Stone Circle mars ain't the type of place to raise your kids

it is odd, this place, foreign until it isn't. in her roamings, she'll pass a boulder, a creek, and suddenly be struck with deja vu. she must have been so young when they'd left this place, she muses, and yet still the familiar nooks stir up the barest murmurs of memories. 

she is old now; not really, but it seems so in comparison the dim memories of her and Sunny that come to her now. so much has changed, broken, burned, and yet Easthollow still stands. she has loved, and lost, though the latter greatly outweighs the former. but she has begun to see, now, that even the little pieces of love and happiness she clutches close are worth all the rest. 

pausing, the woman moves to investigate a scent tucked close to the base of a birch, hoping for something fresh and intriguing enough to offer minnow a lesson.

Arlette had been going through the forest when she saw a female she hadn't seen before. The pale girl trotted towards her in a friendly matter. "Hi!," she greeted and sniffed her scent as she approached. "Are you new to Easthollow?," she asked curiously and wagged her tail. Her red eyes eyed over the female curiously. Had she seen her before? She wasn't sure. Arlette would love for her to feel welcome in Easthollow.

the girl that approaches is young, and while initially seems starkly the opposite of Valette, it is after a moment of consideration that the huntress can see the similar trace of her jaw, the set of her shoulder. one of the woman's daughters, then, perhaps. her tail wafts in response to the greeting, and her full attention moves to the girl. "in a way. I was born here, but left when I was very young." it is odd, to return, but the familiarity - however faded and vague - is comforting. "I'm Dawn." Morningside will mean nothing to the girl, not anymore, and so she does not offer it.

Arlette's eyes widened. "Really? So cool! That must mean you are family!," she assumed. The female wagged her tail. Arlette dipped her head. "Nice to meet you, Dawn. I am Arlette," she smiled at the other. The young female wondered how they were connected, family wise, if she was born here. She was pretty sure this female wasn't her sister, otherwise she would probably have said so. 'How does it feel to be back here?"

she accepts the girl's attention with a smile, wondering for a moment if she might be right. Easthollow had been family, once, and then friends, allies. and then morningside had dissolved, and for month's she'd thought little of them. but perhaps the girl was right, and all this while they'd been a sort of family she'd never thought to consider. 

"odd, truly," she answered, amending, "but I'm glad to be here. everything seems familiar, but changed—I can't quite place it." she ponders a moment, before asking outright, "are you valette's daughter?" she knew the matriarch had children, though she could not remember ever meeting them,

Arlette dipped her head understandingly at the female. She could understand that if someone is labeled family, but not really been with them for awhile it would be strange to join them. It would have been the same for her if she would join Dawn's family while not really knowing them. "The earthquakes did lots of changes," she admitted with a nod. "Or it is just that you remember things a certain way and over time your mind transformed how it really looks," she offered. She was trying to study the mind as she found it fascinating.

"Yes!," she confirmed. "I'm from her second litter. Her first was with Steph, Clary, and Ezra. I never seen the last two but Steph you probably know. I came a year after," she explained, she figured it could be confusing since her mother had a litter every year. "After that came her litter with Greyback you notice that they are all huge. So West, Leta, and Newt," she added with a chuckle. She felt a bit guilty for not mentioning Clay but who knows where he was at the moment. She was not sure if her mother wanted others to know about him.

nowhere had escaped the havoc of the quakes it seemed. the other explanation the girl offers is an interesting one, and Dawn nods with a small smile. "perhaps. I was only a pup then—I imagine things would have looked very different to me then." perspective. she'd certainly gained a great deal of it, apparently. 

the girl confirms that she is, in fact, Valette's daughter; sister of Steph. she acknowledges her knowledge of the girl, Sunny's friend, she thinks, and from what she knows, a good wolf. "it must be nice, living alongside such a big family." she offers with a grin, knowing certainly the answer to be affirmative. "what about you? are you a hunter like your mother, or do you have some other interest?" Valette was every inch the formidable hunter she remembered, that had been made apparent quickly. but her children would likely be more varied in their trades, hobbies, and she'd rather like to get to know them.

Arlette slowly nodded, growing in enthusiasm. "I remember the log over the river, it was so big in my imagination. Then when I grew up it suddenly seemed so small," she chuckled. Arlette had been so surprised, it seemed even though she was small she still grew from when she was a really tiny potato. She couldn't wait until he mother would have pups again this year. She loved all her younger siblings.

"Oh yes! There is always someone to hang out with or learn from," she agreed. "But it also has a downside. Because all the wolves my age are often related to me," she admitted. Since she was a girl of 2 now and she was starting to think about boys and things like that... "And sometimes there is a wolf that is called family and I hardly now them. So how can they be family then, you know?," she spoke. Though usually they were nice once she got to know them, like Dawn.

"Oh no. I don't like hunting at all. It is so stressful and momma was always hammering about what I should improve. And the bison are so scary," she admitted, flushing. "But small game I am better at. I love helping with emotional issues or problems like that. Then aunty Nanook told me that medicine would be good for me to study so I want to help my pack mates more by becoming a healer," she smiled, tail wagging.

the huntress smiles as the girl offers her own example, one that turns into a grin as she reveals the downsides of living in a familiar pack. "don't worry—there's sure to be a joiner at some point that'll interest you," she half-teases, adding, "my pack was mostly family, too. but I still found the wolf that used to be my mate." she  regrets offering him as an example; their story certainly doesn't have a happy ending, or even middle, for that matter. 

she nods as she explains her problems with the rank structure. she'd always been first to meet and evaluate joiners, or at least keep tabs on them as leaders, though she understood plainly Arlette's worry now that she was a subordinate too. 

she goes on to explain that hunting is scary, which dawn finds somewhat surprising (but hides well). "a healer, of the body or the mind, is the backbone of a pack. I think you'd be well suited." she liked Arlette well enough already, and could easily imagine her filling a role similar to Pema's.

Arlette flushed slightly when she saw the other's grin. She had to look away in embarrassment. She didn't mean to imply that she was truly looking for someone non related to her. Oh well, nothing could be done about that now. Her ears perked up at that. "Y-you did!," she sounded curiously. But she wasn't sure if she was ready to touch that while subject with Dawn but she was interested. She wondered if there would ever be someone for her.

Arlette nodded softly. "Well, I'd hope so," she admitted. "But I am scared I will accidentally hurt someone," she admitted to Dawn. She was going to be safe than sorry and make sure that she would learn the right herbs. Plus she hoped to gain a proper mentor.

the huntress smiles at the girl's apparent fluster, dropping the topic just as easily as she does. she nods, considering, when Arlette confides her worries. "herbs can be dangerous," she admits, "but with the right teacher, and practice, you won't have to worry. the healer in my childhood pack didn't poison anyone, every." she assures, even though she's not entirely confident on the latter. if there'd been a poisoning, she ought to know about it, right?

but she'd been meaning to meet with minnow, and offer her the hunting lesson she'd promised. "it was good talking with you, arlette—good luck with everything." a smile, and then she's gone.