Hope you don't mind if I join! ^^
Wc: 523~




It was Ghita herself who was up and about this day, her agouti pelt rising and falling as she ran. Granted, this run was filled with less grace than the usual gait she'd used to hold, but it was better than the most recent months had provided. She had shifted into her Lupus form almost immediately after waking, once she had discovered that her ever-close companion, the pain that settled into her knee, hadn't vanished, but merely subsided.


Exhaustion wasn't prevalent on Ghita's mind at all - she could run for a whole day if she needed to at her calm, loping speed. But for now her whole soul ached with the need to push herself to the breaking point, feel the panicked stretch in her lungs as she gulped for air, her muscles which would shake and shake after she stopped running, chasing after an emotion that was ever elusive.


Ghita had run since the morning light kissed the room where she lay with her mate, casting it in a light orangey-yellow glow and creating shadows where they were most welcome. Rising silently, she gave Jazper a light kiss under his cheek fur, leaving the light touch to melt into his skin. Her walking stick was still missing in action, but her Lupus form was unaffected by her lack of support - there were three other legs to support her lithe body now, as opposed to the single one.


It wasn't until she began to run that she noticed the sluggish, swollen feeling that had been creeping up on her come to fruit. She had been hoping with this morning run that she would banish what she perceived to be her laziness, but in the end she was fighting a losing battle. Her slender frame was beginning to protrude in an all-too familiar fashion, but the fae couldn't quite put her claw on it to pin it down.


All of these thoughts, and then some, chased around her mind with the rhythmic pounding of her paws against the ground, feeling the cool fall air cut into her skin bit by bit. She relished the cooling air, a sign to her that some things would change, yes, but some things were eternal - including the changing of the seasons. Spotting a figure a few yards away, the fae angled her body towards her packmate, sight too blurred to distinguish who it was.


They weren't anywhere near the border, so the likelihood of this being an intruder was relatively slim. As she grew closer in her footfalls, she finally recognized the light grey pelt of Flayra, accented by pleasant blue eyes. Approaching her in a slowing trot, Ghita's damaged hind leg drew into her belly, kept off of the ground as much as possible. She had adapted to moving without the aid of her hind leg, but in her heart she knew that it was hindering her healing. Letting a pearly smile decorate her pierced face, she greeted her companion with a nod, bowing her head slightly before lifting it again, accommodating the height difference in forms. "Flayra - it's good to see you again."

^^
Wc: 272~




Wincing, the timber fae cringed slightly as her meeting with the wolfess was brought to the surface immediately, without any preamble whatsoever. Granted, Flayra didn't know Ghita all that well, so she couldn't have possibly known how much her pride suffered with those few simple words. Ears flicking back slightly, she forced a reminiscent grin, turquoise optics darkening even as she tried to contain her emotions.



The last time Flayra and her had been together, they had attempted a hunt with a particularly strong deer, one that had connected a kick into her chest and shoulder. The cut was deep but short, luckily, and thanks to Cambria she healed up nicely, even without a scar, but the scar to her pride still remained. It had been one of the only times that she had failed as a huntress, and it was even more unfortunate that it was in front of a pack mate.


But no matter - her most recent injury had also just come to light, this time the fae was unable to conceal her bitterness. Old Red's collapse had happened some time ago, so perhaps it surprised some pack members that Ghita was still on the mend. Frankly, it still rankled her that she wasn't fully healed. Taking a deep, hissing breath of air, she let it out with a long sigh, almost watching her pride melt away from under her paws. "I was injured when Old Red collapsed trying to save my niece." She stated shortly and curtly, offering no more details to her companion. It was still a fresh wound, one that likely would remain so for years.

So sorry this took to long! School sucked out my soul. ><
Wc: 315~




Ghita's pride had always been a source of tenderness for the fae. The Lieutenant Colonel had always prided herself on her independence and her skill, two things she was sure of. She always had - and would always be able to take care of herself, that much she knew. And that was the main reason why the injuries to her chest and leg had taken such a toll on the woman. It was threatening her very identity in the sense that she was no longer able to rely on herself, and herself alone - and needed help from a walking stick to move around correctly.



She had never been able to shake the 'I can do this alone' complex she'd maintained since puppyhood. Even with her mate, she never truly relied on Jazper to do the hunting for her, or take care of her besides when she was pregnant. But now, with the hinderance of her leg preying on her mind, Ghita's self-efficacy was threatened every day. And that was truly what injured the Italian fae more so than the crushed knee.


Nodding sagely, Ghita was slightly surprised that news of Old Red's fall was coming so late to Flayra, but it made sense, in the end. Even if it was such a large event in the Marino family's lives, other pack members might not take the same view. But the months had healed almost every wound sustained during the collapse, Cambria's injuries thankfully not very severe. "Cambria was a little shaken, and her ribs were bruised somewhat, but she's better than before now. "


Shifting her weight onto her other forepaws, the fae was growing steadily uncomfortable with standing for so long. Letting her jaw stretch in a yawn, her ears flattened back fully before springing back into their heightened position, eyes alert once more. "What have you been up to recently? Anything worth telling?"

Wc: 234~




Nodding in response to Flayra, Ghita couldn't help but be taken back to the dark time where she couldn't move. Where she was trapped on her bed, rendered useless with pain in her leg and ribs, not knowing what had become of her packmates - her niece. Ehno had also plunged into the barn with her - two of her family members charging into the line of duty for Cambria. Not knowing whether the ones she loved were alive or dead was one of the hardest things Ghita had had to go through ever before.


But at the same time, the relief felt by the aunt once she discovered her family alive and well was just as powerful, all-consuming and donating perspective. Even though Ghita's mobility still hadn't fully recovered, it was made just that much more bearable knowing that no one else had been hurt in the barn's collapse. Most days, that was enough to get the injured wolfess through.


Hearing that Flayra had still been practicing Italian caught Ghita by surprise. She knew that Flayra was interested in her language, but hadn't expected there to be any books around to help in Flayra's quest. Unless she had learned from another member in the pack (any Marino had at least some knowledge), Ghita couldn't imagine how Flayra had learned. "That's good to hear - how did you learn? Show me what you know!"

Wc: 230~




Blinking in surprise at Flayra's Italian, she hadn't expected the fae to pick up on so much in such a short amount of time. Admittedly, some of the pronunciation was a little off, and the accent wasn't exactly right, but those were only things that a true native speaker would pick up on. Allowing herself a smile as the familiar language coursed through her ears, she nodded, tilting her head pensively as she mulled it over. She knew that Crimson Dreams had a library on the property, but had never been herself. Being unable to read in either language she knew, she didn't see much of a point to reading, but felt that both of her children should be taught how to. If her children could learn a skill, they should - you never knew where it would come in handy.


"You're pretty good in what time you've had - how long have you been studying?" She responded, almost regretfully falling back into English. Just like Flayra wished to practice her second language, Ghita lapsed back into hers. After living and breathing English for over a year, she finally felt that she was getting a good grip on the tongue, even if her accent was still heavy. At least her progress in English wasn't at the expense of her Italian - her childhood language was still as strong as ever.

Wc: 259~




In truth, the fae rarely thought about the world that books could provide to wolves. Sure, she knew that somehow, inside the thin, flimsy pages of bound material, somehow a wolf could learn things and read words from barely legible scribbles. What Ghita knew, she knew from experience, from going out into the world and putting her skills to practice. To the fae, book smarts didn't count for anything unless you could put it to use.


But here the proof was, right in front of her; Ghita had learned English through practice and dedication, emmersing herself in the language, and Flayra had read Italian between pages of a book. Listening to how long Flayra had practiced, the Italian mother was surprised at first, knowing that for the timber-coloured fae, it took her a while to get started, and then stick to a set task. But apparently Flayra didn't have that problem. "I see - you've made remarkable progress in that time."


Asked about her experiences with English, Ghita chewed at her lower lip for a moment in thought. Letting out a soft hum of thought, she finally opened her mouth to explain her struggles. "A lot of the wolves here speak very quickly, with a large vocabulary I didn't understand at first. But because I was totally inside the culture, I didn't have the safety net of another language to rely on, besides talking with my family. It didn't take too long for me to learn the basics, but I still learn a new word or two each day."

Should we finish up here?
Wc: 341~




It wasn't terribly uncommon to hear Italian spoken around Crimson Dreams, given that the pack was under Marino leadership, but other languages were uncommon in the packlands, given the general history of the area. To Ghita's understanding, English had been the predominant language for many years, and unless there were languages imported by immigrants into the country, like Italian by the Marinos, other wolves wouldn't know how to speak it. But with these books, now, Ghita's world began to get a whole lot smaller, the fae trying to wrap her mind around the idea that an entire language could be within a single book. With a fair bit of disdain, the fae finally decided that simply being able to speak the words didn't make you Italian, or in fact give you knowledge about the first thing of Italian culture. Ghita's heritage still belonged to her; and although she looked back on her time in Italy as less than pleasant for the most part, it still made up who she was.


"The accent will come with time," she replied, flicking her ears towards Flayra. "Once you get an idea of the pronunciation, the accent will follow soon after." With Ghita's pursuit of English, however, her Italian accent remained despite knowing the English pronunciation, due to her heritage and amount of time spent in Italy. "But it takes a while if you've been exposed to a certain language. My Italian accent bleeds into other languages I try to speak - and so will your English accent."



Nodding at the unexpected compliment, that was the only thing that Ghita had the mind to do. She had only intended on sharing her story, and didn't see it as anything to be thanked for. "Thank you." She murmured, ever-conscious of the Italian remnants seeping onto her tongue. Whether she could speak the language perfectly or not was a question for another day, but the Italian fae certainly had come miles from where she'd started out a year and a half ago. "I'd love to help you."