Silver Creek come, ye sisters, come

WC: 693

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Oryx’s heart was a flutter when Addison drew herself up to speak. Reverent and eager, she listened with her two dark ears cupped forward- an unusual gesture for the female who was used to keeping her ears turned back out of respect or deference. When the dark female with pale legs showed up, she took her place alongside Addison, and Oryx found herself wondering if she was a part of the family as well- surely she had to be, either that or she simply felt very entitled. She was given a stark look from Addison, but Oryx tried not to read up into it too much; these women were to be her sisters, in a sort of way- just as her step-sisters had been seen as true family as she’d grown up. Another female joined the group- and then another. One had a pale, silver-dusted group, with lovely eyes that were the colour of an orchid’s petals, so soft but shimmery at the same time. The final wolf to join them found her place along Addison’s other side, and she seemed to share a resemblance with Harrison, at least in terms of the shade of her pelt. Not a single wolf present wasn’t exquisite and lovely in their own way; it was slightly intimidating to be sated amongst such beautiful she-wolves, but at the same point, it was also flattering to have been accepted into their midst.

It would seem, then, that several of the females present had been a part of the travelling group for some time- this discouraged Oryx slightly, but she tried to tell herself not to doubt herself too much...But it was hard. Several of these women would have already established themselves as ladies, and had made connections not only between each other, but with the Odolf brothers as well. That was something that Oryx found slightly discouraging- as though the others had been given a head start and she was left to try and play catch up, as much as she was able to do. She wondered to herself if any had formed a bond with Harrison...But at the same time, it might not have mattered if they had. Grayson, after all, would be the one to make marriage selections, so perhaps he was the one that Oryx would need to impress...But not so much as to draw his attention to her. Social status was such a tiring thing to seek.

She was not discouraged or outraged at all when Addison told the group that hunting, fighting and scouting were off the table for them- instead, she found it hard to believe. Would she really only be expected to act proper and provide help for the pups of the pack? There weren’t even any children yet...But surely she could busy herself in other ways, could she not? She ought to start gathering herbs before the winter really settled in...And perhaps start developing other trades, such as storytelling or astronomy. She would have plenty of time to nurture those trades before the pups arrived, and she could only hope that when that time came around, that she would be busy with her own children, rather than simply taking care of someone else’s. Grayson would be the one to have the final say in that matter, of course, but the girl could still hope.

Rather than being intimidated or discouraged by the slight threat made, Oryx’s confidence soared. This was something she could do...All of it was something that she could do, and she felt comfortable, finally, in this sort of a setting. She could hardly believe what was happening, just now- that she had found a pack where she could be safe, and stick only to trades which suited her as a woman. She wouldn’t need to worry about strangers along the border, or getting injured while participating in a pack hunt...Nor would she have to worry about starving with the males there to take care of them. She shuffled herself forward just a touch, eager to hear more, and nodded happily, eyes shimmering. This was almost too amazing to be real.

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