Moonspear As if they thought of rain

After a late night stargazing session with @Galaxy , Wraen was making her way down the rocky path to her den space in the woods at dawn. She was amazed by the vast knowledge the kid already possessed and felt a tiny prick of jealously, because she was nowhere near as good as her. She recounted all of the constellations she had been taught tonight, but after a while her sleepy mind drifted away only to wake up with a start, when she had almost tripped over a steep ledge. 

"Bejeezus..." Wraen muttered, observing, how tiny rocks rolled down the steep plane and disappeared somewhere down in the mist. Her first thought was - how horrible it would be to fall down. Her second thought - well, that was the shortest route. "Don't be silly," she told herself and then, trying her best to stay awake and alert, resumed her stroll down the longest path,

Charon was proud of his daughter's interest in the skies — he had always admired the night sky himself and he had noted that Galaxy possessed the healthy combination of her father's interest and her mother's thirst for knowledge. He was sure she'd grow up to be as amazing as her older sisters were. Charon had spent the remnants of night stargazing with @Vela, his little look-alike who was showing promise of becoming as great as himself already, and had left her at the rendezvous site where she'd gone to take a nap with her siblings. Galaxy was already asleep by then, as she had fallen right asleep by the time he and Vela'd arrived. He then made his way a bit further down the mountain, not feeling too tired yet and eager to take a quick patrol along the misty borders before sleep.

Every time that Wraen came into view Charon's heart still skipped a beat because she reminded him so much of Osprey. But every time it took less than a second to remind himself that she was Osprey's daughter and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, despite the fact that he was happy to have Wraen and Terance here in absence of the real thing; he couldn't have been happier they chose his pack. "Hey Wraen," Charon called out to her as he approached her on the rocky path from behind. "I hear you're settling in well."

"Oh, hey! Hi... good evening," Wraen sought for the right words, because Charon had caught her off-guard and in her half-asleep state it was difficult to form a coherent speech, let alone remember, how to greet the leader properly, in order to sound respectful, but not too formal either. 

"I am - thank you for asking," she replied, remembering that he had not really asked, rather stated a fact. Oh, well. "Galaxy was teaching me about stars," she went on. "She has a pretty extensive knowledge about them - you have been a very good teacher."

Wraen seemed caught off guard, or maybe she just hadn't been paying attention and was startled by his sudden appearance. He couldn't help but chuckle when she said that Galaxy had been teaching her. He'd heard the other way around, but maybe Galaxy didn't realise how well she had grown in reading the stars, thinking her student was actually a teacher because of adult status.

"That's good to hear," Charon said, clearly proud of his daughter's achievements. "She seems very interested in soaking up all the information she can. No wonder she can recite so much of it too." Charon had taken longer when he was younger to learn the stars and the constellations and such, going through many teachers, because he wouldn't remember everything right away and his attention was all over the place. He'd always wanted to know everything too, but he'd never bothered actively to remember it.

Wraen nodded in agreement. As a young pup she had also been like a little sponge, soaking up everything and anything around her, now that she had grown up and matured a little, the information-uptake process was more selective. But for her the world still seemed full of light and wonders, therefore her mind was always open for new ideas and learning. 

"If one is really passionate about something, it is not that difficult, I guess," she offered her view, comparing Galaxy's interest in cosmic bodies to her own love for legends, fairy-tales, stories and outright nonesense at times. "I wonder... when you were little..." she paused, looking for and rearranging the words to tell the idea that had come to her mind. "...did you want to be something else? That is... did you have dreams that did not come true... or you outgrew them?"

Charon nodded absently, though he didn't want to think his other children weren't passionate enough or that it was a bad thing not to be. Some wolves just weren't made to stuffing information in their brains, or at least it wasn't their strength. It sure wasn't his, but then, he also thought it boring now. He used to want to learn all the things when he was little and he had the benefits of it now that he was older and still remembered most of it, but he was more proud of the things he had done as a kid than what he had learned.

He blinked as Wraen asked her question about wanting to be something else than he had become in the end. Thinking back, Charon didn't really remember wanting to become anything — well, anything that actually made sense, anyway — and he was proud of what he had become and at what age. He shook his head, then said, "I don't remember wanting to be anything realistic, really. I was often busy because I helped my mother raise my little brothers from a young age. I became a leader pretty much before I became an adult so I guess I never thought of what I wanted or dreamed about. And where I am right now is where I belong, so there's nothing to regret, no dreams I had to give up." If any dreams, then probably they would've been to become right this, right here, had he had any time to think about it then.

"That makes a lot of sense," Wraen agreed, after listening carefully to Charon's answer and for a moment having a feeling that compared to him she was still very childish in her hopes that the way she lived now was not it. That there was still something great and amazing waiting her down the road. 

"I think you would get along with my sister Sarah," she said then, thinking, how she too had always been very serious and down to earth. How she had strived for leadership from early on, how she had very practical ambitions and had achieved them right after becoming one year old. How she probably was a big part of her younger sibling's life, while she - the younger one, the less ambitious and childish one - had was not there. It was a depressing thought and therefore Wraen shoved it back in the dark receses of her mind in order to feel sad at some other time. When there would be no one to see it. 

"Her story is similar to yours," she said, shrugging and then falling silent, because she had run out of serious topics to discuss with the leader.

Charon was surprised to find that their other sibling was much like he was; Osprey seemed a lot more like Wraen and Terance were. Of course, a moment later it dawned on him that Dante was in the mix somewhere there too. He'd never liked Dante, didn't now, either (though mostly because of the memories of poor feelings towards him and the fight they'd had rather than actual recent things that still weighed on his mind, really) but he supposed as he thought of it something could be said for the similarity between their personalities. For getting what they wanted and for being natural born leaders, or... whatever. Anyway, it was good one of Osprey's children was so successful, too.

"Does she run her own pack too?" he asked curiously, wondering if the answer was yes if it was also the same pack that Osprey and Dante were in. He wished he could just speak to Osprey again... He was glad to hear that she was still alive, but there was nothing quite like talking to a friend in person rather than from afar through their children.

"Sarah stepped up to the leader tier right after mom gave birth to my younger siblings," Wraen explained. While Osprey had done a good job being one of the two head wolves of the pack, she had seemed a lot more happier to spend time raising little kids and letting others make the big decisions. Though still she was the central figure of the whole family, binding everyone together and being a sort of a conductor, managing all the important stuff from within the ranks. 

"She has always been a very serious person and a natural-borne leader," she went on, trying to remember a time, when Sarah was not too mature and grown up for her age, and had actually been a normal, regular kid. "Perhaps, when and if dad ever retires - she will take over," though it was hard for her to imagine that somewhere behind that ambitious, businesslike and austere facade was an actual heart beating, that would care for romance, love and affection for another person. It seemed a lot more real that Sarah would take a mate, because she had to/that was expected and would have children for the very same reasons.

Charon wondered then if it had been Dante and Osprey leading the pack, as Wraen mentioned Sarah had stepped up when Osprey'd had more pups. He had always imagined they'd be regular members of some other pack somehow, not running their own. He nodded as Wraen told him more about Sarah. Charon didn't see that much of himself in the description, though he certainly saw a lot of Hydra in there. He was proud to call her his Beta and he knew that she would do well taking over Moonspear if the time would ever arise for it to be needed.

"A lot like my daughter Hydra, too," he shared with Wraen, though he supposed Hydra was also simply a lot like him.

"Yeah... they are the people, who are destined to do great things," Wraen agreed. Up until that moment she had not really thought of Hydra and Sarah having something in common, but the slight uneasiness she felt in either's presence was the same. And that explained a lot. Funny, how it was never mentioned, how the sidekicks or the little people in the stories, where great kings, leaders and heroes were the main characters, felt.

"I admire them and now and then I imagine, what would it be like to be in their shoes. You know - feel the respect and admiration of the followers, be the one to tell, who does what and how - and yet... I think it is wrong to want these things, if you don't like the "sweat", if you know, what I mean," Wraen contemplated.

Charon never really thought of how anyone else perceived life; he just did what he thought was right for himself and the ones he loved. He was proud of Hydra for being who she was, but he also loved his other daughters and was proud of the things they achieved. Yet for Charon such love was won only by the things you did — and was easily replaced if the wrong things were done — and that was part of why he was so happy with Hydra's achievements too.

Wraen was a stark contrast to his own thoughts and it offered him a view into someone else's a mind; a thing Charon didn't particularly like because it made things unnecessarily difficult. He rather preferred staying in his own world but it was too late now. "I don't think it's wrong to want anything, you just have to be prepared for let-down if you're not going to put in the work for it," he said, his voice not particularly fond but neither unfriendly. "You simply have to work for the things you want to achieve in life. There's no use daydreaming about how things might be different." It was very like one of Osprey's children to be like that, though. Still, Wraen worked hard on things too; they were just different things than the likes of Hydra or Sarah.

Though Wraen's and Charon's conversation flowed smoothly and they had covered quite deep subjects, she had a feeling that he was not particularly interested in her thoughts or ideas. It was not the first time, therefore she did not got offended or sad about it. It was in her nature to think matters through very thoroughly and she enjoyed, whenever there was a chance to discuss philosophical questions. At those rare times there was no end to, what Wraen had in mind to say, however an equally dedicated and interested companion was an even rarer occasion.

"I have heard that before," she said and nodded approvingly, though without adding that he had misunderstood her and that it was not like she was wasting her days daydreaming. Most of the time it was hard work, scouting, hunting and looking for food, then some self-defence lessons with Terance - often there was no time to dreaming, let alone letting one's mind wander too far. "And I promise to work hard," she added in all earnesty. "Hey - do you mind sharing a story about your father? I remember Osprey telling me that he was a warlord," she asked, meaning the man, who had been a foster-dad to the young Charon.

Wraen was a dreamer, much like Osprey. It was alright and he liked it for his children, who were allowed to be creative and let their fantasy roam. It helped them learn, but at some point they were just too old for that stuff and they no longer needed to busy themselves with it; they should stick to real things. But he knew Osprey'd been much the same as Wraen so he shrugged as she said she heard it before and that she worked hard, too. As long as she pulled her weight, she could be creative all she wanted — and pull his younger children along in the process.

It seemed very abrupt when Wraen asked him for a story of his father. He thought of his real father too, who'd died when... He didn't even remember. But of course he then thought of Ragnar, who'd been more of a father to him than his real father, even if there'd always been a certain distance from the strong viking, for he had also been, well, strong and tough. Thistle'd been much more like a parent to him than Ragnar, but maybe that also had to do with Ragnar's untimely death.

But one story stuck out. "When I was little, I was attacked once by a terrifying wolf who was a lot like a monster. Gleaming red eyes and all. I'd found a carcass that I was eating from when he demanded I hand it over. Just as I turned around Ragnar showed up, teeth bared and eyes blazing. He looked three times as big as I remember him when I think back, his fur all puffed up and ready to attack. He ran off the other wolf easily, only needed to give him a shifty look really." Hopefully the story was satisfactory.

"Wow..." Wraen was quick to add the visual scenes to the tale Charon had just told her and in her head the idea of Ragnar - the warlord - was being something pretty huge (bigger than an average wolf), with gleaming firey eyes, white, blood-stained fur, tattered ears and face that was cris-crossed with numerous scars. She would not want to meet him in a dark forest alone, yet something about this gruff cameo was spurring strange excitement in her heart. With this sudden realization in mind, she suddenly blushed and looked away, as if, what was going in her mind, was somehow accessible and visible to Charon.

"He does sound scary," was all she said, while keeping her eyes on her forepaws, until her mind settled and she would be able to think about more innocent things.

Wraen seemed to get the gist of the story and looked impressed by the description he had given of Ragnar. Charon grinned as she said that he sounded scary. To Charon, he'd never been scary, but he could imagine how anyone else would've thought him so; anyone not in his good graces. He had been like a father to Charon, just like Thistle had been like a mother.

"Yeah, he was pretty scary," Charon said, not sure what else he could say about Ragnar, really. He liked to think that he matched Ragnar in that regard, if not upped the bar. "He was a viking. They have gods, some sort of... omnipotent beings that live in some god-world, or something. They taught me some things about it, but I don't really believe in the gods in the same way they did." He wasn't sure if Thistle was still alive somewhere, but considering her age he didn't think the odds very high. Wherever she was, she had taught him well, but their stories of the gods had never stuck for Charon.

"A viking... never heard about them," Wraen replied, raking through her memory in order to find any mention about the warlords and fighters of that kind, but finding none. The mention of a particular gods they had believed in sparked her interest, but it was clear that there would be no use of questioning Charon further, because not only he did not have any interest in them, she did not think that he knew very much about them either. 

"Yeah... gods are very fickle beings - just like people," she began. "I was raised with stories about the Ancient Roman and Greek gods - Zeus/Jupiter, Hera, Mars, Athena, Juno and the like. Great legends... but not enough for a religion. My mom - on the other hand - had spent her time with Wind Nomads for a while - they had an entirely different set of beliefs, but one - above all - was believing in yourself." And this was something Wraen had taken with her from home. Belief in her ability to be in charge of her fate.

Charon listened as Wraen went on a tangent about different types of religions and gods. He nodded, amazed how many different wolves believed different things though not that interested in learning about non-existent deities. "Funny, huh? I guess one wolf thinks up something and teaches it to their pups, and they have the belief it's real, or something." Charon thought the whole thing a bit silly — he had never believed any of Osprey's dragons were real, after all — but he supposed some wolves were more naive than others.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're here. Did I say that yet..? I never did manage to convince Osprey to join my pack... But it's nice to have her children here." Who were pretty much just as awesome as Osprey herself, so far; Charon was glad with both Terance and Wraen, who both in their own way had a piece of Osprey with them too.

"Mom used to say that people are so scared of the very idea that there is nothing and no one, who has control over the world and the lives of it's inhabitants, that they simply have to believe in something to feel peaceful," Wraen agreed to Charon's view and though even she was grown up enough to know for sure that neither dragons, nor trolls, nor demons, nor any other creature from her childhood existed, there was this comforting amount of doubt that maybe, just maybe... they were around somewhere.

"Well, if it is true, what they say about children taking half- from each of their parents, then Terance and Wraen equals one Osprey," she did not add "and Dante", because she had got an impression that Charon did not particularly like him. Whatever reason it was - would be found out another evening. They had reached the foot of the mountain and Wraen saw her cozy den welcoming her from afar. She stopped and turned to Charon: "I hope you don't mind - but I will retire for the evening. It was nice talking to you and I hope we have a chance to do that again in near future."

ooc: fade in your next post?

Charon nodded; what Wraen said made absolute sense to him. Made wolves feel they weren't totally responsible for their own shit, he reckoned. At her comment about a Terance and a Wraen making an Osprey, Charon smiled. It wasn't quite the same as having his old friend back, including all the fond memories of his childhood, but it was something. "Yeah," he agreed softly.

Wraen then said she would take her leave and he nodded. "Have a good evening," he said and then he continued in opposite direction himself to find a good perch for watching stars.