Golden Glade caregiver #1.1

@Sylvas Streiter, but also for trade purposes

Eden had spent her last few hours pacing. There was too much for her to take in, too much for her to do. She was on the verge of collapsing. Ally was gone, and Eden was responsible. She sat back and looked down at her paws, sniffling quietly. For now, she could keep from bawling, but she wasn't sure what she would do later. To keep her mind busy, Eden had been filling her cache.
She lifted herself up onto a tree, her hind legs long and stiff behind her, and began to claw at the bark, loosening it from its post. When she was more composed, she would bother to look for herbs, but as of now this is all she felt she could do. She needed to occupy herself, for it was all she could do to keep from self-destructing.

His mind had been so preoccupied with proving himself worthy of being a part of this pack, that Sylvas felt he had almost been neglecting his mate. And for this he felt terrible. Though his usual cool collective temperament had been buckling some under the ever growing pressure of proving his worth to his superiors, the young wolf having had a rush of rare emotions cloud his calm thoughts. Frustration wasn't an emotion that the male felt often and he found the emotion growing still within him. The young brute's mind had been building his own expectations of what he should be doing, Sylvas becoming unable to stop being so hard on himself.

He'd been wandering the edges of the border aimlessly, amber eyes peering over to the battered bark of the tree he'd recently taken his rage out on days before. His brown ears twitched suddenly as he caught the scurrying sound of grey squirrel attempting to scramble its way up the trunk of a nearby tree, the young male preparing himself as he suddenly leapt at the small critter, his mouth becoming filled with fur as his fangs clamped tightly shut around its small, fuzzy form. Yes! Though it was small, it was still something he could take back to Eden.

Paws shifted upon the ground as the wolf began to make his way back toward his families den, amber eyes peering toward the tunnel of the inner circle as he passed, a slight sigh muffled through the small prey in his muzzle as he thought about the day when he'd be able to walk inside and actually be part of the pack. Shrugging the thought from his mind for the moment, his soft stare fell upon his mate in the distance, pacing. Why was she pacing? Sylvas' pace quickened as he approached their den and Eden, instantly he dropped the squirrel to the ground, ”Is everything, alright?” Worry was obvious across his face as he now watched her silently.

Eden heard his voice and immediately fell back onto all fours, ignoring the goldmine of bark behind her. In the winter, she would need her cache. Right now, she needed her mate. She rubbed against him and whined as she hid her head beneath his. I... she began, but she couldn't finish her thought. Immediately her face twisted into a grimace and she felt a warm tear against her cheek. Alyssum. She wandered off a few nights ago and...she crossed borderlines, at The Malkaria. She's gone, Syl. 
She shook her head away from him and wandered back to her tree, tearing down the bark to add to her pile. This lasted for only a moment, as her emotions quickly caught up, and she was once again a blubbering mess.

At the sudden touch of his mate, feeling her head underneath his own, Sylvas' eyes peered down to her form as she pressed herself into him. His ears arched a top his head as he caught the sound of her voice, his head tilting some as she seemed unable to continue her words. What had happened to cause her to be in such a state? Sylvas tried to comfort her, though his mind was now confused more than anything. It wasn't until Eden elaborated that Sylvas' eyes suddenly widened. Gone? How could she be gone? She was always at her sister's side, practically glued to her sibling. So what had happened?

Feeling Eden pull away from him and gradually making her way back to her tree to gather bark, Sylvas remained stood and still as he watched her silently. It was taking a while for all this to register in his head, the male finding this all overwhelming and definitely sudden. A sigh escaped his lips as his head lowered, eyes peering toward his mate as her emotions took over, her composure breaking before his eyes as she began to cry.

Large paws carried the male over to her, the brute brushing his cheek against her own softly. He didn't know what he could do, it seemed to him that as soon as Eden had met him, her world began to crumble. Guilt brewed within him as he shook his head in a form of disbelief, ”I'm sorry, Eden.” he glanced to the ground and continued, ”I can't change what has happened, but I promise you..” He paused as he looked back to her, ”I'll always be here for you.”

She sniffled and grinned as she caught a sigh in her throat. Syl was right - she didn't have to do this alone. Eden had someone here to help her, but she wasn't sure if she wanted him to. She'd been so sure that she could handle whatever came her way but now, now it all seemed so hard. After a moment of sniffling and pity, she looked up at her mate with welcoming eyes.
Do you want to take a walk? I could use it. I need to fill my cache anyway. Her nose twitched lightly as she picked up the neglected scent of Sylvas's gift. Were you bringing that for me? She smiled and rubbed her cheek against his, before standing and moving the prey into their den. Once she was finished, she released a smooth sigh and motioned for him to follow her for a stroll.

Sorry for taking a while. Surrounded by distractions this end! x.x

Her next words caused his head to jerk to the side, amber eyes staring softly at her as she composed herself once more. She was strong and Sylvas admired that about her, especially given the present circumstances. Giving his head a quiet nod, his shimmering stare watched as she noted his furry gift upon the ground and when questioned about it, Sylvas merely gave another nod of his head. A smile was displayed across his features, one only for Eden as she brushed her cheek against his once again.

Paws carried him closer to her, amber stare watching as she placed the prey into their den and motioned for him to follow. And follow is exactly what Streiter did. Tail swayed behind him, its tip dragging against the ground as he came up beside Eden, black lips parted as his smooth voice sounded, ”Where would m'lady like to go?” He offered her a smile, black nose gently touching her cheek slightly as his pink tongue flicked out from his mouth to lick her affectionately.

I thought I saw some parsley over here, near the same spot I found the borage. It could come in handy for the Queen and Dame, not to mention us when the time comes. She laughed and sniffled one last time as she felt Syl's affectionate kiss against her cheek. It was clear to her now that she was carrying life within her, though she wasn't sure if it was quite as clear to her mate. To be sure, she clarified the reference, The borage leaves help to produce milk, and the parsley makes sure there isn't too much. I was planning on getting Alder's blessing to deliver the herbs to the Queen's den. I haven't seen her since the birth, and she seemed pretty shaken up by the whole thing. Shaken up was an understatement, actually.
Talking about life had taken the topic of death from her mind, allowing her a moment away from the grief. It was a blessing to have time to focus on her family, but it came as a curse, as she had to lose her sister in the process. Eden knew she couldn't change the past, so for now, she focused on the future.

apologies its short ><

Streiter's knowledge wasn't that great when it came to herbs, though maybe it wouldn't hurt to learn a few things on their walk. Listening to her words carefully, amber eyes looked to her as she mentioned about the herbs being handy for the Queen and Dame, as well as them when the time came. Them. A smile made its way across his muzzle, tail giving a wag behind him as he watched Eden laugh and then go on to explain the special properties that the plants held. He listened inventively as she went on, amber eyes shimmering in the dense light as the brute watched her before speaking himself, ”Why don't you ask Alder for permission..” He smiled and then continued, ”especially if you're worried.” He then gave her a gentle nuzzle with his nose, admiring her caring nature.

I don't know. We're new here, you know? I don't want him to think I'm up to any funny business. He might want to know what I'm feeding his family, too. She sniffed around and carefully plucked away at the plant, making a small pile beside her. Besides, I'd rather he know what I was doing by her den in case she decides to snap at me. Eden laughed and sighed, continuing to pick the strongest of the herbs, before looking over at her mate. He seemed pretty angry with me on our walk back to the territory. I want to make sure he still trusts me enough to get that close. Eden could only hope, for it seemed she was the only one with the right knowledge of aide should an incident occur.

Streiter couldn't help but understand her words, they were indeed new, but Eden had been their in the aid of the Queen; so he didn't see why they wouldn't trust her. More so than himself, anyway. The brute smirked slightly, watching her as she sniffed at the ground, searching for certain plants in particular, ”Well, if you don't ask.. giving a flick of his tail as he peered around at their surroundings, ”..you wont know.” He turned back to Eden and offered her a gentle smile, for he understood the cautiousness behind such situation. Especially since they were new and not yet within the inner circle of the pack. The male knowing he still had to prove his worth.

Ears arched forwards as she went on about Alder being angry at her, his smile fading some as he slowly shook his head, ”I'm sure he's not.” Giving a soft sigh he continued, ”It wasn't your fault what happened.” Eyes watching her with a gentle stare, ”I'm sure he knows that.” His tail giving a flick behind him as he added, ”He seems to me, an understanding King.”

I know, I know, she began, playfully lolling about as she strolled to the next plant, leaving her pile behind to dry in the sunlight, but I know it's hard having power like that, and still not being able to control everything. My mom, she was the head of my pack. I remember seeing her breakdown when she found out about my dad's affair. She didn't move, or even talk for a while after that. My point is, Alder is going through a lot right now with all the new faces in the pack. I don't want him to feel disrespected, or like he's losing control if I go to her without his consent. 
Eden remembered the beginning of her mother's demise much more vividly than she would've liked. When her father died, that's when everything went downhill. She didn't want to see the same thing happen to anyone else, especially not with all of the pups soon to be running around the territory.

Sylvas lowered himself slowly to sit next to Eden's pile of plants as she left them to dry in the sun, amber eyes watching as she walked back and forth, foraging for the different types of flora that she needed. Brown ears twitched atop his head as he listened to the many sounds around them, from the rustling of the leaves above to the chirping song the birds as they sang, but mostly he listened to Eden's voice as she spoke. His eyes observing her carefully as she began to continue in more detail of her concerns, the brute giving his head an understandable nod as he could see where she was coming from.

”That I can understand.” The male said simply as he peered around the terrain briefly before continuing, ”Just ask him, he'll either say yes or no.” He brought his gaze back to his mate and offered her a smile, ”I'm sure he'd appreciate the gesture as well as the thought.” Sylvas scented the air for a moment as a gentle breeze blew, before adding, ”Plus, its shows you're trying, no?”

Eden thought for a moment, before relinquishing a harsh sigh. I don't have the energy right now. Plus, I'm feeling a bit nauseated. Would you help me take these herbs back? I'd appreciate it. She smiled at him before taking a mouthful of herbs. Her head rubbed against his as she began trotting away, awaiting his company.

You can fade out, if you want. Or you can just archive it lol

”Maybe when you're more rested.” He offered her a smile as he quickly lifted himself onto all fours when she asked if he could help her, Streiter carefully lowering his head to the pile of herbs as he began to carefully pick them up. His amber eyes peered around momentarily before looking at his mate once more, the male trotting his way toward Eden as she they made their way back to their den.

...Fadeness.