XD Np, Ghita has mad tracking skills. ;3 Btw Grace will have to tell Ghita that she's related to Jazper - Ghita won't know otherwise. XP

Wc: 583

You could ask anyone around at Crimson Dreams. Especially the adults closest to her in her life - Ehno, Savina, and Jazper - they'd all give you the same answer. Ghita Marino was not always known for her smarts. But hopefully, to some, that would give some reassuring insight into the fae's actions - although not always. The strong-willed Marino fae was one of two with the same nature - although the ebony sister seemed to gain more common sense.


And that was particularly why an obviously pregnant Ghita thought it would be a swell idea to take a trip down to Phoenix Valley. It didn't matter that she'd have to travel through Ethereal Eclipse to avoid stepping into Cour des Miracles' territory (although they were a relatively friendly neighbor, Ghita didn't think she'd be very fond of the idea of a member trekking through her territory to save some time), through the shattered coast (which could be difficult to navigate), and visit the shady town of Halifax for the second time in her life before finally even being able to see the packlands.


What did matter was that her extended family was a part of Phoenix Valley. Her brother, Ehno, had fathered Ghita's nieces and nephews in this land (with a fae she wasn't particularly fond of but accepted in any case), and recently the small family in Phoenix Valley had fallen into disarray. At least, that was her perspective. The mother, Naniko, had ended up falling off of the radar, leaving the pups without her presence. As a mother to two wonderful pups herself, the fae had found this news to be awful, and took it upon herself to try and relieve some of her brother's - and her - stress by scoping the situation out for herself.



All of these thoughts consumed her as her loping gait took her through Arachnea's Revenge, the turquoise optics fixed on her thoughts, before the agouti fae literally bumped into the scent that now decorated the huntress' nostrils. She had only taken a whiff of the Phoenix Valley scent once before, when her nieces and nephews had visited for the family reunion, but the aroma had stuck, and Ghita was certain that there was another pack member in her vicinity.



Blessing her luck, her thoughts already leapt ahead to the conclusion that she might not have to wait at the border after all for a ticket into Phoenix Valley. And maybe this was good news after all - Ghita couldn't wait terribly long, as the sun had already begun to dip behind the trees. Wolves would be heading back to their sleeping-places now, the patrols long since headed in for the day. Picking up her speed, the mother was only slightly disappointed to see Grace's small figure come into sight - surely she couldn't help her into Phoenix Valley - but mostly worry dotted the fae's heart.



Approaching loudly, deliberately cracking twigs beneath her paws to announce her arrival, Ghita kept her tail low and a faint smile painted on her face as she approached. Mind whirring as to why this young pup was out this late, she closed the distance between them slowly, before finally meeting Grace on all four of her Lupus paws. Gently, she lowered her rump to the ground beneath them, extending her leg to keep the pain at bay, before speaking, her posture the epitome of peace and passivity. "It's getting kind of late for adventuring, don't you think?"

Np - Ghita will recognize Grace's mother. ^^ And ewh, sorry this sucks. ><

Wc: 432

It didn't take too long for the young pup to relax around Ghita, which was a relief, but in the few seconds that elapsed between Grace's greeting and Ghita's arrival, the older fae already knew that this pup wasn't one of her nieces. She wasn't too disappointed, though - the woman had a way with young wolves, and always enjoyed the youthful feeling she got being around them.


She was being evaluated by the small puppy, it seemed. Her turquoise eyes followed Grace's movements with the hint of a smile as she sat there, her mind already racing ahead of herself. She'd have to spend the night in Halifax, which admittedly wasn't the best idea in her various states, but it was better than camping out in the middle of the cold land of Arachnea's Revenge. At least in Halifax she could find some shelter to take the edge off of the wind - although she wasn't a fae who needed the comfort of her mate's soft bed to get by. She always had preferred roughing it to the soft life she led in Crimson Dreams.


With a sinking feeling, the Crimson Dreamer felt as if she knew just what Grace was staring at, and shifted her damaged leg in an attempt to remove it from immediate view. But the young pup was circling her, and so naturally Grace would come right around and see the leg once more. Letting out a soft sigh, her ears began to drop, preparing for the naive questions birthed from a pup's mouth, throwing grenades at her fragile pride.


So, naturally, when the question came to Ghita, she had to let out a spirited laugh in surprise. She knew her frame was smaller than the average wolf's, and so the blunt puppy-like assumption could only come from her pregnant belly. Smiling, Ghita nodded sagely, excitement sparkling in her eyes. "That's because I'm going to have some puppies soon." Unsure of how much Grace knew about the birds and the bees, the Marino girl decided to keep her answer simple, hoping that Grace wouldn't pose too many awkward questions.


Even as light-hearted as their banter had begun to be, the fae couldn't ignore the rapidly sinking sun that threatened to disappear into the cover of dusk. Worried for the safety of this young wolf, the fae began speaking, hoping to gain some insight as to who the girl's parents were, and which direction would be best to take to reach them. "I'm Ghita Marino, from Crimson Dreams - what's your name?"

I would just like to say that I SUCK. For many reasons, but the primary reason being for taking so long! D: School just loaded three grade 12-level projects on me and they took priority. D: So, so, so sorry! And thank you so much for the compliment! I actually was thinking that of yours. <3

Wc: 670

Being around the small, excited pup couldn't help but speak to the mother, making her heart pang in longing for her own children. She wished to be whisked away back to a time where her leg wasn't crippled, and her children were young and loving, where she was able to protect them from the sometimes scary world that nipped at their heels. But Aro and Sophia were now adults in their own right, causing the fae's heart to clench at times. How could her babies be nearly fully grown? The prospect was impossible - wasn't she just holding them and rocking them to sleep last week?



Her new litter, now obviously on the way, wouldn't fully heal the gap left in the mother's heart as she realized she was no longer needed in her childrens' lives, but it would help to give her strength and closure. Her children would still love her, that much she knew, and Ghita would be needed by a new set of puppies on the way. She could now take the lessons she had learnt from her past litters and teach her youngest children the best way experience and instinct could combine.


So it wasn't surprising with the influx of hormones pumping through Ghita's body that she felt a motherly sort of protection over Grace, even after just meeting the girl. As peaceful as the lands had been in the past few months, that didn't mean that there weren't treacherous people about, especially for a young pup in neutral territory. Haunting whispers of isolated incidents had reached Ghita's pierced ears, and she couldn't stop the ringing of eerie foreboding from telling her to get the pup back home safely before the darkness fully fell.



Even as these darker thoughts crept through unannounced, Grace, as she now learned was her name, couldn't keep the smile off of Ghita's face. Happy to hear the pup as excited and free-spirited as she'd seemed from the start of their meeting, the elder fae's tooth grin only wavered slightly as Grace's last name came to light. Blinking her large, turquoise eyes in slow surprise, the fae hadn't thought that Naniko had had any more children asides from the ones with Ehno, but that could easily be outdated information. Swallowing the uneasy lump that rose from hearing the fae whom the Marinos held an uneasy feud with, Ghita forced her tone to remain happy and light, even if the ends of her sentences were a little damp. "That's a very pretty name, Grace. Who are your parents? I'm sure they must be very worried since you've been gone so long." Even though the Crimson Dreamer knew of Grace's origins simply from her scent, it was a nice reassurance to hear that Ghita's nose hadn't been damaged with age.


Indeed, she had heard of the ranch that Grace had mentioned only seconds previously - in fact, it was somewhat similar to Crimson Dream's cottage with many goats that roamed around. "Wow, sheep? That's very cool! Back where I come from, we have a cottage with goats all around!" The mother could easily drag up some stories of border patrols where she'd had to scare some goats from off the very roof of the house, but the first things came first - did Grace know what a goat was?



At Grace's next comment, Ghita couldn't help but be remembered of her own niece, Artemis, who possessed the same exploring spirit as Ghita did when she was that age - and Grace was appearing to as well. "You're exploring, eh? Did you find anything interesting?" At first, the agouti fae was surprised to hear the child's exclamation, and her body portrayed this as her ears perked up instantly, but soon settled down as the motive behind the message was revealed. Shaking her head slightly, Ghita showed her opinion on the matter with a small, apologetic shrug. "I don't, actually. But I can probably smell the sheep if it's nearby - do you know the general direction?"

XP Daw, thank you. Although I admit that I'm missing my productivity. ;_;

I'm not sure how I want this to play out.. XD Bad planning on my part. Any suggestions? ^^;
Wc: 513

The agouti fae wasn't entirely sure how Grace could be related to the D'Angelo name, but the most likely prospect was that Naniko had another child. As much as it shook her heart, Ghita knew that Naniko and her brother Ehno were no longer mates, but didn't know how much the male still cared for her. The mateship - and the puppies that followed - had caused an uproar within Crimson Dreams' Marino family, and just when it seemed like the saga had ended for the better, Ghita had to go and meet this wonderful pup, who bore the D'Angelo name as well.


Grace never spoke up as to who her parents were, but for now, the older fae could calm herself with the simple matter of colouring. Wouldn't one of Naniko's children bear the same white pelt that the fae did? Of Ghita's own children, Aro had a mixture of Amata's and Jazper's colouring, in his tuxedo pelt, and Sophia had a vibrant red tracing far back into the familial lines. Flawed as Ghita's logic was, if Aro could emerge with a white pelt where Ghita's was a myriad of browns and blacks, and Jazper as dark as the night's sky, it was dominant enough to emerge in litters - but Grace barely showed any.


Ignoring the parental issue for now, Ghita turned her focus back to the more pressing one that grew in gravity as the light-giving orb sank behind the horizon. For the wandering companions, they would have maybe a half-hour of partial light, given by the generous dusk, before night fell upon them completely, and their senses kicked into nighttime gear. (And surely Grace's parents would panic, whoever they may be)


But Ghita was quickly transported back into the world of optimistic puppyhood as she heard Grace proclaim her adventuring prowess. Smiling kindly, the pregnant fae nodded and faced the same ways that her young charge did, all the while letting her pierced ear point to the birthing of stars, where Ghita's navigation would finally come into play. The Italian fae had navigated across both Italian and Canadian countrysides while using the celestial bodies as guides - this would be no different. By simple logic, she knew that the ranch had to be somewhere within Phoenix Valley, and she knew that direction.


"You're close, Grace!" Ghita yipped encouragingly. Stooping down to meet the pup eye-to-eye, she turned her head towards the border of Phoenix Valley, Grace's pack scent rolling off of the winds in dancing aromas. "If we walk for long enough, we'll reach Phoenix Valley there, and then we can find the ranch using our noses. Does that sound like a plan?"


Barely waiting for her charge to respond, Ghita's limp had already been put into motion, moving slowly to allow the girl to keep up. It wasn't too far to the border, but the pair had to walk a fine line between a quick pace, and slow enough to reach the border without exhaustion for either party. "Tell me about Phoenix Valley, Grace - do you like it there?"