New Beginning, New Acquaintances
#1
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Funny how Maddi always brings out the muse necessary to write large posts. =) Any Crimson Dreamer feel free to jump in whenever! Set on October 27th. ↔ 740 words






Slowly but surely things were getting a little better for the brown wolf. With the nightmares of war behind him he was beginning to heal – both physically and emotionally. He had actually awakened this morning feeling rested and ready to face the day. Ever since the first raid, when he'd fought alongside Robin and Ayasha, the young brown wolf had suffered from nightmares and his sleeping habits had been greatly affected, waking at odd hours of the night, unable to fall back asleep. On the bright side, he was considering a co-rank – the co-rank of Apothecary. If there was one good thing that had come out of the war, it was that Liam felt more confident about his future than he had ever been. He had learned a new talent and was developing it further. He was a good healer and he really liked the feeling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of being responsible for healing his pack-mates and potentially saving lives. To make things even better, he didn't have to be on the battlefield to make a difference in the pack. He liked that very much – because let's face it, fighting was just not his thing.


He had spent part of the early morning at Chien Hotel, doing odd chores and tasks around the area. He had checked up on his siblings at around nine, playing with them a little and catching up with the family members that had been at the house before heading off again. Fifteen minutes later, Liam found himself looking for something to do – he wasn't in the mood to spend the rest of the day at the hotel and Robin was nowhere to be found so he couldn't go bug her to play with him. Then again he wasn't really in the mood to play either. His body still ached a little from fighting Guardians and he still had a couple stitches and bandages. If he moved too much or did something wrong he could be a pretty bloody mess in a matter of seconds.


That was how the brown pelted Catori boy found his way heading west. He reached the pack borders but he didn't stop, his long legs carrying him aimlessly forward. He had his rucksack hanging on one shoulder, the brown bag carrying some medical items he'd found in Halifax a couple weeks ago. His leather necklace and its bone pendant hung loosely around his neck and his long dark brown mane hung in a loose ponytail at the back of his head. He walked for a long time, the cool wind whipping at his face barely noticeable. As November loomed, ever closer, Liam could feel the significant change in weather. Winter was fast approaching – the unknown about to fall over the land. The snow, the wind, the cold... it was all new to the Catori but he wasn't all that scared. He was looking forward to change – maybe this new scenery that winter was promising would help him forget about the events of the Fall. A new season, new memories. It seemed like a good motto to stand by.


It was near evening by the time Liam came to a full on halt. He had stopped along the way to hunt a midday lunch but otherwise he'd kept on walking. Now different smells told him he had arrived at his destination – a destination he hadn't known he'd been seeking out up until now. Liam ran a padded, furry hand through his messy ponytail. His ears perked up at the sound of the leaves rustling, quickly followed by a rabbit as it hopped into his path, only to scurry away at the sight of him. Liam grinned to himself as he continued on a few paces, his eyes darting back and forth curiously. He was approaching Crimson Dreams, he could smell it. Wolves that he had never met before were in pretty close proximity, as well as some he recognized from when they'd fought together a week and a half ago. When he reached the borders, Liam let out a loud howl, making his presence known. He was not a threat; only a friendly face that wished to know about the neighboring pack's well-being following the Aniwayan raid. Liam knew some Crimson Dreamers knew Vigilante, so he hoped his own scent would be familiar, considering he was the King's son.


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Table by Kit.
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#2
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Ha ha! Clearly my rambling is rubbing off on you XD I'm going to play it that although Soran has never met Liam that Robin will have told her about him on their long journey back from Robin being nearly kidnapped, if that's ok with you?

The sable Aedile had risen early this morning, finally she had managed to have a good night's sleep, she had slept soundly, herself and Deuce curled around one another like cats. She was finally winning the battle against her insomnia; the dark lady could survive on very few hours sleep, something that she had proved during the war, she had been up at all hours of the night patrolling the lands, stalking the borders with her hunting knife and even then she was usually one of the first to rise in the mornings. The dark female had finally found that she was able to rest again now though, her children were safe, her mate was safe and her pack was safe, finally with the war over they could return to being their normal selves. Watching the tension and exhaustion slip away from her loved one's faces was one of the most wondrous rewards she could have asked for. The lady felt full of energy this evening, her arm was still sore and causing her a lot of difficulty, but even that could not dampen her mood today. The female had sustained the injury near the borders of Aniwaya at the beginning of the month. She had lunged at a large grey male guardian who had been trying to kidnap her great granddaughter, Robin, the sable female was not about to allow that to happen and so burning with a fiery rage she had lunged at the male, her hunting knife in her hand. Somehow in the ensuing scuffle the large male had taken her knife from her and plunged it into her upper arm, she had never felt pain like it and had it not been for Scarlett, Robin's pale mare lunging in to defend the pair of wolves then it was likely that they would have both been killed by the guardian. This was of course all in the past now, the war was over and Soran held no ill will towards the remaining Aniwayans, the guardians were either dead or had left, there was no longer a chance for revenge and so the dark female had allowed the fury to subside, to fade away into the background of her life. Instead the dark Aedile had decided to focus on the happier things in her life, her mate, her family, her beloved pack.

The sable female was just walking through the lands, enjoying the evening, watching the small animals bounding here and there, gathering food for the upcoming winter. This would be the ebony pelted female's eight winter, so she knew what to expect, she knew of the heavy snowfalls that came with the Canadian weather, she knew that many of the small animals of the lands would have to face hardship and that packs would have to pull together in order to survive. She was getting older she realised, her arm ached as she walked, the bouncing of her strides making it jolt in the sling, the jarring of the damaged muscle making her hiss through her teeth slightly as she walked. It was as she walking that she caught the sound of a loud howl, the silver hoops in the tip of her left ear glittered in the light as her ears swivelled to catch the sound. It seemed to be a friendly call and so Soran set off in the direction of it. She padded quickly through the lands, her hair was gathered into a long braid that fell down her back and between her shoulder blades, it bounced with a gentle thud against her spine with every step that she took. Soon enough she arrived at the borders of the lands, her eyes falling upon a brown pelted male with bi-coloured eyes, the wind caught his scent and blew it across to her. He smelt of Cour Des Miracles, this made the sable Aedile smile, he was indeed a friend then, she trusted the court now as they had fought so bravely with Crimson Dreams on the battlefield; also it was the pack that her grandson and great grandchildren belonged to, they seemed to be happy there and they were obviously being well taken care of, so the sable female could not deny that she held a fondness for the Courtiers and their pack. She padded towards the young male and gave him a warm smile. The tall female then dipped her dark head in a polite greeting.
"Hello there, I'm Soran Aatte, what brings a Courtier this far out on a day like today?" The sable female said in greeting, still smiling warmly as she looked the male over.

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Table made by the wonderful Vannah <3
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#3
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That's perfectly fine; Robin's name comes up in almost all of my threads with Liam so it's only fair she's been talking about him too. =p ↔ 667 words






Liam usually didn't sleep much – five hours on average, sometimes six. He was a morning person – he had always been a morning person. Adding the fact that he went to bed late following chores, leisurely activities or simply catching up with his family until near midnight and you had a wolf that had grown accustomed to very little sleep. Ever since coming back home from the raid at Aniwaya though, he was lucky if he managed to sleep two good hours and after many nights of this it was really beginning to take its tole on his body. Fortunately he was overcoming the nightmares and today he didn't look in such a rough state. He wouldn't have made the long trip if he'd been too tired. He was smart enough to know when and when not to do certain things that required more energy than usual.


He knew a lot of his pack-mates were the same and that angered him slightly – knowing that they were all mentally and physically recovering from what had been a terrible ordeal. He wasn't too surprised to find other members of the Court walking around during the earliest hours of the morning as of late but he was hoping things would be getting back to normal soon. To be honest, a part of the brown wolf was still angry at Aniwaya, even though he knew he shouldn't be. It was just his over-protective side kicking in, wanting his family and friends to be happy and safe. He hated the bitter feeling though and wanted it to go away as much as he wanted everything else about the war to go away. In due time it would... hopefully. With a slight sigh, Liam shifted his weight from one foot to the other. As he stood, waiting to be greeted by someone from the Crimson Dreamers' land, he wondered if they were experiencing some of the same things as the Miracles. Unfortunately the dreamers had been hit much harder in this war, having fought for much longer. Liam didn't know too many of the details, only what his father had told him and what he'd heard as gossip throughout his territory, so a part of him was hoping he'd get some more facts during this first visit in the foreign land.


It didn't take long for the male to catch the smell of an approaching wolf – he could tell she was a stranger, one he had never met before. Liam stood a little straighter, his spine aching a little due to the long journey he'd walked today. Finally, a few seconds later, Liam caught sight of the female as she approached. An older woman with black fur and a long braid at the back of her nape. She was a little shorter than Liam was but not by too much. When she was close enough, he noticed her green orbs and the had a scar on the right side of her face. She was a pretty wolf and something about her was a little familiar. Then she said her name and it clicked in Liam's mind that she was perhaps a relative of Robin's. He smiled back at her, returning her greeting with a slight nod of his own head.


He ran a hand along his injured shoulder before speaking. “Good evening, Soran.” he said, a maturity in his voice that didn't quite belong to a ten month-old wolf. He had grown a lot over the last couple weeks. Perhaps not physically, because at 7'6” he was almost at the peak of his height, but definitely mentally. “I'm Liam Catori – Vigilante's... the King's son.” He paused for a moment as he thought of what to say next. “I was just hoping to see how things are going at Crimson Dreams. At Cour des Miracles, we're all hanging in there.” he said, his mind going to his dead Uncle before he could push the thoughts away again.




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Table by Kit.
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#4
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Hello lovely Smile I'm sorry for the wait on this, I have been away from computers all weekend and now I have an ear infection and like slept all yesterday XD Are you alright dear?

The ebony lady and the other dreamers were all worn and tired; the war had taken a toll on all of the members, it had been a strenuous time for all of them, an exhausting time, when one was always laying awake with worry then the wear and tear of even normal daily life could become a horrendous strain. There had been damage done to the lands, but most notably it had been in the dark female's pack mates minds and hearts, the Aniwayan wolves had invaded their homes, they had snuck in in the dead of night and stolen friends and family from them, it had made the lands feel unsafe, insecure; there was no telling how long it would take until that feeling went away. Of course the guards had been let down a little among the pack wolves, Soran was no longer sleeping with her knife under her pillow, nor was she stalking the lands at all hours with her hunting knife, snarling at small noises, growling at shadows. The lady had become jumpy and aggressive; although once someone seemed to be of no threat then she was quick to relax back into her friendly self. She had been fierce when she had been young, she had been a warrior; the female had fought to defend her pack, herself, sometimes she had simply fought because another wolf had been rude to her; that was not her anymore, she had come back here, back home to lead a more peaceful life, to be the mother and grandmother that her descendants deserved. Unfortunately circumstances had forced her to be a protector once again, to be the warrior that she had once been; hopefully it would be the last time that she would have to be so. The sable Aedile had mellowed a lot in her older age, she was now a far more maternal creature, softer than she had been, this was something that she hoped to maintain. However that did not mean that should the circumstances change, should she have to prove that she could be a fighter once again, should anyone dare threaten her pack, her family, her friends, that she would not be the fierce fighter that she had had to be on the battlefield. And when pressed the dark female could be a tempestuous and cruel creature.

Of course that was not how she felt at the moment, in fact she was rather delighted to see a member of Cour des Miracles on the borders, she had been meaning to travel to the pack herself, once her arm was healed a little more, and see how her family were fairing. Soran had lost track of her grandson in the confusion of the battle, she hoped beyond everything that he was alright; she had not been able to go and see the ochre pelted Knight, to have a wolf arrive in the borders, a wolf that could bring news of a branch of her family was wonderful. The Aedile's dark tail wagged as she looked at the younger, albeit taller, male. She smiled up at him as he spoke. He seemed a very polite young man, and as soon as he spoke his name Soran's face split into a wide grin, oh yes she knew him! Well she knew of him, her young great granddaughter had talked about him a lot when they had been on the long journey back from Aniwaya, the journey had given them a long time to talk. Liam had been the topic of conversation quite frequently in the trip, Robin had often started sentences with "Liam says" or "Liam did this" or even, "when Liam and I were playing". If she had been an older or a more girly female then Soran might have thought that she was a little smitten with the brown male, but of course Robin was just a child and she was quite a tomboy, so the ebony female was contented to say that this male was simply a good friend of hers, perhaps in the future she might see him differently, but the dark matriarch would never have suggested it to her, for fear of making their friendship awkward.
"Oh yes! I know you, well I know of you, you're Robin's friend aren't you? How is my little one?" Soran asked, smiling at the male, her tail still wagging as she looked at him. The young male spoke again and Soran was even more pleased, it seemed that the Catori male was a kind soul as well, coming here to simply see how the pack were fairing, Soran liked him even more in that moment. He gave news of the Courtiers and Soran nodded, it seemed that way for many of the packs at the moment, the war had scarred them, both physically and mentally, but they were beginning to cope once again. They were beginning to move back to normality, albeit slowly.
"We are just about coping at the moment thank you Liam, I don't think I need to tell you that the war has left deep scars upon us. You may come in and see for yourself if you wish?" The dark lady offered, gesturing to show him that he was allowed over the borders. Her smile was cut short as she noticed the male's injuries, it seemed that even the young wolves had not been spared from the horror of the battle.
"Do you require any healing for your injuries?" Soran asked, she was no healer, but she had a basic knowledge and Deuce, her mate, knew a lot about herbs that would help dull pain, between them they might have been able to muddle along together. Cambria was the pack healer, but Soran did not want to bother her, she had been through an awful ordeal, being held captive in Aniwaya. No, if the young male required anything the Aedile would spare her granddaughter in law the ordeal of having to see a stranger.

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#5
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I hope you get better soooon! I'm pretty alright though, but I also apologize for the short wait. This week has been busy so far. I have Friday off though! Yay for teachers learning teacher-y stuff all day! ↔ 677 words






Before the war Liam had been dead set on joining Robin and all of the other warriors into the Cavalry ranks. All of those hours spent pretending there were vampires and pirates threatening the pack-lands had been a fantasy – a wild dream. In his mind's eye he'd been a grand hero; completely fearless and incredibly great. In real life though he quickly realized that it didn't work like that. He had fought real threats that had tried to steal Niro's daughter away again and the outcome had been deadly. It had scared him but what had been even more shocking was how he had scared his mighty teammates – the patchwork female and the snowy white Aniwayan who had dared betray her own pack-mates for the greater good. He had gone momentarily insane that first time and the second time around, when they'd gone to Aniwaya, he'd been just as aggressive in his technique, slashing and clawing... He was scared that if he went into the field once more the same occurrence would happen. He did not want any more spilled blood on his hands so instead he was turning to medicine in order to help his pack-mates. He wasn't going to be directly on the battlefield but he could save lives anyway. Sure, he would be in the background but he would save as many lives as the warriors.


The grin on her face when he told her his name was unmistakable and Liam assumed she was on friendly terms with his father. Of course he didn't think she actually knew his name. But surprise, surprise! It was the case! So Robin had talked to Soran about him? For some unexplainable reason that bit of news made his stomach feel all tingly and strange. But not the bad, sickly feeling. It was a good kind of feeling, one he had only felt it a couple times before – all of them when he'd been with or thinking about Robin. “Yeah, Robin is a really good friend of mine. Are you her grandmother?” Liam hoped he was right. She could be his aunt, which would mean he had mistaken her for someone older. She didn't necessarily look old but she did look wise by the way she carried herself and by the words she spoke. And considering she had used the words 'my little one', Liam was assuming the two females were close. “She's doing alright though – I mean considering.” Liam paused. “I haven't seen much of her since the end of the war... given how busy we've all been.” he concluded. He really felt bad about not having more information on Robin to tell Soran – more reassuring things to say to prove that Robin was doing okay.


When Soran invited him to see the pack and how they were doing, Liam smiled, his taill wagging momentarily. “That would be great.” he said, which was the truth. Now that he knew Robin had family living here he was all the more excited to get to know some of these Crimson Dreamers and their way of life. It was exciting to find out how much the Dreamers' lifestyle differed from Liam's and the Courtiers! Maybe, if ever he was to come here with Robin, he could impress her with some of the knowledge he had on the pack he had fought alongside during the war. “Oh – no. Thank you though.” he said about his wounds. The healing gashes on his hands prickled at the thought. He had cleaned them up himself but his mother had been the one to do the stitch work before bandaging him up. “I'm in the process of training to become the Apothecary in my pack. My medical knowledge isn't all that vast yet but I'm slowly getting there.” he informed her. Apparently he didn't just have Robin to impress but her 'grandmother' too. He didn't know why it was so important for him to be liked by the ebony female. It just... was.


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Table by Kit.
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#6
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I'm so sorry for taking so long on this, it's all been so hectic here Sad I hope you're ok Smile

The sable female had her own share of wounds at the moment, her arm was bandaged and in a sling, thanks to her own almost suicidal rescue with Robin, the large grey male had been stronger than she had thought; the rage boiling within herself had been too much for her to be thinking clearly about the whole event. The knife plunging into her arm had been the thing to pull her back to reality, although the agonising pain was not something she would have chosen to have her come out of her fury filled trance. The sable female had stitched and bandaged the wound herself, her arm was now in a sling across her chest,it was healing well, but the muscle had been damaged and the ebony Aedile knew that it would be some time before she had full use of it again. This was very frustrating to the dark female, after all she liked being in her Lupus form, but the pain caused by the weight she had to put on her front leg was too much to bear and so she had been forced to stay in her Optime form for the time being, she hoped that the aching in her arm would not be permanent. She shifted it slightly in the sling and gave a small hiss at the sharp pain as she did so. Soon enough though her attention turned back to the young brown male, she smiled at him as he spoke, she could not help it, already she was finding that she was quite fond of him indeed. The male explained that Robin was a good friend of his and the dark lady nodded, yes she had gathered so much from the warmth in her great granddaughter's voice whenever she spoke of the young male, it seemed that she was very fond of him indeed, the king's son seemed to have made quite an impression on her patchwork descendant. She smiled at the male as he asked if Soran was Robin's grandmother, a small laugh escaped her lips as she thought on this; it was rather flattering that he thought that she was only Robin's grandmother; many wolves mistook the dark Aedile for being much younger than she was, she supposed that she was lucky, her eight years not having caught up with her quite yet, she had a few silver hairs appearing in her pelt, but so far she did not appear to be her age. She smiled at the young male and her tail wagged a little as she mused over what he had said.
"Oh no, you're close but I am not her grandmother, actually I am her great grandmother, I am Haven's grandmother. Robin's grandmother does live here though, she's the Praetor of this pack." The dark Aedile replied, a smile still playing on her lips. The truth was that Anu was not Robin's blood grandmother, but she had raised Haven as if he were her own and if he saw her as Robin's only grandmother then Soran would not argue with him.
"And Robin's aunt lives here as well, her name is Mati." The sable female added, still chuckling a little at the idea that the male had thought that she was younger than she actually was.

The sable pelted female had never been a vain creature, usually the things she changed in her appearance were for practical reasons, her braid for example, this was something she did for practical reasons; her mane was very long, almost down to her hips and was curly and wavy, when left unbound it was rather unruly and ridiculous. She smiled at the younger male as he thanked her for her invitation, he was indeed a very polite male, he had not arrived here assuming that simply because he was a member of a pack that they were friends with that he could wander around as he chose, he seemed to understand that it was a privilege to be allowed onto the lands. She smiled and waved him onto the lands.
"It's fine, your pack and ours are friends, besides if Robin likes you then you must be trustworthy." She smiled at the male and listened as he spoke again, saying that he was alright without any assistance with healing, explaining that he was training to become a healer himself, the dark female nodded as he said this. The older female smiled at the young male and nodded, it seemed that he was a clever wolf with a good plan for his future, it seemed that Robin made good choices when it came to her friends, and it seemed that this male was her favourite friend indeed. Soran was already fond of him, she could see why her little one liked him.
"I see, that sounds very interesting, what got you interested in medicine? I have a basic knowledge of healing myself, I am more of a physical healer; my mate is good with knowing what herbs and plants help with certain ailments, I myself am better with relocating joints and sewing up and bandaging wounds." The lady replied, finding herself genuinely interested in why the male had chosen to start learning the art of healing, true it was a good skill to have no matter what the circumstances, but it seemed a very specific choice for such a young male, a male that had clearly been involved in fights in the recent past.

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Table made by the wonderful Vannah <3
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#7
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I think this thread in bringing out a very adorable side of Liam. LOL ↔ 818 words






The laugh that escaped the older woman's mouth at his question made the young male mentally slap himself. He should have said 'aunt' or something; she was probably his aunt. And now he had probably made her feel old. But then she reassured him when she stated that she was his great-grandmother. Oh. Liam suddenly felt a weight lift off his shoulders, a weight filled with embarrassment and unease. “Oh, that's interesting. So most of Robin's family comes from here then?” Liam said. He didn't know any of his grandparents or any of his aunts and uncles on his father's side. He did – or had – known his maternal uncle, Zafier, but... the man was buried six feet under now and the thought of him still brought a pang of guilt and hurt to the Catori's chest. He did have many siblings though and even a nephew – his family was growing and maybe one day in the distant future he could have the same look in his eyes that Soran had when she spoke of her great-granddaughter.“My whole family lives at the Court. I don't know my grandparents or... great-grandparents. They don't live around here.” he said, and by 'here' he meant Nova Scotia.


The brown-pelted male smiled a little too broadly when Soran referred to him as trustworthy – well, maybe she didn't technically say such a thing, but he decided now was no need to be technical. “I'm glad you think so.” he said. He had always been proud of his pack and was loyal to them – he had proved it by fighting alongside the Court and Crimson Dreamers. He would have died for them if the opportunity had crossed his path. He was ever so grateful that he hadn't, because he was very much enthused about life and about living, but if push came to shove and he had to choose between his own life and the lives of his pack-members, he would lie down and wait for the heavenly Gods above to take him away without a single regret. Then again, maybe that was just stupidity on his part – he didn't care though. He was the King's son and to him, that meant he had responsibilities and duties that, although weren't formally assigned to him, needed to be done.


It was odd how Liam thought he had to prove himself to Soran – as if he needed her approval in order to be friends with Robin. He wanted her to see that he was worthy and that he took his responsibility to the pack very seriously. He had no idea that subconsciously he wanted her to think that he would make a good mate for his great-granddaughter. If she would have said it aloud, telling him flat out that he would make a good mate, Liam would have stared at her awkwardly and laughed in embarrassment. He wasn't exactly knowledgeable in that domain. Even at ten months of age, he didn't really know how the whole mateship thing worked and didn't think he saw anyone in that way, not even his good friend Robin. She was able to do something to him though – make him feel all squirmy and awkward when she said particular words, or she brought on a fierce determination to be better – to achieve greater things. He wanted to make her proud – to make her great-grandmother and anyone else that was related to Robin proud. He wanted the Aatte family to accept him.


Liam nodded as they continued walking deeper into the territory, further and further from the Court that rested miles away. “I mostly clean wounds and did a few bandages... My mother Ayita took care of the rest.” he admitted sheepishly. But she had asked him why he was interested in medicine and Liam believed she deserved a decent answer. He had never told anyone why he liked medicine so much or why he was so determined to replace the departed Alaine as the pack's Apothecary. “When I was involved in the fights...” he began carefully, choosing his words with the utmost precision. “...I felt sick to my stomach at the prospect of hurting people. I did it though... I had to. To help my pack. But... after the first raid on the Court a few weeks ago I decided I didn't want to fight.” he paused again, meeting Soran's green gaze before looking away. “I don't like fighting – at all. But I still want to help people and... healing is the best way to do that, I think. I can make people better and save lives...” he explained, his words bringing out a young man wise beyond his ten months. He had seen a lot in the last month however. Sighing, he glanced at Soran again, searching her face for signs of a reaction.


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Table by Kit.
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#8
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Liam's always adorable and Robin looooves him XD

The sable Aedile smiled at the younger male as she noticed the small look of panic on his face, had he assumed that he had guessed that she was older than she was? No, Soran was sure that she looked closer to her age than anything else, in her mind she could not pass for her patchwork great granddaughter's aunt, perhaps other might have thought differently, but she herself had never seen herself as being any age other than what she was, perhaps that was because she knew her own age of course. The truth was that she was the second eldest in the pack, her mate being the only wolf that was older than she was, and that was only by a few months; other wolves might have found it offensive to be lead by younger wolves, wolves that might not have the wisdom and experience that such an age came with, but Soran was happy to be lead by Anu and Savina, she trusted them and their judgement. She smiled as the male seemed to relax, she was pleased that he had not worried himself too much, clearly the ebony pelted female's reply had been enough to calm his nerves. He asked if most of Robin's family lived here and the sable female mused on this, she supposed that they did, the majority of her aunts and uncles resided here, along with two of her great aunts, this was where most of her family was based she supposed; well the family that she knew of, and the family that Robin knew of was the side that Haven approved of and as far as Soran was concerned the small girl would know no other family. Robin's grandmother, her real, blood grandmother, Naniko was actually the alphess of one of the northern packs, but in Haven's eyes she was not worthy of knowing her grandchildren and the Aedile accepted his wishes although it pained her, it was true that Nani had committed an atrocious crime, she had almost killed a young pup with her carelessness, her drug use. After a moments pause the sable female nodded in reply to what the male had asked.
"Yes I suppose that most of us are here indeed, you know that Haven and his siblings were actually born here. Robin's great aunts, my daughters also live here. Robin has a lot of family that she had never met I must confess, she has two great aunts and two great uncles that she has never met, they are wandering somewhere no doubt, it seems to be something typical of the Aatte family." Soran replied, chuckling a little as she explained that her family were a group of wanders, it was the truth, those with Aatte blood seemed to like to wander, to follow their feet to adventure and excitement, although it seemed that in the end, no matter what happened, their feet seemed to bring them back here time and time again until they accepted that this was where they were supposed to live, where they belonged.

The male said that his whole family lived in the court and that he did not know his grandparents or great grandparents, this made the sable female soften even more to him, bringing a warm, motherly smile to her dark lips.
"I see, it must be wonderful to have your whole family living within a pack together, to be able to see them every day." The dark female said, almost wistfully, she missed her children and grandchildren greatly.
"I would not worry about not knowing your grandparents or great grandparents, I never even knew my own mother, somehow things work out that you make your own family and they become all the more precious to you because of that. Have you got a lot of family then Liam?" Soran added, asking about Liam's family, truthfully she was rather ignorant of the King's family, even though she had met Liam's mother before, she had not made the connection between the two, although she supposed that with the same surname then they must have been related in some way. She smiled at the male as they walked, generally meandering into the lands, towards the centre where the large house loomed over everything, they were still not close enough to see it yet though. She listened as the male spoke of why he had wanted to become a medic, firstly he confessed that his mother had helped him with tending to his own wounds. Soran's face broke into a smile as the connection between the brown pelted male and his brown mother was made, of course, she was the king's mate and Liam was her son, now it all made sense to the dark female.
"Ah! I had not realised that Ayita was your mother, how is she fairing? I have not seen her for a long time." Soran said, it was true that she had not seen Ayita for a very long time, indeed she had only seen her once, but the female had shared her love of reading and so the dark female held a great respect for her. Dark ears turned as the male explained why he had wanted to become a healer and the dark female understood completely, she knew the feeling of not wanting to go to war, the Aedile herself was a peaceful creature, she had not been in her youth, but she was trying to be now,she simply wanted a quiet life, she had never been comfortable with ending another's life or causing pain, she had a great respect for all living things. The male seemed to share that with her and the green eyed lady understood completely, it seemed that he had chosen a noble occupation to substitute for being a warrior, it was true that he would be able to help others this way, he could save lives without ever having to harm anyone. To Soran it was a noble idea indeed.
"I understand completely Liam, I am not a warrior myself, I will fight when I have to and I would advise anyone that hurt someone I love to run and hide and never dare poke their head from their hiding place again. But I know what it feels like to kill someone, it comes with a guilt that only another who has ended a life would understand, I know how it must feel. I think what you are doing is very, very sensible indeed, it is a noble idea. Would you like any help or advice with your healing studies? I think I may have some books on anatomy in the house, they are for humans, but arms and legs are quite similar when it comes to us Luperci." The sable female offered, touching the male's shoulder with her good hand gently as she did so, trying to provide some comfort for the male.

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Table made by the wonderful Vannah <3
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#9
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WOAH MAJOR POST ALERT! Liam is being all analytical throughout most of it. ↔ 1536 words








Liam nodded thoughtfully, deciding that maybe it wasn't so strange that he did not know his extended family – according to Soran, there were so many Robin didn't know and they all lived a walking distance away. When Soran mentioned that wandering was something the Aatte did, a bubbling fear suddenly welled up inside his belly. He didn't show it on his face, giving her a simple smile of acknowledgment, but he really hoped Robin hadn't inherited that gene from her extended family members. He didn't want her to leave the pack any time soon – he liked her way too much and wanted to hang out with her for years and years to come. “I guess wandering around is a trait within my family's gene pool too... On some level.” he mused, trying to stray away from the thought of Robin potentially leaving for something – or someone – better than life at the Court. As he thought about his statement a little more, he decided that while some of his family had traveled, he was quite content with the Court and didn't really see himself going anywhere any time soon. “Both my parents have both traveled miles and miles to get here. And my brother –“ It was still hard to talk about him, Liam realized as the name escaped his mouth “–left the pack a couple months back and has been exploring and stuff ever since... ” Maybe the whole 'exploring' bit was stretching the truth, but Liam wasn't about to say he hadn't heard from Noah since July, now was he? All of a sudden the brown-pelted male was depressed inside. Noah had left him. That hurt. The thought that Robin would maybe leave him? He wasn't even going to try to think about that pain. The idea of a simple friend leaving shouldn't possibly hurt this bad, should it? “Our families probably just enjoy the adventure of traveling the lands.” Liam concluded, trying to put an optimistic spin on things. Oh no. Robin was adventurous... Damn... This conversation did not help with Liam's abandonment issues – not in the slightest bit.


Okay so technically not his whole family lived with him, now that he analyzed his words a little better, but as time went on, while he still loved his brother Noah, the male that had shared a womb with him almost a year ago was fading away slowly but surely. Liam would most likely never forget him, as they were still and would always be brothers, but the longer Noah stayed away, the more Liam convinced himself that he would never come back. He was getting to this point in his life where Noah just didn't play a significant role anymore. He didn't need his brother and quite frankly, Noah Haskel didn't cross his mind as often as it had once upon a time. He had two new brothers, Skoll and Hati, not to mention a new baby sister. He had a future – a future in medicine. He had a best friend and a wonderful pack, he had enough food and a nice roof over his head so that he would never be uncomfortable... Noah was just a bittersweet memory and from now on it would always stay that way. But did that mean Noah was no longer part of his family? Bound by blood, it was hard for the Catori wolf to go with the affirmative but... maybe it was something he would have to do in order to fully move on. Cut the final tie that held him back... “Yeah... We are all pretty close.” Liam agreed, pushing Noah at the very back of his mind – where he belonged. A part of him wondered why Haven had left his family to settle at the Court. He didn't want to question it too thoroughly however. Sure to him it would have been way more logical for Haven to stay with him family here, but then again if that would have been the case, Robin would have grown up a Dreamer and the friendship they shared would probably never have formed. “Although lately we've been pretty busy with things. And my dad has been spending a lot of time in AniWaya...” he said. Uttering the former enemy pack's name still brought a bitter taste to Liam's tongue.


When Soran asked him if he had a lot of family, Liam didn't hesitate to consider Robin family. And since Robin was his family... “Very much so.” he said with a warm smile, his bi-colored eyes meeting Soran's wise green ones. If Robin was his family, then Soran and all of her descendants were somehow his family. “I never really thought of family that way... how not all family members are bound by blood. I mean... it's possible for someone to be more like family to you than your real family, right?” he mused. Of course he made his words sound as though he was speaking rhetorically – all of the what ifs and maybes, but in his mind he did see a lot of himself and a particular patchwork warrior. But he didn't see Robin like a sister – Lottie and Mara. They were his sisters. Robin was his best friend – he liked hanging out with her a lot and she made him feel special and brave and strong and worthy... but she wasn't his sister. She was... she was... Liam couldn't be sure. “I uh...” He had been about to ask Soran about the butterflies that constantly made their presence known every time he thought about Robin. He had been about to tell her that there was something bothering him – something that he needed answers on. But then that small part of him that knew the answer stopped the rest of him from uttering those questions. He didn't know why – maybe because he did not want an answer right now? Maybe because he didn't want Soran to know how big of a deal Robin was to him? He couldn't be too sure, but instead he changed his train of thought and went with this: “I think my entire pack is precious and they are like my family.” There. That was a good, safe save. Because it was true – he did consider his pack a family. The Catori-Haskel clan was a family within a family.


It seemed as though Soran also knew Ayita. Small world, Liam thought as a grin plastered his young face. A face that was on the fence of childhood and adulthood, with those bi-colored eyes that held childishness and maturity alike. “She's doing good.” Liam informed his mother's friend, glad that he had more ties to Soran than because of Robin. He really liked the woman – she had so many interesting things to say and she made Liam think a lot, analyzing so many things that often seemed banal and concrete. “She had pups – my little siblings – September last. Two boys and one girl... Skoll is the oldest, then there's my other brother Hati... and the youngest is Lottie. She's really cute.” he said as his thoughts turned to his littlest siblings. “Maybe I could tell my mother my visit and how I met you?” the words came out as a question, wanting Soran's approval before speaking about her to his mother. Maybe it would prompt Ayita to visit Soran and perhaps bring the three little ones on an adventure to the Dreamers' land. Liam had a feeling the boys and Lottie would love that. It would give them something new to digest – something that wasn't the Court. Liam was coming here for his first time and he would be celebrating his first birthday at the end of this year. Maybe his siblings could get the head start he'd never had in exploring the big, big world that seemed to go on endlessly around them!


Yes, Liam, like Soran, would also fight if he had to – he would fight for his life and those of his loved ones without hesitation. He would fight for his pack and its honor. Sometimes blood had to be shed, but if it could be avoided, at all costs Liam was going to try his best to do whatever he could to do so. Sometimes it was nice to think that maybe there was an easier way to resolve conflicts than hurting and killing others. The only winner in a war was death and that wasn't very nice. When Soran said she knew what it was like to kill someone, Liam felt a warmth – perhaps it was relief? – flow through him. He had not told her about his own kill, but he felt as though she had understood anyway. “Thank you.” he said. He let her touch wash over him. She had a gentle, motherly touch and it felt good. Kind of like Ayita and the way she would have comforted him when he'd been younger. “I would like that – very much.” he said on the matter of the books. He smiled at her.



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Table by Kit.
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#10
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I am so, so sorry for the wait on this, I don't know where the time has been going recently. And I like the monster-ly giant post Big Grin It seems that it has rubbed off on me XD


The ebony pelted Aedile was indeed a wise creature, this was perhaps because of her age, she had lived a very long time now and she had seen many things; when one had lived as long as the green eyed lady one found that they knew a lot about a lot of various things, they often found that small things could be formed into advice when a similar situation occurred. The dark female was pleased about this now, her age was becoming a great blessing to her,she had never seen it as a hindrance, rather than a defiance against her evil father, but it seemed that it came with other wonderful things, the ability to help others and care for them when you needed them. The male spoke again, saying that his family seemed to travel a lot as well, this made the dark female smile, it seemed that perhaps it was not such a rare thing,often the Aattes would wander far and wide, but they would always end up back here, Soran herself was perfectly content with living within the lands, although sometimes she did have to sate her wanderlust by travelling to the other packs to pass along greetings and to see friends, in this way she was gaining a nice circle of friends along with stopping her wandering feet from wandering too far, it was something which calmed her, it was simply a part of herself; she did not like that she had passed it on in her genes, she missed her family, but then again she had had many wonderful adventures in her travelling days and she could never deny her family that. She nodded as the male said that his parents had travelled miles to come to these lands, that seemed to be a popular thing within these lands, many wolves had come here from miles away, they had left their old homes for whatever reason and somehow had found themselves here, found a real home here.
I see, that sounds like myself, I can barely remember my route back to where I had been born, but I can tell you that it was miles and miles away. The sable female replied, watching the male with careful green eyes, she could not help but wonder what was going through his head, she would never have guessed that he was worried about her young patchwork great granddaughter leaving him.

The male seemed a little sad as he spoke of his brother, but the sable female decided not to press the issue with him, perhaps it was indeed painful for the young male, she did not want him to feel upset while he was here. The dark mother herself missed her missing family greatly, she had wondered about going to find them many times, but she was needed here and so she could not, all she could do was hope that, like her own wandering feet, they would return here and then, perhaps, the Aatte clan could be the proper family that they never seemed to have had the time to be before. The dark mother listened as the young Catori said that he felt his family just seemed to like to wander. She nodded as he spoke, yes she knew that very well as well.
Ah yes, it is good to explore and adventure, I must say that I have had some wonderful experiences while I have been travelling, I can not deny that it is a lure for many. Soran replied, still smiling her motherly smile as the pair travelled towards the centre of the lands. The male then spoke about his father being very, very busy, Soran was sure that he was, Savina had been exceptionally busy herself, the war had been terrible and now the fall out would take a very long time to clean up. Soran had an involuntary reaction to the word Aniwaya, it seemed that it had left a bad taste in the young male's mouth and it was just as infuriating to the sable female to hear, her ears folded flat against her skull for a moment as she nodded in reply to what the young male had said. She knew that there were many wolves in Aniwaya that had never been their enemies, that they had been as helpless under the tyrant's rule as the dreamers and courtiers had been, but still she had not quite been able to forgive them yet.
It is wonderful that the war is over, but I fear that the repercussions will carry on for a long time now, I think that there will be a lot of busy times ahead. The dark female replied, her tone almost sad as she thought upon the terrible things that had happened in the recent months.

The male then started speaking about how he felt that family did not have to be tied by blood, the dark female agreed with him there as well, there was something that bonded wolves sometimes that did not have to be anything to do with genetics. The ebony female smiled at the male and nodded in agreement with what he had said.
I agree with you totally there. I have a lot of wolves that I consider family that are not tied to me by blood, I think it is the best way, sometimes a family of your own making is the best. Have you got many friends that you consider family then? The ebony pelted female asked, smiling at the male again. Her mind wandered over her adopted children and of course her step children. Blind and Naniko had become as close to her as her own children, she had happily pulled them into the folds of her own family, they both called her mother now, something that the dark female could not deny warmed her heart every time that she heard it. She smiled at the thought, her mind wandering to her step children, Jazper, Taliesin and Noah, all three were as dear to her heart as her mate and her own children, she loved them as if they were her own children. The sable female smiled at the male, all of a sudden his face seemed to change, almost as if something was bothering him, it seemed that the male had something on his mind that was bothering him. He quickly covered this by saying that he considered the whole pack to be his family.
Yes I would say that I feel the same, after all the whole pack loves one another in a way, we are one another's support and help when it is needed, that makes a family in my books. I am glad to hear that the Court seems to be as close as we are, it is a good way to live. Soran replied, smiling at the young male.
Liam, is there something bothering you? The green eyed lady added, suddenly worried by the way he had almost said something but had swallowed it down again.

Soon enough the manor house loomed into view, it was still in the distance but the pair were making headway towards it, there it was, towering high into the sky, a true amazement to the sable female whenever she saw it and remembered that it had been built by humans. Whenever the dark female saw it it seemed as though she had been away for a long time and was finally home once again. The dark female listened as the male said that his mother was doing well and that she had had three pups since the ebony Aedile had seen her last, she smiled at the male as he asked if he could mention that he had seen her.
Oh yes, please send on my regards to her, I do not know her all that well, but I am incredibly pleased to know that she was doing well and how wonderful to hear that she has had some more pups. The dark lady said with a smile, she had had no idea that the brown female had been pregnant when she had met her, she had been in the very early stages and Soran had not caught the scent of pregnancy from her. The male interrupted the thought by saying that he would very much like to see the books, this brought another wide smile to the dark female's face.
Wonderful, we are almost at the house now, the books are in my room, I can show you them when we get there, I hope that they will be of some help to you, they have been very helpful to me. The dark female replied, pointing at the large building that the pair were rapidly approaching.

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Table by the fabulous Alli

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#11
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I swear I was aiming at a little shorter but... Monster posts are monstrous. ↔ 1619 words









Liam was definitely a mixture of both parents. While he was big and strong like his father, he wasn't mentally cut out to be a warrior. He was too soft, too caring. He had once seen his softness as a terrible thing but after the war his perspective had changed. He was a bit of a mother hen... in a powerful male's body. He didn't want to hurt people – only bring them relief from injuries. He was a healer. He also liked to use his brain to solve complicated puzzles and riddles, which made him all the more ready for the job that would soon be resting solely on his shoulders. His mental abilities were surely inherited from his mother – Ayita could read and write and she was the one who had taught him enough so that he could learn all on his own now with, of course, the help of various books. He was also a leader like his father. He liked to be in control of himself and of situations that affected him. He was good at telling people what to do without seeming like a control freak. He was good enough to not get angry glares from other wolves around him. Or maybe that was just because his father was the King. Either way he didn't really care – the fact that his head was still safely on his shoulders told him no one was thinking of ripping his head off. At least they hadn't done it yet.


Liam smiled. It was interesting to learn more about Soran. She seemed like such a fascinating person with a lifetime of stories to share. Liam wondered if Robin was as amazed by the woman as Liam was. Probably. “Oh yeah?” he said at her words about also having traveled miles and miles to find a home here. He said them to show that he was listening but he knew the words weren't necessary for his expression told it all. He was fixed on the female's every word, his eyes locked on her face. She was looking back at him though and as intimidated as Liam felt – she was so much superior to him and that alone was enough to make someone squirm – he couldn't look away.


Ah, exploring and adventures. That was something Liam loved to do. As a young pup his adventures had been mostly around his home – and then as he grew older it had been around the pack-lands – but nowadays he was traveling further out of the Miracles' territory and every mile he walked was an entirely new adventure. He would never stray too far though. As much as he loved finding new things and discovering new places, he was a family man and he would always find his way back home. Back home to Cour des Miracles. Another way to explore and go on incredible adventures was by reading. You could read words and be pulled into a whole new world! It was always so excited, especially for an imaginative creature such as Liam Catori. “I haven't been too far away from these parts but even with my limited knowledge I can second that.” he said with a smile as he glanced around him at the new surroundings. They were approaching the center of the pack-lands and by now Liam had seen a few other Crimson Dreamers walking about, minding their own business. A few glanced at Liam – being a stranger and all – but with Soran by his side they didn't bother to pay much attention.


Liam nodded somberly when she spoke about the aftermath being time-consuming. Liam missed his father a lot and a lot of pack members were currently busying themselves on the reconstruction of Lunenburg but otherwise the focus was on the up and coming winter months. Gathering food was important and so was making sure the shelters were well built to tolerate the bitter cold and keep the occupants warm. It was safe to say Liam hadn't seen much of the physical trauma of the war lately – the worse was probably in AniWaya – but the war was still fresh on everyone's mind and that was something that would take a long time to deal with. “Well there's always sunshine after a storm so at least we can look forward to that.” Liam said optimistically. And then his more pessimist thoughts: If only we don't get another war to deal with. At least the Aniwayan leader was dead and could no longer stir up trouble. Liam was going to hold onto that and hope for the best.


He had a few friends he considered family – although not as many as Soran probably expected. His pack wasn't very small but it wasn't big either. He knew the members by name and could easily find them in a crowd but he was only close to some of them. His family, of course, and the selected few people he had built a relationship with over time. Robin and Caspa were two faces that stood out in his mind. He also trusted Ayasha with his life... but he hadn't seen her since the war and they had only truly gotten to know each other under those circumstances. He couldn't consider her to be like family because he knew next to nothing about her. Odd how he trusted her so fully when he couldn't really tell what her personality was like. She was brave and a true warrior – maybe a rebel, but definitely one with a cause. “A few people come to mind.” he revealed.


She noticed the smile on Soran's face and wondered who she was thinking about. Did she have a lot of friends that she considered family? A family not bound by blood? He thought about Robin again and wondered who she thought was like family. Was Liam like her family? Like a brother maybe? To be honest that idea felt foreign and unwelcoming. The idea of being like a brother to Robin brought this strange, bitter taste in his mouth. It was just as strange as the butterflies. Just as foreign. “I always thought most packs were really close. Isn't that how it is?” Liam inquired, suddenly curious. By the way she said she was glad that the Court was as close as the Dreamers, it was as though she had been expecting otherwise. Maybe Liam was wrong to think that all packs were like family? But then of course AniWaya sure hadn't been like a family during the war, given some of them had been completely against the leader and his views. But often Liam didn't agree with his siblings or parents but that didn't mean he stopped loving them. Even Robin – if ever they had a disagreement, Liam doubted he would ever stop lo– liking her.


What's wrong? Nothing's wrong. Had she read his mind? His eyes shifted from the sky to the ground to the surroundings. Anywhere but at Soran. Nothing's bothering him... No. Something was. He couldn't lie to himself. A part of him wondered if he should tell Soran about his jumbled feelings. He didn't open his mouth however. He caught sight of the house Soran was leading him towards and used that as an excuse to not talk about 'what was bothering him'. “It's beautiful. Looks a little bit like Chien Hotel back home.” Of course there were very many differences but the two were very tall buildings. They were both structures remaining from the human times.


Liam was glad that Soran found his siblings' birth incredible. He felt the same way. Three new souls that would live incredible lives. And Liam was thrilled to be part of them. He couldn't wait to teach Skoll how to hunt and Hati how to read. He couldn't wait to play with Lottie and protect her from the boys that could potentially break her heart. He was definitely on the road to being an over-protective big brother but he didn't care. He knew his siblings would always love him – just like he would always love them, no matter how annoying they could sometimes be. “I'm sure my mother will be glad to hear about you. She hasn't been out of the pack-lands for a long time and good news of the outside world and her acquaintances will definitely cheer her up.” Of course Soran probably didn't know what Ayita needed cheering up from. Liam had omitted to mention in his sentences about his mother that she had recently lost her brother during the war. 'Mara had been the one to bury him and Liam had been by her side as they spoke of how great and brave Zafier had been.


The house was coming closer and closer with every step and Liam felt his anticipation mount. This was definitely a new adventure. He had never seen the inside of a home in another pack. He was excited to see how they lived and if things were different from his own home. Did they have a fire to cook their food on? And how about carpets and window curtains and beds? Beds were definitely a brilliant human invention. Liam especially liked how he bounced every time he let himself fall on them. As a pup he had taken a liking to jumping up and down on the springy mattress but at over seven feet he would hit his head on the ceiling if he tried it now. “Thank you, I'm sure they will.” Any type of literature was bound to help him, considering how limited his knowledge was.



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