The Moss Things were getting rather chilly. Snow had begun to fall in the territory and it was nice break from the harsh seasons they had been having recently. Qualm was glad he had gotten the supplies he needed, but why he was back in the estuary he wasn't sure. His head filled with thoughts of the lady he met here who had been kind enough to give him a lesson. Though for some reason he doubt they'd cross paths again. He wasn't necessarily here for anything - just needing a moment to breath perhaps. There was a lot in store for him - but still he could feel things tugging at his heart. He frowned for a moment, of course he knew it was never meant to be. Qualm was happy with his daughter, but perhaps he should see if he could speak with Delaney more. Gahh, so much to do but he didn't know what to do first. He couldn't even think about going to Raba and asking what he should be doing. That would look lazy on his part. "Talk"

Gods she felt terrible. It just seemed like with every passing day she felt worse and worse. In a way it was almost a distraction from her own thoughts and worries. At least she had been fatigued enough the last couple of nights to get a decent amount of sleep. She wished she could get to the store of herbs that Kavdaya had kept in her family's dens. Her ears flicked at the thought. Would she even be able to stomach going in there again now that her mother was gone? She had been wondering about her father as well. Was anyone even checking on him in all of this? Her narrow shoulders felt so heavy with worry and she couldn't even begin to process it all. She sighed as she slowly wandered through the estuary, moving from one piece of solid land to another. Another wolf's scent reached her nose and she froze for a moment before she darted behind a tree, hunkering down behind its trunk while her heart pounded from the sudden rush of adrenaline. Were there always this many wolves wandering around the estuary? She hadn't noticed this many when she was still living in Celestial. Perhaps she just hadn't been so hyper aware of them back then. She realized after a moment though that this was a scent she recognized. She blinked and peeked out around the tree, spotting the man she had helped with the horsetail before. Her shoulders relaxed a little bit, but she still couldn't quite shake the anxiety that lingered. She forced herself to step out from behind the tree, trying her best to not act ridiculous as she offered him a smile if he noticed her. "Talk" "You" Think

Qualm heard something, like an animal hiding - though of course bigger in size. As his paranoid nature kicked in his heart raised. Wondering if it was a bird of prey. He'd had a miracle happen since he was a pup but he still could never shake that fear of birds of prey. He hated to admit he even was scared of them when they were companions to some wolves. However he soon discovered that it was Zuriel. Of all wolves - that he had been thinking of, it was her. Something was a bit.... off from their last meeting. Qualm couldn't really say anything since he didn't know her too well, but a small bit of concern raised in him from a gut feeling. "Zuriel I didn't think I'd run into you again." he offered a soft wag of his tail towards her and lowered his head furrowing his brows. "A-are you alright? Do you need help with anything?" Qualm didn't even know if he had the right to be asking this questions. She'd been nothing to nice to him though so he naturally wanted to make sure that he was okay. If not, that he was here to help a friend out if he cold call her one. "Talk"

She smiled a little and her tail followed along and wagged gently behind her as well. "Same here, Qualm." At this point it was starting to feel like an act. The smiling, the tail wagging, the obligatory hellos and head nods. All the usual things that she had done before now when she interacted with other wolves. Now it just felt like a mask for her to hide behind. She knew she would calm down eventually, or at least she liked to believe she would, but she hadn't figured out how to do that just yet. She knew how to treat physical injuries of all shapes and sizes. What could she do about her shattered mental health? Perhaps her facade wasn't as strong as she thought it was. Her ears flicked at his question and her smile faltered. She was going to have to figure out a way to either hide this better or finally get over it. She couldn't stand everyone worrying over her and asking if she was okay. She was supposed to be the one doing that. It was her job to help others, not to have others help her. "U-Um... I'm okay now. Or I will be." She tried to reassure him with a smile, but she couldn't tell if he would believe it or not. "I just had a um... run in with someone that didn't go so well." That was probably putting it very lightly, but she didn't want to go and bring someone that she had only met twice now into her mess. "I'm just kind of... dealing with the aftermath now I guess." As if right on cue her stomach churned and her ears flicked as she tried to ignore it. The nausea caught up with her all at once though and her ears pinned back against her head. "I-I'm sorry," she managed to get out before she ducked behind the tree she had been hiding behind moments ago so that she could throw up without him seeing. "Talk" "You" Think

He felt rather bad that he had even asked. Stranger or not he was a nice guy and it was in his nature to worry about someone having a tough time. Of course he couldn't force her and he watched carefully as his ears flicked to the sound of her voice. Probably something she really didn't want to talk about. Also for a wolf like him - someone so young and quiet frankly innocent in that sense maybe he wouldn't understand her situation. Her facade was trying hard enough as Qualm winced when she flew behind the tree to rid herself of her stomach. The male tried to think long and hard. What would make her feel better - without it seeming like he was trying too hard. The male would stay where he was, not approaching her as it obviously seemed like he didn't need to be poking his head around her personal life. "I-I'm sorry Zuriel. You don't have to force yourself really. If you don't want to tell me it's fine - but at least let me do something for you. Anything you need okay?" his ears went to pin against his head as he looked off to the side. "I know we don't know each other very well, but I would like to be friends - so if I need to do something for that to be possible then I will." his tail flicked nervously from side to side. He was a healer, not only that but he was a wolf ready to help. "Why don't we find something to drink?" he realized he possibly may have been talking to a tree, but he looked off for a moment. He was doing the right thing right? He knew what nervousness looked like at least in a sense he'd seen the decline in his sisters health for reasons. Bad things happened and wolves sometimes had a hard time recovering from it. Qualm wasn't sure what to do, but he certainly was trying his best. Anything he could to make Zuriel feel better. "Talk"

She sighed and shook her head as the wave of nausea finally subsided for the time being. For a moment she just remained behind this tree, too ashamed to come out and face Qualm. When he started speaking through, saying how he wanted to help her and be her friend, she looked around the trunk at him with a little bit of confusion. It was hard for her to imagine anyone wanting to be her friend when she was in this mess of a state. She smiled a little at him, the smile coming a bit easier than before. He wasn't significantly younger than her, maybe a year or two if that, as far as she could tell, but she could see that sweet, young innocence in his insistence that he could get her whatever she needed. "Something to drink sounds good," she replied with a small nod. She had to stay hydrated after all with how sick she had been. She padded out from behind the tree and walked toward him so they could talk together. She still kept a little bit of space between them as they walked just for her own comfort, but she was glad that she at least had him there as a distraction for the time being. "I wish I had something I could ask you for," she added a few moments later as they moved through the estuary toward a source of clean water. "I'm afraid there's not a whole lot to be done about being pregnant though." She didn't look to see his reaction when she spoke and her words held no real emotion to them. She stated it as a hard fact, her ears flicking back for a moment as her only real reaction to her own statement. She wasn't sure if he had gathered that already from watching her, but she figured she might as well address the elephant in the room all the same. She knew he was a healer as well, but she didn't know how experienced he was with looking for signs of pregnancy. "And please don't congratulate me. I haven't figured out how to be happy about it yet." "Talk" "You" Think

The male would watch quietly, with how she was reacting he could connect the dots that it was something bad. Qualm would walk the distance with her towards the small source of water. Dipping his head down himself to take a drink - the coolness able to calm his nerves a bit. As he listened to Zuriel giving her his full attention. So there wasn't anything he could do? Qualm felt a little bad as she continued on. Then it hit him, had someone.... forced themselves onto her. Of course he was all but simple minded over the factor but he knew such things existed. It made his stomach churn, and left an obvious expression of distress over his face. His two different colored eyes clearly showing that as he looked Zuriel up and down. Now really what could he do? He'd never been faced with an ordeal nor did he have many friends while growing up as he had. The male would look down to the water as she warned him not to congratulate her. Why would he? There was one thing for sure though - he knew what it felt like to be an unwanted child. "I wish I could tell you it'll be okay, but honestly I've never dealt with a situation like this." he started for a moment as he looked towards Zuriel. "I am sorry this happened to you - but I'm here if you need me. Even if it's to just spew out your frustrations whatever it is." he flicked the end of his tail. Sighing slightly as he lowered his head and tried to collect his thoughts. "If you want my opinion? Those kids in there, they're are a part of you. I know I won't ever get pregnant or anything but I would take care of them as if they were my own life because they are MINE no one else's. Which is exactly what they are, yours and no one else's. Try not to think of how they came to be, but try to think of the lives they can have with you as their mother - and the wolves around them that will be their family. Family isn't always by blood I know that from experience." he smiled a little lightly. "Anyway what am I saying, this is something happening in your life and even if you don't know how to feel about it now. I'm sure you've got other wolves to support you and including me." he furrowed his brows and tried to stand a little tall. "It's my duty as a healer to make sure you're okay.... besides I like you." Qualm let himself relax a little bit. He didn't know if he was saying was okay - or if it was standing over the line but still. He wouldn't put it against her if she wanted him to go away. "Talk"

She lapped up some of the water gratefully, letting it wash away the bad taste that was lingering in her mouth. Zuriel sighed softly and lifted her just before Qualm began to speak. She looked toward him and gave him her full attention. He had given her so much of his kindness already that it was the least she could do. She wasn't entirely surprised when he offered any help he could possibly give again, but she was still grateful for it. Yes, she had Faite looking out for her now, but Faite had her own children to take care of now. She hadn't told the rest of her family about it yet, but she knew they would immediately jump to her rescue if given the chance. Seeing an almost complete stranger offer himself for any help she might need was even more touching. What he said about loving and taking care of these kids like they were her's despite the circumstances caught her off guard. In all of this she hadn't thought once about the pups themselves or how she might raise them. "Try not to think of how they came to be, but try to think of the lives they can have with you as their mother - and the wolves around them that will be their family." A mother... Her ears flicked back against her head at the idea, feeling an overwhelming emotion come over her. She knew he was right, for better or worse she was going to have these pups now. These were her children... no matter how they came about. Suddenly she became so much more aware of the lives inside of her. It took a whole new perspective to make her realize that this was no longer just about her. She blinked and her gaze focused back in on his face as he told her that it was his duty to take care of her as a healer. A smile pulled at her lips and tears pooled in her eyes. These weren't the desperate, crushing, sobbing tears that had been shaking her the last several days. These were just overwhelmed with emotion tears. "I... I hadn't thought about..." She chuckled softly at herself, letting her eyes drift down to her forepaws. Even when she had gone to see Faite's children it hadn't struck her that one day she would be in a den similar to hers with pups around her that would have no idea about how they came to be there. She hesitated for a moment before she looked back up to Qualm with another smile, taking a step toward him so that she could press her nose gently to his shoulder. "Thank you, Qualm. You helped me more than you know." "Talk" "You" Think