Stone Circle When in doubt

@Greyback

After hearing that Nuna was family Arlette had realized something. She was the only white colored female in a whole family of dark wolves. Her father had been dark of color, almost black. Her mother had been also dark in fur color, not as dark as her father. Merrit looked like her father. Keen was in the same tones as her mother. But where would that leave her? She didn't look like anyone in her family. Apparently her best friend Nuna as family as well. She was dark and tan. No one seemed to be white like her. Arlette was starting to feel like she wasn't part of this family. She all seemed super happy and bouncy compared to her siblings.

Arlette's mother felt dry as she wasn't sure what to believe. She looked up at the mother stone. "Why don't I look like my family?," she asked the stone. Her mother had been so confident about the stones being able to give advise, but as she asked the question the stone did not reply to her. Arlette frowned. She expected an answer, sure not a verbal one, but maybe a cool mental one. Arlette sighed and plopped down, for once not filled with endless enthusiasm.

The man stood alone, looking at the stones that towered above him. As always, they never moved— as always, they provided sanctuary and a calm mind to him. He wasn't there for any particular reason other than to look at them tonight, eyes wide and taking in each chip and crack that bled through their surfaces. The Father stone always held the most meaningful connection to him. He saw himself in the stone as silly as that thought was. The stone was the tallest of them all, large and towering, but it meant protection—safety, guidance.

Twitching his ear to the sound of a soft voice, the Easthollow wolf noticed he was not alone. Turning, he moved out from the shadow of the tall stone and found the crystalline fur of Arlette. She was hard not to notice with how white she was, even if she was plopped onto the ground. He strode towards her slowly, clearing his throat as he went as to not startle her.

"Arlette?" he called, stepping in front of her and looking straight down at the near-yearling. He had still felt awkward around Valette's children with the recent news of their mother's and his relationship—especially since he was worried they might think he's replacing their father. It was true he held to strongest connection to Arlette out of all of them; he played with her most when she was just a whelp. He took in her sulked expression. "What's wrong, little one?"

Arlette looked up when she heard someone clear her throat. She wasn't startled by Greyback. She never really was as the male had always been gentle with her. He had never been mean or unfair. So Arlette trusted him. For her it wasn't a problem that her mother liked Greyback. She had liked him as well. She was not sure if she saw him as a father but he did help her from time to time. She wondered if the Mother stone had send him to her to help her with her question. She didn't realize that he was on the other side of the stone.

"I don't look like anyone in my family," she spoke softly with a sullen expression. "What is my mom isn't my mom?" she questioned looking up with big red eyes at the male. She always felt tiny compared to the male but it comforted her rather than unnerving her. "Merrit looks exactly like dad. Keen is a lighter version of mother. Now recently I found out that Nuna was family as well, through Bearclaw and she is dark in color as well," she frowned. "I don't look like anyone in my family...," she whispered and looked to her toes, who were confronting her as being very white.

Greyback's worried expression was present as Arlette spoke about not looking like her parents. He softly sat beside her, shaking his head whilst doing so. He wasn't sure how to deal with such a situation. Greyback had been almost an exact copy of his mother even though his father had been white as snow, but even then his father did not have red eyes and pink skin like Arlette.

"Arlette," he began, looking to her as she gazed down at her own paws. "I watched as your mother held you within her tummy, of course you are her child." He spoke softly as her tried to reaffirm her, gauging her reaction with his stare. "Sometimes things go... differently than planned. It could be possible that your grandparents or someone else in your family looks like you," He paused as he thought if Valette had ever told him anything. Scarlet's name swam in his mind, Valette had talked to him about her when bringing her bones back to the Mother Stone.

"I know it may not seem like it, but being different isn't all that bad... Has anyone picked on you about your fur?" Greyback knew he didn't look anything like Arlette, but he stood out commonly among wolves for his size. His family were giants for their kind, but other wolves had always looked at him differently for such a thing. But once he matured he took great appreciation in it. With his size he was able to protect. Perhaps Arlette could find comfort in her own difference one day.

Arlette's ears flopped back as the male said her name. She bettered up a big set of puppy eyes. There was something about his voice saying her name. It was not fear but she felt compelled to listen to his advise. She didn't know that Greyback had been around for so long. 'You did?," she asked with her mouth open in shock. "But.. So I wasn't planned? I don't look how I should look?," she asked now. She frowned, disliking that thought even more that she was a defect or even worse, not right. Had her mother said that?

She almost didn't catch his last sentence. "Grandparents? I don't know any of my grandparents. I don't think I have those...," she spoke to Greyback. She hadn't heard her mother say anything about grandparents. Oh wait she did. "Mother said something about her mother being buried at the mother stone. But was she white in color, Greyback?" Arlette hadn't realized that her uncle had been white as well. She had seen Xan but had not connected him as a family member. She had not been introduced properly.

Arlette flopped her ears back. "No?," she spoke. No one had ever said anything about her fur color or made fun of her. "I was just wondering. No one is white that is related to me, and well, I don't know. I don't look like Mother," she muttered. Which wasn't really true as she had the same build only less tall as her mother. But then again, Arlette didn't have a mirror to look at herself.

Greyback's eyes went wide as soon as he noticed the error in his words. Arlette had taken it the wrong way, and he felt guilty about how she thought she wasn't planned. He quickly shook his head "No, my bad dear. I meant-" He fell silent as he searched for words once again. "— Your mother and father would never hold expectations to how you look. Sometimes puppies carry coat colors from earlier family members." Quick save... hopefully.

When Arlette asked about her grandmother he quickly shook his head again. Valette had never said anything about the color of her fur. It was like a switch flicked on his brain when he thought of Bearclaw. Valette had a brother there, Xan. He was white as snow and had red eyes as well. "Im not sure what your grandmother Scarlet looked like but have you met your uncle Xan? He's Valette's brother and look exactly like you." He looked down at her, still trying to gauge her reaction. He was glad no one had picked on her, but still felt bad that he made her even more upset. Being a therapist and providing advice sure was hard.

When he heard her tiny muttered he layed down next to her, his giant body flopped into the snow and pushed it sideways. It must have looked a bit funny to see his giant body sinking into the powdery substance. He thought and thought, trying desperately to grasp onto any method he could use to show her. Had Arlette ever seen her reflection? "Hmm..." he hummed softly, thinking.

"Arlette would you let me show you something?" He asked, voice calm. The frozen stream was not far, perhaps if he led her there he could show her what she looked like.

Arlette turned her head curiously as Greyback seemed to mean something different than she had though. She listened with interest. So it wasn't that she wasn't planned, it was just that her coat could be from someone else in the family. Arlette felt like she understood. So it could have been that her grand mother or grand father was white and that she had inherited that color. Hmm, interesting. But she had no way to find out where her grandparents were and if they were still alive.

"I heard of Xan! But I don't think I ever met him," she spoke with a frown. The frown quickly lifted when his words hit. He looked just like her!!! Arlette let out a long sigh of relief. So someone in her family was white but not many were having a white coat color. Okay, interesting. "Now I wanna meet uncle Xan! Is he nice like mother?" Arlette didn't realize that Xan was also the reason that made her a Nunataq family.

Arlette turned her head cutely when Greyback asked her if he could show her something. "Um. Yes?," she spoke, clearly intrigued with what the male wanted to show her. Arlette had never seen how she looked, so she didn't even realize her eyes were red and that she was more special in that way.

The man chuckled, his eyes closing in humor as he thought about the small girl meeting her uncle. The male was always stoic in his optinion, calm but quite aloof. He never talked to Greyback, or paid him much attention. Greyback wasn't sure how he felt about that. "Xan is quite different from your mother, but he seems alright. I think it would be wonderful for you to meet him."

Getting up, the large Easthollow wolf led the way for Arlette. "Come now," he hollared, trotting away to the stream that wasnt far with his tail wagging. It wasn't until he reached it that he looked back at her, curious if she knew what they were doing. He was careful to stand on the bank, his paws slumping forward in the cold dirt and nails barely grazing the sheet of ice that formed over the river. "What do you see?" he asked, motioning below him with a trip of his head.

Arlette curiously took in Greyback's words. Her uncle was different from her mother then? That was interesting to hear about. She wondered how much difference there was between them. Perhaps it was like her and Merrit. They were very different as well. She eagerly followed Greyback. She was eager to see what he would be showing her.

It seemed they were going to the stream but it was frozen. She wondered what he wanted. She looked down and saw something white stare back at her. "White wolf," she spoke and then tipped her head, the other wolf seemed to do the same. "It does the same as I do!!! And wait..." She moved in closer, which the other wolf seemed to do as well. "It has red eyes! I never seen that before!!!!," she frowned. "It looks different. I haven't seen other wolves with red eyes." She hadn't realized yet that she was looking at herself.

As the girl peeked her gaze over the bank and into the water, he was surprised that she failed to notice the wolf was her. He only chuckled as she talked enthusiastically about it's white fur.

Taking a step back to make sure his own reflection could not be seen behind her, he continued to wait patiently to see what she could do. Perhaps he could work with her naivety. "That is right," he replied, though was a bit unsettled that she seemed to frown at the reflections difference. "Do you think that is a bad thing?" he questioned.

Arlette tipped her head and the other wolf in the ice seemed to do the same. Was this... her? She instantly moved her liver colored nose closer. She blinked and the other did so as well. "It's me!?," she questioned. The girl looked over her shoulder when Greyback asked if the red eyes were a bad thing. The female shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it is if no one has it?," she asked, feeling insecure now.

She wasn't sure why she was looking so different. Looking in the reflection of the ice she realized she didn't look even remotely like her mother, at all. Not even like her siblings who had blue and green eyes. She always assumed she had something like that as well, but she had red eyes. She then peeked into Greyback's eyes. They were orange so sort of red-ish but not really. "I look even more different then I thought. But wolves did treat me like I was normal." She sounded confused.

As Arlette contemplated her eyes the man stood up and silently walked over to her, his body leaning over behind her so his own reflection could be seen by the both of them. She looked so tiny, her white body merely a half of his own size as she stood between the front of his paws with a worried expression. "Hmm..." he began, the deep rumbling in his chest echoing. "Normal can be quite boring." he stated. "Why look like everyone else when you can be different?" He tipped his head upward. "The wind never follows the same direction, nor do all trees look alike. Perhaps this is the world's gift to you, perhaps you are being given the chance to experience something none of us have ever seen.."

He looked down at the top of her head, wondering of she would take the advice before moving his gaze back to the frozen surface. The troubled expression she wore pushing him to smile at her. "Maybe we can go visit your uncle Xan. You could ask him some questions."

Arlette thought about Greyback's words. Her friend Nuna was normal but she wasn't boring. Same for Merrit and Keen, they were normal in coloring but not boring. She felt some excitement rush through her that she might be so special she would get to see other things. Arlette was quick to believe those things. The female smiled softly. "Maybe," she tentatively agreed.

"Yeah! I also talk to mom about it if there are more that are white like Xan," she offered. She was feeling much better. "Thanks, Greyback," she smiled at the male.

Greyback was glad that Arlette seemed to cheer up a little at his words, her smile making his wider. He noticed now that she wasn't as small as she used to be. Seeing the young girl grow up before his eyes made something in his heart clench. Although she wasn't his own daughter it always felt like she was. It seemed like it was only weeks ago when he first met her, eyes large red eyes far too large for her head, her teeth nibbling and nipping on his paws she so perfectly fit on and slept.

He noticed he was silent for far too long and let out an abraded chuckle. "No problem, Arlette."