Lavender Ethos fall through a blatant trapdoor

@Lilya | afternoon, overcast/fog

She had done a bad. A very bad. Somehow she had wandered away from the dens and had gotten swallowed up by the fog. The trees had begun to look the same and the little cloud was no longer sure which way was home. A whine escaped her as she continued marching forward, feeling foolish for feeling like a stranger in her own home. She typically kept close to the dens, or to the river, as her paws were not as itchy as her sister’s. Half the time Lavender didn’t even know where Lilliana was, for she was constantly exploring, making silly little poems and being obnoxious. The thought made her roll her eyes even though nobody was around. Lil had that effect on her.

One day she would be normal. Hopefully.

Her anxiety bubbled up within her chest as she continued moving through the fog, her legs trembling as she got more and more lost with each step she took. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought glumly to herself, a dark frown tugging at her lips. A familiar smell tickled her nostrils, luring her through the trees. It wasn’t home but it felt like it, which was certainly good enough for the little Stark.

Greeted by an array of purple flowers the girl flopped down onto the soft grass, feeling defeated by her trek away from the dens. If her sister found out she had gotten lost in their home she would surely ridicule her for weeks! Or make up a stupid poem about it. Probably both.

The girl let out an exasperated sigh as she flopped over to her back, her brows narrowed as she stared at the sheet of fog above her. If the mist didn’t leave Lavender was going to be stuck out here forever. Oh no.

While the anxious mother was used to Lilliana sneaking away from her watchful eye, Lavender tended to listen and remain closer to the dens, which was what had worried Lilya to begin with. Her daughter was missing. The frown lined the alpha’s features as she searched through the fog, desperately seeking out the ghostly form that matched that of her mate. “Lavender?” She called out every couple of seconds, her nose working double time trying to break through the musty moist scent of the morning mildew and dense and blinding haze that had settled into the Heartwood. Perhaps she’d learned that adventuring wasn’t comopletely a bad thing?

If she was being honest, the fog was so thick that she hardly knew where she was going herself… it wasn’t until she saw the purple in front of her that she realized she had left the territory. Right before she was about to turn around to head back and continue her search, she saw the white form flopping over and hints of relief flooded through her veins. Crisis averted! “Lavender, there you are!” The irony in finding her amongst lavender flowers was not lost on the mother, a story she’d surely have to tell her mate later. “You had me worried.” Surprise surprise… like mother like daughter… at that point she'd made her way closer, offering a soft nudge to Lavender's shoulder, as the pup seemed quite distressed with her current location.

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

As the fog settled around her the little Stark had come to the conclusion that she was going to die here. There was no way she was going to be able to navigate her way back to the dens—not with all this heavy grey stuff floating around. Another exasperated sigh rolled off her tongues as she remained with her back pressed to the soft ground, her paws hanging limply above her. What would she be remembered for? She frowned. Not much. She was not nearly as adventurous as her twin or even Risaela, for their paws never stopped moving. She was more likened to Oksana or Mathéo, but even then she was far more cautious than them, for she kept close to the river. Oh well, she thought glumly to herself as she sighed, her brows pinched tight as she stared into the grey abyss…

Lavender, there you are!

She blinked and rolled to her side, her green eyes narrowing slightly as she looked for her mother’s comforting sapphire gaze. A slow smile worked it's way onto her pale maw and her tail thumped against the ground. She had been rescued! “Sorry ma,” the girl apologized quickly as her mother nudged her shoulder, a sheepish expression crawling onto her pale features. She had been worried too, as she had convinced herself that she was going to be stuck among the hyssops forever. “Was walkin’ ’n then I stopped,” she explained with a dismissive shrug. Stopped because I got lost, she added, silently, to herself. Oops.

Lilya, while unsure of where some of the difference (such as ‘rap superstardom’) came from, was grateful for the differences in her daughters. They were different – sure, they didn’t always get along, they had different interests… but it made them unique, even if Lavender’s unique personality made her weary of anything new… something Lilya knew she might grow out of with time. “S’alright, darlin’. Are you okay? Didn’t get hurt r’nothing, did ya?” She both assured and asked the little one as she apologized for wandering off and worrying her. “It’s jus’ th’fog makes it ‘ard ta see… easy ta get lost in.” She explained, motioning with her nose to the lack of visibility around them.

She let a soft grin on her features. “Lucky fer us, I know which way’ll get us home.” She offered, giving her a nudge to get her on her feet so she could lead the worrywart to safety. Sure, Lavender did not appear to be injured, and the coppery scent that the veteran associated with blood was nonexistent, but that didn’t mean anything. After all, you didn’t have to bleed to get hurt, and she had found the girl laying down on her back, not standing.

The girl gave a quick shake of her head in response to her mother’s onslaught of questions. Typical mom, she thought to herself while suppressing a cheeky grin. And her father was just as bad—frequently worrying about the well-being of the twins. It was no wonder the pale Stark was such an anxious mess… she had both of her parents to thank for that. “Nah,” she answered, offering her mother a small smile as she rolled onto her belly and pushed herself into a sitting position. Lavender was not at all like her sister, who constantly came home covered in an array of bumps and bruises. She was much more careful; cautious. Not like Lilliana, who bowled her way through her surroundings like an angry moose.

“Fog is stupid,” she complained with a frown, her pear-coloured eyes studying the thick mist that enveloped the clearing. The girl knew she couldn’t stay confined to the dens forever, as she would grow tired of it eventually, so she would have to get acquainted with her surroundings eventually. This was a good lesson, even if the fog was dumb and annoying (like her sister).

She grinned at her mother as she spoke, announcing that she knew how to find her way home through the fog. Accepting the sparrow’s nudge, the pale girl scrambled to a stand and took a hesitant step forward, her eyes fixated on her mother as if to say lead the way!

Lilya couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her daughter’s statement, the relief of her being okay hitting her all in one wave. “It may be stupid… but it ain’t goin’ nowhere. Jus’ takes some time ta learn ta navigate it.” She tried to offer up, some small attempt at being helpful. Honestly, she wasn’t sure how comfortable Lavender felt anywhere – she was very much like her parents, so Lilya should know, but she didn’t. She walked at a slow pace to make sure the little ghost followed her and didn’t stray from her side again. She’d have to find Lilliana as well, though Lil had a feeling she’d have to venture even farther outside the territory in order to find her. She tried to keep her in the bounds, but she didn’t always do the best job of it.

Nothing could stop the little rapper from doing what she wanted, even a very stubborn very anxious mother.

That reminded her of the meeting – something told her that her daughter might not necessarily be the Guardian type, given how anxious she could be at times, and how cautious she was… but that didn’t mean that Lilya herself was right. “Yer father n’I’ve been talkin’, Lavender… we think it’s time ya learn how to hunt.” She explained softly, her eyes falling to her daughter’s form now. They’d all discussed at the meeting getting the pups to train more… and she wanted to be the one to take on lessons with her daughter so she could hopefully ease her into things.

She snorted in response, a frown still pressed tight to her lips. Navigating through the fog was easier said than done, especially for the girl who often refused to leave the communal den area. Adventure was not high on her to-do list, unless it included scouring the edges of the river that cut through the redwoods. She wasn’t afraid or anything, just uninterested in disobeying her parents and getting into mischief like her loose-lipped sister. Totally not afraid.

Unlike her sister, who was often incapable of keeping her lips drawn tightly shut, Lavender remained silent as she trailed behind her mother. Peridots scoured the fog for anything familiar but it was impossible to make anything out. She frowned. Perhaps she should get more acquainted with her surroundings… especially since Lilliana never got into too much trouble. A little scolding and a few stern words, but the anger never lasted long. The thought of straying even further than she had today caused her stomach to churn and frown to deepen. It was a frightening thought, but the Stark knew if she did not push herself soon her sister would never stop pestering her.

Hunt?! Her eyes widened, chest tight. Surely her mother couldn’t be serious?! “Do I haf’ta?” She groaned in protest, her paws dragging beneath her as a whine accompanied her words. Real mature, Lav.

Lilya couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her daughter’s protest. Lavender sure was Lilliana’s polar opposite, wasn’t she? Lilya nodded, responding in her rarely used authoritative tone (though the edges of her words were still soft, a habit she could not help). “Yes, Lavender, ya ‘ave ta.” She argued back as she started to explain. “We’re not gonna make ya taken anythin’ down er nothing.” She said as she offered a soft nudge to her daughter’s shoulder. “Yer jus’ gonna learn technique… huntin’ is somethin’ e’ery wolf’s gotta learn ta survive.” She knew how her daughter felt about survival. They’d take it slow, she didn’t want to overwhelm anyone and it was her first time trying to rear a litter… luckily Lachesis had some form of experience with this, right?

She found a measure of amusement in it all too – her groaning and dragging of her feet. It reminded her of someone else when she was little, someone who never wanted to learn how to fight, but her parents had made her… oh, right… it was her. Granted, Lilya had been much more interested in exploring, and in finding out what went on beyond the borders of the Run back when she’d been just a small child… Lavender had more… subtle pursuits… like never disobeying, and being well-behaved… Lilya almost wished she’d break a rule just once.

She grumbled in further protest at her mother’s affirmation, her brows narrowed darkly. The little Stark knew that it was important for her to learn how to hunt, as it was a skill she would need to take with her to adulthood, but it still did not mean that it interested her. Would she even be good at it? With her awkward limbs and high anxiety… she felt like she was a walking disaster. Surely she wouldn’t be able to hunt—not as well as her parents or the other wolves of Hearthwood. She would be a failure.

“I guesso,” she mumbled in response, still wearing her frown as she continued at her mother’s side, her tail flicking in annoyance. “I’ll jus’ make Lil’ hunt f’me,” she retorted quickly, the frown quickly changing to a wicked, lop-sided grin that sprawled lazily across her pale features. “She’ll pro’ly be good at it. I won’,” he added with a defeated groan, her eyes rolling. She was being difficult but she didn’t care. The cloud was grumpy from being lost and unable to navigate herself through the fog. Now she was being told she had to learn how to hunt.

Life was soo hard.

“Wha’ kinda thin’ we gon’ hunt?” She asked, feigning interest as she tried to appease her mother. If she didn't try to hunt, or learn, she could be removed from the pack for being useless. And she didn't want that.