Firefly Glen this senseless, thoughtless world

any glenner welcome!

Thoughts swirled around his mind about the recent events. Holland kept his neck down, eyes narrowed and mostly to himself. A kidnapped beta, a man who took her that claimed to be a rapist... he did not think anything good would come from this. Confrontation had been a strong suit years ago, but now he was tired and older. Not yet elder age, but still an old man in the core of his being, he was tired.

Dragging his paws outside of his den, he tended to the garden he was growing. Snow was cleared away almost daily now, in small patches, and he checked the sprouts growing under the soil. He dusted the remaining snow with a tail, checking how deep it was before continuing. He had claimed this patch of dirt for the Glen's work in progress garden. But he didn't expect everyone to know that.

Footfalls courtesy of the snow made him look up. He grunted, a Holland-esque sort of greeting. The singular red eye focused on their form before it dropped back to the earth.

Dating this for today it here have a phone post ❤️


Exhaustion whittled at her, hour by hour, step by step. She hadn't been able to sleep, too protective of their little glen and the wolves within it to let anything slip by her. After the kidnapping and then the wolf that had trespassed into their lands, Keres felt that she was needed at the borders day and night. So, that was where she had been.

Except now, she was finally read to succumb to the pull of sleep and... found that she could not. She'd laid there for hours, hours, and could not just fall asleep. Irate, annoyed, Keres finally pulled herself to her tired feet and went in search of Holland, who she found near his den, digging through the snow in a methodical way. Obviously, he was in the middle of something. 

I hope you don't mind a quick interruption, She would say, voice soft, a slight but tired smile upon her maw.

"You sound exhausted."

It was the first thing he'd say but not the last. Lifting his head up again, the man scowled at Keres openly. Would she even listen if he told her to go back to sleep? Doubtful. Nobody listened to him. Not even in his own pack, and he was supposed to tend to wolves who didn't? Who thought they were better than him? He'd have to prove himself to be efficient. Prove his loyalty.

But did he even want to?

"I know why I'm up" he goes on, sniffing along the earth again "but why are you?" Holland suspected it was a case of insomnia. He had told Lunaria, his other pack mate, on why he kept to the dark. He hadn't told Keres why he preferred the nocturnal wanderings. Shoving a buried rock out of his garden, he muses quietly to himself. A few gruff grumbles but that was all he said to the woman.

She laughed, a wry sound. She felt exhausted, an ache deep in her bones that she could not seem to relieve. It was for not lack of energy, for Keres had barely mustered the will to drag herself to Holland's doorstep, nor for lack of want, because she desperately wished to close her eyes and sleep. Perhaps it was the demons that creeped along the edges of her psyche, or the memory of the nightmares that had once plagued her so long ago. Whatever it was, Keres felt like scowling too. It was no wonder she wasn't.

To tell the truth, I'd rather not be. Cryptic, maybe but she continued. I can't sleep. I've been trying but I feel like I've been up for days. And she had been, since the impromptu meeting between thhe wolves of the Spear and the Glen. I came to see if maybe you had anything that might help.

Lucky for Keres he had collected some lavender. Without a word to her, he vanishes into his den and sorts past the meager cache to the herb. Taking it in his mouth, he brings it back out and drops a small dosage at her paws. "This should do the trick" he utters now that his jaws were free. A paw reaches out to pat the small bundle "lavender."

The herb had been dried and kept warm in his den. He expected it to help Keres calm down and stop fidgeting, if that's what she was doing. "Take all of it" Holland instructs, removing his paw. The amount he had given her was small but if she needed something stronger, she'd have to come back tomorrow. He wasn't going to perscribe a lot of herbs to his pack mates. They could get addicted.

She sat, heavily, as he disappeared into the depths of his home, too tired to keep standing but not so impolite that she would keel over right then and there to try and sleep. It was tempting, however. So, it was something of a surprise when Keres discovered that she needed to peel her eyes open when Holland spoke again, finding him closer than he had been before her eyes had closed. Dull eyes dropped to the plant he brought her, listening despite her tiredness. Lavender. Curious, for she had thought flower to be only that, a flower and nothing more.

Lavender, She repeated softly, pulling her eyes up to meet his single, ruby-like eye. There was a moment of hesitation and then so softly that it might have been a whisper, she asked: Does it keep the nightmares at bay?

"Not exactly" he says, but not unkindly. Settling back by his garden, Holland squinted at the earth for a moment before glancing at Keres. "the lavender will calm your body down..." he goes on, scratching idly at the ground.

There was only one cure for nightmares in his opinion; talking about them. Discovering what they meant. Logically placing them aside when you knew they wouldn't harm you in reality. But that is what he did when he had a nightmare. "And enduce a peaceful mindscape" Holland squints at the small bundle.

"But I would not rely on it. It can dull your senses when you take it in large doses."

Dulling her senses was not something Keres was keen on, her nose scrunching a touch at the thought of such a feeling. She would much rather just suffer through them if that was her only other option. My mind hasn't been peaceful as of late, She confessed, which was the reason for the nightmares, though it was likely that Holland could and would have deduced that when she asked; he was an intelligent wolf, after all.

I have felt... on edge, probably some because I haven't been able to sleep for the last few days. It was after she spoke that she picked the lavender in her mouth and chewed, the earthy, yet slightly minty flavor surprising her. It was not an awful flavor, nor was it delicious. It simply was. After swallowing, Keres lingered, unsure how long it would take to start working. That, and she did not want to leave without saying thank you. I appreciate the help, Holland.

He suspected as much. "The lavender I have given you" he attempts to put his patient's mind at ease "is a small dose. Something I would give to a pup" because as far as he was aware, Keres did not have familiarity with the plant. She would have requested it directly if so. "so it is safe to take the next night - with the same dose - if you need it."

Holland grunts, giving a nod. "It has... certainly been eventful" the man admits softly. Kidnapped wolves aside... He watches as she chews the plant and thanks him. He grunts again. "I appreciate the flow of patients" he cracks a wry grin, knowing full well his little joke would fall flat. "sleep well." instead, he directs it away from his attempt at humor.

A small smile was cast at the joke, a well-humored Careful what you wish for, spoken before she watched him for a moment longer. I will definitely try. If it works, I guess I'll come bother you for more tomorrow. A reason to see him, perhaps? She did not linger on the matter, thanking him one last time before turning to go back to her den, slowly feeling sleep begin to pull at her as she walked.

With the shit going down in the Teekons, he would probably regret wishing for patients. But Holland was a workaholic. He needed a steady flow of busy reasons to justify himself. He does not know why Keres is having nightmares - she doesn't elaborate on that. But he supposes she might in time. It could be a new experience for her. Some folks had trouble talking about things like that. But unlike her, he kept himself occupied until morning where he too would slink back into his den. Fast asleep.

end!