Blue gamboled about in the meadow near the plateau. Her heart light and carefree. She was so excited that Atticus was awake, she just couldn't even take it. There was some stuff that would need worked on, and based on his reactions the other day. He would probably need to relearn some things, but that was okay with her she was willing to teach. She wouldn't need to worry about Lasher/Perry/Fox and the potential fight that would ensue, not realizing that they had already spoken to each other and it had not ended well. She had always known what Fox would say, because she knew the selfish heart that beat beneath the youths chest. And it was her right to say no. So she had not even really thought or tried not to think about it too much.
She rolled once more in the sweet smelling grass, that crinkled beneath her as it began to die. Autumn was now upon them. She sniffed out some herbs to add to her stores, and she would take some game back as well, but for right now she merely wanted to play and let her heart beat with the happiness that came to her.
The news that Atticus had awoken had traveled fast. It was truly a miracle, when there had been so many (Osprey included), who hadn't harbored any hope at all. It was not because she didn't wish her brother well - she had assumed this as a matter of protecting herself from pain, in case her brother really perished. Sometimes it was better to expect the worst and be proved wrong. Because then the happiness was overwhelming and pure.
It was Blue willow she had wanted to seek out and it didn't take long to find the healer. Her happiness was almost radiating and it drew people in. She observed her friend, who was frolicking in the grass like a little kid, and smiled to herself, thanking, whoever was up there, for granting the healer a wish she had deserved so much. Eventually Osprey stepped out in the open and approached the girl smiling: "I see that someone is having a good time here. Mind if I join?"
Blue knew very well, that she had been almost the only one to hold onto the hope that Atticus would be fine. And she was okay with this, after all it was her job to help heal and then to hope and pray like a mad wolf that it was enough. She did not blame those who had no hope, because after all it would hurt if he had not pulled through and it would have hurt worse if one was flying high on hope, only to find it not enough. However, it was a price she was willing to pay for her family, have the hope for all of them and suffer for it if in the end it didn't work out.
Blue Willow felt eyes on her before she heard a voice and she looked up into her friends eyes. HI Osprey! Of course you can, it's a good day! She bent her front down in a play bow, offering her friend the chance to play.
It was funny to see the always serious Willow so relaxed and easy, and Osprey, who hadn't played in a long while, replied to the offer with a play bow of her own and a wagging tail. Her lips pulled back, revealing her teeth and she let out a growl, which escalated to shrill bark-howl. She closed the distance between them, hit the ground with her forepaws and then retreated quickly, enticing the other wolf to chase her.
Blue Willow returned the growl and bark in turn, and backed up as her friend tapped the ground in front of her. With a small playful growl she surged forward snapping her teeth at her friends muzzle, but far enough back that she did not get her. With a small laugh she gave her a wide berth and tugged on her tail. Tail wagging she barked again and lifting her paws high in the air ran side to side and all around, making a circle around Osprey.
ooc: I am sorry for the delay!
Blue willow was quicker than Osprey had expected. She missed to catch her friend, when she tugged her tail, and all too soon it proved to be impossible to follow her track. Therefore, rather than engaging in a mad dash, Osprey decided to be sly. She lied down, put her head between her paws and, while her tail was still wagging, she pretended to be totally uninterested in all chasing business.
ooc: not at all
Blue saw the obvious uninterest, so she stopped gamboling all around. Instead she strode forward and nudged her friends head a small happy whine coming forth from her maw. She tapped her friends paw and retreated into another play baw and barked again, joyful and carefree at the moment.
Osprey had reached the goal she had aimed for. The moment Blue was standing in a leaping-distance from her, the young wolf got to her feet and "attacked" her playmate, embracing her neck with her forepaws and attempting to gnaw on Blue willow's ears. At the same time she was putting all her weight to bring the other she-wolf on the ground.
Because Blue was not ready for it, she fell to the ground in a heap, laughter on her face. She nipped playfully at her friends neck and shoulders, trying to wrestle herself out from under her. She wiggled and moved trying to shift Osprey to the bottom.
Osprey's plan worked and as Blue Willow's body hit the ground with hers atop of it, she felt a little smug for her achievement. While she had always been the quickest among her siblings, she had never been good at gaining the upper hand in playfights. Those few times she actually did, didn't count, because boys had done it out of mercy and courtesy for her. And to a proud girl, who had wanted to prove that she was just as good as any boy at that time, this was a totally low blow.
Despite Blue's efforts to free herself, Osprey wasn't going to give up that easily - she tried to maintain her balance and at the same time grabbed the loose fur around the other's neck in her teeth and, while playfully growling, she tugged at it lightly.
Blue Willow struggled for a few moments in pure fun, bucking upwards to try and dislodge Osprey, but it didn't work. So laughing she tried her hand at grabbing one of Osprey's ears and wrestling with her paws around the others front legs. She play growled and laughed, which quite honestly made it very hard to gain any ground.
This was by far the most enjoyment she had in some time.
Osprey put up some effort to maintain her stance, but, when Willow's paws wrapped around hers, she let herself fall in a heap on her friend and then quickly rolled off her. She remained lying on her back, her paws pulled to her body, muzzle smiling and tongue lolling out of the corner of her mouth, while a spark full of joy flickered in her eyes.
"Geez - does this feel good," she said, turning her head slightly to eye her friend. "I mean - we are totally grown up and old adults - and look, how we behave," she burst out in a set of giggles. "They will never respect us now," she added just for the sake of saying. Not that it really mattered to her. Osprey had a lot of self-confidence and she didn't care, what the world thought about her, as long as she had fun living in it.
A small whumph came from Blue's maw, simply because she wasn't ready for her friend to land on her. She did not however stop laughing, she was having to much fun by far. She lay panting with her paws drawn up, laughing while she swished her tail back and forth across the dirt.
Blue chuckled and nodded in agreement. Well if they don't respect us, their just jealous cause we are having fun and their all sour puss's. Blue chuckled again and her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she panted slightly.
"You heard that?" Osprey said loudly to the invisible and imaginary audience around them. "WE DON'T CARE!!!" she yelled and her voice echoed in the forest - at that moment she fell silent and listened, how her words traveled through the trees and disappeared in the distance eventually. "Do you know, that you are my first girl friend?" she asked, turning her head to eye Blue willow. "I have been surrounded by rowdy boys all my life," of course, there had been sisters too - younger and older - but she didn't have very close relationship with them. "So yeah - that's sort of nice."
Blue chuckled and listened as Osprey's voice flew off and fell silent after it echoed among the trees. She perked her ears towards her as she spoke to her. You know you are my first girlfriend too and Peregrine, was my first friend every? I lived a very solitary life, the only friends i had were my parents. She grew quiet, but smiled all the same. She did not regret how she was raised, no and she was glad she made friends later in life, this way she knew they were true.
It was surprising that such a nice creature like Blue Willow had led a solitary life before and at the same time Osprey felt glad that she had the honor of being a "first friend" of somebody. "Do you know what?" she rolled on her stomach and turned her head to catch Willow's gaze. "This fact is worth celebrating," she had never done something like this, therefore her gaze wandered over the surroundings, while her mind looked for ideas. "We could make a secret oath! What do you think?"
Blue watched as Osprey turned towards her, excitement evident on her face. She chuckled and then she tilted her head in wonder. Well I've never made a secret oath? What does it entail? I'm game. It was not very often that Blue just did what she did on a whim, but she found she didn't really mind today and she would gladly do such a thing. It was a day of happiness right? So what could possibly go wrong.
"Hmmm..." Osprey had to think now - she revised most of the stories, where such a thing existed, but most of them were very serious and entailed a terrible curse, when it was broken. Did she want to have anything like that to exist between her and Willow? No. Not at all. Their friendship was something nice, pure and beautiful. It was a wonderful feeling to have a friend.
"Well... we could have some basic rules? Like - we promise to be honest to each other, no matter, how bad the truth is?" it was a good start. No tiptoeing around the problems. "Help and stay by each other's side as long as we live here?" she suggested.
Blue didn't much want anything incredibly horrific to happen to either one of them either. It was a welcome change to have a friend, something she had never had before. She understood now though, exactly why her mother did not allow her to make friends as they moved around all the time. The thought of parting was painful.
Blue smiled and nodded her head Very well. I Blue Willow promise you Osprey Redleaf-DiSarinno to always be honest with you no matter what, even if the words I utter are not kind. I promise to help you with everything and anything I can and I always promise to never leave if that should happen without saying goodbye. She amended the last part. Does that work? She hoped it was good enough for her good friend. SHe wanted nothing less of great, for this promise.
Blue willow said the right words in the right moment and Osprey had nothing else to do, but to agree. A broad and sincere smile appeared in her lips and she said: "I do promise the same - to stand by you in good and bad times, to be honest, even if the truth is not of the nice kind, and to never leave without saying goodbye." At that moment the young wolf didn't know, how very short would be Blue's happiness for Atticus' recovery and how very soon her promises would be tested. However, she realized that this was the second time in her life, when she was giving a very important promise and she was determined to make it work. No matter, how hard it would be.
ooc: maybe you can fade this out in your next post and we can have a new thread, where both of them discuss or go looking for Atticus?
Blue believed fully and completely in promises, so she did not take this lightly. She would make sure that there was no doubt in Osprey's mind or her own that she meant what she said. She smiled as Osprey continued with the same words as she. She dipped her muzzle in acceptance. Standing to her paws she shook her fur out of the dirt and spoke quietly I should be heading back to check on Atticus.