Sun Mote Copse It is raining in my heart

@Weejay 

On her way to meet Eljay and discuss some hunting related matters, Wraen stopped by, where Weejay's garden had been during the summer. The cold spells, frost, snow and wind had not been kind to the fragile plants. The green grass had gained a yellowish-brown hue, the flower stalks and leaves had turned dark and roten looking and the blossoms were wilted. It had a sad and abandoned look of it and the sovereign wondered, if anyone had explained to the girl that this was a natural order of things and that come spring all would be alive and in bloom again.

Weejay had since indeed abandoned her garden.  No longer guardian to her topiary, she now roamed their little copse in a dejected and often purposeless fashion. She missed her flowers and the moss; she missed her brother and her mom -- and winter seemed just another stroke of bad luck come to take more things from her. 

Weejay's eyes were on the ground as she walked -- which made her nearly walk into Wraen. Standing at attention the girl offered a bleary blink of her tired eyes, wondering why it looked as if Wraen were searching for someone -- and why she was here near her abandoned garden . Hello. The girl offered, knowing it was rude to ignore an adult's presence.

"Hello, Weejay," Wraen greeted the girl and took a good look at her. She remembered, what Eljay had told her about his daughter - she let on less of what was truly going on inside her heart. But her sadness was very perceptible and one was blind, if they did not see it. There were plenty of reasons for her to be that way, but Sovereign had to admit that because of spending so much time with Elfie, who had seemed well-adjusted to all of the changes and blows life had offered him, she had assumed that Weejay was... if not the same, then a little similar at least.

That's, what happens with assumptions. There is always an "ass" in them, which renders them invalid and wrong. "Would you like to come for a walk with me?" she offered.

Weejay fussed under Wraen's inspection, though kept her objections silent. She was not sure what Wraen was seeing when she looked at her -- but she hoped that the leader came away with no negative conclusions. 

Her gaze remained studiously on the ground until Wraen spoke again; a walk? Glancing from the Sovereign to her den, Weejay wondered if maybe she was in trouble. Sure. She hadn't remembered doing anything bad.. but maybe Wraen was here to lecture her on her frequent forays outside of the pack -- much to the detriment of her poor father's content.

Weejay agreed and Wraen felt a little confused for a moment, because she had expected a negative answer. Now she had a silent companion that she knew very little about and there was no promise that she would be able to dig just as deep as she had with the rest of her family. The Sovereign had no doubts that Eljay's daughter and look-alike was a very good and nice kid, but it would take some time for her to find and see the glow of that precious gem inside. 

"How have you been doing?" she asked the simplest question in stock, but there were multiple ways of answering that.

Weejay was in truth, still waiting for the hammer to fall. So when Wraen started it off with a question -- a rather general one at that -- the girl could not help but shiftily glance up to her superior, wondering if this was all some sort of trick. Was she in trouble, or not?

In her life she had not known Wraen to be full of guile, but she had not known adults to approach her either, unless she was in trouble or some bad news was to be shared. Never had she been approached for the sake of simple companionship by an adult -- that type of company did not come until much later.

This hastened her heartbeat - if she was not in trouble, which it seemed she was not, then the only other option was something bad had happened. To her father? To her brother?

"I'm fine." Came the clinical answer, followed by what would have been an astute squint to any observer - for while Weejay was not a gifted child, she was no doddard. "How come? Did something happen?"

"You are not in any trouble, don't worry," Wraen reassured the girl, when she thought she caught a glint of panic in her eyes. Sovereign wondered briefly, whether there might be a plausible reason for the girl to feel that way, but she dismissed the thought entirely. Weejay was a good girl and there was no reason to be suspicious of kids. At least she had not had any with this season's batch. 

"I know that you and Elfie were close. With him gone to Asterism Grove, I just wanted to check up on you," she explained. At this point she was able to speak calmly about the boy's absence, because the fateful earthquake had not yet taken place.

Weejay would have been the exact opposite of calm, had she known what was in store for Elfie. Thankfully she was spared the burden of foresight, and instead looked to Wraen with a sense of slowly fading unease. Now that Wraen's intentions were plain, Weejay felt less on guard -- she often wondered if her father would ever take it upon himself to ask the Sovereign to speak to her firmly about how frequently she wandered from home.

Elfie was a difficult subject for Weejay: she wished sometimes she had gone with him, but she was too attached to her family -- or, father, now that the brother was (relatively) out of the picture. She hedged a sigh, trying on a smile that felt all too fake. "I'm okay. I've found some plants that don't die in the winter, and I miss my garden.. but otherwise, things are fine." That last statement was a woeful lie, and it showed behind the guilty flicker of her eyes.

"Your garden will be reborn in spring," Wraen replied, as if she had not noticed that the girl was not fine at all. She decided it was best not to press the subject further, because it would make their fragile connection turn into dust. Sovereign could guess, what might have been wrong and why, and only hoped that one day she and Eljay's daughter could become such good friends that she could give her some relief.

"I have seen three springs in my life and it happens every time," she smiled at the girl. "You are soon to join the adult ranks - have you thought about a particular trade you would like to pursue? Seeing your interest in plants I would suggest a naturalist or a medic," she spoke, feeling like an old and all too serious person. "Or maybe you have other interests I am not aware of?"

Weejay didn't think Wraen had detected her lie - that was her youth and inexperience showing, for she was not yet old enough to recognize, adults often could fill in the blanks on what was not said. She smiled briefly as Wraen mentioned plants had a habit of returing -- yet her expression turned more serious as the topic delved into something else: trades.

Her daddy had talked to her about healing, and Weejay had seemed interested - but so far, she hadn't had a chance to put any practicalities to use.. And she found, that the more she spent with others, the more tired she was - so maybe, she wasn't the social butterfly she had once assumed herself to be. It could have all been circumstantial too (not that Weejay picked up on it): she was young, she was growing, she was stressed, she missed Elfie -- any adult could see, that things were a bit topsy-turvy in Weejay's World presently.

"Is naturalist closest to plant-tending? Daddy showed me some plants and what they do for healing, but I like tending to them better than people."

"Naturalist as a term describes many trades. But I think that the one that would fit your interests best is..." Wraen paused, the name was on the tip of her tongue, but she could not recall it right away. "...botanist. Basically they know not only, what the plant does - is it edible or poisonous, or healing - but they also observe them and find out, what conditions make them grow the best. I have heard that in some cases you can even predict weather, if you know, what signs to look for," she explained.

I will formally request the trade shortly! But figured, writing about it, would be a good way for her to show ICly she's ready!

Weejay's ears were perked in full as Wraen paused, summing up the word that came to mind. Botanist. It had a ring to it that enamored Weejay immediately; her little tail wagged as Wraen continued, detailing just how 'botanist' fell within the spectrum of 'Naturalist'.

Weejay thought it was all quite fascinating -- but most of all the last part. "Oh! I know!!" She blurted, excited to share what she had learned from her little jaunts into the woods. "It's true! Sometimes I've noticed the maple tree outside of our old den will get weird before it's about to storm. It gets listless! And the leaves, you can see the underside of them. But also, I noticed that the sunflowers like to follow the sun!!" Unfortunately for Wraen, Weej could talk about plants, trees, and flora all day long. If she wanted to slip a word in edgewise, she might have to physically clamp Weejay's mouth shut. "I know about healing plants too!! Daddy told me he used this moss, it's the one that grows on the river over there -" Weejay pointed excitedly towards the river that Elfie had dug his trench, and Weejay had declared one of her first plants: "I call it moonmoss, because it makes these tiny little pale round flowers - but they're good for stemming blood! And, I use them sometimes to water the crinkle-flowers Aengus got me. You can roll them in a little ball, and they die," Weejay's expression grew momentarily upset, but lifted: "but the moss and the soilpack keep in moisture, so it's good for getting water when it isn't raining much. Oh, and!!" Weejay's eyes lit up. "did you know some trees talk to one another?" She was being dead serious. "Aengus -- that's my friend -- and I found a patch of cypress trees! We were looking for them, because he has a relative named Cypress and it's also his middle name, and I wanted to show him the trees! Did you know they get really tall? And sometimes, their root networks touch each other!! So if one tree is sick, they send it nutrients. There aren't a lot of plants that do that, but trees do! Isn't that cool?" Wraen, now was your chance to shut Weejay up, lest the floodgates open..

Lucky for Weejay, Wraen had had four years to learn, how to stay quiet, pay attention and truly listen, when spoken to. The change from the shy and withdrawn girl of earlier to this avid and excited story-teller about the vast world of plants was remarkable. The Sovereign loved the light she saw shining from within Eljay's daughter and at that moment felt very positive that the girl would be alright. Despite all the challenges that she had faced during the year. 

She enjoyed the part about cypresses and wondered, how Weejay had found it or who had told her this. For a moment there she thought about the Yggdrassil, which connected nine worlds in Norse legends, was about to tell this to the girl, but decided to save it for later. She did not wish to steal the spotlight with a piece of knowledge that was good for those, who studied cosmology and myths, but had no practical use to evidence-based science. 

"What did you plant in your garden?" she asked, when the girl had paused to draw in breath and then continue to shower her in botanical details. Wraen did not mind, she was interested and amused.

Weejay would have positively flipped to learn about Yggdrasil, and her author politely requests that Wraen tell Weej about it someday. Weejay took in a breath long enough for Wraen to inquire of her garden: at that very question, it was as if the shell hadn't been stepped out of, but ceremoniously chucked (or should I say shucked, to make a pun joke?).

"I planted lots of things! There's wildflowers I found in the valley that I planted for my mom. They're in all sorts of colors. There's these crinkle flowers, they're the flowers my friend found for me! They're reddish, like Elfie! I have a few daisies, too! There's white ones, which are pretty, but not my favorite flower. I like the purple ones! They're called wandering daisies. Then there's some black-eyed susans - those are the yellow flowers with black centers - sometimes they're red close to the center, which I like better.. but I think my favorite is the indian paintbrush! It's red and really pretty. Do you have a favorite flower?" Weejay practically lurched towards Wraen in bug-eyed excitement. Maybe in the spring, they could go flower-hunting together!

So many different names of flowers and Wraen knew hardly any of them. Eljay had taught her well or the girl had been curious and creative enough to come up with her own titles. The conversation was a bit uneven, because other than offering a set of attentive ears and interested look, some questions to urge the girl on, she really did not have anything else to add about botany. Ironic really - she liked to wander the realms of dreams and imagination - but she had been blind to the wanders of the real world. 

"I don't have one," she shrugged. "Though I find dandelions nice," she added after a little thought. The little, yellow, lion-heads were simple and abundant and could take good care of themselves. "What about you? Which one is your absolute favourite?"

Weejay was floored -- positively floored -- that Wraen didn't have a favorite. In her eyes that was like not having a favorite meal, or a favorite place to sit and watch the birds, or a favorite view or person -- how could one go through life without favorites?

She side-eyed the heck out of Wraen for that, but soon forgave the older woman, for a mischevous grin briefly hung on her gums. "Dandelions?" She dismissed with a scoff (in good humor). "Those are WEEDS!" Her nose crinkled as she remembered how they tasted when she had pruned them from her garden; bitter and gross. "I have a favorite of the flowers I know -- but I think there is probably a favorite flower out there I haven't discovered yet.." She pondered this for a moment - it was tough to categorize her flowers by favorites, because she loved them all -- but she knew there was one, that she loved seeing the most out in the wild. "The marsh blue violet! It's purple and really pretty."

"Well, I had a sibling, who found joy in plucking those weed-heads and eating them," Wraen said, thinking about Coriander and, what a weird kid he had been as a child. Funny to think that now he was a serious leader dealing with serious business. To her he would always be the pudgy, dark-furred toddler that was covered head to toe in dandelion pollen.

Weejay did not have to bother mentioning names, Wraen did not know this flower either, though she guessed and quite correctly that the flower was violet and the girl had said this as well. Asking next, what were the favourites of Eljay and every oher member of the pack, would be to childish and stupid. Sovereign had to come up with better questions even if she had none in mind. 

"I guess then that you know all the plants and weeds of the copse. Have you been outside much?" she asked, not familiar with, whether Eljay had lifted his previously instilled restrictions on travel.

There was no hiding the grimace that crinkled Weejay's expression as Wraen mentioned her brother had eaten the dandelions. EW! Little did Weejay know Dandelions had healing properties. All the same, she found them offensively bitter and you can bet your bottom, she would not be partaking in any Dandelion Feast Soiree any time soon.

As far as whether she knew all the plants.. Weejay looked to the ground, trying to phrase what was the honest truth in a way that was not offensive. "Mmmm.. Daddy takes me to the river sometimes.. but he doesn't like it when I wander without an adult." Her eyes flashed as she made a connection: "could you be my chaperone in the spring?! Then I could discover more plants!!"

"Weejay, you are nearly an adult now. I think that by now you do know your way around the surrounding territories and how not to talk to creepy strangers," Wraen joked and sighed. She should have known that losing Elfie too would make Eljay extra-restrictive in regard of his remaining child. She wondered, if Weejay felt suffocated as much as her brother had been, but asking that question would not be very tactful. 

"But - yes - I can chaperone you, if you wish. Or you can accompany any other adult that goes outside the territories," she gave her permission and hoped that the Sovereign's word would not be ignored by the worried parent. "You should see the ocean to the north and moorlands beyond the mountains. I am not much of a judge in botany, but from what I have seen, plants do change depending on the location."

Weejay hadn't been told yet she was nearing the age where she left child behind and became an adult.. day by day she was nearing her first birthday - she couldn't believe someday she'd be in the adult ranks alongside her dad. She hadn't caught the exasperation placed in Wraen's voice, for she was too busy inwardly rejoicing over adult-soon.

AND CHAPERONE?! Weejay's eyes lit up with excitement and she pounced in place with a little rear. "CAN YOU?!" She didn't want to disobey daddy, but if Wraen was coming he couldn't say no!! Right? If plants changed based on region, she had to explore - already Weejay was planning her next outing, with Wraen involved. "What's an ocean?"

"We can, of course. That's a bit of privilege that comes with being a leader," Wraen smiled knowingly. "So you know, in case you ever wish to take over." The Sovereign did not think that Weejay was the type of wolf made to be a leader, but she had learned not to judge people too quickly. Some wolves - like her - showed hardly any promise in their youth, but matured beautifully and grew in the role.

"We will wait for spring to roll in - there will be more for you to see, do and explore then," she promised. And by then Weejay will probably have had enough time to let her father get used to the idea of letting his daughter out of the nest and fly independently. "Large mass of water. You can't see the other end, but the legend says that it is, where the sun goes to sleep during the night," she explained.

Weejay had no designs for ruling. It sounded like terrible amount of work, and worse yet, it would detract from the time she could spend with her flowers. Weejay could only envision it now - she would be tending roses, and someone would come to her griping about their problems and expect her to drop everything to fix it!

No thank you.

She could not shelve her dream, not for something like that - leadership seemed like a job to her, and she had her own ambitions outside of leading... but having a friend in leadership could be a wonderful thing. Her face was bright as she imagined their future forays in the spring.. which seemed so painfully far off. "Do interesting plants grow near there?" Weejay asked, having learned that there were many cool plants around the rivers near them. Maybe the ocean was similar.

"Well, I am not the keenest observer, when it comes to plants, but I think that you would have plenty to do there and not on just one occasion," Wraen shrugged. It was really hard to picture, what would another person find "interesting" according to their standards, when her own list of interests was so very different. 

"When we go there, you can tell me," she offered, knowing now that Weejay loved to share her knowledge in Botany, if the one, who listened was patient and knew, how to listen. "We can go and find something for lunch and then you can tell me more about, what you know already?" she suggested. 

I think that you can conclude this thread in your next post and we can have a new one for the two.

Wraen revealed they could go not once, but more than once.. Weejay's eyes flew open as the woman shrugged, her tail thumping a bit too excitedly against the earth. She couldn't WAIT for spring, then.

Weej hadn't been aware she was hungry, but Wraen's mention of food set her stomach growling something forcible. She smiled sheepishly at her leader, ears folded in quiet shame as she willed her stomach to quit its grumbling. On her feet already, Weejay marched after Wraen, prattling off all the flowers she knew as they made for the local caches -- no doubt, patient Wraen would be relieved when it came time to eat, as Weejay's mouth would be too occupied by chewing to talk her ear off.