This time she awoke alone, unable to snuggle into her sister's larger form or any of her mothers. The den felt empty, draft; she just knew her family had left. Raising a russet head from ebony paws, her fluttering green eyes scanned the space, convincing herself that she truly was alone. A feeling of abandonment crept inside of her, making her curl up into a fluffy cream ball, shivering against the cold. Momentarily her eyes began to itch. Oh yeah, she thought to herself, reminding herself of the ouchies she had in her eyes. The itching started to get worse, and she was about to rub her eyes before she stopped herself mid-paw. Remember what Mama said? No itching. Instead she had to find her mother and get some snow to soothe the uncomfortable feeling. First, however, she had to get up. Reluctantly, she poked her head outside, greeted by the cold, blustery wind buffeting her face. Come on, Di, she urged. You can do it. Normally she would have her mothers to coax her outside, showering her with nuzzles of encouragement. Sometimes her sister's spunk would motivate her, though this morning she didn't have that. Limb by limb she finally got her entire body outside, and that was as far as she would go for today. She stood by the entrance, quivering against the cold and afraid to go any further. Besides, snow had fallen all around the den like a barrier, keeping her confined to the area. If only she could conquer her fear of snow. "Speech"

Bright Moon had been past this way a few times before. She had noticed the scent of a birthing, but she had avoided going too close to the den. She hadn't met the mother yet, and she didn't want to upset anyone. After all, she was basically a stranger, despite having been with Fiori for some time now. Today, she had come this way again in hopes of perhaps meeting the mother and getting a chance to see the little ones. She loved pups, their sweet little puppy eyes and tiny paws, their playfulness, curiosity and wide-eyed fascination with the world. Bright would overcome her shyness if it meant she could help out in any way. Play with the young ones, teach them things, protect them. She wanted to become a familiar face to be depended upon, someone that the pups could go to should they ever need her, someone who her packmates never worried to leave their children with.

As she neared the area of the den, her pace slowed and her paw-steps were careful, particularly as she favored her hind leg. The injury was doing well but still got a little sore in the cold. She caught the scent of two adults and one of the pups - recognizing Amalia's scent made her smile and gave her confidence - but she realized that one of the pups was still near the den. The little one must have slept in. Bright wondered if she should go alone; she paused in her stride for several moments, hesitating as her paws shuffled in the snow. She didn't want to scare the baby, but maybe the little one felt lonely. Making her decision, she strode forward and came to the den site. The snow drifts were high, but she could just see the tip of a tiny russet ear. Smiling, Bright Moon pranced on through the snow until she reached the den entrance where the pup sat.

Ears folded back as Bright approached, and she bent her elbows to crouch down until her belly touched the snow and her chin was placed upon the ground. She wanted to appear as small as possible so as to not spook the lone child, and let a genuine smile spread across her face, one that lit a friendly glimmer in her normally empty silver gaze. "Hello there," she said softly, her ebony-tipped tail swishing back and forth, "My name is Bright Moon. I'm a friend of Amalia's... she's going to teach me healing." She hoped that mentioning Ama's name would ease the child, who so clearly resembled the woman. It got Bright to wondering what their relation was - was Amalia this little one's older sister? Or perhaps an aunty? The resemblance was uncanny, but the baby also seemed to resemble Leo in a way. Of course, Bright's wonderings were all wrong, for she'd never met women who shared a litter, but it wouldn't be long before she learned something new.

Even standing on her tippy-toes she couldn't see the familiar forms of her sister or mothers. There was no way she was leaving the den's vicinity either; the outside world seemed like a huge, scary place for one small, naive pup. Disappointment melted into her emerald gaze. If only she had woken up early, maybe then she could have gone with them. She would have felt more brave to travel the distance away from the den and explore the surrounding mangrove, especially since she had her confident sister to follow and lean onto when she struggled. Besides, she wasn't doing much in the cold, other than fluffing out her cream pelt and shivering. Maybe if she went back inside and huddled into a ball she would awake to find her mothers cuddling her in a warm embrace. As she turned away from the day, a foreign form of silvery ash came into her view. She blinked in disbelief. Jayne? Though as the figure approached and enlarged, her eyes were able to study and examine their every feature. The way they walked, held their head...it wasn't Jayne. Who it really was she didn't want to know. She didn't want anything to do with them, nor be noticed by their grey gaze. Hastily, she scurried back into the den at the last moment, keeping her back rudely to the stranger. Go away, go away, she silently pleaded, feeling her heart thud against her chest. Feminine words came to her ears, those of a woman, like her mothers. They were gentle, she could tell, and a part of her wanted to face her though the other part was too frightened to do so. However, when the female mentioned that she was a friend of Amalia - the girl's mother - her russet head reluctantly turned around to look the into the stranger's eyes with a look of curiosity mixed with fear. Her mother knew other wolves, even had friends? Surely this canine couldn't be so dangerous, but she wasn't willing to take her chances. "Speech"

Keeping herself firmly planted to the ground, her chin pressing into the snow, she chided herself still for frightening the poor little girl. She hadn't intended to come on too quickly, but she must have been a little too excited. She sighed to herself with disappointment as the small she-wolf disappeared into the safety of the den. How was she going to fix this now? I should have looked for her mother and gotten introduced properly! she thought. But there was a glimmer of hope when the girl's head turned at the mention of Amalia's name. Still, she knew it would have been better if she'd met the pup with familiar adults around to reassure her. What reason did the girl have to trust her?

It's okay, I didn't mean to scare you," she said softly with a friendly wag of her black-tipped tail, so quiet she wasn't sure the pup would even hear her, then spoke up just a little bit, "What's your name, little one?" She wanted to encourage the baby out, but she wouldn't pressure the girl. Besides not wanting to terrify a little pup, she also didn't want the girl's mother to return to find her baby in distress. That would just be a recipe for disaster, and it would make for a terrible first impression. She would hate for there to be any tensions between herself and any of her pack members. Oh, now she was really regretting not seeking out the pup's mother before now!

To honest it wouldn't have made such a difference if her mother introduced this woman - a friend of hers apparently. The girl would have cowered behind her mother's leg, quivering and refusing to step further. She would be wishing for the lady to leave, only answering questions when her mother prodded her. And when she did answer she would use quiet if not silent gestures like shaking her head or simple grunts. Such was her nature, unfortunately, and the best she could do was try to overcome it. At least she didn't mean to scare her, and the pup's russet features visibly relaxed. For a moment she thought she was going to get kidnapped...pup-napped actually. She took a few good sniffs of the woman, realising that a similar scent clung to her ashen pelt. It was like her sister's, mothers' and her own, so she hadn't been lying. Ebony paws edged her body a little closer to the female, just in case the giant decided to turn her into a meal; one could never be too certain. There! she thought to herself. That's close enough! All was alright until the stranger asked a question, asked for her name. But that was too many words! It required her to speak, use her voice. Heart pounding in her chest, she forced a gulp down her throat as she summoned enough courage to complete the action. Moments of hesitation passed until she stuttered in the quietest, feather-like of voices, "D-D-Diana." The effort was too great, and the pressure of merely responding made her vision blurry. Only then she did she realise they were tears, and panic began to well inside. Where were they coming from? Why were they there? What if the woman noticed? No, she had to hold them back. "Speech"

Bright watched the small girl carefully, her tail continuing to shuffle in the snow and eyes blinking slowly. She was sure any sudden movement would cause the girl to retreat entirely and never come back out, and she didn't want that to happen. She could see the pup struggling, before she finally forced her little paws to move a little closer to the den's entrance. The woman offered a smile upon her ebony maw, one that warmed her eyes and brightened her features.

The woman's worry was reignited when the pup froze and seemed to panic when she asked a simple question; what was the girl's name? But the girl had answered, with the softest puppy voice the babe offered her name. "Diana," Bright repeated in a soft tone, "What a sweet name. Fit for a princess." The woman tried to remember back to the day she had first met her adopted mother. She couldn't remember ever being so shy as this little one - she had been frightened, lonely and abandoned, but never so outright terrified. Still, in a way, she understood the girl's uncertainties.

Silver eyes noticed the panic-stricken expression on Diana's face. The tears welling up in her eyes. She was truly frightened, anxious, wasn't she? Her own browns knit together. What should she say? How did she make the pup feel okay? She'd never met anyone quite so shy and self-conscious. She looked to the girl's green eyes. "You have very pretty eyes, you know?" she commented, sincerely but with a casual tone, "They're like little gems of jade. Wherever did you find them? I wish I had such pretty eyes." She smiled almost humorously, hoping she could lighten the girl up. It would be a difficult task with such a very shy little one, but Bright was kind and very patient by nature, and she wasn't about to give up.

Her lips slowly curved upwards to form somewhat of a small smile at the woman's compliment. She hadn't thought much about her name, and didn't think highly of it either. Sometimes she just didn't like her given title and wasn't confident wearing it. To be honest, she envied her sister's name; Jayne sounded like a prettier name than Diana. Unlike her sister, she hadn't been named after one of their mothers, so in a way she felt like a nobody. However, her middle name was the feminine version of Leo, the pack's alpha who had generously granted her mothers' wish for a family of their own...so in a way she had been named after someone. Though she wasn't aware of that, it felt nice to be told how sweet her name was, even if it was from a stranger. That smile remained on her features as she looked up into the female's silver gaze, wanting to tell her that her eyes were beautiful as well though she lacked the courage to do so. She could imagine her mother beside her, gently nudging her leg, prompting for manners. Oh yes, she couldn't let this woman think she was rude; she just didn't know how to express herself. "Th-Th-Thank you," she stammered with a sniffle, feeling her tears starting to dry. "I-I l-like y-yours," she managed to force out her throat in a hoarse voice, emeralds sparkling a little. Perhaps she could take a liking to this female. "Speech"

OOC: Sorry for delay, been very busy but just found some time to get a quick post in and will be catching up with everything else later tonight!

Black ears flicked forward when the girl let a small smile creep upon her lips. Bright was glad to finally see the tears drying up and the slightest bit of Diana's sweet self shining through, despite the nervousness. The woman continued to smile as the little one looked up at her, their eyes meeting. She could see how hard it was for Diana to offer her thanks, but the pup forced herself to speak. She even managed to offer a compliment in return, causing Bright Moon to sit up and tilt her head as she looked at Diana with a glimmer of adoration in her silver eyes. Her tail continued to swish in the snow. "You're such a darling!" Bright said in return, "I wish I had a little more color in my eyes, but I'm so happy you like them!" She smiled, then backed up and placed herself upon the ground again, giving the pup some space as she didn't want to suddenly overwhelm her.

"Your mommy taught you good manners," she commented, "I shall have to meet her soon and let her know." She spoke still without yet knowing that her friend Amalia was mother to this baby. Of course, when she'd met the woman, they'd been a little preoccupied with the injury she'd acquired and hadn't gotten a chance to talk about much else than herbs and healing techniques, an experience she was grateful for despite the pain in her leg. Looking to Diana, she wondered now what she should do. She didn't want to leave abruptly, but she didn't dare try to coax the girl out - this was surely enough of an interaction for the very timid girl.

Compliments and words of kindness seemed to coax the girl from her timid shell, and her tense body began to visibly relax. Even her wild and chaotic thoughts had eased, the stress and worry slowly but surely draining from her system. Her small smile broadened as she sat herself down by the den's exit for her ebony paws were feeling quite sore. As long as she kept smiling and nodding, she wouldn't have to speak much at all - and that was a positive. She was more of listener than a speaker, and that was evident as the woman captured her full attention. Especially when she complimented yet again on her manners, though also mentioned wanting to meet her mother. The child's head tilted to the side as a look of confusion moulded into her features. Did Amalia not tell her that she was her daughter? And what of Athena? Being so secluded from the rest of the pack (though that was partly on her own accord), having two mothers was quite the norm. She knew of no other way to have a family. Male figures were indeed frightening for the pup, who was growing up in a family full of girls! "W-Which o-one?" she stammered, this time a bit louder as her confidence blossomed. "Speech"

Bright was thrilled to see the girl's smile grow broader, and her confidence grow enough to place her ebony paws at the den's exit. Finally the pup was relaxing around her, and even seemed a little bit interested in listening. Then came the head tilt of confusion, and Bright instantly wondered if she'd said something strange. Who was the girl's mother? Her thoughts scrambled to figure out what she'd said wrong. Then Diana would stammer just two words, and Bright would frown slightly and tilt her own head. Which one? Which... what? She had to search her memory, the times she'd been by this den, the scents she'd noticed... Amalia had been here, frequently. But she'd never noticed the scent of milk on the lady... yet, there was the scent of another woman she'd not yet met. Silver eyes blinked, looking to Diana's little green gems. "Which one... ?" she murmured very quietly, then perked her ears, "Well, both of course. I haven't got to talk to Amalia about you girls.. and I haven't met the other, yet." She hoped she knew what she was talking about, and hadn't confused things further. If that's what Diana meant by her question, then she really must have two mothers!

To be honest, the pup was a bit confused at this point. Did the woman know Amalia was her mother? It seemed like she did, and it also seemed like she knew Diana wasn't the only child in the family. How did she know all of this? Was she as wise and smart as her healer mother? Oh, everyone was smart these days! The girl wanted to be smart herself, just like her mothers though especially like Amalia. Not only she take after her physically, she yearned to become a healer and follow in the Adravendi woman's footsteps. Should she tell the silver-furred female before her? She too was learning healing, so maybe she could learn something from the adult. "I-I w-wanna b-be a h-hea-healer t-too," she stuttered, forcing a smile onto her features as she looked up at the woman, emerald eyes twinkling with that puppy adorableness. She wanted to blab all about her recent eye infection and how her mother had taught her the usage of two herbs and honey and how she had enjoyed the lesson so much...but...it was too much to say. She feared she wouldn't be able to pronounce the words and make a stammering mess of herself. That was too embarrassing, regardless of the friendly bond that had begun to blossom between her and the female. "Speech"

Bright was glad when the topic of Diana's parents had passed, and the little girl said no more on it. Her expression was certainly one of confusion, but instead of asking for clarification, she stated that she wanted to be a healer. The silver-coated, black-masked woman would smile gleefully as Diana looked up at her with twinkling puppy eyes. It was great that the little one had an ambition, and would be following in Amalia's paw steps. "A healer?" she asked before continuing on, "It's a fascinating subject. There's so much to learn, so many herbs and different techniques for mixing them and healing injuries and sickness." She sighed thoughtfully, blinking as she let her silver gaze travel over Diana, wondering how much the pup had learned already. "We could be students together," she said with a giggle, "Amalia could teach us."

She wondered just how much the girl had learned already with a healer as her mother. She was young, but Bright was well aware that age was hardly a limit to knowledge or experience. "You must know a lot already," she commented, "I wouldn't be surprised if you knew more than me. But I'm also a hunter, I worked hard as a youngster to learn the best ways to track, stalk and take down prey so I could provide for my pack." Another sigh would escape her, smiling as she remembered her time as a pup. She had spoken a lot, but she didn't expect Diana to reciprocate, knowing the girl was too shy to say a lot all at once. But it didn't matter, she was having a great time getting to know Diana, she was a very bright little pup, despite her timid nature - it was clear that she was coming out of her shell, and Bright was delighted to see her shine!

Her mother hadn't really explained what healing was, unlike the woman before her. She made it sound way more interesting, and the girl was certain it was a fascinating subject if so many had already started studying in it. Up until now she had thought it was just about plants that did stuff, but helping others - if not saving them - sounded so important. And that was what she wanted to be, important. Healing others she didn't mind but having herself healed was a completely different story. Any ounce of pain was enough to drive her up the wall. With a giggle, the woman added that they may be students together. A small frown formed on the girl's features as she tried to imagine that. The female looked much older than her; how strange would it look for them to be learning together? Then again, the woman had started a bit later, but hopefully she would become a fully-trained healer before the girl or that would just be...weird. "I-I know e-elderb-b-berry a-and d-d-dand-d-d-lion a-and hon-n-ney," she boasted with a puff of her chest, feeling confident despite her ongoing stuttering. Then the woman went on to talk about hunting - something the girl had never heard of. She had heard of healing and fighting (since her other mother was the head fighter) but not of this hunting. It sounded much better than fighting to be honest - perhaps it could be her second field of interest? "I-I m-m-might l-l-learn th-that t-too," she added with a wag of her tail, already exhausted by the many words she had spoken. "Speech"

An amused grin worked its way onto Bright's face when the girl gave a confused little frown at the idea of them learning together as students. Her ideas of student to teacher was limited; she must naturally imagine a student as someone younger and smaller than their teacher, as most would. But Bright knew that anyone could learn a new skill, at any age. Anyone could be a student. So she would giggle again. She supposed her own views of herself skewed her view on the world at large. She hardly saw herself as an adult at times, as something different or superior to children - having missed out on much of her own childhood, she had never properly transitioned from child to adult. Her mind had long remained child-like in curiosity, playfulness, learning, and even after all her seasons, she was still awed by the newness of things she'd never seen or heard of before. It was hardly strange, in her mind, to view herself as equal to a child, although she knew her responsibilities and obligations to protect and guide those younger than herself.

She listened carefully as Diana proudly listed off some of the herbs she'd been introduced to. The silver, fox-coated woman smiled, nodding as she listened to the girl stutter, but still manage to say each word in full. She was impressed already - for a girl so tiny, she had listed those things quite confidently. "I'll have to look out for those herbs, myself," she said softly, wagging her tail. She'd actually never heard of elderberry nor honey. The woman found herself smiling yet again when Diana said she might learn hunting as well. "That's excellent!" Bright said with a nod of approval, "I would love to teach you, if you don't have a mentor for hunting." She noticed how tired the shy little one was starting to look. It must have been exhausting for her to come out of her shell on her own, and speak so much with a new acquaintance. "Of course, we won't start now," she assured the girl, "You look like you're getting sleepy. Perhaps you'd better tuck yourself away for a little sleep until the others return."

She wouldn't like the idea of the girl going out on her own right now to look for her mothers, or her sister - especially with the snow, and the fact she was getting tired. It'd be best if she stayed home in the den until she was accompanied by her family. "It was very nice meeting you Diana, you're such a bright girl," she said in a kind tone, "I'd better get going to get some hunting done. I'll see you around soon, we can learn about herbs and go hunting one day." Then Bright stood back and turned around, waving her tail cheerily in farewell. "Bye bye, you be good and stay home 'til mommy's back!" she said, before carefully bounding away into the mangroves.

-exit Bright Moon-