Sequoia Coast Ocean of Stars

"It's no point. He would not listen anyway," Elfie shook his head in negative. Their communication so far - if there had been any - had been pretty one-way. With the young wolf whipping Eljay with harsh and defiant words and the father taking the blows without resistence or a fight. The latter angered the boy the most. 

"I wish I was grown up sooner and I could leave the copse forever," he said. "I left it now, I could not return."

Wraen had had a feeling that the reason, why Elfie was at the Sentinels and not at the copse would come up sooner or later. And here it was. Running away from home to leave all of the troubles behind. If only he knew that it did not work like that. Frankly speaking, now she was glad that she had unintentionally intercepted the little vagabond. Eljay would have to erect a shrine in my name for this feat. 

"I do not want to interfere with your decisions, but may I suggest that you make a proper running away with doing some preparations beforehand?" she asked. The boy was too big for her to have him physically dragged back to Firebirds Nest, but maybe common sense would do that job for her.

"Like what?" Elfie asked suspicion raising that Wraen was not all too thrilled by, what he considered a brilliant idea. He had spent many nights on his own and he knew how to hunt small game already (the success rate was not very great, but who cared). He could do it. He would make it and he would show them all! That's right. And tell Eljay that he had been wrong about everything.

"Well, if I was to run away from home, I would probably have a set destination in mind. Preferably, where there are people around," Wraen listed one of the things that she considered important. She did not mention that the true reason was, in case a bear or something more terrible began to chase you, someone would hear your screams and live long enough to tell the story. 

"Some self-defence training would be handy as well. You are growing into a young, sturdy and stunning man. Battle tactics would do you greatly," she told him. "And, frankly speaking, if you need holidays away from home - why not learn about goings and doings in Asterism grove? It is the safest place territory-wise, it's close enough for you to return any time you feel like it and you could learn a lot from wolves there."

A win-win situation from all around, in her opinion.

Elfie listened to all of the activities listed with eyes wide and tail thumping in excitement. Yes, yes, yes and another yes! He was ready to do all of those things. Do them well and prove everyone, what he was made of. Wraen had hit a jackpot suggesting this. 

"Can we go now?" he had still not abandoned the idea of not going back to copse. He wanted to leave all the troubles there and avoid them, until they disappeared on their own. "Let's go right away!"

"Easy there, tiger," Wraen told the boy, but was glad to see that she had been able to distract him. And that all this pent up energy that made him quarrel with other puppies and be a brat the rest of the time would have a chance to be invested elsewhere. She hoped only that Elfie would not get bored or discouraged in the face of all the things he had to learn and, when he would realize that doing was neither easy, nor fast. 

"You will have to tell your father about the deal with Asterism Grove, if we have any," that was the first spoonful of tar in the honey-pot. "And you will have to apologize to Bronco and Sugar Glider. While you are entitled to have an opinion on the matters relating dead and afterlife, so are they. You will leave the flowers on the graves alone and you will not get in similar arguments with them in the future. Or the deal is off," she was still speaking kindly, but there was a stern note in her voice.

Elfie's sunny expression clouded over, when Wraen named her terms. His first response was a firey - no, no and no - to all of the propositions. He was convinced that Eljay would not understand, he still did not see himself in the wrong with the whole Bronco and Sugar glider situation, and though he had discussed the ghost business with her, he did not like the comemoration business any better. 

But then he thought in a long-term perspective. What did he have to lose - all three were minor inconveniences. He would pay no mind and do as he pleased, even if Eljay did not approve of his decision to "study abroad". He could simply not go the graves and show his disdain by ignoring. The apologizing part would be the hardest. But he would try, when he truly felt it. He was not fan of saying empty words for the sake of peace-making. 

"Agreed," he nodded in agreement. "Anything else?"

Elfie's agreement came swifter and easier than Wraen had expected and the suprise at her success was evident, when she regarded the teenager with curiousity. She had no reason not to trust him, he - after all - was a good and honest boy deep down, but she made a remark to herself to observe him closely, whenever possible and try to nip any emerging conflicts in the bud. Team-work was more essential now than it had ever been before. 

"Shall we go home?" she asked him, getting to her feet and stretching. If they headed out now, they would be back at copse by sunrise.

Wraen did not make any other conditions, which was a relief, though Elfie was so eager to learn that he would have agreed to nearly anything else she would have suggested. Upon the last inquiry, he did not reply right away. He looked at the shadowy forest behind them, then turned to catch the view of the ocean in the distance and his gaze wandered along the sandy shore-line to the lands that were yet unknown to him. Deep in his heart he felt a strange tug, a desire to go, see and explore. 

But this would be not today. He raised as well and followed Wraen to the Firebirds' nest. Eager to start his training and looking forward to that day, when the distant horizon would no longer be a far-off daydream. 

"To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

quote from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty