Noctisardor Bypass dropping green

Druid retreated into the shade of the enormous tree, making space for @Kikimora, @Goldfinch, @Artio, @Averie, @Ezra and @Gideon to explore the rendezvous site. She assumed @Heda might join her, though she was glad for a moment’s quiet respite after the adventurous trek.

Her thoughts drifted. The pups would keep growing and integrating into Rivenwood, freeing up some of Druid’s time to spend on other pursuits, like developing pack traditions and otherwise uniting the pack. Yet if she was being honest, her heart just wasn’t in it lately.

Ever since @Etienne had gone away, Druid couldn’t stop thinking about whether @Anselm and her sister might really pair up. Should she step aside? They could be Den Mother and Father, while she could take up a supporting role. She still had her reservations about Anselm, though as long as Heda remained in charge, Druid would support her sister’s choice.

And that might free her up to spend more time on her own, maybe even traveling a little. Perhaps Druid might even join the ranks of transients, once the Butternuts were a bit more independent. The thought brought her comfort and guilt in equal measure, her head ducking with a small sigh.

She stepped away from the tree, shading her eyes against the bright sunlight as she checked on the kids. What did they think of Sequoia’s Spot?

heda continued to not quite-avoid @Anselm. it was truly her discomfort with her reaction around druid's having stumbled upon them that kept her aside, not the man himself. when she found his trails crossing through weald and clearing, she hesitated, forming an adjacent track. the den mother was cordial and warm when they met, though her gaze a specific weight for him alone. but she did not seek him out and he did not look for her either.
it was the truthful sin of her unchecked desire which kept her aside, for heda was shaken by her want for something more with him. glaukos could have been a beginning. but anselm was.
etienne was someone for who she felt much affection. he had saved she and ava. he was gone now, and she couldn't help wondering if he would ever be back. or if he wanted to come back.
she joined druid with a gentle look, knowing that there was more behind the knowing, pretty eyes of her sister than she could ever hope to imagine. "feels like they just got here and already they're off," she sighed, remembering how young her own firstborn had been when they began to explore the island.

The trip from birthing den to rendezvous had not been a particularly long one, but it certainly felt that it was to a girl with such little legs. Kikimora had trailed after the others at the rear of the group, pushing herself to keep up and trying her very best not to be distracted by all the interesting things along the way.

She did not grow as quickly as her siblings, having maintained a scrawny physique. The differences between them were not noticed by the speckled youngster who did not see herself as "runt", but her exhaustion showed as she settled down to rest in the shadows of the Den Mothers to watch the others explore.

Can be just a cameo or I can keep replying!

Gideon's attention was pulled this way and that. He bounded along the path set by the adults like a stray bullet ricocheting down a corridor, first scampering to the left to sniff at a flower, then scrambling to the right to try to snap at a passing insect. A mouse crossed the path ahead of him and caused him to freeze in place. He was unable to sort through the many instinctual pulls he experienced quickly enough to act upon them before it slipped away beneath a bush.

Despite his attention span lasting approximately three seconds at a time the whole way to Sequoia's Spot, Gideon managed somehow to keep tabs on the others. Specifically, he noticed that Kikimora seemed tired by the time they arrived. While he still had plenty of energy, not least of all because he was wired differently, Kiki settled in the shade with Druid and Heda. He paused to eyeball her for a moment before rushing off to examine the edges of the rendezvous.

He found a little red clover nestled in a patch of weeds and plucked it. Gideon trotted back toward the dappled Butternut, dropping the pretty flower almost bashfully before her. Here, Kiki, he said, giving it a little nudge with his nose before prancing back a couple steps. I gotchu a med... Um, a med-suns!

cameo for me. <3

Fiona observed from a distance as the children were gathered, then subsequently scattered themselves, at the rendezvous site. They were less needy now, which meant Fiona had not needed to spend as much time caring for them to give each of the mothers the occasional break. As for herself, she had spent the past several days busying herself with scanning the area for all the local wild flora that could be useful in a medicinal sense. While many preferred to keep a garden, Fiona had been trained in foraging. Memorizing which plants were where would take some time, but she had begun to find Rivenwood's patterns.

Etienne had departed, Fiona assuming he had gone oceanside as she had suggested. Perhaps it would clear his head and make him less of a sourpuss. If only there was such a solution for Anselm, although at least he seemed to be more involved in the lives of his children, which would likely be good for them. It made her wonder on Glaukos's whereabouts, though she thought it best if he stayed away.

The witch waved a paw at both Druid and Heda from across the way, though she would not be sticking around for further fanfare. There were more paths to map and more plants to catalogue.

There was a touch of melancholy in Heda’s comment. Druid felt another flicker of guilt. She was happy to put the early stages of motherhood behind her. She couldn’t wait for the pups to continue reaching milestones and, eventually, independence.

While she thought of what to say, the exchange between Kikimora and Gideon captured her attention. Her brow furrowed a little, wondering why he thought his sister (for all intents and purposes) required medicine. Druid bent down and gave Kiki a once-over, though she seemed fine. In any case, the gesture was very sweet.

Thanks, Giddy, Druid acknowledged, straightening and musing to Heda, Looks like we might have a future healer on our hands?

She shielded her eyes again and spotted Fiona, returning her wave. Druid then turned her attention to the other four, watching as they played what appeared to be a rousing game of monkey in the middle. She cocked her head, trying to figure out what object they’d found to toss around, though she couldn’t tell from here. She should probably go investigate, though she reminded herself not to hover.

Instead, she watched the six children for a little while longer before nudging Heda and tipping her head toward Silverstream. She imagined her sister might not want to leave the pups totally unsupervised just yet, so Druid smiled and walked off to enjoy a solitary stroll.