Word Count → 320

Orin had two small, lightweight planks of wood in her hands. It was a simple, light burden, something she could guiltlessly carry. It was not too heavy and would not strain her body too much to carry, which was a good thing for within the woman's swollen belly were brand new, precious little lives. The pack was still crippled by the aftermath of the great snowstorm that ravaged their lands, and it seemed that everybody was too absorbed in their own repairs to offer any help to the pregnant Takekuro woman. Well, she didn't blame them. They probably all assumed that she would be staying with Shawchert until her babies were born... but this was not true. Orin had no intention of giving birth to the puppies in Sky's house. She wanted to do things her way. The snowstorm had robbed her of her chance to nest, and build a great place to give birth to her children, so the next best place would be her home, her own bookstore.

And so now, alone, Orin walked two planks of wood across the Thornbury shopping square and towards her bookstore that had sustained some damage during the storm. She tripped in a bank of snow, and while she caught her balance and did not fall to the ground, the wood she was carrying slipped out of her grip. She looked at it and sighed. It would be too hard to bend over and pick it up now. So instead, she began pushing it along with her foot.

When she reached her bookstore, she let the planks sit on the snow while she lowered herself to the steps of the porch to sit. A hand fell onto her swollen belly. It would not be long now. “I promise I will have a suitable home for you, my little loves,” she spoke to her belly as she rested and caught her breath.

Word Count → 400+

Her ears perked, startled by the unexpected voice. What's more, she did not recognize the voice, and turned her eyes from her bloated belly to the man that now stood before her. He had a pelt of salted coal that seemed to have a purple-blue twinge to it in the light, a peculiar sheen that mirrored the deep violet of his eyes. It was exotic, a strange and intriguing trait, and Orin decided at once that she liked this man for this alone. She wondered if this was a natural trait of his fur or if he dyed it somehow like she did. Though he appeared to be free of dye. Suddenly she began quietly wondering if there were mineral baths that could do this to one's pelt. Wouldn't it look just gorgeous if her ivory coat had a coral sheen in the sunlight?

“Oh, hi!” she said, her surprise reflected in her voice. She straightened up but did not get off of the stoop. There had been evidence here that a great amount of snow had once piled up against the door and then had been cleared away. The windows to the bookstore before which she sat were ragged, having been smashed and weathered during the snowstorm. Someone had been by to repair the woodworking, but the glass panes were still missing from the shop. Great mounds of snow piled just beyond the store's porch were evidence of the snow that had been cleared off of the porch itself.

“Actually, I would appreciate that,” she said with a smile. “Lately I've found it next to impossible to get anything off the ground.” She giggled. “I just wanted to get a bit of wood inside. There's still a few more repairs to be made thanks to the storm. And though I don't want to, I think I need to block up these windows until I can find some more glass that will fit. Only, it's not coming along very fast, since I'm a little slow right now.”

She grinned, then grabbed the banister and pulled herself to her feet. The movement was awkward, as she had to pull herself up at a strange tilt, unable to bend very much in the middle. Yet she managed with some amount of dignity, and kept her smile the whole time. “I don't believe we've met. I don't get out much right now, obviously. My name is Orin. Are you just visiting Cercatori, or are you among our ranks?”

Word Count → 400+

Argul was not the first loner she had met, nor even the first loner within Cercatori D'Arte that she had come across. Just a couple weeks ago she met a kind, velvet tongued man by the name of Gael near the bay. He had a beautiful talent for guitar and a smooth wit. She wondered for a moment what had become of him. He had been in search of his family and had probably left Cercatori that same day. She did hope the man fared well through the storm. There were other times she met other wolves nearby, too, so Argul's presence seemed normal.

She felt bad for those who lived alone. Orin so dearly loved pack life that she could not understand why anyone would willingly live alone. Yet the man before her now sounded as though he had no remorse or regret for his lifestyle. Orin and her brother, Niro, had lived alone when they were young. They had each other to rely on and no one else. Now that they had found the safe lands and packs of Nova Scotia it seemed neither of them planned to live a solitary life again.

“Well, Argul,” her voice was merry. “You're welcome to stay a while here if you want to have a short respite from the wild life. As long as you're doing my chores you won't hear me complaining.” She giggled again softly. The man was helping her, the least she could do was offer him a warmer place to stay for a few days if he was going to work it off.

Many might be suspicious of a loner who had wandered into pack territory; Orin was not. Trusting by nature, Orin saw little in this charitable man to be afraid of. And besides that, she had met so many decent wolves wandering near the lands of Cercatori. Gael, Saluce... and in some cases, friends even wandered in, like the day Alaine came for a random visit. This felt just like any of those days.

As Argul picked up the planks Orin scurried to the door and held it open, waving him inside. “If you would just put it on the counter over there... but be careful, one side is still broken from before I moved in, so it might be a little weak. Oh! Mind your feet! I'm not sure I did a very good job sweeping up the broken glass.”

Word Count → 500+

She followed the man into the bookstore, her eyes scanning the ground in front of his footpaws. If he stepped on a piece of glass and cut himself she would never forgive herself for the poor clean up job she had done! She had known it was inadequate before, but she knew the areas to avoid. Still, with her new family on the way, she should have cleaned it up much better by now. Luckily he seemed to cross the open floor without incident, and she sighed with relief.

“That's okay,” she waved a hand. “I've done most of the work on this place myself and I'm the worst when it comes to carpentry. I got a little experience back in my old pack, Cour des Miracles, when I was trying to fix up a light house to work on. But my brother Niro was around to help me then, and he pretty much followed me around re-fixing everything I thought I'd already fixed.” She sighed and her eyes took on a far-away caste as she remembered the beautiful lighthouse. It was an extraordinary place, up there on the cliff-side of the Shattered Coast and overlooking the great ocean she had ridden in on. In some ways it far surpassed the bookstore that she lived in now, yet she knew she would never trade the bookstore for anything.

“So between the two of us, maybe we'll do a half decent job. I don't really have any good tools, either, but I have to make sure this place is cleaned up and safe.”

Orin shook her head, though her eyes flicked from the newcomer to her belly. She moved across the sales floor and behind the counter where Argul had set the wood, retrieving the broom with intent to sweep up a bit better. “Oh no, you're not intruding one bit. In fact, if anything, you're a big help. Unfortunately, after the storm everyone has been so busy fixing up their own homes that mine has gone by the wayside. I was staying over at the medic's place for a while so I don't think this place was a high concern for repair, although Shawchert did come fix up the broken shutters. Still needs a few things done to it, and I'd like to have my bedroom upstairs all fixed up before... well, before it suddenly gets a little more crowded. Hard to do it all on my own.”

She smiled and moved toward the open floor. “Of course,” she flashed an apologetic look. “I can pay you back for any help with shelter and some food... but I will have to ask you to leave before they arrive.” Her hand fell to her stomach, indicating the precious lives that were to begin in a few short days. “It's going to be less than a week. No offense meant, but I'm sure you can understand...”

No mother wolf, not even trusting Orin, would allow a new acquaintance around her delicate newborn pups, and she wanted to make sure now that the man knew that she would ask him to leave at the first sign of their coming. Still, a few days of work and trade should likely be worth it, right? And after she and her pups were healthy and doing well, she would be happy to have her new friend visit. “I could always talk to the pack and see if we can work something else out if you need a few more days.”

Word Count → 500+

Being the less than observant type, and preoccupied with the cleaning tool she had just grabbed, she missed it as Argul's expression mutated. She was looking down, eying the floor for shards of glass so she could sweep it up before either of them stepped on it. Even if she had been looking directly at him she probably would not have noticed what the look was for, and discarded it quickly. When he spoke, though, she turned her eyes back to the hybrid and smiled, forgetting her cleaning duty for the moment.

“Thanks so much, the help really is appreciated. It goes a long way.” Her words were genuine, and she was grateful for his understanding. A day of work would help her dearly, and it was a good trade and a sensible idea. This way she would not have to bother any of her pack members, who were all busy with their own clean up and restoring their own lives, and will have been independent when it came to getting this job done. Very much like a smart mother would do! She smiled at the thought.

“Pretty much whatever you can see that needs to be done, and wherever you'd like to start would be good. I need to get the windows covered,” she reiterated with a gesture. “If possible I'd like to reinforce that counter. I should probably clean that stockroom, and it would be nice to get the old cot removed from my bedroom... actually, forget that. I think I will make a bed down here on this level, maybe move that desk and make a bed right there.” She pointed to the middle of the main wall, last-minute planning in effect. “It's probably not a good idea to have the pups upstairs. And I know I'm not going to want to climb those stairs for a few days. I'd rather be down here with all of my supplies at hand.” A firm nod sealed it, this was her plan.

She inspected the area that she wanted to make a floor-based bed out of skins and blankets, chewing on her lip in thought. A more in-tune wolfess may have felt the man's eyes on her by now, but Orin was so lost in thought that she hardly noticed Argul's presence for the moment. She payed no attention to where Argul was walking, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when he jerked and cursed. She turned toward him in surprise and his stance instantly told her what had happened. “Oh no!” She gasped, dropping the broom to the floor with a clatter and grabbing a chair from the desk. She dragged it over to him. “Here, sit! Oh god, I'm so sorry! I should have swept better. Is it still stuck?” Apparently it was, for he was picking at his foot. He looked like he might be able to extract the object on his own, so she turned and waddled toward the back room.

“I don't really have a first aid kit,” she said over her shoulder as she disappeared into the darkness. “But after I got in a little tiff with Sky I thought it would be a good idea to keep some bandages on hand.” She appeared again, hurrying over with a few ribbons of clean cloth. Although she was not exerting herself terribly, the very plump wolfess was now breathing somewhat heavily, the burden of the puppies forcing her lungs to work double-time.

Word Count → 300+

“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head and looking at the blood that spilled onto the floor. It wasn't the mess that was pooling that concerned her so much, though, but the fact that Argul had been hurt. He told her not to worry about it but she could not just ignore the fact that he was cut and bleeding all over the floor. Floors can be cleaned, and the blood would clean up easily. But now Argul's paw had been hurt... this could cause the loner some serious trouble in the coming days! Orin had told him he would have to leave in a few days, and he elected to stay only one night. Yet now he had hurt himself because of her negligence. It was unfair that he would have to head off again so soon with an injured paw because of her. Well, it was the least she could do...

“No, it's no trouble. Let me help. Pressure will stop the bleeding.” She knelt down in front of the man and laid the strips of fabric on the floor next to her. They were thin so they would have to apply a couple to keep it from bleeding through. She situated herself on the floor on her knees, having to sit instead of squat because of her belly. She reached for the injured extremity, one bandage already in her hand.

“I'll just wrap this around it,” she said as she grabbed his foot. “And then hold pressure and it will stop in a minute, then we'll tie the others on. You might have to elevate your leg.” She was no healer, but she was a scholar and had read several basic survival books. She understood basic care for a deep cut, but if it needed surgery or medication that would be beyond her scope of knowledge. Luckily, this injury probably was not that bad.

Word Count → 300

Her eyes were on the wound as her delicate fingers slipped through the dark, silvery fur and took firm hold. She tried to reposition him so she could get the best vantage point on the wound, but he felt stiff and seemed a bit uncooperative. Her eyes narrowed in concentration and she slipped the first bandage around his foot. She pulled it tight but didn't secure the knot. It needed a lot of pressure before it would stop bleeding and a simple knot would not be enough, so she slipped her hand around the wound, over the bandage, and squeezed her fingers tight to try to cut off the bleeding so a clot could form. Only then did she lift her gaze and look upon Argul's shocked expression.

Her honey-colored eyes went wide, her jaw dropped and she gasped. If she didn't know any better she would have thought the man was choking. She knew in that instant that she was not just imagining his tension. “Argul, what's wrong!” She worried. “Am I hurting you?” Of course the pressure would hurt, but was it that bad? She didn't know what to do, and suddenly doubt and fear welled within her and caused her to abruptly let go of the bandage. Maybe he needed to do it himself. Maybe she was putting too much pressure on it or there was still glass inside.

“Are you okay? I'm sorry! Here,” she scooted back and picked up one of the bandages, holding it up to him. His expression was so strange, she could not puzzle what was wrong, so instead she averted her eyes, turning her gaze back to the bandage that now draped limply over the foot and was doing no good at all. The bleeding had started again.

Word Count → 500+

She watched as animation slowly returned to the hybrid, and as she moved away he was able to speak. It seemed to take a while for his muscles to relax again, though, and the look of concern never left her visage as she watched him slowly return to life.

But even as he came back from whatever it was that had shocked him so – the pain, she presumed – he did not seem to return to the happy man that he was before. There was a strange foreboding about him now, a mask of sadness that would not leave. He was quiet for some time, just staring forward. During the first span of silence she continued to stare blankly at the bandage dangling from his foot, but then he moved to tie the bandage and apply the other, and she turned her eyes to his face. She searched him, trying to figure out what had happened. Somehow, something in the back of her mind told her that it was not the pain of the wound that had affected the man.

Still, he was slowly returning to just as he was before, even if some strange depression lingered behind his eyes. Soon enough Orin would replace the strange incident with some fantasy that connected the dots of life and made everything mold to her perfect little world again. She smiled as the man stood up, and she put her hand on the chair to help pull herself up, though the chair budged and her attempt at getting off the floor was unsuccessful. She pretended that this did not bother her, and settled back on her rump again.

“No need to do any extra work,” she said casually. “We'll just work til we're done or we're tired, whichever comes first.” Yes, she enlisted his help to work, but she planned on doing what she could of the tasks, too.

At the mention of it, her eyes flicked to the crimson smattering on her fingers. She wiggled them. “Yeah. Don't worry about it, things happen. You're just trying to help, it's my fault for having the mess in the first place. Hmm... I don't have a water bucket. What sense does that make?” She mused, laughing softly at herself. “I want to clean but I don't have a water bucket! I have a pale in the storage room back there. We can put some snow in it and set it on the roof – you can get to it from the window in my room upstairs. Hopefully the afternoon sun is warm enough to melt it.”

“But first... maybe you can start,” she said, laughter seasoning her words, “by getting me off the ground?” She chortled, embarrassed by her plight. Oh, of course she could get up if she made a show of it, but that would be worse than just asking for help. She held her hands up, hoping her would accept and give her a heave off the ground.

Word Count → 400+

It seemed like the man was recovering and that much of his original demeanor was coming back. This made a soft smile play on her muzzle, as she was happy that whatever had bothered him seemed to no longer be an issue. He took her hands gently within his and pulled her up carefully, but Orin, enjoying a good game, could not resist the opportunity to play. He pulled with enough careful force to hoist her off of the ground, and she in turn pushed with her legs so she ended up getting some air, hopping off of the floor. She giggled as she did so. It was the sort of thing a child might enjoy.

The hop was a little one, though, and she landed softly and gracefully on her footpaws. She thought she detected some veiled meaning behind Argul's words, then, and her ears tipped back a bit. Not in anger, but in worry. “That's really nice of you, but I can't be relieved of all of my duties just because I'm pregnant. Trust me, it drives me nuts sometimes, too, just being told to sit around all the time. I won't do anything too hard, though. My pack wouldn't let me, either, which is why I'm pretty happy to get back to my bookstore, here.”

She watched as he retrieved the broom from the floor and began sweeping. Orin scurried over to the sales counter and leaned up against it. For all her lip service, she sure didn't have a problem standing there and watching him work. “I was a little sick when I was first pregnant. I didn't know I was pregnant until my healer friend, Alaine, came to visit and clued me in. So after that I wasn't even allowed to get out of bed. Everything was done for me. At first it was nice and all, but once I started feeling better it began to drive me crazy.”

“Anyway, Cercatori is a really good pack, actually. I think the only reason I was able to get away for a little while is because everyone else has their own repairs to worry about after the storm. And Sky and Shawchert needed some time to themselves without me gumming up the works.” She chuckled softly. “It's based on art, you know. Just about everyone in Cercatori is an artist.”

She cocked her head and arched a brow in inquiry. “Do you? Make art, that is? Or have a craft?”

Word Count → 332

A wide grin spread across her face when she noticed his gaze flick down to the intricate leather pieces he wore. She followed his gaze and took a second to study each piece, though her eye knew little more than to just appreciate that they were nice pieces of work. She waved a hand, “You made all this? That's amazing! I don't really do anything you can wear, and not really anything people appreciate much. At least I always thought so, though more people here in Cercatori are more interested in my writing than in my last pack.”

Her eyes turned to the rows of bookshelves and her smile never faded. She gave a nod, “Yep, you got me. I'm a writer. I love to read, therefor I love to write. That's why this bookstore was such an amazing discovery to me after I came to this pack. Been working on fixing it up ever since and hoping to slowly get more people interested in books. I understand the average Luperci doesn't have time for them, but any interest is good interest.”

She turned and walked casually toward one of the bookshelves, casting her golden eyes onto a row of books though she looked at them without focus.

“Cercatori would really appreciate a talent like yours,” she said without turning to look at him. “We have a lot of craft workers. The best part about being here is that supplies are pretty easy to get your hands on, since we collect and hoard them in abundance. You just have to know the right wolf.”

She idly pulled a book off the shelf and examined the cover. She turned around, an eyebrow arched in an expression that was half comical, half serious. “A man like you might like this place. You should think about shacking up here for a while, seeing if it's for you. I already know you'll like it. I could talk to Shawchert for you.”