Blacktail Deer Plateau Cedar Waxwings in flight

She heard her mother call to her with a bark, though having not been paying attention, the green-eyed sprite was startled. She'd just come back from a trip up to the Keep to grab one of the pelts she'd been particularly fond of, to use it as bedding for her own little spot in the pack's cavern. She'd dropped it off, and had then gone to check on the border markings, only to discover that she wasn't the only one who had that thought. 

The children were likely with their father, or perhaps Vaettir or Greyfalcon, she thought. She smiled at the idea; it was nice, having them all get integrated together as a family. 

She moved to join her mother on patrol, reinforcing the markings which at the moment were still somewhat sparse and weak. She'd had a good drink down at the river, but even that wouldn't be enough to mark all along the borders, so she often stopped to rub her muzzle against trees, and scratch her pawpads against the ground.

Leaving the children behind got easier and easier, now that they had a cavern for the kids to play in while they were being supervised. With a great, broad meadow stretching across their territory, she had a good line of sight, and knew that at least half of their claim was protected by the stone wall that rose up into the mountains. One flank was a steep hill, rocky and sandy, that would lead abruptly down to the river- another form of protection. Where they'd used altitude and a desolate landscape as their helm before, this one was protected by nature but would still supply them with a bounty. 

She spotted her daughter, and called her to join her on a patrol, with a thought on her mind. "In the Springtime, you will be two years old, Thyra," She said. "Have you any thoughts of having children next year?" She asked, casually.

She paused to sniff at the scent of a groundhog, one who likely lived on the banks leading down to the river. Not necessarily a concern to them, of course. They might have  to be more worried if a clan of beavers moved in and built a dam that could cause the rivers to swell and flood their plains. She didn't see any old stumps that showed sign of having been hacked down by beavers, but made a mental note to watch out for them. 

She flicked an ear toward her mother as she squatted, but she rose abruptly when she was asked a fairly personal question. "Children? Me? Mother, that is only months away, there is no way," She laughed, a bit shyly, shaking her head.

Naturally, her daughter was skeptical. But Solveig was a mother, and she wanted to be a mother again- but more than that, she wanted to be young enough to play with her own grandchildren as well. "Nonsense," She said. "It would not be impossible, Thyra. Well, right now- if you were set on finding someone in the pack then yes, that would not be possible, but think on it. There are many young suitors out in the wild- it is about time you went out looking, at least a little bit," She suggested. 

She brushed her shoulder against her daughter's, for encouragement. "I would be willing to bet that one of the Moonpacks might have good-looking young men," She said.

Not impossible? Well, it certainly seemed like it. She couldn't imagine herself having the luck that her mother had had. Twice, she had managed to find herself a man that had only need to look her way once, in order to devote themselves to her. Solveig was strong, a natural leader in her daughter's eyes but she felt herself very much a background character, one who was more comfortable being overlooked than being noticed at all. 

"Well, yes, they probably do, but-" She said, cutting her mother off. "There is no way I would just go to their packs looking for a husband! What would they even think?" She asked.

"If we brought them goods, and perhaps left you there to work and learn their ways, I think they would realize very quickly that you are made of good stuff," Solveig answered. She was a mother who saw good in her daughter- a caring, quick to learn individual, who worked quietly and eagerly, who never needed to be prompted to do anything (except apparently, go out on a date) and who was a natural with children. She felt certain that Thyra would be an excellent representative, and that it wouldn't take long for her to attract the eye of a man who might possibly follow her home. 

Solveig had done it- and she felt certain her daughter could too. 

"Perhaps we could start with something else, hmm? Invite some of them here for a hunt near our lands, so they might see our new stronghold, and perhaps they might bring with them someone whose ear you could whisper into?" She suggested, leaning in to whisper the last few words in her daughter's ear, before laughing. She paused to scuff her feet against the ground.

"No, I would not want..." She trailed off, though she gave her mother the benefit of hearing her whole argument out. She did not want to be the one who was sent to a pack, in hopes of attracting attention. She felt that in the very least, she would catch no one's eye, though she might be teased by the other eligible Moonpack girls, or perhaps even despised by them if they felt she was a threat to the men they had their eyes on. She didn't want to be that girl. It felt almost desperate. 

She warmed slightly to the idea of a hunt, though. She pulled her head away and groaned when her mother hissed in her ear, moving away to leave another parking next to an oak tree. She paused for a moment in thought. 

Solveig was bold, often; but the hunt idea...That might be a nice way to meet other wolves her age. 

"I like that." She said, and began sniffing along again.

"Hah!" Solveig cried, triumphantly. "A hunt, then- oh, and you know, we are very close to the hot springs now. A hunt, a feast, and then perhaps you might lead all the other yearlings down for an early soak in the hot springs to nurse wounds, tell stories, see what the boys look like when they're all steamy-" She took an abrupt tail-smack to the face, and nipped at her daughter lightly before she steered the topic away with a chuckle. 

"Will you go to them, soon?" She asked, then. "Extend the invite?"

The hunt she could handle, and she was fine with the idea of the other packs coming to see their new claim. She did wish that there were more of them- it felt almost as though a small family was offering to host a party that was well beyond their capacity, but it was not something she hadn't seen before. She knew her mother loved celebrations, and this one would perhaps not have all the same pomp and circumstance, but collective pack hunts were delightful. 

"Yes, I will go," She said, accepting the task. She liked Heph- and hoped the gentle woman would accept the invite to come for the hunt.

"And will you please specify that we will be hunting....Perhaps elk, hmm? It is rutting season, I can hear them bellowing morning, noon and night," She said. Solveig was, naturally trying to figure out a way to imply that they would need as many wolves as possible- and that the stronger they were, the better. "We would want at least four or five to come perhaps...A leader or two if they would like, and they could bring their children to meet ours- but we would need probably four or so able bodies," She said, and paused as she turned to spot Thyra rubbing her muzzle against an alder. 

"And them being handsome would also be a benefit."

She flicked one ear toward her mother as she found a stand of alders, where their smoothe bark was easy to rub her muzzle against. She knew where her mother was going with this, slowly releasing specific requests until she finally got to what she was actually going for. 

Thyra shot a look in her mother's direction. 

"I will ask them then to bring the most capable women they have," She said.

She pondered for a moment, before she shrugged and nodded. "I would accept a daughter-in-law as well," She admitted. She meandered closer to her daughter, to nuzzle the baby-soft fur behind one of her ears, uttering an affectionate thrum. Her daughter put up with her well, and was so beloved, in spite of being so different in nature. 

"I have other children that can give me grand-children," She murmured affectionately. "I only want you to find someone, who may make you happy. There are none here your age, you deserve friendship, love; all of it, my daughter." She said fondly.

"Come. Let's go see what trouble the children have gotten into," She suggested, as they had neared the borders where the stone wall would shelter them. Side-by-side with her eldest, she loped toward the cavern, optimistic about the future her daughter might find- hoping she might find whatever it would take to give her a life that was full of joy and laughter.