The past few days she had hung around outside the Victorian house, coming and going as was her manner. Mostly at night and mostly when no one saw. Yet Bris was growing bigger, almost too big, and her time was almost up. No one had to tell Nayru that and no one had to ask her to come. In the middle of the night she had left her green house, watering what plants needed it and headed back to “home”. Attached to her ankle was of course her dagger and anklet Bris had constructed, but aside from that she left everything in its place in the green house. It would all be there for her when she returned in a few days.

Dawn had just broken when she came into the Victorian house, to find it still and silent. Slowly she padded about the house, checking in rooms where the doors were half ajar. Some souls she found sleeping and some she found missing, but none awake and able to talk with her. Even Gideon. Especially Gideon. It had been some time since they had spoken and just as much as being near Bris during her birthing Nayru had looked forward to spending some time with her friend. To live alongside him and the others again, if only for a few days. Yet he was not here and she pulled herself from the warmth of the house once more, settling herself on the steps to the front door, drawing her knees up to her chin.

For a long while Nayru enjoyed the solitude, her mind slowly peeling apart all the possibilities of the day. It would be sunny enough; perhaps she would go hunting and bring it back for Conor and Bris. Or maybe she would spend time with Range and Melee. Saluce too needed to be visited, although she saw him every now and then to tweak her training, which had become somewhat of a solo activity as well. Most her activities eventually did. All that would only be killing time, because Nayru knew that whatever she did do with her day it would all be dropped when Gideon came back. Deciding this she closed her eyes, knowing she wouldn’t go hunting because what if she went out when he finally did come in? Better to be still and wait.

Gideon was home suddenly, strolling up the path and Nayru raised her head from her hands when he spoke. Smiling she nodded at his statement, finding the humor that he had been looking for her and she for him at the same time. I wanted to be near Bris, she is due soon, so I'm going to stay here for a few days. Or whenever the pups came. She grinned then, her voice teasing just slightly, knowing the Gideon wouldn't mind but asking anyway. If you don't mind sharing your room with me that is. Nayru could have easily taken up her old room, but she hadn’t even check to see if someone else had taken up residence in it. Perhaps Range and Melee would stake out their own bed rooms and claim her empty one. Either way she had left it empty and hadn't gone back in since leaving. The girl didn't intend to open it back up now.

Scooting over she indicated the space next to her, for Gideon to sit in. Idly she noted that he held his hand behind his back, but she didn't say anything about it. Whatever it was, it didn't concern her. Or perhaps it did, but she did not question it. Merely she waited for the boy to lower himself next to her and she turned to him, the thoughts that had been running through her head suddenly coming to life and spilling forth from her lips. I was going to go hunting, stock up some fresh kills for Bris and Conor, but I wanted to wait for you. How are Melee and Range doing? She saw them often enough to know they were healthy and happy, but she did not get to talk to them as often or as intimately as Gideon did. He was their father and she was just Nayru, and almost she felt sorry for this, but it was life and it went on, no matter the roles they played in it.

Nayru tilted her head at Gideon's confession that the woman who had birthed his adoptive children was on his mind. Since telling her of how he had found them the woman hadn't been mentioned, at least not to Nayru and she had quite nearly forgotten where Range and Melee had come from. It was almost as if they had been part of Dahlia de Mai all along. Yet quickly he answered her question with a teasing answer and Nayru was ready to put away the woman once more, until Gideon persisted with his troubled thoughts. Was the memory of the woman really bothering her friend so badly?

Gently she laid a hand upon his arm and smile sympathetically, although unsure of any comforting words or advice she might give. Nayru hadn't seen the woman, knew nothing about her, although she doubted Gideon knew much himself. Only what she looked like and that she had left her own children for dead. That seemed enough to plant her Gideon's brain, seeding and sprouting into some un-ignorable growth. Well Iwon't let you to sleep thinking of her. I'll tell you bed time stories if I have to. Nayru smiled, hoping that her support helped her friend but unsure if she could really chase the woman out of Gideon's conscious.

And then Gideon spoke of hunting and Nayru nodding, listening to the charcoal male speak of all the different game they could gather. With the two of them they could take on large prey animals, but they might be harder to locate in the first place. Squirrels and rabbits were plentiful, and Nayru was intrigued when Gideon said he had a slingshot. She always hunted with her dagger in optime, sneaking up upon creatures or giving chase in her stealthy way. Had she not been so small and silent her way of hunting would never had been successful. Even though she was very skilled at how she hunted, she was always eager to learn more, and had often thought of a bow and arrow herself, though she didn't know who could craft her one or help her learn to use it.

I'd like to see your sling shot. We can get some smaller game and come back here before Melee and Range come home. You can go get the sling shot in a while if you want. Nayru didn’t mind lingering on the steps with Gideon, talking about Melee and Range, or what they had been up to, or what they would like to be up to. It seemed so rare they had time to just talk as often as they did when they were kids, so much time Gideon devoted to the children and Nayru was often at the other end of the pack, holding down the eastern borders.

I like being with Melee and Range. They are great kids Gideon. You are doing a wonderful job with them, really. Her soft voice was softer then, as if seemed to get whenever she was really serious about anything. Melee and Range were turning out great, she was proud of them, although she felt she had no reason to. They were Gideon's pups, he had done the lion's share of raising them and Nayru had only been on the sidelines, but she was pleased to be there at all.

Gideon so humbly accepted her praise of Melee and Range and Nayru said no further on the subject. She knew that Conor and Bris had been concerned with the boy raising pups all by himself, and that was perhaps one of the reasons he had stayed in the Victorian home rather than joining her on the eastern edge. They had talked of it once, when the pups had first come, but Gideon had never made the move out there and Nayru had never questioned him as to why not. His presence wouldn’t have upset her, and even for a short time she had looked forward to his company, but when he did not appear she did not take his absence personally. Nothing had ever come between them before, there had never been any reason to doubt their friendship, and so Nayru did not think anything of it. He had his life here, and she there, and at times their paths would cross and Nayru would be grateful when they did.

The ebony boy rose and went inside the house, Nayru imagined her had left to fetch the sling shot. As he left her she stared off into the distance, the scene familiar to her but foreign at the same time. Living in this house she would often sit on the steps, but it had been a long time since she had done so and the snow and ice had set in, changing the landscape into a world she hadn’t seen before. So many details there were to take in Nayru could have stared all day, at nothing and everything all at once, but Gideon returned much more quickly than she had expected and she turned to see the sling shot, but was surprised to find something else thrust toward her.

Oh Gideon, what is it? No longer was Nayru unaccustomed to receiving gifts, but the items she had now had been bestowed on her for special occasions only. Bris had given her the anklet to mark her shifting, to mark her becoming an adult. Saluce gave her the dagger only as his apprentice, as a student to his craft and with the promise she would use it only for good and the benefit of Dahlia de Mai. Both gifts had been simple enough to understand, but as she reached out and took the box with slender fingers, she could not imagine why Gideon had chosen to give her anything.

Lifting the lid Nayru discovered the necklace. It reminded her of the anklet she wore always, but was simpler. The red of the single stone matched nearly perfect the brilliant hue of her eyes, and the clear crystal above it was nearly invisible against the white of her palm as she inspected the jewelry. To say it wasn’t pleasing would have been dishonest. Both the fact that Gideon wished to give her anything at all was pleasing, but the colors that went so perfectly with herself and the stones she already wore pleased the girl as well. Thank you Gideon, it’s lovely. She held it in her hand, unsure then of what to do with it. Then turning up to him, her eyes curious and kind, she smiled, hesitantly, unsure of if her next words were right or proper but not really caring. Would you put it on me?

Nayru smiled as the male fumbled with the clasp, but the light touch of his fingers sent strange electricity through her skin. So often when her friend touched her it was just warmth and security and Nayru couldn’t understand the sensation just then. It caused her anxiety, but it was pleasurable in a exciting way and she was almost sorry when he pulled away having completed his task. His words came then and she focused on them, trying to forget the confusion that his fingers had caused, but his words were just as puzzling.

Gideon spoke of Shiloh and Nayru smiled, knowing that Gideon was close to all his siblings. Although she hadn’t bonded much with them she loved them as she loved all of the Dahlians, but especially that they were important to Gideon and Bris. That Gideon wanted to give his sister such a present did not seem strange, but that he suddenly compared her to Shiloh was. Nayru had never thought of Gideon as a brother, though he had been the closest thing she had to a sibling within the pack lands. Still, they had always been friends, the best of friends, first and foremost and that Gideon now stumbled over whatever it was Nayru was to him was strange.

And quickly he moved down the steps, before Nayru could formulate words to try and sort out the situation. It seemed Gideon was content to have their roles muddled and move on to hunting. Following his lead she stood, less awkwardly or rushed, and moved toward the large man, noting just how much he had out grown her despite the few months she had over him. Placing her hand on his shoulder she smiled at him, nodding in agreement in her merry and easy going way. Yes, let’s go hunting.