Silvertip Mountain I wasn't in Vienna

@Niita, counseling for you!

It had been a full day since Ezekiel's talk with Steady. The black wolf had really opened up to him, telling about his problems and such. Zeke thought he'd done a pretty decent job encouraging his alpha, and if he'd done as good as he hoped, he might've even solved a problem. He had gone into the conversation thinking maybe he wouldn't be a great counselor, but afterwards decided he liked helping others. It had definitely been good to know that he could do something helpful other than patrol around.

One of Steady's problems had been Niita. He didn't want her to be a scout because he didn't want her away all the time. But he also wanted her to be happy. Steady was a good guy, and would make a great boyfriend to her. He just didn't want to lose her. Ever since the chat, the large grey male had been thinking about what he could say to Niita to maybe help with their issue. If he could clear it up, he would be confident in his abilities as a counselor. But he wouldn't seek her out, he'd just talk next time he saw her. He wasn't one to go out of his way to talk to others, but if given the chance, he would. He laid in his den in the hollow, enjoying the day as a butterfly fluttered by. Summer was here at last.

not sure where this fits into her timeline but meh

Niita wandered the territory, admiring the foliage that had returned with a small smile on her face. Silvertip really was beautiful now that the plants had returned. The pale girl was lost in her thoughts, snapped out of them as the large frame of Ezekiel appeared.

Smiling, Niita approached him. She hadn't really talked to him much, not since seeing him at Zaria's death. "Hey, Zeke!" Niita called in greeting, closing the distance between them. "How are things?"

Ezekiel opened his eyes to hear a voice, a friendly one. Reluctant to break from his nap, but finding this a good time to speak to Niita, Zeke raised his lazy bones from his den under the tree and trotted towards the white female. He nodded to her respectfully, unlike with some of the newer and lower ranking members of the pack, Niita he felt comfortable around. With her, ranks weren't that important, so he never thought to stress his dominance. Hey Niita! Did Steady ask you yet? He said, knowing of his friend's wish for Niita to be his mate. He didn't know if Steady had asked yet or not, but he was sure Niita wouldn't keep it from him.

Niita had always considered Zeke a friend, after he had relaxed in her presence and lost his usual stoic attitude around her, enjoying their relaxed atmosphere. Neither cared about dominance or submission so long as the other didn't enforce it and Niita considered him her closest friend here. 

Niita grinned widely, tail wagging overtime as she recalled her recent swimming session with Steady. "Yeah. We're officially mates." She was practically glowing with happiness though she was unaware of how unhappy Steady would be when she left with Anita. Niita would be trying her hardest to get home quickly though, after that she would take a break from scouting.

Ezekiel was ecstatic to hear the news. He'd known it would happen from the moment he met Niita at the border, and Steady had wanted to give her a tour himself. The black wolf had always had a crush on the white one. And now they were finally and officially together. That's great news! Steady and I were just talking about you the other day. He wanted to ask you so much, I felt bad for him. I'm glad he did it, very happy for you. He smiled teasingly, thinking about their joking conversation about Steady's soon to be mate. Then another thought came to his head.

Steady said you were going for the scouting trade? He said he was going to be sad when you left him you know. He said, wondering her side of the story. He liked to hear everyone's point of view before deciding his own.

Niita beamed as he spoke, happy that it hadn't been a snap decision and that Steady actually had wanted to be her mate. It would've made her question their relationship if Steady decided to just ask her impulsively one day. "Thanks." Niita replied cheerfully, her mirth vanishing as Zeke brought up how sad Steady would be with her gone.

Her ears flattened and her tail stop its wagging, her brows furrowing slightly in confusion. "I knew he would miss me, I'm going to miss him as well,  but I'm not leaving him or anything." It was a curious choice of words, Niita would be back in a few days.

"I can't just sit around and be useless, I want to help the pack and becoming a Scout is a good way to. I know I haven't exactly been around a lot but I was looking for the pups. That counts for something, right?" The last bit was an anxious mumble, concerned that she was being a bad pack member by being gone so much.

Ezekiel didn't like to see that he'd made her sad. He'd hoped to be able to keep spirits high, even if they were talking about a rough subject. But he listened all the same. He could tell she didn't want to leave Steady. She just wanted to feel like a contributing member of the pack. He knew the feeling, and she was right. Being a scout was always a helpful thing. He just worried that too many times of her leaving and saying good bye to her mate would end up with a goodbye for good. He trusted that wouldn't happen, he knew they loved each other, but still.

Of course it counts for something. That's amazing. You try your best all the time Niita. Nobody thinks that you don't. If being a scout is what you want to do, then go for it. Just know that even if you aren't always contributing, no one thinks that you are useless. Hell I spend tons of days doing nothing, but I'm still gamma. He smiled, hoping to cheer her up again. And what he said was true. Everyone in the pack loved Niita. She was friendly and outgoing, and easy to get along with. She didn't have to be a scout to keep her place in the pack, but if she wanted to explore it wasn't his place to discourage her.

Niita listened intently as he spoke, trying to believe what he said. She didn't have many fears, save for her aversion to touch around her neck and being forced to submit. Niita was getting over that steadily, thanks to her mate. Hopefully the scene between her and Zeke wouldn't ever happen again, with anyone.

The one thing she truly feared was being useless, being pushed aside as she had back in Asmundr. It wasn't so much that she had been useless but more like she had been a decorative piece. Niita had helped to hunt and such in Asmundr but most of her pack mates didn't seem to want her there, as if they feared she would try to uproot Kainan take back the leadership for herself. It had led to her eventual banishment and even now Niita feared the same rejection. 

"Thanks, Zeke." Niita smiled, happy he was her friend. "After I get back I'm gonna take a break from scouting for a bit. Hopefully that will put some of Steady's worries at ease." Niita chuckled a bit, looking forward to coming home after the trip.

Niita thanked him, and once again Zeke felt capable of being a counselor. She was gonna take a break from scouting after her return, which sounded good enough to Zeke. He knew Steady would be glad, he only hoped that Niita was satisfied with herself. I'm sure he'll be fine either way, but I know he'll be happy to see you when you get back. He returned the smile, glad to see his friend in a cheery mood again. Another thought popped into his mind, and he opened his mouth to speak again. Where are you going? He referred to where she would scout. Perhaps he could direct her somewhere good? He had explored Teekon a bit and knew some pretty neat places he'd like to advise her towards. Ravensblood still being a favorite, but also a fan Northstar Vale.

Niita nodded, hoping it was true. She didn't want Steady to be unhappy, hopefully giving scouting a break would reassure him. Besides, she was getting tired of travelling, a break would do her good. It would be nice to stay home for awhile and spend time with her packmates.

"I want to take Anita to see Moonstone Quarry, it's really beautiful there. She wants to become a Scout as well and I figured it would be a good chance for us both to go." Niita gave a small shrug, curious what Zeke would think given his rivalry with Anita when she had first joined.

Moonstone Quarry, and she was taking Anita with him. Bless you Niita. Zeke thought sarcastically, glad to know that Anita wouldn't be bothering him for at least a day. She had become moderately bearable. Both of them were making an effort to be less mean to each other, but still. She always seemed to be there. Niita could have Anita for as long as she wanted, he was completely fine with it. You and Anita are getting along then? He said, a little bit of bitterness in his voice but not directed towards Niita. It seemed everyone liked Anita, but him.

Deciding to give some advice about her destination anyways, so Ezekiel spoke up again. Never been to a quarry, maybe I'll check it out. Don't mean to sound bossy but you should go check out Ravensblood Forest if you get a chance. It's not far from here and it's neat. He said, hoping she'd go. He really did like the place, and thought Niita probably would too. Then again it was a forest that looked like it was bleeding. That was cool to Zeke, but he didn't know if Niita was more into cool or pretty.

Niita nodded, amusement on her face from the lingering rivalry between the two. "Yes, I get along with her quite well. I consider her a good friend of mine. You two might get along better if you just apologized to each other and moved on." Niita offered him the same advice she had given Anita.

"I'll consider it, I would have to ask her if she wanted to stop on the way back or such." Niita shrugged, wondering why it was called Ravensblood. Did the birds bleed?

A good friend of Niita's? Anita? Ezekiel didn't quite catch the appeal, but maybe for once he should take someone else's advice. Apologize. He felt he didn't have anything to apologize for. It all began when Anita simply hadn't liked his dominance so she stepped on his paw. What did he have to apologize for? Maybe getting her demoted to omega for a week, but it wasn't his fault! Apologizing, or even finding something to apologize for would be hard for him, but he could try. He respected Niita's advice, and she probably knew a thing or two about talking to girls. Zeke had almost completely forgotten their first real conversation together.

She'd consider going to Ravensblood, but once again it seemed Anita was in the way. He didn't want to talk about Anita anymore, so he continued with telling her about the forest. Well of course if you have time. It's kind of magic lookin. The trees are huge like sequoias I guess. And it's a light green ferny color and it's sunny. But the best part is the sap coming out of the trees is red. Sounds kind of creepy but it's great. He chuckled a little, he always found that he talked more around friends.

Niita listened with intrigue, glad Ezekiel had opened up since meeting her. Perhaps it was just the same misunderstanding between he and Anita that she had initially felt between them. Anita was headstrong and probably took Zeke's usually stoic nature not as easily as Niita have. Perhaps it was just that Niita had an inherent need to make everyone feel welcome, to be friends with everyone that she had been able to push past Zeke's boundaries. She would never know. 

"Sounds creepy," Niita laughed with a chuckle. "It sounds worth visiting though, maybe if I don't get a chance I could go there on a different time," she pondered aloud. 

"You know, you would make a good counselor," Niita pointed out, nudging him friendly. It seemed she has a perchance for pointing out people's skills, like the Captain Obvious she was.

So she thought it was creepy, but at least she thought it might be worth visiting. Ezekiel shrugged and added, Yeah, it's worth it if you do. Though it seemed she had really only been thinking aloud. Niita did that a lot, think aloud. Zeke found it a little funny. He thought a lot too, but usually in his head. Niita was curious girl, and clearly and avid thinker. She pointed out he should be a counselor, and gave him a friendly nudge. The nudge shocked him a bit, usually he only got that kind of thing from Steady, but he didn't mind. It was Niita after all. 

You think? I was actually thinking of being a counselor already. I've been trying to talk more. To my pack mates. He explained, quickly shifting to a more comfortable position. It wasn't until then that he'd remembered that he was supposed to be napping. Time does fly when your doing things.

Niita nodded, sensing their talk growing to a close. She didn't have anything else to say on the Ravensblood topic, thinking internally for once that she would have to visit it sometime if not on this trip. It wasn't likely she would make any stops, she was eager to get it over with and get back home. 

"Well I think you're doing good. You don't look so grumpy anymore," Niita teased him gently, smiling to let him know it was only a joke. "But seriously, you have gotten better at talking to people," she added on a more solemn note, proud of her friend.

"I should probably get going, you look beat and I think I interrupted your nap," Niita gave him a sheepish grin, deciding to let him get back to sleeping.

Ezekiel scoffed playfully at Niita's jest. She called him grumpy, which he was. But according to her, he'd gotten better. He nodded to her compliment, glad to hear he didn't suck at talking as much as he used to. It had become easier, but still was a struggle. Gee thanks. He said sarcastically, he also noticed that it seemed their conversation was coming to a close.

She was ready to leave, Zeke shook his head to her comment. You did! I was about to get to sleep and in you came. No I'm glad to stopped by. Hope your scouting trip goes good. He said, wishing her farewell. After she left, he would go back to his den and get that nap in.

Last for me!