The lake at the heart of the territory was alluring in a sense. It made a good spot to think, so long as she stayed out of the way of the others The sparkling surface glinting in the late autumn sunlight was pretty at the very least. She admired the rippling patterns that were etched into the crystalline surface with each gust of wind. Yet, in mere seconds, they were dispersed into the depths of the water until another breeze passed. She would give the lake one thing, it seemed forgiving. That, or perhaps it was stubborn in its refusal to change. Yes. She liked the sound of that better.

While the lake was a decent substitute, her favorite place- the garden- was finishing the process of its die-off for winter. Or at least, that's what had been explained to her. It no longer held the same interest as it did a few weeks ago as all the herbs had either been harvested or culled in the shift of seasons. Later on in the day, she would return to the medical den for either another lesson or a solo study. But for now, she had time to kill.

The scarlet shadowed reflection peering back at her seemed a little off. Malico's face was a little more rounded than hers, her features were narrow- sharp almost. Was that how it was supposed to be? Her shoulders were narrower- just generally smaller. Recognition dawned on her. Perhaps that was what her parents' and the healers' concern had been about. But in the end, it didn't matter. She hadn't known anything different, so this must be how life was meant to be.

Life with her new siblings had been... weird. For sure. She had considered that maybe this was how her older siblings had felt, or at least her mind drifted to Saracyn. He had always been a bit more serious, cold, not really seeming interested in her when she was much younger. She hoped she changed his impression as she grew older at least to the fact she wasn't one of those bubbly annoying pups. Though she hadn't really experienced that either. And that being said, she kept her distance mostly from her other siblings since they had been born. Maybe nothing really against them, but they couldn't know that. She stuck to herself inside the family den and went about her day with her own time.

As she had walked through the common areas as became normal for her these days, she spotted her younger sister over by the lake's edge. She obviously didn't go bounding over for her, but she did stop for that moment that caught on somewhere in her mind. It's exactly what she had done in her younger days. She wasn't the very outgoing type, and she found herself looking down into the water's reflection almost daily. Quiet, observative. She thought maybe her sister felt the same way. And she also thought maybe Saracyn had felt the same as she did in this moment when he saw her that one day.

She took soft steps forward towards her, a squint in her eye which was actually quite normal for her but always came off wrong to others. "Anything interesting in there?" Was it genuine? Maybe not. But she was trying right? The urge to push her in as she stepped up beside her came to mind, but with the dropping temperatures she decided otherwise. Her sister didn't really seem exactly right physically, and it would probably be the end of her for doing something so minor that may have been drastic for her condition.

"Fiametta"

Just as she was coming to the realization of the current state of things, she became vaguely familiar with the presence of another. Her older sister, Fiametta had approached. Coming to investigate exactly what was happening, Mariah imagined. The older girl ask as to what the subject of her musings were, and before she gave her own response, she looked up to examine Fia's face. Looking past the intricate design the framed the left side of her face to look for the intention in her eye. If there was any, it was too muted for the younger girl to tell.

It wasn't that she didn't hold a familial affection for her older siblings. They were just distant. Avacyn and Saracyn were on their own. Fiametta was clearly right behind them if she had anything to do with it. So she relied heavily on her relationship with her own littermate- more than she cared to admit. She'd allow her silver gaze to pan back over the lake before answering. "Interesting? Yes. Practical or realistic? No." That was the truth. It was easy to day dream. Watch the reflection of the clouds pass by in the surface of the water. Or in her case, judge the narrow difference between herself and her brother that she had just noticed for the first time.

Not that she felt she owed Fia an explanation, she felt herself offering one anyway. "Malico is training with dad, and mom is busy. So it seems that it is the lake for today." And by the lake, she meant a day spent entertaining herself. Once she got bored here, she would certainly make her way up to the medical den and see what there was going on in there. "What about you? Anything that interests you?" Mariah asked pointedly. Though, her question was really tied to the context of the lake. She really just had no idea who here sister was.

Just as Mariah seemed more interested in observing Fia, she was actually quite the same. Her iconic squint in her eye not from the sun but actually seeming more like a leer than a gaze. It was her thinking face maybe, observation face. She liked to see the way other wolves reacted and to what. It was a little different with her family however. She was more questioning to herself what was going through her young sister's mind. The wonder.

She tilted her chin as Mariah had gone on about Malico training and mom being busy, and she even huffed a little humorously to the statement. She didn't know any differently. Their parents always had special duties, and evidently lives that were hidden from their young children. They were busy, it was a fact. She didn't hate them for it. Mariah asked if there was anything that interested Fia, perhaps noting why she was even here in the first place. It would have been a good question. "Well, actually I was just like you a few seasons ago. This was my favorite place." She huffed again, doubting she even cared. She was relating herself a lot to Saracyn right now actually, pretty bruff. Honestly a little dislikable on the surface. Oh well.

"You know, Avacyn's a pretty cool sister. You should go bother her sometimes when you've got nothing better to do." With her turned gaze back to her sister she rose a brow, "I probably wouldn't suggest with Saracyn though. Unless you really want to pester someone." It was a little humorous, and of course nothing about herself. She wasn't really hating Mariah right now, but she definitely wasn't going to tell her to come bother her anytime she wanted.

"Fiametta"

When Fiametta drew the conclusion that they weren't all that different, Mariah only gave a nod in acknowledgment. Clearly, the lake had generally alluring characteristics if she wasn't the first to get caught on its banks. But then, the older girl's statement registered. "Was?" She inquired. No, she hadn't seen a lot of Elysium's territory for herself yet- just the island as of yet. But there wasn't really anything interesting that she could tell- other than the dying herb garden. But the change of seasons would eventually ruin that.  Withdrawing her wandering gaze from the glassy surface of the water, she looked up to her sister. "Do you have a new favorite place?" Not that she was overly interested. But it seemed to be the thing to ask to continue some kind of semblance of a conversation.

"It seems that they are a packaged deal." Mariah observed while looking away once more. Granted, she didn't really know any of her older siblings. But it seemed that every time she encountered one of them -Ava or Sara- the other wasn't too far behind. "How do you bother Avacyn without bothering Saracyn?" She asked casually. Honestly, she didn't fancy bothering either one of them. Maybe one day that would change, or she would encounter a reason to do so.

She was amused as her younger sister considered that this was her favorite place when she was younger. She seemed a smart girl, Fia could at least give her that. Though she never expected any less coming from their parents. She wasn't very outward about it but Fia was confident and held high regard for herself and to an extent the rest of her immediate family. Even if she wasn't all friendly with her new younger siblings. "Oh yeah, don't get me wrong it's still pretty great." She paused with a smile, a little devious. "There's plenty of things to see outside though, I've snuck out once or twice." Was that a brag? Yeah, maybe. Maybe she said too much... oh well. She wasn't really worried about it anyways.

She hummed as she had mentioned that Avacyn and Saracyn were more of a package deal, and she shrugged. She supposed they spent more time together now that they weren't living in the den... or well, alone time together. Not that Fia had real in depth knowledge about any of that. They seemed a little more present as she was growing up. Was she feeling a little bad about moving out of the den now and not being like her older siblings to her? She didn't think so. "Well Avacyn's usually doing all that pack heir stuff, and sometimes making jewelry. I don't really think Saracyn is into that stuff." She didn't know though, he could have been. She chuckled a little as she squinted down at her younger sister, "Me, I get to do whatever I want. I guess kind of like Saracyn." More boasts, it was pretty fun honestly. She hadn't ever really had the chance to interact with wolves her age. So her impressionable younger siblings? That was certainly growing on her. "I'd say you and Malico would be kind of a package deal too don't you think?"

"Fiametta"

As her sister spoke she was acutely aware of the mischievous glint to her features and tone. Mariah's ears flicked at the idea of sneaking out, however, logically speaking, she knew that kind of adventure wasn't in her best interest at the moment. Maybe when she was strong enough to be on her own ... or if she could coerce Malico into accompanying her. "Hmm." She murmured after a lull settled between them.

The younger girl nodded along as she explained Avacyn's role a little better, but even she couldn't help the chuckle at the idea of Saracyn being involved in some of that stuff. "Yeah, I can't imagine him seeking out jewelry making." She answered, echoing the imagery that flashed in the back of her mind. It really was quite a comical sight- or so she envisioned. But even so, as Fiametta implied that she was more like Saracyn in the aspect of doing whatever it was that she pleased, she nodded. Perhaps that would eventually be how she herself would be as well- when she grew up. It seemed that it was Avacyn who carried most of the weight. It left Mariah wondering where her place was in all of this.  

Though, as Malico was mentioned, the mildly existential thoughts faded. "I guess you could say that, but It's just easy with Malico." Mariah expressed, not entirely sure how best to describe it. "I don't have to explain anything, and neither does he. Rules and graces aside, we just work." Perhaps they were similar to Ava and Sara after all- that was something she was uncertain of. But she was confident that she would receive no judgment or invasive questions from the other half to her coin.

Then a different thought struck her. Could Fiametta understand? "Do you regret being the only one in your litter?" Mariah asked intently, her silver gaze suddenly aligned with her sister's.