"Eska"

Ulric had become a rather important fixture in Eska's life since the passing of her mother. The pair bonded over the loss, but genuinely just seemed to balance one another out. Eska was a hard woman and Ulric was an emotionally soft man. Together, they kept one another in line. Even keel. As their relationship deepened, so too did her desire to learn everything about him. The man doted on his children and so Eska would make it a point to meet them and get to know them.

It had been said that Ulric's boy, Emile, enjoyed spending time with plants. Eska set out to the different places around the castle where a healer or herbologist might frequent. After a few different locations, she finally found the boy. The brindled woman cleared her throat as she approached so she didn't surprise the young wolf.

"Hello," she spoke in her clear, naturally husky tones. "You're Emile, aren't you?" Coming up beside him, she looked down at whatever he was doing. "My name is Eska. I'm a friend of your fathers. What are you up to there?" She motioned towards the plants nearby with a point of her dusty blue nose.

Things were still awkward, the feeling of abandonment he was left with was still raw but he also knew he couldn't keep sequestering himself away from the world. Even if he was all alone, only his siblings and father remained. Even Resin who had held him when he'd finally broken down was gone, and Emile was convinced the same was true of Bowen, dead somewhere just like her mother. And his mother... and sister. Maybe it was easier that way, if he didn't let others get close to him it meant he could stop hurting when they inevitably abandoned him.

Still, he knew his father at least wanted him to stop shutting himself away. So he wouldn't, he'd shoulder the bag his father had gotten him for his first birthday and go out to try and make something of the rapidly warming weather. He moved to the courtyard, turning his attention towards the large marigolds starting to bloom, one of the few plants he could remember from that healing lesson that felt a million lifetimes ago. They were mostly still too young for him to begin harvesting any of them, instead, he turned to checking their stems and the soil they grew in, nervous that the cold of spring had done permanent damage and would leave them with little usable for the coming months.

That was at least until a voice he didn't recognize called out to him. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, the ghost of Resin come to visit. But as she drew closer the differences became starker. The unknown woman was too young to be Resin to start, a good pair of eyes and a light dappling on her coat where Resin had none... It was hard not to feel grief once more flowing through him, it was a constant pain, a wound that refused to heal. He had so much to mourn for and no proper outlet. She approached him right out and Emile couldn't help but skitter away a few steps, his ears pulling back as she explained who she was. His dad sure did seem to have a lot of friends.

"Chchchchchcecking how the Mari-ri-ri-ri-rigolds are gr-gr-gr-growing... Tttttthe cold did a num...ber on the earth." He said, his tone guarded and though he glanced at the flowers at his paws he mostly kept his gaze on the woman. "W-w-w-w-...hat kind of fr-fr-fr-friend?" He asked, doing his best not to let his tone take on an edge... something he failed at.
Speech

Art by Rivaah

"Eska"

Well, she hadn't quite been expecting that reaction. The boy skittered back from her a few steps and Eska stopped in her tracks. She didn't want to frighten him or make him uncomfortable. It was obvious that he was the skittish sort, so the brindled woman seated herself where she was, going no closer for his own peace of mind. He was a handsome boy, earthen in coloring with a bit of striping. His eyes were a striking green, though they appeared filled with sadness. Who could blame him? His mother and a sister gone. His alpha dead. His father bound by duty to the pack. Eska understood and she would be patient with him.

The stutter that chopped up the boys words went in one ear and out the other. It didn't bother the woman at all and recognition to the speech impediment didn't even show on her silvered features. He'd been looking after the marigolds. "Are marigolds for something in particular or are they just pretty?" The older wolf gave a slightly sheepish grin, the corners of her golden eyes lifting. "I'm a warrior and a hunter. Plants are a little beyond me." Perhaps it would calm the boy if she admitted her ignorance when it came to plants. Maybe the admission would be a little endearing.

Eska didn't miss the edge to Emile's tones when he asked what kind of friend. Oh boy. They had known Aranea. Naturally they would think that all of their father's 'friends' would be just as horrid. The black, grey and silver fae slid down to lay upon her stomach. A soft sigh pulled from her. She wouldn't lie to him. She wouldn't lie to any of them if they were so forward as Emile was. "I am Resin's daughter. Your father welcomed me into the pack after my mother died. We've become quite close." One silvered shoulder lifted in a bit of a shrug. "We're just friends for now, but it could eventually be more." She fixed the boy with her sulfur stare and continued. "He's a good man and he's becoming very important to me. You and your siblings are important to him, so I wanted to meet you."

"Is there anything else that you'd like to know, Emile?" Both dark ears flicked forward. Eska was willing to answer anything that he might ask. She was an open book with nothing to hide.