Looking for someone from Elysium, but otherwise AW! (P.S. Pema is an Elysium member, just needs to be readded and don't want to go inactive again while waiting :)

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She had stepped out of the pack's territory, for the time being, needing some time to herself. Part of her was still waiting. Waiting for Shale to come back and tell her that everything would be ok, with Timberlake at his side. But she knew that wouldn't happen. She had now come to the conclusion that Shale had fallen to the fire, and that with the absence of his father Timberlake had wondered off, similar to the fate of other orphaned pups of the fire. There was no way for her to be certain of either of those two facts, but for her to move forward with her life that is what she would need to believe. At least that's what she thought.

She had obviously never gone through this before in her life and wasn't sure what would be best. She wanted to be the best mother she could to her children but everything had fallen apart around her she wasn't sure how to put it back together, or what it would look like once all the remaining pieces held tight.

She wandered to a forest looking over a ridge. Areas of which were scorched in fire, reminding her of the one separating her and Shale. Amongst the charred trees remained a healthy one by which she sat. Almost representing her, healthy and well while those around her had perished. She sat quietly with her eyes shut, focusing on her breathing, not sure of what to do.

She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of a friendly chuff and turned her head to see a dark female that looked familiar and presumed it to be one of the Elysium members she had only had a chance to glance at. As she came closer a strong scent hit Pema's nose. The smell of heat she had become acquainted with last year during her heat. It made her think back to her and Shale. How things were rough back then but then smoothed over, only to be lost now.

Not wanting to be a downer Pema turned her head to the female and nodded, not really listening to her comments. She mentioned that her name was Lily and that she was indeed a member of Elysium. "Nice to meet you properly Lily. My name is Pema. Sorry I haven't had the chance to introduce myself. It's just been a lot the move and all."  she said with a faint smile.

Lily then proceeded to ask how Pema was settling in. It wasn't that settling in had been hard, it was simply that nothing had really happened. She went to the group introduction but other than that she hadn't really been around. She had wanted to become a valued member of this pack, but the past few days had been slow and there was still something holding her back. In the past, the reason for her veering away from the pack was that she needing a secluded area to raise her pups. But now that they were almost a year old now there was no reason for her not to return to her normal routine of things.

"It's been alright. I'd have to say that nothing major has really happened. So I suppose that could be seen as a positive... I just wish I was doing more." she trailed off saying.

She assured Pema that there would be plenty of time to do more later, but that now would be a good time to settle in and adjust. Pema mostly just wanted to meet everyone, which sorta fit in with settling in and adjusting.

But before Pema could convey that Lily began asking her about her history in Morningside. "I was recruited by a former member, at the time I believe we were low on members. It seems so long ago I can't quite remember."  she responded thinking back to her first encounter with Howl.

When asked about her relationship to Sunny she instantly thought family, but how to explain it was a bit hard. "We started out as friends and then became family. Perhaps the best way to explain it would be to say I am the widow of his uncle." she stated.

Pema gave Lily a faint smile after her apology. It was a kind gesture but one that wouldn't really help any. When asked about her children Pema nodded,  "Not all of them..." she said thinking for Faye. "I had two girls and two boys, but my largest son wandered[b] off in the absence of his father. I'm not sure where to..." [/b]she confessed. (Would go into more detail, but not sure where the other pups and their players stand ATM. Sorry) 

"I must sound like such a wreck to you."  she said with a half-hearted laugh, thinking about how all of this much sound to someone who wasn't there.

To was nice to get a few of these things off of her chest. It was nice to open up to someone who didn't know here past, didn't see how she reacted when all of it was happening. Only able to judge what she chose to share. 

Lily expressed being happy about Pema's presence within the pack, but she knew she was only being kind as Pema hadn't done much since being here. When asked what could possibly be done to have her feel more comfortable she wasn't sure what to answer. "Perhaps being busy. Giving me a distraction and deeper sense of purpose as opposed to feeling bad for myself." she said with a shrug. "I used to be the pack's medic before I got pregnant and had to take some time for myself. There was a time where it seemed like someone was getting injured almost everyother day." she commented with a slight amount of humor.

It sounded as though the position of a medic was vacant within the pack which was a positive for Pema and a positive for the pack that there was someone to fill that role. It didn't sound as though there was anyone with prexisting injuries Pema could tend to, which in almost all cases was a positive, but it also ment Pema's services were not needed at the moment and waiting for someone to become injured seemed a bit morbid in a way.

Pema shared the same sedaments about being prepared and responded with a nod and a smile. Lily's next statement caught Pema's attention. Stocking the cache would give her something to do, and prepare her for whatever was to come. It also gave her an in with the other pack members that simply didn't just stumble upon her. "That's a really good idea Lily. Thank you. I may need some help in knowing where some of the current caches are, but once I have that down collecting herbs should be no problem." she said with a small genuine smile. She assumed that the pack might have a few herb caches already, but couldn't know for sure obviously. With was her in, her niche.

So the pack didn't have a herbal cache, or at least they weren't known enough that Lily would know where they are. It would be more work for Pema, digging out a place where they could be stored, making sure they were in an easily accessible place, and a few other important factors. But like Lily said it was a system that Pema could set up and make sure it was done right, or at least in a way where if she needed to help someone she could do it quickly.

When Lily mentioned how some of her kids might be able to help her with some of the stocking tasks it made Pema think back to when Meadow was young and taking an interest in the field. Thinking of how that could once again be real, made her smile. Anything that could help put her family back together was worth attempting.

"Thank you Lily for the suggestion. I will seriously consider it. Is there anything you might need I can grab for you? I'm not sure how well versed you are in herbs, but perhaps you would like something to calm your nerves or relieve some kind of pain." Pema was really greatful and if she would help someone the first person she would want to help would be Lily.

Pema missed Lily's shock and only heard that she couldn't think of anything. Taking herbs for simple everyday needs was something Pema had become used to, but others might think this strange. It was nice to have made a friend within the new pack. This was her first steps to a new way of life and she was eager to start. The first step was to create some caches. For now she nodded eagerly with a smile and said farwell.