For many days now, Quiet Ocean's gaze had drifted to the omega den where Lily Petal rest. Though her mother would warn her to stay away, since hearing that Lily Petal had been the mate of her uncle until his passing, she suddenly felt sorry for the she-wolf. She could not imagine how difficult of a loss that could be. She could not imagine how any of these wolves had suffered such losses, including her mother who had lost both her brothers that fateful day.

Recently, she had been lingering near the omega's den. It was always out of sight to avoid Lily Petal's screams at her, but she had caught sight of the white she-wolf a few times. If her face weren't twisted into such a frown, Quiet Ocean thought she would have been a very pretty wolf.

In fact, the more she looked at Lily Petal and her silky white coat, the more she looked at her brother, whose coat in a way matched that of Lily Petal. Quiet Ocean brought up this observation to her mother one day.

"Don't you think Snow Fall's pelt looks like Lily Petal's?" Quiet Ocean asked. It was not the first time she had discussed pelt colors with her mother.

Small Fox only let out a sigh. "We've gone over this before, Quiet Ocean. Sometimes pelt colors skip a generation..." Quiet Ocean would let the words slip through her ears after this. Her mother could say all she wanted, but Quiet Ocean still could not stop her curiosity over the omega, and the more curious she got, the more she would linger near the omega den without her mother's permission.

One day, while lingering near the omega den again and playing with a blossom between her paws, Quiet Ocean heard a "Psst."

She looked up, expecting to hear Lily Petal's aggressive wail at first, but instead she saw the other omega in the den, Dandelion Puff. Dandelion Puff's fur was brown, rather than white, and her big golden eyes were gazing at Quiet Ocean from the den.

"Um, hello," Quiet Ocean said.

"You've been lingering near the omega den for a while now," Dandelion Puff said.

"I just like playing over here because it's quieter, and I can get away from my siblings," Quiet Ocean said. Suddenly, she recognized the omega even more fully. "You've stopped Lily Petal from wailing at me before."

"Yes, I have. Sorry about her. She...isn't right in the head," Dandelion Puff said.

"Are you?" Quiet Ocean asked fearfully.

"No. Well...not in the same way. I'm a bit slower than the other wolves. It was why I was made an omega. I wasn't smart enough or strong enough," Dandelion Puff explained.

"I'm sorry," Quiet Ocean murmured.

"It's not your fault," Dandelion Puff replied. She stepped more out of the den now and into the sunlight. "My name is Dandelion Puff. I'm Lily Petal's sister."

"Nice to meet you," Quiet Ocean said. "I'm Small Fox and Golden Sun's pup."

"Nice to meet you," Dandelion Puff said with a dip of her head. "I hope you didn't come by here to play. I know you're a pup, but wolves tend to look down on those that speak with omegas."

"Well, I always thought omegas were bad, like Lily Petal, because she yelled at the time. My mom told me she was dangerous. But...you seem okay."

Dandelion Puff laughed some. "I'm sure the other wolves have told you a lot about us."

"Well, I hear Shining River yelling all the time about how bad omegas are. You're also Feather Wings' sister, right? Shining River talks about you and Lily Petal all the time."

Dandelion Puff growled some. "None of us like that wolf much. But don't tell her I said that."

"It's okay," Quiet Ocean whispered. "I don't like her either."

Dandelion Puff giggled again. "Yes, I am Feather Wings' sister too. I'm not so sure Shining River realizes that he still comes by to visit us, though it's been hard lately with Lily Petal's condition."

"I was always scared of Lily Petal, but now I feel bad for her."

"How come?"

"I heard she got crazy when my uncle died. I never knew Jay's Tail, but he seemed like a good wolf. I guess Lily Petal used to be a good wolf too, then," Quiet Ocean said.

Dandelion Puff frowned. "Jay's Tail was a good wolf, and I'm sure he'd be proud of you."

Quiet Ocean found that statement odd, but she kept listening.

"And Lily Petal was very skilled at what she did before all this. She was happy being Jay Tail's mate. They were even--" Dandelion Puff suddenly clamped her mouth shut.

"Even what?" Quiet Ocean asked.

"Nevermind," Dandelion Puff murmured.

"Aw, you can tell me. I'm good at keeping secrets!" Quiet Ocean promised.

"Okay, but come closer, and keep quiet," Dandelion Puff said. Quiet Ocean scooted closer to the brown wolf and kept her ear near.

"They were even going to have pups before he died," Dandelion Puff mentioned.

"What happened to the pups?" Quiet Ocean asked.

"They didn't make it," Dandelion Puff murmured sadly.

"That's so sad," Quiet Ocean said with a whine. "That must be so hard."

"It is. Lily Petal is still struggling, but I'm keeping her company and making sure she eats and sleeps and all that. You are very brave to come over here, you know, even though Lily Petal yells at you," Dandelion Puff said.

"I was curious, that was all."

"About what?"

"About the kind of wolf she was," Quiet Ocean said. "I didn't think she could be all that bad. I'd love to speak to her normally one day."

Dandelion Puff frowned. "I don't know if that day will ever happen, but I'm sure she appreciates it deep down. She acts ungrateful, but I know that her eyes grow a little bit brighter when her family visits her. Sometimes Small Fox will stop in, too."

"But...my mom said to stay away from her because she was dangerous!"

"Your mother and Lily Petal were once very good friends. I think it has been hard for your mother, too," Dandelion Puff said. "Small Fox cares very much about you and your siblings. Are you making sure to be a good daughter?"

"Yes!" Quiet Ocean exclaimed. "Well...I don't know how much she likes me coming near here."

"Well, as long as she doesn't know you were speaking to me, I think it's okay. You should probably head off now, Quiet Ocean. Wolves will start to stare if we talk too long."

Quiet Ocean's tail drooped. It saddened her to think that so many wolves disliked Dandelion Puff because she was an omega. Quiet Ocean found her company to be very enjoyable, and she figured she'd have to come back sometime.

"Okay, but thank you for talking to me," Quiet Ocean said.

"It was my pleasure. See you around, Quiet Ocean." And with that, Dandelion Puff got up and disappeared back into the den.

Quiet Ocean lingered a few minutes before getting up herself and heading back toward her mother and siblings. Her talk with Dandelion Puff only seemed to increase her curiosity, it seemed.