HOME | DD

Description

The youth paced for quite some time before finally halting in front of a rather large pond. This day she had simply decided to head for a completely different direction from her usual routes. Despite the fairly calm atmosphere, if one excluded the cracks of twigs that could be heard from the trees, Ostelinda found herself getting slightly irritated by the whirling wind that was forcefully brushing against her brown and white patched fur.

The view on the lake was quite captivating, at least in the young canine's eyes. Sure, she had witnessed smaller puddles of water here and there, a lot more around her den lately due to the crazy weather, but nothing quite as big. She found herself nearing the water, almost bouncing towards it, pausing abruptly right before her fore white paws could get soaked. Her mind raced for a bit. There wasn't any danger in here, right? All the animals she had to be careful around were land animals, after all. Field was clear!

Ostelinda would crane her nape, getting a closer view on her reflection upon the mild flow. It was mainly blurry, due to the wind's touch, but the female pup could still perceive a pair of light emerald hued eyes staring back at her. It was as if they belonged to someone else entirely. The whelp perched on the moist land beneath her, without departing her gaze from the turbulent reflection. Everything else was quite peaceful, serene, causing the rascal to relax.

Lilith shuddered slightly in apprehension at the sensation of the wind picking up around her. Another storm was surely going to be rolling in... She hoped that she wouldn't be trapped in it. For that reason, she had decided to hurry up and finish her sweeping of Onni's borders. She wanted to check in on the lake and see how the waters were looking. With all this rain, the lake was probably going to be a muddy mess... but hopefully it would clear up before too long.

As the lithe female grew closer, long legs carrying her across the ground with ease, the wind changed its direction. As it did so, it blew a strange scent to Lilith's nostrils. The creamy-coated female's dainty ears pricked forwards with interest and curiosity as she realized that this scent did not belong to a member of Onni. It seemed that a loner had wandered onto their territory... but that was okay. Onni was very welcoming to strangers, as long as they were respectful.

She could see the lake up ahead now and, standing before it, was a young wolf. A pup, actually. What was a pup doing out here? Lilith's mind immediately flashed to Morrigan, who she'd met not too long ago. "Hello." Lilith called out as she approached, not wanting to spook the youngster by making a sudden appearance. She slowed as she grew closer, so that it wouldn't look as if she were charging.

The pup lowered her head towards the lingering water, taking a few sips out of it before her ears perked at the sound of vocals. The wind had been creating a vast amount of sounds through the trees, hence why Ostelinda wasn't aware of the approaching wolf before she spoke. It startled her slightly initially, but it didn't take long to ease up a bit nonetheless, after shifting her petite frame around in order to behold the stranger. Pale hues adorned the female's pelt, while a pair of icy blue eyes stared right back at the pup. "Hi" she would address the other a bit reluctantly. It wasn't as if she was fearful of strangers, but since her mother's warning and her encounter with other predators, the young girl found it best to be wary around unfamiliar individuals, wolves or not.

Raising her frame from the terrain steadily, the green eyed pup was about to question the stranger for her motives. "What do you want?" Did she want to eat her? Was she bad? Or just another friendly canine like her pack friend? Of course it was quite early for her to deduct anything that early, but Ostelinda had no intention of letting anyone else trick her again.

Lilith gave the other a small smile of apology, noticing the way that the other had started a bit. "Sorry, I was trying not to scare you." She laughed softly wagging her tail slightly in hopes that the easygoing body language would show the young pup that she meant no harm. Now that she was closer, she could see more defining features of the little one... and it reminded her of another pup that she'd met not so long ago. The resemblance was uncanny.

"I was just a bit surprised to see a pup on her own, is all." Lilith responded. The pup was just as wary as Morrigan had been as well... that couldn't be a coincidence. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know a Morrigan, would you?" She inquired curiously.

Observing the other as she smiled down at her, Ostelinda would blink a few times as her thought was getting more and more complex. The stranger didn't seem quite menacing whatsoever, but the youth couldn't be certain. Was there any specific sign that would indicate someone being a threat? If that was the case, could she catch the clues before something bad happened? The stranger's vocals soon drew her attention, her doubtful gaze alterred rapidly to an intrigued one. "Morrigan? You mean Morri? You know my sister?" she would question, a small smile crossing her bicolored lips while her tail swayed nonchalantly behind her haunches.

"Are you a friend of Morri's?" the pup would inquire once more while a rather unpleasant thought was forming in her still oblivious mind. Could it be that she had spied on her sister while Linda was away? Had she located their den? If that was so, maybe that dame was more dangerous than she previously imagined... Despite the nagging thoughts, the whelp simply awaited for an answer, not wanting to jump into conclusions that quickly.

The change when she mentioned Morrigan was significant. She went from wary and uncertain to intrigued and curious. Lilith smiled in response, her suspicions confirmed. "I'd like to think that we are friends." She said with a soft laugh. "I met her not very long ago. She'd gotten lost during a storm and I helped her out. I didn't get to meet your family though. I had to hurry to get back to my pack after helping Morrigan figure out where she was at."

The little one's tail was wagging slightly, so Lilith could tell that she seemed to be relaxing some... At least that's what Lilith was hoping. "My name is Lilith." She introduced herself with another kind smile. "I'm guessing that you are Morrigan's sister? You look and act a lot like her. Which is a good thing; it's very smart to be wary of strangers."

The older female's response came as a surprise. She wasn't aware of Morrigan's friends, if she had any. Ostelinda spent most of the day time out, venturing close to her family's den and sometimes even further than that. But she couldn't recall one single time she witnessed the raven coated pup get out of the den, hence why she had simply assumed that Morrigan was not fond of the outside world. Hearing the dame speak of Ostelinda's sister getting lost during a storm caused a mild wave of apprehension inside her. Morrigan lost?! How had she not noticed?

"How is she? Is she alright?" the youth questioned drastically. It was her fault for not ever asking her sister to join her into one of her journeys, and the result was Morri getting lost!

"I should have been with her" Ostelinda simply stated in a lower tone, squinting mostly to herself. Bad sister Linda. The lass shook her head from left to right, soon raising her green gaze upon the taller figure. "Thank you so much for helping my sister"! she spoke, confirming the relationship with the darker pelted pup. Yes, this wolf could have easily been dangerous, and she doubted that the inexperienced Morrigan could face everything that lurked out there. If Linda couldn't do it back then, Morri would never!

Shifting her attention on the canine before her, Ostelinda nodded after listening to the other's title. "Lilith" she repeated, drawling the word through her lips. "You are a good wolf, Lilith. Next time I will make sure that Morri doesn't get lost at all". With that, the youngster proceeded into her own part of the introduction, after deeming the other was trust-worthy. "Yeah, strangers are the worst, because then I have to think if they are good or bad, and sometimes that is confusing! Oh, I'm Linda".

"Yes, she's alright." She reassured the youngster. "I made sure that she made it back to her territory, safe and sound. It was a while ago, so I'm sure you would've known if something was wrong." She gave her a kind smile as she stated that she should have been with her. "You can't be with her all of the time... you have to spend some time on your own too. Don't beat yourself up; Morrigan is just fine." She chuckled softly as the youngster thanked her for helping her sister. "Of course, it was my pleasure." She hummed softly in response.

It made her heart warm to hear the youngster tell her that she was a good wolf. She liked to think that she was... she certainly tried her best to be. "I'm glad you think so... and it's very smart of you to be wary of strangers. I'm sure you know the signs of ones that are bad. It's nice to meet you, Linda!"

The piebald whelp released a sigh of relief as soon as she learnt that her sister was unscathed. "It's because I haven't seen Morri go out that often, and she doesn't know how to take care of herself there, that's why she needs to be careful" she would spout her opinion, a rather serious expression on her face.

"I like meeting good wolves!" she would exclaim, returning a smile on the older female. Hearing the canine as she spoke about strangers, Ostelinda lowered her ears slightly. "I try to understand who's good and who's not, but there are some that confuse me, and when I think they're good, they turn out to be bad", another huff escaped her muzzle.

Lilith gave the youngster a warm smile as she explained her reasoning. "I can understand that. I was the same way with my sister too." She missed her... some sadness flickered briefly through her pale blue eyes, before she shooed it away. No need in letting herself get down... there was nothing that she could do about it. She couldn't bring her sister back, so she shouldn't be stressing over and thinking about it.

"Yes, it can be a challenge to learn who is good and who is bad... just always follow your gut, okay?" Lilith stated, her tone becoming more serious. "If your gut is telling you to be wary or not to trust someone, there is probably a reason. It's very important to follow that feeling or you may end up regretting it in the long run."

Ostelinda nodded, casting a short term glance upon the earth between her fore paws, looking like she was immersed in her thoughts for a moment, before returning her attention back on the other dame. "I... I will try to do that" she reassured the other, settling on the soil underneath as she felt more at ease around the stranger than before.

'Was'? The tyke blinked as she reminisced the other damsel's sentence, only then realizing that she had used past tense when referring to her sibling. "What happened to Lilith's sister"? she inquired, curiosity prickling her mind.

Lilith gave the youngster a nod as Linda told her that she would try to do that. She had to stop herself from speaking up again. She'd wanted to tell the pup to make sure she did it, not just try to. She had quickly reminded herself that she wasn't Linda's mother though. It wasn't her place to tell her what she should and shouldn't do. It was easier said than done to refrain from doing so... The pale she-wolf's maternal streak was a mile wide.

Her smile turned melancholic as the little one asked what had happened to her sister. She had expected that... There was no curiosity like that of a pup's. She hesitated briefly, before deciding that Linda was surely old enough to know about death by now. "She was killed by an enemy wolf." She responded, leaving it vague. She was not ready to tell her whole story yet.

The juvenile felt some mild concern forming her in her still oblivious mind, after she inspected the other wolf's expression, which appeared to turn more and more gloomy with each second that passed. Was it something she said? The young girl pondered while reminiscing her own past experiences. Maybe Lilith had argued with her sister before, like her new friends did? Ostelinda was about to question the other what was that had possibly altered her mood, before hearing the older female address her once more.

'She was killed by an enemy wolf'.

Huh? Killed?

Had she heard right? The loner squinted slightly, the motion of her raising her hind leg to scratch her hark was ceased abruptly after the dame spoke, as if time had stopped altogether. Ostelinda replayed the sentence in her mind. Still, it wasn't the part with the enemy wolf that stroke her as odd. No, some wolves could be a threat after all, that much she knew. But another wolf getting killed? While she couldn't fathom the concept for the time being, the pup couldn't but find it rational after all. "Y-You mean like... like when we catch small animals?" she mumbled, still a bit taken aback by the other's confession.

"I mean, I know that wolves can be bad and all, but I thought they could only do it to small pups so that they could eat them. Why would a wolf k-kill another wolf if they weren't hungry?" she uttered, deeply hoping that the female would hold the answer to this

Lilith gave the youngster a small smile as she gave her a baffled look. She couldn't blame her for being alarmed... That was a lot to take in. "Yes." She said softly. "Except they didn't do it for food, just because they were mean and wanted to hurt my pack." She responded softly. "We had territory that they wanted... we didn't want to give it up so they attacked us." She said softly. "I was one of the two wolves that managed to escape." She stated, not giving anymore details about the second wolf. It was too hard to think about Lucifer... It just hurt way too much. She missed her mate so badly. "It's okay though. I'm all better now. It just proves that you really have to be careful and watch out for yourself. Not everyone can be trusted."

The youngling felt her harks drooping slowly, soon brushing the back of her nape, their black shade coming in contrast with her slightly lighter brown pelt. "Oh" she murmured through her teeth, a sigh escaping her white patched muzzle. Both her ears were raised as the pup stood on all her fours again, displaying a rather imposing posture with a fierce gaze. "Why did Lilith not fight them though? I... I wouldn't let anyone take my home or hurt my siblings and Mom"! she spouted, genuinely curious as to why the other hadn't attempted to fight whoever was threatening her family

"If it were me... Ah, I would show them"! the whelp barked at the air, squinting slightly. No, there was no way she would let anything similar happen to her family. Not in a million moons. Of course, her still oblivious mind didn't allow her to process any other factors about the older female's potential motives or emotions back then. All Ostelinda knew was that Lilith probably didn't try enough.

Lilith felt her gut clench at the little one's inquiry. She didn't want to talk about this. She didn't want to relive these moments, but the pup was unintentionally making her. She could feel her throat growing tight with anxiety that she desperately tried to swallow. She understood why the young pup was confused that she didn't fight... she didn't know the details. Lilith didn't want her to think she was a coward... so she was going to tell her, as vaguely as possible. "Because I was pregnant." She responded softly.

The small lass kept her emerald tinged gaze on the distance, slightly irritated at the unknown wolves this specific female talked about. But, she would be lying if she didn't admit that the subtle submission implied by the other didn't both pique her curiosity and find her opposed to it. How could someone do nothing and flee just like that? According to her friend who was part of a pack, the latter was deemed as a big family. Then why didn't this wolf protect her own family?

The response of the other took the pup by surprise. She had to blink twice in order to make sure that she had heard right and didn't misinterpret the sentence due to the occasional noises caused by the gust of wind. "Pregnant"? she uttered, a puzzled look on her face. "Can't pregnant wolves fight?" she questioned, now more intrigued. "Oh! Then there have to be little guys somewhere around here?" she squirmed, a bit more enthusiastic than before. It wasn't as if Ostelinda was that fond of puppies, but the presence of younger canines waddling all around did remind her of her new pup friends in Na''em.

She had so many questions... She just... didn't understand. Lilith couldn't blame her. She couldn't be angry with her for it. She had been this curious when she was just a pup too. "Yes they can, but they risk having their babies hurt. If another wolf had hurt my belly, they could have killed my babies. I would have rather run than risk my babies. I... I thought that they could handle it." I thought wrong...

Ostelinda's next words sent a thrum of pain throughout her heart. "N... no..." She stuttered softly. "No, they aren't anywhere around here." She added softly, her ears pinning back against her skull, but not out of aggression... out of sorrow. She hoped that the little one would catch on and stop asking so many questions, but she knew that the curiosity of a child was almost unbearable.

The green eyed she-wolf tilted her head to the side, not really protesting to the first sentences the other spoke. A mother protecting her children sounded pretty rational, so the pup couldn't really blame the other female for not engaging in any fight, even if that meant protecting her pack. "O-Oh... I guess then you weren't as weak as I thought" the lass gave off a remorseful smile, feeling bad for assuming the opposite.

Ostelinda observed as the other's voice stammered right after she questioned about the invisible pups, while her ears retreated to the back. Was there something wrong? She couldn't entirely tell for sure, but it was apparent that there was something bugging Lilith. "I... I didn't mean to make Lilith sad, sorry"! she admitted, and although she instantly fell silent, the whelp kept her gaze fixated on the other's visage. She really messed up big time now. "Forgive me"? she only managed to utter while moving slightly closer to the larger silhouette. Still, she wasn't quite certain what was so concerning that caused this pack wolf's demeanor to change so drastically, but pestering her more to find out didn't really sound like a good idea either.

Lilith smiled at the youngster softly as she stated that she wasn't as weak as she'd thought. "Well, I'm happy to hear it." She mused softly. The little pup was observant, having realized that all of her questions had upset Lilith. "It's okay, sweetie." The cream-pelted she-wolf hummed softly to her, trying to reassure her. "I do not forgive you, for there is nothing to forgive. You didn't offend me." She wasn't sure if Linda totally understood, but she didn't ask any further.

"So, what are you doing out here on your lonesome? Do you have the wayward gene like your sister?" She teased softly, trying to lighten the mood and move the conversation elsewhere. She didn't want to dwell upon the past anymore and she didn't want for Linda to feel bad either. Best to move on.

Ostelinda's ears would rise slightly as Lilith's reassuring vocals rang. Despite that, he pup's gaze was filled with disbelief. It was quite obvious that she was sad, and it was because of her constant questions. The whelp let a reluctant smile return on her visage, a content facade now displayed on her facial features. "I'm sorry" the almost inaudible mumble slipped through her lips as soon as the older canine addressed her once more, apparently changing the topic.

"I don't think Morri liked going outside that much- but now that might've changed" she shrugged, and although her voice lacked the appropriate emotion, the juvenile made an effort to dismiss the previous matter for a moment. However, the desire to make amends for the painful reminders she caused to this wolf were enough for her lips to emit another form of apologetic response. "Um, if Lilith finds her kids, you will say 'hi' from me, won't you"?