Ara missed her siblings. She could not help it. She was a diligent girl, always engrossed in her self-appointed studies, and with the arrival of spring came the child's frequent absence. There was always something new to see, some strange plant to find and study and drag back home to show her father. But her brothers and sister, she was not so sure if they were as interested as she. But she missed them, Faolan in particular, and she decided today that her adventuring would not be complete without the company of family. She was exploring newly-claimed territory, and what a sight it was! All around here were flowers and plants, and the gullet was buzzing with life. Insects chirped at her paws, beetles scurried about underfoot, and birds sang their cheery songs above her, their songs happy and light. What a beautiful day! The girl would come to a halt, tipping her head to the sky to let loose a gentle call for her brother. She hoped he would want to join her today.

Faolan had spent the early morning with Loccian and Enola, which had worn him out. He had discussed herbs with Loccian and shortly afterward, played with Enola until they were both tuckered out. When Enola left with Loccian to nap, Faolan found his den and curled up with happiness dancing in his chest. Being able to spend time with his Queen and the young Princess was indeed a treat. The nap lasted about an hour when Faolan's ears heard the howl of his quiet sister. Eyes slowly opened and he blinked back the blurriness that had swept across his vision. Upon rising, Faolan shook out his silver pelt and padded in the direction of his littermate. Curiosity peeked in his gaze as he wondered where she was. It didn't take long for him to find her and his tail immediately began to shake behind him. "Ara!" he called out joyously, eyes aglow with their light green color ablaze. His trot brought him close to his sister, whom he automatically nuzzled on the cheek and neck. A soft bark was given as his late greeting, tail continuing to wag in happiness. "I have missed you, my sweet sister....How are you?" for it had been some time since they had spent time together. Speech

Ara had always treasured her family, more than anything in the world, but for some time she had been distant. Her father's disappearance had been difficult on her, as it had been for all of her family, and she'd had trouble staying still for long. Always on the move, searching for something new to do, to see, a plant to collect and study. Something to distract her. But now that he had returned, she had been more present, missing her rapidly-growing siblings so much more. "I've missed you too," she agreed firmly, smiling gently as he nuzzled her lovingly. She had filled out nicely the last few weeks -- both of them were beginning to look much more like adults than children now. "I am good," she expressed, eyes sparkling as she pulled away to watch him. "I figured you might want to join me today." The lands of the Kingdom were rapidly expanding, giving them more room to explore, and she didn't want to do it alone today. Especially not in such a lovely place! The gulley was filled with life and joy, and it needed to be shared. "What about you, Faolan?"

"You figured correctly," Faolan chided, a warm grin spreading across his lips. He missed his sisters and brother more than he could say. They had almost grown to a year at that time, and the way they were becoming individuals was heartbreaking. Faolan knew that he was wrapped up in his own life for the moment. Spending time with Enola had been something he looked forward to each day, for he was making sure she knew the layout of the Seracian territories. Maybe she had met Ara already, but the topic of the young girl was not brought up. Instead, he was more than ready to focused on the time he would be with Ara. One-on-one time was important to the silver male and he proved it by beginning to walk alongside his dark sister. He took a few steps forward and looked back to make sure she was following him. "I have been all right," he replied, silver and gray-dipped tail swaying behind him lazily. "I went to check on Mama this morning. She's still refusing to go anywhere further than the borders without Dad. Since he came back, she's been sticking to his side like sap on a tree." He gave a gentle smile, indicating he adored his mother in his current thoughts. "I don't know how he can deal with it. I would want to have time to myself at some point." Speech

The presence of her brother made her soul feel considerably lighter. Ara was not always outwardly friendly, often trapped in the inner workings of her own mind, finding it difficult to speak to and relate with others. And yet her family was a different story entirely, and she grinned freely as he spoke. Everything was much better now that their father was home, though he was often tired and seemed to sleep too often. He began to walk with her, and she was more than happy to lead the way. The gulley had been one of her sanctuaries, a private place, but it seemed the Queen had wanted to take it as territory. Ara couldn't blame him. "Can you blame her?" she asked with a small smile, tail waving happily behind her. She really didn't blame her mother -- half the time, she didn't want to leave her parents, but she knew they treasured their alone time, as did she. "I can only hope someday I find the kind of love they have.." She said somewhat dreamily. They were loyal to one another, so sincere and honest; she couldn't imagine finding someone who made her as happy as her parents made one another. But the topic of love was strange to the young girl, something entirely unfamiliar to her. And so she would change the subject quickly, nodding toward a group of particularly bright flowers. "Look!" she exclaimed excitedly, padding toward the bush. "That's marigold." It was a pretty orange flower, bright in color and scent. But overly useful, but a pretty good and common herb if nothing else could be found.

The topic of love was something that Faolan and Ara both tripped around. Faolan wasn't sure what love was for someone aside from his family and Ara didn't seem to be the one to console about it. That didn't mean he didn't like talking to Ara about certain things. If he wanted to know about love, he would simply ask Silent or Bronze. They were up there in age, but both were wise and he figured they knew about love and how to recognize the signs. He tucked that information into his mind folds for now and continued with his stroll with Ara. She excitedly approached a bush with beautiful flowers and Faolan stopped while walking. He admired how she was so happy to find the plant and his smile widened to a large grin. "It really is pretty," he said, not sure of what else to say about it. He didn't know if he should say anything about his own curiosity of plants, for Ara seemed to be the future healer of the family. "Ummm, Ara?" he said questioningly, pondering the next bit of words. "Will you--will you teach me what you know?" A flush streak ran across his cheeks and he bashfully reclined to his haunches. "I know you are the one who loves plants the most out of all of us, but I still want to know some." Speech

She was quiet for a moment, wondering. She wished she could truly know how her parents had met, but she had not yet asked. What had their lives been like? She knew they had both seen endless hardships, and Ara hoped she might someday be brave enough to ask about them. But for now, she would focus on the present, and on spending time with her dear brother. The only thing that would make their outing even more special was if Mercury or Jendai showed up! She turned to watch for his reaction, noting the smile on his face, but that was not all; a question followed, and she would perk her ears attentively, tail swaying lazily behind her. "Of course!" she nearly exclaimed, her face breaking out in a smile. She was young, and not at all advanced in the art of healing -- she wouldn't feel comfortable trying to teach a stranger. But her brother? She would do anything for him. "I- I have a lot to learn," she noted softly. "But I know some things. Like this plant here..." she motioned toward the marigold cluster with a flick of her nose. "It's good to chew for pups who are teething. Helps pain in the mouth." She paused, considering. That wasn't really that useful in terms of everyday herbs; she was fairly certain Faolan wasn't going to have children anytime soon... "But it can also be used on insect stings and burns, to help ease the pain."

LIFE OF LIVES beginning to the end Ara accepted his challenge of her teaching him and his tail shook with happiness. "Great! Thanks, sis." His nose found her white scruff and he nuzzled her neck with a tender movement. Ara was his closest sibling, something he didn't think would happen when they were younger. Since birth, Mercury had been his sidekick, the one that made them a duo. Lately, however, they hadn't spent much time together; Jendai as well. He wondered where they tended to be these days, now that all four children were living on their own. She continued to explain the uses for marigold and he nodded with understanding. "So, if I end up getting stunk by a ton of wasps and stuff, does that mean I can just rub it and it will go away?" Faolan wouldn't attempt such a feat, but if something did happen, he would know what to look for. "Is it year-round, or does it only grow in season?" Puppy Talk we are alive foreverFAOLAN ARADCOR

Ara could not possibly contain her outright joy at spending time with her brother, even if she wanted to mask it. Her own tail waved freely behind her back, her smile ceasing to fade. It was nice to spend time with him now, as they were almost yearling. As younger children, they'd spent so much time together by default, but now they had the freedom to choose what they did with their lives. She could not be happier he wanted to spend some of it with her. "Pretty much," she said with a giggle, nodding eagerly. "It works best if you chew it up a bit and then spread it on the area that was stung. Though it doesn't taste very good. And it's usually very hard to do by yourself, unless you got stung on your paw." It would be difficult to maneuver to put it anywhere; herbs were best applied by someone else, in most scenarios. "It only grows in warm weather. When it snows, it will all die." Such was the way of most herbs, sadly; not many were hearty enough to survive the frost. Puppy Talk

As Ara showed the excitement of explaining how marigold worked, Faolan couldn't help but grin. His sister was usually the kind of girl who stuck close to their father and wanted to explore, but refrained from doing so. Now that she was grown, her curiosity had expanded as well as her height. She was more adventurous than Faolan, of whom was still tending to the herbs that Silent ate each morning and evening. His mother was dear to his heart and he didn't want anything to happen to the black female that gave him life. "Only warm weather, eh? Hmm, well, if I ever need it, I will be sure to make sure it is fruitful when the time arises." He hoped that nothing would happen to where he would be stung, but who knew what the future held? Faolan then made a face when she said it was best to chew it and use it as a paste. "I remember seeing Enola's face when she ate herbs for her wound...She wasn't too keen on the taste." A light flush of red appeared on Faolan's cheeks as he spoke of the young girl. He hoped that Ara wouldn't pursue the topic, but he didn't mind opening up to his sister about such things. Speech

Though she was always a sweet girl at heart, she was much more comfortable & relaxed around her family. She was not the best at socializing with others -- it wasn't exactly shyness, she simply preferred to keep to herself. But when around her siblings, or her parents, she was carefree and happy. She loved seeing how Faolan was interested in herbs, and more specifically in being taught by her. She had much to learn, even still. She remembered volunteering to be a lead healer in the pack meeting so many months ago. She hadn't been given the position, but it only fueled her passion and desire to learn more. Ara truly was grateful that her siblings were just as attentive to her parents, always making sure they were comfortable and that their bellies were full, so that she could occasionally have time to venture off on her own for a few days. She never was gone for long, but she needed the time away -- to study herbs, to explore, to get lost inside her own head. "Once fall arrives, I'll have to start gathering herbs for the winter," she noted softly. Perhaps it was a task that Faolan would be interested in helping her with. She was not sure if the coming winter would be kind on their parents, and she was fearful of what might happen if she was not ready. Her brother spoke of a female unfamiliar to her. Truth be told, she wasn't the most social, especially among the pack wolves. "Enola?" she asked with a slight smile, nodding the slight nervousness that seemed to overtake him. She would not tease him or push too much, since he spoke of her rather fondly. "Who is she?" She would begin to walk again, unsure of what they might find next.

He was happy that Ara wanted to be with her family. Her company was appreciated more than anyone else he knew and it did his heart good to have her around. She was probably the closest sibling and Faolan didn't mind it one bit. Actually, he preferred it. She spoke of collecting more herbs as the seasons changed and he nodded. "I know so little compared to the knowledge you have, Ara. Perhaps I could help you out so I could learn more as time goes by?" He hoped she would accept. Then she inquired as to whom Enola was. His eyes twinkled and he continued to walk beside Ara as he started to explain. "She is...an amazing girl," he began, tone indicating he was about to continue. "Enola is Loccian and Gerhardt's daughter, the one who is timid and doesn't seem to venture too far from home by herself. She was attacked by a raptor when she was a month old and had a severe cut on her back. I helped heal it and since then, I haven't left her presence." He smiled and his tail wagged slowly behind his massive frame. "She's only six months right now, but I know that I want to get to know her as she keeps growing. Ara...there is something about her I can't figure out, but I really do care for her." Maybe this was how their dad felt for their mother. He had absolutely no idea. Speech