Spring was supposedly upon them though the temperatures were still rather chilly and the Winter more than a little unwilling to give up it's grasp on the world. Small patches of snow still littered the ground even in these parts of Alacritia and this morning once again Novella had awoken to a light frost that had kept her snuggled up within her den for just a while longer. The sun had risen though and it was slowly warming and thawing the cold ground and by the time she set off on a morning patrol of the borders there was little sign of that icy start to the day. It was a gentle stroll that led her away from the centre of the lands towards those borders. Still feeling a little on the lazy side she felt no need to rush into action and disturb what had been a peaceful start to the day.

Spring - the season of fading winter and the renewal of life marked her second birthday. It was not a time to huddle inside her den all day; she clearly grew restless after every passing moment within her enclosed space. Hence the reason why the girl, who wasn't really much of one anymore, decided to put herself to some use. So many thoughts wanted to pelt through her mind, reminding her of the new and almost frightening stage of her life. Mentally shoving the thoughts aside with a cringed expression, she tried to focus on the blossoming scenery around her. The air remained crisp with the previous chilly season still clinging to the lands, leaving snow scattered across the area around the falls. It was unsatisfying quiet among the borders of which she patrolled with tall strides, until her multicoloured gaze spotted a familiar form, who happened to be approaching her directly head-on. Oh, it had been far too long since she had a mother-daughter chat; the thought bringing a brief feeling of guilt over her. Hopefully her mother didn't think she was spending more time with her father, which she had been as of lately. "Good morning, Mother," she chimed an enthusiastic greeting as she approached the older dame, outstretching her neck to nuzzle into her mother's cheek. "Speech"

Although the Author was currently enjoying her slow and quiet start to the day, that didn't mean to say that she would turn away company, certainly not when it came in the form of one of her children either. A pleasant smile graced her features as she spotted the form of her eldest daughter moving towards her and she moved forward to return the affectionate greeting. "Good morning Varda."

Novella certainly wouldn't accuse her children of having favouritism towards one parent, much in the same way that she hoped none felt that she or Frith favoured one over the rest. Each child was a cherished addition to her life and she wouldn't want to do without any of them. Life of course left you a little too busy to spend one on one quality time together sometimes, she didn't think much of it at all though she hoped that Varda would wish to join her now. "Would you like to join me on patrol of the borders?"

Returning the warm greeting and affection, it seemed her mother wasn't so busy, thus politely inviting her for a patrolling walk along the borders. Though the Authors were usually absorbed in their leading duties, it was rather fortunate of her to encounter her mother at the right time where important priorities, other than patrolling, were put aside. Well, all except for one, and that was the familial priority of spending time together and enjoying the peaceful company. The thought of refusing her mother's suggestion didn't dare cross her mind. "Of course," she replied with simplicity, her paws beginning to trek at a comfortable pace in the hopes that her mother would follow alongside. Was now a suitable time to bring up her unusual thoughts? If she left them for a later date, their relevance would fade until all of her enthusiasm of speaking them would vanish. In fact, her mother was probably the only other soul who might be able to provide her with an answer. "I've reached my second year of age," she began slowly, remaining unconvinced by the swift rate that time had flown by. "That means I've grown up, right?" "Speech"

Novella had certainly realised that her children always seemed eager to help where they could and it was no surprise that Varda wouldn't hesitate in accepting the offer. With a small smile, the Author would fall into step with her daughter, the pair continuing along quietly for a moment. All seemed well, though as Varda began to speak once more, Novella got the impression that something was on her daughter's mind.

"To an extent, yes." Novella responded, her own words equally as hesitant, not completely certain where Varda was going with the topic. Physically now her eldest children were indeed grown up mentally however could be a slightly different matter. The mind continued to grow and mature with every stage of life, it never stopped developing. "Why do you ask?"

As the pair began to trek along in an orderly and rather quiet manner, Varda's thoughts grew chaotic with contemplating decisions. Indeed there was something on her mind, though whether to delve deeper into the subject of adulthood was what distressed her. The Author already seemed a little hesitant; giving the younger lass the notion that she didn't particularly like where the conversation was heading. However, that probably wasn't the case, though she remained curious for arising the inquiry. "I needed to know for certain," she twittered in a small voice, knowing that the response wouldn't entirely satisfy her mother's query. Why did she ask? She didn't know herself, though there had to be something that influenced her. The main reason was just in case she went around blabbering that she was now an adult when it turned she wasn't, embarrassing herself in the process. "Although, I don't feel like one." "Speech"

Varda was often quite confident in herself, always pushing herself to improve and help where she could. The confession that she had asked because she didn't feel like an adult was in some ways surprising, Novella fearing more the opposite end of the spectrum. It was a pleasant revelation, both in the sense that she knew there was no large ego she ought to start fearing and of course the fact that she could most certainly sympathise with what Varda seemed to assume could well be a bit of an issue.

"That's quite alright." Novella answered, a gentle smile forming upon her features as she glanced back to her daughter, leaning lightly into her side in an attempt to offer some form of comfort. "It took a while for me to feel like one too." She confessed.

At times when she was a pup, she had been in an unexplainable rush to grow up. So many positive opportunities were waiting before her, and all she had to do was let the time pass by. Every child, or at the very least most children, held the yearning desire to become an adult. As a pup, she had tried to act like one with no clue on what they really did besides provide care for her like her parents, and here she was now. Her wish had been granted, not that it would ever be rejected, and she was left in an awkward mental state. How was she supposed to act? A soft sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt her mother lean closer, deeply comforting her. As she allowed a brief silence to drift, she absorbed the warm feeling. It somewhat uplifted her spirits knowing her mother could relate. "What's it like to be one - an adult?" she inquired inquisitively, turning her head to meet the Author's gaze. "Speech"

There was a slight difference between mother and daughter however, Novella had never really been in any rush to grow up, content to just follow her siblings and gradually improve her skills for her own use rather than rising through any ranks. Perhaps that was the reason that life had been rather scary when it had all suddenly been thrown at her.

Even now that she had adjusted to her grown-up life there were of course still moments that would cause her worries and fears, such feelings apparently didn't go away quite so easily. She didn't exactly want to confess such things to her daughter however, not that she was entirely sure on how to answer Varda's question anyway. "There isn't really any exact answer to that." She began. "Everyone is different after all."

Hopefully, adulthood wouldn't be so much of shock for herself, though she had only just commenced her journey through the unfamiliar phase. Despite being quite intelligent and a bright spark when it narrowed down to education, many fields remained a mystery, and adulthood happened to be one of those topics. However, it was all the more to grow curiouser, which was certainly reflected upon her features. The response she received from her mother wasn't one that she had been expecting, and really, the only information she interpreted was that the answer varied, meaning adulthood had to be different for everyone. Well, she kind of already knew that, but her query hadn't yet been answered. Briefly frowning after hearing the Author's words, she innocently persisted in being determined to uncover a reply. "Then what is it like for you?" "Speech"

Of course the answer wasn't quite what Varda was looking for. She sought more detail and if not in general at least about Novella's experience of adulthood. It had been a terrifying development to get here she'd been thrown right into the deep end though she wouldn't change either of those key part of her life now.

"For me, it's about trying to be a good mother to my children and a leader for my pack." Novella responded, Varda had perhaps already guessed this for herself. "At times they can be quite scary and worrying jobs, but they're both rather rewarding in their own ways." Whilst Varda had seen Novella doing her duties as both of these things, had ever realised these little details as well? "I guess you could say one main thing about being an adult is stepping up to do your bit, whatever that may be." She'd found a general answer for her after all.

She listened intently to her mother's more detailed description of adulthood and how she was experiencing the phase herself. A little personal, though she remained grateful for the Author being comfortable sharing the information with her daughter. With what was spoken, she agreed with it all. Novella was a wonderful mother and a respectful leader; not many packs were fortunate enough to have as many learning opportunities and not have the fear of being abandoned, as she had discovered a while ago. "So for me it'd be continuing my education?" She tried to incorporate the main point into her own lifestyle. Although she was no mother or leader (however, quite interested in the latter), surely there were obligations a dedicated student like herself could take more responsibility in.   "Speech"

Novella had no troubles sharing little bits of personal details with her daughter, not in regards to what she had explained anyway. She would have had some qualms stepping a little further back in time to those rather naive and childish events that had begun to lead her to the leaps into adulthood. She would happily tell them where she and Frith had first met though Novella wasn't sure she'd ever reveal to her children how their relationship had begun.

Varda seemed happy enough with her answer and would now take a little guess at what turning into an adult meant for her. Rather than point out again that she was still a bit young, adult in body not necessarily in mind she would tackle the question from a different angle. "Maybe." Novella responded, Varda had perhaps already guessed this for herself. "But from pup all the way through your life there are always things to learn." She'd once thought her parents knew everything though Novella now figured that even they had continued to learn as they aged.

Maybe? That wasn't quite helpful for the young woman, who tried to diminish the disappointed frown upon her features. It seemed like her mother knew what priorities she had to keep up with though she remained quiet - not sharing any more information as if she expected her daughter to correct herself. Perhaps education wasn't the only responsibility she had to take on throughout the course of her life. Just like how each adulthood varied, there were many priorities she was yet to encounter depending on the decisions she made. She too had once thought her parents had learnt everything there was to be learnt, though even now she knew it wasn't the case, she still believed they were knowledgable adults. "I know," she cheeped with a smile, soon tilting her head. "So adulthood is a stage to look forward to?" It most likely was a rather exciting phase rich with opportunities, though she had to be certain and assured by an adult with plenty of experience. "Speech"

Although the answer was not the detailed response that Varda had hoped for, the girl hid her disappointment at such facts well. Novella wouldn't have expanded much more upon it either for the very reasons already forming within her daughter's mind. Life often created new paths to take and obstacles to tackle that could change you and change the responsibilities that you had to take.

"Life in general is something to look forward to." Novella responded with a smile. Being an adult of course opened up a few more paths for you could lead to exciting things but there was no use rushing to any goal, life ought to be enjoyed.

Of course every stage and life overall was important and worth looking forward to, not just adulthood. Since adulthood fell under the broad category of "life in general", she assumed her question had been answered positively with a yes. Though, in a way, it made her rethink her perspective upon life, feeling obligated to balance out her excitement equally between every portion she would eventually undertake, even when she would grow old. "I'll keep that in mind," she promised, not wanting to disappoint her mother by ignoring her useful remarks and facts that she hoped would somehow contribute sooner or later. "It was a pleasure talking, and I hope moments like these will be more frequent in the future." With that, she exchanged a final small nuzzle before dipping her head as a farewell. Although they would see each other throughout the remainder of the day, she found it polite to do so anyway. A merry gleam in her eyes, she sauntered away in a slightly different direction, parting their paths. -exit unless stopped- "Speech"

As a child Varda had been quite eager to grow up, it was of course a little too late to prevent that from happening though Novella certainly hoped she could still teach her daughter to enjoy what life brought her way. Varda would listen to the words and whilst of course her response could be a simple acknowledgement of them rather than taking the advice to heart, something told Novella that her daughter would truly pay attention to her words. Varda was no fool but more importantly she had inherited that Destruction compassion for family and paying attention to them.

"I'm sure they will" Novella informed her lovingly. "And I am always here for you when you want to talk." Hopefully Varda knew that already but it wouldn't hurt to remind her of this fact anyway. Returning the little goodbye, no matter how temporary of one it was, the mother and daughter parted and set off about their tasks for the morning. Novella wondered whether her words were altering whatever Varda planned for the day now though she wouldn't enquire.