-& mundu eftir m é r

Ballerine sat lost in pleasant thought until she picked up the alpha's scent in the air. He was near, and she pulled away from her train of thought and tilted her delicate ears forward. After a moment, he revealed himself with a curious bundle in his mouth. They looked plant-like. They looked like a collection of plants, yet their scent faintly reminded her of the teas that her owner sometimes had drank. The scents were not identical, but it brought the memory back. Scout Ballerine eyed them curiously, but said nothing.

 When Alpha Antiseptic told her to eat the leaf that he placed in front of her, Ballerine's ears flicked forward with surprise. She had never heard of eating plants for any other purpose than to induce vomiting. That was not what the alpha was intending for her to do... was it? The young dog shrugged gently to herself. He knew what he was doing. She obediently took the plant in her mouth and chewed it, and though she tried to mask it, some disgust showed in her expression. It was unnatural on her tongue, but she nevertheless swallowed it and then shook off a shiver that crawled down her spine.

Antiseptic's fatigue lightly amused Ballerine; she figured Kess had something to do with it. She could sympathize. The last thing she wanted to do was to irritate the alpha in any way, so she refrained from chuckling at his exhaustion.

Ballerine watched as Alpha Antiseptic chewed up some of the plants, too. For a moment, Ballerine was confused as to why he was doing this; was he in pain, too? But then, before swallowing it, he nudged her paw, and she gingerly lifted it. To her amazement, he smeared it on her cut. The last time she had allowed someone to touch her paw was when she was living with her human owner. She sometimes gave her owner her paw as a show of faith and trust. Never had Ballerine allowed another dog to handle her delicate little paw. She felt no discomfort or mistrust as he handled it, though. She trusted him completely, and she was glad to share her paw with him.

After a moment, it occurred to her that these plants were medicinal. "Oh," she said aloud. The alpha sat back and said that he brought her there for a reason. Ballerine had figured so, and she nodded her head as calmly as she could manage. To help keep herself from bubbling over with excitement, she shifted a little.

((ooc: I can't wait to find out what it is, lol xD))

Ballerine's wide eyes, filled with admiration, looked at Alpha Antiseptic as he spoke. He paused, and in that brief moment, Ballerine's mind tried to guess what he was wanting for her. He was offering her something? He had already offered her so many things - a home, generosity, kindness, a rank! Her head almost spun with the idea that in his mind, it was not enough. What else could he possibly be offering her? Was it a promotion? She knew she was very good, but so early on? Unlikely.

The alpha spoke again, and as soon as he did, Ballerine's eyes widened and adrenaline surged through her blood. She froze, and she chewed on what Antiseptic had just said. Of course, as a Scout, Ballerine had educated herself on what a Guardian was. Her gaze slowly fell to the ground as she tried to process what had just been offered to her. She could be a Guardian; one of the four of Ebony Breeze. Did the alpha really have that much appreciation for her? In that moment, Ballerine wanted to hug him. She felt like she had been rammed in the gut, but in a good way. Her legs briefly went weak, but then she composed herself. The alpha was offering her a Guardian position, and she wanted it. What if you fail? the thought came painfully, like a party-crasher. Ballerine was usually confident in herself, but this was unusual. She had the opportunity to be a high rank... what if she let down Antiseptic? If she failed in this job, it could mean harm to the pack. As far as she knew, there were no other Guardians yet. She suddenly felt very small for the task.

Questioning the alpha - especially in a situation like this - was something that Ballerine did not imagine herself doing. She took in a deep breath and looked back up at him, and she tried to contain her excitement and stamp down that sun-bright glimmer in her eyes. It was obvious behind that glimmer, though, that she was suddenly insecure. She had always been a proud dog, and the feeling of insecurity was not a likeable one, to put it lightly. "Are you... sure that I'm qualified to be a Guardian? I mean, like you said, I still have lots to learn, and I'm a tiny dog that can barely hunt, let alone defend a pack. I couldn't even defend myself in the ruins; I just hid." She flicked her scarred ear forward to prove her point. "I-I mean, I-I'm flattered and it's something that I want." She felt the need to clarify that. She was forever grateful.