Hushed Willows what even is a good thread title

There were new scents around the willows, some of which that struck her as familiar—which she'd later come to find out was Puck, the young man she'd met briefly—while others were completely foreign. Unfortunately, she was so tied up with the trio that she hadn't really had a chance to put faces and names to the smells. But the kids were getting bigger, and needed less supervision with each day.

She had taken to sitting just outside the den, and the children could toddle to her when they needed her. Lily was spending the afternoon basking in the sun; the clouds were thick, but it peeked out every once in a while, filtering down through the trees. Her eyes were half-closed, one constantly wavering toward her children, who were napping nearby.

On the one hand, she was sad that they were growing so fast. On the other hand. . .free time. My goodness. What a concept.

@Ephraim?

We're going to pretend that somewhere along the line, someone had recommended Lily to Ephraim as a good person to talk to. He had never really found the opportunity to open up while running with Drageda, but these wolves didn't know him, his past or how his former pack operated. He had no reason to suspect that they would refuse to listen to the quiet plea behind his words. He still cared deep down for his former comrades, Vercingetorix especially, but he hadn't felt like he could talk to any of them. His one attempt had been drowned out by his childishness and the other wolf's narrow way of thinking.

But the nightmares weren't stopping and something had to be done, so he wandered through the willows, searching for a wolf of Lily's description. He found her soaking up the rays of sun that occasionally beamed through the cloud cover. Nerves erupted in his belly at the sight of her—how do you approach a stranger with something that felt so intimately personal? But it wasn't, and eventually he crept forward, cleared his throat and timidly asked, are you Lily?

Her head lifted with some alarm at the unfamiliar smell and pawsteps; safe as Elysium was, motherhood had put her on guard for any and all threats, and it wasn't an instinct she could shove down. She let herself relax as the coywolf approached, nodding and beaming at his question. Yes, I am, she answered, blinking softly.

Lily dipped her muzzle slightly, giving him a polite, warm stare. You must be one of the newcomers I haven't met yet, she said. Her nostrils flared and picked up traces of salt and sea, and a smell that reminded her of Helix. Drageda? Rusalka? She wasn't sure. She'd let him make his own introduction.

Lily affirmed that she was who herself, and Ephraim's throat bobbed with an apprehensive swallow. Now that he was here, he had no idea what to say. It seemed prudent to start at the beginning, but also inappropriate to unload so much baggage on her without knowing her. And were you supposed to bring a gift to these kinds of things? What was the protocol?

A name. Giving her his name was a good start. I'm Ephraim, he said, faltering over his tongue to stop himself from adding kom Drakru to that. His belly fluttered once more. What if she knew his name? What if she knew he was from Drageda, what if she told them he was here? Or what if she told Rusalka he was here?

It was all so ridiculous, and he knew it was, but it took him a long time to reason it out to himself. When he did, surely looking extremely socially awkward in the process, he hesitantly shared, I was told you're a good person to talk to? About... uh, personal things?

She logged the name with a nod, keeping it tucked away. Whether he was here for an instant or a lifetime, she would remember him. She remembered everyone who'd taken refuge with them. At his question, her smile grew—not necessarily wider, but warmer, in recognition. The selfish part of her was pleased she was gaining that kind of reputation; the counselor was eager to help him.

I'm happy to listen, Lily confirmed. And I do try to offer help or advice. But mostly I just listen. She raised her brows, tail swishing behind her. Come, sit closer to me if you'd like. The children are sleeping, so we may have to be a bit quiet unless we want to wake them—and trust me, angry tired puppies are not something you'd want to deal with, she teased, eyes sparkling.

Once he'd (hopefully) approached, she gave him a kind, inquisitive look. What's on your mind?

Even as Lily offered some reassurance and a listening ear with a small dose of humour, Ephraim shuffled nervously. Where to start? He was afraid she would secretly think everything he told her was stupid. The stupid fears of a stupid boy with all his insecurities. That's all he was, anyway. A stupid boy. He'd been a stupid boy to run away from thunder and get lost and be taken in by a pack that was somehow enemies with his family, and he was a stupid boy for going to war with that pack, only to find out the enemy was the very family he had lost. He was a stupid boy for missing the thought of a family he might have had almost as badly as he missed the one that had adopted him.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. So he sat there for a while, gnawing on his lip and trying to think of the best place to start. The beginning, he supposed. Nothing else made sense without the beginning. So, uh, when I was little I got lost... He decided to leave out the storm part. It would only make her think he was a wuss. And Ephraim might have been that, but he was eager to preserve what little pride he had left. He'd left most of it behind on the beach in Drageda, but there was still a little of it there, and he was loathe to let it go by admitting he was afraid of flashing lights in the sky. And I was taken in by another family, and they took care of me and kept me safe. Then they got into this huge fight with another family, he paused, breathing out a long sigh.

I was in the battle with them, because I owed them my life, but then everything got... weird. Everyone's faces kind of melted off and I got really freaked out and attacked someone in my family. By accident, but... Blackbear hadn't lasted long in Drageda after that, and Ephraim couldn't help thinking that was his fault, too. He blamed himself for so much more than he deserved to take credit for. It was easy to keep spiraling that way, easier than talking himself out of it. Anyway, then I found out the family we were fighting is my real family, which is just so fucked up, and now I'm pretty sure they hate me because I hate them for attacking the family that took me in and I can't sleep properly and when I do sleep, I dream about the fight. Sometimes I think I dream about it when I'm awake too. God, that sounded so stupid. What was he, a four month old pretending to play monsters?

It was a story that started out fairly familiar—little boy lost was a narrative she'd heard before. It quickly, though, spiraled into something more tragic, and Lily's brows drew together as she listened, face placid but sorrowful throughout. When Ephraim had finished, she let silence settle between them before a couple of moments, and then nodded, as if finally having processed all of it.

She hadn't, but she'd give a good show of it, at least.

I can't imagine how you must feel, she murmured, blinking solemnly at him. To be caught between families like that. Especially when violence is involved. . .little wonder you've been having nightmares about it. She frowned, then, shifting her weight a bit. Surely your 'real' family can't truly hate you? You were young, Ephraim; you had no way of knowing that your new family was their enemy.

Lily took another deep breath, catching that same familiar scent. Was this on the coast, by any chance? she pried.

Since you're on your tech vacation and Ephraim has left Elysium, I'm gonna fade this one out! Hope that's cool.

Lily understood. That alone lifted a heavy weight off Ephraim's chest. He never expected that someone would actually understand what he was going through; Vercingetorix certainly hadn't, and Blixen hadn't even tried. The only other wolf he thought might have an idea was Antumbra, and the endless sea had swallowed her, so he would never know. But just hearing small wonder made his body feel lighter, his eyes a little less sunken.

I'm pretty sure they do, said Ephraim. H— my pack leader told me they left me behind in the battle. Antumbra had made it sound like a good thing, like Caiaphas and her brood were unworthy of him, and maybe she was right about that. Another time, he might have believed it. Now all it made him feel was the opposite. What worth did he have if even his blood left him behind?

She asked if it was on the coast and panic swept through his breath, forcing him to quickly answer, no. Then, because that was about as suspicious as suspicious could get, he amended, close to there. And then, with Lily's gentle coaxing, Ephraim began to speak of the nightmares that tugged him in two directions; of the voices that jeered at him when sleep deprivation became too heavy for him to handle; of the sense of being lost on an errant wave, not knowing who he was or where to go next. And slowly, through discussion, he began to feel a little better.