It was the dawning of a new day for the scarred and pale woman. She exited the den slowly and quietly. It had been a long time since she had been on four legs, not since she had left Sora and Buddha. She sat outside the den now, feeling the familiar ache from the deep scar on her foreleg, the scar she had earned protecting Sora from Adelio. The fight had been brutal, and it had only been her not playing fairly that had kept her from being murdered. She had thrown sand in Adelio's eyes, and raced after his mate Rauslin, who had taken little Sora to protect her from being murdered and eaten as her unnamed brothers had been.
She stretched, wincing as the scar pulled. The fur hadn't grown back over it, ever, not like the thin lines of black that decorated what were her wrists when she was shifted. She smoothed the fur around the scar as best she could, then continued cleaning her leg, using her teeth to pull out a knot. After a moment, she stood again, shaking herself. She had to admit, this was nice. It was good to feel natural, normal. How much in life could have been different if the shifting disease had never come to the world.
And yet, she knew, she wouldn't have her beloved mate if it weren't for the very same disease. She never would have fled the Lightpaw tribe, since they wouldn't have looked down on her for being a non-luperci. She never would have found Syemv, and so much of her life would be empty.
There was still a part of her that was empty, really. She missed being a mother. Actively being a mother, that is. It was nice to have a child have a problem and come to her with their needs, come to her for advice, but she missed the pup rearing aspect of being a mother. She missed Sora, she wished she had brought her daughter with her. She wished she hadn't left her behind, but she hadn't known what she would find, hadn't known how the weather would be. With Budha, Sora was safe. Budha would easilly kill anyone who wanted to hurt Sora, and Sora would be good companionship for the male. It was a win-win situation... except for the mother who felt guilty about leaving another child behind.
She sighed softly, then made her way to a stream where she could get a drink. She stared for a moment at her reflection. She looked alien, even to herself. The hoops had seemed a good idea at the time, but now she wondered if she shouldn't remove them. her hoops were a trademark of hers, but so were her eyes and the dual scars, and the torn ear. She shook her head at herself, then drank deeply of the cool water. The scent of the Dreamers was gone now, the newer scent of the New Dawn pack replacing it quickly.
It was strange to her to sleep in one den. She hadn't done it in years. Even in Jaded Shadows, the caverns had separate dens for couples and families, and individuals. Rugged Plateau had been the same, one common area, but each family unit had their own 'room' within the caverns. She liked it, though. She felt a deeper bond with these wolves than she did with any other pack.
She drank again, then straightened. She drew in a deep breath, then began exploring around the den, scouting out the area to see if any rabbits lived nearby, to find out where the deer wandered through. Useful things to know, even though in all her years of life, she'd still never gotten much better at hunting. She could feed herself well enough, yes. And she could help with a hunt, yes. But she wouldn't like leading a hunt. Not unless she could use a bow, which of course, she didn't own one, hadn't since the fire.
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