Silverlight Terrace glitter sterling and gold

@Keyni

Diaval moved by moonlight, his path lit by the pale silver of the moon and the grass the light bounced against. He wasn't sure where he was, but it was beautiful. He walked with his head high, breathing in the clear air. The atmosphere was soothing to him. He was lonely, as was the usual, but he didn't feel it quite as badly here as he had before. 

The moon was like a companion.

He stopped here and there as he wandered, nose lowering to sniff curiously at plants as he went. He didn't know them and learning their scent was useless without any knowledge of what they were. Still, he amused himself and kept the itch to study them abated while he had no method of learning. It was with his nose in a clump of some fern-like plant when he noticed a scent that he did recognize.

He raised his head and peered around, ears forward. The scent was faint...or maybe it was simply wet with dew. He couldn't tell. Nose in the air, he followed what little scent he could gather, almost on tip toe, his neck stretched comically as far as he could extend it.

OOC: Making the assumption ICly that Keyni has been accepted back into Moonglow.

Time had passed. Spring was alive and in full force. Things had changed, and for the better. Keyni had set out and completed what she had promised to do in reuniting with Moonglow. With it came the task of delivering the news of the attack on Rivenwood, now disbanded, unknown to her. What she had not anticipated on her arrival back at her former home, was the sudden pull she had experienced there. It was decided for her in that instant, that she would be amongst the village again. How could she not stay away? Her connections there, to that place and it's wolves were strong. Simply put, it felt right.

The Tundrian woman was a productive individual. Or at least, she tried to be. But every now and then, when she knew there were no loose ends she had to worry about, she allowed herself to relax. It had been some time since she had just set herself free, let her mind float and just be. What was a life without quiet, satisfying personal moments?

Under the silver light of the moon, pouring down from the night sky, a lone female figure had entered the hilly, green land. No longer a simple drifter, but part of something more. She was but a stones throw away from home. Tonight she stole away to take joy in the simple pleasure of being back with her village. Others may find her and they would not be shunned if they did. 

Laying in a position never known to be seen by her before, the Tundrian female was sprawled comfily on her back. Paws dangling, brushing the snow white of her exposed chest. Half lidded jade eyes blinked contently, peacefully tracing and navigating the patterns of the distant stars, while her languidly sweeping tail swept the blades of grass in a gentle disturbance.

Nose in the air, he realized with every step that the scent was stronger. He followed it, his muzzle lowering slowly to the earth as he caught the trail more completely. She was definitely close.

He came upon her after a short while, lying sprawled in the grass. She had not seen him and his tail wagged furiously behind him as the pale, beautiful colors of her pelt filled his vision. She looked silly but was no less beautiful to him. In fact, he almost appreciated her more this way. 

Lowering his body, he crept forward with a wolfy grin. He wanted to boop her nose, his excitement overriding his instinctual anxiety. If she did not notice his quiet approach, he would go nose to nose with her, ready to spring away if she took to her feet.

Being in such high spirits tonight, Keyni appeared as if she hadn't a care in the world. She wasn't concerned with what or who might be in the vicinity. Instead she was focused on all the other elements around her. The shift and tickle of the soft grass. The smell of the night time spring air. The sound of a cricket playing it's melody in the distance. Even the twinkle of individual stars.

When she wholly relaxed, Keyni could almost tune out the outer world all around her. She drew in a slow, deep breath. A content one. One of her hind legs kicked out, her skin disturbed by a fleeting itch. It passed. Should he be able to see them well enough, the wounds on her ears had all but healed. Any scarring was likely covered up by the thick layer of charcoal northern fur on the tips of her ears.

In a near trance like state, she tipped her head to one side, letting her cheek rest against the grass carpet. Her eyes were shut, but she was very much awake. She was seriously considering spending the whole night out here, in this haven.

She didn't notice him and he frowned, tilting his head. He straightened up, no longer creeping, and instead stood above her peering down into her pretty face. If she opened her eyes, he would be upside down to her.

Her undersides shone in the moonlight, the white almost dazzling to look at. He paused for a little while as she relaxed, simply looking at her. It was creepy if he could take a step back and look at himself. He meant no ill will, however. 

When he was done looking at her, he poked her nose again and said, quietly, "Keyni...?"

It had been so long since she was this relaxed. Just zoning out almost completely. It was enjoyable. For someone who was usually so attuned to the world around them, she sure had failed miserably in noticing his approach. He had gotten close. Perhaps closer than he ever had, the first time they met.

Her soft furred ears flickered gently, reacting at the sound of his voice. Instantly it was familiar. She woke up from her little daze. She breathed in, smelling him so close. His scent was familiar too. Crystal clear jade eyes popped open, not with alarm, but with pleasant surprise.

It was cute...comical how she looked up at him, still upside down in the grass. Her naturally soft facial expression had her mouth parted in a gentle o shape. From her vantage point, he was upside down. But his dark muzzle, splattered with white freckles and vivid orange eyes stared back at her. For a fleeting second, something in her chest fluttered. "Diaval..." She greeted warmly, slowly stretching her front legs way out towards him.

It must have been her position - vulnerable, open - in comparison to his own upright and stable state that gave him the confidence to be in her space. If you had asked Diaval if he was skittish, he would have been puzzled by the question. As it were, in reality, the young male was quite so. He watched the light in her eyes as she finally noticed him and her warm, calm greeting made his own face relax into a crooked, soft smile. 

She pawed at him and Diaval leaned forward to poke at her legs playfully with his dark muzzle. He laughed, more of a giggle than anything, and looked back down at her. She seemed comfortable in her upside down world and he was, as well. 

"It's been a little while. I thought you were gonna be on the coast? What are you doing here?"

Keyni made no move to get up or right herself. While she was in fact, quite comfortable, she also wished for him to be too. Some time had passed since they first met along the coast and she still recalled how he preferred to keep some space between them. So she reasoned, if he wanted to get closer tonight, then it would be on his terms. If that meant staying prone on her back for a while longer, then so be it.

The slight, soft smile she was known for followed, accompanied by a soft chuckle, her voice mixing with his. She drew her legs back enough to settle her paws briefly on the rounded edges of his ears, before settling back into their more natural position at her chest. Closely, she examined his face, curious of how his wound had healed up.

"Well, I had been making my way to this area for while. I know it quite well, actually. I had made a promise to re-visit a friend of mine. She lives close by." She began, while her tail swept rapidly between her hind legs. "I had never planned on staying at the coast." Her eyes drifted away from his briefly, back to the sky, in thoughtfulness. "To be honest, I didn't care for it." She kept the details and chit chat light, for now. "What are you doing all the way out here yourself?"

He allowed her paws to wrap around his ears, his tail wagging softly behind him. When she retracted them, he leaned down and sniffed near her ears, smelling the wound that was well healed now. His own was, as well - the saltwater had done its job and Diaval had, had no trouble. He straightened back up.

"I hate the ocean, I think." he admitted. They were in agreement on that. But Keyni had come to visit a friend nearby? Diaval wondered who and where, keen for company even if he never really kept them for long. He liked not being alone, he just hadn't found a good place to do that just yet. 

"I'm just...around." he shrugged, then gasped as he remembered. "Oh! I found a weird lady - uh...that was rude, sorry. She was just...different." he laughed a bit sheepishly but continued quickly. "She told me a little about herbs and plants. Do you know what some plants can do? I always knew they could heal but did you know they could kill you, too?! It was so weird. She had a pouch thing made by a raven." he was rambling and he slowed as he realized, though his excitement didn't wane. "I want to know plants like she did." he finished, wistfully, then asked - "Do you know plants?"

She grinned slightly. "Yeah. It left my skin feeling tight. And the sand...it seemed like it would never wash out." She spoke deliberately while lightly nosing where his wound had been, so he hopefully would be distracted by her chatter. She was pleased he seemed to have healed well. 

Then it was he who began to do quite a bit of rambling. Not that she minded. She tipped her head, listening intently but patiently. He had met an interesting woman. One who knew quite a bit about herbs and other plants. Keyni laughed slightly. "Well, by the sound of things you sure sound like you might be interested in the herbal path." And she had been right. He said so himself.

With her tail still wagging so furiously that it knocked against her ankle bones, she gestured to him with a tilt of her head. An invitation to join her at her side. "Well, yes and no. I am more along the lines of understanding the health and growth of all things living. But I am not a practiced herbalist." Her jadestone eyes twinkled. "But this friend of mine...she is a total expert. Another close friend of mine dabbles in artistry using both fruits and plants alike." She spoke of Lote of course. What would he think?

He let her touch him, distracted. He hardly noticed, so fixated was he on telling her of his new obsession. 

When she gestured beside her, he hesitated, a frown crossing his features for a split second, before he carefully stepped around her. He turned in a circle once before settling down on his stomach. He was not quite comfortable enough to lay on his back and, besides, he was happier looking at her than he would be the sky. He lay close enough that their pelts brushed and he could feel the warmth of her next to him...he liked it.

She didn't know plants. "Ah. More of a..medic? A naturalist?" He had figured as much - it had been a shot in the dark - but then...her friend? He brightened. "Would she take an apprentice?!" he blurted, not unlike when he had vomited the same sentence to the strange woman. He didn't think about Qiao's rejection just then. He, after all, wasn't standing in front of this mystery friend of Keyni's and asking her himself. If he were, he might have had more shame after his experience.

The Tundrian remained as she were when he came round and settled down onto his stomach beside her. She shifted her head to peer at him, unaware of how adorable she might look. She felt warmth radiating from his side, onto hers. If she noticed, she didn't show it.

"More of a naturalist." She confirmed. "I did help her cultivate her herbal garden once." She recalled, a fond, wistful smile growing on her lips. His eagerness continued. He even exclaimed if she might apprentice him. Her ears pricked in interest. A glint of good humor was still there in her eye. "She might." First, he would have to be properly introduced. Where it could get tricky was that Lote was a part of Moonglow. Diaval was not. Would he even be interested in pack life? "The woman you met before...what was she like?" She asked, wishing her curiosity to be fulfilled. Then she would go on and divulge about Lote and Moonglow.

A naturalist, then. He somewhat knew what that was. It was a subject - or set of subjects - that also interested him, though nothing like plants. It was still a very worthy skillset, he thought, secretly pleased with Keyni's interest. Not that she needed him to approve, of course...he quickly corrected himself.

When Keyni told him that her friend might apprentice him, his tail developed a restless mind of its own. He grinned wolfishly. He would die to be apprenticed and part of him felt like that wasn't hyperbole. Suddenly, plant life had become an enormous part of him. It distracted from his shortcomings and his self-image, it gave him something to think about aside from his constant loneliness. He didn't have a direction but it gave him hope for a purpose, anyway. "I would do anything," he told her honestly.

She asked about Qiao and the monochromic boy hummed in thought. "She was...reddish. Small. She had plants and trinkets and a wrap made by the raven, like I said. So...I guess she talked to ravens." What must that have been like? To talk to a bird? Was that even possible? She had certainly gotten the pack somehow. "She was...kinda...mysterious. She wasn't interested when I asked if she would apprentice me...I was, uh...no use to her, I guess." he shrugged, somewhat self-conscious. 

He looked down at her, really looking at her for the first time. She was so pretty, like the flowers that were starting to bloom all around the earth. With her head inclined toward him, the fur of her cheek bunched a bit and he giggled softly. "You look funny like that." he leaned forward to boop her nose with his again, cautious enough to pull away if she resisted.

Could Keyni see herself getting immersed in the world of plants? Not full time. Not in using them for their medicinal purposes. But in growing and tending them? Absolutely. She loved the feel of the cool, rich earth between her paws. The raw, pure smell of it. But keeping a personal, trained watch over the ecosystem would be her true passion. She was most content watching the herds, cataloguing their movements, numbers and health.

She had been curious about this first woman. Only so as she could get an idea of her overall nature. Her personality and approach to the arts she practiced. Keyni nodded with a hum. Mysterious. Dismissive. Probably strict, too. "You know what then? It is her loss in turning you away. We all have to start out somewhere, even if we don't know a thing. How else are we to learn?"

"I can introduce you to her. She is a kind, sweet woman, around my age." She smiled. "I think she would accept you." She parted her lips to continue, to speak of Moonglow but was stopped by his comment on how she looked. Her chest heaved with the motion of a quiet giggle. "I've never heard that before, but thank you. You look...cute, from down here." She shot back. It was not meant to be in the flirty sense. Just playful and innocent. She was receptive to the boop on her nose, which was cool to the touch. She even returned the gesture, touching the tip of her nose to the velvet black on the bridge of his muzzle. "You caught me at great time. I've never felt so...relaxed...so at peace in a long time." The scent of Moonglow was already woven back into her fur. If he noticed it, that would explain things. Or, give way to more questions.

She asserted that the loss was Qiao's but Diaval did not agree. He had no teacher and she had no fool stumbling around after her. It seemed to work out in the ruddy woman's favor. But she had offered him Fall...what would change, then? Diaval would still be himself. He would still be as useless. Although...if Keyni could convince her friend, perhaps he wouldn't be so useless after all. 

He hoped that Keyni could come through. His heart soared at the idea - he wanted to learn so badly. Part of him expected disappointment but he trusted her...she wasn't lying to him. And maybe he could be of more use to the nameless woman than he could have been to Qiao. Maybe. 

"Cute?" he huffed a laugh, warming a bit under his fur. Maybe it was weird for a man (was Diaval a man, really?) to be called cute but it didn't offend his opinion of himself. His opinion wasn't quite high enough for that and his ignorance proved itself further when he did not notice the pack scent on the beautiful pale woman's fur. So unused to belonging to a group, he didn't recognize the signs. Foolish, indeed. 

"Why is that?" he asked, cocking his head, allowing her touches. The night was intoxicating, somehow, and he also felt contentment like a warm blanket.

She nodded in affirmation. It was just one of several terms she could use. She chose to keep silent, not daring to express her true perception of him when it came to his looks. Slowly, she rolled back over to lay flat on her stomach. Aware of how edgy he could be, she deliberately kept her profile lower than his own. Maybe that and her slow motions would keep him more at ease. She did not want to disrupt this blissful peace enveloping them.

She laid her chin gently over his set of dark socked paws, jade eyes upturned to him. "I had been roaming for so long. I recently rejoined my pack, Moonglow, of whom I was a part of before. I have made many friends there." She explained. A fond look crossed over her face. "But more so, because of them, I feel a powerful connection. Like a pull I can't ignore." Her ears lifted up more whilst she thought about how to introduce Diaval to Lote. "My friend, the one who may mentor you, lives with them." She fell quiet for a moment, thoughtful. "We can go about this two ways. I can introduce you to her on neutral ground, or you could join us. But I won't rush you in making a decision. Or force you into doing anything you are not uncomfortable with." He had her respect and Keyni wanted him to know that. But also, a part of her really liked the idea of getting to see him on a more daily basis.

She rolled and his relaxed mouth closed itself, his teeth clicking together with the tiniest noise. He relaxed a moment later, however, no longer immune to her closeness but choosing - and succeeding - to ignore it, for now. He remained relaxed as she lay her head on his black paws, his ears pricked as she talked of her new pack.

Oh. That made sense.

Diaval hadn't been actively avoiding packs and the possibility of being in one. He didn't see how he could benefit one, bringing very little to the table. There was that one time Noir had seemed inclined to invite him...but her pack had been on the coast and it had sounded...off. A pack that accepted anyone on the basis of second chances? It seemed dangerous to him then and it still did. 

But the person Keyni had suggested might mentor him was in this pack - Moonglow. He would be an excellent student. He was smart enough to learn and he would be dutiful. If she wanted to take him on, he could actually be of use to them. He could actually belong with them, if he worked hard. 

He wouldn't be alone anymore.

The thought came with intense relief and anxiety. But burning stronger than either emotion was his desire to learn plants. It overran any fear and doubt and even happiness he felt at the prospect of an end to his wandering. Of course, he would join this pack - this was everything he wanted in one opportunity. 

The bigger question is whether they would have him. 

"Wow." he said, a touch of wonder to his voice. He looked back at those pretty jade eyes, his own overbright with a thousand competing thoughts. "C-congratulations." he said it because it seemed like the right thing to say. Then, "I would join you. I really would. If...uh...would they take me?" Could he gain a mentor and a pack at the same time? It seemed too much good at once to be true.

Keeping details vague as to whether or not she knows about Winterglade, as her first thread with Lote is still in progress.

Keyni noticed the click of his jaws, prompting a noticeable rise of her ears. She lifted her head up and shuffled away several inches to give them space. "Thanks, I am glad to be back with them." She replied. It would be nice having Diaval with her. Even if he felt he offered little in the way of skills, it was never too late to learn. His active interest in plants was already a promising start. 

"I'll tell you what. I will arrange for you two to meet first, and if she decides to Mentor you, then we will see if Moonglow will take you. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't." There was plenty of room still in the ranks. But that was not her call to make and she did not want to get ahead of herself. Moving on from the business side of things, she tried to be more casual. "I did want to ask...what started your interest in plants?"

Diaval was genuinely pleased that Keyni was happy. He felt it swell in his chest as if it were his own. A foreign sensation, for someone else's happiness to feel good to him. He liked it and it did not bring with it the pang of loneliness it often did. He marveled that for only a moment - not enough time to dwell - before her voice brought his attention to her completely once again.

"That's - yeah. I would love that. Thank you..." he trailed off. Thank you didn't feel good enough, it didn't convey his feelings as strongly as they were. The gratitude he felt was enormous, it consumed him. It wasn't enough to just say it and, yet, he had no other means to communicate it. "Really, thank you. It's...thank you so much. You're amazing." it wasn't enough but it was all he had. 

There was a beat of silence and Diaval almost decided to thank her again when she asked why he was interested in plants. The eccentric light entered his eyes again and his face lit up. He didn't think at all about how his answer would sound as he told her, "I know plants can heal. Everyone knows that I think, but did you know they can kill you, too?"

Keyni side eyed him as he expressed his gratitude, going on about how great she was. The whole time she was quiet save for a low hum of appreciation, wearing a slight smile. Her tail wagged, disturbing the grass. A further clue to her good mood for the evening. There wasn't anything more that needed to be said. The arrangements had been made, now all she need do was follow through.

She chuckled softly at how animated Diaval became when she expressed an interest in his passion of plants. Either in Moonglow or in the village Lote planned to build, he would be very much at home. "Well, I am not an expert by any means, but yes." She shifted a little onto her side to face him conversationally. "As someone who is interested in the environment as a whole, I had picked up on it."

She smiled, more fully. "You'll fit right in. I'm sure Lote and the rest of Moonglow will be thrilled to have you." She stretched freely, falling onto her side. "I like your company Diaval. It'll be nice seeing you on a more regular basis. We could...share the secrets of our interests." She offered. Letting out a soft yawn, she let the remainder of the evening wear on into dawn, before she departed, with the promise to find him soon for the big introduction.