can't smell the roses Helping the thicket heal was an all hands on deck operation. Now that her injuries from the fire had healed, Theory had been assisting with hauling seed and soil between her other duties. Lessons had come to a halt for now in light of the disaster, and she was sorely missing her diplomat training. Since the fire and Tana's death, her life felt like it had been completely derailed. Autumn was turning the leaves, though, reminding her that time passed whether she was ready or not. Soon it would be winter and she would be a year old. She huffed softly as she spread the last of the seed she'd managed to bring by piling it on a large lilypad. Theory took a step back and surveyed her work, still a bit dusty from working in the soil. She gave her coat a thorough shake, sneezed, and turned to continue spreading it evenly on the still-bare patches of ground. There were some tender shoots of new growth, but she was certain they wouldn't survive the first frost. This autumn was bitterly cold. What was the point of the planting if it would all die anyway? "theory speaks!" when they wilt in my hands

Shaye made her way to the thicket, where she found Theory, doing her part to bring life back to the burnt ground. At least fire left fertile earth behind, and already grasses had sprung up in places, as fast growing as weeds. She missed the ones that had been so tall her pups couldn’t even see over it, and the bushes with berries and treats. It had been the lesser used territory of Abaven, but she hadn’t loved it any less.

She came up beside Theory, stopping beside the smaller girl - smaller, but perhaps not for long. She wasn’t far from a year, and had shot up sometime between the fire and now. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, really. She pressed a kiss to the young girls nose and smiled. “Your doing a pretty good job Theory” she said gently. “When the grass grows, it will encourage herbivores to return, which will in turn feed us”

can't smell the roses Theory smelled Shaye before she heard or saw her. The razed ground didn't provide any cover; there was nothing for either of them to hide behind. The pup, once small, found herself surprised at much taller she was now when standing side-by-side with Shaye. Her recovery had meant so much time off of her burnt paws that Theo supposed it had been some time since they had stood next to each other like this. With a sigh, to pressed her cheek briefly to Shaye's. "But what's the point? Winter is coming, and all of this grass will be buried beneath the snow," she said, unable to help a little bit of a whine creeping into her voice. "Isn't there something more that we can do?" Theory begged, her brows furrowed as she tried to think. The winter would be harsh and cold, and there was a rumor flitting about that Eulogy was pregnant. How could they ensure the safety of the pack through the coming change of the seasons? Time marched on and on, slipping right through her paws like a particularly wily chipmunk. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't pounce on it and pin it down. "I'm worried about the winter," she admitted, her ears folding in despair. "theory speaks!" when they wilt in my hands

“We had to start somewhere Theory, and what dies this winter will grow back stronger in the next” she promised her apprentice. “Well keep trying until we fix it, that’s all we can hope to do” she said, a hint of sadness in her tones, through she tried not to let it creep free.

Theory was still young, and was soon to experience her first winter that she was old enough to remember and experience. Instead of becoming excited at playing in the snow, she looked over the broken landscape, and fretted about what was to come. Shaye gently nuzzled her chin and smiled down at Theory. She was so big now! Big she wished she did have an adults worry’s on her shoulders. So much had happened to Theory, she had already experienced death in a horrible way, and felt the fear for her siblings that she might lose them during the fire. She wished she had done a better job of protecting Theory, whom she loved like one of her own. “What about the winter worries you?”

can't smell the roses Shaye's optimism was tempered by her own misgivings, and Theory respected the alpha's honesty. It would have been another thing to coddle her with false sympathy; she felt far too old for that now. The last few months felt like it had aged her far beyond a tender 9 months. "Then we will try harder," Theo said simply, a stony resolve in her voice. She longed to see the thicket flush with greenery again. Theory accepted Shaye's nuzzle greatfully, standing closer to the alpha. Shoulder-to-shoulder, they surveyed the aftermath of the fire. Although she knew there were no miracles to be worked or secret method to practice to breathe life back into the land, Theory wished desperately that could convince herself of those kinds of fairytales. "Well..." she began, uncertain how to proceed. It wasn't kind or smart to buy into gossip without confirming the rumors on her own, but she had found it difficult to approach Rhyme since Tana's passing. "I've heard other wolves talking about someone expecting, and I'm worried for really young pups to make it through the winter," she confided, not knowing that there were a handful of wolves this statement could apply to currently residing in Abaven. "theory speaks!" when they wilt in my hands

She heard the determination creep into Theorys voice, and it brought a smile to her face, she enjoyed it a lot more then the worry that had been there a moment before. She was glad that Theory could see the strength in trying, and trying again. It was the best way to live in a harsh world, to never give up, to support those around you, and survive it together.

When Theory spoke of pups, she grinned and nudged Theory with a shoulder, glancing down at the marginally smaller wolf. “You know that you and my litter where born in winter, right?” she teased gently “And I think you all got by just fine ” she pointed out, but would go on to soothe the other wolf further. “We have dens decked out for mothers expecting, my den included, that any mother can come to if she needs, and we have plenty of furs and warm bodies to go around to supply warmth and support. Abaven does things together.” she promised Theory.

can't smell the roses Theory laughed softly as Shaye reassured her. She supposed that the alpha was right - she usually was. With the winter biting at their heels now, Theo reflected on her whirlwind of a year. It would be a nice way to ring in the cold season, with new warm little bodies. "Abaven really is a wonderful place to have a family," she murmured in wonder as Shaye listed just a few of the resources they had at their disposal for new mothers. "Do you know who's expecting?" Theo added in a conspiratorial tone. Perhaps Shaye would indulge her curiosity. She thought for a moment on the grand machine of the pack that was Abaven. All the resources that Shaye listed were available, and even more aside. They had been tested by the fire, and while it had certainly sown its fair share of tragedy, they had come out stronger for it. "The other packs... do they value family the same way?" Theory asked, her tail twitching inquisitively. It was hard to imagine a different environment, but she knew that Boreas was filled with wolves from all walks of life. Shaye had already told her about some of the other packs, but they hadn't quite discussed the minutia of their values. "theory speaks!" when they wilt in my hands

She liked to hear the laughter of the pup, it was a gentle, soothing sound, and it always brought a smile to Shaye’s face. It was for moments like this that she did what she did, and so that there would always be a safe haven for wolves to grow.

“Your Auntie, Vail, for one” Shaye said, raising a brow as she looked to Theory. “And… your Auntie Eulogy for another” she almost laughed, that the pregnant mothers where so closely related to Theory, but Eulogy's pregnancy wasn’t an amusing one.

“Some packs do, in fact some paks value it even more so, and the majority of their members are family. Some packs consider all their members family, and some packs consider their pack an army more then a home.” she explained to Theory, thinking of the other packs in their world.

can't smell the roses "An army?" she murmured in surprise. It was hard to imagine any pack that treated their home like a battleground, but Shaye had told her enough about the other lands that it didn't seem impossible. She mulled it over for a while, then considered Shaye's reply to her question. Theory laughed quietly, offering Shaye a big, shy smile. "Both aunties? That's wonderful!" Briefly, Theory wondered how Eulogy had conceived. The woman reminded her terribly of Tana, and since her mother's death, Theo had kept her distance. It was too much to bear. "Come winter, when I turn one, can we make visits to all of the packs?" She inquired seriously, wagging her tail at the idea. A diplomatic expedition would be just the thing to kick off her next year of life. They had done so much talking about these other lands that she desperately wished to visit them and learn more from their cultures. "Maybe I could spend a season with one of our allied packs - I could help! And learn," she said earnestly, unable to quell the fierce wagging of her tail at the idea. Adventure! "theory speaks!" when they wilt in my hands