Stone Circle might grow some wings

tag for @Illecebra

The girl had taken longer than intended in seeking out her mother. It was by accident! Truthfully! She hadn't wanted her mother to see her in such a rugged condition. The masked child did not want to be looked down upon or thought of as weak. And so Rowana slept and kept to herself most of the time. Granted she had enough wits about her to know that if she didn't seek out her mother soon it might cause more damage than intended.

Sheepishly she moved about, trying to pick out the scent of her mother from all of the other Easthollow wolves. It shouldn't be that hard but the girl was finding herself struggling. Perhaps it had been too long since she had last smelled her mother or maybe it was the feeling of guilt that seemed to linger in her chest. Her face contorted to something between sad and frustrated for a moment before falling back to neutral.

Deciding it was the best action, her head tilted back to release a soft call for her mother. Rowana had missed her mother terribly so.

The borders had been rechecked and she'd attempted a hunt again but failed so she was making her way back to the den when a call for her went up. She froze as the voice triggered recognition and she grinned, running toward the voice of her daughter. As she spotted the girl she slowed down just enough not to tackle her and began to cover her masked face in kisses and nuzzles "Rowana! My baby girl where have you been, I was so worried!" She whimpered as the nub that remained of her tail went wild behind her.

Finally she calmed herself and sat down, using her chin to tuck the girl against her chest, heart beating rapidly. She couldn't help it but she lowered her muzzle and breathed in Rowana's scent, her eyes closing against the tears of joy that had sprung into them.

The girl did not wait long for her mother to come onto the scene. Before Rowana could so much as utter a word she was smothered with kisses and nuzzles. All she could do was giggle softly, feeling slightly tickled by the touches of affection.

Rowana tucked herself under her mother's chin and leaned against her chest. Bright eyes closed as she took in the familiar scent. It was so nice to finally be home. Oh! But she had yet to answer her mother properly. I went looking for something to bring home to you and dad. I was following a trail and I didn't realize how far out I had gone. By the time I realized it I was lost. She recalled with a soft tone.

She managed to calm herself enough not to drip tears all over her daughter's fur but she still shook a bit. Two of her babies were home now, one was just skinny and needed some food and lessons on straying too far from home and the other would need patience and lots of love and protection to get better. Either way the family was almost complete, the only thing that they needed now was for Burr to come home.

"Sweetie I love and appreciate that you wanted to bring something home for mommy and daddy, but you can never stray away from the territory alone again understand?" She asked this in a firm but gentle manner moving so that she faced her daughter and peered into her eyes. "There are bad wolves and bad things happening outside of the pack. On a brighter note, there's plenty of prey to hunt and things to find close by the pack." She said so that Rowana wasn't discouraged to explore but just to do so nearby where her or Mawk could reach her in time to help if she needed it.

Rowana half expected the words that tumbled forth from her mother. The girl's ears fell back briefly as her gaze looked towards the ground. If there was so much bad outside of Easthollow perhaps she should have counted her blessings. The girl had only come back worn from the weather after all. She had not stumbled upon a bad wolf.

Bright eyes looked back up and ears flicked upright with interest. What kind of things do you think I could find? A childish grin on her face. Perhaps Rowana was moving on too quickly from the lesson that was to be learned from all of this but she couldn't help herself. The idea of finding interesting things close to Easthollow was too tantalizing.

Illecebra smiled slightly as Rowana immediately moved on from the topic of the bad things outside of easthollow. Perhaps it wasn't the best thing that she seemed not to understand the dangers of roaming but Cebra was happy enough for the moment to simply discuss the pleasures of home. "Perhaps you can find beautiful flowers and interesting stones to decorate our den with? There's also tons of birds and small critters like rabbits to catch." She said to list a few ideas. 


She realized that she should also warn Rowana of the buffalo after what happened to Steph and Nikai. "Over in the fields there is also a herd of buffalo, you are never to go near them. You may watch from a distance, but do not attempt to take one down yourself. Not even a large pack of grown wolves can take down a single buffalo without trouble" she said in a serious tone.

Her tail thumped against the earth at the suggestion. Yes! Rowana would find the absolute best flowers and stones. Everyone would fawn over them and she would become beloved, praised and adored for her wonderfully skilled eyes. She would make sure that the den would not look drab in the slightest. Perhaps it was a strange skill to want but if it made her mother happy and proud the girl would not complain.

Rowana's thoughts shifted as her mother mentioned buffalo. Can we go see them sometime soon? Just watch them graze. It might have been boring but she was fascinated by the thought of watching the dangerous creatures. What would they do if watched for long enough? How might they react to a wolf duo lingering in the distance? The excitement of her curiosity that bubbled up inside of the young girl was almost too much to contain.

She laughed at the excitement her daughter failed to keep hidden and for the first time in a while the knot inside her chest began to loosen. She began to feel that maybe Everything would be alright in the end after all. Of course, there were still many things that needed to be discussed with Rowana but she supposed it could wait for now.

As Rowana asked about the buffalo she nodded "Yes, of course. Valette often watches them. Not too long ago I found one injured and helped the pack finish it off." She said with a grin. At that she lowered her muzzle and gave Rowana a few quick kisses across the ears, unable to help herself. "I'm so happy you're home.... we're all happy you're home. You were lucky out there. You have always been my big strong girl though so it doesn't surprise me." She murmured softly and nudged Rowana toward the den site "How about we go get you some food and then maybe you can go find your brother?" She suggested and then on a second thought "If you do just be gentle with him. He is hurt both inside and out, you need to be gentle." She said urgently.