They went past a few more houses, and stopped outside one that was no different than the others.
"Alright, this is your new home Angara and Bengali." Said Arten.
Arten got down off the wagon; he helped Maria down, then Angara and Bengali. Arten went around to the back of the wagon, and started to unload the wagon. Bengali seen that Angara was looking around, and so he went over to her. He asked if she was ok. Angara looked at him with a shocked expression. At that moment, he knew the answer to that question. Bengali grabbed her wrist, and pulled her inside the house. That is when Maria came out of one room to the right of them. She waved them over, and waited for them to walk over to her.
"This will be your room Angara and Bengali. I'm sure your father will make separate beds for you as soon as he can." Said Maria.
"Our father is dead." Said Angara as she walked further into the room.
"Angara, that was rude." Said Bengali.
"It's ok, Bengali. I know that it will take a little time for her to come around." Said Maria.
Bengali then went inside the room. Maria then went to see if Arten needed some help bringing some of their things inside. As Maria came out of the house, Arten saw her come up to him.
"Everything alright, Maria?" Arten asked.
"It's Angara." Said Maria.
That's when he had a feeling about what was going on. He put his hands on her shoulders, and told her that Angara maybe taking the deaths of her parents harder than Bengali was. Arten told her to let Angara grieve; then he asked if she could take the small bag of vegetables inside. Maria grabbed the bag, gave Arten a kiss, and turned to go back inside the house.
Over the next month; Angara and Bengali got settled into their new home. Angara however wouldn't go out to play like Bengali, and meet the other cubs in the village. Maria would watch Angara sit by the window, and watch whatever was going on out there. But one morning, Maria seen what she thought was the reason Angara wasn't going outside. She watched as Angara fussed with the sleeves of her dress, trying to cover the scars on her arms. Maria knew that she had to do something. As she was cleaning the house, she found some old fabric. She went over to where her sewing box was, and grabbed the scissors. Maria worked on them for a while till she had to make supper. Once the cubs and Arten were fed, Maria started working on her project again.
Morning came; Maria had made breakfast for Arten, and sent him off to do his work. Maria had a little time before the twins got up. Before too long, the twins got up, and Maria made them some breakfast. After they were done Angara went to sit by the window like she did every day. Bengali went out to play, and Maria watched Angara. It was then that Maria went over to her sewing box, and grabbed the pieces of cloth she'd finished. She then walked over to Angara, and sat down. Angara didn't even bother to look at who sat down next to her.
"Angara, I made something for you last night." Said Maria.
"And what's that?" Angara asked.
"I made something that will hide your scars." Said Maria.
Angara looked away from the window to look at Maria. It was then that Maria asked Angara to hold out her arms. Angara looked at Maria with a puzzled expression on her face, but did it anyway. That is when Maria put the sleeves on Angara's arms. Angara looked at them, and then back at Maria.
"They will hide the scar, so you don't have to hide. This way you can play outside with the other cubs, and not have to worry about them seeing your scars." Said Maria.
Angara then looked at them again, and Maria seen a smile on her face. That is when, without warning; Angara threw her arms around Maria's neck. Maria was shocked, but she put her arms around Angara. She then heard a quiet "thank you" come from Angara. When Angara let go, Maria then started to fuss with them, and then explained that she wanted to finish fitting them. Angara said ok, and Maria said that they'd be completely finished by tomorrow morning. Angara just sat there while Maria fussed with the sleeves, and when she was done, Maria carefully took the sleeves off.
"Alright, I'll get these finished up, and then you can wear them tomorrow." Said Maria.
"Thank you, mama." Said Angara.
Maria stopped, and looked at Angara; who had turned back to look out the window. Maria then clutched the sleeves, and turned. She couldn't believe it, Angara called her mama. Her hopes of Angara accepting her were getting stronger.