Northstar Vale she may contain the urge to run away

The mountain called to her, as if from a dream. Colder air from its heights felt welcome and familiar—strange to her, as most of her memories she had retained were of vast forest floors and sweeping meadows. There was little reason for her to climb the slopes of the Sunspire, and yet, the silver arrow did so without pause, uncertain where she was drifting to.

It was without rhyme or reason she found it—soft amber eyes feasting upon the stretch of valley before her, nestled in the warm embrace of the mountain. A perfect little haven. The rich lands calling to her to explore—to see what medicinal herbs or plants she could discover, and in turn, extend her knowledge.

But the barrier came with the scent markers, and she halted instantly, disappointment flashing across the girl’s copper mask as she stared longingly to the stretch of paradise just out of her reach. The sun only began to warm with the days promise of sunshine, but Meadow felt nothing but a chill.

tamar only took small trips away.

she curled around her children as often as she was able, lying with them like mother deer and fawns in the curtain of red maples which hid their den from view.

however this hour, she had left them with @Arsenio, well-fed and dozing.

and already zosime had opened her eyes.

there was someone at epoch's new borders. tamar was aware of her own appearance; tousled, smelling of milk and even the lingering sweetness of birth. vulnerable, and yet the stranger was the same. wan beneath the beauty.

"this is epoch." tamar's voice was gentle. "who are you?"

The scent of sweet milk and motherhood drew a pang from her--stirring a longing within her breast that Meadow hadn't even been aware existed until this very moment, and she allowed a thin smile to the beautiful woman of honey and warmth. "I'm sorry. I saw your land from a distance and found it so beautiful I wanted to get a closer look... and then I realized..." It was claimed. Her smile remained, but her muzzle dipped lightly with a hint of deference.

"I'm..." Engi a handsome and dark voice coaxed, the name having sounded foreign and beautiful from such a raspy and masculine voice. Her heart shattered further. "Meadow." Foreign on her tongue, much like her own language--it felt surreal to say so many words in a full sentence once more... To not have to break down to simpler communication for company that could not speak her words.

"You've whelped?" She hoped the assumption was correct and unoffensive. "I've been trained in the ways of healing and medicine. I can... I can offer my assistance to you and yours if you will have me."

tamar felt the pretty eyes settle on her.

meadow. a lovely name that felt like the deep green country in which they both stood. "yes," she said fondly, tail stirring a little. "a boy and twin girls."

it did not feel wrong to say aloud. "i am tamar. my husband is arsenio. there is a man named finch with us." small, but still in their beginnings.

"we need a healer."

Warm. Welcoming. Meadow could feel the urge to be accepted grow within her--time and again, a hearth and home had never worked out for the diminutive girl. And as much as she tried to stomp out her growing hope, she could not stop the feeling of relief beginning to blossom in her chest.

A small pack. A needed healer. A possible home.

She swallowed thickly, tipping her head lower, allowing her rust-tipped tail to curl at her haunch. "Congratulations on your family," she offered, her own thoughts swimming with a dark man's own brood for a moment before her gaze flickered back to the lovely woman. "I... Can I prove my worth to you?"

it was good to be in the company of women.

tamar longed fiercely for aquene. and her heart went to meadow, who appeared in need of a nurturing hand.

she inhaled and made her choice; a nod of red-gold head, a stepping-aside. "their names are antigone, zosime, and zulema"

why did she accept so quickly?

"i am sad, often, now that they are born." tamar's words were hushed. she invited meadow to walk with her. "what is this?"

A pang of longing within her breast, but such emotions as pushed aside in favor of giving the new mother a shy but warming smile. Perhaps, one day, she would bear children of her own. Was such a thing even possible, when her life seemed doomed to have any and all she had ever cared for disappear or leave her?

“Beautiful names,” she murmured, finding herself relaxing in the presence of the regal. Refreshing, for once, to hold normal conversation rather than attempting to decipher meanings of others through body language and foreign tongues.

Before she could comment more or question the woman about her children or pack, Tamar leapt right into territory that was not as well known to the silver arrow. Her brows rose in light surprise and consideration, her heart giving a stutter of nervousness—was she about to prove herself to be useless already? Her experience with new or nursing mothers had been limited—their language different.

“How long ago have you given birth?” The question was soft, her muzzle tilting lightly as she studied the she-wolf who so readily admitted such intimate feelings to her.

"ah, sixteen days."

her voice was hushed but not ashamed; she simply did not wish for arsenio to hear, for him to worry. this was best kept between women, especially if meadow could be trusted as a healer.

the other's open kindness did much to relax tamar. she watched the foliage as they walked, seeing how summer shifted to autumn tones even now.

She contemplated the she-wolfs words, concern idly plucking her heart for a moment, for no matter her attempted strongholds, it would seem her empathy would always win. 

You should rest, she quietly suggested, her tail flicking once as her pace slowed, eyes upon her new leader. What you have accomplished is no small thing. So rest, for now. Sleep when your babes sleep, and hold them close to you. Enjoy them… She trailed off, thoughtful. Longing? 

You have more help now. And I will see what herbs I can find to restore some energy. How is your milk production?

tamar reddened a bit.

but her mother had asked the same things and other women had spoken freely. "it is good. my son, he eats the most. and the two girls, they are twins. sometimes i think zulema must eat more."

her brow furrowed. "sometimes i do not want to suckle them at all. is this a normal thing? will the feeling pass?"

tamar was turning their path back toward her den, having forgotten the wistfulness in meadow's demeanour.

The silver she-wolf considered the pale mother’s concerns, her eyes sweeping over her not in sympathy, but quiet understanding. “I do not know,” she admitted softly—she didn’t. Having never been a mother nor in a position that one was willing to share such information with her left her with the realization that she was perhaps not as prepared for the sole role as a healer as she has previously believed. Briefly, her thought flickered to her previous mentor, and just as swiftly, her heart shut the thought down firmly.

“But I will do everything I can to try to help it pass quickly,” she offered, her tail sweeping to curl at her haunch lightly for a moment. “It can’t be easy to have your life and everything you knew before changed so suddenly.”

wouldn't mind fading this and having another <3

she appreciated meadow's honesty.

"that is good." on impulse the young she-wolf reached forward to press her redgold cheek against that of the new woman's own.

"i had many sisters and aunts and even grandmothers when i was a child. i would like to have such closeness here too. it will help with — how i feel, i think." her voice was soft, shy. arsenio called for her now, and she looked resolutely in that direction. "they are hungry. i must go. but — come and see us. tomorrow?" tamar asked softly, tail swaying.

absolutely!

The display of camaraderie was exactly what the silver Morningside needed, and she felt something in her chest begin to stitch together—like the missing piece of a puzzle.

She agreed to go—to see the woman and her family tomorrow, and the day after, and any other day Tamar felt she needed her. Perhaps as much as Tamar felt she needed Meadow, the newcomer very quickly realized just how much she would need Tamar.