Despite Gwen’s many reassurances, Flair felt quite guilty, watching her new friend processing the news. It was like she had taken something away from the other girl, her father having spend his last days in Secret Woodlands, with Flair and her siblings rather than his own daughter. Of course, she knew, it hadn’t been anything like that, she hardly even remembered the old man, but it was still an uncomfortable truth that he had left his own family behind, in exchange for the Smokes.

And yet, all of a sudden, the grey woman was comforting her, speaking in a way, clearly meant to soothe, like she had been the one to upset Flair, rather than the other way around. Feeling heat flush to her cheeks, the fiery girl snapped her head back up, amber eyes seeking to meet the others’ silvers; Why are you… You’re the one who should be hurt…! And yet, Gwendolyn really seemed to have been prepared for the news, despite having travelled all the way here to make sure. There was a melancholy to her voice, and perhaps a glint of tears in her eyes, but nothing more, as she answered acceptingly.

Flair cleared her throat, trying to gather herself and her thoughts. She’d made her offer without really thinking, simply eager to make some gesture to try and comfort her friend. Now, she racked her brain for the few memories she had of Rayne, or anytime her mother had spoken of him; Is he in the Glen…? It would make sense, seeing as he had been part of the pack when he died, though she also remembered some animosity between him and her father, which made her unsure. But then; There was something with the Orchard… She knew for a fact that her mother had made frequent trips there, to gather herbs, but whenever she’d come along, Aideen had made mention of her oldest friend and they’d always stopped under one particular tree.

Realizing she’d been staring into space for far too long, the russet girl shook her head, once more feeling heat rush to her cheeks. She coughed nervously and ran a paw along her muzzle in fluster, before finally settling enough to speak. “I can show you,” she began, voice eager as she tried to make up for both having brought the bad news, and her little daze. Then, furrowing her brow she continued, more thoughtfully: “But it’ll have to wait ‘til spring proper, or I won’t recognize the tree…” She made a grimace, eyes apologetic as they met the others; “m’sorry.” It was the best she could do though; Hopefully it’s enough.

Word count: 440

She wasn’t sure why it mattered so much to her, especially after Gwen’s many, many reassurances to the contrary. Perhaps it was her own complicated relationship with her father, making her empathize – after all, Flair’s own return to the Lore had been primarily to visit his grave. In fact, although they had only just met, there were a lot of clear parallels between the two shewolves, looking for their own place in this world, despite their scars.

The Fiery girl chuckled hoarsely at the jab, a ghost of a smile reappearing on her face as she recognized it as an attempt to lighten the mood. “You’re one t’ talk,” she muttered, gently bumping the larger girl’s shoulder. She was thankful though, for the joking as well as the ensuing thanks, further easing her feelings of guilt. It was true as she said, if they hadn’t happened upon each other, Gwendolyn could have gone on for months – maybe forever, without finding the answers she sought. If one believed in fate – which Flair decidedly did not - it could have been chalked up to that; Or just dumb luck…!

Regardless, it was a positive thing, but her stomach still felt heavy; Death sucks! Flair breathed heavily, shaking off the gloomy thoughts to offer her new friend a more genuine smile. The question however, pushed her back off kilter. She’d wanted to suggest that Gwen stay with the Cove wolves for the rest of winter, but the one mention of ‘meeting up’ was enough to pull the wind from her sails, killing what nerve she had managed to muster.

“Oh, uhm…” She let out a few, breathy laugh, giving herself time to think. Then she turned, pointing her muzzle north-west; “th-the cherry orchard, it’s down on the west side. If y’ head back down and then follow the creek north, you should get there, no problem.” She continued gesture as she spoke, avoiding the silvery eyes all the while. Only once she’d finished, did she finally force herself to meet the other’s gaze, offering a half-smile; “Guess I’ll see you there!” She managed to keep her tone light, parting from her new friend with a genuine smile on her lips. Though on her way home, she would mentally kick herself for being too insecure to make that simple offer.

Word count: 386