yet Odie just answered simply, staying a little bit gaurded with her emotions.  "I'm better...."  She replied.

Then the pup looked down at the bird and right before she dug in she lifted her gaze remembering that she should thank the hunter of the bird.  "Thank you..." she paused for a moment, seeming to consider something before contiuning, "Uncle Seb."  She finished, hoping that Sebastian would be okay with that title.  Maybe Pearl could be Aunt Pearl, had a nice ring to it.  Then Odette bent her head in nibbled a little on the bird.

Odette listened to Uncle Seb as she ate, glancing up once in a while.  The meal that Uncle Seb had given her tasted good, plus it was fun with all of the feathers.  As she bit into the meat again, a feather fell right upon her nose.  Odie laughed and the feather flew off and onto the ground.  With a few more bits Odie's attention was suddenly spiked when Sebastian  offered to show her parts of the fen, maybe even go swimming together.

Odette was a little hesitant to answer her Uncle as thoughts flew through her head.  She loved the idea of exploring the fen...but swimming.  She wasn't so sure of swimming.  The only reason that she was hesitant to go swimming was because of the last time that she had done it.  Odie had gone swimming with her family... her by blood family.  Zaria, Adeline and Stoic.  If she went swimming again... Odette wasn't sure how to describe the feeling entirely.  Then again she didn't want to dissapoint Uncle Seb and if she backed out at last moment, then she probably wouldn't have to do it anyways.  So slowly Odie nodded her head.  "Okay."

Odette listened to Sebastian quietly as he spoke, finding herself slowly starting to agree with him that it wouldn't be so bad to go swimming, that they would have fun.  Then he talked about the mountain and she found ehr fluffy coat bristle a little bit as she disagreed with him.  The mountain wolves had had a choice.  You never had to do something, but instead you choose to do it.  They didn't have to eat her Mother, they could have just burried her instead.  Steady didn't have to place her Mother's meat before her.  He chose to do it.  That was another main reason why she did not wan to go back.  Majority of those wolves had done wrong in her eyes, by choosing to do something that would scar her forever, by eating their own kind.  Cannibals was what those wolves were.  The cannibals of Silvertip Mountain.  "They choose."  Odie whispered quietly, unsure if Uncle Seb had heard her or not.

She was silent for a few seconds before she contiuned to speak, this time about swimming and in a louder, yet still quiet voice.  "I think I would like to go swimming Uncle Seb."  Odie told him.  "I think it might be a... fun expierence...."  She trailed off, hoping that she had made the right choice.  Swimming again couldn't be too bad anyways though.  She would be fine, wouldn't she?

Odette watched and waited as Uncle Seb burried the pheasant and then started to walk away.  She followed him her pelt tingling with nervousness and excitment all at once.  She was excited to go swimming, but also found herself hoping that she wouldn't drown and of course she was also thinking about her family.  Yet who knew, maybe this would be an amazing expierence.

Upon reaching the the Fen area that held gorgeous clear water Odette stared at it hesitantly for a second, as she suddenly found herself wondering why she was even here.  Suddenly this all seemed so very much unappesing... until Sebastian ran in, laughing.  She watched him nervously as he gave her a happy bark, asking her if she could swim and then explaining how to if she didn't know.

Odie didn't know how to swim... well of course she had an idea and Uncle Seb's input helped, but she didn't really know how to swim herself.  Of course she had splashed around with her Mother and siblings, but that had been different... because she had not actually been swimming, truelly swimming.  Fear shone bright in her features, but suddenly just then she thought of her family.  Would they want her to act like such a wimp?  No.

With out a second thought Odette ran faster than she ever had before and jumped right into the water.

Odette plummeted to the bottom, although this area was shallower and if she really tried, she could probably surface on the top, while touching the bottom at the same time.  Yet for about ten seconds she just found herself suspended here at the bottom, holding her breath on instinct.  It was beautiful.  Suddenly she realized that she had to come up for air and so she kicked her hind legs against the floor of the fen and shot up, trying otu the motion that Uncle Seb had told her to use.  At first her technique was rocky, but soon it began to improve.  It was like running... or walking on the ground... it felt natrual to Odette, like she had been born to do this.  "This is amazing!"  She barked excitedly to her Uncle, staring at him with two sparkling bright green eyes.

Saying that Odette loved this fen was an understatement.  She thought it was beyond extraordinary, beyond exquisite, beyond the perfect piece of art.  It was something that she could just simply not describe... and she loved it.  She felt so wieghtless here that it was like magic.  Of course she had no idea how to float, only swim, but Odie could only imagine how magical it would be to float... marvelous.

She listened to Sebaastian tell her that if she got tired that she could climb on his back which was nice, but Odette wanted to stay swimming, for now at least.  Then Uncle Seb continued on to speak about the fen and sea.  One day Odette wanted to go visit the sea.  She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining rolling waves and colorful fish swimming in the deep.  Her imagination made the sea a beautiful place.  A place of true wonders.  She smiled at the thought.

When Odette opened her eyes again, not much had changed, Sebastian had finished speaking.  Yet she had no intent to ask questions or anything like that.  She liked the quiet... it was peaceful, especially out here on the water.  She gave Sebastian a happy blink, then started to swim around the fen.  Going deeper.

Odette sighed, clearly enjoying the moment.  She wished that life could be as simple as swimming.  Smooth, sweet and pleasing.  Although sometimes life had those traits, it had many others to, good and bad that could fiddle with the simple sweet life.  Want, need, cruelty, anger, jealousy, death... love.  They could sometimes be good, but they had their downs too.  Odie frowned.  She wished her parents and siblings were here.  They all probably would have enjoyed the swimming to.

Odie's sweet green gaze flicked to her Uncle Seb.  "Why does life take so much and give so much?"  She asked in a sad whisper.  She wanted her family back, whole again with her Mother Zaria, Father FitzDutiful, brother Solemn, brother Stoic and sister Adeline.  A small whine escaped her.  "I wish life was as easy as swimming."

Odette listened quietly as Sebastian spoke.  It was very true what he said and she felt bad that he had a rough upbringing, but one thing that really caught her attention was Sebastian's Father.  Uncle Seb said that he didn't like him, that he wasn't a good man.  Odie almost instantly found that she ahd something to say about this, something that affected her personally.

Still paddling through the fen, Odette looked at Sebastian with sad eyes.  "I don't really know my Father.  He died when I was young.  Yet... whether he was good like everyone says, or whether he was bad, I would do almost anything to have him back.  If he was bad, I would give him a second chance.  You still have the chance to try and reconnect with your Father though despite your differences.  Imagine what it's like to lose your Father like I did and never truelly get a chance to know them..."  Odette trailed off here, with a single sad sob.  She didn't know how Uncle Seb would respond to what she had said, but she knew from her own expierences that whatever her Father had truelly been like, she would love to have him back.  Anyday.  Anytime.  Same for her Mother and Solemn.

Odette didn't hear or pay attention to much after Steady's name was spoken.  Uncle Seb actually suggestingt that she should try to make peace with him.  Her face showed no expression, thoroughly shocked that Sebastian could say such a thing.  Steady was a cannibal and he did not deserve the title of her Uncle, despite being her Father's brother.  Steady was different.  Steady was wrong.  Steady was a cannibal.  Steady was as good as dead to her.  She hear a little bit about Sebastian, basically saying that he and his Father had sort of made peace.  His Father couldn't have been a cannibal like Steady was, he could not be so cruel.  Uncle Steady's Father had to be better despite Sebastian's descripton of him.  In her prespective, no one could forgive a cannibal who had eaten their Mother, asked the pack to join in, cut a slice for the offspring, then place the meat before them and then dig in like it was everyday meat along with everyone else.

Her eyes closed tightly, pained by the memories.

Fearful, depressed looking eyes stared by at Sebastian as she remembered that horrible, terrible day.  "Steady is dead to me.  He cut a b-bloody piece of m-meat from my M-mother and gave it to m-me, then asked the rest of the pack to eat, d-digging in himself like i-it was everyday m-meat."  Odette stutter fearfully.  "I b-bet you never expierenced t-that.  I-imagine y-your U-uncle d-doing the same t-thing.  W-would you forgive h-him?"  She asked Sebastian frightenedly, hoping that Uncle Seb would understand her pain.

Odette was silent while Uncle Seb spoke, but found anger bubble up within her when Sebastian continued to call Steady, Uncle Steady.  Steady did not deserve that title.  A sudden uncontrolled growl slide from her throat as soon as Sebastian finsihed, flinching visably away from his attempted lick to her cheek.  "Steady is many things... but he is not my Uncle.  He doesn't deserve that title."  She hissed.  She wasn't angry at Sebastian, she was angry with the world and what it had taken from her.  She was angry at Steady for the cannibalizism of her Mother.

As she thought more and more about how she might have come off angry at Sebastian, she almost instantly felt guilty.  "I'm sorry, it's not you..."  Odie whispered quietly, her eyes beginning to water.  Then without waiting for any response from Sebastian, she began to swim towards the shore, clear pain reflecting deeply in her eyes.  She wanted her family back.  Her true family.

Odette felt terrible.  Why did she have to be rude to Sebastian of all wolves?  When she reached the dry land and shook herself out, she realized that Uncle Seb had followed her.  She pinned her ears back submissivly as he began to speak.  He looked sad, suprised... it made her feel even worse.  As soon as Uncle Seb finished, she found her tail tucked submissively between her legs, she didn't move it.

"Why do...."  Odie began very quietly, but stopped herself.  It wasn't her place to ask and she wasn't entirely sure if Sebastian was mad at her or not.  She tried to focus on the good things.  She had a new family, good swimming areas and good adoptive parents.  She still missed her family though, her direct by blood family.  Stoic,  Adeline, Solemn, Zaria her Mother, FitzDutiful her Father.  Odette whinned, casting a nervous glance at Uncle Seb.  "I want my family back."  She whispered extremely quietly, unsure whether or not Sebastian had heard her.  For the moment she didn't entirely care though.  Her family was gone, she wanted them back.  The words were out.

Odie pushed closer to Uncle Seb as he spoke, seeking comfort from him.  He seemed to understand in a way from his answer, but Sebastian had never seen his Mother cannibalized.  He had never been offered a piece of his Mothers dead body at three months old.  He didn't know.  Not really.  Still she stayed next to him with a sad gaze, just staring off into the distance.

"I know..." she began in the softest whisper, "but... but sometimes I wonder what could have been.  I want to be apart of your family... but...."  She stopped as tears sprang to her eyes.  She blinked them back, but was silent for many minutes after that.  Finally though she spoke again.  "I once had a brother... his name was S-Solemn.  He was probably my favorite out of all of my siblings because of his personality and always looked out for me... I think he might have been one of the main reasons that I survived the famine.  S-Solemn would give me his shares of food... a lot during the famine.  I tried to stop him a few times, but other than that I really didn't do anything at all."  A single tear slide down her cheek.  "I think he died because of me.  I helped kill my family.  I helped break it down.  Solemn never spoke a single word."  Right afetr that Odie was sobbing... sobbing her heart out.