Quaking Vale How the girls can turn to ghosts before your eyes

For @Castel

I'm where you wanna be

Morganna Archer

Morganna could only trust that Attica had succeeded in delivering the message she was entrusted with, which would hopefully mean at least Renier and Celandine were on their way. Maeve couldn't be too far off, or the rest of the children but she was only expecting two. It was fortunate that she had run into both Sovanna and Pietro on her way back from the heights, if she had gone the whole distance she probably would have missed them entirely. Outside of Niles and his mate there was only one other wolf here. It was Morganna's worst nightmare. How could they find themselves abandoned in their moment of need like this?

It was also the best of luck that bought her across a wayward ginger plant in the moss to the west and she had offered her thanks to all her mother's gods, and even her father's Pangur. If she hadn't smelled it before she would have walked straight past and while it wouldn't do anything to improve the younger wolfs condition it might settle her stomach enough to keep down something of substance. With snow gradually blanketing the ground she was running out of options to aid, and she wasn't so sure it would make any difference even if there was a remedy for this.

She approached the den where the girl was staying with a broken root clasped between her teeth having already ordered her brother out to eat something. Hell she'd chew it herself and lick it under the woman's lips if she couldn't even manage this much, but first she would give her the option, placing it by the girl and taking a seat where she could easily be seen. "How're'yer feelin' terday?"

lol just noticed the sturgeon on morg's table

Cas could barely move now. In all honesty, it was just a matter of time now. The young wolf had long since accepted her fate, and it was her time. She was happy that Niles' cousin-sister-thing came by to help them out, and promised to bring other wolves with her. So, for the time being, Quaking Vale wasn't in danger of being disbanded, and Niles had family to lean on, and the world would keep spinning without her - as it always had before.

She doubted she would even be missed too badly.

The emaciated, illness-ravaged young wolf turned tired blue eyes up at the older Archer woman when she approached, and offered her a tight smile. "Like shit," she whispered honestly, determined to keep her sarcastic humor until her dying day. It was all she had to hold on to at this point, if she were to be honest with herself.

"Thank you... for coming to help," the young Noor breathed, glancing down at the root Morganna had dropped for her, then back up to the woman. "I-I'm glad Ni has somebody here. Family."

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

wait for me to come home

Morganna Archer

A low murmur of ascent was made to the patient, her head tilting and eyes softening with a sad little smile. It was too little too late and even if she had been here from the start she knew there was no coming back from this. "But its you 'e wants." And how was she meant to deal with that when death finally came to take the girl away, far before her time? She bought herself to a seat with a sigh, this was the last discussion she wanted to have with the girl, but it was always easier to get business out of the way anyway.

"I hate ter say it but yer not gonna get better. I want ter help yer both but I can't be bringin' wolves across th' border without yer say so and with the days gettin' shorter I know there's gonna be more'n what's coming with me, and Ni, e'll want ter spend 'is time with you not out there on th' border doin' somethin' I could cover fer 'im." Anyone could see where she was going with this. "I know leadin' better'n I know healin' an' I'm better off findin' plants than usin' 'em. Pietro's more suited fer usin' 'em. Would yer let me do that, fer yer both?"

Cas greatly appreciated the business side that Morganna brought to the table, because oh boy was she done with people treating her like some kind of idiot. Of course she wasn't going to get better. Of course she couldn't run a pack like this. It was so foolish of her to think that she was going to be able to carry on as the little leader of Quaking Vale forever, and she realized that now. That she wouldn't be around when Niles wanted her, or needed her. That she wouldn't be able to run the borders and keep the pack together.

Not that she had done well with that anyway.

The young girl turned exhausted, but smiling blue eyes up toward the older woman. "I'm not an idiot; I know what's going on," she stated clearly, even with half her face permanently pressed into the ground now. She let out a soft puff of air that resembled a sigh. "I've been the leader for long enough - too long, probably. Doubt I should've been allowed to lead in the first place." A chuckle that turned into a cough escaped her chest, rattling as she exhaled. "I really... really appreciate that you're willing to do this for me. For Niles. Thank you." The silver-brushed girl smiled up at Morganna. "Please lead the Vale fairly, okay? Make sure everyone is kind to each other, but also that they... I dunno... pitch in? That sounds right, I guess..."

wait for me to come home

Morganna Archer

Morganna appreciated how straight-forward the Noor girl was and not for the first (or last) time she wondered how things may have been otherwise? If Morganna had of known her from the start, if she wasn't slowly fading right before her eyes, if by some miracle she managed to get better? Would they have butted heads or would they have gotten along? Would Morganna have allowed the girl to get so close to her quiet brother in the first instance, or would she have run her off without a second thought?

Morganna managed a laugh when Castel doubted that she ever should have been allowed to lead, "You an' me both, but we're what they got." She was no grand lady like her mother Elettra, but she had always tried to do her best, and that had been enough. Morganna nodded to the girls requests. A proper family was all she had ever wanted, "Don' worry, if they don', I'll bite 'em on the arse." Her grin was laced with mirth, knowing just how absurd it must seem that one as small as herself might take on those much larger than her but confident that she had the skills to back it up. "Reckon yer can give this a go fer me?" She motioned back to the discarded ginger, "Might settle yer stomach enough ter keep some food down."