The Bracken Woods light my way

Firefly had always been a little different. Among his pack, wolves were expected to be strong, calm, and steady like the towering oak trees that dotted their forest. But Firefly, with his bright red-brown coat and a heart that burned with energy, was more like the flickering fireflies that danced on warm summer evenings. He couldn’t help but chase after every new sight, sound, or smell—his curiosity often leading him into trouble.

But today was different. Today, the tradition he’d been raised with was calling him forward. The sun had just begun to set and Firefly had stood at the entrance to the forest. His heart raced with excitement, but there was also a knot of fear in his chest. It was the day of his Journey of the Second Winter—the day he would leave the pack and set off on his own.

The elders had gathered to give him their blessings, their voices steady and full of wisdom, but Firefly barely heard them over the thundering of his own pulse. His parents stood close by, their eyes filled with pride and sadness, the same emotions mirrored in his own chest. He had always been the youngest, the one who had a million questions, the one who never quite fit in the way the older wolves did. But now, the time had come to prove himself.

"You’ve learned everything we could teach you, Firefly," his mother had said, the nickname she gave him because of his bright, restless energy. "Now it’s time to find your path, your story, and let the world shape you."

And so, with a final, lingering glance at his pack, Firefly turned and padded away from the pack. The sun dipped below the horizon as he trotted through the forest, leaving the familiar behind. The forest was alive with the sounds of night creatures—crickets, rustling leaves, the distant howl of another pack—but Firefly felt strangely alone. The weight of the world was suddenly heavier than he had imagined.

They were camped at the edge of the great bracken woods, for now. Soon, they would continue their quest; Atlas was brimming with scarcely unbridled enthusiasm. As exhausted as she was, Morticia did truly enjoy seeing her husband in his element of conquest. It eased her misgivings (most of them, anyway).

But she needed some time to herself. I'm going hunting, love, she told Atlas, giving him a nuzzle to his cheek. I will be be back soon, promise.

@Saede would likely follow, though Morticia preferred she did not. That said, she yearned desperately to kill something, and perhaps the sight of her mistress tearing savagely into flesh and bone would warn the girl against any inclination toward subterfuge or betrayal.

With a sigh, the golden woman pressed back into the thicket, looking for squirrels. What she eventually found instead was a man with light agouti fur, wearing his youth like a glaring halo 'round his pretty head.

Hello, Morticia greeted him, one corner of her mouth turning up in a half-smile. Looking for something?

He was the runt of his litter, always playing catch up to his litter mates, and yet when the rabid beast tore through their pack, he was the sole male survivor of his siblings. Responsibility now shifting to him, there was always a struggle to accept which presented him with two options, return to the drudgery and mundane life of his birth pack following his expedition or let his curiosity discover the world beyond. Firefly had chosen the latter.

With his snout up against the bark of a tree, his eyes intent on trying to comprehend the bug that begun burrow into the bark, he had lack awareness of his surroundings, making the voice give him a fright.

Ears perked high and his tail curling slightly between his hind quarters, Firefly turned to face the owner of the voice, "Oh, I uh I just saw a bug do something I had never seen other bugs do."

The princess gave him a bland look in reply, brows slightly lifted. Bugs did not interest her. Not in the least. 

The boy, though. . .

And do bugs bring you to these parts? Morticia replied, voice dry as desert air. Or are you in search of something more. . .compelling?

A young man distracted by insects could be a valuable addition to the cause, she thought. A growing brain was easily molded. And she had seen her husband work seeming miracles among those much more headstrong than this lad.

He let out a small gulp as he looked at the sound in embarassment and replied sheepishly, "I find a lot of things interesting not just bugs like why can't the moon and the sun both be in the sky at the same time or why some plants can make me itch." Firefly lacked the ability of a poker face, his face incredibly expressive that anyone looking upon him could see the embarrassment of the last portion of his statement, a memory he was not fond of.

"Apologies m'am I have been told I ramble too much. I am not really in quest of anything just going wherever the wind blows me."

Like a moth to a flame, Saede is guided to her lady. But she’d half a mind to be scorched in the heat.

Twilight drew Morticia from camp, and so too did it rouse her bleary handmaiden. She'd follow the tracks the princess laid, further back enough to conceal herself from that striking emerald gaze, but close enough so her other senses may alert her to the girl’s presence.

And if Saede went unnoticed before, she'd make herself known eventually. The lady’s trail came to a stop, and she hesitated for a moment. The sound of an unfamiliar bent her ear, and it did not take long for her curiosity to get the best of her. She indeed had half a mind.

Saede quietly made her way to Morticia’s side, and did her best to avoid her eyes. Instead she’d train her focus on the stranger; a young man, certainly no older than she. He let his tongue wander, chattering on about mundane things, Bugs and the moon and sun. And he could've kept his affliction with certain plants to himself, surely. Saede attempted to hide her small, amused grin beneath a bow.

"I've been told I ramble too much." Well, at least he had some sense of self-awareness. Despite herself, Morticia continued to smile, amused by his carrying on.

Are you—

Before she could continue, that damned maidservant appeared, like she knew she would. Morticia turned to Saede with a look of annoyance, then returned her attention to the young man, tilting her head ever so slightly.

I'd like you to come meet my husband, she offered. He's a very powerful man. Whatever it is you seek, or want—he can make those wishes reality.

She glanced at the girl beside her. Isn't that so, Saede? Morticia prompted, waiting for the girl to speak up in affirmation.

Firefly's ears perked up at Morticia’s words, his amber eyes widening with a mix of awe and apprehension. He shifted on his paws, glancing briefly at Saede before his gaze was drawn back to the imposing woman in front of him. "Your husband?" he echoed, his voice light with curiosity, though a nervous edge crept in. "I—I mean, if he’s as powerful as you say, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to meet him." 

He paused, his tail twitching uncertainly behind him. "I don’t really... *want* much, though. Not like most people, I think. Just a place where I can be useful, maybe. Somewhere I belong." He gave an awkward chuckle, lowering his gaze to the ground. "That probably sounds silly to someone like you." 

Firefly glanced at Saede again, seeking reassurance but finding himself unsure of her unreadable expression. He shifted his weight, his youthful naivety shining through as he looked back to Morticia. 

"If he can make wishes come true, then..." He hesitated, his voice faltering as doubt seeped in. "Do you think he could help me figure out what I’m meant to do? Or who I’m supposed to be?" 

The question lingered in the air, soft but earnest, as if he was unaware of the gravity of what he had just asked.