Stone Circle but just saying it could even make it happen

when had it become so quiet?

petal realized that most of her plant work had to be set aside now that snow covered the land. even now it continued to come down in light falling.

it forced reflection and she found she cared little for that, too.

silently she worked her way towards the towering stones that marked their location.

Sven felt antsy. Kvarsheim was beginning to lag. And he was frightened. And yet part of him knew he'd embrace this change if he must. Even ujurak had grown melancholy.

Sven found himself sitting beneath the large stone where his father rested. A paw set where his fadir lay in eternal rest and he watch3d the meadow. A sad glimmer in his gaze.

sven was there already.

she wondered if she ought to leave him alone. surely a leader would have much more important thoughts than whatever danced through her own mind. maybe he was busy making plans or thinking of things to have them do.

yet she had decided she would not be deterred.

she came to sit near him, just out of reach. silent in case he did not wish for company.

A gentle smile reserved for the quiet girl of the three sisters. The other's quiet as well. But this one he saw more of at least. She did what she could to help them. That alone earned her much of his esteem. 

Hello Petal. How are yo utoday?

he tilted his head towards her. Turning steel grey upon her face and kind eyes and waited. Gentle. Soft. As he always did.

tired, this admitted with a smile. mainly because she found it better than saying she was worried.

are you okay? genuine with small traces of concern. she knew that her relationship was thin like ice. not for any tension but for the sake she had long kept everyone at bay.

now she realized that it had been wrong.

that sven had been kind to house such a moody and chaotic trio of children he did not know.

A look of concern colored his face. Can I do anything to help? Do you need more sleep? ARe you gettting enough food? Do we ask you to do too much? He was concerned. Had they caused her to be more tired than she need be. 

He frowned and continued to study her and shook his head. I am not. I am worried. For the future. For the wolves here.

perhaps it was folly to share such a personal thought. But Sven did not have anywhere else to turn too. Ujurak was quiet in his border patrols and hunts. Kristjan and Astrid were gone. Where he had no idea. And he was here. Ever steadyfast. Ever worried.

oh!

she had not meant to make him worry so fiercely. embarrassment and compassion mingled together within her chest.

i think those are questions i should be asking you... her voice trailed off. she would not deny that at first she had not been thrilled to be shoved off onto kvarsheim.

yet she had attended the great hunt and traded under their name. this place had fed, housed and warmed her sisters.

i wanted to say worried but i — well, i didn't want to worry you but... here they were! throwing the word around! so, what can i do to help?

Sven worried after everyone all the time. He fretted and fussed in his head for them. Their futures. Because he could not give much. Though he ever tried.

He laughed softly. ég mun vera í lagi, vona ég

No, it is alright. It is my job to worry, to lead. I would not ask that responsibility of you to worry after me. And I do enjoy it by the way being here to worry after all of you. Don't mistake me.

He smiled at her and titled his head a small vulnerable sadness peeking from his gaze. I Don't know. We cannot make wolves stay it is not a kindness. We can only keep them fed and a home. Until they leave us.

they could make wolves stay.

she thought that was not what he truly wanted. he was kind and warm. he had opened his home again and again. she wondered if the pain he felt was like what she felt.

maybe they were not so different.

maybe we...maybe we move. somewhere new, with more faces. or maybe there's something i can do. it does not need to just be you.

suddenly she needed to — to fix this. she was feeling the same thing she had when her mother had been unable to do anything, when her mother had first left them.

she had cared for her sisters with a fierceness.

what was the difference here?

Sven would never make another stay. No sir. That was nt something he wished to do. But he could understand how that could be a thought. And he could but not in the way . Perhaps he could entice them to stay. Show them how great they were, but how he was unsure. 

Sven smiled. I am not against moving. But I don't know if the others would be against it. Nor do i know of any othe rpacks? Do you? he frowned. He knew of a few. Well I know of a few, but not where they are exactly. Swiftcurrent, but there has been trouble there in the past between kvarsheim and the creek. Bearclaw, but they do not seem to hold the exact same ideals as I do.

I will always take help. But please only if you can and want too. I don't want you to get too tired. Or worry. It is my job to take care of you. After all.

we don’t have to move in with another pack.

she sought to clarify softly. her eyes looked around as if she might see some distant promising territory. unlikely, yet.

we could just take us and relocate. somewhere not so crowded, somewhere with plenty of prey that is just ours. surely no one would fuss over that, would they? a soft, thin smile.

she had no qualm with neighbors and it was not as if kvarsheim needed much but…what about their future? what if they had mothers this year? what if they suddenly grew and needed those herds too?

i want to help you and i will — however i can. i promise. just…let me. you’ve done so much for me and my family. i want to return it now that i can.

her voice a whisper and unexpected emotion gripped at her throat.

But she had said others. What had she meant then. He listened closely. Putting his attention at her paws. Giving her his entire focus.
We can do that. He hummed softly looking around. They could do that. His father was buried here, yes. But his father lived in his heart in his actions. That was where Gunnar lay resting.

I don't think so. But I will have to speak with Ujurak. And we shoukd probably wait until spring. So we can build caches and be ready for the next winter.

Sven smiled. And placed a paw on hers for a brief moment and then returned it to his side. After all he didn't think she liked to be touched to much.


Okay you can help me litla drottning

she listened to him in turn, giving what she had been given.

attention. focus. respect.

there was one thing she did not voice. her worry about the winter, but what did she know? this was her first real one. maybe this was just how they were.

the little touch was enough to distract her. warmth flushed through her face and she forced her yellow gaze to stay fixed on the ground.

litla drottning.

what does that mean?

She listened as intently as he listened. It was a welcome change. Sven had found out the hard way that he often was the one who listened and didn't speak.

This winter is hard. And finding prey near us is growing harder. I am thinking of asking Swiftcurrent for a group hunt though our histories are less than stellar.

He blinked and smiled. Oh it means little queen.