Broken Antler Fen The person I most medium suspect.

It had come to her recent attention that though she knew Maia fairly well, she knew next to nothing about the woman's mate and father of their children. Lilitu was disturbed by this—granted, there had been some mitigating circumstances—and, thus, she decided to do something about it.

Loosing a howl for @Eljay that sent both sound and frost-fog billowing into the air, she entered the Flooded Forest, which had captured her fancy as of late.

In warmer weather, this place would be boggier than the rest of the fen, filled with pesky mosquitoes and swampy, muddy water up to the knees, if not higher. 

Frozen as it was, it now presented gleaming, snow-dusted pathways of ice through the trees, and it was upon these that Lilitu strode and slid to her heart's delight. She hadn't gone quite fast enough to crash into anything yet (though there had been some close calls) and it was an even, steady skating pace she employed today, the surface a tantalizing sleek cold against her paw pads.

Delighted, until she hit a patch that hadn't quite frozen and her paw went through, sinking into the bog water beneath. 

Oh, yuck, she spat, backing up and shaking out the soaked limb, face contorted in disgust.

When Lilitu's call sounded, Eljay was surprised that she called out for him; perhaps because they didn't know each other very well. As he made his way through the territory Eljay felt a twist in his gut thinking about the heavy decisions ahead. Food was scarce and they were considering moving. Not very far, perhaps, but what if other wolves thought that he made the decision selfishly, if they did move? What if anyone thought he just wanted to move back to the Caldera because that was his original homestead? It worried Eljay a lot. He knew in his heart what decision he needed to take, but he was not yet ready to actually take it.

As Lilitu came into view, Eljay called out — Hiya! — but just as he did, he watched her sink through a patch of ice. Thankfully she didn't sink very far, but what was underneath was probably cold and not very pleasant nonetheless. Uhm, hi, he repeated as he came closer. Eljay decided to ignore the sinking-through-the-ice episode for now, unless it would seem like Lilitu needed help or seemed in particular pain or distress about it.

Oh, just in time. She looked up, still wringing out her paw, to see Eljay padding toward her. Hey, she said, laughing awkwardly, and started forward to meet him in the middle. 

Careful, Lilitu said, still chuckling. The ice isn't frozen solid everywhere. With a sigh, she gestured at the gleaming path ahead, with a sidelong glance at her leader. Walk with me? she asked.

With his permission, the two moved forward, stepping in tandem. I wanted to get to know you, she went on, smiling. I love my auntie Maia very much, and you're so special to her. . .it would be stupid if I didn't at least make the effort. So tell me a little about yourself. Where're you from? What's your story?

She left it there, walking slowly, eyes trained on his face for his response.

Even though he should've known, when Lilitu said he should be careful for the ice, Eljay stopped briefly and looked down. Right, thanks, Eljay called back out to Lilitu, and he then headed over. By the time he reached her, she asked him to walk with him, and he nodded, easily joining by her side as she set off.

To his surprise (even though he shouldn't have been) Lilitu asked him to get to know him. Eljay felt much the same about Lilitu, considering she was Ibis' child and a part of the Brecheliant family. He wasn't sure how she felt about him taking over the Auspex role, someone that she barely knew, but if she had any negative feelings about it, she certainly wasn't showing them.

Actually, it seemed that Lilitu wanting to get to know him was mostly about the fact that he was with Maia, which in a way was a relief. He didn't have to live up to potentially impossibly high standards of a leader slash mother figure in Lilitu's mind, at least. She seemed nice enough, which made Eljay relax a little. I'm from Redhawk Caldera, Eljay said, and he instantly thought of the move they might make back there. Uh, I lived there for a few years. I lived at the coast for maybe half a year before coming back to the Caldera. Then we had to move because of — Food? Blackfeather Woods wolves? He thought the latter, but he didn't remember exactly. — It wasn't safe, and I ended up moving to the Copse, in uhm, the hinterlands. To the west of here. Then moved back to Redhawk Caldera with that pack, and well, I left it to join Brecheliant because Maia lives here. It wasn't a lot about himself, really, Eljay realised when he finished. Just where he lived. Which was mostly just Redhawk Caldera to some or other degree. Eljay seemed thoughtful for a moment, as he nervously tried to think about facts about himself before he added: I'm a caretaker, I uh — I'm a puppysitter, and midwife, and medic. Though he considered himself mostly the two former, still, as medic was the last of those trades that he picked up.

She looked closely at him, intrigued. You've moved a lot, she remarked, once he'd finished. She'd tallied multiple places within his lifetime, and it wasn't as if he were decrepit, either. And then, hadn't she moved a lot, too? 

Lilitu moved along, and smiled. It's good that you are a caretaker, she said. I feel like it's rare for guys to care about kids that aren't their own. That's very commendable.

She did a side-step at a fairly tenuous bit of ice, moving back toward Eljay after a brief period of assessment.

What's your favorite place that you've lived? Lilitu asked.

It surprised Eljay when Lilitu said he had moved a lot. He supposed it was true, but he hadn't really thought much about it. Perhaps because he didn't like moving, himself. He said, Huh... I guess so. Even Eljay himself sounded surprised. He wished it wasn't necessary to do it again; but he knew that soon, they'd break the news of moving once more.

Lilitu's comment was met with a smile. I always liked looking after the other pups in the pack, from when I was young. He supposed it was just a thing that he was born with.

As Lilitu asked what place he liked best, the answer was easy. Redhawk Caldera is where I was born. The Copse and the Fen became home to me over time, too. Drageda never had been. .. but Redhawk Caldera is where I was born. It will always be special to me for that reason. I'm not very uhm... Outgoing. I like to stick to the pack territories most of the time. A bit of an understatement, since Eljay rarely left it at all.

Hmm. She was the opposite, at least as far as moving. But having moved around a lot— I've had a lot of homes, too, Lilitu told him. We lived in a very large valley—that's where I was born. In the mountains, up north. And then a plateau, and then here. . .

She sighed briefly. On my travels I've seen a lot, she said, and then glanced at Eljay. But to be honest, no place really fits unless those I love are in it. You know?

She was warming to him significantly, especially given his proclivity to watch after the young ones. She wondered how he would have reared her had he been around in her youth. Wraen and company had done so much. . .

You helped raise my siblings—Roswell, Jasmine, Diantha. What're they like?

Roswell she knew fairly well, but the girls—

She felt the same sinking loss she did upon thinking of Arielle, and looked down.

Eljay listened and nodded as Lilitu listed the homes that she had lived in. Was this all with Ibis? It was a lot to handle, especially for someone as young as she, Eljay thought to himself. She was right, though. As Lilitu said that it wasn't right unless the people you love are there, he nodded. Yeah. It's the wolves that make a place a home. Even though he had hated leaving Redhawk Caldera the first and second time around, Eljay felt so strongly now that the Fen was more of a home than the last time he'd lived at the Caldera. He was glad that Lilitu felt this way, so that she would hopefully not mind the move too much.

The question shouldn't have been unexpected, but somehow it was. Perhaps because he considered Jasmine, Diantha and Roswell his own so much, since they'd been with him since they were very little. After a short moment of thought, Eljay started. Roswell is still with us. He's very imaginative, kind and helpful and a bit of a homebody. He smiled fondly as he mentioned the boy. Jasmine is a bit more adventurous. She likes to explore, but she's also very sweet. She's gone looking for Bridget, who disappeared a while ago. I didn't like it, since she's still fairly young, but well... What was he going to do about it? He'd learned from raising Elfie that forbidding something never worked, and only drove them away. Now the toughest one to mention. He'd saved it for last. Diantha is... She never took to us. She just didn't seem to think that we loved her, even though we tried to tell her all the time. It always seemed like she didn't like or trust us, no matter what we tried to tell her. I wish that I could've helped her better, but she left a while ago. Eljay looked a little ashamed at that; he wished he could've helped Lilitu's sister better, and he hoped that she would not hold it against him that he couldn't.

Roswell, she knew, at least a little bit. But her sisters. . . She smiled at the mention of Jasmine, though her expression was bittersweet; she'd dispersed in similar fashion, looking for Arielle. Hopefully, her younger sister would return. Even if empty-pawed, they'd welcome her, fervently.

And as for Diantha—

It's okay, she assured Eljay, catching sight of his worried look. Like Maia, she hoped to dispel the notion that either one of them had failed Ibis's last batch of children. We're wanderers, Eljay. I figured that out a long time ago. She'll be all right, and if she comes back. . .well, that'll be amazing.

She chuckled, smiling broadly. They sound wonderful, she murmured. I wish I would have been here to get to know them, a little better. All of them, together.

That, she reckoned, was her own cross to bear.

Eljay hoped that Diantha would return, but he didn't expect her to. Not because she and her family were wanderers, but because, well, like he had told Lilitu so open-heartedly, he thought that Diantha hated him and Maia. They'd tried hard, but they had obviously failed in some way with raising her. Or at least with teaching her that they loved her. Thanks for saying, he said nonetheless as Lilitu tried to reassure him. She was nice. A lot like Jasmine in many ways, he thought.

Lilitu then said she wished she could've been there to see them grow up. I get that, he said with a nod. I missed one litter of my younger siblings once, and it felt like I'd missed out when I got back home. But there's still time. He smiled reassuringly. He had to admit that he had never gotten as close to those as some of the younger siblings that he helped raise, but Eljay decided to leave that out. No use in hurting Lilitu with those thoughts.

She beamed back at him in return, and some of her worry ebbed when he expressed he'd gone through similar. Did you get to bond with them later, at least? she asked, unknowingly—and unintentionally—touching on the things he'd left unsaid. 

At least I came back, Lilitu continued, after (if he did, at all) he elaborated. My littermate, Arielle. . .I'm not sure where she is. She was with some, uh, bear pack? Like not, literal bears, she added hastily, glancing sidelong at Eljay to clarify. But like, bear. . .god. . .things. I dunno.

She laughed, leaving Ursus to the side. But she's never even known the trio. And. . .

Her voice trailed off once more, but rather than the flippant uncertainty of her sister's new life, it was with a grave knowledge that she had done wrong.

I never told her that Mama died, she whispered, as if confessing a great sin. The ice rose up through her paws, into her bones, piercing her heart.

Lilitu's question was a little uncomfortable, since Eljay had been trying to hide the painful truth from her. Instead of either lying or speaking the full truth though, Eljay stuck to the middle: I did get to bond with them a bit, later. Maybe not as closely as he would've liked. But he wasn't entirely sure it was because of not being there when they were babies. Some wolves just clicked better than others.

When Lilitu said that she came back, Eljay nodded. Yeah. I think it's nice for Roswell that you're here. Maia and I try our best, of course — but I can tell he likes that you came back. The caretaker smiled at Lilitu, hoping that it reaffirmed her decision to return a bit.

Eljay knew nothing of Ursus, so when Lilitu mentioned that her sibling was part of some bear god pack, Eljay blinked. He had never heard of such a thing. That sounds, uhm... Kinda weird, but if she's happy, that's good? He wasn't sure what else to say. Lilitu went on to say some more — that her sister had never met their younger siblings, and then, that she had omitted telling Arielle about their mother's death.

Eljay frowned, not sure how to make Lilitu feel better. He understood the guilt, and honestly, he did think that it was probably better to tell the truth to someone in a situation like that. On the other hand, he had no idea what Arielle's life was like, or what she was like as a person. Maybe it had been for the best..? After a lengthy silence, Eljay said: I trust your judgement, Lilitu, and you should, too. If you think it was the right thing to not tell her for whatever reason, that's fine. But if you regret it, if you think that she'd be better off knowing, then I think you should take a trip to her pack and tell her about it. For your own sense of peace, too. Eljay smiled reassuringly, hoping that his words were of any help.

I do regret it, she replied almost immediately after he'd finished talking, nodding fervently. I don't know why I didn't. . . I guess I was just so happy to see her again that I didn't want to ruin it. She frowned, looking down at the ice. Now. . . I'd have to lie. About when Mama died, I mean. I couldn't find her again and tell her when; she'd know I kept it from her.

A deep, existential sigh left her, and she skated briefly away for a moment, enjoying the cool wind whistling past as she picked up speed.

And then she slowed, and turned toward Eljay, mouth quirked to one side but decisive. I should tell her, Lilitu said. Thanks, Eljay. And—I'm so happy I came back. Not just for Roswell, but for you and Maia and Teya. Your pups, and all the rest.

If he allowed, she'd come forward and rest her chin upon his shoulder blade for a moment in brief embrace. Thank you, she repeated, softer.

It seemed that Lilitu did wish she'd told her sister. Eljay wished that there was something more he could do to help, but he nodded when she said she wished she'd told her sister. He added softly, You don't have to lie. You could tell her that the last time you met, you were just surprised to see her and didn't want to make her unhappy with such bad news, maybe. There were always options, and Eljay always preferred going for the options that didn't involve having to lie, himself.

Lilitu then said that she was happy she'd returned for the sake of Maia, Teya, Eljay and their pups, too. The caretaker smiled appreciatively. I'm glad you're here too, Lilitu, he said with a soft smile.

The embrace took him off-guard and he tensed initially, but soon relaxed and leaned his nose in to touch Lilitu's neck briefly to reciprocate the gesture.

Yeah, Lilitu responded to his advice, brightening a bit. I guess you're right. She was warm with happiness at his reciprocal gratitude, and kept her head upon his back for a few moments longer, taking slow, easy breaths. In, out. The smell of Brecheliant, and a friend.

Finally, she pulled away, and smiled at him. Enough serious talk. Dare you to race me across the ice.

Lilitu nodded down the path ahead, fairly spacious, with no trees impeding the way for quite a while. First one to that crooked log wins? she asked cheekily, her nose pointed toward a gnarled specimen that straddled two higher banks.

She began to rev up, and then ran, and slid, and would slide regardless of whether Eljay would follow, filled with joy and companionship.

It was always so surprisingly easy to bond with the wolves of Brecheliant. From the beginning, it hadn't been as difficult to Eljay as it had often been to Redhawk Caldera wolves. Not all of them, of course; but some of his own family was among the more difficult to bond ones. With Brecheliant, it felt like it had never been difficult for him. This moment with Lilitu was another example of that. He smiled as the embrace ended and she then challenged him to a race rather quick.

Though he was relatively spry for his age, Eljay didn't stand a chance against someone as young as Lilitu, he knew. He wasn't exactly an athlete himself. Eljay agreed to the terms with a nod, and smirked at her with a challenging expression. Just because he didn't stand much of a proper chance didn't mean he wasn't going to give it his very best shot.

As Lilitu took off, so did Eljay — but not for very long before his paws slid out from underneath him and he slid across the ice. The fall itself hurt, but once he was sliding Eljay forgot all about it, just laughing joyfully — and never quite reaching the log himself, though the slide took him quite a way there.