The Sentinels To the lepers in your head

It was a few weeks, since Osprey had returned from her journey, the latter part of it fighting with morning sickness and puking in the bushes or wherever along the path she happened to be. Either this was a sign of pregnancy or she had caught a bad case of flu - both options were possible. She had also noticed herself tiring easily and, where hunting and gathering had taken less effort previously, now had become a harder task. 

Therefore she had decided to take as much rest as her body required and do stuff, when she really felt well. As the days went by there were visible changes to her shape - it became more round and her teats began to swell. So did the behaviour change too, from the number of times she had to go outside from the den to relieve herself to the growing restlessness. The den that had served as their humble and comfy home so far, didn't give her the sense of security that she wanted and now one of the daily tasks was going through the territories, seeking for the appropriate place for whelping.

This was she doing now, inspecting a hallow nested under the exposed roots of a large tree.

tachyon had returned, and with his return it seemed another had come in his wake. this she did not know, yet; she presently slept within the hollow osprey investigated. she loved to be close to the earth, loved to imagine she was a part of the myriad of roots that brought life to the donnelaith. she appeared to be entombed between many now, but was safe and comfortable where she napped away from the warm midday sun. much like flowers, deirdre needed the shade as much as she needed the warm springtime sun.

a sound caused her ear to twitch, and her eyes to open slowly. nearer it came, and deirdre sniffed quietly. a familiar scent registered, and she removed herself from the roots she had entangled herself within, and slowly peeped out from the den to see the wolf that sniffed at her decided place of rest. osprey! came her eager voice; for she had missed the wolf she had called a friend, and her eyes surveyed her quickly to assess there was no damage done to her, as had been done to her tachyon. there was no visible wounds, but osprey had a different scent to her. unsure of what that meant, she tilted her head. what are you looking for?

Osprey had somehow missed the scent of the person occupying the hollow, therefore Deirdre's sudden appearance made the older wolf jump and backpedal from the spot immediately. "You scared me to wit's end," she told the girl, once she had regained her composure and had sat down to get back her breath too. 

It had been a while, since she had last seen the girl - aside from the occasional sightings around the pack-lands during her hunting and scavenging raids - and she had grown up quite a bit. Less of the puppy-ish roundness and naivety, now she possessed more qualities of the adult she was going to be. Yet the innocence still remained. "I am looking for a new home. In few weeks time I will welcome my children in the world," she explained. "What were you doing down there? Hunting for treasure?"

when osprey beckpedaled, deirdre flinched and pressed against the earthen mouth of the den, slipping into it much like an eel. i'm sorry! she whispered, darting nearer to the elder to lap worriedly at her friends chin, tail waving apologetically between her legs. when osprey spoke next, deirdre stepped backward and sat thoughtfully for a moment.

children??? deirdre asked; for she had never met a child, and was not all too aware that she herself was one, still. and what was she doing? i was sleeping, deirdre admitted, whats treasure?? she had never been hunting for such a thing before!

"Don't worry, it's ok," Osprey told the girl, lifting her muzzle up a bit and away from Deirdre's licks. It was not such a big deal after all - it was her fault as well. For not catching her scent earlier. 

The next thing, however, was a bit harder to explain. How do you describe children to a small child? Especially those, who technically don't exist yet and who are... inside you. Without making any implications or associations that the elder had eaten them. And all of "how children are made" talk was too early for her either. So - a simple question had left her in a limbo. 

"Err... yes," she shrugged and, since Deirdre didn't dwell on the subject for too long, Osprey had the chance of leaving the explanation part for later. Or never. "Treasure is something... that you prize very much. For instance... if you are hungry and you find a piece of meat - it's a treasure."

deirdre wondered at children for a moment longer, and then asked, why do they come so late? why aren't the children here now? for she, as a child, was very curious; why was a word she oft used as of late, and as she adored to learn, it would likely be a query she stuck to. and then, as the word treasure was explained, deirdre's eyes glittered. could flowers be a treasure? prize, she knew that word, and how she loved flowers! they are easy to hunt, her tail waved a little bit, but then she thought back to what osprey had said the first moment: a new home. can i help you find a new home?

"I keep asking them this all the time," Osprey replied, looking at her swollen sides and arching her eyebrows, as if waiting for their response. A kick followed and she rolled her eyes. What could you expect of unborns really? "They tell me nothing," she shrugged. 

"Flowers can be a treasure. Anything that has value in your eyes is treasure," she worded her statement a bit differently and was reminded of an old kid's tale about the golden flower that could heal any ailment and how much misery it had caused in the process. 

"Well, we can start by inspecting this hollow - is it any good?" she asked, thinking that if she wanted to find a new place for her children then the best way to do was asking a child herself - was this spot good enough for her?

where are they? deirdre asked, perhaps they will tell me! she looked 'round the forest behind osprey, pulling herself out of her hovel by a mere inch with simply her forelegs. and next was the elaboration on treasures. deirdre let out a small giggle, moving to kiss the chin of her elder warmly. you are a treasure to me, osprey! and father, and mother, and my brother, and sister! ah, and the trees! my flowers! so many treasures, she had! she was rich!

the question asked was met with a wave of her tail. oh, it is lovely in there, osprey! roots are everywhere. it is small, and warm, and you can feel the life it brings this tree. it is wonderful, she whispered, turning and looking to it. the roots would likely be uncomfortable for someone growing as osprey was, or someone even of osprey's stature, but deirdre was unaware that not all shared her conformation.

"You are a rich girl, indeed," Osprey agreed, admiring the girl's innocent and pure love of everything around her. And she would be lying if she said she was not moved, when her name was put among the treasures.

The description of the den was lovely, but the elder quickly realized that, while it was comfortable for the young girl, it would not be as good for her. A closer inspection revealed that she would barely fit there and would more likely get stuck. 

Therefore she lied down, which was a more comfortable position than standing and continued the conversation: "Can you hear the life of the tree pulsating through the roots?"

yes, she uttered in earnest, closing her eyes and reveling in the feeling. deirdre opened her eyes again and drew nearer to the prone greyscale she-wolf, moving to lay near her side. can't you? the inquisitive cub asked, resting her head on her forelegs and looking up to her friend past thick lashes.

SO SORRY FOR THIS DINGUS DELAY I AM /THE WORSTTTTTTTTT

ooc: if you wish, we can finish this in the next few posts and have a more recent one with puppies?

Deirdre was probably the first kid Osprey had met, who did not frown at the question, did not think of it being stupid (because trees were not alive, duh) and who had replied with a positive. There was a brief moment of surprise in the elder's eyes and then she smiled at the girl, as if having met a kindred spirit in a very long time. 

"I do, but that this skill does not come without effort," she replied. There would be times, when she could feel the presence of another life very keenly, but only, if her mind was at peace and there was no one else to bother her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, looking past the girl at the magnificent tree. "And very fragile too... did you know that you can kill a tree, by taking the bark away around it's trunk?"

i would love that !!!

deirdre was thrilled upon hearing what she and osprey shared. the trees sang beautiful songs, if only others could listen and hear them. the roots sang the song of life and giving, its trunk the song of strength, and its boughs and branches of the things they carried and the stuff they had seen. the wind lifted the tune; deirdre always listened. a slow nod was given toward the question, for deirdre did think it beautiful. she would never tire of the song, it brought her peace of mind and made her soul feel full. but at osprey's next words, deirdre lifted her head, her eyes protective as she looked to the tree. why would someone do this?! she breathed worriedly; trees were innocents, beings older than she could comprehend being so young.

"I don't think that this is more about, who would do such a horrible thing, though such people exist," Osprey replied to the girl's question. "It's rather a reminder to us that even the greatest, strongest and wisest have their weakness." In other words, don't hold your nose up too high and never take your position for granted. All kind of things could happen. The thing that made trees a step superior to the other kind was knowing their weakness. Many people did not realize it, until it was too late. 

"I find it fascinating that, while our lives are flowing within and our hearts are safely secured, trees wear theirs unprotected and exposed to the world. Odd creatures they are..."

deirdre wondered if she had ever met such a being as osprey spoke of, and felt she had not. forgotten was the beastly ogre, though if ever deirdre saw a woman such as she again surely she would remember. osprey's point was one deirdre would not soon forget; the eloquence and wiseness proferred was absorbed quietly, to be remembered for her own All Time.

they give us their everything, deirdre remarked, stories of those that had nested within or upon them... shelter... shade... she sighed and looked to them. i see their heart in all they do. they give it freely. they have seen so much, and still they trust! it brought hope to her heart. that for all they had witnessed, they knew there was more good in the world than evil. they knew that others would sooner protect their hearts than rip it from them. she looked to the tree, and hummed. they keep us safe. i would keep them safe, too,

Yet again Osprey was in awe by the depth of thought by such young and immature mind. It felt as if the exchange was happening between two very old souls, their wisdom rooting way further back than their lifetimes. It was interesting and she found herself fascinated by the young girl's mind and the thoughts that hummed within. 

"I believe that it's a test for our humanity and compassion. If one has the heart to hurt such a great, yet so vulnerable being, then they won't hesitate to hurt those around them," she explained and smiled, when the girl made a promise to keep trees safe. "That's a wise decision - a tree is a valuable friend."

the cub truly did carry an old soul within her that slept quietly in her breast, but emerged in times such as these when she felt so passionately. her love for nature was great, given to her from the Days of Knowing All Things; she retained this, now, and perhaps the world around them knew it as it nestled and protected her in its roots, or its thorns that wrapped around her as though she herself were the rose blooming from its stem.

deirdre felt herself quietly agreeing with the other, and clung to the other bit of wisdom. she would watch others, watch how they treated the world they were born into. deirdre smiled, feeling rewarded by the others compliment on her own wisdom. deirdre admired the wolf before her, and felt a connectedness to her for the words exchanged. i am friends with all the trees and flowers of donnelaith, and i talk with all the birds and the squirrels and the chipmunks. even the rabbits talk to me sometimes! though usually they run, her tail thumped against the earth and she smiled wanly. with no hunting instinct yet to speak of, or capability, no doubt the forest critters saw no threat in communicating with her while she herself could not shed their blood.

Osprey was taken aback a little by the girl's enthusiasm, when she revealed that the living beings were talking to her, because she could not tell, where the kid's imagination ended and the truth began. Sure - at some point in her childhood even the elder had claimed to have imaginary friends, plenty of them even. Yet she was not the adult to doubt and question Deirdre's words, therefore she nodded in agreement, as if the ability to communicate with the other kind was nothing extraordinary. 

"Why don't you tell me more about your talent, while we make way to my den? I am feeling quite tired," Osprey asked, giving her little friend a choice to follow her.

ooc: maybe you can finish this in your next post and have it archived? 

she nodded obligingly to her friend, ready to tell osprey whatever was asked of her. while she was unsure of what talent might mean, deirdre was nonetheless prepared to speak on her conversations with the sentinels--who were not so quiet as all might think. they sang with the wind, and whispered mutely in the absence of it. deirdre departed osprey's company only when they arrived to her companions densite, so that she could sleep.