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He had finished his den and started work on the plot of land next to it which would serve as a garden. He knew he would need to plant as soon as possible, for a majority of the herbs were summer time bloomers. He used he front claws to rake at the ground, using his forearms to dig and his back legs for stability. After he had finished with that, he shifted to two legs and began working the ground merely with his hands. He had established various rows and had plans to organize the herbs accordingly. Already he had gone out to gather plants and knew where to find some of the necessities – things Naniko had had in supply when Storm was in need of medication.
He had a small burlap sack of plants he had dug up in order to transfer into his newly plotted garden. He had gotten a couple of potato plants he had found (using his holistic medicine book as a guide) and quickly moved so that he could transfer it into the soil. His starch white fur had easily dirtied to a deep brown and his paws were caked in moisture from the soil. As soon as he finished planting the potatoes, he whipped his forehead, leaving a streak of dirt along his face. He turned and looked up into the sun, feeling its heat seep beneath his fur.
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ooc: -steals- 
She wasn't sure if she was welcomed in Shadowed Sun or not. Ember did know some of the members, so she thought that it might be okay...but she wasn't a hundred percent sure. She didn't want to get into any fights, or anything, not after what had happened with Toxic. She'd come out of that encounter uninjured, luckily. Fatin had followed her there and had stepped in when Faolin had come to Toxic's aid. Ember didn't know that Fatin had made a truce with the coyotes or that the coyotes could be anything but cruel, spiteful creatures. Dierdre and Naniko had never liked them, and she had picked up on that a little. She paced the border for a few minutes before stepping inside and walking into the woods. Iskata had said that Pilot was living in a nearby pack, and maybe he'd be here in this one. She couldn't wait to see him again--it'd been ages since she'd seen anyone from Storm. The quiet girl moved silently through the brush, bright eyes looking all around. Where was everybody?
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[Yayyy, thanks for joining in on this!]
He sighed, resting the palms of his hands on his knees and surveying the work he had accomplished. It was definitely hard and there was still more that would need to be done. He had written a check list of the plants that he was aiming to plant and had tallied how much of each he supposed they would need. So far they had their potatoes, and he still had the ginger plants in the sack he had used to transport them in. He had also discovered black berries and planned to transfer some of that plant over to the garden as well. By the end of the week, Pilot really hoped that they might have several things growing with which to create some natural remedies.
He pushed away from the dirt, standing up and wiping his hands on his thighs. They were still caked in soil and a deep brown that was close to black. Turning his head, he shaded his eyes with one hand and looked to see if anyone else was close by. It had seemed that they were all settling in rather nicely and so far there hadn’t been any real problems. It was turning out to be comfortable living here.
He paused, letting his hand fall away from his eyes as he rested up. He stood there idly for a moment until something caught his eye. He turned to see movement off to his right and when his eyes came to rest on what it was, he discovered the kin of his lost friend. "Ember!" Pilot called out, noticing how she already seemed much older, even though realistically not that much time had passed since he had last seen her. "How are you?" He called, beckoning her towards him with one hand.
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^^ me too!
She had been wondering about shifting a lot lately. She had seen others do it, sometimes right in front of her, and it never hurt any of them. Maybe it was because she was so young, or so inexperienced...it just didn't feel good. She tried not to do it if she could help it, but sometimes situations arose where she needed to be bigger or needed to carry something really carefully. Arms were good for that. And maybe she would have been able to best Toxic if she would have been able to stand up on two legs.
When she did spot him, and him her, she ducked her head a little. She had been looking for him all this time, but now that she was finally seeing him again she wasn't sure what she could say. I missed you? But surely he already knew that. Ember had settled in pretty well in Labrynth Glen, and was enjoying living there so far. Tristan was going to show her how to hunt.
She came out of the brush, her tail wagging back and forth. She didn't want to act like a little puppy, or anything, and seem too excited...but it felt like forever since she'd seen him.
"I'm doin' great. I live with Fatin and my cousin Melisande in Labrynth Glen. It's a ways away from here...but not too far to walk" Maybe this was going to be one of those awkward conversations, where each person wasn't sure what to talk about. "I saw mom" She started. "She was out in the unclaimed woods"
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Labyrinth Glen. It was nice to know of one of the other new packs. He had talked to Conri not too long ago – he had gone out in hopes of making contact with the new pack establishments and also to try and discover who had survived the fire. It was good to know that Ember had gotten out alive. He wasn’t sure about the other two children (and had yet to discover that Icarus had succumbed to the flames). Seeing her made him feel almost as if he was back home in Storm, but he knew that the life he had once lived there was long gone. "I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. It’s always reassuring to see faces you know – I was starting to get worried about you and your siblings. Have you seen any of them or your father?"
When she mentioned her mother, Pilot had to stop and think for a moment. Iskata. At one time Pilot had found himself falling into a childish crush over her, only to discover that Phoenix and she had become mates. How far away that seemed now – they had given birth to their children and already Ember was practically an adult herself. It was unreal. "How is she doing?" He asked, trying to remember why she had gone in the first place. Then his mind found the reason, "Did she find Firefly?"
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She bit her lip when asked about her siblings and father. Iskata had told her something that she hadn't ever expected to hear, that she had more siblings other than the ones that she had grew up with. Two more, a brother and a sister. They would be adults, now, so if they ever came back she was afraid that she might not recognize them. Her mother had told her what they looked like, though. And their names. So she'd be able to figure it out. She'd wandered around the old territory, hoping to fine some stragglers, for at least a week before coming to these new lands. When she hadn't found anyone in Bleeding Souls she had assumed that everyone had died. So each day, meeting new and old people, was a real blessing. Pilot seemed unchanged--he looked the same as before. She didn't realize how much she had grown in the month since the fire. "She's doing okay. But she wouldn't join Labrynth Glen with me--I think she likes being a loner. But I know where she is, so I can visit her. And her me. I do remember her...but some things are different. She doesn't seem as big as she did before. Probably because I've gotten bigger" Next she spoke of her siblings. "I haven't seen any of my brothers or dad...but Mom did say that she found Firefly. She's off having adventures." She said the last part bitterly; she wasn't happy about it. Firefly was off doing fun things, hanging out with their older siblings...and here she was, at home. "What's new for you?"
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[597 words.]
He was disappointed not to hear any news of Phoenix or the other siblings, but he knew there was no body to blame for that. The flames had pulled a mask over everyone’s eyes, and now that it had been removed, everyone was disoriented and had to find their footing. Even though things in Shadowed Sun were becoming more like home everyday, Pilot still felt slightly disoriented. It was just in his mind though – it didn’t want to accept the fact that all of this had happened.
He glanced back to the garden he had started and mentally ran over the other things he hoped to see growing in it soon. The sooner Shadowed Sun got its herbs growing, the faster they would have some sort of medical supplies. At home (which Pilot considered Storm and the old lands still) they had had the human city close by, so it was no problem to go and search for things they might need. Here, Pilot hadn’t done much exploring and didn’t know of any place like that. They all had to rely upon themselves still, and it was frustrating when Pilot knew he had things back in his charred den which would have been extremely helpful here. He often thought about the violin that Dierdre had given him, and whether or not it had survived the flames. He wished that he would have had it with him, but at least he still had the necklace.
His fingers curled around the obsidian arrowhead as he turned back to Ember. "Well I’m glad to hear that she’s doing okay. Especially after she had been gone for so long." Pilot wondered if Phoenix or even the kids had thought of the possibility of Iskata never returning. It had crossed Pilot’s mind before. "And it’s good to hear that Firefly is alive and well, even if she hasn’t come home yet. It would be strange to see her now, especially since she left when she was still so young."
He slowly eased himself to the ground, crossing his legs like a pretzel in front of him. "Hope you don’t mind if I sit, doing all the work on the garden has made me tired." He observed Ember’s face, for the first time really noticing how it had lost its childlike appearance and was really developing into an adult’s face. Of course she had months until she was considered a true adult, but Pilot could already see it in her. Perhaps it was because of all the things she had to deal with as a child. He couldn’t be sure.
"Me? Well, I’ve been doing well here. Tayui and I established this pack, Shadowed Sun, and its based on the foundation of knowledge and learning. I’m trying my hand at medicine too," he motioned one of his palms towards the garden, "so that we won’t have to call on Naniko when any one else gets sick." Pilot still felt as if he owed his life to Naniko to keeping his best friend alive. If only he knew where Phoenix was now. "And I found out that Dierdre gave birth, and I’m a father. There’s two of them – Sirius and Apollo. They’re still really small," he indicated the size by holding up his hands, "but they’re getting bigger everyday. Deuce is caring for them since they still need a mother’s nurturing. In the mean time, I have to settle for visiting them." A smile had found its way on his lips as he spoke of his sons, though he was completely unaware of it.
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[html] D: Trying to catch my ebil gerbil that escaped.
She didn't think that she would ever want to have pups of her own. She just didn't really like being around anyone younger than herself. Ember wanted to be out doing things, exploring, meeting new people, finding old faces again. "I was glad to see her. But now instead of wondering about Mom, I have to wonder if Dad's coming back" She'd probably never get tired of exploring and hunting. And having pups, having to stay inside a den all day...that didn't sound like fun. And then it was months until they were able to be on their own. What a drag. But she was really happy for Pilot. Maybe she ought to visit Deuce and Naniko, so that she could see them. She supposed that it wouldn't be that bad, as long as she wasn't asked to babysit them. If she was, she would politely refuse. "Those are nice names. And I've been here once before, I think...but I came to a different part of the boundary. I met Lubomir--he was really nice" She wasn't sure if Pilot knew all the pack members or not. She didn't even know everyone in Labrynth Glen. "We should go visit Sirius and Apollo together sometime" She offered. It would be even better if Pilot was there, because he'd definitely want to hold them and play with them. The teenager just wanted to see if they were really as little as Pilot was saying. It was strange to think how she'd been that small before.
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[Ohhh noess. Catch him!]
"Yeahhh, I keep hoping Phoenix might come back everyday. Whenever I make a round along the borders, I always keep my senses alert in case I might catch a sign of him. But nothing. He went to go look for you guys, and I’m surprised he’s not back. I suppose he’s still out looking for Icarus and Kansas, which I guess could be interpreted as a bad sign." He paused, wishing he could take back the last thing he said. It was true – that was how he felt about it. But still, he knew that he shouldn’t have said it out loud. Not yet. Not until they had some sort of proof of that.
He brushed the fur from his eyes with his left hand and as it swept by his eyes, he noticed the symbol he had gotten tattooed there. When he lifted his arm away from his face, he studied the outline of Storm’s symbol before resting his hand in his lap once again. He knew that chapter in his life had been finished, but he couldn’t help thinking back to when he had first come to Storm. He had been so young and naïve. Strange how things changed so quickly.
"That would be wonderful." Phoenix had been a father for Dierdre which then made Ember a sister-in-law. It was sort of confusing, but that eventually led it to be that Pilot’s children were her nephews. It was strange to think how he had gotten himself tangled up in this family tree, but he loved being close to all of these people. He knew that he had ended up in the best family in the world. "I’m sure they would love to see their auntie," he told her with a smile.
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[html] Sorry that I took so long to reply, love! I'm working on my finals, and I have had zero time D:
She would keep her eyes open, too. She felt like Phoenix was the only one who really got her--he'd always understood her and supported her in whatever she had done. Now she lived with Fatin, and that was really nice...but he'd been really special to her. It wasn't the same, no matter how hard she tried to pretend it was. Ember nodded. "We'll definitely do that. I'll come back sometime, or maybe you can come to Labrynth Glen and get me whenever you want to go next"
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[Don't worry about it! Right now my time is also non-existent with finals and graduation stuff, and all. :] Short posts are my friends right now.]
"Of course." He had yet to actually travel to Labyrinth Glen, but he knew of its location. On his way to Twilight Vale, he had to pass just south of it – right above the human city of Halifax. It would be nice to see the wolves who had decided to live there with Ember and Fatin in their new packlands. He hoped that eventually he would get to know where everyone he had known at the old lands had decided to settle down. The question of who escaped constantly lingered in the background. "Labyrinth Glen is right on the way – I’d love to stop by sometime before we head down to Twilight Vale. If it’s anything like Jaded Shadows was, I’m sure you settled in a lovely area."
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[html] End this soon?
She had only been to Jaded Shadows once or twice, but knew that the Jaded territory had been where Fatin had lived before. Ember hadn't really felt like travelling before she had decided to go after her mother, but when she'd made that decision she had gone quite a ways away. "Definitely. We can meet there, and you can talk to Fatin if you want to, or cousin Melisande. Or anyone you want to. And then we can go" She definitely wanted to know who else was here, and she figured that he might want to see who else was in Labrynth Glen and see a bit of the territory at the same time. "It's really pretty--colors everywhere"
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