A few days had passed since Orin's return to Cercatori d'Arte, and it felt like she and her haphazard family were starting to find their bearings. The days were entirely normal, yet there was some special magic to each eventless day that felt so spectacular. Perhaps it was finally having solid ground beneath her feet. Maybe it was because her puppies were so happy, or because they had all felt so welcome. Most likely it was because she and her now five-month old daughters finally didn't have to worry about what unknown strife loomed in their future. They were part of a pack again; Cercatori was where they belonged.

For Titania and Juliet, the days and warm summer nights had been full of adventure. They met their father, explored a new land, and were settling into their exotic new home in the Treetop Terrace. For Orin and Shawchert, the time was passed with what felt like incessant nagging from Orin. 'Can you do something about that? That looks dangerous.' 'Hey, go out and get some safety-planks for over here.' 'Oh, no no no no. this is all wrong.' 'Shit! Shawchert, grab Juliet before she falls!' and so on. But for the most part, Shawchert seemed to accept all of her worrying in stride, and was usually accommodating, even if he didn't necessarily snap to her demands right then. It was all for the safety of the pups, and he usually agreed with the importance of what she pointed out. Although she did think she caught a hint of derision when she questioned the strength of the floorboards in one area. Hey, it wasn't her fault! Faulty carpentry had almost killed her once back in Cour des Miracles (never mind that she had been completely negligent and gone running out onto the rotten wood). She wasn't sure whether or not she was totally on the man's nerves yet, but even if she was at least the pups always seemed to be ready with some bit of foolishness to make the two laugh it all away.

Today, Orin was drawn to the sounds of the working father. Their daughters were sleeping in a room that was inescapable without either thumbs or brute force; Orin would check on them in about an hour. As she crossed one of the many bridges she enjoyed the sound as the construct shifted and swayed beneath her. Planks clapped together softly between their rope and vine bindings. To Orin, it was the promise of safety. Who could ever sneak up on them up here? Even for a stealthy wolf the place was just too damn creaky.

She was relieved to find Shawchert in the midst of his particular project. It wasn't something she had specifically asked for, but it proved that the man was happy to collaborate with her to ensure that the girls didn't get hurt. If he hadn't been so willing they would have had to return to one of the abandoned buildings somewhere in Thornbury.

“The little angels are sleeping soundly. Of course, not until after Titania almost took a flying leap off of the south walkway and Juliet tried to go right after.” She laughed helplessly. Motherhood certainly was a full time job.

“Thirsty?” She arched an eyebrow as she crossed the last of a bridge and now revealed the canteen she carried. Though it was shady and not as warm here as in other areas, she still knew Shawchert was working hard and it would be easy for a man of his stature to work up a thirst.

“Sounds like a plan,” she agreed and turned, leading him across a platform and picking a spot for them to rest. There was a railing here which she sat under and swung her legs over the side of the platform. She spared a moment to brush her hands through the shaggy white-blond hair that she now sported – a stark contrast to the tight, hot pink dreadlocks that once made her look so different. Now her hair was choppy and much of it worn in her face.

She stared out into the woods, her eyes fixated on the farthest point she could see before the trees became too thick and cut off her view. Sure, they had spent a lot of time together since her return, but the two hadn't taken much time to really catch up.

“Juliet looks so much like you,” she finally said. “And Titania looks like Niro. Good thing he's my brother or you might be questioning my honor right now.”

She laughed softly. “Hey, you know,” she paused, breathing deeply as though she wasn't sure she should ask what was on her mind. “I haven't seen Sky at all since I've been back. Is she just trying to give us some space to settle or something? I really wouldn't mind if she came around.”

Okay, maybe that was a little too direct… Orin was still trying to find that fine line between honesty and just plain rude. All of her playful chatter she was once known for had been missing for the last few months, but she could still be a little tactless when it came to asking personal questions. Then again, she hadn’t expected the two to have broken up!

She winced as he took a gulp of water that seemed too big for even an elephant and began slapping him on the back as he choked. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” She waited for him to catch his breath, her eyebrows pursed and her eyes wide. Thankfully the man recovered and she didn’t have to administer mouth-to-mouth.

Her expression transformed after he told her the news. At first a gray eyebrow arched. Sky moved on? What did that mean? Had she not come back to Cercatori after finding Orin hiding out in the Court? Or maybe she was missing… Orin’s silent questions died down as Shawchert told her what actually happened. Wait, what is he talking about? She was hung up again in a moment of confusion between Sky and Skye, but shook it off knowing she would get it straightened out.

“Wait, you and Sky broke up? I don’t understand,” there was a momentary pause as she mulled it over. “She thought you left her when you left to try to save your mother.” She was paraphrasing to ensure she understood, but wasn’t asking a question.

“That… Well that’s just stupid!” She emphasized the last word in frustration. Even Orin who had just been through a recent crash course on the horrors of the world didn’t think that was any reason to leave somebody. “I understand if she thought you abandoned her, but you came back. It wasn’t desertion, it was desperation. She should forgive you. Or well, she does? And it’s her fault for not reading the letter.” She went on, not so much angry at Sky but aggravated on behalf of her friend. She folded her arms and harumphed in exasperation.

“I think she’s lying,” she said after a moment, much more collected now. Her eyes shifted to her swinging feet. “I mean, if she’s trying to say she doesn’t love you. Why did she come find me then?”