Whitefish River serendipity

Seal understood the appeal of traveling now. Limitless opportunities! New adventures! Sights to see! People to meet!

She wasn’t quite ready to circle back to Moonspear just yet, but she did send a howl to @Sialuk and @Alaric to let them know she’d be away a while longer.

Just exploring, her message intoned, I’ll keep an eye out for Maggak and Acrux!

From the Bay, Seal followed the shoreline until she saw Silvertip Mountain’s peak. From there, she cut inland until she reached a wide, fast-moving river.

How do I cross it? Seal pondered.

Frolic scrubbed herself in the cold waters of the river. The stink of blood lingered, though it had been days—maybe even weeks—and this was hardly her first bath. More like your forty-third, her inner voice admonished, earning a grunt as she waded out of the water, her movements rife with agitation.

There was nothing to do but keep moving. She was nearly home now, though Frolic worried whether she should return there. She’d told the ridge wolves she was looking for Raveon’s attacker. What if they’d figured out the truth? What if they came looking for her? She’d done it for them, though Frolic was still guilty of a terrible crime. Would they make her answer for it?

She needed to wash herself again. Frolic came to a halt on the riverbank, splashing into the shallows without paying much attention to the current until it tried to sweep her legs out from underneath her. She braced them, though she pictured herself being carried away, dragged down by the undertow. Drowning.

Frolic blinked that image from her mind’s eye and shifted her gaze, her actual eyes suddenly fixing on a familiar face on the far shore.

Seal watched the rushing water reluctantly. Despite her name, she was only an average swimmer at best, and the girl doubted her agility to forge the wide river.

Perhaps she could find a slow section… or a place with rocks to cross…

She began to pick her way up the shore until the movement of another four-legged animal caught her eye.

At first, Seal mistook the distant figure for a doe or antelope. Its golden fur and dark points stood out against the water as it slipped into its wake. It was then that Seal recognized that face!

“Frolic?!” she shouted, astounded and full of glee.

Seal, Frolic whispered, her voice lost to the roar of the river.

But Seal’s cry reached her ears. Mindless as a sailor hearkening to a siren’s song, Frolic began wading across the river. When the water became too deep to touch the bottom, she began kicking her legs. Fortunately, she was a strong swimmer. The current swept her downstream, though her blackened snout remained always pointed at her friend.

She clambered ashore a little ways downriver, not even bothering to shake herself before she began running toward Seal on slightly quivery legs. Water poured off her skinny frame as she raced to close the distance, so unbelievably happy to see her friend after all this time.

Frolic wanted to fling herself at Seal, pull her into a hug. It wasn’t her soaking wet pelt that stopped her but an overwhelming sense of guilt. And she didn’t want to touch her friend with her filthy paws. There was blood on them. Maybe it wasn’t visible. But it was there.

Told you I’d be back, she said a little breathlessly, managing a smile as she hovered a foot away.

Seal gasped when Frolic, without an ounce of inhibition, began to forge the river. Though it was perfectly on-brand for her daring friend, it didn’t stop the girl’s heart from leaping when the fast-moving waters pulled Frolic downstream.

Seal cantered and followed the bank, eyes locked with Frolic’s.

When the Brecheliant girl emerged sopping wet, Seal skidded to a halt.

Told you I’d be back, her cavalier friend said in an effortlessly cool way.

“Tch,” Seal scoffed with a burst of air through her teeth. “What’re you doing, ye doo-lally!” she nervous-laughed in a faux, scolding tone. Then, she threw herself at Frolic wanting nothing but to wrap her arms around her best friend. “I missed you!” Seal cried as happy tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

She didn’t deserve the affection in Seal’s eyes, nor the hug she supposed had been inevitable. Frolic hesitated only briefly before wrapping her swarthy forelegs around her friend’s slim shoulder blades and squeezing her tightly. The scolding actually made her laugh, if a little thickly.

With a trace of alarm, her inner voice reminded her to, Act normal. Frolic supposed some change was normal after her travels, though she knew she couldn’t behave suspiciously—that is, guiltily—lest Seal cotton on to her true nature. She bit at her lip at the thought, slowly pulling out of the embrace.

It was hard to look her friend in the eye, though Frolic made herself do it. And though there was guilt, there was also relief in the fondness she saw on Seal’s face. Of course, her friend didn’t know what she’d done—and she hopefully never would—but, well, the feeling was absolutely, painfully mutual.

Me too, she said, huffing a little laugh before clarifying, I missed you too. What have I missed? Tell me everything.

If she had her way, she would keep the spotlight on Seal. She knew her friend would surely inquire about her travels at some point. And there were stories that were safe to tell. But Frolic didn’t just want to avoid talking about her recent past. She was also truly invested in the goings-on in her dear friend’s life these past six months.

“Okay,” Seal agreed with a happy-sniffle. “But first, let’s get you dried off.” Frolic, small as she was, looked like a mini toothpick when waterlogged!

Seal led them to a rest area. Though the land West of the river was mostly open plains, Seal had passed a small group of young trees poking out of some flat rock. It would be a perfect spot for a break.

She made small talk until Frolic had settled. Then, she dove into a recap.

How, after the hunt on Hoshor Plains, Seal traveled to Brecheliant.

She studied the stars with Teya and medicine with Bridget. She explained the concept of invisible, emotional hurt… “I thought I always wanted tae become a midwife,” Seal explained. “But now I’m not so sure…”

Ponyboy had returned.

Acrux had been attacked by her cousin, Anathema.

How Acrux and Maggak had, seemingly, dispersed overnight at a young age.

How her mother delivered two new siblings in Sun Mote Copse – Otter and Stingray. Chikadee, Sialuk, and Elentari had given birth, as well.

How Ajei had become a woman, following her long hunting run: the kinaalda.

How she had returned to Moonspear, and now traveled between the Moon Villages to reacquaint herself. “I feel a bit… I dunno… nae lost, but… misplaced” Seal struggled to find the right words to describe her place among the packs.

She paused and measured Frolic’s reaction as her friend digested all the news.

Seal insisted Frolic dry off before they sat down to catch up. She blinked down at herself, then looked to her friend with a fleeting smile. She said nothing, just fell into step as the other girl led her away from the river toward a flat bed of rock shaded by a few sparse trees.

She didn’t particularly care about her pelt, though she began wringing out the moisture and smoothing the furs with her tongue. One ear remained always perked toward Seal. Despite herself, Frolic reveled in her friend’s dulcet tones.

She only went through the motions long enough to satisfy her friend before stretching out on the warm stone. Frolic focused more fully on Seal as she regaled her with the ups and downs during their time apart. Some things stood out more than others, like the mention of their mutual friend.

But it was Seal’s own stint with Brecheliant that prompted Frolic to say, I can’t believe you went to live there as soon as I left. I know it wasn’t planned, she acknowledged with a small, reassuring smile, but that timing…

What if she hadn’t left at all? What if she’d stayed a little longer, enjoying passing the days with Seal? Frolic had had many wonderful adventures before Fisher’s Ridge, though it now overshadowed them all. She felt such regret welling in her heart.

Lest tears well up too, she focused on Seal’s final declaration and said, You’ll find your path, Seal. You’re too amazing not to.

Even as she spoke the words, dark eyes trained on those familiar freckled features, Frolic felt a familiar, aching urge to touch Seal’s face. With her paw. Better yet, her lips. The notion did not really surprise her. As she’d grown more worldly, she’d begun to realize the nature of her feelings toward her childhood friend.

She didn’t dare let on to these feelings, letting her eyes drop as she tried to redirect her thoughts. Soon Seal would press her for her stories. Frolic must ponder that rather than how she could never risk telling Seal, not simply because of their friendship—reason enough on its own—but because of the ugly black blemish on Frolic’s own spirit.

“I know,” Seal agreed with an exasperated sigh when Frolic pointed out the irony of her timely arrival at Brecheliant. “The pack wasnae the same without you there,” she added, as if to remind Frolic of her importance as an individual.

Seal couldn’t place a paw on it, but something felt off with her friend. Perhaps Frolic was simply tired from her long journey.

“Maybe the spirit’s meant for me tae watch over your family while you were gone,” Seal encouraged… as if to allude that their actions were preordained. Meant to be.

Then, the girl saw the shift in her friend’s focus. “Thanks, Frolic,” Seal replied. It dawned on her that Frolic was always the one who bore the burden of listening to Seal’s uncertainty in life. She sucked in a breath and really took the words to heart.

Suddenly, there was a fleeting moment… of… something… and then Frolic’s gaze broke away.

“What about you, hmm? I want tae hear all about your travels!” Seal asked, as if to change the subject to focus on Frolic’s adventures, unaware it was the source of the Blackthorn’s worries.

The first thing I should tell you is that traveling is overrated, Frolic began when prompted, her tone cavalier but something on her face indicating the sincerity of her words. With that said…

She cleared her throat, took a breath and began talking about those early days, when everything had been rosy. Frolic had met many people, seen many places, learned many a new thing. All were shared candidly with her friend, up to a point.

The last place I stayed was called Fisher’s Ridge. I wasn’t there long before I decided to come home, she concluded, saying little about that particular village. I haven’t been there yet—home, I mean. But that’s alright. I’m glad I ran into you first.

She felt a strange ache as she regarded her friend. Frolic spoke the truth. She wished she could stay here for ages, just chewing the fat with her best and oldest friend. But her own actions had made that impossible. She shouldn’t linger here long, putting Seal in danger, not only from others but maybe even Frolic herself.

I wish I could stay longer, she said after drawing in another big breath, but I should probably get going. I don’t know what my plans are beyond seeing my family, though I can let you know if you tell me where to find you.

Frolic had kept her original promise to come back. This one, she wasn’t sure she would be able to keep. Guilt stuck in her throat like a wad of meat.

Seal settled down beside Frolic when her friend recited the tales of her travels. A colorful picture was painted of all the sights and strangers. Despite Frolic asserting otherwise, Seal thought it was all very novel, exciting, and not overrated at all! Perhaps that’s why the dispersal bug had bit Seal, even though she had just returned home to Moonspear.

When the chapter turned to feature Fisher’s Ridge, Frolic performed her sleight-of-hand storytelling well. Seal was none the wiser regarding the experiences Frolic dared not touch on.

But she was surprised to hear Frolic didn’t plan to hang around the lowlands… “You’re no staying?” she said, accidentally letting her disappointment slip through. It wasn’t in her friend’s character to sit still for long… but Seal had been so happy to be reunited that her heart felt a little crushed to imagine many more moons without her bestie next door.

At the same time, Seal did not want to be a debbie downer and make Frolic feel guilty for fulfilling her explorer’s heart. “Truth is, I was trying tae cross this river,” she laughed sheepishly, “tae have a wee adventure of my own. But… I ken my place is with family, so now I think I’ll be heading tae Sun Mote Copse. I’ve got a lot tae teach Otter and Skipjack! They gotta remember their big sister's in charge!” She said, trying to inject optimism back into the tone of their conversation.

I can’t, was her knee-jerk reaction to Seal’s plaintive query, though out loud, she only said, I’m not sure what my plan is yet, which was true enough, she supposed.

She tried to swallow the guilt that felt like it was strangling her. She managed, though it sat in her belly and chewed away at her with sharp teeth. How she wished she could accompany Seal, prancing arm-in-arm to deliver her to the copse, all fancy-free like the days of yore. But that wasn’t who she was anymore. Had she ever really been that person?

I hope you enjoy your time with your family. I’ll swing by and call for you, Frolic said, hoping she could manage that much, once I figure out my ish.

She said this much more lightly than she really felt, pausing for a beat before flinging herself at Seal. It felt so right and so wrong as she hugged her friend with all her might. This could be the last time she would ever do it. It should be, for Seal’s sake. She deserved better friends than the likes of Frolic…

Take care of yourself, friendmine, Frolic muttered, low and vehement, against the other woman’s ear.

She then pulled away and turned, galloping away along the riverbed. Frolic knew her sudden departure would surprise and possibly hurt Seal, though it was for the best. She wanted to look back but didn’t dare, particularly as tears began to blur her vision.

Seal bit her tongue when Frolic showed no sign of changing plans. For a moment, she weighed the words in her heart. Stay! Seal wanted to urge her friend… but before the sentiments could materialize into words, Frolic had already moved the conversation on.

“O-okay,” Seal half-heatedly agreed as she played catch-up with the idea that they would be parted again so soon. In a blink, Frolic’s arms were around her in a parting hug. Seal felt the firmness in her embrace and heard the insistence in Frolic’s voice.

“You too,” Seal barely had the time to utter before Frolic wheeled away without looking back.

Seal was shocked. Confused. Then, she felt fear. And hurt. There was a subtext to their meeting that the young woman couldn’t quite identify. What was this new feeling? Was it abandonment?

“I’ll miss you…” she said to herself when Frolic’s sunny pelt disappeared from view. She had to trust that, in time, Frolic would be true to her words and they would be reunited again.