Sacred Grove The woes of growing up

@Archer

Over the past few days Kateri had been feeling a little...off. it was the best way for her to put it since she really couldn't describe what she was feeling exactly. She of course had kept this to herself hoping it would pass and she could get back to things as usual. That didn't seem to be the case.

When she woke up that morning she'd felt feverish. At least that was what she thought it was. Her first thought was that she needed to take care of that. Then the feeling of uneasiness came over her. She wasn't sure what to do at that point. Mostly she knew she didn't want to bother anyone with it since she didn't even know what was going on.

She thought it best to stay away from everyone in case she had something that could make everyone else sick. She found her way to the outskirts of the backwater territory. That should be far enough to keep everyone safe.

Archer Valle

He wasn't exactly looking for her. Or, well, he was, but only because she'd been acting so weird lately and with everything that happened with Sephrina and his da going crazy... he missed his best friend. Eros and Seri were back, sure, but Kat was special. And with his da's declarations against the Cove, it had to be hard for her. Archer wasn't sure she'd be allowed to go and visit her family and return home without repercussions.

So he was going to check on her.

Archer hadn't expected her to be so close to the borders, or to smell so... good. She smelled really good. He quickened his pace without thinking about it for a moment, and that was enough to give him pause. He had an idea about how this worked. He'd gotten the talk through Eros the previous year, babies and other weird stuff. He knew there were rules - and Da had never really explained those to his sons. It hadn't mattered last year.

Well, Archer was sure it would be fine. It wasn't like he was looking for her for that, anyway. He shook his worry off and followed her trail, letting out a soft bark to announce his presence.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Kateri hadn't had the talk with her mother so she didn't understand what was happening to her. The feelings that she felt were all so strange. The only thing that seemed familiar was that smell that she was sure was coming from her. She thought she had smelled it the previous year from her mom but she still didn't know what meant. All she did know was that whatever it was she wasn't going to die at least.

She was pacing amongst the trees trying to figure this out when she heard Archer's familiar bark. Kat knew he'd been worried about her after what had happened in the cove. It was one of the reasons that she'd been steering clear of Vi. Though she knew he loved her like a daughter he also knew she'd once been a cove wolf and it wasn't a good thing to be in that time in the backwater.

She wanted to tell him to stay away so he didn't get sick too but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. So she returned a soft bark of her own before starting to walk in the direction his voice had come from. The whole time her kind was arguing with itself before a sudden desicion was made. She stopped dead in her tracks. "I don't think ypu should come any closer," she called out to him.

Archer Valle

He knew she felt out of place here, now more than ever. His da didn't seem to think of her as a Cove wolf, didn't seem to pass blame for Sephrina's death onto her simply for her birth, but his da also didn't seem much of anything anymore. Just a shell. Eros had been right - everyone was leaving him, and now he was leaving the rest of them... just not in the way they'd all come to expect.

Archer didn't know what to do for him.

He was glad to see Kat hadn't just left for a little while and at first allowed a small smile to adorn his face until she told him to stop. He pulled up and cocked his head. "Why?" he asked, checking her over. He sniffed toward her again. She didn't smell sick, just... that sweet, intoxicating warmth. "You're not sick," he said, though it was almost a question.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Kateri was really worried that something might be wrong with her. She'd considered going to see Clover to find out was wrong with her. In the end she decided against it since she wasn't very sure of her standing in the pack. She could handle it herself she was sure of it. The last thing wanted to do was get anyone else sick since she felt that would only make her situation worse.

Kateri needed to be careful for Archer. She didn't want to have to leave him.

Speaking of which he'd found her and was bow coming closer. As much as she wanted him there with her she also needed to protect him. Thankfully he stopped when she told him to but he wanted to know why. "There's something wrong," she told him. What he said next she wasn't sure how to respond to it so her words came out in a jumble, "I think...I don't know...maybe."

Archer Valle

his stopping seemed to sooth Kat, but Archer just wanted to sit beside her and have her comfortable presence at his side. Resisting taking the next step was a task, especially with her scent, but he held himself in check. She seemed to think she was indeed ill... And perhaps that was part of why he adored her so much. She was always looking out for the rest of them instead of herself.

His head tilted again, the opposite direction this time. "I can't catch it. It's just that thing the girls get every year," he said, surprised she didn't know about it. Eros has figured it all out the first time he'd met Seri - one of the first things the older Valle boy had known before his brother. "Remember when your ma got all stinky last year, before she had your siblings? My ma did too, and Clover and Aunt Shar."

He couldn't remember what it was called, but at least he remembered what it was.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

At least for the moment Archer was listening to her and keeping his distance. She felt some relief that he wouldn't get sick but that didn't take away what she was feeling. She wanted to seek out the comfort of her closest friend akd stay with him until this illness passed. She just couldn't risk it. She cared about Archer too much.

Then he told her that he couldn't catch what she had because it was something that girls get every year. Why on earth didn't she know about this. Then he brought up the way her mother had smelled at this time of year. Kat thought she remembered Oksana smelling the same to. So what did this all mean for her? She supposed she could figure that out later because once she realized she couldn't make anyone sick she ran to Archer. "I'm really glad your here," she told him as soon as she was standing in front of her, "I don't want to go through this by myself."

Archer Valle

It was with great relief that Kateri seemed to believe him. She rushed to him and as she stopped he closed the distance between them and butted his head against hers before gently kissing her crown.

"I'm glad you're here too," he said, voice suddenly thicker than he would have liked. "With everything that's happened... I'm just glad you're home. You help me feel like things are going to be okay." he wasn't just speaking with honeyed words; he meant it. She was his best friend.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

The distance she'd left between them was quickly closed by Archer. She smiled when he bumped his head against hers. Then he kissed her crown an action that only seemed to fuel the heat she felt under her skin.

Her tail swayed happily behind her to hear the words he spoke mirroring what she'd said. "I'm glad to be home Archer and I don't ever want to leave you again. You make me feel like everything's going to be okay too." She moved to embrace him which she hoped would show him how much he meant to her. He was her best friend and the one that always made her feel better.

Archer Valle

Her touch felt good. Right. Especially when she returned his sentiment and embraced him. Archer mirrored the gesture, hooking his chin over her neck and pulling her in tight. "I'm sorry, about all this with the Cove." He knew they weren't at fault for Sephrina... Even if he'd thought about fighting Chan when he'd brought her body. But it was unfair to Kateri that she might not get to go visit for a while.

He began grooming her, just enjoying her company and smell and hoping to offer further comfort in the small act of intimacy.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.