Northstar Vale weeping of the stars

A clearing at the center of the vale provides the perfect view of tonight's meteor shower. Not a single cloud taints the dark sky, nor the pinpricks of light far off in the universe. Framed by the black, jagged forms of the surrounding mountainside, stars streak across the night's canvas in a glorious display. The breath-taking event will last roughly thirty minutes.

A peaceful hush washed over the vale's mountainside as midnight arrived. Tuwawi walked slowly along a well worn dirt path that spiraled up towards the peak, curious about this new land and what it had to offer. The soft glow from an exposed moon, accompanied by a chorus of late summer crickets, illuminated her way skywards. No wolves lived here, as far as she could tell, and this eased her busy mind, which was always seemed to be reeling with the thoughts and memories of a troubled individual.

Her red crown lowered towards the ground to scent for recent tracks. Not a whiff... With an exhausted chuff, she left the trail, moving further into the mountain's thick bramble. Burrs became gnarled in her wild hair, and Tuwawi wondered why she came up here in the first place. As if to answer her question, the vegetation suddenly cleared to reveal a cliff of flat rock, jutting out to overlook the moonlit valley. Tuwawi was not a sentimental wolf, but even she let her jaw drop at the sight - such a vast land, dappled with reflective pools, under the clearest sky she had even had the fortune of gazing upon.

Her head turned to face back the way she came... And pondered, for a moment, if it would be wiser to journey back down to the base for the night. However, a small glimmer in the sky demanded her attention once more, and so she laid down on the still-warm rock, and waited for the show to start.

His thick coat fighting off the rough branches, Kisu pushed through the plentiful trees. As he weaved in between them in a zig-zag pattern, he amused himself. A break in the trees revealed a luminous moon and a brilliantly clear, shining sky. His jaw dropped in awe, and he wove faster through the bramble, trying to find a wider opening.

The brush suddenly pulled back and a cliff overlooking a valley spotted with shimmering pools of water that were illuminated by the moon. He looked to his left and saw a reddish-colored wolf laying on a rock, jutting from the large crag. Stiffening, his eyes locked onto the wolf and he took a few deep breaths. Kisu didn't know how to alert the wolf without alarming and pulling out the defensive nature of his species.

His eyes glowing from the reflection of the moon, he raised his nose and sniffed the air. An overwhelming urge to howl overcame him, but he refrained. Kisu took another deep breath and then began.

"I don't mean to startle you," he called out. "I think we both noticed the look of the sky tonight and desire to watch... Do you mind if I accompany you while we watch..?" Shuffling his front paws, Kisu suddenly felt exposed. He had sounded confident, but regret washed up from his chest.

So entranced by the stars was Tuwawi, that she didn't even notice another wolf on the cliff until he made his presence known. Storm grey eyes flashed in the dark to find his voice, only to leave her breathless when she did. Tuwawi immediately jumped to her feet as she inhaled sharply, stunned by the creature before her. Slate colored fur. Marbled yellow eyes. Njal?! Was it him? Her jaw moved but no words came out. She choked on her thoughts, unable to wrap her head around the idea that he traveled so far East to be with her. It was completely unbelievable — a miracle! Her chiseled expression softened as she took a step forward, to be with him. Under these perfect stars. Now. Forever.

However, the delusion was not to last. The twilight had played its tricks, and as the ember's eyes focused, Njal became lost; replaced by an average looking man who didn't resemble her aokkati in the least bit. The disappointment in the air was palpable as Tuwawi's dark lips creased into a frown. What had he said? Something about the stars? "S-sure," she replied, absent from the present and not quite certain what he had asked in the first place. Her thin face turned back to the valley with a wistful gaze, hungry for days gone by, and wishing she hadn't squandered them. More time. That's all she had wanted.

Suddenly, the stars began to fall.

ooc: You were making "Kisu" feel good about himself until Tuwawi called him average... in her thoughts ;) Your post made me sad!

Kisu's was slightly amused as the rust-colored female before him went through an array of emotions. Shock and awe that morphed into sadness. She seemed slightly--what was it?--disappointed? after focusing on him. Appearing distracted, the scar-faced (ehehe) she-wolf granted him to sit with her and admire the sky.

As he shifted to move forward, streaks smeared the sky and his mouth parted in wonderment. He slinked himself closer and sat beside her, golden eyes shimmering from the light of the moon.

A serene night sky as still as placid waters. Until it began to vomit chunks and streaks of yellow and white, like miserable oatmeal spew, their trails dribbling down the atmosphere's chin. As if wafting the putrid scent, the dust trails emanated from each particle.

With the sky in such a disgusting state, it was sure to attract onlookers. After all, it was not every day that one could make fun of the air above. Though he felt sure that younger saps would be marveling at the "wondrous beauty" it bestowed. If that was art nowadays, his last dump was even prettier.

His weight swayed like a pendulum as he rose from his make-shift den, and his feet carried him through the dark, his eyes well-adjusted to the scarce light. He'd come for the boobies and laughs, of course. He'd considered himself too bored to let this night slip into the peace and quiet.

Eventually, he arrived. There were two wolves, one male, one female, and both young. It was difficult to restrain a scoff as he saw their awkward timidity and bountiful expressions of glee at the sky. He could barf.

"Move aside, dumbo, you're in my seat.", he growled, his voice edged with the wrong side of the bed. "Why you bunch of starry-eyed chicklings staring at the sky? Waiting to drown like a dumb hen from the stars? If it ain't water, it ain't no good. Ain't you ever seen no sky?", he attempted to sit between the two, aiming to sit on top of Kisu as much as possible. "What, you hanging around in hopes of a three-some? Get lost, kid.", he gestured a 'shoo' with one paw.

He attempted to slip the other paw around the female. "There, there, little miss. No need to admire such petty sights. I'll show you my prostate if you ask nice enough.", even he wasn't sure what that really meant. "Your chests are your loveliest feature."

Sorry for the delay!

Thrilling, beautiful, and dangerous were perfect words to describe the sky's cascading lights. Gossamer tails of dust trailed the falling stars, before they disappeared into the dawn kissed horizon forever. Tuwawi's mind turned to a darker place, where her memory was laced with misery and regret. She sighed as she gazed, unblinking, out onto the valley and wondered why, exactly, she had been placed on this wretched piece of dirt in the first place.

The male's footsteps were nearly silent as he moved and sat beside her, watching the heavens with just as much attention. However, she was impartial now, mood spoiled by Njal's vivid face. Perhaps it was mean, or perhaps selfish, for Tuwawi to place so much of her past on this stranger... but she did not care — it was cathartic. Eventually her almond eyes stole a glimpse of the light moving through his hair, and the scars that rippled across his face. Her jaw clenched as her hair raised, not knowing if she should detest or forgive him.

But suddenly, the rotten stench of halitosis was on the air as an old wolf roughly sidled in between Tuwawi and the male, making himself known with his crude voice. Why you bunch of starry-eyed chicklings staring at the sky? Waiting to drown like a dumb hen from the stars? If it ain't water, it ain't no good. Ain't you ever seen no sky? He croaked obnoxiously before sliding a white shriveled paw around her own. Her skin crawled at his touch, immediately repulsed. "Yo... grandpa..." her voice trembled with restrained anger as red ears twitched violently, why don't you go find a different cliff."

Tuwawi did not have a very good sense of humor. Quickly, she looked to the male. If worse came to worse... they could always just throw him off this one.

As the sky fell and left light trailing through the night, Kisu sighed contentedly. Sitting with another wolf on friendly terms was somewhat relaxing. The comfort melted away, though, as he heard a crackly-voiced old fossil of a wolf appeared behind them without announcing himself--not only that, but he basically shoved Kisu away while making derogatory comments toward the female. She seemed to fight the urge to attack him while telling him to leave with a biting tone. Kisu did not like to fight, but that did not mean that he wasn't frighteningly awesome at it.

Sighing, his brow twitched in annoyance. "Alright, gramps. You made your perverted point. Paws off of her." He craned his neck toward the red female. "Should we get out of here? Show seems to be ending, anyway. I am sure anywhere else would smell better." He smirked at his last comment while backing down the ledge, away from the male. Kisu really did mean that last comment. He had been fighting off the urge to gag. Eyes staying on the female, he waited for a response.