They had been in the Prairie land for a few days now, and in such and short amount of time his little ray had managed to get up to an endless list of trouble. He was constantly tuning about after her, yanking her away from the waters edge and moment before she was set to topple in (she insisted she was only going to touch it with a paw, but he had seen that her balance was only a moment away from upsetting) she had already found the border and got a stern lecture about crossing it and managed to worm her way into the hearts of at least half his siblings. She might have been running him raggid but he certainly kept his eyes on rory as well, and what he saw troubled him. She hadn't learned to speak yet - a matter that hadn't troubled him so much well they where still too young to leave the den. After all, Sera seemed to be racing ahead and everything and it was plausible that her sister would amble along after her at her own pace.

Now however, with Sera laying out complex sentences and reaching quick logic as well as her quick responses to, well... everything he was definitely beginning to worry. She hadn't spoken past mumbling, never responded when spoken to and didn't half half of Sera's curiosity. It might be only a few days into their time on the Prairie but it well past time he found out what was wrong so she could help her - and he dearly hoped it was little more then shock at their sudden change in scenery. It would be an aid he would talk to soon, taking her a step away from where their children rested. "My love... im concerned that... well.. aurora hasn't learned to speak yet" he said softly.

Walk | Talk | Think

Like the proud mother she was, Anais sat beside her sleepy children, a contented smile settled upon her lips. She could watch them all day if she was allowed to, without moving or taking a moment to tend to her own needs. They were just so adorable, so precious, and they were hers. It was still so hard to believe sometimes that she had carried them, birthed them, and was now raising them alongside her wonderful, devoted mate. Everything was perfect, everything amazing and wondrous and...

But that was not altogether true. Her daughters were beautiful girls, taking hints from both sides of their family, but she, too, had noticed what Glacier noticed. Seraphiel was a terror, an adorable bundle of energy and zest for life that could not - and, was currently proving, would not - be contained. Aurora, on the other hand, though rambunctious and adventurous in her own right, was easily the more reserved of the girls. She said little, if anything at all, and most of it was incoherent noises rather than sound. She did not respond to direct words, paid little attention to anyone or anything about her unless they made her stop to look at them. It had gotten the gears turning in Anais's mind, why her blue-coated daughter was so different...and she thought she had an answer.

She was considering it again as she watched the two sisters rest, only allowing an ear to turn and listen as her mate approached her quietly. Only when he was beside her did she turn to look at him, her smile brightening, and at his direction she stepped away from the slumbering beauties - with only one quick glance back over her shoulder at them - to take a seat a short distance away.

Giving her full attention over to him, she quickly realized there was something on Glacier's mind. He had a seriousness, a concern, about his face that worried her, smoothed her smile away and caused her brows to pull together slightly as he began to speak to her. His thoughts, not altogether surprisingly, paralleled her own, and before she answered Anais turned her head to peer over her shoulder once more at her daughters. "I've noticed that too," she confirmed quietly, though only for the benefit of one of their children. "She doesn't follow directions very well either."

How close was he to putting it all together, she wondered. Will he follow my thoughts? Looking with a gentle curiosity up into the face of her mate, Anais ventured a soft question, her tone calm and conversational despite the significance she felt it had. "Have you noticed she listens better if you get her to look at you?"

Anais had noticed what he had, and he would expect nothing else from his calm and beloved wife. She didn't seem as worried as he did, and he would quickly realize she had gathered far more then he had from their little one's behavior. He watched her carefully as he listened to what she said, pointing out her inability to follow directions (through honestly the same could be said about Ray) next, in a calm and collected voice she would ask him one last thing, and he sighed softly, finally putting together thoughts she had already examined and answered. “She's deaf” he said softly, putting it all together at last. He sat down on his hunches, lifting his nose to the air and looking about his pack lands as he collected his thoughts. What did this mean for their sweet girl? Would she have a hard time at life for this disability? No. she was the daughter of an Alpha, she was in the middle of a huge and loving family. He would ensure that everyone here learned to speak to her properly, and he would teach her to read what he spoke by looking at his lips.

They would work this out, they had to, they would keep her safe. He couldn't help the little prickle of unease in his stomach. There had never been disability in his family before, only a striking range of colors and personalities. Was this his fault? Could there be something in him passed on to his child? Would she suffer at life at it be for some reason something he had caused? He shoved the thought away, and returned his eyes to his love. “I will have to make sure everyone knows, so they know to get her attention in different ways, and to speak when her eyes are upon them” he said softly, knowing he wanted to speak of this to Voltage.

Walk | Talk | Think

It took only a second for the twisting gears inside Glacier's mind to piece together the puzzle that Anais had already solved, and she could almost see the moment that it happened. Recognition flashed within his pale eyes, and a disheartened sigh fell from his lips. Anais's ears folded as she saw the weight of the news settle upon her mate, heavy and no doubt hard to accept. As he sat across from her, she moved in to nuzzle her cheek against his chest, sitting close beside him and offering comfort from her presence. It was not such terrible to news to her - in fact, her brother was partially deaf and she knew that he lived just fine - but Glacier did not strike as that optimistic.

Tilting her head back, she watched the dire wolf as he finished sorting things out and lowered his gaze to hers again. Adaptable, he was already making plans, ways that they could accommodate their daughter's peculiarity in order for her to still function within the pack and around her family. That in itself was encouraging news, and Anais's lips curved into another small smile. "That will help a lot," she agreed, nodding her head, though she thought he still needed a little convincing to believe it himself.

"She'll be fine, Glacier," Anais assured him, touching her nose to his chin, "She's smart, even if hearing's hard for her, and we'll all do our best to learn how to communicate with her." His family was so devoted to each other that she knew without even needing to ask that they would do just as she said. In the end, it would change nothing: Aurora would still be their daughter, and they would still love her just as much as they did Seraphiel. And, despite this one obstacle, Anais was certain she would find her place among them. Her expression was optimistic, assuring, as she stared up at Glacier. "We can make this work."