Truth be told, children terrified the Avalon. Not to the point of nightmares, but they were a lot of responsibility, and when some days you woke up freaking out about trespassing on your own pack lands, well... Small and wriggly babies quickly became fleet footed pups and they were tricky to keep tabs on. It made her anxious, too much room for error, so she spent more time outside the borders gathering herbs for Luta and trying to hunt, than she spent within them.

For now, she and Theo were dropping another deposit near the healers den, burdock root, and a tied bundle of dandelion, mallow root for stomach upsets and a small knob of ginger root from the only plant she managed to find along the banks of the stream that connected the falls to the delta. Perhaps they would be able to plant it, if it lasted the winter months, and this time next year they could have more? She wasn’t sure where that memory came from, she was no healer, but it was a thought all the same. Percy began to head back towards the east, if she was quick she’d make it out of here again before anyone spotted her. With luck, she could slip across the borders and down to the beach to catch a fat fish to add to the stores and once the sun was down she could slip into her den before anyone remembered she was still here. Solitude suited her, it seemed.

"Percy". "Theo".

this city’s gonna break my heart

It was about time he bit the bullet. Ever since the council meeting he'd pretty much been giving everyone a wide birth-minus the goose, who was like a bad stink he couldn't shake. He pressed on through the Hallow's territory, following Percy's scent with a typical Selwyn scowl. It wasn't too hard to find here, not when he put his mind to it, leading him briefly wonder if their lack of interactions was his fault. Whether-for once- he'd fucked up and spoken out of turn. But hey what were the chances of that? Very slim, he liked to think. By the time he found Percy she was crossing the border and heading out into the wilds, from the looks of it.

She looked well enough and he was glad that was the case but even then he couldn't keep the sting of accusation out of his tone. Maybe he was less irked about what she'd been doing and instead focused on what she hadn't done: aka swung by to say hello every now and then,

"So this is where you snuck off to." Askan grumbled, pointedly ignoring the devil goose that shadowed his steps.

The Avalon’s heart was in her throat, though she wasn’t sure if it was from Askan’s scowl or the sudden appearance of the terrifying beast that was apparently stalking him. Her tail tucked with worry, ears turned down and a nervous side-eye thrown at the demon bird. Geese were bad news, so why was this one following Askan? She might have been crouching, but she squinted back at him, "I ain’t sneakin’ anywhere!" Her low voice and furtive glances said otherwise. If she spoke too loud... the kids might hear her.

One more uncertain glance was thrown at the goose, oh god she hated to turn her back on it! But she motioned with a tip of her head across the border. "Come fishin’ with me?" There was worry at the corners of her eyes and mouth and it wasn’t all the fault of the bloody bird that was suddenly eyeing her with those beady little demon eyes. It was all too much, it was bloody weighing and measuring her, she just knew, and before she knew it, it’d be running her off with that terrifying beak and beating her with it’s wings. But it wasn’t the scariest thing in the Hallows. "Kids are terrifying alright?! An’ there are so many of them! Where’d they all even come from?!" She finally blurted out, cringing lower to hurry across the border. He’d follow her, or he wouldn’t, but she wasn’t hanging around long enough to give one of the big ones a chance to pounce on her... again.

"Percy". "Theo".

this city’s gonna break my heart