There had been a perceptible change in Orin almost overnight. After that day at the amphitheater with Terra she had a new thing to focus her attention on, something to keep her mind busy instead of dwelling on the losses of the past. Oh, of course she would still mourn her lost children, and nothing would ever erase that pain, but this could be the start of the mother’s true healing. There was still plenty to be thankful for in her life; she loved her pack, had an adorable daughter, and a wonderful mate. Plus, her two older daughters were both out in the world, each cutting away the brush and making their own paw print on the Earth, too.
Now there was hope. Hope for a better life. It was just a small glimmer, a little tendril, but Orin knew that she could do something more with herself than continue this cycle of love and tragedy. It could be all love, if she worked hard enough, and with the help of her mate and her pack.
Lately she had been sleeping in late into the morning, too languid to get out of bed, but she had woken up early this morning - the moment the first orange hues of light pierced the veil of darkness – and hopped out of bed, trying to be quiet to prevent waking Mars, if he wasn’t up already. She skittered down the hall and into the kitchen and rifled through the food stores, finding a slab of venison jerky and slicing off a helping for herself. She gnawed on the meat while she tidied up, the morning greeting her with birdsong and dew kissed grasses. It was almost sickeningly perfect, and Orin stared out the window admiring the beauty of the morning.
She glanced down the hall, wondering if Mars would be up anytime soon, but she didn’t want to wake him. She wanted to visit the costume shop and maybe take another look at the amphitheater, so she grabbed her pink cloak that had been tossed over the back of the chair and donned the vibrant cloth for the first time in a season. There were a few books on the table, some she had dug up last night after getting home, so she gathered them up into her arms and opened the front door slowly.
Svetlana had super sonic hearing, so when the door creaked she held her breath and peered back over her shoulder. Had the pup or Mars woken up?
Photo courtesy of Alaskan Dude
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