Despite having the thick winter coat, the cold air still got to him. He was remaining in the east for now, looking for the remainder of Fiori pack. He wanted to try and band together with them so hopefully they could all survive winter. He didn't know how rough the winter would be and he wouldn't stand to loose anyone. Heather would be back, he was sure of it. Pushing forward the male entered the steamy springs shuddering as the steam from the springs hit him. It was pleasantly warm and would be the perfect place to warm up. Not that he planned on taking a dip, but at least being near this place would be enough to help. He walked forward , going around the edge of the pools and finding himself a nice spot to sit and relax. He would only stay for enough time to get warmed up because he planned on heading out to hunt then drag it back home to store for anyone who would be hungry. Being only one wolf he knew he would only be able to take smaller game, but maybe he could meet some loners to band together with. "Talk"

Winters breath had forced her to seek shelter. Which brought her to this oasis, for a girl who was as skinny as she was winter was dangerous. There was a severe threat of freezing and she had been tempted to crawl up north just to curl up somewhere and never wake up again. Her toes spread as she hid herself among the growth. Why was this, as the warm water wafted warm air over to her she yearned to be near it. However, the heated body of another sitting near the pools had forced her to seek cover in the bushes. The previously hunter of fiori Jackson was there. Her cousin and something about facing family at the moment didn't feel right. Heather hissed mildly to herself, she couldn't keep running. Yet she didn't know how else to deal with these things. Eventually her need for warmth ran higher than her want to stay hidden. She crawled out of the bushes and sat beside the pools. She didn't say a word to Jackson, her skin clinging to her ribs of the bones that stuck out from her matted fur. Tired eyes stared at her reflection in the water, wow it'd been a while since she'd seen herself. She looked horrible. "Talk"

With the scent of the warm steam from the pools, the skilled hunter had no idea that Heather was there. He simply sat and relaxed as he warmed himself up. Emptying his mind of thoughts and just preparing himself to do another solo hunt. He knew there was a few members left lingering in the pack lands, he could smell them after all. He would do his best to ensure everyone's survival even if it meant doing all the work. His ear flicked as the sound of movement in the brush drew his attention from his relaxation. Eyes opened as he turned his head in that direction. Who was there surprised him and without second thought his tail began to lightly brush the ground. As his eyes left her face and looked over her body concern and worry began to overtake his mind. She looked horrible and vary malnourished. It was a great concern within his mind that she wouldn't survive the winter. Standing the male quietly moved over to her and gently attempted to press his nose to her shoulder, tail still wagging in a quiet greeting. He didn't care what had happened, he didn't care that she had up and left, heck he didn't care that the pack had crumbled. All his mind was thinking was that he was glad to see her alive, but extremely concerned for her health. "Heather, I'm glad your back. You need to eat" was all that he said, pulling back with a soft smile and eyes filled with concern. "Talk" & 'Think'

She stiffened at his touch. Heather's eyes narrowing as she looked over to him. Why was everyone giving her such greetings. Was nobody touching on the subject of how SHE of all wolves, of all the wolves that everyone trusted had let them down. She'd let a peaceful kingdom crumble, all over stress and her want or need for affection that she hadn't been getting. She wanted the attention though, Heather wasn't going to lie that she wanted and needed it with every fiber of her being. "I've already eaten." she lied, shifting a bit as she let the warmth get to her. Winter was going to take her if she wasn't careful maybe she should travel west. "I'm fine." she looked away. Her ears twitching she breathed out, shivering slightly. Her walls were closing in as she tried not to think about it. Did she fight the urge to simply be so excited to see him that she just wanted someone to be around. He hated her, he was going to leave her and that was just the end of it. Heather felt the end of her tail twitch. "Talk"

Her eyes were narrowed as she looked at him making him wonder what was going on in that mind of hers. She claims she had eaten, but he was inclined to think that was a lie. It looks like she hadn't eaten in months. "And pigs fly" he said lightly with a smile, joking and trying to lighten her mood. She then claimed that she was fine looking away from him. He was even able to see her slight shiver from being cold. So he moved to sit directly beside her that way his warm body would be much closer to hers to help keep her warm. He wasn't leaving, no, she needed help and whether she wanted it or not. "If you don't mind me asking...... What happened and what took you so long to come back" he asked his tone more quieter. He wasn't sure if she would want to talk about it, but he thought it would be better to ask instead of sitting in silence. "Talk" & 'Think'

Heather let a shiver travel up her spine, her toes spread as she tried to get comfortable with the idea of Jackson being against her like that. She wasn't complaining, but she did feel rather filfthy. She probably wasn't the most pleasant thing to be snuggling up to at the moment. Then he adressed the situation, when no one else had. Acted like it never happened, as she tried to collect her thoughts she only hoped that Jackson would listen. "My niece got stolen, It got quiet, I started getting paranoid. My dad and brother knew I've had mental problems in the past but this time I feel like I just.... broke. I think I hurt my sister and had no memory of it. I don't have the memory of a lot of things. So I ran as fast as I could I felt as if I'd been abandoned. I ran away but I forced myself to come back. Hoping that maybe.... someone would be here." Heather looked at her reflection in the water. "I don't know who I am." she shrugged her shoulders. "There's a lot more to it than that but, in the end how long does it take until someone says they're fed up with me. All I think about is how jealous I am when wolves hang out with each other. How in an instant I think that something wrong when it's not." she cringed and then groaned. Why did she feel like this? It was just stupid. "Talk"

To him it didn't matter how dirty she was, or even if she had an unpleasant smell (which really he didn't take any notice to). She was family to him and he had always been a bit more affectionate when it came to family. Plus he didn't want her to be cold, he wanted her to warm up. His ears were on her letting her explain what had truly happened that made her disappear. He honestly didn't know that there was that much stress on her. He knew of the child missing, but didn't realize that she had never been found. It was a sad thing the young one was taken and he hoped that she was alright and still alive. She spoke of previously having mental problems and how she had just broke, the breaking point something he had guessed that had happened. Jealousy was something else she had mentioned, an emotion he could fully relate to. Although everything she spoke of was normal in his opinion. Aside from maybe the mental issues everything else that had made her break was normal and could happen to almost anyone. For the mental issues perhaps it would be a good idea for her to speak with a healer, maybe there was an herb out there to help with things. It was at least worth looking into. His duel gaze looked to her, tail lightly thumping the ground. "I dealt with the same type of feelings when I was apart of Riv's pack, even after it's fall." he lifted his gaze starting straight ahead of him. "Anytime Riv would have interactions with others I felt like he was giving them more attention then me, his own family. I know for a fact it wasn't that way, but I couldn't help but feel that way and for the longest time after he up and left these lands with his mate I felt that way too. The only way I felt better is if I immersed myself in hunting and providing, it was the only way to distract myself." He hated that he had ever felt that way, but he had. There was plenty of times he felt bitter and left out when he saw Riv spending time with other wolves and he just had to try and get past it as best as he could. He would always try to refocus his attention, worry about things he needed to do or things he could do. It may not be the best advice to her, but he hoped that it would help her feel a little better. "I do know that the stress of being the alpha takes a vary big toll on someone especially if you are the only one leading the pack. So I just want you to know that I have no ill feelings towards you," he said turning his attention back to her. "Talk" & 'Think'

Heather knew that there were normal things about it, but Jackson she didn't quiet know how to explain it to him. "Yes it's a normal emotion but not for me, take it like this I don't UNDERSTAND what it is. Anger, sadness, all those things just don't compute to me. I'm more comfortable smiling pretending things are fine because than people are more open to a smile. They don't see what's behind me or whatever it is that's wrong. I black out... I hurt people. I get so stressed out easily to the point that I want to hurt myself just for the attention that's already given to me. " she was under the sudden realization that she hadn't told anyone about this. "When my father started being with Carletta I.... all I wanted to do was make her go away. My head wanted to go as far as to hurt her and just blame it on whatever it was that I could get my paws on. I didn't see Lionel for a while - I thought he'd left me abandoned me on purpose. I know full well I had support and I know full well we could have gotten through it, but I didn't want to DEAL with the thought of my father leaving me I didn't want to see lionel's face again if I was going to hurt him. I've already done it to my sister. I just keep spiraling into it and then I have urges, I want to go destroy myself but I've been holding it down, I've been trying my best to hold these urges back." Heather took in a deep breath. She felt her heart pounding against her chest. Her body felt hot. As she looked at the springs she shifted a bit. "Not even my father or brother knows this. You're the only one that I've ever told this to." Heather had saught the first thing she could grab onto and it was Jackson. She got easily attached and even now that he was here. She was all the more stabilizing, but for how long would that last. Her blue eyes shined as she suddenly glared over to Jackson - determined more than angry. "Father entrusted Fiori to me and I tore it down, but I don't want it to be like that. I want to bring it back, stronger than ever. I want to show everyone that I'm not some failure.... I'd have to ask my father's blessing to use the name again but regardless. I'm not done being Queen.... I'm just not sure if I could do it alone. " She looked back towards the pools. It was nice to have someone to bounce idea's off of. To collect her thoughts if she had any. Walk, "Talk" Think