Alpine Lake the bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft-boiled eggs

Despite her penchant for the macabre, even Lotte was glad to leave the slough behind — particularly because of the tumbling sound of rushing water that grew louder and louder the further south the Family went. Waterfalls meant fresh water, and fresh water usually meant food. The scattered tracks of cloven-hoofed ungulates dappled the lush earth below, and trout and salmon could be seen in great abundance in the river shallows. It was Teaghlaigh’s own personal utopia, and although their stay was only temporary until they found their true home, Lotte felt the cramped muscles in her abdomen and back release for the first time in days. She took a moment to bathe in one of the mossy pools fed by the alpine cascades, allowing the chill meltwater to drum rhythmically upon her crown — that is, until water got into one of her thickly-furred ears and she bounded from the spray with a disgruntled snort. On a whim, she splashed cold water in the direction of the wolf nearest to her, being careful to avoid Olive lest the puppies become too chilled.

During Teaghlaigh’s trip to their new territory, Olive will be experiencing the 7 stages of grief — grief over the pain of Dakarai losing (and regaining) his memory, being brutalized, BFW finding them, being demoted and abandoning Ravensblood Forest… and a little bit of postpartum depression. Each thread will represent a different stage of grief, dated in order (albeit, a little expedited). This thread represents stage five: the upward turn. Of course, feel free to skip Olive! I’ll bring her in when she is needed and/or addressed.

For a long time, Olive had avoided bodies of freshwater.

It was a phobia that resulted from her calamity at the Totoka River; the one where the forest witch Deidre had saved her. However, the gentle queen of Donnelaith was unaccounted for — and so was Olive’s fear of the fresh water. There was so much to be learned from the purity and life-giving properties of the water, and certainly it had not meant to forsake her as it did. Her fall into the river and subsequent recovery under Deidre’s skillful care had been nothing more than the divine chaos of the universe at work… and nothing more. Her fear was better pitted against her enemies than it was against the natural workings of the world.

The lake they reached was pristine and pure and energizing — and for the first time in a long time, Olive felt light. The area was bright and buzzing with a positive energy that Olive’s spirit thirsted for. Depression was an all-consuming experience and the mother’s abused and exhausted spirit craved reprieve from it. Anger and sadness simply took too much work to be worth it! As the time passed, [day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute] the ash-and-cream femme’s need to harangue subsided and replaced with a want [nay, need!] for muse and illumination.

The lake, with all the vibrant life that flourished within and around it, seemed to fulfill such a longing.

Lotte bathed and washed herself of their travels but Olive remained on the shore, nestled amongst her brood. Just several weeks old, the starchildren were still infants and had the ineffective limbs and rounded, pudgy bellies that belied such an age. With gentle taps of her nose against their velveteen backsides, the sidereal sylph encouraged her babes to look out into the water [that lapped gently at the lake’s shore] and admire their rippled and distorted reflection. This was the first time they had ever seen themselves and would hopefully find someone amazing staring back at them; for when Olive looked at the reflections of her babies in the pulse of the lakeside, she recognized nothing but purity and innocence. Olive wanted them to understand their worth… why they were worth fighting for. With this in mind, Olive addressed the cub nearest to her, the fiery @Aries. “Do you see your reflection, my child?” She cooed into the side of his fuzzy little body, cajoling him even closer. A petite, milky paw was kept in front of her son’s chest in order to keep him from overstepping and becoming submerged in the chilly meltwater. “That’s you — Aries. The most wonderful thing in the entire world.”