Blacktail Deer Plateau sunrise drink it fresh

The dark she wolf woke as dawn christened the night time with her pearls and pinks. She stretched out large limber limbs and stood still for a moment studying the male and the female that shared her den. She stepped around them gently hoping not to disturb them and she stood outside the den mouth, letting the sunrise sluice down upon her obsidian shoulders making them glitter and glow in the early light. She watched the new sunrise, optimism ever brewing in her gentle heart. It was no lie that there seemed to be almost virtually no hope for the recovery of Atticus among most of the members. But she however refused to give into sorrow and pity, refusing to believe that this was so. If there was no hope, he would not be able to chew his food, or walk around. She had no doubt that given time and tender care he would recover and prosper and she’d be right there waiting. Though the offer of Lasher lay on the back of her mind. It had been kind of him, and she perhaps would take him up on it, if it were too late, or something. Though he had given it before Peregrine and fox had come out to share their triad so now she wasn’t even sure if it was still viable. She shook her head and just took in the morning air, content at the moment.

Still dreams of Dante danced in her head. Osprey didn't know why, nor did she really worry about it much. She just liked to look at him and when she couldn't do it in person, she summoned up his face in her mind's eye. He was so different from most of the other wolves here, with his sterling fur and nearly colorless eyes. They were piercing and reminded her vaguely of Mees, whose own fiery gaze had forever emblazoned a place in her memory.

The youngster was so caught up in her daydream that she wandered directly into the trunk of an aspen with a quiet thunk. Junior stood there dazed for a moment, blinking back to full awareness, only to turn and make eye contact with the nearby Blue Willow.

Blue Willow had been watching the girl walk around with a daydream in her head. It was apparent by the dazed expression on her face and the zig zag to her step. She knew with practiced gaze it was not from a head injury, but rather from being so lost in thought you didn’t know up or down. She herself had been there a few times in her life, and it was usually because of a cute face. She smiled to herself softly wondering if the child would see her.

Blue gasped outloud when Junior ran into the tree and she rushed over concern evident on her face. Oh goodness Osprey Junior are you okay? She prodded the young girl gently looking for any marks or pain. She did not want the same thing to befall Junior that had befallen her uncle, not that it would. However, this was Blue’s newest biggest fear for her family.

Blue Willow rushed to her side, foregoing the opportunity for amusement to express her concern. Osprey's eyes narrowed, not because she was embarrassed but because she'd really come to dislike being called Osprey. She shook her head lightly, then realized how the Healer might take that—especially with the healing cuts on her brow—and opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm fine, I barely bumped it," she replied. "These scratches are from the other day, when I got attacked by some stupid birds." Junior's lips pursed. "And I don't like being called Osprey anymore, 'cause of them. It's just Junior now," she informed her aunt, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice. How could Aunt Willow have known?

Blue ran to the girl’s side, it had been funny certainly and she imagined as she thought back on this she may laugh. However, at the moment with the way head injuries had started for this family, well it made her very afraid. Her heart felt like ice when she had seen Junior hit her head. Her surprise was evident as she sidled next to the girl and saw opened scabs across her brow and head and neck. Goodness gracious. She studied them closely, they looked as if they were healing, and someone had already fixed them up, she could see remnants of cobwebs in there. They had also been cleaned, so she wasn’t entirely worried about them, though she was a little put out that no one had saw fit to tell her. Had stepping down from Alpha, also lowered her importance as a healer? She certainly hoped not, if she lost what she loved, she knew she just might fall apart.

Blue made a soft Hmmm. in her throat and looked down at the girl with a small teasing smile. were you near their nests Junior? Birds will not attack unless you are near their nests. She shook her head; leave it to the small princess to cause upheaval with the birds. She chuckled at the girl’s outrage at being called Osprey. very well you shall be Junior forever more. I am sorry you had such a terrible incident with them. Who was with you? These are well taken care of, these cuts. Willow didn’t know, but she would make sure to call the girl Junior from now on. It was such a small thing to ask, and if it pleased her, well then she would do it. There was enough unhappiness, she was not about to add more to it, and she liked Junior anyway, Osprey Junior though it was a good name was also a mouthful.

"No!" the youth replied emphatically, "I didn't see any nests and I wasn't bothering them! They just attacked outta nowhere 'cause they're jerks." It was clear she felt passionate about the topic, though the proverbial smoke stopped hissing out of her ears when Blue Willow questioned her about the cuts. "I was with Thistle. She's a Healer too. She reminds me of you." She smiled fondly at her aunt.

It seemed Junior didn't want to linger on the subject, however, as a question popped out of her mouth the next second that had nothing to do with that: "Aunt Willow, what are mates... exactly?" Her parents had been mates yet they weren't anymore. They barely spoke to each other. Now her father had two new mates. That's the way Junior had come to understand the arrangement, anyway. One was a boy, the other a girl. She hadn't been brought up in a monogamous, nuclear family so she didn't even know what was normal and what wasn't... and that Peregrine's polygamous arrangement went very much against tradition. "Like, how's a mate different than a friend?"

Blue listened as the girl got a little emotional over the birds. They may be jerks, but wouldn’t you want to protect your home? If someone came into it? She wasn’t trying to give the girl a hard time. Merely help her to realize that the Gyrfalcons were merely doing what they were instinctual supposed to do. Ah Thistle this healer, it seems she would always have ties with the plateau first by bearing the children of Crete, and secondly by saving the Alpha’s daughter. Ah yes It seems we owe Thistle a great deal. I am glad she was there to take care of you. She does, because we are both healers?

The next question came as a surprise the ebony healer and she stood in pause, trying to come up with a good enough answer. Well a mate is someone that you love very much, someone that you can sometimes have babies with. You love you family and your friends, but this is a different love it’s a deeper one, it feels like that wolf reaches inside and squeezes your heart. You are always happy to see them, and you want to spend a lot of time with them and you want a family with them. that was the best she knew how to explain. a friend is someone that you like, but just like them you do not want a family with them. It was probably still over the child’s head, but it was the best she could do.

Junior listened raptly as the medic spoke, corroborating the correlation between mates and puppies, just like Kaskara had described. A thousand questions sprung up in her brain but she held off until Aunt Willow finished speaking. Even then, she took a moment or two to gather her thoughts and think of how to phrase her next round of inquiries.

"But," she started slowly, "what if you don't want to have babies? Can you still be mates with someone?" She was picturing Dante. Junior certainly didn't want kids—she was a kid herself—but everything else her aunt had described fit the definition of a mate. When she looked at him, her heart definitely fluttered. He made her happy and she definitely wanted to be around him as much as possible.

"And where do babies come from, anyway?" she tacked on somewhat absently, unaware of what a loaded question it was. "And does dad really want more of them?" she added, frowning thoughtfully as she suddenly framed the conversation around Peregrine and Fox rather than herself and Dante.

Blue willow was surprised at the complete and utter attention she was getting. Wondering if there wasn’t something that Junior wasn’t sharing, but she decided not to pry. She was even more surprised when Junior was still quiet for a minute or two after she was done. It was completely out of character, but endearing and blue’s muzzle twitched, but she fought the smile trying hard not to upset the little girl or offend.

Blue looked at her a moment and smiled Well you don’t have to have babies with a mate and actually no one is supposed to have babies without the alpha’s permission, except the alpha. So your father would have to give everyone permission to have babies if someone other than him wanted babies. And yes you can have a mate even if you don’t want babies or have babies. Blue grew quiet then and waited sure there would be more questions. And she had to think of the other questions anyway, she was unsure how to proceed.

Blue grew quiet Babies come when two people are very in love and there is a certain season and some different things, some of those things you won’t know about until your dad tells you. And yes your daddy wants more he loves all of you and he wants to spread his love around, give you more sisters and maybe brothers. Blue shifted, she didn’t know what else she could say to answer the girl, she didn’t want to get into the intricacies of making babies, thinking it wasn’t her place, nor was it exactly the best time, she was still so very little, that was more a conversation for when she was six months old.

Junior paid the same kind of attention as before, taking in her aunt's words in attentive silence. She remained expressionless until the end, when Blue Willow's explanation became suddenly ambiguous. Her face filled with confusion. What was her father supposed to tell her? Why couldn't Aunt Willow just tell her? And the part about wanting to give her more brothers and sisters...

"I don't want brothers or sisters. I already have some," Junior said in a quiet, even voice, her lips pressing together. "Why aren't we enough? There's four of us!" she burst out with sudden violence.

Blue saw the child’s face and knew she had perhaps answered her a little wrongly, but she wasn’t about to explain the intricacies of mateship to a child. She didn’t want that wrath on her head from both parents well actually all three parents, because Junior would probably then go and tell Saena and Pura and she wasn’t about to be the scape goat here. It was her father’s and her mother’s responsibility anyway to explain that. Just as it would be hers to do so with Amelie and if she ever had any other children. Though with Amelie she would wait, because she honestly didn’t know what the child knew, so she would have to be asked questions to obtain the information to give to her.

Blue finally realized the cusp of the conversation Junior was feeling unwanted and unloved. Oh child. Blue stepped forward and ran her muzzle across Junior’s face if she would allow her. You are enough, but your father has a new mate, and she is going to want her own children. It is the way of the world I’m afraid for alpha’s to have children every year. It is how the hierarchy works, the only wolves allowed to breed are the alphas in most cases, so they are the ones that have all the children. I’m sorry that you feel misplaced Junior, but know your daddy and your mommy love you very much and I love you. You are very loved and that will never change not ever.

Blue Willow was swift to pinpoint her fears and address them. Junior listened, though her eyes became flinty and her lower lip thrust out in a pout. She didn't buy these reasons... or excuses, more like it. If that was really the way of it, though, then that meant Peregrine and Fox wanted to have babies together to be little princes and princesses. And what would become of the original four? They were no longer blue bloods.

"But those puppies will be... dad will prefer them over us 'cause he had them with Fox, who he loves, and not my mom, who he won't even speak to!" Junior argued. "They'll be perfect and special and we'll just be his stupid old mistakes!" she yelled vehemently before abruptly bursting into tears.

Blue willow watched as the youth pouted and a chill skittered up her spine. She didn't think that this would bode well. Junior was so strong willed, if she couldn't ease her fears would the girl disappear again? Or become difficult, but honestly Blue had no idea how to fix her fears she had none, not a single clue and it made her very sad. She had never realized a child would feel so misplaced, her brothers and her had been so far apart they had been grown when she was born, so they were okay with it, but as she tilted her head she thought about it, was it really kind to have children so close together when the children were still learning. She wasn't sure, but she did know that it hurt to see Junior so upset.

Blue looked down at Junior and licked her face gently, if she'd let her and spoke softly Junior you are anything but a mistake. Your father would not trade any of his children, for anything. yes he may love Fox now, but he did love your mother once upon a time and just because your father doesn't talk to your mother doesn't mean he doesn't love you or Ty or Pura or Saena. He loves all of you very much, and I promise you your father will make time for you and your siblings. Blue grew quiet, after this conversation she was going to have some words with Peregrine, he needed to get his head out of his rear end and talk to his daughters and his son, adopted and true.

<3

Although Blue Willow offered sage words of consolation, Junior was too stubborn to listen and believe them. She momentarily allowed the Healer to lick and comfort her, though she eventually pulled away. She shook her head as if denying the Beta's words, though for the moment, she was crying too hard to speak.

Finally, she choked out, "No matter what anybody says... those puppies will be younger and cuter and foxier than us." Tears still streaming down her cheeks, Junior then turned and fled to wallow and weep in private.

Blue Willow watched as Junior ran off with tears choking in her throat and clogging her vision. There was a furrow in her brow as she tried to figure out what to do for her. She could not think of anything so the healer just sat down and sighed. She felt terrible that the poor girl was so upset, but she honestly really couldn't do anything her father had too.