He hadn't had a good talk with Spider in a while. He seemed to have moments of confidence, before realizing how he had spoken out and folded in on himself. It left her feeling hopeful, if she could nurture that part of him that had a little bit of confidence, perhaps she could help the man bloom into the wolf he should have been. Would have been, if life hadn't kept throwing him curveballs. She had had an idea, that mentoring off the two damaged wolves in her pack, she could encourage others to help them and grow the confidence she knew they could boost.

She had asked Vail to apprentice Tana, knowing the blind wolf would benefit most from a blind mentor. Spider had been a little harder. She had a strong feeling the man knew more about healing then Solor did, but wasnt certain who else he could ask to mentor the wolf. She would do it herself, but already had started an apprenticeship with a young wolf. Solor acted cocky and confident, but Shaye knew he had a soft side. After all... he was marrying her sister. She made her way to the main creek that snaked through Abaven and sat at the waters edge, raising her head and howled for Spider

Spider awoke in front of Vali’s den in a blind panic. Something had happened, something terrible, but he couldn’t remember what it was. He knew he was in danger, that he had done something wrong, but his half asleep mind refused to put the pieces together. He had fled Vali’s den in a hurry and made for thicket but before he could Shaye called for him. Cold dread filled him as the entirety of the night before flashed through his mind. She knew. Rhyme had already told her. He considered running for the hills and avoiding seeing her altogether, abandoning Abaven before he was made to answer for his crimes, but somehow that seemed far worse. He wanted to believe that Shaye would never hurt him, and that she would understand more than Rhyme would, but how could he? He barely knew her, and barely understood why she put herself in the awkward position of taking care of a wretch like him. He walked toward the call, his head low and his eyes clearly panicked, questioning all the while what she would do to him when she saw him. Small pained whines escaped him as Shaye came into view and he stopped nearly four body lengths away from her. More than enough distance to turn and run if he needed to. Spider speaking  You Speaking Toad's voice

When he appeared before her, there was the faint scent of herbs about him that reminded her of Vail's den. She was surprised when he stopped a decent length away from her, his submissive posture worse then usual. What was this? She thought she had been making progress with the man, but the evidence before her indicated otherwise. Had she left him too long? She hadn't wanted to push him...

"Spider?" She asked softly, regarding his fearful eyes with something akin to anxiety in her chest. Dammit, why couldn't she do this right? She tried to imagine how Bass or a Motif might have handled this. Hmm. They where both practical in a way that could almost be cold. She thought instead if Rhythm, her healer auntie had always been her role model. She held onto that thought now as she regarded her member. "Spider, did something happen?"

His ears lifted hesitantly at her question and he began to shift nervously. “N-no I-... I d-d-don’t k-k-know.” He answered truthfully, eyeing her warily as if this was some sort of trap. Rhyme had appeared kind to him too just the night before, but now he feared that if he saw the dark male again, he would maim him. He continued to shift nervously but made no move to run away from her in spite of how urgently his instincts demanded that he do so. If she came toward him he wouldn’t run, not unless he sensed impending danger and he cursed himself silently for being so trusting. Spider speaking  You Speaking Toad's voice

A Wild Santa Paws Appears!

What's that? Is it Lil Ardy dressed up as Santa? No, silly, it's Santa Paws!

Already in the Christmas spirit, Lil Ardy - err, Santa Paws, can be seen dragging a large bag of gifts behind her. As she approaches Spider, she rummages through her things and tosses a bundle of gemstones at him.

100 Gemstones have been added to your credits!

He shifted in his submissive stance, squirming like someone who had done something wrong and was expecting a beating. Shaye lowered herself a little, trying to look less intimidating. She knew she was a large wolf, and that really seemed to count against her when it came to the more fragile members of her pack. He admitted to not knowing, through he didn’t outright say no. he was acting so strange, so frightened, and Shaye couldn’t help the way that it hurt her heart. She stayed where she was, and with a soft sigh, lowered herself completely to the ground. She lay there before him, with her tail giving a slight swish through the grass behind her. “Well, why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you. Maybe I can help? It’s my job, as an Alpha, and your friend, to look out for you. You know, that right?’ she would ask him softly. She wanted to coax him out of his shell, but had no idea how. She perhaps hadn’t given him enough of her time lately. “I called you here because I want to talk about giving you a mentor.” she explained, still keeping her voice gentle. Perhaps if she displayed how she had thought about him in regards to the pack, and his future, it might help him open up a little. ""

“No!” He yelped abruptly at the woman’s offer to hear his troubles. It was what had gotten him into trouble in the first place. He had no doubt that the woman would know everything in time and he had no desire to speed that process along. “N-no…I’d r-r-rather n-not.” He said more softly then warily paced closer to her in the hopes that it would ease her mind enough to keep from pressing him further. “I called you here because I want to talk about giving you a mentor.” The chance for him to grow further in the pack only added to his surety that she had no idea who he truly was, and he sprang onto the opportunity if only to distract her further. “W-who’s g-g-going t-t-to b-b-be m-m-my m-m-mentor?” He asked perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, but he was eager to change the topic. Spider was fairly knowledgeable for a healer, the thought that he might need a mentor seemed almost silly to him, but he wasn’t about to contradict Shaye or question her methods. Not while they were still friends. Spider speaking   You Speaking Toad's voice

His answer was so venomous, she blinked in surprise, no stumbling, just a strong, absolute, negative. She tilted her head, watching him worriedly. Clearly something was eating away at him, and he looked wretched and sad. She sighed softly, though she did not push. It was not in her nature to do so. He crept a little closer, through he didn’t look comfortable doing so. “Alright then.” she said softly, not quite sure how to ease the man’s mind, or how to get him to feel comfortable around her.

Perhaps time, time and patience and love, would let him open up to her. Until then, she would simply be patient, and treat him gently. “I was thinking of appointing Solor to mentor you. He’s not the most knowledgeable in herbs, so perhaps you can indeed help him there, but he is outspoken and confident, and I think that a mentor like that will do you good.” not to mention if Spider shared his knowledge with Solor, that too might help with his confidence. “What do you think, do you want Solor as a mentor?” she asked.

He didn’t answer right away, he wasn’t sure if he had met Solor yet or not. He might have been at the healer training but he couldn’t say with any certainty that he remembered him. Instead he nodded his head, just glad to be off the topic of the terrible night he’d had before, as a rough shudder raked over him. “W-w-where c-c-can I f-f-find h-h-him?” He asked cautiously, his eyes downcast once again. Shaye had mentioned that he wasn’t particularly skilled but he was sure that Solor would have something to teach him, and if nothing else he could always teach him himself. Spider Toad's voice You

He offered no positive or negative comment in relation to Solor, simply asking where he could find the man. He was sure Solor would be learning a lot about healing, and could pass on this knowledge, and hopefully also help the man with his courage, in the training. If it didn’t work out, he could find someone more proficient in healing, she just thought it would help to have the blind Tana learning from Shaye’s blind sister.

“You’ll find him in Vail’s den, near her healer garden. He can show you around the garden to, I understand that he helped plant it beside Vail, and knows every herb there.” she explained, hoping she hadn’t been too dismissive of the man’s healing ability in her earlier comment to Spider. “Do you want me to walk you over there?” she offered gently.