ruo couldn't find anything she liked about neverwinter. she knew they were allies, but she couldn't fathom why they would stay at this dense forest. it was hard to see any sunlight breach through, and she longed for the open-air, to see the sky.
sometimes she could find a peek through, but it was hard. she spend the day looking with a suitable spot, huojin following along before he got bored and probably went to find his father; so she wandered through alone.
then she found it, her little spot. similar to her pride rock, but the boulder was far smaller, but enough where the sky shined down, and she could clearly see the beautiful scars. it took the whole day, and now nightfall shined through, and she peered into the sky with a longing.
Luli, too, longed for a taste of the familiar salt tang in the air.
They'd been cooped up in this grim, dark forest for fast approaching a month and, while Luli was far less adventurous than her much bolder siblings, she was beginning to venture a little further outwith her comfort zone. She padded carefully through the woods in no particular direction, feeling her heart skip at every rustle and every shadow, but not nearly as fearful of being alone as she had been previously.
Thought it'd taken Luli several weeks to acclimatise to a whole new environment, she pushed herself to be a little braver each day. On this occasion, she dared herself to explore the world at night. She sniffed her way around when she picked up the scent of a pack-mate, and opted to follow. A proud owl hooted somewhere not far off and she crouched low for a moment, then pressed onward hesitantly.
Ruò. As lovely as her own dam, with a softness only a mother could possess. Luli had never been particularly close to the adults out with her immediate circle of parent and sitter, but she knew enough of them to welcome their presence above any of the forest wolves. She stood looking up into the midnight sky and, curious, the rosy pup sidled up alongside the boulder to tilt her head back and search for whatever might be of interest up there.
ruo looked down to see yet another kid. this one smelled like hua, and assumed to be another daughter. though she was splotchy, and odd combination within a coat that she had no seen before. wolves have spots? she was being quite obvious on staring at luli for quite some time before speaking of anything.
"you interested in stars?"
Ruó, made alert by the arrival of another, dipped her muzzle to look upon her. At first, Luli offered a timid smile and a shy wag of her tail, but the she-wolf's stare lingered a little longer than she liked. She felt her mouth dry and swallowed, suddenly nervous.
The adult did not provide any explanation regarding the length of her stare, choosing instead to turn attention once more to the night sky. She asked in their mother tongue if she was interested in stars, but Luli's focus remained primarily with her own uncertainty that her response came clumsily: "嗯是的."
Her tongue flicked over her upper lip, and the girl shifted her weight uncomfortably.
"what do you know?" she wondered how much her cousin has taught her daughters so. quite a few of them seemed interested, but she didn't know their extent. ruo didn't mind sharing her own tales toward them, but wouldn't force the topic.
seemed a little more gentle then she was to her own son, but at least he too, took an interest to the stars.
but not water.
damn shame.
If she were to be truthful, Luli would tell the she-wolf that her knowledge of the night sky was minimal. The koi looked to it only to seek its attractive navy hues, find quiet wonder in its tiny dots of pale light that twinkled far away. She carried no skill in mapping its stars or identifying its constellations, nor would she be able to use them as a means of finding her way home as a more seasoned creature might.
Luli did not linger for long in Ruó's company. After a short exchange of words, mostly on the adult's behalf, the littlest of Yuèlóng's daughters politely took her leave.