everything the light touches is your kingdom

Adjusting to a new normal without Tana wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be. When before her mother had been "absent," now she was simply... gone. It was strange how someone could be so present in your life without being there, or even being alive. Theory felt like she hardly went an hour without thinking about Tana in some way. She pushed down the pain, trying to focus on her mock patrol. With the advent of autumn and another season under her belt, she was trying to take on more responsibility in the pack.

The thicket had been tended to all summer by the older wolves in the pack. Fresh new shoots of grass were appearing, but it was autumn now, and unseasonably cold. Theory worried for the future of the thicket - would the new growth survive the first frost of the season? She hoped it would. What a shame it would be to have to start over completely in the spring, but at least then new growth stood a fair chance at weathering the seasons.

With a sigh, Theory continued on her leisurely walk around the pack's territory. Shaye and Rhyme had been leaving the pups to their own devices more often, and she was surprised to find that she craved their presence. Freedom had been on her mind for a long time, but with the fire and Tana's death, Theo found herself inextricably drawn to Abaven and its comforts, including her parents - biological and otherwise. It was no secret that she saw Shaye as a second mother. This was her home, and it was time she got better acquainted with its lands and the other wolves who lived here.