Turtleback Lake How changed my life has become

AW especially to thosw in Driftwood Surge. Midmorning, cold and cloudy. Snow on the ground.

He and Jynx had been in the surge for a while, long enough to have recovered from the weeks they'd spent looking for their children. Emrys still wasn't sure about their future with the pack they now called home. There were times he wasn't sure about much of anything. It made him uneasy and restless. He'd lost more sleep than he'd like to admit as he wandered the territory during the night. His worries seemed to have grown despite no longer being a healer.

With the distance between he and his mate seeming to grow more each day the pale healer was left to worry if it would ever be repaired. With two healers in the pack already he wasn't sure his skills were needed. Still he wandered away from the borders of the surge in search of any plants or herbs that may have come out early. It had always been a comfort in the past so maybe it would be of some that day.

Crossing the border he searched in the area outside the border first before moving away from it. Scenting the air and the ground he looked for any hint of something that might catch his interest.

Two more had joined their ranks since the move west. Lavender hoped that it was a good sign—that the pack would begin to flourish as they entered spring. She hated seeing her dad so stressed and slouchy all the time. But this move—it seemed good for them. The others were happy; keeping themselves busy by exploring the territory and marking the borders. Even Lavender preferred it to the towering cedars that engulfed their former home. It was easier to breathe; to think. She just hoped everyone would be as happy as she was, as the Driftwood wolves certainly deserved it after everything they’d been through.

She stalked after the pale figure with ease, her nose twitching as she maintained a reasonable (undetectable) distance behind the newcomer. The male reminded her of her father—except for the eyes. They were all wrong. A brilliant blue instead of warm chartreuse; similar to the pools that floating around Anastasia’s skull. Hey! She greeted, announcing her presence as she sauntered toward him. Her brows narrowed as she regarded him, the corners of her mouth drooping into a soft frown: Wha’cha doin?

So far the snow still covered most of the land which gave the pale healer little hope that he would find anything. It wasn't about that however, it was more about the act of looking. He'd snooped around to find out how stocked up the stock of plants was in Driftwood and found there was quite a bit so it wouldn't be so bad if he didn't find anything. Unbeknownst to him he was being followed and it wasn't until the girl piped up with a greeting and a question that he knew she was behind him. He turned to meet her face to face and found the pale girl. “Hello there, you must belong to Lachesis,” he said making a guess that he was sure was in the nose. There weren't any other wolves that could be her father. As for what he was doing, “I'm looking for any early plants or herbs that could maybe be added to what Driftwood already has,” he explained, “Would you like to come along? I would welcome the company.”

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She remained quiet as she observed him, her chartreuse gaze bright with youthful curiosity as she waited for his response. A small giggle tumbled off her tongue at his claim—you must belong to Lachesis—as a lopsided grin tugged at her pale features. Duh, she responded with a sharp wink, her tail flicking absently behind her. The little Stark was, for the most part, an exact replica of her father. From the pale, ivory-tinted fur to the brilliant peridot stones swimming around her skull.

Her ears twitched in interest as the older male spoke, mentioning that he was looking for plants (or herbs) for the pack. Was this guy a healer too? She blinked as she considered his request, her chin tipped to the side. Regardless of the invitation Lavender would have likely followed the older male out of curiosity, but at least this way she did not have to work on being sneaky. So, she shrugged, her expression neutral as she gave a tight nod. Sure! With a flick of her nose she motioned for the pale healer to guide the way, as she was unfamiliar with most of the plants her father kept in his infirmary. She was slowly learning but she was not interested in pursuing the role. Lavender just wanted to know the basics; just in case.

Emrys had not missed the fact that Driftwood wasn’t lacking in the puppy department. In the short timed he'd been there he'd noticed at least five different puppies running around. The one that he found following him, he'd seen her before exploring the territory. He rose a brow at her response to his statement about her being Lachesis daughter which he did have to admit it was pretty obvious she was. “Bad conversation starter,” he said with a small chuckle.

The offer for her to come along with him was truly because he didn't mind the company. He missed showing his children and Hawthorne new things and thought that maybe it would help to show her. Also she seemed rather curious about what he was doing. His tail gave a small wag when she agreed. “I can't promise we’ll find anything since there's still so much snow but we can look anyway,” he said before turning to continue his search. “So what's your name so I know what to call you?” He asked turning his head to look at her, “My name is Emrys.”

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Bad conversation starter. She grinned at her snowy counterpart, her tail swaying slowly behind her. He wasn’t the first one to question who her parents were, even when it was painfully obvious. But she didn’t mind. It just gave her an excuse to be extra sassy.

That’s okay, she responded with a soft roll of her shoulders, her paws hurrying across the frozen ground as she stepped into line beside him. It’s an excuse t’go for a walk. And she quite enjoyed walking. Especially with a brand new territory to explore—there was still so much to see! His question pulled her away from her thoughts, earning another bright smile from the pale Stark. Lavender, she hummed as she skipped along beside him. Are you a healer, too? Like dad? It was a dumb question, considering he was going looking for herbs, but like Emrys she wasn’t very good at starting conversations either. She was just nosy.

She didn't seem to mind his poor attempt to start a conversation which he was grateful for. He knew that he needed to start getting to know the other pack members if he and his wife were going to he in the surge for any length of time. Besides now that he had the company he wasn't keen to lose it and he felt that the younger generation made fine companions when going about the things he needed to get done.

“Thank the stars,” he jested playfully, “I thought that one might be the end of our budding friendship.” She was soon beside him and he smiled down at her, “Very true, walks can be very helpful.” Whether it was to sort through problems or to just get away for a bit Emrys had always found them rather necessary. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his inky maw as she spoke her name. “Lavender is one of my favorite herbs,” he told, “A pretty purple flower with a calming scent, I think it suits you perfectly.” His brow furrowed a little as she asked her question, “Well I used to be before last year and now I'm trying to get back into it,” he said before realizing he’d gone off on a tangent. “In short yes since I was about your age maybe a little older. It's how I met your father actually.”

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The biue-eyed healer reminded her of her father, so immediately the little Stark decided that she liked him. She just hoped that he would end up sticking around, as the river wolves had a habit of losing wolves once they ate enough and got the rest they needed. Lavender was also growing tired of learning names only for them to leave. As the older male spoke once more, announcing that the plant she was named after happened to be his favourite herb, she flashed him a bright smile. The downside to moving closer to the lake meant they were further away from the Ethos—which meant, once spring arrived, Lavender would have to make a few trips out there to collect her favourite plant, as she enjoyed having stalks around the den. Why do y’like bein’ a healer? She asked, almost a little too boldly, but she was curious. The girl didn’t mind learning a few things about healing, but she wasn’t sure if it was something she wanted to practice full-time once she reached adulthood.

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

As they spoke of Lavender and the herb that she was obviously named for he couldn't help but let his mind drift. He thought about the day his own children had been born and how they had received their names. He still missed them. Seeing the young Stark and how big she was compared to the last time he'd seen Elyan or Arwyn he knew they would be as big. They would he coming up on a year soon and he wondered if it might be best for him and Jynx to settle in the surge and let their children live their lives. Her question brought him back to the present.

Why did he like being a healer? It was a good question for the girl to ask. “My mother, it's what she did and she taught me from the time I was a pup younger than you are now. I like helping wolves before I met my wife I was going to travel the lore and help wolves as I found them. It's also my passion,” he admitted with a smile, “When something is troubling me looking for herbs always calms my thoughts.” He'd never been asked that question but it wasn't a hard one to answer when he'd thought about it plenty of times.

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