Ralla looked down at her daughter who was cradled in her lap, pressed softly against her burgeoning stomach. Within were the pups that would soon be Ayasha's younger siblings, and Ralla smiled at the prospect; pups of her own. She had never imagined such a thing, much less garnering a mate, withdrawn as he had grown. In part she could understand Kemo's behavior; it was not easy to forget and forgive oneself for one's deeds. But she had promised him her forgiveness and aid in helping him to repent, however unlikely so much of it seemed possible. They were each other's, and the lives within her were theirs as well. Briefly she wondered what the pups would do without a father; she certainly couldn't do everything for them that two parents could. But she had her tribe to aid her, as they had proven they could do with Ayasha. Having them all there made Ralla feel safer within the borders; safer about them. It was an unexplainable protection, ingrained into her senses and heart as deeply as her spirit to the spirit of the moon, as she had come to see it. Once she had thought on how the moon could be the patron spirit of her native tribe and how their own culture had evolved around that--it was not entirely impossible or improbable. But now her view of the world had widened, and she could see that things were never what they appeared. If I ever said in the Crescent Moon Pack that the moon was only one spirit amongst many, they'd think it a terrible omen, she laughed to herself. But she could see now that the gods that led them were the manifestations of the universe, and not just a single entity.

"Oh?" Ralla asked as she rubbed Ayasha behind her neck as the white child begin her questioning, which was a fine way to begin the talk, if any. She understood that her daughter was undergoing a difficult time, even so young. Ralla could remember her first shift; she had been unafraid, because she had believed it natural and a gift. But she could see its terrors: What would happen to her body? Would it hurt? "Shifting is a gift from the moon, Ayasha. The first time will ache in your bones, but that is because you will be unused to it. Have faith that your spirit knows what to do. A long time ago, wolves and dogs alike could not shift at all. But when humans lost their purpose given to them, life for us--the chosen of the moon spirit--became hard. To cleanse the world and right its wrong, the moon gave us the power to change, and took the lives of the humans. Learn this from the humans, Ayasha: the paths given to us are sacred, and forsaking them has consequences." Oh, Ralla knew this all too well. She had gotten off lightly for abandoning her native tribe and duty as a Shaman, even as she continued her work in AniWaya. But it had come with strife and heartache and worry and pain; she would never revisit such a feeling again. "Which is to say, your profession path should be your own. I cannot tell you what to become, sweetheart; you will feel it is right when it comes upon you." The same as Ralla had felt that tending to the Great Fire was her own. She had felt the thick smoke seep into her soul, the fire burn in her heart, and the songs echo in its crackling embers. She had seen visions within its blaze and rekindled it from its own funeral pyre, and never had she been more grateful to keep and retain to lore that was AniWaya's. "Do you favor any of the paths?" All the while Nootau stood preening, looking on intently every so often. The white wolfess often did not understand his intentions; why stay visible if he was only going to watch? Was it to ensure that she stayed on her path? Or did he enjoy the mortal plane that he had left long ago, feigning life?

"You can sleep where you wish. There's a hammock in there if you wish to have it," Ralla said with a smile, remembering first hanging the netting and sleeping in its cradle. It was like sleeping on air, and once Ayasha could shift she would have no trouble getting in and out of it. "Hm? Oh, I'm fine, sweetheart. I only worry about where to put everything. I'll find space, I'm sure, but we will eat our meals down here, by the fire, so that we can use the space in the hut for sleeping and storage." Yes, that would do well. "It's nothing you need worry about; your father and I will take care of it." With a gentle sweep of her hand behind Ayasha's ear, dubbing her fully cleaned, Ralla saw her looking to her stomach. "I do not know. How many do you want?" Guiding Ayasha's little paw to her stomach, Ralla felt a little kick from within. She would shift no more from that day until the pups were born, to ensure their safety and her own. "How many do you think?"

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.