Stone Circle rising

dated 16.09.2019 - 17.09.2019—bwp phase II

her voice is brittle as it rises over the foreign territory, and she promptly huddles in on herself. this is bad. really, really bad. she hasn't stopped trembling since she's found herself in the strange wood, even though it only contributes to the painful throbbing of her ribs. low whines escape her every so often as she imagines Rowan, and her mother, in the wood without her. 

she's never been this terrified, never felt this kind of primal fear. it screams at her to run run run, but the hurt bound around her ribs demands she collapse. every so often she peers over her should instinctively, as if expecting her mother or Rowan to appear there, and each time there is nothing. she stinks of old urine and fear, earth and stone, and the scent seems almost overwhelming.

The ground got worse as if whatever higher power was angry at the land or wolves below. It would shake and grumble and the female knew the aftermath of such events and they normally weren’t good. 

As she she was doing a patrol of the borders a foul smell hit her nose and she went to go check it out to come across a pup curled into a ball. “Little one can you hear me?” She seemed incoherent and Kiran started to worry and she let out a howl @Valette.

a stranger—despite being the one to have called for her, moonshadow immediately feels a cold bolt of fear. still, she manages to offer a faint "yeah," in response, adding after a beat, "I need help." her tongue darts out to pass over her lips, aware of what had happened last time she'd encountered strangers and desperately hoping this wouldn't be the same.

The little one heard her and responded, that was a very good sign in her eyes however due to why happened to one of Valettes pups; Kiran didn’t know how they’d feel about her taking her within the borders so she decided she’d help her here instead of taking the risk. “What happened? Are you injured and if so where at?”

Valette heard the worried howl from Kiran. The female instantly got to her feet. She rushed tot he border and to the female that send out the howl. She had been alert since Leta's attack and she felt that the worried howl was probably the scent or perhaps a glance from the female. However, as she arrived on the scene it was clear that it was not a case connected to the black-faced female. Valette stopped when her eyes fell on a pup. A frown fell on her maw. "Kiran?," she spoke for explanation.

two strangers, now. her bravery faltered, but it took a swan dive when the new stranger frowned. they knew, somehow, and she remembered distinctly the yelling, the howls, south of the woods. you don't belong here. she swallows, eyes growing blurred with tears. "I'm sorry. I'm—sorry. I'll go." she surges to her feet, wincing, and takes an uneasy step back. this was a bad idea - Niamh had made it clear what others thought of them. blinking, she shuffles backward, and should none of the women stop her, she'd eventually turn tail and shuffle away from the borders, regret and fear crashing down.

She saw the pup struggle to get up, her wounds could be worse than what she could see and she looked to the pup “wait please your hurt.” She looked over to Valette. “I’m not asking to bring her beyond the borders but she’s injured. If you’ll let me I’d like to heal her and then get her home.” She couldn’t live with herself if she let her go and the pup died.

Valette instantly noticed the pup was injured. Her motherly heart jerked. She trotted forward and blocked the path of the child. It was around the age of her young. She couldn't even phantom the thought of how worried this pups mother must be. "Nonsense," she stated to the pup. "You are hurt, sweetie," Valette spoke and stepped closer slowly as the pup seemed skittish. As she got closer she instantly recognized the scent hanging to the female's coat. Valette paused in her step. "Blackfeather," she hissed through her teeth.

Her hazel green eyes looked at the girl keenly. She knew of this pack. Her father had lived there for a long time, her brother as well. She knew it wasn't a good pack. However, this was a child. A timid child. And well, her father wasn't... bad. She had forgiven him for that. She nodded to Kiran. "Get what you need while I talk to the girl," Valette spoke. Of course, this child needed to be treated. "You can take refuge here, but for that I need you to be honest. What happened? Why are you alone and injured? Where is your mother? I need to know if I am going to give you protection within my family." To become her mother. Valette would take in a stray within a heartbeat however, her past made her cautious. Nikai and Keoni had brought drama with them, assassination.

as soon as the authoritative woman approaches her, she stops dead, cowering. her words, similar to those of her own mother, have her relax slightly, gaze peering up furtively. and then she's hissing the name blackfeather, and if moonshine had any doubts about how widely hated her home was, they're gone now. her gaze hits the dirt again, and she mutters a fast and worried "sorrysorrysorry" 

she's half expecting the "or else" niamh had promised, and her words to the other woman had her heart plummet. what she needed? her thoughts plummeted immediately to the worst case scenario, though Valette's next words seemed to be the opposite of that. "I was in the moutains I like them I like them more than Blackfeather and then I went further than I had before and then the ground moved and I fell and there was lots of rocks and I was in a forest that I didn't know and then I walked here I'm sorry and mom's still in blackfeather I didn't tell her I didn't tell them where I was going." it comes out in a streamlined rush of words, completely honest in the face of her terror. her gaze doesn't leave the dirt, drawing shaky breath.

Permission to skip Kiran!

The girl was very timid it seemed. Valette raised a brow. She didn't seem one raised by Blackfeather. The Matriarch stood by the female, as Kiran moved away to get herbs. The girl started a wave with words. It was good that the girl was honest. She didn't like Blackfeather, especially not a home for a kid. "Alright, thank you for being honest," she spoke more kindly. The ground had moved here too, or at least, it rumbled. "Your mother will be worried, I assume? Looking for you?," she asked.

Her motherly side felt that she should tell the other mother she had found her child. But Valette's selfish side told her that she had lost two of her children, so she could fill that void by adopting this one. "Do you want to go back to Blackfeather?," she asked the young girl.

the woman's question earns a quick nod, her pain forgotten as adrenaline serves to numb her entirely while at the same time having her forepaw bounce rapidly. her next question goes unanswered for a long moment, and then, "my brother's there." it's hardly an answer, but it's the most honest she's been about her bonds to the wood in a long while.

Valette watched the youngster as she wanted an answer from her. Then it came finally. Her brother was there. There was nothing about her mother, it was only the mention of her brother. "I get that you will miss your brother, but if you choose to live here you might not see him that often," she pointed out. 'We don't have good connections with Blackfeather," she explained to the child.

the thought of not seeing her brother made her heart seize and her eyes widen; he was who she loved most in the world, besides her mother. she's fervently convinced this can't be the case; somehow, it's not possible. the concept of joining the pack becomes suddenly clear, and in that moment, she truly considers the depth of her circumstance. she has no idea where she is, hurt in ways she does not understand, and yet—something marks the woman before her as trustworthy, and though the path before her seems the only option, she's not scared to take it. "I understand." she said finally,  glancing up to woman finally. "I'd—I'd like to stay. please." 

Valette nodded to the young female. "Alright," she spoke in return. However, this was not just on her only. Valette howled to her mate @Greyback. She would not make this decision alone. This was a child, yes, and she would help her get on her way but Greyback was unwilling to adopt this girl. Valette loved to have more children of her own. But she was not so blinded to just randomly accept a pup as her own without the approval of her mate.