Stone Circle just gonna stand there and watch me cry

marten didn't take the side step personally -- he realized as soon as he had begun to move towards her he probably shouldn't have, though he was already in motion. laurel had been a bit more standoffish than usual, and that was just how it was. marten didn't question it or bother to confront her about it. that was just how it was now. he figured it had something to do with the pregnancy. that was as far as he thought about it.

he shook his head. "no clue," he said, nose twitching as he looked it over. when valette appeared did marten give a quick head bow, tail wagging gently. "hi mrs. valette," marten greeted in return, falling silent as she quickly dove into an explanation. she must've overheard them. 

when valette mentioned his grandmother being buried there, marten found himself feeling uncomfortable... for a few reasons. but it wasn't with the news itself. he was actually pretty pleased that valette was upfront and honest with him -- it made him feel a little bit more at home here. indra was always honest with him -- never treated him like he couldn't handle something. it was the fact that she called the wolf his grandmother... marten, to a fault and as i've already mentioned, truly regarded only indra as his family... laurel by extension. xan was family, a good enough father though maybe a bad wolf, but marten knew roughly nothing about anyone else. and to hear about a grandmother was just... unsettling. 

unsure if he wanted the tie to this wolf that valette pressed upon him, marten asked instead, "what does her stone mean?" it seemed lighter than asking for her name.