Whitebark Stream honey

rain pummeled through the canopy, drenching the earth for the third time that day. the girl remained in the vicinity of the rendezvous, as promised, nosing through the plants that edged the clearing. her tai lashed behind her even as she became drenched once again; she'd decided the rain was just another thing to love. there were no repercussions to getting wet -- should she become too cold, it was simply back to the den and into her mother's warm embrace. 

she'd found something especially interesting among the weeds and ferns; a sharp-scented plant whose smell warranted her carefully mouthing the thing, chewing lightly and tasting something she could best describe as cold, in the form of a flavour. 

@Aphrodite

Tw for self harm mentions

had been weeks since she had spoken to Surya. 
they hadn't exchanged more than a passing hello, and then he had vanished from the territory all together. 
She worried it was her fault...had she overwhelmed him with her confession? She owed him her life...it was only fair that she felt the way she did...right? 
The anxiety and pain was beginning to wear on her and she had begun to chew and lick her forelegs, and after a few days of near constantly doing so, had left painful red skin around her Dewclaws. 
When she walked they stung, and the pain became somewhat comforting. She had also begun chewing on blackberry thorns, that same comforting numbness coming from the thorns cutting her lips and tongue. For a moment, she didn't have to think. She didn't have to process how alone she felt. 

The rain made her pelt as damp as her spirits as she returned back to the dens, sharp thorns held tightly in her mouth. 
She was halted by the sight of one of Dawn's pups, mouthing at a mint plant. It brought a giggle from her and she padded over. 
"Tummy upset?" She asked lightly. "That's a mint plant. If your tummy hurts it makes it feel better." 

a voice has her pause, maw still on the plant, until wide eyes find the familiar face of Aphrodite. she shakes her head no, pulling back as Aphrodite continues to elaborate. her maw works almost comically a moment, adapting to the taste she can not decide if she likes or not. she blinks as the taste fades, and asks, "how? it just leaves." she's had a stomach ache before, after snacking on something nameless she'd found in the vicinity of the den, and hated every minute of it. "do all leaves help tummies?" she continues after a moment, wondering if that might account for her interest in chewing the grasses that grow by the riverbank.

The pups innocent questions make her smile. 
"Long ago, when the world was new, the gods gifted us with herbs that could heal." She settled down beside the pup, using her body to shield the girl from the rain. "Apollo, the Shining One, the wolf who guards the herds, the Healer and Plaguebringer, blessed us with the power to heal with plants." She loved reciting the stories of her gods, keeping their stories alive. "And then, Apollo's son, Asklepios, taught us medicine- how to mend wounds, and heal the most terrible of sickness. He was so good at healing that Zeus, the king of the gods, punished him after he healed the dead." 
She nudged the plant with her nose. "Other plants heal other things. Come, let's get out of the rain and I can teach you a few more, if you like?" 

the sudden trove of new information had the girl blink -- gods, plants, medicine and kings. a dozen questions sprang to mind immediately, and so when aphrodite suggested they get out of the rain, she followed dutifully. "yeah!" a moment, and then, "yeah, please!" 

they'd scarcely gone a few steps before the questions started. "what are gods? what do they look like? did you meet a--ap--apsk--apskippy?" a pause for breath, and then, "can you heal dead people? does that mean make them 'live 'gain?" even as she asked it, she was fairly sure the answer was no; or else surely the missing pup's parents would still be alive.

She smiles when the pup agrees, pain forgotten for the moment. It was times like these that kept her going. If she didn't have this pack, there was a likelihood that she would be dead. She hoped one day it would be Surya's pups toddling beside her. 
In a way typical of pups her age, they were halfway to the medicine den when the flurry of questions began and Aphrodite chuckled warmly. 
"Goodness, one question at a time!" She chided gently. "The gods are...well they're beings. Not quite us, but much bigger. And they watch over us, and when you pray to them, they're always there. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can feel them, or even hear or see them." There was no doubt in her mind Artemis had been on that beach with her, and the whole time she was in Donovan's clutches. "They look like us. All different shapes and sizes, some very beautiful, like Aphrodite or Hera, and some not so much, like Hephaestus." She couldn't help but chuckle at the pups botched attempt at pronouncing the word. "Apollo. Ah-poll-oh," she slowed the word down, carefully pronouncing it so the pup could hear it better as they entered the warm, cozy den. Piles of herbs laid about, in various stages of drying, giving the den a comfortable scent. "I've never met him face to face," she answered, moving aside so the child could get comfortable. "But, when you feel the warmth of the sun on your back and can't help but smile...he's there. Or when the clouds move just right so the sun makes shafts of light across the sky. Or when you get the urge to sing, or tell a poem. All those things are Apollo." She loved telling the stories of her gods, of her childhood. 
"No one can heal the dead, unfortunately. When someone dies, their....they aren't here anymore. Their body is, of course. But not their spirit. That goes on to another place. They live on in our hearts, and our memories. That is how you keep the dead alive." 

she is sated with tales of gods as they head toward the den, one of which has her ears perk. "are you a god, then?" she queries, eyes a little wide. it sounded like a very important thing to be; she supposed the creek was lucky to have aphrodite in their ranks. 

the stepped into the den, and something shifted. at once, she feels comfortable, familiar; at the back of her mind, something stirs. aphrodite is still talking, and while much of her attention is focused on the healer, she grapples for the memory, the familiarity. brow furrows, but the moment passes. 

the girl steps forward, inhaling softly. juniper moves to inspect the piles, careful not to disturb them, again, something stirs, though the more she tries to grab at it, the faster the memory fades. "spirit?" she echoes, though her gaze remains on a pile of particularly fragrant greenery, with faded purple flowers at the tips of the stems. lavender. "what's spirits, 'ditey? what's this?" 

She laughs softly, understanding how the pup got confused. Still, she didn't feel like facing the real goddess' wrath. 
"No, little one. I am a wolf, just like you." They enter the den and Aphrodite watches proudly as she absorbs their surroundings, both taking a deep breath at the calm atmosphere. 
Another question and dite settles herself towards the back of the den, warm and dry.  "Spirit is...it's the thing that makes you, you. It's your memories, your thoughts, your feelings. It's the spark that keeps your heart beating." Such deep questions for a child to ask. But Aphrodite knew a future Healer when she saw one. 
"That, is lavender. If you have bad dreams, you can sleep on a bed of that. If you gift it to your lover it will make him always find of you. It's also good for healing cuts and bruises. Go ahead, taste it." 

aphrodite asserts that she is just a wolf, but it occurs to the girl that she might not be telling the truth — perhas she is a god, but it's secret. her smile curves conspicuously, but she remains silent on the matter then. aphrodite clarifies the definition of spirit, and the girl nods seriously. 

a name, then, for the little purple flowers. "I like it," she announces, gaze flitting to the healer before taking one of the blossoms in her maw, separating it from the stalk with a couple sharp snaps of her fangs before chewing on it a long moment, exploring the floral taste of it in her maw. "mama has a lover and it's папа," she tells the healer, asking then, "do you gotta lover, 'ditey?" 

She smiles as the pup samples the herb, deciding she likes it. 
"You can take some back to the den with you, after the rain lets up. Hopefully the storm doesn't last too much longer." Do you have a lover? 
A sadness crept into her eyes, and for a moment her throat felt like she had swallowed a too-large chunk of meat. Surya....what had happened to him? Where had he gone? Was he even alive?  She didn't even know how to answer that question. With a sigh she lowered her head, folding her paws over each other and resting her head on them with a very doglike sigh. 
"I did. Surya and I loved each other. But something happened to him." The not knowing is what hurt the most. Not knowing if he would ever come back. Not knowing if he would still care for her if he did. Not knowing if he was alive. She refused to perform the death rites. Not yet. Not for another few months. Not if there was still a chance....

"really? thanks 'ditey!" she beams, tail wagging. she feels at home in the den, and rather hopes that the rain doesn't let up for a while more. if she had a name for it, she'd call the curious twitch in the back of her mind as she moves to scent another pile of herbs deja-vu. 

something shifts, she peers back over her shoulder as the woman sighs, settling her head on her paws. stepping carefully back toward her, "that's sad." she murmurs, moving to place a kiss on the side of the healer's muzzle, chest feeling floppy in emotion she'll come to realize is called empathy. "did he go missing like pele?" she queries, softer than her previous cheerful questions.

A gentle kiss and Aphrodite can't help but let a soft smile creep through. 
She gave the girl a loving nuzzle back, cleaning behind her ear and chewing at a flea like her mother would. It was an ache deep in Aphrodite's belly; to mother, to care for a child whether it was her own or not. After Donovan's attack, and how much she had bled after, she wasn't sure she could have her own. 
"Yes, like Pele. He went on a hunt and still hasn't come back yet." An absurd part of her wondered if he had felled an elk or moose, and was taking this long to drag it back. But surely by now the meat would be too spoiled to eat...

when the healer begins to groom behind her ear, juniper leans into the affection, the woman effectively scratching an itch she hadn't bothered to. aphrodite offers some more information, and juniper thinks on it a moment, considering. "maybe he's not found anything good yet. and when he does, he'll come back." it seemed a rational thought, and she'd no idea how long he'd been gone. 

outside, the rain began to slow, though juniper was content within the den. under aphrodite's ministrations, surrounded by the comforting scent of herbs and flora, her eyelids began to drift closed as she slid onto her side by the woman, warmth and content in the little space.

As the little one curled up and fell asleep under her grooming, she couldn't help but smile. 
This was what she wanted. More than anything. She almost wished she had gotten to Pele, or that Dawn was less of a mother. But for now, she would settle.  And so with the rain beating gently on the den, she closed her eyes, and dreamed of her and Surya and their own little brood.