The weight of the world rests on the small shoulders of Haydée as she putters around her den, gathering items together and gently packing them away. As she works, the girl runs through a mental checklist that she had made, quickly checking off what she has packed and going over what she still needs to do. Soon enough, the girl will be traveling to the Hallows to request their medical aid for her mother. However, before she leaves, she needs to make sure that things are in place and wolves are working together since the wellbeing of the pack now rests on her.

Finally, the girl steps back from the large leather bag she had been packing for Bellamy and quickly double checks that she packed everything her mother will need. Besides some food and water and other essential items, Haydée has included some herbs that Luce had put together for their mother along with a small square of fur that Hay cut from her own blanket. It is meant to give Bellamy comfort while she is at the Hallows and she hopes that the woman can draw strength from her even when the girl is not with her mother.

Since the death of her father, the small girl has seen just how debilitating grief is and Haydée is extremely proud of her mother for admitting that she needs help. She knows that is first, and often the most a difficult step and that many in Bells position would not take. But Bellamy had and that is why she will go to any lengths to get the help the woman needs while also trying to make sure she feels as relaxed as she can about going to the Hallows. Hay knows that this isn’t a sign of weakness but the start of a wonderful new chapter.

Satisfied that everything is in order, the girl nods to herself before leaving the bag behind and swiftly moving through the maze of tunnels that reside behind the curtain of water and exiting out into the bright daylight. There is only one thing left for her to do before she goes to the Hallows. Coming to a stop near the glistening pool of water that the waterfall feeds, the girl takes a deep breath and tips her head back. She issues a call for her siblings to gather with her since she has some news to share.

Before she leaves to get Bellamy the help she requested, the girl needs to make sure that her family knows exactly what is going on and why. When she returns, the girl will let all of the pack know with an official meeting but for now, she wants to keep her siblings in the loop. The sun is almost at its peak on this warm Spring day as Haydée lowers her head, butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she prepares to face her siblings as their Leader.




**DEADLINE: August 22 **


"Haydée Kedieo"

With her children being born, Lucy had been kept busy with watching over them and making sure that they were staying safe… at least the best she could. Between herself, Bae, and their companions it was still a full time job. Her children were getting older, more adventurous and curious about the world around them. But being so little, there were many dangers even within the pack lands that her children could encounter. She worried that she might not have presented those dangers well enough. She tried, but Lucette did not want to scare her children. They were so young… and yet tragedy struck right before their birth. The death of their grandfather… brutally murdered just outside of their lands. …a fate that Lucy had noticed had started to affect her mother. She was at a loss, doing what she could while trying to keep up with her little ones. She left herbs to give energy and promote appetite but her mother didn’t always eat them. She seemed to be spending less and less time in her den and Lucy was getting worried. Where was her mom going? She barely saw her anymore… she had stopped coming to see the kids… not that Lucy could really blame her for that. She had a good guess for the reason… the child that no one expected her to give birth to. A tiny winged boy that looked like a carbon copy of her father… without his memories. Lucy grieved for her dad, but she was delighted to see the son she had now so full of life, receiving nothing but love and care. It was what he deserved, not the brutal death that he had gotten. But… in giving her mother space, Lucy had been blind to just how far gone she had become. She expected Bellamy to grieve but carry on her duties, maybe a bit more solemnly than before but when she heard her little sister calling for her siblings a knot of worry and fear welled within her. She told her kids to stay in the den with her companions, slipping into the tunnels and breaking into a run the moment she would be out of her children’s view. She didn’t think, fearing the worst, that maybe the murderer hadn’t been alone and their mother tried to confront them… that maybe she was dead too… She would be the first to arrive in front of the falls, eyes wide as her ears fell. Their mother wasn’t with her… and the urgency in Haydee’s tone suggested that this was serious. “Hay… where’s… where’s mom?” Her green gaze betrayed her worry. She did not sit… even Haydee seemed anxious. What was going on…? "Talk, 'Think.'

It was certainly easy to find things to keep oneself busy around a pack and that’s exactly what Dorian had been doing since the death of his father. If he kept himself busy then he wouldn’t be able to focus too deeply on the gap his father had left. He made sure there was always a project to work on, a patrol to do, or something to go out and gather. He worked from the moment he woke up until he was finally tired enough to fall right to sleep. That had kept the worst of his emotions and worries at bay so far, but he was also self aware enough to know what he was avoiding and how it was unhealthy to do so. Still, being busy and tired felt better than grieving and wallowing.

He was on one such patrol when he heard his sister’s howl. He immediately stopped and listened, taking in the tone of her voice. Once he was certain that the call didn’t sound panicked or fearful, he sighed softly, the slight tension falling back away from his shoulders. He glanced down the path he had been following, wondering if he should finish his patrol and catch up with Haydee later, but he ultimately decided he better go see what she needed now so he turned and made his way toward the center point of their territory. He found Haydee and Lucette waiting and he gave both of his sisters a small smile before asking Haydee, “What’s going on?”

"Dorian"

She couldn't deny the fact that she had been incredibly depressed and angry since her father's passing. On the outside, Nessie looked fine. But on the inside, a turmoil of emotions that she didn't know how to deal with. Anger. Sadness. Grief. Betrayal. A myriad of others and she didn't know how to deal with any of them. Neither did Saga, apparently. Her giant sister had turned to wandering. And Nessie? She had opted to keep to herself, avoiding everyone all in the name of "being too busy." Or at least, that's the excuse she gave if she was ever asked. She made every effort to be scarce from the eyes, ears, and questions of everyone in the pack. And quite frankly, being as small as she was, it was quite easy. Though she did feel bad that she hadn't exactly been around...

She had become far too withdrawn with her emotions, choosing solitude and keeping herself busy with anything she possibly could to the point of exhaustion so that the emotions would never have time to rise and spill. It was the only way she knew how to deal with Gavroche's death. Hell, she didn't even know what was going on with her own mother, or the pack itself for that matter. But it just so happened that as she was returning to hide away in her den after a whole night of solo practice, Haydee's call would find her. She was exhausted, of course, but she decided this was important enough and she had been hiding from them for too long.

Composing herself and removing any traces of anger in her gaze and any visible exhaustion. she shook her head and replaced it with the happy-go-lucky smiling face that she had before everything turned upside down. Taking a deep breath, she made her way to her sister's call. As she approached, she offered a wag of her tail as she greeted her brother and sister. "Hey guys! Long time, no see! What's goin' on?"

"Family"

After her father's death, Saga had gone North. She didn't tell anyone where she had gone or how long she would be gone for, however. She hadn't been around Ethne since shortly after Gavroche had died, the only communication she had sent was a message sent by a random bird to let her family know she was safe and that she'd be back soon. Well, soon hadn't exactly been that...but finally, she had decided to return after who knew how long. She hadn't exactly counted the days, all she knew was that she had definitely grown larger since she had last been around Ethne. Still a young cub, but no longer a stumbling, helpless, cub. Sort of. She was a yearling nearing her second birthday, and in polar bear terms she was still considered a baby. Though she was raised with wolves, she considered herself more like them, as opposed to what she really was. That meant she could take care of herself...though it hadn't been easy for her. Spotting the borders of Ethne up ahead, Saga lumbered her way quietly toward them. It was that moment as she drew closer, that she heard her sister Haydee's call for them. "I guess I showed up right on time," She rumbled before changing her path to find Haydee. It wouldn't take much longer for her to find them. Haydee, Dorian, Nessie...it had been a while since she had seen their faces. "Hello...I'm back..." Her expression was impassive, to say the least. "Saga"

Corbin had become more reclusive after his father’s death.  He did a great job of telling himself that tomorrow he would become more social.  He stalked the pack's boundaries or the lands near the pack turf.  Corbin also had picked up a tendency to not look at any bird for overly long.  Seeing a bird stretch its wings brought the unwanted imagery in his mind of Dad’s wings.  It only took the beat of a heart to remember Dad’s bloody wings no longer attached to the body.

Hearing his sister’s call Corbin loped to the family gathering, slowing down as he neared.  Corbin smiled as he approached the group.  He did love his family and most of them were here.  Rocky, his sheep, seemed to brighten up as they got closer, the sheep picked up its speed to catch up and get close to the wolves.  

“Hi!” The young man offered a friendly greeting.  Aside from who was here, Corbin noted that neither Alex nor Mom was present.  “Nice to see you Saga,” he greeted her upon hearing her mark her return.  “Haydee, everything alright?”  

"Corbin"

Haydée is not left waiting long after she summons her siblings as Lucette arrives quickly, wide eyes telling the younger girl that she has worried her sibling. At the woman’s concerned question, a gentle, reassuring smile pulls her lips up as her ears slick back in embarrassment as she says, “Mom is resting right now Lucette. She is okay. I promise.” Any further questions are waylaid by the arrival of Dorian and she offers her brother a warm smile before closing the distance to offer a gentle bump of her head against his leg. “I will get to that once everyone is here. It is okay, Dorian. I promise.”

Promises may just be words but, for Haydée, she intends to make sure that everything truly is okay. For all of them. Lyonesse arrives next and the lines of exhaustion that her sibling attempts to hide cannot be completely erased from her form. Worry knits her brows together even as her sister wags her tail and greets them and Hay mentally makes a note to check in with Nessie more often. Still, Hay offers her sister a warm smile and gentle wag of her own tail, getting ready to answer her sibling when Saga makes her appearance.

The polar bear cub has grown exponentially since the last time Haydée to had seen her and a bright smile is offered to the snow-white bear whose expression remains impassive. Hay joyfully says, “Saga! You made it back! We missed you!” Rounding out the group, Corbin and Rocky join the siblings and the girl offers them both a warm smile as she wags her tail in happiness. Her brother had been the first to discover their father’s corpse and Hay wonders briefly if she should take him along when she goes to speak with the Hallows.

Corbin isn’t the only one that has been reclusive since that day and the girl worries for all her siblings’ well-being. With a dip of her head at Corbin’s question the girl says, “Everything is okay but I need all of your help.” Straightening up, she meets each of their gazes as she begins to explain, “Mom has really been struggling with dad’s death, as we all have been. However, since the birth of Gavroche II, she has deteriorated further. She is having difficulty separating the reborn Gav with the father we knew. As a result, she has stopped eating, grown thin, and has been spending an unhealthy amount of time at dad’s grave.”

Haydée pauses to blow out a small sigh and give her head a small shake before continuing on, “I have talked with mom and she agrees that she needs help. Right now, mom is in no condition to be the Leader and I asked her to let me take over the pack… which she agreed is for the best.” The girl suddenly feels uncomfortable at the fact that she is now their Leader but she powers on because she needs them to know what all is happening, “Dorian gave her a check-up and we have decided that mom needs more help than the pack can give. So, I will be taking mom to the Hallows soon to ask for their medical help.”

Looking at each of her siblings in turn, the girl offers them a warm smile as she says, “I need your help to make sure that everything runs smoothly in the pack while I am gone. When I get back, I will hold a meeting to let the pack know what is happening but right now, I need to go and take care of mom. Can I count on you guys?” Her eyes silently plead with them to understand as the burden of leadership has now been shifted to her shoulders and she needs to make sure that the pack is safe in her absence; no matter how short or long that is.



** OOC: I would like to be able to reply to this soonish so I am setting a deadline of September 7th. If you need more time, just let me know.**

"Haydée Kedieo"

Their mother was resting, knowledge that helped Lucette to relax. Her fur would lay flat and she gave a small nod. "Alright." The femme would sit, taking note of her siblings as they trailed in. All of them had been dealing with the death of their father in their own way. And she wasn't sure if all of them knew about his rebirth. It wasn't something she had wanted to bring up, knowing the pain it caused her mother and what pain it might cause the rest of them. She would remain silent as they all took their seats and gazes would turn to Haydee.

Lucette felt her heart sink as her little sister spoke. Guilt gnawed at her and a sigh passed her lips."I had been leaving her herbs that should have helped her mood and appetite… I knew the grief hit her hard but I never thought it…" She trailed off. She took in a breath, lifting her head to look first at Hay, then all of her siblings.

"Haydee speaks true. Our father was reborn into the litter that I had recently. Mom helped with the birth and I fear his existence is what started her spiral… I don't want the same to happen to you guys. I know we aren't the closest family, but I love all of you. Mom made this pack so we'd have a safe place. A home. If she needs help then it is up to us to keep it running for her. I know we can… each of us have our skills, our strengths. We can support Hay and heal together." A realization hit her. They were a wolf short. Her gaze would flick to Haydee.

"Do you know where Alex is…?"

Dorian returned his sister's smile and relaxed a bit as he was assured that everything was fine. He knew what this was likely about, but given how suddenly things had been changing and shifting lately he had to be sure that nothing had taken a turn for the worst. He settled in to wait for the others to arrive, but didn't have to wait long before Lyonesse trotted up to them with a cheerfulness that was obviously forced–or at least obvious to him–and she was soon followed by the sound of heavy paws that pulled his attention. He was surprised by the appearance of Saga walking toward them. He offered his sister a welcoming smile, replying, "Welcome back." Her expression was hard to read, but with as much turmoil as they had all experienced as of late he wasn't that surprised. Corbin rounded out the group and with his brother's question to Haydeé he also turned his attention back to his sister to listen to her speak.

He sat quietly while Haydeé explained the current state of their mother and her continued deterioration that he had witnessed first hand. It had been difficult to see their mother in such a state, but he was glad to hear that she had finally at least agreed to receive help. Hearing that Haydeé had taken the initiative to step up and be the Leader in their mother's absence wasn't all that surprising. Out of all of them she had always been the most proactive and had focused the most of her attention on their mother after their father's murder. He nodded with understanding as she shared the news, giving her a small, proud smile. When she mentioned that he had given their mom a check up and recommended that she needed more help than they could give her he nodded to confirm it as fact, but his expression darkened a bit with a frown tugging at his lips. He hated this feeling of falling short and not being able to help their mother when she needed it most, but he was still learning and his knowledge was almost exclusively in the realm of herbs and treatments–not so much in ways to help someone who was struggling mentally. He was still sorting out his own grief so helping his mother navigate hers was beyond him even though it pained him to admit it.

When Haydeé asked them to help her with keeping things running smoothly while she got their mother settled in The Hallows he pulled another smile onto his muzzle and gave her a nod without hesitation. "Of course." If there was one thing he could confidently commit to right now it was working so if continuing on with his work was going to help his dear sister then he could certainly do just that. He would just need to shift more focus to patrols and keeping an eye on the pack rather than just working on his herbs and the gardens. Part of him wished he could go with her to The Hallows to get their mother settled there and discuss things with their healers, but he knew he was needed here more and that the famed healers of their neighboring pack would be more than capable of doing what he could not.

"Dorian"