((Hoping to have her start being more relaxed in this thread but we'll see how it turn out.))

Gracefully the woman would move forward in the hopes of escaping the life she had found herself in. Slowly she had begun to find herself and who she was. She hated it. She hated knowing how much of a coward she was. What could she do to change her own nature? Hope had begun to fade in her. Every time she attempted to make herself useful she had failed and any time she saw a wolf she resorted back to cowering in fear from the wolves, her packmates, who meant no harm. She needed help but there was no one to get it from. "Great Calioope protect me." The words were softly whispered as she looked up at the moon high in the sky to signify the middle of the night. She never slept too well to begin with, but the amount of sleep she had in her was next to none.

Novella couldn't sleep. The pups were wide awake it seemed, very lively as they wriggled and kicked around inside of her, making it incredibly difficult for the expectant mother to settle as well. Not to mention the added pressure to her bladder wasn't exactly comfortable and doing nothing to help the matter at all. A walk perhaps would help, at least she hoped anyway and so silently she moved from Frith's side, hoping not to disturb him as she left the den.

It was quiet, she hadn't expected to see anyone else wandering around and yet now the Author would notice the figure of Hecate up ahead. Truth be told she wasn't too surprised, perhaps whilst the lands were still she felt more comfortable, it was a sad realisation though one that Novella hoped that they would gradually be able to help her overcome. They hadn't had too much luck with Sorrel though it seemed, the strange boy still preferred isolation to socialising with the rest of the pack but at least he wasn't petrified like Hecate was. That was what they really needed to help her with, showing her that there were some nice wolves within the world.

She was uncertain on whether to approach the girl or not, or leave her in peace for now. Not wanting to ignore her however, Novella eventually decided upon the former idea. A slow and steady pace she would let out a soft bark in greeting to alert Hecate of her presence and hopefully avoid making her jump. "It's a nice night isn't it? I didn't realise anyone else was out enjoying it." She'd start with simple, harmless talk, her voice gentle and hopefully calming.

by macabre

A voice would startle her but the familiarity of it would cause her not to jump in the air. She turned to see the pregnant queen before her. After having a somewhat successful conversation with Frith, she knew that no danger would ever present itself to her when she was around the leading pair. She dipped her head in greeting, managing words that weren’t stuttered. “Hello Novella.” The voice was soft and almost inaudible as she looked out at the bay. These improvements were major and she was fairly proud of herself for it. The water slowly lapped at her feet as she spoke for the comment about the night sky. “The night is always beautiful, but more so when it is over water.” Again, she surprised even herself with the lack of stutter present in her voice as the dust covered femme turned with a soft smile. She was unsure if the woman could have heard any of the things she had said for she had spoken in a mezzo piano voice. Her tone had been more confident than before, keeping it steady as her words had spilled out. Her siblings couldn’t touch her here. With a deep breathe she pulled her paws from the chilly water and sat down just out of its reach. Would she shock the queen with these newfound reactions? She wasn’t entirely sure it would be enough.

The Author had certainly hoped that Hecate would begin to settle more into the pack and come out of her shell a little. It seemed to be very slow progress and yet suddenly there appeared to be a bit of a development with her confidence, the stutter she had previously spoken with seemed to have gone and whilst very quiet she was speaking without completely cowering away from her. She would smile softly, pleased with the little developments and hopeful that they would only continue.

"It certainly is." She agreed softly, venturing a little closer to Hecate's side for ease of hearing, only just able to catch the quiet words at the moment. "How are you finding Threar? Are you settling in ok?" Perhaps if the girl was willing to speak a little more now she might venture to share some details that might help the rest of the pack help her to settle in a little more.

by macabre

Hecate was treading on careful waters. She was on high alert because of the blatantly strange situation. She didn't talk without a stutter unless she was having some sort of adrenaline rush but her heartbeat was as normal as it always was. In fact, it seemed to beat a half step slower than normal. The esteemed leader agreed with her before asking how she was settling in, but she could not answer that because she honestly didn't know. "I-I... ummm. I think I-I'm fitting in alr-alright?" Her stutter quickly returned as she tried to recall every wolf from the pack that she had run away from. There was an uncertainty to her voice as she tried to think. Thinking often helped clear her head but now she couldn't see through the fog that surrounded her mind for it had become too thick.

In truth anyone could see that Hecate still had a long way to go before she could really be counted as being settled in Threar. There appeared to be some progress from the timid girl that had turned up on the borders however and Novella could only hope that she saw that herself and could at least begin to feel a little more comfortable within the pack. She'd been present at the meeting, which obviously was a wonderful start and though she had been the first to leave as well, the Author wouldn't fault her for that at all.

The response she received was almost a question in itself, did she still fear voicing her opinion, worried perhaps it would get her into trouble? "You can tell me if you're not, if there is anything else we can do to help you feel a little more at home here" Novella attempted to reassure her.

by macabre

Hecate was starting to grow nervous as she spoke, saying that she (Hecate) could tell her (Novella) if she did not feel comfortable. "It's not that...." The words were quick and rushed before she finished her sentence. "I... I j-just haven't conversed with others a-all that mu-much. I... I just f-feel useless." She looked at her paws as they scraped at the loose dirt that covered the hard ground. She gulped, knowing that there wasn't much that she could do even if she was ready to take up more responsibilities. Healing? She knew nothing. Hunting? She knew how to scavenge. Fighting? She had always run with her tail between her legs.

Novella certainly hadn't meant to make Hecate feel anymore nervous. She had quite hoped for the opposite reaction to be entirely honest, find out how the girl was coping now and see if anything would help her feel a little more at home here in Threar.

She would find herself frowning softly, concerned by the words and reaction that she received. If she was completely honest, no there wasn't anything extraordinarily beneficial that Hecate had brought to the pack, though Novella understood it would take her longer to settle in and contribute. There was a reason she was still a Paperback and not a Prologue or any other rank.

"You don't need to talk to be useful." Novella pointed out, her tone soft and gentle still as she spoke, the concerned frown easing away to a more neutral expression. "My nephew Sorrel, even I barely get a word out of him though he's growing to be a fine healer." A small smile would find her way to her features now, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

by macabre

The Author would frown at her words which made her frown even more. Then the woman pointed out that she didn't have to be useful and Hecate shook her head. "Y-yes... I d-do." Her words were that from her own moral perspective. She gulped as she looked at her paws. The leader spoke again, talking about Sorrel "S-Sorrel help my s-shou-shoulder before I c-came to Threar." The young woman admitted that the boy had helped her a lot. "B-But h-he knows h-how to d-do stuff." With that, she dropped what she had really been trying to say. There was a unsure and insecure look on her face as she looked at the woman she was talking to.

The revelation that Sorrel had ran into Hecate before she had joined Threar was a surprising one for Novella. He didn't mix with his family that well let alone anyone outside of it and yet he had helped Hecate without knowing anything about her. Perhaps he was coming out of his shell more than she realised. "He never said anything about that." Novella mused out loud. "He doesn't normally tend to mix very well with others." A similar trait they shared, perhaps they could help each other.

"He's good with plants, but he does spend more time with them than anyone else in the pack." Novella pointed out. "His mother was a healer and when he was a pup he decided he wanted to be like her. He's worked at it since." He worked hard at understanding healing, she had watched him grow, putting effort into the skill from a very young age. It wasn't just something he had picked up overnight. She didn't want to dishearten Hecate at all, but perhaps it would help her understand she could learn anything she wanted to if she wished.

"If you want to learn I'm sure someone in the pack would be willing to help you." Novella explained. "But please don't rush or put yourself down Hecate."

by macabre