She couldn't get the taste of rocks out of her mouth. Solveiga had just spent the last hour finding decently large stones to carry to the border, as per the instruction of the Archangel himself. It wasn't hard finding stones here in the moor, but it did turn out to be a little difficult carrying stone after stone to the border. Her jaws grew tired after a while, so she decided to take a break. And what better way than to scout the area for herbs? Solveiga peered through the fog, smiling in satisfaction whenever she caught a glimpse of a recognized herb. The rich color of the valerian root was hard to miss. But she didn't plan to harvest any right now. She would wait a little longer, preserve them as close to winter as she could so as to make them last longer. With thought of herbs and healing came thoughts of Kavdaya, and Solveiga found herself unable to suppress a sigh. It was a shame, what had happened. It truly wasn't the woman's fault that Surreal had passed away. But Solveiga knew, firsthand, what guilt could do. It twisted the truth until all you could do was blame yourself. The little healer just had to hope and pray that the support Celestial had to offer would be enough to pull Kavdaya out of this depression. But, on to brighter thoughts. Solveiga lifted her blue eyes from their perusal of the ground, and with a jolt she realized that she had stood in this very spot before. Nearly two whole years ago (heavens above, had it really been that long?) Solveiga had stood in this very spot, hunting for herbs in the same way. With far less knowledge and experience under her belt, but still. And a friendly bark had pulled her from her reverie, causing her to turn and lay her eyes on the most brilliantly colored male she had ever seen in her life. And to this day, that was still true. It was in this spot that she had first met Regulus, and he had kindly offered her a home in Celestial. That day had changed her life, without a doubt. Regulus had changed her life. Solveiga stood for a moment, lost in the memory as the fog drifted around her feet. Thinking of him always filled her with the desire to actually be with him, to see his smile and amazing crimson fur with her own two eyes. Did he grow tired of seeing her? She couldn't help but wonder, sometimes, especially now that the two of them had been spending some more time together. She knew he was busy, she didn't want to be a bother. No, that was the last thing she wanted to be. And so, she hesitated, though a howl sat heavy in the back of her throat. She wanted to call out for him to join her, so they could reminisce together, or even patrol the border and collect more stones together. She didn't care. Together was the only part she cared about. "Talk" "You" Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

She’d been on his mind a lot. He really wished he’d been able to take more time and spend it with the little healer. He’d been carrying a few stones in an old hide, intending to line the border as he went on patrol, when her scent, only an hour or so old, hit his nose. A smile burst reflexively onto his face as he set the makeshift bag on the ground. He was on the border by now, engulfed in the fog of the moor. He could leave the stones here. He ghosted forward on light paws, following the woman’s scent, and noting the stones that hadn’t been there on his last patrol. A grin grew on his jaws, pleasure at the fact that the rest of the pack was doing their part to make the borders a bit more notable to others. Several of the new stones carried Solveiga’s scent. He spotted movement up ahead; a brief swirl of fog and a sandy figure. The grin grew further as he slowed, working to slip up behind the healer and using the mist to his advantage. He finally stepped up beside her, head lowering to nudge her cheek with a rumbling chuckle by way of greeting. “Any good plants, Solveiga?” He asked with a good natured smile down at her, fathomless sapphires warm.

The little healer stood in the moor, fog swirling around her legs as she fought with herself internally. She wanted to call for Regulus, to let him know where she was so the two of them could spend time together. But she was also afraid doing so would bother him, thus pushing him further away. And she really didn't want that. All she wanted was to be close to Regulus, as friends or whatever else they might be. But what else could they be? Whenever thoughts like that drifted into her mind, she always tried her best to banish them as soon as possible. It wasn't healthy to brood over such things, especially in vain. After all, even if Solveiga discovered she did have more than just friendly feelings toward the man, what would she do about it? Probably nothing. The woman let out a sigh and brought her mind back to the present, looking down through the fog again with the intentions of finding and identifying more herbs. But in her distraction, she hadn't noticed that she had company. She flinched a bit in surprise when she felt him nudge her cheek, a laugh rumbling softly in her ear and going straight to her belly, where it woke up all the butterflies. She laughed a bit and turned to face Regulus, leaning her head back a bit so she could look up at him. He towered over her when they stood this close to each other. "Yes, a few," the healer said quietly. "And what brings you here, Regulus?" Honestly, she asked this question out of more than just a desire to make small talk. She truly was curious as to what had brought him here. Especially considering she had just contemplated whether or not to call for him. Coincidence, or something more? Had he come looking for her? "Talk" "You" Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He couldn’t help the grin that bloomed at her start of surprise at his appearance. His grandmother had admitted to finding it highly amusing when she slipped up on members of Valhalla to greet them, and caught them by surprise, and he shared that amusement. And added to it was pleasure that Solveiga was happy to see him. That laugh brought a bright wag of his tail and he met those bright sky blue eyes with a grin, head cocked. At her response and query, his grin widened as his eyes swept the surrounding, picking out several stands of lavender among the heather. “I was carrying a few stones to the border to parcel out along the border during a patrol, and caught your scent.” He smiled easily, head ducking slightly to be at a better level with her so she wouldn’t have to crane around. “I decided it was a nice day to spend some time with you.” A snippet of conversation ran through his mind from his talk with Baine. ‘Regulus, do you like her? Like... like like?’ It was a pretty damn good question. He certainly did like the little healer. And sometimes it felt like the day got a little brighter when he spotted her from a distance, gathering herbs. And undeniably, he regretted not stopping his patrols to go over and say hi when he spotted her. However, the Pack came first, and its safety was of the greatest import. He grinned, head tipping forward slightly to invite her to walk. “Maybe we can find some good herbs to stock up on. Winter’ll be here before we know it!”

She was happy to see him. And, clearly, he was happy to see her as well. She always found it so funny, the way he could command the pack with such authority one moment and act like a happy little pup the next. Her tail wagged behind her, mirroring his, and she tried not to roll her eyes at the way he lowered his head to keep her from having to crane her neck. Thoughtful though it was, the gesture embarrassed her a little. Solveiga had come to terms with being small, it was just... inconvenient at times. But all traces of embarrassment were forgotten as Regulus told her his reason for being here. He really had been seeking her out, wanting to spend time with her. The thought made a smile spread across her face, warmth blossoming across her cheeks. "I'm glad to hear that," she said softly. The bright red man offered her another grin, and the two began to walk. She nodded when he mentioned winter. "Oh, believe me, I know," she said. "I hardly have room to sleep in my den anymore, it's so full of herbs." Solveiga laughed. It wasn't an exaggeration, either. With Kavdaya struggling, Solveiga had worked hard to pick up the slack. The pack had plenty of herbs to preserve for winter. But searching for a few more today wouldn't hurt anything. Besides, it meant spending time with the man she had grown rather fond of, so why on earth would she complain? But the mention of herbs brought up something else she had wanted to ask the Archangel. "Do you know of any younger members who have taken an interest in healing? Come spring, I'd like to give some lessons in healing. Something to keep me busy, and ensure continued activity amongst the younger members." She didn't say this part out loud, but she wanted the lessons to keep her busy primarily because she hated spring and it would be better to have an excuse to avoid his company until her time of being in heat had subsided. Solveiga may have been naive, but she knew her own heart well enough to know that she was starting to have feelings for Regulus. Feelings beyond that of ordinary friendship. It would be smart to stay away from him during, well... that. Who knows what she might do or say to humiliate herself around him. "Talk" "You" Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

His tail waved behind him at her response, pleasure warming his chest at hearing that she was pleased he’d sought her out. A low chuckle escaped as she spoke about how full her alcove was getting with all the herbs that had been getting stocked up in there. “Well, you’re always welcome to kip with me in my alcove. It’s larger, and winter’s coming.” It was an honest offer, and he felt he honestly wouldn’t mind sharing his alcove with her. In fact, he thought he might even enjoy it. He enjoyed being close to the little healer, and her sunny personality helped to lighten his days. Her question about young healers brought him back to the present and he smiled, mind running through the possible young minds. “There’s Justice, Kavdaya’s daughter. She may be a good Cleric, or a Paladin. She shows interest in healing, and has the fire and drive to be a fighter, as well. I think my young cousin Etain may be a healer in the making. You saw her at the meeting.” He grinned, remembering the sweet voiced, friendly little pup. The fact that she only had three legs didn’t bother him in the slightest. His nose lowered to a stand of lavender. They were long done with blooming for the year, but still useful, if he remembered correctly. “Nice thing about claiming the Moore,” he remarked, grinning at her, “We don’t have to worry all that much about running out of heather or lavender.”

His low chuckle brought a smile to her face, but she had to admit that his offer had butterflies doing all sorts of little flips in her belly. Sleep in his alcove? With him? Before she could stop herself, Solveiga let out an embarrassed giggle and quietly said "I'm not sure that's such a good idea..." But then she really thought about it. After all, it really did seem more practical than sleeping on a bed of herbs. And she knew Regulus only meant it as a friendly offer. He wasn't the type to lure a girl into his sleeping place just to toy with her. Perhaps... "I'll think about it. Thank you for the offer, Regulus," she whispered after a moment. Part of her wondered why she'd ever dream of turning his offer down. It was another opportunity to be close to him, why not? But then there was other part of her, the part that was still very much the old, demure Solveiga. When she was around Regulus, this seemed to be the part that dominated. Ironic, seeing the shy side becoming dominant. But that's how her personality seemed to work these days. Solveiga really had gained a lot of confidence in herself over the last year or two. She had become independent, and speaking to strangers had become much less daunting. And yet, when this big crimson male was around, she was all quiet and giggly again. And the problem was, Solveiga was too naive to understand why this was happening. But her mind moved on to other things as Regulus answered her question about the younger members. Yes, come spring, she would really need to get them all together. And Etain. The mention of the adorable little girl made the healer smile. "I hope so. I would love to spend time with her, she's so sweet..." she sighed, and for the second time today, words came out without her permission. "I absolutely love pups. I can't wait to be a mother." And with that, Solveiga was back to mentally scolding herself. Yes, it was the truth, but why did she have to say it out loud? "Yes, it's... it's the perfect place," Solveiga said, her voice slightly distracted thanks to her second embarrassing moment. "I find it very calming. Maybe because it's so quiet. Or maybe it's the lavender," she joked. "Talk" "You" Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

His head cocked slightly at her giggling response, though his grin didn’t die. He didn’t try to correct her or challenge her on the initial words, because shortly after, he could see the thoughts take hold and she soothed the slight flicker of worry that had sparked in his stomach with her next words, and the grin on his face widened with honest joy. His tail gave a pleasant wave behind him as she remarked on Etain’s sweet nature. “I believe her mother is also a healer, so it could give Kalliope a way to make friends among the pack. I haven’t really seen her around until the meeting, and I only knew about her because Faite told me about her when I returned from.. well… and Castiel told me about her when he was telling me about their litter. Sounds like she could use to make some friends.” He grinned down at her with her next statement, eyes gentle. “I think you’ll be a wonderful mother. You have all the best traits for it.” Again, his words held no attempts at false flattery. They were his honest belief of her ability to be a wonderful mother. He’d already known of her tenderness for children, both through her own words, and with how she’d handled Laisren as a pup when he’d snuck out of the den without permission. It had been the idea of pups being hurt because she wouldn’t be able to defend them that had galvanized her to work on learning fighting. He smiled at her abrupt embarrassment, letting her regather herself and nodding easily. “The Plains will always be my heart home, but I do enjoy the Moor. The mists make it easy for a big, bright red creature like myself to sneak around.” He chuckled, winking down at her as his tail waved happily at his own humor of poking fun at himself.

Just knowing that big smile was on his face because of her was enough to make Solveiga grin from ear to ear too. His happiness was contagious, and so was the passion he had for his beloved pack. When he spoke of Kalliope perhaps needing some friends, Solveiga didn't hesitate for even a second. She quickly nodded, making a mental note to seek the woman out. By the sounds of things, the two of them would get along well. If all else failed, the two could bond over healing. "Well then, I'll have to find her and get to know her," Solveiga said. But it was Regulus's next words that really took her by surprise. Of course he would be sweet and complimentary. That was just his way. But somehow the little healer could tell that his words were sincere, and he really did believe that she would be a wonderful mother someday. And that... that really touched her. Solveiga wasn't exactly used to others having confidence in her like that. "Thank you..." she whispered, looking down at her paws as if that would help her hide the fact that she was smiling. "But it... it may never happen. It takes two to make a family, after all, and look at me. You're my closest friend, Regulus, I'm not exactly the most social type. I may never find someone to create a family with me." She shrugged her little shoulders in what was probably a failed attempt to appear casual and unaffected by this. She might end up alone forever. She could handle that, right? Or maybe not. The cream colored woman cleared her throat as her eyes found the ground again, but after another moment she looked back up, her features composed once more. And of course there was no way to keep from giggling as Regulus poked fun at himself. "You? Sneaking around? Now that would be an entertaining sight..." Solveiga laughed. "Talk" "You" Think