It had been a few days since the birth of the colt. It didn’t seem like it though. The little horse had spunk. He had the same, though darker chestnut color as his mother and had a long white sock and a patch on his flank. He was a beautiful baby and Eclipse admired him. That was why she was out in a small pasture that was near flanders fields. It was a nice big area for the horses to graze and run around. She watched wonderingly at how such a small animal could get up and run minutes after birth. She had witnessed it herself. If she had not and someone else told her they did she would laugh out right in their face. All animals needed to learn to walk. She had seen puppies. They were completely helpless... but the horses... not as helpless as the wolves were at the age of three days old. How things like this amazed the young cook.

Eclipse watched the two knowing that soon she might not be able to see them again. Because they were someone else’s companions and she had to find the woman this Liliana and deliver them back. The horse had chosen her for some reason and it made Eclipse feel rather special. She was laying on her belly swinging her back legs back and forth daydreaming about riding Grace, and wondering how fast the horse could go. She was afraid it was too soon after the bird of her colt to ride the mother, and wasn’t sure what the baby would do if she did try... or if Grace would even let her. She finally let Eclipse touch her after the ordeal at the border of Cercatori. A place she hoped to call home soon, but still seemed like an alien land full of mystery and she was unsure of how she would fit in.

Eclipse wasn’t too busy to hear the sounds of someone approaching behind her. One ear pulled back to listen while the other continued forward. Though it seemed the wolf, whoever it was, had not see her for she did not hear a usual greeting. All the same the grass was high, and she was on her belly so she was hard to see. The wind was still and the scent wouldn’t reach him quick so she slowly sat up and looked the newcomers way. She had a pleasant and curious look on her face as she came to see a man watching the horses. Sitting on her knees now she spoke.

“Hello.”

She said, not sure of how she should approach the situation that came before her. She didn’t know who he was, though she could guess he was from the packland, but that was only due to his scent finally reaching her. The horses had seen the male too and the colt stopped and ran to his mother. He stood alert on his too long legs and his big ears perked to listen to any signs he was in danger. Eclipse had met only a few … well two wolves here, so she didn’t know how well accepted she would be. She didn’t like not knowing her other members and being so new... how did she deal with it back in Ichika? Whatever the case she stared at the man a bit nervously, almost as ready as the horses to bolt if she had to.

At first she bristled at his laugh, but in her mind’s eye she saw herself moving up out of the grass and couldn’t help but grin herself. There was nothing bad about making someone laugh. Nothing at all, she told herself. As he spoke her ears perked more at his accent. It was strange to her ears yet, oddly easy to understand, maybe it was listening to her old crush’s slow drone, or the many different accents she had heard throughout her life, including that of the fisherman she had met one day. Her eyes brightened as he introduced himself.

“It’s ok, it isn’t hard to miss me in all this grass. I was just watching the animals. My name is Eclipse Soulstorm... I have met another Russo, but I cannot remember his name, I know it was like Antony? Well it was something like that.”

How could she forget such a brute’s name, he was three feet taller than her when she was younger and even now was probably still two feet above her. In any case she wasn’t sure if he knew the man or not though she felt closer to him if he did. The large man had been someone she looked up to when he taught her, even though he thought she was stealing from him in the beginning. The horses kept watch though the mare began grazing again when she saw Eclipse was calm. The mare had been wild once and the colt still had his instincts that predators were around and he should keep watch even when the mother horse nickered at him that they were ok.

Eclipse had become more reclusive since she grew out of her puppy fat. Mostly due to her past, the past that she tried but failed to forget every single day of her life. He looked at her as she mentioned the name of another Russo and then he corrected her and she nodded.

“Yes that was him! He taught me how to fish! He was your brother?”

She was genuinely interested now. She never had any siblings let alone a brother and to know one brother that another brother hadn’t met before, it was mind boggling. It seemed, though that this news was absolutely surprising and she shrugged as he spoke again.

“We met a while ago, many months, but he was near that pack, the one that now owns the north of us. I think he lives there, but I don’t know if he’s there still.”

She didn’t want to give the man any false hope. It had been several months since she met with Anatoliy and anything could happen in that time. She was living proof of that. She smiled at his apology. She didn’t need one. She would ponder much about a family member she didn’t meet... as she did just about every day these days.

“It’s ok. I can understand. Many of my family is scattered around here, and sometimes it is hard to believe that I have even more... What made you come here if I... might be so bold to ask?”

she asked. The question was quick, she didn’t want him to leave her company it was so nice to have someone to talk to and not just stare at the horses, though she could do that all day, but she needed interaction to be friends with someone, perhaps learn something new if she could.

It seemed he was amused by the fishing lesson, and she smiled at his comment thinking that if she were to want fish Russo’s were the ones to go to, though she had no problem fishing at all. She shrugged at his comment, half, full, or not even a blooded brother, a sibling was a sibling. She knew she didn’t have to say it though.

“So all the Russo’s fish? It’s thanks to him that I can prepare a really good fish, it took me so many attempts and sadly many burned fish as well.”

She said, her spirit was brighter just with the conversation that they were having. It wasn’t anything specific but to just talk to someone. This was what Eclipse missed. It was good, and she figured she may have found a new friend in the process. His answer to her question surprised her in a way and she perked even more.

“I know how you feel. Though... my old pack is no longer around my cousin and many of my other relatives made a pack, it was very hard to turn them down, but I feel the same as you, that family was choking me when i was around."

She giggled at his demonstration of strangling himself. His question made her shake her head no it was the first time anyone had thought she was born here, maybe he was newer than she thought herself.

“I was born a little to the north. in a pack that no longer exists. My family is scattered, and many of my friends are as well. Even finding the ones that helped take care of me, I came back to find it once again gone. No I just joined this pack recently.”

She explained. She didn’t know why it felt so easy to talk about Dahlia and Ichika in front of him, maybe it was his good nature? Whatever the case it made her feel a little less stressed and a bit more light hearted than when she first joined the pack.

It seemed the subject, which changed gradually, made the Russo man happy and this in turn made Eclipse feel more welcome and at the prospect of someone else cooking fish made her heart lighten even more. He spoke of their flavor possibly being the same but Eclipse would take this as a learning experience. She loved watching anyone who could cook and watch their different efforts. Everyone cooked differently in different styles and each time it produced a different taste to the food even if it was prepared the same beforehand.

“I would love that! I wouldn’t mind learning your way of cooking fish... if it isn’t the same as my way.”

She said happily. Her new friend seemed to take in her sad story though had wise words for her. She knew these but it helped to be reminded her that the world wasn’t against her nor was her sadness over losing her pack yet again.

She smiled at the man and nodded. His words reminded her of Razekiel, he had said something of those words but about the great mother and of other things, but it reminded her of him nonetheless and she wondered what happened to the man that had been her one time crush. She knew that it had just been puppy love and that she would not be as attracted to him now as she once was.

“Yes and I hope this home is a good one. I suppose if I didn’t lose my pack I wouldn’t have met anyone new here.”

She said. She knew that she couldn’t stay sad forever, though it was hard because she lost a lot and it was her fault she left in the first place, though she wouldn’t have met Grace and hopefully soon she would have her to her owner and Eclipse liked making other happy. She didn’t know Grace was owned by someone else until Saul recognized the horse and so did Skye. She was a rare looking horse so it wasn’t hard to tell if she had belong to someone else.

She usually dwelled on her thoughts her fears and anything else that happened unless there was a distraction. This man was a big distraction and he seemed to pour good mood out of him where he went. At least that’s how Eclipse felt when they first started talking. He spoke of a woman he had been with and her ears fell back respectfully and she looked at him with sad eyes. Even though his english was broken she was able to understand the full intentions of his words. She did brighten a little as his story went on and she nodded almost puppyishly. He was right there was always something good that could happen from something bad. That’s how she felt he was trying to convey to her. Though that thought wouldn’t stick when she would dwell on her parentage again.

“yes this is a good home. For as long as I’m here I’ll make it better!”

She said. SHe would never promise to stay forever though because life changed and she knew not everything stayed the same and she would possibly end up moving on again trying to find something else that was worthless in information as that of what she had gone looking before. His words did help her ease her mind a bit and she felt a bit more comfortable. She turned her attention to the horses. Grace was now grazing and the foal was nibbling at the grass, testing it out, though it would be a little while before he would actually start eating it.

“So what is it you are going to do for the pack? I like to hunt, I’m pretty good with a bow. I can take down a doe with at least two shots and I’m not too bad at cooking if I don’t say so myself. So I figured I could help with that and the garden. It’s lovely already but I just like making things grow.”

She said. Feeling that the discussion change was too much for her at the moment and she wanted to find a different subject. She knew he fished and cooked the fish but it didn’t seem like the type of thing he would do solely.

“Perhaps you could find a talent! There are so many things we can do! But fishing and hunting are great things to pride in. We all need to eat!”

She said as the man took his time in answering. She had an answer for him straight away, her sullen look she had when she met him disappeared and she was showing her young age at last. Her tail wagged at the possibilities this wolf could learn. She knew she wanted to do so many things that this pack had to offer, learn what else the other canines knew. She was young and quick to want to know what did what by taking it apart and trying to put it back together (though not always in a literal sense)

“Do you do trading and stuff? Maybe you might do well with that, and I hear they have a boat here. Perhaps you could help sail it?”

She asked, she didn’t know where the boat was but she heard there was one here that helped with the trading. She thought about learnign to trade, haggle, make bargains and such, but she found herself liking her garden far more and her cooking best. Her hunting, tending the garden, and taking care of the horses kept her quite busy. Not to mention exploring the huge territory that belonged to Cercatori. She did like it here, could even love it if she tried.

“Oh I’m sure you have very good ideas and thoughts,”

Eclipse said trying to make him feel better. She wasn’t always on the ball herself though she was far more excited by a prospective learning situations and a new friend that seemed just as excited as she was now. Especially with this boat idea. She nodded excitedly as he shared his thoughts and thought of what she could get from places or had seen that she could possibly trade for something she would want or need. It was a thought for the future. She nodded as he agreed to speaking with Skye about it.

“Yes I am sure she’ll know. And i bet she’ll at least let you work on it even if it does have a captain already.”

She offered and perhaps he could find a way to become captain if something happened to the one there now. She could, in a way see his mind working as he thought quietly and smiled at his words blushing a little.

“It was nothing really, I like helping others. It makes me feel better.”

She wanted to add “about herself” in meaning that she would be helping rather than hurting and in turn becoming what most of her family was. She refused those words to come out though. He didn’t need to know the inside workings of her mind any more than she needed to know his, no matter how curious she was.