Phoenix Maplewood dancing to the beat of a midnight raga

@Indra

his dreams had been vivid last night, bright of color and suffused with hope. loved ones all around, their pelts of all conceivable shades, their eyes glowing many different hues. and above it all, a song, lilting and plaintive--and they danced. oh, how they did dance!

aditya awoke, stretching languorously, and rose to his feet, shaking the sleep from his pelt. the air was sweet but crisp, and belied the arrival of a late shower of snow. frowning slightly at the prospect, adi stalked toward the southern border of the maplewood, hoping to mark a corner he hadn't quite gotten to the other day.

for once, he was in an excellent mood. not to say aditya had been moping around, these past moons, but it had been a tough winter, and his usually chipper outlook on life had been buried under the stresses and responsibilities of being part of a family for the first time. but now things were starting to look up, spring was around the corner, and his dreams had shifted from nightmares back to fantasies.

the burly agouti male lifted his leg with a contented sigh, marking a patch of bush at the edge of the forest. he looked to the east, where the rise of the moraine shielded the plains from view. perhaps tomorrow he'd pay catori a visit, bring her some food and talk with her about the impending litter.

today, though, he was satisfied with pacing along the border, alone with his thoughts, humming to the melody of a dream.

thank you for starting <3

phoenix had since quit her company, but the questions of his arrival still hounded indra. without thinking she had left the valley again, plagued by self-doubt and confusion. part of her still seemed in disbelief that her mother had found happiness after them; and another part of her childishly resented phoenix (and his mother) for it.

she missed them all terribly. her family before the fall. she knew how lucky she was to have laurel, but laurel was only a tourniquet over a seeping wound; bound to stop her from unraveling too far, but not enough to stave the advancement of her demons all together.

she wanted someone to talk to, someone objective and outside of her sphere -- but she also wanted to be immersed in the place of her childhood. only, she knew better than to trespass. it would not have been right, even if it was her home no longer, for her to flagrantly traipse across the man's painstakingly laid claims. when she arrived at the maplewood she knew she could go no further, and she threw back her head in a howl for the bushy-tailed man that had intercepted her the day before. she thought she saw him up ahead, marking some invisible line in the perimeter -- but she did not want to trespass and remained firmly rooted on neutral soil.

no problem! going to make a small assumption that no introductions were made in the other thread? i can always edit if that turns out to change

a howl rang out across the open land to the south, and his ears pricked, hawkish gaze trying to pinpoint where it'd come from. finally, his eyes lit upon the woman from the other day, alone this time. she was a respectful distance from the border, and he nodded, pleased with that notion. aditya wasn't too terribly belligerent about territory--not unless the intruder came looking for a fight, like those two rogues from a few moons back.

with a short wag of his banner tail, adi trotted out of the forest, coming to a stop a few paces away from her, a small smile of welcome set on his face. "welcome back," he rumbled, raising his eyebrows in silent inquiry. "i didn't catch your name the other day."

his voice was kind but firm, words casual but probing. he didn't know this woman from any other; who knew who or what she might be? she carried a pack-scent he wasn't familiar with, with smells of individuals he hadn't met. but clearly, the maplewood held some sort of importance to her, if she was back so soon after they'd crossed paths the first time.

as indra waited, she tried to stave off the thoughts that coiled around her torpid and demanding in their insistence. saena had found someone else. saena had found someone else.

had she found happiness, too?

indra and laurel hadn't.

she choked and swallowed, amber gaze pulled towards a snap ahead of her. a form spilled from the rough hewn trees, one she recognized as the wolf that had hailed her the day prior. while his posture remained inoffensive, indra recognized the authority of his tread: this was his home now, not hers.

she lowered her muzzle and her ears fell flat on her skull. when she looked up a smile had graced his winsome features and she saw behind his frame the wave of his tail. she offered her own weak smile and returned: "indra. sorry about the other day."

she returned his smile and offered an apology, to which he gently shook his head. maybe one day it would be his downfall, but aditya was ultimately forgiving--of most--and this woman had made no threats and had stepped away when asked. besides, there was clearly something she wanted, to be back so soon.

"it's all right," adi assured her. "we've not been here for very long; our claim is not the strongest it could be. my name is aditya." he dipped his muzzle to the west. "my pack lives on the plains, but a few of us claim the woods for our own, as well."

he took this opportunity to look her over, something he'd not had the chance to do the other day. she was relatively young, perhaps a half a dozen seasons his junior or so, and pretty, with intelligent eyes. he still could not place her pack-scent, though it couldn't be far from here, he thought.

might as well come out and ask. "which pack are you from?" he inquired softly.

indra had been worried he might harbor resentment for their unintended intrusion; it fretted her, and she bit her lower lip as she awaited his reaction. he accepted her apology gracefully, with a warm poise she would never have -- slowly, the doubt that fringed her features ebbed and her expression seemed almost neutral again.

he offered her an explanation, though she was not sure she deserved it. as he motioned towards an expanse of land she was unfamiliar with, she just nodded simply -- she knew very little of the world outside her bubble and did not want to offend him with her ignorance.

her gaze slid back to aditya, who at that moment seemed to be studying her. perhaps ithrik had soured her impression of men permanently, for she instinctively felt the need to cover herself somehow, to shy from him -- she stifled the flinch best she could though her gaze briefly hardened. she remembered what redshank had said to her -- in a roundabout way, to never trust strangers; she swallowed and considered lying.

in the end it was not in her nature to do so, and she begrudgingly replied with honesty: "bearclaw valley." besides, if he ended up being some evil, twisted man, if she was lucky the next time he called upon her she and laurel would be gone from that place. "do you know what this place is called?" from the way she asked, it was clear she knew the answer and was testing his knowledge.

he shook his head, not familiar with the place. he knew it was a shortcoming, as a scout, not to be completely up-to-date with the land around his home--but the truth was in discovery, and discovery often meant asking questions, no matter how clueless one might sound. "is that to the south?" he asked, noting that she'd come from that general direction. "anywhere near easthollow?"

his head-shake also worked for her question, for truly, he hadn't considered that this place had a proper name. there were wolf-scents here, true, but only scattered; any abundance had faded over time. it had been some seasons since a pack had called these woods their own.

"we've just been calling it the maplewood," aditya explained, eyes straying back to the edge of the trees. his gaze snapped back to hers with sudden realization, and a half-smile curved his lips as he finally understood. "but you know its name. you've been here before. is that why you've come back?"

indra took a moment to look around them, at the spires of dark wood that intersected the forest in pylons of dark shade and canted light. she nodded at his question and added lightly "right next to it." easthollow was, perhaps, their closest neighbor -- indra had only met a few wolves from their keep, but had found their passing amicable.

a small smile burst unexpectedly across her lips as the male revealed the name -- befitting -- and exactly right. she looked above them at the bare outstretched tree limbs and just thought of how they looked in the height of summer: viridescent green and red against magnificent dark boughs. "that's funny -- it's called phoenix maplewood. or it was.." she trailed off for a moment, considering how to answer his question faithfully: "i was born here. that's what my parents called it, anyway..."

aditya nodded, intrigued. for easthollow to be so close to this woman's pack meant there must be a sort of alliance between the two. and if easthollow was morningside's ally. . .aditya would have to pay a visit to this valley, soon. as she gave the true name of the forest, a smile bloomed once more on his face. a beautiful name for a beautiful piece of land.

"ah, you were born here," adi repeated, finally understanding her connection to the place. he understood. he hadn't seen his birthplace in many seasons, but he longed for it in dreams quite often. perhaps one day, he'd make the trek to pay it a visit, just as indra had done.

he glanced away, feeling a bit sheepish. "no hard feelings about the place being occupied?" he asked tentatively, mouth growing taut. his golden eyes swept over her face, looking for any signs of distress. "it's been some time since anyone has lived here. several seasons."

aditya was such a change of pace from most males she knew: indra was still digesting how different he was from the hyper-masculine, surly men of her life. it was refreshing, in a way -- he seemed so assured, so poised -- yet despite the immensity of his frame he carried a softness with him that spoke of genuine radiance.

he seemed to understand the tether that drew her to her birthplace, but as he glanced away indra caught the sheepish emotion that spilled across his muzzle. her gaze fell to the ground quietly, unsure if he wanted her to witness such bald emotion. what he asked next caused her to stiffen, but not out of protectiveness -- rather, she had detected trepidation in his voice.

she shook her head firmly. "no. i own no claim over it. you do, though." she supplied her utterance with another solid shake: "i have not been here in years. i only came.. well.. " she offered a terse smile as she thought about sharing the nature of hers and phoenix's visit -- it was a sordid family thing, and she did not want to burden him with it. "the male that was with me the other day, he wanted to see it."

he was relieved, and let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. not that he'd stand idly by as this woman reclaimed her birthplace--no, he'd grown too attached to the maplewood for that. he couldn't even empathize with the idea of doing something like that; he barely remembered the place he'd been born, and held no great fondness for it. why would he want it back?

but he knew it was important to others, and her admission was a small weight off his shoulders.

"ah. well, that's quite all right," adi remarked, giving her a kind look. "is he from the bearclaw valley pack, too? i have to admit; i've not heard of your group. pardon my ignorance. like i said, we've just moved." he really would need to see this valley for himself. he wondered if it was the odd-looking bit of land he'd seen in the distance when he'd visited swiftcurrent creek.

indra felt a weight lift from her as she admitted her purpose: while phoenix maplewood held great significance to her, she recognized it held greater significance to aditya -- she had no claim or provenance over it, and would have never attempted to sully his motives by claiming it her own anyway.

it was liberating to let loose the past -- her expression unfurled from worry to blank, and she looked upon him with a vague sense of  smile. "no, just a friend." she admitted -- it was not meant as a lie, but the truth was too complicated and would expend a mere acquaintence's patience. "and it's okay, i think we keep to ourselves mostly. it's better that way... less surprises. so, will you be calling yourselves the maplewood, or something else?"

he couldn't argue with her logic. though he was a friendly person, and morningside was a friendly pack, they had kept safe by virtue of staying out of the conflict in the valley. offering any olive branches to the parties involved would have dragged them in. . .and who knew what that could have brought to their borders. a wise decision, then, by bearclaw valley's leader.

aditya shook his head, smiling. "no, we're actually just called morningside," he clarified. "it's named for. . .well, i'm not sure. i think some lands to the. . .east of here? anyway," he said in dismissal, "that's our pack name."

he gave her a contemplative look. "perhaps, though, if i start a family of my own and settle here, we'll be phoenix maplewood," adi mused. "you're lucky to have a family legacy. . .at least that name carries it on. not many get that chance." he thought, with some distaste, of his own absent father and dead mother, who'd left him with nothing, not even a surname.

indra's ears gently lifted as the male shook and revealed a different name: morningside. she liked the ring to it -- many times she had liked bear claw valley's name, but it was ponderous to say. morningside was simple -- memorable.

she did not miss the shade of rumination that seemed to descend his muzzle. questioningly, her amber eyes seemed to slightly widen -- until the nature of his considerations caused her ears to fall back and a scowl to momentarily darken her features. she would have preferred real parents to a legacy, but feared that cutting remark was too bitter to utter into the ears of a stranger. "yeah, i guess..." she didn't want to correct him, or chase away the smile that perennially sat on his lips. maybe some other time.

"on the subject of family.. i'm a ways from home. laurel's probably expecting me. it was nice to meet you, aditya."

he had said something wrong--a shadow fell over her face, and she struggled for words. his ears folded back in silent alarm, but before he could apologize, she cut in again, explaining that she had to return home to her sister. unsettled, he nodded, the smile fading slowly as she spoke.

"yes, it was a pleasure to meet you as well. safe travels home." his voice was pleasant if monotonous, but before she could turn and leave, he added, "indra? i'm sorry if. . .well, if i've said something to offend you. i didn't mean to presume."

not all stories were the same. some who had a family hated it; some who didn't were perfectly happy without. he hadn't considered the possibility that perhaps indra had wanted more than a legacy from her parents, or perhaps she was not satisfied with the one they'd left behind. he longed for it so much from his own absent family that it clouded his judgment, his good sense.

"you're welcome to visit again, if you want," adi said, extending an olive branch her way.

indra had tried to conceal the emotions that stormily rose to her features, but it was too late. aditya had caught wind of them, and had justly been perturbed by the sudden shift in indra's mood. she offered a weak smile as she made to turn, though the contrition in his voice and the earnest in his soft gaze caused her to waver. truly, he was kinder then most she had met -- and she felt bad for momentarily clouding his contentment.

"you didn't say anything wrong." she answered, her brows lifted and a liquid sympathy in her amber eyes. "thank you.. and good luck."

in a way, it felt cathartic to turn her back on phoenix maplewood. while she regretted leaving aditya on such tense terms, the hold this place had on her had shriveled back like a scalded vine -- and the further she walked away from her birthplace, the weaker that tether appeared until at last she felt finally free of the burden of her past.