Lonely (Annelise/Open)

[Sivoncé™]

Annelise padded around the nursery with low spirits. Her tail drooped, and the beautiful, black and blue pup settled down in the corner with a heavy sigh. She was not sure of the exact events that led up to her mother's death, but she knew Siveria would never return.

She looked around the nursery wearily. She was about five moons now, and would be neophyted soon. She still clung to the hope that Magic would ask her to be his neophyte, but she wasn't certain. She hoped they had a leader by then, too.

[Ärï]

Mirage looked around a bit warily as she padded into the camp carrying a squrriel. Appart from Liviana, Mirage didn't know anybody here, even though she'd been here for a few suns. Still Mirage wasn't sure if she was allowed to stay but then again, nobody had told her to leave. A sharp tug in her mind made her look up. She wasn't alone. A pup, nearing neophyte age, was sitting outisde the nursery. Caught by curiousity, Mirage padded toward the pup and put down the squirrel. "Hi" Mirage barked, "Hungry?" she asked, touching the squirrel with a paw. The pup felt bored and uncertain about something.

[Sivoncé™]

Annelise looked up, eyes lighting up a bit. She nodded slowly. "Thank you...I'm Annelise. What's your name?" She asked, voice soft and welcoming. She bent down and took a small bite of squirrel, enjoying it's scurmptious taste and scent. She hadn't had such great prey in a long time, and in winter it was rather rare to come across such good quality prey. A small snowflake landed on Annelise's nose, making her go crosseyed for a moment. She licked the tiny white flake from her nose and took another careful bite.

[Ärï]

Mirage had to admit, pup emotions, though rather raw, were cute. "I'm Mirage, nice to meet you Annelise." Mirage sat back on her hunches, sweeping the ground behind her with her ebony banner, deep navy eyes looking around the mostly-empty camp. Everything was so quiet noadays....Mirage sighed softly and turned her attention back to the pup. "You're about neophyte age right?" Mirage asked. Truth be told she was probably about the age of an older neophyte but because she wasn't named an offical member of the Siverian Pack, they hadn't given her a mentor, not that she needed nor wanted one. Her mother, Snowstorm, had taught her all she needed to know and no one would ever replace Snowstorm as her mentor.

[Sivoncé™]

Annelise nodded. "I don't know when my ceremony will be, though. Silenthowl hasn't been seen for a while. Leadership isn't stable right now..." she sighed fretfully. "I want to practice medicine and become and herb healer like Magic," she told Mirage. "I don't think that's likely, though." She frowned deeply and wrinkled her nose, as if she was deep in thought. She backed away from the squirrel, having eaten her share, and pushed it towards Mirage so the other wolf could eat, too.

[Ärï]

Mirage angled her head curiously, looking down at the pup curiously. "Now why would you think Magic wouldn't want you as his neophyte? If medicine is what you want to learn, medicine is what you should be able to learn." Mirage was raised in a healing family, Tumbleweed had taught her some when he was there but most of her learning came from Snowstorm before her death in the mountains, or her supposed death. Mirage still felt horrible for leaving her mother to die alone in some cold mountain cave but it was what Snowstorm had wanted. Snowstorm had taught Mirage how to heal however. If anything, she could give the pup some tips, just to make her feel better.

[Sivoncé™]

Annelise shot a glance at the sleeping Tyra and her pups. "I helped birth those pups..." she woofed quietly, as if she had said it to herself more than to Mirage. "I don't know...things are just so unstable with this pack right now. Who is our leader, really? Is it Silenthowl or Arroyo? Is it some completely different wolf who's yet to grace us with their prescence? Nobody knows for sure...and so nothing here is for certain. That includes whether or not Magic will take me as a neophyte. If there is no structure...if there is no leader, then there is no pack. If there is no pack, then there are no healers." Annelise replied, eyes weary and heavy with tiredness.

[Ärï]

Mirage looked past the pup to the sleeping den mother and her offspring. Their feelings still centered around warmth and love, feeling a warm tongue grooming your fur and safety. For a moment, Mirage allowed herself to remember similar emotions. Newborn thoughts were so....calm. Nothing could interrupt their small world, not until their eyes opened. Mirage broke out of her thoughts and looked at Annelise. She was wise for her age, her thoughts already troubled and uneasy. "Well I was raised by two healers that were loners. There doesn't have to be a pack for there to be healers, just kind-hearted wolves willingto help anybody."

[Sivoncé™]

"But isn't that the same as a pack?" The young wolf mused. "Isn't a group of wolves helping each other and caring for each other a pack, regardless of what the Twilight Wolves say?" Did it really matter if the pack was large and permanently settled like the four major ones? They'd met a small pack on their way through the mountains! They were a rougue pack, sure, but they were still a pack. A pack was a family....bonds beyond blood, though. Brotherhood, Sisterhood, and trust.

[Ärï]

"Yeah, I bet you could call it that" Mirage agreed. "Me, my parents and my sister until my dad started leaving." Mirage's navy eyes darkened slightly but she pushed the thought away. Her eyes closed for a moment and she sighed, wondering if maybe she could go back into the mountains and find Snowstorm's resting place? Probably not, Liviana would probably throw a fit if she found out Mirage was planning something like that. Mirage sighed again and looked over at the pup. "Oh well, it's over now. One thing about rouge packs, they don't last long."

[Sivoncé™]

(Does Mirage know she has three cousins? Tumbleweed's brother was Ragweed. Ragweed's kids are Twilla, Birch, adn Vuelo )

Annelise flicked her ear, seeing that Mirage didn't like talking about her father much. She wondered why this was, but decided not to pry. "Do you like it here?" The pup asked, curious what Mirage thought of pack life. Annelise had thought about loners before. She'd decided she'd be too lonely if she'd left the pack ever. Her place was with the Siverians...in the herb den.

As if on cue, a breathless Liviana entered the camp, two rabbits in her jaws. She dropped them lightly on the prey pile and padded over to Annelise and Mirage. "Salut! Oh..er..sorry...Hello!" She laughed. Liv had gotten much better with her English, but she'd been getting used to speaking French all the time with Fade. She smiled brightly at the two.

[Ärï]

"Its alright I suppose" Mirage barked to Annelise as Liviana bounded over. It's also very loud Mirage added mentally. Mirage had heard her coming. It seemed her friend was in a rather...bubbly mood today. She knew Annelise was curious, it was like a bad aftertaste but decided not to acknowledge it. Annelise didn't know Mirage was an empath and she wasn't about to tell. Mirage smiled at her friend. "Hi Liviana, good hunt?"

[Sivoncé™]

"Eh...it was alright. Have you heard what happened?" She said in a low tone to Mirage, tone suddenly growing serious. "There's sickness in the Yozoran pack already. Sickness spreads fast in winter." Annelise pricked her ears, picking up on Liv's words.
"What symptoms?" She promted Liv.
Liv regarded Annelise with curiousity for a moment, then spoke, "Coughing, fever, shortness of breath, sneezing fits. White cough, which is turning rapidly to green cough." Though this was a bad thing, Liv remained calm and cool, reminding herself that Mirage would be the one who'd pay the price for any panic or sudden bursts of energy.
Without another word, Annelise bounded away. Her tail was fluffed up and eyes glowing with pride and excitement. The blue fae was gone only moments, and she returned with wolfmint held carefully in her jaws. "I'm going to ask magic if I can take it to the Yozorans!" She exclaimed brightly.
Liv smiled kindly at her. "Just don't get sick, too, alright?"
Annelise nodded vigorously and was off. Liv turned to Mirage, smile still on her face. "Looks like we have a healer in the making over there...."

[Ärï]

"I think so" Mirage agreed, watching the pup bound away. "She has potental, she wants to do it. I say let her." Mirage smiled at Liv. "I almost considered asking to be a healer neophyte because I really am no use during battles." Mirage knew Liviana would understand why. "But you know, I think I'm going to let the pup have it. I might just go back to being a lone healer. Tumbleweed and Snowstorm taught me all I need to know."

[Sivoncé™]

Liviana nodded, understanding. "I didn't think you'd really like pack life, but hey, at least you got a taste of it. And Mirage...personally, I don't think I'm staying either. My father told me to come her for safety across the mountains. Now that we're here, though It will be sad to say some farewells, I think it's time I've returned to the free-roamer lands." She told her friend. Liv had never really fit in quite well with pack ways. She simply preferred being a loner.