Turtleback Lake The Pillars of the Earth

Even with his pale coat the summer seemed to be much hotter than previous ones he'd experienced in the lore. He'd taken to staying in the infirmary den during the days and collecting his herbs and plants at night. It was time to start preparing for winter with summer ending soon enough. The healer found himself looking forward to the cooler months that lay ahead.

The moon shone overhead as he made his way past the border and down towards the lake. He didn't have any plans as to where he would be going that night. Emrys thought he’d go where his nose took him in his search, he planned to have the medicinal cache well stocked before winter began. He was a little worried that might not happen with the heat causing many plants to die before it was time.

The white wolf stopped just before reaching the waters edge to nose through the underbrush in case there was something of use hiding there.

With Lachesis' blessing, Anastasia felt a lot more confident about what was in store for her next year. His blessing alone had given her so much hope and joy to proceed with each day. She didn't feel the desire to curl up and wilt within the Surge but instead to flourish and find purpose. While she certain that the life she had to give to her future children would be amazing, she always wanted better. So she ventured out on the cusp of dusk to find some peace in the silence or food if she happened upon it.

The notion of another stronghold nearby, Anastasia was careful not to gravitate to close to their borders. The last thing she or the pack needed was for someone to be stepping on their toes throughout the winter. Of course, things would probably come a lot easier if she knew that Aytigin was a second there. A man who she had come to like over her time in the Surge but he had done something unforgivable by the Surge's terms. Anastasia still liked him but hadn't seen him in ages, and wouldn't know how to behave if she did.

Thankfully she wouldn't have to deal with that just yet as she could smell a certain scent not far from where she walked. Anastasia turned slightly to venture in its direction before seeing the pale moon-light glowing someone wandering at the Lake's edge just as he stopped at a nearby bush. You haven't lost something out here, have you? she asked, wandering closer with each second until she was nearing his right side.

The gentle lapping of the water at the lakes edge was a relaxing sound and one he'd learned to enjoy during his time in the surge. He could see why Lachesis had chosen such a place to settle the pack. While Emrys didn't know the whole story it had come to be his home in a time when he needed the support of a pack most. There were times he thought of returning to the loner life he knew he couldn't, the surge wolves needed him.

What he needed was to locate something to bring back to the medicine cache. He was tired of returning without anything to show for his excursions because the heat had dried everything up. It was just when he decided there wasn't anything thing under the bush worth his time that a voice spoke cutting through the night. He pulled his pale head out from under the bush to greet his packmate with a smile across his maw.

“Hello Anastasia,” he spoke before shaking his head, “I haven't lost anything but I am trying to find something.” He may not have found any herbs but he had found a friendly face. That was much better than the alternative considering the conflict that seemed to he just under the surface between the surge and another pack. “What has you out at this hour? I hope you not having trouble sleeping.” Though he didn't think she had ever mentioned having difficulty getting to sleep he also knew that the heat and other worries found make it difficult.

Given how secluded she usually kept (though, not as secluded as she once was), seeing familiar faces when outside of the Surge was always a pleasant surprise. Ana didn't like to venture too much in case an emergency happened with the pack but wandering around certainly kept her more tethered to home. The last few times that she had wandered off were regretful and she didn't want to do it again. She wanted to actually start a life somewhere and make it meaningful, even if it meant tying herself down a little.

Emrys was a wonderful sight and she already expected great company from him. Their last conversation had a wonderful ending and given the discussion with Lachesis, she felt that it was partially Emrys' helpful guidance that had given her the confidence to buck up and tell Lachesis. If not for him, Anastasia likely would've kept it off for a long time and sacrificed her desires for the sake of a friendship. Hello Emrys, she greets him as he does her, expressing that he's trying to find something that wasn't lost at all.

As far as sleeping went, Anastasia easily shook her head and came a step closer to the white fellow. No, no trouble sleeping. I tend to wander at night more, much quieter. While she was tempted to say there was less trouble to be found, that wasn't always the case. Especially since they had to be wary of the pack north of the Lake. Are you? she asked, referencing the trouble sleeping bit since it wasn't very often she found anyone at night.

Emrys didn't expect to run into anyone on his right time excursion to find herbs. He usually didn't so when the white figure of Anastasia appeared he was both surprised and pleased. He'd enjoyed their conversations in the past and wouldn't mind the company if she was up for it. When he came up empty with the bush he was starting to doubt that he would find anything at all unless he traveled further from the lake.

He smiled when she greeted him as he had her. After telling her that he hadn't lost anything he'd grown concerned that she might be having trouble sleeping. It was the only reason he could come up for that she would be wandering about. She informed him that she wasn't and explained why she was out. “It is certainly that which allows plenty of time to think.” Perhaps too much time in his case, “I haven't been sleeping at night for awhile. With the heat I've been trying to collect some herbs for the winter,” he explained, “But to answer you question I have had some periods that it's been hard to sleep.”

His mind often wouldn't shut down for the night even though his body was ready for rest. Though it had been a year since his children had gone missing and his mateship seemed to have fallen apart his mind still went over things, could he have done things differently? “I was thinking I would look a little longer see if anything had survived the heat. Would you like to come along?” It felt like it had been awhile since they'd had a conversation and then was as good of a time as any.

Anastasia didn't like to see anyone in peril which included having some sleepless nights, too. Emrys was a man that she had come to enjoy the company of ever since their last encounter together though time had certainly separated them from having another informal gathering. I'm sorry to hear that, she apologized for not being able to sleep was hard sometimes and she was sure that it hindered some of his daytime activities. Do you find it easier to search for herbs when the sun isn't too hot? She imagined that the cool night air was a lot more forthcoming than the sun and its dry heat. Given their coats she was sure he must've shared the same likeness to the colder climates within the Mountains. It was nice down here, too, by the Lake but sometimes she'd give anything to sleep a few nights curled up in the snow.

As for whether or not she wanted to join in his escapade, Ana nodded her head with much excitement. I would love to, seeing as how she didn't feel quite as exhausted as most were this time of the night it only seemed right that she join her pride mate on an expedition to find a few herbs. I don't know much about herbs but I'm willing to help and learn as I go.

Sleepless nights were unfortunately nothing new to the healer. He'd been having them since his children had been missing and things with Jynx had gone downhill. More often than not he felt he didn't even know his mate anymore. When Anastasia apologized he shook his head, “Thank you. Hopefully once the cooler weather sets in I won't have anymore.” That was his hope but not knowing if his children were safe or not still worried him. They both were old enough now that they should be having lives of their own, all Emrys wanted was to know they were okay. “Yes, most definitely, now so many of them have died from the heat that they can't be collected,” he responded when she asked about the herbs being easier to collect. The lore needed rain to bring them back. It worried Emrys that they may not be able to collect enough to make it through the winter.

When asked if she wanted to join him Anastasia was enthusiastic stating she'd love to. A wide smile crossed the pale man's face, “Excellent, I would love to have the company,” he told his tail swaying happily behind him. He couldn't guarantee they would find anything but spending time with a friend was sometimes more important. Again he shook his head as she spoke. “Don't worry, your willing to learn and I'm willing to teach. Besides it's been awhile since we've had the chance to talk. It will he nice to do that again with you.”

Anastasia wished that she could aide every individual with each problem as easily as breathing. Most problems, however, didn't seem to be mended that easy. They were problems for a reason and if they were easy to fix, then no one would ever know someone was having them. So she was pleased, in a way, to know that Emrys was comfortable enough to express that he was vulnerable in a sense. That while he might be tired because of the sleepless nights he was still continuing forward in the hopes of finding something to occupy what time he did have. In the very least, he was pleased to have her accompany him on his adventure to find some more herbs to which Anastasia eagerly met his side and allowed her tail to sway behind her gently. What is it that you're searching for right now? The best knowledge she had of herbs and healing was cobwebs and moss to help bleeding though she wasn't entirely sure how they stopped the bleeding, just that they assisted in the process. Two extra eyes looking for his items was good enough, right?

He'd been with the surge for a year and in that time he'd come to accept what had happened with the notch. He'd even come to accept that things with he and Jynx seemed no better than when they had joined the pack. What kept him awake was worrying about his children and wondering what they were doing. He had yet to tell Anastasia about his family and as the thought to tell her then came it went just as quickly. He didn't want to ruin a nice conversation with something as sad as losing his children. His attention turned back to her he smiled, “Anything that could be of use at this point. With the heat a lot of the plants that would be useful have died or are close to dying.” Sometimes it was hard being a healer, Emrys was just thankful none of the pack had needed medical attention.

Anastasia was not without her own past troubles. She remembered losing Karpos and Adsila, desperately searching for the two of them every chance that she got until one excursion left her in the midst of a blizzard. That same blizzard that separated her from Lachesis and forced her out of the wildwood. To this day she still remains disappointed in herself for having not found her way back with ease. It should have been so easy to find her way back home and yet, she had failed each day to find the right path. Now that she was here she tried to forget about it. Wanted to move forward because the second she walked back into that dark room in her mind, she felt like running. So the idea of helping with healing was something to be desired. Especially in good company which she knew that she had in Emrys. Ah, yes. she expressed an understanding that there was a limited amount of things that they could be searching for so really anything was of importance. Well, I'll follow your lead, then. So I don't end up pulling up a blade of grass thinking its something useful. Unless blades of grass were useful... which she wouldn't know if they were.