Hushed Willows pa rum-pa-pum pum

I want kiddos! Any puppers will do!

There were more children in the ranks, now that Morningside was settled in. A few girls and a boy, the latter of which looked positively depressed every time she'd seen him. Little wonder--that pack had gone through so terribly much in the last few moons. She couldn't imagine being in their paws.

Lily had ulterior motives for seeking out the pups, beyond her usual duties as a leader. She needed to become a better caretaker. It seemed beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would bear Khali's children this spring, and the thought of it scared her to bits. She didn't feel prepared at all; she felt like a pup pretending to be a mother, except in that scenario, the real mother would pick up the pieces when she inevitably failed.

But there was no real mother in this scenario, really. What, was she going to ask Seabreeze to raise her children for her? How embarrassing. No, she was on her own--and it was terrifying to comprehend.

The blackbird wandered by the minnow stream, frozen over, now, and placed a paw on the ice. She remembered sliding on the ice with Korei, and she sighed, bowing her head. Such simpler times, gone now. . . As much as she loved Khali and Elysium, she would beg and plead to have such simplicity again, were it available to her.

Since their arrival, Faye has kept to herself and her mother. They didn’t go to the little party because Aviana didn’t want to and she was too afraid of upsetting her mother in the wake of all these changes. What little she’s able to understand isn’t often considered but she does find herself bored most of the time. Even in the Maplewood, she spent most of her time with her mom instead of the other puppies. Occasionally she played with them but it was few and far between.

She finds herself close to the stream, searching for an opening in the ice for a quick drink, but she notices the dark form of another on the ice! Her eyes widen, her heart beating heavy in her chest, bounding closer a few steps to see why the other wolf is so crazy!

So lost in memories she was that Lily didn't notice the girl until she moved quickly, and her pumpkin eyes widened in similar fashion. Cracking a smile, she recognized the child from the pack meeting--one of the Morningsiders. She took her paw off the ice, settling back on her haunches and curling her tail around her paws.

Hallo, she said cheerily, breath fogging in the chilly air. Exploring the stream? I'm sure it's very beautiful when the weather's warmer and it's not frozen over. She bent to sniff at the ice, shaking her head slightly, and then aimed a grin at the girl.

I'm Lily, she offered, not sure if she would remember the name from the pack meeting. More likely, it had been lost in the sea of information given there. What's your name, love?

“I’m Faye,” she says, looking over the water. The concept of seasons has thrown her for a loop lately, especially with all the hubbub of the adults around her. They hardly have time to properly teach her the things she has many, many questions about. She remembers days that are hot, and then warm, and now cold and she doesn’t really like it.
 
Carefully, the girl steps up and puts her paw on the frozen bank. “Can you walk on it?”

Faye, Lily murmured in response, and then pondered the girl's question. Erm, sometimes, she said, remembering the way she and Korei had slid so easily. Yet she had heard nightmarish tales of creatures breaking the ice-- It has to be firm enough. Frozen completely through.

She placed an ebony paw down on the surface again, putting more weight on it. She felt it give, if only slightly, a muffled creak and the ripple of trapped water underneath; she removed her weight quickly and glanced at Faye. See? It's not quite there yet. Perhaps when the winter goes on longer. Otherwise it'll break, and you'll end up in the water.

Lily sat back again, blinking down at Faye. How are you getting on here, so far?

Lily explains the ice can be walked on and Faye watches her demonstrate the current weakness. How long was winter? she thinks with a slight tilt of her head, looking back up to her as she steps back into safety.
 
“The water is too cold to be in,” she says idly, though for no particular reason, but she still tests the ice like her new friend and puts a little weight on it. It doesn’t crack beneath the surface as it did a moment ago but Lily is much bigger. Faye lingers on her little patch of icy and even bounces a little, making it crack. Her eyes widen and she steps back, looking up with a goofy smile of danger on her face.
 
“It is okay, I guess, um, kinda…” she trails off, though she doesn’t really know what she’s trying to say. “I like the trees. We didn’t have any like these.”

She nodded in silent agreement, watching with bated breath as Faye stepped on the ice. She was cautious, thankfully, and stepped back when it began to creak. Lily returned her smile, exhaling with a small sigh and taking in the response.

I know, aren't they gorgeous? she remarked, staring up. I've never lived in trees like these before, either. I like the way they droop down, like a rainstorm. She brought her eyes to Faye again. I liked the Maplewood when I visited Morningside before. Maybe we could go visit together, when spring comes?

It might help, to see her old home again. Then again, it might just be a painful reminder of what she had lost. They spent some time together before they went their separate ways, and Lily was glad to have made the girl's acquaintance--and hopefully, they would get closer, as time went on.