Hymnal was slowly losing the look of a child. She resembled a young woman more and more every day. Along with these outside changes, she had also started to change on the inside. Her feelings were more intense and her wants and needs were different. She wanted to explore and meet other wolves her age. She wanted to see the ocean. She was growing restless.
But for now, she stayed within the safety of her home, trying to find other things to keep her occupied.
Today, her attention had been drawn to a pretty, yellow flower that had sprouted up from the ground. It was still cold most days, but spring still managed to show itself. She lowered her nose a drew in the scent; it was nice a calming. She wanted to smell that way. Hymnal reached down and plucked the flower from the ground by the stem. She wanted to wear it but she wasn't sure how.
teya was beginning to sicken and change.
by now her mind was avoiding what it might have meant.
she and reyes enjoyed their physical selves often together, loving through afternoons or long mornings. and so she could not properly ascertain whether or not —
hymnal, ahead. the raven was grateful for the distraction. "pretty," she remarked of the flower the girl held.
and yes, she was a girl still, but teya saw how she had grown, puppyfat and fuzz falling away to reveal the long elegant lines of a growing young woman. "how you today, hymnal?"
Hymnal dropped the flower, immediately forgetting about it. Teya!
she greeted as she trotted over to her. I am bored, Teya,
she said, wistful and dramatic. I want to see the ocean.
She didn't think anyone could accompany her right now, and so she was left to daydream and thirst for adventure that was just out of reach.
Have you seen the ocean, Teya?
she asked. Maybe a story would make her feel better.
teya hummed to herself. "have been to northern mountains but not farther." her ears cupped toward hymnal. "what you think ocean is like?" the raven asked, encouraging the girl to speak her imagination. "if bored, maybe you and i go explore cave i find in middle of caldera?" she suggested.
there was light in her eyes; she leant forward to nudge the girl gently.
Teya had only been to the mountains north of here, wherever that was. But she had seen mountains—they practically lived in them. She wanted to see the ocean.
Exciting,
was her first answer about the sea. I've never seen that much water before. I bet it would be fun to swim in.
She wondered what kind of wolves lived next to the sea; Hymnal liked to imagine that they were brave and strong.
Her aunt mentioned a cave she had found and Hymnal's eyes brightened too. Okay!
she excitedly agreed, her tail waving behind her. Let's go!
she looked to Teya and waited for her to lead the way.
belatedly she recalled she had been to sapphique of all places, and wondered why the thought had not come to her before. "salty. big. i actually did go with reyes to visit family. but i not go down to the sea." the scent of brine and sand remained with her even now.
the aforementioned cave was nestled among evergreen trees and a tall pile of boulders. the scent was not so stale, though predators had not made the cavern their lair.
teya padded over the threshold and looked back for hymnal with a swing of her tail. the path was littered with small pebbles and leaf litter, though these cleared the deeper into the cave that the pair went. ahead, the trail diverged in two directions. "which one?" she whispered to her niece.
Teya described the ocean as salty and big; as vague as that was it only added to her yearning for the place. Do you think you can swim in the ocean?
she asked.
The cave itself was wondrous enough on its own without the pebbles on the floor and the two directions for them to go. Aunt Teya left the decision up to her and the blackthorn girl studied each path closely.
Ummm...that way,
she finally answered, pointing to the path on the left. Let's see where that goes.
This was definitely exciting enough to distract her from the ocean for now.
she laughed. "i think i can! but i think i would be covered in salt after!" she pulled a face for hymnal's amusement and then nodded at the other's direction. "this way," she murmured, padding alongside her niece down the lefthand shaft.
it would eventually empty into a small, almost perfectly round room. the air was fresher here, fed by some mysterious earthen system.
but what truly resounded with the raven was the thousands of glittering amethysts studding every square inch of floor as well as wall. "wow," she breathed. "how long you think this been here?"
Hymnal beamed up at Teya. That doesn't sound so bad,
she commented, but then she never cared what she looked like. Now she was even more curious about the sea and it's salty water.
They followed the path to the left and were taken to some kind of cave within the cave. Only this place was brighter and less stuffy than the tunnel had been. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the purple sparkles in the floor.
They're the prettiest thing I've ever seen,
Hymnal said as she trotted out into the opening. I don't know,
she answered. I bet a long time. Maybe a princess lived here.
She started thinking of a story about this princess and how she lived here among the purple jewels.
teya smiled and trotted after hymnal. she too spent some time admiring the jeweled space. "you should name it." she grinned at the girl and investigated a little shadow off to the right, which turned out to be another, narrower path.
however, this one was completely unlit and the raven decided that the dangers of the space might be too great for only two of them. it was not beasts she feared, only perhaps getting stuck and unable to return to the outside world.
Me?
Hymnal asked. She should name this place? What if what she picked was dumb or didn't do it justice? She thought deeply about it, not wanting to mess this up.
The gems were so sparkly, they reminded her of the stars in the sky. She thought back to
the story her mother had told her about the star wolves. Her eyes widened.
What about the star cave?
she suggested.
Oh, or the cavern of stars?
she quickly added.
The sparkles remind me of the stars,
Hymnal added quickly, just in case Teya didn't understand why she chose that name.
teya nodded happily. "i like both names," she hummed. "star cave is good and short. cavern of stars sound mysterious," she said with a conspiratorial wink. "we keep both, maybe?" she suggested to hymnal.
"the sparkles a lot like stars. do you know constellations?" she asked on a whim, examining a belt of gems that looked a little like orion.
A cave with two names?
she asked. That's perfect.
When Teya mentioned constellations, her face brightened with interest. No, aunt Teya, what are those?
she asked. She loved the stars ever since the day mama had taken her high up on the mountain to look at them.
"they stars. well, shapes in stars. you can see them in sky. and you can see them here." she gestured to the image she saw.
"this like constellation called orion. he was hunter. this represents who he was."
and another. "ursa major. the big bear." she grinned. "maybe you and i stargaze one night?"
Hymnal looked over each shape her Aunt pointed out, her eyes wide with interest. She didn't know the stars made shapes, too. They were easily becoming one of her favorite things to learn about.
Teya mentioned that they could stargaze some time, and Hymnal nodded.
I would love to do that Aunt Teya,
she answered. Really she loved doing anything with her aunt, but this combined two things she liked, and she was looking forward to it.
wrap up here?