You can post again if you want, or just close this after you've read it~ and poke me when you want the next thread! Coli will so be that relative who always asks "when will you have kids?" xD
wc: 524
Coli listened happily as her niece spoke of getting her hands dirty, a sentiment the two of them shared. It had been such a weight off her shoulders to be able to cultivate plants again, after so many seasons of living homeless. "Once you settle down, and come back here to visit... I can give you some flowers to start a new garden, in exchange for your cooking. I collect them from the woods and fields, and plant them around my house - I would love to share some with you," she offered, pleased she had a way to reciprocate. Gardening brought her peace, a meditative state in which her many anxieties melted away from her. She would share that with everyone who wanted it, the gentle patience required of those who tended the earth. She was only just starting out here in the new pack, but eventually the land would bear her mark, shaped by her diligent care.
"Cercatori... I'm afraid I don't know anything about them, but I could always try to visit you there, if that's where you choose to stay. You'll have to let me know," she added with a little smile, hoping they really were a nice place to stay, like Dahlia de Mai used to be, like Vinátta was trying to become. They needed these bastions of peace, bulwarks against the lawlessness and depravity that lurked in neutral territory. It was a dark world, to be sure, but they could protect and preserve the goodness in those like Eclipse if she could be sheltered within a community. Colibri had waited far too long to learn that lesson for herself, but if she could impart it to another with her same problem, perhaps she could serve a useful purpose after all.
In what felt like no time at all, their gentle stroll led them close to Vinátta's border, the tall pine trees perfuming the air with their aromatic scent. Coli could not help but feel lucky for having met Eclipse, a wandering soul that did not seem to stay in any one place for long -- it was chance they had encountered each other like this. Her feelings about Conor, so tumultuous and twisted since she learned of his murder, were finally unraveling into something she could understand and accept. His death was a terrible blow, but knowing he lived on through his daughter made it less painful, gave her something positive to focus on. It was bittersweet to know that Eclipse would never reside in the same pack as her, but it was enough to know she was out there. Her niece was such an incredible wolf, so brave and admirable and lovely. The Soulstorm name was truly something special, elevating both Eclipse and Lilin above the muddied waters of their heritage, bestowing pride and dignity upon those two young women so dear to Coli. She was lucky to have met them both.
"Thanks for taking the time to talk with me," she murmured softly, genuinely touched. "If you ever need anything at all, I'll be there for you... Eclipse. Good luck finding your new home."
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