[html] James ♥
Today the weather was overcast, but it wasn't all together unpleasant. At least it was not raining! After the stormy summer, she could hardly stand wet weather. She accepted it as a truth that she could not change, but that did not mean that she had to enjoy it at all. It was a bit colder, but that was to be expected because it was winter. When the wind whispered or roared through the Valley, there was definitely the edge of chill on it. The gray lady's winter coat had finally grown in. Geneva was naturally small-boned and thin, and so she felt the cold acutely. The winter before, her coat had been patchy and sparse due to her frailty and failing health. But now that she was in a better place both emotionally and mentally, she was much healthier. It was amazing how much could change in only a number of months, let alone a year.
She had been enjoying life recently. Things were basically quiet for the Valley pack, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Geneva was not a thrill seeker, and she preferred peace to disorder. The woman now merely wandered in her Optime form. She was empty-handed and her fingers curled into her palms as she absently took note of the little details here and there. Before she knew it, she found herself outside of the old mill. It was cold enough that the river had a thin layer of ice over it.
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[html] haii
Before she could stop the pup, Caprica was bounding toward the water. "Stop!! CAPRICA D'ANGELO. YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT." The dark pup was just reaching the ice when her mother reached her, picking her up by the scruff of her neck and yanking her backwards. She then released her, the girl tumbling backwards away from the water's edge. It wasn't cold enough for the ice to be strong, and she wasn't about to let Caprica jump onto it. "You would have fallen right through there! That ice isn't strong! And you're too heavy!" She reprimanded the sniffling pup, giving her a light nip on the nose.
She was lucky that she had only brought Caprica with her today...the other pups were back at the cabin still, sleeping. Naniko had brought them in a couple of snow hares, and after eating they had almost immediately fallen asleep. Except the little black one. She shook her head at Caprica, choosing to ignore the pup's small whines, turning to walk back up toward the main building of the mill. Kids these days.
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[html] Geneva turned just in time to see Naniko yank her daughter away from the water's edge. Her heart leapt into her throat until she realized that the young pup was safe and fine. Geneva sometimes looked after Naniko's litter while the white woman was away hunting or having some time to herself. She was usually hyperaware when they were around, but this had caught her off-guard. She laughed a little to dispel her nervousness. Naniko had everything under control. "She is a bit exuberant today, isn't she?" she said, winking at the girl before she moved to stand next to the duo. In her experience, the young girl had been very spirited and inquisitive. Although she did not think that that was a bad thing, she fervently hoped that she would grow into her sense of preservation. Falling into the ice cold water would not have been a pleasant experience. It had been a while since she had spent some time with Naniko, too. The Savant had been busy remarking the borders for the Valley and going about her daily routine. And Naniko had been kept busy with her growing family. It was nice to have an opportunity to see her beyond saying "hello" and "goodbye." "How are things, Nani?"
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[html] wc: 1000
With everything that had happened between her and the others, the last thing that she wanted to be perceived as was a bad mother. Naniko didn't want to let any of the pups near deep water, fire, or anything. She would do anything to protect them for both their own sakes and for her own. She wanted to be the best mother that she could for them. The white wolf hadn't seen any of the pups from her last litter in ages...they hadn't come to the Valley that she knew of, and she hadn't gone to Crimson Dreams to try and find them. She didn’t know if they wanted to see her…and she still wasn’t too sure about going back to the pack that she had tried to put behind her. Nani didn’t know what she would have done without Geneva to offer her someplace to stay. She probably would have been forced to go back to that place and deal with being lowest in the pack…deal with Savina and Anu and everything else that she just wanted to turn and run away from.
It had been lightly raining for most of the morning but now it was beginning to turn to snow. Small, almost unnoticeable flakes drifted down from the cinereous sky, melting almost as soon as they hit the ground. She was grateful that they weren’t gathering up and adding on to whatever snow was already there; Caprica had a hard time getting through the snow sometimes, and she was getting to be too heavy for Naniko to want to carry her everywhere. She would be happier when the snow was completely gone, really. Harlowe also had a hard time…but he didn’t weigh near as much as Caprica did. Naniko looked down at her plump daughter, considering. How was it that one pup had ended up so big and the other so small? They ate about the same amount, and she had enough milk for all of them…but Caprica was almost twice the size that Harlowe was. Especially around the middle.
The Locum was very glad to have Geneva there to watch over the pups when she needed some time off. There were days when she really needed a break from it all, from all the whining and fighting...and the silver wolf always seemed to pop up right when those times came around. Her tail wagged when she caught sight of the leader and she gave a show of respect as the higher-ranked female neared. Her tail went down slightly, head dipping as her tail waved back and forth. She nudged Caprica slightly with her foot, hoping the child would follow her example. She needed to learn more about pack ranks, about what it meant to be the pup of a Locum. She and Geneva were informal with each other, yes, but the pup would have to learn the lesson sooner or later. Dark green eyes smiled into those of the leader, glad to see her this day, and she nodded quickly before speaking. "Very! She’s so curious…into anything and everything. There’s barely a sheet of ice over that thing…she would have fallen right through!" She said, shaking her head.
Nani honestly didn’t know how she had done it back in Crimson Dreams, raise pups and also be a leader. She had relied on Savina a lot back then to make sure that things were taken care of. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to do the same thing now with this litter, had she still been a leader. But then, she probably wouldn’t have gotten together with Ehno if her fall from grace hadn’t happened. The pups were the one good thing that had come from that whole situation. She did think that it was a little odd that she’d had the same amount of pups in this litter that she did in the last one, at first. But when she thought about it, she had really had six in that first litter…two had been born dead. Tatiana and Silas. There were instances that she wondered what they would have been like, but she tried not to think about them most of the time.
"Things are going pretty good…the other pups are back at the house, sleeping. They’re trying out some solid food, and apparently all that chewing really wore them out. Well…except Caprica. She wasn’t fazed by it. She does a lot of chewing…How have you and Jefferson been?" She had been wondering about how the scarred male was, even if she didn't care for him too much at the moment. If he would come to her and apologize for what he had said about her and her pups, then she would consider forgiving him. Just because he was with her best friend didn't mean that she would automatically forgive him for the things that he said to her. She had been a leader herself, and she wouldn't have said something like that to a member that she wanted to keep around. "Lucia ran into one of my mirrors the other day and broke it...but that's the only thing that's happened lately besides them going to hard food. She wasn't hurt or anything, but Caprica almost stepped on some of the shards."
She looked back at the stout pup, who wagged her tail, looking between Geneva and Naniko. Caprica didn’t really understand the whole chewing joke, or that her mother was lightly joking about her weight, and simply grinned up at the older pack members. As the ladies began to converse the little black pup took to entertaining herself. She sat down, eyes focused on her twitching tail. It was teasing her, twitching like that! Her eyes narrowed and she went for the tail, running in a circle to try and catch it. She would show that tail who was boss! The little black pup didn’t have much luck with actually catching it, though…she was too big to reach the tail all the way.
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[html] WC: 903 Things returned to normal. It was easy to see that Naniko wasn't in the least bit fazed. That was something that she honestly had always admired about the white wolfess. She always seemed to have a level head, even if the world was crashing down around her. Geneva recalled that even when they had spoken in Halifax all those months ago, Naniko had had a sort of sense of serenity about her. Naniko had the innate qualities of a leader. She was charismatic and at least on the surface seemed collected and in control of her environment. Although she was no longer in a leadership position, Geneva felt comfortable going to Naniko with any questions she had. Motherhood seemed to suit the white woman very well. Geneva felt a tinge of envy as she watched Naniko with her daughter, but it was easy for her to swallow. Past months had left her friend surrounded with such heart break; Geneva would never begrudge her friend that miracle that had come out of this mess. It wasn't the most common situation, with Ehno dividing his time and attention between his family and his pack, but both parents seemed to make it work, which was all that mattered really. The Savant whispered her deceased daughter's name within her mind. It was a word emblazoned across her heart, sacred and secret like a prayer. She often wondered what life would be like if Shea had survived. But she hadn't even lived to see a full day, sun rise to sun set. Still, the time she had spent with her daughter had been a gift, the most precious one she had ever been given. She did not know if children were in the cards for her right now, at least not immediately. She did not know if she was in a place where she could properly handle them.
Besides, Phoenix Valley was quietly flourishing, which was another blessing for her. Naniko's litter was blessedly healthy, and another couple within Phoenix Valley had recently given birth. She had not yet had the opportunity to congratulate Xeris and Pendzez, but she made a mental note to seek the duo out. She wondered if she could convince Jefferson to accompany her while she tended Nani's children. She remembered how he had been with Addison; the love he had for that girl was so clearly evident. And the look in his eyes when he had spoken of his own children, now grown and part of a complicated time in his life. Certainly, there must be something inside of him that would love any children they had together. But truth be told, she could have him and that would be enough. And they were still new to each other, and had plenty of time to figure each other out.
"You know Jefferson, the perrenial grouch," she said, but her words were not unkind. She was aware that the two had not gotten off on the right foot, but that remained between the both of them to rectify. She was certain that Naniko did not take to that kindly, but she did not necessarily hold it against him. And Jefferson probably hadn't even registered the fact that their exchange had left any sort of impression upon the white wolfess. Naniko and Jefferson were the two adults that she held closest to her chest, although she was growing to love Naniko's children as well as they grew into their personalities. "I wonder what he would be like...how things would be, if we had children of our own," Geneva confessed in a soft voice, just a passing thought. But she felt comfortable sharing that side of her with the emerald eyed woman.
"I imagine that she is taking to dry food just fine," Geneva said with a hint of a smile. Caprica certainly was...sturdy. She wasn't necessarily obese because her frame was also larger, but there was no doubt that the child was definitely big. However, Geneva knew that Naniko was doing everything possible to make sure that her children were healthy. This had to be natural, it just had to be. Geneva had been born delicate and small, the small-boned runt of the litter who had never really reached a normal full grown size. Caprica, on the other hand, had been born larger to begin with, and Naniko was also muscular and curvy. Things would even out with more age and growth. Caprica began to chase her tail, and Geneva immediately began to worry that she would crash into something and hurt herself. She planted a small gray hand on the child's rump and suggested an alernative. "Would you like us to tell you a story, Caprica?" she asked, then shifted her eyes to Naniko. She was certain that the Locum knew several stories, as she had probably told them to her first litter. Geneva knew many stories because she loved the written word with a passion unrivaled by most. The woman racked her brain for a story they might both know. It was great being able to spend time with Naniko. In a way, Geneva felt included in this little family unit. And she craved that sort of connection and wanted to spend more time with Nani anyway. There had to be a story that they could tell together. "Do you know the story about the Wicked Witch of the West, Naniko?"
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She hoped that she would be around when Geneva had pups of her own so that she could return the favor of watching them and caring for them. By then her pups would probably be grown up a bit, and she could handle that kind of responsibility once more. She had no idea what she would do with more than four pups! That would be pure craziness. "He would have to watch his tongue." She said in a light, slightly joking manner, smiling. "I haven't seen him around any kids...what is he like?"
The large black puppy stopped chasing her tail when she heard her name, falling over onto her side out of dizziness. She stood up after a few moments of panting, though, trying to remember if she had heard that story before. She didn't remember it at all! But she thought that her mother knew all the stories; Naniko had a ton of books back in their cabin, after all. "Wantsssss a sssstory!!" She plopped her tired bum down and looked up at the two adults expectantly. Naniko looked to Geneva, frowned, then shook her head. She couldn't quite remember that story...if she'd ever heard it at all.
The snow started to come down a little bit harder as they sat there, and the light female watched the flakes as they swirled about overhead. It wasn't so chilly out that they couldn't stay out here...but there was a building right up the hill. Maybe they could go in there, start up a nice fire, (if it had a fireplace) and tell the story there. Her nose was getting a little chilly from traveling through the light snow and winds, and maybe Caprica and Geneva would think that it was a good idea. The Locum pointed up to the mill building. "Want to head up there to tell her the story? Then we could be sheltered from the wind and whatever snow decides to fall"
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[html] Geneva smiled with some humor tracing her mouth. "I know he doesn't seem the type, but he loves children. He raised young girl, Addison, to maturity. I believe she resides within the Dahlian borders now." Geneva could recall, almost as clear as day, the time she had been out wandering in the quarry and had encountered the frightened young child. There had been so much fear involved in that situation - Addison's terror, Geneva's own phobia of heights, and Jefferson's worry that someone might get hurt. That had been one of the first times that Geneva had seen through his mask and had gotten a look inside of him, the man she had come to love. Caprica displayed such enthusiasm at the mention of a story that Geneva herself almost felt that energy welling up inside of her. It was such a blessing to see that kind of energy and happiness stem from something as simple as sharing time and spoken words. She hoped that the girl would continue to grow up and spend her life enjoying the simple things. Geneva had found that those things were the ones that really mattered the most. The Savant nodded at the Locum's suggestion and headed toward the mill building without any further prompting. The gray lady grew cold easily, although she did her best not to show it. She held the door open wide for her white furred friend and her daughter. Squinting her eyes in the dim light that came through the dusty windows, Geneva looked about. She could not find any detectable fireplace, but her eyes immediately caught on a fraying pile of blankets. She immediately went over to them and shook one of the thicker ones out on the floor and then pulled several others out, approaching Naniko with a playful smile before she tossed one of the blankets over her friend's face.
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She never would have guessed that Jefferson was the type to like children...how odd! Naniko looked at her queerly for a moment before recognizing the name that the silver wolf had said. She did think that Addison still lived in Dahlia de Mai; she had been sending little notes to the girl via bird for the last few months, communicating with her about what she knew about the family and about Naniko's adopted sister Dierdre, who, apparently, was the girl's mother.
"I've never met her, but I've written her letters. Someone must have taught her how to read and write, because I do get responses on occasion. She's my adopted sister's child...and also the daughter of Cerulean D'Angelo, a cousin of mine."
She and Caprica followed Geneva inside, the pup sitting down near the pile of blankets. She sneezed when Geneva picked a few up, then yawned. The white mother grinned at her active pup. When the woman tossed the blanket over Nani she let it fall right over her head, then stretched her arms out in front of her. Ahhh! She couldn't see! She pulled it away from her face then wrapped it around herself. Caprica could sit with either adult for the story, whoever she felt like sitting with.
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[html] http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g210/ ... geneva.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> OOC: I am hoping it is ok if I NPC Caprica. If not, tell me and I will edit.
The wolfess grinned as she saw the results of her playful actions. She was glad to see that Naniko was not so tired that she could still enjoy the day. Geneva did not know of the labors that came with being a parent, a mother to young children. But Geneva knew that Naniko would work hard at whatever she was engaged in regardless of her situation. That was just the kind of creature that she was; and that was something that Geneva deeply admired about Naniko. Geneva claimed a spot close to the seated white wolfess and then looked to Caprica. The little one decided to select the space between them. As she snuggled down between them, her sides brushed both their legs. Geneva shot a smile at Naniko, full both of humor and of affection. The girl was round enough to brush both of them, and she was glad that the girl had chosen to be with both of them. "This is a story of a young girl, who was lost from her home because a hurricane picked up her house and took her to a strange land," Geneva began, putting some theatrical tones in her voice to make the story more interesting for Caprica. "She was brought to the strange land of Oz, where she encountered many new, fascinating people and creatures...but the most terrifying of them all was...THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST!"
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Table by Lin.
[html] I am hungry for pizza for some reason right now >< And of course!! 
She did have a lot of stress in her life but Geneva was one wolf that she knew she could relax around. Her life had gone back to some sort of normalcy since her arrival in Phoenix Valley, or at least, a calmer sort of life. Ehno came by whenever he could to see the children and they occasionally left to go with him to Crimson Dreams. As long as they were returned to her, she would stay within Phoenix Valley's borders and try to be content with it. They did have another part of their family in Crimson Dreams, and even if Naniko did not care much for them that didn't mean that the pups should be denied the right to at least see them occasionally. It would be more of their choice once they got older.
Naniko knew many stories, but this was one that she had never heard before. She leaned down to give Caprica a lick on the forehead as the pup settled in, smiling back at Geneva. The silver wolf babysat them so much and helped Nani out so much in the Valley. She already considered Geneva a family member, and it was obvious that her children were also comfortable around the leader as well. She settled in to listen to more of the story, watching Caprica for her reactions.
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