Maera hadn't yet grasped the concept of the Glacier being their new home, the idea of it had been trying to slide into her mind but she hadn't been able to bring herself to accept there would be no more Bazi coming to play, no Galileo to wrestle and no mud baths by the creek's edge. She liked the new den though, it was comfy and even if there were a lot of strangers around constantly she felt glad to see Danica's face among the crowd.

After the whole pack had joined in a glorious choir to celebrate the Glacier's conquest, the fire kissed girl hadn't touched the subject of home. She had wondered the reason of their sudden vacation but had never even made an effort to ask --at least not Mom or Dad. They seemed far to busy to be bothered, instead she recurred to the sleeping form of her pillow-brother Larus as a therapist. She often whispered and mumbled in his ear, murmuring senseless nothings that seemed to soothe the anxiety the move had brought on her.

It was not as if she was being consumed alive by the jittery butterflies that floated in her stomach, she was just nervous to be around a new set of faces in an un-mapped enviroment; even if she had not beeon out much back at the creek she had gotten familiarized with the little garden surrounding their home. What she missed the most were probably the flowers that popped out of the ground here and there, with no real order or reason. They were pleasing to the eye though not to the stomach --she had learned that after chomping on a dandelion..

In the north, where they home laid craddled by mountains there was not a flower to be seen. Or at least not yet. Maera had walked out the door that afternoon with the quest of finding at least one. She slipped past the den's exit, keeping her ears pinned and her tail erect, and despite having clown-sized feet she still tried to tip toe away without being seen.
That was a mission she had to do alone.

The girl's concentration was so intense she didn't notice the giant gray boulder following her around. She had her little meatball of a nose stuck close to the ground, sniffing around like she had seen some other adults do --though in reality she wasn't even sure of what she was doing. As she began to leave the den behind her she began to feel more secure; maybe because part of her really felt the presence of her father shadowing her steps or just because the idea of going on her first solo adventure was exciting.

Her oversized feet held more grace now, through she was doing a lousy job trying not to leave anything behind. More than once her delicate pawpads left an imprint on the soil as she walked by. Thank god she was not a secret agent, or she'd be doomed.

After a good ten minutes of walking, sniffing here and there and stopping for an impromptu potty break, the flame drapped girl became tired. Not a single flower had popped by to say hello. Maera gave a little sigh and allowed her weight (and gravity) to push her onto her rump. "Whe' are you?" she barked into the air, hoping her question would summon the flowers and plants she was so desperately looking for.

Not aware of the presence of her giant bodyguard, Maera allowed her head to droop in defeat, all while letting the deepest sigh of her existance to slip from her lips. She had hoped finding a flower would be easier, that it would simply pop in front of her feet while she went by. The lazy pup hadn't considered the possibility of failure when she had begun her journey. She had hoped she would come home triumphant with said flower clutched in her mouth as a present for either mommy of Jokull.(not understanding thatif she pulled the tiny plant of the ground it would end its life)

Another pitiful moan erupted from her lips as she realized that finding a flower wasn't as easy. It was then that she noticed her father looming over her like a knight in a shiny armor. Her face lit up as he lowered himself to meet her, her tail suddenly thumping against the ground happily. She didn't have the moral (or energy because she is a lazy butt) to stand but she did raise her paw in an attempt to bat his nose with her paw.

"For the flowah!" she barked energetically as if it were obvious what she was up to. "Do you know where she is Daddy?" she asked, assigning the delicate flowers a femenine pronoun. Pretty things were meant to be girls right?
Exept for Daddy, Valtyr and Larus, they were the only pretty boys

Maera's ears tilted back as she saw the confusion reflected on her father's eyes; had she pronounced it wrong? Maera had some troubles with her r's but she didn't think it was so bad that his father couldn't even undertstand. She opened her mouth to make a second attempt, her little tongue brushing over the roof of her mouth as she tried to roll the r. "Flau-werrrr" she barked again, giving a little growl-like sound at the end to emphasize the sound of the consonant.

Finally, Daddy seemed to decipher what she was trying to say, and with nothing more than a smile and a quick uhum she spun around to motion with her snout which way they should continue. In opposition to what Njal thought, Maera wasn't the most energetic of the bunch, she was a lazy bag of chuby-ness as far as she was concerned. The thing was she always had a little extra fuel stored in case an adventure like this presented itself.

After taking a couple of steps ahead, she craned her neck again to sniff over the ground. Nothing, she thought with her brow furrowed. Maybe Daddy had had some luck? The mini-copy of Tuwawi turned around her eyes sinking expectantly on her father's face."Whe' did it go?" she asked, wanting to get an explanation for the lack of flowers on their garden.

Her little round eyes blinked attentively at her father's words, he was a grown-up and the coolest man alive -- or at least in her world-- so whatever he said had to be true. She rested her eyes on his face, and pricked her ears towards him, so that no word was missed. He began by telling her that the Creek was not the same as this place.

She didn't make a sound, still holding to the idea that they were just on vacation and some day would return. A new place. She liked the sound of that though, even if she knew little of the Creek she considered it home. This new place however had its own enchantment though she was not yet able to see it --not until she wiped the idea of the Creek entirely from her mind. "Why a new place?" she blurted out, not really thinking that the 'why' was more complex than she could handle right now.

Nevermind that.
Daddy continued by stating that even if the flowers she seeked were far away, the promise of new flowers was here too. Her tail wriggled as he mentioned again the word 'new'. That word, she had decided, was one that she liked. She forgot about the flowers (along with the wolves) that were left behind, at least momentarily -- and focused her attention on finding and conquering these new and extraordinary flowers her Daddy spoke of.

"And whe' a they?" she asked with her her eyes glimmering with hope. She really wished that despite being different, these flowers would be just as beautiful and comforting as the ones at the Creek.

Though no response was given, the little flame kissed child continued to stare at her father, her hazel eyes fixed on his sharp and masculine facial features. He was indeed the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and though her repertoire of male friends or aqcuantainces was pretty limited she could not help but feel prided by her father's handsome looks.

With love bubbling inside ot her, the girl took a couple of steps forward and allowed herself to lean against his stong legs. Though Maera didn't usually express her love in forms of cuddles or kissed she enjoyed the little moment when her cheek pressed against his leg. Then she quickly pulled away, her tail still wriggling but her ears laying flat on her skull. Soon after their quick embrace, Njal resumed his explanation about the different flowers.

As soon as he suggested they turned the expedition into a game, the child's ears swiveled again and her eyes opened as wide as a platter. "And to Jo?" she piped, while raising her forepaws and smashing her feet against the ground again.

Then copying her father's pose, she began sniffing around, covering little pieces of ground before taking off running as if the scavenger hunt was also a race. Little did she know that no flower that she found today would be as beautiful as the ones she had left behind. Those flowers were the prettiest ones, and the ones that had planted a seed inside her heart.

With huge leaps and quick feet, Maera soared through the ground, her nose prodding at every little rock or blade of grass. She would not rest until her task was completed; yes she might be the laziest of the quartet but she was also a nominee for the most stubborn. When the child set her mind on something there was almost nothing one could do to stop her.

As the girl bounded away looking for the flowers, an strange thought of not finding any flowed into her mind. No. Daddy had said they'll be others, new ones, she tried to think while looking over her shoulder, her eyes searching for Njal's grey figure behind her. She wanted to speed up the search but she didn't want to stray to far from Daddy. Maera was braver than Larus, but she was not fearless like Jokull --she was somewhere in between, hence why she was the middle child.

"C'mon"she urged with an anxious wiggle of her tail. A smug smile plastered on her face at all times.