Firefly Glen A new phase of life.

Kendra had left her pack. She was truly alone now. The girl was unsure what to think about it. She had been creeping through the night mostly, she couldn't really keep her old habits at bay. However now she was alone... she was not sure what to do. Was she going to find her father? Was that even worth it? Was she going to join another pack? Was she even suitable to join a pack other than black feather?

Kendra knew her time was limited. She was not a skilled hunter. Often she would take from her pack's caches. Luckily she knew which berries to eat and was patient enough to fish if she would come across a stream. The girl knew that these times weren't ones of plentiful. She didn't mind. She came across a glen, which was dark, even in summer. She rather liked it here so far, and because it was summer it had not rained a lot yet. However she did realize that she could stay her forever... She would need to explore and see the world, that was an assignment from herself.

On his way back to Royal Fire Court, Nico decided to take a small detour which would inevitably lengthen his journey back home, but also gave him time to think. After weighing the factors in his mind, he had ultimately decided that he would rather wander some more and allow the ache in his paws and legs to intensify rather than to go home early and permit himself to slowly drown in the guilt that plagued him whenever he had nothing to do and allowed his thoughts to settle. Nico knew it was selfish to want to leave the Court to go to Aeronwyn's pack simply because he wanted to be with her, and because their pack sounded really good to the war-ridden veteran, but hadn't he been selfless all his life? Even if he hadn't, surely he should pursue this, because he doubted that he would fall for any girl in the Court if he knew that he had a chance with the silver fae who was also living somewhere really close.

And besides, Nico needed to court her before any other male did, and he couldn't do that if he was still part of the Court, right?

While an internal war battled in his mind, Nico entered yet another terrain where the thick, dense canopy of greenery above blocked almost all the rays of sunlight from the sky, leaving the glen in a state of near darkness. His heartbeat had picked up immediately when he entered, and his breathing became shallow, but with several minutes of silence and deep breaths, he regained control of himself and prowled forward, successfully preventing the horrifying memories of his past from breaching the mental barriers in his mind. 

Nico wasn't a big fan of these places, but it gave him better cover to hunt, so he couldn't really complain. Less than half an hour later, he'd caught two large, plump rabbits and was carrying it through the dusky glen, hoping to either find a place to sleep for the night, or make it out before the sun dipped beneath the horizon. However, he estimated he still had plenty of time, so he decided to explored, a gleam of curiousity evident in his gaze as he scanned his darkened surroundings with vague interest. When arriving at a clearing, he breathed in the fresh air and the brilliant sun before, almost reluctantly, traipsing on.

When Nico finally decided to begin his journey to leave, the breeze blew a fresh, unknown scent to him and he stiffened, his muscles taut beneath his feathery northerner's pelt.

There was a moment of hesitation before the soldier narrowed his eyes and prowled forward, knowing that it was where the stranger was. But however much he didn't want to encounter a strange female, it was, what he thought to be, the fastest way out, so he didn't really have a choice on that matter.

Not long afterwards, the soldier spotted the dark form behind the trees as he hid expertly in the shadows, making sure he was downwind so she couldn't spot him. The deWinter contemplated his options for a moment, before padding forwards, half of his body remaining in the shadows and snorted softly to alert the stranger of his presence. He'd refrained from speaking, because the two fat rabbits still hung deliciously from his jaws, and only until the female greeted him without aggression would he drop the rabbits, and perhaps offer her one.

Kendra was hungry, that was an understatement. Yet the girl stayed in her spot, almost if she was afraid of too much light. This new world was quite a shock to her. The other wolves and all the other packs. She had no clue in which direction she would go, what her path would be in life. Her dark coat was dappled with spots of light coming through the tree.

The young one was quick to turn around when she heard a snort. Her pale eyes instantly roaming for the figure until she found it, well, her eyes found the two rabbits first before seeing the male's face. He was grey colored, reminding her a bit of her half brother Sebastian, though it didn't seem like he had the dots on his brow she was sporting. She could never be sure after all.

Kendra briefly wondered what she was going to do. Play the helpless and innocent little girl that was lost or be her closed of self that had an interest in poisons. Her pale orbs looked at him not saying anything yet only looking at him. Kendra was never a very dominant female, just a quirky one. She hunched down seeing that she was smart enough to realize the male was far larger than her. Her eyes roaming over her body as she sat there quietly.

The girl turned around swiftly at his snort, revealing a young face with pretty pale blue eyes and two white dots on her brows. Nico canted his head curiously, observing her behaviour with carefully guarded eyes as he watched her eyes roam from the rabbits he held to his face. She'd hunched down, sitting quietly and didn't say anything. After a moment of careful consideration, Nico lowered his muzzle to the ground and dropped the rabbits, nudging one towards her with one of his signature smiles and a cant of his head. "Here," he murmured, "take it." She seemed hungry, and he was fine with just one rabbit anyways.

Straightening up, he smiled gently at the girl, "So...what's up?'

Kendra looked at the offered rabbit that the male just handed over to her without her even asking for it. The young female stared at the meal, knowing she had used a rabbit herself often to poison others. Her pale eyes moved from the rabbit to the male, thinking of a reason why he would want to poison her. If the rabbit was even poisoned in the first place. He had two rabbits, did that mean two victims?

The dark girl started to nose over the meal, checking it for little puncture marks. Then she knew, but the skin seemed unbroken, strange. Only at its neck there were visible marks. Her stomach growled and she opened the rabbit up to see no traces of any greenery. Or this guy was really good or he didn't mean to poison her. She took a bite and all tasted normal. Then she attacked the rabbit, instantly wolfing down all the meat that was on the poor creature.

Once done she was still chewing on bits of the bone, her pale eyes on the other. Her mouth stained with blood but not visible due to her dark coat. He had asked her something. He asked 'what's up' she wasn't familiar with the phrase. "Why are you being nice?," she asked, because she was pretty sure no one liked dark wolves like her.

Nico watched with expertly concealed curiousity as the dark furred female nosed over the rabbit before opening it up. His eyes widened a fraction at that, but barely noticably. Instead, he stared with a hint of sadness as she took a bite, paused, then attacked the rabbit, wolfing down the small piece of prey. For some reason, his heart clenched and he swallowed thickly. There was something wrong about how she was so hungry, and so young. He felt something akin to sympathy for her, and wanted to help her, but he didn't know how, nor did he know if she wanted help in first place. So, with a resigned look in his eyes, Nico watched as she finished the rabbit and lifted her pale blue eyes to him.

The corner of his smile quirked upwards into one of his signature smiles when she asked why he was being nice. "Because you looked hungry," he stated simply. "And why not? I've got two rabbits; I can live on just one rabbit for tonight. Plus," he paused, giving her a curious look, "I have a soft spot for young ones." She wasn't exactly a pup, but the soldier could tell that she was, at least, a good year younger than him. A yearling, at the very least. "I'm Spectre," the soldier introducing himself with the nickname Heston had given him. He had grown fond of that name. "What about you?"

Kendra kept her pale colored eyes on the male curiously so. He seemed morally right and perhaps even taking pity on her. The young female was not sure if she wanted his pity. Kendra licked her chops. She was a bit peculiar in her way of acting. She was thinking that most of the world was out to get her because she was from a dark place. A dark place she didn't want to belong anymore. "I don't need your pity," she pointed out instantly and scowled lightly at him.

However she was grateful for the meal. If she would stick around would be provide more food for her? "I could easily kill you," she stated with quite a monotone like voice. She was very serious, one that would be taken seriously too. She was liked to think she was close to being a toxicologist. She cleared her throat, glancing at the male named Spectre. "Names can be fabricated, you being called that way doesn't tell me anything about you," she pointed out casually.

Instead of a thank you she was going to give him more than just a substantial name. "I was born in the dark forest. But most of my family died, except my father, he left the pack without me. I didn't feel like staying in the end. Perhaps see if I fit in the light world," she shrugged. "The light world is different," she admitted, glad to be in the dark. The light often hurt her pale eyes.

The corner of his lip quirked upwards in an amused grin at her words and the scowl that adorned her features. "I'm not pitying you," he drawled dryly, a gleam of amusement playing gently in his green eyes. "I know how it feels," he looked at her curiously as a flicker of unfathomable emotion flitted quickly over his gaze. Nico smiled and bowed his head, silently collecting his thoughts and emotions, before lifting his eyes once more, the half smile lingering on his lips growing into one of more charming crooked smirks.

He raised an eyebrow at her words and he let out a low chuckle, "I don't doubt that you can," he told her, "but keep in mind that if I wanted to, I could just as easily kill you," his tone was serious but with a hint of playfulness beneath. While Nico was pretty much telling the truth, he didn't want to lose the chance to interact with this young girl that he knew next to nothing about, but very much wanted to help. Blame his poor, kind soul.

"I suppose so," he said with an inquisitive look in his eyes. She was more than she appeared to be, the soldier would give her that. However, what Nico was not expecting was for her to give him her life story. With slightly raised eyebrows, he listened to what she had to say, his brows furrowing just a tad bit as she ended it with how the 'light world' was different. "The light world," he repeated almost thoughtfully, a sad smile forming. "Yes, it's a strange world. Not one who is accustomed to the dark can easily fit into."

Kendra relaxed more when the male admitted to the fact that the rabbit wasn't given to her in pity. That made her feel a bit better. The young girl wondered how this male knew how she was feeling, why wasn't he telling her more about that? Knowing how she felt? Did he lost his mother too? Never knew her. Or was he betrayed and alone? Have siblings that didn't care about him. Her pale eyes studied him, because of those words. She had tortured and hurt others to make them feel her pain, and here now she found a wolf that spoke about knowing her pain. But did he? Had she found someone who was her kin?

"Not as easily if you are slowly dying from the inside," she pointed out with a shrug like it was the most normal thing. But it was clear that the girl believed him on that matter of killing her. She had zero fighting skills. She only had her mental tricks and poisons. The male, Spectre, didn't return the favor in telling a bit about himself. Kendra had not shared much compared to what she had been through. What she told him was only a very shallow scratch in the crater that carved a way through her heart. Her pale eyes looked at him with interest. "No? Is it difficult to fit into the light world?,' she questioned so innocently. There was still a bit of that childish innocence that lingered with her. "How do you know? Did you transition from dark to light?," she asked.

Nico chuckled softly, "Depends on how you're going to poison me in first place," he told her matter-of-facly. "I've been taught these things," he added as some sort of explanation of his knowledge and he lifted a shoulder in a shrug, smiling ever so slightly. The girl looked at him with mild interest and asked, rather innocently, if it was difficult to fit into the 'light world' and then, she questioned him if he'd ever transitioned from 'dark to light'. The soldier's gaze narrowed ever so slightly and almost as if a shadow had descended on his features, his brows furrowed faintly into a frown.

"I'd prefer to say that I'm in the middle of dark and light," he said finally with a tilt of his head. "It's not hard to fit in, if you truly try. You just gotta..I dunno....expand the light part of you."

Kendra perked up hearing about what he knew. "You know about poisons? Can you teach me?," she asked, starting to like this male more and more that she could talk with him. Kendra was more open to share things with him. But then she realized that was more dark than light. Could she expand her lightness?

The young female looked at the other curiously so. "Can you teach me?,' she asked. "About the light I mean. I want to be more light or try to be to see if it fits me," she explained. Perhaps this could be a good thing. "Are you in a pack?"

"No, not really," he chuckled softly and shook his head. "I know about poisons and how to avoid the, as well as the basics, but other than that, not really. I preferred..soldiering, I suppose," he cocked his head, an amused grin tugging at the corner of his mouth before he shrugged. "At any rate, I think you'll find that you have more knowledge in this area than I do." Nico gave her a gentle smile, green eyes twinkling with just a slight bit of amusement and curiousity. This girl apepared to have knowledge in poisons, but who taught her?

"The light cannot be taught," Nico sighed, "you have to experience it and adapt to it in the way which suits you the best." Hopefully, she wouldn't adapt to it the same way he did, which involved giving himself a mental disease and an alternative personality that just happened to be a playboy womaniser with an aptitude for murder. "Yeah, I'm in a pack. Just...south of here, I think."

Sadly this male was not as knowledgeable as she thought he was with poisons. However maybe he could learn her about being light, and being kind. That was when she remembered her own brother, half brother to be exact. He had been different and she had liked him. But the girl didn't know where he lived. Sadly so. Perhaps her brother would take her in.

"Would that pack be open in having me?,' she questioned curiously. Not that she would instantly jump on the first pack she would run into but she was interested in joining a pack that was very different from her own. The girl wanted to experience the lightness of the world to see if she belonged in the darkness.

"Probably," Nico lifted a shoulder in a shrug, "but I'm planning on leaving soon. It's too...peace-y and love and light for my taste." He casted his gaze upwards, mouth parted slightly and breathed in, eyes closed halfway. "It's not bad; in fact, it's very good," a half-smile graced his lips and he sighed. "But, as a soldier used to war. It's not the right place for me. It doesn't....do what I do. Like, I don't fit in; people in my line of work simply can't work in a pack like that. It's just how it goes. It's not even their fault."

Green eyes landed lightly back on the youngster's face, and he canted his head slightly to the left, eyes narrowed as he contemplated her options. "You could join, if you're really interested in learning about the lightest of the light..but, I dunno, it might be hard to adjust so suddenly."

The pack he spoke about was something she was looking for, however the male did gave her some other advice. Kendra felt like it was solid advise. "Good to know," she spoke to him and gave him a thankful nod. The young female thought about his words. "What would the pack's location be and its name? If I might change my mind?," she asked curiously. If she would run into another pack so be it. But perhaps she would want to try this light and sweet pack just to see if it worked out for her or not.

"It's located in a place called Golden Glade," Nico told her, unwilling to disclose the name of his pack, although, to be honest, he wasn't sure what the point was. "It's west from here, and it's called Royal Fire Court," he relented, realising that the name couldn't do much harm anymore. They weren't exactly a secretive pack, and as long as he hadn't told her the names of the leaders, he was pretty sure that Alder and Aspen wouldn't be mad at him. Not that they should be mad in first place, given that he might just have recruited a wolf for their pack.

"Are you sure?" he asked, with cant of his head, "it's not really an easy pack to adjust to if you're from shadows and darkness," he confessed, after all, he, himself hadn't been able to adjust.

Kendra stood before him and thought about these new part of info. "Perhaps... I might keep it as a back up," she explained. "Maybe I find another pack along the way if not Golden Glade is the place I'd like to try my luck," she explained to the male. It was perhaps a bit of a guideline more than a definite confirmation that she was about to join this male's pack.

"Thank you for the meal and the information. You help me a great deal. Perhaps I can help you more in the future," she offered in return.

Nico canted his head and offered her a small smile, his eyes gleaming with a hint of thoughtfulness as he observed the dark furred youngster. "Yeah, keep it as a back up," he said, nodding slowly. "But go check out other packs first, at least before you make a solid decision, because, really, if you've just started the transition, it's not good to dive right into the light so quickly." Then he lifted a shoulder in a shrug, and looked away, licking his lips absentmindedly, "but obviously, it's your choice. Whatever you think suits you best."

"No worries," Nico chuckled softly, "it was my pleasure." He rose, stretching as he did so and he fought the urge to yawn. Instead, he offered the young girl one of his winning bad boy smiles and a gentle incline of his head, "Maybe I'll see you around, yeah?"

Kendra nodded to him. "Yes! And if I found another pack I will come and find you!," she offered. That would be a nice thing to do right? Tell him that she found somewhere to live. Maybe she was already doing better at this being good thing. The female wagged her tail. "See you around," she spoke and with that she vanished into the shadows again. She didn't feel like leaving right away. It was still very light out, perhaps at night she would explore more and further.

thank you!! <3