Bae-Syl was doing his best this morning. The sun had barely risen and already Bae-Syl was doing some work. His leg still held scabs but it didn't bother him at the moment as he was currently chasing down a small doe. He had told luce to stay down and not move when they chanced upon the does this morning, so she was likely somewhere close as the large male worked.

The doe was fast but so was he. He was right on her heels and was just about to make a leap for it when his oversized paw caught in a small hole and had him tumbling. His ass went over his head as his chin and chest ate the dirt. A surprised yelp escaping him. And just like that he had fucked it up.

He was slow to sit up and shake the dirt from his white Pelt and pull his paw forcefully from the dirt. A glare at it and a small amount of pressure on it told him he while sore was fine. His eyes scanned where the doe had ran off to and he sighed. No way was he catching it now. He cursed under his breath as his sides heaved. His ass met the ground as he waited to catch his breath. He would of had it too. He knew somewhere in the trees Luce had just watched him eat dirt. His ears went to the sides.

"Great now she's never gonna let me liv-..."

He paused his ears catching a sound. It wasn't a deer he knew that. His eyes started looking around, half expecting to see his cousins.

OOC:: Warning, F-Bomb and angry, irrational, and possibly a bit crazy mother wolf ahead. Good luck Bae. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bellamy had risen early, taking a bit of time to rest with her mate before she set out to do some hunting alongside Ears and Whiskers. The dark-furred woman had noticed a herd straying closer to the orchard, perhaps lured by all the grass and the smell of fruit. The woman breathed out heavily, hoping that, for once, something might go right for the two of them. She knew he was still tired, and needed to sleep, so she left him in their den with Jessie and James. His smaller companions could keep him company if she ended up taking too long. It had been a bit since she’d actually bothered to hunt game this large. She had managed to follow the scent trail up to a point and well, that was when a startled doe, frantically running for its life, darted past her… and then she heard the yelp. Instinct urged her to be cautious as she looked between Ears and Whiskers, her companions already on alert. Not all wolves were friendly, and while the owner of the voice sounded young, she wasn’t about to take any chances. Bellamy crept forward, her gaze narrowed and her ears lowering flat against her head. She was downwind of the stranger, so while his scent was carried to her, he wouldn’t notice her unless she made her presence known. There was… an odd familiarity about the scent as she came closer… and just as she peered out past the treeline at the youth it hit her. It wasn’t just a familiar scent. It was Lucette’s scent. It was her daughter. Rational thinking went out the window. For Bellamy, who hadn’t seen her little girl since before she became a yearling, her gaze filled with red. Who was this little shit and why wasn’t her daughter with him? Was… was he a slaver!? Was that why her daughter’s scent was all over him like some cheap harlot!? Before even her companions had realized how quickly things spiraled Bellamy let loose a guttural snarl and stepped out from the treeline. If looks could kill… the rainbow-marked youth would have been dead several times over by now. Her jaws parted, and the angry bellow of an overprotective mother rose over the area. “Where is she!?” Her gaze was fixed on the male, seeing him but not seeing the individual in the dirt. She didn’t wait for an answer as she broke into a run, aiming to smash herself into him. “WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE!?”” For once Ears was stunned. He hadn’t pieced together what Bells was on about, while Whiskers on the other paw was hot on her heels. ”Bellamy wait!” Whatever happened to asking someone why they smelled some way like a normal wolf!? "Speech" 'Thought.'

His eyes were scanning and he was on the alert as he expected his cannibal cousins. But what he didn't expect was some woman he had never once seen or known barreling at him with, wait was that a badger? His ears went back and he reeled backwards from the woman.

Her screams and blatant accusations threw him. But he was a warrior. And it was instict that would drive him to preserve himself and make sure he was in the way of this crazed lunatic and Luce.

He swung his hind end and as she came barreling into him he braced. A small yelp of pain that was soon overtaken with a snarl. His back end was planted as she drove his back to meet the dirt. His paws he aimed to plant into her stomach and chin. Anything to keep her from biting his throat. She was older and heavier for sure. His chin tucked and his lips drew back to protect his throat and muzzle.

His eyes narrowed as he pulled his ears back. He was even tucking his tail so his privates were protected from the beast at her heels.

He didn't know what the fuck was wrong with this lunatic, but her screams of where is she had him trying to think.

"WHO YOU LUNATIC?!?"

You couldn't just come barreling at someone demanding answers and expect someone to know immediately. If luce was as smart as he gave her credit for she hopefully had booked it the moment she heard snarling and his second yelp. Or at least hunkered down and stayed where he had told her to when he went after the doe.

He braced himself for her slam but Bellamy barely noticed. She barely saw the individual now, her mind distorting, twisting what was in front of her as she sought to get at him. Thankfully the youth was using his paws to keep her at bay. She barely noticed the feel of them in her stomach and at her chin, didn’t recognize why she was struggling to get to him. Saliva flew from her maw as she continued to snarl like a rabid creature, the conclusion in her mind being that this wolf before her was evil and had hurt her daughter. Did she have any proof? Nope. Nothing but the scent of her child on the rainbow marked man’s coat. But that scent, without her daughter, was more than enough to make the woman go feral. “Bellamy stop!” Whiskers wasn’t attacking. On the contrary, she was trying to get her larger companion to cease her attack. She had seen Bells like this before, but it had been some time since her last episode. Normally they were brought on by things that reminded her of her past… but why now? This was a kid barely older than her own daughter. ”MY DAUGHTER…!” There were hellfires in Bellamy’s gaze as she snarled out the words. She had every intention of maiming this youth, at best. At worst? He’d become den lining. Whiskers helpless looked around… and then remembered Ears. “Ears! Get her off him!”The badger cried. Ears snorted. “Alright, alright, one diversion, coming up!” He didn’t like when Bells got like this… she wasn’t herself, and was a danger to all those around her. The Devil had lived with her for a long time though, both he and Whiskers had, and if giving her a good bite might help, well, here came that bite. The Devil rushed forward and leaped at Bellamy’s back left leg with parted jaws. Chomp! A startled yelp from Bellamy and the woman was backpedalling off the stranger. “Run, kid!” Whiskers screamed at him. They might be able to distract Bells, but wearing her out so she didn’t go after him wasn’t feasible. Especially with her so insistent on the fact he was an enemy. "Speech" 'Thought.'

His paws kept her jaws from him but that didn't mean he was out of danger. The amount of drool and the look in this woman's eyes had him thinking the woman over him might be rabid or insane, or maybe both. Her scream about who she was talking about still didn't make anything clear.

She suddenly yelped and back-pedaled off him and he was quick to right himself. But the words of run while they registered he wasn't about to. His hackles rose to stand and every hair on his spine went vertical. His ears pressed back and he repositioned himself. He would be between her and the last place he saw Lucette. The last thing he needed was his smaller companion getting attacked by this woman.

His eyes narrowed and his head lowered so only his hackles would be able to be bitten by her. His lips were curled in a snarl and legs spread for balance. Rainbows were exposed as his gums were visible but he wasn't counting that right now. He was defensive over himself and going to attempt to keep this woman from finding Lucette for fear she might attack the pixie.

His next move was to slam his own chest into the woman. He wanted to incapacitate her by any means. She was rabid tho so he was careful of keeping his body away from her jaws. He wasn't going to let Luce get hurt even if that meant dying himself.

A snarl ripped from Bellamy as she rounded on Ears, snapping at him. The Tasmanian Devil darted away, both satisfied and not sure what to make of what was going on. Bellamy was in an episode and without Gavroche there he wasn’t sure how this would turn out. Like Whiskers he didn’t want to see a fight, let alone a dead body, but Bellamy had struck the youth first. If he chose to stand and fight the Devil couldn’t blame him. To a stranger her words wouldn’t make sense though both companions had gathered that she caught Lucette’s scent on the stranger. They could smell it too; but trying to help Bellamy how they could now was most important thing to either of the smaller animals. Bellamy was struggling within herself. Her mind was whirling, convincing itself of the fact that this rainbow-marked youth was a slaver, that her daughter was in danger, and she needed to get through him to get to her daughter. If they only knew that, in the end, they were fighting for the safety of the same wolf. Whiskers saw the boy readying himself and let loose a sigh. Of course, they had to meet someone as bull-headed as Bellamy was. “Bells!” She shouted the woman’s name, hoping to catch her attention back to the younger wolf. Bellamy spun, just in time to see the boy running towards her. She snarled, bracing herself for his impact. The younger wolf slammed bodily into her and Bellamy snorted, parting her fangs as he caused her to stagger a step. “Is that the best you’ve got, you little shit?” Her eyes were narrowed and her voice, a shriek a moment ago, was now calm and icy cold. She had survived being tossed by a bear… he was going to have to try harder than leaving her mere bruising. Bellamy bristled, fixing the boy with her gaze as she widened her stance. “Come on then, make things interesting! I’ll break every bone in your body and make sure my daughter is safe from the likes of you!” Her voice became louder again, spittle flying from her lips. If he had the balls then let him fight. "Speech" 'Thought.'

Lucette’s heart was pounding. They were supposed to be hunting. Or Bae-Syl was anyway. He hadn’t wanted her getting hurt and rather than protest, as she normally would have, Lucette decided to let Bae have this one and lay low. It was pretty boring though, laying in the grass by herself and hiding while he did all the fun stuff. Or what she thought was going to be fun stuff until she heard his yelp.

No doubt he had tried to leap for the doe and missed. Well, at least now she didn’t have to worry about laying low anymore, right? She smiled, shaking her head. ‘Oh Bae… you really need to be careful. How are you supposed to feed us when the ‘mighty hunter’ misses his leap?’ She wasn’t mad or anything, but was she going to let him live it down? No. Just like she teased him about their ‘spar’ at first. He pretty much let her win but Lucy was still proud that she, a teeny-tiny little thing, had managed to ‘win’ her first fight.

She had risen and was starting toward the direction she heard the yelp come from when a second yelp rose into the air.

Okay, that wasn’t good.

Her ears fell back against her skull and Lucette broke into a run. Was he in trouble? Why was he yelping like that? Was someone hurting him?

Another yelp, a different, yet familiar sounding one cut the air and Lucy could feel her heart pounding as she ran past the trees and foliage.

…and then she saw them.

Her mother and Bae-Syl, both angry, both ready to square off against each other. She didn’t think; just screamed.

”Mom, Bae, stop!”

…and then it hit her how they both looked.

While Lucette had seen her mother angry before she had never seen her look like this. Darkness and thunder mixed on the older woman’s face with murderous intent as she looked at Lucette’s best friend and Bae… Bae never got angry. He’d never, in all the time he’d been with her, ever looked so serious and ready to do harm in his life. Lucette’s ears fell and she tucked her tail with a loud whine.

What was going on...?

Why were they fighting? Why did the two of them look so scary?

His slam barely caused her to move and he tucked that information away. He may be a scraggly yearling but he was a fighter by both blood and life experience.  His rainbow colored maw opened and her words made the man snarl. But he wasn't giving up his position. He was between her and where luce had been last and that was the position he wanted to keep.

His ears were held back and he was keeping every defense up. He was the defender here not the one that was on the offensive so he wasn't going to give way to this rabid lunatic.

Her threat could of made him laugh. Him hurt whoever the fuck her daughter was? Ha! Had she looked in a mirror? She was the one attacking random wolves and foaming at the mouth.

If his ears weren't attuned to the sound of her every movement Bae night of missed the sound of Lucy's approach over the sound of their snarls. Her moving closer had the man eyeing the woman more seriously. Even as she screamed for them to stop he wasn't sure this woman, now revealed to be Luce's mother, would. A glance to his best friend to confirm her position and bae was moving again. He used his bigger size to hide her behind him, keeping his hackles raised and snarl in place. His eyes stayed on this rabid woman though. He moved to keep Lucy from this woman's ire and to be her living shield.

He had promised to keep her safe and safe she would be.

"Fucking touch her and I will tear you apart...." he didn't scream it, he didn't need to. But his voice was laced with snarls. It was deep and had dropped to threatening levels, levels that he knew luce had never come close to hearing from him. He had left those demons behind, but now he pulled them from the depths he had locked them in to protect what he cared about. It was almost like someone had added the second voice to his own, a demon loosed on this woman.

Under his breath, almost a whisper to Luce he spoke softer. "Stay behind me.... whatever is wrong with her, she isn't sane." it would be the voice Luce knew from him. The sweeter and softer Bae she knew.

His eyes were narrowed on the woman and glanced to the badger and the devil at her heels. This wasn't a fight he would live from, she had age on him and weight. Though he had sanity and something he fought for, that gave him strength and determination. He braced his legs, bending them and planting them even with his shoulders and hips. He wouldn't stand down until she did and he had made certain Luce was protected from her own mother if he had to.

Bellamy was confident she was ready… But nothing could have prepared her for what came next… Lucette arrived behind the boy and Bellamy froze. Her eyes widened at seeing her little girl, safe, unharmed… and upset. There was fear in her daughter's eyes, fear that Bellamy had never seen. Luce… wasn’t afraid of anything… and yet there it was. It was enough of a shock to the woman’s system that she completely stopped as if she ran into a tree. Even as the rainbow-marked moved in front of her daughter the vision of Lucette’s face wouldn’t leave her mind. Bellamy’s head fell, eyes growing wide as she struggled to get ahold of herself. It felt like she couldn’t breathe all of a sudden. In her mind something was buzzing, no, screaming, as an internal war waged within her. She squeezed her eyes closed and, after a moment, a whimper fell from her. Ears padded alongside Whiskers, looking worriedly at Bells. “This is worse than the last time…” He told her. “I know…” The badger shifted uneasily on her paws. “Stay with her, Ears. I don’t know what’s going on in her head… but something still eats at her… It’s like an untreated wound, but worse.” The badger drew in a breath and started towards the two yearlings as the devil moved to Bells and pressed against her foreleg, trying to comfort her. “Please don’t attack,” She spoke to the rainbow-marked youth specifically. “I do not mean you harm.” There was worry shining in her beady eyes as she continued. “I don’t know what is going on with Bellamy, but please know this is not her normal behavior…” Whiskers sighed heavily. “Lucette,” The badger continued, speaking to the pixie-like girl behind her friend. “I’m sorry… we weren’t supposed to tell you about any of this until you were older… your parents thought it best… not to expose you to the darkness of the world.” Her gaze became sadder. “This is a sickness of the mind…” Whiskers glanced over her shoulder at Bellamy, seeing how she seemed to be struggling to even just breathe normally. Like there was an invisible weight crushing her. “...and one caused by those who hurt your mother for a very long time…” "Speech" 'Thought.'

Bae-Syl moved to shield her as her tears stung her eyes. She didn’t understand what was wrong, why two of the wolves she loved were so angry with each other. Why they looked ready to tear each other apart… “Bae…” She whimpered. He didn’t sound himself as he spoke to her mother. She pinned her ears against her skull and took a step back. She didn’t know what to think, what to do… When he spoke again it was softer, his normal voice, trying to reassure her… and warn her of the danger of her mother. Lucette didn’t want to believe it. She whined again. “Don’t hurt her…” Lucy begged. She felt so much younger than a year, like a helpless pup barely out of the den. She might of well has been with wolves the size of Bae-Syl and her mother though…

Even though it seemed like her mother was the threat? Lucette lowered towards the earth submissively, her green eyes lifting to see her mother… what was going on now? It looked like she had seen the most horrific thing she could have laid eyes on and was in shock now. She didn’t speak, didn’t move, just stared at the ground at her paws.

Her companions, companions Lucy had known all her life moved though. Ears, the Tasmanian Devil, moved to her mother’s side while Whiskers tried to come closer to them. Lucette didn’t move from where she had laid on the earth, whining again as Whiskers explained.

“I’ve never seen her like this before though…” Lucette said, certain that Bae wouldn’t even let the badger get around him to her. But something had caused him to go into protective mode… and she trusted him. He’d been nothing but good to her since the day she met him. “If it’s a sickness then why isn’t daddy helping her!?” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “She’s not with those wolves anymore, she shouldn’t be hurting, and she shouldn’t try to hurt us!

Bellamy had asked Gavroche to stay at the den but with all the yelps going on the winged man had managed to shake himself from his slumber and stumble out of the den with his bag. Running with the herb bag wasn’t an easy task, especially with it haphazardly over his neck. He kept bumping into it, stumbling, so it took him longer than he wanted to get to the scene where his mate, daughter, and a stranger marked with rainbows were waiting. He had seen wolves with odd bases or the odd marking here and there… but… rainbows? How peculiar that was… It… was a lot to take in at a glance. The stranger seemed to be guarding Luce from… Bellamy? Great Celeste have mercy what happened now? He moved to Bells’ side and gently nosed at her, hoping for a response. “Love?” Gavroche asked her gently. He could hear Lucette though, her voice raising with emotion. He glanced in the direction of the yearlings, his ears lowered. “Trauma doesn’t work that way, Lucy.” His own voice was kept calm. ”...and if it was a simple as giving your mother herbs to treat it, I would have done so already. As a healer in training you need to know that not all wounds can be treated…” The winged male dropped his bag and opened it. “...sometimes all you can do is treat some of the base symptoms… but it never really goes away..” He dug out the herbs onto the flap and picked up a small, red flower and took it into his mouth before trying to offer it to Bellamy. She didn’t seem response as a whole, but he hoped by nosing the flowers at the edge of her lips she might take them. He wasn’t sure what else to do except treat the anxiety that anxiety that typically came with these epsiodes… and Gavroche hated that. He hated that he couldn’t help his mate… she didn’t deserve this. Gods she didn’t deserve this… "Speech" 'Thought.'

Our lives are made in these small hours He watched the woman closely, but after a moment a whimper came from Luce. His face snapped to her, observant and calmed after a moment. His ears pinned. She looked scared, not of her mother, but almost like she was scared of him. She stepped back and all malice left him. If anything the man looked distraught. He was terrifying his best friend and had no idea why. He had never hurt her and never would, she should of known that. His eyes snapped back to the woman though, and he saw the badger coming closer. He watched it's posture and assessed it for a moment. It was no danger, and if it tried he would be on it in moments. He shook the dirt and debris from his pelt and cautiously made his way to the other side of Lucette. His eyes were on the woman and the words of the badger came to him. He lowered himself to lay beside lucette, back leg hooking behind her to keep her close, allowing her to use him for whatever comfort she needed. A stranger man came, one looking more akin to Lucette, but with wings. He had to assume this was her father. Luce's words were light on his ears and he pressed into her ushering a shushing noise from his lungs to her, attempting to calm her. Though his muscles were still bunched ready to launch at any moment to try to defend Luce if need be. His eyes were on her mother. He'd seen this before, his family was known for mind sickness. He dared not interrupt the man as he told Luce why he couldn't treat her for the sickness. Though when he was done and was attempting to push a herb towards the woman Bae did interrupt. "Poppy seeds..... it will calm her and help her to relax. And lavender flowers will help calm her when she isn't having active symptoms...."/ It would likely shock Luce that he even knew those, he had never let her know or told her his mother was a herbalist. He'd helped her enough times to treat his aunt though. "My family calls it demons... but my mother called it Mind scars.... They are incurable, nothing will fix it avoiding her triggers is her only hope honestly to live a normal life." He turned to Luce. His eyes were soft, pity for her mother there. It wasn't an easy sickness to deal with. It wasn't often he spoke of his mother or family, actually if he thought about it, he had never spoken of them to Lucy. He was watching her face to make sure she understood. But there was also a sadness in his mind. She'd been reunited with her parents, She'd want to leave with them now. She would leave him behind and forget about him, he would be alone once again. He almost wished she wouldn't but he couldn't hold her to him and deny her her parents love. If you loved something you have to let it go.... His mother's words rang in his mind. But it wasn't easy. Walk, "talk", Think These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}

Everything was so fast, yet felt frozen at the same time. Bellamy was recoiling, trying to get a grip on herself, but this battle was one she had never been good at… and that scared her further. What if one of these days she wasn’t able to bring herself back? What if… what if she did hurt someone she loved? She couldn’t think like that. Gods above she coudln’t think like that. She closed her eyes, shuddering as she felt the weight of Ears press against her. She was grateful for him, and Whiskers, however. Her companions knew her well, and had been there throughout thick and thin. They protected her, even when she was wrong… Whatever she had done for such loyal friends she thanked the Divinities for them. She barely heard her little girl, her mind whirling so much it was hard to focus on anything. She felt another touch, taller, and heard a soft voice. A voice she knew. Bells whimpered. It was Gavroche. He’d come. She didn’t deserve him either… but he was there for her. She pressed lightly against his smaller size, needing to feel him. Even just the feel of his feathered wings brushing against her brought the woman comfort. When the herbs were pressed against her lips Bellamy took them into her mouth and began to chew. They were from Gavroche, they were safe, she knew. Even when she couldn’t put things into words, she knew things were going to be alright. After chewing she laid down, curling her head around Gav’s smaller body. She needed him, she had to have him close. Her ears remained pinned. She hated this… Ears laid down beside his mistress while Ears moved back toward them as well. The badger would let Gavroche handle speaking from here. The man, while tiny, like his daughter, had a good head on his shoulders. "Speech" 'Thought.'

Bae-Syl laid beside her and she pressed close to him for comfort. The girl didn’t mind that he hooked his back leg around her; she was used to being close to the rainbow-marked male. He was trying to calm her and, with a soft huff, she nosed him in response, taking in his scent as she often did when she needed to calm down… just like whenever it stormed. She wasn’t afraid of the storms anymore, at least in her eyes, but she still felt better laying close with Bae-Syl… and though this wasn’t quite a storm, there was enough going on to still have her upset. Even with her father showing up, speaking calmly to her to explain, she shifted uneasily.

Trauma.

She wasn’t familiar with the word, nor its causes. But the fact herbs couldn’t make the problem go away seemed strange. She whimpered softly. “But you’re the best healer there is… You have to be able to do something more…” She knew he was trying… She knew Valerian Root, the flower he was using, could help calm wolves down and help with headaches. He’d kept some in his bag throughout the seasons ever since she was little.

Then Bae-Syl surprised her. Her eyes lit up as he brought up not only herbs but what they could be used for. “You know about healing!?” She was shocked and happy. “I’ve never talked about those herbs to you before… how did you know about them?” Could Bae have the answers to help her mom?

The short answer was no. Well, not exactly. He gave what her mother had two other names… neither good…. And confirmed they were incurable. She met Bae’s gaze; she understood now, but it didn’t mean she liked it. She frowned again and glanced toward her parents.

Her mother had laid down and, just like she was seeking comfort from Bae-Syl, her mother sought comfort from her father. It was funny how similar the two pairs were. But there was one thing Lucy still didn’t understand.

“But… why would mom look at Bae-Syl as a threat, dad? She looked so angry… and then when she saw me her whole demeanor changed. He’s not a threat… he’s the sweetest guy I know!” She glanced up at Bae. “He’s been taking care of me…” She bumped him with her nose. “I’d be lost without him… so… so somehow we have to make sure mom will be okay. I don’t want him to go anywhere!

"That’s a good girl, Bells.” She took the herb. It would be a start to calm her down, thankfully. He knew Lucette looked up to him and valued his knowledge about healing, but the winged wolf knew there was still plenty for him to learn as well. In fact, he was just as surprised as his daughter to hear that the young man she was with knew about healing. Typically males his size knew little about the healing arts and favored fighting. It was refreshing to hear, and information Gavroche was grateful for. "I'm afraid I'm out of poppy and lavender currently… but those will be staples to look for when Bellamy recovers. Thank you." His words were sincere. Bells laid down, curling around him to draw comfort from his presence. The winged male moved his wing up onto his mate, trying to cover her best he could. "You're safe." He whispered to her. Then his gaze traveled back toward his daughter at her friend. He was a yearling, like her daughter, and to his knowledge didn’t look like anyone that his mate had mentioned from her past, but Gavroche had a hunch. "Depending on how your mother perceived him when she first saw him… that could have been what set it off. If she didn’t see you right away, she could have feared the worst…” Gav began to explain. “Let me start a bit further back… when your mother was just barely out of the den. She was happy, she had her mother, her father, and her sisters… life was perfect for them. They were loners, but they had each other, and that was enough.” The male sighed, pausing to nuzzle his mate’s ears. "Strangers came. Strangers from the Kedieo Empire.” Gavroche cleared his throat. He knew Lucette would recognize their last name. "At the time, the family was ruled by a very cold, manipulative, and selfish empress. My grandmother. She had ordered the largest and strongest of her warriors to hunt down loner families… They were to kill the adults, and take the puppies as slaves.” Gavroche flicked his ears back. "That same day… there was an accident. A cave-in that separated the girls from their other sister. By the time their parents got there, the slavers had appeared. They killed her parents before her eyes and when they tried to stand up to them, and refuse to go with them, they killed her sister before her eyes as well.” Gavroche closed his eyes. "Bellamy was taken to serve the empire. I don’t believe she has told me everything that they’ve put her through… but the things I’ve heard are far from the sunshine and rainbows we like to believe make life. How that ties into my life, well, I’ll explain another time…” Gavroche shifted and opened his eyes again. "Her whole life Bellamy has fought for her freedom, fought to survive, and fights to keep her family safe… I can only assume that, for some reason, she perceived your friend as a threat to you… but then, once she saw you and realized her mistake, it caused a sort of… crash and burn reaction… Your mother would never want to hurt you, Lucy, ever.” He glanced towards Bae-Syl. "I can’t thank you enough for standing at my daughter’s side. By how she talks, she clearly values your friendship a great deal.” He kept his voice calm as he spoke to Bae-Syl. "I can’t say Bells didn’t have harmful intent moments ago… but perhaps that sheds some light on the why… If you feel you can at least tolerate her presence, I’d like to ask you both to stay in the Orchard with us for a little while. Lucy doesn’t seem to want you to go, and I’d like the honor to get to know the young man who was kind enough to befriend my little girl.” "Speech" 'Thought.'

Our lives are made in these small hours He watched the woman try to take comfort from the winged man the same way he offered comfort to Luce, but for him that's where the similarities stopped. Neither him or luce needed the comfort because of some demon that held onto their mind. No Bae was well in control of his demons. Luce was shocked he could tell, and the other man seemed just as shocked. He chuckled at Lucy's outburst, "No, I'm no healer. My mother was a herbalist and treated my aunt daily for this sort of thing. She made sure I knew those two and what they looked like.... for reasons I'd rather not think about." He didn't really want to tell Luce that his mother expected him to one day need them and to become the monster he knew his cousins to be. Though their demons seemed different from his aunt's. He was more of a warrior than a healer, and a hunter when he needed. He'd kept the two of them alive as far as he was concerned with those skills. When the smaller man began telling the story of Lucy's mother he made sure to be quiet and let him finish. It explained alot, but his ears perked at the fact that Lucy's namesake was involved. But he was certain to say he would tell Lucy later, he would make sure it happened. When he finished and turned to Bae, Bae dipped his head in a nod. "The question isn't whether I can stand her, I dont hold grudges like that over these little things. The decision lies with her," he nodded towards Lucy's mother. "I won't stay if she gets triggered by me every time. It wouldn't be good for either of us or Lucy's well being." He was honest. They both had to know the gravity of the situation, that Bells as he heard her called would be the deciding factor. Though he was certain Lucy would be more than ready to stay without Bae here. Her words caught him though. She didn't want him to leave when she had her family now? He might have to tell her eventually he guessed why he never stayed in one place long, and was always for her explorations. Right now wasn't the time though. Her nose bump was met with a gentle shove of his shoulder, playfully. Walk, "talk", Think These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}

Our lives are made in these small hours Lucette’s excitement faded as Bae-Syl confessed the reason why. So he had family that needed to be treated for this sort of thing… was it that common, he wondered? She pressed against him again, speaking in a sure tone. “You don’t need to think about them. Whatever they are, they’re not going to happen. Not here.” The pixie was playing through what her father had said, the story he told about her mother. Was this sort of thing… pretty common? And their family… were they monsters? It was hard to believe that any Kedieo could be big… let alone big enough to bully her mother into doing what they wanted… well no, not really bully, Lucette realized with a sinking feeling in her gut. They forced her. That thought made Lucette feel both angry and sad for her mother at the same moment. She didn’t like being made to do anything… if she had to do bad things like her dad was saying… She wasn’t sure how she’d be able to live with herself. She liked healing hurts, not making them… Lucy was glad Bae-Syl was willing to try, but she knew he was right. It wasn’t about what he would do at this point… it mattered if her mom could be around Bae without getting triggered again. They weren’t even sure what the exact trigger was… they were speculating based on what they did know, but only her mom could say anything for sure. Thankfully Bae-Syl tried to keep her from getting consumed by her own thoughts with a gentle shover of his shoulder.  Her smile returned and she stuck her tongue out at him before glancing back at her parents. “That might be a pending decision though… look.” Lucy motioned with her nose toward her mother. It seemed at last Bellamy had called, the sound of Gavroche’s voice and the herb, as well as the sudden burst of energy, lulling her into a state of exhaustion. At least now she looked normal again, body rising and falling with the gentle cadence of sleep. "Talk", 'Think.' These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}

Gavroche had noticed Bellamy drifting off, and truthfully he knew why. The dose he had given his mate had been larger on purpose. He loved her and understood the demons she faced, but he was also wary… and he didn’t know for sure if she’d get triggered again. A bit of guilt ate at him… but he had the feeling that Bellamy would have wanted him to do what he felt was necessary for the safety of their family. More importantly, seeing how the two yearlings interacted, Gav felt it would only hurt them to say only Lucette could stay. They were close, even now playfully teasing one another… heh, Gavroche settled down into the grass as well. “Luce is right, she’s asleep.” The winged man said softly. “I appreciate your open-mindedness and willingness to try, if she is able to though… not all wolves would be.” His ears lowered as he lowered her head onto Bells’ own. “I wish I knew how she’d respond when she sees you again… but I’m afraid I don’t. This is only the second time I’ve ever seen Bellamy go into an episode… but you’re not wrong. If she gets triggered again it won’t help anyone…” Gav let his eyes close. “I’ll keep her company… why don’t you two poke around the orchard a little? Some of the berries are ripe enough to eat.” "Speech" 'Thought.'

Our lives are made in these small hours He moved his eyes to the form of Bellamy as Luce pointed it out and he nodded. He was no expert, but he could guess she wasn't passed out from the exhaustion of the situation. His Aunt never had been. And secretly he never had been either. Luce didn't need to know though. As she pressed even closer to him he passed his eyes to her and gave her a small smile before returning his eyes to Gav as he spoke. If the man knew anything he was sure he would of told them both, but he didn't and he admitted it. Bae nodded at that. He glanced at Lucy, before speaking again. He wasn't sure he had been properly introduced to them yet so he might as well quickly before they left. Left to do what he wasn't sure, but he had every inkling of a suspicion it would have something to do with Luce telling him to try every weird berry they came across and he of course would do it no questions asked. That was the relationship they had built. The kind that he had so much faith in Lucy that if she asked him to try a deadly berry or animal he would, and she would fix whatever symptoms and poison in his system. Thus far she hadn't killed him yet. "It's Bae-Syl Agatsuma by the way, Lucy's best friend and her guard for all intents and purposes. As well as her test dummie." He had a chuckle for the second part of that, but he wasn't about to lie to the man. He stood then and looked at Luce as Gav dismissed them. He would leave if she did. If she didn't want to that was fine too. Of course she could also send him away and stay with her dad to catch up too. Walk, "talk", Think These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}

Our lives are made in these small hours This had happened before? That thought was not comforting to the yearling. She flicked her ears back, gaze shooting to Bae-Syl. She just hoped that her mom would be alright. She didn’t want to think about if they’d have to defend themselves from her… especially not Bae. He wasn’t bad. He shouldn’t need to defend himself from the woman like he was some sort of criminal or something… but she knew dwelling on the concern she felt wasn’t going to help either. She needed to remain calm, and let her dad handle things from here. She sighed a little and lifted her gaze to Bae as he introduced himself. At least that could make her smile. She bumped against him gently, teasingly speaking. “And he loves it. All of our experiments.” She let her gaze slip back to her dad. He looked as though he was already resting. “We’ll head off for now. I may have admittedly found a place close by we can stay for now too… So I’ll come back tomorrow.” She grinned up at Bae then. “Come on! You’re going to love it. It’s huge!” With that the girl set off, leading the way with the assumption her bestie would be right behind her. / Exit "Talk", 'Think.' These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}